The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1882-01-28
Tariff Taxation.

vocates of protection are exceedingly
anxious that the people shall admit
without discussion is that duties on inn
ported articles do not operate as tax
upon those who purchase such articles
for consumption or use. This PROPOSE
ton they know to be false, but as the
whole system of protection is based
upon fallacious premises, they are
driven to the adoption of deception as a
means of advancing the interests OF the
favored few monopolists against the
welfare of the people generally. The
impression il sought to be made by
these protectionists that tariff matters
are of such reconcile character, so OBJ
scure and mysterious, that only monop-
olists and their apologists can under
stand them, and, therefore, all the
people have to do is to pay and be
silent and satisfied. But the people,
fortunately, are becoming entirely COM
petent to comprehend the elementary
principles of political economy, and are
therefore satisfied that tariff duties upon
imported articles are nothing more nor
less than taxation-burdens bound upon
the backs of the people to enrich the
few--and that the entire theory of pro-
tectionists is mass of duplicity. The
more the subject is discussed the more
emphatic will be the condemna-
ton of a tariff for protec-
ton. What the people now want
are "bottom facts" First, then, we
have Government; Government
must have revenues-money. Ours is
supposed to be Constitutional Govern
ment, and the Constitution of the
United States empowers Congress to
lay and collect an impost duty for the
purpose of revenue, and it is well said
by contemporary that "to lay that
duty for protection or prohibition would
not only be violation of the extent of
the power, but in practical operation
would be destructive of the very object
for which it was granted. To make
protection the chief object of tariff,
and revenue an incident, would be to-
tai perversion of authority and policy,
and can be supported only by the grasp
ing monopolist." But Diminishing such
as somewhat foreign to our
present purpose, we come directly to
the point, and assert that tariff, or i'm
post duties, is tax upon the articles
which is paid by the con-
sumner. But since revenues must be had,
a just tariff is probably the least objec-
form of taxation. But the
present tariff is not just, it is not Con-
and it is neither in the in
terest of the people nor the Govern
ment. 1t levies the most grievOus and
tax upon the people, not for
the benefit of the Government, but for
the benefit of few monopolists.
This is not mere assertion. The
proof is overwhelming. Tariff prop
erly means schedule of duties; cata-
logue of articles upon which duties
-impost, tax, toll, tribute-are levied
consequently-steel rails are required to
pay duty of 1928 per ton; they are
taxed to that amount, and the purchaser
must pay it. We have hitherto shown
in these columns that the average price
Of steel rails in London was recently
$50 per ton, while in New York steel
rails were selling at an average price of
300. IS per ton, a difference of S27.2
per ton in favor of London quotations.
If the impost tax of $28 were removed |
steel rails could be sold in New York |
Tor at least $40 per ton, yielding a saw
ng OF $20.75 per ton on every ton used |
ior the railroads of America. What is |
rue OF iron and steel rails applies with |
equal force to every other imported ar
Iicle upon which high tariff tax is |
evied 1t is well said by Prof. Perry
hat ''the sole object of protection is to |
Increase artificially the prices of certain
selected manufactures in the country
~ keeping out of the country CORE
'ponding foreign manufactures by
means of heavy tax. This tax is
'alled protective duty. If the foreign
FOODS are wholly kept out by tax,
which is the perfection of protection,
10 revenue is at all received in con-
equence of the tax, and the home
have a complete mo-
lopoly of the market. Government |
'ets nothing, and the manufacture
rs get all they can extort, having sue
eeded in cutting off competition BY law.
t some foreign goods still come in and
'ay the tax, Government gets something
a the way of revenue, but the protected
manufacturers still reach their end, be-
ause the foreign goods can only be sold
nth the tariff added to their natural
rice, and the home manufacturers carry
p the price of their goods as near to
his combined price as they can" And
, the extent that the tariff excludes i'm
ortations it reduces the revenues, and
ence is injurious to the country, and
nee by prohibiting importations CON-
etition ceases, the home manufacturer,
aving monopoly of the business, ad-
ances prices to suit his purpose, and
ne consumer must pay it, since protec-
on refuses him the privilege Of pur-
hasing in the cheapest market. It is
'r this reason that monopolists who
'ntrol manufacturing enterprises clam
: for protection, demand the tax, and /,
is for this reason that the people with
nited voice demand that the present in
uitous tariff shall be modified and the ;
x reduced.--lndiana State Sentinel.