The National tribune., 1884-12-11
THE SPANIsHr

confirm the treaty which Minister Foster
has negotiated with Spain. We hope this,
though we are anxious that our trade with
the countries to the south of US should be
extended, and we understand fully that the
best way to accomplish this is by the con-
clusion of reciprocity treaties similar to
this. But this cuts off too much at once,
and gets too little in return.
We buy, in round numbers, s100,000,000
worth of sugars each year. Almost the
whole of these come from Cuba and Porto
Rico. We pay about s4s,0OO,00O duties on
these each year.
The advantages claimed for the treaty are
that we will have these sugars admitted
free of duty, and our people will save about
S50000,000 yearly in this way. Next that
the ports of Cuba and Porto Rico will be
opened to our goods, and we will sell them
all their breadstuffs, meats, kerosene, ETC., to
to the exclusion of other nations.
These advantages are, however, not all
that is claimed for them. Our goods will
not be admitted free to Spanish-American
ports; only a very great reduction is made
on the duties. For example, the duty on
flour entering the ports is reduced from 81
to $3.50 barrel, which leaves still quite a
heavy imposition, and exceeds by far any
duty that we levy on any staple of commerce.
tages. however, they appear to outweigh in
a most astonishing manner all the advan-
tages, even putting these as high as the free
traders and the advocates of the treaty place
them. In the first place, the admission of
Cuban tobacco, manufactured and unmanu
factured, to our ports at half the present
rate of duty will at once close up large
portion Of our tobacco factories, utterly de-
stroy the growing manufacturing interests at
Key West, greatly diminish the profits that
our own farmers have upon their tobacco,
and demoralize the trade in every way.
Next comes the destruction of the sugar
growing interest in Louisiana. But even
more important than this is the prostration
Of the sorghum interest of the whole coun-
try, which will inevitably follow the free
admission of Spanish sugars. As will be
seen, by remembering that we buy $780,
1000 worth Of sugar, there is no feature Of
governmental policy quite so important as
the fostering of home sugar-growing. We
send out of the country for sugars more than
double the amount that we pay for anything
else that we buy abroad. Consequently, the
urgency of producing this at home is at
least double that which pertains to any other
article of our imports. The great economy
of home production of the sweets needed by
the people is by no means a recent discovery
in the science of Government. France recog-
nized it at the end of the last century, and
began fostering sugar-beet culture by large
bounties-so large, indeed, that the earliest
beet sugar manufactured there cost 50 a
pound, and it was quite a triumph when the
industry was so developed that sugar could
be produced for 80 cents a pound. For the
greater part of the century, however, she
has been independent of foreign sugars, rails
ing every pound needed at home. Within
the last decade Germany and Austria have
followed in her wake, and by means of
bounties have developed their own sugar
growing until they also are independent,
and the like is true of Belgium.
Thus it will be seen to be clear beyond
doubt that our prime duty lies in the direc-
tion of doing that which will develop our
native sugars until we produce within our
own borders all that we need. The sorghum
and the Louisiana sugar growing interest
has been developed so within the last few
years that it requires but little more effort
to produce this condition of things. That is
much preferable to having even the whole of
the CUBAN OF IOrCa hic;ln trade. 1here are
only 100000 people on the islands-nine-
tenths Of whom are abjectly poor, and have
but few wants. If they bought from us
every article that they buy - breadstufIs,
meat, clothing, household furniture, tools,
implements, building material and so on
their trade would still amount to less than
we have in two or three Of our own prosper
ous Counties. The Cuban negro's purchaser
in year will not figure up as much as
the ordinary American farmers average
weekly bills; consequently, we are quite
sure, as we have said before, we are giving
entirely too much to get SO little, and we
believe that the Senate will regard it in this
light and reject the treaty.
Send a tlCo-ceRt stamp TO The National TriJ-
une for a petition in Jfaror Of the Immediate
passage Of the amendments to the MeTican
Pension Biu," and do it at once. Time is
precious. f
RELIEVING THE COUNTIES.
Very singularly, one of the most impor-