New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-07-18
conFRNOR CAMPBELUS ERROR.

The speech Of Governor Campbell OF ohio'
upon his denomination was intended 10 make
the tariff the leading question OF the cam
naipn. State issues he was willing to consider
subordinate and comparatively unimportant' as
he well might. The silver question he was
willing to ignore, his followers being almost
equally divided thereon. But he imagined that
the tariff question was one on which his sup
porters would be united and Jealous.
1t is pity that Governor Campbell did not
inform himself as to the facts before he yentured
into speech. If he had done so, he would not
have been so ready to charge that the tarln
had burdened and plundered the people. II
ought to have occurred to him that, ii he bad
any excuse for saying that wool had been cheap
er since the new tariff was enacted than De
fore, there had been no additional burden I'M
posed by that duty, and the circumstances as
to other products might have been substantially
the same. But it pleases some men 70 speak
first and look into facts afterward. IN that
way. no doubt. he came to make some assertions
about the tariff which have no sort of relation
TO the facts. 1t is not true that imported prod
uc4s oeneroIly have been rendered more costly
by the new duties. On the contrary, though
most articles have not been changed in price
at all, it will probably astonish the Governor
70 find that nine-tenths of those which nave Ill
any way altered in price have declined lie
will search a long while, and probably without
success even then, if he tries to discover any
class of articles which command hlgher price
than a wear ago. Some of the reasons he may
not he able to comprehend and others he will
obstinately refuse to admit, but it may be proht-
able to mention few of them, nevertheless
This country has been the most important
and profitable customer of foreign producers in
many branches of industry. When 1t was pro-
posed by means of higher duties to stop undue
dependence upon foreign production, the manu-
facturers abroad saw that they were obliged to
give I'D the American market, or to sacrifice the
whole or a part of their profits In scores Of
| cases already known they have reduced their
selling price fully as much as the addition to
the duties, and are now delivering goods at
exactly the same prices duty paid that they
charged before the new tariff went into effect.
This is the explanation Of increased or I'M
changed imports of important classes of goods
in spite of the higher duties now imposed. In
some products the foreign manufacturers have
been helped by a remarkable decline in cost OF
raw materials But this decline has not been
accidental A material part of the whole world
supply had been taken for many years to meet
the American demand The new duties threat
ened to cut off that demand. The foreign man
ufacturers thereupOn named the figures which
they could affArd to pay for the materials, in
view of the new duties, and producers found
themselves forced to take those prices or to lose
great part of their market. 1t is literal fact
that the threatened withdrawal of American
custom has put down prices Of some important
products all over the Western World.
Governor Campbell had better look into these
things before he talks again. lie will find thai
in really astonishing number of cases foreign
ers have been obliged to pay the whole of the
new duties imposed by the Mckinley Tariff
bill for the privilege of selling at all in the
American market 1t will puzzle him TO show
that these duties have in any way or to any ex
tent proved burden to American consumers.