The San Francisco call., 1896-09-13
WHITE JUGGLBS FIGURES.

In his speech at San Jose Friday night
Senator White tried very hard to make
political capital out OF the decrease in
Government revenues during the last year
OF the Mckinley act and the increase in
the first year of the operation of the Viii
son law, but to those who are familiar
with the facts his effort only proves his
Willingness to conceal the truth behind
gross Misrepresentation. Deception and
evasion are the stock in trade of the
Bryanites, but they will find out to their
sorrow later on that the people are not
easily hoodwinked. The people are not
so stupid that they cannot reason from
cause to effect, and Senator White Delit-
ties their intelligence when he attempts to
play upon them.
1t is very true that customs fell off in
the last year of the Mckinley act, but the
only wonder is that they did not fall off q
great deal more, and had Senator White
wanted to enlighten his hearers he would
not have stopped at the assertion that
there was large shrinkage. OF course, he
knows the facts, but he distorted them by
inference so as to mislead the people.
Such methods are not cunning nor are
they reputable, and what is more the
effect of such tricks always return to
plague their inventor.
The truth of the matter is, importers re-
duced the volume and value of their i'm
portations of foreign manufactured ar
ticles to the minimum during the last year
of the Mckinley law because they knew
that the Wilson act would cut tariff duties
down to large amount, and it
would not have been wise in them to have
let the Wilson schedule catch them with
large stocks on hand when the new tariff
became operative, for their loss would be
equal to the difference between the duty
imposed by the two acts. The volume of
imports being reduced to the lowest pos
sibie point, of course customs revenue fell
off, for nothing was coming into the coun-
try to collect duties from.
When the Wilson bill became operative
it found but few imported goods and
wares on the market, and not only that.
but 1t found light stocks of American
manufacture because in anticipation of an
enormous inflow of foreign-made COM
modities so soon as the Wilson law be-
came effective our mills and factories had
been for months reducing production and
otherwise preparing to pull their fires and
suspend operations. That was the condi-
ton of our markets and industries. when
the Mckinley tariff schedule gave way to
the Wilson law.
So soon as the Wilson law superseded
the Mckinley act foreign-made goods and
wares began to come to this country in
larger volume than was ever before known.
The demand upon foreign industrial
plants was, as will be seen very readily.
not only to replenish our markets with
their own manufa ctures, which had be-
come bare because OF the suspension of
pending the beginning of the
operation of the Wilson act, but TO supply
the deficiency in our own manufacture
which was caused by our ind dustries being
forced to shut down owing TO their in
ability to compete with the low-wage in
dustries of Europe at prices which the
Wilson bill imposed upon them.
Foreign industries having monopoly
OF our markets after the withdrawal of the
protection which the Mckinley act af-
forced, together with depleted stocks OF
all kinds of homemade merchandise,
it was natural that not only should there
be great thrush of foreign made com
modities during the first year of the Will
son law, but that at even the very low Gus
toms tax which that law imposes there
should be large increase in customs col.
lections. AS soon as our markets were
loaded up with foreign merchandise, how
ever, the customs began 10 show large de-
fcits. The reason why customs receipts
fell OFF in the last year OF the Mckinley act
and increased in the first year of the Will
son act is very clear, and the people under
stand it very we'll, Senator Whites delib-
erately planned effort 10 mislead TO the
Notwithstanding.
Had Senator White intended to acuuaint
his hearers with the cause and the effect
of the shrinkage of customs during the
last year of the Mckinley act and their in
crease during the first year of the Wilson
act, he would have given as the cause the
facts we have outlined, and he would have
pointed to the idleness OF our industries
and the ldleness of our wage-earners as
the effect, but the Senator knows that
nothing would drive the people away from
Bryan so effectually as the presentation OF
the truth.