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

and vigorously on :he floor OF tho house
oppose and vote against The consldera-
tion oi the tariff bill They will all ad-
nit that there should be, that there will
be, that at some time there must be, n
reduction OF these rates to correspond
with what n fair tariff should be.
"The chiet OF the bureau OF statistics
states that the average duties on textile
manufactures, earthenware, metals and
provisions are: is'1s
~. @ Per cent.
Cotton and Gotten goods. - %
EarIhs I anu e:.rthSnware ~.
s 49,
PROVISIONS hs.....--....... ...............-. aslg
silks and silk goods Observation-Disclosures. 5s IS
W0ols anu WOODEN goods. '6O. ~
These statements OF Mr.. Burchard
seem to me to make 1t so clear that the
present tariff is simply bill OF abomi-
nations that congress will hesitate long
before II adopts the plausible device OF
a commission to perpetuate it. The
history OF Its development would be
both interesting and instructive. 1 can
not give 1t in detail now. Imay some
day. 1t would interest the senate tO
know what an adrOit and skillinl leader
the protectionists hive had in the distin-
guished senator from Vermont. The
title OF his first act coupled the increase
OF duties with the payment OF outstand-
ing treasury notes aud the creating of q
necessary" loan. His next, OF July IA,
1862, is entitled sAn. act increasing lem.
porarily the duties on imports. and for
other purposes" i would like to Know
what he now thinks temporarily means.
Each subsequent act was passed 10 c0m-
pensate the manufacturers for the bur-
ders OF taxation set forth by Mr..
Burchard, all OF which the senator NOW
boasts were promptly removed after our
great armies were disbanded. On the
18th of June, 1866, (see Globe, pago
3,46S,) the senator from Vermont
apologized to congress and the country
tor the imposition, even during the war,
Of tho enormous duties he seeks now to
maintain. Hc said: i;-ae.f
1.-The present bill is not likely to suit
everybody. and regard it as only
temporary measure fit to be introduced
because ofth imperious necessities of
our present condition" - sS
Again he says:
Although our present tariff, in ordi-
nary times, would be likely to be de-
the present bill is Indispensable to pre-
serve the aggregate OF our internal
revenue"
Indeed. all through the debates the
promise was constantly held out tuat the
enormous aud abnormal tariff taxation
was only a temporary war eXpedicnt
necessitale ed by tho enormous internal
revenue taxes imposed for war purpo.
4 .l,A
say. shocked, at the attempts now made
by the senator from Vermont and his
allies to continue it under existing cir-
cumstances. As have said before, we
succeeded aItcra long struggle in PASS
ing the act OF June {, 1872, reducing tariff
taxation 10 per cent. on the leading
manufactures of the country. We did
30 without detrimert to the revenue;
but the ingenuity OF the senator from
Vermont ind his protected monopolists
was equal TO the emergency. They pre-
tended to have discovered that the sink
ing fund was in arrears. Although
three secretaries Of the treasury mad
proved that it was over 5000 ,000, 900 in
excess OF all requirements or pledges,
they passed the act of March s. 1875.
entitled IAN act to further protect the
sinking fund.-" &C., whereby they re-
stored the 10 per cent. protection. or
subsidy, which we hud relieved the: peo-
pie from in 1872, aud fastened again
upon the country the old temporary war
tariff OF 1866. which they now seek to
perpe,uate for at least three years long
er by the commission they have devised.
See how their increase of taxation in
| 1875 operated on the revenue 80
In 1876, before these gentlemen adj
lied the 10 per cent. to the tar,if. we
received from customs S157 167 ,722 in
| 1876, under Its operation, we received
Sl4S, ,07i ,9S5, and in 1877, after it had
falrplay. we received 1888 ;204,. or
nearly S29. .000, 900 les, than the receipts
before the ~ per cent, add.tiolal tariff
was imposed. That is the way in which
these distinguished fiuanciers provided
Tor the sinking fund. They sunk the
| funds OF tho people in the pockets Qf the
protected monopo.ists ofthe country. who
are now 50 clamorous for this commits
sion. so
| The senator from Vermont was un-
| fortunate in his remuneration of the
tariff OF 1916 as being productive OF ma
tional disaster. True, there was q
iinacIal crash in 1857, hut the country
ralliet from it much more promptly
than ii did from the financial crash OF
1873, under his protective tariff, as the
:'lots, strikes, trump', and general dis
tress in 1877 abundantly prove.
Hon. Robert j. Walker, Mr.. Polk's
secretary OF the treasury, who framed
the tariff of 1876, on the 3Oth day of
November, 1867, addre-s sed public
letter to the people OF the United States,
i'm which he took occasion to refer to the
tariff of 1916 and contrast II with the
present system. think he overthrows
all the assertions Of the senator from
Vermont, aud prefer To let him speak.
| lie lIad shown what would be u sulli.
eicnt revenue iur the wants al tho gov
nrnment economically administered, and
then said:
This revenue of S244 ,0O0, 900 year.
us maximum. would derive from
three sources alone
l. BY a tariff Tor revenue. 90
2. By an excise on wines, malt and
spirituous liquors, and tobacco; abolish.
ing ali other internal taxation.
). by tax on our national banks,
based upon just and fair equivalents.
ga tariff tor revenue, as experience
has shown, instead of depressing i'm
proves all industrial pursuits, including
manufactures, and vastly augments the
wealth OF the country. Under the tariff
of 1916, as shown by the census, our
wealth increased from 1850 to 1860,
l26. 40 per cent. whereas from 1910 to
1850 the increase was only 81 per cent.
from 1880 to 1910, AZ per cent, and
from 1920 to 1880, Al per cent. So.also
from 1850 to 1860 our agricultural pro-
duets increased 95 per cent. and our
manufactures 81 per cent, being in
both cases nearly double any preceding
ICOncluded on Eaarfh Iane