The Portland daily press., 1891-10-23
COMMON SENSE
In This Talk on the Tariff by See
retary Foster.
What Protection is DOing for tht
American Farmer.
Democratic OratOry Met with The
Facts Of the Case.

FINDLAY, Ohio, October 22.-Secretary o.
the Treasury Foster made his first speech fol
the Republicans in the Ohio campaign at tht
WIgwam in this city tonight. He was greet
ed by a large audience. He discussed the
silver question and the tariff in the main
devoting small portion Of his speech t.
state issues and the gerrymander Of the con
gressional districts by the last Democratic
General Assembly. In the course OF his re
marks he said:
We have now had eleven months of ex
perience under the Mckinley bill, enabling
us to understand quite well Its effect upor
prices, labor, foreign trade, and develop
ment of home industries. / have caused tC
be printed with my speech few extracts
the utterances Of leading Democrats In Con
gress when the bill was under consideration.
They are as follows:
Mr. Springer, of Illinois, May 10. 1890:
Whenever legislation has been framed to check
imports, as proposed In the pending bill, com
checked exports fall of in proportion.
Mr.. McMillin. of Tennessee, September q,
1890:
when great crime was to be committed against
the world, the admonitiOn the Saviour gave when
looking into the face Of the criminal was, what
thou dOest do qufcklyi" These gentlemen who
are wrecking the prosperity OF the country, who
are ready 10 Impose taxes that never ought to be
rs wC6 Inc
should be removed are following the admonition
that was given to the criminal, "What thou doest
do quickly"'
Mr.. Wilkinson. of Louisiana, September
27, 1890:
Go OF, Republicans; go on and pass by your
united VOllr almost unitad yOta y0ur iniouifOus
your sectional bill Go on, II you choose, and
make your boasts before the people all over the
but for one tax taken of forget not 10 tell them o
the other taxes on the necessaries OF life thai
have been enormously increased so as to make
that one reduction possible.
You today have no friends In the cabinets OF
councils OF any nation on the face OF the earth Sc
hn,,a far as our commerce & Is concerned Ycn have
10 its character against importations. You have
said in every line of this bill that commerce Is a
the men who buy goods In foreign countries % which
we repay by the produce raised by our farmers
BY the grand inquest which sat In that room
wnen the conference committee met, you have In
dicted them as conspiratOrs against the American
people and the national dignity.
Mr.. Cummings, of New York, September
27. 1890:
You might as well tie cords around the arteries
and intestines of living body and expect 1t to
as 70 M that an1 g ~ 's
work OF progress and civilization hampered by
the damnable restrictions OF this atroclous meas
ure. It is not protection of industry but depriva
ton OF markets. Like Fourierism and kindred
exclusive communities, 1t eats iself up. 1t Is
self-destroying.
Mr.. Bynum, Of Indiana, May 13, 1890:
The fact Is that except upon our cheap lands In
the west the production Of wool is not an industry
of itself; 1t is mere incident to the agricultural
industry, and the profits from It, so far as the
growth OF wool Is concerned, are less than those
care q themselves and costing nothing.
The tariff on wool has not only been destructive
OF the wo0len Industry, but its effects on com
merce and other industries has been incalcula
BILE. We can not trade to any large extent di
rectly with wootprodueing countries;
with free wool new iifs would De Infused int,
grow, and General era Of prospsrty would % re-
turn 20 gladden. the hearts and homes Of ou
laboring people.
1890:
for the minority OF this committee, that we non
concur In this cyclone stone-wall bill. The rea
son why call lt stone-wall cyclonc revision 1;
because out west they build their stone walls fouI
feet high and six feet thick, so when the cyclone
strikes them and they blow over they are taller
than ever: SO SO they have revised this tariff. IN
under the present tariff. They have attempted
by It TO restrict trade, to fix It that the coast
that we can not get what we want from abroad
which we do not produce and pay for in our agri-
cultural products and manufactures; so that In
tne future we viii need no shipping and have nc
nag upon the seas. The theory of the majority Of
the committee has been to so arrange the bill
that that, between the thirty different nations with
which this country trades there shall be no trade
at all II they can possibly help 1t.
In these expressions they assumed an all
OF superior wisdom and INDUCED freely In
prophesy as to the certain effect of the new
law. They predicted that our foreign trade
woald decrease. also our exports, and es'
pecially would the export of ,Amerlcan-man.
nfaetured goods decline; tnat prices would
be Increased, and inferentially that the price
OF farm products and labor would be less.
ened
Tne following recapitulation, obtained
from authentic and official sources, showing
the operation of the Mckinley law for the
eleved months since 1t came into effect, so
lar as our foreign trade Is concerned, COM
pletely disappr0ves every prediction made
by the free-lraders at the time the bill was
under consideration.
REHABILITATION.
Our total foreign commerce during eleven
months from October 1, 1890, to August 81,
1891. under the new tariff, amounted to ST..
6O3. 1872 266, an increase over the correspond
Ing eleven months Of the prior years OF S74,-
76S639.
I'd. The imports of merchandise were
$763, ,2l0, ,965, an increase Of S25,6S1 ,316. The
Imports OF merchandise free of duty were
S364, COL 1856, an Increase of S112, ,013,081 over
value Of such imports of correspondents
period of preceding years.
Sd. The percentage Of merchandise ad
mltted free Of duty for the eleven months
has increased from 34.27 to 47.78.
4th. Since the removal of the duty from
sugar, April /, 1891, the percentage of mel,
chandiSe admitted free OF duty has increased
to65.75. much the largest percentage Of free
imports In the history Of our government.
och. The per capita revenue from dutie:
reduced from $3.50 to $500.
9th. The exports of merchandise fol
eleven months since the enactment of the
new tariff were $40. .571 .301, or an increase ol
S49,087, 1923 over the corresponding period Of
prior years.
9TH. During the eleven months the ex.
ports Of merchandise have exceeded the i'm.
ports by S77, 1860, 1856.
9Th. During the twelve months ending
| August 81, 1891, the value of the exports Of
| products Of agriculture was S665, I'll, ,263 an
Increase Of $50, ,2S6,2l7 over the correspond
| ing period OF prior year.
9th. The exports of manufactured pro
ducts for the same period amounted to S170.
56o.311. an increase Of S16,9S3,270 over thu
| prior period.
Instead of decrease of our foreign trad,
| 1t Is shown that in eleven months 1t has in
| creased nearly S75,000,000 against an aver
age annual previous increase of $33, 600, ,00
Our Imports increased over S25,000,000 ant
our exports increased nearly $50, ,O00, 900, ant
that, too, with but little of this addition o
exports being due to reciprocity. We fin,
that our imports OF free goods are mucl
larger than ever before, thus proving tn
Republican claim against Democratic con
tention that the free list was larger than a
any previous time, and with sugar exclude
from the estimate.
During the past year, we find that the ex
ports OF our agricultural products have ir
creased $35, ,000, 900, and there Is every ind
cation that next year will show further In
crease Of not less than S100 1000. Goo
authorities upon this subject put the figure
much higher. In the same time the export
OF the United States manufactured good
have increased nearly $50 100000. FarI
| products have increased in value. and tn
price Of labor has not declined. Thus ever
prediction OF evil results has been dissipate
Dy actual experience, and the advantage
claimed have already been demonstrated.
| a new departure in the matter of estat
fishing reciprocal trade relations with fol
eign countries is provided for in the -McKir
ley tariff law. Here again the Republlca
party has shown its capacity for Leadership
displaying Its genius In discovering ne,
methods for enhancing the welfare and glor
| OF our people. 1t Is not overstating the fac
to claim far this party that 1t has never We
met an emergency which it was not able
dispose of satisfactorily, nor problem /
intricate or difficult that it was not able /
solve. 1t gave this country a system q
nnance and taxation that carried us saf al
| through the war Of the rebellion and subst