The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-01-16

act contrary to these heavenly laws with
out suffering the penalty. The question
which first presents itself in this discus
sion is, what is Free Trade?
Free Trade does not compel any man to
trade with another. It does not even re-
commend that they should. 1t simply al
lows men to trade who may find it profita-
BILE to do SO. 1t simply says that If two
men find it profitable to trade they may do
so. Who is the man, who are the set OF
men who have the light to step in and say
''You shall not trade as you choose, you
shall not sell your commodity or your labor
in the market where it viii bring you the
most" but that is what protection does.
1t says you shall sell in the market which
we shall point out, and at prices which we
shall determine. 1t says direct, You
buy in the cheapest" 1t is said by the
opponents of Free Trade, that it is a
theory. say without fear of contradic
ton that it is not IA theory but very sim
very simple theory brought in to confuse
and complieate natural laws. 1t makes
the poor man reap but part of the harvest
which his laborers ought to bring him. 1t
causes him to sell in cheap market when
a dearer one is open to him, and to buy in
dearer market when a cheaper one is at
hand. Protection is theory bad in prin
ciple, wicked in practice, faulty in results,
and with nothing good about it. This
club calls itself a Revenue Reform Club,
and thereby implies that tariff for rev.
enue is good thing; and SO it is. Now,
what is the difference between pro-
tective tariff and a revenue tariff
Suppose that tea and coffee, commodities
which are not grown or produced in this
country, were taxed. 1t would raise the
price of tea and coffee a little, but not
much A proper tax, such as should be
imposed on these articles, would bring
twenty-five millions of revenue to the gov
You would suppose that this
country, needing a revenue, would put
proper tax on tea and coffee, and that was
done from the foundation of the govern
ment down to a few years ago. But now
there is no tax upon them, yet we certainly
need a revenue as much as we ever did.
How did it happen that this tariff on tea
and coffee was removed? Why, few
years ago Judge Kelley. of Pennsylvania,
a prominent protectionist, raised great
cry about a ''free breakfast table,
and wanted this tax taken off
which had been levied from
he foundation on the Government What
vas his motive? Simply this, to keep on
protective tariff, on other articles. If
hey could have twenty-five millions strick-
IN out of the revenue they coul say that
t would not do to take off any more on
,ther articles for the Government needed
evenue. So the cry was raised for the |
simple purpose of keeping on the protec
i've tariff. 1t has been found that in a rev
niue tariff it is only necessary to tax a few |
articles. Great Britain has only seven dut- |
able articles. / can write her tariff list On |
he palm of my hand, and she raises more |
evenue from those seven articles than she |
100 articles. The purpose of tariff is |
o raise revenue for the uses of the Gov |
rnment and not to raise the price of COM
nodities for the benefit of the privileged |
ew at the expense of the great mass of the |
eople, now.