The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1912-11-01

shows that the average per capita Col-
lection for ninety-three millions of
people through the custom house is
,S346. If each voter represents five
ipersons, he pays into the national
treasury for the support of the ma
tional government $3.50 upon goods
actually imported into the country. and
as we have got to provide for govern
mental expenses some way, there is
no actual loss to the people upon
actual importation.
Their statement is an appeal to
voters and is deceptive in an attempt
to induce the voter to believe that the
tariff only costs him s3.46. and that all
the proceeds of it are paid into the
national treasury.
In the first instance, the importer
pays the custom dues, freight broker
age, ETC., which he adds to his foreign
cost, together with a profit for himself,
and thus establishes the domestic
price. There will be no importations
unless domestic price level can be
Established sufficiently high to cover
foreign cost, these charges and a profit
to the importer. The fewer goods i'm
jported, the less revenue the govern
ment receives. The more goods i'm
Iported, the greater the revenue. The
tariff tax with all the other charges is
ultimately paid by the consumer Of the
importation.
There is further deception in the
statement of the republican national
Icommittee, in that it leaves out of con-
federation, and so far as it can, con-
Iceals the fact that our importations
constitute a very small percentage of
1.-THE domestic consumption of these
same commodities. Yet all these COM
modities are sold at approximately the
same domestic prices whether made
here or in foreign countries.
Perhaps the most aggravated case
of the whole matter is in the woolen
schedule which everybody has heard
lmore or less about, and | shall take
that as an example to illustrate the
principle. The average duties collect
ed under the schedule for several
years past equal 80 per cent of the
foreign cost; the importations about 4
. per cent of the domestic consumption
, Domestic manufacturers who supplied
the other 80 per cent were enabled to
+ Icollect "a times as much tariff duty as
: the government did, "a times as much
; freight and other charges as the i'm
i 1porters paid, and "a times as much
' lprofit as the importers made and sold
, "a times as many goods at the i'm
> porter's price, and there is only theiI
/. natural desire to shut out importations
, to restrain them from doing so. Tc
. accomplish that purpose they would
r doubtless concede in price only what
twas necessary
a While no other tariff schedule pre-
/ sents so aggravated case, the gen
. eral principle applies to every sched
t Iule, that is the domestic manufacture
e lcollects as much of the tariff, freight
n letc., as he can and keep out the for
S eign-made article. Men who have ex
/ amined the subject under authority 0
: 1.-THE department of commerce ant
g labor publish figures that warrant th
f statement that of every 81 eollecte,
( from the consumers by reason of tn
e tariff one dollar goes to the govern
d ment and six dollars goes to the pre-
e Itected industries, Or to state it NOR
0 Iplainly, where the government get
n $500, 100000 the protected industrie
e get ST, S00,O00,00. This seems a yer
moderate estimate considering ho,
e 1.-THE wodi schedule operates. No othe
II tcommodity, except sugar, bears so hig
r a rate and few other commodities sho'
l. so small a percentage of importation
e This not only shows how millionaire
l. Iare made. but shows how very man
G. Ipeople not yet arrived at that dignity
y are enabled to Tive softly as M
u Roosevelt says, through dividends 0
1t stock they have acquired in protecte
s Industries.
is The republican committee and NJ
IS Roosevelt both insist that the "Sy
a. tenn must be preserved, although bot
I'd admit that some schedules need r
y. vision which the republican part
Is promised in 1908, but their style I
n revision increased rather than dimil
ished the burden on consumers.
20 The democrats in congress, aided
le Mr.. LaFollette and some other pr
es gressiye Republicans" prepared ar
IT. passed some reasonable bills whiC
a Mr.. Taft vetoed, leaving the situate
IN substantially the same as it was fol
'e years ago.