Rensselaer Republican, Volume 23, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 September 1890 — Policy of The Cleveland Administration. [ARTICLE]

Policy of The Cleveland Administration.

It is well known that the most prominent topics advocated in President Cleveland’s first message to Congress, and in the reports of his Secretary of the Treasury, related to the reduction of duties oil foreign imports, stopping the coinage of silver, and the retiring of legal tender notes. Secretary Manning devoted tiiiee or four columns of his first report to Congress to these questions, and his policy in regard to Taro\ : is outlined in the following state- >). ut from this report: “Put on the free list as many articles as possible. Reduce duties on every dutiable article to the lowest point possible.” That was the policy advocated ■ by President Cleveland and the : members of his cabinet, and it ! was early incorporated into the Morrison Tariff bill, and discussed by Congress during the first years of Cleveland’s administration. But the bill was not passed, because, fortunately for the people, we had a Republican Senate that was in favor of protecting American industries. A similar bill was introduced by Congressman Mills at the second session, and the discussion continued; but that bill also failed in consequence of a Re-

publican Senate. But the agitation of tlie«e measures destroyed confidence and demoralized business in the meantime Etad both Houses of Congress beeii" for “Tariff Reform,” the whole country would have been In bankruptcy long before this time. During the ten years ending with the close of the last Republican administration, the balance between our exports and imports W ; <>vi-r >155,006,000 in favor of this country, and in the last year of that administration, the balance •"104,000,0x0 in our favor. But, during the first year of Cleveland’s administration, the balance went down to about 844.000,000, a fulliug off of 8120,000,000 in one year. During the second year to 823,000,000 and during the third yefif it went down so that the balance was $28,000,000 against this country. But since IJarrison was inaugurated, that balance has now begun to work this way again, and we shall be mistaken if there is not a large amount to our credit found in our next annual report. — American Economist.