Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1896-08-20

per cent more. trade is active. people are
well employed. fle new enterprise are
quickly taken up. the new wants are sup
Piled and then follow more new wants of
the same kind. Everything goes on with
activity and energy. ret the excess of pro-
duct over and above necessary use may
be very small. But now let the product
he !! per cent too much and the effect is
four or Eve fold greater in depression than
the effect of 5 per cent excess of demand.
There are to-day 25.000,00o men, wo-
men and children occupied for gain doing
the work Of this country in order TO sup
pore Dur population Of 1900. 600 persons.
Ten per cent of that number comes to
100000 men, women and children. Five
per cent comes 10 100000. When that
number is idle the whole world hears the
complaint. That number is probably idle
to-day in consequence of the attempt To-
dehase and discredit the unit of value of
this country. Until that fear ensued there
had been continuous progress from the re-
sumption of specie payment January list,
1879, down to the panic year of 1898, with
one short period of depression at about
the middle of the term. Are the people
Of this country incapable of exercising
their common sense. coming together in
union of right minded men, be they Demo
cratic or Republican, and settling this
question for all time to come as to what
the standard or unit of value of this nation
shall be? No faction can forbid such a
union. II is bound to come in the nature
of the case.
Now in regard to the revenue system
which excites luminosity. partisan feeling.
n hrf nd has 1Aas
all mean and what is il all about? When
the war taxes OF this country were at the
highest point Immediately after the end
Of the Civil War, they came very nearly
to SIG per head. Everything was taxed
but everybody was ready TO pay taxes.
The progress of the country went on
steadily. The two armies dissolving into
their units went to work. Year by year
the taxes were reduced. They were not
judiciously reduced. If they had been,
We should have been free from many.of our
troubles. If the recommendations of the
Republican Tariff Commission of 1882
had been followed we should have been
| free to-day of any serious controversy.
| When this cause Of contention is weighed
it becomes almost absurd. will repeat
some figures which / have given else
where.
Bearing in mind that we have in the
past horne cheerfully and easily nat
ionai tax of nearly SIG per head which fell
almost wholly under the northern section
Of the country, does it not appear rather
absurd that We should be disputing now
about a tax of FIVE dollars 1881 per head
The annual expenditures of the people
| of this country for liquors and tobacco
only. come to more titan S15 per head
The cost Of our national government is
only SIS. am as yet unable TO include
the last fiscal year hut it does not alter the
rule. 1t sustains il. The entire cost OF
the government Of the United States fol
civil and judicial expenses, army, navy
rivers and harbors, public buildings and
every other item Of cost, except interest
and pensions. has averaged for sixteen
| years. 1870 to 1895 inclusive, only S2.6t
per hend, varying from a minimum oil
1924 TO maximum of $500. Ten cent:
of that expenditure was for purposes thai
will never recur again. A single me
chanic earning $3.50 a day contribute:
one days work to the support of the
United States government by which b,
is protected. If he has wife and two
children counting as one adult, he con
tributes three days work.
The interest and pensions in 1850 can't
to S3.04 per head. In 1895 the pensioni
and interest came to S2.47 per head, thu
average for the whole period, S2.3S. j
the pensions are Justly, rightly and fairl,
granted, who grudges one, two or three
days work to the payment of pensions
and interest? Who would not mourn
when the burden is lifted by deathf
Five dollars ,S5) head is the cost o
sustaining the government of the unite'
States in all its departments. and it j
tending TO diminish per capita and not Il
increase. During this whole period tn
revenue from liquors and tobacco only
has been two dollars and half $3.50 I
head and has sufliced to cover the cost o
government sugar for eleven I'D year
yielded 90 cents a head. Tea and COTE
at a small rate. such as did not affect con
} sumption formerly, would yield 60 cent
head. One dollar and a half could b
had from sugar. tea and coffee, whic
added TO $3.50 from whisky and tobacc
would make a revenue of 81 head
: Within ten years the whole expense o
, the government unless the Jingoes sc
up war. will go down TO that point.
, Now, during this period from 1879 I
: 1896 inclusive, the revenue from dutin
on imports other than liquors and tobacco
came to $3.50 head. and that is the sui
ject of the whole contention abont tn
tariff. All indirect taxes are paid by cor
sumers in proportion to their consumptio
and all the taxes imposed by the Unite
States are indirect taxes, but the take
I which are imposed for the support G
States. towns. counties and cities are NOR
than 81 head, and they are almos
wholly direct taxes on property. Ism
that about fair deal? We should b
2 the lightest taxed nation in the worl
! provided that the tax were'so levied tina
all the taxes that theipeople pay the go'
! eminent should receive.
A very large part of the duties on in
y ports which, as l have shown, come I
e only $3.50 head, can be SO adjusted tha
!, all the taxes that the people pay on th
: imported goods will go into the treasur
: and none of them will be diverted.
!, that adjustment were taken up by sens
bic men II tariff could be so made as
7 satisfy every reasonable claim on the pa
f of any protected industry which has bee
: built up under protection and is afraid {
e change for fear Of being let down tc
i quickly. Are the people of the Unite
G States incapable of bringing about unic
+ of those who have been Democrats al
y Republicans. who would take this bus
e ness question out of politics, adjust
y and give a rest from the foolish disc
Y si6t of the protection of free trade do
: trinaires on either side? How is tn;