The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1914-06-25
"BY THEIR FRUITS" ETC.

administration has Uldue tul6 COuHtIy
laughing stock abroad and an object of
disgust and distrust at home.
The receipts from the income tax,
which were relied upon to supply the
loss of revenue under free trade, have
fallen thirty million dollars short Of the
estimates and deficiency is probable:
The tariff has not reduced the high
cost of living, but has paralyzed business
and industry and thrown hundreds of
thousands of our people out of employ
ment. 1t is "a tariff for ruin only" as
the following facts from Thomas G.
Marvin, Secretary of the Home Market
Club, show:
In the steel trade, which serves as a
barometer of business conditions, there
has been decline in pig iron production
and reduction in the number of fur
naces in blast. Most of the textile mills
of New England have had hard and
unsatisfactory year. Outside OF few
specialties which have met with ready
sale, the output of staple cotton and
wooden goods has been absorbed only at
prices which yielded little if any profit
and to avoid an unmanageable surplus of
stocks there is prospect of still further
curtailment of operations.
The importations of wooden cloth and
dress goods are three times as large as
they were year ago and we are'import-
ing twice as much cotton cloth. Brad
ford, the wooden centre of England, in
creased its exports to the United States
S., 900, 900 the first three months of the
new tariff. A Bradford correspondent
says: sit is another indication that the
new tariff has worked wonders in the
Bradford trade" While the Under
wood Wilson tariff has been working
wonders for the trade of Bradford, it
has been working misery for our own
people.
The loss to American working men
amounts to $2,00O,0O0 day in wages;
and the loss to American business
mounts up to uncounted millions.
New England's great shoe and leather
industry feels the effect of the prevailing
depression Shoe factories are working
on short time and large leather con-
Germ near Salem complains of the in
crease of competition of German tan
ners. For the first time since their
business was Incorporated in 1901 they
are running at only rs per cent of their
capacity and on only five days week.
They claim also, that they can sell only
go per cent of their reduced production.
Our total foreign trade for the first
six months of the Democratic tariff,
October to March, amounted to 81, 267,-
2S3, 600. For the corresponding six
months under the Payne-Aldrich tariff
our foreign trade amounted to So, 345, 251,-
600, loss in six months Of ST., 100000.
During the month of April we bought
more foreign goods by $36, 10000 and
sold to foreigners $37, 1000, 900 less than in
April, 1918.
Practically every country we trade
with is selling US more goods and buying
less of US, as result of this low tariff
Germany and Great Britain have in
creased their sales to us three and half
millions month; France one and half
millions; Belgium and Italy a million
each, and the Netherlands, Switzerland
and even Turkey half million each.
This increase of $12, 1000, 900 a month in
Europe's sales to the United States,
with increased importations from South
America amounting to $6,000,0O0 a
month, shows why American productive
enterprises are working on part time
and our workingmen are idle.
Canada, too, has gained by our tariff
folly. She increased her exports to
the United States 81, 000, 600 month and
bought of us 81, ZOO, 900 less.
At the port of New York alone there
was a decrease in March and April of
$23. 900, 900 in exports, and an increase of
like amount in imports, a loss for two
months to American manufacturers and
workingmen of SAG, 600, 900 or at the rate
of $276, 900, 600 for year.
Since January l, 55,OO0,0O0 of gold
have been shipped to Europe. Europe is
getting cur market, our gold, and will
profit by our loss. 1t is evidence once
more of Lincoln's wisdom when he said:
eff we buy manufactured goods abroad
we get the goods and the foreigner gets
the money ;when we buy the manufactured
goods at home we get both the goods and
the money!"
The gross earnings of railroads making
returns for the three weeks in May were
IA per cent less than last year. Bank
clearings for the last week in May were Sc
per cent less than in 1918 and failures for
the week numbered 1872 against 223 for
the corresponding week year ago. The
American Railway Association reports a
net surplus of 1884, freight cars on
May Is, an increase of 9,76S in the num-
Der of idle freight cars during the first
two weeks of May. On May Is year
ago the idle freight cars numbered only
5O.294.
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