The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1892-04-19

peoples money IN cOllocGlng 10 eat
Laughter.
At St. Marks they collect $24 and
they spend So, 800.
Now, I am going to strike New Eng
land.
Mr.. Boutelle. Hit her easy. Laugh
Mr.. Watson. Well, if there is any
section: that ought to be hit easy" or
this question, it is New England. But
before going to New England let us
take Annapolis, Md. There they spend
1852 every year and do not collect 6
blessed cent. Laughter. The books
are clean ON n side at least, and that
is a good deal-cleaner than lots of Ou1
government books are, no doubt. Al
Cherrystone, Va, they spend 81, $50 a
year, and they do not collect a cent.
In Southern Oregon they spend 50, O85
and collect $4.12.
Now. there is another place in Ore
gon. If l could pronounce the name
my remarks, I will extend" it in the
Record. Laughter. I am referring
to a certain place in Oregon; you will
read the name in the Record where
they spend 81, OOG in collecting $3.50.
n NlClIlOCl. SUl1 NOu LOU SpC1l luz
Mr., Watson, Oh, yes. Spelling.
Y-a-q-uina Now pronounce it. mo
response. 1 thought that would
stump you. Laughter.
At Alexandria, Va down the river
here, they spend $1,000 a year and col
lect $135. At Great Egg Harbor, N.
they spend 1881 and collect $17. At
I Jttln EOrr Fl orhOTs- 0f 0OJ7pI0 II docs
not want to go ahead of it's Great
Egg" contemporary-they spend only
1904 in collecting nothing they do not
collect a cent, and at Sagg Harbor thew
spent 1854 and cOllectnOthing.
Now, Mr.. Chairman, l might take
up a great deal Of time with a further
analysis of that as a tax system. I
might go on and show a great many
other points where the same conditi IN
prevails. In One-half of the custom
houses the expenses eat up the receipts.
What [ say is that this tariff system is
absolutely out of joint with any fair.
economical way OF collecting taxes. If
you call 1T a COllecti On of taxes, no man
here car defend it.
When you take the seven millions
which it really costs to collect the
F%OO, OOO, OOO VI CuSIOIlS uujleS, anu you
add to that the cost of the custom
houses, and add the cost of TIM lands,
and add to that the Co.'S to the con
sumner, which is supposed to be on the
average Coy the mist moderate eSti-
mates) 81 for query 81 collected at the
rustOm house, and which therefore is
$500. 600, 900, you have a stupendously
extravaganza method of collecting YOUR
taxes. The world never saw it's equal.
Mr.. Boutelle. Will the gentleman
allow me to interrupt him for a mo-
ment?
Mr.. Watson. Certainly.
Mr.. BOutelle. [ would like my friend
to give his ideas a little more fully on
this question. | understand that your
criticism Of this system of taxation
goes to she extent that as to these GUS
tom houses where little is collected it is
a part of a consistent argument against
the system of protection as a whole?
Mr.. Watson. Yes, sir.
Mr.. Bcutelle. But l do not under
stand the gentleman to assume for a
moment that if we are to maintain the
tariff system, a system of import du-
ties, that we ought not to have any
custom houses except at points where
there is actually the collection of rev
enue equal to or in excess of the ex-
penditureS?
Mr.. Watts IN. AssuredIy not.
Mr.. BOutelle. | thought so; and I
interrupted the gentleman to bring out
the fact that the justification given
from side for these custom houses
in Maine, some of which collect but lit
tie, and to which the gentleman did
not allude-and we have some there
where little is cOllected-is that we
have 8, 600 miles Of coast which must
be guarded, and the New York and
Boston custom houses would be utterly
useless unless we pOliced that frontier.
Mr.. Watson. [ cOncede that. The
whole force of my point, and | want to
be entirely fair about it, for Think ev-
cry DICTATOR owes it to himself and to
the House to be fair in such discus
siOns, is this, that | am attacking it
now as a system Of collecting taxes.
Mr.. Boutelle. This is perfectly Iegit-
innate.
Mr.. Watson. l am attacking it as a
system of collecting revenue, and if l
can show it to be immoderately ex-
travagant. then, if there is nothing
else to rest it upon or to Justify it. it
ought to go, and a better system be de-
vlsed which would not embOdy the inc
qualities and absurdities of the present
one
Now, Mr.. Chairman, I come further
to discuss the principle itself. What
is the principle upon which a tariff sys-
tenn is based? I shall be very brief
about that. But there is certainly
some principle at war here with some
other principle I am arguing now,
not against the system as a tax system,
but as if you had come forward boldly
and said that you devised this system
to build up your manufacturing indus
tries in this country. Allow me to say
l do not believe this great question
could ever be settled by denunciation.
lido not believe a system which has
been advocated by statesmen in all
countries of the world, from time to
mo nov hO