The Forrest City times., 1891-02-13
SHALL TEA BE TAXED /?
THAT IS WHAT A FEW IMPORT
 FRS WANT.

A Tax on Tea Wanted to Keep Up Prices
 The Consumer Left Out of tho Cal
 eulation-Reciprocity with n Vengeance
 Shall the Breakfast Table Remain
 Free?
 Last year, when every body was trying to get higher protection on every con ceivabe thing a movement was under taken to have duty put on all tea i'm ported from ? aces west or the Cape of Good HoBe. This was an attempt to revive an old law which was abolished in 1883. This law imposed duty of 10 per cent on all tea coming from places west of Cape Of Good Hope
 The original purpose of the law was to promote the direct shipment of tea from China, Japan and the East Indies to our ports and thus to encourage American shipping By "places west of the Cape of Good Hope" the old law meant London and Liverpool
 The present demand for the re-enact- ment of this old jaw cones from a few importers of tea, and it is not based on the idea of preventing direct importa- tion. There is another object in view, an object which is frankly avowed. Out of a total of 70, 575,9 pounds of tea imported in 1889, only 4,673 s64 pounds came in by way of England. Why should our i'm orters fear this small amount coming from Eng and upon q second shipment and in competition with the bulk of our consumption which is imported direct from China and Japan? The answer to this question may be seen from an extract from recent number of Bradstreet's, as fol ows:
 "The stock of tea in this country is at present very heavy, and prices are in consequence lower here than in England. Hence London merchants are now buy ing tea in New York The promoters of the new legislative agitation hope by means of 1t to buoy up prices and pre- vent further decline. But many deal- CTS have been free to predict that no such legislation will be passed by the
 resent Congress It Is claimed by the advocates of the measure that under free entry London merchants arc able to place here large quantities of tea when ever the market shows a tendency to advance"
 The importers of tea who are pushing the measure in question are wonderfully frank. They do not talk about pro lection to American interests" they uafc uQbhiilS ip say apoQt anybody's wages, and do not promise that compet. ton in the home market will make tea cheaper to the American consumer than ever before. They frankly confess that they want this law for their own benefit When they sue ceed in rais ng prices here, they will have no tea com ng in from London in seven or eight days to bring down prices again. China and Japan arc a long way off. and if the importers here can raise tho price of tea it would take con siderable time for other people to get cargoes of tea from those countries into our ports. Tho few importers here would meanwhile reap extra benefits from higher prices But the danger of quick importations from London must be got rid of; and hence this movement or small number of tea importers to get the law affecting places west of the Cape Of Good Hope'
 The New York Nerohdnts' Reuteie do- nounees the who thing as nothing but q scheme to advance prizes when condi- tiols are favorable. The Nelo Enqlund Grocer of Boston also condemns the pro posed tax In stormy language. 'It is simply an effort, 1t says, ''of few con cerns to dictate to 6o,0o 1000 of people where they sha l buy their teas, no ques- ton of protection being inv lved. The whole effect of such a law W )uld be to advance a. which would be controlled by q few large concerns, while the smaller dea CT, who can only purchase small lots, wou d have to pay higher prices because he would be cut of from pulcha sing in lots to suit hA convenience from English markets, as he can do now. Such law will be an oppression to every retail grocer and every consumer in the United States of America.
 Let not tho consumer suppose that these few importers are the only men in this country who stand ready to tax tea and make it dearer to every housewife in the land. Some years ago. when 1t first began to be realized that the war tariff was producing revenues in excess of the needs of the Government, the pro- tectionist leaders saw that something would have to be done to get rid of un- necessary taxation, and at the same time save the protective system Accord ingly the cry of "a free breakfast table" was raised, and of went the duties on tea and coffee.
 Now a new tariff law has been born into this tariif-ridden land It is cross htAWtth Sh4ENNt wan MthinitN ana Reciprocity Blaine. In this cross breed tariff law 1t is coolly proposed to tax every breakfast table in the land again, unless ea-produelng countries shall grant us such reciprocal advantages in trade as shall satisfy the President This is reciprocity with vengeance. The tax was removed to tighten the bur dens on our own people. Now our law makers stand ready to reimpose that tax upon our people if China and Japan do not grant us such terms of admission to their ports as shall satisfy the Presi- dent