The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1849-05-18
FOREIGN.

From tho London Chronicle. April -.
Inc English navigatoa lacs and free trade the United
States.

has been confidently stated and may be believed in
some quarters that the liberal system Of commercial
that Mr.. Bancroft exceeded his authority when he
pledged himself for their Willingness TO meet Great Britain
on perfect ioong Of reciprocity in case OF the conte
plated modification OF the navigation laws The point
important. and admits OF very simple calculation The
American freerade tariff of ls46 has answered the ex
respects Mr.. Mackay Tin The Western World states
that both imports and exports have increased 20 per
in the three years since it came into operation These
stood at wentysx millions sterling for ls45 and thirty.
two millions for IS4S, showing increase OF two mil
lions year. the average increase for the three preceding
years having been very materially less But interests
formerly protected have suffered, particularly 10 Pennsy
vana. in which the supporters of the rival systems
very nearly equal and this State declared for General
Taylor Losses. really attributable the failure OF the
cotton crop or the state OF Europe were at once set down
TO the credit Of the new policy, in this country; and
the result that the candidate of the whgsoF proec
onst party-hss been elected President, and the same
party has temporarily acquired small majority in the
House Of Representative But General Taylor owes his
success principally TO his military rsnown and his per-
sona popularity The Senate is still democratic Tor bea)
in the Liberal direction IS practicable for The present and
If the manufacturing States should succeed their de-
sign of imposing dferentia duties for their benefit
to the manifest injury OF the cotton and growing
States there be little doubt that separation must
speedily ensue
We are therefore, under no apprehension that the
United States will practically rerograde The language
of the new President has been extremely guarded and it
appears from the official document, entitled, "Reply Of
the United States government respecting the proposed
ly depends upon the British Parliament to procure for
British ships the privilege Of trading 1rom any port in
the world to any port in the United States and of being
like American ships" This Is clear from The act 'e Of
Congress approved the oath May, 1925 and from the
put upon Il by The American law courts
and administrative authorities The act provides that,
upon satisfactory evidence being given to the President,
by the government of any foreign nation that dscrm
mating duties imposed in the ports of the said nation
upon vessels wholly belonging to citizens of the United
may issue his proclamation, declaring all discriminating
duties suspended, far respects the vessels of the
ury circular dated November g. 1s47 is laid down that
the ship OF any. nation which exenpts American ships
from the duties in question. shall at once. and without
any presidential proclamation be free from such duties
the ports of the United States and Mr. Buchanan (Feb.
ruary 8, loigD referring to the act and the circular
writes Great Britain may. therefore. at any moment,
by complying with the fair and equitable conditions
CURED by this act place her vessels and their cagoes
both in direct and indirect foreign trade, upon the
same footing with vessels OF the United States" The
coasng trade is of course reserved "lndeed, the liberal
principles of. reciprocity and navigation,
sanctioned by this act had been practically adopted pre-
vious IFS passage in treaties which had been concluded
by the United States with Denmark, Sweden, the Hanse
attic republic and Prussia, and have since been carried
effect in treaties concluded with Austria, Russia and
other powers, all Of which still in force"
No seriously supposes that the present government
of the United States can or will put an end to these trea
ties pass law to exclude Great Britain from the
provisions of the act of May, 1928 1t follows, that
shall be under very serious disadvantage in compe
ton with our most formidable rivals, if persevere in
upholdng navigation laws they stand The Amer
already enjoy the free range OF wide field from
which we are excluded and it stands to that il
we limit commercial relations whilst they rapidly
extending THEIRS shall eventually be dstanced in the
race. 1t is idle to point at the ratio at which American
British enterprise 1t not possible for to reard their
progress to anything like the extent TO which the
restrictive system must retard own. We partially
exclude them from ports, il is rue but what will be
the relative condition of the two communities at the end
of half century, if they received footing OF
equality in the ports of all other nations whilst dscrmi'
mating duties imposed English vessels by the Ger
man Zo- Veren, the Italian States, and the maritime
kingdoms of the North
At present. there is ground for alarm. OF the entire
foreign tonnage which entered the ports of the United
States in ls47 nearly three fourhs British and the
British tonnage employed in the direct trade with them
has than quadrupled since 1924 II A 1894 tons
in that year, and 1923 in 1916. The American ton
mage in the same trade, for the same years. stands
ATS and 1876 Let those who contend that the
present of American tonnage over British in the
direct trade owing to the reciprocity treaties have the
goodness to explain why, the American than
three times great the British in 1924. We suspect
that the train OF inquiry would show why British
fact being that the country which exports the bukest
commodities in any given trade always employs the
greatest number of ships.
broad comprehensive average like this for 80 long
period, canno. well deceive We infer from it that no
bad consequences to be apprehended from the bill
which be read for the third time this evening whilst
the state of the colonies alone sufficient Indicate the
imminent danger 10 be apprehended from the rejection OF
it. We will admit to Lord Stanley and Mr. Herries, that
the Canadas and the West lndies for example, would be
content to tolerate the inconvenience OF deficient
orbltant freghts little longer provided their old monopo
lies OF sugar and timber were restored to them But this
aboshing these is obvious impossbility and the
protectonists, whether lords commoners who vote
against the bill, may rest assured that they will not
y check the development OF industrial resources,
and cripple maritime strength but bitterly and peril
ously aggravae the unjust and irritating policy which
has shaken our colonial empire to lis base.
Annexation OF Cuba.
The London Times, of the Dist ult., reviews Mr. Thos
Caute Reynoldss letter relative to the Cuba question
some length, and calls it "mares nest" The same pa
per. the 23d ult, after mentioning that cabinet
Gil had been held on the 2lst ult., says
II appears unnecessary the public that there
net the ghtest foundation for the negotiation attributed
by Mr. Reynolds the American dipomatist, Sir II Bul.
gave The extract from Mr.. Reynodss letter specimen
OF American creduty American .ingenuity--nolhng
more There no nienon has such ever existed OF
swapping away Gibraltar, OF doing OF the dread
tu things attributed by Mr. Reynolds TO the English EN-
bassy Madrid Mr.. Reynolds is, fear, the habit OF
going a mare snesting by moonlight
Manifesto OF tho President Of the French Rspuhaic
The following letter, addressed by the President of the
French republic to his cousin. explains the indiscreon
committed by the latter though il may be necessary to
observe that the electoral committee OF the Gronde have
very generously conradcted the report of his having
made use of the language attributed to him. and which
occasioned the reprimand;