The Brookhaven leader., 1888-11-01
THE TARIFF.
How It First got its Name aud
Fame from Pirate Chieftain.

More than 200 years ago there
lived in north Africa and southern
Spain war-lke Moorish chieftain
name Taric or TariCk or Tariff, as the
name,is variously spelled. 1t is from
this half savage chiefs name that we
get the modern idea of "tariti," which
is just now troubling this country so
much.
Tarck gave his name to the town of
TaIiita and also to the cliff of Gibral-
tar. "Gibraltarr is II corruption of
"Gebal-Tarick" or the Hill of TariCk.
These places were in reality the first
customhouses, where the first tariff
was collected.
We regret to say that Tariff was
pirate. The free traders declare that
the system to which he gave his name
is still nothing but legalIzed modern
lied piracy, but that we need not dis
cusS vet.
This was Tarick's little scheme: He
cruised about Just inside the straits of
Gibraltar, "laying for the merchant
ships that had to pass through that
narrow channel, and ready to pouncs
upon them whenever they came i'll
sight.
At first, after stripping every cap
tured vessel of its valuables, Tarick
made the crew walk the plank, and
then burned or scuttled the vessel
like any other pirate.
But soon he found that this not did
pay.
1t was putting a prohibitOry tariff
on the commerce through the strait,
and his revenues fell off to almost
nothing. He was killing the goose
that laid the golden egg.
But Tarik was man of originality
and resource. lie saw that he had
overdone the matter, and resolved
not to destroy entirely such merchant
ships as might thereafter come that
way.
After that, whenever II merchant
ship ventured through the strait,
Talik and his pirates, after capturing
the vessel, said to the captain, in sub
stance, ''you may go in peace, provid-
ed You give us half of all the goods
YOU have on board or its value in
money"
The merchants were glad to get off
so easily and readily gave the pirates
half. In the course of time the sur
render of half the cargo Tor the mon
ey equivalent of halfthe cargo,) came
to be looked upon rs Il regular tax,
and merchants made their calculations
accordingly. OF course they had to
buy their goods cheaper and sell them
dearer to make up the 80 per cent.
that Tarik sliced for his share. 1t
came to be called the Tarik or Tariff
tax and this is the origin of the word
tariff" For the Governments now
! take the place of the pirate chief and
custom houses take the place of the
strait of Gibraltar; only instead of
Selling the 80 per cent, of all that
comes in the average in the United
| States is now only II per cent, and the
! Mills bill would reduce this to 40 per
cent.
Tariff, then, means in common use,
that share of imported goods Tor its
equivalent in money! which the gov
eminent siezes for its own.
Originally this seizure was an act of
mere piracy. In our time it is justified
| by two schools of thinkers each on a
different ground. Boston Globe.
Col. Annanias }. Frantzy is so adj
dicted to commencing Dear BOb's
every act, whether right or wrong,
| that if some wag should telephone
him across the Pearl that the Cover
nor had stolen the State Capitol and
abscOnded in the night to Gambia, he
would at once proceed to write a long
and windy editorial showing how wise
and consderate it was that His Ex-
cellency did not also steal the earth on
| which if rested fins LEAVING n bic