Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1891-02-12
MCKINLEYISM IN EUROPE.

emphatic resolution to keep out foreig
+ imports and to promote native indus
r. tries.
Take Russia for example. That coun
try during the past ten years has sue
cessively passed and adopted Protection
ist laws, and is even now engaged il
producing further measures in this di
rection, full particulars of which are ex
pected to be published by tie Russian
Government during this year. In jun
and July, 1887, the rates on iron ant
steel and various manufactures thereof
motive machinery and other articles
were all raised. In the same year tn.
} import duties on agricultural machinery
twisted cotton yarns and buttons wert
all added to. Severe alterations were
also made in the rates on wooden and
worsted yarns. But the last move was
the issue of a Russian Imperial Decree
of September, 1890, which paced al
once uniform addition of 20 per cent
on existing rates. As stated before, the
Russian Government is taking further
measures to protect native manufactures
The Importance to England of these
laws is very great, considering that she
has been exporting thence large quanti-
ties of hoop and sheet iron, tin plate,
cast and wrought iron, tin and pig lead,
steam engines and general machinery.
The new Tariff will no doubt render
larger commercial intercourse impossi-
BILE.
The Protectionist party in France is
using all its influence to make the Gov
eminent of that country adopt strin-
gent Protectionist Tariff when the ex-
isting treaties expire at the end of 1891.
for countries which will admit French
goods at low rate, and the other one
for hostile nations. Practically all the
most important Chambers of Commerce
in France agree that one or another in
dustry requires p election. The propos-
ais will hit foreign made cotton, wooden
and other textile goods, machinery,
tools, hardware, hides, &C., very severe
ly, some of the suggested duties being
advanced double for the minimum Tar
iff, and of course more than this for the
hostile Tariff. The question of revision
is now being considered by the French
Legislature.
The Spanish Government is now con-
sidering the adYisability of amending
its present Tariff and imposing duties
on cutlery, agricultural machinery, cot
ton and cotton manufactures and many
other articles. Already the import du-
ties on foreign wheat, rice, meat, &C.,
are to be raised. Italy is practically
fenced round by Protectionist Tariff
and most English manufacturers have
given up any attempt to send goods
thither. In fact, some British firms have
opened establishments in Italian towns
for the manufacture of goods they can
not export.
Austria-Hungary introduced Tariff
in 1887 which increase the duties on
most cotton goods, locomotive machine
ry and metals. Roumania has made
several increases, covering a number of
articles. Switzerland feels the effect of
foreign imports to be too strong to be
withstood, and the Government is pre-
pairing to abandon its previous Free
Trade policy, and intends introducing
very soon new Tariff. Roumania has
made several additions to its rate with
in the last or 4 years; also Greece
Turkey, Bulgaria, Holland, Belgium
and Denmark have not as yet taken
action in this respect. Portugal, in
1887, made large additions to the i'm
port duties on cast iron tubes, cotton
tissues, cutlery. &c. Germany continues
to maintain her present system of Pro-
lection, although an International Free
Trade Conference is proposed to be held
shortly in Berlin.
1t will, therefore, be readily seen that
the European Continent is Protection
ist to the core, and that the termination
of many commercial treaties in 1891 |
and 1892 will accentuate this position
and make Protection still more accom-
plished fact. England alone among the
leading nations maintains semi-pOlicy |
of Free Trade, which is not absolutely |
free, because she taxes good many i'm
ported articles for revenue purposes. Mr..
Gladstone recently said that England
traded with the whole world and not
with one country, and that was her pro-
lection against universal law of pro-
hibition. But all these countries are
shutting their markets against her, and !
in time England will only have her col
onies to look to.
IIrDcE in PENNSYLVANIA rafusas to |