The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-09-21
THE LUMBER DUTY.

A Consular Report Which Il In Great De-
Inand iu N:clifgsn sns' viseonsiU.
epecial 81 the indianaboi. JournAA
WASHINGTON, Sept. c0.-The administration
has got itsslf in rather an uuoieasanf predica-
ment in reference TO Q recently printed consular
report II has been tho policy for some months
now to instruct eonsuis to make reports upon
the condition u bosin ess and such other matters
in their bailiwicks a. would be likely to inAu-
ence voters in behalf Of the Mills bill idss, and
among those who complied With the request Of
the department. was Consul Hotchkiss. stationed
at Ottawa, Canada, who sent over q long, care
fuIly-considered report on the lumber industry
OF the Dominion. A synopsis OK this report sp-
reared in this correspondence some weeks since;
1t attracted wide and resulted in great
demand for the report. The department then
doubtless had it read, and instead Of issuing 1t
in the frst number of the regular monthly con-
sular report. IL decided TO hold 1t back until
after the election, in order that IL might not be
used as a campaign document by the Republic
ans Some members of the Senate committee
on finance, however, having received inc uirie. in
regard 10 it, procured q copy Of ii and had il
printed in pamphlet form for the uss Of the
committee. Tins the scheme OF the State De-
partment to withhold this document until after
election has been pipped in the bud. and it may
be expected that the truthful consul st Ottawa,
who told the real truth concerning the lumber
Industry, will be summarily reprinanded
for following the Presidents advice when
he uttered that celebrated remark to
his friends, Tell the truth" Mr.. Hotchkiss
stated iu his report that the abolition Of the
duty on lumber, amounting to g per thousand
feet, would not make the product auy cheaper
for American consumers, as the Canadian gov
erpment. which controls the ber lands OF the
Dominion Of Canada, was ready to raise the
price to lessees Of timber lands to the exact
amount now i'm posed upon Canadian lumber by
the United States government In other words,
he stated ia plain terms that to abolish the duty
on lumber would simply be to increase the
value of Canadian stumpare 70 the extent OK e
Q Thousand feet, or to give the Canadian gov
ernment opportunity to increase its stump
out violating the spirit OF the lumber clause
only when export duties have
been removed. As coon as the contents OF this
report reached the eyes Of the Michigan and
Wisconsin lumbermen they were aroused and
telegraphed their representatives in Congress
to procure for them copies Of this report.
Much to the surprise of these Congressmen,
when they called for this report at the Depart
ment of State they were informed that the
edition was exhausted, and that they could not
procure copies. 1t is not known whether the
department really distributed all OF the special
editions Of this report, or whether, rs soon as
the Importance Of it became known, they imms-
diately ordered i:s suppression. Al any rate, .
COPY Of Mr.. Hotcbkiess rapport on the PROPOSE
ton to abolish the duty on lumber cannot bs
procured at the department