The Portland daily press., 1885-02-25
RECIPROCITY TREATIES.
Letter from Secretary Frelinghuysen Con
cerniug Them.


cerning Them.
WASHINGTON, D. c., Feb, pa letter has
Deen written by Secretary Frelinghuysen to
Senator Miller, chairman OF the Senate COM
mlttee on foreig relations, and by the latter
lslu 9slole ene senate, embodying statistics,
showing cur trade relations with several coun-
tries OF the continent, British North America
excepted. The secretary confines himself to
consiueratlon OF commercial aspects and valves
CONSTITUTIONAL questions involved in the nego-
tiatlon OF reciprocity treaties and saws that anv
measure OF our trade with foreign eountries
commensurate with our industrial dsvelopment
ana requirments. especially in matter of find
ing markets. Tor our manufactures can only
come throu gh our commercial relations with
countries inferior to us in popnlation and
wealth, and reciprocity treaties would seem ia
be the most effective medium through which
such measures can be fostered. Several arpu-
lnents sins are useo IN support OF the assumption
winch ne makes that reciprocity established
an seq1llibrlum in trade between nations where
inequality existed prior to the application of
such treaty In the absence of reeinrocitv
tresties with any OF the "interior nations' our
trade Herewith stands as follows: Im6orts
thereirom, S170, ,488 900; exports thereto. MA :
Io90OO, showing balance of trade against us
oi 9sf ,oz9,UOO, which can only be equalizgd
through reciprocity treaties in some form.
AS our trade with Brazil and the Spanisg,
west Indies shows most pronounced ineouaIT-
Ties, 1t is, taken for illustration in this connee
lion. Our imports from Brazil amount to
$50,Zo6,O0O, and our exports thereto onIv S8
o9o, ,OOO,-nearly six to one against u.s. Our i'm
ports from Cuba and Porto Rico amount to
o9,O9z,O00, and our exports thther to S13. .l35--
oOo,-neariy i've to one against us Attention.
IS called to the working of the Hawaiia,o
treaty as illustrative Of what similar treaties
With other countries would expect. In 1878
our exports were $500 900; imports. 81 1888 900.
Total, 600. In 1884 trade had Increased
10 -, ,o23 600 exports, and 81 926. 900 imnorts.
Total, VII $4,000. Full statistics OF the
hawaiian foreign trade for 1883 showed that
out OF total import amounting to S5 .624. .OOO.
Aanierlcsn "a products and manufactures amouDt
capita SoO worth OF American product arnd
Manufactured per annum, while Mey;,co CON
sumes only $lS6, and other South Amsrioar
countries approximately but little moro tbar
Lnls. the highest rate being in the Rritish Wsst
Indies, which consumes $7.98 nor 20 n;.a anJ ~
and the lowest being Brazil At 70 cants ',mr ror
lures. 0 "nu nanuiae-
Secretary Frelinghu' ,sen does mt attAn,rt =,
create the impression that anv svs,a,, % @ 70
procity could prod-d such fayorsbIa rssnlts -,
ooae e19ntrles as have been produced in the
OasH ."os1 u naWari. He assumes however that a
iii uor,iseL system of reciprocity treaties with
~ o. 1ousp s American countries, including Mexi
~, mVLld produce results at least one-tenth as
10y ;;as'taole as those produced under the Hawai-
o. treaty. This would give a consumption ot
tro5 Soh oaplta, Whlch would give us an export
vlaoe amounting to 1926 081, 900, a gain on onr
present trade OF $150,693, 900. Secretary Free
~. 1,nsnuySen argues that the surrender of duties
". ~ our part would not equal that of the conn
saleS referred to; that the home trade wonId
i os oe called upon to surrender an immansalv
larger volume than would be offered MS in re-
'0'n' ana tnat any enlargement Of our COM