Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1890-09-11
RECIPROCITY.
tn Maine Campaign Opened
With a Speech by Blaine.
Facts and Figures Explaining His
Idea on the Tariff Question
and Reciprocity.

A great Republican mass meeting
was held at Waterville, Maine, Aug.
29th. Hon. James G. Blaine, Secre-
.ary Of State, opened the campaign
with q great speech, and explained his
positions as the advocate Of recipro-
city and progressive protective tariff.
In regard to National questions he
said:
wish to declare the opinion that the United
States las reached the point where one Of its
highest duties Is the enlarged area Of its for
| elgn trade. Under sufficient policy of protec-
| tion We have developed volume of manu-
faeturcs, which in many departments over
runs the demand OF the home market. In the
! held 81 agriculture, with the immense facili-
ties given in il by agricultural implements, we
can do FAR more than produce bro adstuif and
| provision for our own people; nor would it be
ambitious destiny for 80 great country as
ours TO manufacture only what we can con-
sumo or produce only what we can eat We
are already in many factories and many pro-
| ducts FAR beyond that, and our great demand
/ Is Apansion. mean expansion of trade with
! count les where we can find profitable ex-
| changes. We are not seeking annexation Of
! territJry. Certainly we do not desire it unless
| it should come by yolltion by people who
might ask the priceless boon of places under
the lag OF the union. l feel sure that for q
long time to come the people of the United
| stat VIII be wisely content with our present
area aud not launch upon any scheme of an
! neXation. AT the same time think we should
| be ubw.sely content ii we did not seek TO en-
gage III what The Younger Pitt so well termed
annexation trade. For nearly Thirty years now
| the United States has had q great advantage
OF the protective tarif-by far longer un-
broken period than its Industrial policy has
been in force since the federal government
was organized. Happily great majority of
our people, without strict regard to party
lines, bciieTe the results to the American Dc o.
pie, from the protective policy have been In
ealculaD!y beneiicent, aggrcgating in quar-
ter OF a century OF National and individual
wealth beyond anything ever dreamed of be-
fore in the history of the world. / do not
mention protection because intend to speak
In reference thereto before this audience.
That would be nte1less IL not i'm
pertinent effort. | merely wish to pro-
claim its victories Without protection the
United States would have been poor indeed.
Alter tue ravages of the war from
ISL to 1870, with protection every section
has hourished and prospcred. grown and gain
ed. Even where revenue duties have been laid
with no expectation of developing the indus
tries there have in many instances been great
financial and industrial results. Heavy duty
on six was levied primarily rot for protection
but simply 10 secure such revenue from one
of the luXures of the rich, but as q conse.
quence the silk industry increased so rapidly
that 1T constitutes one OF the leading fabrics
In New Jersey, Que of the largest manufacture
ing states III the union. | could readily ad.
vance other illustrations to the same effect.
AS l have already intimated, ! am here to
speak 4 the expansion of our foreign trade.
NOT any novel process; not by any mode
III at " II invite oarpeope to rash experiments
or th&t Will launch us in doubtful and danger.
Gus Investments. W hat lmean to speak of briefly
is that reciprocity is not in conflict with pro-
tectiye tariff, but supplemental thereto and
fIf ttAll fNt
repay the effort and energy of the American
people. We shall lind it instructive and valu-
able to examine into the source of our imports
and destination Of our exports and to strike a
balance between the two. Take last year,
1889; in that year our whole exports to all
countries in three continents, Europe, Asia
and Africa, and Australia, Canada and
Hawaii, amounted in round numbers to $685.
UtO,OO0 and our own imports from all these
countries amounted in round numbers to
SjZ9,OC0,O0O showing that from that vast trade
We had a balance of Sl29, OC0, eco in our favor
equivalent to that amount of gold among our
people. But when all accounts were closed
instead of having SIPS, 100000 in our favor
we had a balance of Sl3,O00,0C0 against us
from our foreign trade We must therefore
have lost Sl42, Goa, 600 in our commerce with
the countries out side Of those to which have
referred. Where could we have found such a
large adverse balancei Let me tell YOU; we
lost SAL 100000 In Cuba, from which its i'm.
ports were 900, and to which our ex.
ports were only Sil,0O0,0d0. Forty-one mil.
lions is pretty large sum to lose in one
island in single year. In the republic OF
Brazil we lost S5l 100000 Our exports TO
Brazil were 100000. In Mexico we lost
Sl0,O0O,0OO. The imports from Mexico were
s2l.OO0,OOO, and the exports to Mexico ST..
C0O,0O0. To sum it all up, our imports from
the countries south of us were S3l6,000, 900;
our exports to them were $4,000, 900; the bal.
ance against us in our trade with these
countries, therefore, is Sl42, 900 eco exceeding
our gains from all the rest of the world by
Sl3,UO0,00O. By no figure of speech can we
Halter ourselves into the belief that our trade
with our American nelghbors is in prosper.
Gus condition. How can this state OF affairs
be remedied! You have heard great deal
said within the past ten years by our Demo-
cratic friends about the inquity of the Repub-
lican party keeping up the war tariff. As a
matter of fact the war tariff has not been kept
up but has been amended over and over again
until the revision of 1884 left scarcely trace
of the actual tariff that was in operation at
the close OF the war and a few years after
wards. During the war we were compelled
to tax almost everything il the air, in the
water, on the earth and under the earth
The necessities of the government were SC
great that we could allow scarcely ANYTHING
be imported without paying tribute, and ]
think no patriotic man can deny that that
was wise policy. We were not then study.
ing philosophy in trade relations, but how to
save the life of the nation. Money was OF
prime necessity, and we received 1t wherever
we could reach it lawfully; but during the
last eighteen years a great change has beer
made. So entirely has the war tariff beer |
abolished that In the fiscal year ending June |
80, IS 9, articles admitted free were consider |
ably more than one-third Of all the imports |
To be exact, imported articles that paid duty |
exceeded S4SS, y, 0,0O0 in value and imported |
articles that paid no duty exceeded S256, O00. |
0 0 in value. The inevitable tendency is, |
think, toward increasing the free list. Oui |
great mistake was made when we began to |
repeal the war duties on so large an amount |
OF imports Any duty repealed was in favor OF |
and an advantage to the exporting country, |
and we have asked nothing in return. In |
stead of this course (Which l must say |
was one of carelessuess and wastefuness |
by both political parties) every repeal |
OF duty should have been proceed !
ed by most thorough in |
vestigatioD, and wherever it was found |
practicable to export anything from the United |
States, and thus establish reciprocity Of trade, |
1t should have Teen done. i DO not OF |
couIs intend to declare or to imply that we |
could have secured free the admission oil |
S250, 0tO, COO of American products to countries
whose products we purchase annually to that |
amount. Richer countries cannot expect To |
get complete reciprocity in any amount from |
countries less wealthy, but what we should |
have received would have been clear gain and |
may be able to get will be clear gain. 1t ii |
not aquestion Of setting deliberately to work to |
establish reciprocity exchanges. But of all |
the duties we have thus far repealed it has |
been question of whether we should get |
something or nothing. We have chosen with |
our eyes closed and got nothing. | hope now,
with our eyes open, that we shall in future |
choose to get something. We encounter op.
position to this policy from those who declare |
that il we enter into reciprocity of trade with |
one country we must do so with all countries, |
and thus indirectly bring about complete free |
trade. do not see the logic of this, and am |
sure the fact will not prove what is predicted. !
We may enter into reciprocity with one nation |
because we find an advantage in it. We may |
decline to enter into reciprocity with another |
nation because we see no advantage in it. Re- |
ciprocity is simply policy Of circumstances
to be determined fayorably or adversely, &C. |
cording as its operation may make or lose |
for US. To say because we enter into recipro |
cal relations with one country on one thing |
we must enter into reciprocal relations with |
all other countries in all things is TO my mind |
as absurd as to say that il | buy horse to- day |
i must necessarily buy drove Of asses to
morrow. All objections of that kind are, |
am sure, unfounded and will not stand the |
test Of argument or practical trial. Our peo
pie do not realize the great fact that II the |
T.