San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-09-04
Free Trade with Mexico.
Two Republics, August 30.

effect Of treaty of reciprocity be
tween the United States and Mexico
these will be speedily disp elled by ,
perusal ofthe trade statistics published
oy either government. The trade be
tween Mexico and the United States
while increasing in amount andvariety
Of articles, is nevertheless principally
in articles free of duty. In vertical
ton of the statement, we have the eX'
| ports from Mexico to the United
States through Laredo for the month
| OF July last. Out of total value OF
| S243 ,342, we find 1913 to be the value
of the dutiable goods. The same rule
| holds good as to importation from
| the United States although the dis
proportion is not quite so large. But
the fact that machinery and agricul-
tural implements are admitted free
into Mexico and that these cons titute
large part of the importations from
the United States causes the nom
dutiable articles of American pro-
duction to exceed in value those on
which duties are levied.
1t would seem from the foregoing
facts that trade between the two re-
publics will require much fostering
care before it can attain that inn
portance which the geographical
positions of the two countries and
transportation facilities they enjoy
warrant us to hope for. Under these
circumstances, it is greatly TO be re-
GREETED that the American House of
Representatives should have failed to
make effective the treaty of reciprocity
negotiated by General Grant and Hon.
Matias Romero, IN representation of
their respective governments. That
treaty was much too narrow in its
scope and therefore failed to satisfy
those DESTROYS of seeing the two sister
republics enjoying the closest COM
mercial relations, but it was infinite
ly better than no treaty at all. The |
list Of articles exempted from duties
was very short, but those few articles
were of sufficient importance to have
been developed into a comparatively
large trade.
1t has been claimed that Mexico |
would have gained little by that trea-
ty. This is an error. The fact that |
Mexican sugar was to have been ad-
mltted duty free into the United |
States would have much more than |
the sacrifices made in |
on the part of this country. |
Indeed if the treaty had gone into |
effect an impulse would have been |
given to the sugar industry of this |
country that would have con tributed |
very materially to the progress of the
whole people. Less than half dozen |
of the articles OF. American manufar-
ture included in the treaty would have |
more than doubled the value of the |
from the United States. /
The TEMPO published yesterday a |
long article on the invasion of the |
country by American goods and, after |
quite list of articles from |
the United States for sale in this city,
says that this invasion has alarmed |
circles in England France
and Germany, and should be still |
more alarming to the people of Mex
leo. AS our contemporary states that |
many of those articles are both super
ior to and cheaper than similar ones
of European manufacture, we can not |
see why the Mexican people should
be alarmed, although we can we'll
that Europeans do not fancy
the idea of their old-time supremacy
in this market being con tested.
- - 1t is very evident that the day will
come when those articles of American
which are superior to
those of Europe will take undisputed
possession of this market. But that |
day is not so near as the TEMPO
seems to think. so long as the pro-
tective system prevails in the United |
States and foreign raw materials are
heavily taxed many of the best man
ufactures Of the United States will be
too dear for this market. Many of
the articles entioned by the ITEM
pc, while without European COMPETE
ton, are too dear for general con-
in Mexico, and the whole |
list aggregates very small value.
The American manufacturers have
now in Mexico, and will always have, |
many advantages over their European |
rivals, but it is unfortunately fact |
that owing to the dearness of Ameri- |
can goods, diplomacy must be en-
ployed to develop a large American
trade in this country. Under these
circumstances, we can but regret the
recent action of Mr.. Window in re-
gard to silver-lead ores, and the APP
parent indifference of the American
government as to the necessity of as
sisting the trade of its citizens by di-
plOmacy.
THERE has been no time since the
reign of the Ku-KluX when negro op-
preston has been so RAMPANT all over