The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1897-12-01

Washington, ID. c.. Nov. 30. 1897.

MIR. Hugh J. O'Brien, one OF the secre-
taries of the British legation, has
furnished most valuable and certainly
not voluntary evidence of the results OF
protection. This evidence is in shape
of report prepared by Mr.. OBrien on
the American tin-plate industry, sent
TO his government by the British minis.
ter, (see miscellaneous series No. 1876
foreign office, 1879 Mr. O'Brien says
that prior To 1890 the United States
market was wholly supplied with tim
plate by South Wales The Mckinley
law placed duty of 2.10 cents per
pound on all tin and terne plate, and
the result was that in 1892 the produc-
ton was 10, OOO, 900, in 1898 it was 3d..
OOO, 600 and in 1894 it was l39, 600, 900.
80
The civil service commission was, TO
say the least, unfortunate in its selec-
ton of a field agent called for by the
commissioner of internal revenue. The
duties of the field agent are to stop
illicit distilling and three names were
gated the past history of the men select
ed, and found that one was drunkard,
another a defaulter, and the third a
cripple unable TO perform the duties OF
the office. This is commentary on
the beauties of civil service reform, es-
pecially the civil service commission.
~
Our exports of sewing machines aver
age at least So, 800, 900 year. Last
year they rose to over $3,000,O 900, the
trade showing gain even in such COM
petitive markets as England, Germany,
and France. Great Britain has been
our chief customer, having paid us
$25, OOO, 900 for sewing machines in the
last thirty years. Germany comes next
with 81 6, 600, 600; then Australia, Mexico,
France, Columbia, Brazil, Cuba, etc,
in order. In all we export about
$50, 600 machines year.
~
Congress, when it meets in its regular
session next week, will have no Occa-
sion to regret its action in the special
session by which 1t placed the Dingley
tariff law upon the statute books. The
doleful prediction made by the demo.
Gratis about the prospective operations
of the republican tariff measure, which
was enacted at the special session few
months ago, are not being realized. On
the contrary, the four months in which
it had 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
il has been in operation are many mil
lions in excess of those OF the CORE
spending months in the history of the
Wilson law and are sufficient to fully
Justify the belief of the republicans that
it will, when normal conditions are re-
sumed, prove ample in its qualities as a
revenue producer and in its effect upon
our commerce. The receipts of the
| treasury during the first four months
of the law will amount in round num-
| bers to 500, 900, 900, while the Wilson law
earned about $S3, 100000. When it is
| considered that the Wilson law had the
| benefit of enormous importations which
had been held back in order to get the
advantage of the lower tariff rates
which it gave, and that the Dingley law
labored under the disadvantage of very
small importations because of the heavy
shipments into this country prior to its
enactment, it will be seen that the oper-
atoms of the new law indicate that it
| is to be much more successful as rev.
enue producer than was the Wilson
law The further fact that the receipts
have steadily increased, and that those
of November will be, in round
numb ers, S25, 900, 900, shows that the
return to normal business con-
ditions, and the importations which
will follow the absorption of the i'm.
mense stock which was on hand when
the new law went into effect, will
insure that the measure will, within q
very short time, be producing all the
revenue that the government requires
to meet its current expenditures, and a
surplus TO put into the sinking fund,
something which was not done in any
period of the Wilson law.
80
One curious development since the
new tariff law went into effect and one
in which the members of congress,
when they come together for the reg
ular session, will be interested, is the
| increase in expectations to those
countries which offered protests against
the Dingley tariff bill, and which, it
was claimed, would exclude American
products unless the tariff bill should
be shaped to suit their wishes. There
were thirteen nations which offered
formal protests against the tariff bill,
probably larger number than ever
before. Curiously, an examination of
the records of our commerce since the
the law went into effect shows that in
the face of the protests, to 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.