Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1907-01-17
PROSPERITY IS REAL
UNPARALLELED FISCAL AND ECO
NoMlc CONDITIONS.
Treasury Receipts from Tariff Duties
Over $aoo,ooo,ooo; Imports More
Than s1,25o,ooO,ooo; Exports
Exceed $1,75o,o 100000.


The fiscal year 1906, as shown In
the annual report of the secretary of
the treasury, brought into the treas
ury of the United States the largest
customs receipts in the history of the
government. From the payment made
by foreign producers for the privilege
of entering the American market with
their competitive wares there was rea-
lized the Unprecedented sum of $780,
251,S77.
During the same period American
industrial producers marketed fully
$4,000, ,OO0O 600 worth of the products
of American labor.
Imports of more than billion and
quarter dollars were easily absorbed
by nation grown fat with protection
prosperity.
Twelve years ago, when the coun-
try was staggering under the calamity
of tariff revision downward, foreign
producers could find in the United
States a market for not more than
two-thirds of the goods that they sent
to us in 1906.
Eleven years ago the free trade gov
ernment was issuing bonds to defray
government expenses, so great was the
diminution of revenues.
To-day a tariff revised upward In
the interest alike of revenue and of
adequate protection is yielding Gus.
toms receipts of more than $300,000,-
900 year, and instead of bond issues
to meet deficits, the treasury has a
comfortable working surplus of $751;
100000.
Is not this condition to be glad of?
Is it not a condition to be let alone?
reduction?
If we reduce the tariff we shall re-
duce the revenues; that is, provided
the imports remain at the present vol
ume of $1,276000,000.
But if, through the reduction of tar
iff duties the revenues remain unim-
paired, or shall even be increased we
shall have to import much more than
$1,276,000 900, much more than some
$3.50, 900 Of dutiable and competi-
tive articles.
To keep the revenues at their pres
ent stage, with tariff rates reduced,
would necessitate a much larger in
crease of dutiable and competitive i'm
ports.
For every ten per cent. of tariff re-
duction We should have to import 20
per cent. more of competitive articles
in order to keep the revenues at high
water mark
If the reduction of tariff rates were
to be 20 per cent. the increased impor-
tation of duty paying commodities
would have to be 40 per cent, and we
should then be importing $4,000 100000
more of competing articles; S260,000,-
600 taken away from American pro-
duction and labor and given to foreign
production and labor.
But, some will say, there is no in
tention of making an all-round reduc-
tion of 20 per cent, or even 10 per
cent, in the Dingley tariff rates.
We are not so sure of that.
Granted such a development of the
tariff ripping craze as to bring to-
gether the progressive" revisionists
of the Republican party and the al
ready 'progressed' revisionists of the
Democratic party in a combined as
sault upon what are called the abuses
and the eXtortions of the Dingley tariff
amounting in single year, as Gov.
Cummins has told us, to ten times the
graft and extortion Of the life insur,
ance companies since life insurance
began-and add to the reduction in
rates certain to result from such a
coalition the placing Of vast quantities
of raw materials" on the free list;
then add, further, the results of the
realization of the numerous schemes
of tariff reduction through "reciproci-
ty" concessions and through customs
administration relaxed to facilitate
differentiation and tariff evasion
granted an amalgamation of all the
forces bent upon tariff reduction in
one form or another and on one pre-
text or another, and who can say that
the final result would not be equiva-
lent to 20 per cent. reduction of the
present rates? 1t is as likely to go
above 20 per cent. as to fall below that
figure.