The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1873-12-12
The Duties on Tea and Conee.

The falling OF Ia imports aud The re-
duciiOn in the amount Of goods with
: drawn from warehouses. have caused
such serious diminuiion of The gold
revenues that, after January. il is very
likely the Secretary of the Treasury VIII
become not only purchaser of gold
but "a borrower of money 10 carry 1n
the government The panic has had the
further effect 10 reduce the internal rev
enue receipts. and the result j. that the
Treasury will be unable 10 meet il cur-
rent demands. The probability Of such
~ condition OF things was pointed Out
in this paper in the first days OF the
panic, and M the same time we suggest
led the only certain remedy for the en-
,barraSsment.
;. In 1872. in order 10 defeat any general
measures for the reduction OF The tariil.
ithe Protectionisis pushed through Con
gress an act repeating the duties on tea
land coffee. They were loud and lavish
lin their protestations of eagernes> 10
give every American citizen "A free
breakfast What brilliant idea
Though the dclusion was pointed out 20
the time. and the cheat exposed. the act
was passed. The duty on ten aud coffee
Twas n purely revenue tax. Every dollar
-of that tax, less the cost of collecting ii.
went direct to the Treasury. VI cone
Iiained no bounties or pensions for pfi-
vate individuals. Every man who paid
III had the satisfaction OF knowing that
rhe whole tax went into the Treasury.
AT The time these duties were repealed.
The tax on tea was Is cents and on coffee
3 cents per pound. The annual revenue
lttF.aa ..hA
iionisis chose TO meet The necessity OF
reducing taxation by repeating these
purely revenue duties and retaining
those duties " hich produced but liillc
revenue in pro portion TO ihe amount eA-
tortcd from the people. This $4,000.
900 OF tax was s20.oODOOO of revenue1o
the treasury. while the tax on cotton
goods produces about sI0.OOOOOO 10 The
treasury and $5O.O00,OOo TO the protect
ed classes. or ii for any reason ii fails
10 do so, il comes short of its intention
In other words, had Congress repealed
,he tax on cotton goods, the people
would have been relieved Of SGOOo OOU
lax. while the treasury would have lost
only lO-UU,OD OF revenue: but by re-
pealing the tax on tea and coffee ihcrc
WAS "A reduction Of only S2O.U00.OuO %
tax, all of which was revenue. That is
,he peculiar mode the Protcciionists
have OF reducing taxes. they abolish
all the revenue possible consistent with
ihe least reduction Of taxes; their game
hs. and always has been. TO repeal only
such taxes as yield money for the public
treasury. and 10 keep all others n, high
ls possible.
! The impoicy Of the repeal Of the tea
.tnd coffee duties is now 20 seriously
felt nj tie treasury department that The
Secretary gives notice 10 the protec-
liionists that necessity will compel HIM
to override their theory. and recon-
mend the restoration OF these duties.
lie must 90 further than this. There
must be return 90 n revenue tariff. The
irovcriment must not suspend" IL
must have revenue. and the duties on
cotton. wooden. iron. steel. paints. glass.
and all Other commodities must he re-
iduccd o. the point where they will im-
wife. rather than discourage and prevent
importation. and so produce revenue.
he reduction of the duties on cotton
and wooden goods TO uniform rate Of
,. per cent al valorcm would mere than
double the revenue fiom both these
Glasses or imports. Their reduction
would have the eject OF reducing in
like proportion The indirect tax on these
goods, which. being much greater IN
Iihe aggregate than on The imported ar
ltclc~. j. not paid into the treasury az all.
The whole tariff wants revision; hnn-
drsds ol articles now taxed heavily aud
from which no revenue j. received
should be made free; an The duties
should he brought down io 4 purely
lrcvenue standard. so that the Govern
mcnt Shonld receive. rs nearly as posi-
hle. all the tax paid by the people. 10
This complexion must il come ~ last.
despite The ragc OF the Protcciioni~l-.
The policy Of protection has brought
every branch Of productive labor to
Starvation rates; I has at last cut OF the
ircvcnues of the Goycinmeui aud must
now be abandonsl 90 riesent tue bauk-
,ruptcy OF the ireasnry.