The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1889-12-24

several rather complex infuen ;es.
The internal revenue tax, the tarlH
tax and the habits and tastes OF b
people all concur to make 1t possible,
and to insure it an almost complete
monopoly of the home market. The
internal revenue tax helps to throw
the production of liquors into the
hands of the large distillers, because
capital is needed even more for ad-
vancing the government tax than for
producing, but | am convinced that
the removal of that tax would not, as
frequently contended, permit the small
distillerieS to spring up again, because
wholesale production has lately be-
come the rule in all articles as easily
distributed as whisky. Nor would
the removal of all the tariff tax, that
is protective enable the foreign pro-
Queer to sell largely in our markets.
A people generally cling tenacious
ly to their national drinks, and will
Lot readily exchange the kinds OF
liquor or the brands of liquor to which
they are accustomed for foreign
liquors at the same or even less prices.
Moreover it is beyond doubt that we
can produce most of spirituous
liquors cheaper than they can be made
anywhere else in the world.
THE GAS AND LOCAL TRUSTS.
The gas, street railway and similar
local trusts fall rather under the head
of natural monopolies, and offer little
difficulties, as a rule, to the municipal
government under which they attempt
to operate. Each city, by it's inspec,
ton laws, it's supervision and it's con-
troll of service and rates, a protect
it's residents from imposition. In ex
treme cases it is justified in dislodging
q monopoly by even assuming to dis.
charge the service itself, for where a
particular service in it's own nature
partakes of the nature of a monopoly,
the "let alone" policy, which is the
ordinary duty of the State, is as dis
astrous to the rights of those whom
the State is bound to protect as it's in.
terposition in other cases to foster
monopoly. But this is, in my judg-
ment, the last remedy to be thought
of, and justi6able only when others
fail. Still, it permits US to dismiss
these local trusts from further consid.
Grafton.
THE TARIFF THE GREAT MOTHER OF
TRUSTS.
The existing tariff imposes a tax
averaging nearly fifty per cent. on the
value of all the dutiable goods brought
into this country, which in many
cases, Is in refined sugar and cotton
bagging, we have already seen, is en-
tirely p~rohibitory. Indeed, it is
avowedly an extreme protective tariff;
that is to say, its duties are not laid
to bring money into the treasury, but
for the very purpose of keeping out
foreign products that might compete
with like products made at home. 1t
IS, therefore, the nursing mother of
trusts. Almost any highly protected
article where production may be cen,
tralized, like that of refined sugar, is
a moderate number of establishments
can be made the basis of a trust as
readily as sugar. Now the hard con
dition of the consumer is that the
very purposes for which these tariff
taxes are laid requires that they shall
be laid on the plain ne~cessaries of life.
1t is a familiar maxim that "Protec.
ton, to be available, must be got out
of the belly and the back of the great
mass of the people," 1t is, therefore,
chiefly in the highly-taxed commodi-
ties that supply his primary wants,
and which he cannot, therefore, fore.
go, that the citizen is finding himself
today levied upon by the trusts.
THE PROTECTION OF M AND
The theory of the protective tariff
of Alexander Hamilton, and after
wards of Mr. Clay, was that it gave a
premature and temporary assistance
to young industries to get them on
their feet earlier than they could of
their own strength if subjected to for
eign competition. And MI. Hamilton
expressly opposed excessive rates as
tending to monopoly, and said that if
after a reasonable time any industry
still needed protection, it was proof
that there were natursl impediments
to its building up in the country, and
it should be abandoned. In our CEN
tennial year tariff rates are six or
seven times higher than M. Hamilton
first arranged them in the infancy of
the country and in the beginning of
manufactures. Moreover, there is
not an instance in all that hundred
years of any industry once admitted
into the government hospital that has
not at once become a professional
old soldier" and forever afterWard