The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1886-10-13

monthly" for Oct. 1877 used the
startling language, "The industries
OF the Country, were never, in the
memery of this generation, as smit-
ten with Pasalysis." And we ask
ed the question, could the alleged
"Oligarchy of Lawyers ut Columbia
have wrought this widespread
devastation?
In our second communication
published in your issue Of Sept.
18th, we showed that while our
State tax as averaged by the pop
ulation of our County was, inclu-
ding that for the University, the
CitodcI, and the Common Schools,
$l.G6 Per head, our tax levied in
support Of the United States
through Impost duties Cor Taxes
could not be less than 81 90 per
head, while the Committee of
Ways and Means of the United
States Congress was authority for
saying that the average United
States Tax per hcdd was $1I 90, and
that consequently, while we G. G.
Laurcns County, were burdened
by the State Government with q
Tax amounting to only fifty thous-
and ($50,000) dollars, we were drain
ANNUALLY 70 the tune from Two
hundred and ten ($2. 10000 thous-
and to Four hundred and twenty
thousand ($420,000) dollars. We
further showed that while our
State tax levy for State property
was only So mills on the Dollars
worth of property or values, the
Tax imposed by the United States
Government, collected by Import
duties from consumers, would W.
erage II per cent ad valorum! Nay
more-that many articles were
dOubley taxed, being taxed first
specifically and then adj valorum;
as clothing taxed 20 cents Der
pound and then in addition 50 per
cent ad valorum!
And in conclusion we incurred if
it might not be useful for some of
our agricultural CUBS which have
discussed taxes so earnestly, to look
a leette further than the aboard of
Agriculture" or the Educational
system of the State and the Govern
or's .~"Stationary and Contingent
Fund"
We come now to a retrospect of
our Tariff Taxes and the light in
which they have Dcen treated by
our fathers.
The first Tariff ever established
under the y. 5. Government was
in 1856, and levied an impost duty
OF 81 per cent and was in op-
Grafton about 3 years with
out much influence in build
ing up our Manufactures. The
war of 1872 however furnished the
occasion for increasing the duty on
Imports till the duty was raised to
about 30 per cent.
Being once raised So high it was
difficult to lower them, notwith-
standing the Democratic .Adminis-
trations of Madison and Monroe,
which covered sixteen years. Du-
ring all this period the Agricultural
portion OF the country complained
bitterly of this heavy and burden
some Tax of 30 per cent ON ImDoSts.
Ihc country was agitatcd from
centre to circumference between
the Protective Tariff men and the
Revenue Tariff men. The former
insisted on maintaining the 80 per
cent Tax on Imports, so us TO pro-
fect our then infant manufactoriH
against ruinOuS CONNECTION
fromthe -oducts OF the man
u~factoricS of Europe; and
the latter or Revenue Tariir
men insisted on lowering the Tax
on imports to such II figure as to
secure only the necessary Rcrcnuc
for paying the expenses OF the Gov
crnmont. After many years of ag-
itation and several Of rXtraordina-
ry excitement throughout the
whole country, especially the
South, alter reasoning and protcs-
ting and begging, the Anti-Protec-
ZIONIST or Tcvcnuc Tariff Party Of
south Carolina undor the lead of
John {. Calhoun, "Nulliiicd" the
then cXisti'g 30 percent TariHTaX,
whereby it was expected that the
Constituticnality of Il Tariff for
"ProtcctiOn" would be considered
and decided on by the Supreme
Court of the United States. But
Gen ia 'ksOn who was then PrcSi-
dent, 1882, secuted the idea of the
''' f'N''N ,''ll "'tliS bS plttl vi
such Il question, and asked for and
obtained authority of Congress to
prepare for enforcing the Tariff
laws in South Carolina as well as
elsewhere, at tie point Of the b0y0-
net. On the other hand South Car
DINA prepared to defend her soyer-
eignty and Wd W0S iminent.
Peace was preserved only by the
Intervention of Henry Clay who
effected a compromise between the
contending pertics in consequence
which IL gradual reduction of the
Tariff was to be made till it should
get down to such Il standard as
would raise Revenue enough to de-
fray the expenses of the Govern
mcnt. The standard provided for
in that Clay compromise was reach
cd ouly a few years before the war.
But so soon as the war OF Secession