The Brookhaven leader., 1890-12-11

as is anywhere given to any food product,
and its non acceptance will quite clearly
restriction of their use; {; and, that having been
made clearer, the duty of the Executive will
be very plain.
THE BEET SUGAR INDUSTRY.
The information given by the Secretary of
the progress and prospects of the beet sugar
industry is full of Interest. 1t has already
passed the experimental stage and is com
mercal success. The area over which the
sugar beet can be successfully cultivated is
very large, and another field crop of great
value is offered to the choice of the farmer.
THE CIVIL SERVICE LAW.
The law relating to the civil service has, so
far as / can learn, been executed by those
classified service with fidelity and impair
TALLY, and the service has been increasingly
satisfactory. The report of the commission
during the year with very limited appropria-
tions.
LEGISLATION.
congratulate the Congress and the country
upon the passage at the first session of the
Fifty first Congress of an unusual number of
laws of very high Importance. That the re-
suits of this legislation will be the quickening
and enlargement of our manufacturing in
dustries, larger and better markets for our
breadstuffS and provisions both at home and
abroad, more constant employment and bet
ter wages for our working people, and an
increased supply of a safe currency for the
transaction of business. / do not doubt
some of these measures were enacted at so
late period that the beneficial effects upon
commerce which were in the contemplation
of Congress have as yet but partially mani
tested themselves.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY.
The general trade and industrial conditions
throughout the country during the year have
shown a marked Improvement. For many
years prior to 1888 the merchandise balances
of foreign trade had been largely in our IA
vor, but in that year and the year fol-
lowing they turned against us. 1t Is very
gratifying to know that the last fiscal year
again shows a balance in our favor of over
SIS 100000. The bank clearngs, which fur
nish a good test of the volume of business
transacted for the first ten months of the
year 1890 show, as compared with the same
months of 1882 an increase for the whole
country of about s.4 per cent, while the in
crease outside of the city of New York was
over l3 per cent. During the month of Octo-
Der the cleariugs of the whole country
showed an increase of 81 per cent. over
october, 1899, while outside OF New
York the increase was lll2 per cent These
figures show that the increase in the volume
of business was very general throughout the
country. That this large business was being
conducted upon safe and profitable basis
is shown by the fact that there were three
hundred less failures reported in October,
1890, than in the same month of the prered-
ing year, with liabilities diminished by about
S5,OOOOOO.
THE MKINLEY TARIFF
The General Tariff act has only partially
gone into operation, some of its important
provisions being limited to take effect at
visions of the law have beep in force less
than sixty days. Its permanent effect on
trade and prices still stand in conject-
ure. 1t is curious to note that the
advance in the price of articles Who'll
ly unaffected by the Tariff act was
by many hastily ascribed to that
act. Notice was not taken of the fact that
the general tendency Of the markets was up
ward from Influences wholly apart from the
recent tariff legislation. The enlargement
of our currency by the Silver bill undoubtly
marked effect on prices but this natural and
desired effect of the silver legislation was by
many erroneusly attributed to the Tariff
act.
TARIFF REVISION.
There is neither wisdom nor suggestion
that the subject of tariff revision shall be
1t is quite true that every tariff schedule is
subject to objections. No bill was ever
framed, l suppose, that in all of its rates and
classitcations had the full approval even of
"A party caucus. Such legislation is always
and necessarily the product of compromise
as to details, and the present law is no
exception. But, in its general scope
and effect, think, it will justify the sup
port of those who believe that American leg
islation should conserve and defend Amer
lean trade and the wages of American work
men.
The misinformation as to the terms of the
act, which has been SO widely disseminated
at home and abroad, Will be corrected by eG-
perience and the evil augurieS as to its results
by the market reports, the saw
ings banks, international trade balances and
the general prosperity of our people. Already
we begin to hear from abroad and from
our custom houses that the prohibitory effect
upon impOrtations imputed to the act is not
justified. The imports at the port of New
York for the first three weeks of November
were nearly per cent. greater than for the
same period in 1889 and 20 per cent. greater
than in the same period OF 1888. And so far
from being an act to limit exports, conf
IDENTIFY believe that under it We shall secure
larger and more profitable participation in
foreign trade than we have ever enjoyed, and
that we shall recover proportionatc par
tcipation in the ocean carrying trade OF the
world.
OR RETALIAToRY LEGISLATION.
There is no disposition among any of our
people to promote prohibitory or retaliatory
legislation. Our policies are adopted not to
the hurt of others, but to secure for ourselves
those advantages that fairly grow out of our
favored position as n nation. Our form OF
with its incident OF universal
suffrage, makes il imperative that we shall
save our working people from the agitations
and distrcsSes which scant work and wages
that have no margin for comfort always
get. But aft9r all this is done, it will be
found that our markets are open to friendly
exchanges of enormous value
to the other great Powers.
RECIPROCITY.
There were but two methods of obtaining
control of this question open to Congress:
To place all these articles upon the dutiable
list subject to such treaty agreements as
emily upon the free list, but subject to the re.
imposition of specified duties if the coun,
tries from which we receive them should re-
fuse to give us suitable reciprocal benefits
This latter method, think, possesses greas
1t expresses in advance
the consent of Congress to reciprocity at
must have otherwise been delayed and un-
until each treaty was ratified by
the Senate and the necessary legislation en-
acted by Congress. Experience has shown
that some treaties looking to reciprocal
trade have failed to secure two-thtfd vote
in the Senate for ratification, cnd 9th
ers having passed that stage nave for
years awaited the concurrence of the House
and Senate in such notifications of our rev.
enue laws as were necessary to give erect to
their provisions. We now have the concur
renee of both Houses in advance in a dis
tinct and definite offer of free entry to
our ports of specific articles. The Ex-
ecutiye is not required to deal in con
cept. Indeed this reciprocity provision
is more than an offer. Our part of the bar
gain is complete; delivery has been made,
ceive sugar, coffee, teas and hides, have
placed on their free lists such of our products
as shall be agreed upon, as an equivalent for
our concession, proclamation of that fact
the transaction; and in the mean
time our own people have free sugar, tea,
coffee and hides.
NEW LEGISLATION.
In addition to the important bills that be-
came laws before the adjournment of the last
sssson, some other bills of the highest i'm
portance were we'll advanced toward "a final
vote and now stand upon the calendars of
present session has a fixed limit, and il
these measures are not now brought
to final vote all the work that has been
done upon them by this Congress is lost.
The proper consideration of these of an op-
portionment bill and of the annual appro.
priation bills will require not only that no
working day of the session shall be lost, but
that measures of minor and local interest