The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1888-09-01

/ uhu eahc Oub Nlbt yOu uuu tuGTt-tlHuRU-
| terl-and that without any Just reason
whatsoever for doing sol Amt that a
singular way to make anybody RIGHT And
| yet that Is precisely the plan that those
| folks advocate when thcy tell us that the
country is to be made wealthy by means of
high taxation. Again, they have the au-
dacity to say that this tariff tax is not paid
by the consumers Of the articles which are
taxed. Why, IL the consumers Of taxed
articles do not pay for the tax, would
like to know who doesl A voice: $50
would l." and chccrs.1 Do those protec-
tion orators pay III Do the manufacturers
pay itl Who pays it, IL the people who
consume the articles thet are taxed don't,
Can any man answer that question to the
satisfaction Hero Judge Thurman was
interrupted by the presentation of note.
He looked at 1t moment and said: 1
am afraid there arc somo high protection
lists in this audience, for q lady sends
me this note to read to YOU
A lady has just had her pocket
picked. She thinks it is high tariff
Laughter.J WE'LL hope the high tariff
man who has taken that ludy's money will
be caught and made to refund before he
leaves Port Huron. Laughter and ap-
plause.l Now, my friends, If you will re-
fleet for moment you will see that it is
necessarily the case that tariff taxes are
paid by the consumer of tho articles which
are taxed, and all domestic articles Of a
like kind which are manufactured in the
United States. 1t is q curious fact, and one
of the worst things about this tariff tax, that
while the Government gets 81 resulting
from the tax, domestic manufacturers get
IS, as it is best estimated, that never goes
into tho Treasury at all. How does this
happena man called an importer brings
goods into the United States to be sold.
He can not sell yard or a pound until he
pays this tariff tax He pays it, therefore,
and then sells 1t to the merchant. OF
course he must get this tax back in the
price for which he sells or he would lose
money. His business would break up at
once Therefore, he puts tho tax on the
original cost of goods, and with that price
added with the cost of transportation and
his reasonable commercial profit he sells
the goods to the merchant. The merchant
sells tothe retail merchant, and, Of course,
this tax which entered into the price con-
tinues in the price and to it is added the
profits of the merchant. Then the retail
merchant sells to you and of course he
must get in this price, for otherwise
he would sell for less than he gave
for the goods, and no man would con-
sent to do that. Therefore, the tax is on
when the cloth, for instance, is sold to you
and in the price you pay this retail mer-
chant you also pay tho whole Of the tariff
tax, the Importers profits the wholesale
merchants profits, and the retail mer-
chants profits, besides the interest on
their money. 1t is as plain as that two
and two make four. If I.was school
master and boy of ten years could not
understand that after ten minutes toach-
ing would give him up as o hopeless
idiot [Laughter.l That is the fact in re-
spect to this branch of subject. Now, how
much do you payl The amount of duti-
able goods imported into the United States
in 1887 was in value $3.50. 600, 600 in round
numbers. The duties collected on these
goods-the tariff tax-was S212, 2,O0U, 900 and
fraction. Therefore, in that single year
tax was levied on the people of the
United States by the operation of this tariff
law of S212, ,000,000 and a fraction, which
went into the Federal Treasury. But that,
as have told you, was tho least of the
burden. The domestic manufactures Of
the same kind of commodities amounted
that year to s., 1850, 100000, and as the price
OF those goods was raised by the tariff in
nearly or equal proportions to the price Of
goods that were imported, the amount
which the people paid by reason of these
high prices of what they had to buy or had
to use amounted to S1,000,000, 0O0 That
1s about five times as much as the tax re-
ceived by the Government for the uses of
the Government. In other words, the
whole community was taxed about 81, ,OOO,-
600, 900 for the benefit of comparatively
small portion of the community And that
Is said to be just; that is said to be fair
play; that is said to be for the benefit Of
the American people, Why don't they
carry it out further2 When they find in
Port Huron a lawyer-I speak kindly Of a
lawyer because am lawyer myself-the
proceeds of whose profession do not afford
him and his family comfortable support,
why don't they tax you all for his benefit
SO as to protect him. Whom they find "a
doctor whose income is not sufficient for
himself and family. why don't they tax all
the people of Port Huron in order to add
to tho wealth of that doctor' And so on
with every body else. Why don't they do
the people would not stand it. And yet
they do tax man, or did tax him, and do
yet, pretty highly, sometimes on the medi-
cine he is obliged to take.
THE BANDANA IN SIGHT.
remember that one of the most satisfac-
tory votes 1 ever cast in tho Senate of the
nine, so that man with the fever and ague
might have his medicine free. [Cheers.
know there are few cases, and they are
very few and exceptional, and not Of suf-
icient Importance to make it necessary
for mo to speak Of them to-day in the lim-
tied time have to speak, in which the
duty or tariff tax is not all paid by the con
sumer. They are so trifing in amount and
so insignificant that it Is not necessary
that l should occupy your time with them.
The principle, the general fact Here
tumultuous cheer caused Judge Thurman
to cease speaking, the crtwd having caught
sight Of bandana which the speaker was
lifting to his nose. Mr.. Thurman looked
amazed for moment, but on discovering
the cause Of uproar, saidI: Well, gontle-
men, it is good, honest handkerchief and
could have bought it good deal cheaper
II 1t had not been for the tariff. Laugh
ter. AS have stated, there are men who
say that consumer docs not pay tax. l
have said that is most audacious asser-
tion. have tried to show you that the
consumer must necessarily pay the tax.
But II you want authority on that sub
ject let me refer to some mon who have
spoken on the question and whose words
can scarcely be gainsaid. First, will 20
back to John Quincy Adams, and dare
say there are plenty Of Republicans and
sane Abolitionists in this crowd who have
great admiration for that man's memory.
knew him weli. Iserved in the House Of
Representatives with him. l know how
intelligent he was. know how frank and
outspolSen he was. In the year 1881 he was
Chairman Of the House Committee on
Manufactures, and in report made BY
him In that year he said: "The doctrine
that duty on imports serves to cheaper the