Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1890-09-25
FOR RECIPROCITY.

secretary Rlaine Presents a Strong Ar.
Soment In support OF the Wisdom of q
fohcy OF Reciprocity-A Word for the
Western Farmers-The Time Propitious
TO strike for Better Terms-Reasops for
Re'us Il or Delay Met and Combarted-
The Vantage Ground is Now Ours; 1t
May Not Remain So.
BosToN, Sept. 1.-THE following let
Ter from Secretary Blaine was published
yesterday:
BAR HARBoR. Me-. S pit. Is.
Colonel ". ". Ciapp, Editor Boston Journal,
Boston:
MY DEAR SIR;-I am in receipt of your IA
yor asking me If can attend the annual
banquet of the Boot and Shoe Club of Bos-
ton. in October. You add that the members
are lin hearty sympathy with my views re-
gardins the best mode of extending Ameri-
can trade, and would be glad to have me add
Iress them"
regret that my engagements will lot per-
init me to accept the invitation, but you
viii please thank the club for the compile
ment they pay me. am glad to hear that
the members of the club are interested in
system ofreciprocal trade with Latin Amer
lea Tney can do great good by counter
acting a certain phase of New England
opinion, entertained az home as well as in
Washington-an opinion which 1 must re-
gard as in the highest degree unwise and
hurtful to New England interests New En-
gland is to receive in the new tariff the am
plest prote ction for every manufacturing
industry within her borders both great and
small, and it will, in my Judgment be both
inexpedient and injurious for Representa-
tiVes to disregard a measure which will pro-
mote Western interests.
have lately received a letter from Mr. j.
r lmbs. of ST. Louis, leading representa-
tive of the flour interests, and president of
the late convention of nillers at Minneap-
oils. Speaking for the grain and flour inter-
ests OF that great section, Mr.. limbs says that
"adyices of recent date from Cuba state that
the duties now collected on American flour
are at a higher rate than was first supposed
to be the case" And he adds: 81 respect
fully submit that the American miller will
be unable to retain any part of the Cuban
flour trade unless immediate relief Is
cured.'
In view of the facts. is 1t possible that
Protectonist Congress can even shink of
opening our markets TO Cuba'S products
free, while allowing a great Western in
dustry to be absolutely excluded from her
markets. by prohibitory tariff. With rec-
procity the West can annually sell many
hundred Thousand barrels of flour in the
markets of Cuba and Porto Rico, together
with a large mass of other agricultural
products. Without reciprocity, she will be
driven more and more from these markets
Giving the fullest protection to all East
ern interests, as the proposed Tariff bill
does. surely no man of good Judgment, GER
tainly no Protectionist OF wise forecast,
wishes to expose a Western interest to seri-
v, I
easy to protect it and promote it-mani-
festly easy because at this very time the
boards of trade, the chambers of COM
merce and the Public opinion in Havana
are demanding / reciprocity with the
United States. 1 sAlect Cuba and Porto Rico
for examples because in certain quarters it
has been said that while we might secure
reciprocity with some little countries in
South America, we could do nothing with
the Spanish islands. Let us at least give
the Spanish islands CODOrtunity to sneak
for themselves.
Certain wise men ask: How can we sell
farm products in South America when the
same things produced there? Cereals
are undoubtedly grown in the southern
most portions of South America but the
wise men will remember that cereals e'Id
sugar do not grow in the same soil, and
that the sugar countries of South and Cen
trail America and the West India Islands
contain forty millions of people who import
the largest part of their breadstuffs In
deed the largest part of the sugar product
of L1tin-America is at doors and we
can greatly enlarge our exchanges there il
Congress will give us the opportunity for
RECIPROCAL trade.
Another class observe that they want time
70 study the system To this might reply
that the best method of studying system
is to observe its practical workings. While
studying in the abstract and refusing to
take some object lessons, these gentlemen
propose to open our market to Latin Amer
lean products free of all charge without
asking Latin America to give in turn
some freedom in their markets. The object
lesson Immediately before us is the treat
ment of the sugar question. Shall we make
Latin America a gift of that trade? When
We have studied that lesson we shall be pre-
pared for the second.
The worst proposition of all is put forth
by those who say: Let US put sugar on the
free list now, and next year we will take up
the subject of reciprocity" If 1 under
stand their iOUic a tn Ike free
this year without condition and next year
TO ask Spain if she will not kindly consent
to grant us reciprocal trade.
Holding the complete vantage ground
themselves, the proposed policy transfers
the vantage ground to Spain. Instead OF
granting a favor to Spain to-day. we are to
ask her for favor tot morrow. Those who
take thus ground belong to that class of
careful guardians of property who prepare
avery strong lock for the stable after the
horse is gone do not mean, in any thing
i have said. to imply that reciprocity is
only Western interest As 1 remarked. in
q note to Senator Frye. it will prove both
beneficial and profitable, both to the farm
and the shop. What, for instance, could
be more natural or more just than that
I'm giving free market in the United States
to hides from the Argentine Republic, we
should ask the Argentine Republic to give
us a better market than we now have for
the product of leather from the United
States The many forms in which our bust
ness interests Will De promoted by Teci-
procity can not be known until the active
commercial men of the United States shall
have deyel oped the forms by investigation
and experience. We shall not realize the
full benefit of the policy in a day or a year;
but shall we therefore, throw away count
ess millions of trade in dlition to the
'xty millions have already thrown
way. and then ignorantly declare without
ts,l that 'the system won't work"
lualIy, there is one fact that should have
grit weight, especially with Protection
iSt Every Free trader in the Senate voted
agast the reciprocity proposition. The
freerade papers throughout the country
arc Sowing determined hostility to it. 1t
is eVi>nt that the free-trade Senators and
: the te-trade papers have specific
reason for their course. They
know nd feel that with a system of
recipFeSy established and growing, their
policy ofree trade receives almost serious
oiow' p Protectionist who opposes reci-
procity inhe form in which it is.now pre-
sensed KICKS away one of the strongest
supports O his system. The enactment OF
reciprocitys the safeguard of protection.
the defeat sreciprocity is the opportun-
ity of free trie
f1s very respectfully,
JAMES G. BLAINE.
saIrr