Los Angeles herald., 1892-09-18

the increase in prices and in the cost of
living are based upon them and not upon
any rise which may have taken place in
the prices of imported articles on account
OF the very large increases in the rates of
duty contained in the tariff act of 1890.
Why, Mr.. President, the increased price of
the $l9, ,591 $50 worth of wooden goods which
were imported into this country between
Oct. l, 1890, the date of the passage of the
Mckinley bill, and the Both day of June,
1884, the end of that fiscal year, amounted
to many millions of dollars.
The report of imports and consumption
for the fiscal year 1891, furnished to us by
the treasury department., embraces and
mingles together all the importations
which were made during that year, for the
purpose of showing the ad valorem rate OF
tax, whether they were made before or
after Oct. l, 1890, and therefore reduces the
average ad valorem rate of taxation to
much lower figure than it actually was
under the Mckinley act. At the expense
of great deal of time and labor have Sc
lected from this report those articles of
woolen manufacture which were imported
after Oct. /, 1890, and which therefore
paid the increased rates of duty imposed
by the Mckinley tariff act, and I find the
result to be that the total importations of
wooden manufactures, including yarns,
which cost US abroad s19,591 $50, paid an
ad valorem rate Of 92S4 per cent. The
amount of duty paid on these goods was
S18, ,192, 1888, so that it cost, without includ-
ing anything for insurance, commissions,
freight or interest or any other charge,
S37, ,7S5. .0S0 to lay down in New York goods
which cost abroad $40, ,591 $50
An elaborate table was here presented,
showing the imports of wooden goods frcnl
Oct. 1, 1890, to June 30, 1884,
Let us take for illustration quality of
dress goods in most common use among
the people. The total value abroad of that
class of goods imported after the passage
of the Mckinley act was s., ,2S0, 81, the tax
on them was S., ,423, 422, the ad valorem
rate of taxation upon this $3.50, 81 worth
of goods purchased and consumed by our
people was 102.70 per cent. The cost of
these goods abroad was 228 cents per
square yard, the tax was 49, AZ per square
yard, and, adding the tax, it made the
total cost to lay them down in New York,
without any charge for commissions,
freight or insurance, 4570 per yard, so
that the goods which cost abroad S., ,280, ,841
cost the importer at New York, without
any of the other usual charges, SO, ,704, 1854
But we are told by the author of the
Mckinley act that we ought not to be dis
turbed about this, because the foreigner
pays the tax. If so, here is the most re
markable instance of disinterested benev
olence ever witnessed in a commercial
transaction between people of different
countries, for the foreigner actually gave
to the people Of the United States between
Oct. l, 1890, and June 80, 1891, $5,2s0,S4l
worth of these goods and paid them more
than $4,000 in money to induce them to
take them.
The goods of which am now speaking
constitute the class most largely imported
and sold to the masses of the people of the
United States, not to rich people, but tc
poor people and people in moderate cir
cumstances, as senators will see when
give the description of the goods.
think that anybody who examines this
table, which makes a correct exhibit OF
the importations Of these goods after the
passage of the Mckinley act. and the rates
of taxation upon them, will scarcely ever
contend hereafter that the foreign pro-
ducer pays the duty-he will go back to
the old 'deluson' with which my friend
from Iowa (Mr. Allison) says he was af-
ficted in 1870, that the American con-
sumner pays at least part of it.
Mr.. Allison-I have not gotten over that
yet.
= Mr.. Carlisle-The senator saws he has