The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1874-04-11
SPBECH
OF
Hen. caswall B:nnett,
at Tdayville, Kentucky.

dates had the field to themselves
Judge Bennett spoke first, followed b,
Col Turner Both gentlemen grace
fully and courteously alluded to eaci
others candidacy, and both declared
that there was to difference between
them in regard to politics, each being
demoNat. Judge Bennett regretted
the ahSeSce Of their competitor. Judge
a r Boon. and paid him very grace.
fuI and deserved eulogy. Col Turner
referred iceliugly to the past, and
pleasantly to his canvass seventeen
years ago with the late Ismented Hen
re- &. Burnett. Both speakers dwell
upon the inquiries of the Federal sys
TEN of taxation, the most outrageous
OF which is the system of protective
tariff. Judge Bennett, after an able
discussion of the principle features o.
TIE tax system, argued the question %
the tobacco tax as follows:
The tax on leaf tobacco. as fixed bv
the act of Congress passed June 1872
is as follows:
st Dealers in leaf tobacco. except re-
tail dealers, shan each pay the sum Of
twenty-five dollars.
I'd. Retail dealers in leaf tobacco shall
pay the sum OF five hundred dollarS; and
IL their annual sales exceed one tlfcusan 4
dollars they shall each pay, in addition
thereto, fifty cents for every dollar in ex-
cess Of one thousand dollars of their
sales
The act gives m explicit definition Of
what il takes to constitute retail dealers
in leaf tobacco. They arc:
LIST. Every person who shall sell leaf
tobacco directly TO leaf consumers. in any
quantities whatever.
I'd. Every person whose business il IS
to sell leaf tobacco in quantities less than
an original hogshead. case, or hale
3D. Every person who shall sell leaf
tobacco 4 any quantifies whatever 70
persons other than dealers in leaf Tobacco
vino have paid a special tax rs such.
The equality. injustice, and oppres
sion Of tins Jaw must ~ once make itself
apparent 10 the simplest mind They ap-
pear in many shapes and assume many
forms l will suggest for your thought
and ref ection a few Of us harsh and IN
constitutional bearings. IRE wholesale
dealer PAYS tax Of t,rsnfV fee dci7rs.
whilst the retail dealer i required 10 pay
a tax of FIRE hundred doiirrs, provided his
aununl sales DO not exceed the sum of one
thousand dollars; hut II his sales shall
exceed thar sum, then upon each dollar of
such excess he Is required 70 pay fifty
cents additional. Now, IL by any posi-
biiitv Of adverse fortune, his annual
sales do not euount to Is r'uch as five
dollars, or even i've cents, s'"i Ge must
pay the tax of i've hundrsI dollars for
this most gracious prirjtsgs accorded him OF
selling tobacco retail dealer. Why
is this unjust Discrimination made be
tween the wholesale aui retail dealer
Why not place them both upon an equal
footing as Dealers Why not equalize the
tax, and make il 50 much upon every one
hundred lbs. of tobacco sold thus making
the large dealer and the email dealer
equal shsrers in the burdens of taxation
The Constitution says that .'all duties.
imports and excuses shall be uniform,
etc. Why then j. such an utter disregard
Of this provision of the Constitution
shown in imposing q burden Of tax upon
tho retail dealer in lear tobacco, from
~ hich the wholesale is free from which
the manufacturer is free 2-he being re-
luircd 10 pay only n tax oT ten dollars.
under which le may manufacture millions
Il rounds. Mark now a. we 6 , along in
ihis invests CATION, shis further trnport1tnJ-
The wholesale dealer in
leaf tobacco il required 10 pay tax Of
twenty FIVE dollars for the privilege Of
dealing in tobacco in the ieat-that II to
say, for the privilege of buying and sell
ing On the other hand the manufuc-
turer is required TO pay ten dollars Tor
the privilege of manufacturing under
which privilege he can buy as much to-
bacco n he leaf as be pleases, and where
and when he pleases, Tor the purpose Of
manufacturing without the requirement.
of any additional tax there for.
In this he Is not regarded N = dealer
in leaf tobacco Here l want my farmer
friends TO stick a pin; for after awhile /
intend to show you the peculiar injustice
Of such Discrimination And now. as TO
the restrictions upon another class-the
farming class-the act provides, Every
person who shall sell leaf tobacco direct
~ 20 consumers or TO other persons other
than dealers in leaf tobacco. who have
paid a special tax "a such, shall he deem
ed a retail dealer. and must tor the pur-
pose OF avoiding heavy pains and penal
Ties first pay tax OF FIVE hundred dol
lars. etc. Now this part of the act pro
hibits the sale OF leaf tobacco 10 cOnsu
mers, or 10 any person other than a dealer
" 10 has paid " special tax as such. There
IS no prohi birion upon the buyer, nor
upon any one else except he retuil dealer.
the manufacturer may buy at pleasure.
for the purpose of manufacturing, under
his special tax of ten dollars; aud the
" holesale dealer under his tax Of twenty
I've dollars. Thus IL is that under the
operations of this law the re-
tail business u leaf tobacco is DESTROYED
By a virtual prohibition, as effectual in
its acteen as would be a statute law
against hie business. No man can afford
10 engage in traffic so unproftAble-no
nan can afford to pay i've hIndred dollars
Tor me privilege of selling NOT exceeding
one thousand dollars worth of leaf to-
bacco annually, and fifty cents on every
dollars worth sold in excess thereof If
the wholesale dealer and the manufacturer
we're compelled to pay in equal proper
ion--if all were put upon equal terms
under the lGw-then the retail dealer
would stand equal chance with the
,ther two. Then the amount paid in tax
g mi ght be added TO the selling prices of
he tobacco and the cor sumer would final
y be the party to pay it. But & il is,
he wholesale dealer in leaf tobtcco. for
he privilege Of dealing in his hundreds
,f thousands OF pounds of tobacco, pays
on'y twenty-five dollars; and the lnnna-
'acturer for the privilege of making his
millions Of pounds pays only - tax of
en- dollars, whilst the retail dealer pays
i've hundred dollars, which, rs have be |
ore said, virtually operates as Gprohi- !
,itIon upon the retail business How /
loes this affect the farmer-the produc
Il am asked JUST in this way The |
'etail business, b. this oppressive feature (
II law, is destroyed. The farmer cannot
ell his tobacco directly 70 the consumer,
ie cannot sell his neighbor even a twist |
# tobacco for chewing purposes he can /
eli 10 no one but u licensed wholesale |
iealer | say that by this operation OF
he law the farmer is hampered; is com
,ieteiy hedged in. lie is made a prey to
ne few, who feed upon him without stint /
Until their inordinate greed is satiated {
fhe law gus OF home trade; home COM
oetit-oDD'1 and the farmer is forced to sell T
,niy TO TIE licensed dealer. lie takes his /
.rOp to the city market it is put at pub I.
ic cutlery where none are allowed 10 buv I
'at licensed buyers. They know this I
They understand il much better than the /
armer. they understand also that they |
an make a good thing out OF this priv /
eye. They say one for the other, now /
Ne have this business all in our own
,aads. let as not act foOlishly-let US Il K (
he price of tobacco at low fgures,-one I
Il us viii buy to day and the other to- !
morrow, or one will buy that lot and I
lnoIher this lot, etc do not mean to I
nv that anything OF this kind is actually I
,raeticed, bat / do say that selfish men /
:. - =. a..