The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1902-06-20
Bears the Chief Burden of all
Indirect Taxation,
GETS LITTLE OR NO BENE
FIT.
His Own Implements, Cloth
ing and Other Necessaries
Raised in Price and no
Return Made to him
on What He
Sells.
CONCLUDED FROM LAST WEEK.

If a fourth proof is desired it is
found in the necessary condition
of Protection. The producer in
this country is only protected
when the sales of competing for
eign articles are diminished. For
this purpose either buyer or for
eign seller must be INSTRUCTED.
Now, if the foreign producer pays
the tax our buyers are certainly
not at all obstructed: and if he
finds profit in selling few articles
and paying the duty on them he
would certainly find no loss in a
greater number of sales. In fact,
as any manufacture will assure
us, it is only by very largely in
creasing his sales that he can pay
his way at all when profits are
low. 1t is not plain, then, that if
the duty is paid by the foreigner
there is nothing to make him sell .,
or us buy, fewer articles-no pro-
lection possible? Put the rate
high enough to stop all importa
tions, and of course we have pro-
lection complete. Short of that,
it is only because the charge is
thrown on the buyer, because it
is he that is INSTRUCTED in the
transaction, that protection pro
tectS.
Another demonstration that the
final cost of duty is thrown on
the consumer of the taxed article
is found in the course of the Pro-
tectiOnist legislators themselves.
a disaster occurs sometimes:
Portland or Chicago is swept by
fire, or some prairie town succomb S
to tornado. AS a measure of re
lief it is proposed and carried
through Protectionist Congress
that materials for the rebuilding
of the unfortunate town shall be
admitted free of duty. Why is
that! Why does not the states
man in Congress reply that the
proposed remission will have no
effect except TO relieve foreign lum-
bermen of what they have to pay
to get admission to our markets?
Would he not say so if he dared
If he did not know that at such
times the people are not to be de-
luGed?
COMPENSATING DUTIES LAID.
Every revenue bill that has
been misunderstanding since
the era of war taritfS-has con.
tanned provisions for what are
known as "compensating duties"
Examples of these are seen in
WOODEN goods, which are protect
ed by the curious rate of so much
per cent, ad valorem, and so much
per pound in addition. The rea-
son assigned for this provision
and no other explanation has ever
been given for it's that the first
part is suitable protection for the
goods, and the second is the "com-
pensatiOn" for the duty on raw
wool. This is only one among
many duties of this "cOmpensat-
ing" class; the manufacturer has
always insisted on higher rates,
because of the duties levied on
his raw materials. The facts
about these duties have been often
set before the public, and this ex-
PLANTATION has never, | believe,
been contradicted. Why is it
that those manufacturers need
compensation They do not
need it because of anything that
the foreigner has to pay for get
ting his goods into our markets,
we may be very certain. Every
Congressman who votes for such a
compensating duty, as all Pro.
tectiOnist Congressman always do,
acknowledges by that very vote
that the duty is charge on the
purchaser of the goods, the price
of which is made higher by the
amount of the duty.
The way Protectionist hang to.
gether is itself a demonstration.
The statesman who is interested
in getting one article taxed is
bound by the strongest incentives
to vote for taxing a great many
other articles in which other men,
bers are interested, and tariff bills
are always carried by log rolling
representative voting for
the favorite jobs of the others in
order to carry through his own.
1t is well known to every Congress
man in charge of a job to benefit
some influential constituent at
the public expense that he will
fail to carry it if he does not stand
in with the other fellows. Would
he feel this apprehension if he be-
lieved that his scheme would throw
no additional burden on the coun-
try? If the bit of protection he
seek in going to be a general bene-
tit without general cost he could
have it without buying it.
BURDEN NOT ON FOREIGNERS.