The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1872-03-26

sell our people.
In other words, protective tariffs are
made for special interests. They are
devices for enabling and empowering
A, who has pig iron to sell, to collect a
tribute of seven dollars o ton from all
the rest of the alphabet for every ton
OF iron he can sell. In short, what Is
euphoniously called protection, not for
the want OF better name but for the
purpose ofdeception and in order to be
polite, is, when truly defned-when
the word and the thing are logically
coupled-is, we say, legaH=ed robbery.
That is the practical and literal mean
ing of protection
/, Let US cite few illustrations in sup
port of this assertion: Salt, for exam
pie, is a primary necessity for human
health, and possesses q thousand indls-
pensable uses which it were trivial to
enumerate. Now, during the last
fiscal year we consumed about 10000
600 bushels Of salt. But less than
l2,OO0,0O0 bushels Of it were imported
and that was estimated at the Custom
House to be worth 81, l5s, 20S, and paid
in tariff tax to the treasury $l,l76,5o7.
The other 100000 bushels paid no
tax to the treasury, but the people paid
the same prices to it's protected manu-
facturers as Hit had. The scandalous
and oppressive duties. amounting to
one hundred and forty per cent on salt
in bulk, and eighty.six per cent on salt
in bags, keep out fair and healthiui
com petition, enable the salt monopolles
in the country to charge their own
prices, and compel consumers Of selt
for every dollar they pay to the treasury
to pay to the monopolists over two
dollars, amounting to an aggregate
annual loss to the consumers OF about
100000. 1t may suit some people
to call this protection" the salt manu-
facturers, for instance, but if the plum
dered many can characterize it by any
milder phrase than legalized fraud,
their intellectual and moral perceptions
must be drugged to degree that is
quite incredible.
In the same connection, we might
adduce the tax on coal, the tax on
woolens, and a major part OF the re
naming three thousand articles that
have sought and obtained . snug place,
like salt, under the sheltering wing OF
our protective system, but we lack the
time and space to continue the exposure
and must content ourselves with assur
ing our readers that, in every case
where it can be shown that somebody
has received protection" all others
have been robbed and deirauded to the
same extent.
However, as a capital summary Of
what happens in a country which re-
joices in the blessing OF protective
tariff, take the following from Mr..
KRRR's speech:
Under our present tariff, and, indeed,
so long as Government is supported by
taxation, the promise or boast of free
breakfast t. Bile" is simply an able bodied
absurdity, no matter how free you make
tea, coffee and suga-. Let us see;
Y our table is held together by taxed
nails and hinges, and covered with a
taxed cloth. Your breakfast is pre-
Pared by a cook o. a good wife who is
clad from the soles of her fee. to the top
of her head in taxed clothing. 1t is
prepared in a stove made of taxed iron,
over fire made of taxed coal, kindled
with a taxed match, and adjusted with
taxed shovel and tongs. Your bread is
leavened with taxed soda, saleratus or
Yeast powder. Your victuels are served
to YOU on taxed dishes, and eaten from
ia Ied plates, or drunk out Of taxed
cups, and saucers, or tumblers, with the
aid of taxed knives, forks and spoons.
Your food is seasoned with taxed salt,
pepper, vinegar, oil, or other condi-
ments. Your meal may consist in part
of taxed fruits, such as prunes, figs,
raisins or nuts. Your bread, potatoes
and other substantials OF daily diet are
produced by the farmer by the aid Of
taxed implements OF! every kind, and
brought to your house over railroads or
on wagons made oftaxediron and steel.
Your good wife is even compelled to
seek culinary wisdom from cook
book" printed on taxed paper with
taxed ink and taxed type. Let us
reform or abolish all these covert,
mean, vexatious, dishonest and oppress-
i've taxes, that pay much 10 monop'
oily and favorites and Ii tie or nothing
to the Treasury. Then we can wisely
turn to those taxes which contribute
to the support of the State alone, and
never to monopoly, rings, or favorites.
Our readers will also find much to
ponder over in making up their minds
on the tariff question by the suhjoined
practical and common sense view OF
one branch Of the inquiry:
1t isvery indispensable to fair COM
prehension of the subject of tariffs in
their domestic or International relations
that We shall not forget the important
element Of natural protection resulting
from intervening distances, obstacles
and expenses Of transportation. No
people enjoy such effective or valuable
IL II