The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1910-04-28
Political Comment. !
NsAtIVtlt VVEI4IEiVAK1S
SSS&&S&S&&&&&S&&&S&&3S%
Good Revenue Producer

Good Revenue Producer.
The President Of the United States
not long ago said that the new tariff
is the best revenue producer of all the
tariff laws the country has had. Now
comes the month of March to add its
testimony. And what do its figures
shC There then came into the treas
ury of the United States. by reason
of receipts frcm customs, the enor-
nous sum Of S35.722,6S9. The Associ-
ated Press mas spoken of this sum as
some four millions larger than has
been received from customs in any
month since the new tariff went into
operation That is mild way of put
ting 1t. Never before has so much as
S3o,O00,000 come into the treasury
from the customs. The month in all
the past most nearly approaching this
great months doings was that of July,
1909, when the receipts reached the
then unprecedented amount of s29.-
9G3.162. In March. 1909, the customs
yielded S2S,631. 1876. more than $4,000
000 less than last month showed.
Again. the gross receipts for the fiscal
year thus far, foot up $254,S35.445
from the customs. Last year the sum
received in the corresponding period
was S2l6.926. 094, the gain being nearly
S3S,OOO0O0. In the boom" year,
1867. the same period brought into
the treasury S249. 797 $50, the largest
amount that had been received from
that source in a corresponding period
Was The President in error when he
spoke of the tariff and the revenue?
But some one may say that this
large gain is because OF higher duties
Not so. The eight munths that ended
with February (March's figures as to
imports not being as yet available)
witnes sed the importation of goods to
the amount of S1.021, 100000 The
duties paid during those months az.
gregated $21z,112.751. or 20.77 per cent
OF the value of the goods imported
For the corresponding period last year
the percentage of the duties YVES 23.07
per cent. The bureau of statistics
makes the average al valorem duty to
be Il per cent since the new tariff
took effect This is the lowest rate
of duty since the repeal of the Walker
tariff.
But. again, an anti-protection paper
tries TO parry the force of these fig
ures by claiming that the low rate is
altogether to he credited 10 the larger
amount of free goods being received
III this country now. about % per cent;
Oh which those vino insist on down
ward revision" cannot certainly com.
plain, even though the wisdom of some
CT the drops" in that respect is open
to doubt. Yet the fact is there is
steady increase in the amount of dutis
aele goods coming in. While the
amount of imports for the month of
February is known. the proportion pay
ing duty is not yet at hand sur let
US look at the figures for the period
from September l to February l, five
months in all. of which the new tariff
was in operation The dutiable goods
received in those months of the pres
ent fiscal year footed up $313.296,4 91.
In the corresponding period of the year
before there came in of such goods
S212,315,36S, about 10 per cent in
crease. The volume this year falls
only about S7,000,000 below that re-
ceived in the corresponding period
three years ago. which was the great
est volume of importations the coun-
try has known
IL these figures DO not argue that
the new tariff is downward revision
what would? Must there be a general
crash of American industries as of old
in order that downward revision"
shall be realized?-Des Moines Capital.