The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1884-02-10
The Tariff Question Discussed by
Gen. A. II. West.
Hour srArxas, January so, 1855

HOLLY SPRINGS, January so, 1884.
Hon. ]. G. HAMILTON, jackson, Miss:
Dear Sir: l now comply with your re-
quest to give you my opinion Of Protec-
tive Tariff, Free Trade, and "a tariff for
revenue only end in doing so viii discuss
them comparatively.
premise that, as they are vital and all
pervading subjects, they should be treated
/ with the utmost candor and fairness, that
all ohscurity Of their constitutional mean
ing and objects may be removed. The
habit of discussing them upon the hypoth-
esis that there still exists opposite interests
between the various pursuits and industries
Of the North and the South, keeps alive
sectionalism and class prejr2iees detrimen-
tai to the general welfare. The abolition
of slavery placed labor and the varied in
dustries upon uniform basis throughout
the United States, consequently all public
measures should be considered from ma
tional standpoint and their general effects.
Without premise will state frankly my
own opinions and give some of the reasons
on which they are founded.
The constitution vests in Congress ex-
pressly the power ITO lay and collect taxes,
duties, imports and excuses to pay the debts
and provide for the common defence and
the general welfare of the United States"
as also to regulate commerce between the
States and foreign nations. Taxes and du-
ties are to be so laid and collected as TO
accomplish all of the objects herein emu
merated. The language Of the constitu-
ton and the necessities Of the government
render the collection of taxes and duties
for these purposes imperative--a duty
which Congress cannot evade or neglect to
perform.
There are three constitutional modes Of
laying and collecting taxes and duties
One is by direct internal taxation on the
property of the people, Another is by
duties on imports from foreign nations.
The other is mixture of these two modes
of raising revenue. "A tariff for revenue
only in literal sense, ia the laying and
collection of duties, exclusively, on such
, imported articles from foreign nations as
are not produced in the United States,
such as tea, coffee, chocolate, spices, etc.
The list of such articles would be too limi-
ted to furnish three or four hundred mil
lion dollars annually; indeed it would pro-
hibit their importation, except in very
small quantities for the consumption of
very wealthy families, and even if it did
not prohibit, why should Determinations
be made against protection, since taxes
must be collected and can be collected in a
form that will encourage and protect home
industries without increasing the burden
of taxation?
If it is right to protect American labor
by prohibiting Chinese immigration, why is
{ it not right to protect American industries
by laying and collecting duties on the i'm
. ported products of the labors of foreign
nationsY
The collection of all the required reve-
. nue. of the Government by direct taxation,
: would exclude the idea of protection, and
establish absolute free trade with all ma
J tons. The collection of the revenue on
= such imported articles as are not produced
in the United States, would exclude both
> the idea of free trade and protection, and
establish "a tariff for revenue only"
The collection of the revenue by laying
duties generally on imports from foreign
nations, would exclude the idea of free
trade and "a tariff for revenue only" and
establish protection of home industries, as
: all duties collected on such articles as are
produced in the United States would pro-
tect American labor and enterprise to the
extent of the duties collected. It is argued
: that the consumer pay the duty; that Is
partially true, and should teach economy
and reduce personal burdens. II is also
. argued that the tariff on foreign goods is a
: bonus to manufacturers. That is not true
since the money thus collected goes
into the Treasury, the same as the money
: collected under the free trade system or
r the system of "a tariff for revenue only"
8 Taxes and duties paid under either sys
q tenn goes into the treasury and not to the
I manufacturers; but when collected on i'm.
:, ported articles such as are produced in the
United States, the home producers of these
9 articles are protected to the extent of the
duties paid and the general welfare pro.
NOTED and the common defence provided
for-first by the payment of the duties
second, by collecting in way to encourage
in times of peace, the manufacture of the
articles and necessities of war, rendering
the United States, in these respects, indie.
! pendent of all other nations. Besides, a
: judicious tariff of this character will reg.
ulate commerce in harmony with all the
! various industrial and business interests of
the country and it is the onlyhmode of levy.
ing and collecting taxes and duties that can
so regulate commerce.
Internal direct taxation affords no Incl.
dental benefits to any of the great or small
industries of the country, but it is cold
[ mean, selfish system, barren OF any good
J and fraught with strife, contentious, vio-
/ lence and anarchy. / am, therefore, per
LII AbnA A.
, enable protection is much better than free
] trade or "a tariff for revenue only" and
so the fathers Of the constitution thought
and practiced The utopian scheme OF
!. free trade never entered their minds. The
| amount of revenue now collected for the
. purposes of government amounts to about
. four hundred million dollars. If this vast
a sum was collected from the people by di-
rect taxation the proportion of Mississippi
T would not be far from ten million annual.
/ ly; burden that no free people could OF
: would bear. Therefore absolute free trade
is not to be seriously thought of; nor il
! halfway free trade by the mixture Of the
two systems of taxation to be entertained
. "a tariff for revenue only is utterly i'm.
0 practicable. The veriest tyro in political
: economy knows that tariff broad enough
|. to produce revenue adequate to the necessi
:. ties Of the government cannot be levied
3 and collected on imports without affordine
Q more or less protection to home industries
: hence the use of the word 'only" has great
Q ly embarrassed the friends of revenue re
9 form.
e The profound statesman, Daniel Web
ster, said: Il am in favor of such a revenul
d as shall be equal to all just and reasonable