Los Angeles herald., 1909-03-30

dQe, all DdIlk ucpOSltS LOO pei CSht, do
compared with 100 per cent; exports 132
per cent as compared with 70 per cent.
His figures set up the claim that the
national wealth had increased 100 per
cent during the ten free trade years,
as compared with less than so percent
during the ten high tariff years. Ac-
cording to the Lloyd figures wheat was
worth an average of more than double
as much and corn more than a half
more.
To all this the Republicans answer
that the 1S50-1S60 period was a happy
accident; that the country was simply
enjoying that prosperity which result
ed from the Mexican War and the dis
covery of gold in California, just as
the Democrats insist that the panic of
1898 came from Republican misrule In
the Harrison administration. So there
you are. This series of articles will
not attempt to settle even a single
point of this multi sided controversy,
but to tell the history of the tariff from
the time that it first began, showing its
interdependence with all other ques-
lions and portraying the many changes
of front by men and parties. 1t is the
most thrilling story of American poll
tics, story that reaches to every home
and every pocketbook in this broad
land.
Athens and Rome had their custom
houses and collected duties on almost
everything that went in and out. The
usual rate was 2 per cent, though in
times of war it was made higher. In
Rome the duty was per cent under
the earliest emperors, but when Nero
and some of his successors were on the
throne it averaged 12h per cent The
Digest of Justinian gives a list of the
dutiable articles and 1t is not widely
different from present ideas of tariff
duties.
But it remained for the little town
of Tarifa, Spain, to give to the list of
dutiable articles the name of tariff"
This little town is located twenty-five
miles southwest of Gibraltar, and 1t is
the most southerly town of Europe.
One who visits it today can easily i'm
agine himself back in the days of the
Moors, when they ruled Tarifa, and
made it a sort of marine toll-gate and
half way house between Mediterran-
became known by the international
traders as the tariff" hence its use
in almost every tongue today.
In feudal times they had sort of
tariff for entering the various cities of
Europe. The duty paid at the gates
of Paris today is survival of this
feudal custom The drst English tar
The duties were paid at Billingsgate.
No wonder that historic entrance into
the city of London has been embalmed
in the English tongue as a synonym
of foul and scurrilous language.
Tariffs have since become general,
and so long as human nature remains
human nature the tariff will doubtless
remain the favorite mode of collecting
revenues. The system works so silent
ly that hardly q single American citi-
zen can approximate his share of 1t.
Were the revenues of the United States
collected by a system of direct taxa
ton the man who is worth $4,000 would
have to pay to the. publican" tax col
lector SGT as his annual contribution
to the cost of maintaining the national
government The man worth $1,000
would find that his tax ticket would
call on him to part with $685. Direc.
taxes have been levied by the general
government but three times in the hiss
tory OF the country That form of tax
alton has been left to the states and
their minor civil establishments, such
as counties and cities and towns.
The tendency of the times in tariff
matters viewed from a world stand
point is toward the maximum and
minimum tariff This formidable ap-
pellation is nothing else than "reciL
making use of the principle with great
success One country has one line of
exports and another line of imports.
1t is a manufacturing nation and needs
free market for it's exports. Thus,
England might say to Russia: you
give me a low rate on the manufac-
tured goods I send you and I will give
YOU a low rate on the foedstuffs you
send to me-" The bargain is to their
mutual advantage.
The United States has never had
maximum and minimum tariff, though |
was at one time generally |
advocated doctrine. In recent years |
many of our statesmen have believed
in and advocated such law There |
by. they point out, we could extend