Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-01-31
WHO PAY THE TAXI
High Tariff Benefits tho Few at tho E1-
penss OF the Many.

|
peDse OF the Many.
Chicago Herald.
II protectionists were honest they
would admit that high tariff benefits
certain interests at the cost of the whole
body of consumers. But they are crafty
and syphistical. So plain statement
Of their case would defeat their purpose.
| That which is essentially a selfish sys-
| TEN, compelling the many to enrich the
| few, rests upon bleis of atrocious
fslsehood. a favorite statement with
protection apologists is denial Of the
truism that & consumer pays al taxes
upon products. Senator Frye made such
denial The other day. He refrained from
gong as far as Senator Logan went when
he assured q western audience that Brit
ish manufacturers paid the custom house
tax at New York upon all the goods they
sent into this country, and were COM
PEELED thereby most uawillingly to con-
tribute to the betrayal Of the expense of
this government.
The Commissioner of Internal Revenue
has just reported to the Senate that from
the adoption OF the internal tax policy In
1862 until June last the government COL
lected as q tax upon spirits and fermented
liquors S1,S4S, 626, 0s9. Who paid this
enormous amount during all these years?
The disdller and the brewer The gov
eminent collected it from these manu-
facturers, but who paid it? Taken from
the distiller and the brewer It was added
to the price Of liquors, and the tax came
out of the pockets of the consumers, the
men who pour the stuff into their
stomschs. During all these, twenty five
years many heavy taxpayer for whisky
went to his grave because, tax or no tax,
he would indulge an awful craving for
liquor.
When during the war the government ex-
acted from street car companies q special
tax of cent for every passenger carried,
who paid the tax2 The companies out OF
their profits? The companies collected
1t from their passengers. What does 8
landlord do regarding the tax levied
locally upon real estate? He passes it on
to the tenant who is the real taxpayer.
So VITA every tax. The ultimate payer Is
the consumer.
Al American merchant purchases at
Manchester OF Sheffield an invoice of
English made goods. He pays the mar
ket price. When the consignment reaches
the New York custom house the American
importer pays the tariff because the go7-
eminent, having the whip handle, will
not await the slow, uncertain and
unsatisfactory process Of COL
lection from the ultimate pur-
chaser for use, but lays it's hands
upon the goods at the port OF entry de-
handing its tribute. What does the mer-
chant do? He determines the selling
price by adding to the cost of the goods
in Manchester or Sheffield the cost OF
transportation, the Custom House tax,
all expenses, including the brokerage and
| insurance, and upon the whole sum fig
ures his own percentage of profit, adding
this to the selling price. Tee goods are
passed on. Is IL not plain as pikestaff
that the man who finally buys for use
some small portion Of this original cor
| Segment foots the tax bill?
But suppose the consumer buys goods
of home mai ufacture; hoWncan the tariff
affect him disAdvstEgeously? The an
swer is found in the very reason why s
high tariff is levied. In the shelter of the
custom houses the home producer OF salt,
or woolens, or lumber, or any other
highly protected article makes al artih-
cisl price which is not broken down be-
cause foreign competition is restricted
by the tariff. The price thus raised is
passed on to the ultimate purchaser Of
these products, who in such case lacks
the poor satisfaction of contributing to
the overgrown surplus in the Na.
tion8l Treasury, for the extra price ex-
acted from him swells the profits of msR-
utacturers grown immensely rich through
such unHarranted fGyoritism of law. Blu
may not the keenness Of home competi-
ton break down this price? II it does,
why have protective tariff? But lest il
might, associations, trusts, compacts
among producers are organized in order
EpAat Inc wolves travelling in packs may
make greater certainty of their mutton.
When Senator Of the United State:
rises to assert that the consumer doe.
not pay the tax 1t is desirable to recur t
these fundamentals. q