The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1895-01-25
MILLIONS LOST.
Disastrous Effects of che Wilson Sugar
Trust Tariff Bill.


When the democratic party and the
sugar trust enacted the sugar schedule
of the Wilson tariff bill the measure
destroyed the basis of reciprocity and
would undo the great work of James
G. Blaine.
Every day now brings news of some
fresh example of the policy of retalia-
ton which foreign nations are inaugu
rating against the United States. Al
ready the American people is begin
ming to realize that the repeal of the
reciprocity provision of the Mckinley
law and the Blaine agreements would
injure the foreign trade of the United
States millions and tens of millions OF
dollars annually.
The open protest of Germany, made
at the time the sugar schedule of the
Wilson bill was pending in the senate,
was the first intimation of foreign dis
pleasure. Secretary Carlisle transmit
ted the protest to the finance commit
tee of that body, but the influence of
the sugar trust with the democratic
senators caused it to be ignored. Now
Germany is prohibiting imports of
American cattle and provisions, and in
sisting that her policy of retaliation
against American products is justified,
because the sugar schedule of the VIII
son tariff law violates solemn treaty
compacts entered into with her by the
United States.
German influence has drawn Den
mark into the policy of retaliation.
France first indicated her intentions
by shutting out American packers from
all opportunity to compete for the con-
tract to supply the army with provi-
sions Now France has followed Ger
many in putting an embargo on i'm
ports of cattle from America, on the
pretext of pleuro-pneumonia in the
animals.
Within few days there have been
strong intimations that the new Aus
trian minister, who has not yet even
presented his credentials to the presi-
dent. is charged to begin an attack up
on this same sugar duty almost imme-
diately; and if concessions cannot be
secured, it is expected that AustrO-
hungary probably will follow the ex-
ample of Germany, France and Spain
in retaliating upon the United States.
With the first of January. the great
republic of Brazil. with which our ex-
port trade had doubled during three
years of reciprocity, closed its ports to
the admission of American products at
the reduced rates formerly given.
Spain's damaging blow to American
interests has been given in closing
Cuban and Porto Rican ports to Amer
lean breadstuffs in particular. A de-
tailed statement of the exports to
Cuba during the months of September,
October and November of 1894, as com
pared with the same months during
1898, makes the shrinkage very plain.
Taking the month of October in each
year. the exports of flour shrank from
2s. 737 barrels to 4,631; of corn, from g.
800 bushels to ,O72; of lard from 3,031,-
s19 pounds to 100, 421; of hams, from
Az, POI pounds to 344,232; of bacon,
from $40, 72O to 269, 462 pounds. The
tables prepared by the exporters show
ing the extent of the discrimination
against United States products under
the maximum tariff recently imposed
by Spain have satisfied the state de-
partment at Washington that there
can be no opportunity for American
trade unless these charges are abated.
The great exporting houses of the At
lantic cities are clamOring at the doors
of the state department, and threaten
to appeal to congress for some speedy
action to protect their business. They
report that at present the United
States is losing a trade of 700 900 bar
rels of flour per annum, all of our com
MERGE in machinery, formerly pur-
chased by the Cubans exclusively in
the United States, all of the hardware
and a large proportion of the potato
trade-a very important part of ourex-
ports to the West Indies. The total re-
duction in our exports to Cuba for the
year since the lapse of the reciprocity
agreement will amount to not less than
80 per cent.
These are but fragmentary instances
of the disaster which the Wilson tariff,
by repeating the reciprocity provision
of the Mckinley act and the Blaine
agreements, has brought to the farm
ers, manufacturers and exporters of
the United States. They indicate
loss of millions of dollars, which will
react upon American industry and
ramify through all its departments,
injuring labor and capital alike.
But what else was to be expected
of the great democratic party that, at
Chicago in 1892, denounced Blaine
reciprocity as a fraud and in 1894,
while following the dictates % the
sugar trust, ruthlessly destroyed the
great work of James G. Blaine in
order that the sugar trust might rob
American sugar consumers of millions
of dollars and democratic senators line
their pockets with gold acquired by
Wall street speculation in the sugar
trusts securities.-Albany Journal