Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-02-14
AN OPPRESSIVE TAX.

MT Mills and his ways and means com mittee will tear the senate tariff bill to pieces in their criticism of its principle of reducing the surplus by raising the taxes on the people. It is certain, there fore, that the bill will receive little or no | consideration at the hands of the dem- | ocratic house, and there is no chance in the two weeks remaining for any com promise measure. The republicans will | be forced to put their, tax-increasing | bill through the Fifty-tirst congress if | they would keep their bargain with the manufacturers who greased the wheels | for the campaign.
 One item alone of the republican bill, that relating to tin plates, should be enough to condemn it. Tin plates are not manufactured in this country, and it does not appear that their manufacture can be made profitable unless by an entire inversion of all our ideas of govern mental concern. The present tax on tin plates, which amounts to cent a pound on the 500, ,OOO, ,0OO to 600 ,000, ,000 pounds that we annually import, is wholly un- necessary and therefore an imposition on the people from whom it is collected. It is an oppressive, unnecessary and unjust tax, weighing as it does on the millions of consumers of tin plates with the single result of bringing ill an an nual revenue not needed by the govern ment of between S5,0O0,000 and S6,000,- l,s kill 1I double, imposing an additional tax on the community of $6, ,000, ,000 and bring ing no compensating result beyond the employment it is claimed it would give to few thousand men. And yet even granting that the increased tax proposed by the senate would lead to the establish ment of the tin plate industry in this country-which there is no reason to believe-and granting that few thous- and men would secure employment as result, it would be an evident injustice to tax the millions of consumers that these few thousand may get employ ment. And there is another phase to the injustice that would proceed from this increased tariff. We send every year from this country, to find sale in foreign markets, canned fish, fruit and vegetables to the value of more than SC, ,000, ,00O. We are enabled to do this, among other reasons, because of the present relatively low price of tin plates out of which the cans are made in which the preserved l fo T, ,nl ha ing canning industry would be greatly stimulated if there was no tax at all upon tin plates, and thus thousands would find employment where there is now no room for them. It can easily be seen that with an already unnecessary tax made doubly greater there would be a blow at an industry that is capable of great expansion. If the tax on tin plates is raised the cost of tin cans will be in creased, and American canners will be
 forced to abandon markets where they
 are now able to compete profitably with
 foreigners.
 The tin plate tax is an oppressive and un just tax, but it Is only one of the obnoxious features that make the senate
 bill objectionable to all who are anxious for the highest development of Ameri- can industry and fair treatment for all concerned therein. Like the wool tax
 that discriminates against the wooden manufacturers it is a makeshift designed to pay political debts without fair re-
 gard for the rights and the interest oi
 the people. It is gratifying to know, however, that the bill that countenances
 such injustice will never go through con
 gress while democrats are there to raise their voices and record their vote. against it.
 The democratic party is the party o1 the people, and will not encourage un
 just taxation.