The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-03-17
BouNTIEs' AND PROTECTION.

BOUNTIES' AND PROTECTION.
1t will be remembered that during
the campaign of 1892, which was chief
Ily waged on the issue of tariff reform,
that the great argument raised at
first by the protectionists was that
1.-The foreigner paid the tax" The de-
bate over the question whether or not
the tariff could be called a tax, resulted
lin such an Overwhelming majority of
valuable opinions that it certainly
came under the head of taxation, that
the high tariffites ceased to deny the
proposition, but they took their stand
on the assertion that the foreigner
paid the tax
This was one Of McKinley's staple
statements, and a great deal of plaus-
ible sophistry was used to bolster it
up However. there could be nothing
palmer to the thinking mind that even
! if the foreigner, instead of the Amer
Jean importer, paid the duty on goods
brought into this country, eventually
the consumer had to pay the tax as
we'll as the original cost, and also
profits on both, which were added by
the importer and the dealers through
whose hands the goods passed until
they reached the final buyer
We notice that even Mckinley has
become converted to the truth on this
plain proposition, or he inadvertently
admits it. For referring to the changes
in the Wilson bill, said to have been
made by the Senate committee, Gov
!ernor Mckinley recently remarked:
'The committee has done fairly well
by sugar. The process is too -expen-
sive, however. 1t provides revenue,
but directly out of the pockets of the
consumers. The bounty plan affords
the same protection at far less cost. .
There are two points in this brief
sentence worthy of consideration:
First, that the revenue derived from
duties comes out of the pockets of the
CONSUMERS. and, second, that the boun-
ity system is protection, and to be
classed with a protective tariff.
If putting a duty on sugar will be
raising revenue out of the pockets of
the consumer. will not duties on other
articles be paid by the consumer also?
How can the duty on one article come
out of the pockets of the purchaser
and those on other things be paid
! by the foreigner? Governor Mckinley
must have either abandoned his old pet
theory or he has tumbled into an ad.
mission which is fatal to it.
| If the bounty plan affords the same
protection to the sugar men at far less
cost than duty on sugar, why vii
not the same rule apply as to other
manufactures? Let it be noted by PEG,
pie who see through the evils of q
tariff for protection, but not of boun
ties, that the bounty system is classeC
with protection by its chief apostle ane
defender.
Another thing. If one of the pur
poses of government is to foster anc
protect private industries. the most di
rect and. according to Mckinley, the
cheapest way is to support them on
of the national treasury instead of by
the high tariff principle. 1t is claimed
too, that the great and chief end il
view in protecting American manufac
lures, is to secure high wages to thu
working people. What more logica
and just, then, if that is the purpose
to place the bounty or bonus in tn,
hands of government agents and dis
tribute the amounts direct TO the work
men whom it is the great purpose t,
protect?
This would simplify matters greatly
A sufficient revenue law would brin;
in the necessary money for the pur
poses Of government. and the bount,
law could be so regulated that the pc
industries to be SUPPORTED could b.
named and the amounts to be givel
them out of the treasury placed on TIL
list. But instead of handing the none!
lover to the employers to secure then
in profits enough to pay high wages, i
would be given direct to the workpeo
pie SO that they would be sure to ge
lit.
! Under the present protective system
the employers in the protected indus
tries obtain the benefits of the protec
ton by duties, and the working people
who are worse paid in protected reg
ions than in others, simply get tn
name of being protected and receiving
the benefits of the high tariff.
! OF course the employers could Gu
down the wages, Sc that when tn
bounty was paid out to the workmel