The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-10-01
SHREWD CANADIANS.
UNDER THE WILSON LAW THEY ARE
KEEPING NEW ENGLAND POOR.

tionaIism of the Present Tariff.
To people who stay at home the per-
petual struggle between the advocates
Of "A protective tariff and revenue
tariff seems mere quarrel on matters
of theory. Those who travel, however,
realize that there is very little theory
TO it, but an immense amount OF the
hardest, coolest and sometimes the cru
elest fact imaginable.
A short time ago was down east and
saw how the present so called Wilson
tariff affected number Of prosperous
New England communities. Wages in
our New England states are about twice
what they are in Canada. The result is
tens of thousands of Canadians cross
the border in the spring. work hard,
live on the commonest fare and return
TO Canada in the autumn with hand
some amount Of money accumulated
here. The westerner who bewails the
Chinaman working hard ten years hne
and then going home with $500 in his
pocket does not seem to know that five
times as many British subjects from
Canada do the same thing every year.
Worse than this, their wives and chill
dren at home in British America attend
10 the farms and smuggle their produce
to their best market-this country--and,
escaping the customs duty, can under
sell onr home people. In the old days
the tariff prevented their produce cut
ting too deeply into the pockets OF our
own farmers, but since the so called
Wilson bill went into effect they have
had almost a monopoly Of the markets
in that section of our country. In pota-
toes, turnips, carrots, apples and other
farm produce they have half ruined the
farmers of Maine, New Hampshire,
Vermont and Massachusetts,. 1t is easily
seen how the Canadian farmers are en-
abled TO destroy the markets Of our own
people, and how the farmers Of New
England are being crushed between two
millstones, while the cunning Canadian,
by taking advantage of our tariff laws,
is Truly "spoiling the Egyptian. +"
II the whole country had been treated
in this manner, l would not bring up
the case, but all have not been dealt
with alike. Many of the Legislators who
were responsible for the Wilson bill as
it finally passed were southerners and
Democrats, and when the tariff was to
be levied OH an article of food the pro-
duction of which affords an income to
small number Of planters in South Car
olina they were careful to put the duty
Oh rice at higher rate.
Taking all things into consideration,
no more unjust legislation stands upon
our statute books. In the first place,
rice is tropical product and reaches its
best development in Siam, the French
East Indies and southern China There
IL is grown in enormous quantities and is
sold at cent pound with great profit.
It could be brought TO this country and
sold at cents a pound and would be
invaluable to the poorer-in fact. all
--classes rs an article of food. The cul-
ture of rice demands the lowest kind Of
labor 1t is sown in mud and cultivated
under water, and the laborer who at
tends TO its growth must spend large
part of his time in water up to his knees
under hot, blazing sun.
The rice growers of the far east are
about the lowest of the agricultural
classes. 1t is not natural to grow rice in
this country on account of the climate.
IL is un-American TO promote its culture,
because il means the degradation of the
people employed on it. Nevertheless our
present tariff law puts on it an almost
prohibitoIy tariff in order that handful
of southern planters may add to their
income by raising rice The Wilson bill,
which does this, brought heavy losses to
tons of thousands of the industrial classes
of the north and deliberately excepted
few hundred in small district on the
southern Atlantic coast. where the poor
est negroes toll for the most meager
livelihood.
Another illustration Of the inconsist-
enoy of the present tariff is afforded in
the case of tea, which was the chief ex-
port from my former consular district
in China. Five years ago and before
that time il sold out there wholesale
from 20 cents per pound upward and
was retailed in this country from 40
Ctuts per IOuuu upWhiu. ahVh 'h'io
camo fierce struggle in Asia for the
control Of the tea markets Of the world.
The British government ably assisted
its planters i'm Assam, India and Cey-
lon. Even the Dutch and French gov
ornmenis entered the field and are en-
doavoring 60 grow the fragrant leaf in
their oriental territories. On account Of
this competition rs well as on account
OF the fall in silver the price of tea
dropped 10 less than half what IL was.
Further than this, the competition
temptcd and induced many merchants
TO utilize tho cheapest refuse and even
the sweepings of the teahouses. The re-
spectacle merchants wanted our govern
nient 20 put "a tax Of 10, 10 or go cents
per pound ON all tea. This would shut
oUt the tea swccpings, which arc worth
only few cents pound, and bring to
US the best quality Of tea besides an in
crease in revenue Of at least $40. 600. 600
. year. II would not have raised the