The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1884-04-23
Tnr TARIFF AND pEMooRATIo.Posi.
TIONs.

question, and from the first article pub
lished, down to the present moment, our
views 40 to the principles Involved. or lhs
policy Of this government, or mo
policy OF the democratic party, have nn'
dergons no change whatever, while In
our expIssslons OF them we have ever
striysn 10 bo precise, fall and clear
For years We havs made these same prob
lens A speciality. and II has been no. only
n pleasing, but fascinating study through
the three schools whether pursued, ana
with closest attention In tho works
o! ADAM SMITH, MoCuLLousH, Mill,
RICARDO, MATTHEW'S or BAsrIAr, Ap>ur,
SAY, or PEshr, B0vKs, OARlr, WELls,
and the Tasl; or whether In paIlis
mentary and congressional debates,
o. In the press columns. And We have ever
been 90 consistent In our ideas, and 30 die
tho. aud pronounced that We ara ns much
astnnished. thst We should be taken IS an
advocate for purely ifeotrade TO be ct onoe
insugurated es We could be, had
we been set down as protection
let. which. bye the bye, we were
recently called by another contemporary.
But 10 the end OF bclUg distinctly under.
stood by an impartial intelligence We Will
state our positions on the tariff aud ~ the
present status OF the democratic party az
freely, us canddly, and No explicitly AZ we
arc cspable Of doing.
Omit.ing the ireo.trsde dogma, there are
three phases Of the iariT recognized in po.it-
icil C roles. FIRST, tariff for protection,
which makes protection its object or lead.
Ing object, and revenue TO support the
government secondary or mere
incidental thing. This is the pres.
ent tariff OF the republican party.
And the fact that 1. makes protection aud
no, revenue its object 10 shown in the cir.
cumstance that 1t collects between 81 10000
snd 81 100000 more than 10 needed 10 psy
the expenses OF the government.
Second, A tariff for revenue, limited to
the amount required to support the gov
eminent ecor omicslly administered, rnd
adjusted In tie details with Il view TO equal
ity in the public burdens, and with dis
examinations as to the duties on imports
with view 10 only incidentally cid and en-
courage home productive industry and
labor.
Third, A tariff for revenue only. This
could no. be free trade, Tor that would re-
quire the support Of the Federal govern
ment by direct taxation. Indeed. actual
free trade would 20 further, 1. would re-
qlire reciprocity treaties aboli5hing tariff
reciprocity In our country, aud also in the
countries with which We trade.
Now, NO are frank to oon'ess that we
would like to see the existence OF free
trade ora II II were practicable at present,
aud Just aud equitable to our citizens.
Free trade, under our constitutional pre-
visions, means direct taxation, to be appor-
toned among the states in proportion 10
population al ascar,ained by the last pro.
ceding census. Now this would require
to-day each man IN Alabama to pay little
over IS on the assessed value OF the properly
In the state for every 81 paid by citizen in
Rhode Island, which would be really more
u1equal aud unjust than or present op-
pressive tsrf system.
Again, the protective tariff, or the
tariff OF the republican party. 10
our abominaton, with is infamous
Al per cent. OF average duty. See
bow II operates on the necessities of life for
the poor, the large majority ofthis country:
Per Cent
Clothing WOO ."."-................26 TO 20
Flannels. 10 u
Hat ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. .....''s..'" ~
Lea,ler OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES, 70
Cloves aud mlltens cotton. .............. 81
Cotons. ...................'''.''' 30
Linens ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 10
And so on through the list. Again dur
ing the year ending Juno 80, 1888. the net
value Of imports brought into this country
and retained was
Free Observation-Disclosures. slol66ssS
DuuAblo, o0o9VI,Ioo
and on this last item duties to the
amount of s2i0637 203 were collected.
That Is to say. for every dollars worth OF
goods that the consumer brought in free
there was nearly three dollars worth oil
goods on which he had TO pay duties at the
rate e more than AZ cents on every
dollar imported. This is serious tax upon
very small in comparison with the
enormous charges imposed upon the PEG
Pile of the country through the agency Of
tariff taxes. For example of the ono arti-
Gle of blankets there are annually i'm
ported a very few, not ST. 600 worth In all.
Toe duty OF nearly 90 per cent. Is so high
az to prevent importations. Yet the do.
mestic prod Is more than 1.oCo,OOo
each year, the cost Of which has been in
creased by duties on wool and on maohin.
cry, while the high duty shuts out foreign
competition that would give as chesp blan.
kots. Who can estimate the indirect tax
involved in this one itemf 1t is only an
example OF how the tariff operates.
Wherefore wc say, the present iniquity IL
unconstitutional and should be dethroned.
In this period of profound peace 1t piles mp
through a most inequitable taxation over
500, coo 600 annually more than Is requi-
site for even the present ex;rAvsgant aud
reckless expenditures. We further oppose
Il because IL builde up and shsmeiully
iayors few powerful nonopolies at the
expense Of the general public, which We
recognise when we see that the number Of
persons engaged in various occupations in
the United States in 1859 were:
A s,,culture 1910. 4os
Professional and personal ssrvices..... Ao7t 2ss
Trade and transportation. lslo.2ss
and mechanical and
manufacturing industries. go. ssH.lN
In the year 1850 We had $685. msnufsctur.
ing establishments, against 0Os. 907 farms