Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-08-23
TALKS ON THE TARIFF.
If Looked at in This Way. no
LOng'WOuld Protection Last?

If Looked at in This Way. How
Long.Would Protection Last?
If the American people could only be
made to see and realize what they pay
every year, without knowing it, for this
precious system of protection to monopo-
lists, they would rise in anger and might
to wipe every trace Of it out of the
country. The tariff taxation does its
work SO insidiously and indirectly that
we don't know how we are being injured
until we stop and look into it. 1t is bad
enough to find that the people for whom
high protective taxes are imposed are but
five out of every hundred of the ma
tions workers; it's bad enough to know
that the other 95 in every hundred don't
claim or don't get any benefit from the
system that is imposed for the alleged
benefit of American laborer generally f;
it's bad enough to know that the cost of
living is increased and the market for
our labor decreased by this system,
that doesn't even benefit the people who
are supposed to he benefited by it; but if
we could all be made to see the practical
dollars and cents aspect to the matter,
there would hardly be two sides to the
Presidential election of November
next.
This is the way common sense citi-
zen whose name is Grover Cleveland ex-
pressed it in historic message to the
peoples lawmakers:
So it happens that while comparatively
a few use the imported articles, millions
of our people. who never use and never
saw any of the foreign products, purchase
and use things of the same kind made in
this country, and pay, therefore, nearly
. or quite the same enhanced price which
the duty adds to the imported articles.
Those who buy imports pay the duty
charged thereon into the public treasury
but the great majority of our citizens
who buy domestic articles of the same
class pay sum at least approximately
equal to this duty to the home manufact.
urer. This reference to the operation o
our tariff is not made by way of instruc
ton, but in order that we may be con
stantly reminded of the manner in which
they impose a burden upon those who
consume domestic products as we'll al
those who consume imported articles
and thus create tax upon all our peo
pie.
While the duty on imports of foreign
goods collected at the custom houses and
at last paid by the American consumer
will amount to about 1920, 100000 this
year the indirect taxes paid by reason OF
the increased cost added to domestic ar.
ticles by the tariff has been roughly esti.
mated at at least $500 O00, 900 a yea,
more. This means that every family in
the land, supposing there are five
persons to family, must pay tax OF
over $65 year on account Of the tariff.
Now, if we could all he made to lool
at it in that way, how long would the
high protectionist idea last? 1t is be-
cause this outrageous burden is put on in
q way that conceals its real nature and
operation from us that we are slow to ap
preciate its weight. If it was direct
tax it would last just long enough for the
people to see their power at the polls, az
the supreme Lawmakers, and wipe it of
the statute book.
For instance: Judging from the las
election there would be about millior
and half votes cast in this State fol