Semi-weekly interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1881-1905, 1882-06-02
THE TARirt QUESTION

ut lftt iIhutIH tnHltHh AidA W
levy taxes upon imports 80 rs 10 af
ford protection to home manufacturers
against the products Of foreign pauper
labor is 10 tax one class of our citizens
for The profit Of another classic tax
the consumer for the enrichment Of
the producer, rs they express it. They
say that IL is equivalent in effect 10 col
lectiDg tax IRON one portion Of the
population and handing il over rs a
donation TO a more favored portion.
II this be true il is certainly a great
injustice. a great outrage; but is it
truel Who pays the duty on import
ed goods y Is il paid exclusively by
any one class of citizensl Certainly
not Even il il was altogether paid
by the consumers it would not be cor.
rect 10 say il was paid by "A class, for
the consumers are not particular
class of citizens. All, every man,
woman and child in the nation is a
consumer. Primarily and directly the
tariff duty is paid by the importer ut
the custom house when he lands his
goods. The importer then adds the
duty TO the price and makes The con.
sumner pay it-if he can. II the pur.
chaser OF consumer is willing to give
aud does give the importers price,
then he pays the duty; but if he buys
at less than the price demanded, he
pays none Of the duty or only part Of
IL, according TO the price agreed upon.
IL is a matter Of contract between the
importer and the consumer in which
both parties are equally free, and it is
n matter, too, subject 10 all the inhu.
ences which affect other business trans
actions. IL is all humbuggery 10
claim, rs the free traders do, that the
duty of itself fixes the price of the
commodity, aud fixes it 30 imperative.
ly that the consumer has no option but
to give IL. IL may happen, every
day il does happen, that there is an
over supply OF some article Of com.
merce imported, and that as conse.
quence the importer is obliged b. lose
not only the duty he has paid on it,
hut large part of the original cost.
lie, like every body else, must sell for
such price rs be can get. And even
when there is not an over supply of
any article he must come in competi-
ton with the American manufacturer
and must sell a. low as he does or not
at all: and in this way he is often
compelled 20 lose all Of the duty that
he has paid and more too. Yet, in the
face Of all these obvious and familiar
facts. the free trader assumes that the
consumer ai,oas pays the duty and
pays all OF il; and then coolly pruteeds
IN argue the whole question upon that
assumption. and 10 denounce the legis-
lation, which, as he claims, inhicts this
wrong. lie argues the case as it it
we're case in which the government
had decreed by legislative enactment
that the American purchaser of for
elgn goods should pay the importer
pricesufiicient to cover the import duty
regardless of the state Of the market,
and thus insure him against loss by
reason Of the importation. But he
does not stop here. In order 10 make
out his case Of taking one class for
the benefit of another he declares
that the consumer always pays, and
is obliged by this legislation 10 pay TO
the American manufacturer tor his
products an amount equal 10 the duty
on such products in addition 10 a fair
price for them. This is not true in
point of fact, aud it could not be true.
as every sensible man knows. except
under a state of case which does not
exist in this country. if, indeed, it
ever did or could exist in any country.
II there was but one man or firm or
corporation in the United States Gu
gagged in manuiacturing-if, in other
words, there was no competition be.
tween American manufacturers. and
il such thing as over production could
not occur, then il might be true that
the consumer would be compelled to
pay 10 the American manufacturer
such prices rs he might demand, not
exceeding those of the importer. But
80 long as there is competition among
our own manufacturers, and so long
ms there are fluctuations, caused by
failure OF demand and other business
influences, il is unreasonable 10 expect
such a thing. And in fact we all
know that there are many articles of
American manufacture that can today
be bought in Stanford as cheap as they
can in England, notwithstanding there
is a duty OF from 80 to 100 per cent.
upon them, which disproves the rs.
sertion that the consumer always pays
the amount of the duty over aud
above a tair price for goods.
Theories are of very little value when
they stand in contradiction of facts.
To say that we should buy where we
can buy cheapest, aud sell where we
can sell highest, sounds very pretty;
il is a very captivating idea. and it is
the realization of this which the free
traders contend that their theories car.
ried out will bring about, and with it
bring wealth and prosperity to.
all mankind. They propose 10 put
this theory into practice, some of
them-for they differ among them.
selves-by repeating all tariff laws,
and others by reducing import duties
to the lowest possible scale to bring
the needed revenue, Though differ
ing in this regard they agree fully in