Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-04-16

the taxing power IN ,,e
rlgntiul purpoe, obtaining :
revenue limited to the necrss;, ,os
OF The government. When no moro
revenue Is needed by the goys rn,nen,
IL has attained the limit of ia powa,
TO tax the people. Estimates based On
census statistics show that IS many ne
lo,oO0,oO0 of our people do some worl,
OF are occupied in some business. and
,hap their average annual earn.
nmgs are at least Sl0,O 600
THESE do not much exceed
f5oo each, and are wholly consu ned
ia the means of daily subsistence
In re too are the millions who In The
shops aud fields strike the blows of nil
production, all accumulations and nil
OF the boosted additions TO our national
and individual wealth.
Inc amount required fiom cus.
TOMS is dependent upon what may he
received from internal revenue. The
abolition of internal revenue means
free and cheaper liquors, but with
heavier taxes and higher priced sugar
ana other articles essential I'm
every household. am
not called upon to defend
system which has many abuses. or
the two systems, however, II is cheaper
IN administration and immensely
cheaper In its results. The repeal OF
internal revenue means more than the
additional cost of living and privation
TO the poor; IL means permanent
public debt, which the few own
and the many pay, and
which corrupts the administration
While we cannot doubt the existence
OF great wrong in the execution of
the internal revenue laws, especially
in the South Atlantic states, MANY
OF these may be cured. Neither Is IL
because of these abuses of adninistra-
ton that the abolition of liuuor and
tobacco taxes IL demanded, for the
states of the North are substantially
free from these fragrant abuses. Nor
rison said during more than half of the
last ten years wages had been as low
or lower than before the adoption of
the taxing policy as apretended means
OF making wages higher. He contin.
ued: There is but one horizontal re-.
duclion for which our opponents are
willing To legislate-the re-
duction Of wages, and this their
Iavorites, with or without regard to
legislation, are now executing day by
day with cruel regularity. Ia the
opinion of the minority of the mem.
bers of the committee, repres enting as
they do the friends of the prevailing
policy, the cure for whatever national
ills exist, as far as they result from
taxation, il to be found in higher-priced
clothing and other articles useful in
fields, miuvs and homes, for that /.
what is meant b. higher taxed wool,
fence rods, cotton bands and tin
plates. Some OF our friends here
would cure the ills of over taxation
with the declaration of purpose, the
execution Of which they would care
fully avoid, and here is the declaration
1t is called the Ohio platform: "We
favor tariff for revenue, limited to the
necessities of the government economi.
cally administered, and so
adjusted i'll application as
TO prevent unequal burdens,
encourage productive industries, aud
afford just compensation TO lpbor, but
not create or foster monopoly A tar
i'll for revenue limited to the necessi-
lies of the government is demanded
| BY this plan relief is gained by limit
ing the tariff. If this ia not good, then
why refuse to limit 1t? Who among
the representatives of the goodly people
OF that STATE who made this
declaration believe 1t Is SO limited?
Who among them believes the bill will
reduce the revenue below the neeessi-
| ties of the government? These ARE
| questions to which the plain people oil
the country want an answer. They
will demand to know why tariff taXes
are not removed in part II they are
beyond the revenue limit. Do gentle
men expect to escape responsibility be
cause Ia.es are not rightly adjusted
The adjustment will be tn same " hel
the reduction is made, bu. whatever
monopoly belongs to 1t will be fostered
by 20 per cent less than IL now is. II
this platform has an honest meaning
il IL that the tariff shall be lowered Il
n revenue basis, and gentlemen but
deceive themselves who expect the
people will be deceived by u refusal
to legislate in accordance with this
declared purpose. Every argument IN
support of the protective policy Is
based on the assumption that any con.
siderable tariff modification, especial.
ly modification to a revenue
basis, will destroy manufacturing
industries, compel abandonment OF
shops and mills, and force those now
engaged in them into other employ.
ment. This Is an old, old story. II
was told of manufacturing industries
in their infancy aud 1t will be told
when protection brings them to decay.
Every legitimate industry would go on
with u revenue tariff 1t Is insisted
that wages are SO much higher than
| In countries seeking our
markets, that revenue duties will not
equaIiZe differences in cost of produc-
tiun. Conceding the truth OF this,
which Is not true, that foreign rivals
must pay for the privilege Of selling in
our markets sum equal to the differ
ence in wages TO enable the home pro-
Queer to sell with reasonable profit, let
us see If revenue rates will
compensate for that difference. The
census value of manufactures was
SIS, 839, 579. 1911; the wages paid in
making them were S9610o3,599. The
! difference in the cost of goods ssaid 10
b. the difference in the cost of wages.
But suppose the difference between
the cost here aud the cost abroad
amolnts to all the wages paid here,
then these manufactures would cost
abroad Si,42l 81, 1896. Suppose
the average rate OF duty
which the bin before the house leaves
at 80 per cent. was reduced to y per
cent, at that rate this "a All ,625 300 in
the value Of goods imported would cost
importers, at the rate of - per cent,
1912. 757 ,5s7, which not only makes up
for the difference in wages but exceeds
all wages paid for making all
the good. Those who claim es-
necial friendshin for manufacturing