Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1884-08-21
Taxation Exclusively for Public
Purposes"

Professor r. E. Thomas, of the Uni
versity of Pennsylvania. in the Phila-
delphia American: The Democratic plat
form is drawn with an evident desire
not to be too explicit, and 10 leave room
for such a diversity of interpretations,
as may make a voter easy in his mind,
II he would like to vote the party ticket,
and vet does not like free trade. X
We hope TO satisfy our readers, of what
we have satisfied ourselves, that it means
pure and unadulterated free trade.
The term Free Trade, although much
discussed, is seldom defined, and still
more seldom rightly defined. 1t does not
mean the abolition of csstOm houses, as
Mr.. John Ruskin once told his disciples.
Nor does it mean the substitution of
direct for indirect taxation, as few
American disciples of the school have
supposed. 1t means such an adjustment
of taxes on imports as will cause no d.
version of capital from any channel into
which 1t would otherwise flow, into any
channel opened or favored by the legis-
lation which enacts the customs. A
country may collect its entire revenue
by duties on imports, and yet be an en-
tirely Free Trade country, so long as it
does not lay those duties in such way
as to lead anyone to undertake any en-
ployment or make any investment he
would avoid in the absence of such du-
ties levied by England-wi very few
exceptions-are not inconsistent with
her profession of being country that
believes in Free Trade. The
World some years ago was trne to the
| Free Trade principle when it expressed
the desire to see the entire revenue of
the National Government raised by du-I
ties on articles not produced in the
country.
a protective duty, on the other hand,
has for its object to effect the diversion
of part of the capital and labor of the
people out of the channels in which it
would run otherwise, into channels fa+
vored or created by law. 1t proceeds
upon the ascertained facts that diversified
industry is of prime necessity to the
whole country, and that it cannot be
attained by any other means than legis-
lation which discriminates in favor of
the home producer of articles which
otherwise would be imported. 1t accepts
the temporary dearness of such articles
as loss more than compensated by the
| Il ioI, ri,
ductiuns at home. The Irishman
who was satisfied with America, altho'
he paid dollar here for what cost him
shilling at home, because he found it
easier to get the dollar here than it was
| to get shilling in Ireland, got very near
to the heart of the philosophy of protec-
ton.
The free trader who has read pro-
tectiOnist book or pamphlet even, or
could state with fairness and adequacy
a protectionist argument, would be a
startling phenomenon. Their whole
contention consists of few supposed
aXioms, derived not from any observa+
tion of how matters actually go on in
this world of ours, but from reflection
on what must be" the course of affairs.
One of these axioms is that discrimin-
ating duty is tax upon the consumer.
not only to the extent of the duties act
ually collected by the Government, but
at the same rate upon the whole quanti-
| ty of that article consumed by the people
of the country.
The absurdity Of the reasoning is
shown amply. The manufacture of
cottons is protected by the American
tariff. 1t may be said to owe it's very
existence to the protective policy. X Il
But no one who knows anything of the
comparative merits of the cottons made
in this country and those manufactured
in Europe. and has compared both prices
and qualities, regards the American peo-
pie as placed at any disadvantage. = y
Certainly our manufacturers are no.
enabled to charge excessive prices, thro'
the existence of duty on. imported
cOttons.
| When a free trader, or a person sus
pected of leanings to that theory, begins
to talk of "taxation exclusively for pub
| lie purposes" there is no difficulty in
making out his meaning. He makes
once more the uDfounded charge that
protective duties enable the producers
of protected articles to levy tax on the
public at lrrge, and he proposes that
/ there should be an end of all such duties.
THE following letter by ex-Judge Cur