The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-06-17
The following is the closing portion of Mr..
Morrison's speech
We rpnnat

The following is the closing portion OF MIR.
Morrison's speech:
We repeat,
THE PRESENT TAEIFF Is \ FAILURE.
That it promotes fraud, invites smuggling,
offers premium to unfalthfu officers, and
that it serves titly neither the purpose OF reye-
rue nor protection. Yet its reform is a work
of much di@culty. 1t worked injustice and
wrong In Its enactment and some injury is
unavoidable in its repeal or modification.
Branches OF industry have been forced into
unnatural conditions during its continuance
and innocent persons may suffer even from
the removal of its abuses; hence the changes
we advocate are moderate, but our purpose
is TO open the way for moderate, simple
tariff for revenue only.
II Is often eraancous,y urged that we must
maintain high rates Of duly upon q great
number of articles in order to get a sufficient
customs revenue. The proposition Of obtain
ing more than $l50,00O000 of revenue from
customs, with the least interference in the
pursuits of the people, would be very sim
pie one, could we now take up the question
unbiased by theory and free from present
conditions. We should lay down in advance
few simple principles, bearing in mind
That tariff is another name for tGrdttON
and that all taxes upon foreign imports is
consumption. That there is no article OF
domestic production whatever into which
some article of fore ign origin does not enter
as an element of cost.
That the cost OF all domestic products Is
therefore increased by the imposition of tariff
taxes on foreign imports.
That all tariff taxes should therefore be
placed upon articles which enter directly into
consumption, and not on those which enter
into the processes of industry. No tax should
be laid on the process Of industry, all taxes
should come from results.
That since all taxation works more or less
to tie privatlon of the citizen, taxing as il
does portion of his property, the endcavor
should be made TO take 10y taxation portion
of the things that can best be spared.
That taxation should interfere as li;,le as
possible with the freely chosen pursuits OF
the people.
The people of the United States, being in
possession OF the largest body of productive
land of any civilized nation and dealing
with i, on the whole with intelligence, have
the greatest consuming power as to foreign
comforts and lCXuries OF any nation, hence
they can pay the largest customs revenue
with the least hardship, provided the duties
are ihtelligently imposed.
II is a common error or misstatement to
suppose that our imports consist in any great
degree of luxuries. On the contrary, an
analysis of our imports will show that they
are made UP about as follows: OF articles OF
necessity, % per cent; of articles of luxury Q
per cent; of articles Of comfort, 80 per cent.
of textile fabrics, wares. &c, "a per cent; and
that IN 1869 we received revenue from these
several classes as follows:
From articles of necessity ............S 43OOOOOO
From articles of comfort. 55OOOOOO
From articles of luxury .............. u 100000
From textures and wares, glasses, &c. 5f5OO,OOO
Our population is HOW seven or eight mil.
lions more than in 1869; hence, under the
same rates and conditions the revenue would
be at least IS per cent. greater.
We might therefore place in the free list
all articles Of necessity that enter into the
processes of industry; we would tax the arti-
Giles Of comfort at low rates IN order to get
the most revenue from the largest consump-
ton; we would tax articles of luxury within
such limits as not to induce smuggling and
not to impair our power Of exporting and
commodities for them. If, hay
ing made necessities free, comforts and luxu-
ries failed to yield enough, then we would tax
the textiles, china, glass, paper, and the like
at such moderate rates as would interfere
least with their imports and give the least
possible stimulus TO the diversion Of industry
taom other pursuits to their manufacture, al
ways remembering that where protection be-
gins revenue ceases.
The consuming power OF the masses OF
Great Britain is small compared to that OF
the people Of our own country, and 1t must
always be remembered it is the multitude
who pay tariff taxes, not the few who own
Yet Great Britain, with popula.
ton of about 30, $50 900 in 1874, raised a Gus.
toms revenue of el9,50S,942, or S97,5l9,T10,
from only twenty articles, namely:
Spirits, brandy and Wines. ........... E5,6l9,O3l
Tobacco and snuff. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. a'23:'2oc
ChiccOry, cocoa, husk and choc....... lO3,9ol
Molasses 1927
Currant, figs, plums, pruneS and ralslns. 49O,Soo
sugar. ....'..'..'' '''''''''''' "V-'"0'
And having a surplus revenue that year
abated all duties on sugar.
If we assessed the same articles in the same
the greater purchasing and comsum-
ing power of our people would give much
larger revenue per head, which, rnken IN
connection with our larger popula'"r, would
carry our revenue from customs On 10" same
system almost If not quite up to the sum We
need. But as we could not obtain much Gus
toms revenue from tOOaCco, Oeing NOME pro-
ducers of that article, a surplus revenue duty
not exceeding 10 or possibly 10 per cent. on
textile fabrics and other goods ready for
will give US more than we need.
But we cannot hope 10 attain this end except
by moderate and successive steps, of which
the pending measure is presented as the first.
1t may contain some errors, possibly some
1t is by no means such a
reimbursement Of the tariff as is de.
manded, but it is step IN the right direc.
ton, promise of better things TO come, a
means to great end which we shall surely
reach. and to which, if we are not led by
reason and justice, we shall be forced by ne.
cessity.
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