Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1894-02-09

goods manufactured under the,
American flag and pays no tax at
all. He soon discovers, however
by comparison that they each paid
the same price for the same kind
and quality of goods in the same
open market. He has now reached
most interesting stage in his in
vestigations. He knows that the
60 per cent originally paid to the
government on the piece of cloth
from which his neighbours suit was
made was not lost to the importer,
but it was added to the original
price and repaid by his ncishbor
when he purchased the cloth.
How, then, is he to account for
the fact that he paid the same price
for his goods on any other theory
than that the home manufacturer
took advantage of the tariff of 60
per cent and sold them in the same
open market at the same price at
which the importer sold his? This
is the only solution of the problem.
He is now prepared to survey the
field with u broader vision.
If s200,0O0,OO0 under our tariff
laws find their way into the treas
ury ofthc Government. and this
sum is not loss to the importer,
nor to foreign countries, but is un-
der our methods of taxation indi-
rectly, but absolutely, drawn from
the pockets of american consumers,
then the question arises, how much
money is by the same method of
taxation diverted from the pockets
of Anne rican consumers into the
pockets of American manufactu-
rers?
AS the goods are of the same kind
and quality, and the importer and
the manufacturer compete in the
same open American market, the
answer to this inquiry depends up
on the amount of the home product
as compared with the foreign
product consumed by our people.
A little further investigation
will convince him that goods inn
ported into this country constitute
but a small fraction of the entire
amount consumed by the masses
and therefore, if American consul
merS pay back to the importers the
$500, 100000 which they have paid
into the Treasury, they pay many
times s200,000000 into the pockets
of the protected manufacturers a.
the result of our tariff laws.
He now reaches tue inevitable
conclusion that this Government
not only derives its vast revenues
by indirectly taxing the neccssisa,
t'cs ollie as they are consumed by
the people, but they are so envel.
opcd in a mesh of taxation as t,
compel them to pay many dollar,
to the protected manufacturers fol
cvry dollar which goes into The
Treasury.
Our farmer friend now realizes
that while he never secs a tax gath.
crcr, called such, yet III point o
fact every merchant from whom
he buys the necisSaries of life is ;
collector os Of taxes, and each tax
, is to be found in the price he pays
With the presence of a tax gathcrel
he lives and breathcs in an atmos
pherc of oppressive taxation. The
implements of his farm, the cloth
ing of himself and family, the fur
nit,ire of his home. the utensil,
with which his food is prepared
and the ware in which it is served
are all taxed. If the goods he buy,
are imported, then the tax is {
mere restitution to the importer O
money which he paid the Govern
:. mcnt when the goods were landed
and if the goods were manufac
E tured in this country. then the tax
| goes into the pockets of the manu-
facturer as bounty bestowed by ;
, fostering and paternal Govern
, ment.
Sir, this is not an ovcrdra WI
, picture. The logic by which tn,
, farmer reaches this conclusion il
memorable and unanswerable. Tn,
/, representative of every protected
, industry who has hung aroun,