The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1888-03-30

greatly ma!tSned man. that he has no idea
of taxing the consumer by placing a high
| duty on everything consumed-this he
does for the purpose of reducing prices to
the consumer-and that his anxiety for a
protective tariff is because it is the surest
and most direct way OF reducing the price
of his own wares for his neighbour s
! benefit. a plain man, unaccustOmed to
| the logic of protection, would naturally
suppose that the manufacturer could put
down the price of his own goods, if he
wished to do So without an enabling act;
| but it would seem not. If he could only
| lover his prices under the force of compe-
tition, it would appear at first blush that
the competition of foreigner would an
wer the purpose quite well as that of
;tn American. But again, it seems not.
| Domestic competition alone can enable the
| home manufacturer, with the aid of high
| tar II, to SO lower his prices as to prove a
| blessing to his neighbOr. Such being the
| effects, and therefore the object of protec
| i've tariffs its advocates resent with much
scorn the idea of there being any moral
wrong IN thus striving to benefit their
| neishbors But the wrong is apparent to
the cOmmonest understanding, and the
;,bsurdity of the defense Only serves to en-
| phasize It. 1t is bald and naked system
of using the taxing power of the govern
1nent for the uni ust purpose OF enabling
! one class to enrich itself at the expense of
another. 1t can no more be justified in
luorals than in economy; for it is happily
true that good morals and good economy
| !; gree we'll tOgeth her. Woe to our world If it
were not so. 1t is the true glory of freedom
that her institutions are based upon great
moral principles, recognizing all the es-
seutlal rights of man. In no other man
ner have these rights been so commonly
violated as in the matter of taxation. Law
and advancing civilization have long since
stopped the seizure Of mems property by
the strong hand. the mailed plunderers
Of the middle ages have all passed away,
and so have the grosser forms of monopoly
and class privilege. But the spirit which
animated them the fierce desire to get
riches by reaping where others have SOwn
still remains, and will remain until hu
man nature is changed. 1t is this which
still troubles our Israel 1t is the old foes
under new faces. 1t was the custom of
the wives of the old border robbers to serve
up covered dish with pair of spurs in
side for breakfast whenever the larder was
empty of beef. Upon this hint the hus
bands with their clansmen organized an
armed foray INTO the pastures OF the low
lands to drive of cattle. They had one
virtue in their lawlessness, however; they
suits of their conduct. They confessed
that they lived by thes. levi~s upon their
neighborS; they did not declare that it was
for the good of the cattle breeders. and
try to prove that they got II all back III
the "LONG RUN" They wanted beef. and
they went and took it. because they knew
no other way to get it. New England
would have shown them a more excellent
way. She could have shown them how to
get their neighbor's COWS by law, and
taught them to show how their transfer
from the pastures of their owners to the
larders of their captors was 40 robbery,
but a most admirable process Of political
economy, and a blessing IN disguise. That
it increased the quantity of beef, raised
the price of beef, and reduced the price of
beef all at the same time, while both rob
Der and robbed grew rich together. No
man goes out on the hIghwa to plu der
his neighbor now armed With pistols he
goes into a legislative lobby and arms
himself with a statute. In the name OF
patriotism and the working man he is
authorized by this statute TO collect taxes
from his neighbors. with which be can
buy beef to his stOmach's content. There
is no show of violence, no Outcry, nor hot
pursuit, nor unseemly lowing of over
driven kline; all is done decently and III
order. He has violated no law and fears
no punishment. On the contrary he poses
as the benefactor and best fiIend of the
plundered man instead of WrOngdoer.
And yet the process is robbery-bare rob
berry; meaner than that of the Riever. be
cause more cowardly; baser than that of
any other, because right and justice and
all the noble elements of law are prosttut
ed and degraded in the service of selfish
greed In all ages and among all peoples
taxes have been considered Il har>hip. and
the laying of them regarded with the ut
most jealousy. They are the tavorite and
peculiar implement of despotism the time
honOred and dishOnorei means whereby
an unscrupulous ruler contiscates the
property of the citizen under pretense of
public necessity. And yet no Bourbon,
Tudor or Plantagenet prince ever eXtOrted
a tax to support unjust wars or pamper
royal vanity more outrageously vlOlatlve
of private rights than the Congress of free
America now imposes on our people and
refuses to reduce. They at least had the
plea of public necessity to Justify their ex
| actions, whilst we are taxing our people
| thirty three per cent. beyond the public
needs in order to benefit private individ
uals The sum which we now collect over
| and above the public needs is greater
| almost double-than the entire yearly ex
| pendlture of the government for twenty
years just preceding the war. This takes
no account whatever of the sum estimat
ed to be three times greater than the whole
which goes into the public Golfers which
is paid in tariff du les into tn" pockets of
protected manufacturers! If the test of
peoples freedom be indeed their exemp
ton from unjust and unnecessary taxa
ton, fear we should fall very low.
Aside, then, from any question of policy
or economy, there is no kind of doubt in
my mind that so-called ''protective" tax
alton is wrong in morals as we'll as in law
That which is unjust, unequal and un-
necessary must inevitably be wrong.
L. B. VANCE.
| Their Business Booming.