The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1890-09-13
Is Reciprocity "PracticaI?"

sincere people, however, who believe
that IN trade and diplomacy reciprocity |
can never be made practical issue or
lead TO practical results. Yet there IS |
not single nation in South America |
or Central America or single island |
in the West Indies of which it cannot |
be as completely and clearly proved
that reciprocity as practicable and de |
sirablc as Mr.. Blame in his Watervlie
speech proved that reciprocity was
necessary, feasible, and indispensable
for all Spanish America.
Brazil has the territory OF the United
States and the population OF two of our
largest States. OF all lands, in short,
with which a treaty is possible it offers
the largest margin of undeveloped re-
sources and the widest room for the
increase of trade, as its fertile soil is
covered with an industrious population.
In 1872, eighteen years ago, we took
the duty off of coffee, and two years
earlier, twenty years ago, we made
rubber free, and in the same year rose
wood was put on the free list, if IN
round logs. In the fiscal year 1850 we
imported from Brazil 500, 4o5, Sol, and
of this coffee, rubber, and rosewood
were substantially all Br7zil sent US.
1t all came free. 1t has for nearly
twenty years, and in the eighteen years
since coffee was put on the free list
Brazil Las sent to the United States
S6S5, 900, 900 OF her exports and has
received from the United States SI2S,
900 900 of our products.
No trade could be more one sided.
But the trade of Brazil, as a whole, is
not one sided Is exports and imports
fairly balance; i'll 1887 the imports
were SI22, 100000 and the exports
Sis, 100000, the excess Of imports
being made up Ey shipments of com to
Great Britain, which we paid for our
coffee, for in 1887 we took from Brazil
S537Io,234 and only sent there ST.
o65,S9e of our goods. Europe did
diffe ;en,ly. In round numbers, England
France, Germany and Spain took SOL
600, 900 of imports from Brazil, and
sent that country $50, 100000 of their
products. We took half Brazil had to
sell, nearly, and sent one eighteenth of
what she bought. Europe aud Braz.Ps
neighbors took little more than one
hall OF what she sold, aad supplied
seventeen eighteenths of what she
bough'.
Every European country, even Eng.
land, taxes coffee. We do not. What
does Brazil do by us2 Omitting the
sliding scale, which added 10 Brazinan
duties IS per cent. year or more ago,
the Brazilian tariff lays a duty on every.
thing we sell. The duty on butter,
cheese, pork and bacon exceeds their
original cost. Wheat pays duty of o.
cents barrel, and maize of IS cents
hundred pounds. Kerosene paws duty
of SI.3o per can of 81 pounds net, or
cents a pound. Lumber pays So a
cubic yard. Fresh fruits carry duty of
Is cents hundred pounds. An Ameri-
can sailing ship, mentioned in con-
sular report six years ago, paid $3.50
in duties on single cargo of apples
and 81 barrels of pears paying 10000.
These products are none of them ar
ticles Europe has to spare. We have
the great worlds surplus OF -four and
maize, of pork and lard, OF oil and
lumber, of the fruits and the ice Of the
Temperate Zone. VIII any sane man
declare that it is not practical 10 use
the power we possess by proposing a
duty on coffee to gain relief from these
heavy imposts? The fiscal system Of
Brazil rests on IA per cent. export
duty on coffee and rubber. Her revenue
can be seriously deranged by a duty on
the former. One-th TO halt OF her
export duties on coffee are paid on ex
ports to US. But there is no need for
this step. The Brazilian Parliament at
its last session under the Empire au-
thorized commercial treaty with the
United States and the utterances CT the
Brazilian Minister at Washington show
that the Republic IS ready to continue
these negotiations.
Nor is this all. In 1883 Brazil i'm
ported S7,o63,S92 from the United
States and S2S,3I4,462 from Great
Britain. One half English shipments
were cotton goods, and manufactures
of chemicals, leather, and fax each
furnished over 1000, 900 of these
English imports. We export leather
manufactures to English colonies, why
not to Brazil? We sell our cottons in
Canada side by side with English, why
not IN the tropics? Our chemicals go
all over the world, why not to the
Amazon? Simply because we lack re-
ciprocal trade and our products face
heavy duties. With al; our dlsadvant-
ages of three cornered trade, we sold
in Brazil one eighth as much iron and
steel as England, our shipments reach
ing S670,252, and those OF Great
Britain S4,ooS.246. In Canada we sell
on most manufactures of iron and steel
SO per cent. of all imported. Given
| far field, the favor of direct trade in
our own ships, and the potent aid OF
reciprocity, and we can reverse the
present proportions where England
furnishes Brazil with 81 per cent.
This alone would add one-fourth to
our steel and iron exports.
Is there any more practical work
before Congress than to put the sickle
OF reciprocity to this great harvest of
trade waiting for the American reaper?
PHILADELPHIA Press.
Excursion to Antietam.