Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-02-08
WEDNESDAY. FEBRUARY s, 1883.
The Sugar Duties.


ton. II indeed it be true that leaving
out Of view internal taxes Virginia's fair
annual contribution to the sup
port Of the Federal Government
would be only about six millions of dol
lars, whereas under our iniquitous tariff
law she is forced to pay twenty.eight, or
twenty-five, or twenty. or ten millions
Of dollars for that purpose, then it IS
high time that the custom-house were
abolished and all moneys needed for the
support OF the Government were raised
bv excuses or direct taxation. We give
a portion OF our neighbors figures
"The revenue from the tariff last year
was s2l7. 600. 600. 1t has been estimated
bv Professor Perry, one of the most
careful aud accurate of American ecOno-
mistS. that for those imports consumed
in this country. which are taxed 10y the
tariff. an average of four times as much
Of domestic articles of like kind are CON
sumed. If protection fulfils its mis-
zion then the people Of this country pay
i'm the increased prices of domestic artl-
Giles due 10 the tariff four times as much
as they pay on imports, or SS6S, 900, 900.
OF this the people of Virginia would
pay according to population about 2.14
per cent. Their share, therefore, OF
duties. S217, 900, 600, would be Sj,045,
500, and their share of increased prices
due to the tariff, $S6S, OOO, 600, would be
S23, 1888. 900. -
These are the figures:
virginia's share Of duties..............s 50iAs0
Nirginiss share Of increased prices.... 23,TS&0O
Eo7ss,s
50 Virginia pays under the tariff
nearly thirty millions of dollars year,
when direct taxation would relieve her of
all of this immense tax except about six
millions of dollars.
Where does this sum of thirty mil
lions Of dollars come from? 1t is inn
possible for the people of Virginia to
pay it out unless they first make it.
How and in what way do they make it ?
The census of 1880 informs us that the
total tobacco crop of Virginia was 49,
9SS, 1858 pounds, valued at s., 400, III
But of this sum of five millions of dol
lars, not more than one million was clear
profit. the rest being paid out for labor,
fertilizers, &C., &c. This little sum of
one million of dollars would not go far
towards paying twenty-nine millions.
How as 10 wheat? In 1856 Virginia
raised 1851, 900 bushels, valued at
S4,520,610. But, according to the best
statisticians, it requires five bushels of
wheat year to each person in this coun-
try. So it is evident that the wheat crop
could have paid none of the thirty mil
lions, and that if Virginia sold any wheat
Of her own raising she consumed as much
of some other States raising for she
raised only about three bushels TO each
inhabitant.
How as to corn ? Virginia in 1856
raised 80, 703, 900 bushels valued at
S14, 100, $50. We all know that Virginia
sells outside of her own limits very little
corn. 1t will hardly bear transportation (;
end all, or nearly all, the corn that she
raises is needed for feeding her own peo-
pie and for live stock-hOgs, horses, cat
lie. &c. We don't think million could
be got Of that sum of fourteen millions
to pay for foreign goods imported into
Virginia.
These are the money crops of Virgi-
MAS planters and farmers. A few mil
lions of dollars are brought into the
State by truckers, lumber-dealers, &C.,
&c. but we doubt that the actual pro-
fits Of all these small industries could be
safely set down at a million Of dollars.
Shall We call upon manufactures to
help us out Oh. no, surely not. These
are the protected articles and the ia
vored monopolsts But let US look
at the census OF 1880. Virginia produces
annually manufactures 10 the value of
S5l, $40, 692. That is a remarkable show
ing for an agricultural State. The wheat
crop four and half millions the to-
bacco crop five and half millions. and
the "crop" of manufactures fifty-one mil
hons of dollars How much can we get
here 20 aid us in paying our annual
tarih-tax OF twenty-nine millions? The
cost OF the labor that made these manu-
features was S7,425, POI, and the cost
Of the raw material was S32, 1913, 933,
and the interest at g per cent on the
capital employed was about 81 ,8O0,0 900,
or about forty-two millions in all. But
there are only 40,lSi hands employed,
aud if they pay $40 each as their share
OF the tariff taxes and increased prices
consequent upon those taxes, they pay
less than half million OF dollars a year.
We might multiply their number by five
and then we should get only two mil
lions and half. There is no light
thrown upon the subject here.
We add now the remainder OF our
neighbor's figures, in order that we may
he sure not to do him injustice. The
State says:
"Suppose now that We reduce the ave-
rage duty 46 per cent. by one third, or to
an average duty OF little more than 80
per cent, aud We save TO the people of
Virginia in duties 81, 9Sl, 933, aud In di-
xrtafalfptg tho aaod tattoas I,,o a.. Al
tsriif, 1927, 669-in all about 5000
800. This would he q saving per family
or group OF more than so against $3.50
that would DO saved by the abolition of
the sugar duty alone, II would be a
saving 20 the 100000 OF consumers in
Virginia Of 1903. 800 agcinst 81 ,o03, 900
saved by the abolition OF the sugar duty
alone. We want the tobacco Tax sbol- |