The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-09-07

According to question of the RE
publican Catechism,'' the policy of the
Republican party has been National
development and progress" The
means to these ends have been the
''tariff policy" and Sound financial
system Questions u and 10 with
their answers are as follows:
Twelfth-"What has been the history
of the free trade and low tariff policy
in this country"
'"The periods when low tariff and
free trade prevailed were from 1916
1924, 1SS3-1S42 and 1S46-1S61, and were
marked by financial panics and ruin.
destruction of manufactures, debts,
suffering and want
Thrteenth-''What has been the his
tory of the protection policy?'
THE periods when protection was
the policy of the government were 1888
1916, lS24-1S3S, 1S42-1S46, 1851 and recent
times. During those PERIODS the farm
ers. mechanics and laboring classes
were alike prosperous. During the
thirty years succeeding 1851, the popu
la.tion more than doubled, though half
a million lives were lost during the
war, and the wealth Increased in pro-
portion. Notwithstanding the enormous
war debt OF nine thousand million dol
lars
Probably the best way of determining
the question of ma tional prosperity or
adversely during a given period is by
the increase or dininution of the total
wealth of the country and the distribu-
ton of the same during that period.
The longest low tariff period mentioned
above is the last one, reaching from
1S46-1S61. about fifteen years. IN 1850
and 1860 the estimates of value We're
made on the basis of assessed property
only; that is, property assessed for
taxation. Since 1880 a different method
has been pursued, one more likely to
give inflated valuations. Another item
of the utmost Importance is that in
1So0-lS60 there was no account taken
of the vast area of vacant public lands.
There was an entire omission of the
value of unorganized territories, also
all property belonging to the state and
The general government, and I'll pro-
perry of churches and for school pur-
poses. See Census Bulletin 379 of the
eleventh census (also for the eighth
census) Mortality and Miscellaneous
Statistics, page 294, as follows:
The marshals of the United States
were directed to obtain from the re-
cords Of the states and territories
respectively, an account of the value
of real and personal estate as assessed
for taxation. Instruction was given
these officers ITO add the proper
amounts tc the assessments so that
The returns should represent as well
the true or intrinsic value, as the in
adequate sum generally attached to
property for taxable purposes. 1t must
be borne in mind that the value of all
ii
lag that of foreigners as we'll as ma
tives, while all was omitted belonging
to the United States''
With the foregoing explanations, the
reader will foe prepared to understand
the properly valuations Of 1S5O-1S6O, as
follows:
Total Per Cap. Per Ct.
1S50.....s 6.024.6669O9 $3.50
1S6O..... 12,oS4, 56O,0O5 3S4 10O.5S
Here we see that the increase of
assessed value is over 100 per cent in
ten years, a greater increase ufran is
shown in any other decade: in fact.
more than double that of any other:
although, as we shall see, subsequent
valuations have been greatly inflated.
The amended Valua tons for 1S5O-1S6O
snow but slight increase of corrected
value over assessed value, as follows:
Increase
Total Per Cap. Per ct,
1S50......e 7,135, 79O, 22S s3oS
1o6O...... 1918, e16,O5S 514 126.46
These are the estimates of the ag-
gregate wealth of the country for 1850
1850 that have been in use now for
more than twenty years
Note that prior to the census of
1880, no attempt was made to go out
side of the assessors returns" See
Bulletin 104, 1872 eleventh census IF
the same method had been pursued in
1859 that is now pursued as to includ-
ing all property, the totals would be
greatly enlarged. See American Jour
nal OF Politics, volume 3, page 423:
An investigation as to the true
value of property in 1860 having been
made by a staIistician who was placed
as special agent in charge of statistics
of wealth of the present Ghe eleventh.
census, because of his eminent abil-
ity displayed in this very investiga-
ton, it seems strange also that the
results Of this investigation have not
been given to the public by the CEN
sus bureau. After a most extended
and painstaking investigation, Fred c.
Waite, late special agent of. census.
demonstrated to the satisfaction of
other statisticians, including Superin-
tendent Porter, that the true value of
ali property at the census of 1860 could
not have been less than S25, 600, 600, 600.
exclusive of slave values
With these explanations as to 1860.
! will now give the Assessed valus-
ton of real and personal property" for
five decades:
1850 las s,O24s6s, sOs $3.50
1850 80. 70 024 5cn OnS ci2k 1nn 20