Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 May 1895 — BREAK IN THE WALL. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

BREAK IN THE WALL.

Disastrous result of protection’s Overthrow. ■ Oar Imports of Foreign Goods Become Barger While Exports Decrease—One of the Results—lnteresting Statistics. Work of Tariff Tinkers. During February our imports of for-eign-goods, were much larger in almost [every line of trade, notably so of MY-' -ley,- brushes, buttons, potash, clocks (and watches, raw cotton, cotton manufactures, earthen and china ware, eggs (467,000 dozen more in a month), glass and glassware, hay, hides and skins, bops, leather and its manufactures, paper, meat products, cheese, rice, seeds, silk manufactures, bags and bagging, tin and wood and its manufactures. The gain in the latter, though not quite so large as In January, was still so important as to warrant the production of our woolen imports in detail: Imports of woolen goods: February. February, 1804. 1595. Carpets ......'.. . $50,324 $165,983 Clothing, ready made 47,534 77,204 Cloths 620.074 2,258,812 Dress goods 676,672 2,022,933 Knit fabrics...... 39,346 50,952 Shawls 6,581 30,573 Yarns 33,195 172,954 All other 62,960 123,868 Totals.. $1,541,686 $4,903,279 During the two mouths of January and February we have bought nearly $8,500,000 worth more of foreign woolen goods than in the corresponding months a year earlier. The importance of the lower tariff on woolens'will be best appreciated, or otherwise, by those who gain their livelihood working in the woolen mills when they understand that we bought over 160,000 square yards more of carpets in two months and must consequently make that much less. We also bought, in two months, 5,800,000 pounds more woolen cloths, besides the larger quantities of ready made clothing, dress and knit goods. These larger quantlties will be sold in our markets, and every yard of them will supplant a yard made in an American mill by an American laborer. The competition in the woolen trade is both enormous and unnatural. The result must be as disastrous as the tariff reformers intended it should be. It is the outcome of breaking down our wall of •Protection and giving the other fellows a chance to get in. An Industry Disturber. Will the Republican organs and politicians never get over their passion for tariff tinkering? Do they mean to go on forever disturbing industry and unsettling the revenues with their endeavors to get one more President out of Protection?- - N. Y. World. We are glad to note that the World acknowledges the agency of tariff tinkering as an Industry disturber. Many free trade organs denied the responsibility of the late tariff legislation for the fearful depression which is still so hard pressing. The World ought not now to Complain of .the expressed purpose of the friends of protection to restore protective duties, for, according to its own editorial report on March 26, “the feeling in every deparment of business is distinctly better.” Ought mot the World to conclude that this rm- ’ provement, coming together with the higher tariff talk, is really because of that kind of talk? The difference between free trade tariff tinkering and protective tariff talking, is that, under the free trade kind, industry becomes disturbed and revenues unsettled, while under the protective kind confidence and stability become marked features. Fortunately we have object lessons at hand to which we cite the World, viz.: The period in which the McKinley law was under discussion and the period in which the Gorman tariff was under discussion. The same causes whiclj operated to give tone and stability to business in the tariff changing (period of 1890 will operate in the coming tariff changing period .of 1597. Whenever changes are made for the better protection of industry, industry with all its correlated activities will thrive, and, together, shed their beneficences upon all. On the other hand the same causes which operated in the free trade tariff tinkering period to depress, and oven destroy, industry, have always operated <in the past, whenever tried, in the same way. Interesting; Statistics. A half-year’s operation of the tariff reform free-trade bill gives interesting statistics regarding our imports of foreign cutlery, which were as fallows: Value of imports of cutlery, Sept. 1 to March 1: 1894-95. 1593-94. Increase. $1,080,055 $393,062 $686,943 During the first six mouths ending Feb. 28, 1895, we bought from other countries over $1,000,000 worth of cutlery, as compared with loss than $400,<>oo worth during the corresponding six months a year earlier. The actual increase was $686,943, which is at the rate of $1,373,886 a year. We do not believe that the improved couditiou of trade will Create a demand for this excess over and above the full amount of our own cutlery factories. If it does not there must be a glut in the market—a surplus of cutlery, which will result later on in lower prices, so that manufacturers aud importers can exchange tfieir stocks for money. If this be not done the surplus stocks will Increase. The workers in our cutlery factories know wllat this means. If the manufacturers are stocked up with more cutlery than there Is a mur--ket for, they must close down and the hands they employ must be idle. If the foreign cutlery secures the trade, then our manufacturers must either •hut up shop or reduce their expenses

In some way. The only way in which this can be done is by reducing wages. The outlook is not a bright one for those who work in our cutlery factories. Overproduction Not Responsible. The friends of free trade fannot attribute tbelow prices of wool last year to any increased supply, because from an annual review of the wool trade for 1594-'95. issued by Goldshrmigli, Mart & Co,, of Australia, we find the supplies given as follows: 1892. 1593. 1894. Bales. Bales. Bales. Australasian and Cape. 2,120.000 2.074,000 2,152,000 River Plate 415.000 414,000 443.000 Other sorts. 497,000 476.000 497,000 British pro- - dttCtiOa - . (in equiv-r-alent--of- ==—= .—= colonial bales .... Gs(Vital ttoxono .600.000 Uhited v States (in equivalent of colonial - - - bales) ... 823,000 900,000 526.000 Total sup- A plies available 4,511,000 4,502,000 4,518,000 It appears that the 1894-'95 wool supply was only 7,000 bales larger than In 1892, but our fanners know only too well there has been a great difference between the prices paid for their wool in the two periods. Pnt to Flight.

— ix —-r— One of the Results. One of the largest Canadian lumber dealers is about to establish an agency, in Pittsburg for the sale of Canadian lumber. This is one of tlie results of the pauper tariff act which the Cleveland administration lias loaded upon the people. Just how tlie introduction of foreign lumber is going to start up the American lumber interest is just as foggy as the boom of American wool by the introduction of foreign wool. Nobody but a Democratic editor can explain it and nobody but an ass believe it.—Tribune-Republican, Meadville, Pa. G 1 ass Workcra lnterested. The glass manufacturers of the United States, as well as the wage earners whom they employ, will learn with interest that we imported at New York, during the first half year’s operation of the new tariff, 1,520,000 pounds more of C- C. and C. unpolished glasp than in the corresponding months a year earlier, almost 1,000,000 square feet more of C. and C. polished, silvered glass, and' over 1,000,000 square feet more of unsilvered plate glass. Democratic Garments. Judging from the wool sales thus far tliis season the* consumption of that article in the United States will be but about 70 per cent, of the normal. That doesn’t look very much as if the Democrats had accomplished their expressed purpose of putting woolen garments on the backs of all the people. They might have succeeded better if they had not rendered it impossible for the people to buy any kind of garments.— The Cleveland Leader. It’s Different Now. President Harrison paid off $296,--000,000 of the public debt and turned over to Mr. Cleveland’s adminstration $124,000,000 surplus. There was not u moment from the inauguration of Mr. Harrison to tlie second inauguration of Mr. Cleveland in which we did not collect for every day of every year sufficient revenues to pay every demand and obligation of the Government.— Gov. Win. McKinley. Don’t Want It Changed. If we do our work at home our labor' at home will bo employed, and the wages paid at home will be spent at home. This is the philosophy of protection aud it cannot be abandoned, amended or abated. —Governor William McKinley. More Foreign Tobaccos. Of wrapper tobacco we importer at New York 512,000 pounds more, aud of other leaf tobacco 2,520,000 pounds more during the first half year’s operation of the Gorruan tariff than we did a year earlier. Large Lots of Linseed. An increase of 1,500,000 bushels in our imports of linseed at New York Isthe result of the first half year’s operation of the Gorman tariff. \ Coming to the Rescue.