Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1890-09-19
REASONS FOR RECIPROCITY.
Secretary Blaine Writes Letter TO
Boot and Shoe Club of
Boston.
Admits That Under The Abominable
Tariff at Present the Farmer
Suffers.
The Eastern Manufacturers Are Anx-
iouS 10 Maintain the Prestige
Held ar Present.

vitatlou to the annual banquet of the Boot
and Shoe club. of Boston, Col. Clapp,
editor of the Journal, has received a letter
| from Mr.. Blaine in which the secretary of
state, referring to a portion of the invita-
lion saying the members of
the cub are in hearty
sympathy with his views regarding
the best method of extending the Ameri-
can trade, he regrets that engagements
will not permit HIM to address the meet
ing. The members of the club. he says,
can do great good by counteracting
| certain phase of New England opinion
which he regards as hurttuI to New Eng
land interests. New England is to receive
for every manufacturing industry within
her borders and it will be in the Judgment
of the secretary of State. both iueXpedIent
and injurious for her representatives TO
disregard the measure which will promote
western interests. Mr. Blaine refers to a
| letter recently received from the president
OF tbe late convention OF mlllerS AT MIME
apOllS, referring to the excessive duties on
american flour In Cuba and stating that
Americans will be unable to retain any
part of the Cuban -four trade unless iulme-
date relief is secured. In view of these
facts, says MIR. Blaine. is it possible that Il
prOtectl0nlst congress can even think of
opening our markets to Cuba $ products
free, while allowing that the great western
| industry will be absolutely excluded
from her markets by prohibit
ory tariff? With reciprocity the
west can annually sell many thousand bar
rels of flour III Cuba and Porto Rica to-
gether with large mass of other agricul- !
tural products. Without reciprocity she
! H., 4 II.
markets. Giving the fullest protection to |
all eastern interests as the proposed tariff |
bill does, surely no man of good |
judgment, certainly no prOteC- |
zionist of wise forecast |
wishes to expose western interest to ser
lous injury; especially when it is mani |
testify easy to protect and promote it
mlulfestiy easy because at this very time |
boards of trade, chambers of commerce !
and public opinion in Havana are de- !
mandlng reciprocal trade with the United |
States. Certain wise men asked |
how can we sell farm products in |
South America when the same things are |
produced there? Cereals are undoubtedly |
grown In the southern portion of South |
America, but the wise men will remem- |
ber that cereals and sugar do not grow in |
the same soil and the sugar countries of |
South and Central America and the West |
Indies contain forty millions of people who |
import the largest part of their |
breadstutfs. Indeed, the largest portion of |
the product of Latin America is -four and |
we can greatly enlarge our exchanges there |
II congress will give us an opportunity for
reciprocal trade. Another class observe |
that they want time to study the system. |
To this | might reply the best method of !
StuHylnT JG fn nhSnryrn
its practical working. While studying
in the abstract ana in refusing some object
lessons; these lessons propose to open our
market to Latin-American products free
of all charges, without asking Latin |
America TO give us In turn some freedom
in their markets. The object lesSon
immediately before US is treat
ment of the sugar question. Shall
we make Latin America gift of
that trade? When we have studied that
lesson we shall be prepared for the second. |
The worst proposition of all is put forth
by those who say, Let Us put sugar on
,he free list now and next year take up the
subject of reciprocity" If | understand
their logic it is TO make sugar free this year
without condition and next year to ask
Spain if she will not kindly consent to
grant US reciprocal trade. Holding COM
plete vantage ground themselves they pro-
pose a policy to transfer the vantage
ground to Spain. Those who take
this ground belong to that class
of careful guardians of prop
erty who prepare strong
| lock for the stable after the horse is gone.
| do not mean in anything have SAID to
imply that reciprocity is only western
| interest. 1t will prove beneficial and un-
profitable both the farm and the shop.
| Many forms in which our business inter
ests will be promoted by reciprocity
can not be known until the active
| commercial men of the United States shall
| have developed those forms by investlga-
| ton and inexperience. We shall not re-
! aIize the full benefits of the policy in a
| day or a year but shall we, therefore
| throw away the countless millions Of
trade in addition to the sixty millions we
have already thrown away and then igno-
rantIy declare without trial that the
| system wont work
| Finally, there is one fact that should
have great weight especially with pro-
| tectionists. Every free trader in the
| senate voted against reciprocity.
| Free trade papers throughout the country
are showing determined hostility
| to it. 1t is evident that
| free trade senators and free trade
papers have a specific reason for their
| course. They know and feel that with a
system of reciprocity established and
| growing their poll " Of free trade receives
| a most serious blow. The protectionist
| who opposes reciprocity III the form III
which it Is now presented, knocks away
one OF the strongest support of his system.
! The enactment of reciprocity is the oppor-
| tJIuity of free trade