Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1888-09-28

or with the natural capacity of our people
for turning these natural advantages to
the best account.
go. Has the tariff been influential in
restricting the rise in the value of land in
the United States?
"a. 1t has, by increasing the cost of
all tools and machinery, and by restrict
ing the markets for the products of our
land by interfering with free exchanges.
go. What striking example can be
given in proof of the former of these as
sertions?
"a. The railroad system of the United
States as it stands today (1ss4), at a NOM
inal cost of over $1,000, 000, 900, is calcu-
lated to have fairly cost So, 200, OOO, 900;
of this cost fully one-fifth, or over one
thousand millions of dollars, probably
represents the result of tariff taxation
for special interests.
80. Has the value of farm lands in
the United States increased uninterrupt-
eddy, irrespective of any tariff policy on
the part of the government?
"a. All the evidence shows that the
value of farm lands has increased more
rapidly in the United States when the ar
tificial restrictions on trade and markets
were reduced through low tariffs to a
minimum. For example: the value CT
farms in the State of Illinois, as returned
by reports of the census, have been as
follows for different periods:
1850. ............... ................. 4OS ,9l4 ,O33
lSIO..... rI34,634,lS6
"From this it seems that from 1850 to
1860, without the aid of a high tariff, the
value of Illinois farms increased no less
than 325 per cent; from 1860 to 1870, dur
ing most of which a high tariff was en-
joyed, the increase was so per cent, and
from 1870 to 1880, when that blessing was
farm values was only 80 per cent.
so. Do these Illinois figures hold
good for all the United States?
"a. They do. Thus the value of the
farm property of the whole country:
From 1850 to 1860 increased 1903 per cent
" 1850 to 1870 " IL
d" 1870 to 1850 " 81
SIN short, the actual amount of the in
crease in the ten years from 1850 to 1866
was 1888, 100000 while in the twenty
years of the high tariff, from 1860 to 1880
it has been but S3,542, 000, 900. If the
census figures are worth anything, it ha;
taken twice as long for a farm in the
United States to double in value under {
high tariff that it has under a low one.
20. Accepting Mr.. Blaine's estimate
of the aggregate wealth of the country
in 1880, how much was that per head o
our people?
"a. $3.50; or emitting the value o
land, the value of the actual wealth o
the United States created by the hand o
man during the whole period of its his
tory would not have been more in 1SS'
than from S400 to $500 for each person
and poor indeed we must be, if with al
our resources, we have not saved as mucl
as this.
80. Are the figures (S44,000, DOC, 900
which Mr.. Blaine uses to represent thu
present aggregate wealth of the country
true evidences of the national welfare?
"A. Not in themselves: and for tn
reason that the welfare of the people con
sists in abundant production, couple,
with equitable distribution and the light
est taxation. The wealth of Fifth aver
ne does not necessarily diminish the pov
erty of the Five Points :" and the wealth
of the owners of the iron mines and stee
works of Pennsylvania, which has beef
put into their hands by means of an OBJ
structive duty on the imports of iron anC
steel, represents only a heavy tax, whicl
the people of the United States have beef
compelled to pay, but which neither tn
treasury nor the iron-workers have re
ceived.
SAVINGS AND TAXES.
20. If the increase of national wealth
from 1860 to 1880 was $50, 000, 00O, 900
how much was that per annum?
"a. 1900, OOO, 200.
80. Our average population for tina
period was forty millions. If we divid,
Mr.. Blaine's estimate of our annual say
ings, which includes the rise in the valu'
of land during the whole period, by fort,
millions, what is 1914 per annum?
"a. The average share of each person
total possible savings, growing out of thi
apparently large annual increase o
national wealth.
20. With this small amount of annua
average savings, what has the protectiv
policy done IN the way of taxing tn
people, under the pretense of protecting
their industry?
"a. 1t has taxed every man, woma
and child somewhere from $40 to S15 pc
head each and every year of this twenty, o.
which about So has gone into the natio
nal treasury, while the rest has gone in
to the pockets of the protected owners o