Sharp County record., 1890-09-18
WORDS or WISDOM


u-,r..rf,nist. Admit That In Foreign
r,unrrir.- a Tariff Ia a rax-,enator rye
,nd the View York Tribune Understand a
rbingnr ryvo About rariff%
III E., al amusing hing 20 sec what
famar,ur admissions our high IarIH
statesmen. and organs can make when
-bev ret TO talking about the effects Oh
-ar,Fs away of in foreign countries
Ore of their queer doctrines IS that the
tariff II 1ur. country IS not a tax at aIL-
and therefore that it does not increase
the cost Of goods or obstruct the course
Of -rade.
Bat get these proteetontsts TO talking
about the effects Of tariffs III foreign
countries. and you will ind that they
ire men Of ordinary common sense, and
that thew understand Just Is we'll as
ANYBODY else that ,arltfs are burdens
on the consumer.
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
rncenrIV in the Senate TO explain Whas
Blaine wanted to accomplish by those
letters.
Mr.. Butler. Of South Carolina, was en-
ragged in coIIouuy with the Maine Sem
ator. andeavoring to get from him an
exclamation Of the extent Of the re-
cIurocitv proposed by Blaine.
Here IS a part Of what was said:
Mr. Butier-Thpu I understand mat ne
Secretary Of state vas n iavOr Ot opening
I'D foreign markets TO the American nAhu'
facturprss
Mr. Frye-Cnd1ubtsdly ne was in faVor OF
some rpcfnrocaI relations with tho Repub-
lies To the south OF rs by which the market
0t the Un ted states might be eXte 10
them.
NJ Butler-Ehen, in short ne was ID lI'or
OF opening foreign markets:
Mr. Frvc-He was in favor Of resCrting to
some measure by which the high duties I'M
Dosed by the south American Republics on
products Of the United States might be re-
duced an removed. thus enabling Us 70
. send our goods to those markets.
Reducing and removing their duties,
thus enabling Us to send our goods to
these markets.
What does that meant All. The
tariff is d tax-in South America! The
duties there make our goods so high
. that the consumer can not afford to buy
tbem-in South America. For the duty
Is paid by the consumer fnalIy-in
. South America.
Exceedingly strange that tariffs do
not work the same way in North Amer
lea.
The New York Tribune IS persIstently
blind to the effects Of the tariff on the
Laborinr classes in the United States;
but even the Tribune understands the
effects Of the German tariff Upon the
welfare Of the German laboreE 1t sees
that the tariff there hurts the laborer
every hour and IN manifold ways. It
sees clearly that in Germany the tariff
is q tax taken from the pocket Of the
IaboreE
Here is the remarkable account which
the Tribune gives Of the condition Of
the German labOrer:
on wlktng in the morning the German
artisan drinks cul OF coffee, on which the
imperial grJasury lls levied a duty OF 20
Dfenn e, or about cents per pound The
sugar with which he iweeteus i5 has been
taxed nc 10 pfuunige a pound and the bread
&C pt-nnigc. IN leavtng home for work
his wife provides him with a crust OF bread
Con which the duty is ptennige per pound,
L. al IrgH- FNFr
pfeunige a pouud) and sprinkIes it with
salt duty Cf pfennige 4 pOuud). During
/ the course Of his mornings work the man
will probably take a small glass Of brandy
/ duty Of 1G Dfeuuige per quartz. At noon he
viii return home to dine with his family O1
a soup made with -four duty, pfennige
/ per Douudl, with q slice Of bacon duty, 10
nfennige per pOund), or a piece Of beet
/ duty 10 pfenuige per pound), or perhaps a
/ herring duty pfaunige per piece). In the
evening" after his work IS over, he
will probably refresh himself with a
glass of beer duty, / pfennig per quartz, ae-
cOmpanied by a piece Of cheese duty, Il
pfauniZe per pound}, a little butter duty
10 ptennige per pound), and a slice Of bread
/ duty, pteunIge per pouud) Afterward by
the light OF his lamp, on the oil Of which a
duty Of pfenuige per quart has been paid
he will smoke his pipe full OF tobacco, taxed
Nc the rate Of Is ptennige per pound, and
will then retire 10 sleer, which apparently
the only thing that the Imperial Govern
ment has omitted to tax
The remarkable thing is that in Amer.
ica the tariff does not work. in that way,
Here the tariff is necessary TO protect
labor" and is the only thing that keeps
the American laborer from sinking to
the level Of his European brother.
How curious that tariffs DO not work
the same way in all countries