Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1871-02-02
2nlitifsI.
REHENUER REFORM.

gregate on foreign imports, and add th'
deficiency thus caused in the reyenu'
to our internal taxation; we must leav'
it as it is, with only such modification
in the distribution of duties as sount
policy, tested by experience, will inva
riably point out. The amount OF ou
foreign importations has not varied
much from 400 millions per annum TO
many years. 40 per cent. duty on thi
amount equally levied would produc'
the required revenue; but not one in
hundred is in favor of such tariff, ant
it need not be argued, as the plan i
virtually without advocates. A distri
button of duties must, then, be made
in which rates will differ, ~and diffel
widely, from the very necessity of tht
case... In this distribution the creates
difficulty lies in framing tariff of du
ties that will raise the required reve
nue., and give satisfaction to the varied
interests, which are sometimes more o.
less conflicting. The cupidity of mar
is such that he is seldom entirely salts.
fed without paying less tax than his
.neighbor, or receiving greater Incl.
dental benefits from tariff.
In forming proper distribution o.
duties, let us imagine our foreign inn.
ports divided into four classes, as fol.
lows:
Glass L. Medicines of foreign prOduc.
ton, only, Dye-stuffs, and such articles
of raw material as are not produced In
this country, and which enter into the
basis of. domestic industry, should be
admitted free of duty. ..xrT
Class 2. Sugar, tea, coffee, spices, etc.
These articles being used by the rich
and poor alike, and being of general
consumption, should be admitted at as
low rate of duty as may be consistent
with the actual wants of the Govern
ment, and finally made free altogether.
The revenues collected from this class
the past year amounted to about sixty
millions of dollars.
Class 8: Embraces articles of luxury,
such as spirits, wines, tobacco, cigars,
silks, satins, jewelry and other fine
goods of foreign manufacture. These
should be taxed at the rate likely to
produce the most money; but their inn
portation is not sufficient to produce a
large amount of revenue.
Glass 4: Embraces the great mass of
of necessity or convenience,
which are not only produced in foreign
countries, but in our own country
This class includes the various manu-
factures ofiron and steel, copper, lead
and zinc, flax, hemp, wool and cotton
goods, coal and salt, implements of
and mechanism, agricultu-
raj products, and all the varied objects
of domestic commerce and production.
Now any tax or duty we put upon such
articles is to some extent a
protection to the domestic article, hence
the modern Revenue. Reforms go
into fits, on account of
such protection.
The reader will observe at a glance
that numbers 2and 4, as herein classifi-
ed, form the main basis of revenue,
while strong tendency exists in the
public mind to reduce the duties on the
former class as rapidly as may be con-
sistent with the actual wants of the
Treasury. Take off the duty from the
first class, as all admit should be done,
and where will we put it, so as not to
diminish the revenue in the aggregate?
Can it be added to the third class? It
is thought not. The third class is al
ready taxed to the verge of prohibi-
ton, except such articles as are easily
and it is believed that any
considerable increase of duties on this
class would not result in an increase of
revenue. 1t must go, then, to class
No. 2, or No. 4; but number 2 will not
bear an increase of duties. The popular
cry is to take the duties entirely off this
class of articles, to wit: sugar, tea, cof-
fee, etc.; and in obedience to this de-
mand Congress has already reduced the
rates one'third, or say 20 millions. 1t
must go, then, mainly to class 4, or be
left off to create deficiency in the rev.
enue to that extent
The chief difficulty with the present
tariff is in the apparent inequality OF
class number 4. The duties on some
articles being too high, and on Others
too low. This should be equalized and
regulated with view to the public
good, without reducing the average
scale of duties, or ortheaggregate amount
of revenue produced. That monopo-
lies of eastern capitalists have had the
advantage in the distribution of the
tariff is more than probable; and that
this state of things, if it exist, should
be corrected is beyond all doubt. But
this is no justification for a general at
tack on the revenue system, when nc
better plan, nor even any other plan is
proposed, except direct taxation, or it:
nearest equivalent, tariff mainly Or
such articles of necessity as are not pro-
duced in this country. Neither o.
which systems could command the
support of One-fifth of the people of the
United States for single year. a
A tariff for revenue must necessarily
be levied, and mostly on class number
4, which embraces large amount O
articles produced in foreign countries
and also in our own country. Thiswil
afford incidental protection to the home
product, and is what gives offence tt
the Free Trader, or modern Revenue