Show is profitable I 1 the increase of exportation of manufactures under the wilson 1 tariff law about which the free traders are still sh otting ting is very interesting but not altogether instructive unless it is co considered n s in the light of some other I 1 facts the increase of importation of foreign manufactures during the time in which our export exportation atio n of home manufactures increased was three or four times as much as the growth in exports naturally aatu rally with our own markets filled with foreign manufactures at low prices our manufacturers were either cither compelled to see k a market abroad or close their establishments the effect of leg legislation gi cannot be determined ter mined by the study of a single year or a term of years those who want to examine this subject closely can get a better view of it by noting the imports and exports oi of the united states during the past half century in the past W awen ty five years which has been a season of constant protective tariff with the exception of the three years just juat ended the excess i of exports over im imports amounted t to 0 about while in the preceding quarter of a century which was as one of low tariff excepting the period the excess of imports over exports was these figures al which cover twp tap twenty five year periods one of which was characterized by low tariff and the other by protective tariff are a hundred times more convincing as to the effect of protection upon our foreign commerce than all the figures which I 1 ch the free traders can produce prodie e regarding the operations of the past year or three years |