The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1906-06-16

How the Government and the Pro-
tected Trust Collect the Tax
Thereof.

INC tdrlH question: Is very S1mpl
and yet 1t is complicated by over 20
paragraphs, many Of which are a
Greek to ordinary people. 1t is there
fore not extraordinary that many peo
pie do not understand the tariff uues
ton. In fact, very few realize tina
they pay tariff taxes at all. If the,
could see the tariff tax, as they Sc,
the tax on their property or poll tax
they would lever again vote for higl
tariff and its resulting high prices
When you go to the store to buy good.
you pay so much for the goods and SC
much for the tariff tax on them, if o.
foreign manufacture. If the goods
have been produced here at home, in
stead of being imported, you still, OF
course, pay so much for the goods and
at the same time pay what would be
the tariff tax to the trust or combine
that manufactured the goods. Wher
you buy a pound Of sugar you pay
two and one-half cents for the sugar
and two and one-half cents for the
tax on 1t. If you buy a pound OF
borax you pay three cents for the
borax and six cents for the tax. If
you buy a SIS suit of clothes you pay
SIS tariff tax.
Now suppose that after you had
bought these goods and started to take
them to your home two men should
stop you at the store door and demand
Of you S. tax on the suit, two and one
half cents tax on every pound of sugar
and six cents tax for every pound Of
borax, what would you do?
One Of the men would wear brass
buttons and would represent the gov
eminent. He would claim about two
thirds Of the tax on sugar, one-third
of the tax on the suit, and none of the
tax on borax. The other man would
not wear a government uniform, but
would hold a tariff club in one hand
and a certificate or license from con-
gress in the other hand, authorizing
him to collect certain taxes on certain
articles. He would represent the pro-
trusts and would claim all of
the tax on borax, two-thirds of the tax
on the suit, and one-third of the tax
the sugar. Then remember these
are only three articles out of over 700
you may buy that are taxed in like
manner.
AS a ~law-abiding citizen you would
decide to settle with the government
agent, but you most certainly would
deny the right of the trust agent to
tax from you. But both agents
would tell you that this country be-
ieves in protection" and that you
settle with both agents or they
would confiscate your goods-that is,
would take them all from you without
compensation.
What would you then do? Would
7ou pay these taxes and shout aloud
or the policy of protection and VOW to
7ote regularly for the Republican AN
lidates, who are responsible for these
axes? Or would you hold an indigna-
ion meeting with your neighbors and
'rganize to put that trust agent out
f business?
Now, under our tariff system You
'uy your goods and pay your tariff
all at once. 1t is not necessary
or the government and the trusts to
tat1on their agents at every store
to make the people mad. The
overnment puts it's agents in the GUS
ON houses around our borders and
objects the taxes on all the goods
rought into the country. The mer-
hants who import the goods add the
arlf to the cost of the goods and col
sct both, with a fair profit, when they
ell the goods to you. The manufac-
lrers in this country may be, and
sually are, able to make goods lust
S cheaply as do foreign manufacture
But our manufacturers, by form
trusts to control the production of
pods here, can, and usually do, obtain
s high prices for their goods as are
blamed for similar imported goods.
hey need no agent to collect tariff
axes, because you are at their mercy.
ou can pay the price Of foreign
oods, with the tax added, or you can
Ike the trusts goods at the same
rice. You are inside of a MONOPOLY
all and there Is no escape for you
xcept you knock down that wall.
his you can do only with your vote.
When o vote all you have to re-
lember is that the Republican party
.ands for the trust agent collecting
Is share Of the tariff tax and the
emocratic party stands for so revis-
e the tariff that only the govern
ent can collect the tax, and then
so much as is necessary to run
q government, economically and
administered. 6