The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1888-07-14
where the Fariff Touches the Poor

Does the tariff tax take anything out of the pocket
oflthe wage-earner? No tax gatherer ever comes
10 his house with bill for tarin taxes and demands
round. There is nothing on the surface to indicate
that the day laboror. the clerk. the mechanic the
car driver the coachman the cook, the nurse the
newsboy ever contribute anything toward the in
of the government or the extra profits of the
manufacturing capitalists But they do neverthe-
less For every 81 that goes to the government So
goes to the manufacturer as bounty; The tax was
collected when the persons named bought what
they have in their houses on their backs 0none
mans working suit of clothes costing 81 the bounty
TO the manufacturer was s22l one good suit costing
two flannel shirts 81 So bounty Ga cents; two flannel
drawers sl50 bounty 81 cents: six wool sacks, 81,
bounty Sc cents; wool hat, IS. bounty SI29;
wool cap 81 bounty 43 cents; one pair suspenders.
SO cents bounty IA cents one pair shoes $3.50 boun-
cents; rubber coat $780, bounty 81 cents; umbrella,
81 bounty "a cents: three linen handkerchief 81,
bounty % cents silk tie so cents, bounty IL ets
one rocket knife SIPS bounty ~ cents razor 81 25
bounty ~ cents shaving brush 81 cents, bounty
cents; four cotton shirts So bounty 70 cents two pair
50 cents, bounty q cents Any laboring man or
other person having small income is able 10 judge
whether he is in position to make present to any
body of the bounty he pays each of the articles
here mentioned. If he is single man perhaps he
But ii he has for the money, amounting these
articles alone to S229 year. he has right TO vote
at the polls to keep in his pocket Put IN life in
surance or in the savings bank S2229 year may
provide very nicely for rainy day. But if he is
married man, with family, he viii find the tariff
TO swell the surplus at Washington to add to the
profits of the manufacturer: Three calico dresses
for WIFE, cost SD bounty % cents three aprons o.
bounty $500; two balmora skirts. 50, bounty S11O;
two cotton skirts sl5O, bounty % cents; two suits
hannels. So, bounty Sl.29 two suits cotton under
wear 81 bounty IS cents three pair cotton hose ST.
bounty % cents: wooden cloak, SD, bounty S2S9:
shawl Sc bounty S279; hood sl25, bounty 81 cents;
bonnet ST. bounty % cents; two pair Shoes 81
bounty 50 cents rubbers SO cents bounty 10 cents;
parasol s. bounty 40 cents; VEIL 20 cents bounty "a
ribbOng hOuufV
three linen collars, 80 cents bounty II cents three
pairs linen cuffs, 60 cents, bounty II cents three
handkerchief 70 cents bounty 20 cents; tuck comb,
20 cents bounty cents tooth brush, IS cents boun
ty cents pair wool mitts, so cents bounty 81 cts
pair gloves Sl.25 bounty AZ cents. On an expendi-
ture of s60 in settlement of the wies store billthe
struggling citizen has thus paid 81 &c in tariff taxes
about one-fiith Of which went into the government
treasury and the other four-fths TO some far-ot
manufacturing capitalist Part of this tax the Door
man will be relieved from-a small part u IS true
IL the Mills bill becomes law, but much the larger
part he will always have to bear, it is the settled
policy of our government to obtain the most of It's
revenue from tariff taxes. Still he will not object if
the Mills bill gets him discount of from to 10 per
cent off his wiie's and his own store bill. Ii the
waCe-earner has one daughter to clothe he will feel
additional interest in the tariff it will make her
store bill $3.50, or SOILS more than 1t would be
without the existing high tariff If there is a boy
in the family TO buy for his store bill Will be IN
creased about SlSl2 total expenditure of $3.50.
With a family consisting of wife and two children
, tx - TSuSe t he te
60 will have TO be paid out of which sum S29I4 is
tariff tax On the cook stove alone, costing SlSU9
there is tariff tax of SD; iron pans, tax of 81
AS on dishes costing $40, tax of $500 Passing to
the household furniture, the mechanic. in furnish
ing his dwelling, will find that in buying one heat,
ing stove at SIS he is paying tax OF si6o; on 9o
yards of carpet costing So tax OF So on three sets
of bedroom furniture costing S75 tax of Sl945 If
he spends S3970 to furnish his rooms, he will have
paid tariff tax of 1876. In the course of year ne
will spend some $50 at the grocers SO of which Will
be tariff tribute. But the housekeepers wants are
| as numerous the holes in eornIneal SITTER. He
! will want hatcheti costing 81, on which he VIII
pay tariff of 81 cents file, costing % cents, on
which he pays 10 cents tax; basket, costing 81, on
which the tax is 80 cents; grindstone costing s.,
on which the tax amounts 80 cents; spade, cost
ing so cents. on which the tax is 10 cents, If he
should buy 20 pounds OF nails his tax would be p
cents These are few Of the things the hou2ehold-
er buys, and on all he is taxed, His rent even is
higher by reason of the tariff as the tariff has en-
HANGED the cost of the materials of which his house
was built, Anybody can that q reduction of
| tariff duties is desirable. As the average rate now
is 4T,lQ per cent, IL is plain that the Mills bill is
moderate in proposing as it does, reduction of but
per cent The'entire duty in Washington's time
was but per cent, snd when the country was most
prosperous it was but 20 per cent.