The independent., 1904-01-28

risen from rodu1uS VI lHohioo -
Watson's Life and Times of Thomas
Jefferson"
The most significant sentence is the
following:
when one of our custom mouse
people opens ladys trunk and rum
images about among her underear-
ments, frequently holding them up TO
irreyerent view, or scattering them
around in disorder, it is the system,
not the men, whom all decent folks
loathe and detest." Up. 96-7)
Mr. Watson is an able writer. He
has written an interesting book. VINO
ever takes up the Life and Times Oh
Thomas Jefferson" and commences TO
read, will probably 60 through to the
end.
The sentence above quoted shows
how the writer looks upon the tar1ff.
He finds no fault with revenue tarlifs,
but he can ridicule protection with
out limit. If custom house oflicer
happens to be overstrenuous, 1T Is all
charged to a protective tarlff, instead
of a revenue tariff. According to Mr..
Watson, If a collector of customs
should "open lady's trunk and rum
mage about among her undergar-
ments." it would be all right, provid-
ed the officer were collecting duties
in the interest of revenue but all
wrong if he should act in the interest
of protecting American industries.
cannot understand such logic as
this. 1t nevertheless serves TO snow
how a southern man thinks. Not that
we don't have plenty of men i'll the
north who think the same way but
the south is the home of such Ideas
if not the home-certainly the origin;
for it is a matter of history, that rev.
t.nue tariffs were not preached until
about 1920. when the south was fast
concluding to have slavery as per-
manent institution. The south showed
this disposition by refusing to admit
Missouri as a free state-and threat
ening to go out OF the Union Tor break
ii up), unless slavery could be ex-
tended. At that time the north was
foolish enough to consent to the ad-
mission of Missouri as slave state
provided Maine was admitted as
free state and provided the south
would consent to confine slavery TO all
territory in the west south OF 30 de-
grees 80 minutes, which was the
famous Missouri compromise.
We have plenty of people in the
north who talk just like the people OF
the south on the tariff, but they get
their ideas and their logic from the
south. 1t so happens, however, that
their ideas are not indorsed by a sin
gle state in the north, while protec-
tion is not Endorsed by single state
south. In cid times this was not the
case. for, before slavery began TO be a
power, protection was as popular IN
the south as in the north. am, there
fore Obliged to attribute the present
condition of things in the south tC ne
gro slavery To be sure, slavery is
dead, but it has left it's marks-and
one of the marks is tariff for rev.
enue only"
Now, the point of the whole argu-
ment is this: Why should the Ameri-
can people think of taxing themselves
by tariff law as long as they can
Ldh tHCllioCi'Oo AdJ cSASi W0J
If they tax themselves by tariff
law. they tax themselves in proper
ton to the amount of foreign food
and clothing they use. On the other
hand. If they tax themselves in any
other way, they tax in proportion to
their wealth, ability to pay, or ben
efits received from government.
am now speaking of taxing fol
the federal government at Washing
ton. They might tax themselves by
the single tax" for the support Oh 10
cal government. They AZ least might
think of doing this. but they could
not think OF taxing themselves in this
way for the support OF the nationa
government at WASHINGTON. because
the single tax must first be applied
tif ever applied) for the support Of To-
cal government. III enough cannot bt
realized for the support OF a munlc'
ipality Gas very many contenoi ther
certainly nothing can be realized fol
the central government at Washing
ton.
Taxation for the support OF mu
inequalities Ii not the issue A. present
This system OF taxation however Il