The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-12-24

Ths Rssaprssety Treaty.
TO rH1 BDzroR Or rM NEW Yonx HnALD.
The segstiatisa Of he above treaty ID but ons Of
series Of acts In ths administation u the govern
nent, and In the Legislation Of CoAgrsas, that show
that the agricultural interest Of TIE country h ut
terly diregardsd. II d disrancaiseA, - TO speak,
and completely ovsrshadewed by tho paramount
interest OF commerce and manufactures. II Il re-
morsslsssy sacrificed in any treaty, or In any oct q
Congress, whes It conflicts In tho slightest With
any other interest. Even the President, in his late
annual message, seems not to have deemed agricul-
tuIe Of sufficient prominence or interest, In ma
tional point OF visw, to be entitled TO any notice
whatever, ard dots not even name t. Tho powerful
contsol ard influence Of the commercial press Of the
eountry-and Of the commercial men ofthe country
of the capital and numbers OF the concentrated popu
laon Of our large cities. seem to entirely obscure it;
nay, more when they choose they can overwhelm it;
at least they can burden it and tax it, aud introduce
a. their pleasure new rivals to share it, markets.
The representatives fom the rural districts In Con.
gress seem parsl, zed, aHd are unable, 1t would
seem, to even protest against the sacrifices their
constituents are thus called on TO make.
Certain II Is, that the merits of this reciprocity
tives on the bill introduced to repeal the duty inn.
posed BY tie tariff PROVINCIAL produce, Canadian
wheat, &C., ard the passage Of which was necessa-
~ the validity aud operation Of the treaty. Yet
the agricultural interest appears not to have had
chs single friend there 10 rise and defend 1t against
the hardest sipg.e blow" it ever received.
This may admit Of explanation. Some legerde.
naa Of ire "iules may account for it, but tbs facts
,rdar hia hat haa n in Ian
resisting this ubiquitous suicidal British treatyiai
qu,tous, certainly far ss it sold the markets Of
the American ia1mer-.has the latter has been
ctsrged 80 per cent upon every thing ne has worn
and manly every thing lie has ussc for the last quar-
ter Of century to build them up, that, In the san
gu.ns ex vsctaAon OF tie manlfa tuTers Of New Eag
lsnd (bu; il this they will probably be mistakenly
he Is likely TO tnue TO be SO charged, and shat
while the Canadian brings h,s wheat In 70 feed the
aItzan, he American farmer is taxed to furnish en-
Whether these gentlemen from the rural districts,
even those With an almost exclusive agricultural
constituency. Will lemain az 81 emit whom the COM
mercial press has heraIded FORTH with al the pomp
and circumstance OF long Leaders, the merits OF tne
C0lliLs ike, and the cities have baeu drummed up
again for petiliuns-whether they will resist, or help
to impose q further tax upon their constituents, TO
build up monopoly, and vote for protection"
who never voted for projection before, know not.
But one thing is pretty certain-the country ie
likely 10 he or more about Mr.. Collins steamers
one merchant and ole merchants ships-through
the press letter writer's, lobby members, reports,
speeches and cinners within the next three months,
tnan has been heard about agriculture in Congress
ia three years or in thirty yesrs. But this is rather
beside my subject.
Before examining the merits Of this treaty wish
to cs attention to passage contained In the late
me- sal Of the President in reference to it. l
thiuk 1t goes far towards convicting the Chief Ma
gistrae Of something very like al attempt to deceive
the coantry. He certainly has used the tschDi ,al
language Of the treaty as only special pleader In
q baa cause would bs likely to use language,
and has submitted really false issue to the country
The baes Of the treaty is not, and never was what
the President in so solemn paper as his annual
message to the pile would seem to represent 1t to
be. But the farmers had charged him and his I'D
ministrati0n with having sold their wheat fields
for ccGfsh and ma keleLn Listen to the Presidents
statemt Mt OF the bargain he had made 80 farfr0m
selling tteir wheat fields, he got both the inshore
fishery ard the lavgation of the st. Lawrence for
the RICH: csdei to Great Britain to sell the FISH they
take on the coast in our market free Of duty! 30
he says the treaty" stipulates" and because such
fraud or fiction has been inherited into the treaty
by t~o cunning diplomats, the President jussides
himself in holding forth to the country that it WAS
the real and bona tide consideration, for as he ex.
presses IT, privileges Of the highest Importance
and value 20 he United States" But not to do the
President injustice les us give the passage entire as
it stones III the message -
SO ton as it (ths treaty. was ratified, Crest
Britain cpaned to our commerce the free navigation
of the river st. Lawrence and To our fishermen IN
molested access to the shores and bays from which
they bad been frequently excluded ON the Q )ast Of
her Norm American Provinces in return for which
she asked for the intrcdu on tree OF Duty into the
pcrts Of the United States of the fish caught the
coast by British fishermen. This beirg the CON-
pensatinn stipulated 10 tho treaty for privileges Of
/ the highest importance aud va.uc TO the United
States, which were thus voluntarily yielded before
/ it become elective, tie request seemed to me
4 reasonable one"
Now this lie all fiction, without one "a 4 to give
it countenance, and contradcted by the history Of
all the diplomacy, negotiation end legislation on the
subject from tho time General Dix list introduced
his bill into Congress in lS49
The boon they sought, ard the boon (the com.
pensa.ion) We gave them was Not our markets to
badly neyer will it WAS our grain and produce
markets fer the sale Of their agricultural produce
was not for markets in which to sell fish that Sir
Henry Bulwer sought By every means in his power
to get General Ia, lors administration to negotiate
and Congress to legislate about this, 80 miscalIed
reciprocity matter and soughs in vain; it not for
this Lord Eler came in special mission to this
county and that Washington has been made to
SWARM for the last two years with Canadian
officials and unofficials, but 1t was to get our
home markets for the sale of provincial pro
duce. Everybody. knows this. How absprd
ard almost ridicul us then the Attempt to keep
he deceived by it; but it is Notifying and humilis
tipg to gee men in high places In state papers Of
the greatest and most solemn import, resorfing to
such petfoge ing suberfag for they hardly deserve
better name. For the mutual coaside ations thus
named by the President-the right to che inshore
fisheries, AID the navigation Of the st. Lawren ,e
cedei en- the one hand, and the right t, sell sh In
the American markets en- the other, no suca treaty
could Rave been formed; not that the privileges
thus respectively granted are disproportioned, or
that Great Britain would consider she was parting
with oly real boon whatever, but she would rather
keep the difficulty about the fisheries bone of con.
tenon for ulseror ends than part with her recently
asserted rights 70 cheaply. Indeed, this fishery
title was merely revived asserted after our free
it might be used as pretext to get possession Of
our markets for the agricultural products OF their
provinces But for the consideration really given,
almost any and every disputed and unsettled matter