The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-04-03
The Tariff Question.

We do not know that we can do our
readers better service this morning than
TO give them the opportunity to read the
following sensible and practical remarks OF
the Petersburg bade1-Appeal:
"yarious Virginia journals are, we
think, unnecessarily excited over the qles-
ton OF protection. The Federal Govern
ment is compelled to raise very large sum
OF money every year, and all except 4 small
portion OF it must come FROM customs or
from internal taxes, or from botk The
former system has been in operation since
the Government was organized; the latter
has been resorted to only IN emergencies,
because, though sanctioned by the Consti-
tuition, il has ever been opposed by vast
majority Of the people. 1t should be, and
probably will be, abolished at an early day,
and then the revenues OF the Government
will come almost entirely from duties on
imports. If any paper can point out
the imported luXuries on which the
necessary money can be raised we shall
be glad to have it done. A question that
has puzzled all the finance ministers Of the
world will have been answered, and, how
ever much OF the money may be contrib
uted by particular individuals, they can.
not rightfully complain, for they have the
remedy in their own hands. They can
cease to use luXuries. But beyond cer-
tain rate tax on any article becomes pro-
hibitOry, and ID Is in the adjustment OF
rates on everything we purchase abroad.
so that Injuries may not be prohibited, but
may bring revenue, that a difficulty arises.
The iuxuries being insufficient in them
selves, the necessary articles are taNed-and
p this Is the evil complained gilmore than in
protection That protection as now
embodied IN law, robs some to enrich
Others, bears iniuriously upon some classes
aud sections, and signally fails 10 produce
all the good results claimed 10y its adyo-
Gates, is very true, but that seems to call
for revision rather than repeal.
"The truth is that protection got its bad
name in the South when the South had no.
thing that could be benefited by protec-
tion-when ii was purely an agricultural
region, and seemed for various reasons
destined ever to be so, and furnished
10 large a portion OF the country's eX-
ports. 1t seemed a hardship that our peo-
pie should by taxed to support the in
terests of a section trying to compete with
countries which manufactured our raw
products. But with diversified production,
q great increase Of manufacturing inte-
rests, and greater facilities for the cheap
production Of almost all manufactured ar
ticles which are taxed when Imported, the
wrong as between sections Is done away
with, and. with the lower prices that will
follow our less costly production, the hard
ship to individuals will in large part dis
appear, ghile very slight protection in
deed VIM keep numberless furnaces and
factories and machine shops employed.
"Let us have revision OF the tariff-one
that win equalize It's burdens as far as pos
sible-but let us not make experiments
that may be infinitely disastrous TO the re-
yiving South. and that will at any rate fast
en- upon us for a long time that odious and
indefensible war engine the interna-reve-
nue. systernn."