A bill of Abominations.
The new Tariff bill which has passed the
Black Republican House of Representatives, and is soon, in a slightly modified form, to pass the Senate, is designed to impose an enormous tax upon the people who still remain under the control of the
General Government.
The New York
Journal of Commerce condemns, with indignant emphasis, this despotic attempt to levy the heaviest weight of taxation heretofore known in the history of the country.
The present rates of duty range from 4 to 80 per cent.; the new rates, including the specific charges, will range from 5 to 150 per cent., a large number of articles, if imported at all, being included in schedules that will be charged from 30 to 95 per cent. Thus, a piece of printed calico, 24 inches wide, costing abroad 4s. 9d. sterling per piece of 28 yards, would pay, under the present tariff, 24 per cent.; under the proposed tariff 47 per cent.; thus nearly doubling the tax. A cheap printed lawn, such as is now worn by poor girls for summer dresses, costing 2d.
sterling per yard, at present pays 24 per cent.; under the proposed tariff it would pay 65 per cent., or nearly three times the present rate.
Linen goods are to be raised from 15 per cent. to 25 a 30.
thus nearly or quite doubling the tax. Blankets, the poor man's comfort, now pay 15 per ct. only on the value; under the new tariff, unless it is greatly altered, they will pay in some cases as high as 95 per ct., or over six times the present rate.
All woolen carpets, now taxed 24 per ct., are to pay in the new bill 25 to 50 cents per square yard.
Silks now pay 19 per cent.; the proposed tariff raises them to 20a25a30 per cent.
Iron and all the products of iron are changed to such rates as will impose an enormous additional tax upon every mechanic or farmer who drives a nail, or buys-
horse shoe.
The minutest articles of this description are sought out and levied upon with a special of separate duty.
All books printed in the
English language, (unless more than 30 years old, are to be assessed 15 cents per
pound; thus taxing literature by
weight. Buttons, gloves, stockings, caps, clothing, &c., are all advanced to 30 per cent., unless provided for at a still higher rate by some special malice.
The free list is greatly reduced and all the schedules of articles imported are, by some device or other, made to suffer a large increase of taxation.
The Cotton States have not escaped a minute too soon from the evil to come.
And this is the banquet that Border Common wealths are invited to!
