Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1872-04-13
,WHOLE No. 5g6.'
TARIfF-AI ItusTKAF1ou.
Portland Heraud

fARIfF-AI IttusTKAGI0I.
aaf portland Herand. {.
The advocstes Of protectiss tariff ~,
% that its effect ID to chespsn The pueusr
the article protected. Let 10 see nov skie
works when reduced to ! practiSat iest,
In December last, vessel loaded with ~
arrived in Boston. The owner of ths eers
50 made the following statement 81 ya4sssut
BosroN, Dec. 20, 1871.-Relaiivs "a
duty on bark Niphos's cargo Of Tfapani,
salt, % entered al Custom Heuse. Hcctoa4..
December 15,1871: 1880 salmss, atI1E
't'bashess per sslse; gives sc, $50 busAsafsf
IS pounds per bushel, or 8 ,Al8, ,75O pounds.
At l8 cents duty per 100 pounds this
gives $6,864 "a 10 gold. e MR. EIID
Invoice cost Of cargo, e1,007 05, II
gold. ggY
A contemporary Of the highest respse-
liability, the New York World, assures 10
that it knows the owners Of the cargo, and :
that the statement quoted above i correct,
and may be relied upon. Nov, it appears /,
that the duty on this cargo was, a nearly !,
! as can be estimated, $50 per cent. The
theory Of protection, therefore, rests upon
this basis, so far as salt is concernsd,
namely that it is cheaper to pay 81 81,
for given quantity of salt, than it is to |,
pay 81. And this Same theory runs
through the whole scheme Of protective
tariff, applying to every other article with
the same force and the same results, that
it does to salt. A given quantity Of salt,,
according to the above statement, cost at
the place where purchased, 81. TO this
add tariff tax, by way Of protecting
home industry" Of $3 go, anc the givsns
quantity Of salt, before it can be offered In
the American market, has cost the inn.
porter 81 60. To this must be added
again, the cost Of transportation, which Is
an uuascertaincd sum but Il. Us say, for
the sake Of illustration, the cost Of trans4t
portation for the given quantity. il 40
cents. Now the indefinite or given quan-
tity Of salt, before It can be offered ia the
American market, has cost a follows: n Y
First cost. ...............S VI 90
Tariff tax. ..... y. 8 90
Transportation :. ....... ......... 40
Is %
Thus It viii Be seen that the salt which
cost, where purchased, 81, to which must
be added transportation, 40 cents, costs
the importer S., before il can be offered
for sale to our American citizens OF this
sum Of $5, the tariff tax makes up s. so.
Now the importer, when he offers the salt
for sale, instead Of nsking a reasonable
profit on 81 40, must ask reasonable
profit on S.; for the salt has cost him fivs!
dollars. Thus is the consumer Of this
necessary and indispensable article robbed
but why is lo so robbed? What il tho
pretextf Answer ITO protect Amcri-
can industry" But are not the consun.,
ers of salt engaged in American industry
toof All, but. the salt manufacturers are;
engaged in American industry, and they,
want protection. Why do they want pro-
tection2 Mark the auswcrs: Because
BY lcvyi0g tariff tax Of $50 per esns =
foreign salt, it enables the American man.
ufacturer to get q much for his salt, .
the foreign article costs with the tariff tax
added. Now you begin to zee how fhS
tariff protects American industrysn Per-
haps there are ten thousand msD, more a
less, engaged in the manufacture Of saltia
the United States and Of these ten
thousand, perhaps one thousand own The
salt manufacturing establishments So ~
practical result il just this: Forty nil.
lions Of people must psy to one thousand
men tar Of 800 per cent. On sah il o..
der to protect this branch Of Amefioan
industry--or rather, the whole forty nil