Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-04-27
THE NEW TARIFF BILL.

1ROoANAOl VI NAAO IelA III OAtA 1OtJO1N
by Mr.. F. Wood, of New York
from the Ways and Means Commit
tee to the House of Representatives
An examination of this bill in detail
and a discussion of the general prin
ciples involved in assigning dutie:
on imports will be in order as the
debate on the several clases goes
on. In the place meantime Of
any remarks of our own we give 8
few extracts from Mr.. Woods speech
on introducing the bill, and first q
paragraph to show the oppressive
manner in which the present tariff
weighs on the agricultural depart
ment-the only department of labor
which no one has ever thought OF
protecting, and at whose expense all
the rest are protected:
THE FARMER AND THE TARIFF.
The farmer, whose whole mind is
bent on his agricultural pursuits,
has neither the time nor opportunity
to investigate the influence of the
tariff tax on his household expenses;
it is fact, however, that every
article he uses is either directly
subject to tariff tax or enhanced
by the tariff. Let us enumerate
these burdens: The farmers house
in the West, where lumber isscarce,
pays either a direct or enhanced tax
of 20 per cent on the lumber his
house is built of; a tax of 35 per
cent on the paint it is painted with;
of 80 per cent on his window glass !;
of 35 per cent on the nails; of SO
per cent on the screws; of 80 per
cent on the dOor-lOcks; of from 35
to 40 per cent on the hinges; of 35
per cent on the wallpaper of from
80 to 20 per cent on his carpet; of 40
per cent on his crockery; of 80 per
cent on his iron hollOW-ware of 30
per cent on his cutlery; of 40 per
cent on his glassware; of from 35 to
40 per cent on the linen he uses in
the household ; of 81 per cent on the
common CASTLE soap he uses 48 per
cent on the starch. When he goes
into his stable, barn, or workshop
he will find that he pays 35 per cent
on the iron he uses 35 per cent on
the halter-chains 40 per cent on the
files and rasps he may use; AZ per
cent on the bucksaw 49 per cent on
the crOss-cut saw ; 80 per cent on the
and 35 per cent on any
he may require. On his
he pays 20 per cent; on
the quinine pills he swallows, 20
per cent; on blue-pills, 40 per cent,
and 40 per cent on any medicinal
The female portion
of his house cannot even go into
hysteria without paying a tax of 20
per cent on asafetida that may be
required to quiet their excited
nerves. On his sugar he pays tax
Of at least 60 per cent. AS for the
he and his family uses, let
me enumerate the tax separately:
On his wool hat he pays from go to
30 per cent; on his fur hat, from 45
to go per cent; on his suit Of woOlen
clothes some 90 per cent; on the
leather for his boots and shoes, 25
per cent; on his hosiery, 80 per cent;
On his wife's and daughters COM
mon alpaca dress he pays So to 20
per cent; on spoOl-thread, 20 per
cent, and on the needles, 80 per
cent. If / were inclined to pursue
these topics further it would take
up too much time; suffice it to say
hat the furnishing of his child'S
oradle and the coffin in which he is
finally buried pay a direct tax or
ire enhanced in price by our tariff
system.
Then to come lower down and
estimate how it affects the household
of the working man, take
he following paragraph, relating to
he extravagant duties on woolen
goods:
The influence of the tariff on the
kind of mixed WOOlen |
eOods, such that ARE worn by the |
poorest classes in the country, is of |
nature that requires the most seri-
,us consideration.
Fancy alpaca, costing in England |
I cents per yard, is subject to a
Iuty of cents per yard, and sold |
n this market at 20 cents per yard.
Now, as it takes 20 yards of this
tuff to make a dress, the poorest |
yoman of our working classes pays
direct tax of 81 for a dress. Black
lpaca, costing in England 81 pence
II III cents of our money, is subject
O duty of 81 cents per yard. This
.rticle is sold for 273 cents per yard
nd worn by the millions of our
population. Surely an article cost
ng in England 81 pence cannot be
a luxury; yet we find
hat the perniciOuS working OF our
ariff is of that kind which OPP
,resses the poorer classes in all their
Iecessaries off.ife. Black cashmere
3 worn as Sunday dress by mil
ions of our industrial classes. The
ost of these goods in Europe is 26
ents, the duty thereon amounts to
81 cents per yard, and is conse-
uently sold at 50 cents a yard
in the United States.
Now, do our people generally un-
Ierstand what such a duty really
means? A WOrkingman in Europe
,uying a dress of this kind for his
wife and using only ten yards Of it
would get it at 81 60, whereas his
,rOther-wOrkingman in the United
states if he wishes to treat his wife
With dress of this class would have
o pay So 80 for the same dress, or
more than double.
The question, therefore, arises
whether it is absolutely necessary
O charge a tax of 81 So on dress
# this kind, coming as it does out
If the pocket of the Woodworking
nan for the benefit of sustaining |
he Government and the industries
# this country. Surely it must be
ldmitted that there is no country
n the world where an equal taxa
ion is laid upon the labor and in
lustry of the hardest-wOrking man
If the population.
Lastly, let every man read his
,eroration deprecating the reckless
of past years as influenced
" rampant party animosity, and
he preponderance of the military
dement, in our Government:
GENERAL OBJECT OF THE BILL.
The general policy and scheme of
he bill is to resuscitate American
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