The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-03-10

Editorial Opinions Of the Leading Journals
upon Current Topics Compiled Every
Day for the Evening Telegraph.
THE sFREE-TRADE" JUGGLE IN ILL
NOIS."

NOIS.
From, the Chicago Bureau.
The gist of the doctrine of free trade is
that imports which compete with American
productions should pay no duties. The free
traders will vote every time for high duties
on teas, coffee, foreign wines, spices, raw
silk, ETC., because these articles not being
produced in this country, the duties on them
do not protect any branch of American in
dustry But no duties, say they, should be
levied on any article that competes with
American productions. If, therefore, the
Illinois Republican Convention or Legislature
intended to endorse free trade, it would have
been very easy to do SO by resolution as
"Resolved, That all imports Of articles products
which are or can be produced by American industry
porters OF foreign fabrics should have free access
to markets without paying taxes on their wares,
the taxes needed for the support of the Govern
ment should be collected from American produc ts
alone; and that any and all tariffs which are sus-
from foreigners such as the tariffs on wool and
woollens, coal, lumber, salt, iron, and steel, and
their m manufactures, should be repealed"
This is a clear, unequivocal free-trade
plank. Every statesman and economist
every Democrat and Republican-every pro-
tectionist and free trader-would understand
it. 1t is exactly what the Chicago Tribune
asks for as the substance of what il calls
'revenue reform" Why was not the Illinois
Convention and Legislature asked to pass it
Would they have done so if solicited? Very
far from it. A juggle of words had to be
prepared, which in no way refers to protec-
tion or free trade-which, like the old Kansas
Nebraska platforms, might mean anything or
the opposite. 1t was the following:-
''That, as taxation Is a pecuniary burden imposed
by public authority the property Of the people for
of its debs and the promotion Of the general well
fare Congress ought not to tax the substance the
those above Indicated; and it is wrongful and Op-
pressve to enact revenue laws, for the special ad
another and that the best system OF protection to
industry is that which imposes the lghtest burdens
and the fewest restrictions on the property and
business of the people"
Where, in all that resolution, do we find
that imports which compete with American
industries ought to come in .untaxed or that
duties which are paid by foreign producers
ought to be repealed? Does it assume that
Protectionist desires that any taxes shall be
levied "for the special advantage of one
branch of business at the expense of
another ?" In one sense all taxes are levied
''for the special advantage of one branch of
jbusiness" ri. g., the taxes are levied to be
expended in paying various kinds of
persons for rendering various
services to the country. About
one-half of our State taxes are levied upon
all other branches of business to pay school
prison officers, the administrators of justice,
legislators, architects, and carpenters, who
are building the new State house and the
various asylums and public works. capitalists
who have furnished means for building the
State canals to facilitate the transportation of
products to their market, etc., ETC. In all
these instances taxes are collected from all
other branches of business to pay over to
some one branch of business, in whose re-
suits the State has a special interest Our
city governments all levy taxes on the mer-
chants to pay the street cleaners and police,
and our National Government levies taxes
on the whole people of the Union to pay
the fort builders at Charleston or at San
Francisco, the soldiers who defend the
clerks and mail boys who send the
Chicago Tribune to its subscribers for q
charge about one-tenth of what it costs the
Government to render that service. Does
the Chicago Tribune ject to having the
general resources of the United States taxed
to carry its newspaper to its subscribers for
next to nothing and far less than cost? Yet
that is enacting laws for the special advantage
of one branch of business at the expense OF
others. The whole country is taxed to build
forts at Kew West, but no forts are bull
around Chicago, Springfield, or Madison
These taxes ''wrenched from the hard earn
ings"-as the free-traders would say-of the
entire people, make pfonts Tor the tort
builders cannon-founders, etc., and protect
the commerce of one corner of the Union
but of what consequence are they to the
raisers of cattle in Colorado2 They need M
forts at Key West. They ought to cry out
against this levying of taxes for the specia
advantage of one branch of business at thu
expense of another. The Erie Canal Paci6
Railroad, and all our public improvements
were constructed out of just such taxes
There were those whose pin-hole sagacity
saw in the whole war for the Union nothing
but levying of taxes for the special advan
tage of contractors and military officers at tn
expense of civilians and business men gene
rally. Incidentally, therefore, all Co
Iecting and expenditure OF Gov
ernment revenues are at the expens
of those branches of business from which tn
revenue is collected, and for the advant ag
of those upon which it is expended.
Is this in any special sense true of pre-
tective tariff ? We deny that it is. 1t take
money from no one class to put in the pocke
of another, except in that incidental wa
in which all revenue legislation, whether fl
free trade or protection, or by direct taxation
does the same thing.
Suppose, for instance, the first demand
the free traders were granted, by the remoY
of all duties from woods and woollens.
The first effect would be that the Govern
ment would lose the $24, 900, 600 of revenI
now paid by the importers of woods and WOO
lens, and-who would make it 4? The impo
ters would make a very large part of tt
revenue remitted as extra profits for Il
price of woods and woollens is in any evel
largely dependent on our own cost of pr
duction. For considerable time, therefor
fl.as n~4o l. IL Al