Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 June 1895 — RAPID ROAD TO RUIN. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

RAPID ROAD TO RUIN.

IRON AND STEEL TRADERS LOSE A GREAT SUM. _ * , - O' England Wants Us to Adopt Her Policies of Destrnctidn—Her Free Trade Conditions Differ from the Theories Z We Hear Abont-Tariff Talk. Affects Our Industries. The first step toward free trade is affecting quite a number of American industries. Let us now see how it works In other countries. Taking the United. Kingdom, where freeJxfjde has been longest in force, and her iron and steel industries, we find that the imports and experts of iron, steel, tin plate, wire, hardware, coal and machinery compare as follows for a period of ten years, from 1884-1894: 1884. 1894. Total imp0rt5.£389,774,549 £408,505,718 Total exports. 232,927,575 210,194,239 Tons. Tons. Total exports of —of iron and steel. 3,490,352 2,050,125 Imports of iron and steel 121,853 71,835 There has been no wall of protection around the United Kingdom during this decade, and her manufacturers :have had every possible opportunity to let themselves out into the markets ©f the world, yet we find that the total* British exports of iron, steel, tin plate, wire, hardware, coal and machinery combined decreased a“ year between 1884 and 1594. „ It would almost seem as if the absence of a wall of protection had worked entirely, contrary to all free trade theories in England’s case, because it has enabled the foreign manufacturers and producers of iron, steel, tin plate, wire, hardware, coal and machinery to sell in the English markets nearly 5100,900,000 worth more of their products and manufactures in 1894 than they did in ISS4. Free trade in England has increased the imports of the above mentioned goods by nearly £20,900,000 sterling and has decreased the exports by more than £16,000,000 sterling. The figures quoted are from the official Board of Trade returns. Taking the quantities of the English exports we find that the United Kingdom has sold under its policy of free trade 840,000 tons less of iron and steel in 1594 than she did in ISS4. Her exports of pig iron decreased by nearly 440,000 tons; of bar, angle, bolt and rod hen by nearly 170,000 tons; of railroad hen by 305,000 tons, and of hoops, sheets and plates she sold 219,000 tons less in 1894 than in 1884. Her exports of railway carriages decreased in value from £504,315 in ISS4 to £277,000 in 1894. Her exports of railway trucks declined by £254,000, her exports of hardware and cutlery fell off by £1,300,000 within ten years, and her exports es steam engines decreased by £1,100,000 a year. The English desire that we should adopt tlwdr policy of free trade can hardly be so friendly* a suggestion as our English admirers would have us believe. If it lias resulted ip such enormous losses in business among the iron, steel, tin plate, wire, hardware, coal and machinery trades of the United Kingdom, it is hardly a friendly act to encourage us to practice similar tactics that will result in similar losses to the United States. While England has lost so much money and so much trade in these industries during a few years of free trade, the United States, on the other hand, under its policy of protection, has built up similar industries to an enormous extent—so such an extent that we are undoubtedly buying less of these commodities from our English neighbors and have helped materially to diminish their manufactures and their output Perhaps this is the real reason why they wish us to drop our policy of protection. It would not be an entirely unselfish reason.

Beef Problem Solved. The recent worry and fret over the bepf situation could have been settled in the twinkling of an eye if the reciprocity feature of the McKinley law had been incorporated in bur present nondescript tariff act. It was the design of the friends of reciprocity to apply this principle so as to admit free, with compensating benefits from other countries, such articles or^things as were not produced by ourselves in sufficient quantities for the domestic consumption. Under the McKinley reciprocity clause in the act of IS9O the President could at any time remove the duty upon any article, and at the same time, by treaty, enlarge our exportation of such commodity as the country with whom the reciprocal relation was established should want. In case of the possible inability of oiir own cattle raisers tp supply the domestic demand the exercise of such powers by the executive, did they exist, would be most effective. Supplies could be drawn from Argentina, Mexico and Canada, and for t£e privilege extended to these countries privileges would have been obtained in return. * Some Free-Trade Results. Sheep slaughtered by millions, because wool has been made free; the price of beef advancing; a Portland lOregon) syndicate buying three thousand horses with an intention to introduce horse meat to American consumers; Edward Atkinson running about the country giving demonstrations of methods of preparing 15-cent dinners and recommending to poor people the inse of shin beef and oleomargarine; • women doing men’s work in the tinplate mills In western Pennsylvania; foreigners leaving the country as fast a* others come In; and the Treasury •f the United States unable to stand by Itself, but propped up by British bank-*rs-tbese things Indicate what we

have come to and foreshadow what we are coming to under the domination of American affairs by British ideas.—The ManufacturerDemocratic Trick Exposed. The monthly statement of Finance, Commerce and Immigration for March shows that the value of our experts has decreased inf. the products of agriculture, manufactures and mining as compared with our exports in March, 1894. The products of forests and fisheries show slight increased values. It Will be noticed that the greatest increase in percentage is in our exports, of manufactures, although the . actual value of such manufactured goods was less last March than a year ago. Here are the figures: —== EXPORTS IN MARCH. 1894. Per Products of — ;—Value. cent. Agriculture .548,582,309 70.59 Manufactures 15,613,893 22.78 Mining 1. 1,390,824 2.03 Forest 2,186,571 3.19 Fisheries .: 369,160 0.54 Miscellaneous .... »j__386,585 0.57 Total $68,529,342 100.00 1895. Per Products of Value. cent. Agriculture $43,487,734 68.37 Manufactures 15,575,131 24.48 Mining 1,375,893 2,16 F0re5t............ . —2,822,380 3.65 Fisheries 404,162 0.63 Total $63,617,390 100.00 The total decrease in our exports for March is almost $5,000,000, mirror the nine months ending March 31 it reached nearly $80,000,000, the decrease in our exports of agricultural products being over $70,000,000 ; the decrease in our exports of manufactures being $6,500,000; in our exports of mining products, $2,400,000, with an increase of $162,000 in our exports of forestry products and of $1,000,000 in our exports of fishery products, as follows: EXPORTS FOR NINE MONTHS. \ 1894. ——r- • - ■ Per Products of Value. cent. Agriculture .$510,304,281 73.70 Manufactures 138,902,149 20.06 Mining .. .. 15,902,914 2.30 Forest 20,198,978 2.92 Fisheries 3,433,262 0.49 Miscellaneous 3,664,898 0.53 Total $692,406,482 100.00 1895. Per Products of Value. cent. Agriculture $438,931,198 71.61 Manufactures 132,404,129 21.60 Mining 13,540,502 . 2.21 Forest 20,300,075 3.32 Fisheries 4,494,079 0.73 Miscellaneous ...... 3,221,926 0.53 Total $012,957,909 100.00 In the figures for the nine months it will be noted that the percentage of our exports of manufactures has increased, while the value has decreased. The freetraders attempt to show that our manufacturers have been shipping more American goods to foreign markets Just because the percentage iS higher. We once again expose this fraud.

Where Factories Are Wanted. In the West and South there is just now an eager desire for ihore factories, especially in young growing towns. Why? Because most people In such places are convinced that factories increase the value of real estate and benefit the merchants and neighboring farmers by putting money in circulation. Yet these same free-traders who favor local industries oppose the national protective policy that promotes tlie public welfare in the more general establishment of factories throughout our country. Iron Ore Imports. Iron ore is fighting its way here from abroad. In March we imported over 30,000 tons as against 5,709 tons in March, 1894. Of pig Iron also we bought $31,000 worth from foreign countries last March as against $9,332 worth in March, 1894.

Debt More, Cash Less. The Treasury statement of the public debt for the month of April shows an increase of $2,349,950 in the interestbearing debt and a decrease of $7,099,345 in the cash balance In the Treasury,, These are free trade times.

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