The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1900-05-26

at Porto Rico, to tax the natives when
claiming that they are under our flag.
Here are
SOME CONCLUSIONS
During the month OF January the
United States collected duty on $1,000
barrels Of -four, total OF $50.70O, for
bread, from people earning so cents
in Mexican silver per day.
The entire book OF valuations and spe-
cfc duty shows the same incongruities
and average uniformly excessive duty,
bearing most heavily upon the necess-
tiles OF life. Adding freights and the
profits OF the wholesaler and retailer,
one can readily see that a people with
small earning power, not 10 exceed %
per cent OF the American laborer and
mechanic, cannot purchase anything
that is imported except the cheapest
articles OF clothing, hardware, etc. IL
is the truth that 90 per cent OF the pop
ulation are practically prohibited from
eating anything but rice, fish and vege-
tables, or wearing anything but the
cheapest OF white drills and cotton
prints.
On the articles enumerated, there Is
an average percentage oil exactlon
amounting 70 80 per cent, and these ar
ticles have not been selected with the
special object OF showing the highest,
but presenting some Of the monstrosi-
tiles OF the tariff. The lowest Of the
ten articles shows 22k per cent; the
highest 225 per cent-iust 10 times as
much.
American trade is impossible. Amer
can manufactures are Of the high grade
an cannot compete with shoddy Euro
lean goods. Our cheap food products
are bearing taxes which prohibit any
but the well to-do people from using
them. What is the Governments plain
duty in the promises2
In the same manner tariff is laid on
all raw materials from the Philippines
out o which American grain sacks, wool
sacks, hop sacking, twine and oordage
are made. The Oregonian says edi'
toriallv:
1--WE call attention 10 the exhaustive
and valuable setting forth OF trade con-
ditions at Manila given in our Philip
nine letter on the first page OF tOday's
issue Ii makes startling presenta-
tion of the outrageous aud indeiensible
burden the Government is pressing
down upnn this important dependency.
The commercial interests OF the whole
United states should be aroused on this
matter aud force recognition and action
from complaisant and inattentiye Ad'
ministratiOn. Every business man In
Portland who has close relations with
persOus Of IJOlitical or commercial infiu-
ence in the East should send TO such
persons marked copies OF this paper,
and follow them up with letters. The
matter al stake calls for the most
strenuous importantly.
A few days ago the same paper said
editorially:
"The basis Of successful trade between
distant communities is mutual demands
met by mutual supplies. Our prospect
i've customer must produce what we
want. aud what he wants We must pro
duce OF else 20 TO some trouble 10 get II
Tor him. You can't build up thriving
trade on either OF these conditions alone.
You must have both in conjunction
"Of these two principles OF trade there
are two present applications. One hls
South America, the other Tits ASA. In
the one case the conditions are largely
nnfavorable, in the other they are all
favorable.
III is the solid ground Of hope Tor
trans Pacific trade that these untOSard
south American conditions are reversed
in the case Of Asia. The great Asiatlc
staples, silk, tea, hemp, iute, mating,
dives. spices, gums, We do not PIodnse al
ali. On the other hand. the desires Of
awakened Asia are for things we produce
in expOrtable surplus-wheat and wheat
foar, lumber, iron and steel goods, text
he fabrics, implements and machinery
Here i the basis Of limitless trade. The