Helena weekly herald., 1889-09-12
NATIONAL TAXATION.

expenditures " get rlQ OF the money
raied by high taxes Nothing could be
further from the truth. We are in favor
of protective duties as against simply
revenue duties. High duties on imports
does not mean larger revenues from this
source. Every ybody knows that duties may
be so high as to become prohibitory, and
there would be no revenue at all, for that
would shut out all goods for which duties
are laid. A prohibitory tariff and full free
trade would have precisely the same effect
upon the revenues Amy rate of duty be-
low the prohibitory point would yield
some revenue and, to certain point, the
lower the duties the more would be the
revenue, for the greater would be the i'm
ports, and though the rate on a single
item would be less, there would
be so many more items that the
aggregate receipts would be much greater.
Of course there is point in reduction be
fore reaching actual free trade where the
receipts from duties would diminish. If
we wanted simply to increase the revenues
we should reduce many of the present
duties. But that is not mainly our object
in favoring a protective tariff. 1t is to
build up American industries and to furn-
ish wider and more profitable fields for
American skilled labor. Skilled labor is
IL toi, Of nd
prosperity. We cannot have too much of
it. Our policy is to keep all that we have
and extend it as far as possible in every
direction. We are not satisfied with what
we have so long as there is anything more
to be gained.
Nv
1t is just exactly true, as Judge Nc
Connell said of Us, that we are in favor of
a duty on tin in every shape. though here
tofore we have made none of it. Now we
have a chance to establish the industry on
our own soil and we may soon hope, first,
to supply our own home market, and after
that we will compete for the markets of
the outside world We have been spend
ing from twenty to thirty millions a year
in buying our tin from England. We have
tin mines in the Black Hills that will,
" hen developed, supply the whole world.
Suppose the first effect of a duty on tin
would be to raise the price. 1t is better for
us to pay premium for a time, that we
may become in short time free forever.
The extra price that we may have to pay
for time would not 60 out of the country
but would 60 into circulation at
home. 1t would open the tin
mines at Harnes's Peak, build mills ito
work the ores, furnish labor to thou
sands, and we should. at little cost to any
one, add millions TO the wealth of oul
country Is it nothing to become indie
pendent of foreign supply? Suppose a
war should break out-and if we ever have
another war, which Heaven forbid, it would
most likely be with England-what would
be our situation? We should be cut of
entirely from our supply, and the prices
would necessarily 90 up to extravagan'
rates. We would pay more for our folly
in six months than we will ever have tC
pay to establish the industry on our OWL
resources and thereafter be forever free
Unless we do put duty on tin at first, ths
English manufacturers, alarmed Al
the prospect of a powerful
rival, they would put dowr
their prices, as they have often done, 81
that the industry could never get star
in America. This experiment has been
tried over and again in various lines o.
manufacture, conspicuously in the manu-
facture of plate glass and in silk. Wher
duties were first imposed on these article;
there were none manufactured in thi:
country, and to the Democratic mind II
looked the heighth of folly to be taxing oul
own people to start new industries. Bu'
what has been the result? Under the pro-
tecting shelter of tariff, which prevented
foreigners from running the industry at it
start, we have now in the United States
glass factories and silk works that give EN-
p!oyment to millions of capital, employ
many thousands of hands, and what il
still better, the people get
better article than ever before ftl
less money 1t is the same principle tina
every State recognizes in exempting new
| industries for time from taxation. 1t il
the same principle that actuates every city
in paying bonus to secure some new in
dustry that snail furnish employment t.
capital and men. England aud Francs
and Germany and every other nation
Europe pay subsidies to steamship lines Of
the same principle. 1t is principle uni
versally recognized by national govern
ments and smaller communities and W
cannot hope to run our government abov
and regardless of general laws.
~
But for the sake of raising revenues i
the least inquisitorial and objectionabl
method we would not care if all our dutie
were made prohibitory. We believe ther
is nothing of real Importance to US rha
we could not produce at home and it woul
be better for US to do so. Some things W
should have to deny ourselves for tim'
but we would soon find substitutes. FG
instance we cannot raise our our own te
and coffee, but we can find plenty of sui
stitutes for these drinks and be none th
worse in any respect and probably muc
richer.
-