Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1888-08-30
BENEFITS OF PROTECTION.

/
| Congressman Mckinley, of Ohio, Exposes
| the Great Evils of Free Trade Before
the Georgia Chautauqua Assembly
| why the Protective Policy Under Which
| the Country Has Prospered Should Be
| Continued.
AUGUSTA, Ga, Aug. @.-The event yes
terday at the Georgia Chautauqua was a
speech by Representative Mckinley, who
had come from Washington to, address the
people on the advantages of the protective
| policy. Among the large audience were
some of the leading citizens of Georgia
Major Mckinley was introduced py Judge
Howard Van Epps and was warmly re-
| ceived.
! Major Mckinley, having thanked the So
| ciety for the courtesy of its invitation,
said that he had come to ad dress them upon
a public question of great National import,
which concerns not o. y Ie prosperity of
| one section, but of all SECTIONS of our COM
mon country. and which is of commanding
| interest to our sixty millions of people.
| The different theories of taxation have an
| interest now which they have never pos
| sessed before. Public thought is awakened
and the citizen is investigating for him
| self Frank discussion and thoughtful
|
theories are therefore demanded in the
present state of the public mind, as
well as the condition of our National
! Treasury There are some things upon
which all are in accord, and which are so
manifest as to require no argument or
amplifcation. They are admitted facts.
| Among them are that the United States
has no income, except what it secures by
taxes collected from its people. 1t must
collect its money, whatever may be its
| actual requirements, either by direct taxes
or by duties upon imports. The American
sentiment is practically unanimous in favor
| of raising at least a large share of the rev.
enue for the Government by levying duties
| upon foreign importatons.
| Free traders, so-called, or to be more ex-
| act, the advocates of a revenue tariff, be-
! lieving with the other school of political
| economists in import duties, insist that
duties shall be levied upon that class of
| fore On products which are not produced in
the United States, the principle being that
revenue is the sole and only object of such
taxation, and that duty levied upon such
| foreign products as have little or no home
competition will secure the largest revenue
with the smallest rate of duty.
| An illustration familiar to all of you are
the products of tea and coffee.
If, however, the duty IS levied upon the
foreign competing product, it is made so
low, having revenue only in view, that the
effect is to destroy home competition and
increase the revenue therefrom by increas-
ing importation. Hon. j. Randolph Tucker,
of Virginia, an eminent lawyer and ex-
perienced statesman, in a speech delivered
in the House of Representatives May Is,
Aafp fv
Therefore, as no higher duty to be laid
than is needed to raise the requisite rev.
enue on any particular article, it follows
that the true revenue duty is the lowest
duty which will bring the required rev.
enue"
This definition is fair and frank one,
and 1 accept it. A revenue tariff is, there
fore, such one as will produce the largest
revenue from the lowest duty. The low
est rate of duty will encourage importa-
tons, diminish home production, and in
evitably increase the revenue; it will of
necessity check competition at home and
send our merchants abroad to buy; it af-
fords no protection, not even incidental.
A revenue tariff is inconsistent with pro-
lection; it is intended for a wholly differ
ent purpose. 1t loses its force and charac-
ter as genuine revenue tariff when it be-
comes to any extent protective. 1t has
but one object. 1t can have but one effect
that of opening up our markets to the
foreign producer, impoverishing the home
producer and enrichlng his foreign rival
England is more nearly free-trade coun-
try than any other. and her system of tax
alton furnishes an unmistakable example
Of the practice and principle of q revenue
tariff. Her import duties are imposed al
ralt RI nIo xUh oh
not be produced by her own people upon
herlown soil, while practically all competing
products of foreign make and production
are admitted through her custom houses
free of duty
1t will be observed that her duties are
more largely imposed upon peculiarly
American products than upon any others.
The duty upon tobacco is, according to
moisture, from 81 to 81 cents per pound for
THE raw or manufactured article. The
manufactured article is made dutiable at
% cents pound greater than the raw
product, which, with all of England's
boosted free trade, is intended as a protec-
ton to those engaged in the manipulation
of tobacco. 1t is almost prohibitive to
Americans who would export manufact-
ured tobacco.
Another example of this protection is
found in coffee and cocoa.
More than $4,000, 00o or nearly one
fourth of the British revenues, are raised
from customs duties. You will note the
character of taxation to which the revenue
invites the people of the United States.
Both the breakfast table and the sick
room are made to bear large part of the
burden under the British system of taxa
ton. It is not without significance that
the nearer we approach this system, the
more generous the bestowal of British
commentator. It is in vain for the British
statesman to assure Us that their system
is best for us. at is folly" said Wash
ington in his farewell address, "in one
nation to look for disinterested favors
from another; that it must pay, with por-
ton of its Independence, for whatever it
may accept under that character. There
can be no greater error than to expect or
calculate upon real favors from nation to
nation. 1t is an illusion which experience
must cure and which just pride ought to
iscard."
The other theory of taxation, and the
one which believe to be essential to
American development and National pros
perity, is based upon an exactly opposite
principle. 1t permits all articles of for
eign production, whether of the field, the
factory, or the nine, except luxuries only,
which we can not produce in the United
States, to enter our ports free and unbur-
dened by custom-house exactions. The
duty is to be imposed upon the foreign
competing product, that is, the product
which, If brought into this country, would
contend with the products OF our own soil,
our own labor and our own factories, in
our own markets.