Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1891-02-26
Free Coinage of Silver and the
Tariff.

GILL;
Editor Herald:
l am not statesman nor a financier
but have for years read the speeches
of public men and perused the news
papers pretty carefully and tried to
form a belief on the tariff and the
currency question but I must admit
with all my reading I am sin the
brushAand all befogged on these two
political problems, and I believe the
average citizen has no clearer view of
those matters than have. I notice
that even our greatest statesmen diff
fer as widely as the common herd.
Now, MIR. Editor, what say you. Is a
Protective Tariff a blessing to the
country or a curse, and why is there
such demand for the Free Coinage
of silver. Why does the east oppose
free coinage and the west generally
favor it? These are now the kreat
political questions and do not doubt
that the statement of your views
would be interesting to at least some
of your readers. Yours,
TAx-PAYER.
EDrroR's REMARKS. Web
ster, Henry Clay. Horace Greeley and
Abraham Lincoln were leading adj
vocates of the doctrine of protection,
so were George Washington and the
founders of this government. There
seems to be but two plans for raising
money with which to defray the ex-
penses of running the government.
One is by levying a tariff duty on
goods imported into this from foreign
countries, and the other is by direct
taxation. So far, the United States
has resorted to the tariff method, and
Notwithstanding the hot disputes be-
tween Democrats and Republicans on
that subject every campaign, the con-
test has always narrowed down to the
question of the adjustment of the
tariff, or in other words, what articles
shall pay a duty, what amount shall
be levied, and what shall be admitted
free. Our opinion is that the tariff
laws should beso revised that ARTICLES
brought from foreign countries to be
sold in competition with those of our
home manufacture should pay a duty,
while the things we do not produce
in America should be admitted free.
But the duty levied should not be so
high as to prohibit the importation of
wares into this country, and care
should be taken also to lay the burden
of taxation on the luxuries rather than
the necessaries of life. The levying
of a duty on goods brought into this
country does not necessarily advance
the price of the articles as might be
shown in numberless instances for the
Incidental protection of the duty levied
stimulates home capital to engage in
manufacturing, and then comes home
competition which forces the price of
the manufactured articles down not
wlthstanding the tariff duty. The
formation of Trusts to keep the price
up Is not the fault of the tariff laws,
for manufacturers could and would
form trusts if there was no duty lev
led. Antitrust laws are needed for
that evil.
The HERALD also favors an ''income
tax law" All persons should be re-
quired to pay a direct tax on his in
come in excess of $1,000 per year.
We are also in favor of an Internal
Revenue tax on tobacco, alcoholic
liquors, and other articles manufac-
tured and used as luxuries.
As to Tax-Payers second question:
Free Coinage of silver means that sill
yer and gold metal should be put on
an equality, so far as the law is con-
cerned. Now. we have free coinage
of gold but the coinage of silver is re-
strieted. It was a few years ago de-
based and de-monetized, though from
the time of Abraham it has been re-
garded as good money. Gold is scarce
and is every year becoming scarcer.
This country produces more silver
than gold and the policy which makes
the Rothchilds of Europe our mas
ters, Is a very unwise one. The gold
bugs want to keep money scarce, for
by so doing they can control labor
and all the products of labor; they
can also keep up high rates of inter
est. The capitalists of the east OPP
pose free coinage of silver for these
reasons stated. There is but one rea-
son why either gold or silver should
be the only material from which
money can be created and that is Gus
tom or the usage of the nations of
the world. The monetary value or
character is given to these metals by
the fat of governments. Any other
material would do as well if adopted
by the Nations and made legal tender
for all debts public and private. and
we believe that this Government
should repeal the law authorizing
National Banks to issue notes as
money, and proceed to replace them
with irredeemable fiat paper dollars,
and make them full legal tender and
keep in circulation an amount of this
fiat money equal to the full amount
of gold and silver in circulation.
There is a great deal of sophistry
an6 nouoh saI6shnars IN the reasoning