Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1895-10-11
A CONVINCING SUMMARY
P0STMASTER-GEN WILSON ON
THE NEW ,TARIFP.
Ho Shows That In tho First Years
Operation 1t Has Greatly Bone
hted tho Couutry-wagcs and
Markets Both GROWING

.NO ShoWS Sudt III tuO c1rSC teQr'6
Operation 1t Has Greatly Bene-'
flied tho Couutry-wagcs and
Markets Both Growing.
In letter to tho New York World
Postmaster-Genersl Wilson gives the
following convincing summary of tho
beneficial results of the new tariff dur
ing the twelve months that it has beeh
in force:
elf the opening vista of higher
wages, cheapened necessaries of life,
larger consumption at homo and OK
banding markets abroad under lower
duties had but o single years expert
enco to rest upon, should be very
cautious IN prophesying as to tho flu
ture.
"But when it is remembered that
like results followed tho law of 1916
in this country and crowded on tho
heels OF tariff reduction in England, it
ID not claiming too much to coy that n
fow months experience has already
justified tho arguments and prodic-
lions of the tariff reformers and laid,
1t is to be hoped forever, tho spootros
of ruin and impoverishment with
which tho protoctionists SO long
frightened tho American people.
'"The country is beginning to 500
that there is no way to protect Ameri-
can industry except by relieving it
from burdens upon the materials with
which it works; no way to insure good
wages and steady employment to homo
labor except by freeing it from tho
shackles which hayo confined it to
glutted homo market and prevented it
from seeking its customers all over tho
world.
ut is first of all gratifying, there
fore. to SEQ the progress already made
by our manufacturers in reaching out
for the worlds markets.. With tenn
porarily diminished exports, chiefly
in food products-in no way duo to
recent tariff legislation--wo behold in
single year IN increasing volume of
manufactured products sent abroad.
'"rhis already appears IN our OK
ports of agricultural machinery,
building hard ware, locomotive en-
gines and iron and steel goods gon-
orally; also in leather and manufnc-
lures of leather, in pianos md organs,
paper manufactures and many othor
items of the Treasury statement is
sued at tho close of tho fiscal yoar.
SIN all Of these industries tho wages
of labor havo been increased. AS tho
daily pny OF tho American artisan was
already much greater than that of
any competing laborcr in any other
country, this growing foreign market
for our manufactures is especially
significant.
'"rhero is no doubt that tho iron
and steel industry of tho world is
soon to find its chief contro in tho
United States. Our supply of ores of
all kinds is exhaustless, moro cheaply
mined, moro cheaply transported and
moro cheaply wrought into finished
products than tho supply OF any other
Nation. and this must eventually carry
with it tho manufacturing supremacy
Of the world.
'This means untold benefits to all
our industries. Years ngo il was truly
said by o Republican Secretary of tho
Treasury TINT if all our manufacture
ing plants ran six months ut their
full capacity they would glut our
home market. For tho next half of
tho year thore would necessarily be
slackened work or even idleness, with
slackened employment and uncertain
wages for labor.
''The conquest of foreign markets
now implies the ability to hold our
own market against all competing
from without. It means q broader
and moro stable basis for manufac-
turers, which, in turn, carries with
it moro work and moro wages for tho
operative and moro homo consumers
for tho farmer, who is also relieved
from tho burden of maintaining in
dustrics to buy from him.
lin word, tho moro self-support-
ing industries we have the greater and
moro diifused is our general pros
perity; tho moro non-self-supporting
industries VIC have-fed and main.
tanned by taxation-the smaller and
moro lop.sided becomes that pros.
perity.
1.-THE House tariff bill aimed TO in
crease largely tho number of indus-
tries TINT could stand without boun-
tics. Its foundation was largo free
list of raw materials. Fortunately
the most important of these remain
in the thrift bill as finally enacted,
such as copper ores, salt, fax, homp
and wool, to which in n moro adj
vanced stage may be added sulphuric
acid, the basis of so many industries;
cotton ties, sawed lumber, binding
Irvine, etc.
"As to revenue, tho operation of
tho new tariff bill ought to be satisfao-
tory to its promoters. Tho customs
revenue under tho Mckinley bill fell
from 300 millions in 1900 to 131 mill
ions in 1894. True, tho last year was
ono of widespread depr ession, and
great allowance must DO made for that
fact in any comparison.
'The new bill began under tho
shadow Of that depression. Only of
recent months has there been feel
ing of financial security in tho coun-
try ct large, but the close of the fiscal