The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-11-10
HOW \ GOVERNMENT StTD-.--
IrSRE.N ROkTS,
BY A HICKMAN CONTRIBUTOR.

M AtSNMAN CONrRIBUT0R
In treating of this subject, l have -.
sen to take general rather than = ~ 80
tisan view, from the fact that 81.
bend, the great column Of 6ruro. ~
statistics necessary to the supper. 81 s'l
particular theory of the tariff wo,,,
wearisome to large majority Of y
members of this society, and that a, {,
ticle giving somewhat the historv
primary principles of tariff won,a
mere Interesting, and perhaps carry sono
information to those of our members w :
have given but little thought to such -
jects. At least it shonld interes, Il.
young members to know how a great Gov
ernment supports itself.
WHAT THEN Is THE rARIFr2
And what is Protective Tariff
swer the first: That it is tax imposed \,
the Government of country, either a.
imported or exported articles; and Inn,
this tax is collected by government officer.
thro ugh custom houses at cities aesipDo.
ted as ports of entry.
The tariff is not of recent origin. /
originates with government itself no
only with ours, but with every Govern.
ment in the world. All civilized Cover,
meuts now make use Of il, to greater o,
less degree for the purpose of raisin,
revenue, and yet it appears the practiel
was introduced by a Roman pirate. VIII,
planted his brigands at a point Ia Spain
called Taritfa, at the entrance of IN,
straits oil Gibralter, where he compene.
every passing ship to pay him duty pro
portioned by the character of goaAs-S
board. From that day the tariff, IN 81
shape or other, has been great necss$
" incident 10 the creation Of revesse,
an indispensable TO the m Achinery OF
government. The mode aud manner.f
levying this tariff tax, aud the purpaE
in view in its imposition and operatiof
constitute points of difference in theE-
litical schools of all countries, and thee
fore the fruitful basis for political pr
ties. All the Governments of the wst
use the tariff mode of obtaining reva
ne, but the political parties and faciins
Of these governments are in constnt
warfare ~ to the mode and purpose Gifts
operations.
A large majority Of the Governments
all in fact, except Great Britain, apt
that class of tariff known in political ar
cles as the
PROTECTIVE system.
The protective tariff may be defnedis
that system which seeks to raise he ra
enne by taxing that class Of foreign goas
which the home country is least capgl-
tated to manufacture, il being argRd
that the tax thus imposed on this clEs
OF foreign goods protects the weak hoae
industries. If for instance England "
her superior factories can manufsctEe
wooden goods so per cent. cheaper than
the factories of the United States, he
advocates of high protective tariff You'd
favor the leyyiny of a tariff Of so per
cent. on such goods, thereby giving he
home factories this margin, which they
urge as justi6able on the ground thai
this per centage viii encourage the bulk
ing up Of home factories They aso
urge that the building up of faetoriss
gives employment TO working people, en-
hances their wages, and by eeutoring
this ereat population of manufacturing
operatives and labOrers in home towns
and cities that q home market is thus Is
iablished for the products grown by he
home farmers. This, in short, is the visw
iaken by those who advocate PROTECTIVE
tariff
The ID school may be classed as thae
" no favor
TARIFF FoR REVENUE,
or, tariff for revenue only, as it is more
popularity expressed By a tariff for rsE-
snue it is understood to mean, q tariff
hat will raise just a sufficient amount u
money, and no more, TO defray the actual
expenses of the government economi I;
and that ia levy Ing u-s1h
ariH the idea of protection per Sc, is eln'
mated, and no determinations or favors
shown to Que class Of Industries or people
above another. This element agree that
Any kind of tariff gives some protection
10 home industries, aud as long as The
protection is incidental and not direct they
10 not object.
The next school that should be noticed
in this connection, is
THE FREE TRADE SCHOOL
The free trader, land the term here il
to be confounded with the revenue
only school, which by sumo, are regarded
as interchangeable terms but in its stric
sense) wants TO wipe out the tariff systen
in toto and leave the government TO col
lect its revenues by direct taxation upOI
The lands aud properties of the citizen
rhis theory is to permit the citizen, at al
times and under all circumstances, to
buy where he can buy the cheapest, anI
10 sell what he has to sell where be car
3 ct tue highest prices. The free tradel
argues that while direct taxation is
burden to be seen and felt, that as mat
ter Of fact the mass of the people woul'
secure benefits by buying cheaper com
from foreign countries and sell
ing their own products for higher price,
These are the plans that government
use TO raise money Each theory Is piau
sible, and 10 the student of such ques
tons each presents many winning races
But still every government on earth
confronted with the stubborn fact that $
much money per AMMAN must be raiseu
A government Is one great family, so
speak, collected under the head Of rule
OF rulers, and il is The duty Of these rul
crs to provide, pecnniarily, for these fan
lilies, aud In viewing the policies OF ma
iions a degree of selishnsss must be eI
pected precisely rs some selfhshness
allowable to heads of ordinary famine
in providing for their own. Upon ihl
view, we submit the fact, that all nations
except England, depend largely upon II
tarin, the taxing of others, for the Sul
port of their national families. Eng Ian
stands alone as the nearest cxempiar an
advocate Of flee trade, but is not an o.
ceptiou as to selfishness. England exec
all other nations in manufactures. 81
manufa otuses five times as much as b.
own population can use; but her farme
produce much less OF the necassities
! life than her population must haF
4 Therefore il is, that England wants III
trade, to the end that she can cell her y
cess of manufactured goods tie other u
lions, aud buy her ecessities of life fp
| the cheapest markets. France start
next 10 England, but yet adheres to lh
tariff The governments of Russia, Ger
many Austria, Spain, the United Stale
Sc, all resort TO the protective tariff sy
TEN. The tracing of the operations
the tariff, the effect it has on differentiI
dustries and on different classes of Peep
and geogra hical sections of COUNT
would require volumes, and is not touehs
upou in this article. 1t mi ght be int
astip0 IN same for me to state The aligl