Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1894-10-11
COWEN ON FREE TRADE.

JOln ~. OOWen, IHe We4-hHo"h IL
railroad lawyer and political reformer,
was last week nominated for Congress
by acclamation in Baltimore by the
Democrats. In his speech accepting
the nomination, he said in part:
"Now come to that which is the
distinctive tenet, if l understand 1t, Of
the Democratic party, which is a dis
tinctive tenet Of Democratic faith, and
that is tariff reform. On this subject
l belong to the advance guard. No
halting, no hesitation, no equivocation
as to my position. know the charge
ia made against me that | am a free
trader. | am afraid | must plead
guilty to the Indictment, and if | tried
or wanted to conceal my views and to
DENY them | am afraid that there is so
much proof lying around that they
could convict me much easier than
they could convict most candidates
for Congress Of the charges made
against them. But when | say | am
a free-trader | do not propose to leave
every person who has no knowledge
whatever of the first rudiments of po-
litical economy to define for me what
is free trade. From what | see In some
places and hear in others it would
seem to be thought by some that | was
in favor of the destruction of the GUS
tom-house. Fifty years ago great
French free-trader, Bastiat, exploded
that fallacy, and since he has done 1t
no educated economist has revived it.
| am in favor of the custom-house and
in favor of custom-house taxation. |
am in favor of a tariff and Of tariff
taxation. But where do | differ from
my friends who say that trade should
not be free; who say that trade should
be by the hand Of government OBJ
structed and restricted? | say that
the custom-house should be used to
collect taxes to 60 into the United
States treasury to support the govern
ment. They say that the custom
house should be used not for the pur-
pose of collecting taxes to 90 into the
United States treasury, but toProhlblt
trade in order to let the domestic man
ufacturers or Republicans collect the
taxes to go into their own pockets
Each of us believes in a tariff tax and
in the custom-house as the medium OF
its collection. | believe i'll the Gus
tom-house for the purpose OF collect
ing taxes for the United States treas
ury, and my protectionist friend who
throws free trade at me believes the
eustom-house should be used to OBJ
struct trade and to collect taxes for
himself.
Now let me by a single instance
give my position and illustrate what
| conceive to be the Democratic posi-
ton. In 1890 Mr.. Mckinley and his
associates met in Congress and deter
mined they would levy duty of one
half cent a pound on sugar. l want
to take an instance which is burnt into
your memories and which you will
recollect. One-half fcent on each pound
of refined sugar and one-tenth of
cent additional if the sugar came from
a country that paid an export bounty,
making six-tenths of a cent on each
pound of sugar. That looked like
tariff taxation; it was to be done
through the medium of custom-houses.
That is a tariff tax. Yes. But how
did it operate and how was it intended
to operate? Not to collect one dollar,
as it did not practically collect one
dollar for the United States treasury,
because it was well-known that not
one pound of refined sugar would come
| in under the six-tenths of cent tax;
is would be all made by the sugar re-
fners and their associates, That was
using the custom-house how? For
the purpose of collecting a United
States tax of six-tenths Of one cent per
pound on sugar? No; but for the
purpose of leaving the sugar company
to collect from the consumer six-tenths
of cent and put it in their pockets
THAT one instance illustrates the
whole theory, as l understand it, OF
protection.
"Now what is nay theory Of tax on
sugar? I frankly confess that in the
present state of things I believe in
tax on sugar. believe it is necessary
on account of the condition of the
treasury. You impose six-tenths of a
cent per pound on refined sugar, and
then impose a proportioned amount
according to its sweetness, on raw sug-
ar Now the raw sugar has to come