Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1892-02-03
OUR NATIONAL PROGRESS.
HOW FOREIGN TRRDE HAS BEEN
EXPANDED.
Free Materials for American Ship-build-
Heterogeneous Springer and Presi-
dent misunderstanding Our Own Cotton
Ties-Nails and the Tariff-Various Items
0e Interest.
Foreign Trade Expansion.

| present Tune is the constantly increasing
| foreign tr6de-a trade during the past
| three months that has far surpassed in
| greatness any previous three months in
! the history Of the country. Attention
Is called to this fact because calamity
Criers were certain that the tariff bill of
two years ago would paralyze our foreign
! commerce; and the Alliance lecturers
were proclaiming that the Republican
| tariff measures would PROSTATE our in
! dustrles and send the country to the
dogs.
Listen to what the New York Tribune
says: 1.-The exports from this country
in December were the largest ever
known in any month. They surpassed
even the exports Of November, prob
ably by more than $5,000,0 900. Yet. the
exports of November has surpassed
those of any other month in the history
of the country by 81, 100000, as the eX-
ports of October had surpassed any pre-
vious month by $4,000 600 Prior to
that month high-water mark had been
touched in December of 1890, when the
value of exports was sos, 451 TSP: but
the known increase last month in the
five principal classes of products was
$l7 ,51O,S54, or 23.6, per cent. and with
out any increase III other items the ag-
gregate would be almost $4,000 0O0
But in other items there was consid-
cradle increase in November, although
the value of other principal classes, ex-
cept breadstuffs, diminished. Some of
the minor exports, it is true, were ex-
ceptlonally large year ago, those of
copper ore and ingots, for example, of
cotton manufactures, of leather and of
refined sugar, SO that moderate shrink
age in these is possible, butin others in
crease will appear. In any event, the
aggregate for the month is little likely
to fall below S1l5, 200, 600, and until three
months ago the value of exports had
never reached 500, 900, 600 in any month
1.-The great part of the increase in De-
cember was in value of breadstuffs. for
the cotton crop of last year was so extra
ordinary that prices have been remark
ably low, and, though 4SS, 900, 900 pounds
went abroad in December, against no.
100000 pounds in the same month of
1890 the value was little smaller In
provisions, cattle and petroleum there
was some decrease, previous exports
having been heavy. But the value of
breadstuffs exported in December was
$50, 24l 1893, against $40, 126, 736 for the
same month in 1890. In six months the
value of breadstul1s sent abroad has eX-
ceeded S155, 900, 600, of which $133 ,OOO,-
600 was about the value Of wheat, in
Guiding flour. Thus the exports for the
last quarter Of 1891 will probably be
found to exceed 1928 600, 900 in value,
and prior to 1860 that value had never
been exported in any year, nor prior TO
1870 in any full year except two. The
aggregate for the calendar year 1891
seems to have been more than $685.
0O0,0O0, and the largest amount in any
previous year was about $500, 900, 600 in
1881.
This wonderful expansion of foreign
trade Is at once convincing proof of the
magnitude of many branches of inter
nal trade, and it is a practical demon
stration of the falsity of theories upon
which the calamity-wailers rely. They
cannot say, for instance, that 100 little
money or too much money has ruined
the country, in the presence of export
which, for some months past, appear to
have surpassed those of Great Britain
or any other nation. The array OF
facts is peculiarly discomfting to free
traders, because it has been their pet
theory that there could not be large and
liberal exports of products from this
country if imports from other countries
were restricted by protective duties
But the first whole year after the adop-
ton of new and strongly protective
tariff Is made remarkable by exports
IoA cuI passing OlOb0 VI duy PREVIOUS
year IN the history of the country"
Free Materials for Our Ship builders.
The tariff reformer and the free
trader tell us that if the American ship
builder had free raw materials to build
with, how wonderfully helpful that
would would be to the ship industry of
this country. So to show the people
that these tariff reformers are in earn
est, Representative John F. Andrew, or
Boston, will introduce a bill which will
seek to give all American ship builders
materials free of duty. If Mr.. Andrew
will examine Section S, of the Republic
an tariff law OF 1890, he will see that his
proposed bill will be useless, for 1t pro-
vides as follows: Cali lumber, timber,
hemp, manila, wire rope, and iron and
steel rods, bars, spikes, nails, plates,
tees, angles, beams and bolts and cop
per and composition metal, which NAV
be necessary for the construction and
equipment of vessels built in the United
States tor foreign account and owner
ship, or for the purpose of being en-
ployed in the foreign trade, including
the trade between the Atlantic and Pa
clfc ports of the United States, after the
passage of this act, may be imported in
bond, under such regulations as the
secretary of the treasury may pre-
scribe; and upon proof that such ma
terials have been used for such purpose,
no duties shall be paid thereon
Then, again, Section 9, of the same act
October /, 1890, provides that sail
articles of foreign production needed
for the repair Of American vessels en-
gagged in foreign trade, including the
trade between the Atlantic and Pacific
ports of the United States, may be with
drawn from bonded warehouses free of
duty, under such regulations as the sec
rotary of the treasury may prescribe"
No Democratic measure can give the
ship builders of America freer raw ma
terials than the present law, and then
why are not the free traders happy?
If Representative Andrew clearly I'M
derstood the situation, or was honest
with himself and his constituents, he
would never introduce his free raw ma
terials bill, but would intrduce one
which would in large measure cure
the disease which has driven the
American flag from the high SEAS"
British, French, and German steam
ships DrOsper in business because their