The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1890-04-24
The Minority Report.
Philadelphia Press.

The report of the minority of the Ways and
Means Committee undertakes to show that the
American farmer does not need any additional
protection on his products, because we exported
nearly 70,GOO,OO0 bushels of wheat and imported
only s3ss; because we exported BIZ, 1856 barrels
of corn meal and imported $50 bushels; because
we exported 46 ana odd millions of bushels of
wheat and imported only 1916 bushels. The doc
ument with this sort of argument has the sigma
ture of John Griffin Carlisle, Roger q. Mills,
Clifton Il. breckenridge, Benton MeMillin and
Roswell p. Flower representative Democrats
Is it possible that these gentlemen are ignorant
of the fact that last year the agricultural pro-
ducts imported and ON which duty was levied
aggregated over $3.50, 600 600? Do they not know
that our total agricultural imports amounted to
nearly $3.50, 0O0,0 600? And yet in the face of the
facts we have the above fiippant statement Of
fered as a reason that the additional protection
which the Mckinley bill offers the farmers of
this country is ''merely device intended 30 de-
ceive." Perhaps it might be well for the gen
tlemen who prepared the minority report to
glance at this table:
Imports of important manufactured products.
1889:
Wooden goods ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. S52,000,OCO
SIX goodS,...... OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 15,0tU,00U
I1nen goods 20 ,0t,000
Iron and steel... ................... 42,W0,000
Chemca!S.. .......-. 4D,UU0,U0
Cotton goods 27,000OOG
-----
Total. $ssl 000, 600
Imports of Important agricultural products
1889:
Animals and products except WOOL. H,otO,OOO
Fibres, animal and vegetable. ........ G0NAl000
FTulIS. I9UUt000
BARLEY and cereal ..................... 9O00gm
Tobacco leaf OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 100000
Total. Observation-Disclosures. 1928 oOa,eO
Is it likely the American farmer will heed the
absurd statement OF the minority report and
fail to realize the Importance and advantage of
the Mckinley tariff bill, simply because of such
statements as those given by Messrs. Carlisle,
Mills Il Co? The minority report shows no in
Vestigatlon, no thought, no care and very little
skill in arrangement. The statistical part of it
is wildly out of the way For Instance, it is al
legged that the correction of the inequalities in
the wool and wooden schedule will increase the
revenue fifteen and a half millions of dollars
Such result is simply impossible. On the con
trary, the effect will simply be to transfer the
manufacture of from fifteen to twenty millions
of dollars worth of WOODEN and worsted goods
from the other side of the Atlantic to this side,
and give employment to additional working
men, under American wages, and to stimulate
the worsted trade and reduce instead of increase
the duty. The same is true i'll relation to tin
piaIe. The increase will not add dollar to the
revenue, but on the contrary have a tendency
to decrease it. Major Mckinley shows abso-
lutely reduction of $Tl,OoO,OOO In the face of
this the minority endeaver to figure out a re-
duction of only four five millions.
One of the most misleading paragraphs in this
report of the majority is that it refers to the
lower grades of wooden and yarn, coarse cheap
blankets, the cheapest grades of wooden hats
and Women's dress goods, and to the lower
grades of wooden cloth and wooden shawls-and
figures out absurd percentages of duties on
these articles. This is the old percentage trick,
which has been exploded time and again in the
Press The man who penned this nonsense shows
that every one of these articles are produced
and sold in this country at price equivalent to
IT not lower than, the price of the same articles
i'll Free-trade England. There are no coarse
blankets imported into this country, nor any
cheap shawls, for the simple reason that our
home manufacturers are able to supply the de-
mand for this line OF goods at price which de- I
lies foreign competition; and yet, in order to
pfo5ect the liner goods it is necessary to levy
duty which seems to be high though which in
Iact Is imperative from the competition of t
coarsef articles, and the attempt is made to de-
III lie the country into the belief that the cost of
these goods is really increased to the extent
by the minority. The conclusion of
present state OF affairs-largely brought on in
OF the Importation of millions of
dollars worth of products of manufacture and
OF agrlcuiture-is to import still more in order
to give our Industries an equal chance in the
Held OF competition at home ana abroad. The
Ifess believes i'll home compebtitioE, and under
the Mckinley bill this competition viii be brisk
enough and severe enough without compelling
American labor to compete with the cheap la
Dor of European countries.
The TACT is, and a glance at the two reports I
shows it beyond any question, the Mckinley bill
ana the Mckinley report are framed i'll the in
terest OF American producers and American
homes. The report of the minority lays down
principles which, if adopted would result in
disaster alike to manufacturing and agri-
cultural interests. 1t would compel the people
of this country to follow the advice of Mr. Glad
raise more grain and more cotton and
produce less cloth and less iron. 1t is a policy
which Great Britain has long wanted us to adopt.
It is extremely Goubtfal if ancn a report as that
by the minority of the Committee of
Ways and Means will convince single unpre1-
ldieed voter of anything but the folly OF at
'emptins to remedy the present condition of
sffairs by increasing the importation of pro
iucts of foreign labor. No; fair prices ana fair
wages viii always be a more popular propo-
>sition i'll the United States than cheapness and
over wages. The interests of the farmer and
The worhingman are on the side of Protection
The great vegetable substitute forpifis
IS Simmons Liver Regulator.
-
The New Census.
From the New York Tribune