The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1888-09-01
TARlEE AND TAX.
False Statements of the Free Trade Papers
Refuted-Good Reading for Farmers.


False Statements of the Free Trade Papers
Refuted-Good Reading for Farmers.
The Chicago Inter Ocean. in reply to
a studied and able effort on the part OF
the New York Herald to persuade the
farmers of the Northwestern States that
they were taxed by the tariff for the
purpose of protecting home manufac-
lures: "There is no tax levied for pro-
tective purposes. Not a cent of the tax
for any such purpose. The Herald Jug
giles with the word tax as If it were the
equivalent of duty"
To this the Herald makes reioinder:
We have only 70 warn our Western I'M.
protected friends--the great mass of the
farmers, mechanics and laborcrs in the
great West, rs well as i'm other parts-not
to be deluded. A tariff duty is a tax. BY
levying 1t the government gets revenue.
In this there are two falsities: 1. "Our
Western unprotected friends" Now the
Inter Ocean insists that neither the Her.
aid nor any other existing entity has any
"Western unprotected friends" The
mgis of tariff covers the whole Nation;
it protects the farmer, the laborer, aud
the manufacturer.
2. Every source from which govern
ment 'gets revenue" is not necessarily
"a tax" He who contributes nothing
to any specific source of revenue can not
Justly be said to be taxed to swell that
source of revenue. 1t is of the essence
of taxation, as administered in all free
countries, at any rate, that all subjects
shall contribute to its volume in pro-
portion to the means of each; taxation
is universal as to adult male population.
though not bearing equally i'll degree
upon all adult males. Free traders
Ia -, V. tlanA a
vanced by Adam Smith, and 10 that
economist we are indebted for this
sound enunciation of an equitable prin-
ciple of taxation.
But il every source from which the
government gets its revenue were "a
tax" then licenses on stills, on sales OF
tobacco and whisky would be taxes-a
proposition too violent for consideration.
But, admitting it to be sound, for argu-
ment sake, in what way would those
who do not use whisky. tobacco. or the
products of stills be affected by what
the Herald is pleased to term ''taxes!'
Clearly not at all. Which brings the
whole discussion back to the original as
sertion of the Inter Ocean. that the
operation of the tariff is not that OF
a tax. 1t is just thrashing out old wheat
to restate the as vet unrefuted protec'
zionist doctrine: mo protective duty
was ever laid upon a single article, the
home manufacture of which grew to
large proportions under it, without the
price being cheapcned-the duty tnu:
operating rs n boon instead of n tax.
All this is plain enough. But the Her
aid and all other free traders tell The
farmer that though he does not pay duty
to the custom-house on his purchase o
home made goods, he does pay th'
amount of duty levied on the foreign
article to the American manufactures
who, as they say, adds the tariff impos
to the cost of his wares. This has beer
disproved time and again. The duty OF
imported cotton prints is cents pc
yard; but the price of American print
of equal Quality to English is often low
err than 5 cents per yard, and very seldom
more than one cent above 1t. move
which sells in England at from $50 t
800 is sold here at from SO to $50. Tina
violent free trader, Consul Schoenotl
wrote. as late as August H. 1856: -
far as clothing and dry goods in genera
are concerned, | find that cotton good
are fully as cheap in the United State
as here" He was writing from EnG
land. Then, after speaking OF the lowe
price of the finer and tailor-made article
of clothing in England, he continued
Ine ulIeIeHCe III the liISS VI A.aa
made goods is not SO great.
workmanship and finish | find CORE
spending articles superior in the Unite
States" The truth is that If the Amer
can farmer or workman would consei
to wear the same class of goods as II
English congener he could clothe hin
self as cheaply. But, fortunately. |
will do nothing of the kind; he doesn
have to: his income is larger and |
clothes himself better.
And now 4 word to ''our unprotecte
Western friends of the Herald. The
do not exist The Western farmer
protected upon every pound OF WOOL TN
he raises, on every ton OF hemp, bush
of wheat, corn, potatoes, rye, or on
that he sells; on every pound oi cnees
meat, and butter that he sells. 1t Is ii
policy advocated by the Herald tn
would establish class of ''unprotect'
Western friends" That first essa
toward free trade. the Mills bill, of whi'
the Herald approves. removes prote
ton from wool, hemp. meats. beeswa
and numerous products of the fari
The wool tariff has SO developed gre
farming industry that we now produ
80 per cent of all the wool that our ia
tories consume. or 90 per cent. II we e
clude the imports OF quality of We
which we have not yet tried to produ'
The farmer of the west Is at least as w
protected rs the manufacturer OF I
East.