Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1888-11-01

As TIC Gay Of e1GG0O1 0F&W8 near pADklG
interest In the vital issue 10 be decided IL
intensified Il behooves every man al such
. time TO stand by his colors and do all in
hls power 20 advance the cause he espOuses,
believing that 10 be Just. Before the die Is
cast. would avail myself Of the courtesy
Of the BEAcox 70 publish . few thoughts
which have suggested themselves 70 me
upon the leading issue Of the campaign,
which ! understand 20 be the manner Of
raising revenue 20 carry on the government
There are two leading modes Of raising this
revenue, viz.-one BY internal taxation.
which consists in levying tax on luxu-
ries, such a. whisky, tobacco, &c, tax onin-
comes, &e-the other by imposing a tax on
imported goods, principally the necessaries
Of life. By the first mode al the tax paid
passes into the Golfers Of the government
and amounts to nearly half the national
revenue, or nearly $500, O00, 900; by the
second mode, that i the tariff or tax on i'm
ported goods, which averages Al. per
cent the amount collected by the revenue
officers, likewise goes into the national
treasury; but it Is open TO objection, that
as there are six times as much Of the same
kind Of goods manufactured in this coun-
try as are imported, it gives the home man
ufacturer the opportunity (of which as q
business man he Is not slow to avail him
self Of advancing the price on his goods TO
the extent OF the enhanced price for which
the imported article has to be sold, and
still, by reason Of the saving of freight,
commission, &c. undersell the forsisser.
The amount Of this enhancement Of price
so caused has to be paid in the end by the
consumer, but unlike that collected on i'm
ported goods, does not increase the govern
ment revenues, but goes directly into the
pockets of the manufacturer. This is HIS
protection. It amounts to six times that
received by the government, or over $780,
100000 yearly. 1t creates a privileged
class, unrivalled by those of any other
country. and enables the manufacturer
from the possession of q few thousand to
speedily become y millionaire at the ex-
pense of the poor farmer and consumer,
who pays his All per cent additional for
the benefit of this lordly peer, who rolls in
wealth, counts his untaxed government
U. 5. bonds, and like Carnegie drives his
four-ln-hand with gilded harness." Blaine,
his colaborer, by his side, while the poor
farmer beholds himself getting poorer, his
lands mortgaged, judgments hanging over
him and children often poorly clad, scarce
ly knows how to suspect the cause. But
il is plain, open and evident 1t is the re-
suit of the unjust system of raising revenue
inaugurated and kept in force by the re-
publicans for 30 years-the elan they
gained in the civil war having enabled
them thus far to keep in practice this great
fraud-for il is fraud. First, il is a fraud
upon the government, which receives but
one-seventh of the amount of this enhance.
ment of price, while the manufacturer re-
ceives his six-sevenths; second, ii is still
greater fraud upon the final consumer,
who pays his Al per cent additional
six-sevenths for the benefit of the monopo-
lies. But this is not all. Tee republicans
favor free whisky, and Us about one third
the revenue for carrying on the government
Is derived from the tax on this luxury,
which taken off would necessitate an in
creased protective tax to that extent on the
necessaries of life, and which the republi-
cans propose. II is easy TO see 10 what an
extent the policy of this party, if success
ful, would increase the burdens of the peo-
pie. l know the flimsy pretext is put forth
by republicans that il protects American
labor. Protect labor! God save the mark!
Is that protection which requires the labor
or to pay All per cent. more for clothing
and provisions for himself and family than
he otherwise would have to pay but for
such protection? 1t does not increase his
wages, for they have remained the same for
thirty years, while his employer has be-
come a millionaire. If il protects labor,
why do they not increase and give labor
the benefit of it? So far from its protect
ing native labor, those rich employers make
use of the means derived from this protec-
ton, to import and supplant native with
foreign labor, and thus with base ingrati-
tude sting TO death the fountain from whence
they receive life. Invidous comparisons
have been drawn between the pay OF labor
in this and some foreign country; but the
merest school boy can tell you that the
price Of labor is regulated by the laws of
supply and demand, and that in China,
Japan and some European countries the
low price paid for labor is caused primarily
by the density ofpopulation. There are so
many TO perform the work, and hence la
Dor is cheap. Protection or free trade has
nothing TO do with it, except that reduc-
ton in the tafiff by stimulating foreign
trade, and thus increasing the price of our
farm products, would enable the farmer to
pay better wages and increase the purchas-
ing power of wages. The President and
the democratic party are in favor oflessen-
ing the tax on the necesSaries of life, such
as clothing, lumber, salt, &c, and raising
the largest amount of internal revenue on
the luxuries of life; republicans for rails
ing the most of it on the necessaries of life.
Can any one fail TO see with which party
his interest liess High tariff benefits only
the rich manufacturer at the expense ofthe
poor man. Republicans favor increasing
the tariff on the necessaries Of life, making