Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-08-03
TIE BROTHER JASPER" OF POLITICAL
ECONOMY

There is an old negro preacher down
South who has acquired certain notoriety |
by maintaining with stolid persistence that
1.-THE sun do move. - and that modern sci. |
ence il entirely wrong in that particular.
It has been left TO the San Francisco Crou. |
icle to take position in political econ omy
which is close parallel to that of Brother
Jasper on the motion Of the sun. The
Chronicle, with perfect gravity, persists in
the assertion that the tariff adds nothing to
the cost OF manufactured articles in the
United States, and, also, like Brother Jas
per, speaks contemptuously of those who
hold an opposite opinion, deriding them as
" Bourhons," ard stupid people. As the
protective theory which the Chronicle ia
vors is but survival from the so-cal!ed
Mercantile Theory, which latter has been
completely abandoned by all civilized peo-
Piles, the charge OF Bourbonism' - under
the circumstances is somewhat comical.
This. however, is nothing to the dogma.
tism of the Jasperian assertion that The
tariff does not increase The cost of manu-.
faethred goods. The Chronicle evidently
does not see that il what it says were true,
the fact would prove too much, for it
would prove that Protection does not pro-
tect even those in whose behalf it is main
tanned. 1t would prove grea. deal too
much, for it would prove what no Protec-
Zionist in his senses has ever dreamed OF
pretending, namely, that American manu-.
facturers can sell as cheaply as English man.
ufacturers, while subject to higher wages
and higher cost of production generally.
1t would prove too much also in another d.
rection for if American goods were not
increased in cost by the tariff, it
would pay foreign manufacturers to
export indefinite quantities Of their goods
to this country. The Chronicle, however,
does not understand the incidence of q
protective tariff, and therefore it talks much
| nonsense. To enlighten it little we will
| give an illustration from Mill eff the
| wheat produced III q country" says that
Bourbon economist, "is twenty millions
" of quarters, and the consumption twenty.
lone millions, million being annually
imported, and il on this million duty is
"levied which raises the price ten shillings
"per quarter, the price which is raised is
mot that of the million only, but of the
"whole twenty. one millions" In such q
1 IL
revenue of only half million, while
+" the consumers are taxed ten millions and
ga half; the ten millions being con-
"tribution to the home growers" That is
the case always under Protective tariff
The consumer pays two distinct taxes,
only one of which goes to the Government
and that generally very much the least
onerous. The increase in the cost of manu-.
featured goods is usually more than the
percentage represented by the duty, but it
is in all cases as much. The assertion that
it is possible to put protective duty upon
foreign goods without raising the price of
home manufactured goods of the same
kind, is in fact proof of economic ignor-
ance so surprising and incontestable that
journalist must have strong faith in the
stupidity of his readers to attempt to main-
tain it. We should hope that the majority
Of High School students are sufficiently
well instructed TO be amused by the phe-
! nomenal intellectual darkness OF the
Chronicle