Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-01-13
TUEsDAy........JANUARY 10, 1885.
Protecting Home Industries.


following hard question
"The city Of Richmond is about to
erect city hall, and the Richmond DIS
patch desires that il shall be built OF
Richmond granite, even il II shall cost
more than granite obtained elsewhere
According to the Dispatch, Richmond,
in this way, will be able to keep her
money at home, because the community
will get back in money paid for mate
rial and in wages as much as is paid for
the building.
"will the Dispatch explain where it
finds authority to tax the people of the
whole city for the benefit of the vendors
Of grantee"
That question. addressed to us by the
Ners and Courier, is good joke.
That paper was very recently taken to
task BY us for its teachings upon a sub
iect akin to the one now under consid-
Grafton, not to say upon this very sub
jcct itself.
We answer that we find authority to
tax the people of the whole city of
Richmond in the arguments OF the
Charleston News and Courier in favor
Of the policy land Of consequence the
constitutionality) of taxing the whole
United States for the benefit of the grow
ers Of rice in South Carolina. Also, in
the arguments advanced by that same in
fluential journal in favor of the policy
land of consequence the constitution
atty of taxing all the people Of South
Carolina as means Of exempting from
taxation for a period of years such
manufacturers as could by such cxemp-
ton be induced to locate their plants in
South Carolina.
Our Charleston contemporary says:
aIf the granite obtained in Richmond
costs more than the granite brought
from some other place, then the COM
munity will lose the difference between
the cost of the two kinds of granite"
BY no means. The corporation Of
Richmond would pay out the money.
The community Of Richmond would re-
ceive the money. 1t would be as if a
mar should take money out of his right
pocket and put it into his left. AT any
rate, it does not lie in the mouth Of
man to reproach us for teaching doc
trine of that sort who advocates taxes
such as those we have referred to
above. If it would be good poll
cy to pay manufacturers for es-
tablishing factories in Charleston, it
must be because il is better for the peo-
pie Of Charleston to keep their money
at home, even if they hayeto pay taxes
for their neighbors, than to spend it
elsewhere. If it would be to the in
terest Of Richmond to buy granite
wherever she can buy il cheapest, surely
il would be TO the interest of Charles
ton to buy her manufactured articles
wherever she can buy these cheapest.
There is nothing in rice, or bucket,
ora broom, or yard Of cotton or
woollen cloth that takes it out of the
category Of commodities, orefiects such
n change in the laws Of trade as to make
il accord with sound political economy
to protect any such article and refuse
to protect granite.
Our Charleston contemporary long
ago committed itself TO our doctrine, as
we look at the matter. II would exempt
our granite-works from taxation upon
condition that We should remove them
from Richmond to Charleston. To avow
= willingness to do this is to concede
that it would be better for Charleston
to pay more for granite at home than
the lowest price for which it could be
purchased here. The tax it proposes
10 remit is small, it is true; but the
principle is the same. AL we ask our
City Council to do is to carry out our
friends doctrine TO greater extent.
He would take say two dollars of taxes
off ahundred dollars worth Of property
used in quaIrying and dressing gran
tie. We would add another dollar OF
two to this for like reason
that is. because it would be to
the interest Of Richmond to do so.
The only difference between our Charles
ton friend and ourselves is that if We
offered moneyed inducements to man
ufacturer in order to get him to locate
his factory in our city we would not tell
him afterwards that We intended to buy
wherever we could buy cheapest with
out regard to his welfare or the wilfare
of the community.
The people Of the whole Unit a States
are taxed to deepen james flyer; to
build forts to man Fort Monroe to
improve the navigation Of the Missis-
sippi river between New Orleans and the
gulf; TO keep up West Point; to keep up
the Annapolis Naval Academy; to pay
for carrying the Richmond Dispatch
through the mails at the price Of two
cents per pound; to pay an army of
men for guarding the frcsides Of few
thousand western settlers; to enable
Congress 70 appropriate money for the
payment Of pensions to the men who
conquered US, &C.. &C., &c. Men are
made "a serve as jurors who never had
: suit il court. There are many laws,
xisssnd just and bens6csnt in their ops-