The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-10-11
TAXATION AS A MEANS OF ROB-
Berry.

The first trade WAS between the
Devil and our primitive ancestry in
the garden of Eden, sin being sold by
the former to the latter for what must
have been, in those days of rude cultl-
walton, a very inferior apple. Not long
after this Cain slew Abel, because one
took advantage of the other ina trans
action even with Divinity. 1t cannot be
wondered at, therefore, that man con-
tinues to trade, to barter, to exchange.
Adam made trade at the expense of
all mankind, merely to crafty his I'M
educated palate, and his progeny
ought to be excused for trading for
pure necessity. One writer says, ak
change is the voluntary transfer of
the ownership of some item of wealth
for the ownership of something else
mutually desired by the parties ex-
changing" The right of every man
to exchange his own things, wherever
he pleases, for whatever he pleases,
with whomsoever he pleases, is in
alienable; and interference Of govern
ment to prevent the free exer-
else of this right is usurpation.
The fundamental idea, underlying
even taxation, is that the government
shall return to the people in value
every dollar collected. For every dol
lar of tax there should be one dollars
worth of pure unadulterated govern
ment. This is the true basis at the
bottom of all organized society, a sig
nal departure from which, however, is
observable in almost every form of gov
eminent. The taxationlof one man or,
of one class of citizens for another
man. or another class Of individuals, is
robbery. Thus it is that under tariff
laws, now in force In this country, the
masses have been taxed, or more prop
erly, robbed, that protected classes
may be proftted more than by fair
and honest trade. The pro.
tected barons have been playing
Cain, and letting the Abels
pay the taxes. Manufacture is
really as much of private industry
as agriculture or merchandising; and
when the government protects one in.
dustry it should protect all. If CAPT
ital, which is the product of labor, be
protected, then, certainly, it ought tc
protect labor, which produces capital
Equal justice should be extended tc
all classes. But if every industry BIZ
taxed or protected to support every
other industry, whence comes the
benefit of protection? If the cattle
raiser be taxed to provide bounty fol
the shoemaker, and the shoemaker fol
the latter, ETC., until every industry is
reached, whence comes the benefit tt
the different industries or to the gov
eminent? The country would NJ
more be benefited by this means
than could the world be moved by {
lever resting against itself. Protec.
ton, to I've just, must be general. to b.
general is to be useless; and when
partial it is most unjust. While pro-
lection is wrong in principle, it de-
feats the very purposes for which il
is claimed it is provided. 1t fails to
give revenue to the government
while it piles up revenue in private
Golfers. Protection and public rev
enue have nothing in common be
tween them. A tariff that protect!
excludes the importation of dutiable
articles from which imports are de
rived. In proof of the assertion thai
protected manufacturers are never
satisfied and that protection does no
protect, we need only compare tn,
present with the past. Eighty year
ago, when this country was compar
lively in its infancy, in order to en-
courage home industries, so-called,
duty of 8 per cent was imposed OF
cotton and wooden fabrics, ant
~ per cent on iron wares
Iron and wooden industries are nov
among the foremost of the country
and yet protection now is ten time!
as great as when they were really
in infancy. Yet these industries
are failing, because this suicidal pro
lection closes to us the markets of tn,
world, where raw material may be
bought more cheaply than in thi
country. Hence, too, our manufac
turers can not sell il
the markets of the world
Not government in Europe levies al
import duty against wool: hence tn,
manufactures may buy in the mar
| lafc of tho 1uorld ond fbaxy coll IN ~,
same markets the manufactured pro
ducts at nearly one half the price Of
American products. The manufac
turtles of the United States oan sci
only in the United States, anG
over-production has more thar
once ruined them. The woole1
manufacturers collapsed at the frs
faint symptoms of panic in 1873. 81
protection operates and will continu,
to operate on the protected, who are
at least awakening to sense of theil
situation. 1t is predicted that New
England will be unanimously ar
rayed against protection in five years
from to-day. 1t is al
ready moving in that direction
The iron and steel manufacturers are
being damaged by over protection. 1t
is all very well for these protected
manufacturers, so long as they can
sell what they make, but when de.
mand ends, protection not only not
does protect the government, but it
tendsl to destroy Those for whom it
was imposed as popular burden.
MRS. s. A. HANNIG.
e