The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-03-24

The Dingloy Bill is a distinct step back
ward. in the early days of the nation
there was at least plausible excuse Tor
a tariff TO protect the infant industries as
they were called. but now that the United
States have grown to bo one of the great
est manufacturing nations OF the earlh.
with the best machinery and the best Ia
Dor in the world, there can be no sort of
justification of d tariff that taxes the
whole people TO swell the profits Of in
div'cual enterprise. The new tariff BIN
is conceived in a spirit Of greed and Is
the highest expression of govcrnmnt IA
yoritism. The Democratic members OF
the Committee on Ways and Means ad-
mirably stated the case in the following
paragraph from its protest:
This bill was framed with the avowed
purp, Sc of protecting the manufacturers
OF the United States against foreign COM
petition, and 1t is perfectly obvious that
if il accOmplshes that purpose, II must
result in compelling the consumers OF THIS
country 10 pay more for their manufac-
turod goods. and for this reason we think
il should net pass. We rest our oppo-
sition upon the broad principle that Con
gross was invested with the power OF tax
alton as q means of collecting from each
citizen his fair proportion toward the
support Of the government, and that II Is
"A gross pcrversion of that sovereign pow
er 10 employ it as a means OF enabling
favored classes TO levy unjust charges
upon the great body OF the people. we
believe that after contributing his proper
share toward the maintenance OF the gov
eminent every citizen of this republic Is
entitled TO the fun possession ana en-
joyment of all he can honestly earn; ana
we deny the right of Congress 10 make or
enforce any regulation which requires one
man 20 give any part OF his honest earn
ings toward encouraging the enterprise
or increasing the fortune Of another
We believe that the American people
have never, as a whole. entirely COM
pretended the fact that protective
tariff is levied primarily. not TO enable
the government TO raise revenue, but 20
enable individuals to tax their fellow ciu-
zens by charging higher price for their
products 1t is true that tariff law
does raise revenue by imposing tax
on foreign imports. but that Is comics
sedly an incident the main object being
TO aid manufacturers by protect ting them
against foreign competition. Now. u Is
evident that If the consumer is thus made
20 pay a dollar more for suit OF CLOTHES
than he would have 10 pay under low
tariff. he pays that tax 10 the manuiac-
turer and not 10 the government. And
thus Il happens that the taxes which the
people pay under a high protective tar
iff are not by any means represented by
the amount that the government receives
at the custom houses. The consumers
pay millions ir taxes TO the manufactu-
rsrs where the government collects thou
sands from the importers.
This Is a wicked pervorsion Of the prin-
cipic OF taxation. Taxation can be Justl-
nsi only when it is enforced FOR the sole
purpose Of raising revenue to deiray the
expenses or government economically
administered.
We say that the Dingley bill Is n dls-
tincl step backward. ana 1t Is so not
simply because II Is a violation OF car
dinal principle Of the most modern civ
ilzatlon. but because the United states
had taken a long step IN the direction OF
free trade with the nations OF the earth.
orr government had begun TO throw
down all the walls that 1t had deemed
necessary to protect 1t frcm the older
nations across the sea and TO assert SIS
ability and its determination TO compete
W 4. the weird in the manufacturing art.
But the D!nglSy bill Is return to the