Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-10-08
TIME A TRUE FRIEND
It Has Thus Far Always Been on
the Side Of Protec-
ton.
Dire Predictions Of the Free Trad
ers Utterly Fail Of Real
ization.

The Price Of Goods Not Higher,
and Farm Produce not Lower
Under McKinleyism.
Time has always been on the side of
American protection. 1t has already
demonstrated the falsity of the ante-elec-
ton charges against the new tariff, even
as it proved the opponents of protection in
the time of Clay, Webster and Greeley to
be false prophets of evil. In answer to
the charge that the Mckinley law would
cut down our foreign trade, the figures of
our exports and imports for the first year
of its existence are larger than ever before
in our history. Instead of being a Chi
nese wall, 469 per cent. of our imports
for the first nine months of the laws ex-
istence came in free of duty, against 81 g
per cent. for the corresponding period of
the year before. This in spite of the alb
normally large importations of tin plates
during the entire period, and notwith-
standing that the free sugar clause did not
take effect till April 1. There can be no
doubt that next year the percentage of
free goods will be much larger. That the
new law would depress prices of farm
produce is answered by substantial and
uniform rise in all the farmer sells. And
the mckinley prices" humbug on which
the free traders rode to victory last No
vember has been literally annihilated by
tie market reports. Almost everything
the farmer buys is cheaper than before the
law was passed.
But, " your free-trader will say, ''the
Mckinley tariff did not bring the good
price of farm produce, nor reduce the
prices of manufactured goods. The for
mer was caused by the failure of crops in
Europe, and the later by the low price Of
raw materials"
1t does not matter what caused these
changes. There will be differences of
opinion on that question. 1t is entirely
distinct from the one now under discuss
ion, which is the falsity of the charges
and predictions made concerning the Nc
KinIey tariff. 1t may be the spots on the
sun, the influence of the dog star, the
baccarat scandal, or all of them combined,
which caused the existing enviable con-
dition of the American farmer. 1t does
not affect the validity of our present
argument.
If prices of farm products are not lower
because of the present law, and they are
not; If our trade with our nations is more
rapidly growing than before the law was
passed, and it is; if prices of manufacture
ed products are not higher than they were
under the old tariff, and they are not, then
in either or ali of these cases the free
trader prevaricated prodigiously In the
campaign last fall. That is the point,
and the only point we insist upon here.
The latest triumph of the Mckinley
tariff is in the lately concluded arrange
ments for reciprocal trade with Spain and
her possessions, and with Germany.
eff reciprocity with another country is
also good" wrote that clever sophist,
Roger @. Mills, In the May Forum, and
the whole army of free traders applauded,
took up, and are still repeating the senti-
ment. 1t soon took the form of direct
assertion that the reciprocity clause of the
new measure was applicable to the coun-
tries in South America only, and in this
form has served the purpose of the dis
honest as we'll as the minimizing free trade
demagogue. 1t is the lie most recently
nailed by time.
For already the Mckinley tariff act has
secured special favors for American pro-
ducts from two important European coun-
tries. In our last issue can be found
synopsis of the treaty with Spain, the sue
cessful negotiation of which is due entire
ly and solely to the new tariff act. 1t will
give us virtual monopoly of the trade of
Caba and Porto Rico, and as in the case Of
the other treaties before concluded, farm,
ers will get the most important part of the
benefit.
The other country whose doors have
been pried open by the Mckinley law is
Germany Since 1883 American pork has
been excluded from that country. The
United States minister to Germany, Will
liam Walter Phelps, has succeeded in hav-
ing that restriction removed Our gov
has demonstrated and negotiated
and tried in every way to accomplish
this end for eight years, but all is vain till
the Mckinley law was passed. Then
Germany listened to reason. Eight
ninths of all the best sugar imported into
The United States comes from Germany.
The imports foot up nearly SIS, 900, 600 for
asst year. 1t comes In free under the Nc
KinleY tariff. Mr.. Phelps pointed out to
5he German government that unless 1t re-
moved the restrictions from Ame rlcan
pork, the president, by the terms OF the new
5ariff law, could, after the first Of next
January, re1mpose duty on German
sugar That was what brought Germany
TO her senses. With sugar from Brazil
and Cuba coming in free, and duty On
5ermany's sugar, she readily saw that her
sugar trade with US would be killed. So
she removed the embargo On American
pork, thereby opening a market to our
farmers worth s10,000,000 a year.
So the absurdity Of the charge that
European countries are excluded from the
application of the reciprocity provision
mas been demonstrated in fact. So far
IS the trade in products embraced in that
hides sugar, molasses, tea
and coffee-can influence any nation I'M
der the sun, to that extent the reciprocity
clause is applicable to that country. In
Dortant concessions doubtless can Se
forced by it from many other European
.ations.
AMERICAN TIN PLATE.