The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1891-12-26
A Prosperous Showing.

Col. Robert Ihgersoll once said in
discussing the tariff question; The
trouble Is the free trader has all the
theories while the protectionist has all
the facts From the time that Mr..
Mckinley reported his famous bill to
the present the free trader has been
tlleorizing upon its effect. In the re-
suit we have a good illustration of the
ought to be 50 and so but in fact they
are quite different. The theory of the
free trader is that protection is a stone
wall erected around nation shutting
in as well as shutting out. Dire dis
aster was predicted. Our foreign
commerce, it was said. would soon dis
appear under its provisions, for people
would not trade with us unless we
trade with them, and prices of every
thing would greatly increase This is
the theory part. The facts are con
siderably different and brighter to
look upon.
In the first place prices Of merchan
disc have not increased but rather de
creased. Under the Mckinley law the
country is more prosperous than it
ever was before III its history. Com
menting upon THIS fact President liar
rison il his message says: Rarely, if
ever before in the history of the coln-
try has there been time when the
proceeds of one DAYS Labor OF the pro
duct of one farmed acre would pur-
chase so large an amount of those
things that enter into the living of the
masses Of the people.
lie also makes use of sGme statistics
showing that our foreign commerce
has not been injured by the new tariff
law. Our total imports and exports
combined for the twelve months, end
ing Sept. 80, 1891, reached SLIT $780,
i06, being the largest in the nations
history, and exceeding those of the
previous year more than 500, 600, 600
Our import trade in merchandise ha,
increased more than Sli ,000, 600 over
the previous twelve months, notwith-
standing the large imports in 1890 in
anticipation of the new law. The
greater part of this increase, consisted
of course. of free imports. The per-
centage of free imports increased
from 3l-N per cent under the old
tariff to 4s.ls per cent under the new,
OF if the estimate is made for the last
six months only, during which time
sugars have come in free, the percent
age rises to 55.37, which surpasses
anything in the history of the country,
and fully meets the predictions made
by the supporters of the measure when
it was up for consideration.
But the the theory that we cannot
sell if we do not buy is one that Is
most severely handled. For the
twelve months ending Sept 50, 1891,
our export trade showed an increase
of So, 9l4 ,02l. which is three times
the average annual increase of our ex-
ports during any previous year. Nor
was the increase confined to agricul.
tural produce, for $l6, S3s, 30 of the in
crease consisted Of manufactured pro-
ducts which managed to get out over
the stone wall that theory said shut
everything in.
Along the whole line the facts have
overthrown the theories, and the free
trader driven to his last corner saws
that 1.-The seeming prosperity under
the Mckinley law is due entirely to the
abundan. harvest. But he cannot
escape this way. \ year ago he char
artarized the Mckinley act as OPP
pressive, and claimed that under no
circumstances could the country be
prosperous while it remained III force.
The proteetionist claimed that the
depression was caused by poor crops,
and that given good crops and proper
protection the country would thrive as
never before and the facts fulfill his
prediction.
Cur tariff laws do not Cypress com,
merce. There IS nothing in the report
of imports and exports t. show that it
rests with a heavy hand anywhere
But there IS much to show that under
its wise provisions we are becoming
one Of the NEST prosperous nations
upon the face Of the globe.