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Northern Wisconsin Agricultural and Mechanical Association / Transactions of the Northern Wisconsin Agricultural and Mechanical Association, including a full report of the industrial convention held at Neenah, Wisconsin, February, 1886. Together with proceedings of the Association for 1884, to January 1, '86
Vol. XI (1886)
Bright, C. M.
Taxation, pp. 273-306
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Page 280
280 TRANSACTIONS OF THE NORTHERN WISCONSIN azines contains an article descriptive of this industry, and very significantly says of it that the profits are very large in Russia, as the owners enjoy a protective tariff of six cents a gallon on kerosene. This tax does not come out of the American producer. It is simply a tribute of six cents a gallon on all the korosene burned in Russia, levied for the benefit of a corporation in favor with the powers that be. Even an American protectionist will be able to see the injus- tice of that tariff. American tobacco farmers are just now clammoring for increased protection against Summatra tobacco. If they succeed in their demands, the only thing they will be likely to accomplish is to make Summatra tobacco cost our cigar manufacturers more, and it may increase the price of domestic tobacco, which will also come out of the manufac- turers, or out of the consumer; and if the consumer stands it he will do it by smoking poorer cigars. A tariff that encourages one interest must perforce discourage some other interest. The lumber industry is one of the protected "infants" of the country. The millions of acres of pine, once the prop- erty of all the people, and for which the government should have received the stumpage value, was gobbled up and next to nothing paid for it. A protective tariff of two dollars a thousand was secured to keep Canadian lumber out of the states. Net result: a tribute paid by whoever uses pine to those who produced it, a horde of wealthy men made by it, and numerous successful aspirants from their ranks to seats in congress, whither they go to vote protective tariffs on all interests represented by other congressmen who will agree not to reduce the tariff on pine lumber. The favor of pro- tection is not bestowed upon worthy objects, if there are any worthy of it, but upon such as command trading votes in congress. Had there been as many wool growers as pine and iron barons in congress, the tariff on wool would have been increased instead of diminished. The tariff question will be re-opened in congress this winter. There is but one possible good that can come of it. The more the question is talked about the more the people
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