, 1873-11-20

THE DUTIES ON TEA AND COFFEE.
The falling off In imports, mud the reduction
In tho amount Of goods withdrawn from waro-
houso, havo caused such serious diminution
Of tho gold revenues that, after January, it is
worry likely the Secretary Of tho Troaau1y will
become not only purchaser Of gold but bor-
rover Of money to carry on tho Government
The panic has had tho further effect to roduco
tho Internal revenue receipts, and the result is
TINT tho TrcaRury will be unable to meet it's our
rent demanda. The probability Of auoh oondi-
tio9,of things was pointed out in this paper In
the frat days Of the panic and ut tho same time
VIC suggested tho only certain romedy for tho
embarrassment.
In 1879, in order to dofeat any general meas
ure for tho reduction OF the tariff, tho Protec-
tionHtH pushed through Congress m act ro-
pealing tho duties on tea and coffee. They
wore loud and lavish in their protoatations Of
eagerness to giyo to every American Citizen
"freo breakfastt" What = brilliant idea
Though the dolusion was pointed out at tho
time, and tho cheat exposed, the Democratic
partyin both Houses Of Congress- Joined PiR-Iron
Kel1ey aud pasacd tho act. Tho duty on to. and
coffce was purely rovonuo tax. Every dollar
Of that ta1, loss tho coat Of collecting 1t, went
directly to the Treasury. It contained no boun-
tics or pensions for private individuals. Every
man Who paid 1t had the satisfaction Of knowing
that Tho whole tax went into tho Treasury,
At tho time these dutiea wero ropoa!ed. tho
tux on tea was Is cents and on coffee cents nor
pound. Tho annual revonuo waB about s2O. .G00.-
600. But tho Protoctionista choao to meet tho
necesssty Of reducing taxation by repoaing
theso purely 1cyonuo duties aud retaining those
duties which produced but little reuenue in pro-
portion to tho amount exto1tod from the people,
This 900 Of tax vas $40 oo0 Zoo Of frevsnne
lost 10 tho Treasury, while the tax On cotton
gooda produces about s10, 900 900 revenue to the
Treasury and s5o,ooo.ooo to tho protected
clsssss, or 1t for any reason It fails to do 20, it
comes short Of its intention. In other words
had Congress- repealed tho tax on cotton goods.
the people would have boen relieved Of $G0, ,o00,-
600 tax, whilo tho Treasury would have lost only
$4,000, 900 Of revenue but by ropealing the ta1
on tea and coffee there WAS reduction of only
$20,000,G GOO Of tax, all OF which was revenue.
That IL tho peculiar mode tho protectionists
have Of reducing taxes.-they abolish all tho
revenue possible conslstent With the least reduc-
tion Of taxes. Their game is and always has
boon, to repeal only such taxoa IS yield money
for tho Public Treasury, md to keep Ill others
as high as possible.
Tho impolicy Of tho repeal Of tho tea and cof-
fec duties ia now 10 seriously felt At tho Treasury
Department that the Secretary gives notice to
the Protootionists that necessity will compsl
him to override their theory and recommend tho
restoration of those duties. He must so further
tariff. The Government must not " suspend"
It must havo revenue, and the tluties On cotton.
"oolen, Iron, ateel, paints, glass, aud all other
commodities must be reduced to tho point where
they will invite, rather than discourage and pre-
Vent, Importation, and 80 produce revenue.
The reduction Of the dutics On cotton and
woolen goods to uniform rate Of as per cont
ad uaIorem would more than double tho revenue
from both these clsBaos Of imports. Their re-
duction would hayo the effect Of reducing in
like proportion the indirect tax on these goods,
Which. boing much greater In the aggregate
than on the imported articles, In not paid into
the Treasury at all. Tho whole tarln wants
revision hundrcda Of artiolen NOW taxed heavily
and from which no revenue Is received should
be made froo all the duties should be brought
down to purely revenue standard, so that tho
Government should receive, "a noarly as poaslblo,
all tho tax paid BY tho people. 10 this CON-
plexlon must 1t oome as last, despite tho rago Of
the Protectloniota. Tho policy Of protection has
brought every branch Of productive labor to
starvation ratea it has 1t last cut OF tho
rovenuoa Of tho Government, and muat now bo
abandoned to prevent tho bankruptcy Of the
Treasury.