The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-19

is more certain than that " the bill had been
In force during the last three years the an
nuai deficit would have been immensely
swollen, while the people in a season of de-
preston and hard times would have stag
gered under much heavier burdens of taxa
uon. Even in this disastrous period Gus
toms duties under the existing law have m
creased from less than $132, 600 600. in
1894 the last year of the Mckinley bill to
even $152, ,0OO 600 in 1895 and to over Sl60.-
og0C00 in 1886. In the sugar schedule alone
about $55,G00 600. The customs revenue
reached nearly $40 COO 600, scarcely any of
which would have been receivable under the
Mckinley bill, and under that bill we would
nave been paying $4,000 600 in bounties.
NEED NO NEW TAXES.
With the accumulated moneys in the
treasury we really need no new imposition
OF taxes on the people to conduct US to suf-
hclent revenue or even a comfortable sur
pus if we will only invite back prosperity
by giving stability to business and reduce
expenditures by a few obvious reforms In
the postot1ce department alone a saving
OF from ten TO twenty millions annually can
be made by a few simple improvements in
the business organization of the department
and withdrawal of facilities which the
postal service was never intended to provide
and which force it TO do two-thirds of its
work for less than one-thirtieth of its in
come
But il = is deemed necessary to increase
the customs income Of the government by
conee, spices and crude opium will accom-
pEsh th2t result easily and surely with no
uPsettng OF business. no lessening Of our
growing and most promising export of man
ufactures, and with no added burdens On nro-
ducton, which always fall with enhanced
weight on the consumer. with no ranking
sense OF injustice among the people from the
Ieelng tnat the larger part Of the taxes they
pay are for the benefit, not Of their cavern
ment but Of the corporate and consoIidafed
wealth that invariably writes the sche5n1a-
OF a protective tariff
That the Dingley bill present condition
considered Is the most ultra protective tariff
ever proposed TO be enacted in this country
plainly appears from Chairman DfneIev's
statement that If levied on the importstinns
OF the last fiscal year it would have increas sad
the revenue SIP. COO. 900; that is to saw. il
%ou!9 s "a, nave nav gathered from an importation of
$"otZ4'264 OF imported merchandise the
enormous sum Of $272, ,000, 900, which is nearly
nifty millions more than any customs revenne
ever collected in one year in this country in
the past AND 10 say that its rates will
probably check dutiable imports to the ex-
tent of reducing the estimate to $40 00O 600 is
only another way Of saying that to that ex-
tent such rates are prohibitory
AMERICAN CONSUMERS ARE PREY.
American consumers are shut in the homo
market TO be preyed upon by combinations
and trusts, without possibility of relief from
outside competition. Such combinations, by
joining 20 keep up prices and to curtaiI pro-
ouetlon wage more merciless war against the
pensation of American labor than any posi-
bic competition from abroad could do
The falling of Of importations under the
present law dispels the allus.on that the
American lahorer IS anywhere deprived of en-
ployEent by the importation Of foreign prod
dcts. The gratifying increase in our ex-
ports OF manufactures is equally strong proof
that those laws are helping Us to enter and
command new markets, which means MT
only Larger employment for our artisans. but
more homo consumers for our farmers.
William L. Wilson.