The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-08-08
ONE YEAR OF TARIFF.
MAJOR M'xINLErs CLAIMS FULLY
AND ABSOLUTELY INDICATED.

xns Aas.assssns Of General walker. =
uetsd statissicsn and Free Trader.
wages Raiscd and Prices Lowered by
ths mckinley Bili-some Figures.
The first full year of the operation of
tho Mckinley law. tin plate clause and
sll, Is an absolute vindication Of Major
NcKinley's claim that protection tends
70 increase wages and to lower prices,
and Of President Harrison's position
that reciprocity treaties, made effective
BY general protection, tend to increase
our foreign commerce. First, as to
wages. General Francis A. Walker, of
the Massachusetts, Institute Of Technol-
ogy, whose standing as statistician Is
shown by the fact that he was superin-
tendent Of the tenth census, and who is
himself o free trader, admits, in his
work ON political Economy" that pro-
lection does tend to create and maintain
higher wages in the protected indus
tries.
One of the features Of the Mckinley
law is an increase in the duties on the
finer grades Of cotton goods, and If Ma
jor Mckinley, protectionist, and General
WALKER, free trader, are right on this
point, in which they agree, we would
naturally expect to hear of higher wages
in the centers of the cotton industry.
The greatest cotton manufacturing city
in all New England Is Fall River, which
contains 15.47 per cent. Of all the cotton
factories in the country, and one OF the
greatest Is Providence. Here is the i'm
partial testimony of Bradstreet's, one of
the leading commercial journals Of the
country, in its regular department, en-
titled "The Boston Dry Goods Markets"
"Ths supply Of cloths at Fall River
and Providence Is not allowed to accu-
mulate. The mills are sold ahead. and
manufacturers have been able to raise
the wages of operatives"
Readers Of the last Sunday Press
found in it more about the prosperity of
Fall River under the Mckinley tariff on
cotton goods. Cotton cloth is cheaper.
There is larger demand for it, because
the home market has been reserved for
the home manufacturer, and with
larger market at hand the manufacturer
could afford to produce on larger scale,
which always means lower cost of
production per unit Of product and
lower prices to the consumer. One Fall
River manufacturer says:
IL do know that we are prosperous,
and / also know that IL we did not have
protection we would have to shut down
our mills. As it now is my company
IL building new mills so that 1t can be
able to meet the demands upon it,"
Another sFall River manufacturer
says:
"There can be but one inference. The
psople Of the country are buying more
Of our goods. This naturally shows
that the whole country is in more
prosperous condition than it has been,
or that everybody has suddenly made up
his mind to buy calicoes and other cotton
fsbrics." st
So much for the effect of the tariff on
the wages of the producer and the cost
Of the product in the protected indus
tries. In view of these effects, il is as
much an act Of lunacy to complain of
the shght temporary increase Of price
that accompanies an increased duty
until increased production does Its work
In increasing the supply as it is to COM
plain Of the decreased visible supply Of
wheat when seed wheat is planted, to
como up hundredfold at harvest.
Equally significant is the effect on for
eign trade. The Mckinley law, be it
remembered, is not hostile to foreign
trade. Il added to the free list over fifty
articles which we do not produce, and 1t
provided for reciprocity treaties by
which our products were admitted on
preferential terms TO the markets Of the
countries which exported these articles
that had been placed on the free list.
Moreover, 1t had encouraged our own
farmers to SOW larger crops in view
of the increased home market which
the law had given them, both directly,
by duties on various agricultural prod
ucts, and indirectly, by increasing the
opportunities and the consuming power
Of all the industrial classes.
One result for the past fiscal year was
the result of the enormous total of
81 $50 1885 .626 worth Of exports, $145,-
05l, $40 more than in the previous year,
while the imports were $s97 ,S91 1884, a
decrease Of $17, ,524,S12 There was of
course an enormous increase in the ex-
ports Of breadstuffs Gn spite Of the free
trade orators prediction that protection
would rob the farmer of his foreign
market). and the details Of the fiscal
year show that the exports of cattle,
sheep, hogs and mineral oils also in
creased. The reports Of the following
articles showed an increase for the
eleven months ending May 81 (the details
for the whole fiscal year being not yet
pubfshed): Agricultural implements,
printed matter, coal, copper ingots,
fruits and nuts, furs and skins, hops,
iron and steel manufactures, sewing
machines, steam engines, oilcake and oil
cake meal, cottonseed oil, paraffin and
wax, fresh beef, oleomargarine, butter,
seeds and manufactures Of wood.
The average ad valorem duty levied
on the inports-not the dutiable i'm
ports, but the total imports- was only