Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1897-03-26
The Tariff and Business.

been completed and has been report
ed and the country is fairly fumilia
with its contents. The Preside nj
has told us that an increase in the
tariff rates is all that is necessary to
restore prosperity ard tho country
now has definite idea of what it
may expect in the way of tariff legis,
lation. The time has arrived for
substansial results from Republican
campaign promises. "a Blue Week"
is the conspicuous headline over the
reports of the commercial agencies
IN morning paper. Brudstreet say s
there is an element of disturbance i'm
the approaching tariff fight, and that
there Is disappointment among manu-
factures of WOODEN goods, silks, cut
lery and other lines ut various tariff
schedules. Dunn says the volume
of business il smaller than Inst year.
We know that right here ut home
the week has been one of decided
encouragement on account OF the
sweeping cut in the forces of the
Norfolk and Western Railway.
Though the country knows what it
may expect from the present regime,
this knowledge has failed to give
business the stimulus promised by
the campaign spell binders.
The intelligent r'''a;:cc5c ;ndn knows
that lie can hope for but little benefit
from the Diugley measure, if it be
comes law, and TINT he must, un
less he is n special favoritc of the
powers that be, depend upon his
own energy and economy; TO win
success under adverse conditions
The Republicans aro not urging this
measure so much for protection Is
sake as for the alleged need of more
revenue. Confidence needs to be
restored aud adequate revenue to
meet the expenses of the govern
inent is all that il necessary to restore
confidence aid prosperity. The last
year of the Mckinley bill the revenue
of the government from custom du
ties was 1892, 00O,0 and tho VIII
son bill yielded last year Sl6O, 0O0,-
900 or S2S,OOO,C0O more tLan the
bill of 1899, Of which the Dincley
bill Is almost Ell exact counterpart
1t is readily seen that the man whose
business depends upon restoration
of confidence by adequate revenue,
is left hanging by very slender
thread. If there should be a strong
rope about, it is for the few who get
The protection resulting from practi-
cally prohibitive duties
But this not the end of the trouble.
Our foreign trade, and especially the
market for our agricultural products
Is threatened, France has already
increased the duty on nearly every
article imported from this country.
and this increase is practically pro
hibltive as to our pork, flour and
other provisions. A dispatch from
Washington says.
'The French government makes
no secret OF its motive in placing
prohibitive duties ubon the princi-
pal exports from the Unitel States
into that country. They expect that
the present Congress would largely
increased the duties on wines, silks,
woollens, gloves, and other articles
usually imported from France. They
are willing to take off the larger part
of oil of these duties, provided the
Uniied States make equivalent con.
cessions, but there is no authority
in the new tariff bill for any action.
The Frenchlnen simply laugh at the
reciprocity section which Mr.. Ding.
ley has reported"
Other nations will doubtless fol
low the lead of France, and then
where will the American farmer sell
his products With his foreign mar
ket gone. the protected manufactu
rer bleeding him from enormous prof.
its, and his debts increasing through
the operation of the single gold stan.
dard, four more years of Hannaism
and McKinleyism will find the agri.
culturists in pitable plight, and
when the farmer suffers very ele.
ment of the Industrial society must
finally feel the blight of disorder.
Even Dingley tariff rates cannot long
shield the manufactures from ineyi.
II