Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1884-07-31
fREe-TaAoERs EATING EACH OTHER.

Before us lie two free-trade creeds,
one from the Chicago Herald, the
other from the Wilmington IN. Co.
Star. The Herald, speaking Of the al
legged tariff tax, says:
OF those who do pay it, to the poor
it is burden by the rich it is unfelt.
Its indirection leaves the taxed ignor-
ant OF the amount levied on each.
If the person taxed does not know
how much he pays, how do the editors
of free-trade newspapers discover it
And if they do not know how much
anybody pays, how can they figure
that il is a burden to the poor and is
unfelt by the rich: To sustain the
latter assertion il would be necessary
TO prove that the class of goods con-
sumed by the rich, viz, silks, very fine
clothes, porcelain and fine china, plate
and Jewelry, diamonds, velvets, Au-
busson, Administer and Brussels car
pets, laces, dress goods, costly books,
paintings, and works of art,
wines, champagne, and liquors,
are not increased in price
py the duty, whereas in fact these are
just the articles that are most increas-
ed in price by the duty, for of few of
them is the American competition in
production sufficient to reduce the
price below the current foreign price
plus the whole duty.
TO sustain the false assertion that
the tariff is unfclt by the poor and is
a burden TO the rich, it would be ne
cessary to prove that the articles COM
monty used by the poor arc made
dearer by the duty on their import a
ton. These articles are, of foods and
beverages, flour and grain, meats, veg
etables, fruits, fish, sugar, tea, coffee,
spices, tobacco, and liquors. The
only article in all this array that is
made dearer by our American tariff i,
sugar, and this, while it is made slight
ly dearer in one aspect, is made cheap
er in two others. Sugars are cur
rently selling in America at about |
cen; per pound more than in
England, though the duty averages
81 cents more. But in Eng
land il is, after all, protection
| which Is making sugar so exception
| ally cheap. tor the current English cS-
| Inmates are that one-half of the sugar
now being offered in English markets
is beet sugar from Germany. France
and Belgium, which is itself the child
| of protection, brought into existence
by the genius of Napoleon and the ex-
| perlments of tile scientific mon OF
France. Had France never protected
| bect-sugar culture, the price of coarse
brown sugar would be nearer 4d than
penny pound, and the price of re-
| fined would be l0d instead of 3D. All
the other articles of food named are
from 10 TO 30 per cent dcarer in Epg-
land than in America. Our supply OF
| them being abundant and in excess,
their cost Is merely the lowest labor
reward for their production consistent
with American modes of living.
Upon the manufactured goods used
by the poor we might simply cite the
| language of the other free trade news
paper, the. Wilmington Star, which
brings lhc counter charge against the
tariff of multiplying the manufacture
ed goods and making them too cheap.
| 1t saws:
Why Is il that the prices of goods
have fallen, fallen until they now are
| lower than any living man has known?
Too much production and no foreign
outlet answer that question.
The kind of goods here spoken of
are iron and steel wares in their fin
ished form, such as the family sewing
machine, table cutlery, stoves, cooking
utensils, nails, household furniture,
farming implements, chains, axes and
building hardware: also wooden and
cotton goods for mems women's and
children's outer and under wear school
and common books and periodicals,
musical instruments carpets of ingram
two-ply and three-ply kinds, and the
cheaper Brussels, blankets. etc. None
of these are sold higher in this Than in
foreign countries, at like establish
ments and under like circumstance.
Therefore. rs to them, we are so
abundantly able to supply our own
wants that the tariff is no tax upon the
consumer.
Instead of INDUCING in these indio-
crlininate charges that the tariff makes
everything that poor man uses dear
er than il would be under free trade.
come down 10 lacis ana prove that,
apart from sugar, rice. wines, liquors.
tobacco, his own best broadcloth Sun
day suit, and his wife's silk dress,
(Which, If he were living in free
trade country, his wife would not
have, an. article which the poor man
uses is made higher by the tariff. We
defy any and all such proof. 1t can
not be given.-I