The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-05-15
TEA AND COFFEE DUTIES.
BITS OF TARIFF HISTORY FROM 1859 TO 1872
IMPORTS AND DUTIES IN THE LAST TWO YEARS

BITS OF TARIFF HISTORY FROM 1850 TO 1872
IMPORTS AND DUTIES IN THE LAST TWO YEARS
or TAXATION.
Tho cup ''that cheers but inebratss not" plays an
important part In American history Tca Is compare
lively modern invention discovery, having been
first brought to Europe by the Dutch merchants Of
Amsterdam in 1910, years before Pilgrim papas
squatted Plymouth Rock. Neither tea coffee
WIS known 10 poor Billy Shakespeare and neither k
mentioned works He had been dead thirty years
before tea found It's way to England the rst use on
record bengn garrulous old sam Pepvs diary, where,
on the 18th Of September 1860 he mentions drst cup
Of tea" Sixty shilings pound the price In those
days, which would be-supposlng values to be un-
changed-about SO pound In tho greenback currency
OF the present time.
Tho first tax laid upon tea IN England In 1850,
when the article brcwod few places In London
very much as would make pea soup, and eight
pence per gallon charged for the privilege 10 spoil
the innocent and benelcent herb In that way. John
Bull grumbled and paid he always does; but when
the Ministry undertook apply tho 10 the Amcri-
colonies century later there the livclIcst
kind OF In 1873 Parliament authorized the East
India Company to export their teas ION which they
heavily stuck vulgar but expressive
word, having hand about IL o0o, 900 pounds with
small chance OF markcl whenever they pleased. FREQ
OF duty just then tho struggle IN this country against
taxation without representation was at IT'S height and,
although the East India Company would have gwen Tho
Yankees tea at lower price than was ever before
coonlsis determined that they would have no tea,
taxed OF not ana so seventeen men, in the gnisc OF
Indians boarded the East India Company's ships In
Boston harbor aud threw about 400 chests OF tea into
tho sea
In the course OF time the Colonies set up shop for
themselves on the cooperative principle Having
whipped their mother most scandaously, tho boys
took departure and began 10 prospect for money
TO sustain new government Then they remembered
the business. and recalled the tears shed by the
ancient spinstcrs at such wanon waste Of tho luxu-
Of life II Jcrusha aud Mentable could cry
spilled tea they could afford pay Tor that which
not spilled, the argument hence, in the FIRST
tari-that OF 17S0-ducs were put upon teas ranging
IRON 10 to as ccuts a pound, according 10 quality.
This impost worked so well that In 1901, only
two years later The duty raised by about ten per
cont Various changes followed, Tor tarin tinkcring
seemed to be passion, and In $500 the tea duties wero
raised tho ordinary grades from about q
to 80 cents pound, and that rate remained with
out change until second with Great Britain In
1872 During that the tarif was 0verhaulcd three
times. finally in February 1916, under the
slty OF raising revenue war expenses THO duty
tea put at the enormous figure Of ~ cents pound
for the lowest grades ana - pound TOT the higher
well provided tor, there was another overhauling VI
the tariff resulting in very largo reduction OF tho
duties tea the rates being fixed at IL cents TO u
pound Still, revising the tariff was matter
of course with every Congress, as IN lS2i 1875 and
1925 but tea touched until 1880, when the
cheapest Bohea let in ut cents pound and tho
higher grades at 81 In 1892 the free traders got
the upper hand the government was substantially ont
Of debt and there large surplus in the treasury
subsequently, distributed among tho Statcs) Tho duty
then entirely abolished, except that until
1S41, imported in foreign vessels were taxed 10
cents pound mid concession 10 the doctrine Of
home projection for shipowncrs.
There more inlposts upon tea until 1851,
when the cxgenccs OF the great rebellion compelled
To raise extraordinary sums OF money The tariff OF
this raised 20 all sorts in 1862, and
70 % in 1864 Tho latter ratio continued until
July H. 1870, when reduction 70 10 cents was made
and finally tho act approved May l. 1872, provided that
alter the LIST July In that year. Tea should be admit
ted free.
covFEE.
The OF coffee beverage appears to have been
nearly coeval with tea II FIRST brought into Eng
land in 164l by merchant ilom Crete, and the first
houses suppressed by royal proclamation but the
ban removed the next year. The nrst duty on
coffee this country imposed by the tariff act Of
1850, and pa cents pound Two years aiterward
it was cents, and in 1895 TO cents pound,
at which figure 1t remained until the war with Great
Britain whom It was raised 10 cents pound. In
1919 reduced to cents, IN 1880 TO cents and
Il went ON the freo list remaining there until the re-
bollion. In 1861 duty of and cents pound was
through the aud until 1870, when 1t was reduced
TO cents, and finally entirely abolished IN 1871.
appears, therefore, that during our national exis
tcnce nearly oghtyseven years tea and coffee have
been the tax list hity-iour years and on the Tree
list thirty years The traders CLAIM that the
repeal Of the duties 1872 the result Of sharp
practice the part or the protections.s According
their story bill 10 repeal the ben and coee duties
Pcnnsylvania protcctionst for the purpose Of pre-
venting reduction OF the duties on iron, wool,
/ woolcn fabrics ana on coal. The Secretary Of the
Treasury had stated In his annual report that he could
4 stand Reduction OF about $40 600 900 in revenue
| The Committee Ways and Means werc maturing
bill largely reducing the duties on the Leccssarcs OF
! life and many articles of manufacture. To fore
stall this action the protectionists sprung bill 10
peal the duties and coffee, and IL was passed
without debate-under suspension Of the rules
within ten minutes alter 1t was olered the vote being
1855 yeas only 3S nays. The same Congress reduced
the duties and woocn manufactures about
ten cent; but under the necessities Of the
the reduction rcimposed two years later, though
the OF the and coffee tax was not even
| suggested. While the matter was under consideration.
Mr. Kerr, the present Speaker of tho House, said, in
reference 10 the tax on tea and coffee =
ut Is revenue tax, pure and simple, and every
dollar takes from the people pays INTO The Treasury
with not cent for protection, monopolies, rings or
| tariff robbers Then why reduce II ] Where can you
4 obtain many millions IN revenue that Will cost the
people icssy Nowhere u builds up no ill.gotlcn Tor
petition violate tho law Of far play 1t Is impossible
to impose protective duty on tea an coffee. There
domestic producer Of them to protect Hence the
proccton,sts want them free; they want tariff i'm
posed that will not pay them as much as they pay TO
| the Treasury
mroRrAScE or TEA AND coryEx
Referring TO the Treasury statements for the last
years IN which coffee taxed, We hnd that
1871 imported 81 OC0 900 pounds OF tea on witch
the revenue pad into the Treasury S. g43,32l.
During the year bought 81 900 0U0 POUNDS Of
coffee which yielded q revenue OF 80, 650,G0l Then
we must that there heavy iaiing oil IN
ties were 10 be repealed In the next year, 1872 for
Instance the amount OF tea only $4,000 ooO pounds
yielding So 900 rs dltcs and ~ 600 pounds or
coffee, bringing IA 81, EOS, SCI
Experience has shown that the duties imposed in ato
years 10 Affect the consumer IN any apprcciabc de-
gree when the war required the imposition IN 1861
there IN the prices at retail, and when
the act of 1877 took away the imposts entirely there
was reduction among The sroccrA
A SINGULAR QUARREL.