Omaha daily bee., 1892-09-02

AORANCE OR MENDAu1TT.


IGAORANCE OR MENDAu1TT
Candidate Stevenson said in his:
Bloomington speech, referring to the
tariff with its provision for reciprocity
ut is worse than idle to speak of it's
benefits TO the American farmer.
In no instance has it opened up to
the farmer an additional market for q
pound OF meat or n bushel of grain. Has
it in single instance given to the me-
chanic or laborer increased wages?"
Here we have another evidence of either
the ignorance or the want of candor, to
put it mildly, of the democratic candi-
date for vice president.
1t is only very recently, but before
Mr.. Stevenson delivered his speech,
that official statistics of the foreign
commerce of the country were pub
lished, in which were embraced the re-
suits of reciprocity. AS Il whole, these
statistics show, and their authenticity
cannot fairly be questioned, that the
foreign commerce of the United States
for the fiscal year ended June 80, 1892,
was very much greater than for any
other year in our history, exceeding the
average annual value of exports for the
preceding ten years over 1886, 900, 900.
To this enormous commerce the farmers
of the country contributed by far tho
largest share The exports Of bread
stutfs exceeded the average annual
value of the preceding ten years by the
sum of Sl31 ,206, ,224 The exports of
cattle, sheep and hogs exceeded the
average annual value of the same ex-
ports for the preceding ten years by
500, 2s3.071.
Tho excess of the exports of pro-
visions over the annual average of the
ten years prior to 1891 was $27, 703, 432.
The combined value of exports of cotton,
breadstuffs, provisions, cattle, sheep and
hogs, all classed as agricultural pro-
ducts, in the fiscal year ended June 80,
1892, exceeded the exports OF 1890 by the
sum of Sl59, 23S, 1923, and exceeded the av-
erage annual value of the ten years
prior to 1891 oy the sum of S2l5, $50, ,639.
AS to reciprocity, it is credited with an
increase of exports to the countries with
which reciprocity relations have been
w ONCE DlO.OUU.-
0O0, but this is not all it has accom-
plished. 1t had direct influence in
inducing European governments to re-
move the long maintained restrictions
against the importation of our meat
products, and thus this feature OF the
present tariff law opened additional
markets for millions of pounds of Ameri-
hn Il IL,
is every reason to expect, will steadily
grow from year to year. Another thing
the tariff did was to reduce in 1852 by
over $40, ,000, 900, as compared with the
year 1890, the importations of horses,
sheep, cattle, barley, oats, oatmeal, rye,
eggs. vegetables, hops, haxseed and
tobacco, giving that much more home
market to our farmers.
With regard to the effect of the tariff on
wages, if Candidate Stevenson had con-
suited, which it is charitable to suppose
he did not, the report OF a very careful
and thorough investigation made by a
committee of the senate, consisting of
three republicans and two democrats,
all OF whom signed the report, he would
nave ledFueu JnHJ SINCE Jno present
tariff law went into effect there has been
| a slight advance in the wages of labor,
measured in money, in thirty occupa-
tions covering wide range of pro-
ductive industries. But if this testi-
mony is not satisfactory to Mr.. Steven
son ard his fellow democrats, there is
more at hand, and from a demo
cratic source, which they will perhaps
not decline to accept. We refer to that
! Of the New York labor commissioners,
| just made public, which shows that in
| rs per cent of the manufacturing indus
tries of that state wages were higher in
| 1891 than in 1890.
The immediate constituency OF Mr.
| Adlai e. Stevenson may be singularly
| ill-informed and credulOus. This
would naturally be inferred from the
| character of his speech to them. But
however this may be, he has not helped
| the democratic cause at large by assers
! tions and assumptions which are
readily overthrown by reference to in
| disputable facts Mr.. Stevenson ha
supplied the texts for some of the mos
| forcelul republican arguments thus far
| in the camDaipn