Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1890-12-06
LE0IsLATIoN.

i
| congratulate the Congress and the country |
| upon the passage mt the first session OF tho |
Fifty first Congress OF AN unusual number OF |
| laws of very high Importance That the re. |
| suits of thlslcglslntlOn Will be the quickenlng
| and enlargement OF our manufacturing In. |
| dustries, larger and better markets Tor our |
| brchdstuffs and provisions both nc nome ana |
abroad, more constant employment ana pet
| ter wages for our working people, ANA nm |
| increased supply Of u safe currency Tor tine
| transaction Of business. l do not doubt |
| some of these measures were enacted NJ 80 |
| 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 II 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. IL Is very |
| gratifying to know that the last fiscal year |
| again shows Il balance In our favor or over |
ss.OOOOOO, The bank clcarings, when ,nl,I iur, |
| transacted for the first ten months oil the |
year 1880 show, as compared with the same
months OF 1851, an increase for the whole |
| country of about 81 per cent, whilc the IN |
| crease outside of the city of Kew York was |
| over IL per cent. During the month of Octo. |
| Der the clcariugs OF the whole country |
| showed an increase of 81 per cent. over |
October, 1852 while outside OF New |
| York the increase was llis per cent These |
| figures show that the increase IN the volume |
Of business was very general througnont tne |
| 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 n 0c.o Ha
| ing year, with liabilities diminished Dy ABOUT
| $,OOO,OOO.
THE M'KISLEY TARIFF.
The General Tariff act has only partially |
| Int ma. Inn
| provisions being limited to take effect ut
dates yet in the future. The general pro-
visions Of the law have been 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.
y unaffected ~ the scr MarlH t aS' t Mas
act. Notice was not taken of the fact that |
| the general tendency of the markets was up |
ward from influences wholly apart from tine |
recent tariff legislation. The enlargement |
| of our currency by the Silver bill undoubtly
gave an upward tendency to trade and had q |
marked effect ON prices: but this natural ana
desired effect of the silver legislation WAS by
many erroneusly attributed 10 the Turin
TARIFF REVISION.
There Ia neither wisdom nor suggestion |
that the subject of tariff revision shall be |
opened before this law has had fair trial. |
1t is quite true that every tariff schedule is
subject to objections. No bill was ever |
classifications had the full approval even of |
party caucus. Such legislation IL always |
and necessarily the product of compromise |
as to details, and the present law Is no |
and effect think, 1t will justify the sup |
port of those who believe that American leg |
islatiOn should conserve ana dcIcnd Amer
lean trade and the wages Of American work
men.
The mlsinformation as to the terms of the |
act, which has been so widely disseminated
| ut home and abroad, VIII be corrected ny cX'
pcrience and the evil augurics rs to its results
COMPOUNDED by the market reports, the saw:
ings banks, international trade balances ana |
| the general prosperity OF our people. Already |
we begin to hear from abroad ana from |
our custom. houses that the prohibitory effect |
upon impOrtaticns imputed to the net Is not |
justified. The imports ut the port OF New
York for the first three weeks OIL November
were nearly per cent. greater than lof the |
same period in 1889 and ~ per cent. greater |
| than u, the same period of ISIS. And so lar |
from being an act to limit exports conn,
IDENTIFY believe that under II we shall secures |
larger and more profitable participation in
foreign trade than we have ever enjoyed, ana |
that we shall recover proportonnte par
ticipation In the ocean carrying trade OIL the |
world.
PRoHIBIToRY OR RETALIAToRY LEGISLATION. |
There Is no disposition among any of our |
people to promote prOhibitory or regulatory |
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 rs nation. Our form of
government, with its incident of universal
suffrage, makes 1t imperative that we shall
save our working people from the agltationS
and distresses which scant work and wages
that have no margin for comfort always |
get. But aftsr all this is done, 1t Will be
found that our markets are open to friendly
commercial 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 US
could be secured, or to place them all pres
emily upon the free list, but subject to the re-
imposition OF specified duties II the eoun-
tries from which we receive them should re-.
fuse to give us suitable reciprocal benefits. |
This latter method, think, possesses great
advantages. 1t expresses In advance
the consent of Congress to reciprocity ar
engagements affecting these products which
must have otherwise been delayed and un-
ascertaned 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.third vote
In the Senate for ratification, and 9th
ers having passed that stage have 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 FIX
ecutive Is not required to deal in con-
lecture as to what Congress will nc
cept. Indeed this reciprocity provision
Is more than an offer. Our part OF the bar
gain is complete; delivery has been made,
and when the countries from which we re-
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
completes 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
session, some other bills of the highest i'm
portance were well advanced toward "a final
vote and now stand upon the calendars of
the two Houses In favored positions. The
present session has fixed limit and II
these measures are not now brought
to final vote all the work that has been