Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-08-23
EVERY DEMOCRAT VOTED FOR IT.
EFFECT OF THE NEW LAW.
Facts and Figures That Destroy Free Trade
Arguments-Whatth the Prophets Prophe-
sied-The Reductions and the Increases
Two Adp,ittad Facts

Facts and Figures That Destroy Free Trade
Arguments-What the Prophets Prophe-
sied-The Reductions and the Increases
Two Admitted Facts.
The new tariff law went into effect Octo-
Der g. 1890. 1t had been in operation, there
fore, few days short of nine months on
the Both of June last. The last official re-
port we havo of the sta tement of foreign
commerce, issued by the Bureau of Statis-
tics Of the Treasury Department, shows the
total value of imported merchandise during
those nine months was $3.50, ,208 900. During
the corresponding period of 1850, the total
s59s, So5. There were, therefore, i'm
ported during the nine months of
1891. under the new tariff law, $31 436, 100 more
than in the corresponding period of 1890
showing the effect of the operation of the
new law, it is important to know what pro-
portion of these imports were free, and
what proportion were dutiable, both under
the old and the new laws. During the nine
months ending June 30, 1891, the foreign
goods admitted free of duty, were valued at
June 20. 1890. the value Of free imports was
s2os, ,9s3 s73-an increase of free importations,
in favor Of the new law, of $50, 979, 49,.
AN UNPRECEDENTED FREE LIST.
The foreign goods which were dutiable
under the new law, in that period, were
1884 242, $40 in value and, for the nine months,
under the old law, ending June 80, 1890, the
foreign goods dutiable were 1859 7s6, ,032 be-
ing a decrease in the value of merchandise
paying duty under the new law in the sum
of S55, SAB 692. Forty-six and nine-tenths per
cent under the new law Of all our imports
in value, were admitted free of duty, and for
the same period under the old law, "a and
910 per cent were admitted free of
duty. That is to say, that under the
1rrr h fpt1O NnrntC ,e
prohibitory, and, great increase of duties
over the old law, AZ and e. per cent in value
of all our imports were free and SO and Ito
per cent paid duty, while under the old
law for that same period, 81 and $40 per cent
of our imports were free, and IS and Ito per
cent paid duty. Such showing of free
imports cannot be found in any tariff law
since the beginning of the government.
Our foreign commerce for the year ending
June 80 1891, was greater than it has ever
been before. The total value of the prod
ucts bought abroad and sold abroad, from
juno 80, $780, to June 80, 1891, was 81, 100 $780,
$780, an increase over those of 1890 of $50, 191,-
SOB, and an excess over that of 1859 of SAL
1876 The value of our imports for the
fiscal year 1891 was the greatest in our his
tory, and exceeded those of 1890 in the sum
of sos 59j OS2. This increase is made up
largely of the following articles: Coffee tin
plates, hides and skins, chemicals, drugs,
dyes and medicines, fruiss, raw wool, india
rubber, gutta percha, sugar and molasses,
vegetables, which for the most part we do
THE PROPHETS CALLED DOWN.
And yet with this unprecedented importa-
ton our exports exceeded our imports in
the sum of $39,579,9l4. So that a law which
our opponents declare is in restraint of
trade, is in fact an encouragement of trade,
with the ba lance fortunately in our favor,
ns 1t should always be. The predictions
made by the enemies of the new law, nine
months ago, have not been verified, but on
the contrary have been shown to be mere
assumptions utterly without foundation.
worked positive injury to the mer-
chant and the manufacturer and the con-
sumer. There are few merchants in the
State of Ohio who have not suffered
from the exaggeration of the importer and
the false prophet, whose dire prophecies of
the effect OF the new law caused them to iu-
crease their purchases and prices, which
prices have since fallen; and in some in
stances the goods which the merchant has
OH hand can be replaced at from 10 to 20 per
cent less than he paid for them. Prices to-
day in staple goods are less than they were
during the months of October, November
and December of last year, and there is
scarcely manufactured article which goes
into the family and which Is classed as ne
cessity that has not fallen in price and is less
than it has been for many years.
have heard of hundreds of men who, re-
living upon what Democratic orators and
Democratic newspapers and their importing
allies were saying touching the great ad-
vance which was to take place, embarrassed
themselves to lay in stock before the
prices advanced, can now buy the same ar
ticle at retail at much less than they then
paid. The people were beguiled once and
are not likely to be beguiled again. They
will surely not follow the business advice Of
this class of political alarmists in the future
TWO ADMITTED FACTS.
One thing is certain, that the price of man.
factured articles have not advanced, but
as a rule diminished in price. Another
thing is equally certain, that existing indus
tries have been stimulated to greater activi-
ty, and there is a wider demand for labor
than there has been for many years. while
new enterprises are springing up oil over
the land: and this, too, in spite of the con-
spirncy of the Democratic leaders to destroy
confidence and prevent Investments.
There are s42 articles in the new tariff
law OF these the duties on 100 were reduced.
Eighty of these articles the duties were
changed from ad valorem to specific, because
experience has shown that ad valorem du-
ties invite fraud upon the revenue and
operate unfairly to the honest mer-
chant and importer. There are 249
articles in the new law on which duties are
identical with those under the previous