Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-06-01
The Tariff Tax.

Even the protectionists, who are de-
termined to stand pat, acknowledge
that the tariff is tax upon imported
products. 1t Is therefore important
for every voter to discover how much
tax Is collected from him when he
purchases the necessities and luxuries
of life. The receipts of the govern
ment from custom duties for the fiscal
year ending June 80, 1903. were $2S4,-
4I9,5S2. and as there were 16,239,7 07
families in the United States at the
last census, which were increased to
perhaps sixteen and one-half million
OIL the same date, twill therefore be
seen that each voter who Is head Of a
family pays. on an average, $17.24 as
his share of the tariff tax. 1t does not
matter how poor you are, you pay this
tax; in fact, in most cases the cheap
est quality of goods pay the highest
thrift. II the tariff tax were collect
ed rs the personal property tax, or the
poll tax is. there would be vigorous
kicking from Maine to Texas and the
Congressman that would not vote to
reform the tariff would get but few
votes. But the tariff tax is collected
in an indirect manner. the merchant
who imports the goods paying 1t and
adding amount Of the tax to the cost
of the goods So the consumer not
only pays the tax, but a further per-
centage to the importer for his outlay
for the tax he has paid.
This indirect tax, 1t might be said,
is necessary to support our greatly en-
larged army and navy and the in
creased cost-of pensions and generally
to help keep up this great and glori-
GUS republic in the modern lavish
fashion that prevails under Republican
administrations II the amount col
lected by the government was all the
taxpayer had to pay, there might be
some force in the contention for the
retention Of the tariff at its present
high rate, but the "a per cent average
protection which the tariff creates has
begotten monopoly and the monopolists
or trusts are enabled to extort much
greater tax. in the form of profit OH
what they produce and sell to the
American people. So that not only do
tariff duties Increase the cost, and
therefore the selling prices, Of the I'M
ported goods on which tariff taxes are
collected. but they permit the sell
ing prices of all similar home-manufac-
tured goods or goods produced in this
country to be increased to what 1t
would cost to import them. with tariff
and costs and charges added. Since
the present high tariff was enacted the
cost of living has advanced "a per
cent and the creation of trusts has be-
come national scandal.
1t has been estimated by expert
statisticians that the tariff tax paid
to the trusts by the head of the family
exceed. by more than five times, what
is received by the government, and
that the average for each family close
ly approaches 500. These figures are
obtained by making careful estimates
based upon the amounts which are
spent for each OF the more important
articles consumed. The most exasper-
ating thing in the monopoly the tariff
gives the trusts and corporations is
that 1t allows them to sell their sur
plus productions cheaper abroad than
here, which shows the enormous prof
Its realized from the home market,
When the trusts export their products
they have to pay freight and other ex-
penses and the tariff tax that all other
countries impose, except England, and
yet undersell the same class of prod
ucts in the country they export their
products to.