Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1888-01-28
men to the hard, sharp, aud grinding com
petition Of the capital and labor of the

men to the hard, sharp, and grinding com
petition Of the capital and labor OF the
world.
Proceeding to details, Mr. Sherman said
that during the fiscal year ending June 30,
1887, the total value of foreign importations
was 1888 ,000, 600, 1898, 600, 600 OF that
amount being free of duty, so that, as TO
over third of all articles of foreign pro-
duction consumed in this country, there
was absolute free trade. They were mainly
such articles as, by reason of climate, could
not be produced here, and did not come
into competition with domestic industry.
With that kind OF free trade he was In
hearty sympathy. He would extend 1t
to every article of common use, the growth
or production Of which in the United
States was not profitable. 1t was exactly
the opposite policy that was proposed by
the President and by the school to which
the President belonged. They sought to
place taxes ulon articles now free, such as
tea and coffee, In order that greater re-
duction might be made on articles that did
c me into competition with home industry.
After deducting the free list the value of
imported goods last year was $3.50, 100000
on which duties were levied. Should there
be uniform rate of duty on these goodss
No, but there should be
CAREFUL DISCRIMINATION
and classification of rates, depending upon
the nature and quality of the goods, upon
who were to be the consumers, and upon
the effect which the rates proposed would
have upon domestic industry. Therefore.
articles of voluntary use, OF luxury, orna-
ment or appetite not In common use
among the people, and which are purchased
almost exclusively by the wealthy, should
bear higher rate of taxation-the highest
rate collectible without excluding them or
inducing smuggling. This was founded
upon the admitted maxim of political
economy that taxes should be assessed
upon those best able to pay. This applied
to wines, liquors, and cigars (supposed to
be superior in flavor to the domestic arti-
cles), and to silks, satins, broadcloths, in
Vulnerable articles Of dress ornament, to
porcelain, statuary, painting, glassware,
and the like. As to all these articles the
price was a matter of Indifference to the
consumer. and the rate of duty was very
much like the price fixed by the manufac-
turer; that is, as much as could be got.
This was the policy of the present tariff,
and it had operated even better than had
been hoped. The value of such articles
imported was not less than $l20, 600, 600. and
the duties collected on them not less thar
tOU,UUU,UUU. utdily Ouo-buftu III tuO HuOIC
amount collected.
1t certainly could not be said of these
duties that they ssimposed burden upon
those who consumed domestic products as
well as upon those who consumed imported
articles (using the Presidents 1anguage1.
On the contrary, these duties had imposed
the chief burdens of taxation uDon articles
of voluntary luxury and had still melted
American artists and mechanics to compete
in those branches of industry with the
skilled artisans of Europe and Asia. In
this way
REMARKABLE PROGRESS HAD BEEN MADE
In those expensive productions, and porce-
lain, table ware, ornaments, clothing, deco
rated and enameled furniture, and multi
tude of other articles of taste and luxury
1.-THE work of American mechanics) had
been brought within the means of great
masses of the American people To reduce
the duties ON these foreign luxuries would
be to transmit the burden of taxation from
those who now bear it willingly to the
shoulders of the people.
Another class of duties was on articles OF
food and on animals OF these the value
imported last fiscal year was SIP 600, 900,
and the duty paid on them SOS, 900, 600 OF
this sum the sugar, rice, and fruit imported
were valued at SOL ,000,0 900. and paid duty
of 1858 000, 000-or more than nine tenths
of all the taxes levied on food and animals.
These were articles that entered into the
consumption of every family In the United
States. If the object were to reduce surplus
revenue, what better mode, he asked, could
be suggested than to repeal one half of the
duty on sugar, and thus directly relieve the
people from SIS, $50, 600 of taxes on an
article In most general use and now bearing
tax of 81 per cent? No such suggestion
was made by the President or the Secretary
of the Treasury; and he (Mr. Shermanl did
not care to explore the reasons for their
silence. He believed In
PROTECTING ALL HOME INDUSTRIES,
without respect to section or to the
place or manner of Observation-Disclosures
on the farm or in the workshop; but,
II protection was not the object of the
law, and If surplus revenue was the great
evil to be dealt with, why not give relief to
the people by reduction of the tax on
sugar? The effort to produce sugar in the
United States in quantities at all approach
ing the demand had failed, though protected
by the highest tariff rates, still, in view of
the hopeful prospects OF producing sugar
from beets and sorghum cane, as well as
from sugar cane, he would not cripple that
indus ny by reducing protective duties, ex-
sugar bounty equal to the reduction of
duty on the imported article. But it was
not of the duties on food that the Presi-
dent complained as "vicious. inequitable,
and Illogical source of taxation.n The du-
ties of which he complained were those for
the benefit of manufacturers, and he urged
especially "a radical reduction of tne duties
Imposed upon raw materials, used Ia man.
ufactures, or their free Importation"
The great body of crude articles imported,
which entered into the processes of domes-
tic industry to the value of 100000, 900,
were now free of duty. Every imported
article of that class was SO, unless it com.
peted directly with the development of
American resources. Duties averaging 80
per cent were now levied upon such i'm
ported articles, valued at 1853, 100000, and
which Welded a revenue of $500 ,000
The chief Of them were agricultural pro-
ducts-wool, fax, hemp, and other textile
grasses; hops, bristles, and seeds-valued at
s35, 000,0 GOO, and yielding a revenue of Sl0-
0O0,000, or less than 80 per cent. The re-
mainder was chiefly metals, in ore or pigs,
coal and marble. OF value of 81, 800, 900,
and yielding $9,250,0 900. These imports
came into direct competition with the pro-
auctions OF nearly two million American
farmers and of hundreds of thousands of
laboring men. This moderate protection,
given to the labor and capital employed
In mining and agricultural industries,
was
THE FAvoRITE POINT OF ASSAULT
by the President and all free traders upon the
protective policy. 1t was the citadel OF the
system. The whole depended upon the
principle that it was wise to give, by tariff
laws, to all forms of American labor the
degree of protection or advantage which
the imposition OF duties on similar foreign
productions necessarily gave. That had
been the rule since the beginning of the gov
eminent, and had been recommended by
every President from Washington to Polk.
The same rule has been applied for the