New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-01-23
TRADE WITH MEXICO.


| IA Open Letter to Congressman GiosOn'
CHAMBER OF CoxxERcK,}
! New Orleans, JANUARY II, 1870. }
| Hoe Randall [. Gibson, United States House OF
Representatives,:
/! MY DEAR SIn-I am IN receipt o. your
, letter. inc!ssing the resolutions introduced
. bv vou in the House OF representatives., in
! regard to the adjustment OF commercial re-
| lations between tbs United States and the
| republic Of Mexico, upon the basis OF a
| reciprocal free list and rate OF duties to be
adopted by both countries.
| You also do me the honor to ash "my
| opinion as to the practical benefits to be
derived from such treaty." to be co'nnu-
| nicated '';n open letter if without on,ec--
| ton" I. is in compliance wlta this request
thai now address you.
The President OF the United States re.
| commended some years since REVISION OF
| these commercial relations, and aacec IN
. structions from the State Depattne mt min
;srers ami consuls have been engaged N an
| effort to bring about an abatement OF
foreign duties upon American products,
| while ,hs total repeal of duty by the Amer
lean government upon the coffee imported
into the United STATES, display the isposi-
. tiOn OF that government 10 enter upon the
ad; lstment on terms Of mutual advantage,
while it is well known that the American
| minister at Mexico fdyOrs such & m0didca-
ton Of the tariff OF each country, his neg0-
! t:atioas have been rather addressed to pre-
! venting the imminent danger Of military
collision on the frontier of the two countries
than to tho adjustment of their ta.ltts.
To those VINO regard the immense ann
! u,isalable surplus OF agricultural and manu-
.ac.ured products ia the United States,
; there can be no doubt that the country has
! reached stage of progress at which mere
| extended open market for these products
is required. Thus fac the Cuited States
has purchased the great part Of It's mann
factur.s IL market with whose fabrics 1t
| has not been able to compete. while It mas
paid for these importations by an expor- OF
raw material and food for the European
| operatives engaged in the production OF
those fabrics. The time has, however, ar
rived when the United States. like sii other
nations producing surplus beyond the
wants OF its own population. demands sn
additional market abroad.
! When YOU revfsw the trade and treaty
relations OF the United States with the for
eign and domestic States wh0 hold juris,iic-
ton upon tha American continent, i5 will bs
found that the rate OF duties upon Amer
can, in common with other products, fstat-
iishei by States adjacent to the United
States, amounts almost to prohibition CT
American export Of such articles TO such
States It IS not inappropriate to state
here that the phrase occurring in al our
treaties with such States. that the pre-
ducts Of each shall be admitted into the
rOr,a Of the other on the same terlls with
The most favored nation operates as
have stated, because while the Spanish OF
Mexican duty OF IS ger barrel on -four, Or
three cents on lard imposes p rate coD;uon
to all nations, it falis oily upon those
nations which. like the United States. ex-
port flour and lard 70 the Spanish colonies
ard Mexican States. This practical pro
l,ibition OF trade eompels tha United
S5ates, though oppressed with surplus OF
the provisions which these friendly nations
may require, to pay in specie 10r the i'm
ports from these States. The ac.cunt of
the specie baiaDcs thus exported annually
from the United States. after Geduc.lEg tie
food and manufactures exported to other
| States and col onias OF this continent has
been estimated at SIS 0Oo000.
Your resolutions will tend to show the
American government is willing 70 take the
initiative in this conference. Its adoption
| will be regarded in Mexico as measure
! looking to the continued maintenance OF
! amicatie relations between the two conn
tries, and it will do much to ,lisa ouse the
! Mexican mind Of the belief that we would
90 to war with neighbor tor the depreGa-
Ilons of few cattle thieves, or because We
| wished u desDoil her cf territory. The
| United States will undoubtedly project
! every citizen and every inch OF her sol.
sior, but from no hostility 70 a nation
weaker than herself, and OF whose rsciEe
. wishes there can be no doubt. Il Mexic5
! can not res rain the incursioDs Of her boz
der thieves, the United States may be e.
guire. TO do so tor her, but with TO GisDo
. ..tior TO trespass or oprress.
Your proposition for a commission 70
| present projet of such commercial conveE-
; tion between the two republics as 'nay se-
cure an enlarged trade deserves cousidera-
F, ton. 1t viii tend to especially promote
! the commerce OF this port and it will en-
| courage the construction Of a railroad ira
versiug ard connecting the territory OF
| both countries. This, with ample steam
| facilities between the ports, will tend to es-
tabiish permanently the same a,nicable re
| lations which have always existed between
| our government and that cf the British
American possessions Oh CTR northern
| boundary.
| Indeed reciprocal rate Of duties with q
! liberal list ef articles. tie product OF our
F! Own and other countries admitted fcea OF
| ali duties, should be applied to all the
! States and colonies Of this continent with
| the governments of which we have treaty
relations.
You can rot expect from this conmuri-
cation more than an approval Of your resC
iutons as a measure leading 10 important
commercial and diplomatic consequences.
1C suDiEll u iiSL Oi III tCits W s't t!iliIllCN
INTO each country from the Othec free. or a.
an agreed rate OF duty. would be lreila-
tire, and more proper for the consideration
Of tie international commission " hiCh you
propose. 1t is sufficient to say that, in my
opinion, ample necessity for such a CON-
me1cial arrangement exists to.h in the
commercial and diplomatic interests of each
country. Abundant material may De found
from which to crate an extended demand
for the surplus productions Of the United
States as we'll as to draw still closer the
bonds OF friendship and fraternity between
the two great. republics Of the continent
aud tha world.
With tie hope that this judcous and
patriotic proposition which you have pre-
sented will meet the approval Of Congress,
as l do not doubt it will that fof your COM
merciaI constituents, I remain, very re-
spectfully etc,
CYRUS BCSSEY.
President Chamber Of Commerce.
BAIL AND EVENING DREssEs-Miss A. E.