The Press., 1885-01-15
(Journal of Commsrce.) SHOULD THE SPANISH-AME1ICAN TREATY BE RATIFIEDs

is the admission of sugar free of duty. That result would meet the wishes of the entire population of the country, Louisi- ana only excepted.
 That fifty-fve million of people should continue to pay two or three cents per pound more for sugar than would other wise be necessary, to protect few plant CTS in Louisiana, seems too absurd for be. lief, and such is the feeling throughout the country on this point that it requires no gift of prophecy to declare that the in justice will soon come to all end. start then upon the hypothesis that we will soon demand and have free sugar. An oppor- tunity is now offered us to take the neces- sary steps to accomplish it.
 The revenue derived from sugar and molasses is no longer needed, while the treasury Is overfowing, notwithstanding the extravagant and unnecessary expendi- lures of the government, and the stupid and insane measure of buying and coining over two millions of silver dollars (so call ed) per month, and locking them up in | ihe treasury. ... The hard earnings of our people are be- ing converted into government dollars, worth about 83 cents, and vaults are built at large cost to hold them, as nobody will use them.
 l The Sandwich Islands were the first to make reciprocity treaty with us, granting us facilities for the introduction of our products of the field and manufactures free, or nearly so, we ill exchange granting the admission of sugar and few other ar. ticles free in this country. That treaty. after fair trial, has been renewed by the senate.
 Then came similar treaty with Mexico. which has also been ratified by the senate. Next, almost at the same moment, ap- pears similar treaties with Santo Domingo | and Spain, which yet remain to be acted upon. Various objections are now being urged against the ratification of these treaties, because it is surmised that some petty selfish interest is to be interfered with.
 If somebody's toes are to be stepped up- on, the great wheels of national progress are to be stopped.
 The four treaties relate to the entire su. gar producing countries seeking our mark ct, except the French and English West India possessions, and Brazil, Manila and Java. The treaties so far admit sugar free in consideration of reciprocal advantages gained by us. Let those now proposed be ratified, and the countries mentioned not included in them will be compelled to come forward offering equal commercial advantages for similar concessions on our part. As Europe, already over-supplied with beet root sugar, cannot receive su- gars from this side of the Atlantic Ocean. 1t IS clear that those countries mentioned must come here for a market or cease to make sugar. .- "tGt
 This once accomplished, our people will have free sugar, and the laborer who now pays cents per pound for refined su- gar would be placed on a par with the same consumers in England, who only pay 4 cents per pound for the same quality.
 Now on the hypothesis with which I set out (that we will soon have free sugar). is it not better in reaching that result to gain some advantages for the concession rather than part with that privilege with. out compensation? The great gain will be to fifty-6ve millions of sugar consumers who now pay their money into the treas ury, with the profits of three or four in- termediate classes of merchants, each ad- ding profits by percentage on the increased price of the sugar by reason of duty.
 1 It IS clear that the abolition of duty on sugar would benefit our people more than any one of the various articles named in our tariff. Let us then have that relief
 
 of most extensive consumption, and let Louisiana, which lacks the proper climate for sugar cultivation, devote her energies to other products which she can raise with advantage. It is objected that the sugar producers would reap greater advantages than ourselves by such treaties. This may or may not be true. We take sugars from the tropics because we want them and cannot economically produce them here. Tropical countries take our pro- ducts because they want them and cannot produce them in competition with us. Was it ever heard that we should not inn port tea from China because China takes little or nothing from us?
 It IS claimed that by admitting sugar and molasses free to the full extent of our importation we shonld lose fifty millions of revenue, Granted, for the sake of ar- gument but would not the fifty millions remain in the pockets of our overtaxed people? While the people would save fifty millions the treasury would lose it, less the cost of its collection, or say. forty five millions. prefer that the fifty mil lions remain in the hands of the hard working people rather than in the treas ury, to be squandered by jobbers or lock- ed up in expensive vaults, under the lying stamp of 'sone dollar" Thus far I have considered the treaty only as it relates to sugar and molasses required by our can sumers. Other considerations demand at teution. hraa.g .a.E. ~s4r >4- eeas .
 Our agricultural. manufacturing and mining interests are suffering terribly, and thousands of wage-earners are ,unemploy- ed. While the markets of the world are in part open to us, yet the conditions are slch that We cannot avail of them. By free admission, or at largely reduced taxa tion, we can avail of them; and this is just what reciprocity means. Something is given and something received. If you Can increase the export of our cereals and products of the field, double the export of our cotton fabrics. double also the export of our wooens (when wool is made free), and give employment to our idle spindles, is it not an advantage we should accept when offered to us? Should our blast furnaces and machine shops remain idle when they can be made active? y-r..,, Let us further consider the effect of this treaty upon our deeaying shipping inter. ests. Here unusual inducements are of fered for the employment of our ships, as Spain has only very limited commercial marine, and that mainly employed in the traffic with her colonies. The fear express ed, that in case of the adoption, of this treaty English unemployed ships and steamers would be placed under the Span ish flag, to the detrlment of our shipping seems to be more imaoinary than real as