The Seattle Republican., 1900-07-13

IU1 dL GAlId ScSSIOu VI COuSICoo W do
semble March Is, 1897. The brief
message sent to congress, when it
convened on that day, clearly dem
onstrated the urgent necessity for
prompt action.
The house Of representatives
promptly responded to the presi-
dents message. On the same day in
(which it was read in the house, the
late Mr.. Dingley, of Maine, chairman
of the committee on ways and means,
introduced the new tariff bill. Such
unusual expedition had been made
possible only by the untiring work of
the members of the committee on
ways and means for several moths
previous.
The bill was passed in the house Of
representatives March 81, 1897, less
than month after the Inauguration
Of President Mckinley and two
weeks after congress had convened
inextra session. 1t passed the senate
July Z, 1897, with amendments. Two
days later its consideration was begun
| by a,conference committee of the two
houses, and it finally passed the
house July 10Th and the senate July
l24th.
1t became law on the latter day,
when the president signed the bill.
Thus within five months (no other
tariff law was ever passed in so short
a tIme) after the Inauguration Of the
president new tariff law was placed
on the statute books. Under its
beneticent influences, the United
States has enjoyed commercial and
lndustrla revival the greatest in its
history. The hopes of the president,
as expressed in his message, have
been realized; ample revenues were
provided for the ordinary expenses Of
the government, and in providing
them, duties were levied upon foreign
products so as to preserve the home
markets; manufactures have revived
and increased; agriculture has been
relieved and encouraged; domestic
and foreign commerce have been in
creased; mining and building have
been aided and developed, and more
liberal wages have been paid to labor.
Under the operation of the Wilson
act, from September 1, 1894, to July
~, 1897, period Of thirty-fve
months, there was total deficit Of
$l0S,OO3,343. This deplorable state
of the revenues was largely response
bic for that lack of confidence which
prolonged the hard times inaugural
ed by the panic of 1898.
The Dingley tariff became law
July "A, 1897. Under its operation
ample revenues have been provided,
as urged by President Mckinley.
During the period Of thirty-two
months between July "A, 1897, and
April 1, 1900, the receipts Of the
government from all sources, exclu-
sive of the Pacific railroad items,
were 81, ,224, 1926, sos. Deducting
from these receipts the treasury de-
partment's estimate Of collections
under the war revenue act, amount
ing to 1888, ,708,538, there were net
receipts Of 81, ,04O,618,O7O. The ex-
penditures for the same period aggre-
gated 81 1866, ,663, ,406, and deducting
the treasury departments estimate
of war expenditures Of $372, 100000,
the net expenditures for the period
stand at $994, 1858, ,406, leaving for
these thirty-two months operation Of
the Dingley tariff an excess of net re-
ceipts over net expenditures Of $45,-
954,664.
! The president urged that the new
duties be so levied as ''to revive and
increase manufactures. In the fiscal
year 1897 the imports for the con-
sumption of articles in a crude condi-
ton, which enter into the various
processes Of domestic industry,
amounted to $207,268,155, and in
the three years, 1895, 1896 and 1897,
averaged less than 200,OOO,00O an
nually, while in the calendar year
1899 the imports Of this class
amounted to $267, ,493, $50, an in
crease of nearly 7O,O0O,O0O over the
average for the three years Of low
tariff, in which many of these
articles, notably wool, were upon the
free list. At present the importation