Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1884-11-23
RECIPROCITY WITH CUBA.

There must be some mistake about the
treaty for reciprocity between the UNITED
States and Cuba and Porto Rico which
Minister FOSTER is said to De negotiating at
Madrid. lfsuch treaty is being made
with the approval Of our Government the
intelligence ought naturally to reach us first
from Washington and not from the Capital
of Spain. But leaving this fact out Of
consideration, there are other and stronger
reasons for thinking the character Of the
negotiations which Minister FOSTER is car
rying on has been totally misrepresented.
Il is reported that our Minister is making
a treaty which viii admit free Of duty to
the United States the sugar, molasses and
tobacco Of Cuba and Porto Rico, in return
for the privilege ofsending our wheat, flour
and manufactures into Cuba free of duty.
New such treaty as this would be one OF
the most onesided arrangements imagin-
able and the side presented to the United
States would contain all the disadvantages
and the other side all the advantages. There
is nothing like an equivalency Of benefits in
eur trade with Cuba During the last fiscal
year we exported merchandise to Cuba
valued at $lO.9lO,7j3, aud Imported Cuban
products valued at 81, 2al.t97. For every
dollars worth of merchandise Cuba takes
from Us. We take FIVE dollars from her. I'm
less this inequality can be corrected, there
could be no basis for reciprocity between
TWO countries so circumstance, and there
is no hope for building up market in
Cuba for American goods at all proportion
ate to the market this country affords her.
We have 55,OOOOOO people, all Of whom
are consumers Of Cuban products, while the
population of Cuba consists Of only 1000
900, including Chinese and negroes.
To admit the sugar, molasses and tobacco
Of Cuba free would make an enormous re-
duction in the customs revenues Of the
United S ates and wsuld crush the Louisiana
sugsr-planting interest. For the fiscal
year 1888 the total dutiable imports Of su-
gar and uolasses amounted to sgl ,40j,-
III 81, upon which duties were collected
amounting to $50, lS2,3TS SIS. Of our
total sugar imports, Sj5, 924,692 worth, or
more than half, came from CuBS, and So
4OO,749 worth from Porto Rico. Sugar is
our largest single source Of revenue, and
it would be virtually an abandonment Of it
10 admit Cuban sugar free, for 1t would so
stimulate the imports from that country
that we should receive little from any other.
Cuban tobacco also pays us large revenue
and comes into direct competition with
tobacco raised in the United States. In
1888 orr total imports Of tobacco. manu-
featured and manufactured, amounted to
SlO,5l5, SOC. upon which the duties were
81, ,Ge7 G., and SS,OS7, III worth Of the
imports came from Cuba From sll these
figures it can be readily seen that reel
procity treaty with CUBA is an absurdity,
and that there must be a misunderstanding
about the pending negotiation. Spain has
been discriminating against goods imported
into Cuba in American bottoms, and Presi
dent ARTHUR recommended retsliaiory
legislation to redress this injustice. There.
upon Spain signi6ed her willingness to
abandon the discriminating duties, and the
treated now being drafted doubtless has
reference to this proposal