The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1879-11-15


the people every year.
You will readily understand from thaso
figures why it is, that the Government i
so vioilant concerning these two a,ticla.
Every barrel of blockade whisky, and ar
erv box of blockade tobacco defrauds tbo
Government and necessarily imposes IN
on innocent con umers an increased tav.
alton. equal to the amount out of which
the Government is defrauded. Hence i
behooves, indeed it is the patriotic dutv
of eyery citizen to dscountenance and dis
courage illicit traffic in either spirits or to.
bacco.
Adhesive stamps are source of So 200.
900 income annually, $4,000 of whom
come from the tax on matches. Banksand
Bankers pay revenue of $3,5oo,ooo.
Other miscellaneous taxes, and and pen.
alties swell the internal revenue annual
receipts to about Sill 100000.
| told you our annual expenses Were
$500, ooo, 900, If from internal revenue
we receive but $III,ooo,ooo to be ac>
counted for, which is collected in our
custom houses, and is just the amount of
money the people of the United States
paw every year to the manufacturers of
this country to prevent their being under.
sold by the producers of other countries.
Fo1 instance, sugar is grown in this coun-
try. but not so cheaply as in the West In.
dies, and to prevent the Cuban planters
from underselling our own planters in our
own markets, the Government imposes
tax of nearly 3 cents upon every pound of
imported sugar. Last year we imported
1871 DOC, 900, pounds of sugar and molas-
ses, the duty collected upon it was over
500, 900, 900. Sugar produces more rev.
enue than any other one imported article
We imported last year over 100000
worth of sugar; $47,35o,SI9 worth of cot.
fee, and 1857 sos worth of tea, but there
is no duty on tea nor coffee.
Almost every article imported from for
eigh countries is dutiablc except crude
materials For instance, hides are admit
ted Free and last year we imported ST.
! 565,354 worth of leather, on which was
paid duty of S., 100000, or just about
| the value of the leather. Some men call
| this "protecting home industry | can
see nothing in it but imposing an I'M
necessary burden upon the men and wo-
men who wear the shoes, and those
who have largest feet of course have to
pay the heaviest tax.
Wool is taxed from ? to 10 cents per
pound duty, but wooden goods pay an i'm
port duty of about so per cent upon their
value. We import no cotton Of
course, but cotton goods pay a duty of
about 90 per cent upon their first cost.
We imported last year about S446,ooo,-
900 worth of merchandise. OF this amount
about 5000, 200, 900 worth pay SI5o,oOo,-
900 duty, or an average of so per cent on
first cost About SAG, 900, 900 worth are
imported free; coffee, tea and hides aggre-
eating more than ] of our free imports.
Sugar as | have said is our heaviest duti-
able import. some of the other leading ar
ticles are as follows: Expressed in round
numbers, wooden goods $40, 900, 900; silks
| $4,000, 900; drugs and medicines $1,000
900; cotton goods $50, 600, 900; flax and its
manufactures $4,000, 900; tin $4,000
900; fruits and nuts STo,ooo,ooo.
Iron, breadstuff, leather, tobacco, pro-
visions, wood and its manufactures, crude
india rubber, jute, china ware, rags, (of
which last year we imported S4ooo,ooo
WORTH buttons, glass, precious stones,
live animals, straw hats, spices, paper and
books constitute the principal remaining
articles upon which duty is paid, and
which swells our custom revenue to such
an enormous amount. Last year we i'm
ported about S2I, 100000 worth of gold
ana silver COIN and bullion.
| must apologize for bewildering you
with this statistical array, which YOU will
be unable to remember, but this announce
ment will impress you with the immensely
of the commerce, and the granduer and
power of this great country to which we
owe our allegiance, But
| THE PROSPERITY AND GROWTH OF A
COUNTRY.
. &C e.
the exports are equal to or greater than
the imports, any apparent prosperity is a
delusion. Pardon me then for a moment
if | speak of our national exports.
| have told you our imports last wear
were SAC, 900, 900 worth of merchandise.
During that same time our exports were
S7I7,ooo,ooo, or S27I,ooo,ooo more than
our imports. Most of you are ready at
moment to advise me what is the chief
article of export, for long since were we
Injured to the idea, that commercially
speaking, Cotton is King But ad-
wise you, be not deceived; the fieecy d-
nasty is no longer absolute Ofthe crops
of 1877, which was the heaviest crop ever
produced, 70 per cent was exported. 81
per cent was manufactured at the North,
and only 3 per cent manufactured at the
South The amount exported was valued
atports of shipment at $3.50, 600, ooo Only
SIoI 100000 worth of cotton were export
ed during the year ending 3oth of last
une, or $4,000, 900 less than the wear be-
fore.
During the year 1879 lending goth
June) the United States exported $780,
100000, worth of wheat and flour; S1,.-
ooo,o worth of corn and corn meal, and
So,ooo,ooo worth of other cereals: so that
the aggregated expectation of small grain
was S2oo,ooo,ooo, or $500, 900, 900 more
IN value than the exported cotton.
Again the word provision" in COM
mercial language means hams, bacon,
pork, lark, beef, fresh and salt. and pre-
aot &c IL, L