The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1892-10-19
Protection a Tax!
How Leading hePublicans for.
merry Looked upon hiK h TARIFF,

frsLleQulslte OF every American clIzen ana IL
there 10 any meaning in the word Protection
when used in connection with our goVerhmeht
al aLmacninery, il must necessarily convey the
idea that the security we are now enjoy ing l.
not sufficient and that we are threatened bS
some common danger against which the gov
ernment is asked u protect us:
Ii there Is, any dabger threatening the people
OF this country, there is no question but thai
the govern LmenI. being the general agent OF the
American society. constituted tor the very pur
pose OF protecting its members from injury in
person ana properly. is III duty bound TO afford
such protection
NeaIe ali il favor of this sort of protection
and are ready anu wiling. as an equivalent ioi
such protection, 10 contribute just and fan
share IF onr earnings 10 The government. This
believe 10 be the sonly torm OF protection the
government can justly bestow To do more han
that, 10 give general projection to all. or bestoW
greater benefits upon all and do 1t justly ant
equally Ior every citizen, is a mathematical i'm
possibility. therefore it follows that every
propos Ition ON the part OF the law making pow
er TO do more is propos itlon to do it unequaliy
OF course the laying of tariff taxes is perfectl'
legal and proper as long as they are laid for the
purpose Of raising a revenue Tor the govern
ment The hegovernment of Great Britain raises
about one hundred millions of lollars of her
revenues from foreign articles. to-wit: Tobacco
wine. spirits and tea. and when produced the
import tax is as Dearly as possible equal to the
internal revenue tax paid upon similar articles
by the home producer, Thus, tax upon i'm
ports does not necessarily imply tax for pro-
lection. The moment however. the purpose OF
raising revenue for the government is lost sigh
of and import duties are adjusted and laid with
the express or implied purpose OF giving pr1
Vate enterprises special advantages, or pro-
lection against competition. that moment the
government lends its taxing power to private
concerns 1t stands guard as it were, over
these special interests. and commands our con
sumers In this country to buy Of these protected
industries. no matter what the quality and
price may be and. therefore. every dollar ex
acted from the consumer for home commodities
enhanced in price on account OF such specia'
protection. is taxa tax more unjust than ar
ordinary tax unequally levied. because in the
case of tax por protection. the money does not
go to the govern ment treasury. but into the
pockets of preferred class. This last point
should be well kept in mind. and the people
should thoroughly understand that protection
can be nothing else than tax. an indirect tax
but nevertheless a tax. Many do not Seem to
know. and a gTea many, / fear, do not care to
know, what tariff taxes are. while others imag
inc that money collected by the government
upon imported goods is all paid in that way
and that Il ese taxes arepaid only by those who
buy imported goods. If the consumers gener
ally understood that commodities manufactured
in this country are Tor the greater part. en-
HANGED in price nearly equal to the amount Of
duty paid upon similar commodities imported
or lorty per cent in the average. they would
not hesitate in demanding that this unequal
system of taxation be either promptly reformed
or that u revenue method which could be per-
veried into an instrument 1or the qualification
OF ind. .vidual rapacity he eradicated, root and
branch. In answer 10 the assertion that pro
lection ultimately leads to cheapness. would
say, that it were best to begin with cheap
ness"
1t is owing to our present mixed state of pub
lie opinion witch leads mr. Blaine, the fore
most advocate OF protection in this country, in
his Twenty Years in Congress" 10 remark
Mr.. hamilton was the fole fnancier in
this counuy, no understood that it is easier to
collect ten dollars by an indirect tax than to
collect one dollar by direct taxi Mr.. Blaine's
conclusions. think. are correct 1t Is easier to
collect money by indirect taxation. but will he
claim that it is easier to pay!
Our people should bear IN mind that priDci-
pies ale IN mutable, but governmental theories
originate with and are shaped by our public
men. 1he open declarations and statements oil
these public mt n, are accepted as authority by
millions OF Jour voters, and tht refore their
names must be associated with their policies
Such being the case " ish to call attention to
the statements of a few of them, and let the
people juCee Tor the mselves whether am cor
rect in my views. and whether am justified in
saying that l believe the present Mckinley
law 10 be at variance with the principles enter
tanned heretofore by the courts and the great
men who were Republican leaders. Mr. Kas
son. the able representative to Congress from
Iowa, as early as 1e66 said: .Such a system o.
taxation is simple system of rob5ery; taking
from one home industry and and paying it to
another. Ii we go in the present plan of
adding to the cost OF everything we produce
there Is not another COZ ntry on the face of tn,
earth that will contribute one cent to enrich the
people OF the United States. OF buy single ar
ticle of our production. 1t is an attempt agains
the law Oh Providence. to force the people o.
this country to pay more for wnat they neeC
than the laws OIL Providence would otherwise
require. The Constitution of the U. s., Article
2. section 8. provides for the authority of Con-
gress to levy tax as follows: Congress shal
have power to levy and collect taxes. duties
imposts and exeises; to pay debts and provide
for the common defense and general welfare OF
the nitt d States " L do not understand that
confscating the property of one citizen under
our tariff power. and giving it as Ia bounty o,
gratnity TO another citizen, under pretense that
it is necessary to protect him in carrying on his
private business, is authorized by the clause in
the Constitution relating to taxes, duties and
the like; or that by taking property from one
in h
is a satisfactory way of providing for the com
mon defense and OF promoting the general wei
fare OF cur people. Legal authorities and jndi
cial decisions are uDiform in their opinion that
no tax can be legally levied except for public
purposes In a decision of the Supreme Court
OF lhe U. s., concerning the legality of tax
levied by the city of Topeka, upon the authori
ty of the Legislature OF Kansas. for the purpos e
of paving the bonds gwen to bridge company
as an inducement to locate their shops in that
city. Judge Miller says: of all the powers
conferred on the government that of taxation
is the most liable of abuse. Given purpose or
object Tor which taxation may be lawfully used
and the extent of its exercise is in its very ma
ture unlimited" and further: "rhis power
Can as readily be employed against one class OF
individuals and in favor OF another, SO as to
ruin the one class and give unlimited wealth
and prosperity to the other, if there are no i'm
piled limitations of the use for which the power
may be exercised" To-day with one hand the
power of the government on the property of the
citizen, and with the other bestow it upon ia
vored individuals to aid private enterprises and
build up private fortunes; is. none the less rob
berry because done under form of law, and il
called taxation. This is lot legislation, Be
yond cavil. there can be no lawful taxi ton
which is not laid for public purpose"
The Supreme court of Maine gives this opin-
ion: "No public exigency can require private
spoIiation for private benefit of favored in
viduals. If the citizen is protected in his pro
perty by the state against the public, much
more is he protected against private rapacity
1t is the taking that constitutes the wrong, NO
matter how taken.''
And again. in the Supreme Court of Iowa:
"N No authority or even dictum can be found
which asserts that there can be any legitimate
taxation when the money to be raised does not
90 into the public treasury. If there is any
proposition about which there is uniform
weight of judicial authority. it is that taxes