The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1871-04-06
THE TEA AND COFFEE DUTIES.
FoRCIBLE PROTEST. AGAINST REPEATING
THEM. sS

The American Free Trade League will
present to Congress the following memo
rial, whcih sets forth with admirable
clearness and force the facts concerning
the duties on tea and coffee, and show
the impolicy of abolishing them at this
time.
To the Senate and House of Representatives
in Congress assembled:
The American Free Trade League re-
spectfully demonstrate against the repeal
of the duties on tea and coffee, and would
represent to your honorable bodies that
such repeal would deprive the govern
ment of over $13,0O0,00O of revenue, and
therefore render difficult the repeal of
other far more burdensome duties, which
yield but little revenue to the govern
ment at very much heavier cost to the
people. s,ea
That the true object of revenue reform
is, not to repeal duties which are levied
for revenue, and under which all the
money taken from the people is receiV-
ed by the government, and contributes
to pay those expenses which the people
must in some way bear, but to reform the
tariff, so as to repeal those duties which
yield little revenue, and tax the people
heavily to support favored monopolies.
The League respectfully represent that
the money which is taken from the peo-
pie by the duties on tea and coffee, is re-
ceived by the government, but that the
duties on iron, lumber, blankets, coal,
and salt, take many millions from the
people, of which only avery small por-
tIon is received by the treasury, the larg-
er part going as tribute to favored manu-
facturers.
Thus, of about $21, 100000 increased
cost to the people, caused by the duty on
pig iron, the government received only
about 81 100000, the balance, $4,000. 900
the owners of the blast. furnaces obtained.
The government receives no revenue
from blankets, yet the duties on them of
1876 per cent enable the manufacturers in
this country to extort from the.people
C$2.25) two dollars and quarter on every
pair sold in the country, over and above
what the same goods can be imported for
free of duty. This is tax paid by every
Individual in the United States, and,
while it yields no revenue, is more bur-
1ensome to the people than the taxes on
Tea and coffee, which produce $13,000,000I
per annum. Accurate statistics, careful
y collected by ex-Commissioner Wells,
show that family of six persons will
consume in year, of coffee, SO pounds,
,he duty upon which, 3 cents pound, is |
s108; of tea; pounds, the duty upon
which at Is cents per pound is 80 cents
The whole burden is, therefore, only
S1.98; while the tax on single pair of
blankets is 1926. Each adult, therefore
pays more taxes on a pair of blankets
han family Of six persons pays on it's
tea and coffee during whole year. The
tax on laboring mans suit of clothes
amounts to fully $15, or seven times the
sum paid by a family Of six person on the
whole annual consumption of tea and
coffee. 3
Your remonstrants would further show
that if the duties on carpets, pig and re-
lined iron, thread, common window
glass, paint, lumber, blankets, clothing,
leather, were repealed, the loss to the
revenue would be about the same as the
loss occaSioned by repeal of the duties
on tea and coffee but the saving to the
people would be in the case of tea and
coffee only $13,000,00O; whereas the re-
peal on the duties ON pig and refined iron
alone would relieve them from burden
of over $75, 100000.
The League, therefore, pray that your
honorable bodies will now abolish those
duties which keep up grievous monopo
lies that Cypress the people and violate
every principle of right and justice, and
leave undisturbed equitable duties, like
those upon tea and coffee.
And your remonstrants will ever ray,
etc.
ROBERT B. MINTURN.
President,
WILLIAM G. BRYANT.
Chairman of the General Council.