Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-01-21
WEDNESDAY. JANUARY 81, 1885
\ wo Y,nas Of proteotion.


ilority for taxing all our people for the
benefit Of our owners Of granite in his
teachings, he having previously de-
clared himselfin favor OF excmpting GER
tain South Carolina manufactures from
taxation for ten years. and also in favor
of Keeping up the customs duties now
levied upon rice as method OF pro-
tecting the rice-planters Of his State,
We thought that in doing so he had
gone farther than we had ever gone in
that direction. In fact. we rather
chuckled over the possibility that we
had made point which would silence
our Charleston contemporary. But we
were very much mistaken. lie talks
back rs follows:
at is fattering TO us that the Dis
patch should have no better argument
in defence of its position than that
which the Ners and Courier furnishes
it, but, unfortunately for our contempt
rary. il begs the whole question. The
Neps and Courier does not approve of
taxing the whole United States for the
benefit of the rice-growers of South
Carolisa."
II does not? Well, that surprises
us. Let us see what our contemporary
did say. We quote his own words
"0ur position is that so long as the
policy Of the country is protective in
its character. the rice-planters should
receive their just share Of the local and
restricted benefits Of that one-sided
system"
Either that is a downright declaration
in favor Of taxing all the people Of the
United States for the benefit of the
South Carolina rice-planters. or else it
is not tue that to levy protective
tariff on any article is to tax all the
people of the United States for the bene-
fit of the manufacturers Of that article.
Again: We quote the Ners and
Courier:
"Thc general opinion Of the rice
dealers and rice-planters who came be-
fore the Commission was that the re-
moyal of the import duty on rice would
destroy rice-culture in the United
States"
How are those planters to be saved?
We answer once more, by taxing all the
people of the United States. Here is
the proof in our Charleston contempO-
rary's own words:
1.-THE duty on rice, for example, is
q cents pound. Prime foreign rice
can be delivered at American ports at
cost of about $3.50 per 100 pounds.
The cost of making rice on the Carolina
and Georgia coasts is estimated by Mr..
John Screyen at s4.33 per 100 pounds.
The difference in favor of the Asiatic
rice is therefore sl.43 per 100 pounds.
Even when this difference is fully made
up by an imported duty, American rice
cannot be sold at more than the bare
cost. This would prevent the extern
sion Of rice planting and gradually dry
up rice-culture in the United States
If that isn't proposition to make
all the people of the United States pay
for rice at least sl.4S per 100 pounds
more than it would cost in the absence
of a protective tariff, then we do not
know what it is. We quote again from
our Charleston contemporary-;his
time, language which seems to bear
wonderful resemblance to some Of Mr..
RANDALL's. Here it is:
at should be noted that one reason
why the cost OF American rice is greater
than that of Indian rice is the higher
cost Of labor. Three fourths
Of the cost Of rice is for labor, and the
payment Of good wages to the freedmen
prevents the American planters from
producing rice on equal terms with the
Asiatics. A section of coun-
try that has already suffered terribly by
the changes in the labor system and by
occupation by the Federal troops during
the Confederate war will be stricken
down just as it begins to recover
strength and regain the hope Of pros
perity."
Stricken down how? BY the failure
to protect its rice-plantcrs-that is, by
the failure TO tax all the rest of the
people Of the United States for their
benefit.
So much for the rice-planters. Now,
let us turn to our friends proposition
to exempt manufactures from taxation.
1t defends itself as follows:
"The people Of South Carolina are
not taxed rs ameans of exempting cot
ton manufacturers from taxation. The
News and Courier argues day in and
day out for the reduction Of tariff tax
alton, which carries with it, necessarily,
q reduction Of the import duty on rice
spd as regards the cotton-factories, the
State has not exempted from taxation
the land on which they stand, but con-
tinues to tax IL just as if the factories
were not there. The people are not
taxed for the benefit Of the factories, Dat
are benefited by the factories without
being taxed in any way. They get the
benefits that the DsspafcA would secure
By It's granite operations without the |
COST
nThst won't do, as Senator THUR
NAN says. II million Of dollars Of
money must be annually raised by tax
ltion in South Carolina, and the manu-
sctursrs are exempted from paying
heir share Of it, al the rest Of the peo-
lie must be taxed TO make up the de-
Icit. Colonel A. X. McCLuaE Is a
hsswd northerner, who has lately /,