Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1882-07-25

ooo,ooo VI revenue, or > L 10 every man,
woman, and child in the country.
The gentleman from Illinois Mr..
Townsend and other gentlemen on the
Democratic side have asked why the duty
on sugar be selected for a reduction in
preference to common sheetings, on which
he told US there is duty Of 10 per cent
levied. | will tell him. The duty on
cotton goods does not increase the cost OF
common sheetings, for the reason that al
we need are and can be produced in this
country, and hence the price is determin-
ed By the lowest possible cost of produc-
ton here, under the influence of compe-
tition. have myself tested the fact
that the common sheetings which the
laborer uses can be bought in this
country as cheap as in England. 1t is only
the finer cotton goods which the we'll
to-do classes use, and into which our
higher cost labor largely enters, that
cost more than in Europe.
1t is asked why impose duties on i'm
ported cotton goods if we can make them
as cheaply here as in Europe: 1t is on
ly the common goods, in which labor is
very small element, with whose produc-
ton we can compete. We might take
the duty from them if it were not for the
fact that the moment we did so the Eng
lish manufactures would glut our mar
kets at temporary reduced prices, TO
break down our mills.
So when gentlemen say that we i'm
pose duty Of 40 per cent on cotton
goods they willfully ignore the fact that
this duty does not increase the cost OF
the common sheetings which families Of
small means use. 1t only increases the
cost of fine goods used as luxuries by
well-to-do families, and even in their
cases very rarely to the extent Of the duty.
The same is substantially true Of wooden
goods. Coarse woolens are not more
than Is per cent higher in this country
than in England. 1t is the fine woolsns
worn by the wealthy and fashionable
that are 40 and 80 per cent higher.
Now, take sugar and molasses, which
are used as necessaries by the poor to the
same extent as the rich. The invoice
value of the sugar and molasses imported
into this country last year was about
100000, 900, on which was paid duty
a little less than 100000. About
100000 more came in under the
Hawaiian reciprocity treaty free Of
duty, but of course with the duty
added when it was sold. Only about
Sc, 900 900 wortL. of sugar and molassts
was produced in this country. If we
could have produced all these articles il
this country home competitor would have
determined the price, but as we did not
produce one-twentieth of our consump.
ton, the duty of So per cent, was added
to the cost Of every pound Of sugar used
in this country last year and every fam
lily of ten, however poor, paid tax of
over $40 to the Government for the sug-
ar and and molasses which they used.
But the same family did not pay tax
Of single cent on the. cotton cloth which
they used.
The principle by which indirect taxa
ton is distributed is this taxes on home
products, as for example the tax on whis-
key and tobacco, are added to the price
Of the article and are paid not by the
grower of leaf tobacco or of corn, not by
he manufacturer, but by the consumer.
The assertion that the farmer who grows
corn or leaf tobacco is in any way affect
I'd by the tax on whiskey and tobacco,
except SO far as either is a consumer, has
no foundation.
A duty levied on imports is also added
to the price of the article where the home
production is not and cannot promptly
be made equal to the consumption.
Where an article is made, or can prompt
y be made at home in sufficient quantity
10 supply the home consumption, then the
price of the article is determined by the
cost of home production under the in
iuence of competition, and the duty can
rarely be charged to the consumer.
There is general agreement in the con-
yiction that the time has arrived when
we may begin to make another systemat-
ic reduction of the taxation rendered ne
,essary to preserve the life of the nation.
Five times before since the war closed,
has the Republican party reduced taxa
tion-the annual reductions reaching
more than $3.50, 100000. This has
been done too, in the face of the fact
that we have paid not only the interest
on the war debt, and reduced the annual
interest from $3.50, 900, 900 to S55, OO0,-
600, but also have paid more than ST.
oon 0an nm oc tba rr,nc;pal GS00 0OO =.