Nevada County picayune., 1890-10-09
TARIFF TAXES.

In a speech before the House or Representatives, delivered Sept 10, Hon. Thos. c. McRae. very effectu- ally enunciated the workings of the high protective tariff tax, laid upon the people by the Republican party. We have q printed copy of this fine speech. After dissecting and expos Ing the Mckinley bill, telling of the burdens it imposed upon the people by raising duties (taxes) to an aver age of 60 per cent, Mir. McRae, in the following manly, truthful utter ance, strongly appealed for the rights of his constituency
 ''I shall now as briefly as possible attempt to expose some of the falla- cies of the measure and show why l think it should be defeated. There is no principle adhered to in it. It is bundle of inconsistencies and is full of sectional favoritism. It puts sugar on the free-list because it is an arti- cle of common use, and yet more than doubles the duty on tin-plate, just as generally used by the people though not so extensively. Sugar can be and is produced Tn the United States, but tin has never been. Why is this? Sugar is Southern product, and tin comes in competition with sheet-iron manufactured in Pitts burgh. The manufacturers have de- handed it. Works of art to adorn the parIors of the rich are put on the free-list, while the duty on woolen manufactures, clothing for the poor, is increased to about 80 per cent. on an average. Jute and jute butts are admitted free to the jute trust, but the duty on bagging for cotton Is in- creased. All for the manufacturers and trusts, nothing for the consum- CTS. Binding-twine is by Senate amendment to be free to the North ern farmers, but the tax on cotton ties used by the Southern farmer, is increased from B to l5 per cent. l might go on for an hour enumerating just such rank injustice, but l have not time. The title declares that it is bill Ito reduce the revenues and equalize the duties on imports, and yet it is not certain that it accom- plishes or is expected to accomplish either. The proper title should be a bill "to increase the taxes upon the farmers and other consumers Of manufactured articles and to enrich few favored manufacturers" It makes no pretense to reduce the rev euue by reducing taxes, as did the Mills bill, but boldly and in disregard of the demands and rights of the tax ridden, debt burdened, over-worked and oppressed farmers and laboring men of America seeks to accomplish that object by increasing rates on all most all the necessaries of life
 Just as Mir. McRae says, the Me Kinlev bill, now a law, lis full of sectional favoritism." The South and West are very unfairly and un- justly discriminated against although they comprise about iive-sixth of our territorial area, and pay most of the taxes, hence would naturally feel the burden more, even if equally tax ed. but when ground down by these inequalities, is felt much more. It IS . small minority expressing the large majority
 In his speech MT. McRae incorpo- rated two itemized yearly accounts, actually made by citizens of this vi- cinitv, one from MT. B. F. Steele, a farmer near Prescott, and J w Neill farmer near Okolona. Cost of all goods and tariff tax thereon, is glv- en. Mir. Steele's account footed up .SIl7.63, of which $40. l5 was tariff tax; Mr. Neill's was s91.S0, of which S2S.74 was tariff tax. That is to say, in a free market, with no tariff on the goods, Mir. Steele would have saved S4O.15, and MT. Neill S28.74.
 For general information of our readers, we give below table con- taining average per cent. of tariff taxes since the formation of the gov ernment
 From 1791 to lsl2..... 1908 From 2sl2 to lSl7....... .. ..............",32.13 From 1877 to .26.52 From 1925 to l329...... ............".H.17 From 1899 to 1892 From 1882 to From 1884 to lS43..........,............."..l9.25 From lS43 to 26.92