The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-09-14
Mr.. Lynch and the ReciprOc-
itu TpeUtu,

The Argus in its reckless and desperate at
tempts to manufacture political capital against
Mr.. Lynch, charged him with voting in favor
OF the abrogation of the Reciprocity Treaty.
This he has nailed by calling attention to the
fact that The Treaty was abrogated one year
before Mr.. Lynch took his seat in Congress.
Having been driven from one false statement,
the argus immediately takes refuge in anoth-
er, and asserts that Mr.. Lynch had always vo-
lently opposed the Treaty in the Board of
Trade and elsewhere. Every member of the
Board OF Trade knows the opposite to be true
AS a member of the Legislature of 1864, Mr..
Lynch appeared before the Committee on Fed
eral Relations and secured the adoption of a
resolution declaring that the Treaty should not
be abrogated without provisions being made
for a new one. Capt. James Drummond, of
Bath, member of the Committee, afterwards
wrote to Mr.. Lynch, requesting his views in
writing as expressed to the Committee, which
were given in letter and published in the Bath
Times of May 7. 1864, with the following edito-
rial comments:
The subject of the Reciprocity Treaty has re-
ceived of late considerable attention from our
people. The Governor, in his annual commu-
ole space to the subject, as one affecting in 10
small degree the interests of Maine
AT the recent session Of the Legislature, a
hearing was had before one OF the committees,
on the operations of the treaty, and Mr.. Lynch,
a prominent merchant of Portland and a gem
tleman well known in the State, addressed the
committee on the subject. So interested was
our Representative, Capt James Drummond
in the views presents by the gentleman, and
regarding 1t as important that they Shout be
made known to the people, he subsequently re-
quested Mr.. Lynch to give him in writing the
substance of his address that OCCASION
This he did, and it will be found in the commu-
nication which follows, and which has been
kindly furnished US for publication. We ask
the special attention of our readers to the com
munication, which is as follows: y 'i
PORTLAND, April 4, 1864.
JAMES DRUMMOND, Esq.-Dedr Sir. In COM
pliance with your request herewith hand YOU
such statistics relating to Reciprocity as find
| among my papers, L found most of nv Stats.
tics in the letter of the Secretary of the Treas
ury in reply to resolution ON the Reciprocity
| Treaty. = "i-'-i 2 " e. 1s'i,' :
After giving history of the adoption of the
Treaty and its operation on the interests o.
| Maine, the letter concludes as follows:
AS State, we do not raise our own bread.
stuff. We import our flour, corn and pork
| and it is an advantage to have these articles
come in free. As the largest ship building State
| in the U Union, it is for our interest to have shI
timber from the Provinces free. The value Of
vessels owned in the United States, in 1861
was, at $40 per ton, $229, 592, 4SO. Maine bull
| in that one year 81 ,343 TONS which at the same
value would amount to $2,29372O.
AS an offset to any supposed injury to the
| lumber interest of Maine, by the treaty we
have the opening of English markets to deals
from American ports, which makes not only q
market for spruce lumber but business for oul
| freighting ships. T%T 4 E-T-ligfs
Maine is peculiarly situated in her CONNER
| clai relations to the Provinces. Canada has
now population of 100000 having nearly
| quadrupled in the last twenty-five years. Vas
sums have been expended in opening commu
nication through her territory, and developing
| her resources. She is growing into mighty
| inland empire. Her road to the sea lies through
our State. Maine is to Canada what Copstan
tnople would be to Russia We furnish hel
| access to the ocean through halt the year. II
| is our true policy to separate her as much as
| possible from England and unite her to us BY
the strong ties OF commercial interest Cana
| da and the lower Provinces are agricultural
| States, while Maine with her extensive sea
| coast, fine bays and harbors, and exhaustless
water power, is to be great commercial and
manufacturing State. Commerce and manu-
features make agriculture tributary to them,
and build up great States and powerful ma
tions. If we are true to ourselves and "culti-
vate friendly relations" with, our provincial
neighbors, We shall become one of the foremost
States in the Union. 1t is well to settle our
farming lands; but we should not fall into the
error of supposin we can make Maine great
agricultural State. Commerce and manIlfac-
lures are here great interests, and with these
fully developed, she would outstrip any agricul-
tural State in the Union. To show our trade
with New Brunswick, take the following table
of exports and imports: al -. 7 - Jt-