Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1892-10-20
Facts for the Voters.

TARIFF RATE ON TOTAL IMPORTS.
A characteristic Democratic false
hood was invented by the last New
York state Democratic convention, in
describing the Mckinley bill as ''worse
than war tariff"
The highest war rate was AZ per
cent. Between 1864 and 1872 the
rate fuctuated from 80 up to 4S
and then down to 81 per cent.
The Mckinley rate in 1891, before
the new tariff had complete effect, was
25, reduction of per cent. since
1889, the last year of the old tariff.
is that "worse than war;"
The fiscal year ending June 80,
1892, was the first complete year in
which the Mckinley bill had been in
full effect. In that year there was inn
ported foreign merchandise to the
value of $S24 ,211 800, and the duty
thereon amounted to S17O, ,226, ,354,
or an average ad valorem percentage
of 2O.56 per cent.
This is lower than the lowest rate
under the moderate revenue period,
known as the "Walker tariff period"
and lower than at any period since
1861.
In other words. foreign trade under
the Mckinley bill is much freer than
it has been at any time during the last
thirty years.
In dealing with foreign imports of
agricultural products, the makers OF
the Mckinley bill proceeded on very
different lines from those adopted by
the makers of the Mills bill.
The aim of the Mills bill was to ad-
NIT foreign farm products freely, SO
that as great an amount OF foreign
agricultural produce as possible
should be brought into competition
with the product of American farms.
The aim of the Mckinley bill on the
other hand was just the reverse. By
providing high rates of taxation on
foreign farm produce, it undertook to
check such Importation and to give
the American market, in as large q
degree as possible, to the American
farmer.
The theory of Republican legisla-
tion was that the hard times which
have prevailed among American farm
ers in the past few years have been
due, not to the high price of what they
had to buy, but to the excessively low
price of what they had to sell.
The result of the Mckinley bill and
the extent to which it has held the
American market for the American
farmer is shown by the fact that in
1890 the importation OF foreign farm
products, of kind that compete with
our own, amounted to $92, ,570,197,
while in 1892 the Importation OF SINH
lar products amounted to only $685.
465,6 GAL.
If there is any claim to which the
! tree trader clings more desperately
than another, it is the claim that iii
order to sell goods to other people we
must buy goods of them, and that the
| less we buy the less we Will sell.
This is a fundamental tree trade
| theory, but like most free trade
theories, it is painfully at variance
with the facts.
In 1872, the United States had just
started to recover from the deplor-
able effects of the war. In that year
we sold to Great Britain 1863, ,o0O,-
900.
Republican protection then began to
operate and at once our sales enorm-
ously increased and our purchases
enormously decreased. Today for
every dollar We send to England, Eng
land sends four dollars to us.
When the Mckinley bill was on its
passage before congress. Senator Cars
isle and Mr.. Mills, representing tht
Democratic party, declared that is
would inevitably have the two effect
of decreasing the foreign trade and in
creasing the revenues; that is, accord
ing to the Democrats, the people were
to do less business and pay more
! taxes. The predictions have been
utterly overthrow by the actual re-
suits of the new tariff g operations.
The people do more business and pay
less taxes now than ever.
The total value of our foreign COM
! merce for 1892 amounted to S1,S57,-
726,9lO, an increase of S370, 193, ,S32
since 1880, the last year of the old
tariff.
The revenues collected from GUS
toms imports in 1889 amounted to
$216,SlS. .61S, as against $170, 1885,
354 in 1892. The increase in busi-
ness is S37O,193, ,SS3 and the reduc-
tion in revenues is $40, 592, ,22e.
The duty collected per capita OF
this population in 1892 was $2.62,
the lowest per capita rate in the last
thirty-two years.