New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-12-07

United States IN the exercise Of lawful election took
away the administration o. this Government from .me
lodged It ~ other hands
and worthy men, II the deliberate pledges and progressed
principles Of political parties not law for their lead
now irrelevant Il eontaas desire to refer to he record
OF one public obligation thus assumed, and thus &C
vote:
PLEDGE TO REJOICE TAXES.
Unnecessary taxation Is unjust taxation. Sur
| plus raxaon) of more than SlOO.OO0yO00 has yearly
| been collected from suffering people. We de-
nounce the Republican party for having failed to relieve
the people from crushing war taxes which have parayzed
business, crippled industry, and deprived labor oempoy
Under long period Of Democratic rule and policy,
merchant marine fast oyertakIng and on the point
ofoutsrppinghat Of GreatBritan Under twenty years
of Republican rule and policy commerce has been left
TO British bottoms and the American flag has almost been
Under Democratic rule and policy orr merchants and
sailors flying the stars and stripes In every port success
American industry. Under quarter of century OF Re
publican rule and policy despite our manifest advantage
mates and teeming soils despite freedom Of trade
all these United States despite their population by the
young thrifty and adventurous Of all nations despite
our freedom here from the inherited burdens Of life and
Industry in the oldworld mOnarches, their costly war
naves, their vast xconsimng nonprodncng stnndlng
rule and policy have managed to Surrender to Great Brit
ain aongwith our commerce. the control OF the markets
Instead Of the Republican partys dscredted scheme
and false preence Of friendship for American labor ex
pressed by imposing taxes demand in behalf Of the
Democracy. freedom for American labor by reducing
taxes to the end that these United states may compete
with anhindered powers for the primacy among nations
In all the arts of peace and fruits of liberty A. l.,
These pledges can be fulfilled without reform IN
the sum and methods of Federal taxation Nor can our
country profit fully by its Incompatible ADVANTAGES
the nations of the earth in population peace land
and liberty go long as we go on pleading INFANCY anu
swaide, In medieval rags. its victorious eneies IL Is
these which need release and liberty All our requisite
taxation may he made easy garment We nave lnhuc
prison of It, plastered stiff with obsolete contentious
about protection and free trade
OUR PRESENT PROLON GED WAR-TARlFF TAXES.
1t actually the OF the tariff Of the last
generation under which now living; for the unde-
baed unsifted law of 1888 made by conference COM
mitee did but keep alive the body of the tariff OF 1864
The average percentage of tho taxes to the values
of. imported commodities has been as follows:
Morrill, tsa 81 eeGTe ne %a w per peer cent
Present prolonged warar twas in 1881 48O7 per cent
My annual report the history of this strange
survival.
Like our currency laws tariff laws arc Legacy Of
war; If exgencies their origin, their defects
after twenty years OF peace They nave
been retained without sitting and discrimination al
though enacted without legislative debate criticism or
examination horizontal reduction OF 10 per cent was
made in 1872 but repealed in 1879 and rejected IN
1884 They require at custom houses the employ
ment of force sufficient TO examine apprase; and levy
duties upon more than 4,ls2 different articles Many
rates OF duty begun In have been increased since al
though the late Tariff Commission declared them ipur
i1 to the interests 10 De De Zen ono @a S
perity They have been retained although the long era
ated large increase of rates They have been retained
ad yaorem rate for the last year of over 40
per cent which Is but zig per cent less than the highest
of the period and is nearly per cent more than
the rate before the latest revision The highest endnra
BILE rates of duty which were adopted In to Offset
internal taxes upon almo, every taxable article have IN
years every such internal tax has been removed
They have been retained while purely revenue duties
upon articles not competing with anything produced In
the eight States have been discarded They have
been retained upon articles used az materials FOR our own
manufactures lin 1884 adding F3OO0O0OO to their COST
exported,
similar manufactures from untaxed materials, Some
rates have been retained after running the Industries they
meant to advantage. Other rates have been re-
tanned after eectlng higher price fora domestic product
at home than 1t was sold for abroad The general hi
level OF rates has been retained Oh The theory OF counter
vailng lower wages abroad. when, In fact the higher
wages Of American labor are at once me secret an me
security Of our capacity to distance all competition from
panper labor IN any market All changes nave elt u
classification and otherwise, complicated cum6rous
intricate group OF laws which not capable OF being
administered with impartiay to all our merchants
As nothing in the ordinary course of business
NESTLE p0r as we'll as Of the imported article is
higher by the amount of the duty and the cost of
taxpayer duties upon articles not produced in the
United States is justified by the fact that such duties cost
for ases es articles o S are Src II the
upon materials used by manufacturers. which
now subject them to hopeless competition at home and
abroad with the manufacturing nations, none or which
taxes raw materials"
FIELD OF FEDERAL TAXES NOT LAND. Not INCOMES.
The Federal power OF taxation is almost uncrcum
scrbed 1t must be for the general welfare. not for
partial class benefit Exports cannot be taxed
Direct taxes must be apportioned among the
several states according to their population
Indirect taxes must be uniform throughout the
excuses, which though advanced by the home pro
Queer the importing merchant alike actually paid by
the final consumer.
experience OF the d culty and inequalities of the
direct tax when applied TO land of which square foot in
place cOsticr than 100 miles squarcn another place
andin proportion population which varies intensity now
and changes continually or when applied to individual
ne
it he shifted-t has no rePcrens on which is the
only feature Of the taxes held to he dire before
war had disturbed the vision of courts and legislauIc
under the prescribed rule of apportionnent the states
according population. confines their utility
purposes aud excludes them from the just purvew of
Federal taxation
But THINGS HERE Consumed; WITH INLAND AND
SEAPORT COLL CrORS OF TAXrs
1t Indirect which the Federal Government now
eyes and which, being thus practically restricted by
those provisions OF the Constitution it must looA for its
revenues, and its rcmissions when revenue outrns
pense 1t is out of indirect taxes that arise contentious
ABOUT protection ana free tle' rs me! aose Deioo INC
when our debt wis little and our expense 80 small
that many thought Congress might have abolished
~ Free trade accurately describes the internal con.
nIerce of states. II applies to the
with another, OF no other great am sovereign states.
1t does not apply to our trade with foreign nations. No
these United states in their commerce with foreign MI
ons taxes imports. rohl the foundation OF thi,
OF Federal revenue and such they will continue 10 be.
They upon CONSUMPTION like internal
nue. taxes and ground of choice among articles
suitable Is not the circumstance that the}
produced at home imported from abroad, Tor neither
the producer the importer finally pays the The
consumer IT, The place OF origin Is no criterion.
The place collection II criterion The place
sumption Is where duties well excise paid at
last seaport taxes and inland taxes alike in OF
collection 3 $40 and 6lO cent?, and alike In this,
that although tine importer or dsier advances the
ne reimburscs himself in the price to the consumer who
alone taxed. The ground of choice is that among
all articles thus consumed within borders
better suited for equitable taxation than others.
They universally consumed, like sugar, o easily
identified, like coffee or their consumption may be safely
mpe1cd, like distilled spirits fcTIuentcd liquors
tobacco they luXuries, like Wines silks, ana dia
Ods. But OF these arti, les suitable Tor taxation. foreign
production affords many home production.
imports levied by all nations. year
Lugland raised revenue OF 993,yIsJo3 from taxes
imports; France, S6s,Ol6,325; Germany, $i1JJ 90.
But foreign nation taxes raw materials. such
njure home industries, in which those materials
worked up increased in value by home labor. such
materials, instead OF excluding foreign
petition from the home market put employers OF
ut ll..lLN Ii .L-Ll