Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1901-04-12
MUCH EXAGGERATED.
PRACTICAL EFFECTS OF RUS.
sIA's INCREASED TARIFF.

Instead of $3O,OOO,OOO, as Alleged,
the Additional Rae of Duty Applies
to Only About $2,5OO,O0O Exports
Agricultural Machinery Not Affected.
The tendency to eXaggerate the eff
fects of Russian tariff retaliation for
Secretary Cages action in reference to
countcrvailing duties on Russian beet
sugar was strikingly illustrated on the
occasion of the recent visit to Wash
inston of Il delegation from the Illinois
Manufacturers Association. First the
delegation called upon the President
and placed before him arguments to
show that the discrimination against
Russian sugars might seriously injure
the export trade to Russia ii retalia-
tory measures were insisted upon. and
that Il general trade war against the
United States might arise. The Presi-
dent expressed The hope that no such
wa should be precipitated, but eX-
planned that the law WAS plain. He
suggested that the only solution of the
question would be II test case such as
WAS contemplated by Secretary Gage
when he issued the order imposing the
countervailing duties.
The delegation then called on the
Secretary of the Treasury and submit
ted a formal protest against his action
in directing that countervailing duties
be laid upon imports of Russian beet
sugar pending .; judicial determination
of the disputed question whether the
Russian exporters do or do not receive
an Indirect bounty upon NJ shipped
To the United States. .est con
cludes as follows:
lit is our belief that The decision re-
Gently rendered by this department.
against the Russian Government will
seriously affect all the great agricul-
!ural and manufacturing interests of
the United States. LII view of this be-
lief we feel that we are not only justi-
fled i'm requesting IL reversal of the de-
cision rendered. but that we would be
false TO the interests of the country if
we did not demand its immediate re-
peal"
This protest in general terms was
made more specific by the represent
tative of one of the large harvesting
machine companies. who, in a supple
mentary statement to Secretary Gage,
said:
For your information l desire to
point out that OF one single item in
IL shipments to Russia this season
the proposed extra duty will amount to
$4,000. This item represents but a
quarter of our total shipments 10 Rus
sia this year. But Il very small portion
of our machines has as vet reached
that country: the mass is still afioat
and cannot be landed until after the
proposed advance on the part of Rus
sia has gone into effect
When asked by Secretary Gage to
f, specify the items of shipment on which
the exporters would be compelled to
pay $4,000 in ADDITIONAL duties by reason
of Russia's action. the harvesting ma
chine representative stated that the ar
ticles in question were moving ma
chimes. Thcreupon Secretary Gage re-
piled: II am inclined to the opinion
that they are not touched at all. Now
ers are not included in the order. In
fact. there are IL very large number of
articles i'll the United States not in
cluded in the orders of advance. .Agri-
cultural implements of all kinds are
specially excepted from the operations
of the Russian order"
The Secretary also explained at some
length that it was perfectly useless for
any association of manufacturers or
any II else to demand of the Treasury
Department. the repeal of the counter
vailing duty order. The duty in ques-
ton. he said. was imposed in obedience
to the law of Congress. and was q mat
ter over which the Treasury Depart
ment had no control except to carry out
the law.
Thus the Russian tariff imbroglio
dwindles from Il mountain to a MOLE
hill. In the first instance it was as
serted that export trade to the amount
IF S30,O00,000 Il year would be cut off.
The fact, however, is that our total ex-
ports to Russia during 1900 amounted
to rather less than $1O.C0O,O0 Later
investigation proves that only about
S2.500,OOO of Il yearly sales to Rus
' STA come under the increased tariff
rate, and that agricultural implements
are not affected at all. Upon so slen-
der q basis as this rests the proposition
of free-traders and half-breed protec-
tionists to rip up entire scheme of
protection to American labor and in
dustry. The facts in the case have a
tendency to make some people look G
tremely silly.-American Economist.
Fools and Folly.
The London Statist was frank enough
to admit Il few days ago that the effect
of the Dingley tariff was to put the
country OF a sound financial basis by
practically converting IL into a creditor