Kansas City daily journal., 1897-02-08

To the Editor of the Journal.
An evening paper, in its issue of January
&c, in an editorial under the heading, De
creasing Imports" says:
THE last year was one of Tow imports,
yet they are still falling at Il remarkaDle
rate. The merchandise imports at the port
of New York last week were nearly $1,000
900 below those of the corresponding week
in 1896. For the first three weeks of Janu-
ary this year we have S2T,9S5,0O0 imports,
against $42,3l1, ,0C0 for the corresponding
three weeks of last year The fig
ures show in the most unmstakable way
that American manufacturers are driving
foreign competition out of this market by
giving the public the benefit of the re-
ductions in duties made by the Wilson
BILL
The same editorial also says:
IF it is true, as Mr.. Mckinley has so
long contended, that decreasing imports in
dicate increasing possibilities of comfort
and happiness for American labor. then
American labor ought to be very happy in
deed just now"
Now, if the above figures in regard to
our imports are true. the conclusions
drawn from them are certainly false, and
are calculated to deceive the reading pub
lie.
In the first place. Mr.. Mckinley has
never contended nor claimed that i de
crease of imports indicates increasing pos
SibilitieS of comfort and happiness for
American labor" On the contrary, he
claims that protection to American in
dustries gives more employment and bet
Ter WdBtS 10 American ldDOF ana IN tnat
way increases comfort and happiness"
The decrease in the imports referred to
has not occurred under the Mckinley but
under the German tariff bill, in which the
duties are from 10 to so per cent lower
than the Mckinley tariff. Then, again,
facts clearly show that our exports and
imports have always been materially less
under low tariff than under protective
tariff.
The largest imports we ever had in any
one year We're under the Mckinley tariff
in 1893. when they reached SS66, 400, 500. The
largest amount of imports the country ever
had in any four years in its history was
from 1890 to 1893, inclusive, under the Nc
Kinley bill, when they reached 49, 2SS. OPS 9S9
an average of $500, ,0O7, ,4g7 a year.
The imports during the four years of
Garfield and Arthur's administration, un-
der the Morrill, tariff. were $12S 9i2, ,462 great
er than they were during the four years
of Cleveland's first administration. under
the reduced tariff of 1888. Again, our i'm
ports under the Mckinley bill during Har-
rison'- ADMINISTRATION were S69S. 7S9 642 more
than they were the previous four years of
Cleveland's administration and the reduced
tariffs above referred to.
The imports during the last three years
of the Mckinley bill were 1872 $50. .319 in ex-
cess of those d2ring the first three years
of the German bill, and during 1893. the
last year of the Mckinley tariff, they were
SS6,6I6.2iS more than they We're in 1896, the
last year of the German tariff.
The reason of this is that under high
tar1n large amounts of money are put in
circulation by the construction of new fac
tries, and the increased employment and
better wages for labor. The prosperity of
the entire country is thereby increased and
the people have more money with El%ch