Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1890-06-12
THE NEW TARIFF BILL
MAJ. M'KINIEY EXPOSES THE CON-
PLANTS AGAINST 1T.

An Extract from the Congressman's Great
Speeeh-The Balance of Trade Always
with Us Under Protection-An Ameri-
can Measure.
What is the nature Of the complaint
against this bill? That it shuts us out of
a foreign market? No; for whatever that
is worth to our citizens will be Just as
accessible under this bill as under the
present law. We place no tax or bur-
den or restraint upon American products
going out of the country. They are as
free to seek the best market as the
products of any rival commercial power,
and as free to go out as though we had
absolute free trade. Statistics show that
protective tariffs have not interrupted
our export trade, but that it has increased
under them.
In the year 1913, being the first year
after the protective tariff of 1912 went
into operation, our exports exceeded our
imports $40, ,392, ,229, and in the follow
ing year they exceeded our imports
8, ,141 ,226. In the two years following
the excess of imports over exports was
$15, AIS, 900. The last year under the
tariff the excess of exports over imports
was 49,, 4,317, ,249. So during the five years
of the tariff of 1S42 the excess of exports
over imports was s62 1916, 900. Under
the low tariff of 1S46 this was reversed,
and, with the single exception Of 1858,
the imports exceeded the exports Cover
ing period of fourteen years. 1886, ,553,-
625.
During the war and down to 1875 the
imports with two exceptions exceeded
the exports. From 1876 down to 1899
inclusive covering a period of fourteen
years. there were only two years when
our imports exceeded our exports, and
the total excess of exports over imports
was 81, ,5S1 ,906, ,S71 of the products Of our
own people more than we brought into
the United States. The balance of trade
has been almost uninterruptedly in our
favor during the Protective Tariff periods
of our history, and against US with few
exceptions during Revenue Tariff peri
ods. This would seem to indicate a
healthful business condition with the
outside world, resulting from the Re-
publican economic system, and an un-
healthful condition, where we had to
send money out of the country to pay
our balances under the Democratic sys-
tenn.
The chief complaint against this bill
comes from importers and consignees
here, on the one hand, and the foreign
merchants and consignors abroad. Why
do they complain? Manifestly because
in some way this bill will check their
business here and increase the bust
ness of our own manufacturers and pro-
ducers; it will diminish the importation
of competing foreign goods and increase
the consumption of our home made
goods. This may be good reason to
the foreigner to oppose its pas
sage, but is hardly sound reason why
Americans should oppose it.
If the bill checks foreign importations
of goods competing with ours, it will in
crease our production and necessarily
increase the demand for labor at home.
This may be a good reason why the
cheap labor of other countries should be
to this bill, but furnishes the
best of reasons why the workmen of the
United States should favor it as they do.
We do not conceal the purpose of this
bill-we want our own countrymen and
all mankind to know it. 1t is to increase
production here, diversity our productive
enlarge the field and in
crease the demand for American work
men.
What American can oppose these
worthy and patriotic objects? Others
not Americans may find Justification for
1oing so. This bill is an American bill.
It is made for the American people and
American interests.
The press of other countries has de-
bounced the bill with unmeasured sever
ty, the legislative assemblies of more
han one distant country have given it
attention in no friendly spirit. It has
'eceived the censure OF diplomates and
ioreign powers-for all of which there is
manifest reason-it may pinch them,
1ut no American citizen surely can OBJ
ect to it on that account. We are not
egislating for any nation but our own:
or our people and for no other people
ire we charged with the duties of legis-
alton. We say to our foreign brethren,
We viii not interfere in your domestic
egislation; we admonish you to keep
our hands off of ours"