June 19 1890 Message Regarding International American

### About this speech Benjamin Harrison June 19, 1890 Source (not specified) President Harrison submits to Congress a report from the International American Conference held in Washington, D.C.. Harrison recommends reciprocal commercial treaties between the United States and other American nations. This report follows another message from President Harrison, sent to Congress on June 2, 1890, which outlined the main recommendations of the Conference including the development a uniform system of custom regulations, the establishment of an international bureau of information in Washington, D.C., and the creation of a Latin-American library in Washington, D.C.. Within the following months, the United States will alter its commercial agreements and trade policies with several Latin American countries. [Presidential Speeches](/the-presidency/presidential-speeches) | Benjamin Harrison Presidency ## June 19, 1890: Message Regarding the International American Conference ### Transcript To the Senate and House of Representatives: I transmit herewith, for your information, a letter from the Secretary of State, inclosing a report of the International American Conference, which recommends that reciprocal commercial treaties be entered into between the United States and the several other Republics of this hemisphere. It has been so often and so persistently stated that our tariff laws offered an insurmountable barrier to a large exchange of products with the Latin-American nations that I dee
m it proper to call especial attention to the fact that more than 87 per cent of the products of those nations sent to our ports are now admitted free. If sugar is placed upon the free list, practically every important article exported from those States will be given untaxed access to our markets, except wool. The real difficulty in the way of negotiating profitable reciprocity treaties is that we have given freely so much that would have had value in the mutual concessions which such treaties imply. I can not doubt, however, that the present advantages which the products of these near and friendly States enjoy in our markets, though they are not by law exclusive, will, with other considerations, favorably dispose them to adopt such measures, by treaty or otherwise, as will tend to equalize and greatly enlarge our mutual exchanges. It will certainly be time enough for us to consider whether we must cheapen the cost of production by cheapening labor in order to gain access to the South American markets when we have fairly tried the effect of established and reliable steam communication and of convenient methods of money exchanges. There can be no doubt, I think, that with these facilities well established and with a rebate of duties upon imported raw materials used in the manufacture of goods for export our merchants will be able to compete in the ports of the Latin-American nations with those of any other country. If after the Congress shall have acted upon pending tariff leg
islation it shall appear that under the general treaty-making power, or under any special powers given by law, our trade with the States represented in the conference can be enlarged upon a basis of mutual advantage, it will be promptly done. Previous [May 30, 1890: Address Honoring President Garfield](/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/may-30-1890-address-honoring-president-garfield) Next [October 23, 1890: Proclamation Regarding Indian Title to Land](/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/october-23-1890-proclamation-regarding-indian-title-land) ### More Benjamin Harrison speeches [View all Benjamin Harrison speeches](/the-presidency/presidential-speeches?field_president_target_id\[23\]=23) [October 23, 1890: Proclamation Regarding Indian Title to Land](/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/october-23-1890-proclamation-regarding-indian-title-land) transcript icon [December 1, 1890: Second Annual Message](/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/december-1-1890-second-annual-message) transcript icon [January 31, 1891: Message Regarding Death of Treasury Secretary](/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/january-31-1891-message-regarding-death-treasury-secretary) transcript icon [December 9, 1891: Third Annual Message](/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/december-9-1891-third-annual-message) transcript icon [January 25, 1892: Message Regarding Valparaiso Incident](/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/january-25-1892-message-regarding-valparaiso-incident) transcript icon [Janu
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