The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-12-01
THAT TERRIBLE TARIFF.

to get the truth and nothing but the
truth. We have used no Democratic
or Republican speeches. OF all queS-
tions this perplexeS the common mind
more than any other. Anyone who
has not studied this question free from
party bias can realize how easy it IS TO
deceive the people and keep them
clOuded. 1t IS and has been used by
the two old political parties to keep the
industrial class divided while the money
devil is pumping all the cram out of
productive capital and labor. The Re
publican party declares the tariff Is not
q tax and the foreigner pays it.
The Republican party makes no eX-
cepti0ns. The Democratic party de
clare8 the tariff is a tax and they make
40 exceptions. The leaders Of both
parties are partially right and partially
wrong. The truth lies half way be
tween them. Each aim to deceive the
people and keep them divided.
The political leaders on each side tell
much truth and lie by emitting to tell
the whole truth
1t is nothing uncommon FOR their
speakers and their organs to string
together an unbr0ken cord Of false
hoods. To understand this question
we will divide all articles imported into
three classes: First. Those We do not
produce. Second. Those we produce,
but not in sufficient quantity TO do us.
Third. Those we produce in sufficient
quantity to do is.
The first class the tariff is a tax to
the extent Of the tariff levied. The
second class Is q partial tax. The third
class the tariff is not a tax.
We advise the reader to read the
debate between Campbell, Democrat,
and Mckinley, Republican, st lido,
Ohio, on the tariff. Each c0nclusively
prove their positions, as far as they
went. Every article referred to by
Cambell belongs to the first and second
class. Every article referred to by
Mckinley belongs to the third class.
Reader, persue this question from be
ginning to end and you will not find
one exception to this rule.
Mckinley triumphantly says, ask
the Canadian farmer who pays the
tariff on his wheat and rye? We pro
duce Il surplus Of wheat and rye to eX
port aud these articles belong to the
third class. Is Mckinley right2 We
will assume wheat is worth one dollar
per bushel III New York. Tae tariff,
we will assume, is twenty cents per
bushel.
The Canadian farmer loads up with
wheat and comes to the United States
line, pays the revenue officers twenty
cents per bUshel. He finds the COmpe-
titiOn of the farmers has fixed the price
at one dollar and he must sell at this
figure. In this case the foreigner pays
the tax. (We will go the editor Of the
Atlanta Constitution two hundred that
this is a fact The Canadian cannot
add the twenty cents to the price and
sell for $1.2O. sThe truth is, Canada
does not export any wheat or rye to
the United States, as she has a better
market where she pays no tariff. The
tariff on these articles are not a tax,
neither does the American farmer
realize NJ cent from it. Here the
tariff neither protects or helps any
one. Zone hundred dollars to any
Democrat or Republican who will re-
flute this,) Take tin, one of the articles
referred to by Campbell. This belongs
to the second class. The importer
pays the import duty and adds the i'm
port duty to the cost. The importer is
able to do this because American man
ufac5urers have not the facilities to
make tin to supply the American
market. If they had those facilities
free trade or competition at home
would force the price down and the
foreigner would be compelled to sell at
this figure and could not add the cost
to the price. Calicoes, domestics and
cheaper goods of every class produced
by American manufacturers, the man
u~facturers' price is often less than the
tariff. The tariff on nearly all of these
articles are prohibitive. This is true
of hundreds Of articles. We pay no
tax Oh these articles and no one derives
any benefit.
Stump speakers are perfectly reck-
less in their statements as to the tariff
being a tax.
Every al ticle in the third class, vice
when we have suffi :ient raw material,
labor and machinery to produce ali
we consume, the tariff is not a tax.
Take any article we produce where
we have the material, the skilled labor
and machinery to supply all our wants,
competition fixes the prices and for
eigrers must sell at these prices. If
the profits on one article is larger than
on another, capital seeks investment
there. Investors of money are the
shrewdeSt men we have. They look
around for the best paying things, and
when they find it they put their money
there. Democratic orators and organs
quote tariff running from thirty to one
hundred per cent. and say this is their
profit over and above what they are
entitled to, and the consumer pays it.
The following questions and answers
shows the absurdity Of these reckless
statements: What is the average in
of wealth of the United States?
Ans. Two to three and one-haif per
cent. Do you know of any law or
combine that will prevent you from
putting your money into any of these
manutaciOrie that you claim are max
ing thirty to one hundred per cent? I