The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-12-16
Low Tarif nfeans Prosperity.


Gov. Russell has an article in the cur
rent number Of the North American Re
view which shows that the really pros
| porous periods in the life Of this republic
/ have been those in which a low tariff
prevailed. He goes into the subject very
thoroughly, giving facts and figures in
support Of his position that are practi-
cally unansWerable.
According TO Gov. Russell, during the
period from 1850 TO 1850 the average rate
Of duty was about p per cent. That
was about Is per cent. less the
amount provided in the Wilson bill. If
that be the case. the industries have
nothing whatever to fear. Indeed, it is
doubtful if any one who is informed
in respect 10 the tariff apprehends
that the Wilson bill would be hurt
full to industrial interests if il
should become a law. The republicans
are trying to make itappear that il would,
but they are not meeting with much sue
cess. If the country was particularly
prosperous from 1850 until 1860, period
when the tariff was remarkably low, il
is pretty certain it would be prosperous
again under a low tariff The cOndi-
lions now for prosperity under a low tariff
are as good as they ever were.
The republicans, with the hope of saw
ing the Mckinley tariff, predict that the
passage Of the Wilson bin would result
in throwing hundreds. of thousands of
workmen out of employment and cause
millions Of dollars Of capital to remain idle
It5seems remarkab bic that newspapers that
have regulations to sustain should
indulge in such reckless talk, knowing
as they must. that the effect of it is dis
couraging Most of them, however,
would much rather see great business de-
precision if the Wilson bill should become
a law than that the country should be
prosperous under that law. If prosperity
should follow the adoption of that bill
there would be nothing to keep alive the
republican party.
And why should not prosperity follow2
Gov. Russell, in his article, says that con-
sulting the census for the ten years,
from 1850 10 1860, when a low tariff pre-
vailed, he finds that in that period the
cash value of farms increased 103 per
cent. They didn't increase that much in
tAlD ENEnbg AAEn bdl III y Cdio nun ADDo "
1880. In that period the increase
was only 40 per cent. From 1850
to 1860 the value of real estate
and personal property increased 1874 per
cent. Was not that a remarkable show
ing under low tariff What was the in
crease for the ten following years from 1850
to 1870, under high tariff There was
decrease Of 3 per cent Gov Russell
also points out that for 1850 to 1860 the
increase in the total value of our mechani-
cal and manufacturing industries was Sc
per cent, while in the next ten years, for
1850 to 1870, under high tariff, the increase
was less than - per cent.
Gov. Russell presents many figures
like the foregoing, showing that farming,
manufacturing and all kinds of business
undertakings were prosperous under a low
tariff more so, in fact, than under
high tariff. He particularly calls attention
to the very small number of families that
did not live in their own homes in the
period of low tariff and the very great in
crease in the number that did not live in
their own homes, or separate dwellings.
after high tariff was inaugurated In
1860 there were only PAL PAP families in the
whole country that did not live in
separate homes. In 1870 the number had
increased to 53G,5lO and in 1880 the
number was very near 100000.
When the people of the country voted
in favor of tariff reform they knew what
they were doing, and congress cannot do
| anything so well calculated to give them
satisfaction as to comply promptly with
the instructions given at that time.