New-York tribune., 1895-02-11
4 MISLEADING COMPARISON
SECRETARY cARGLsi.Es DlsiNGENroUs STATE
MENT OF REVENUES UNDER THE
MKINLEY AND WILSON BILLS


MKINLEY AND WILSON BILLS
Washington Feb 10 specap.-secretary Carlisle
continues cheerful. not say blindly sanguine.
over the Treasury outlook. The comfortable
surplus cry continues to keep up his spirits. and
the latest bit Of Information he has issued an
nounces that the OF receipts by months
since last November, AZ compared with the corre-
spending months Of the las, fiscal year Is: December
g. OOO: January. s5so7ooo seven days of Febru-
airy. 81 0G0."
These figures relate to customs receipts alone,
and merely compare the customs receipts OF sixty
nine days under settled tariff law with those OF
an equal number OF days under law which was
doomed to destruction at any moment. During
December. January and February of ls93-9t mer-
chants were importing just as little as possible.
because they expected new tariff law 10 90 into
effect soon and reduce the rates OF duty on many
articles. 1t natural that the importations
should be light-as light possible. During the
corresponding sixty-nine days OF lSs4-95 new law
was in enect-one for which the importers had
long waited, and nader which they were bringing
In goods worth millions OF dollars. which had been
lying in warehouses for months awaiting entry.
When the woollen schedule OF the new law went
into effect on January l. there were III the bonded
warehouses wooen goods worth nearly $1,000 900
ready to be rushed In under the new law. and
more on the piers OF England ready for shipment.
The quantity In warehouses here awaiting entry,
when supplemented by the immense stocks from
abroad caused an unusual importation in this par
ruary. More than that, these statements do not
compare the full receipts Of the Treasury In the
last sixty-n!ne days with the full receipts in the
same period OF last year. Had they included the
these favorable sixty-nine days the receipts were
only about S,OW,0O0 greater than during the ex-
tremely unfavorable sixty nine days OF last year
The fact Is. also. that ,iuring the time under dis
cusslon the entire Treasury receipts from tariff
internal revenue and other sources fell Sl3 375 be
low the expenditures. In other words. during this
very period I'm which there Is SO much talk about
wonderful rece pts the new law running the
Treasury in debt at the rate OF over 500 900 day
and II II keeps on making surplus at this rate Il
will add just S3,cV0OO 10 the Indebtedness OF the
country In year and keep President Cleveland anC
Secretary Cafis.e busy issuing bonds and trying I,
explain 10 the country why comfortable surplus
continues to mean a disgraceful and increasing de
iciency.
Since the December and January operations of tn
much boastlng on the part of the Administration
II is interesting 10 see how the operations of tn,
law during It's first December and January compar,
with the operations OF the Mckinley law during IL
first December and January. Here the figure.
from the official records.
Wilson law December and January iS94-9O de
1cency. sll. .96s,S72
Mckinley Jaw December and January. lssO-sD sur
Plus. $2S.395,35l
THIS seems to be only fair rate of compa rlson
for 1t gives the Wilson law the advantage OF tn,
heavy receipts In January from woolens. for which
the importers had been holding back accumulation
OF good many months.
IL IL worth while to follow out this examination o
the receipt during December and January lltt
further Here are the receipts fer December an,
tariff OF 1893, four years under the Mckinley tarlf
and one year under the Wilson tariff: lSS9-9O re
ceipts GJ3 lSO9l S7 397; 1891 49, S7 s9 1893
1928 $1o7oOl3 1884 s,3soS65 ls9i-s $40 7053s