The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1907-05-17
The Tariff That Makes Good.

The Tariff That Makes Good
Ten years of the Dingley tariff forms
record that speaks for itself The
! fiscal year that ends with next month
will show a surplus of about $40, 900, OOO'
This comes at time when the govern
ment is engaged in more large enter
prises than ever before. 1t is building
the Panama canal, is devoting the pro-
ceeds of land sales in the arid region
to irrigation, and at the last session of
congress appropriated $50, 900, 900 for
river and harbor improvement. Yet,
for the last ten months the treasury
surplus has averaged S., 900, 600 month.
Importations are unusually heavy, but
the increase is largely in foreign mate
rails that enter into American manu-
features, the exports of which far ex-
coed the former amount. For several
years the foreign trade of the United
States has been at the highest mark.
The demand for labor outstrips the
supply. Immigrants have been coming
in at the rate of 100000 year and
this average will be much increased In
1907. Railroads are crowded with
business and are in their most profita-
BILE era. Farm productions have been
bringing good prices, and their value
last year approached $1,000. 100000.
1t is needless to go into details of the
contrast of the business situation ten
years ago, when congress met in special
session and passed the Dingley tariff, a
measure based on the protective poll
cy, which was thus restored as lead
ing economic feature in conducting the
business of the people and of the gov
eminent shaped by their ballots The
tariff law then matured. and still in
force. had the benefit of the knowledge
and wise Judgment of William McKin-
ley and Nelson Dingley, both of whom
have passed away, but their works live
after them. Neither they nor any who
deal Understandings with such matters
put forward the claim that any particu
lar schedule is sacred and immutable, |
out they held, as the Republican party |
has held in the past and holds now, that !,
the protection of American industries is
necessary to the welfare of the people,
with their high standards of living and
enterprise. A ten-years' demonstration
s before the country. All that was
by the Republican party in
1896 has been realized, and much more.
Prosperity has far surpassed any of the
estimates.
Yet it is certain that the Democratic
platform of next year will denounce
as usual, and offer a prom
Sc to substitute something better. In
he light of experience and common
'ense it would seem that the Republi-
,ans could elect any sound ticket on
his issue alone, for it reaches into the
business interests of every American
citizen. Since the Dingley law was
passed the government revenue has ex
,eeded the expenditures by hundreds of
in spite of the cost of for
ign war. Employment for all has been
abundant, at good wages. The inter
st bearing public debt has been re-
luced, and so has the rate of interest
lpon it. War upon the Dingley tariff
s not reasonable proposition as mat
ers stand. The affairs of the people
Ind the government are in the ascend
ng scale. A year of extremely bad
,rops might slow up the present pros
,erity pace, but there is nothing indi-
,ating that the highly favorable condi-
ions of recent years will ever be less
1ital. Nagging at the Dingley law is
merely proof of Democratic folly and
st. Louis Globe Demo
rat
The forest sarvica of Tho TTn;toJ |