Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-08-23


dress, and tneu Mr. Tn.lruan began his |
speech
Mr. Thurman esteemed it very great
privilege to speak in Michigan, because Of
the character of the people To whom he
would talk He would defy any man who
had regard for the truth TO say that Grover
Cleveland had not made good president and
here followed a glowing tribute 10 the chief
notwithstanding from personal knowi-
ige and careful observation: be also paid
compliment to Don NJ Dickinson As one
among band of good constitutional advisers
He defined tariff as a tax levied by the gen
eral government upon every article OF com
merce coming into the United States, which
instantly raises the price of the articles and
becomes a burden upon the people We hava,
he said SIZE. COO of surplus revenue lying
perfectly idle and token from the pockets OF
the people, where it properly belongs and
whose prosperity it would assure. The Dem
ocratic party took exception to this, and in
sisted that taxes should be reduced so that
the surplus shall not Increase. The Repuh-
hcans took the converse of this proposition.
The Democrats would take no more money
from the pockets of the people than is actu-
sllv necessary to NEE the legitimate expenses
Of the government Some one here placed
an umbrella over the judge, hut he pushed it
aside with the remark that The SUI never
hurts Democrat causing great lauEhtcTl
Continuing he said the protectionStS were
peculiarly aggressive this year, aud widely
| ut variance with the truth Of facts and rea-
son. They proposed to make the country
wealthy ty laxlng the people, They had the
E1 u
| pay the tax
| A note was sent ny that some lady had her
| 10 KIT picked. and the judge brought laugh
| by attributIng the theft u some high tariff
member Mr. Thurman then said.
| WHY il the consumers Of taxed articles do not
| paw the tax / wouli like 10 know who does A
| voice SO would l. and cheers DO those pro
| lection orators pay it. DO TIE manufacturers
p4v irs WIZ pays it if the people who consume
| thr artic - that are taxed dnuts Canary man
answer that question Now nv friends. if You
| will reflect for q moment YOU will that it Is
| necessarily the case that tariff taxes are paid by
tHr consumers q. the ariWlrS which are taxed,
| md all tho domestic articles pf a ike kind which
arr mamfactar.d il the United States. II is &
curious fact and on at the worst things abou
his tariff tax thai while the government get
3 resulting from the tax, domestic manufac
turers get 3 that never goes into the treasury Al
| lI. How doe this happen, man called an
Importer brings goods into the UnlteA STATES Il
S'll He can not sell a yard or u poun'
until he pays THIS tariff tax. He
paws it. therefore, and then sells his good
to the merchant lOf course he must get tins Ia,
onrh IT. the price for which he sells he woul
os. money His business would breah up a
once, Therefore he puts the tax on the original COS
f the goods and with that price add-d to tn
rnst Of transportation, and hi, reasonable, con
nerCial profit he sells the goods to the merchant
The merchant S-lls to the retail merchant, aud d
cour4- this tax which eut1reI into the price con
tinues in the price and to it is added the pro III
Of the merchant Then the retail merchant sci
il to you, and Of course he muStget the tax IN h
price for otherwise he would sell for less than /
gave for the goods and no would consent
do thai. Therefore the tax is in, when the eliot
for instance. =, sold to you, and in the price yo
pay this retail merchant, you also pay the who
, | tariff tax tn" importers profits the wholeSal
, | merchant profits and the retail merchant
| profits, beside the interest upon their money.
) as plain as that two and two make four
Now, how much do you pay The amount
5 dItiable goods imported into the United States
: 1877 was IN vame $50 10000 in round number
The duties collected on those goOdS-the tariff ia
= were I2.DoJO0O and fraction. Therefore
a single year n tax levied on the people of Il
| United States by the operation of this tariff la
Of S4l2OO000 and a fraction, which went into Il
federal treasury. But that | have told yo
r was the least of the burden. The domestic ma
D | ufacturcs Of the same kind of cOmmodti
I | amounted that year to 1868 O1o co. and as Il
price of those goods was raised by the tariff
: nearly, or equal. proportion 10 the price Of Il
\ goods that imported the amount which Il
. people paid by reason of these high prices
I, what they had b" buy, or had to use, amounted
| htl-thlt "a As
the tax received by the government fOr the us
= Of government In other words the whole co
munity taxed about 81 600 0t0. 600 for the TX
eft of comparatively Il small portion of the co
munity.
j Here the judge blew trumpet blast
q his historic bandana, and every body laugh
n as they cheeredl
o "Gentlemen, that's a good, honest han
kerchief but had it not been for the hi
% protective tariff | could have bought
IL cheape =" Judge Thurman adduced dist
g guished authorities against high tariff, amo
y them being John Quincy Adams and, Pre-
n dent Arthur, who recommended reducti'
(. of the wool tariff The cry of free ira
20 against the Mills bill unwarranted.
d aimed only at reasonable reduction of t
s. tariff from n 10 40 per cent President CT
field was also quoted as revenue reforme
The question of the laboring mans intere
was taken up. The high protectionsts pos
IS as his champions, and claimed that tn
u were solictous for his prosperity. How,
III the name of common sense, could this
81 when every articles he wears. from the GRO
DO of his bead to the soles Of his feet, is tax
{, The speaker agreed that an employer mis-
40 pay higher wages because of protection, |
Gu did hel [Cries of "No."l Did you e'
know him to do itP [Cries Of "Never.' y