The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-10-10
Statement Showing that in Eleven Months Un.
der the New Tariff Acs Our Exports Ex-
ceeded Our Imports BY $77, ,360, 1856.
Trade with Foreign Countries Rapidly
Increasing in All Directions.
Reciprocity Assisting in the Good Work-Im-
ports of Free Articles Growing-ATribute
to President Harrison's Administration.
FIGURES THAT DO NOT LIE.

Our Foreign Trade Rapidly increasing
Under the Mckinley Tariff Law.
Special 10 the Indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON. Oct. 9.-No better Judgment
can be rendered upon thing than that
which is based on trial. The Republican
party and the Congress which enacted it
had to appeal TO time for a vindicatiOn of
the Mckinley tariff law, and the Treasury
Department was to-day enabled. by the use
of statistics and figures gathered from Off
clai channels in the commerce of the coun-
try, to render verdict which cannot be
disputed, since it has as q basis figures
which cannot lie. The Bureau of Statistics
in tho Treasury Department deals in the
figures of the officials at our ports of entry
and elsewhere. who have direct supervision
over our foreign and domestic commerce.
Their reports are as accurate as the
statements made by banks. since the Off
GERS are accountable to the department for
customs duties. etc., upon the figures they
return. The annual report of the chief of
the Bureau of Statistics. which appeared
to-day. has been more eagerly anticipated
than probably any other report ever issued
by that bureau, since it gives the first Off
cial indication of the actual working of the
new tariff law. and for that reason the re-
port will cut an important figure in the i'm
pending State campaigns. 1t can be stated
positively, however, that it will not be cir
culated as n Democratic campaign docu-
ment. 1t is the best argument that could
be made in favor of the new tariff law and
makes ridiculous almost every assertion
that has been made against the tariff now
levied.
With design to answer the many ques-
tiOns prOpOunded by men in all political
parties, the report cove covers the .' eleven
operation. In the first place IL shows. for
the first time in the history of the country,
that the percentage of exports has in
creased much faster and more largely than
the imports. and that the imports admitted
free of duty aggregate nearly 4S per cent
of the amount OF those which paid duties
The percentage of increase OF goods ad-
mitted free of duty was 1872, mostly on ac-
count of sugar. The last half of the eleven
months show o greater increase in the.
growth of trade In our favor than the first
half. showing Enthusiastically that the
longer the law stands the better 1t oper-,
ates. and giving the direct negative to the
tariff bill wew0uld ruin or export trade.
1t has greatly helped it, and is. with reci-
procity, building IL up far beyond the fond
est hopes.
The most important feature of the show
ing, OF course, Is the growth of the export
trade under the new law. as 1t indicates
the expanse of our foreign market. The
increase of 9,OS7, S23 in our exports during
the eleven months ending Aug. 81. last,
was nearly two and One-half times greater
than the average annual increases of OK
ports during the twenty years prior to 1891.
which was SO, 15O, 425. Dnring tho same
eleven months the value OF tho exports of
merchandise has exceeded the value of the
imports by the sum of S77,S60, 1886. The i'm
portance of this largo excess of exports
over imports Will be appreciated when it is
compared with the excess of exports of the
fiscal year 1890, when it was S6s5l8,275. In
1889 the balance OF trade was against us,
and the imports exceeded the exports ST.
730.277. In 1883 the balance against us was
exports SIS .607. 1t is observed in
the repott that the va.ue of our
exports for the eleven months exceeds
the value of the exports for any year in our
history by 27,0OO.OO0. The statement in de-
tail shows that the largo increase in our ex-
ports is almost wholly confined to the
products of agriculture firstly and manu-
factures secondly, the increase in the ex-
ports Of agricultural products being $685.
2s6.2l7, while the exports of manufactured
products increased to the amount Of S19,-
9S3. .270.
The operation of the commercial reci-
procity treaty.is treated in the report under
a separate head. The increase Of trade with
Brazil under tho operation of our new
treaties was sl.le9.522. and during the five
months of operation of the treaty Our ex-
ports to Brazil have increased $702. eO3. The
increase of exports through tho operation
OF tho other commercial treaties are shown
TO be somewhat larger. 1t is said that there
Will be great many Thousands of these re-
ports sent To Ohio to reinforce the argu-
ments which Major Mckinley is making in
behalf of the new tariff law.