The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1870-08-13
Our Tariff Taxation.

r, II
could not be preserved for a single year.
It's odious features are such that it would
excite rebellion and popular insurrection
to get rid of it, If there were no other rem
| edy. Bat it is indirect, obscure, and little
known or understood by the people It en-
ters into the price Of the articles taxed, and
not one man in hundred knows why the
goods for which he pays SO high are sub
jected to such an imposition. Herein is
the mischief Of these indirect taxes, and
herein is the advantage Of the honest, direct
tax. Almost every man carries d watch or
has clock in his home. They are taxed
| twenty five per cent or one-quarter of the
whole value. Upon every pound of coffee
there is a tax Of three cents, and if it is
ground and prepared, five cents. Upon all
cotton manufactures-and what person is
there that does not wear then-there is a
duty CT thirty-fye per cent, one taird the
price This is an immense imposition, and
in some cases it is still worse. With the
profts which are made upon it, it is safe to
say that every man who wears a cotton shirt
or carries pocket-nankerchief, pays twice as
much for it as he would if it was not for
the abominable tariff Oranges and lemons
pay a duty Of twenty per cent, or one fifth
theiE value. Pig iron is seven dollars
ton, old scraps six dollars, and steel railway
one and a half cents per pound. These ex-
traordinary rates enter into the value of
every thing in which the material Of iron is
admitted. They are most oppressive upon
the farmer, who in some way or other is a
great consumer of them, and who could OBJ
tain his supply at a smaller compare i've
rate If it were not for this excessive duty
Oils that enter into painting are twenty or
thirty cents a gallon, which constitutes an
intolerable exaction All kinds Of spices
are from five to twenty cents a pound.
Black pepper is five cents and cayenne is
ten cents. Wines Of all kinds, in casks, are
charged fifty cents a gallon, if they are
bought for fifty cents to dollar a gallon.
In other words, for every gallon Of wine
that is consumed the price Of another is
paid to the government. Upon champagne
the duty is six dollars a dozen upon pint or
quart bottles This is u tax Of no less than
twenty four dollars gallon In quart
bottle there are, say six drinks, which are
charged over eight cents each. All liquors
entered as wines, containing more than
twenty five per cent of alcohol, will be for
feited Brandy IS charged two dollars a
gallon, and tea fifteen cents pound. Su-
gar is from two to three cents a pound, and
molasses is five cents a gallon Salt is 10
per cent
A glance at the above will disclose how
! abominably the people are taxed under the
present tariff In fact, upon all our i'm
portations there is a duty OF forty-eight per
of this, or were it cut down, say ten or if
| teen per cent, which ought to be enough for
the support of an economical government,
bow much easier it would be for the labor
| ing classes to make both ends meet-how
much money they would have at the end of
the year, which IS now spent in defraying
these duties Why are we burdened with
this oppressive taxation? 1t is not because
| the treasury requires it, for considerable
! portion of it does not go into the treasury.
Many Of these duties are prote tive, es-
| pecially upon iron and cotton and manufae-
lures. They stop all Importation, and al
| low the domestic manufacturer to charge
almost any price be chooses for his goods
lie makes from one to two hundred per
cent In order to have such exorb;tant
profits, the manufacturers continue to buy
the passage of their bills through Congress.
Yes, literally buy, is the word They spend
| hundreds of thousands, if not millions,
among the peoples representatives. Thus
the public is swindled and robbed-thus
they have been plundered for years, and
will be so in the future, until they elect
men to Congress who are pledged against
this iniquitous high tariff system, and who
have the integrity to maintain their position
| against corruption in any of its forms. The
first question of the day is tariff reform
The highest duty for its statesmen and the
public journalists is to inform the people
how and for what they are taxed, and tc
suggest the means by which they can be
relieved from it. The Democratic is the
free trade and low revenue tariff party
The Republican is the high tariff, or friend
to the monopoly organization.
Last Saturday night, on the Chesapeake