The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1882-07-21
A Revision Of the Tariff Necessary.

The people of the United States, if they
knew it, would scarcely appreciate the beau
ties of the internal revenue and tariff system,
by which, after paying all the expenses ofthe
government, including vast army of reve'
nue. collectors, and the interest on the ma
tional debt, surplus of at least $150,000,0 900
q year is left in the United States Treasury.
The treasury being always full no necessity
for economy is felt by Congress, and large
sums are appropriated in the most reckless
manner without any fair equivalent of good
to the public. Every cent of this enormous
surplus comes out of the pockets of the peo.
pie ofthe United States, and a large proper
ton of it is derived from the farming COM
munity. The entire system needs changing
The internal revenue taxes should be abol
ished except upon whisky, cigars &c, and
the tariff upon imported articles in general
use cut down or abolished altogether. A
tariff is necessary, but it should be tariff
for revenue only, and all the money needed
for the expenses of the Government could be
raised from duties on articles OF luxury
The Democratic party should address itself
to this reform at once.
The country is prosperous now, but the re-
ports of strikes in different parts fthe coun-
try indicate that labor is not receiving its
Just reward. Hon. A. S. Hewitt, of New
York, in a speech in Congress, some time
ago, on the necessity Of revision of the tar
i'll, pointed out the danger in which we stand
of q financial crash, unless something is
speedily done.
"Mr. Hewitt said that it was dangerous to
delay action on the tariff. Weare now pros.
porous, but our prosperity will continue only
so long as there is an adequate market for
our products. AT present we have foreign
market chiefly for raw materials, such as
food products, cotton, petroleum, and tobac-
co. For our manufactured products the
markets of the world are perpetually closed
against us. We tax food, of which we are
the great exporters; we tax wool, which is
the foundation OF n vast industry; we tax
bituminous coal, iron ore and scrap iron,
which lie at the base of the great iron and
steel industry; we tax copper ores, alcohol,
and oils. and numerous chemicals, without
which many branches of industry cannot ex-
ist. Having thus created an artificial system
we find it impossible to compete with Great
Britain and France and Germany, whose in
dustries stand upon the firm and national
basis of free raw materials. This defect in
our revenue system could be remeded by n
joint resolution in one week, and the Com.
mittee ON Ways and Means could then take
as much time as might be needed to consider
and adjust the infinite detail involved in the
reconstruction of tariff covering $500 arti-
Giles. Unless remedy be speedily applied
the industry of this country will be surfeited
by the excess of products for which it can
find no market. If good harvcsts should be
secured abroad, we shall have great surplus
of food upon our hands, and the price will
fall Wages will go down with the fall in
price The reduction of wages will be re-
sisted by strikes and lockouts The con-
tlicts between capital and labor will be re-
opened, and, indeed, have already begun
The prosperity of the country will be ar
rested. Railroad transportation will fall off
New railroads will cease to be constructed
Our shops will lack work; there will be
dearth of employment all over the country
"The volume of immigration will fall off,
and the career of expansion and general de-
velopment will be brought to disastrous
conclusion. The sad experience of 1898
will be repeated until through the gate of
suffering, poverty, and want, we shall estab-
fish lower rate of wages, and the products
of the country, weighted as they are with oh.
structiVe taxes, which must be deducted from
the wages of labor, will force their way into
the open markets of the world in spite ofthe
tariff"
The demand for some relief from taxation
has led to the introduction of n bill in the
Senate by Mr.. Morrill,, Republican, of Yer
mont. Its ostensible object is to reduce taxa
ton, but its real object, as Senator Bayard
showed, last Friday, is to deceive the people
of the United States. For instance, it pro =.
vides for the abolition of the stamp tax on
bank checks, on proprietary medicines, re-
duction of the tax on cigars from SO to 81
per thousand, or one fifth of cent on each
cigar. None of these reductions would be felt
by the people generally. The stamp tax on
checks is easily paid, and the abolition ofthe
others would not lessen the cost of proprie.
tary medicines or cigars, but merely increase
the profits Of manufacturers. Not one cent
is saved by this bill in collecting the revenue.
The great army of collectors clerks, &c,
would still draw their salaries as before and
contribute their assessments to the Republi-
can campaign fund