New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1843-05-20
WHOLE NO. s57.

with as mach truth. that III matters of CONNER
cia intercourse it is differences OF character. diff
ferences of soil differences Of products, and dbl
terent habits. which give TO different States all
identity Of interest in one rcspect-that IS III the
mutual exchanges OF commercial products.
" ell, gentlemen. parting from tins subject,
VIII conclude with few remarks on another.
II 50 happened that very soon after entered
upon the duties OF the office which | lately held,
II was the pleasure OF Congress TO call upon the
Department for Reports on the Tariff and Com
nlercia regulations of other countries, and the
effects OF the " Reciprocity Treaties. as thcv are
called. INTO which the Government entered with
various countries at various times. from 1875 10
i late period. do, gentlemen, entertain the
strongest belief that all this principle of recipro.
city acted upon by the Government is WRONG
mistake from the beginning, and injurious to the
great interests of the country What Is II
By every reciprocity treaty we give to the ma
ton with which 1t is concluded right to trade
bet,ceen us and otter nations on tie same terms
as tre trade ourselves We give to the Hanse
Towns and the other States OF the same class the
right to fetch and carry, between us and all the
nations of the world, on the same terms we do
and practically they can do it much more prof
itablv.
In my opinion the true rIncipc--the pmoso
phy of politics on this subject, Is exhibited In the
old Navigation Law of England, introduced by
some of the old geniuScs of Cromwc.s time and
acted upon ever since. The principle is this =
the rule is this any nation may bring commo
diticS to us in her own vessels and carry our corn
to her own ports we having tho Ike privilege;
but no nation shall bring the products of a third
nation or carry between Us and that nation. 1t
has been said, by a very distinguished person not
now living, that the rule of the Navigation laws
had It's foundation in this idea: England sought
in her arrangement TO secure as much of the
rvinp trade of the world as she could and what
she could not get herself she sought to divide It
among all other nations. In one sense that IS
doubtless selfish polIcy-so far it indicates
disposition to obtain all she could but this is
tainv not very extraordinary SeltShness. In
other respects lis operation IS the most luSt the
wisest and most beneficial that could be desired
We may test this in variety OF ways 1t does
tend. to a certain extent, to increase the means
of that State which has the greatest mercantile
marine and can sell cheapest but at the same
time it does give 10 all others the advantage IN
carrying their own goods. Suppose England can
carry cheaper than any other nation IN the world:
And suppose all the nations OF the world should
adopt the current notions OF Free Trade, ana open
their ports to all that chose to enter: At once
/ inc great D1tOU lutl CDuIu CdIlI cheapest NOu'u
90, step by step, till presently she monopolizcd
the whole carrying trade OF the world. Does
not every one sec that such State must
soon become the master of the whole world
| Or suppose there were two~1r%cat nations like
| Great Britain and the United States found to be
/ the cheapest carriers. If all the other nations
! should agree upon the full commercial liberty
! and permit all to come and go without regard to
the goods they had, these two great States would
ineritajlY take the carrying trade of the world,-
take the shipping Of the world, the maritime
power of the world, and the government of the
word-if they could agree among themselves
/ loud applallsc.) And back to that principle
must we cemc at last. We ought to give to every
nation the right Of bringing her cargo here in her
ships if she gives to us the like privilege. Butby
these reciprocity treaties, to give for the carrying
of a nation of Europe like Bremen, which has but
port, all the ports along coast OF lou miles
with Il millions pcoplc-whcn she has scarcely
100000 of her own--pray what sort of reciprocity
is this loud applausc.) 1t is very much like
the story IF you will allow me here to quote Joe
Nlil!cr,) of the horse and the cock, who were
walking together The cock thought TO make a
reciprocal agreement with the horse" III not
tread on you," said he, "ify you'll not tread on
me-" Loud laughter and applause.
Now, gentlemcn, | know there is nothing so
dull as statistics but wish to present. here in
the city of Baltimore, and before body Of gen.
tlemen as intelligent as any other body, even in
this repusive form of statistical figures, some re-
suits at which ! arrived in the public document
/ had the honor to lay before Congress. Hereto
fore, as all know before 1927 the trade we
carried on IN American vessels with the
IIansc Towns sustained about eighty vessels
repularly-mainly to Bremen and Hamburg
/ In 1927 d new treaty was formed with
the Hanseatic Republics and by the first article
OF that treaty it agreed upon that articles
might be imported into the United States from
any part of the world in vessels of the Hanseatlc
powers ; and it was farther agreed that any yes
sci might be regarded vessel OF one or TIE
other of the Hanseatic Republics phich cas 'tcn.
ed Jy citizens Of that Republic, commanded by
d master belonging TO 1t and with cie" Two
thirds of which belonged to the hePubiic or 10
any one of the States OF the German Conieuera.
cy not requiring 1t will be seen tnat the Vessei
] should be built in the Hanseatlc Republics. Our
Government when it entered into this stipulation
should have been as it would seem, more eau
tjous AS it had the example OF England before
! il: because England in making d treaty with the
same Republics III 1925 stipulated that no vessels
should pass as Hanseatic which were not JuHt IN
one of the Republics very important consider
alton at that time, for none of the Republics
then engaged in ship-building, though since they
have built many and good vessels.
Well, what was the practical result Of this act
Of our liberaty? have said that before l827
the number OF vessels engaged in the trade with
these Republics amounted to 50 during the year
it fell in a few years to %; and IN regard to the
tonnage of the two countries from 1881 to 1886,
three-sevenths of it was IN American vessels and
four-sevenths in Bremen from 1886 to l540,
one fifth were American and iour-hfths IN Bre-