The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1882-1884, 1883-01-25

in the estimation OF all decent ana
respectable citizens. We all know
that the expenses of the government
must be raised, and that the people
who receive the protection of the
government must do it. Then, the
only question is, must the money be
paid by that class of our people who
use iron, trace.chains, shoes, bats.
sugar. woollen and cotton goods, and
the various articles which they con-
sumo, or shall whiskey and tobacco
pay all equal share of the expenses
of the government If we exempt
these two IuXuries from taxation,
then imported goods must bear all
the expenses of The government and
the man who consumes the most OF
these in clothes, hats, shoes. sugar,
&C., bears the greater part OF the
burden. The national government
is not, like the State government,
maintained by direct taxation on
property, but by indirect taxation
ON the thousand and one articles
imported to this country. And this
Is right and proper. But the great
wrong is in this, that the tax is SO
heavy on the articles raised or man
ufactured in this country, that for
eign countries can.ot afford to pay
the taxes and compete with the same
article in our markets, and with the pro-
Queer and manufacturer whose goods
are exempt entirely from taxation.
To illustrate the Tariff or tax on
steel rails is $27 per ton. Now, the
man who makes steel rails in Ameri-
ca is exempt from this $27 tax, but
the men who sends steel rails from
England here to sell, must pay the
United States $27 for that privilege.
So we Sc that the man here can
make the consumer of steel rails paw
him clear profit of SSa25 per ton over
and above the cost of production,
and then undersell the man across
the waters. The same is true of
woollen goods, trace.chains, &c. And
this is what protection tariff men call
protecting home industry.
While the truth is, it keeps from
our shores large quantity of these
articles, and compels our people who
consume these goods to pay our
home manufacturer just such prices
as he may dictate. Now if the tax
on steel rails were five dollars per
ton, other countries could compete
with our people in our markets, and
would bring fifty times as much rev
enue into the treasury. But as the
Tariff now stands, hardly any stee
rails are imported, and the American
manufacturer gets his own price
and the result is that the people who
ship cotton, cCrn, and goods ovel
Railroads have the bag to hold in The
end ; for the more the Railroads hav,
to pay for rails and engines tht
higher the freights, and the more tn,
consumer has to pay for his goods.
So we must confess that we should
regret to see the tax on whiskey anl
tobacco entirely removed.
What we would rejoice to see i
this. reduce the tax on both to one
half what it is now. and change tn
mode of collection, abolish DR.. Mot
and Col. Ike, and substitute th
sherifs of tue State in their stead
Reduce the tax on all importe,
goods to strictly revenue standar
Ito that standard which woul
bring in the most revenue, and bun
den the consumer the least. An
then to aid the civil service reform
we would be glad to see ore-fourth G
all the appointees and clerks dis
, charged from the service and tn
government run on strictly bushes
principles.
We gather from all the investig.
tions made in the departments 8
Washington, that at least one fourt
. Of all those fellows could be dipea
- ed with for the good of the servic,
D Instead of taking from the peopl
Ii as now, $5OO,OOO,OOO to run tn
% government. we hope that not mol
Il than $250.OOO,OOO will be used und,
Ill the next administration, which "
, trust will be Democratic and =
- verify believe that this amount
% sufficient to pay all the expenses
this government, if honestly al
economically managed. Put tt
- pruning knife in and lop off all the
~ sinecures. Stop all the leaks al
w and DISCHARGE all the inefficient ~