The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1886-11-25
TAXED TO DEATH.
TARIFF REFORM THE REAL BATTLE
FIELD IN POLITICS.

TARIFF REFORM THE REAL BATTLE
FIELD IN POLITICS.
Farmers Especially Interested in Bring
ing about Legislation Whereby the Com
stantly Growing EncroacNments OF
!. Monopolists may be Checked.
TO the Editor Of the NeacS 0nd Courier:
The apparent blindness or inditfer-
ence of our people to the real cause OF
their troubles is almost lneXpllcablc.
1t is true that during the last campaign
there were unusual manifestations Of
political unrest that developed into
various schemes of reformation. But,
unfortunately, the blows were dealt, to
great extent, in the wrong direction.
The whole burden Of attack WAS upon
State and county affairs, while Federal
politics. the true seat of the difficulty,
escaped comparativelyunnoticed. Here
should have been. and must he in the
future, the real battlefield for reform.
Doubtless there are some faults in our
State and county governments that
could be corrected, but these dwindle
| into inSigniticance alongside Of the
enormities of Federal legislation. TO
enumerate these enOrmitieS is entirely
too stupendOus task for the limits OF
one article. The Presidents message
! of December &, 1881, states that the
! revenues OF the government for the
; fiscal year we're S36n. 1S2 .292 81. As to
| how this outrageous burden falls upon
the people, it may be interesting to
read the following extract from a
speech made by Senator Coke in the
! Senate February Z, 1882:
! For every dollar paid into the na-
! tional treasury under the existing tariff,
six and half dollars, ut the lowest
calculation, 90 into the pockets of the
manufacturers. If this vast sum OF
money were collected annually from
! the pockets of the people directly, to he
given to the already richest class OF
pcopic in this country each year, its
| InoIstrous iniquity would. of course,
he so apparent us IT, Il, .o, it. But it
is collected indirectly ..;gh rs sure
", in an increased price OF everything
| they consume. III everything they eat,
drink and wear: in every tool and lm-
plcment they work with: in every
| article which enters into the cOnStruc-
ton of tn" houses they live in, whether
used for strength, OF utility. or orna-
ment: i'm every book or newspaper they
read. This tax is as all-pcrvading rs
theat mosphere they breathe. and they
! have been 50 accustomed to it that they
neither feel no appreciate its cnor-
mity.'
lie then makes Il list Of the articles
most heavily taxed, such as blankets,
clothing, salt, soap, sugar, &c, ami re-
marks
II appeal to the tariff list in proof OF
the assertion that the poor people, the
working people of the country, who
are least able to bear it, pay more than
! tariff. in proportion to their consanl'-
ton than any other class.
There are some who want to say that
the tariff does not bear so heavily upon
the laboring people, and vet, in addl-
ton to the above, Mr. Spo1lord, IN his
American Almanac for 1879, shows
that where $29,097,2SS were raised on
such luXurics us diamonds, dolls. fans,
feathers, silks, &c, SSG,035,5 ,5W were cX-
acted from cotton and wOOllen goods,
crOckcrv, sugar and other ncceSSarleS
of life. Another outrage connected
with the system is the cost of collcc-
ton. Mr.. Thompson, OF kentucky, in
a speech in the House in 1882. makes
a list of tfty-twO places ut which the
cost of collection far exceeded the
amount collected AS sample, at
nine places in Maine it cost $26.G2S to
collect S4.2l7, and at five places in Viz
rinia it took $10,032 to collect $l,O74.
The present system is kept upon us
by the cOrrupting influence Of rich
monopolists to still further enrich
themselves, and there is no doubt that
it will be rcctiticd as soon It's the eyes
of the people are properly opened to
the enormity. When this happens we
will then see our Representatives, step
ping more boldly, and the following OF
lsmlall ended. it is the people to
whom we must appeal between now
and the next election. The last Con
gress did substantially nothing III the
way Of tariff reform, although there
was /. good Democratic majority in the
House; and it is Il significant sequence
that the party lost badly in the recent
cictlltIio. IltI L HCtIliH, liiNlNipiN, NUN
prospect for anything to be done in the
coming Congress with Il greatly reduced
Democratic majority.
The only hope is for the tariff rcior'
mcrs to organize. and work with syS'
tenn and energy to better lnattcrS III
the future: ;lnd to this end they should
allow no encouragement or opposition
To battle or impede their efforts. 1t IS "
cause III which the farmers especially
I'LL uv,E the lninn. ought 10 unite.
:. Il. VI.
Nrangcmlrgr. November IS.
fatal Logging .trridrni.