The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-12-31
TARIFF DUTIES.
Some Comparisons Between American aud
British Rates.

oOulo comparisons DcbWueh AlleElcaH lhu
British Rates.
Mr.. W. F. switzler, Chief of the
National Bureau OF Statistics, did the
Golden Clubbers and Free Traders
much damage when few months ago
herompiled and published tables show
ing the percentage OF duties collected by
our government from tho earliest days
Of the Republic until 1888, the last
named year being partially estimated.
There are two tables, one extending
over the whole time above noted and
giving the per cent collected on the ag-
gregate OF both free and dutiabie goods
imported during ninety-seven years, and
the other ON only dutiable articles since
1921, sixty-eight years inclusive.
The reason why both tables do not
cover the same extent OF time is stated
by the statistiCian to be because in the
earliest yeers OF its existence the Gov
eminent kept records only OF the gross
imports and gross duties, which is evil
IDENTIFY the fairest If not the only true
basis upon which the per cent Of duties
can fairly be cast.
The estimate by Mr.. Switzler Of the per
cent OF such dnties on the aggregate of
imports for 1855 is 80 per cent, which
has been exceeded in no less than TWEEN
ty-seven years out OF the sixty.eight
years reported, one of them 1880 show
ing 1881, and another lS6l) showing
1910, or more than a half more than our
present rate.
(Since writing the foregoing the otli-
cial figures OF the year have been OBJ
tanned, giving the exact figure ut $50 9S
on the average 800 OF imports for 1888,
being very slightly below Mr.. SwitzleFs
estimate.)
Our Free Trade friends never tire of
saying that our tariff average is over AZ
per cent on our imports, and SO it I'M
doubtedly is when the entire free list is
ignored; but such quotations are Elusive
and tending to misconCeptiOn.
With as much propriety it may be
claimed that England's average import
duties are five hundred per cent on cost,
because she eXacts tariff charge OF ten
shillings (S2 50) on every gallon OF whis-
ky imported when the actual cost to the
British importer is less than fifty cents
at the port OF expectation in this coun-
try. The latter sentence may bother
the unsophistiCated reader who is not
posted in "the ways that are dark and
tricks that are vain," which characterize
our internal Tor INTERNALLY revenue sys-
TEN, but is explained by the fact that the
shipper OF whisky which costs him 81 20
per gallon is entitled to 70 cents per gal
lon rebate because OF such shipment,
which leaves his net cost, us stated, at
only 80 cents per gallon.
Free-Trade England collected at her
custom houses in the year ending March
81, 1887, import duties on only seventeen
articles 800, 1925, OF which $26, 736, 72O
were on wines and spirits, the duties us
above stated being Ut least 800 per cent,
and the still greater sum OF 1895, $3.50 on
tobacco and snuff, being at least 700 per
cent on the original cost.
And yet there are Americans who in
the face Of those officially proclaimed
facts eulogize England as Free Trade
country and denounce America as
crushed beneath an apocryphal high
| Tariff.