The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-09-03

industries" Yet Mr.. Clay, the author o
the famous tariff bill with which hi
name is inseparably associated, declared
such protection to be only temporary
|, and that so soo as such industries were
able to stand alone, tariff duties should
be reduced. The compromise tariff Law
of 1888, Of which Mr.. CLAY was the
author, provided that at the end of ter
yeare there should begin a rapid reduc-
ton of duties, until the average rate
should not exceed twenty per cent. In
view Of the fact that protection to the
~"infant industries" has more than trebled
since the passage of the bill of which
Mr.. Clay was the author. Clay would
himself, if living, be denounced as a free.
trader by the protectionists. Instead OF
year. under republican rule. increased.
In proportion as these industriesl have
grown stronger and more powerful. they
have demanded yet greater protection.
Tariff History.
The low tariff law of 1916. of which r,
j. Walker. the democratic secretary of
the treasury was the author, provided
first. that no more money should be col
lected than is necessary for the wants of
the government economically admins
tered; second. that no duty be imposed
on any articles above the lowest rate
that will yield the greatest amount of
revenue; third. that the MAXIMUM tax
should be imposed upon l~uxuries: fourth,
that the lowest tax should be on the
necessaries of life; fifth, that the duties
should be so imposed as to operate
equally throughout the union. discrimi,
mating neither for nor against any class
or section. 1t must not be forgotten
that so great were the benefits to the
people from the tariff legislation | have
just mentioned that. in 1851. representa-.
tives OF all parties concurring. the tariff
was again reduced until the average rate
of duties was 10 per cent. The decade
and a half extending from the passage
of the low tariff law of 1SiG to the be
ginning of our civil war has been truly
called the golden period Of our history.
The COST of the necessaries of life had
reached the minimum, and at no time in
our history was it easier for the wage
Garner 10 support his family. The
farmer. the mechanic, the ~day-laborer
alike realized the benefits of low tax
alton. \ benefit why: Simply for the
reason that it lessened the cost of food,
Of clothing, of every article hat con-
duced to his comfort. Our m%anufacto-
ries did not languish. The fires did not
90 cut in our furnaces. The wheels and
spindles were not idle in our great hives
Of industry. The demand for labor was
not lessened. nor was its value depreci-
ated.
As l have shown. the average tariff
tax at the beginning of the civil wal in
1861 was but 10 per cent. 70 purchase
munitions OF war. to arm and equip sol
diers and meet all of the expenses incl
dent to the great struggle, required large
sums of money. Tariff taxes were large
ly increased. The Morrill, tariff bill was
passed. Our government was in the
throes of war. struggling for its existence,
and but little heed was given by the peo-
pie to the fact that duties under the new
tariff law were not only highly protective
to manufacturers but b~urdensome to the
people. But this was not all BY sub
sequent increase by successive republi-
can congresses the average rate of duties
reached T. per cent. This was the aver
age rate Of tariff taxes when the McKin-
ley bill became the law.
Internal Revenue Taxes.
Let us refer for a moment to other
sources Of revenue provided in the early
days of the war. A new system of taxa
ton was devised by congress known as
the internal revenue system, by which
enormous sums flowed into the treasury.
Under this system taxes were imposed
upon manufacturers. upon railroads,
upon express companies. upon banks and
bank circulation. y large part of these
fell heavily upon those who were
best able to bear them. The strong
arm Of the law was. in the hour of the
governments need, laid heavily upon the
great corporations. upon the wealth of
the country. In "a single year seventy
two millions of dollars were collected
from incomes alone. In many instances
this tax was paid by those who had
large fortunes out Of the war.
In a single year one hundred and twenty
seven millions were collected from manu-
facturers alone. This was the very
essence OF justice, for the reason that
the manufacturers had in many instances
grown enormously rich, because of the
high tariff which protected them against
competition. In a single year the
aggregate of internal revenue taxes paid
into the treasury exceeded three hundred
millions of dollars.
Where are the statutes imposing these
internal revenue war taxes! With but
exceptions swept from the statute
books while the nation was yet grOaning
under the burden of debt. One
Of the reasons given at that time for the
high protection to manufacturers was
the percentage they were required TO
pay out of their earnings as war taxes.
aggregating in a single year the sum !
have mentioned. With the war closed,
a republican congress relieved the manu-
lecturers from this taxation, and added
TO their profits and to the burdens of
the people by increased duties. l grant
the necessity of repeating these internal
taxes when the exigencies of war no
demanded their continuance. But
why did not the republican congress re-
peal the wal taxes-tariff taxes-which
bore SO heavily upon the farmer, upon
the mechanic, upon the laborer, upon the