The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1881-05-19
olutiou without vulsion and With.

olution without convulsion and with. |
out disaster.
No one would DO injured but those
who now thrive on outright plundor |
and legalixcd fraud.
xEcEsslTy OF YnAuD.
The question II asked, III you do
away with the protective system,
how Will you raise q revenuep" The
simplest answer II, TINT 4 revenue
tariff and D protective tariff arc Ut.
terly different things. A tar system
which takes 1000, ZOO, 900 annually
from the people In order to give $780,.
OO0, 900 to the Government, and $780,
100000 to the privileged clnsses, 10
not u sytcm suited to q democratic
republic. A revenue tariff would put
duties on such articles, and to such
amounts, that the highest returns
might be obtained with the least
burden to the people.
II would never, for example, pre-.
vent importation and cut or revc.
nue., by o duty Of o2S dollars q ton
on steel rails worth az q ton;
neither by such means license any
monopoly to screw Oh, O0O, 900 q year
out Of tho people for nothing.
A revenue tariff, too, would avoid,
40 far as possible, any restriction on
the development Of the country's
wealth. Barriers 70 commerce would
be summed; tho taxation OF raw
materials would DO eschewed as the
most destructive Of revenue mis-
takes.
And there are other means than
customs duties OF raising the public
revenues. Means, too, that do not
involve that inquisitlon into private
affairs which, 20 Americans, isnatur.
ally 90 distasteful.
But all this 10 no necessary part Of
the discussion Of protection. 4 tarin
constructed Tor revenue would be .
very different thing from the patch.
work OF folly and abuse which has
fastened itself upon the industry Of
the country.
When other arguments fall, the
Protectionist returns 70 first
principles, and says that the Farmer
1.-THE unprotected class-does not
pay tho tax. Two pay It ourselves
1.-THE foreigner pays II" II 70 not paid
. 1t oil" "thcTe Is no such tax" Let
US take the least unreasonable Of
these positions. We have the least
unreasonable OF these positions. We
have alluded already TO the plea
| that the protected classes bear their
share OF the burdens. Let Us for q
. moment allow It In full force. Why
! indeed, should they not bear the{s
share Ii the load which Is laid on the
country altogether for their beneilt
, They drst Tor their own profit, pu,
upon the country's back . burden
which the ''paupcr laborer" Of Europe
would gladly carry; and then theI
generously otter % bear tAetr share
How much d their shAreY Sup
posing the division Of the working
population OF the country to be TIL
same now as In 1870, the distributor
OF tho load, on shares, would be-
Agriculture. - per cent. $3.50. O0O. O0(
Other unprotected Ia.
! ldustries, 50 per cent. 226, O00, O0l
: Protected industries, -
per cent. l66,OOO,OO
II $3.50, 600 90
The farmer carries more than hal
!, the whole load and gets nothing 70
. It.
Take tho relative amount Of capt
tal invested as o measure OF distri
|. bution:-which il would be II tn,
profits OF agriculture were - grea
|. a. those or manufacture. The censul
: OF 1870 reports:
!. Invested In Agriculture40 500. OO0. 600
|. Manufacture 2,l0O. O0O. 600
The shares on this basis would b,
(the portion Of other classes remain
: Ing g before):
The Manusacturcrs'. 800, OO0. 900.
The Enrm0ros 400 mn 000