Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-09-04
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WORDS Of WISDOM.

WORDS OF WISDOM.
Admit That In FOREIGN
Countries = Tariff l. s,TAx-SenAtof Frye
and the New, York Tribune Understand .
Thing or Two About Tariffs.
It is an amusing thing to see what
damaging admissions our high tariff
statesmen and organs can make when
they get to talking about the effects OF
tariffs away off in foreign countries.
One of their queer doctrines is that the
tariff in our country is not a tax at all,
and therefore that it does not increase
the cost of goods or obstruct the course
of trade.
But get these protectionists to talking
about the effects of tariffs in foreign
countries, and you will find that they
are men of ordinary common sense, and
that they understand just as we'll as
anybody else that tariffs are burdens
on the consumer. asiTfs5 ts'A l5i5 l-iia
Here, now, is Senator Frye, OF Maine,
to whom Blaine sent his two famous
letters on the subject of reciprocity
with South America. Frye undertook
recently in the Senate to explain what
Blaine wanted to accomplish by those
letters.
Mr. Butler, of South Carolina, was en-
gagged in a colloquy with the Maine Sem
ator, endeavoring to get from him an
explanation of the extent of the re-
ciprocity proposed by Blaine.
Here is part of what was said: Is
Mr.. Butler-Then 1 understand that the
Secretary of State was in favor OF opening
up foreign markets to the American manu-
facturers? -...-s-,s. s..s.-
Mp Frye-Undoubtedly he was in favor OF
some reciprocal relations with the Repub-l
lfoS f/,f t,o cn,,th ma nv m rlaf
of the I'm ted states might be extended 10
them ~ s....,ss,.sfs go i.5ts
Mr. Butler-Then, in short he was in favor
of opening foreign markets? 'i1IS fti3 -
Mr. Frye-He was in favor of resortfng to
some measure by which the high duties inn
posed by the South American Republ les on
products of the United States might be
duced AMI removed. thus enabling us to
send our goods to those markets. I-.-ss - .-
Reducing and removing their duties.
''thus enabling US to send our goods to
these markets!"e 7i53 - a7f'} ~ .- 2
What does that mean? All! The
tariff is tax-in South America! The
duties there make our goods so high
that the consumer can not afford to buy
them-in South Americai For the duty
is paid by the consumer. finally-in
South America! a.. x.,s. ..-r,
Exceedingly strange that tariffs do
not work the same way in North Amer
lea! t-s rs -a,'5- u 3 -'f.
The New York Tribune is persistently
blind to the effects of the tariff On the
laboring classes in the United States;
but even the Tribune understands the
effects of the German tariff upon the
| welfare of the German laborer. 1t sees
that the tariff there hurts the laborer
every hour and in manifold ways. 1t
sees clearly that in Germany the tariff
is a tax taken from the pocket of the
laborer. +.lsf t-.5EF- H5.st. 2 s-siH
Here is the remarkable account which
the Tribune gives of the condition OF
| the German laborer:
On waking in the morning the German
artisan drinks cuo of coffee, on which the
| imperial treasury has levied duty of 20
| pfenniga. or about cents per pound. The
| sugar with which he sweetens it has been
| taxed at 10 pfennige pound and the bread
| at pfennige. On leaving home for work
| his wife provides him with crust OF bread
| ION which the duty is 3 pfenni9e per pOund),
| spreads it with layer of lard duty of 5
| pfennige a pound). and sprfnkles it with
salt duty of pfennige a pound). During
the course of his mornings work the m an
| (duty of 20 pfennige per quartz. At noon he
| will return home to dine with his family OF
a soup made with flour duty, pfennige
| per pound), with slice of bacon duty, 1C
| pIcnnlR0 per pOunu), OF piece OF Deel
| duty 10 pfennige per pound), or perhaps
herring duty, pfenn 'ge per piece). In the
evening, after his work is over. he
| will probably refresh himself with
glass of beer duty. pfennig per quart), ac-
companied by piece of cheese duty, II
pfennige per pound), little butter duty
10 pfennige per pound), and a slice OF bread
| duty, pfennige per pound). .Afterward by
the light of his lamp, on the oil Of which 9
! duty of pfennige per quart has been paid
he will smoke his pipe full of tobacco, taxed
at the rate of rs pfennige per pound, and
will then retire to sleep, which is apparently
the only thing that the Imperial Govern
| ment has omitted to tax" 70. -iff- - Esrsafss
The remarkable thing is that in Amer
lea the tariff does not work in that way.
Here the tariff is necessary ito protec,
labor and is the only thing that keeps
the American laborer from sinking te
the level of his European brother.
How curious that tariffs do not work
the same way in all countries! s~t