The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-10-18
Our Boot and Shoe Tax.

| Nearly every man and woman in tn
United States knows that pair Of boots o.
shoes costs at least twice as much under lht
present Republican tariff as it did during
that low-tariff period OF Democratic rule
Just previous to the war which ex-Commis
sioner Wells characterizes as the most pros
porous epoch OF the country. The genera
impression is that the enhanced cost OF Q
necessary article OF wear, is owing 10 the
war and the debt which it necessitated; and
that when man pays two prices 70. pair
OF Shoes one price goes to pay his share oi
the national debt A document recently
issued by nearly four hundred boot and shoe
manufacturing firms in Massachusetts, effect
ually refutes this erroneous impression by
showing that for every dollar which the
wearers of boots and shoes pay to the Gov
ernment, they pay over SIS to certain "pro-
elected" industries. That is to say, OF the
$40 which a man pays for a pair OF fine
boots ST goes to the Government, s5 IA
goes into the pockets OF certain manufactu-
rers OF the materials OF which the boots are
made, and So sc represents the real cost OF
the boots, which be would get them for if
there were no tariff On every So pair OF
boots bought by farmer or mechanic, the
same proportion prevails, one-tenth going to
the national treasury. tve-tenths to the pro
tected interests, and four-tenths for the act
ual cost of the boots. It will thus be seen
that our high tariff on hides, leather and
findings, instead of protecting the great
interest of leather manufacture, really op-
presses it, by discouraging the consumption
of leather fabrics. Whatever measure OF
prosperity" says the address Of the Massa-
chusetts shoe manufacturers, "they have
"attained, has been in spite OF an adverse
"and depressing system OF taxation, and is
educ to the intelligence, skill and industry
"of our people"
The tariff on leather amounts to 80 per
cent.-a totally unnecessary tariff, since
Americans have always enjoyed such adran-
tages over other people, in the manufacture
OF leather, as have enabled them to undersell
all competitors. Our leather makers, there
fore, do not need the protection of this great
tax. The duties OF silk and rubber webbing
are 35 to SO per cent. respectively; and as
there are but few manufacturers Of these
fabrics in this country, the tax on them is
strictly tariff for their benefit. The duties
on serges and hastings are IS per cent.
There are but two manufactures of these
articles in this country, So that the high
tariff is for the advantage Of the owners Of
these two establishments. The aggregate
taxes on all the materials Of the boot and
Zoe industry amount annually to SCI, 500,-
600; of this sum ohly $500, 900 is paid
into the treasury, while S19,OOO.OOO is paid
for the protection of the comparatively few
persons who make leather, webbing, lasting
and serge. or course, American boot and
shoe manufacturers, when compelled 10 pay
these excessive taxes on the materials they
use, cannot compete in foreign markets with
those manufacturers who pay no such taxes;
and it is not strange, therefore, that the
American made boots and shoes, that once
went to Canada, South America and the
West Indies, have been driven out OF these
markets by the cheaper boots and shoes OF
Europe-and this, too although new pro-
cesses and improved machinery have cheap
ened the cost of making these articles 25
per cent. within the last ten years. Besides
the tariff here mentioned on the materials
used in shoemaking, there are the taxes on
tools, machinery, buildings, transporta-
tion-and the taxes on all the commodities
consumed by workingmen-all OF which 90
10 increase the cost OF boots and shoes.
Under these circumstances, the MaSsachu-
sets manufacturers Of boots and shoes petl-
ton for q removal OF all protective duties
and the placing Of all industries on basis
where they would be compelled to rely Oh
the skill, genius and industry OF our people,
and our natural advantages for tLeir sue
cess, without any artificial props and sup
ports. They declare that this would greatly
advance our industry, as we should then
shave the markets of the world in which TO
"sell our products, thus largely increasing
"the labor employed and the profits OF
| umanufacturipu