Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1888-10-20
PROTECTION.
As Espounded and Defended, at the
Georgia Chautauqua,
BY WILLIAM M'kINLEY, JR., OF OHIO.


A Verbatim Report of the Best Tariff
Specth or the Cap,paign-Facts That Can
Not he Denied and Arguments That APP
peal to All Candid Men-The South Gets
Protscfionist Speech Worthy of Henry
Clay or Alexander II. Stephens.
FELLOW CITIZENS: I make my acknowledgements
to the ledi ont society for the courtesy and cor
diality Of invitation. which has given me the
opportunity to meet for the first time an assem-
bltec Ct the citizens of Georgia.
h Nc ca ne upon the suggestion Of the COM
mittts s'iis!aresS you upon q public question of
greer y! lisl import. which concerns not only
the prs -sfts of one section, but of all sections
OF OIL e',istinon country, and which is of COM
no new subject propose to consider II is as old
as governments by men. Taxation, with few ex-
septions, has been the chief and absorbing issue
Tor more than century of the republic.
AMERICAN MAxIMs OF TAXATION.
The government was scarcely launched before
Its discussion commanded the best thought Of the
statesmen uf the time and in varying degrees it
has been prominently before the public ever since
The different theories Of taxation have an interest
now which they have never possessed before.
Public thought is awakened and the citizen is in
vestigating for himself. Frank discussion and
thoughtful consideration of the two conflicting
theories are therefore demanded in the present
state of the public mind as well as the condition
of our national treasury How are taxes to be
raised to support the government and by what
method can they be levied and collected as to
bear most lightly upon the people, and at the
same time promote rather than retard national
prosperity, is the scope of the theme which pro-
pose to discuss before you to-day.
There are some things upon which all are in &C.
cord, and which are SO manifest as to require no
argun ent or amplifcation. They are admitted
facts. Among them are that the United States
must have sufficient money to meet its current
expenses and maturing obligations; that the
United States as political society is without as
sets, without money, and has no income, except
hut
1t must collect its money. whatever may be its
actual requirements, either by direct taxes or
by duties upon imports. There are few people to
be found in the country who seriously favor the
system of direct taxation for governmental ex-
penses; that is, taxing the people, their property
real and personal their professions and employ
ments. The American sentiment is practically
unanimous in favor of raising at least large
share of the revenue for the government by levy
ing duties upon foreign importations.
THE FREE TRADE SYSTEM MEANS THE LARGEST REV.
ENUE FROM THE SMALLEST DUTY.
1t requires nearly $3.50, 900, 600 every year to
meet the necessary wants of the public service,
and there is general assent to the proposition
that the bulk of this vast sum shall be raised
from customs sources. Up to this point there is
substantial concurrence, and here individual and
party sentiment divide, and l believe honestly
divide, aud to these lines of division, and the
principles upon which they respectively rest, in
vite your resi- ectful consideration.
Free traders, so called, or, to be more exact,
the advocates OF q revenue tariff, Chewing with
the other school of political economists in import
lutes insist that duties shall be levied upon that
class of foreign products which are not produced
in the United States, the principle being that rev
enue 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
And this is altogether true, for whenever you can
find a foreign article which the people Of this
country require and which of necessity they must
import, any duty, however low, indeed the very
minimum, will produce revenue; for inasmuch
as there Is no home produced article to contend
for any part of the home market, importations
viii go on unchecked, and the revenue derived
therefrom will be limited only by the extent of
the importations influenced by the necessities of
our people and their capacity to buy. An illus
tration familiar to all of you the products of
tea and coffee Neither of these great staple ar
ticles is produced in the United States. The de-
mands of our people for the products, and they
extend to every home and fireside in the land ARE
supplied from abroad. Now, any tax thereon,
however slight and Insignificant, would produce
very considerable revenue to the government;
and this illustrates what is commonly understood
as q revenue tariff"
If, however the duty is levied upon the foreign
competing product, it is made so low, having rev.
enue only in view, that the effect is TO destroy
home competition and increase the revenue there
from by increasing importations
The Hon. j. Ranolph Tucker, of Virginia an
eminent lawyer and experienced statesman, in q
speech delivered in the house of representatives,
May Is, 1873 defined revenue duty as follows:
Therefore, as no higher duty ought to be laid
than is needed to raise the requisite revenue on
revenue duty is the lowest duty which will bring
the required revenue"
This definition is a fair and frank one, and ac-
cept it. revenue tariff is, therefore, such a
one will produce the largest revenue from the
lowest duty. The lowest rate of duty will en-
courage importations, diminish home production,
and inevitably increase the revenue; it will of
necessity check competition at home and send
our merchants abroad to buy; it affords no pro-
lection, not even incidental, for the very instant
you discover that such duty fave rs the home pro-
Queer, that instant you discover that importa-
lions and revenue are checked, and that our own
producers are able to control the home market,
or a part of it. Then at once the advocate of
q revenue tariff reduces the duty, brings it down
to the true revenue standard; for it must not be
overl oked, according to that free trade maxim,
where protection begins revenue ends, and the
question of revenue is always controlling rev.
tariff is inconsistent with protection; it Is
intended for wholly different purpose. 1t loses
its force and character as q genuine revenue
tariff when it becomes to any extent protective.
1t has but one object. 1t can have but one effect
-that of opening our markets to the foreign
producer impoveriShing the home producer and
enrichng his foreign rival. ....-
England is more nearly free trade country
than any other, and her system of taxation fur
and principle of a revenue tariff. Her import
duties are imposed almost exclusively upon ar
ticles which cannot be produced by her own
people upon her own soil. Tobacco, snuff, cigars,
chicory, cocoa, figs, raisins rum, brandy, wine
tea and coffee these are the articles from which
her customs revenue is derived-articles, in
the main, not produced in England, but which
must be supplied from abroad; while practically
all competing products of foreign make and pro-
duction are admitted through her custom houses
free of duty
HOW THE TARIFF FOR REVENUE WORKS IN GREAT
BRITAIN ~ l--
A brief statement of the dutiable imports Of
Great Britain will not be without interest
1t will be observed that her duties are more
largely imposed upon peculiarly American pro-
duets than upon any others. The duty upon to-
bacco is, according to moisture, from "a to 92
cents per pounds for the raw or unmanutactured
article, and if manufactured it pegs a duty of
from S1.04 to S1.16 per pound. The manufac.
tured article is made dutiable at 20 cents pound
greater than the raw product, which. with all OF
England's boosted free trade, is intended as a
protection to those engaged in the manipulation
of tobacco. 1t is almost prohibtive to Americans
who would export manufactured tobacco. The
ad valorem equivalent of the duty on tobacco is
nearly 1908 per cent. Cigars pay duty Of 5 1.32
per poun T. and from tob eco and snuff over $40, :
100000 of duties are collected annually: The duty
ON tea is /. cents pound. How would the Amer
lean enjoy paying such duty upon this article of
every day use! The duty collected from this
source is over $500 900 annually Coffee pays
duty of 3 cents pound, but i ground, pre-
pared, or in any way manufactured, 1t must pay
duty of cents a pound another example OF
where England protects those engaged in manu-
facture Cocoa pays duty of cents pound,
but if it is in any form subjected to manufacture
its pays 4 cents pound. the duty on the manu-
featured article being double that on the raw ma
terial.
Besides the articles / have named there are
about ninety or hundred others, chiefly of
American production, patented and other medi-
cines, which dutiable at 1886 per gale n.
More than 500. 000, 600, or nearly one fourth of
British revenues are raised from customs duties.
You will note the character of taxation to
which the revenue reformer 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 taxation.
1t is not without significance that the nearer we
approach this system the more generous the be-
stowal of British commentator. Every step we
take in that direction, every enlargement of the
free trade list of competing foreign products,
every reduction of duty upon such products, is
hailed as a vin,.ication of Golden and benefi-
cence to British interests. 1t is in vain for the
British statesmen to assure us that their system
is best for us. We are not accustomed to look to
our commercial rivals for disinterested favors.
1T is folly" said Washington In his farewell ad.
llress Sin one nation to look for dsinterested IA
vors from anotheri but it must pay, with por
ton of its independence, for whatever 1t may &C
cept under that character, There can be ne
greater error than to expect or calculate upor
real favors ftom nation to nation 1t is an illu
sion which experience must cure, and which q
Just pride ought to discard" We are not Mr.
President, insensble TO the good opinion of man
kind and of the English.speaking race but wheI
1t is to be had only at the expense Of
our industrial independence, at the sac