New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-11-22
ISNOOKSS NEXT FRIEND.

SNOORS'S NEXT FRIEND.
We recently took occasion TO place the Hon.
J. SnOoks on the stump, making Revenue
Reform speech, and arguing that every i'm
post on imported products was tax on the
consumer, not merely of those products, but
of the home made articles which compete
with them in our markets. When the orator
had thus convinced one of his hearers that 50
per tun duty on imported Pig Iron constrained
the American consumer to pay at least 80 per
tun more, not only for the Half Million tuns
that we import but also for the Two Million
tuns that we make at home, that nearer turns
upon him with this question "Mr. Shocks, |
"observe that yOur Tariff bill fixes duty of
SO per tun on imported Pig Iron, while you
"impOse no tax at all on its homemade
"rival: Do understand you as advocating
g. system which takes $7,5OO,OOO out of the
"pockets Of our people generally, in order to
"put 81 100000 of it into the Treasury, let
" ting the grasping, grinding mOnopolists,'
"who make American Iron, pocket the other
"$6,OOO,OOO7 Do you call that just, beneiicent
"taxation 7"
What could Shocks say for himself 7
Here is the best that his cousin, The World,
can do in his behalf:
perhaps the course THE TRmONB suggests would no
the best thing u.s. II could take it. But We cannot
for this reason. The 1t suggests cannot DO collected
without an inquisition into industry which would OK
tend unjust wasefu and dishonest system already
prevalent the collection Of the internal revenue into
fields now free from 1t. THE TRIBUNE may wish more
scope for q scheme which has already made many con-
vics and countless perjurcrs. We arc free TO say We
don't shyock found 1t impraoticlbe TO get bis pound
OF flesh without efuslon OF Blood and we should
certainly lose more both In money, which Is the HE
blood Of commerce. and In o1cla Rnd private honesty,
which the HfeblOOd of the State than should mako
IA taxes Wherefore propose 70 derive revenue for
its own sake merely from foreign imports in such wise
as shall yield the most good and iict the least harm,
instead of continuing the present system, whereby
minimum of money goes into the treasury, and maxi
mum of money out Of the pockets Of the peope
"Tho sdingscae on pig iron was 50 during 1870 and
the robbery Of the people for the benefit OF tho pgron
makers who made, as THE TRIBUNE Gays, 100000 tuns,
| was SIS 100000 gold, or s2OOOO.OO0 currency.
eve once say wish TO reduce this sliding scale
robbery its lowest possible limits. and, "a we en-
phatcay said cannot entirely extirpate the OWL at
once but wo do intend TO mitigate it, with tho view Of
extirpatng 1t In the end"
Comments by The Tribune.
Pig Iron is, of all things conceivable, that
on which the collection of internal taxes
would be most easy and certain. 1t cannot be
made in small quantities and sly places, as
Liquors may be: its production involves pub
Lefty, smoke, noise, and large quantities OF
Stag or refuse. 1t can only be made to profit
in furnaces that are kept steadily in blast;
and it need not cost one per cent of the pro
ceeds to collect any tax on homemade Iron
to the uttermOst fartling.
Now here is q British capitalist-we will call
him Brown-living in New-YOrk, and running
furnaces at once in Wales and in Pennsylva-
MIA. He ships his entire product, 80 fast as
made, to this port, and sells it for the most it
will bring. The Worlds party tells us that the
Welsh Iron, being exchanged here for Flour,
Corn, Pork, Cheese, &C., is just as much the
product of home industry as the Pcnnsylva-
Man; yet they impose tax of So per tun on
the Welsh and nothing at all on the Juniata
product. This SO per tun, they say, makes us
pay So per tun more on all the Iron we con-
sumo; but they put four-ffths of tho product
of this tax into Browns pocket, leaving but
One-ffth for the Treasury. And this they call
"a Tariff for Revenue" Whose "revenuer
Brown's7 or the Governmental
Depend upon it. gentlemen yOu can't main
tain footing on such slippery ground as
that. If the People accept your premises, they
must reject your conclusion. They know
! that nee advocate q Tariff for both Protection
and Revenue holding that Iron is thereby
supplied to our consumers at less cost than
/ though it were admitted free of duty.
SO with regard to Salt, with regard TO which
you make such din We hold that remis-
sion Of our impost would at once increase the
demand and enhance the price at Turks
Island and other sources Of our foreign sup
ply, so that we should obtain Salt but little
cheaper on tho sea-board and 10 cheaper in
the interior than at present. You may make
faces at this but your master, Stuart Mill
fully comedies it.
When =" the Independent Treasury was in
vogue, an honest advocate could mt once be
collapsed by the simple question Friend. will
"you tell me which of your fifteen or twenty
Democratic States has adopted this system
Gin the collection, keeping and disbursement
"of It's own rcvenuesY" When he had truth.
fully answered, "Not one" the discussion was
! practically concluded.
I The People, in their dealing with questions
of policy, are earnest and honest. Should they
| ever be convinced that Duties on Imports have