The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1826-12-13

:iprocal regulations had continued IN IoiSS
cveral years, when the discriminating princi'
lie was resumed by the Netherlands in a new
md indirect form, by bounty OF ten per cent
IN the shape Of a return OF duties TO Their "a
tional vessels, and in which those OF the Unit
ed States are not permitted to participate
By the act of Congress of the 9Th of January, /
1924. all discriminating duties in the United
States were again suspended, so far as related
to the vessels and produce of the Netherlands,
so long as the reciprocal exemption should be
extended to the vessels and produce OF the
United States in the Netherlands. But the
same &C. provides that, in the event OF res
toration Of discriminating duties, TO operate
against the shipping and commerce OF The
United States, in any of the foreign countries
referred to therein, the suspension OF dlscTim-
mating duties in favor Of the navigation oil
such foreign country should cease, and all the
provisions Of the acts imposing discriminating
foreign tonnage and impost duties in the Unit
ed States, should revive, and be in full force
with regard to that nation.
To the correspondence with the Government
of the Netherlands upon this subject, they
have commended that the favor shown to their
own shipping by this bounty upon their tom
mage, is not TO be considered as discriminate
ing duty. But il cannot be denied that it pro-
duces all the same effects. Had The mutual
abolition been stipulated by treaty, such a
bounty upon the national vessels could scarce
" have been granted consistently with good
faith. Yet, as the act OF Congress OF 7th Jan.
1924, has not expressly auihoriz the Execn-
tive authority to Gctermiue what sinai! be con
sdered as revival Of discrimi ting duties by
foreign Government TO the disadvantage of
the United States, and as the rcta!iatory meas
ure on our part, however just and necessary,
may tend rather to that conflict of legislation
which we dsprecate, than to that concert to
which we invite all commercial nations, IS
most conducive TO their interest and our own,
have thought it more consistent with the spirit
Of our institutions to refer the subject again to
the paramount authority of the Legislature TO
decide what measure the emergency may re-
quire, than abruptly, by proclamation, to car
ry into effect the minAtory provision of the act
of 1894
During the last session of Congress, trea-
ties OF amity, navigation, and commerce, were
negotiated and signed at. this place with the
Government Of Denmark, in Europe, aud with
the federation of Central America in this hem
lsphere. These treaties then received the
constitutional sanction of the Senate, by the
advice and consent to their ratification. They
were, accordingly. ratified on the part of the
United States, and, during the recess of Con-
gress. have been also ratified by the other re-
sPective contracting parties. The notifications
have been exchanged, and they have been
published by proclamations, copies of which
are herewith communicated to Congress
These treaties have established, between the
contracting parties, the principles of equality
and reciprocity, in their broadcast and most lib
eral extent. Each party admitting the vessels
OF the other into its ports, laden with cargoes.
the produce or manufacture of any quarter of
the globe, upon the payment of the same du-
ties OF tonnage and inpost that are chargeable
upon their own. They have farther stipulat-
ed, that the parties shall hereafter grant no
favor of navigation or commerce TO any other
nation, which shall not, upon the same terms.
be granted to each other; and that neither
party viii impose, upon articles of merchan-
die, the produce or manufacture Of the other.
any other or higher duties than upon the like
articles, being the produce or manufacture of
any other country. To these principles there
is, in the Convention with Denmark, an ex-
ception, with regard to the colonies of that
kingdom in the Arctic Seas. but none with re-
gard to her colonies in the West-Indies.
In the course Of the last summer, the term
TO which our last commercial treaty with Swe-
den was limited, has expired. continuation
OF 1t is IN the contemplation of the Swedish
Government, and is believed to be desirable on
the part of the United States. II has been
proposed by the King Of Sweden, that. pending
the negotiation of renewal, the expired treaty
should be mutually considered as still in force
measure which will require the sanction of
Congress to be carried into effect on our part
and which therefore recommend TO your con-
sidesaiion.
With Prussia, Spain, Portugal, and in gen
eral all the European powers, between whom,
and the United States, relations of friendly in
tercourse have existed, their condition has not
materially varied since the last session Of
Congress. ] regret not to be able to say the
same of our commercial intercourse with the
colonial possessions of Great-BFitain in Amer
lea. Negotiations of the highest importance
to our common interests have been for several
years in discussion between the two Govern.
ments; and on the part of the United States
have been invariably pursued in the spirit of
candor and Cancellation. Interests of great
magnitude and delicacy had been adjusted by
the Conventions of 1915 and 1918, while that
Of 1922, mediated by the late Emperor Alex
ander, had promised a satisfactory compro-
mise of claims which the Government of the
United States, in justice to the rights of nu-
merous class of their citizens, was bound to
sustain. But, with regard to the commercial
intercourse between the United States and the
British colonies in America, II has been hither-
to found impracticable TO bring the parties to
an understanding satisfactory TO both. The
relative geogra Fhical position, and the re-
spectiye products of nature cultivated by hui
man industry, had constituted the elements of
a commercial intercourse between the United
states aud British America, insular and con-
tInental, important to the inhabitants of both
countries. But it had been interdicted by
Great-Britain, upon principle heretofore
practised upon by the colonising nations of Eu-
rope, of holding the trade of their colonies
each in exclusive monopoly to herself. After
the termination Of the late war, this interdic-
ton had been revived, and tie British Gov