The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1914-07-31
BALANCE OF TRADE
NOW AGAINST U. S.
Congressman FOrdney Calls Attention
to Effect Of Free Trade and Dis
casseS Free Wool Provision.
Mr.. II. X. White, Editor,
VThe Press-American.

Mr.. III. X. White, Editor,
i The Press-American,
My dear Sir:.-In a recent issue of
your paper, you gave space to an ar
ticle ridiculing my proposition on
the wool schedule and intimating
that would have to back water"
AS the article Is based on misstate-
ments and does me much injustice,
ask you, in the spirit of fairness, to
publish this letter, my reply.
First, | wish to assure the readers
Of your paper that developments,
since the passage of the Democratic
tariff law, have done anything but
make convert of me to Democratic
free trade ideas. / am more strong
ly convinced the Republican protec-
tive tariff policy is essential to pros
perity for this country than ever
before.
The last presidential election is a
comparatively recent event, and the
many campaign promises and predic-
tions lby our Democratic friends are
not beyond our memory. If put in
power, they promised us a tariff law
that would injure no legitimate in
dustry; that would reduce the cost
OF living; that would increase our
export trade and capture foreign
markets for American manufactur-
ers, and thus increase manufac-
turing at home and the employment
Of American workingmen.
Has their tariff policy accomplish
ed any of this? Is there even the
slightest indication that they are on
the right track? Our export trade
has not only failed to increase, but is
actually falling off at an astounding
rate. We are not capturing the for
eign markets, as predicted, but for
eigners are capturing American mar
kets, and displacing American labor.
The new tariff law is making us an
importing rather than an exporting
nation. During the last eight
months, ending June 80, 1914, our
imports have Increased $f27 6f4s4.
375 as compared with the cores
ponding period of the previous year.
During the same eight months, our
export trade has fallen off $169, ,299,-
4S1 as compared with the CORES
ponding months of the previous year
when the Payne tariff law was in eff
feet, which law Democrats contend
ed stifed our export. trade. These
are cold facts and the effect is not so
slight as to permit of quibbling.
The Democratic department of
commerce, so noisy last fall with for
eign trade statistics, is now as quiet
as morgue What has occurred? +?
Last December, the Democratic par
ty in general, and Mr. Redfield, sec
retary of commerce, in particular,
pointed with much pride to the fact
that our exports for the calendar
year Of 1918, would exceed our i'm
ports by approximately $7O0,OO0,-
600. They did not take special pains
however, to state that practically all
of the year 1913 was under Repub-
lican tariff law. The new tariff was
enacted October 8, 1918; the free
wool provision became effective De-
cember 1st; lower rates on manu-
|
1st, 1914; and the reduction on SUI
gar did not become effective until
March of this year. What has hap
pened to that grand balance of trade
since last December-a balance of
trade that every loyal American
might point to with just pride? 1t
has fallen off rapidly month by
month until April, 1914, when our
imports actually exceeded our ex-
ports, which occurred again in May,
and again in June. For the past
three months our imports have ex-
ceeded our experts by $15 900, 900.
/ How long would your subscribers
entrust their private business to a
management favoring policy that
would make expenditures far ex-
ceed receipts, while, under a differ
ent management and policy the re-
ceipts had greatly exceeded expendi-
lures?
In the last campaign, in my
speeches to which the article in your
paper referred with ridicule, ] es-
pecially went on record as favoring
q protective tariff on wool and farm
products. What has taken place
with free trade on these articles
The importation of animals has in
creased from 1884, SCI during the
months from October 1912 to May
1913 to $17,465.969 during the
months from October 1913 to May
1914, under the new law; during the
same period, imports of breadstuffs
increased from $10,570,279 to $29,.
71S, 1873; imports of meat and dairy
products Increased from $9,S33,9S5
to $2S,9S2,2S5; and, last but not
least, since free wool went into effect
December 1, 1913 and down to date
importations of raw wool have
, amounted to $40,23S,460 as com.
pared with s1S,70S,S76 during the
, corresponding months of the previ
, Gus year. The total increase in i'm.
a..