Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-03-23

in order to enforce simple living prohibi-
tive duties were laid on the importation
of those things regarded as an extrava-
gance. Among the items prescribed as
dispensable by the forefathers were such
luxuries as silk and velvet This seems to
have been the first prohibitive tariff ever
levied in the United States. 1t was re-
pealed in 1886.
Virginia went a step further, and levied
a prohibitive tariff for the perfection Of
the public morals. The importations of
sugar and rum had been carried on so
rapidly that the Virginia house of bur-
gesses decided IL a menace to the morals
of the colony, and promptly put up the
tariff bars against it. In 1852 Massachu-
setts passed what was probably the first
really protective tariff ever enacted in
America. 1t was set forth in the pre-
amble that the tarin was ito uphold her
own staple product" II later years VIZ
ginia protected herself against the import
atkOns of North Carolina tobacco. Some
of the colonies levied tariffs to encourage
stock breeding at home. 1t is to be said,
however, that in no instance did these du-
ties ever go as high as the tariffs have
all gone since the civil war. Some of
the colonies levied export duties as well as
import duties. For instance, Connecticut
wanted to husband her supply of lumber,
and therefore set high duty on all such
had declared for free trade so far as i'm
portations were concerned, levied export
duties on the products of the forest
Conoltlons have changed nightly since
those times. Where New Jersey was then
free trade colony, South Carolina was
for high tariff. In the development of a
general tariff schedule the Palmetto state
Went the farthest. A large number of
articles were taxed, and the rates were
OF all the colonies were in the shape of
ad valorem duties of from / 70 s per
cent. In great many instances there
were frauds from characterization and
spectre duties gradually succeeded the ad
valorem duties. The duties were not al
ways collected. 1t is said that il the Of
ficials at the port of New York were
able to collect the required duty on one
fifth of the dutiable goods they thought
they were doing well.
The women Of the colonies took a
strong hand in the matter of cutting off
importations from England When the
imports and exports for the confederation
period were reckoned, il was found that
the imports had exceeded the exports
by an amount equivalent to fifteen doll
lars per capita. This, OF course, called
for the expectation of that amount of
specie. When the women saw the circu-
lating medium dwindling to such an ex-
tent they did not sit around weeping
because they had no money to buy the
foreign creations of fashion, but declared
that they would wear homespun. The la
dies of Hartford, Connecticut took the
lead, and were Immediately followed by
those of Halifax, North Carolina. These
were following by the women OF other
states and soon thefsladies of the whole
confederation had taken the pledge to
retrench in their domestic expenses, and
to give preference to homemade goods at
all times.
Not to be outdone by the patriotic wo-
men, the men began to organize similar
associations. Richmond led off with
strong movement and was soon followed
by Boston and Germantown. Fennsylva-
MIA soon became the foremost of all the
colonies In this movement. Their favor
lite there was not so much the extrava-
gance of foreign purchases, but the en-
couragement OF, home industries. If Mas
sachuetts was the pioneer in advocating
this principle, Pennsylvania was the
leader in it's development. And while
New Jersey has veered around from free
trade to protection, Pennsylvania has
ever remained the worlds staunchest adj
vocate of the protective systenl.-( Copy
right, 1909, by Frederic ]. Haskin.)