Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-10-20
ABOLIsHIyG CUSTOM HOUSES.

ABOLIsHING CUSTOM HOUSES.
In his speech at the banquet in Bangor
the other day, President Rice OF the MAINE
Central spoke freely against the cus'oi"
houses on our borders. Accordingto MN
the hyperborean, tunneling' ascending
descending difficulties, and the hostility
of savages. in regard to the building OF
the Northern Pacific Railroad. are trifles
in comparison with the obstacles inter-
posed by the aforesaid custom houses to-
the enterprise in business point OF view.
Well, now, suppose that every WORD
which he uttered were strictly true, what
thenp What would he do about it Would
he abolish our custom houses? Is that the
step he would advise as practical bust
ness operation P Would he do it withou,
regard to the fact that our neighbors on
the other side of the line, across the At
lantic, everywhere, would keep theirs
standing and compel us to pay tribute jus;
the same as before ? Suppose we cast
down the bars and allowed our neighbors
to range over our markets at will. without
let or hindrance, whilst they compelled us
to pay duties on what we imported into
their dominions, how would it work Let
a farmer pull down his fences and permit
his neighbours cattle to Craze his fields
and pastures, while the other kept up his
fences. and it would be easy to see that
short crops. starving cattle and poverty
to the decrier of fences would inevitably
be the result It sounds well to talk about
such liberality. The. theory is lovely.
But whoever does it in the present condi-
ton of the world would have to make up
his mind to short crops and refuge in
the poorhouse. His theory when put in
practise would work just that result As
with an individual so with a nation. We
deal with things as we find them. 1t
would be a blessed thing were all people
honest, peaceful. just, but until our neigh
bors viii refrain from the support of
armies and navies, or until the millennium
comes, it would scarcely seem advisable
for US to abolish our means of defence.
We should be no more defenceless against
an enemy in the field or upon the water
were our army and navy oblterated, than
against the organized, protected, strong
assaults of foreign invaders in our open
markets, occupying our best fields and
steadily pushing us to starvation and ruin.
So long as We are obliged to support a
government, which will probably be until
men become angelic, or until the Northern
Pacific Railroad is superseded as means
OF crossing the continent by coaches drawn
through the air by the power of electrici-
ty, we shall have to be taxed in, some
way to pay its expenses. This must be
done by direct or an indirect tax. 1t
must be done through custom houses or
by the odious tax-gatherer. 1t may be
assessed and collected upon the luxuries
the rich use as in customs, or it may be
laid upon the head of every man, the poor
and rich alike, and collected by the dread
ed hand Of the collector at every door.
Would Judge Rice advocate the laying OF
a direct tax? We rather think not when
brought to the point. If he would he is
more radical upon free trade than ever
Adam Smith himself, who not only doe,
not advocate the abolition of custom
houses, but assents to the idea that they
are preferable to the direct or capitatior
tax.
Our neighbors in the Canadas have a
plain, straightforward method before them
in which they can abolish our custom
houses; that is, to become partners with
us in the United States of America. The
door is open and they may come in TO
share our blessings and also to help bear
our burdens. But if they choose to re-
main outside, that is for them to settle,
and it is for us to keep up our custom
houses or not as circumstances may oblige
us to decide. The millennium is not here
yet, although often predicted and looked
for by men of visionary character.
When the nations are one in concord.
boundary lines, armies and custom houses
may be wiped out. but not to-day nor
probably next week, even though the iron
rail is laid from Halifax to San Francisco.
The first number of the Chicago Even
ing Journal issued since the fire comes to
US filed with particulars of the great ca
lamity. 1t says that the whole area burn
ed over is not less than $500 acres, all of
which was thickly covered with buildings.
The south division wasliterally packed with
great stone and brick edifces, including
all the great hotels, all the newspaper Of
fees, all the places of amusement. all the
public buildings, some of the principal
churches, and in fact the very heart and