Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1892-08-18
one VAR OF TARIFF.
va4og NerNLEYs CLAIMS FULLY
1No soLUTELY WNDic@TEO.


,.ofed sta,istican and Free Trader.
wee. Rai>ed and Prices Lowered By
me mckinley Bin-some Figures.
The hrst full year Of the operation Of
lie Mckinley law. Tin plate clause ana
gIi IS an ais late vindieation Of Major
fcKinlev's claim that protection TENDS
- ;nf.rease wages all TO lower prices,
and 81 President HaTison's position
tbat reciprocity treaties, made effective
~ General protection. tend to increase
onr foreign commerce. First, as 70
waves. General Francis 4. Walker, OF
the Massachusetts, Institute Of Iechnol-
eay whose sis.nfing as a statisticiaa :
shown by The fact that be was snperln-
tendent Of the tenth census. and who Is
himself a free trader, admits, IN ms
work on political Economy, that pro
tection 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 II Ma
ior Mckinley. proteetionist, aud General
Walker. free trader, are right on this
point. in. which they ngree, we would
naturally expect TO hear Of higher wages
IN the centers Of the cotton industry |
Tn. greatest cotton manufacturing city
in ali New England is Fall River, which
contains I5.47 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 Bradstreets, one Of
the leading commercial journals Of the
country. in its regular department, en-
titled "The Boston Dry Goods Market;
The supply Of cloths at Fall River
and Providence is not allowed to accu-
,uulate. 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
Fan River under the Mckinley tariff on
cotton goods Cotton cloth is cheaper,
There is a larger demand for it. because
the home market has been reserved for
the home manufacturer, and with a
larger market nj hand the manufacturer
could afford 10 produce on larger scale
which always means lower cost OF
production per unit Of product and
lower prices 10 the consumer. One FAN
River manufacturer says:
n DO know that we are prosperous,
and also know that If we did not have
protection we would have to shut down
our mills. As it now is my company
is building new mills so that il can be
able to meet the demands upon 1t.
Another Fail River manufacturer
says
There can be but one inference. The
people of the country are buying more
Of our goods. This naturally shows
that the whole country is in a more
prosperous condition than it has been,
or that everybody has suddenly made up
his mind to buy calicoes and other cotton
fabrics.
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, It Is as
much an act Of lunacy to complain of
the slight temporary increase Of price
that accompanies an increased duty
until increased production does its work
in increasing the supply as II Is to COM
plain of the decreased visible pplv Of
wheat when seed wheat j. pl..-..ed. to
come up hundredfold at harvest
Equally significant is the effect on for
eign trade. The Mckinley law. BE- il
remembered, is not hostile to foreign
trade. 1t added to the free list over fifty
articles which we do not produce, and it
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, it 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 .O3O. 1876 ,626 worth of exports, $l45,-
S5s. SIC more than IN the previous year,
while the imports were $s27, 1871 ,2S4, a
decrease of $17 ,5a4,912 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 lthe details
. for the whole fiscal year being not yet
published): Agricultural implements
printed matter. coal, copper ingots
: fruits and nuts, furs and skins, hops
/ iron and steel manufactures, sewins
, machines. steam engines, oilcake and oil
cake meal. cottonseed oil, paraffin an,
. wax. fresh beef. oleomargarine butte