OCR Text |
Show 1 i I I EDITORIALS. I THEN AND NOW. The Enquirer had some good tariff talk in its columns some time ago, and we take great pleasure m reproducing some of it. realizing that conditions are just the same now as when the articles were published. In talking upon the benefits and the blessings of the tariff, it said Th farmer takes his wheat to Ens-land Ens-land and sells it. But he don't get very much for it, because there is strong competition there and he isnblLed to sell it pretty cheap. He gets, we will suppose. $100 for his wheat. After he i-ellshis wheat he sees that goods are very cneap m cngiand, and he makes f up his mind he will spend his $l(H) in 1 I'uyioii commodities: s he buys a d ess for his wife, a suit of clot lus" for himself, him-self, a sewing macho. e for $1S that he j would h.ive to pay $50 for here, anil many other things, ami finally starts tor home. When he gets to New York the custom house offict r steps up a:nd says: "Hold on there what are you doing whU these goods?" The farmer replies: "I am uiv.g home with them. I have just 8 dl my wheat in England Eng-land and I have bought a lot of Koods very cheap and I am taking them to Michigan where I live." "Ilnv: much did ynu pay for those g ods," says the custom house officer. 100," says the farmer. "Give me $46," demands de-mands the agent of the government. "Forty-six dollars! Wbat on earth do you want $4 f.r?''says the farmer. "That is the t.x," says the custom house officer, ''that is levied by the government." "Oh!" says the farmer, "that is all right, I am a square man, I am perfectly willing to help support the government. I live in the United States and never grumble at paying my share of the burdens of the nation.'' "It is not because the government needs any money," says the custom house officer, "the government don't need il at all: we are now riwivina- I $125,000,000 a year more than , we can use; it is not for the support of the government that we want this, but we want you to buy everything vou need in this country, and this $4t "is a fine which the law imposes on you because you have committed the crime of buying buy-ing your goods where you could buy th ;m the cheapest." "Gracious me!-' I cried the farmer, "is that it? Why. I raise more wheat than I can sell here and I am obliged to take my surplus to England, and I find I can save a good deal of money by purchasing some of my goods over there; wheat is awful low and I have to figure pretty close to make both ends meet; you ought to make this country take to my wheat, then I would not have any objection to buying everything I need here also; it is unfair to impose a fine on me when you make me go 4,000 miles away to sell my crop. I cannot stand it." "Well, you will have to stand it," says the officer, "for it is the law." "I declare," de-clare," replies the farmer, "this thine amounts to a regular confiscation of my properly." But he pays it. What is the result? The farmer has lost 70 bushels of wheat. It was just the same as if a band of thieves had gone to his barn in the night and stolen 70 bushels bush-els cf wheat. |