The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1880-10-28
THE TARIFF QUESTION.

The democrats have reason to rejoice
that the question of protective tariff has
finally become an issue, and that the
two great parties which have confronted
each other since the formation Of the
union, although under different names,
are opposed to each other on this great
economic question. 1t is a question
which demagogues cannot long dlstort
1t has been used against the democrats
this year with some effect, but when the
question is fully understood, it will de-
termine the line of demarkation between
arrogant wealth and honest labor. The
democratic party has ever been the party
of the poor man as against the rich man.
The republican party has ever consider
ed the demands of the rich at the expense
of the poor. 1t is just SO on the tariff.
A protective tariff helps to build up
monopoiies, it discriminates in favor of
corporations, it taxes labor to enrich
manufactures and it interferes, in the
interests of a class, with all the natural
laws of trade. There is no man who has
sprung from the people, no man whose
heart beats in sympathy with the laborer,
the farmer, the mechanic or the poor
man, who is not opposed to protective
tariffs. 1t Is one of the distinctive points
of difference between the two parties,
one Of these unpronounced predictions
which made the democratic party the
champion of the poor man and the repub-
lican party the champion of the rich man,
that democrats inclined toward tariff
for revenue only. and republicans favored
a tariff which enriched corporations at
the expense of citizens generally.
Before going further, we shall clearly
point out the difference between pro-
tective tariff and revenue tariff. Those
who favor q revenue tariff are called free
traders. This is misnomer for the rea-
son that this species of tariff though
mainly designed for. raising revenue, Incl
dentally protects. A revenue tariff does
not prohibit the importation of foreign
goods but levies a tax upon them, the
money derived from the tax going into
the treasury of the United States to de-
fray the expenses of the government and
pay off the national debt. The greater
part of the amo4ut already paid on the
national debt has been paid from this
source. A protective tariff deprlves the
government Of revenue ON that article,
because the custom duty is PLACED so
high that foreign manufacturers cannot
afford to pay the dnty and compete with
American manufactures. American cap
italists add to the price which English
goods can be delivered in this country, a
sum almost equal to the tariff, and this is
the selling price. The people of the
United States pay the high tariff, in some
cases $50 per cent on tie cost OF the
article, but not one cent of the tariff goes
to the benefit Of the government. 1t all
goes into the pockets Of manufacturers.
An instance taken from a reliable work:
Steel rails cost in England S24 tom;
transportation 50. Natural cost manner
lea, $27. Tho duty is S2S. Americans
can sell iron rails at S44 per ton, profit
of 100 per cent. over what the English
can sell the Same At ID clear pront. Thus
for every ton of steel rails sold in Amer
lea the purchaser pays tax of $2s per
ton to the manufacturer. Other manu-
facturers wealthy enough to hire lobby
to corrupt congress are also protected.
But the farmer has no lobby; he is not
protected. The laborer has no lobby,
he is not protected. There is no tax i'm
posed on foreign labor. Manufacturers
can import foreign labor, without paying
tariff. Laborers cannot go to foreign
market and purchase commodities. This
is the beauty of projection.