Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1899-04-24
COMPARATIVE REVENUE
FIGURES.

This is a favorable time for calling
| attention TO some comparative figures
en- customs receips which shall be so
effective in showing how handsomely
the Dingley Tariff is doing it's work
that not peg will be left on which the
Free Traders may hang their pet
theories.
January and February Of this year
make marvellous records in customs
receips. No FreeTrade grumbler
about the Dingley law has been able
to meet the showing of those months
with any explanation of his former
claims that the Protective Tariff law
s'is not producing sufficient revenue"
March excels all previous records.
Although the figures are not yet COM
pleted, the returns up to this time,
and estimates based on the results
thus far during the month, Indicate
that the customs receipts for March
will be more than 500, 100000. While,
as is well known, March is generally
the month of neutrality-suspicious., and
consequently larger customs receipts,
some facts should be adverted to in
connection with the record of the
month just closing, being worthy of
special notice as proving many things
in connection with the customs rev
enue under the present Protective
Tariff law.
First, it should be noted that, with
the exception of March, 1897, when
the customs houses were crowded
with foreign goods imported with an
ticipation of the increased rates OF
duty under the then pending Dingley
Tariff. the month of March now clos
ing shows the greatest volume OF GUS
toms revenue received during any
corresponding month since 1890, or
just before the Mckinley Tariff was
passed. The steady rise in the volume
of customs receipts during the past
few months is proof conclusive that
under the protective system the
largest volume of revenues is to be
obtained. Some quotations from the
records will bear out this assertion.
Just previous to the passage Of the
Mckinley law, Or in the months OF
1889 and down to October, 1890, the
volume Of customs revenues was ex-
cessive It was one of the declared OBJ
iects of the trainers of the Mckinley
law not only to equalize customs rev.
enue on Protection line, but also to
reduce the volume Of revenues. This
result was achieved in large measures
by the removal Of the customs duties
on sugar. During the years previous
to the changes in the customs laws
effected by the Dingley Tariff, the Gus
toms receipts ranged from $15, 900 900
to $40, 900, 900 month. In March, 1889
a year before the Mckinley law was
adopted, the receipt from customs
aggregated $19, iii 900. In March, 1890,
the receipts from this source were
$40, 800, 600. During the remainder Of
that year, up TO October, the month
in which the Mckinley law went into
effect, the receipts increased to $685.
900, 900 in July, mainly on account of
anticipatory importations Of wool and
other goods on which it was expected
the Mckinley law would increa Sc
rates of duty From the date of the
passage of the Mckinley law down
during the years of1891, 1892 and 1898,
the monthly receipts from customs
ranged from $14, 600, 900 to $21, 900 900.
n9 fhnCn
years did the receipts from customs
rise above 100000, except in 1898,
when the receipts for March in that
year were SIS, 100000.
Then came the Wilson German
''Tariff reform act," concocted by the
Free Traders under the leadership of
Mr.. Cleveland, assisted by Chairman
Wilson in the House, with the finish
ing touches placed on the bill by Mr..
German and his colleagues in the
Senate. The law was passed in 1894.
During no month of it's existence in
1894, 1895 and 1896 did the Free Trade
law produce more than 81, 100000 in
customs revenues. The March Gus
toms receipts in 1895 we're $14 ,929, 900,
and in March, 1896, the customs re-
ceipts were $13, 344 600, showing de-
cline in one year, instead of an in
crease, in the receipts from customs
sources. Although business condi-
tions had improved somewhat after
the depression of 1898 and 1894, the
second full year of the life of the Will
son act, being the year 1896, showed
no months receipts from customs
above $4,000, 900 except January of
that year, when the excess of those
figures was but $3.50, 900. The average
monthly receipts from customs dIlr-