Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1906-06-14
THE TARIFF EXPLAINED.
How Government and the Trusts Coll
lect the Tax.

The tariff question is very simple.
and yet it is complicated by oven 100
paragraphs, many of which are as
Greek to ordinary people. 1t is there
fore not extraordinary that many pco-
pie do not understand the tariff ques-
ton. In fact, very few realize that
they pay tariff taxes at all. If they
could see the tariff tax as they see the
TAX on their property or poll tax they
would never again vote for high tariff
and its resulting high prices. When
you go to the store to buy goods YOU
pay so much for the goods and so much
Tor the tariff tax on them if of foreign
manufacture. If the goods have been
produced here at home instead of be
Ing imported you still, of course, paw
SO much for the goods and at the same
Time pay what would be the tariff tax
to the trust OF combine that manufac-
tured the goods. When you buy a
pound OF sugar you pay 80 cents for
the sugar II 2R cents for the tax on
1t. IT you buy a pound of borax YOU
pay 3 cents for the boraX and 6 cents
for the tax. If you buy a fifteen dollar
suit Of clothes you pay So 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, 2R cents tax
for every pound of sugar and 6 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
n a certificate or license from con-
gress in the other hand authorizing him
to collect certain taxes on certain arti-
Giles. He would represent the protect
ed trusts and would claim all of the
tax on boraX, two-thirds of the tax on
the suit and one-third of the tax on 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 col
lect tax from you. But both agents
would tell you that this country be-
lieves in "protection'' and that you
must settle with both agents or they
would contiscate your goods-that is.
would take them all from you without
compensation.
What would you then do? Would
you pay these taxes and shout aloud
for the policy of protection and VOW to
vote regularly for the Republican can
didates who are responsible for these
taxes or would you hold an Indignation
meeting with yolo' neighbors and or
ganize to put hat trust agent out Of
business?
Now, under our tariff system you
buy your goods and pay your tariff
taxes all at once. 1t is not necessary
for the government and the trusts to
station their agents at every store door
to make the people mad. The govern
ment puts its agents in the custom
houses around our borders and collects
taxes on all the goods brought into the
country. The merchants who import
the goods add the tariff to the cost Of
the goods and collect both, with a fair
profit, when they sell the goods to you.
The manufacturers in this country
may be and usually are able to make
goods just as cheaply as do foreign
manufacturers. But u manufacture
ers by forming trusts to control the
production of goods here can and usu-
ally do obtain as high prices for their
goods as are obtained for similar i'm
ported goods. They need no agent to
collect tariff taxes because you are at
their mercy. You can pay the price of
foreign goods, with the tax added, or
you can take the trusts goods at the
same price. You are inside Of a mo-
nopoly wall, and there is no escape for
you except you knock down that wall.
This you can do only with your vote.
When you vote all you have to re-
member is that the Republican party
stands for the trust agent collecting
his share of the tariff tax and the
Democratic party stands for so revls-
ing the tariff that only the government
can collect the tax and then only so
much as is necessary to run the gov
eminent economically and honestly adj
ministered.
CaSSatt Knew 1t.