Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-08-22


one Of the gentlemen from Minnesota
had an envelope and lead pencil. He
walked around the room and ciphered
up little bit, and he said:
"'Mr. Burrows do you know what 81
a thousand would mean TO this crowd
of men in here?
| There were not as many in the
room as there are here He said:
An advance of ST a thousand on
lumber would mean sG,l25,000 on last
Years product
Was 6. q. r.. Temporary Chairman.
Could more conclusive proof be de-
lsired? And the Senator Burrows men-
toned is the same Senator Burrows
Iwho acted as temporary chairman of
1.-THE last republican national conven-
Ition, and sounded the keynote of the
campaign.
How long will the republican farm
ers, merchants and laboring men per
init few men TO make the tariff laws
for their own pecuniary advantage and
at the expense of the rest of the coun-
try?
The second step in the reduction of
the tariff is material reduction upon
the necessities of life, especially upon
goods competing with such American
manufactures as are sold abroad more
cheaply than at home" AT present
the articles used by the poor bear a
higher rate. ad valorem, than the ar
ticles used by the rich. This state
ment can be verified by an examina
ton of any of the schedules. A tax
upon consumption, even when laid with
Iabsolute impartiality, bears heaviest
upon the poor, because our necessities
are much more uniform than our pos
sessions. People do not eat in proper
ton to their income; they do not wear
clothing in proportion to their income
they do not use taxed goods in proper
ton to their income. As all taxes must
, come ont of ones income, no matter
through what system levied or collect
| ed, they are, in effect, income taxes
and taxes on consumption are really
; graduated income taxes, the largest
: per cent being collected from those
} with the smallest income and the small
lest per cent from those with the larg
; est income 1t is only fair, therefore
that in an attempt to relieve the peo
pie from the iniquities of high tariff
), the poor, who are over-burdened, should
/, be given first consideration. Then, too
a reduction in the tariff on the necessi
ties of life brings benefit to all the
Ipeople, while a reduction in the ta1
/ upon luxuries would benefit but a por
ton of the people.
All Agree ON This.
Surely no one will object to a re
duction being made upon article:
which come into competition witt
American manufactures which ar
sold abroad more cheaply than a
home The American manufacture
who sends his goods to foreign land
q and there. without any protection
whatever completes successfully will
: the manufacturers of all the world
= does not need a high tariff to NEE
i competition in the home market An,
there are enough articles sold abroad
at a low price to assure large ad
vantage to the American consumer
through the carrying out of this on
; plank.
Mr.. Taft, however. finds the great
! est alarm in the following clause il
our platform:
Gradual reductions should be mad
in such other schedules as may b
u necessary TO restore the tariff TO
revenue basis
Il He regards this threatened depart
" ure from the protective system a
u fatal. We are here brought face t
face with the theoretical differenc
between the positions of the two pal
ties on the subject of tariff. TIL
;, democratic party regards a tariff lay
as a revenue law. the protection
{ igives being incidental, the republican
party regards a tariff law as frame
- primarily for protection, the revenu
being incidental. As the effect of
given rate on a particular article
{ the same. whether levied for the pu
= pose of revenue or for the purpose c
protection. it may be we'll to defin
the difference between a revenue ia
IL if and protective tariff. revenu
, tariff is so framed as TO collect a re-
. enue and you stop when you &c
', enough: a protective tariff may be S
a framed as 10 collect but little revenue
III and yet lay a heavy burden upon tn
people-and you never know when
stop. To illustrate: tariff may b
made so high as to absolutely pr
;" hibit importation. If, such case, tn
ie manufacturers yield to the temptatio
20 mentioned by Mr. Taft and combin
Is to take advantage of the duty, tn
" consumers will be heavily taxed, an
&c yet none of the money will reach til
ii treasury.
IL 4 Case In Point.
Let us suppose another case: If "
T. import one-tenth of certain kind
ze merchandise and produce at hon
III nine-tenths, and the imported and d
~ nestle articles sell at the same pric
then the treasury receives duty on IL
foreign article and the manufacture
n collect nine times as much on ii
e. domestic article as the treasury CT