Evening journal., 1888-07-12
THURSDAY, JULY IL, 1888.
.rHE RoBBER rARIFIE.n


The organs OF the free traders are
constantly ringing the changes upon
the costIiness of the protective tariff.
Their columns TEEN daily with false
and buncombe statements OF this sort
which are intended for the consump-
tion of the poor, dear workingman.'
According to these ofr-repeated aeser
tions we are the most heavily taxed
people ia the world and nothing shor
ofa revolution in our urcconomicai system
will save the people from bankruptcy
and starvation. In che iifsi
place let every person who has
the misfortune 60 read these ex
travagant Misrepresentation rempm
Der that the present economical system
OF the United States has prevailed
with slight notifications during the
last twenty-savsn years, or ever since
the beginning Of the late Civil war
which was inaugurated by the South
free traders and slave holders Of that
unhappy time. It will also help the
general reader in forming a patriotic
opinion on this subject to bear in
mind that. while the slave holders
were whipped out Of their heretical
notion, the free traders saved their
mistaken ideas and are responsible, with
the aid of few importers Of the north
ern cities, for almost all OF the costly
and unsettling agitation Of to day.
Is the American system of a protec
tive tariff excessively costIy9 Is 1t
costly even in comparison with the
other taxes which we are compelled to
psys Is it costly at all in visw Of the
benefits which we constantly derive
from the federal government A few
simple figures will answer these ques-
tions to the satisfaction of every an.
biased reader.
In 1887 the custom houses OF the
United States admitted free ot duty
$233, 900, 0O0 worth of imported goods,
and other goods to the value OF 1926,
600. 900. on which was collected 1914
222, $40 in duties. This was done on a
tariff OF less than fifty per centum on
the gross value Of the goods. Applr
emily then the 60 0OO,O70 inhabitants
who bought these goods paid tax Of
S2l4 229 $40; but as a fact they paid a
good deal less than that sum; the for
eign shipper paid large part Of it, for
it is obvious that hardly a single
article Of all the thousands importt
would have been sold at the price then
charged, minus the tariHlduty, in tbs
absence Of the protective system. Ex-
perience has proved this again and
again. Bus this ia a proposition which
cannot he demonstrated with arith-
metical exactness, and hence we will
forego the advantage which it gives
10 our argument.
or the $2i4, ,2e2, $40 collected in 1887
&35. CSC, 600 WAS obtained from wooler
goods which not one person in hun.
dred wears. Ii is worn only by those
who seek fashion rather than comfort
and is therefore, solely a luxury, Over
$62. $50, 900 more was collected from
silks, fancy cottons, laces, jewelry
cigars. kid gloves, imported spirits ant
wines. fancy china and glass, fancy ar
nets, furs, buttone, art works, watches
and in short all such things as are moi
used by the hard working American
Taking these two sums from the gross
amount leaves a little more than $l16,
900. 900 collected from necessariee, tho
bulk of which can and should b,
produced in this country and woul,
be produced here il the tariff wer,
high enough.
Here then we find that th
60000,00O Americans paid last yea
$4,000, 600 on necessaries as a tax to
the support OF the national govern
ment, which is less than 50 90 pei
each person. On an average eacl
family Of five persons paid about 50 OF
last year to this purpose. The sam,
average family, if il resided in thi
city. paid lsst year about 90 90 TO tn
State of Delaware; over $12 90 to tn
county Of New Castle. and $50 90 &
abe city Of Wilmington. In othe
words the national government cos
no more than one-twentieth of all th
taxes that the Wilmingtonian paid las
year.
But the tax paid the national govern
ment is almost twice what it would b
il the protectionists had control Q
Congress OF the tax paid on necei
saries $5s, ,0Oo. 900 or nearly one-half
levied on sugar and molasses whic
the protectionists would take off il th
free traders were not 80 anxious I
keep Louisiana in the Solid South.
It does not look as if the proteotiv
system robbed the workingmen {
Wilmington. Does its
The vacancy created in the fis