, 1870-04-25
the TARIFF QUESTION.
a Revenue Tariff and a Protective
Tariff.
A High Thrift and Agriculture,

1erenco between \ revenue and 4 protectivc
ta5an- This, II candid statement Of f.rr
WahA most hamiliAting confession coming rrorn
gentleman occupyinghis commanding official
position. That the two ideas haye offen booo
asa mte,mangied IN theo.y and in practice, 70 tho
INT they are entirely separate and dist;nct
and indeed in one respect autaKonistic. l.
equally unquestionable. a duty or tarir for
revenue ID an import tx1 laid to raise money
LOT tne government, and, in its simplest and
putess Iorm, It Is 30 laid that every dollar pAid
goes mo tue public treasury A duty or tariff
!or protection Is an import tax laid wholly or
IN part Tor the purpose Of protecting certain
PefBone, classes, or interests from foreign
conpetlton; in other words, to enabla them
70 sell their productions to other ciuzens Of
this country for more money, that ia, At
higher price that they could il free cou,poti-
ton were permitted. In this lattar case the
eum paid Gy he consumers goes not into The
puhhe treasury, but wholly OF in part from The
pockets OF tho consumers directly into the
pockets OF the favored or protected classos or
interests. That particular tax may operate
as revenue and protective duty at the aamc
time, does not alter the fact or disprove the
position that the two arc entirely distinct ard
easily distinguiHhAble in principle and object
and in their effect upon the public prosperity.
REVENUE DUIr.
10 illustrate: we levy duty Of S cents per
cents per pound upon tea OF the first ve
import Ito state it in round uurubetn> go. .O1i1 :
O00 pounds per annum, and derive i raveune
theretron OF over eli, 100000. or tea We
import 40.0o0, 100 pounds, aud derive rev.
enne theretFon Of nearly $1,000. 900. Ua-
receive coffee and tea without this tar, "a it
would be desirable to he exempt from taxation
OF every character. But We must have rev.
e1iue, and 70 get Eeyenne for the purposes of
governuent there 1nnss be taxation some
wheEo; and the true inquiry of the statesman
is to ascertain how and IRON whst source the
necessary revenues can bo raised with the
least burden and annoyance TO the people and
tho letBt interference with their productive
energ1es.
!, There arc ever a21. Goa, 900 derived from
these two articles, and If tho tax is removed
tLerefron thus sum must be raised By taxation
elsewhere. ihc sum paid on each amounts to
about % cents Per capita per annum for the
enssro population OF the United States. These
Articles are Of almoat universal consumption,
but they arc not absolute necesas1ies in tho
sense IN Which bre1d+ and salt and shoaB, and
clothing ate nocessaHes. and the tag ia pretty
equally distributed IN proportion to the means
and style OF LIVING Of the consumors. Starting
out Ii my Investigations With a different i'm
preston, nave, after nature consideration,
come TO tie conclusion that this sum cannot
DO 30 eaeily raised from sny other source, or in
distributed, or .heburleu less felt by the people,
l do not moan by this thAt the tar on these
articles should not bo reduced. It is my cpip-
ion that cheApening Of these articles will
very largely increase tho consumption; and
this may bo done by reduction Of the tax
within reasonable limits without reduction Of
tho reyenuo. This WAS the eyperienca of
Great Dritain, IA I shall show hereafter. and
do not doubt that the result would be tho
same here. But those articles cannot now
L - 4
nue.. The duty is \ ta1 and ! burden
most unqucstionably, as is every duty, aud
to be gotten nd Of at the earliest prac.ica-
bic moment, Bat it has this advantage over
the crest m.ioHsJ Of taxes imposed by our
a1M IL ls not !a1d for tho oonedt OF any
sPecAA OF favored CLASS II s purely and e1-
cuslSe4y revenue TAX; it enhAnces the price
9A1ig.tion, commerce, or agriculture, a.
does the ta1ln on iron and steel; it does not
weaken the productive energies OF our
country ADD, above al erery dollar OF tho
ta3 that tho people pay thaEeou goes into tho
pubic treasury. .-.-
PROTECTIVE DUTY.
On the other llAnd, there is class Of duties
imposed on articles OF consumption thnt arc
imported from foreign countries, and which
ars also produced in our own. Such arc salt,
cotton. and woollen goods, iron and its uan1l-
factureA, and tbs like. On those the tax may
So tAA-k'NtSO %AAN 4At'0AkAsAVA WAL AVAI4uAS
The effect Of this will be, as every one will
readily comprehend, to increase to the con-
sumers, to tho extent of the ta1, the cost OF the
article, whether Of foreign or home production.
To illustrate: II tho government lays duty
o. ~ cents on every ya1d Of flannel imported
the importer must pay this before hecnu bring
it into the country. This is, Of cou1ee, AL in
tegrM part Of the coat OF tho flannel to him,
and he adds it to the price OF the article. Tho
pricc is tlst much higher in the market, and
But the effect is also to enhance tho Price Of
The same article Of domestic production to the
same extent. Tho importer pays the tax. tho
domestic manufactured does not. The dotnee-
liz manufactures, l. lt.u,
iss nrntacted to tho - .noso1o.e % oenehted m !oA>
r,rt tua.su, ~, asa :" % .lo eatent o. ~ cents per
.;nce T},s r1nsnrunrs 80 latu1, " may FFn-
lie .ri,,r.1T 49,, ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Hnt
,n-. ,"S 81 .],a ~. tso. ~ ~ oo'n tne lta-
- ,,;no ~ 1871 Gu"ee tas..,.:. tnely
for eTeT one ,,i ~ 1he i,nraatosi n.ne,
eonsnms.} !, t1,;u o,,nt-- H. ~ t1 IA nloF1eo M
~ ..,1. ~ .u.s couu.iy tae PlAtn ana papa
p.o taeutt ie. InAt o. every eau pAan oS ina COR
ta nun1.s ~ ssHeoo OF this ta1 the gosesument
sets - anu .ue plnteecseu ciasS gets ~. II ls
snh1osts ~ ,,r.1en ~ = ~l'lel 9n tnese
g., :ooa sas aIuei VIZ oiet auoo OF me taru
t,na ~ mouns sots tne COSY Of these soods has
t' s1da non onn W INC consumers IN ths conn.
so nm ft0O morcI n oth.e rort7s ~. -.
sinners nav tar IN thaso roo,1a .ooornt;so.
ei1a o0} o;na neT ,nnntr ~ w. ""
ment Gets aboni a90 mn mn rhrae NO.
lie projection system 10 coiIect = Tsysnn. of
eaO. .OO0. .0N the Co1ernmsnt isv;as ts~ ~ ~
which are letied Tor the bcncat Of thn nrotact-
ed classes.
Il is no answer to this to tall me- that at
come articles Of woo1len productiou Tho pricos
are II low rs when The infamous tayiT on
woolIens WAS enacted. Since then our cur
rcncy has approached 80 per cant nearer to The
sod stsnda5a. sa I'D tho esn.umers .ze entitled
this the constant terdency OF modern ci1iliza-
ton is to cheaper the prices Of staple articles
Of manufacture, and ii is restrictive lecislatiou
alone that would deprive the people OF tho
great advantage thereof It is rcally amusing
to hear tho advocates for mouopoIy cla;n as
The result OF their onnrcssiye t5satioi, Nhosc
changes which sre nrpduced bv tho annr,,c;.-
ton 81 our currency, discoveries il mechani.s
and chemistry. imnroyements in machincrys
CHEAPER modes Of tr.nsDortation- dininiahed
cost of 1zv maseri.i, md ali those things, in
wonderful .ee Tbs tine lest sre We d,rrs .a.s
inE tile benefits Of this proCress: can va nov
rrocurc articles of consumntion a. rhcsn a.
The people OF othe. nat;ons ar does thc fnr;fY
step in the Way a. an oi,str1ction In nrsvsnt
Us f,ppp doing 10
.n,,,p,~,nx-
that enter into de- ccncrsI consuynntiot, ~ IN
ihetr comfort And hapnine.s. arf n, fiial,ofiral-
IL hieh ~ to be abeoKtely or yirsu.lIy nsahit-
iioT cutting Cd 81 imTx3rta.,ons and. conae-
uuently. I'M fhe rr7rnnes derived tfrcrefrorn
IN such csscs there il = donhle frsntl snd NIB
be1y: robberv at The Deoplo of their snf,-
et.1cc. md 4 rshhev n rnvnrnment nf ita
reyenuea. Such srn he 5nsas Id ur,on msnv