Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1882-03-04

J.. W.
]. W. Graham. VIEW
Hiss Matte Wellington
10. A. Edm0nds. atelioo
j.. .. .DUso.
Eli Mundorf.. rmn
b. w; Neal;
John L. Ardlnger.. WY
TContinned from First Page.1
ratio of Increase. So, also, our exports,
imports, and revenue nearly tripled in the
same period of time, and u domestic
trade rose nearly in the same ratio This
augmented ratio is not the result oflin-
grease of population, which from 1850
to 1860 was less than Sc per cent. The
Irish famine was supposed by my oppo-
nents TO account TOR tho increase the
first year, although the decreased price
paid abroad that year for u cotton
nearly equaled the additional sum paid
by England for our breadstuffs. and
provisions. But the next year and the
next, before any gold had reached here
from California, u exports and '
nue. went on .augmentin9 in q cores
pOnding ratio, rising in eight years
from $22, GOO. 900 under the tariff oil
1912 70 $64, OOO, 900 under. the tariff OF
1896"
think Mr.. Walker answers fully the
senator's boast Of the great feat accom-
plished by the Morrill, tariff, by "trans-
forming adj valorem duties into spe-
cific,n in the following sentences:
"There ia another lnsuperabte ebjec-
tion to the specific System, namely that
it unnecessarily and invariably taxes
labor vastly more than capital, and the
poor In q much greater proportion than
the rich, upon the goods consumed.
Under tho system OF specific duties Of so
much per pound; or yard, or gallon. &C.,
the specific duty is the same. The rich
who purchase tho costly article bearing
only the same specific duty. pay. In
proportion to value. less than ons-half
what is paid by the poor. who purchase
. cheaper and less costly article. 1t we
take all tho costly articles purchased by
the rich bearing under the present tariff
the same specific duty az the inferior ar
ticle bought by the poor, We will find
tho difference against them exceeds
SO, 900 600 q year. Such 10 the i'm
mense additional tax exacted from labor
under tho sytem of specific Duties"
Perhaps tho senator il proud of the
fact that he has invented q system under
which the laboring man pays 80 per
blankets he can afford to buy, while he
and his lordly friends pay less than 60
per cent. tax on such as they use and in
like proportion for all else. How long
would q law stand in the state OF New
York that taxes the residence of MIR.
Vanderbilt or Mr.. Stewart, worth ST.
OO0, 0O0, no more than the residence OF
their coachman. worth 50 0 That
Is specific taxation. I'D valorem, or a
fair per cent. tax on each according to
its value, is the system adopted by the
American people in all their state govern
mental affairs, and is the only Just sys-
tenn. Mr.. Walker but expresses the
views OF all disinterested intelligent
men when he says:
.'Our present system of taxation is the
NEST onerous ever imposed upon any
people. and ID utterly destructive of the
prosperity of our country.
'.Our present tariff is also unequal,
oppressive, and unjust. 1t is grievously
onerous upon agriculture, commerce.
navigation, ship-building, sc. y
The present tariff, besides the tax oil
$3.50. 0OO, 600 a year upon imports, the
duties On which are paid by the people
tax of at least $3.50 .O0O, 900 3 year in the
enhanced prices of rival protscted do.
msstic articles. This can be readily
proved BY comparing the prices current
in gold of such domestic articles with
the prices OF similar articles produced
in other countries. Thus, the tariff taxes
the people Of the United States to the
extent OF $500, OO0, 900 q year, OF which
only $3.50, goo 600 goes into the treasu-
~. and the remaining $3.50, 900, 600 go
into the pockets of the protected
classes"
! ann content to rest the defense OF the
revenue tariff of 1886 against the char
ges Of the senator from Vermont on the
contrast presented between it and the
Morrill, tariff by Its distinguished found.
or, Who through it restored to prosperi-
tv the revenues OF the country ever
during the war with Mexico. But, MIR.
President, the most grotesque, I had
almost said absurd, portion OF tho
senater's speech is the following:
"The southern states, II the produc-
ton of cotton. have possibly already
reached the maximum quantity that can
DO cultivated with greatest profit, unless
the demand OF the world expands. A
short crop now often brings producers
a larger sun than q full crop. The
amount of the surplus sent abroad de-
termlnes the price OF the whole crop.
Production appears likely soon to out
run the demand. Texas alone has
latent power to everstock the world. Is
it not time, therefore. to curtail the crop
or TO stop any large increase of it, while
sure to obtain as much OF more for it,
and to turn unfruitful capital and labor
into other and moro profitable channels
Of Industry The untrodden fields,
where capital and labor wait to DO or
gained for tho development OF southern
manufactures and mining, offer unri-
vailed temptations to leaders among
men in search of legitimate wealth.
"'The same facts are almost equally
applicable to general agriculture, but
more particularly to the great grain
growing regions OF the west. A great
harvest frequently tends to render the
labor OF q whole year almost proftless
whenever foreign countries are blessed
with comparatively an equal abundance.
"The foreign demand, fitful and un-
certain as it is. rarely exceeds one.
twentieth of even the present home
requirements, and the losses from
long transportation, incident to pro-
ducts of great bulk, can never be sue.
cessfully avoided except by an ade-
quate home demand.
"The wheat regions of the west,
superb as they undoubtedly are, it is
to be feared, have too little staying
character to be prodigally squander'
Cd, and their natural fertility notice.
ably vanlshes in the real unless re.
tanned by costly fertilizers almost as
rapidly as new fields open in front.
"Certainly we need not be in haste
to slaughter and utterly exhaust the
native fertility of our fields on the
chaap terms now presented"
As al answer to the suggestion that
tho markok for cOffnu ia nvkorefoI