The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1892-11-04
THOMAS G. SHEARMAN
THE ABLE WRITER PUNCTURSS
! M'KlNLEYs SENSELEss CLAIMS.

A great many people assert that every
tariff is tax, and a great many more
shout that no tariff is a tax. When you
ask the first set of people how much OF
u tax is the tariff on common earth,
which no one wants to import, whether
taxed or free, they are puzzled. When
you ask the second set why the McI{in-
ley bill made raw sugar free, if the tariff
upon it was not tax, they are angry,
and say that we know that q revenue
tariff is a tax. But why did they not
say so in the first place?
However, we make some progress. 1t
is not merely conceded-it is insisted
by those who have been declaring for
years that "the tariff is not n tax" that
after all a revenue tariff is a tax. And
how Mr.. Mckinley goes little further,
and boasts that every tariff is a tax; only
he asserts that tariff for protection IS a
tax upon foreigners, while n tariff for
revenue only is a tax upon American.
He says that the Republican party pro
poses to collect the tariff taxes from
foreigners, while the Democratic party
proposes to collect them from Americans.
1t is only Il very short time since the
chosen representatives Of the American
Protective Tariff league denounced as q
downright lie the assertion that tho
tariff was tax at ALL and here is tAe
foremost champion of their cause assert
ing that every tariff is tax, either upon
Americans or upon foreigners.
IN nt CT Iv-p
points. Let us make these clear.
Every tariff is a tax law. 1t lays taxes
and does nothing else. In some cases
nobody pays the tax, because nobody
wants to bring in the article taxed But
a tax is a tax, whether it is ever paid or
not. Every tariff is tax, although not
every tax imposed by the tariff is col
lected.
All the money received by the govern
ment under a tariff amounting to an
average of about $911 ,0O0,0 900 year for
the last ten years. is u tax
All the money thus collected upon ar
ticles which are not produced in our own
country in sufficient quantities to reduce
the price below that at which foreigners
would sell to us is n tax upon our own
people. Thus the duty on sugar was
tax upon ourselves, although Il large
amount of sugar is produced here, bat
not enough to supply the wants of our
people, so that we We're compelled to
buy more from abroad.
All the rest of the money collected
under tariff is a tax upon our people,
except so much as can be shown to hc
collected from foreigners only.
Only small part Of the taxes thus
collected are laid upon luxuries such Gs
are used only by the rich. The rich peo-
pie are not numerous enough to enable
the government to collect a large reyc-
nue. from taxes upon their Injuries
And as the necessaries and decent com
forts of life are sold to the comparative
poor in far greater amounts than to the
rich, the tariff taxes so far as they are
paid by our own people are paid mostly
by the poor.
All these statements are agreed to by
Mr.. Harrison, Mr.. Cleveland, Mr.. Nc
Kinley, Senator Sherman, Senator Mills
and every intelligent protectionist, tariff
reformer or free trader.
We have now some common ground
of agreement, from which we can pro-
ceed to talk together about matters upon
which we do not all agree, with some
chance of understanding each other. i
revenue tariff is a tax, and every tariff
to the extent to which it produces any
revenue is tax. And these taxes are
mainly paid by the poor. The rich pay
but small part Of them.
Now we come TO points upon which
we all do not agree. Mr. Mckinley saws
that the taxes imposed by u protective
tariff are paid by foreigners, and that
the great difference between his tariff
and IL revenue tariff is that he makes
Foreigners pay the taxes, while the
Democratic party proposes TO mako the
Americans pay their own taxes. Heand
his party also assert that when nc rev.
enue Is collected by the government nm
der IN item in the tariff no one pave
any tax in consequence of it. The or
ponents of protection maintain that
Americans cannot make foreigners pay
any share of American taxes worth tall
ing about, and that they ought not to
try. They also maintain that an cnor-
nous taE is collected by few Amer
lean capitalists and landowners fortheir
own benefit III consequence of tariff
taxes, which are purposely made so high
as to prevent the government from col
lecting anything.
Let US first consider whether foreirn-
erS do pay or can be made TO puy any
large share OF our tariff taxes Nj.
Mckinley himself has furnished us q
test by which we can decide this oues.
tion. He abolished the taxes on raw
sugar, especially because they were
reyenue taxes and paid by our own pCo-
pie, and he points with pride to the fact
that since these taxes We're repealed the
price of raw sugar has fallen in oar
markets to the full amount Of the tax.
But large amount OF sugar was grown
in cur own country 1t was not enough
to supply our wants, nor anything like
it. We may therefore take it as CON
ceded that whenever we are compelled
to import from abroad the larger part Of