The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-09-07

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on the articles that We can produce.
method Of levying dutiesP l will tell
you.
WHEN THE TARIFF IS A TAX.
If you levy duty on IN article that
we can not hope to produce in this
country, such duty is always tax,
and is always added to the cost OF the
article bought, and must be paid by the
consumer. II we levy duty on tea in
the United States, itwould increase the
cost OF tea, because we can't grow tea In
this country. We can't get up COM
petition here at home. You can't cheap
en- it in that way because we don't grow
any. So tariff of that kind always in-
creases the cost OF the goods. Conse-
quently we object to levying duty in
that way. A tax levied on the necessi-
ties of life, when levied on an article
that the country does not produce
comes out Of the great body. OF
plain working people OF the nation
because they are always enormously in
the majority. Who paid the $2S, ,000,0 600
collected in Great Britain on tea last
yeavP Necessarily the people who CON-
sumed it; and there were at least five
hundred laboring people who consumed ?
it to one rich nabob. Consequently, a.
tariff duty OF that kind always comes
out OF the laboring people Of the nation.
For this reason we put tea on the tree
list, and coffee and sugar for the same
reason. They said they were going to
increase the product, but they failed.
Tha1y 1nDt4 yorniuna ono Oound in tnn
Of what we consume. Consequently,
that was regular revenue tariff and
not protective one.
To build up the sugar industry we
put bounty on the product to. induce
our people to produce all the sugar
needed in the United States. We meet
the objection OF our friends, and II
there is tariff reformer in this audi
ence whose position I don't state accu-'
rateiy, i wish he would stop me and
state it himself. Let us get started
straight and understand each other.
They say it willnever do to levy tar
if on articles that we do produce. They
say you may get little money in the
treasury in that way, but duty OF that
kind is always added to the cost of the
article, comes out OF the consumer of
such articles, and while you may get a
little money to run the Government,
you collect a vast sum out OF
the pockets OF the people and
put it into the pockets of
the manufacturers, and build up nabobs
and rob the people. Now haven't [
stated that as strong as you could state
it yourself? And il that is true, then
you are right and am wrong. II when
you levy tariff on an article produced
in this country we do increase the price,
Just as when levied on an article that
we don't produce, then my Democratic
friends are right and we are wrong.
But if can show you that il you levy q
duty on the protective plan, you build
up the industry in this country, you
furnish labor for American citizens, you
keep large amount of money in the
United States that would otherwise be
sent abroad, that you pay good wages
for men who work, and you cheapen
the goods themselves for the people who
consume them, then you are wrong and
we are right.
THE DEMOCRATIC TROUBLE.
Here's thetroublewitho our Democratic
friends-they think that because duty
on an article on their plan increases the
cost Of the article it also does on our
plan. 1t taks two courses Of reasoning
to understand this question. And the
trouble with our Democratic friend is
that he exhausts himself with the first
and is not able to take the second.
Applause and laughter.l / make this
bold proposition-that when you levy
duty on the protective plan, in
addition to building up manufactur-
ing industry you ALWAYS cheaper the
product for the people who consume itil
that is what am now going to prove.
The first article l am going to talk,
about is an article of universal use,
common salt. If there is anything in
theworld that worries the free trader
and makes him mad and red in the face
when he talks about it, it is the duty on
salt. He always talks about it robbing,
every man who salts his potatoes or
cures his hams. l have lived for twen-
ty years in State where we make one
fourth, or perhaps one-third, the salt!
used in the United States. We pro-
duced in the State OF Michigan last
year over four million barrels of salt
one million right in sight Of my doors
when l am at home
THE SALT TARIFF.