The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1906-10-19
OUR FOREIGN TRADE
1T NOW AMOUNTS TO OVER $1,000
100000 A YEAR.
At the Same Time Our Internal Trade
In the Largest and Most Prosperous
Ever known to Any Country In the
History Of the World.

In the Largest and Most Prosperous
Ever known to Any Country In the
History Of the World. =
1t is undoubtedly true, as stated by
President Moore In his speech at the
banquet rendered by citizens of Phila-
delphia to the officers Of the American
Protective Tariff league, that the enc
mics Of protection who operate out
side the lines of the party of free
trade rely largely upon the plea that
an outlet for our surplus production
and that the present tariff stands in
the way Of obtaining such outlet
How disingenuous, misleading and
false this plea Is may be CLEANED from
the bulletin of May "a Of the bureau
Of statistics Of the department Of COM
merce and labor. The foreign COM
MERGE Of the United States for the
month of April and for the ten months
ending with April was very much the
largest In our history. We are i'm
porting at the rate Of over $1,200,000,-
900 year and exporting at the rate Of
nearly $1,SO00O0,000 year. In ex-
ternal trade we are indeed three bill
lion dollar country. Our total foreign
trade is nearly double what 1t was
eleven years ago, when our tariff had
been revised downward by reform
ers" consecrated to the task Of pro-
noting our foreign trade and our do
nestle prosperity!
Under the operation Of the Dingley
tariff the foreign commerce of the Unit
ed States in April, 1906, was larger
than that of the corresponding month
of any earlier year, consisting in round
numbers of $107,000000 imports and
$144, 100000 exports; total, SOL, 100000
or more than $250000,000 in single
mouth. In only one previous April in
the history of our export trade has the
total of imports and exports reached as
much as $200,000,000. For the ten
months ending with April the record is
equally striking, being: Imports, ST.
OBJ, 100000; exports, S1,4SS,000 900 or
total of $2,J00,O00,000. No similar pc
Rod of any earlier year ever touched
the $1,000,000,000 line in imports or
reached the $1,300000,000 line in ex-
ports. The total commerce Of the Unit
cd States for the ten months ending
with April is thus over $2,500,000,000,
and should the monthly average for
May and June be as great as that for
the ten months for which the record is
made the total OF the fiscal year 1906
viii exceed $3000,000,
New records in our foreign trade are
Ii several particulars being made. The
imports and exports for 1906 are likely
to be greater than those OF any earlier
year, and several monthly records have
already been broken. For example, i'm
ports never exceeded $100,000,000 Il
month prior to 1905, except in Il single
instance in which large quantities of
merchandise were being rushed into the
country to avoid pending tariff changes;
but seven out OF the ten months ending
with April of the present year have
shown each an importation of more
than $100000,000, and the month of
March showed the highest import rec
ord ever made $113. J07277.
On the export side the high water
mark Of earlier years has also been
passed, TIE total for the ten months
ending with April being S200,000,0o0 in
excess OF the total for the correspond
ing total Of any earlier year, ana the
total for the single month of December,
$139, 738,J20. beng $2J,000,C00 greater
than in any preceding month in the
history of Our export trade.
TIE increase in imports occurs in
manufacturers materials ana finished
manufactures, and the Increase in ex-
ports occurs in agricultural products
and manufactures. The increase in i'm
ports for the ten months ending with
April amounts to about $SG,000.000, and
is about equally divided between manu-
turers' materials and manufactures.
With our foreign trade at q record
breaking mark and constantly increas.
ing, and with our internal trade
the most active, the largest and the
most prosperous ever known to any
country in the worlds history, little or
nothing is left of the false argument
that the tariff needs revising down
ward. What Is needed and what the
business Of the country wants Is that
the tariff be let alone
prosperity under existing conditions
The remarkable part of this story from
the south is that the expression comes
from a manufacturer who processes
to be Democrat and who frankly
comments upon existing excellent con
ditions and does not want them dis
turbed, although at the same time in
sisting that he is Democrat who does
not believe that low tariff would in
the end be injurious to American in
dustries.
This expression by southern manu-
facturer is from an Interview procured
by correspondent of moderately
''revisionist" newspaper In the west on
the occasion OF the recent visit of Sec
rotary Taft to North Carolina. In The
party which accompanied Secretary
Taft were number Of newspaper
men who were actively interested ID
obtaining from representative men in