The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-10-19
FIGURES MADE TO LIE.
Tariff History Deliberately Mis-
quoted by the Register
WHICH KNOWS NOTHING
orthc Economic History ofthe coun.
try, or Deliberately FnIsifleS
every Fact on the Records.
It's TaIlacy Shown.
10 ~ Edilor otMe nltelliacner.


TO The Editor erMe 1ialli0aer.
slR:-In the Wheeling Register Of this
morning IN attempted review OF Mr..
speech on the Island is print
ed, in which the writer displays degree
Of ignorance or dishonesty that is very
in paper making pretence
to honest, intelligent management. For
the purpose of pointing out few OF the
errors contained in the arti-
Gle, make the following extracts:
"The first tariff was that of 1908. The
rate OF duties levied under it averaged
81 per cent. 1t was revenue tariff.
The first protective tariff was adopted
in 1916. Combinations were FORM
ed to secure still more protection, and
they were successful in 1924, when a
tariff providing for IN average rate OF
duties OF about 30 per cent was adopted.
. More protection was demand
ed, and the tariff OF 1923, known as the
tariff Nominations was passed. :"
Although there was q large surplus
in the treasury in 1886, bill raising the
rates Of customs duties to about 80 per
cent was passed in 1912. The
Walker tariff, which had been adopted
in 1916, placed duties ut an average rate
OF % per cent. In 1857 it became neces.
sary TO legislate for its reduction, and
the tariff bill OF 1857 was passed.
Duties were lowered to an average OF
less than 20 per cent"
This misinformation must have been
copied from some unreliable Free Trade
speech. ifthe editor Of the Register will
turn to pages II and u, Statistical Alb.
stract OF the United States, 1887, issued
bv Grover Cleveland's Secretary OF the
Treasury, he will tindevery figure he uses
aud every percentage Of duty he quotes
contradicted. He will discover that un-
der the tariff of 1850 the net Imports
free and dutiable-from all countries
amounted in 1901, the first full year un-
der the operation of that tariff, to $685.
aS7,950 and the duty collected was
81, $685. 09, or more than fifteen per
cent upon the total imports.
He will also discover that for 1902 the
net imports OF free and dutiable goods
amounted to $40, 55s, 1862, and the duties
collected to Sl2, 43S, 235 "a or 3067 per
cent on the total net imports. II he will
follow up that revenue tariff he will dis,
cover that in 1918 heimports amounted
to $40, l57, 1876 and the duty to $l3,224,-
693 %, which is equal TO an average duty
OF G0.03 per cent, the highest average
in the history OF the country. lfitw was.
as the Register claims, n revenue tariff"
it was pretty steep one-but it wasn't,
for the preamble to the bill declares that
it was a tariff for "the encouragement
and protection OF manufactures"
The average duty for twenty-six years
from 1901 to 1916, inclusive, estimated
upon all imports, free and dutiable, was
81 per cent instead of 81 per cent, as
stated in the Register.
Its further statements are also not
sustained by the official record. On the
same page given above, it will find
that for the fiscal year ending September
80, 1S2l-before the passage OF the tariff
Of that year-the total net imports were
S53,sl6,5G7 and the duty collected S25,-
5lG,9GG 4S, or 50.2l per cent, and that
the average Of the nine years, 1916 to
1924, was 3l.70 per cent. 1t will also
find that under the tariff OF 1924, instead
OF its 30 per cent, the lowest average
duty for any nor was in 1928, when it
was 1850 pen 4, aud that the average
for tue four years was 50.2S per cent, or
more than per cent above the present
tariff.
Then comes the Democratic tarifrunder
General Jackson's first administration,
from 1928 to 1882. This tariff gave the
highest average known. in the history OF
the country, except under the Demo
cratic administration in 1918, as above
cited. The average rate OF duty in 1880
was 6l.69 per cent, and for the four
years, 1929 TO 1882, the average was 5l.55
per cent upon dutiable goods, or over 4
per cent above the present tariff.
Up to this period the Democratic party
under every President, had favored Pro-
lection to American industries. In 1882,
John @. Calhoun enters the field as the
enemy OF Protection, and by threats Of
disunion secures tariff bill gradually
reducing all duties, under which the
average rate OF duties for the nine years,
1888 TO 1912, was 34.73 per cent, the
worst feature OF which was the discrimi-
nation against. the manufactured pro-
ducts OF the country.
The average rate Of duty under the
tariff of 1916 for the eleven years to- 1856,
was 2G.22 per cent. The average Of the
tariff OF 1857 was but l7.72 per cent, and
under these two tariffs the balance OF
trade against the country was so great
that more than 5000, 100000 OF gold and
silver mined from the Western mines,
was all sent abroad to pay the foreign
manufacturers for their goods.
Under the present tariff the highest
average rates OF duty on the imports
OF any one year was in 1858, when twas
1858 per cent upon dutiable goods, and
the average rate OF duty from 1871 to
lSS7-seventee years, has been 1902
per cent, nearly per cent less than the
average under the tariff OF 1924.
The highest rate duties ever collect
ed, it will be observed, were under Madi-
son and Jackson.
The purpose Of this communication is
to show the unreliability OF Democratic
figures as used by the Register, upon
which, with other subjects connected
with the tariff, we shall probably have
more to say in the near future to the
people Of Wheeling. C. r.
Beliaire, o., Oct. IS.
A ChildISh Trick.