Semi-weekly interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1881-1905, 1883-07-13
free Tuds fOoEshnsss Inspected.

Eiaor Interior Jrounais
The Courier Journal Gays that but for the
waste Of the surplus revenue which has
been collected within the past twenty years
the public debt would now be paid of, and
the tariff could be easily dispensed with"
BY this and similar forms Of expression
that paper has fully committed itself, and
Is trying TO commit the democratic party
to the policy OF free trade, to be adopted
whenever the bonded debt shall have been
extinguished. This being 40, and the ed
itor Of the Oh. being an alleged leader
and claiming, too, AZ he does, TO he in per-
feet accord with the other leaders Of the
party, it may not be amiss to consider for
moment some Of the effects and consequent
ces Of the enforcement Of the free trade
system in this country.
By free trade is meant, of course, the
total abolishment Of custom house taxes
and the substitution OF some other mode Of
raising the revenue which il now derived
from that source. The amount collected
on imports annually is about 500, 00O, 600
This, in the event Of the repeal Of the tariff
laws. would have TO be raised by direct
taxes levied upon the property Of the citi.
zens. Every one who has given any thought
to the subject knows that in the taxation
Of property the burden falls mainly upon
the owners Of real estate; the owners Of
cssh capital and other personal property,
by hook or crook, to great extent escap-
ing just assessment. BY a provision Of the
Federal Constitution, all direct taxes are
required to be appOrtioned among the
States according to population or represen-
tation. There are at present 1926 Represen-
tatives in the Congress Of the U. Slater;
and as Kentucky has IL Representatives,
her share Of the revenue to be raised by
direct taxes would be IL 1926 Of $500, 000,-
900, which is 1910, 900 in round numbers.
In order to form definite idea Of the OPP
pressiveness Of this mode Of taxation for
national purposes, let us examine il in
with the taxes we now pay for |
State purposes A citizen of Lincoln coun-
ty now pays for State purposes on a farm
valued by the Assessor at s., 900 the sum OF
S2S 75, that being at the rate Of 474 cents
per 500. The aggregate amount Of taxes
in the whole State annually Is |
81, 500,0 900. Now, il it requires a tax at
the rate OF 474 cents per 500 to bring
81 500, 900, by the "rule Of three" it will re-
quire a tax at the rate of 81 IA per 500 to
raise $6.770,O0O. And tax at the rate Of
s214 per 500 on the farm valued at 81, 900 |
will amount to the snug little sum Of SlO7;
30 that under the proposed free trade sys-
TEN the owner Of the 5000 farm in Lin
colin county would have to pay TO the Fed
eral Government each year Sl07 and to the |
State, as now, $2375, his Federsl taxes be-
ing nearly five times the amount Of his
State tsxas and the two together amount
ing to $l3075, which would be 2 3.5 per
cent. upon the value Of his land.
But, fortunately, the CT does not truly
the democratic party on this sub
iect. Free trade never was and never will
be tenet Of the party. 1t is only few
Cobdenites and abstrsctionists, such as
Henry Watterson and Frank Hurd, who
are added by such wild ideas and who in
their vanity and insanity imagine that
they are carrying the whole world along
with them. The assembled wisdom of the
party in 1884 will take conservative. ra-
Iional position with reference to the tariff.
and the vagsries Of such would-be leaders
will be ignored and soon forgotten. The
action of the Ohio democracy at their late
,ohyention indicates the direction which
he best opinion Of the party has taken and
which II will continue 10 follow, ss il res
poets tariff legislation. In the national
Of the party in 1884 pedsntry
md foolishness will attract hut little at
ention. LIB.
SrANF0RD July l2 1881