, 1889-10-16
COMMERCIAL UNION.

Mr.. Erastus Wiman dined the Pan
American delegates on Sunday. Follow
ing his address of welcome, Mr.. Wiman
talked about commercial union at some
length. lie thinks that if everybody, In.
GLIDING Secretary Blaine, agrees that
commercial expansion towards the
South American states is a good thing,
commercial expansion towards Canada
should be equally good and shows how
tariff reform in about the same lines as
advocated by the Democratic party will
accomplish it. Mr.. Winan SAYS:
For nearly 1900 miles this rich and
fertile country lies alongside the United
States, divided only BY an imaginary line,
oitentimes by great lakes and rivers that
sho uld he a bond to unite them rather
than n barrier to separate them. Yet
the trade which both these vast countries
should enjoy with each other has been
1000 miles long. which may be likened
TO E barbed wire fence, over which one
brother cannot trade with another brother
for a bushel of potatoes without the in
PREVENTION OF the government.
The necessity which created this in.
Irrational congress to discusss means for
an expansion Of commerce to the south
makes the logic irresistible which calls for
an extension OF United States
to the north. For without subsidy to
provide means Of communication. without
the expenditure OF a single dollar. with
out the drawing of a sword or the she'd
ing OF a drop of blood, the area of ccm-
merce OF the United States can be
doubled to the north. A vast source of
raw material could thus be provided In
this northern region, with which to cheap
en- the food and manufacturers OF the
United States, so that the Southern nation
alities represented by this congress can
make available the goods thus produced.
THE whole Sc, 00o, 600 OF duties collect
ed on raw material from Canada divided
among the 60, 900, 900 of population abso-
lutely amounts to less than a 10 cent cigar
to each person per annum. II. instead of
limiting this customs line to the North
American continent which it should sur
round. it could also include within its
protecting influences Southern nations
represented by the guests present to night
still greater results would follow.
That this was the intention of the act
nF ,.nnrna ,,Yl.r an ht,h III, -,u..,. q,
assembled, is indicated By its terms, and
that a customs union to include the North
and South American continents may yet
be accomplished is among the things to
be hoped and worked Tor. Ridiculous as
it seems hat the inhabitants of the United
States should be shut out of trading with
the greater half Of North America BY a
tax which yields them only 10 cents a
head, it IS even more ridiculous hat the
trade between the United States aud
Mexico and Central and South America
should be limited by n tariff wall when
only slightly over $40, 500, 900 is collected,
averaging treasury receipts not to exceed
IL cents per capita OF our population.
The duties collected on the products from
the great republic of Mexico are slightly
over 81 ,0O0, 900 and from Central Amer
lea only s2ll 900, while from the whole
continent OF South America, including the
great empire of Brazil, the Argentine Re-
public, Chill, Peru, and many other states,
it is only slightly over nine and a quarter
millions of dollars.
Taking the whole continents OF North
and South America together the duties
collected by the United States treasury
m their entire products brought into the
United States yields less than 25 cents per
head per annum on our population. Pro-
lection was a good thing as against I'M
equal conditions, but it was hardly to be
Justified for an amount so small to shut
out a trade so great and under conditions
which were so nearly on a par as be-
tween the producers on this hemisphere.
Commercial union on the North
American continent as between Canada
and the United States is within the DOS
sibility OF the next FIVE or ten years and
that purely By current legislation at
Washington and Ottawa. 1t might take
longer to create q customs union so as to
include all the nations represented by the
delegates. but a movement on the north
would greatly stimulate the movement
toSard the south by showing its practica-
bilty and enormous advantages"
NOTICE. rO EAYPAYERS