The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-03-17
TARIFF FOR REVENUE ONLY
EXPLAINED BY TWO WELL KNOWN
POLITICAL ECONOMISTS.
1t Does Not Mean Free Trade-NOr q Continue
tlOn Of High Taxation Mixed
System Of Dutles-But What
1t Does Mean.


The undersigned, having been re-
quested from various sources to explain
what they understood by "A Tariff for
Revenue Only" submit the following
statement
First-A tariff for revenue does not
mean free trade for under the present
sy stem of deriving from duties on i'm
ports large proportion Of the revenue
necessary to defray the large expendi-
ture of the National Government,
tariff for revenue necessarily means
comparatively and absolutely high tariff,
and one that, in all conscience, ought to
satisfy any reasonable demands for pro-
lection.
Second-A tariff for revenue does not
mean further continuance Of high
taxation Imposed originally and solely
to meet the exigencies of great war; in
time Of peace, when all necessity for
such taxation has happily passed away.
Third-It does not mean the further
continuance of a mixed system of duties,
so much specifically per pound, per
yard, per gallon, or per bushel, and
then, in addition, so much ad ValOrsm.
No ordinary person-often not experts
can readily tell what such duties amount
to in the aggregate. They were in
tentionally made complicated to prevent
knowledge; they afford constant tempta.
tions on the part of the importers to de-
ceive, and on the part of officials to
abuse their trust. Such duties ought to
be repugnant to the whole moral sense
of our people. Such duties, further
more, act as prohibitors of imports, and
so dry up commerce, increase enormous
ly the cost of commodities to the people,
and prevent the treasury from obtaining
revenue.
In support of these statements take the
following illustration and proof. In
I879-So we imported $4,000, 900 worth
of woolen goods; in this vast amount
only $5,o32 in value represents imports
of blankets, and the people of the
United States use annually blankets to
the value Of $4,000, 900. Now the
reason why only S. 900 worth of blankets
were imported in I87o-8o is that on the
commonest, cheapest class Of blankets,
such as only the poor man can buy and
must have, that the miner, the traveller,
the employees on railroads, canals, forges,
and furnaces generally buy and use,
such blankets as cost thirty cents per
pound in Europe, the duty is 20 cents
per pound and IS per cent. ad Val0yem.
Now, how many persons know how
much these mixed duties amount to-?
They amount to 100 per cent. How
many persons, when the facts are ex
planned, would countenance such an
out.and-out steal? How many members
of Congress would ever be returned by
their constituents if they voted aye on
plain and simple proposition to tax an
essential article of consumption to our
poor to such degree1 In I87o-7o the
duties on blankets were so heavy that
almost none were imported; the treas
ury deriving from our imports the pitilul
sum Of $I,233.83 while the people were
no doubt unnecessarily taxed over and
above what the blanket mills could re-
qure for protection, several millions of
dollars, A tariff for revenue only las
will be seen by the classification hereaf
ter submitted) of 40 per cent. would give
some revenue from this source to the
treasury and still protect the domestic
manufacturer.
Again, worsted yarns, which cost in
England 81 cents, are charged with
duty Of IS cents per pound and IS per
cent. Gd ValOrs0, equal to over oo9 per
cent. The consequence was that in
1879, we imported and consumed exactly
S44 worth in value, and the treasury re.
ceived just $43.8o in revenue. Worsted
yarn, costing in England 4o cents is
subject to a duty of 80 cents per pound !
and IS per cent. ad 0aloyem, or equal to
963 per cent. In 1879 we imported ex-
actly SIo3 worth Of such the treasury
received in revenue Soo43.
Certainly no one will dispute this |
demonstration, that if the above pro-