West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1890-10-30
THE TARIFF Is A TAX.
He Who Reads May Judge for Himself

! W W. anu Nniic prices on various
articles are going up and they are
compelled 10 reach down i'm their
pockets and pay out in the hard
cash an increased amount for goods
that they have been buying at GER
tain prices for years and are told
That II is owing TO the passage Of the
Mckinley Tariff Bill, the Republi-
can papers and orators will have a
very hard time trying to still con-
vince them that the tariff is not a
TAX ana that the moro they pay for
goods the cheaper they get them.
In TACT, this bill is the best eve
opener on the tariff we have ever
had, and blind man can see the
lnlqnlty of it and fool need not err
therein. 10 bring the matter right
nome TO our own iiresides, let us re-
late some things that are happening
right at home, and we will even give
1t to you from Republican source,
also IN order that you may know
that 1T is no Democratic lie. For
instance, certain young merchant
OF this town, who has recently sold
out and who isa strong Republican,
WAS relating N n store the other
night, that since he had sold out he
had concluded to buy him u good
gun and take little recreation hunt.
ing, so he wrote TO n Baltimore firm
Tor price list, and upon receiving
IL he found written on the margin
IN various places something like
this, THESE guns have gone mp lS
per cent. owing TO the passage of
the Mckinley bill"-"Thcse goods
have advanced 20 per cent. since the
new tariff bill won't into eiTect"-
ana yIu should have heard this Re-
publican merchant express himself.
Again, take our tinwarc man, w.
r. Menear, \ dyod-in- the wool Re
publican, and lie will admit TO YOU
that the new tariff bill has seriously
lnterfercd with his business. 1t has
Increased the price of tin, something
That everybody has To have. and. III
Tact, is indispensable to the poor
man. Statistics show that VIZ use
more tin than all the rest OF the
world besides, and yet We have to
import every bit Of it from the old
world, AS We have not single tin
mine or factory in the United States.
linen why have any tax upon it at
All : Why not allow it to come into
the country free.a I'd thus lessen the
cost Of 1t for it is the poor people
VINO use 1T most. Bat no; this Nc
hinley Tariff Robbery Bill increases
she prIcc Of it by taxing Heavily
every Dit brought into this country.
NOW we ask in all cIndor If this is
not ~ tax, what Is it? 1t cost 40
more to produce it than heretofore.
lhere Is no scarcity OF 1t in the
market, yet if you 60 to purchase,
you Will be asked AN Increased price
for 1t, and il you ask Mr.. Mcncr
Why this is, he will tell you that it
IS owing to the new tariff on it, and
That I'm hhs gone up aa1 that be HIS
to pay more for it, and Of course is
bound to raise the price Of his goods
Now is it not plain that the tariff
is u tax ? Let us make it palmer.
Depaty Sheriff Julius Monroe comes
to you aud collects tax to dcfray
the expenses Of the county and State
government. lie collects, say per
cent. for one fund, 10 for another,
25 for another, and so on, amount
ing to perhaps $50 (examine your
tax receipts and you will under
stand) per year, he turns this money
over to the Sheriff, who pays it into
the treasury. Now, then, the i'm
portcrs and Wholesale dealers who
bring tin into this country pay the
government q certain sum for this
| privilege. Does the importer take
this out of his profits? =? Not much
he don't. lie simply adds this tar
iif or tax to the cost OF the goods
and sells to the jobber or retail deal
er At the increased price, and as u
matter Of course the retail dealer
adds his profit TO this price and sells
to You, and when you buy tinware
or have tin roof put on your house
you pay the original cost and all
these gentlemen their profit and a
certain per cent. which the govern
ment has already received from the
importer and which you, the con-
sumer, have got to make good be-
fore you can buy and use the goods.
II is the same on the clothes you
wear, on the furniture you buy, on
the cutlery you get for the table. on
your pocket knife, on your carpets
and on a great many things in COM
mon usage too numerous 20 mention.
Now isn't this a tax : And heavy
tax, too? And in the course OF a
years time il amounts on all these
things to much moro than the tax
you pay Sheriff Jackson. The pas
sage of this worse than highway rob-
berry measure known as the McKin-
ley Bill has killed the shook busi-
ness Of this country also and ruined
one Of the chief industries Of this
county. Our shook makers are al
at sea and have no idea what to do.
| They have suspended operations,
/ 4,,...,I ~ tIot, knuI. FIrs fbrogy