Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1896-05-06

(a) square yards. (b) pounds.
From this table it plainly appears
that for the year ending June 80, 1893.
while the Mckinley law was still in
force, our imports of dress goods were
81, 2s2, 1859 yards, while for the year fol
lowing they were only about half as
large. But it is only fair to ascribe
the smallness of the imports for the
year ending June 80, 1894, to the hold
ing back OF goods In anticipation of
lower duties under the new tariff bill.
It is, however. a perfectly fair COM
parison of the new tariff with the old
one to take the imports for the year
ending June 80. 1895, and put them
alongside those for the year ending
June 30, 1898, both periods being under
normal conditions. Reducing all our
wooden imports for the fiscal year 1895.
as stated in the above table, to yards
by estimating four square yards to the
pound, the total wooden imports for
that year would amount to about TO-
951, O6L square yards. The comparison
of cloths shows an importation of 49,,
917, oil pounds for the fiscal year 1895,
as against 1S,2O6,0O1 pounds for the
fiscal year 1893. This shows an in
crease in our imports of cloth under
the new tariff of 311 per cent. which,
as the Wool and Cotton Reporter says,
cannot be considered as rejecting on
the present tariff, because the imports
for 1892 Ia single year only were 81
per cent, and it must not be forgotten
that we were under the Mckinley tar
III then" In other words, the enor-
nous increase of imports of wooden
goods under the nsw tariff alleged by
the protectionist press is a pure fiction;
no such increase has taken place.
, The United States Investor, issued
by the same publisher and doubtless
speaking with the same special knowl
edge of the actual status OF our wooden
industry, sums up ITS actual present
condition as follows:
"The fact which stands out clearly
is this: So far as foreign competition is
concerned the wooden manufacturers
of the United States are at no greater
disadvantage now than they were
prior to 1896. Other things being
equal. if they could live then they can
live now. Have other things been
equal? This is too large a question to
discuss in this article. We take the
however. to briefly record our
opinion that the American manufac
turer is suffering acutely from general
trade conditions consequent upon tight
money, impaired national credit, and
the fear of future tariff changes"
This candid and honest treatment of
the situation of our wooden manufac
lures is just what might be expected
from writer who views it as matter
of manufacturing wool instead OF
campaign thunder. 1t
Is in strong and refreshing contrast to
the treatment of the subject by Sena-
tor John Sherman in his recent maya |
line contribution to the Mckinley cam
oaign, in which he coolly cites the fig |
Tres of wooden imports for the fiscal
year 1S94-though everybody knows
hat was ar abnormal year, when i'm
,ortations were suspended as far as
possible awaiting the change to lower
luties-and compares them with the
large importations which
followed in the fiscal year
1875. and asks his readers to note the
Inference as il it were fair criterion
# the working OF the two tariffs
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