The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1886-08-05
The Tariff.


What we need in this country is
more cotton and woolen goods, more
hats, more shoes, more tools. more
money, in fact more of everything
than we have, and the way 10
get more of everything tnan we
have, is to reduce taxation, open our
ports to the world, and allow our cltl-
zens to buy where they can buy tne
cheapest, and sell where they can op-
tain the highest prices for what they
have to sell.
I have heard men of this country
say. "well there is no tariff on cotton,
and why not make plenty of cotton,
and sell it, and take the money and Duy
what we want" Geographically and
numerically speaking, this is taking
rather a contracted and diminatiVe
view of the subject. True, there is no
duty on raw cotton, but there is duty
on cotton frabrics and everything else
which raw cotton is sold or exchanged
for, except Quinine, matches, coffee.
and one or two other articles. And
this duty on the things for which raw
cotton is sold or exchanged in foreign
countries, or in other words the DUTY
on imports amount to the same thing
as if there was an export duty on raw
cotton, or anything else which is eX-
ported for imports. Suppose we abol-
ish the tariff on imports and put 1T on
our exports. Let the tariff be put on
our raw cotton, our grain, our meat,
&c. Let the duty be collected at the
ports exit, and paid into our costom
houses Just the same as the duty is now
paid on our imports. Suppose vessel
comes from a foreign country laden
with goods to be exchanged for raw
cotton. Suppose the export tariff on
the raw cotton to be two cents per
pound. The shipper must add the
tariff he has to pay to the price OF the
goods, or be financially ruined. II the
trade is made, il the raw cotton is eX-
changed for the cargo of goods, the
effect on the prices Of the goods, as
they become scattered throughout the
country is the same as though the tariff
had been put on the imports, the cargo
of goods, instead Of the exports, the
raw cotton. Suppose the cotton sold
at the port Of exit for ten cents per
pound. The cotton producer does not
get q single cent of the export tariff
Which made it sell for that. The two
cents per pound goes to the govern
ment. but when the cotton planter
comes to buy the articles the raw cot
ton was traded or exchanged for, he
has to make up the two cents to the
merchant who paid the duty.
But fortunately the world is not made
of cotton, or any other one thing. Nor
are the United States, nor the South,
nor South Carolina. Not even Orange
burg county can live on cotton alone.
God in his wisdom laid every quarter
Of the universe under contribution to
satisfy mans wants. 1t is the inter-
ference by man with Gods laws, the
barriers and restrictions heaped up by
Congress to divert trade from its free,
unrestricted and natural channels,
that ails the country now. In the case
of the Orangeburg farmer, it IS not SO
much the low price OF cotton that
hurts, as the high prices he has to pay
with the low prices cotton bring. Cot
ton is not the only thing we have to
sell. 1t requires more than one pro-
duct to run country. It takes more
than tore thing with which to get
meneyy we cannot buy unless we
have something to sell anu That aOMe-
thing is not always cotton, not even IN
Orangeburg County. We cannot even
buy money, unless we have something
to sell. But as was before remarked
money does not necessarily constitute
wealth. "AIoney is not absolutely eS-
sentialto business, trade production.
Money facilitates trade. it is great
helper Of trade, it is a useful adjunct
of trade. 1t discharges the same func-
tions in trade as ship, or railroad, or
horse, or wagon, only in higher degree
than any Of these, or perhaps than all
of them combined. Trade existed be.
fore money, and would continue to
exist, though all money was swept out
of existence"
Some people seem to think that we
cannot buy any thing without money
and that we cannot sell anything with
out money. Money is only medium
of exchange, a standard Of value by
which we measure the value of the
things we give in exchange for each
other. No nation, no community ever
has sufficient money to pay for its out
side or foreign purchases. The mer-
chants of Orangeburg, nor the people
of any other town or community ever
have sufficient money to pay for their
outside purchases. "The amount of
money used in international exchanges
represents the merest fraction of the
value of such exchanges. There is not
money enough in the United States to
pay for its outside purchases for three
months
These references to money have been
made with view Of trying to disabuse
the minds of some persons that money
is not all in all, and that trade, free
trade, unrestricted trade, natural trade
is essential to prosperity, and prerequi-
site for obtaining money.
II men could. or would get it out of
their minds, that the building up of one
industry at the expense of many others
was no gain to the many. If they
could, or would but realize, that there
was no gain in the aggregate, or JUS
tice in robbing thousand Peters to