Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1894-05-10
OBJECT OF DUTIES.
REVENUE AND PROTECTIVE TARIFFS
DISCUSSED.


Than tho Specific Protected Mo
nopoly Tavors the Latter; the Masse,
Stand by tho Former.
While most Of tho changes made in
the Wilson bill by the senate subcom'
mittce have been bad, and very bad,
there has been ono change that Is most
commendable Many duties, and espe-
cially those in the chemical schedule,
have been changed from specific to nd
valorcm. Senator Mills, who moro than
any other man is probably responsible
for these changes, gives the following
reasons in favor OF ad valorcm duties:
'"Thero are two opposing policies
about tariffs. Ono is that the principal
object Of tho duty should be to protect
the domestic product against foreign
competition. The other is that the duty
should be laid for revenue and for that
alone. Those who havo advocated the
protection theory have chung with to-
nacity to the specific duty, or tho duty
on quantity, rs yards, pounds, tons,
dozens or other. The friends Of tho rcv-
enue policy have chung to tho rate by
values, or nd valorcm, IA ii is called.
The nd valorcm system informs every
citizen of tho amount Of tax imposed on
each article. The specific systom CON
ceals It, Horses may DO taxed $50 per
head III tho horse were worth $40, 1T
would be 800 per cent and M unrcason-
able tax, which would bring no revenue
because such horses could not be i'm
ported, but it would protect the domos-
tic raiser of such stock We have that
tax now under existing law, and 1t OK
cludos all cow ponies, and tho govern
ment loses the revenue ii would get with
n revenue duty. Tho tax on tho guam
tity--tho specific nrticlc--concoals from
tho people tho fact that it is 300 per
cent on the value.
"Thcsc instances might be extended
indefinitely. | will give one moro in
stance. Pearl buttons nro taxed 2 =! cents
per line. Who knows what the tax IL
on this littlo necessary Of lifo by this
description? 1t is on all tho clothing OF
all the children Of tho poor. The specific
duty Is over 1i3 per cent. Who would
have Ind tho olfrontcry to have written
down IN tho tariff law duty of LIB per
cont on pearl buttons? Protcctionists
cling to tho specific duty because 1t Ia
tho most efficient instrument Of oxorbi-
tant taxation, and for tho Same reason
Democrats oppose 1t.
again, it discriminntos against tho
poor by charging higher rates on tho
cheap articles that tho poorer people
must buy. A duty Of 90 cents on II yard
Of cloth worth III will be 90 per cont;
on tho cloth worth 90 cents per yard 1t
would be 100 per cent, and on yard
of cloth worth 2b cents it would be 200
por cent. 1t il therefore M unequal and
an unjust tax. This discrimination runs
through tho whole system from top to
bottom.
again, II the specific quantities had
the Same Value ut the timo of imposing
the duty, tho tax burden grows heavier
M the years roll on, because tho invul-
ton Of machinery that multiplicS pro.
duction and lowers its cost, which Is
going steadily on, il increasing tho tax
all the while A tax Of % cents on u
yard of cloth that costs to-day III would
be 20 per cent II tho cloth falls to 90
cents per yard, tho tax rises to 90 per
cont, and il the cloth falls to 20 cents
per yard tho duty rises to 100 per cent
Prices hnvo been falling for GO years,
and To II considerable extent within tho
last 80 years, and nothing is better UNI
dcrstood among protoctioniSts than that
falling prices mako rising duties for tho
benefit of tho domestic producer
Every ono understands tho nd va
lorom rate. All tho taxes in all :ho
states, counties and cities arc nj valo-
rem. All tho commercial business of tho
world iHcarricd OH by value. Every pur-
chase and sale of goods is by value, and
II is tho mrrcst tmlling with tho com
mon sense of the people to shy that du,
ties cannot ho honestly collected when
imposed by nd valorcm rates In 1916,
when the Democratic party struck bold
ly ont for tariff refnrm, President Polk
urged nd valorrm duties ON congress.
Secretary Robert J. Walker pressed
upon congress tho Importance of abnn
doning specific duties and making tar
i'll for revenue with al yalorrm duties.
The great tariff of 1916 had not ono spc-
oihc duty IN all its schedules 1t brought
such an excess Of revenues to tho trres.
ury that in 1867 another tariff had 10 bo
made, still further reducing duties and
that, like the tariff of 1916, was cxclu-
sivoly ad yalorcm
There have always been some Demo
Gratis who advocated specific duties, but
they arc protoCtionists, They woro
guarding the interests of certain classes,
not the Interests of the masses. Tho
Democratic masses today are for nd val.
orem duties aud To- abandon that policy
is TO abandon the fight "
Act Iirtt and Talk Latter