The evening times., 1895-08-29
WILSON UPON The TARIFF
The Postmaster General Gives His Opinions
% he Country.
McKInley's mad Protection" For
ever Dead and Future Reve-
nues VIII Be Enough.


lished this morning, Postmaster General
Wilson has the following to say Of the effect
of the latest tariff bill:
II the opening vista of higher wages
cheapened necessaries of life. larger
consumption at home and expand ing
markets abroad urder lower duties had
] but a single years experience to rest
upon, 1 should be very cautious in propa-
| esying as to the future.
But when it is remembered that like re-
| suits followed the law of 1916 in this
| country and crowded ON the heels of tariff
reduction in England, 1t is not claiming
| too muc;i to say that few months' ex
! pcrience has already jug titled the ar
| guments and predictions OF the tariff re-
| formers and laid, it lie Eoped forever, the
| spcctres of ruin and impoyerishment with
which the protectionists So long fright
| ened the American people
INDUSTRY Y NO LONGER FETTERED.
The country is beginning to see to-day
that there is 10 way to pr,,tect American
industry except by relieving it from burdens
upon the materials with which it works;
no way to insure good wages and steady
employment to h'nne labor except by freeing
it from the shackies which have confined
1t to glutted home market and prevented
it from seeking its customers all over the
| world.
1t is first OF all gratifying, therefore, tn
see the progress already made by our
manufacturers in reaching out for the
worlds markets. With temporarily dimin-
ished exports, chiefly in food products
in no way due to resent tariff legislation
we behold in single year an increas sing
volume of manufactured products sent
abroad.
This already appears in our exports of
agricultural machinery, building hard
ware, locomotive engines, and iron and
| steel goods generally; also in leather and
manufactures of leather, in pianos and or
gans, paper ma anufactures and many other
items OF the Treasury statement issued at
the close OF the fiscal year.
| WAGESANDM MARKETS BOTH GROWING
In all OF these industries the wages otIa Dor
have been increased. AS the daily pay of
the American artisan was already greater
than that of any competing la borer i'll any
other country. this growing foreign ma rket
for our manufactures is especially signifi-
cant.
There is no doubt that the iron and steel
| industry of the world is soon to find its chief
center in the United States We are con-
stantly strengthened in the belief that our
supply OF ores of all kinds is more exhaust
less, more cheaply mined, more cheaply
transported and more cheaply wrought into
finished products than the supply of any
other nation, and this must eventually
carry with 1T the manufacturing suprem-
acy of the world.
This means untold benefits to all our
Industries. Years ago it was truly saic by
a Republican Secretary OF the Treasury that
If all our manufacturing plants ran six
months at their full capacity they would
glut Onr home market. For the next half
OF the year there would necessarily be
slackened work or even idleness, with slack
ened employment and uncertain wages for
labor
The conquest of foreign markets now i'm
plies the ability to hold our own market
against all competing from without 1t
means broader and more stable basis
for ma anIfaclurers. which, in turn, carries
with it more work and more wages for the
operative nj more homo consumption for
tiG "Ao 10 iloo thc
burden OF maintaining industries to buy
from him.
In a word, the more self-supporting in
dustries we have the greater aud more
diffused is our general prosperity; the
more non-supporting industries We have
fed and maintained 10y taxation-the
smaller aud more lop-sided becomes that
prosperity.
WILSON BILL FoUNDATION.
The House tariff bill aimed to increase
largely the number of Industries that could
stand without bounties. Its foundation
was large free list of raw materials.
Fortunately the most important of these
remain in the tariff bill as finally enacted,
such as copper Ores salt, flax, hemp and
wool, to which in a more advanced stage
may be added sulphuric acid. the basis of
so many industries; cotton ties, sawed lum-
Der. binding twine, etc.
As to revenue. the operation of the new
tariff bill ought to be satisfactory to- its
promoters. The customs revenue under
the Mckinley bill fell from S229, 900 600
in 1890 to S131 ZOO, 900 in 1894 True,
the last year was one of widespread de
preston, and great allowance must be
The new bill began under the shadow of
that depression. Only of recent months
has there been a feeling of financial Sc
curity i'll the country at large, but the close
of the fiscal year saw an Improvement of
more than $50 ,G0o 900 in our customs
receipts, and the revenues for July and
August promise q still larger increase for
the present year.
REVENUE WILL BE ADEQUATE.
Indeed, the temporary insufficiency Of
revenue for present current expenditures
is to be found in the receipts from, internal
revenue and not in those from the tariff
moving and greatly reducing tariff taxes,
increased internal revenue taxes.
The shrinkage In internal revenue receipts,
notwithstanding the addition of 20 cents
gallon on whisky, it is believed by Treas
ury officials to b. a thing of the past, and
they confidently predict the rapid and per-
manAnt recovery of this item of our national
income. AS soon as that occurs there will
be no trouble about Trcasury receipts, and
if for awhile they enforce rigid economy
in public expenditures, so much the better
for the taxpayers and for the Government
In conclusion 1 will say that the tariff
reform, although wounded in the house
of its alleged friends, is triumphantly
justified By its results.
Those results are lightened taxes, cheaper
necessaries of life, quickened employ
ment and increased wages for la bor, widen.
ing markets and the promise of adequate
revenue.
The country has bid last farewell to
The day of ''mad" protec-
tion is over.