Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-06-11
THE TARIFF.
The Productive Value of Labor-How Pro-
lection Increases 1t.

teCttOn
A letter from State Senator James As
kell to the Albany Epcning journal, con
tains some suggestions on the subject Of
protection of American industry, which,
if not new, are exceedingly sensible and
we'll put. He says
1t cannot he honestly claimed that any
tariff yet devised, any more than any tax
syetem ever contrived, is fundamentally
Just in the distribution OF its burden. 1t
is claimed, however, that revenue from
n tariff is less sensibly and more easily
borne than a revenue irregularly, and
therefore less justly, collected by Il direct
and relentless tax.
AMATTER OF CHOICE.
The submission to u tax by tariff is, fur
thermore, measureably one OF choice.
The prohibitionist pays no duty on cham
payne. The puritan household contributes
nothing to the federal expenses through
its indulgence in diamonds or the fruit of
the Lyons looms. Yet no abstinence or
habit would shelter such citizen from Il
direct tax, that like scythe would cut
the thrifty and thriftlcSS, the weeds and
wheat alike. "A tax by tariff is, within
certain limitations, voluntary contribu-
ton. The poor man pays least of neces
sity, from his poverty. The misery man
escapes, as he always will, through his
meanness The fashionable, the rich or
luxurious citizen pays III proportion, the
largest. | have in mind an Englishman,
Il comparatively recent importation, who
while ge ing twice the compensation
here he hel etofore received, informs me
everything is rs cheap or cheaper than in
England, excepting house rent and pew
rent. He expresses his willingness, how
ever to restrain his national habit of
grumbling as long as the extra cost is con
fined to personal and spiritual shelter
1t may be assumed that each nation is
but an enlarged family; that as long as it
sells more than it purchases it will in
crease its prosperity, or, as Mr.. Micawber
said to Mr.. David Coppcrfield, Income
20 shillings, expenditure l9-rich In
come 20 shillings, expenditure 2l-poor y
! firmly believe, from experience and OBJ
servation, that the lowest possible prices
are produced, ultimately, by domestic
competition, first fostered by the shelter
ing of tariff that protects its early
growth against the otherwise resstless
force of cheap foreign capital and cheap
foreign labor.
ANOTHER SIDE OF THE SUGAR QUESTION.
While Mr. Morrison is proposing at the
expense of our Southern planters, to
cheaper Cuban sugar and so increase the
value of Cuban slave labor, and Cuban
lands, 10y the lowering of the duty, Bis
marck's policy has added 20 per cent to
further the development of sugar from
the beet, that under a similar but higher
tariff restriction, made France independ-
ent of foreign supply. Neither is it
likely that free sugar would diminish the
cost to the consumer. 1t is we'll renem-
bered that the taking OFF of the duty did
not lower the price of coffee The supply
being limited, and the consumption not
being wholly controlled by the price, the
Brazilian empire. as the greatest grower,
imposed an export duty equivalent to our
cancelled import duty, and so absorbed
contributed to the Golfers of the United
States. Bessemer steel, under English
patents and English production, was at
first five times the price it is to-day. The
two furnaces in 1850 have grown to 40 in
20 years, and partly by lapse of royalty,
but more by internal enterprise, $50 will
buy Il ton OF steel, that.once cost Sl6O.
WHAT PROTECTION DOES.
Is it not a reasonable inference that for
our home supply and our cheap supply,
we are primarily indebted to the prOtec-
ton that fostered it, The foreign manu-
facturer, with the hardened gristle of
three centuries of growth, can well Chal-
lengc the soft muscle of many infantlle
industries to Il wrestling But wait awhile
till ours, with warmth and shelter, have
grown strong, and theirs weak with wax
child can taunt its decrepid contestant
with the same ridiculous disparity of
strength. No absolute free trade Is any
where known except in savage life. Eng
land protects many OF her manufacturers
Raw tobacco bears duty, but if it he cut
or made into cigars or Snuff by foreign
labor, its duty is nearly doubled On
about three quarters of Il million of i'm
/ ported tobacco the English government
collects between 81, 600 and S2G, 600 O0(
IN duty. Every article of our or other
make of jeWelry pays duty of - pei
ounce on gold If our abundant silver is
fabricated INTO plate, an added duty of I,
per cent is collected on its value If the
examples be worth anything, England
protects its own manufacturers and sub
sidizes her ships wherever it is well re
quired. ! do not wish to be understood
that we should follow any European pre-
cedent because II is English YOU know .
but To show that its boosted freedom OF al
commercial restraint is hypocrtcal ant
absurd.
Capital, which is accumulated labor
goes back through loan or spending, int,
labor again. No man can put a railroad il
his safe. His securities are simply repre
sentative of land. ties and steel, in fact
OF work. take 1t this continent, is n,
richer to-day, than when the Norsemal
/ found it, that Manhattan island is OF n,
more value than the original siXpenc,
that bought it, except for the added days
years and centuries of multitudnOu
work, that have made it the latest of tn
worlds wonders of activity The labor
that has brought about this result. wa
the more valuable in productive force. be
cause protected largely against the ex
haustlve competition of foreign produC
ton. The artisan, mechanic and labOrer
whose families consume the three-quar
tiers of the silks. which their Europeal
brother cannot buy, do so because the
earn the money, or otherwise could no
spend it. 1t cannot be claimed that "A pei
feet, or approximately perfect system q
raising revenue, is by u tariff 1t is sin
ply ayerred that tariff practically serve
the double duty of providing for govern
ment expense, and the developing of dc