The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1904-02-19
There is sameness in the war news. T.
AND THE CONSUMER.

|
"In every Tariff scheme the con-
sumner must pay the tax" This has
been the contention of our Free
Trade friends from the very begin
ming. President Cleveland had
hardly taken his first lesson in poll
tical economy from John G. Carl
isle before he declared that 'the
precise amount of the duty is added
to the price of the article, and the |
consumer always pays it," Now
this statement, which appeared in
Mr.. Cleveland's celebrated message |
in 1887, was not true at thai tine,
is not true now and never was tue
1t has been proven false, by actual
experience, ever since Tariff laws
were enacted. But even expert.
ence will not settle The matter with
Tariff reformer. In spite of ex
perience and in spite of logic he
continues to shout, "l'he Tariff is
tax and the consumer pays it," A
parrot can do as much. Now, l
assert that the "precise duty" is
never paid by the consumer, except
on articles that are not produced in
this country. And, strange to say,
those are the very articles that our
Tariff reformers would 'rax." So
it comes to pass that Democratic
organs clamor for Tariff on coffee
and tea and like articles that can be
had in foreign countries only. The
Republican policy is to admit such
products free of duty, and make
the levy on those articles the like of
which are freely producsd in this
country, and with which we come
IN active competition with foreign
m anufacturers. The reason is so
obvious that even performer
ought to be able to see 1t. And
right here is where the Republican
policy of Protection comes in. The
idea is to levy all duties on articles
with which we compete and BY that
means protect our own producers.
The Democractic theory is exactly
the reverse. The politicians in that
party, as we'll as its organs, declare,
with one accord, that "Protection
is robbery" and, of course, you
cannot expect Democrat to be-
come a robber! Heaven forbid
What he wants to do is to reduce
the Tariff on articles with which we
come in competition and add to il
On tCd anu COHCC dhu PSPPSi anu
spices and like articles that we can
not raise in this country. This
method may be sufficient to salts
ty Democratic "conscience," but,
If so, think it should be stimulated
and enlightened by Mr.. Bryan, who
is just now paying particular atten-
ton to the conscience" business.
What, then, do our Democratic
friends want? Why, they say they
want ga Tariff sufficient to meet the
expense of the Government, econ
,mically administered" William
| Mckinley did not want any morel
The income from the Tariff at this
time is just about the amount re-
| quired to meet the necessary ex-
penses. Why, then, do our Tariff
reformers desire change? If any
candid Democrat will investigate
that question he will know more
about the Tariff question than he
ever dreamed of before.
Allow me to assist in the investi'
CATION. We will assume that the
present levy is so per cent-it may
be little more or less-and that
it produces the required amount o.
revenue. Now, how can our re
formers get the necessary income i
they reduce the levy to IS per cenii
Simply by doubling the amount oi
importations and IN no other way,
Consider what the effect of thil
policy would. be The increase o
importation would necessarily be
4 ON goods made by foreign work
men, and every dollar paid to those
| E.ol,.h Eranch and Eernnao vort