Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1890-07-11
REPORT ON CUSTOMS UNION.

L ne committee On CUSTOMS union mas
made careful study of the questions
submitted to its consideration by the In
ternational American conference in refer
ence to forming customs union among
the several nations of this continent
1t is generally understood by customs
union the establishing among several ma
tons of single customs territory, to
wit, that the nations forming the union
shall collect import duties on foreign
goods, under substantially the same tariff
laws; divide the proceeds thereof in
given proportion, and mutually receive,
free of duty, their respective natural or
manufactured products.
The acceptance of this plan would de-
mand as a previous requirement,
change in the fundamental laws of the
countries accepting the union. Even
after they We're ready 70 make such
changes, great many other difficulties,
almost insurmountable, would have to
be overcome; as, for instance, fixing the
representation of each nation at the in
ternational assembly empowered to
frame common tariff and amend it in
the future. The territorial extent, the
populations and the national wealth diff
fer so much among the American repub-
lies that if these conditions should be
taken as the basis of representation at
said assembly. the small states would not
have sufficient protection for their inter-
ests: and if all the nations We're admit
ted as sovereign on an equal footing the
large ones would be insufficiently pro-
tected. 1t might be necessary, to obvi-
ate this difficulty, to create two bodies,
one representing the population and the
other the states, in the manner III which
a like problem was solved i'll the consti-
tuition of the United States of America.
But this step would, in the opinion Of
the committee, require partial sacrifice
of the national sovereignty Of the Amer
lean nations, and more radical changes
in their respective constitutions than in
their Judgment they are willing to ac-
cept.
If by customs union is meant the free
trade between the American nations of
all their natural or manufactured prod
ucts, which Is, properly speaking, I'M
restricted reciprocity, the committee
believes it is in principle acceptable,
because all measures looking to the free
dom Of commerce must necessarily in
crease the trade and the development of
the material resources of the countries
accepting that system, and it would in
all probability bring about as favorable
results as those obtained by free trade
among the different states of this Union.
But while the committee believes that
such union is at present impracticable
as a continental system, among other
reasons because the import duties levied
on foreign trade constitute the main
sources of revenue of all the American
nations. and such of them as are not
manufacturing countries would thus lose
more or less of such revenue, ON which
they depend in a great measure to defray
their national expenses; while the man
ufacturing countries, such as the United
States of America, would have 10 aban-
don, at least partially, the protective
policy which they have adopted to more
or less extent, and they do not seem yet
prepared to change that system. Besides,
IL reciprocity treaty mutually advanta-
geous between two contiguous countries
might prove onerous if extended to all
as "A continental compact, especially as
the products of many of the American
republics are similar. Therefore while
these obstacles are in the way it seems
premature to propose free trade among
the nations of this hemisphere.
But although it is not easy, in the
opinion of the committee, TO reach at
once unrestricted reciprocity, that end
might be obtained gradually and par
TALLY. The first and most efficient
step in that direction is the negotiation
of partial reciprocity treaties among the
American nations, whereby each may
agree To remove or diminish their re-
spective import duties ON some of the
natural or manufactured products of one
or more of the other nations in exchange
for similar and equivalent advantages;
as, if the mutual concessions We're not
equivalent, the treaties would soon be-
come odious, and could not last but for
limited time and would discredit the
system. If after this has been tried for