The Tariff And The Farmer

There was nothing that furnished the Democrats quite so mueh satisfaetion during1 the first part of the Cleveland administration as the abrogation of the reciprocity treaties that had been negotiated by Mr. Blaine. The Democrats seemed to have a particular spite against Mr. Blalne and were in great glee whenever one of hisearefully prepared treaties was wiped out. It is true those treaties were making sueh markets as we never had beforefor our farm producís and manufactures, but that made no difEerenee; they wero ]ilaine"s work and they must go, and go they did, with sorry results as regards trade. The American Pretective Tariff league recently compiled from official figures a statement of the exports and imports of various classes of artieles for a series of years, and selections from these figures make very interefstiiii' reading just now. The fi.scal year ending June 30, 1892, was the first full year of the McKinley tariff. That onding June 30, 1894, was the last full year under some parts of that tariff, and the year ending June 30, 1895, was the first full year of the Wilson-Gorman tariff. We take first barley, in which Michigan farmers are especially interested on account of their close proximity to the Canadian border. The exports of barley from this country for a series of years were as follows: Year ending June 30, Bushels. 1891 e 973.603 vm a.Hno. '7-i 3,035,287 1891 5. -.'19.405 1893 1,663.754 The imports of barley showed a drift in the opposite direction. For a number of years tliey were over 10,000,000 and 11,000,000 bushels respectively, but under the McKinley tariff they were brought down as follows: 1S9:J 3.144,918 189a 1,969,78 1 1894 791,061 In 1895, under the Wilson-Gorman tariff, they rose again to 2,116,816 bushels. In other words the McKinley tarifE and reciproeity treaties caused an increase of exports from 973,603 bushels to 5,219,405 bushels, and a decrease of imports from 11,327,052 in 1890 to 791,061 in 1894. This was certainly a very satisfactory condition of the foreign trade to the American barley grower, a condition which the Wilson tariff has exactly reversed. Of beans and peas under the McKinley act in 1892 the exports were 637,972 bushels, and the imports were 874,050 bushels. In 1895, under the Wilson tariff, the exports had dropped to 242,682 bushels, and the imports had increased to 1,535,913 bushels. Of bacon and hams the exports in 1892 were 584,776,389 pounds, in 1895 they were 558,044,099. Of cattle we imported in 1892 only 2,168, valued at 847,466, and in 1894 only 1,592. In the calendar year 1895, under the Wilson tariff, the imports had risen to 236,888. With this increase of imports of cattle, there came a decrease of exports from 394,607, valued at 835,099,095 in 1892, to 289,350 with a valué of $26,997,701 in the calender year 1895. In corn the exports in value feil off from $41,590,460 in the fiscal year 1892, to $14,650,767 in the calendar year 1895. The butter exports were 15,047,246 pounds in 1892, and 11,822,092 in 1894, while in 1895, under the Wilson tariff, they feil off to 5,598,812. The cheese exports were 82.100,221 pounds in 1892, and 73,852,134 in 1894, and only 40,800,934 in 1895. Under free trade in eggs in 1888, 1889 and 1890, we imported over 15,000,000 dozen each year. With a duty of five cents a dozen levied the imports feil off to 1,791,430 dozen in 1894, and under the Wilson tariff they rose again to 2,709,411 dozen in 1895. In 1894, with a total potato erop of 170,787,338 bnshels, we exported 803,111 bushels, while in 1895 with a product of 297,237,370 bushels, we exported only 572,857 bushels. In 1892 we exported to the countries on the American continent with which we had reciproeity treaties, 8,843,688 barrels of flour. In 1895, with the reciproeity treaties abrogated, we exported only 4,563,903 barrels to the same countries. And so it runs throxigh a long list of jxports of which the following are idditional samples: 1802. 1895. Rye -bushels 12.041,316 9,437 Oats " 9,42.5,078 670,367 Seeds- value ? H.2.V.282 $2,849,148 Pallow- pounds 80,780.010 20.884,300 Wteat-value S161, 399,132 643,805,663 But without eontinuing the details t tedious length it may be stated that the aggregate exports of agricultural products in 1892, under the McKinley tariff and Blaine reciprocity treaties, were valued at $799,328,232; and in 1895, under the Wilson tariff, they were jnly $553,215,317. There is one thing more about prices. Jan. 1, 1892, a bushei of barley would buy 14.% pounds of sugar; Jan. 1, 1896, it would buy only 6í pounds. Jan. 1, 1892, one barrel of onions would buy ■50 pounds of sugar; Jan. 1, 1896, it would buy only 17 pounds. At the former date one barrel of potatoes would buy 28 pounds of sugar, and at the latter 14 pounds. At the former 3ate a bushei of wheat would buy 26 % pounds of sugar, and at the latter 13% pounds. Under the encouragement given to the home grown article by the McKinley tariff, sugar was cheaper and grain jrops brought a hetter price than jnder the policy which superseded it. A. return to the protective theory, in the tariff, is what the agricultural as ivell as the manufacturing classes want to vote for at the next election. In refusing to grant naturalization papers to two young Italians, Judge 3ole, of the District of Columbia suoreme court, held that no one who is n ignorance of the constitution of the United States is competent or entitled ;o beeome admitted to citizenship.