Show OUR TARIFF PRIMER A Short Lesson Adapted From 1 Bastiat THE FOURTEEN SACKS OF WHEAT Out of Which tie Grower Pays Sis as Ills Share of the Expenses of Government Govern-ment and the Tariff ADAPTED FROM BASTIAT Republican Farmer tFTieatGrouer Customhouse Custom-House Official C H OYou have here fourteen sacks of wheat to export R FYes I raised them with much care and sweat 0Give me six of them FSix sacks out of fourteen Good heavens I you want to ruin me I you please what do you propose to do with them 1 OThe first will be given to the creditors credi-tors of the state When one has debts the least he can do is to pay the interest FWhere did the principal goO go-O It would take a long time to tell Apart A-part of it was put into cartridges which made the finest smoke in the world another an-other part paid men who were maimed or killed in the civil war the largest part of it however goes to pay pensions to men or their relatives who once fought in the war Still one must pay what he owes no matter mat-ter whether all the money was wisely spent or not FI cheerfully pay one sack for that part of it but why do you seize the other fyeaOne aOne is required to pay for public services the civil list the judges the congressmen con-gressmen and myself your servant who does not wont for nothing P Certainly service for service There is nothing to say against that So much for the second sack This leaves four however aDo you believe that one would be too much for your share of the army and navy espouses FUas it is little compared with what they have cost me already They have taken from me two sons whom I tenderly loved OYou wished the government to seize your wheat however FYou are jesting Mr Collector have I a vote in the legislative halls I OWhom did you vote for as your Rep resentative resentatvel FA brave general who will be a Senator Sen-ator i God spares his life aOn what does this brave general live FMy wheat I presume OAnd what would happen were he to vote for a reduction of the tariff FInstead of being made a Senator he would be retired OYou understand the third sack do youFLot FLet us pass to the fourth aWell that goes to Samoa FTo Samoa I I have heard that Sampans Sa-mpans do not eat bread but what services will they give me in exchange for this wheat which has cost me so much labor ONone at all it is not intended for Samoans but for portions of our army and navy located there FWhat can they do there which will be of service to me wi O Undertake and undergo raids kill and be killed get sick and come home to be doctored dig harbors make roads etc for the Samoans FThis is too much and I flatly refuse faty this sack They would send such a foolish wheatgrower to the madhouse aBut then you lay the basis of a great empire you carry civilization into the Pacific and you crown your country with immortal glory FYou are a poet my dear collector but I am a wheatgrower and T refuse 0Think that in a few hundred years you will get back your advances a hundred fold All those who have charge of the enterprise say so Your objection is too late Your Representative has nereed that you shall give a sack of wheat for this purpose pur-pose FThis is battoo true Cursed weakness weak-ness I It seems to me that I was unwise in making him my agent for what is there in common between a Representative and the poor owner of a wheat field I OYou see well that there is something in common between you were it only the whet you raise and which in your name he votes to himself FLaugh at me I deserve it But be reasonable and leave me the fifth sack at least The interest of the debt is paid the civil list is provided for the public service assured and the war in the Pacific perpetuated per-petuated What more do you want aThe bargain is not made with me You must tell your desires to your Representative Repre-sentative He has disposed of yourwLoat FBut what do you propose to do with the fifth sack Come examine it How plump and golden O Splendid article I will suit MrD the sugarrefiner admirably Flr D the sugarrefiner What do you mean aThat he will make a good bargain oat of it FHow 2 What is that I do not understand un-derstand you aDo you not know that D has started a magnificent sugar refinery very useful to the country but which so D says loses money every year P lam very sorry but what can I do to help him 1 O Congress thought that i it gave D a sack of your wheat a ftw potatoes rrom the cellars of your friends and a few cents cut from st eY wages fd the workingmen i i his losses would change into profits FThis recipe is as infallible as it is ingenious Is D to cover his losses by taking my wheat aNot exactly the wheat but the proceeds pro-ceeds of it That is what we call a bounty for the encouragement of industry But you look amazed Do you not see what a great service you render to the country FYou mean to D ONo D asserts that thanks to this arrangement his business prospers and thus it is says he that the country grows rich That is what your Representative recently said in the House FIts a damnable fraud I A man extorts ex-torts money from me and calls it a general gain I gain0Your aYour Representative having come to that conclusion all you have to do is to give me the five sacks of wheat and one more also FIn heavens name what will you do with the sixth sack You will not give it to some other man I hope aNo the government has no use for this last sack so its proceeds go to keep up the surplus FOf what use is that pray 0To prevent you from receiving too I much cloth iron or leather from abroad payment for the eight sacks you have left I the government permitted you to receive re-ceive payment for nine sacks from abroad you would be able to sell your cloth iron and leather to your neighbors at a fair profit to yourself and thus you could compete com-pete with the millowners of this country who sell these articles and who are permitted per-mitted by law to charge twice what these articles are worth artces FWhy does the government discriminate discrimi-nate against me in this way O Because farmers that raise any surplus sur-plus products on their farms are enemies of their country when they receive pay imports from abroad for them So the government fines every man who exports his surplus products The government has declared that imports must be checked and since the only way to do that is to check exports it lines every farmer who raises a surplus FBut this is horrible frightful abom inable aWhat is the use of those hard words t You yourself through your authorized agent FLeave me alone with my authored agent I made a very strange disposition of toy vote it is true but they shall deceive de-ceive me no more OBah I You will reelect the worthy general Goodby I will take away your six sacks and proceed to divide them asa as-a Representative has directed |