The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1892-02-20

i.'f'iNt "a fjcA bti!cH. thorough luSDtc-
ton OF all hog products intended for ex-
port was decided upon, Including the
microscopic, and this, in spite Of loud
outcfy against the possibility of enforc-
ing any such inspection without an in
ter.erenCe with the trade SO great as 10
render the proposed remedy more hurt
tul than the evil. Without asking an
additional penny from the people of the
| nlted States in order to make the eX-
pertinent, but providing for the neces-
sary expense by the most rigid economy
IN the applcatlon of the funds available
for the Bureau of Animal Industry
the Secretary proposed a system
OF Inspection which was finally
adOnted during the closing days Of the
the FIity-frst Congress, ard immedi-
ately proceeded 10 put it IN force to an
extent limited by the want of necessary
funds ior It's general application, but
amply Suthc.e ent to prove its feasibility.
IL :hls the department has been very
successful, and It has been found and
admitted by ali parties interested, that
such inspection can be etfectually car
rled on without interfering in any de-
gree with the rights and business Of the
packers, and without causing any delay
in their work. Armed with the new
weapon thus provided, the Department
OF state renewed the struggle on behalf
of American producers, and this time
successfully, as everybody knows.
Ii is gratifying to be able 10 point TO
resolutions adopted on many occasions
at important representative gatherings
OF representative farmers, all concur
ring N commentator of the work done
Tor the farmer under the present ad
minls'ration, work which, while mainly
inspired ana carried Oh by the secretary
of Agriculture himself, has met at all
times With the hcartiest cooperation on
the part of the President of the [ nited
states, the secretary of state, and his
other colleagues IN the cabinet
Why Agricultural implements Are Not
Taxed.
When the free trade "reformer' tells
the farmers wife that her calico dress
Is taxed cents yard she can effective
" sqnelch him by producing the bill
from the village merchant and pointing
out the fact that its entire cost was only
A. cents Il yard. But when the same
"reioTmtr" buttonholes The farmer
himself and tells him that bis plows and
cultiyators are taxed h per cent. the
demonstration OF the dishonesty Cf his
statement is not So easily effected.
though the tax here Is Dir purely imag
mary as III the former case. When the
price Of the calico is lower than the al
legged tax we see at once the absurditv
of the tax theory. But this never oc-
curs except where the duty is specific.
No matter how low the price falls, an
al valorem duty of any rate below 100
per cent. must necessarily be less than
the price. So the farmer is debarred
from using his wife's formula on the
free trader. But he has at hand anoth-
er equally effective argument.
He can show that unless the tariff
stands between him and cheaper imple
ments which he might buy from foreign
countries If il were abolished, then ii
cannot tax him. The tariff ''retormer"
Will have to admit that. Then he can
appeal 10 1act and prove that there is
not on earth a country where farmers
buy so seryiceabie and cheap farm ma
chinery as that bought by American
farmers. Ii the tariff We're abolished
tomorrow not piece Of foreign agri-
cultural machinery could find sale in
this country. in the words of Consul
Dunlap, who describes a great eXhibi-
ton of the cream of foreign implements
held III Bres!aO, Germany, mo Amcri-
can farmer would take a single one of
the lows on exhibition a. a gilt: he
would be ashamed to be seen in its com
pany." lie comments further as fol-
lows:
have not a table Of prices 0t American
machinery and tools from which 1 can
make comparisons, but desire to say this.
that the agricultural machinery on "Xhibi-
tlon at this exposition. II fair sample
and have every reason 10 believe II Is
would. With the exception 0t the steam en-
gineS none of which are self-propcllingl
meet with nothing bat EXPRESSIONS OF dis
farmers
equal in finish To the machinery in com
mon use in the nited States thirty years
ago. ii Is heavy. coarse. rough and wholly
mSuited to work IN any bur 4 sandy OF
grayeily soil. The prices given are. there
fore. with the exceptions OF the American
made machines on exhibition not To be
compared with American high finished,
light and paSE-W0rklng machines and lln-
plcmentS, but with what might be called
second or thrd-ciasS machines made by
some amateur WOrkmcn III a hackwOodS
country shop dirty or forty years ago.
Is it reasonable that American farm
ers are waiting for the abolition of the
tariff TO rush ont after these crude inn
plements? If not, then the tax theory
must fail here, rs in the case Of the
calico dress, and the free traderls again
covered with contusiOn.-NT" York
Prtss.
Opponents Of ali American protective
policy NAV we'll desire to suppress the
publication Of official reports. Is it al
togethe~ an accident that, III the first
full year after tie new protective tariff
and lis reciprocity clause went into
force, the mcrchandlseeN exports from the
Enlted states and the merchandise i'm
ports into the | nItcd states were both
much the largest in value ever known
in any calendar year? Is il altogether
an accident that the merchandise cX-
ports in the last month Of that year
were the largest ever known in any
month, as the exports for November
and for october had been in their turn?
les il entirely an accident that the in
crease in exports during the last ten
wears has been small III brcadstuits, pro-
visions ami oil. only about - per cent.
in cotton. but - per cent. in other arti-
cles which are largely products Of man
utacJure
The official report for December and
for the wear 1891 Is one Of peculiar in
terest for all Americans who take pride
in the progress of their country. There
is, first, the surprising fact that that the
value Of ex ports in December was near
lv - per cent. larger than in the same
month Of 1890. when the amount was
greater than il had been IN any month
excepting October and November of
l>al. With >ll9,@a2, ,132 exports, and
onty Sti9. Hi go imports, the excess Of
exports was so. IS 81. which is also
unprecedented. In the last six months
of 1872 the excess of exports over in
ports was Sl35, n, ,2u., and the aggre
gate value OF exports vas Sol III ,S5l, ,
which has never been approached in
any previous halt-year.
Next there is the fact that. in spite of
the depression OF trade in breadstuffs
during the first bali of IS"l because OF
/ the partial failure OF crops IN 1890. the