The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1886-06-04

IDENTIFY calculated that duties on imports
would be the chief reliance for revenue,
because by the second clause of the tenth
Section of Article I. it is provided that
'no State shall, without tho consent of
Congress, lay any imposts or duties on i'm
ports or exports except" &C., &C., clearly
showing that this power was left exclu-
sively for the Federal government.
Direct taxation was rcsorted to by tho
Federal government at the beginning of
the late war, aud many of our best and
most respected citizens in the low Counties
can testify to the spoilation and confsca-
tion under it; which made them paupers.
The present internal revenue system of
direct taxation is a heritage Of the war,
and if had the power l would wipe out
the last vestigc Of it. as would the war
tariff and imposts.
If, on the other hand, you mean by this
expression the tariff laws should be so
cquitably and fairly rcaijusted as to raise
the necessary revenue for the support of
the government, and at the same time as
nearly as may be operate upon all alike,
[ will unite most cordially with you. How
that can be best ond justly done is very
grave problem. About tho sum of $780,
100000 must be raised annually by taxa
tion-partly internal and partly external
OF this sum sls15OO,OOO in round num-
bers was raised by duties on imports, s112,-
100000 by internal revenue taxation, and
the balance Of the S323,5 100000 (totai
ordinary rcceipts) was derived from sales
of public lands, patent fees, taxes On
national banks, scigniorage at the mint,
&c.
Now the present consideration is how
can this S1Sl, 100000 derived from i'm
ports be so imposed as to bear lshtest
upon consumers, or how can it be levied to
raise the necessary revenue and uufetter
trade and commerce. Many os tho indus
tries of this country have grown up under
the stimulating or speculative influence of
high tariff, protective in many instances,
aud yet raising large revenues, prohibitory
in others, and not bringing a dollar into
the treasury. AS unjust as this is and has
been to the unprotected classes, it would
not be wise or proper to knock the props
from under such industries with ono blow
and bring them down in a crash. 1t would
be more unwise aud wrong to continue
this condition Of things. What then is to
be done
My idea is that tariff taxation should be
gradually and surely reduced until we have
reached the point when each article will
produce the largest amount of revenue
and then leave off, transferring from time
to timo such articles to the free list as
should be found from experience to be
most conveniently spared from the revenue
list. Take for instance the article of
sugar | insist that the present tax of l !
cents pound-tbe averago-is the rev.
enuc standard, because it raises about $50 :
OOO,0 900 annually, paid into the treasury
on total value of S73,50O,0OO worth i'm
ported-7O.9S per cent. al valorcn,.
1t is claimed that this tax is protection
to the sugar planter. Grant it. So much
the better for the sugar planter, and that
is what call incidental protection. lie
receives very small percentage of pro
lection, while the Treasury is rcplcnsh ed
with the tax.
And SO it is with rice, which pays into
the Treasury sl,6l9,523.2l on a tota
value of S2,134,1SS.74 imported, 1855
per cent. al pdlOrcn.
Now let me call attention to the duty or
cotton ties, as that is an article with which
all Of our people ale familiar. The duty
on cotton ties prior to the last tariff re
vision was 80 per cent. at vdiorcm, ant
that is the duty to-day. 1t pays its share
of revenue into the Treasury at that rate
J,,.at what the amount is | will not stop tc
inquire, but l may say this is very fail
duty
The Tariff Cc,umlsslon recommended
an increase of SO per cent. on cotton ties
which would have made 80 per cent
What would have been the cffc"t OF this
Not cotton tie would have been i'm, ,nortcd
and consequently not dollar would have
been collected on this article for the Treas
ury because the tariff would have been alb
solutcIy prohibitory. But about $500,
! NnN wnull harn henn naid by The Earm