Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-12-10
MESSAGE.


g., tho operations of the Treasury De
,-rtment has been much augmented
turing the last year by reason OF the
conflicting predictions which accompa-
rted and followed the tariff and other
legislation Of the last Congress sueetihg
the revenues, as TO the results OF TINS
legislation upon the treasury ana upon
an fb5 one hand it was contended
that tmoorts would so fall OF as TO leave
The treasury bankrupt and that the
,,ricas of articles entering into the Nv
no of our people would be so enhanced
,s IN disqstrously affect Jhelr comfort
ma bapDipess, while on the other, IL
,,as ARMED that the loss 90 the revenue,
largely the result of placing sugar on
The free list. would be direct
cain TO the people; that the prices
~ tho necessaries OF life, including
those most highly protected would not
h. enhanced; that labor would nave
larger market and the products OF the
farm advanced prices while the treas
urv surplus and receipts "ouiu DC
adequate 60 meet the appropriations IN
Guiding the large exceptional eXpenol-
lures for the refundiug to the states OF
direct tax and the redemption OF the 4t2
per cent. bonds.
II not my purpose 10 enter al any
length into discusSSiOn Of the effects OF
the legislation 20 which have referred,
but brief examination Of the statistics
OF the treasury and a general glance at
the state of business throughout the
country will, l think, satisfy any lm-
partial INQUIRER that its results have dlS-
Amounted ihe evil propheSies OF It's OBJ
ponents and in q large measure realized
the hopeful predictions OF It's Iflenus'
RARELY II EVER BEFORE
in the history Of the country has there
been a time when the proceeds OF one
DAYS labor or the product OF one EARNED
acre would purchase so large an amount
of those Things that enter into the living
OF the masses Of the people. l believe
that q full test will develop the fact that
the tariff act Of the F,fty-drSt Congress
is very favorable i'm its average effect
upon the prices OF articles entering into
common use. During the twelve months
from October /, 1890, 70 September so,
1901. the total value of our foreign COM
merce imports and exports included
vas S1,-47, SOS, 800, which was tue
largest OF any year IN the history OF the
United States
The largest in any previous year was
I'm 1890, when our commerce amounted
10 81 .Gf7,13g, COB, ana the last year eN-
ceedS this enormous aggregate by over
one hundred millions. IL is intareStng,
and 10 some will be surprising, 70 know
that during the year ending september
30. 1891, orr imports or merchandise
amounted 20 SS24.Tl5,21o, which was an
increase Of more than eleven million
dollars over the value Of the imports or
the spouding months OF the pre-
ceGing year, when the imports OF mer- /
cbandise were unusually large i'm antici- /
nation Of the tariff legislation then /.
pending.
The average annual value OF the I'M /
ports of merchandise, for the ten years |
from 1851 TO 1890, was $500, lSG,522 and .
during the year ending september 30,
1901, this annual average was exceeded
BY Sl32, J2s, t59.
VALUE or IMPORTS.
The value Of free imports during the
twelve months ending September 50,
1901. was cllS.Og2, 3S1 more than tho
value of free imports during the cores
uonding twelve months OF the preced-
Ing year, and there was during the
same period q decrease of S106, $40, sos
I'M the value Of imports OF dutiable mer-
.handi,e. The percentage OF merchan-
Use admitted free of duty during the
rear 10 which l have referred, the first
lnder the new tariff, was 4S.lS, while
Turing the predicting twelve months
lnder the old tariff the percentage was
APP, an increase Of 1891 per cent. II
ye take the six months ending Septem-
Der 3Oth last, which covers the time
Turing which sugars have been admitted
rec of duty, the present value Of mer-
.handise imported free Of duty is found
% be 50 81, which is a larger percent
zee of free imports than during any
,rlOr fiscal year in the history OF the
government. II we turn TO exports of
the statistics are full of
ratification.
The value OF such exports OF merchan-
9ise for the twelve months ending Sep .
tember 80, 1891, was 1899, O91, 1876, while |
Tor the corresponding previous twelve /
months it was $3.50, lis, an increase /
of 500, 9li,O21, which is nearly three |
times the average annual increase OF /
exports Of merchandise for the pre- ,
ceeding twenty years; this |
exceeds I'm amount and value the
EXPORTS OF MERCHANDISE
during any year in tae history Of the
government. The increase in the value
of exports of agricultural products dur
ing the year referred 90 over the cor
responding twelve months OF the prior
year was i5,SiG,199, while the increase
I'm the value OF exports OF manufactured
products was Sl3, S3S,2 4O. There is GER
tainly nothing i'm the condition OF trade,
foreign or domestic; there is certainly
nothing in the condition Of our people
of any class TO suggest that the existing
tariff and revenue legislation bears
oppreSSively upon the people,
or retardS the commercial
development of the nation. IL may be
argued that our condition would be bet
ter n our tariff legislation were upon a
free trade basis; but 60 cannot be denied
that all the conditions of prosperity and
OF general cOnteUtment are present in
larger degree than ever before in our
history, and that, too, just when it was
prophcsied they would be In the worst
condition.
Agitation for radical changes In tariff
and financial legislation cannot help,
but may seriously impede business, to
the prosperity Of which some degree Of
stability is essential
think there are conclusive evidences
that the new tariff has created several
great industries which will, within
few years, give employment 10 several