New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-03-25
TURN ON THE LIGHT.
AN ADMONITION NEEDED AT THE
TREASURY AND STATE DEPARTMENTS.
OFFICIAL RETURNS OF IMPORTS AND EXPORTS
WITHHELD FROM THE PUBLc-wHY IS 1T
DONE AND WHO Is REsPONSIBLEE

WITHHELD FROM THE PUBILc-wHY Is 1T
DONE AND WHO Is RESPONSIBLE?
IBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBuNEl
Washington March administration omcla'S
can see hey the ends of their noses ana VINO
! have the capacity to consider several matters al
! the same time with view to probable cohse
quences have at last begun to realize that some
things besides enormous importations Oh cheap
foreign goods at cheap Of duty are needed TO
/ produce a healthy condition OF the National nhahceS
and restore general business prosperity MS may
! or NAV not be the reason why certain oHicia'
understrappers are trying 10 hide from the couhus
/ many disagreeablc and vital facts whlch nave
! bearing on the existing situation Sucn facts nave
! neycr heen withheld before within the personal
| knowledge OF the writer, whose observation mas
! covered a period OF seventeen years Even wheh
/ the Democrats nearly dozen years ago. were
/ so vociferously demanding TO see the pooNs'
! the officials OF the Treasury department. anu '''
! State Department were furnishing to the country
with prompt regularity all the official Information
which came into their possession in regard 10 the
condition OF trade between the United states anu
! foreign countries There neither attenpl nor
apparent desire to conceal anything oh 'nc '
! trarv every reasonable effort seemed 10 DE- H"ue
to place the business men OF the country III pos
session Of the Information they needed ana 10
/ L., all tho pconlc know what going on.
| Now the contrary il true. by various on'cial sun
terfuces evasions and shftinSs oil reSpo'''.o''''S
the people of the country are prevented from N"o"
ING what they have a right 10 know ABOUT 'he
| business of the country. Does an inquirer VINO mas
a right to ask desire to ascertain any ra'' !" r,"
tion to the condition OF the gold reserve or the
progress that has been made In the carrying OUT
Of the contrac, between the Secretary OF the IrcaS
ury and tho syndicate Of money-encers' ne ~ r.
ferroi 70 a fat-wltted Assistant Secretary. whose
Ignorance OF financial subjects - on par VII" no
knowledge of what constitutes official good man
nors. IN official who somehow succeeds In recalling
the fable OF the frog and the OK Does the "i"'ie,
desire to obtain the official figures o. imports anu
cyports for January and February of this year ana
/ amy 10 the Chief OF the Bureau or STATISTICS
vbosa luty IL IS 10 furnish that mformaton-infor-
NATHAN which has hitherto never been wthheld-he
IS coirteously Informed that II cannot ne hd'i W.
cause according TO the dictum OF Public frhter
BENEDICT a rev law of which h. claims 10 ne the
sole oNpo:tor does not allow the Secretary OF IN"
Treasury 20 have more than 1"" copies OF 'nN
monthly summary printed. \ Tribune correspond
ent has been trying FOR week to obtain copy
Of this monthly summary FOR January and mas NOT
been a bile to do so HE credib!y Informed that OF
the 100 copies printed the free-trade 'hici oil the
uuro,u ~ statistics has several hundred copies In
his ,.osscss,on and he also knows that number OF
Official, in Washington 10 whom 1t was sara copies
had been sent had not received them as 1a'e AZ
yesterday afternoon. although the document WAS
printed and ready Tor delivery nearly ior'h'H"'
ARC An offer TO purchase the document. az oth'r
omcial publications may be bought was refused
for some red-,ape reason. The experience Of The
hume correspondent In regard 70 ms matter mas
hv no means been exceptional In on" case a cor
RESPONDENT 81 one Of the leading Republican news
rapors NJ tho country was denied even the poor
privilege, ~ inspc.,lnG this public document in the
T,,r.,u 81 Statistics. This Of course was not only
tho denial Of legal right. hut a hagran official
outrage
II should 10 added that the virtual suppression
~ This important in fact almost Indispensable
ft- no
failure OF Congress to make an adcq"at" appro1Fi"-
uon o. piy FOR tho printing and distribution Of H.
because tho usual sum was appropriated. not only
f,- ne current ycar. but also FOR tho next fiscal
year ard set thc work is stopped IN the mtddl" ~
the current rsc1l year II Public Printer BENEDICT
has Arbitrarily 20, down the number OF copies from
irp 20 Iorp aS alleged. no. has been guilty ~ |
violation u law to which tho Secretary Of the
Treasury is not bound 90 submit He can readily |
and easily defeat Mr. Hencdict's game II he chooses
20 SO 90.
Turning from tho Treasury department 20 the |
STATE Department, which also has "A Bureau OF Sta
ttsii,- chat tho past has been ~ great h"neht 10
tae ror0n"r d interests ~ The United states what
docs orc nuI@ Ncll or" thing that D." does not !
md IN ~. advance sheets ~ the monthly report |
Cor Arru 49, which we're .ssued yesterday. IL a |
statement OF the declared exports from the United
kingdom 20 thc United states FOR tho quarter ended
December 81. i'a' although %" wi! md such state
mcnts from every other country in Europe. For the
United kingdom hc viii nnd only the statement FOR
tho quarter ended Sep,embor %. 1885, statement
siS months oh
AM then u the innuir,r l1oks backward he VIII
nnI in the report for September 1894, statement
Of The declared exports from ;he United Kingdom
90 ID. United states Tor the quarter ended June 80,
l,,i statement only three months old. Is It
more reasonable % infer that Couslil-Generd Pat"
Collins was more Industrious. dig~ut and prompt
IN July 1876 thtu BE- was In October. November
-al December u .h" same year and In January
son pe-haps because De- has received "a ZIP" from
an ofhc.h sapefior-h be hns Withheld his report all
rhe-- months iu order that nobody may hay" an
exportt from Inc tinted KINGDOM to The United
Sit drinr ,hc ms, ns,ai Guar:cr 1nder the new
'rr unicr he ARM or iN.c iierc s. have the
Germany Italy and other European countries. in
cudmg even Russia ana n1lhinE Thnt eker rom
-. lasi. when The NV Hrn had been III operation
The facts recIttd 80 not abrom,cy prove. but they
cncc that the Administration has taken the alarm
Sd heCV d%trcas ~ c%portS and is dcl6.r9eiy
trying Co prevent. a. far a. practicable" the facts
cefn,d in EnSwine the truth. Either that or else
Ad,nnIs,raon oicLas are gully Of Fro, So. " ,,,
the ostrich tactics OF the Administration in regard
TO this matter viii eventually be- exposed. but In
the mean tme good deal Of mischief Will be done
,ras' 6'i@cen tn action aal The p2;y Of hs :. A.
minisiratOn In regard to the publication 81 piachl |
returns OF imports and exports IL furnished by the
simple fact that the British published returns Tor |
January and February. 1895. have already been re-
crivci I'm Wnshington whereas the lat st accessible
United States official return - that for December
1885, II Is 4 surprising fact. II IL be a TACT as |
appears 10 b. exceedingly probable that the Ad- |
ninstration H. trying to postpone ana suppress as
long practicable official reports when show the
extremely unfiVorablr condition OF the foreign trade
OF the United states condition daily growing |
worse ami threatening to become actually des-
perate.
In the last six months and twenty days there has
been steady and rapid Increase. amounting 10
millions Of dollars eyery month. IN the inporta-
lions Of foreign goods which come into direct com
petition with American goods In the markets or
the United states. and m the same period there
has been steady and rapid decrcaS" IN the "N-
ports 10 foreign countries. The total value OF for
rign merchandise imported during the fiscal year |
ended June 30 s9i under the tariff OF 1870 amounted
10 1ji99iG62. OF which SCI? 1896 came In free OF