The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1888-08-30

for which we have any returns, were in value
$50 ss5 sSe. The tariff duties collected were
s212,Oa2 424. There were, therefore, in that sin
H gle year taxes levied on the United States by
the operation of this tariff law of S2l2,032 424
which went into the treasury of the United
States But that as have told you, was the
factures of the kind of commodities
amounted that year to IS, 369, SIS, 1871. That is,
in other words, to five thousand three hundred
and sixty-nine million dollars, and as
the price of these goods raised by the
tariff in nearly equal proportions to the price
OF the goods that were imported into the coun-
try, the amount which the people paid in these
nigh prices of what they had to buy and had to
use, amounted to about
One Thousand Millions of Dollars,
| Or to about five times as much as the tax re
| cefved by the government for the use of the
government. In other words, the whole coun-
try was taxed about ST. COCO O0O00O for the benefit
of a comparatively small portion of the country.
And that is said to be justice; that is said to be
fair play: that is said to be for the benefit of
! out? Why don't they. when they find in Port
Huron lawyer q think l may name them be-
cause am lawyer myseIf)-when they find
one the proceeds of whose profession don't
afford him and his family a comfortable sup
port-why don't they tax you all for his benefit
SO as to protect himl Or when they find a
doctor. whose income is not sufficient to sup
port him or his family, why don't they tax all
the people of Port Huron in order to add to the
wealth of that doctor? And so on with every
thing else. Why don't they do it? And yet,
they do tax man, or did tax him, and do yet
pretty highly, sometimes on the medicine he is
obliged to take. l remember one of the most
satisfactory votes that cast when in the senate
of the United States was to
Abolish the Tax on Quinine,
So that man with the fever and ague could
have his quinine without being robbed of his
means of subsistence. [Applause.]
know there are Few cases, but they are
importance to make it necessary for me to
speak of them to-day. in the limited time have
to speak, in which the duty on tariff tax is not
all paid by the consumer but they are so trifling
in amount and SO insignificant that it is not
necessary that should occupy your time with
them. The principle the general fact is that
this tax Here the speaker was interrupted
by the cheering and applause which followed
chief
Judge Thurman (continuing)-Well,g gentle
men, this is good, honest handkerchief; and
could have bought it good deal cheaper If it
hadn't been for the tariff tax. [Great laughter
and prolonged cheering.l
Now, there are men who say the consumer
don't pay the tax. 1 have said that that is a
most audacious assertion, and have tried to
show you that he must necessarily pay the tax.
But if they want authority upon that subject let
me refer to some men who have spoken upon it
and whose words will hardly be gainsaid. First
will go back to
John Quincy Adams,
And dare say that there are plenty of republ
cans and some abolitionists in the crowd who
have great veneraton for that mans memory.
knew him we'll; l served in the house of rep
resentatives with him, and know how intelli
gent he was, and know how frank and out
spoken he was. In the year 1892 he was chair
man of the house committee on manufactures,
and in report made by him in that year, he
said;
1.-THE doctrine that duties of import seem to
cheaper the price of the articles on which they
are levied seems to conhictwith the first dictates
of the price of the article in the market 1t is
substantially paid upon the article of domestic
manufacture, as well as upon that of foreign
IN nI1a IG hOrrN rNtr-n ft.l
other a burden, and the repeal of the tax must
operate as an equivalent reduction of the price
of the article, whether foreign or domestic.
We say SO long the Importation continues
the duty must be paid by the purchaser of the
article. The general and permanent eff
feet must be to increase the price of the
article to the extent of additional duty
and it is then paid by the consumer. If it were
not so, if the general effect of adding to the
duty was to reduce the price of the article upon
which it is levied, the converse of the PROPOSE
ton would also be true and the operation for
increasing the price of the domestic article
would be to repeal the duty on the same article
imported, an experiment which the friends of
our internal industry will not be desrous of
making. We cannot subscribe, therefore, to
the doctrine that the duties of imports, protec-
tive of our own manufacturers. are paid by the
foreign merchant or manufacturer"
But John Quincy Adams knew better, and
he was too honest man to make such false
Well. what said President Arthur? He was
good republican. In his annual message to
81 recommend an enlargement of the free list
(that is, of goods that pay no duty) SO as to in
clude within it the numerous articles which
yield an inconsiderable revenue, a simpliica-
ton of the complex and inconsistent schedule
of duties upon certain manufactures, particu-
larly those OF cotton, iron and steel, and a sub
stantial reduction of the duties upon those
articles and upon sugar. molasses, wool and
wooden goods
Well that is precisely what the democrats are
striving to do. That is precisely what the Mills
bill as it is called attempts TO do: and vet these
gentlemen who are bowling around about the
nj in fAn fhEl
democrats are bringing on the country tell you
that this thing which President Arthur recon-
mended only so lately, is nothing in the world
but free trade. They are more afraid of free
trade than they are of Tattlesnakes. Laughter
and applause They are terribly alarmed lest
they should be bitten by free trade. Renewed
laughter and cheerfngl Well. now. far from
this being free trade the most striking thing
about the Mills bill is that il is the most
Moderate Reduction OF Tariff Duties
that has ever sheen attempted in this country
The average duty levied under the present tar
iff was ~ per cent, and under the Mills bill the
average duty would be only 40 per cent re-
duction of only seven per cent. upon all COM
modities taken together. Of course there
some things upon which the duty was reduced
more. For instance the duty is taken off
number of articles called raw material, which
are used by manufacturers in their
work, in the fabrication of their pro
ducts. And as they receive this great benefit
of having their raw materials free, with
comparatively small duty, the bill wisely pro
vides that the articles manufactured by them
when brought into the country shall pay a lower
rate of duty than they did before. But that is
nothing more than a compensation for taking
off the duty from the raw material.
President Garfield
Said in the house of representatives on March
10, 1871 Il was surprised at remark of the dis
tinguished gentleman from Michigan Il do not
know who that distinguished gentleman was
but he was Michigander)- He asserted that
there is no item in the whole tariff that can
stand alone on its merits, but that all must be
taken in a lump in order to stand. That coal
must take salt by the hand, and theT two must
take something else by the hand; and thus all
interests unite with all forces before they can
make stand before the country If this re-
mark be true it strikes blow at the whole tariff
syStem-a blow am not willing to strike. am
unwilling to admit that bad taxes must be tied
to good ones and thus be kept atloat. think it
is unwise to continue this duty on coal, and
am therefore in favor of its repeal -
The Michigander came from lumber cOun-
try, expect, and he was in favor of log rolling
llaughterl: log rolling on the largest kind of
scale. That the man who wanted protection on
one article should log roll with the man who
wanted protection on another, and thus by all
combining together and making one grand syn
dcate pool, force their measure through the
congress of the United States But James a:
strikes
Blow at the Whole Tariff System
And a blow I am not willing to strike. am un-
willing to admit that bad taxes must be tied to
good ones and thus be kept afioat"
Now, my friends, there is another thing to
which wish to call your attention. They say
all at once Il say all at once for it is very late
doctrine) these advocates of protection are all
at once seized with wonderful solcitude for the
laboring man of the coutry, and they want
high protective tariff. not to benefit the capital
ist; not to benefit the monopolist; not 10 benefit
the manufacturer, according to their statement
but to benefit the laboring man. He is the man
they seek to protect. And how are they going
to protect him? Why. they say that high pro-
tective tariff will better his condition, give him
more wages higher wages l would like to
know how that can be. l would like to know
how taxing laboring man on everything from
the crown of his head to the sole of his feet is
going to enrich him. Laughter and applause
Yet this is exactly what this turiff tax does 1t
taxes him on the hat that he wears; OH that
cap that put my head to keep it warm. APP
plause and laughter.l 1t takes him on his
shirt. on his nccktie, on his undercloths, on his
coat, on his vest, on his bTeeches. on his stock
ings and on his boots; on everything. Renewed
cheering 1t raises the price and taxes him
until the poor man can hardly make enough
money, even if he gets few cents more wages
in the day: it takes him until he can hardly