The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1891-12-10

1
our historic friendship for that gov-
ernment cannot fail to give the assur-
nnce that Misrepresentation are those
Of sincere well wisher.
INTERNATIONAL CoPYRIGHT.
An international copyright has
been secured in accordance with the
conditions of the act of March 3, 1891.
with Belgium, France, Great Britain
and the British possessions and Switz-
erland, the laws of these countries
permitting to our citizens the benefit
of copyright and substantially the
same as their own citizens or orsubiects.
With Germany a special connection
has been negotiated upon this subject
which will bring that country within
the reciprocal benefits of our legisla-
tion.
| THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT.
The general interest in the opera
tions of the treasury department has
been much augmented during the
last year, by reason of the conflicting
predictions which accompanied and
followed the tariff and other legisla-
tion of the last congress, affecting the
revenues as to the results of this leg
lslation upon the treasury and upor
the country. On the one hand it was
considered that imports would so fall
Off as to leave the treasury bankrupt
and that the prices of articles enter
ing into the living of the people would
be so enhanced as to disasterOusly af-
feet their comfort and happiness,
while on the other it was argued that
the loss to the revenue, largely the
result Of placing sugar on the
free list. would be n direct
gain to the people; that the prices of
the necessaries of life, including those
most highly protected, would not be
enhanced; that labor would have n
larger market and the products of the
farms would have prices advanced,
while the treasury supplies and re-
ceipts would be adequate to meet the
appropriations; including the large
exceptional expenditures for the re-
funding of the states of the direct tax
and the redemption of the A 1.2 per
cent bonds. 1t is not my purpose to
enter at any length into discussion
of the effects of the legislation, to
which have referred; but brief OK
animation of the statistics of the
treasury and general glance at the
state of business throughout the coun-
try WILL think, satisfy any impartial
inquirer that its results have tisap-
pointed the evil prophecies of its OPP
ponents, and in larger measure
realized the hopeful predictions of its
friends. Rarely, if ever before, in the
history of the country, has there been
time when the proceeds of one days
labor, or the product of one farmed
acre would purchase so large an
AMOUNT of those things that enter into
the living of the masses of the people
l believe full test will develop
the fact that the tariff act of the fifty.
first congress is very favorable in its
, average effect upon the prices Of
articles entering into common
! use. During the twelve months, from
October !, 1890, to September 80, 1891
the total value of our foreign com
merce, "imports and exports com
bined," was 81, ,747, ,806, ,406, which was
9 the largest of any year in the history
of the United States. The largest in
, any previous year was in 1890, when
our commerce amounted to ST ,G47,-
1908, and in the last year exceeds
this enormous aggregate by over one
hundred millions. 1t is interest
ing, and to some will be surprising
to know that during the year ending
: September 30, 1891, our imports 0l
merchandise amount to 1924, ,715, ,270
which was an increase o.
more than 100000 over the
value of the imports of the cores
ponding months of the preceding
l year, when the imports of merchan.
disc were unusually large in anticipa
tion of the tariff legislation ther
pending. The average annual value
of the imports of merchandise for the
ten years from 1881 to 1890 was $892,.
,522 and during the year ending
September 30, 1891, this annual aver.
age was exceeded by $l32, ,53S, ,469. The
value of free imports during the
twelve months ending September 80
1891, was $l18,092,3 1897 more than the
value of free imports during the cor
responding twelve months of the pre-
ceding year, and there was during
the same period decrease of $I06, ,84G,.
568 in the value of imports of dutiable
merchandise. The percentage of mer.
chandise admitted free of duty during
the year to which / have reference
the first under the new tariff, was
1918, while during the preceding
twelve months under the old tariff
the percentage was 34.27, an increase
of 1891 per cent. If we take the six
months ending September 30 last,
which covers the time during
which sugars have been admitted free
of duty, the per cent of value
of the merchandise imported free of
duty is found to be 55.37, which is q
larger percentage of free imports than
during any prior fiscal year in the his
tory of the government. If we turn
to the exports of merchandise the sta
tistics are full of qualification. The
whole of such exports of merchandise
for the twelve months ending Sept.
80, 1891, was 1929, ,0O1 ,136, while for the
corresponding previous twelve months
it was $3.50, ,177, 115, an increase of $82,-
914,02l, which is nearly three times
the average annual increase of exports
of merchandise during any year in the
history Of the government. The in
crease in the value Of exports of agri-
cultural products during the year re-
ferred to over the corresponding
| twelve months the prior wear was