The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-05-18

have Deem Tor some time IN progress at Wasn-
ington, and we may safely infer, from MIR.
Fishs permitting the fact to be known, that
they have reached stage which leaves little
doubt of their success. After carefully veil
ing the negotiations SO long, he would not
have consented to any publicity if they were
likely to prove abortive. It seems to have
escaped general attention that q considerable
portion of the Reciprocity Treaty ratified in
1854 and abrogated in 1866 was revived by the
Treaty of Washington in 1871. As it was the
main purpose Of that treaty to settle the excit-
ing Alabama controversy the newspaper dis
cussions ct the time were almost solely
directed to that topic. In point of fact, quite
portion Of the Reciprocity Treaty of 1854 is
copied verbatim into the treaty of 1871, which
resuscitated every part of the reciprocity ar
rangement except the free exchange Of the
raw products of agriculture. The treaty of
1854 conceded reciprocal rights to take and
cure fish on the coasts Of the British provinces
and the United States tho treaty of 1871
grants the same mutual privileges. The treaty
of 1854 secured to the United States the free
navigation Of the st. Lawrence in exchange
for free navigation Of Lake Michigan by
the Canadians the treaty OF 1871 revives that
agreement The treaty of 1854 secured to
citizens of the United States the use Of the
Canadian canals on the same conditions and
at the same tolls as were required OF the people
of the provinces the treaty of 1871 contains
the same stipulations. By both treaties fish and
fish oil of every kind, the products Of either
country, are admitted free of duty into the
other. And by both treaties these reciprocal
stipulations were to remain in force for ten
years, with the right of either party to termi-
nate them afterwards by giving formal notice
to the other. By the new negotiations now in
progress, the remaining feature of the old Re-
ciprocity Treaty will probably be revived in
an improved form.
The Reciprocity Treaty of 1854 was always
popular with the Canadians, as it gave great
impulse to their trade, and it was generally
popular in the United States for the first five
years. But in 1869 complaints began to arise.
originating chiefly in Buffalo, the largest of
our trading towns in close proximity to Can
ada It was loudly charged that the Provin-
cial Parliament was taking advantage of the
letter of the treaty to violate its spirit The
treaty only provided for the free admission
into each country of the products of the
farms, forests, mines and fisheries of
the other; but it was commended that
Canada stripped the arrangement of all fair
claim to reciprocity by SO raising her tariff as
to exclude American manufactures from her
market
These complaints were urged with so rauch
pertinacity that, in 1860, President Buchanan
appointed Israel T. Hatch commissioner to
investigate the subject and make a report.
MI. Hatch prosecuted his inquiries with great
zeal and diligence in the principal cities on
both sides of the border and presented very
elaborate collection of facts. Fully admitting
the great advantage to both countries of real
reciprocity in trade, he attempted to show
that the bad faith of the Canadians had con-
verted the treaty into sham reciprocity, in
which all the advantages were on their side.
He introduced statistics to show that the
amount Of revenue which we had relinquished
by admitting Canadian products free was six
times as great as Canada had relinquished by
admitting American products free. He
features which had found market in Canada
previous to the treaty had been excluded since,
by injurious alterations of the Canadian
tariff, which had been increased from sixty to
one hundred per cent on such articles.
He also showed that the Canadian laws
had been changed with view to
prevent the people of the provinces
purchasing any kind Of foreign goods in the
American market as they had been accus-
toned to do. This was accomplished by levy
ing ad valorem duties on the value of goods
at the place OF purchase, so that sugar, for
example, bought in New York or Boston,
paid higher duty than if imported into
Canada directly from Havana. 1t was main
tanned that such tariff regulations we're
virtual infraction of the treaty, which has been
entered into by the United States on an i'm
piled understanding that the Canadian Gus
toms duties would not be changed to our
injury and to the destruction of our previous
trade in articles which the treaty did not en-
brace.
The complaints embodied in Mr.. Hatch's
report might have had little practical effect
had it not been for the animosities kindlsd by
our civil war. The strong and demonstrative
sympathy of the Canadians with the South,
the hospitality they accorded to fugitive
rebels permitting their countrv tn he a theatre
of plots against the Union, estranged and en-
Uttered our people. The abrogation of the
Reciprocity Treaty was as much an act of
punishment as of commercial policy. When
our difficulty with England was settled by the
Treaty of Washington several important
stipulations Of the Reciprocity Treaty were
revived, and Mr.. Fish is SO well satisfied
with the result of the Geneva arbitration,
that he will doubtless treat the Canadians in