Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1878-06-28
rhe Coat of /. Protection "

OO5U Va 1loOCC"AoAN
A careful per'tsal Of the following
article clipped from the st. LOUIS Ke-
publican should open the eyes Of any
Western man 10 tie terrible restraint
laid upon agriculture and unprotected
industries by the Internal policy called
"pfotection:"
It is an intesesting and practical
question how much the present pro-
tcctive tariff costs the country over
and above what it yields to the Gov
eminent. The amount it yielded TO
the Government last year, we know
$13I 100000; but it is not 50 easy TO
arrive ut the amount il yields to The
protected classes. 1t can only be estl-
mated. The object of protective
duty OH imports is to raise the price
Of the article. If the imported article
is one not producted in this country,
all the duties collected on it go into
the treasury. But il the duty Keeps
out the imported article and thus
gives the home market exclusively or
mainly to the homemade article, then
the home manufacturer gets all OF
nearly Ill tile duty, and the Govern
ment gets nothing. In either case
the consumer pays the duty, and is u
tax on him. II This tax goes To the
support Of the Government, there can
be no complaint, for the Government
must have IL revenue; but if it goes
To u manufacturing capitalist living
Thousand miles from the consumer,
the latter has u right to complain OF u
policy, which taxes him for the bene-
fit OF another. The present tariff
levics IL duty of about 90 per cent. on
lblankcts-a duty SO high that the inn
portaton Of foreign blankets is yirtu-
ally prohibited. Lust year the entire
duties collected ON foreign blankets
was only 5000. But the country
consumed 2,OOo,00O pairs Of homemade
price Of these Of course was increased
about 80 per cent. or S3,OOO,0)O 70 lAe
conSWnerS-all Of which went to the
home manufacturers, they receiving
5000 to every one dollar received by
the Governments SO OF boots ana
shoes, we imported $360,0oO worth, the
revenue from which ut - per ct, was
S12O,OOO. But the domestic product
Of boots ana shoes was Sll4,o0000O
whose price to consumers was IN
creased - per cent, or about SlO,ooO,
600. LII other words, the tariff on
boots and shoes brought Sl0,000,O0O 20
home manufacturers, and only Sl29,
GOO to the Government. In like man
nor the tariff on IRON and lren fabrics
Welded SlOO,OO0,00O to the home man
uGact urers, and ~ $4,000 to the
Government; the tariff on WOODEN
goods Welded $50 100000 to the home
manufacturers, and S2G0O0,OO0 to the
Government, and the tariff on cotton
goods Yielded sSlO,OO0,O0O to the home
manufacturers and sS6,55l.0oO TO the
Government.
The best authorities estimate that
two-thirds the duty on articles which
are made in This country is added to
\ She price which the consumer pays for
them. There are about l,50D articles
taxed on uur tariff. and the whole
product ot domestic manufacturers IN
| this country is over S4,N0O,00o0lO per
auuum | onc-halI this product Is at-
lccted ly this tariff, which averages
80 per cent, then the whole cost OF
the protective tariff to the country is
1139, 100000 4 year, aud Of this amount
4 the GnNcrum nj receives only Sl3l
l0O0.olp. and the protected classes re-
ccivlug The ldance.
OF course these arc onl, estimates,
There hei,g IN method ~ arriving at
exact results hltt they show how
much il costs tbc country 70 protect
favored nrnnf9ettd IL tinlercsts,
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