Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-11-21
WILD EXTREMISTS.
a Union Of Raseally Protectionists
and Crazy Free Traders to Ruin
the Public Credit.
The Safe Middle Ground.
Cincinnati anrstts.

credit, and plunge currency and bus.
iness into universal calamity. Ii not
struck with idiocy, it would hold on
10 the internal revenue until it had
reconstructed the tariff. But the
free traders and alleged revenue re.
formers are threatening the public
finances aud credit and the currency
and business Of the whole country
with disaster, by proposing a bull
4 ina china-shop course Of breaking
down both tariff and internal revenue
at one swoOp.
These free traders and tariff reform
ers would be less dangerous if they
had not helpers in the extreme pro.
tective tariff men William D. Kelley.
who holds the influential and thereby
dangerous place of Chairman of Ways
and Means, has the lunacy that if the
internal revenue system were abolished
1t would force the keeping of the
present high protective duties, and
even a rising OF them Thus are free
traders and extreme protectionists
striking hands 10 this threat Of de.
struotiOn And Mr.. Randall candidate
for Speaker, and who, if be fails of
that, will be Chairman Of the Ways
and Means Of the next House, and
who, though a Democrat, being of
Pennsylvania, has to be for protect
i've tariff, declares with Mr.. Kelley
tor the total abolition Of the internal
revenue.
MIR. Randall thinks by this to catch
the favor Of the West and South, and
to make popular splurge by throw
ing Oft taxes, and at the same time to
cover up and retain the high tariff.
When free traders and extreme pro-
tectionists join hands in a revenue
measure, there is fraud somewhere.
When each side works By indirect
pethod, it is right to suspect fraud on
both sides. The scheme to reform the
tariff, whether up or down, by abol-
ishipg the internal revenue, works by
indireotion and fraud, and is no better
than a conspiracy againit honest gov
ernment and the public welfare.
No one can certainly tell that higher
protective duties would give more
revenue. Mr.. Kelley object in higher
duties is not to raise revenue, but to
prevent importations and enable home
manufacturers to add the rate of duty
to their price. Many of the highest
duties produce little revenue, for in.
stance, the duties on a large line of
common woolen goods, cloths, carpets,
blankets, shirts, drawers, hosiery and
other knit goods, such as used by the
mass of the people, these produce
little revenue because the high duties
prevent importation, but they cause
the addition of from 80 to 70 per cent
and upward to the home article.
Neither Mr.. Kelley nor any other man
can say for certain that b higher pro
teotive duties he could ct more reye-
nue., or could get enough by any sort
OF tariff tOTun the OveTnment under
the enormous incre Sc OF expenses by
the Democratic war debt and pensions.
The experiment would be very rash.
Besides these whales of statesman
ship there are the small fry of sec
tional and local politicians, who think
the taxes on whisky, beer and to.
baccO are paid By the producer, and
that to aboliah them is to favor their
section or district, aud whose minds
are not large enough to take in the
connection of these with the affair of
general revenue. These are ready to
abolish taxes aud let the general
revenue Of government take its
chances. Their little souls cannot see
what concern the national revenue is
to them.
To tackle ono OF these branches Of
revenue at a time will be quite as
much as the wisdom of any party is
equal to. To abolish the internal
taxes is as simple as to smash china
shop. To do this, and have to reim-
pose the taxes, would be very costly
TO the people. Some have seen that
when the government lays an excise
the consumers have to pay it for q
year or so before it begins to yield
revenue. IT the present Congress, or
the next, is to reconstruct the tariff.
better let the internal taxes atAud to
see what the other will fetch.
Rational statespanship would not,
in any event, abolish the internal
revenue, although 1t might reduce the
rate, and this too, without reducing
the income. Iii ao~' ifa tariff
on imports can Gs 10 DE- 10 produce
sufficient income without abolishinp
the free list, and thereby reducing our
manufactures by taxing all materials.
Duties on imports az sole dependence
for revenue are not a sure foundation.
0vertrading, currency aud credit in-
Hation and credit panics cause sudden
and great reductions Of imports, and
thereby the government Ands It's in.
eQme cut of in its greatest need. An
instance was in 1874 and following
years, and in 1856 and 1919, when
the government was in such strait
shat it had to borrow at twelve per
cent
A foreign war might cut off the
nations income at time when its
expenses we're multiplied. States
manship, not to say common sense,
will look beyond an intrigue to force
up or force down duties for a crooked
purpose, to safe revenue system lor
government, apd a safe foundation for
tbe currency aud public credit, all Of
which would sink if the revenue
should become deficient. Let US hay,
square dealing, and let rs pompel oul
public men 70 90 directly at theil
purpose, lnstead Of looking one way
> while rowing another.
The taxes oa whisky, beer ans
tob.ceo are easist paid OF any, o aus.
! every dollar paid by the consume yr goel
into the Treagpry,whereas the object O.
protective taxes to mako the consumer
! pay the home manufacturer higher
PRICES for domestic articles, without
yielding auy revenue Besides, there