Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-06-25
The People Pay the Piper.

OUe Ol tUe PraYeSG fundamental detect
of all our mdoern tariff law is the temp
tation they offer to huge speculative com
bines. The new tariff commonly known
as the Mckinley bill was conceived ant
framed almost exclusively in the interes
of speculative combinations in utter dis.
regard of the interests of either the gov.
ernment or the people. Our whole busi.
ness and financial interests have been un-
settled by the open temptation to exces.
sive importations before the new law
went into operation, and the industrial
| interests which were promised special de-
Velopments are paralyZed by increased
| taxes on raw materials to compete with q
glutted market OF foreign goods imported
| to get the benefit of increased tariff taxes.
In all these speculative operations the
people pay the piper.
Soon after the present national admin
istration got fairly under way, Appraiser
Leach of this city decided to anticipate
the action of Congress in tariff revision
and he classed worsted goods with wool
en- goods and about doubled the duty on
worsteds. True, the tariff law did not
warrant any such action. The tariff of
1888 had classed worsteds as that class of
manufacturers wanted them cassed at
that time; but the swift march of inven-
ton knocked worsted goods out, and our
Appraiser made new tariff on worsteds
to suit himself or as he believed it should
be. The importers OF wOrsted goods
paid the increased tariff taxes under pro-
test, put UP the price of their goods to
the consumers, and got their excessive
taxes back from the people. The courts
finally knocked out the Appraiser and
reminded him that Congress and not APP
praisers made tariff laws. and the import
ers proceeded to get their excessive taxes
back second time by restitution from
the government. The people paid the
piper.
Several suits are now before the United
States Court of this city for the recovery
of alleged excessive taxes paid by import
ers in hat trimmings. Under the ruling
of The Customs officials, fifty per cent.
tariff taxes were collected on these goods,
while it is claimed that the legal duty was
only twenty per cent. While the suits
now on trial involve only few hundreds
of dollars, TIE stake for which the i'm
porters and their attorneys are playing
amounts up the millions, varIously esti-
mated from fifteen to thirty millions The
taxes thus paid were charged on the
goods aud paid back to the importers by
the consumers; but that does not affect
the legal issue and if the government has
collected Illegal taxes, it must refund
them. Thus saith the law, but who have
paid them? And who snould receive
them back? In this case as in all like
cases. it is the people who pay the piper
It is quite probable, Judging from re-
cent Judicial decisions, that this claim of
the importers of hat trimmings may be |
held as in accord with the law, and if so,
there can be but one Judgment; but is it |
not time for Congress to halt all these
speculative features of our tariff laws?
The laws must be fairly interpreted and |
by Courts and jurors, regardless |
Of the failure of equity between importers
and consumers; but the laws should be
amended to prevent restitution
Of excessive tariff taxes to importers on
any goods not in their actual possession
md unsold. AS long as this system of
speculation shall be legalized, just so long
will our tariff laws be shaped in the i'm
crest of spectators, and one of the inn
)ortant duties of the next Congress should
De to stop restitution of excessive tariff
axes to any but those who have actually
oaiu them. 1t is the people who pay the
piper, and unless restitution can be made
o the consumers of excessively tariff
goods. the government should not pay at
IL. philadelphia Times.