The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-08-28
PRICE FIVE CENTS.

| national import which concerns not only The nros
perity of one section but ofall sections of our cons
| mon country, and which is OF commanding interest,"
TO our sixty millions of people 1t sno new sub ect
propose oeonsider. 1t is as old as governments by
ohiet and absorbing issue for more than century
! OF the republic
The government was scarcely launched before its
| discussion commanded the best thought OF the
Statesmen OF the time, and in varying degrees it has
peen prominently before the public ever since The
different theories of taxation have an interest now
| winch they have never possessed before. Public
thought is awakened and the citizen is inv s'igat-
| ing lor himself. Franle discussion aud thoughtful
! consideration of the two conflicting theories are
! therefore manded in the present state of the pub
NC hhu as well as the condition of our national
| treasury.
| now TAXES ARE TO BE RAISED
| to support the government, and by what method
| can they be levied and collected as to bear most
Nightly upon the people, ana Mt the same time pro-
mote rather than retard national prosperity is tho
| fore you today
There al some things upon which all are in ae-
| argument or ampliht alon, They arc admitted
| FACTS. Among them are that the United States must
have sufficient money to meet its current expenses
ana maturing Obligations that the United States as
political society is without assets. without money,
aua mas no income, except what 1t secures 10y taxes
corrected IRON It's people. II must collect its money,
whatever may be its actual requirements either ~
| direct taxes or by duties upon imports There are
ie" people TO be found in the country " no serf-
otAly iavr the system of direct taxation Tor gov-
Ornamental expenses that is. taxing the people, theg
property. real aud PERSONAL their professions and
| emplOyments TIE American sentiment il practf-
cnly unanimous in favor of raising al least iarre
share OF the revenue for the government by leyyins
| duties upon foreign inn ortatlOns.
1t requires nearly So 20 001 900 every year to meet
the necessary wants oftbe public service, ana there
lsgeneIal assent to the uro osion that the bulk Of
this vast sum shall be raised from customs s1ugcos
| upto this point there Is substantial c, nurrence,
and believe honestly divide, and 10 these lines OF
| division, and the principles upon which they ra-
spoctively rest, Invite your respectful considera
Free traders, so-ealled. or to be more exact the
| ADVOCATES or A REVENUE TARIFF,
miss in import duties insist that dulles :" shah 10
levied upon that class of foreign products which are
not produced IN the United tites tie pfnclple he.
ing that revenue Is the sole and only object OF sch
! taxation aud that duty levied upon such foreign
products as have little or no home competition wiz
secure the largest revenue with the smallest ratio Of
| duty. And this Is altogether true for whenever
| you can find n foreign astcle which the people Of
| this country require and which of necessity they
must import, any duty, however low, indeed the
very mlnimuia, viii produce revenue; for mas.
a me as there eon,ons fr hone poduced
the homo market importa tons win 20 on un-
checked, and the revenue derived therclrom viii
pc only limited by the extent of the importatlons
influenced by the necessities of our people and their
capacity to buy. All illustration mmiliar TO all OF
you are the products Of tea and coffee. Neither OF
| these great staple articles are produced iii the
United States. The demands Of our people for tiiesa
/ side in iheland, are supplied from abroad Now,
any tax thereon, however slight aud insienifeant
would prodneea very eenSlaerahle revenue 70 the
understoa1 as "Regenae TariA,'
A REVENUE rARIFF
u however, the duty, Is levied upon the foreign
competing product, tits made 70 low, having rove
nue. only in view, that the effect Is to DESTROY home
competition aud increase the revenue therefrom by
Hon J. Randolph Tucker Of VIRGINIA an emf
nent lawyer and experienced statesman, in speech
delivered IN the house OF representatives May 10.
1873, defined revenue duty as follows:
Therefore, as no higher duty ought 10 be laid
Than needed 70 raise the requisite revenue ON any
on fpl Int it,a feitp
duty Is the lowest duty which wlll bring the re-
CURED revenue"
cept It. revenue tariff Is, therefore, such one
rs will produce the largest revenue from the lowest
duty. The lowest rate of duty will encourage inn
portations, diminish home production, aud inevita-
bly, increase the revenue IL VIII of necessity check
! composition at home and send our merchants
abroad TO buy affords no protection, not even in
cdental for tho very instant you discover that such
duty iavors the home producer that instant you
discover that mportationaand revenue are checked,
and That our own producers are able TO control
ne home MARKET or part Of J. Then
the duty brings II down to the true revenue stan
durd; for Il must not DO overlooked, according TO
that free trade MAXIM 'where protection begins
revenue ends, and the question OF revenue Is NE
ways controlling. revenue tariff is inconsistent
with protection; 1t Is intended for wholly differ
ent purpose. II loses It's force and character as o
genuine revenue tariff when it becomes to any exy
tent protective. II has but one object ltcan have
but one ciect-that of opening up our markets 70
the foreign roducer-impoyerisblng the home pro-
Queer and ennching his foreign RIVAL
sYsTEM IN ENGLAND.
England ismore nearly Tree trade country than
any other, and her system OF taxation furnishes an
unmstakable example of the practice and principle
Of a revenue tariff Her import duties arc imposed
almost exclusively upon G,ticles which cannot be
produced by her own people upon her own soil.
Tobacco, snuli, cigars chicory Cocoa curIanss figs,
raistnB rum, brandy, wiue tea and cOfee-thess
are the articles from which her customs revenue ia
derved-hrticles, In the main not produced in En-
land, but which mnst be supplied from abroad;
while practically al competing products OF for
eign make and production are admitted through
her custonihouses free Of duty.
brief statement of the dutlable imports Of Great
Britain will not be without interest.
II viii be observed thet her duties are more
largely imposed upon peculiarly American products
thnn iipon any others The duty mon tobocco III
according 10 moisture from "a 70 % cents per pound
for the raw or unmannfantured nrtlce and &c manu-.
Pictured u pays duty OF from si04 to SI16 per
pound The manufactured article Is made duliable
at 20 cents pound greater than the raw Product
which, With all Of highlands bOasted free trade, II
intended rs protection TO those engaged IN tho
manipulation Of tobacco. II Is almost prohibuvs
10 Americans who would export manufactured to-
bacco. The ad yaloIem equivalent OF the duty on
tobacco Is nearly 1900 per cent Cigars pay duty
A5,QoOOOo OF dulles arc collected am
nualy. The duty on tea is - cents n
pound. How would the American enjoy paying
such duty upon this article OF every day usel The
duty collected from this source Is over s8,00000
annually. Cynee pays a duty Of cents pound,
but II ground, prepared or III any way manulAc.
tured IL must pay duty Of 4 cents pound-an.
other example Of where England protects those ent
cents pound but II II Is in any form subjected 70
manufacture It pays 4 cents a pound-thc duty ON
the manufactured article being double that on the
raw material,
BESIDES tie articles have named, there are about
ninety or hundred Others, chiefly Of American
production, patented and other medicines, which
are dutiablc az 1873 per gallon. More than SOC co.,,
go, or nearly oncIourth OF the British revenues.
are missed from customs duties.
You Will note the character Of taxation 10 which
the revenue reformer invites the people OF the
United States Both
THE BREAKFAST TABLE AND THE SICK ROOM
are made 10 tear large part Of tile burden undee
the British system Of pXAliOn. IL Ii not without
significance that the nearer approach this sys-
TEN the more generous the bestownl OF British
mendaton. livery step we take in that direction,
every enlargement Of the free list OF competing for
eign products by q reduction OF duty upon such
products is hailed as ynlicatlon Of Golden and
bcnenccnce 10 British interests II is In vain for tho
British statcsman 70 assure us that their system 10
best for as. We are not accustomed TO LOOK 70 our
commercial rivals for dislnteTcsed fdvorR.
at Is fDly," Haid Washington In bis farewell
address, Sin one nation TO look for dlsintcrusted
fnyors from another that Il must pay with porliou
Of It's Independence, for Whatever ~ may accept
under that character. There can be greatet
error than TO expect or calculate upon real tavora
from nation 70 nation. II is an illusion which ct.
pcrlenco must cure aud which Just pride ought 10
discard" We are not insenEible 10 the good opinion
Of mankind and OF the EnglNh-sponklpg rnce, but
when II Ia 70 had only az tho expense Of our indus