The L'Anse sentinel., 1897-07-17
THOSE FOREIGN PROTESTS.
One Of Them Analysed and Found
to Be "Cold Bluff"
II Foreign Nations Have No Better
Arguments Against Our Tarin
Than This They Had Better
Say Nothing.

made upon tne penuihS tuiih piii "
foreign countries, will perhaps be in
terested in an analysis of one OF the
most rigorous of them made byeNperts
here. The special opportunities here
afforded for obtaining data bearing
upon the subject adds to the interest in
this analysis, by which the real value
of these foreign protests" may be
measured.
II the attacks which are being made
by representatives of foreign countries
upon the new tariff bill are to be egauged
in their accuracy or the reliability OF
their statements by that recently made
at Cincinnati by Editor Klett, of the Ar
gentine Republic, they will have very
little weight with the people of the
United States.
The attack in question was made in a
speech before the Cincinnati chamber
of commerce on Monday, June 2S. Mr..
Klett is quoted in the dispatches which
cover n portion of his remarks as "edi-
tor of the most prominent newspaper in
his country and specialist in wools,
hides and skins"
Mr.. Klett bewails the fact that the
United States is placing duty upon
the two principal products of his couE-
try which are exported to the United
States, viz, wool and hides, and adds
that 1--WE have over 1000, 900 sheepwhich
produce every year about 250,000,000
kilos of wool, and this article has al
ways been imported into the United
States free of duty, the same as we
have imported free of duty your ma
chinery and your petroleum"
To crowd into n single sentence as
many inaccuracies as this specialist in
woods, hides and skins" has here pre-
sented is, to say the least, an exercise
of capacity beyond that of the most
erratic member of his profession in the
United States. His statement that
their wool has always been imported
into this country free of duty is pro-
nounced absolutely inaccurate and mis-
leading by the most experienced and
careful treasury experts. ''Such state
ment," said one of the oldest treasury
officials, discussing the matter, "is GER
tainly grossly erroneous. l have been
following tariff laws and tariff opera
tions myself for many years and know
that during all the years have had to
do with tariff laws no class of wool has
been upon the free list until the enact
ment of the Wilson law. Certainly u
statement that any class of wool has
always been imported into the United
States freeof duty is far from being
curate."
An examination of the tariff laws
covering the period since the introduc-
tion of the protective system by the gov
crnment shows that a protective duty
has always been levied against foreign
woods until the enactment of the Will
son law.
Editor Kletts statement with refer.
ence to the commerce between the
United States and his own country is
equally misleading. In his remarks he
says: THE imports from the United
States to the Argentine Republic in
1896 amounted to $11,210,475, and the
exports from the Argentine Republic
to the United States amounted to So
401, ,362.' The official statement of the
treasury department covering the i'm
portations from Argentine into the
United States and the exports from the
United States to Argentine show that
the exports from the United States
to Argentine in tbe-fsca year 1896, in
stead of being $11,219,475, as stated by
Mr.. Klett, were $5,919,046, and instead
of the importations from Argentine be-
ing $6,401 1862, as stated by Mr.. Klett
they were So,313,3S5. This puts the
shoe entirely upon the other foot, show.
ing that the present balance of trade
is favorable to Argentine instead of be.
ing favorable to the United States, as
claimed by Mr. Klett.
Another of the numerous inaccura
cies of Mr.. klett's statements is with
reference to the admission to his owr
country of the products of the United
States, regarding which he says: ave
import free of duty your machinery
and your petroleum" An examination
of the Argentine tariff, revised for the
year 1896, as published by the inter
national customs tariff bureau at Brus
| sCiS, anu dSSCPtCu W 'hS ShitNu otatS.
treasury department as accurate
shows that instead of our machiner,
and petroleum being imported free into
Argentine the tariff rates of that coun
try on "machinery of all kinds of {
value of 100 pesos and more, and extr'
parts thereof" are ten per cent. aC
valorem; machines and materials fo1
public illumination and for public
waterworks and sewers" five per cent
ad valorem; on vehicles" so per cent
ad valoren, and on 'carts for convey
apce of cereals" ten per cent. az
valorem. Instead of petroleum being
imported free as stated by Mr.. Klett
this official publication shows that i
is dutiable at 1H centavos per litre
this is equivalent to over five cents
(silver) per gallon. These statement
relate to refined petroleum, only tn,
crude article being admitted free. Tn
only class of machinery admitted fire,
Is that used for agriculture. Edito
Klett's criticism upon our tariff j
looked upon as especially unique II