New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-12-22
THE UILSON REPORT.


Like President Cevelands message on Ha-
wall. the report Of the Democratic majority on
the Tariff bill is chiefly remarkable Tor us
amazing disregard for facts. Professor wilson
has produced report crowded with assertions
which are made with an impudent air OF
certainty. as if they could not be controversial
but which are not only unsupported by eVl-
dence but have been almost constantly ais
proved by the experience OF the last thirty
years. 1t IS 10 I've presumed that Mt wilson
really believes them. hut II SO. nothing couid
more painfully illustrate the ignorance or the
mon whom Democracy has selected 10 govern
the country For instance. II Is matter OF
the widest notoricty that the tariff of 1NN5'
enacted by Republican Congress, reduced 'he
duties on many products Of protcc''d inuns'
tries. and that the Mckinley bill reduced duties
on many still further. ON steel rails. Tor III
stance the reduction In 1NS' was from S-S I"
S17 pcr ton, and in 1890 from Sl1 to -" " per
TON ON n great variety of wooll"n goods ever!
,r.c,icol ma ! knows that the reduction Ia 1SS'
went so far that II caused general depression
OF the industry. Thus Wo"ll'n cloihs 'oSuhS
less than ~ cents per pound were reduc'N
from 30 cents and - per cent TO - cents ana
81 per cent Yet Professor Wilson soleihhy
asserts that 4" the protected Industries nave
cxactcd and have received from every k"puD-
lican Congress elected since 1914 m Increase
~ their protection" II Mr.. Wilson does not
know that this assertion is untrue his ignorance
is simply amazing.
Practically the whole Of his review or past
tariffs and their effects Is made up Of state
mcnts as devoid Of truth rs the one quoted.
II would require another document rs long rs
his ponderous report merely TO mention ana
contradict the uniruihu statements II con
talns But one broad assertion cInDodi"s so
much error and has been So often disproved,
that it may we'll he quoted here Mr.. Wilson
saws: During no other period has there been
n more healthy and rapid development OF our
manufacturing Industries than during the III
teen years of low tariff from 1916 TO ISL.
The whole history OF the fifteen years ending
1892 proves the error Of this assertion Ihat
Mr. Wilson believes il only shows how ncon-
cciyablv blind h has been 10 the history OF
the country since the Democratic party went
ont Of power or equally wonderful character
is the assertion that " there can be no sub
stontial and beneficial reduction upon the ncces-
can people, nor any substantial and beneficial
enlargement Of the field Of American labor. so
long as we tax materials and processes OF pro-
duction" Does Mr. Wilson really know moth
ing about the chcapcning OF clothing, with wool
subject to duty, during the last ten or twenty
wears? Nothing OF the chcapcnlng Of iron. with
ore dutiable. ana Of rails structural iron and
steel cutlery tools and machinery and other
products while pig iron has been dui'able!
Or is he making random assertions. Ike the
cheapest cross roads den agoguc. without the
slightest sense of responsibility?
Mr. wilson's report consists so largely Of such
| assertions which no fairly Informed economist
| of either party would discrcdt himself by max
Ing that there Is little which wears the sem
blance Of argument. The notion that raw ma
tcrial should be free In Orlcr 10 secure prosper
Gus manufactures is repeated in many forms,
but rests always upon entire ignorance or what
has been achieved under policy which protects
both the grower and the manufacturer OF wool.
| the miner of ore and the maker and manu-
| facturcr Of iron. But Mr.. Wilson is az loose
and wanton in his prophecies ~ in his his
| torical statements. When he asserts that free
| materials will insure growing home
market for These things that will quickly ont
strip anything they could have under the pro-
| tcctivc system no bctrays the fanatical state
Of mind which scorns all experience I'm this
or any other country There Is not n clear
headed student Of economy. even in Mr.. VIII
sons own party, who has not the gravest doubts
about the practical effects Of abolition OF duties
upon producers Of the raw materials; but
sublime Ignorance has none.
Mr. Wilson makes one statement which IL Of
| interest that The average rate Of duties levied
on dutiablc goods imported In 1892 was 1871
| per cent, and that the duties proposed would
average upon that years importations 301 per
cent While admitting that IL is proposed 10
| take off more than thrcc-oighlhs Of the duty
from articles on which duties are 10 be- re-
tanned, the statement Is nevertheless deceptive,
because II conccals the fact that imports To n
large amount that ar" now dutiablc II IL pro-
posed 10 make free. The actual decrease in
rate Of duties on articles now dutiable would
obviously he much greater. But men who are
valnly walking the streets in search for work,
and who see their wives and children starving.
will not have much patience with the per-
centages OF any thcorlst They know. these