Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1891-10-03
II 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 II has already
demonstrated the falsity OF the ante.elec
ton charges against the new tariff, even
as il proved the opponents of protection IN
the time OF Clay, Webster and Greeley to
be false prophets OF evil, In answer e
the charge that the Mckinley law would
cut down our foreign trade, the figures OF
our export8 and imports for the first scar
of It's existence are larger than ever before
in our history Instead OF being Chi
nese wall. As per cent. Of our imports
for the first nine months Of the laws *.
istencc came in free Of duty, against "a
per cent for the CORES pending period OF
the year before 1nis IN spite Of the abb
normally large importations Of tin plates
during. the entire period, and notwith
standing that the free sugar clause did not
take effect till April /. There can be no
doubt that next year the percentage OF
free goods 4 be much larger. That the
new law wonid depress prices Of farm
produce is answered by substantial and
uniform rise in all the farmer sells. And
the "MeK nley prices humbug on which
the free traders rode "a victory last No.
yember has been literally annihlated by
TIE market reports. Almost everything
the farmer buys is cheaper than before the
law was passed
"But. your free.trader will say, Che
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,
II does not matter what caused these
changes. There will be differences OF
opinion on that question. II is entirely
distinct from the one now under discuss
ion, which is the falsity of the charges
and predictions made concerning the Nc
Kinley tariff 1t may be the spots on the
sun, the influence Of the dog STAR, the
baccarat scandal, or an of them combined,
which caused the existing enylable 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 manuiactur
ed products are not higher than they were
under the old tariff and they are not, then
in either or all OF these cases the free
trader prevaricated prodigiously in the
campaign last fall That il 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 Q Mills, IN the May Forum and
the whole army OF free traders applauded,
took up, and are still repeating the sentl-
ment Ii soon took the form Of direct
assertion that the reciprocity clause of the
new measure was applicable to the conn.
tries in South America only and in this
form has served the purpose of the dis
honest az well as the minimizing free-trade
demagogue Ii is the lie most recently
nailed by time.
For already the Mckinley tariff act has
secured special tavors fer American pro-
ducts from two important European coun-
tries. In our last issue can he found a
synopsis of the treaty with Spain, the sue
cessiul negotiation of which is due entire
~ and solely TO the new tariff act. 1t viii
give US virtual monopoly of tbs trade OF
Cuba and Porto Rico, and us in the case Of
the other treaties before concluded farm
ers will get the mort important part OF the
benefit.
The other country whose doors have
been pred opeu by the Mckinley law Is
Germany. Since 1888 American pork has
been excluded from that country. The
United States minister to Germany, Will
liam Walter Phelps, has succeeded IN hay-
ing that restriction removed Oar gov
eminent 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 al the best sugar imported into
the United States comes trom Germany
The imports foot up nearly $1,000 goo for
last year Il comes IN free under the Me
kiulry tariff Mr. Phelps pointed out O.
the German government that unless Ii re-.
moved the restrictions from Am rleau
pork, the president by the terms of the new
tariff law, could, after the first # next
January, relmpose duty on German
sugar That was what brought Germany
20 her senses With sugar from Brazil
aad Cuht coming IN free, and duty on
Germany 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 Sl0,0Q0,000 year.
So the absatdity Of the charge that
European countries are excluded from the
application & the reciprocity provision
has been demonstrated in fact So far
Is the trade in products embraced in that
provision viz hides sugar, molasses, tea
and coffee can influence any nation I'M
der the sun, to that extent the reciprocity
clause is applicable 10 that country In,
portaut concessions doubtless can oe
forced by il from many other European
nations