Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1897-05-13
Do NOT COMPLAIN
BECAUSE PROSPERITY HAS NOT
BEGUN BEFORE POSSIBLE.
The Reasons Why Busin ess Has Not Re-
yived More Rapidly-Interesting In
terview with Senator Cu,iom on the
washington correspondence

apparently Suhic pcoplc III tic Oultcu
States who are impressed with the cry
which the Democrats are raising that
"the promised prosperity has not
come" 1t seems difficult to understand
why anybody could expect the business
improvement promised by legislation
to occur before the legislation is had,
but they evidently do, judging from
the reports reaching here.
Reports reaching here indicate a dis
position or the part of some persons to
Join in the complaint which the DEM
ocrats are fostering by these meaning
less and absurd statements.
Il can o think it true, however,"
said Senator Cullom of Illinois, talk
ing on this subject, that the people
as a class have any such thought. 1t
is to be expected of course that those
who are opposed to the Republic II
party politically. especially those who
are willing to make any sort of trouble
FOR political effect, would put afloat and
encourage suggestions of this sort. But
I can not believe that the thinking
people, who know that it is impossible
to enact a tariff law in o single month,
making the complaint which the ews
papers and politicians ARE charging
them with"
you do not think il reasonable,
then, TO expect prosperity and business
activity until some legislation is had?"
SsNo4 ~ apvy oopcidarobIo dauraa nf
course the result of the election last
fall showed to the country that the
stability OF our currency system is not
to be destroyed. But the same vote
which gave confidence to the business
public as regards further destruction
of our business conditions showed
them that a restoration OF the pros
perity which existed under q protective
tariff could not be accomplished with,
out legislation"
"By the term legislation, you refer
, or course to the tariff BILL
Eyes. That is at least the first step
in legislation promised, ana the first
| step necessary to restore business ac-
| tiyity.''
'The mere promise that such legis-
lation is TO be had you do not con-
slider sufficient to start the factories,
them"
mo. On the contrary, in many
cases, the knowledge that such legis-
lation is TO be had reduces the amount
of work they are able to perform IN
til the proposed law is actually upon
the statute books. In not a few cases
the effect will be felt still longer, for
wherever an importer sees that rates
of duty are likely to be increased on q
given class of articles he is rushing
those articles into the country in en-
ormous quantities. The result is that
the manufacturers are not only unable
to determine what they can do in
| prices until they know what the new
tariff law is to actually be when II Is
placed upon the statute books, but
they also know that the country is be-
ing flooded with an unusual quantity
Of goods at the lower rates."
THE result, then, upon the manu-
facturer must be to reduce his business
activity rather than increase it for the
present."
Certainly. This has always been
the effect to a greater or less extent OF
tariff legislation. Everybody familiar
with the history of our former tariff
bills will remember that the mere fact
that changes were about to be made in
the tariff law was OF itself sufficient to
compel a temporary suspension of man.
~ufacturing, or at least to so disarrange
prices and the possibility of making
contracts that business was to a great
extent suspended among that class of
citizens. This is especially true when
a tariff is TO be changed from a lower
to a higher rate, for not only is
there uncertainty On the part of the
manufacturer as to what his prices
must be in the future. but there Is a
certainty in his mind that the country
is being filled with cheap foreign goods
at the old tariff rates which will be
peddleG out in competition with him
Tor many months"
st is a fact, then. Is Il. that very
large quantities of foreign goods are
now being brought in and are likely to
continue TO compete with our own
manufacturers for many months YETI"
Certainly. Anybody who will take
the trouble to examine the customs col
~lections nov being made at New York
and other ports will see that at a
glance. From the day congress met
and began consideration of the tariff
bill the receipts from customs increased
enormously, doubled. and sometimes
trebled. This means that the Quanti-
ty of dutiable goods being brought in
now and for many weeks past is more
than double the ordinary importations
for the same length of time. In addi-
ton to this IN quantities Of
goods now on the free list. but likely
to be transferred TO the dutiable list,
are being brought In, but not indicated
in the increase in customs receipts. So
when you take these facts into consid-
| GRAFTON. any of us can with a moments
thought, that the manufacturers ear
not make contracts to go o with their
| manufacturing enterprises until they