The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1896-06-27
5UooLINo WITH STATISTICS.
Republican Organs D0ctoring Facts "a
Suit Their Own Purposes.

JUGGLING WITH STATISTICS.
Republican Organs Doctoring Facts 70
suit Their Own Purposes.
We noted recently several instances
Of the confusing effect OF Mckinley
worship on the mathematical faculties.
In the case of the New York Tribune
the same elect appears, coupled with
an atrophy Of that moral sense which
nbhors untruth or the semblance Of It.
Rebuking Gen. clarkson for having
said that Mckinley is the champion Of
anextreme. ultra high protective tariff,
It says that "it Is an astonishing blum
der for arepuhlican to speak of that act
(1s90l as nj of extreme protection
It then proceeds to show. in its own
peculiar way, that all former republic
can tariffs were higher. 1t says that
the Mckinley act produced duties
from 1929 that averaged 21.66 e
cent, while the act Of 1883, during its.
first three years, averaged 30.5S per
cent, and ~thehverage under the law in
force from 1869 to 1871 was ABA per
cent.
Waving the slight inaccuracies in
these percentages, which appear on ex-
animation of the treasury reports-for
no prudent person win accept the fig
ures given by these arithmetical bung-
lers and tricksters without investiga-
tion-the trick that the Tribune is
capable of descending to to score a
point lies in its taking the average of
the percentages of duty computed on
all the imports, whether they are duti-
able or on the free list. This is a very
transparent fraud, this computation of
duties on imports that pay no duty, in
order to cast discredit on former repub-
lean tariffs and make a better showing
for what it termed, when first enacted,
"the best and bravest tariff eyer enact
ed" The difference between this and
the showing made by calculating the
rate on the goods on which taxes were
laid shows that Clarkson was right, and
the Tribune is not only wrong, but is
easily convicted of stupid evasion.
The real question is what was the
average rate or taxes paid on the duti-
able goods imported. Taking the same
tables for the same period we find that
the average for the years 1s69-71 was
46.0S per cent, for 1ss4-6 ABA per cent.
and for 1924 (McKinley's) It was 4o.12
per cent. What it would have been had
1t lasted longer its rate of progression
gives some indication. The average
was 4s.71 per cent. in 1892, 1888 per
cent in 1893, and 50.06 in it's last
year. This change came from the grad
ual change of policy as the republican
party grew more and more radical.
The first tariffs were laid for revenue
as we'll as protective purpose. They
covered articles not produced here as
well as those that were. Hence in 1869
Il the imports paying no taxes were
only about 6 per cent of all. BY the
time the r of McKinleyism had ar
rived the party had reached the policy
of putting ON the free list everything
not produced here, and taxing highly
everything like that which was. This
made the free imports, chiefly sugar,
tea and coffee, in the Mckinley period,
SO per cent. Of all.
Here we have the solution of that
steady decrease that cnt the customs
revenues from $780, $40, 037 in 1890, be-
fore McKinley's act went into effect, to
1929, 55s,S92 in its last year. Putting
revenue producers, such as raw sugar.,
on the free list depleted the revenue,
while the inordinate taxation of COM
peting goods decreased their consump-
ton and consequent importation, and
thus reduced revenue. 1t is this policy
that it is proposed to restore if a ma
jority Of the voters are silly enough to
consent. But what shall be thought of
q paper and a candidate of that paper,
when such methods are used Il bolster
up his candidacy and his cause.-St.
Paul Globe.