The Alaska daily empire., 1915-10-05
JONES. HE PAYS THE FREIGHT

Referring to a repor, that comes from Congress that proposal has been submitted to have Congress lay taxes upon an munitions of war manufactured in this country. the Seattle POst-Iuteligencer re- marks that there something attractive about the pro posal for in this manner some of the taxes might be laid upon foreign consumers under the protective tariff system revenues were collected from foreign pro ducers of goods for American markets" This may be clear reasoning from the viewpoint of the Seattle pa- per- but we confess to us 1t seems clear as mud There is merit In the proposal advanced to munitions of war manufactured in this country for shipment to Eu- rope and clearly the taxes this would be paid in the first instance by the manufacturer to be by him passed on to the consumer in Europe who indubit- ably would in the final analysis the tax with which he had been charged by the American manufacturers
 tax SO laid in this country would be n the nature Of an export tax But under the protective tariff sys- tenn" says the PostInteuigeneer revenues were col eced from foreign producers Of goods for the Amer- can markets presidential election approaches and the high protection ghost like Banquos. win not down. SO this theory old and oft exploded, again revived to befooi and misead the people When did the Europ- ean or any other foreign producer pay to the American government for goods sold for the American raarketg The American buyer in Europe buys his goods at stipulated prices and ships them to the United States where # dutiable the importer must pay the tariH schedules and the importer forthwith adds the duties SO paid to his bills and promptly passes them on to the American customer
 The hoaryheaded bewhiskered slogan that the flor egner pays the tax has been doing duty for the bene- fcares of high protection nearly every four years for half century And there it appears again. The ultra high protection idea SO dear the heart of the ancient yet ever nante industries of the United States and under which it's benefcaries like Jeshurun waxed fat are kicking indeed and waing for the return of the good old predatory days of special privilege. They cry for protective system as high as the gallows upon which Haman was hanged for the peucid reason that protection is good tor the classes and their belief in class legislation is ingrained induraed and rocribbed and therefore logical because 1t pays them It there fore being of benefit to the manufacturing classes is not good the masses in its essence can it be.
 Under the protective tariff system revenues were collected from the foreign producers for the American markets" Let us cite concrete example. which ut terly dsposes Of the above statement. and that will appeal to many Alaska mushers of bygone days During the Kondike stampede in 1898. musher then in skag way through Q Victoria B. c. merchant who maintained
 branch store in slagway. ordered suit of certain kind ol mackinaw clothing from Victoria. The suit was billed in Victoria at seven dollars but when en- tered at the Customs House in skagway the duty, 70 per cent of the original cost added to t thus mak ing the total cost of the clothing s11sO under the Ding ley protective tariff which then in force Was the revenue collected on this mackiinaw outfit from the foreign producer? That Klondike musher, who sti lives. is quite ready to make affidavit that it not The revenue was paid by the consumer-the buyer oi the suit-in good American dollars
 And yet according to the Seattle paper under the protective tariff system revenues were collected from foreign producers" What neffabIe pifne.
 Under the Mckinley and Dingley and Payne-Aldrici tariff laws revenues were collected from the home con sumers and not from foreign producers Of goods fOi the American markets. Under the Underwood tariff revenues continue to be collected not from foreign pro ducers of goods for the American market but from tho American consumer. But Democratic Congress re ysed the tariff downward not upward. the case in the PayneAdrieh tariff schedules Therefore, from the consumer is now collected smaller revenue
 Under any protective tariff schedules, Jones. h' pays the freight By Jones" we mean the people thu consumers.