The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1883-07-18
Qhs Ssmtims1.
WEDNESDAY,. JULY IS
TARIFF REFORM.


The Pennsylvania Republicans resolve in
favor ofs'high protective tariff, and then, for
the purpose of making protection popular
with the people. further resolve as follows:
That any surplus 10 the public Treasury arising
from q rendunIant revenue should, after paying
the National debt as fast as fits condition permits
be distributed from time to time to the several
them from the burdens OF local taxation and pro-
vide means for the education of the people.
The proposition is to burden the people
with taxation beyond the Legitimate wants
of the Government. and then distribute the
surplus to the States to enable them to re-
duce taxation. The exhibit of the Treasury
accounts for the year ending June so, 1888,
shows says the Philadelphia Record, that
the revenue from all sources amounted to
$39S.SSs, $50, or nearly $40 a year for every
head OF a family In the land. For the same
period the total expenditures of Government
were $265, 56S o87, leaving surplus revenue of
$132, 40, 433. This is about the amount that
the experimentation revenue distributors
expect to divide every year among the
States, in order to prevent further reduc-
tions of taxation and to increase the central
ization of power in the General Government"
Il
By the foregoing figures was all of it, there
would be less cause for complaint, though
any man of ordinary capacity sees at glance
that a tax which yields s132. 40, 43S more
than is required is an outrage of astounding
proportions. The Record, in continuing its
discussion of the subject, says:
Under the protective system, through which the
Treasury obtained 500 OOO 600 OF revenue last year.
more than $3.50, 600 coo besides was drained from
the taxpayers of the country. If none of this
$50 0CO 900 went into the Treasury il not the
less surely paid in the enhanced cost of domestic
products through the protective tariff. II has been
shown that for the $50 9S6 of revenue last
from duties on foreign metals the consumers paid
500, lO.692 as a bounty to manufacturers on the
domestic metals that they used. For every dollar
of revenue from iron and steel that went into the
Treasury 81 besides were wrenched from the peo-
pie By the protective screw. From wool and
woolens the revenue last year amounted to s29.-
254. 2s4 on a value of S47679 5O2 or upward of 81
per cent. duty. The homo products
OF wool and wOOlens amounted to
SIS, ,yll. upon which Mr.. Springer's
table shows that the consumers of the country
paid taxes amounting to slO6 s7S. los, estimating at
the moderate rate OF 40 per cent. the enhanced
cost through the tariff. There we're $4,000, 900 OF
taxes for revenue and upward of 500 900 for
protection. A slight reduction of IL per cent. is
made on wool in the new tariff. and the duties on
wooiers remain about as they were before. The
duties on blankets, aannels and coarse wooden
goods are galmost prohibitory. The poor are
heavily taxed for them, but the taxation is with.
out revenue to the Government. By lowering the
rates of duty on woolens to the revenue standard
the receipts Of the Treasury would be increased,
ard the taxation OF consumers from which there
is no revenue would be proportionstely dimin-
ished Both the protectionists prefer to distribute
the enormous surplus in the Treasury among the
states or to waste IL In extrayagsnt expenditures
In view Of such facts. the demand for tariff
reform has lost none of its force by the legis-
lalion of the last Congress As nearly as
possible the amount of taxation should be
reduced to meet the wants of the Govern
ment. Those who are familiar with the
subject are persuaded that for the year end
ing June 80, 1884, the surplus revenue in the
Treasury will exceed that for the year end
ing 3oth of June last To tax the people
to create such surplus ought
not to be tolerated, but the
infsmy of the Republican protective policy
is indefinitely increased, when, as it is shown
to obtain 500 900 for the Government,
the people are taxed for the benefit Of mo-
nopolists to the extent of $3.50 900, 600, max
ing grand sum total of tariff taxation, d.
rect and indirect, of $3.50, 600 900 annually
The Democratic policy is to reduce this enor-
campaign of 1884.