The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1888-11-29
Mr.. H0KE SMITH.
ADDRESS AT THE NORTH.
EA ST GEORGIA FAIR
DELIVERED NOVEMBER 9TH IN ATHENS
Upon the Tariff as 1t Affects the Farm.
ers of Georgia. System Which
Draws Millions from Georgia as
Tax and Tribute-No Return
FeHO,e Citizens of Georaia .

tine latest news points inevitably to the de
feat of Cleveland.
EFFORTS TO SUPPRESS TARIFF REFORM.
Prepare ct once Ia hear that his message
and tariff reform caused the republican
success.
You will be advised to abandon principle
for the hope of future victory.
THE TRUE POLICY.
amShere to-day to urge that you stand
squarely by the policy of tariff reform. II
IS the greatest of all issues dividing the
democratic and republican parties. 1t is a
fight against the legalized Init unjust con-
centration of the products of the many into
the pockets of the few. If it is true that
'arin reform caused our defeat H. is also
rue that organized monopoly Las for years
taught, without full contradiction, the false
doctrine that a high tariff increases the
wages of the laborer, while it also blesses
the farmer with a home market In this
campaign there was not sufficient time ia
meet and answer these INSCRIPTIONS state
ments. But it will be four years before an
other presidential election. Let every dem
ocrat in the meantime study the question.
That victory is only deferred, am abso-
lutely certain.
a growing devotion to the fight for reduc-
ton of taxation upon the necessaries of
life, and beg you to listen closely while 1
present my views of the effect of the tariff
upon the farmers of Georgia.
NATIONAL TAXATION.
Our government collects taxes princi-
yally in two ways-by the internal reve-
nue. and by the tariff.
THE INTERNAL REVENUE
is tax levied by the United States upon
the manufacture and sale of liquors and
tobacco. From this source the government
'>seaIizes 120,0OO,0O0 a year. The manufac-
turer and the seller add the tax to the
price of their liquors and tobaccos, and the
consumer, through the manufacturer and
the seller, pays the tax into the national
treasury. The entire burden, however,
consists of the tax. Tribute is paid to no
one, and, to avoid the tax, all any citizen
os the United States has to do is to let
liquors and tobacco alone. 1t is therefore
a voluntary contribution by the consumer
towards the expenses of our national gov
eminent.
THE TARIFF
is tax levied by the government upon i'm
ports brought for the use of the people of
this country from other countries 1t is
charged at the custom house, and the i'm
porter adds the tariff to the original cost of
his goods to find out what the actual cost
has been. He then places his profit upon
the actual cost and sells the goods to our
Georgia merchants who in turn add their
profits and sell to our people generally.
So that, finally, the consumer pays the
tariff N the nnnId hiph IN
with percentage of the profit going to the
different customers who handle the goods.
The government realizes from the tariff
500, 100000 year. but the heaviest bur-
den placed upon the masses by reason OF
the tariff, as it now exists, is not the amount
which the government realizes, but is the
tribute paid to certain protected classes
throughout our country. To make this
palmer, you must know that many
articles upon which there is high pro-
tective tariff are produced in this country.
The producer pays no tariff, but he adds to
the foreign price of the goods sum almost
equal to the amount of the tariff duty upon
the goods, selling them just little under
the foreign price, with the duty added, so
as to prevent foreign goods from entering
into competition with him, and he obtains
from the consumer the foreign value of the
goods, and sum almost equal to the tariff
on the goods. This amount which he COL
lects from the consumer, almost equal to
the tariff, is simply tribute which the law
gives him the power to force from the peck
ct of the consumer into his own.
The theory of protective tariff, of our
present tariff, is based upon the idea that
II is wise by legislation to allow one man
to compel another to pay price much be-
yond the foreign price of goods, the pur-
pose being to help out the profits of the
protected party. In other words, it is
system by which a certain class of con-
sumers is compelled to pay large bounties
to certain class of producers; and as the
tariff averages AZ per cent, the increased
cost which these favored producers are al
lowed to charge, is an average increase of
about AZ per cent, for which literally moth
ing is given in return. In plain language,
the party benefited by the tariff is allowed
TO plumber the party injured by
the tariff to the extent of one-third of the
entire cost of goods purchased. The ques-
ton therefore naturally arises, do YOU be-
long to the plunderers or the plundered
put it to you practically. OF course there
is higher question even than this: the
question as to whether it is right to allow
one class of people to feed upon another
class.
But it is not my purpose to discuss the
justice of making one class of men toll
without compensation for another class, or
of making one industry pay tribute to an
other. wish to see how it affects Georgia
and her agricultural interests. Do we gain
or lose by the system? To determine this
question it is necessary to examine some of
the articles which the tariff affects. Are
they things which we buy, or things which
we sell? If we buy them we pay tribute
to the man who makes them to the amount
of the percentage that they are taxed by
the tariff The following are some of the
items, the cost of which the tariff tax in
creases and the per cent of increased cost
to the customer who must necessarily use
the article so taxed, is about the per cent
Of the tariff:
SOME OF THE ITEMS THE COST OF WHICH THE
TARIFF TAX INCREASES
Per Cent. of tariff
Tax on flannel shirts. ..............,....... 92
Tax on wooden shirts, ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. 81
Tax on plain earthenware. .............. %
Tax on knives and forks. Observation-Disclosures. 80
Tax on salt NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 80
lax OF pepper. 81