National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-03-25
THE HOG QUESTION.
Senator Vance Finds an Occasion TO Air His
Free Trade Views.
He Furthermore Declares That This Cow
eminent Ought 10 be Ashamed OF Itself.

Senator Vance, in a minority report from
the committee on foreign affairs submitted
yesterday, expresses the opinion tho Ger
many has Q right to exclude American hog
products on the ground that they are un-
wholesome, II she deems it proper, and that
this government is not justified in impeach-
ing her motives. of it be true" continues
the report, "that our pork is to any extent
unwholesome, we should endeavor by rigid
system Of inspection to remove the cause of
the complaint; if it DO that fear of trichi-
noss is only pretext, and that tho real
reason for excluding our hog products is the
desire to protect their own producers then
we are the last people on earth who ought to
complain. After surrounding ourselves for
more than twenty years with pro-
tective tariff wall so high as
to exclude virtually all tho
products of Germany which compete with
ours, it Is rather late for us to advocate retail
iation against Q government which merely
follows our example. In fact, Germany's
action is retaliation, and tho cry of stop
thief cannot change the true condition OF
things. We have got to learn that we arc
not 80 great and Independents as to enable us
to dofy the laws of political economy and the
amenities OF international trade with impu-
nifty. We have been told again and again that
lures from the competition of the world, and
that all the nations thus excluded would be
compelled, nevertheless, to buy our bread
stu1s and provisions--that they could not do
without them. We are greatly surprised and
indignant when one important customer says
he can got along without our hog products,
and forbds their coming in and we propose
to retaliate.
For what? For simply and frankly for
bidding them to BIO imported. Suppose in
stead Of doing this Germany had imposed
duty of 100 per cent on them, which as
efectuslly prohibits their importation, what
thenp Where would be our so-called retalia-
tion2 Theundersigned can sec no difference
Whatever in the two methods of prohibition,
so for as results are concerned, only that the
one Is manly and direct, while the other is
indirect and based on falls pretenscs.
Our great meat industry must, indeed, be
cared for. 1t, with kindred agricultural in
dustries, furnishes nearly all of our foreign
trade and they deserve all that congress can do
for them. But this bill does not propose the
true way to do 1t. This way is to remove
as for as possible all restrictions upon
trade and the enlargement of the market for
our farmers products all over the world by
liberal treaties and tariff laws. The last Sec
ton of the bill is especially Objectionable,
not only in the proposed retaliation, but in
the RELOCATION of the whole matter to tho
executive. We propose thereby TO arm the
chief magistrate of q constitutional republic
with the same arbitrary power over COM
merce that is now exercised by the primo
minister of feudal European despotism, in
order that on equal terms they may inflict
mutual injuries on their people until one
the other gives in. This, too, while congress
is in session and the representatives of tho
people are present, ready to say, if they wish
TO begin this war, on what articles of com
merce they prefer the fight to BIO made.
The section, in effect, Is an abdication of
the powers and duties of congress and q
delegation thereof to the better judgment Of
the President.
If such measures of so-called reta liation
toward Germany, or any other nation, should
be deemed necessary orTadvisable, imprimis
lot congress say so, and4llet it likewise pre-
scribe all the details of such measures and
the articles on which the struggle Is to BIO
made. 1t ia the Presidents business to exc
cute the laws, not TO make them and 1t Ia as
certainly the duty Of congress to mako them,
and not shift the task on to somebody else
Those sections of the bill which provide
for an inspection of meats designed for ex-
portaton, and which forbid the impo rtation
Of adulterated and unwholesome articles of
food or drink, constitute proper legislation,
and while not regarded as sufficiently thor
ough are yet in the right direction. When
perfected by experience and the sincere
desire to give the world wholesome food,
which it is not doubted all our producers
entertain, in the opinion of the undersigned
all will have been accomplished that i:
desired by the friends of the bill.