Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-01-09
TARIFF TIL E0RIES.
The Effect Of Free Raw Materials on
Foreign Trade.
LETTER FROM MAJOR DOOLEY.
He Discusses the Cleveland Wilson Pro-
gramme-Facts and Figures Regard
ing Protection OF Products.
ro the Edltor Of the pIspatch:


To the Editor Of the Dispatch:
When men high In place and power
assert a theory, and reiterate and con-
tinue TO assert II, we find In this country
and no doubt In all countries, that the
great multtudes OF those who make up
the political party, OF which such men
are the leaders. accept and adopt their
theories as II they were proved.
Mr.. Mills. Mr.. Cleveland, Mr.. CIrlisIe.
Mr.. Wilson, and others, leaders, nave so
long been dogmatically asserting That free
raw materials would enable us to enlarge
our exports to an enormous extent, that
a prodigious number Of honest people have
come to repose implicit faith n ;hcr
teachings. -.i ''
The doctrine Of these gentlemen is that
the admission Of raw materials free, ty
reducing the cost OF manufactured goods
would enable our manufacturers to 3"'l
so cheap that they could successfully COM
pete with England. France Germany
&c, IN the markets of the world; as
Mr.. Cleveland says in his message, The
world should be open TO our national
ingenuity and enterprise"
l have shown IN former letter that
the reduced price OF the raw materials
does not, under a protective tarin, mat
is. when the manufactured article is pro-
tected, necessarily cause a reduction IN
the selling price OF the manufacturer
eoods--as in the case OF steel rails, which
were maintained by n combination at
the price of $50 per ton for many years
while during the same period the price
OF plg-iron fell 50 per cent.
Before we accept the Cleveland-Wnson
doctrine that free raw materials VIII
enable us to control foreign markets
with our manufactured goods, Is II not
the part of prudence and wisdom 10 ex-
anime the statistics OF the United States
Government in order that we may Know
what has been the effect upon our export
trade of the raw materials which nave
been admitted free under previous tarirs.
If we find that we have, for NUMBER OF
years, been admitting free a list, say, or
nine principal articles of raw material
and that the exports Of goods manu-
featured from those raw materials have
not materially increased, have not in
creased, for example. as the imports or
the raw materials themselves; or 10 take
another example. as much as the exports
Of iron and steel which are made from
iron-ore and coal. which are not free, IS
1t notl reasonable TO infer that under a
protective tariff. such as the Mckinley
or the Wilson. bill an additional
TO the list Of raw materials OF
the four principal articles OF
coal. iron-ore. wool and lumber will
fail to produce that wished-for Increase
in our exports OF manufactures predicted
by Messrs. Cleveland and Wilson.
The principal articles Of raw material
which have been admitted free for num-
Der of years are TO be found upon page 265
Of the Summary Statement Of the I'm
ports and Exports OF the United States'
up to October 81. 1893 issued by the Urea
sury Department of the United States.
They are nine in number. as follows:
manufactured cotton.
Chemicals. drugs, &c.
Hides and leather.
Raw India rubber.
Raw silk
Tin bars, blocks or pig.
Wood. unmanufa
Paper stock, crude.
Furs and fur-sxins. undressed.
If there are any others they are so In
significant that they are not separately
listed. but are embraced under the gene
raj head Of Miscellaneous Articles"
/ say II the teachings Of those who are
now proposing to add coal. iron-ore, wool,
and lumber TO the above list are correct.
our exports of manufactured goods, OF
which the above list are the raw ma
terials. should have very greatly in
creased, to bear out the theory they
should have increased very much more in
the period OF six years. for which the
Treasury comparisons are made than the
Increase In the importations Of the raw
materials
Otherwise instead of relieving the home
market by increasing our exports. We are
actually helping to glut 1t by bringing In
raw materials from abroad. which, when
manufactured, are not exported but are
sold 10 our own consumers,
Now it is remarkable fact, shown by
the government statistics, that the nm
portations OF free raw materials for the
last six years. which are all for which
the government gives us the comparative
figures increased about twice as much as
the exports of goods manufactured from
them. The following are the government
figures: 'tt
IMPORTS OF NINE PRINCIPAL ARTICLES OF FREE
RAW Materials
Tan ha To