Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1882-10-28
Mary and the Tariff.


heard brother Charles say he had
been discussing the tariff at his debat.
ing club last night"
"Well, Mary" answered the gentle.
man addressed, if you will take the
pains to get down the dictionary and
the atlaa, will help you to find out
the history and mystery of the word
tariff"
"The atlas, father p said Mary in
surprise why, that is where I look
for rlaces-straits and gulls and riv-
ers and towns-but I never should
think of looking into an atlas for the
meaning Of a word"
We'll, we shall see, daughter" re-
piled her father; and if the readers
Of this will do as Mary was directed
to do, they will be likely to remember
the meaning of the word tariff, and
perhaps learn something. "Tdriff
means list of duties imposed by
government upon goods imported into
this territory from other countries.
For instance, when silk goods are
brought from Europe to this country,
the United States government collects
at the port of entry from those to
whom the goods are sent a certain
fixed proportion of their value III
money, and this amount is called Gus
toms duty. All money SO received
goes into the national treasury"
Mary's brother, as number of his
associates, had been discussing the
present system of tariff in this coun-
try. In the debate there were, of
course, two sides. On one side it was
argued that the government should
collect only sufficient duties to pay
the expenses necessary for its main
tenance. On the other side it was
held that whenever, owing to cheap
foreign labor, goods manufactured
abroad could be sold in this country
at prices lower than those of similar
American products, a tariff duty
should be imposed. This, it was ar
gued, should be sufficient to raise the
price of foreign goods to the standard
Of American manufactures. All this
Mary's father explained to her. He
explained, moreover, the def ition
given Of tariff for revenue only to the
folmer proposition, and protective
tariff to the latter proposition.
BY this time Mary was anxious to
know the use of the atlas, and fur
thsr reference to the dictionary was
found necessary. Guided by the sug-
gestions there made which are found
ed on Archbishop Trench's "Study Of
Words" Mary and her father turned
to the map of Europe. They then
looked at Spain. They noticed at the
southern point of that country, and
running ous into the Straits of Glib
rs|tar, a promontory. This, as DR..
Trench says, is admirably adapted for
commanding the entrance Of the
Mediterran can Sea and watching the
passing out and coming in of all ships.
A fortress stands on this promontory
called Tarifa. The name is of Moor
ish origin, and was given in the days
when the Mcors ruled Spain. 1t was
their custom to watch from this point
all merchant shipa going by. Then
issuing from thsir stronghold, they
would levy duties upon the merohan-
disc carried by the vessels. The levy
thus made was known as "tarifs," or
tariff" and thus, Trench tells us,
we have acquired the word.
After all, with due respect to her
brothers debating society, Mary
thought that the most interesting tea-
ture about the tariff was the deriva-
tion of its name.