The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-24
THE TARIFF ISSUE.

The report that the Cleveland admins
tration will under no circumsta noes issue
another loan before the fall elections, and
that every effort will be made by the
Treasury Department. to arrange the fig
ures of the next monthly statement to
conceal as far as possible the deficit in the
revenue, is one that will find ready accept
ance Very little in the way of further evil
dence is needed to confirm it, but abundant
confirmation is found in the strenuous,
though vain, efforts of the Democratic
leaders and editors to get the tariff and
revenue questions out of politics as much
as possible wherever an election is to be
held this fall.
No skill in the manipulation of figures
that the treasury has at its disposal, how
ever, will be able to hide from the people
the failure of the tariff to afford revenue.
The statement recently issued by the Blu
reau of Statistics in reference to the trade
of the year ending June 80, 1895, as COM
pared with that of the year ending June
30, 1894, shows the workings of the Wilson
tariff in too strong contrast to that of the
Mckinley tariff for the difference to be
overlooked, or for any possible persuasion
of the people that speedy reform of the
tariff in the direction of higher and more
protective duties is not necessary.
According to the figures of the Bureau
of Statistics, in the fiscal year 1895 we i'm
ported from Europe goods to the value OF
1888, $50, $40, while in the year 1894 the i'm
ports were valued at 1895 OF, 1855. This
shows the increase of imports for the first
year of the Wilson tariff of $8S, COS 977
over the last year of the Mckinley tariff.
We have sent abroad that much more
money under a year of the new tariff than
under the preceding year when protection
was in force, and as consequence Ameri-
can factories and American workingmen
have lost just that amount of money which
would have been saved at home to enrich
the market for all other home products
If this increase in imports had been due
to reviving commerce and the coming of
better times, it would have been accom-
panied by an increase of exports and the
balance might have been in our favor.
The report of the Bureau of Statistics,
however, shows a different state of affairs.
In the year ending June 80, 1895, our ex-
ports were valued at $685., 975, 1873, while in
the preceding year they amounted to $780,
$40, 500, being decrease for the year of
$72, 895,6S9. Here there is another loss to
the country, which affects every industry
by diminishing the purchasing power of
the people.
A tariff which in one year leads to an
increase of over $88, 900, 900 in imports and
a decrease of over SO, 100000 in exports,
which neither protects industry, makes a
foreign market nor affords revenue, is
certainly tariff that makes live issue in
politics. 1t affects imperiousy the bust
ness of every citizen as well as the National
treasury. The Republican party proposes
to remedy this evil. That is one of the
pledges it makes to the people, and in
every State where there is an election this
fall that pledge will be one of the most
potent reasons why men will vote the
Republican ticket.