The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1888-01-26
Pour Thousand Articles"

1t is about time to dispose of one Democratic
stock cry-that duties are collected upon 1000
different articles under the existing tariff.
Democratic orators and editors are fond Of this.
because they want to give the impression that
this ''iniquitous' tariff reaches ont its arms in
every direction, and lays all forms Of industry
under tribute. Now the fact is, as the inquir
ing reader may find by reference to the COM
merce and Navigation report for 1SS6, the
latest detailed figures yet available, that the ar
ticeS upon which duties were collected durtig
that year numbered only 9S2, or less than one
fourth Of the number claimed. This is a most
significant showing. The number of articles on
the free list was increased by the tariff of 1883.
a Republican measure. to mere than 800. or al
most exactly one-third the number of articles
that paid duty in 1856; and this latter number
does not vary materially from year to year.
Another fact of great Importance bearing up
on this effort of the Democrats to give the inn
preston that the tariff has endless ramitications
and infcts enormous complications upon COM
merce, may be also briefly stated. The report
of the Secretary of the Treasury shows that of
S2l2 O32 4o4 customs duties collected durin.
the last fiscal year, S141 AZ ,924, or about seven
tenths of the whole, were collected from seven
classes of artcles->ugar, iron and steel. wool.
silk and tobacco. with the manufactures OF
them; glass and fruit. All the remaining ar
tlcleS produced Dut Uf,-Sf.oUU his SHOWS tliitt
vast proportion Of the effect OF the tariff if fell
upon small number of articles. II the 1000
articles existed they would not have room 10
turn around in, after seven-tenths of the rev.
enue had been deducted for only seven ar
tices.
Mr.. Edward Mcpherson has taken the trouble
lately to trace this Democratic myth back to its
origin. 1t occurs in the Presidents tariff mes
sage, but no one is disposed to hold him to too
strict an accountability for that. Mr.. Cleveland
is probably about as poorly informed on this sub
| ject as any man who ever reached Il position Of
prominence in this country. and said in his
message, in a crude way, only what other peo-
| pie told him. The paper was apparently mod
elled after the platform of the kentucky DEM
ocrats adopted last June, which was said to
| have been written by Mr.. Carlisle himself, and
| which charged that the tfimposed duties on
| lover 1000 articles" But this was not the
genesis of it. 1t appeared III these very words
| in the National Democratic platform of 1876,
rs applied TO the tariff of 1870. 1t was not true
| then. but it is even more Of falSehOOd now,
since the revision of the tariff in 1883 has made
the free list greater than ever before in the
history of the country. But the scrupuous
| Democratic leaders, some of them well inform
ed like Mr.. Carlisle, have gone on using it. 1t
| sounded well, it was effective party thunder,
and they kept 1t going. They have been so In
| dustrious about it, and so noisy, that great
| many persons have accepted it as a correct
| statement, without thinking to question it.
| Even Republicans of national reputation have
careessly used it in their speeches. But it is tc
be hoped now that we have heard the last OF
those "a, 900 articles" New York Tribune.