Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-05-31
MANY INACCURACIES IN HIS TARIFF
BILL SPEECH.
USED TO BOLSTER UP MISTAKE
EXPORTS INCREASE MOST RAPIDLY
UNDER PROTECTION.
Correct Figures Plainly DisprOve Sem
atOr Vests Assertion to the Com
trary-ExampIes of How I'm
ports Have Grown In
der Wilson Bill.

Washington May 30.-(Special) II the
arguments which Democrats are to offer
| in opposition to the pending tariff bill in
| the senate are TO be gauged In their accu-
| racy or convincing power by that OF their
| chief spokesman, Senator Vest, which he
presented in his opening speech against
| the tariff bill, they will have little effect
| with members of the senate or with the
| country.
Senator Vest in his opening speech, at
tackled the protective theory, bringing for
ward as a chief argument against 1t the
| recent statement of the bureau OF statls-
tics and of free trade representatives gem
orally that the exports of manufactured
articles from the United States have in
creased more rapidly under the low tariff
| law now upon the statute books than they
did under the protective tariff. In support
of his statement he presented table, say
ing: II ask permission to insert q table,
! for the correctness of which l have the
highest official authority, showing the enor-
nous increase in the exports of our
metallic manufactures from the year 1886
| to 1896. the increase being conspicuous un-
der this derided Wilson law"
A comparison of the table as presented
by Senator Vest, with the official figures of
the Statistical Abstract of the United
States, a publication prepared by the bu-
reau of statistics under the direction of the
siNty-six statements which it contains, no
less than thirty are inaccurate, or at least
fail to correspond with the official publica-
tons of the statistical abstract. OF the
thirty-two statements which relate to the
exports of the year 1896 under the Wilson
law, only twelve correspond with the fig
ures of the 1896 issue of the statistical alb
stract.
While many of the discrepancies in the
statements of Senator Vests table are com
paratively small, they are of themselves
sufficient to cast doubt upon the accu-
raCy of the statements offered in so impor-
tant a subject as that under discussion by
the senate, while in a number of cases they
are so great as 70 foeG for TG pGr
poses. For instance: His statement OF the
value of cycles and parts" exported IN
1SyS puts the figures at s., lg6 900. while the
official figures of the statistical abstract
shows the exports of ''cycles and parts in
III NAV be remarked also in this connec-
tion that the large showing which the SEN
atoU is able to make for the totals OF ms
the preceding years referred to in the
table 1886 TO 1891 cycles and parts are
no5 classified under that head the manu-
faCture of this particular class OF artlclcS
having not assumed such proportions as 10
wcrrant a separate classihcation. hls
statement of the value of wire exported IN
1896 is 81. .78S 600. while the statement OF the
ste tistical abstract gives the amount as
81, SOC SS5, the gain made by Senator vest S
figures thus being Is per cent t, owe over staei tnG
manufactures exported is given at Si4,lO9.-
OOl while that of the statistical abstract
is $4l 160,SII.
of the value of exports in various years
and of various articles inaccurate, meas
ured by this official publication, but an
analysis of the official statements snow
that in nearly every case the percentage
of growth of expectation of manufactures
under the protective tariff law was more
ranid than under the Wilson law.
The following are few samples or the
growth of impOrtations under the Wlls0n
law, compared with the CROWN uhueF ltle
protective tariff:
Mowers and reapers-The expectation OF
mowers and reapers in the fiscal year 1891
under the Mckinley law is shown by the
1895 volume of the statistical abstract 10
have been So, ,261, So, ard in 1895, after two
years of the Wilson law. S'2l2, ~ or an
actual falling off. From 1891 to 1894 how
ever. under the Mckinley protective tar
ifT there was gain in exports OF mowers
ports for 1891 being Sl579,976, and those for
Piows and cultivators-The 1894 exports
of plows and cultivators amounted TO S95y'-
SS3 while from 1892 to 1893. single year.
under the Mckinley law, the increase OF
exports Of plows and cultivators was s246.-
655, thus being greater in one year under
the Mckinley law than in two years un-
der the Wilson law. 1t may be added that
the 1896 exports under the Wilson law are
protective tariff law.
All other agricultural implements-The
exportation in 1894 under the Mckinley
law amounted to 81 226,3O2, and in 1896. un-
der the Wilson law. TO S.211.74S. an actual
falling off again, while there had been n
steady gain under the protective tariff
from 1856 up to the enactment of the VIII
son law. the figures for 1894 being nearly
double those of 1885, which are shown by
Senator Vests table to be S757 200. Thus, it
appears that in the item. AL other agri-
cultural implements" the expectations
have doubled under protection, and fallen
off under the Wilson law.
Brass manufactures-The expectations
under the Mckinley law, in 1894, were $685.
427: those of 1896 were SS12.296, gain of
less than 10 per cent for the period of the
Wilson law. In 1891, the first year of the
Mckinley law, the exports of brass were
s296 $40 and in 1894 its last year, $S0S,427,
showing an increase of $50 per cent.
Carriages, cars and parts of-Accordtng
to Senator Vests table, the exports of car
riages and cars and parts thereof in 1895
were but a little over one-half of those in
1891, the first year under the Mckinley law,
his figures being in 1896 &,146.OO While
those for 1891 are S4,911,OO0.
Senator Vests list of articles might be
followed through to the very end with
similar results TO those indicated above.
In practically every case the official fig
ures show either a falling off in exports of
the articles, item by item under the Wilson
than was made under protective tariff laws
in preceding years. 1t is proper to add that
in all cases the figures quoted above relate
10 the fiscal years. both In the statements
made by Senator Vest and in the figures
quoted from the statistical abstract.