The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1891-08-25

IaSes lfesuihteu Dy the CoustftutiOn-
Open Markets aud Free Competition
tho Salvation of tho Country.
AT the recent summer meeting Of the
State Agricultural and Mechanical
Society at Orangeburg, Ex-Congress.
man Dibble made the following inter
esting and instructive address on the
tariff:
Mr.. President and Gentlemen of the
State Agricultural and Mechanical
Society: / appear before you AS a sub
stitute for one who would have enter
tained you more than can, he being
man of gifted speech and a close stu
cent OF this great economic question.
and confess that in the short time /
have had to consider this subject under
the circumstances in which l appear
before you 1T is difficult to embrace In
the limited closing hour of this meeting
the subject to such an extent as TO be
of airy very practical benefit to us. 1t
Is subject that is so broad and has
consumed so much in its discussion,
has so many ramitications entering into
all the avocations of life and affecting
every consumer, and incidentally every
producer, that it is very hard without u
great deal of time and care In prepara-
tion to condense in a few remarks what
is to be said on this subject even as 1t
affects the interest of the South Caro-
lima planter.
In the 5Oth Congress such of the de-
bates as L was able to collect in the
Senate aud House on the Mills bill
were compiled in three volumes. each
the size Of this which I hold in my
hand. OF course all this subject OF
taxation interests us, and
THE TARIFF Is A TAX,
and under our system OF government
the matter OF Federal and State taxes
has been distributed under the Consti-
tuition in such way that the power of
tariff taxation has been exclusively
vested in the Federal Government.
That being so, it is necessary to have a
tariff for the support of the Govern
ment, because, in a measure, at least,
the other fields of taxation should be
reserved to the State, and the Federal
Government should not go into all the
fields of taxation. The State should
take some and the Federal Government
others. Under the Constitution the
customs duties are especially relegated
to the sphere of Federal influence. The
operation of the tariff, considered In its
relations as an economic question,
should be adjusted in such a manner
thai the interests of every section of
the country and of every class of its
population should be as nearly as pos
sible equally conserved; that Is to say,
that in the proper adjustment of this
burden 1t should be arranged in such a
way as to give al equal chance to the
producer and to the consumer as far as
possible
THE MARKETS SHOULD BE OPEN.
Nnw fhnTa 10 nnSSihIa harm fn
come to any class of consumers In any
part OF the country where a tariff tax
is to be levied OH the importation of
goods where the consumer has the
privilege, which every freeman ought
to have In free country like ours, of
the competition of those who have that
merchandise to sell. The Constitution
of the United States says that every.
thing that is not expressly granted to
the General Government is reserved to
the States, and further, reserved to the
peolpe, and the individual right OF
every man to purchase the goods where
he can purchase them to the most adj
vantage is one of the dearest rights of
freeman in the protection of his pro-
perty, and unless there is something in
the Constitution which depriyes one of
that right then it is one of the reserved
rights under the Constitution, and
every individual American citizen is
entitled TO its exercise.
Therefore, in the first place, any tariff
duty which is prohibitOry and excludes
any citizen in any part Of the country
from the privilege Of buying foreign
goods in place of American goods If he
chooses to do so, is in my Judgment a
violation of the Constitution in its let.
ter and in its spirit.
Again, on the other hand,
FREE TRADE WOULD NOT SUIT
our section OF this country, to say moth
ing of other portions. If we had no
custom house at all then that source of
revenue to the Government would be
taken away entirely. In the first place,
we would have the objection that 1t
would interfere very materially with
the burdens which the State has i'm.
posed for the support of its Govern
ment, by doubling the taxes III some of
those fields, and If direct taxation were
leSorted to then, under the Constitution
and under the principle for which our
forefathers fought in the American
Revolution, taxation and representa-
tion must 20 hand in hand, both of
them based upon population, and in the
same manner that South Carolina has
in the Federal councils about one
liftieth Of the representation she should
have 10 bear under the Constitution
one fiftieth of the direct tax burden of
the Government. Therefore. if direct
taxes were levied as State taxes are
levied the quota OF South Carolina
would be, with an expenditure of
$3.50, 100000 a year, about $7O00,OO0 or
81 100000 for each Representative in
Congress. That would be burdrnsome
and destructive to us, 50 that tree trade
with direct taxation would not suit lis.
HOW THE COTTON PLANTER Is
SQUEEZED.
1T seems to me that the interest
which we represent here to day is one
that is entitled at least to fair c0nside-
ration from the one fact that in inter-
national exchange we furnish the larg-
est value annually exported from the
United States to the markets Of the
world. The cotton crop of this coun-
try pays a larger part of the money for
the goods imported into this country
than any other, the breadstuffs coming
next, the provision crop next and pc.
troleum and kerosene and things of that
sort, and next to that coming tobacco.
We furnish very nearly One-thrd of
the entire export value in the article
OF cotton alone. and exceed breadstutfs
by very considerable amount. Now
we are certainly entitled when we send
our cotton crop for foreign consump-
tion to have fair chance Ii we desire
n nm 81 70 M rphusaQ of fOraIup artiplap In