The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1897-10-01

, on the promptness with which the Dingle
: law got upon the statute books.
UNExAMPLED PRoMPTNEss.
That 1t did become law more prompt
than any tariff measure since Washingto
has been already explained In this CORES
pondence. Canvass the history of all ad
ministrations and all tariff laws, and yo
will find none since the original tariff &C
which became law SO promptly after tn
Inauguration of new president.
WHY THE FARMER SHOULD REJOICE.
But the purpose of the opening remark
as to the farmer was to call attention TO IN,
raid which was made on him In the closin,
days of the old law, and the advantage
which he gained by the promptness of re-
publican Legislation which put stop to tina
raid.
DoDGING THE NEW DUTY ON FARM PROD.
Inc chief ambition Of the importers in
the closing months of the Wilson tariff
seems to have been to ''gouge" the farmer
out OF the last penny possible by rushing in
all the farm products they could rake and
scrape the world over.
Take the matter of live animals for in,
stance. The value of the live animals i'm
ported In the month of July, 1897, amount
ed to 1854, 100000. while in July, 1896,
they amounted to only $7S, 900, 600.
Inc cattle imported in July, 1897, num-
oered 27,740, while in July, 1896. they
numbered only 3,071. This was the last
chance of the importers to gouge the farm
ers by rushing in Mexican cattle at the low
rates OF the Wilson law, and by underyalu-
Ing them, bringing them in almost free of
duty.
The number of sheep imported in July,
1897, was S9,9S4, against 4,07s in July of
the preceding year.
Inc lmportations of raw cotton durne
July, 1897. amounted to 6.595, 9OS pounds,
against 1,764, 100 in July of the preceding
year, this being due doubtless to The expec
tation that the duty on cotton which was
placed in the bill by the senate would be re. |
tained by the conference committee.
The duty placed upon hides of course
simulated the importation of this article
during the closing days of July, before the
new law went into effect. The total i'm
ports of hides, other than fur skins, during
the month of July amounted to 21. 434. 1919
pounds against 9,2O9, 96l in the correspond
ng month of 1896. The imports of hides
turing the entire seven months of the calen-
lar year amounted to 15O.55S, 45O pounds,
against 1882, All pounds In the correspond
ng months of the preceding year.
The last shot that the wool importers and
WOOL producers of foreign countries could 1
et at the American farmer under the free
WOOL clause of the Wilson law was shown
the imports of wool during July, 1897,
eng over 23,000,00O pounds, as against
'4oS, 600 pounds In the corresponding month
last year. For the seven months of 1897 :
adlng with July the imports of wool
mounted to $4,000. 900 pounds, as against
1900, 600 pounds in the corresponding
onths of the preceding year.
Inc increase in the duty on vegetable
pres, such as fax, hemp, etc., stimulated
9 dealers In that class of goods to unusual
nvity, the July imports of this class
Mounting to S1,4O0,O00. against 5000, 600
the corresponding month of last year.
NO OPPORTUNITY NEGLECTED.
The importers neglected no opportunity
that closing month to either put money in
BIT own pocket or take away from the
ngley law Its earning capacity during its
1t few months. The importation into the NJ
ited States in the month Of July, 1897. isl
ounted to $53, 700, 4o7, of which a very 3
90 proportion was made up of articles tn
ich could come in at lower rates under to-
Wilson law than under the Dingley law.
lch they knew would go into operation
the close of that month.
FREE RAW MATERIAL
me special feature of the Wilson law was
effort to bring In free of duty what is
ally termed raw material"-that is,
erials In crude condition for use in
lufacturing. The July. 1897, importa-
- ~s.e PssAoSuioi GLASS vi dItiCltS was
Die that of July, 1896, while in the seven
this ending with July, 1897, the increase :
rec raw material amounted to SIS, OOO,-
or an increase of over fifty per cent for =
entire seven months of the calendar -
1897. ~
will thus be seen that while every in
u was "raided" by the importers in the
months of the Wilson law, the farmer
the greatest sufferer. That he is al I
feeling the benefit of the Dingley lndi
however, is shown by the general adj iect
In prices. Nearly every production ness
Q farm has increased in value, while Fam
has been as steadily falling in price. reg
latest farm product to hear from is cot SIN
eed and cotton seed meal, which have