Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1884-09-10
Found She Was Robbed.

The following will show the ex-
periences of a young housewife in
regard to the manner she was defraud-
ed by the Republican protective tar
if' tax, and is copied from the Chicago
Herald.
Ny husband and l have just gone to
housekeeping for the first time, and il so
happened that we got our things on the
very day that John Doane ventilated his
grievance in the Herald against protec-
tive tariff. Ny husband read that article,
and, says he, "they do rob these young fel-
lows and no mistake. They ought to get
married and settle down and then they
would live cheaper" | replied that Just
like rs not they robbed married people,
too, and concluded that | would look it
up. | took my bill for furniture, carpets,
etc, and went to friend of mine who
knows all about such things, and, would
you believe it, found that the government
was robbing me quite rs remorselessly as
it was the young man about town.
Now, I'll tell you all about this thing,
and | want every woman in Chicago to
read every word that I've got to say. My
husband and | were married last February
and after boarding three or four months we
concluded to go to housekeeping. He had
about $500 and had 5000, which was given
me by my father. My husband said we
could not fit up much of house for $500,
but told him we'd try anyway, and what
we couldn't get now we would do without
until some other time. Well, we found
Just the sweetest cottage you ever saw over
the West Side, and then we went down
town and bought the furniture and things.
When ] read that article in the Herald !
just thought | would see if they taxed any
of the things we had to buy, and what do
you think? found that every single ar
tclc that we had bought was taxed under
this tariff, and that some of them we're
doubled i'm price in consequence of il. Ny
friend gave me tariff list showing the
percentage of tax on all imported articles,
and have been figuring on the thing till
my head aches, but | have got the pro-
blem solved at last. had to go and see
him twice to ask about something that WINS
not clear to me, but | think | can see
through it now. | don't believe that one
woman in 500, or man either, knows any
thing about that tariff. When my friend
said the government taxed furniture, car
pets and stoves made abroad which were
trying to get into our ports | said like
fool. "Well, maybe it is good thing to
make those foreigners pay for doing bust
ness here. Those English and French
manufacturers are awfully rich anyway"
But he laughed and said: Don't you see,
the manufacturers do not pay this tax. II
is the consumers. The tax is added TO the
price of the article and the one who buys
it must pay ooh, yes says l, 81 see
but all these things that | bought, am
told, were made in this country, so do
not see how have been taxed at ALL
"Sou don't ell ~ saws he well, I'll show
YOU So then he explained that tax of
40 or 30 per cent on foreign goods for the
benefit of home manufacturers, resulted in
an increase Of the price Of all articles
made here and protected in that way, for
the American manufacturers were thus
given monopoly, and could by combin-
ing together as most of them do, hold
the price Of their wares, many Of them
cheap and poor stuff up as high as they
could and still undersell the heavily taxed
foreign goods Then said: "Well, the
government doesn't tax these home made
goods, then. That is, il doesn't get any
money out Of them" NO" said he, at
gets no money. The manufacturer gets it,"
Then pay this tax 10 the man that made
these thingsY' ] screamed. lie laughed
and said: "You do" So ! started right
of TO tell my husband. ] suppose you
know all about this matter, but want to
make it straight and so ! will tell the
whole story.
When got through figuring ] showed
the result to my husband, and he said il
was an outrage. ] said "Are you pro-
tec,ed in any way" ''Not that am
aware Of" said he and know he isn't.
Hes carpenter.
Now, if gave you the cost Of and the
tax on every article in our house it would
make an awful long table, and suppose
you wouldn't print it, but ] figured it out
on every article, and then ! classified the
articles and added the cost and tax together,
so as to bring the figures within reasonable
al.