Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1897-10-02


WASHINGTON, d. c., Sept. %. 1897.
The farmers of the country will
have good reason to congratulate
themfelves upon the promptness with
which the Dingley law got upon the
statute books.
UnexampIed Promptness.
That it did become law more
promptly than any tariff measure
since Washington has been already
explained in this correspondence.
Canvass the history of all adminiStra-
tions and all tariff laws, and you will
find none since the original tariff act
which became a law so promptly after
the Inauguration of a new president.
Why the Farmer Should Rejoice.
But the purpose of the opening re-
marks as to the farmer was to call at
tentiOn to the raid which was made
on him in the closing days of the old
law, and the advantages which he
gained by the promptnesS of Republi-
can legislation which put a stop to
that paid.
Dodging the New Duty on Farm Products.
The chief ambition of the import
erS in the closing months of the Will
son 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
instance. The value of the live ami
mails imported in the month of July,
1897, amounted to 1924. 600. 900. while
in July, 1896, they amounted to only
so, 100000.
The cattle imported in July, 1897,
numbered p, 740, while in July. 1896,
they numbered only 3,O71. This was
the last chance of the importers to
gouge the farmers by rushing in MeXi-
can cattle at the low rates of the Will
nn6PrU1
bringing them in almost free of duty.
The number of sheep imported in
July, 1897, was 80, 9S4, against 4,O7S in
July of the preceding year.
The importations of raw cotton our
ing July, 1897, amounted to $685., 90S
pounds. against 1,764, 100 in July of
the proceeding year, this being due
doubtless to the expectation that the
duty on cotton which was placed in
the bill by the Senate would be re-
tanned by the Conference Committee.
The duty placed upon hides of
course stimulated the Importation of
this article during the closing days of
July. before the new law went into
effect. The total imports of hides,
other than fur skins. during the
month of July amounted to p 434, 1872
pounds, against 5000, 961 in the cor
responding month of 1896 The i'm
ports of hides during the entire seven
months of the calendar year amount
ed to $50, 55S, $50 pounds, against 49,
362, Al pounds in the corresponding
months of the preceding year.
The last shot that the wool import
erS and wool producers of foreign
countries could get at the American
farmer under the free-wool clause of
the Wilson law was shown in the i'm
ports of wool during July, 1897, being
over 23.OOO.OOO pounds, as against
5,45S,O00 in the corresponding month
of last year. For the seven months of
1897 ending with July the imports of
wool amounted to $4,000, 900 pounds,
as against 107 100000 pounds in the
corresponding months of the proceed
ing year.
The increase in the duty on vege-
table tibres, such as fax, hemp, etc,
stimulated the dealers in that class of
goods to unusual activity, the July
imports of this class amounting to
81 400, 900, against 5000, 600 of the cor
responding month of last year.
No Opportunity Neglected.
The importers neglected no oppor-
tunity in that closing month to either
put money in their own pocket or
take away from the Dingley law it's
earning capacity during its first few
months. The importation into the
United States in the month of July,
1897. amounted to S53.19O.4O1 of
which very large proportion was
made up of articles which could come
in at lower rates under the Wilson
law than under the Dingley law.
which they knew would go into opera
ton by the close of that month.
/ Free Raw Material
One special feature of the Wilson
| law was its effort to bring in free of
duty what is usually termed raw
material"-that is, materials in a
crude condition for use in manufacture
ing. The July, 1897, Importation of
this particular class of articles was
double that of July, 1896. while in the
seven months ending with j uly. 1897.
the increase in free raw material
amounted to 800. OOO. 900, or an increase
of over fifty per cent for the entire
seven months of the calendar year
1897.
1t will thus be seen that while