The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1870-10-28
FREE TRADE.
What Do the Revenue RefOrmers Want ?

We have good deal of newspaper
talk and some political stir on these mat
tiers, an occasional shower of tracts fall
ing over the prairies, and now and then
lecture by some travelling agent of the
Free Trade League, sent out from among
the New York importers.
If we were out of debt, and had some
surplus revenue in the treasure chest at
Washington, it might be fit time to
theorize on free trade; but we have
over $500, 100000 to pay yearly for gov
eminent expenses, interest on our ma
tional debt, and such share of its princi-
pal as is wise to reduce, and free trade
would therefore at this time be bank
ruptcy and reputation. All this with
out counting our debt in England and
Europe of 81 ,5OO,O00,OOO, which should
be reduced by larger home product and
less importation.
ed and suspicious? The free traders
are forced to admit the need of tariff
for revenue, and thereby overthrow
their darling claim that "every man
should buy where he can buy cheapest"
and are not, in fact, free traders, but on
ly professors of an impracticable theo-
~, making some hue and cry about
| 'srevenue REFORM" But is there need of
so much noise on that?
Granting that we must pay our debts
and expenses, and the margin of reduc-
ton possible in our tariff is too small
to make such a noise about. Our i'm
ports are about $4O0, 100000 yearly, and
surely we should not exceed that; and
| from these we must raise say S150,O00,-
600 by tariff, unless we can raise all our
revenue of over 100000, 900 by internal
taxation, which the free traders dare
not propose.
To raise S15O,OOO,OO0 from our tariff
on imports will not admit of great re-
duction. The changes made last win
ter, in adding to the free list and Feduc-
ing the tariff on tea, coffee, sugar, ETC.,
will 90 into operation next winter, and
will reduce the tariff revenue about
| S24,OOO,0O0, while the internal revenue
taxes were reduced by larger amount.
This reduction approaches all that
would be safe, perhaps, for some years
| to come, and it can doubtless be said,
with near approach to accuracy, that
| it would not be wise or consistent with
the needs and honor of the Government
| to make still further reduction of our
tariff of over $4,000, 600, looking at it
, solely as a revenue matter; while many
able men and large share of our intel
ligent people, firm believers in '.protec-
| tion," would say, "no more reduction"
4 OA4
which to make this noise about 'Freve-
nue. reform 2" Would not little COM
mon sense and patriotism, such as the
Republicans have repeatedly shown,
settle the whole matter for years to
come? Does this free trade talk help
that settlement? Is it honest American
talk on the part of its prime movers?
| Their pet idea of revenue reform
seems to be the keeping of tariff on
tea, coffee, drugs, etc., of foreign pro-
lductions, and thereby cutting down the
duties on our iron, woolens, etc.; and
this scheme is hailed with great delight
by British manufacturers They tell us
tariff is ''tax," adding its amount to
the cost not only of the imports, but of
like articles produced here. Without
going into this at length, we remember
that lumber, in this the greatest market
i on the continent, Is cheaper to-day with
tariff than under Canadian reciprocity
| without one, and larger, exceptions
toftheff ssaxiom" might be found with
est going farx e.