Arizona republican., 1890-07-27
BLAINE'S SUGAR VIEW
He Writes Senator Frye Another
 Strong Letter
AND REVIEWS PAST EXPERIENCES.
Remarkable strong Letter in Favor of Reciprocity With Spain and All the Latin American
 states.


 has today received letter from Secre- tary Blaine in reply to his of recent date. Mir. Blaine says, in part; "Gou ask me what assurance have as to Spain's willingness to enter into reciprocal arrangements of trade with the United States? Your question surprises me, for you cannot have forgotten that only six years ago the Prime Minister of Spain, in his anxiety to secure free admission to our markets for the sugar of Cuba and Porto Rico agreed to very extensive treaty oi reciprocal relations with MT. Foster, then our minister to Madrid.
 "In the year before, in 1883, a very admirable treaty of reciprocal trade was negotiated by General Grant and Mir. Prescott, the United States Commissioners with the Re public of Mexico, a treaty well con sidered in all it's parts and all its de- tails, whose results would, l believe, have proved highly advantageous to both countries. In view of the pending discussion it is a somewhat singular circumstance that both these treaties failed to secure the approval of Congress and failed for the express reason that both provided for the free admission of sugar. Congress would not then allow a single pound of sugar to come in free of duty, under any circumstances whatever, and now the proposition is to open our ports free to everybody's sugar and to do it with such rapidity that we are not to have moments time to see if we cannot make better trade, trade by which we may pay for at least part of the sugar in the products oi the American farms and shops. Our change of opinion has cer- tainlv been remarkable in so brief a period. Indeed, the only danger of our not securing advantageous treaties of reciprocity now is the possible belief on the part of those countries that we are anxious for free sugar and that by patient waiting they can secure all they desire without money and without price.
 Fearing that result, sought an in terview with the eight Republican members of the committee on ways and means more than five months ago. endeavOred to convince them that 1t would be eXpedient and wise to leave to the President the opportunity to see what advantageous arrangements of reciprocal trade could be effected. l was unable to persuade the committee to take my view.
 'lt is, think, very grave mistake to oppose this reciprOCial proposition. Touching so far from the fear that it may conflict in some way with the policy of protection, the danger is, think wholly in the opposite direction. The value of sugar we annually consume is enormous. Shall we pay for it all in cash or shall we seek reciprocal arrangements by which a large part of it may be paid for in pork and beef and flour, in lumber and salt and iron, in shoes and calico and furniture and thousands of other things? l think the latter mode is the highest form of protection and the best way to promote trade. When shall we enlarge our commercial inter- course with that great continent, South America, if we do not now make a begin ming? Ii we now give away our duty on sugar ,as we have already given away duties on coffee and hides and rubber and get nothing in exchange which shall be profitable to the farm or the factory in the United States, what shall be our justification for the policy? You have recently received congratulations in which cor. dially join on carrying the shipping bill through the Senate. Do you not think the line of ships generously aided by the government will have a better prospect for profit and permanence if we can give to them outward cargoes from the United States, and not contne them to inward cargoes from Latin America"