Omaha daily bee., 1884-12-12
THEsPAN1sH. AMER1CANTREArY


The full text Of the now commercial
treaty between the United States and
Spain has been given to the public. We
publish elsewhere the tariff schedules,
showing the important changes In duties
proposed and the articles embraced there.
In. This treaty was signed in Madrid,
November Is, by Mr.. John w. Foster,
United States minister, and Senior Don
Salvador do Albocete 7. Albert, foreign
minister of Spain. By means of it Spain
will admit to Cuba and Porto Rico Amer
lean goods and the United States will adj
NIT goods from Cuba and Porto Rico at
the rates specified In the tariff schedules.
1t has long been the policy of Spain to
maintain q system Of discriminating du-
ties on imports to the colonies and to ex.
tend great favors to trade with the mother
country In Spanish bottoms. On goods
brought from any foreign country under
the Spanish flag duties three times aa
large as those included In what ia known
as the first class of Spanish duties were
levied, while on foreign goods brought in
foreign vessels the highest duties of all
were imposed. Under this system, Of
course, anything sent under the Ameri'
can flag from the United States to Cuba
or Porto Rico paid q crushing duty. The
average was about so per cent above what
would have been paid had the goods gone
in a Spanish ship.
To make this truly effective it must
receive the endorsement of both houses
of congress. A close examination of the
document shows that the Spanish colonies
get the best of the bargain. The prin-
cipal products of Cuba and Porto Rico
sugar, coffee, molasses, and woods-are
admitted into the United States free of
duty, and the duty on tobacco reduced to
a nominal sum. In exchange for this
| great concession q large number of man
ufactured articles and agricultural prod
ucts, except wheat and wheat flour, are
admitted free Of duty to the islands. 1t
is estimated that this treaty will cause a
loss to the government of from t hirty-
five to fifty million dollars a year.
Sugar and tobacco are the principa
products of Cuba and Porto Rico. The
plantations in both islands are principal
lY a monopoly in the hands of a few men
who employ coolie and slave labor to put
the product On the market. By the
treaty the sugar planters secure full con-
troll of the American trade and choke off
competition from all other countries.
The southern cane raisers would be
forced to the wall. 1t is in reality a
bonus of millions of dollars a year TO a
handful of capitalists of a foreign coun-
try. With q population of scarcely n
million persons, one-half of whom
are unable to purchase n
dollars worth of American
products, they are given a monopoly of
an article in general use by hfty-hve
million people. AS q measure of revenue
reform for the Antilles 1t is a success,
while it's benefits to this country are few
and remote. 1t gives free scope to the
principal products of the islands in a
market where ninety-nine per cent of the
people are consumers, and in return we
secure the empty privilege of catering to
the wants Of less than a quarter of a
million of people.
There Is no immediate danger that the
treaty will become a law. Even the
radical free traders in congress cannot
afford to sanction a law that will wipe
out nineteenth of the customs revenue
without securing IN equivalent.