The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1890-07-05
WHO GETS AND WHO PAYS THE
TARIFF DUTIES.

How the Duty 10 Added TO the Cost
senator Beck's Demonstra.
tiOn-The Tariff In Several
Democratic PIatTorms.
Iby the late Senator James Il. Beck.l
There are a few plain tests by which,
when applied, the wayiaring man,
though a fool, need not err in deter
mining from whom the tariff tax is
exacted. That tax is imposed only
when goods brought from abroad enter
the custom house, In this country.
They are all consumed here. No for.
elgfer consumes a dollars worth of
them. He can get them at the prices
which the American citizens pay Tor
them, less the AZ per cent. average
tarih tax, with freight, insurance and
other costs added; and the importer
would make just as much money by
selling to the foreigner. before he starts
from the foreign port, for AZ per cent
less than he sells to the American, be.
cause when he gets AZ per cent and
cost OF the voyage more ont of our
people Tor the goods sold here, he gets
PACK only what he paid at the custom
house.
WHO GETS TARIFF TAXEs2
Every man who has sense enough 10
know anything knows that the home
consumer Of imported goods pays the
TAX, ana that Foreigners consume none
OF them; therefore as the American
citizens consume all Of them, all tie
tax Is paid by the American consumer.
Why does he pay it2 Nobody Is oblig
cd to buy imported goods when similar
goods are manufactured in this coun-
try. There can be but one answer, and
that L have before stated: The Ameri-
can consumer finds it cheaper to buy
imported goods whose price has been
Increased AZ per cent. by tax called q
tariff than ii would be to buy like arti-
cles manufactured in the United States
at the price the home producer asks
Tor them. lie, of course, buys where
he can buy cheapest. Each purchase
is al individual one. Neither the
federal government nor the states. as
the money he has earned by labor OF
some sort for the things he buys. All
Limitations imposed OIL his right to buy
what he needs in the cheapest markets
are simply means devised, more or less
honestly or dishonesty, by congress,
according to the purpose for which
they are imposed, to take money out
of the consumers pocket. The fact that
he finds II cheaper and better for him
10 buy the highly-taxed imported goods
than to buy like goods made at home
is not only conclusive evidence, but
demonstration strong as proof of Holy
Writ" that all goods manufactured
here similar to those imported are ad-
vanced to the foreign price of the goods
with the American tariff tax and cost
Of importation added; because repeat.
If 1t were not so, no goods could or
would be imported. AS the home COLI
sumer always buys where he can buy
cheapest, whether be uses them as raw
materials for more advanced products
or for consumption In the shape In
which they are important, his action
determines that question, 30 that no
sophistry, however plausible, can con-
trOvert the facts established by the
purchases made of foreign goods, that
the price of like home made goods Is
advanced TO the point of sharp compe.
titiOn with the foreign.made goods
with the tariff tax aud costs added and
as II is conceded that al least four. tifths
of the goods consumed in this country
which are partly made here, are OF
domestic manufacture, 1t follows, as
the government gets only the tax on
the one-fifth imported, that the domes-
tic manufacturer gets 81 OF the enhanc
ed price out of the consumer for every
dollar that the government receives.
The treasury receives annually about
1920 ,000, 900 from tariff taxation. The
protected pets of congress, many OF
whom are in both houses, voting the
peoples money into their own pockets,
are receiving at least $3.50 ,0O0 600
This is exclusive OF all bOnnties on
articles Oh which there is high. tariff
tax which prohibits importation, or
which home producers sell here for less
than the foreign price with the tax add.
ed. In all that large class of products
the tax is in fact prohibitory. The
government gets no revenue. The
home producers, by trusts and combi
idleness, or half time work on theil
operatives. and maintaining prices q
fraction below the foreign price, with
| thA anu tuC COot budOuS PoChO,
all that congress authorizes them tC
compel the people to pay. This is the
system which the republican party
pledges itself to perpetuate, regardless
OF government needs, under the plaus.
ible but false pretense that il is pro
tecting American industry and The
wages of American labOrers
AS il must be obvious that no Aneri
can consumer would purchase import.
ed goods if they were not offered Il
him at lower price than like goods o
domestic manufacture are, il ID equal!
obvious that no importer, whether h'
be foreign manufacturer, An America,
merchant, or exporter, who taxes good
for what he sells abroad, will impor
goods and pay all charges and 47 pc
cent. tariff tax on them here unless b,
can sell them in this market for al. .leas
so per cent. more than he would b,
willing to take Tor them at the place o
shipment. He would sell them sbroal
rather than take less, and he can onl,
sell here by selling his tax paid good
cheaper than the home producer OF lik
articles sells his product. The market
of the world are open for the sale O
foreign products. There are % time
} as many people outside of the Unitet
States 40 there are inside OF them. Tn
goods on all markets are the priyst
property of individuals. Foreign gov
ernments are not engaged in trade an.
more than ours. Individual selt-inter
est determines the question where AM
TO what market foreign as well q
domestic products will be carried.
The rule in all trade and mercantil
| transactions is that goods seek the mar
, ket In which the seller can get the mos
! money net for his property, after pay
, ing all tariff taxes, costs and charges
3 Just as the buyer buys what he needs
, regardless of its place OF production
, where and from whom he gets it bes
and cheapest. l, therefore, insiet tina
no amount of sophistry can shake o
, weaken the plain, truthful statement o
, facts made by the president nor detrac
from the iorce of his earnest recon-
mendstiOn that our present vicious. in
, equitable, illogical and unuecesssr
, tariff laws ought at once to lie revise,
/ and amended, because they needlessly
and therefore wrongfully, tax all tn
people, not only AZ per cent. on tn
r average on all the imported goods the
, buy above their value in open market
/ but impose without furnishing an
: revenue an equal tax on all the good
produced in this country that Oompet
3 with them in our markets for the ex