The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1891-12-19
MoRGANTowN VIRGINIA, SATURDAY. DECEMBER
WILSON'S SOUND LOGIC.


He Frankly Answers Questions and
Maintains His Position ON Tin.
From the st. Louis Republic the
following correspondence is taken:
AN INQUIRER Accommodated.
This gentleman opens the door
with quite bang and frees his mind
of some important information:
ST.. LOUIS, Nov. 80, 1891.
VIM. l.. Wilson: Dear Sir-The
writer has always supposed that you
were among the few honorable
and truthful Democratic politicians,
but of late, after reading some of your
tariff articles, is forced To the conclu-
sion that you are like nearly all the
rest. Your editorial in to-day's
Republic is about the furthest from
the truth of any.
"(a) You say: We never yet
have paid for tin plate in money. II
we don't, how do we, as the balance
of trade is nearly always against US,
and as far as Great Britain is con-
cerned is always against us? (b)
You also say that we send one out
of three bushels of our wheat abroad
to pay for goods, whereas one out Of
ten for average years is all we can
spare, and, of this, the largest crop
year on record, one out of five will
leave US NO surplus. The above is
for wheat as everyone knows (c) we
export little or no corn.
Furthermore, why is it that while
your paper is constantly stating
that there is an 80 per cent. tax on
tin, the article is not (d) as high as
a year ago. as we are buying cans at
between 9 and 10 per cent. less
than any time within the last
four years?
l think you will find this state
ment will be corroborated by nearly
all the largest consumers of cans.
Yours, II. d. WILSON"
might adopt the words of that
great philosopher Joshua Billings
and say to Mr. Wilson that II had
rather not know so much than to
know SO many things that aren't so,
but as l wish not only him but all
other readers of the Republic to have
confidence in my statements of facts
as not made at random, but as far as
possible traced to first sources Of in
formation, / will take up the asser-
tions of his letter in regular order
(a) The report of the Treasury
Department for the fiscal year 1891
shows balance of trade in our ia
vor of $40,000,000. The Statistical
Abstract of the United States for
1890, issued by the Treasury De-
partment (page 61), shows that of
the fifteen years, lS76-1S9O inclusive,
the balance of trade was in our favor
for thirteen, averaging $130,000,000
per year, and against us two, averag
ing $15,000,000 per year. The came
Report (79) shows that in our trade
with Great Britain and Ireland dur
ing those years (all that are cover
ed by the report) the balance of
trade was always in our favor by an
average of far more more than 5000.
900, 1000 per year, falling slightly be-
low that sum only twice, and reach
ing $3.50, 100000 for 1890, 5000, 0O0,-
600 for 1891. and so on.
~ Mr.. Wood Davis, the Kansas
Crop Statistician, who is regarded as
good authority in that field, has just
published a statement in which he
puts our wheat crop for the present
at 600,000,000 bushels and our ex-
portable surplus at 235, 900, 900 hush
els. This is considerably more
than one bushel out of three. The
United States Statistical Abstract
(page 1861 shows that while in 1880
we exported only 100, 900 bushels
out of crop of 490,O00000 in 1876
We exported 154,000,O0O out of a
crop of 457, 900, 900; in 1881 we ex-
ported over 80 per cent of what we
produced; in 1880 over 81 per cent.
and in 1879 over 40 per cent And
this refers only to exports in the
form of wheat and wheat -four, and
does not include substantial export
in the form of biscuit, bareback and
the like
(c) The Abstract (page 1861
shows our exports of corn from 1869
to 1889 inclusive. beginning with
one peck out of every hundred bush
els raised and ending with one bush
ell out of every 20 raised in 1880.
(d) As to the increase in the
price of tin plate under the new tar
iff l have already had published in
the Republic the active price lists
furnished by Charles S. French 4
Co., tin plate and metal brokers, 81
Cliff street, New York. | have read
notices of these lists in the official
tariff organs, but no denial of their
accuracy They give the average
price of l C. 14x20 coke tin as $540
for 1891, 81 II for 1890 and 81 "a for
1889; of l c, charcoal tin 1886 for
1891. $5.12 for 1890 and 81 IA for
1889; of c. for 2Ox22 roofing tin
$40 20 for 1891, SO 40 for 1890 and
So for 1889.
1t will be seen that the passage Of
the Mckinley bill stiffened the
price of 1890, although the increased
tariff did not at once go into effect
In the Republic of Nov. 20 Hon. T.
L. Bunting, president of the New
York Canned Goods Association and
a large packer of fruits, meats and
vegetables. estimates the increased
cost of cans, by reason of the tariff,
$5,000,000 If, then, Mr.. Wilson
buys cans cheaper than heretofore
som body is losing on the trade, or he
is getting them of inferior material
In estimating the burden of the tin
plate tariff on the people | have al
ways referred to the entire duty, moi
the increase of duty made by the
Mckinley bill. Tin-plate ought te
be on the free list
VIM. L. WILSON.