Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1909-01-25
TARIFF CORRUPTION
ADVANCING TARIFF RATES and
POLITICAL CORRUPTION.
Some Information Brought Forth on
High Tariff at Recent rieet ting Of
Free Trade Congress- in London,
Connecting Link Between Poll.
tiCianS and Spectators.

Two invariable results of protec-
! tive tariffs are the constantly ad-
vancing rates and political corrup-
ton. How uniform these results
are was strikngly shown in several
of the addresses made at the recent
| free trade congress in London.
Franklin Pierce, of New York, re-
cited the fact that our duties before
the civil war We're 90 percent. Dur
ing the war they We're raised to an
average above Sc per cent, but the
increase was declared to be an Off
set to the onerous internal revenue
duties, and was to be taken off
when they were repealed They
were repealed, but the offsetting
duties were left, effecting a decided
increase in the amount of protection
The tariff of 1888 was about Al per
cent that of 1890 was over As per
cent; the Democratic tariff was AZ
per cent, and the present rate is
CLOSE 10 JU per cent.
When Bismarck, thirty years ago,
was Introducing protection into
Germany he proposed a duty of half
a mark per kilogram on wheat. The
Reichstag made it one mark. There
were suggestions of three marks,
and Bismarck declared that "even
the widest agrarian would never
dream of such a duty" Yet the rate
got up to three marks in his time;
it reached five in less than ten years
and five and half in 1902.
Since 1881 France has raised the
duties on wheat seven times. Italy
has raised the duty on wheat from
lao lire per 100 kilos to three lire
in 1887, five the following year, and
first seven and then seven and
half in 1894.
The use of the taxing power for
private advantage has done more to
corrupt politics in this country than
all other influences together. Joseph
Martin said of Canada:
"Never in all the history of Cam
ada has there been so much corrup-
tion in public life as in the past
twelve years. 1t has permeated ev-
cry department Of the government.
81 So deep rooted is the cor
ruption in public life in Canada that
we find the government employing
every means at their hand to sup
press and nullify the Investigations
of committees. Members of the gov
ernment become enormously rich
while in office without any apparent
means of enrichment. 1t is we'll un-
derstood that whenever a subsidy is
given to railway company con-
siderable part finds it's way into the
election funds of the government"
Signor Giretti, Italian delegate at
the congress, quoted with approval
these words from Bolton Kings
work on contemporary Italy: "Pro-
lection has strengthened the evil
connection between politicians and
spectators, connection which
manipulates tariffs and bounties for
purposes of political corruption"
Probably not more than one-fifth
of what consumers pay in conse-
quence of protective tariff finds its
way to the public treasury; by in
creasing the cost Of production the
system defeats itself, and the bene-
ficiaries, losing to others much of
what is conferred upon them, are
stantly clamoring for higher
rates; and every species Of political
graft is inspired by the spectacle of
the national legislature imposing
taxes for the purpose Of throwing
money into private pockets.