The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-11-27
HOW CONGRESS- WILL FIND ITS
TARIFFLAW WORKING.

session Wnlcn Deglns on tne urst Nonuhy
of next month, will have no occasion to
regret their action In the enactment at
the recent session of the Dingley tariff
law The doleful predictions which We're
made by ths Democrats about the pros
| pectiye operations OF the Republican tariff
measure which was enacted at tho special
session few months ago are not being
realized. On the contrary the four
| months In which IL has been tested have
| proven that the Republicans made no
| mistake in their action with reference to
| this measure. Its earnings in the four
| months In which 10 has been In operation
are many millions in excess OF those of
the corresponding months in THE history
| of the Wilson law and are sufficient TO
fully justify the belief of the Republicans
| that IL will, when normal conditions are
resumed, prove ample in its qualities as
| a revenue producer and in its effect upon
| our commerce.
The receipts of tho treasury during the
| first four months of the operation of the
| law will amount, in round mum bers, to
| 500 000, 900, willis the Wilson law In its
| first four months earned about $50, 000-
| 600. When it is considered that the Will
son law had the benefit Of enormous i'm
| portations which had been held back in
| order to get tho advantage of the lower
tariff ratos which it gave, and that the
Dingley law labored under the disadvan-
tage or very small importations because
of the heavy shipments into the country
| prior TO its enactment, IL will be seen
that the operations Of tho new law in
dicate that II Is to be much more success
| ful as revenue producer than was the
Wilson law.
| The further fact that the receipts have
| steadily Increased ana that those OF No
| vember will be, in round numbers. $685.
| 600. 900 shows that. with the return 10
normal business conditions and the i'm
| portations which will follow the absorp-
tion OF the immense stock which was in
hand when the new law went into effect
| the Dingley schedules will, within a
| very short time. be producing all the
revenue that the government requires to
meet its current expenditures and a sur
| Plus TO put into the sinking fund, some
| thing which was not done in any period
of the Wilson law.
| The first November under the DfnRley
law produced s25, 600, 000 of revenue. while
| the first November under the Wilson law
| produced but $40, All, 403 of revenue.
| When il is considered that these satisfac-
tory earnings of the Dlngley law are pro-
| duced without any considerable receipts
| from sugar, wool. or many others Of the
| revenue producing articles with which
the country had been filled prior to the
enactment OF the law, IL will be seen that
when the present stocss OF those articles
are utilized and the importations resum-
ed. there will almost surely be an ample
revenue. The customs receipts from
sugar alone are expected to run 50. coo. 600
per month, and 1t is probable that the
importations of sugar will begin shortly
after the opening of the new year, while
importations of wcol aIa other articles o.
that character will also swell the receipts
materially.
Another very gratifying feature Of the
developments under the new law relates
to its effect upon our commerce with
other countries. The opponents OF the
bill asserted. IL will be remem bered, dur
ing It's discussion, that the adoption of a
protective tariff would disturb our trade
relations abroad and result in the exclu-
sion OF our goods from foreign countries.
rho fact that dozen or more of the
leading nations OF the world entered pro-
tests ia one form or another against the
bill while Ii was under consideration by
Congress was paraded as an evidence that
its enactment would injure our relations
with those countries and result In an
exclusion Of our products from other
ports. This prediction, however. has not
proven true. On the contrary. an examina-
tion of the records of our commerce since
the new law went into effect shows that
In the face of nearly every country thus
protesting our sales have increased under
the Dingley law instead of decreasing as
was predicted by the opponents OF that
measure, Austria-Hungary, which was one
of the first countries to offer protests
against the new law. has bought from us
nearly twice as much in the first two
months of is operations as she did In the
corresponding months Of last year. Bel
gium, which also entered protest against
the new law, bought over sil, 000. 900 worth
of our products In August and Septem-
Der under the Dlngley law, while she had
bought but little over IS, 600, 600
worth In August and September Of 1896,
under the Wilson law. France, which
also protested against certain feat
ures of the bin, bought S. 800. 63l In
value from us in September, 1895, under
the Wilson law, and took s14. ESQ 900 |
worth from us i'm tho same month of
1897 under the Dingley law.
Germany, whose protest was much |
talked Of when Its attention was brought |
10 the public, bought nearly s20. 600, 600 |
Of our goods in August and September |
OF 1897 under the Dingley law, while her |
purchases in August and Septemb ber,
1896 were only triio over sl5, 900, COO
Italy increased her purchases from us