The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1886-07-15

his predecessors. An inheritance of a
hundred Thousand dollars, would only
represent, perhaps, the performance OF
a hundred thousand days labor OF our
ancestors. Money then, or gold and
silver, which is the only real money, is
a measure of labor, or value, and is as
much the product of labor as anything
else that is produced. But money does
not necessarily constitute wealth. AS
Adam Smith well says, "any country
that has the wherewithal to buy gold
and silver will never be in want of
these metals. They are to be bought
for a certain price like all other COM
modities, and as they are the price OF
all other commodities, so all other COM
modities are the price of these metals" !"
+ The protectionists' plea, that wemust
have high protective tariffs IN order TO
create industries. and thereby give EN-
ploymeht to labor, will not hold. In
the first place, taxation never yet
created an industry. 1t may change
the channels Of industry. You may
tax B, and give it to c, thereby increas,
ing C'S power to create anlnduStry, anu
give employment, but you at the same
time deminish BIS ability to do the
same thing, in the same proportion
that you increase Cs ability to perform
it.
You may change the channels, or ma
ture of An industry, by robDlng Dy taN-
alton Il thousand Peters to pay one
Paul. hut there is no justice or gain IN
this. Besides, the mere performance OIL
labor within itself does not constitute
wealth. or create gain. If it did, a man
could get rich by removing pile OF
rubbish to and fro. \ man might carry
a pile of bricks between two given
points all of his life, and he would
nsver become rich, or gain anything by
the process. It's the product OF labor,
the results of labor, emanating from
intelligent and well directed effort,
that enriches an individual, communi-
ty or. country.
AL taxes, whether protective taxes,
or taxes for revenue only, must be pad
out of the surplus, or net earnings OF
labor, or the gains OF exchanges. This
is an. economic axiom. There is no
other source from which taxes can
arise, and of course the more taxes you
levy, the more you take of the surplus
or net earnings Of labor, and just to
the extent, that the people of any coun-
try are taxed beyond what IS absolute
" necessary to carry on the govern
ment, Just to that extent are the people
made poorer. The idea Of L country try:
ing to enrich itself by taxation, IS Just
as absurd, just as unreasonable as man
grasping his own loot straps or his own
toes and trying to raise .:msell: -
The argument which the high tariff
people advance, that if the manutac-
turers are allowed larger protits'on
their goods, by taxing others for their
benefit, it will enable them to give
higher wages to their employers is only
a snare to catch the working people.
If you increase the fees of lawyer or
doctor from two thousand to four
thousand dollars a year, do you suppose
they double the salaries of their clerks.
Or if a builder offers to put up a house
for YOU for one thousand dollars, and
you kindly give him fifteen hundred for
the job, do you suppose he divides the
extra profit among his masons and car
penters, and is it to be supposed that
manufacturers are more generous than
anybody else? Human nature is the
same in all trades and professions.
Taxes never did and Ifever will Increase
the rate of wages of the laborer. Wages
depend upon the productivenesS OF Ia
Dor, the amount of capital available for
its employment and the number OF
laborerS competing for work, and not
unon the generosity of man.
We read about labor strikes, riots,
mills closing up, and working people by
the million being discharged and
thrown out of employment. From
what cause? From overproduction we
are told. This is a misnomer. There
can be no such thing as overproduction
or producing too much. All increase
of production is an increase Of wealth,
and there need be no fear of our ever
becoming too wealthy. The mills
which we read about being closed, are
closed for the want Of market for
their products, and not from overpro-
ductiOI, and this want Of market
arises from too much projections; and
yet we hear men talk about Interstate
commerce, and a home market. What
N0 llCCu ID NOllo SOiuIiiChSS, oAAo et
worlds market. 1t is protection that
is closing up the cotton and woolen
mills of New England, and the mines
of Ohio and Pennsylvania. 1t is pro-
lection that is causing riot and blood
shed, and the troops to be ordered out.
It is protection that is starving thous-
ands of men and women and children
in this fertile country of oUrs. 1t is
protection, which under the guise Of
regulating commerce, has pampered and
fostered by ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, a brood Of
monopolists, who have caused the most
infamous and unjust set Of tariff laws
to be put upon the statutes Of the
United States, that the average Con-
gresham could devise, or monopolists'
money buy. PAYsAN.
Etlisto Fork, $. c., July s, 1856.
Killed by Il Ruttlesnake.
}. l.. Guthrie was bitten by 4 rattle
snake Oh the plantation OF Mr.. John