New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-04-08
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CAPTURED
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washington. April when the Tariff law of
1890 was enacted the free-trade leaders in Con-
eress announced to the country and the world,
With some vehemence and considerable vocifer-
ousness as we'll with the utmost confidence,
that the Republican party mad raised the
chinese wall Of protection so high that not only
would foreign goods he excluded from the mar
kets Of the United States. but that natural
and inevitable consequence exports Of domestic
merchandise would be checked and reduced in
most alarming degree; and they drew weirdly
prophetic and wofully pathetic pictures in the
foreground of which seen empty ware
houses. ships rotting ct the wharves and de-
serted. grass-grown streets. Everybody in
formed that these true pictures Of the sea-
mort towns of the United States as they would
appear after the blight of the Tariff of 1890 had
fallen upon them
Almost exactly four years later of the lead
ers of this band Of prophetic and phosophic
statesmen turned up in London at a free-trade
pubhc dinner He was in high feather, and the
Spit O: prophecy was still upon him. He not
only Informed his enthusiastic English friends
and admirers that the tariff reforners'' Of the
United States had at last succeeded in making
q breach in the Chinese wall ~ protection s.
struc;ed inflow Of foreign goods and encourage
and increase exports Of domestic goods but he
warned the hearty ENglishmen 70 whom he spoke
that hereafter they must expect to encounter
sharp and active American competition in the
markets Of the world" He seemed - intimate
that the Engl.shmap was likely 10 find the
Yankee a pretty tough customer in this compe-
tit!on.
II Statesman Wilson. could find time to turn
from his enCrossinC and onerous labors as Post
master-Cieneral and examine the monthly sum-
mary Of imports and exports for January ca
documen, which is printed. but not now pub
Nshed) he would discover tc his establishment that
the American crusade 20 capture the markets OF
the worit" has not Yet begun-in fact, he would
find no indication that it ever will begin under
free-trade lea 1ership-but he would be gratied
TO discover that the free and unObstructed inflow
OF foreign goods through that breach in the
Chinese wall Of protection has not only begun.
but is rapidly increasing in force and Vo.uIne.
In other words. he was half right
According to the January summary. the I'M
ports during the seven months since July l. 1894
five Of which We're since the enactment OF IN"
Wilson Brce-Gorman law-amounted 20 $io''g9O,-
600 as compared with total IF S31lOooooo dur
ing the corresponding period OF lss5-94 ShouId
IL investigate the subject ne would also discover
that this increase has accrued since the preach
in the Chinese wall" BY looking at the ether
side Of the accOunt-the export side-StaiesInan
learn that whereas the total value Of the eX-
ports of domestic merchandise for the seven
months ended January 81, 1898 amounted -
$3.50 900 600 the total for the seven months cilcd
January 81 1895 amounted Il only $iA.WoOp.
and ne would probably admit that the American
army for the conquest - the ma HfiS OF lH
world" was moving in the wrong direction ana
at a rapid pace.
While Statesman Wilson ard HIS fellows We're
hall right in regard - the operation OF their
own law. they wholly wrong in regard to
The effect Of the act Of 1880 Under the operation
Of that law the totals both OF imports and eN-
norris not only reached the highest point ever
known in the history Of the country. but were
accompsnie by the highest degree Of prosperity
that the country had eyer known. That the
deadly blight that fell upon the country was
not caused by the operation II That law, but by
the restoration Of the Democratic party 10 power.
IS shown by the reports OF imports and exports
as well as in multitude u other WAYS. Fcr
example. assuming that the total value 81 the
exports Of domestic merchandise for 1881 was
100 the total for 1890. the last tuh year uili'r
III tariff # 1883 amounted 20 81; The total for
1902 amounted l. 10 that for 1893 = - and mat
for 1885, 20 50 At the present rate the ''tal Tor
1885. under the. new tariH. VIII amount 10
The total imports for 1880 amounted TO $50
900 900 in round figures The total for 1891 uhree
months under the tariff q 1888 and ninr months
~ 1902 - sS27 $50 O0o: FOR 1895 10 $SGG00Oo0o and
for 1874 % lniy SS54 100000. This last total OF
course was greatly affected by the l'oiH'.i ~
tariN-tinkcriug that was then going on as wei
&c hv .ha general commercial and Industrial De
~ra~cto, .rd e,agr3.ion flr which the party In
bower wls responsible as far as 4 p'hncaI party
cOa,d b. ,,o
rbn~e was 70 feature o. the act # 1890 more
fcrcoiy assailol than was the provision mat gave
the President authority - enter INTO r"cIpr,'IF
agreements with certain foreign countries anu me
MARI in p5wer took advantage # tn" first opp'F-
,unltv not only - repeal the provision. Du' 70 re-
nudiate eyistiug agreements without notice 10 me
n.bnr rarfics T. said agreements. Ana yet the
wisdom 4 nc reciprocity provision ana the com
rnerciaI va ilc II the reciprocity agreements Hae
hereunder are fully indicated ana disclosed py
NO renorfs Of exports For example. assuming
~ 80 valua Of the exports in 1891 II British
Guiana (for whose benefit reciprocity agreement
was made. which went into effect feoIuaIy l.
1892 70 be 100 the total for lSs- Was W. Wa" -,
is93 amounted 70 III and that fJr 1884 an )nted 10
i33Is With Venezuela no su'h agreement c"u no
be made and assuming the tothl foE Io9I - " w.
that for 1892 amounted 20 So' thai LOT 1922 -
ed m So and that for 1894 amounted 70 81 On inc
Same scale Of 100 for 1891 the total value o. ll' -
norris 70 cuba amounted - liS IN lS9z - I'' III
and 70 1866 in 1894. On the same assunpuoh 81 Nv
FOR 1891 the total value Of the exports ~ iy' -
pco amounted to 1873 In 1892 T. llJ in 1873 ana I'd
I32 IN 1904 on the same assumption me tC1 taiue
of the exports to san Domingo amouh'en - % III
1892 70 ll2 In 1893 and 70 la IN l89' .,t,
u toaa tbn total value Of the exports Of domestic
rnerchandlse from the United states 70 al c9un-
tries fell less than one point beio" thaI 81 i
In The former year the total for Germany "I''
n,b,cb ,berc was reciprocity agreement, amount
"a 20 AZ 2 that for France amounted 20 80 va
for the United Kingdom amounted 70 ~ lI'"' io
Italy amounted 20 S6G WIN Ihe las. ,,,,s,ocnts
tries there were no reciprocity arrans 49,,
whereas the total for Hrazil Cwhlcn tnJ'y@d ''e
benefits Of reciprocity amounted 70 80 ,,ooa c,ro-
II hardly seems necessary 10 n"r rcj,rnci,y y, as
na-ieons n show that. after all, rcciProcllE "1'
po, eYrb "a humbug" as II was 20 loudly aru No-
cifer,rsiv proclaimed 20 be by Statesman "iISo"
and his brother frec-trade"s In Congress-
Az 1.NNECEssARY DENIAL"
Washington. April 7-When the report sa o, :"
vaa II,