Arizona weekly citizen. [volume] (Tucson, Ariz) 1880-1901, 1896-10-10
WHAT Is THE NATTER

falling off In sll departments of busines
in the United States for the past three
years, lie such a well known fact that 4
would seem almost absurd 10 quote stat
istics to prove it. liz evidence otheI
than that of the visible conditions were
wanting, however. We have il in the re
ports of every branch Of INDUSTRY sithir
our borders, as well as in the hEaucia
reports of our government. What ID
the trouble with the country?
The key to the solution of this ques
ton can be found In the following
statements copied from President Cleve-
December 9, 1885:
''The fact that our revenues are IN
excess Of the actual needs of al econ
omicsl administration Of the govern
ment justItes q reduction In the amount
exscted from the people for its support.
The proposition with which We have to
deal is the reduction OF revenues receiy-
ed by the government indirectly from
the people Dy custom duties. / think
the reduction should be made in the
revenue derived from taxes upon the
imported necessaries Of life"
In bis message to congress in Decem-
Der, 1887, he makes the following state
ment:
"You are confronted at the threshold
OF your Legislative duties with a couoI-
tion Of tie national finances which inn
peratively demands immediate and care
full consideration.
"The amount OF money annually ex.
acted, through the operation Of present
lave, from the industries and necessities
OF the people, largely exceeds the sum
necessary to meet the expenses OF the
government.
1t will not DO to neglect this situation
because its dangers are not now palpa-
bly, imminent and apparent They exist
none the less certainly, and await the
unforeseen and unexpected occasion
when suddenly they will be precipItsted
upon u.s."
He then refers to the enormous sur
plus revenue the government was receiv.
ing, which was being used in csncelling
the public debt, as follows:
"Our scheme of tBxatiop, by mesrs Of
which this needless surplus is taken
from the people and put in the public |
treasury, consists OF a tariff or duty-I
levied upon impcrtstions from abroad, |
and internal revenue taxes levied upon
the consumption OF tobacco and spiri- |
tuous and malt liquors.
"Our present tariff laws, the vicio Us, |
inequitsole and illogical source of un-
necessary taxation, ought to be at once
revised and amended. Thes- lave, ss |
their primary and plain effect, rais. the |
price to consu mers of sll articiee import
ed and subject to duty, by precisely the
sum paid for such duties. Thus the L
amount of the duty measures the tax 4
paid by those who purchase for use
these imported articles. Many of these
things, however, are raised or mspufac- /
tureo 10 our Own country, and the du-
ties now levied pom fnreign goods and
products are called protection to these
home manufactures, because they reu-
der it possi BILE for those OF our people
who are manufacturers to make these
taxed articles and sell them for q price
equal to that demanded for the import
ed goods that have paid customs duty"
Near the close OF this message he
makes the following remarkable state
ment.
"Our progress toward a wise ccnclu.
sion will not be improved by dwelling
upon the theories of protection and
free-trsde. This ssvors too much of
bandyinR epithets. 1t is condition
which confroDts us-not a theory"
MIR. Cleveland, il seems, has never
had his attention called to the indis-
putsble fact that protection to home
industries. as a rule. has so increased
the home production OF products pro-
tected ths. the price OF the articles is
lowered both in this couHtry and
abroad, 90 that the consumers in all
countries are buying cheaper than they
would II the industries In this country
were not protected. There are scores
OF articles sold in this country for less
than the duties upon them; therefore,
his theory that ''the consumer pays the
price for the foreign .rticle with the
duty added, not only upon imported
articles but upon domestic products,"