The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-17
TRADE AND THE TARIFF.

The Examiner of yesterday, following the
policy of the tariff thinkers in claiming that
the revival of trade and industry is due to
the Wilson bill, says among other things
of the same import: s'It has been conclu-
sively proved that wages do not depend
upon duties, and although many formerly
dutiable products have been put upon the
free list, not a single American industry
has been destroyed. The predicted flood
of cheap foreign goods has not come-on
the contrary, our difficulty has been the
same from which we suffered in 1857;
namely, that an increase in imports has
not been sufficient to give the Government
as much revenue as it needs"
If these things have been co1clusively
proven, the Examiner can achieve the
greatest SCOOP on record by publishing the
proof. No evidence that even tends to
such conclusions has yet been made pub
lie. Certainly no American industry has
been literally destroyed, but many of them
have been crippled, and not few have
been rendered too improbable to be car
ried on. 1t is true we are not deriving
revenues sufficient to meet the expenses OF
the Government, but this is not because
no foreign goods are coming into the
market, but because they either pay no
duties at all, or such low duties that the
revenues derived from them are inadequate
to the needs of the treasury.
A short time ago the Home Market Club
Bulletin sent out inquiries to the textile
manufacturers OF the country concerning
the conditions of that industry, and
answers received from nearly 500 of them
show they are now running only 95 per
cent of the machinery. employing 81 per
cent of the help, and paying 81 per cent of
the wages of April, 1893. In other words
their trade is actually less than it was two
years ago, when by tine ordinary growth
of population, commerce and wealth it
should naturally be considerably greater.
While our own manufactures are thus
depressed below the conditions prevailing
two years ago, there is a sound of rejoic-
ing in England. At the recent annual
meeting of the Chambers of Commerce of
the United Kingdom, Sir Albert Rollet,
president, is quoted as saying in his open
ing address on the business situation:
American tariff reform so far stimu-
lated our export of cotton goods as to have
doubled their value in February as against
January, to have increased the quantity
from eleven to eighteen million yards dur
ing 1895, as against the corresponding
period of 1894, and to have made this years
shipments exceed those OF two years ago
in both quantity. and value. Similarly
there have been larger linen shipments to
the States for both the last month and the
two months of the present year, while in
woolens' the advance in values has been
three times and in worsteds four times
more than in 1894. and in quantity quite
400 per cent. So, too, the same beneficial
influence has made itself felt in great in
creases during both the month and year,
and in both quantity and values of our
consignments to America of cutlery, rails
and iron and steel goods generally, and
more especially of. tin plates, and also in
earthenware and china, and, to the extent
of 600 per cent in shipments of raw WOOL"
The contrast between the statements of
our textile manufacturers and those of the
British Chambers of Commerce is striking,
but there is no proof in it of any benefit of
the Wilson tariff to us. Industry is I'M
doubtedly reviving, but it is reviving in
the face of obstacles as result of Ameri-
can energy and determination. Not by
any process of specious pleading or artifice
of argument can the American people be
deluded into the belief that the present
tariff is adequate either for protection or
revenue, and the free-traders might as
well abandon the attempt.