The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1892-02-06
A Eree.Erade or Revenue Tariff.

From he American Economist.
| Free Trade cannot be more clearly
defined than in the words of Professor
Sumner, himself a noted Free Trader.
He says:
The term Free Trade although
much discussed, is seldom rightly de
! fined 1t does not mean the abolition
OF custom houses, nor does 1t mean the
/ substitution of direct for indirect tax
alton, rs a few American disciples OF
the school have supposed. 1t m an
such an adjustment Of taxes on I'm
ports as VII cause no diversion o.
capital from any channel into which
F., it would otherwise flow into any Other
] channel opened OF favored by the leg
1 islation which enacts the customs
! 4 country may collect Its entire
revenue duties on imports and yet bo
an entirely free trade country so long
as it does not lay those duties III such
way as to lead any ore TO undertake
any employment or make an invest
ment he would avoid III the absence OF
such duties Thus the custom duties
levied by England, with very few eN-
ceptionS, are not inconsistent with her
J profession of being country which
( believes in free trade.
! Few of the free traders are candid
/ as this They prefer to call it "Teva-
nue." tariff, but they are one and the
same thing.
! England is an example Of 4 country
having free trade or revenue tariff.
Her duties are levied principally on
cocoa, CGtfee, dried fruit, tea, tobacco
I and wine.
/ 1t is nearly 30 years since she
abandoned protection and adopted
! free trade What is the results
| The Hon. John Morley said in 1880:
1t is au awful fact-it is really not
| short of aWtul-that IN this country
/ IGreat Britain (, with all its wealth,
all its vast resources, all Its power, 10
! FER cent-that is to say nearly one
hal?-of the persons who reach the age
/ OF % are or have been pauperS
j Ruskin sail:
I Though England is defened with
! spinn ng wheels. her people have not
4 clothes; though she is black with dig
! 9ing Of fuel, they die of cold; and
! though she has sold her soul for grain
t they die Of hunger
! What did Mr. Chamberlain, NJ. P,
/ say not long sinces
/ The class of agricultural ldborers of
/ this country are never able to do more
! than make both ends meet, and have
! to look forward, in time of Illness or
on the approach Of old age, TO the
work house as the one inevitable re
! fuge against starvation.
| Columns of such testimony could be
| quoted, but the above viii suffice
The nearest approach 20 a free trade
/ or revenue tariff in the United States
WAS the tariff of 1876 The disas-
! trOi!s results of this tariff are desert
bed in the following extract from
President BUchanan's memorable
message 10 congress N 1877:
| With unsurpassed plenty in all the
clements OF national We lth, our manu-
| facttrers have suspended, olr publ C
works are retarded, or private enter
prises of different kinds are ;iban-
doned. and thousands OF useful labor
ers are thrown out OF employment and
reduced to want.
And yet we have q national party
hoping at no distant day to enact into
law Il free trade, or as the "conserva-
tives'i choose to call it, a revenue
tariff W II YOU vote for or aga INST it
next November9