The Portland daily press., 1890-07-18

moval would accomplish very substantial
reduction in the price of that article. as the
revenue derived from it was yery large IL
was seen that the removal of the duty would
ensure large reduction of the surplus; and,
as bounty was provided to compensate the
sugar raisers of the country it was seen that
the removal of the duty would injure no ex-
istlng industry. 1t was therefore in the
opinion OF the friends of protection an ideal
piece OF legislation, it would reduce the cost
OF living of labor without affecting its wages.
1t would benefit the farmer, the mechanic,
the professional man, indeed everybody,
without injuring anybody, except possibly
the sugar trust. The House of Representa-
tives had exercised its constitutional power
to originate revenue bills for the benefit of
the people and the people appeared to be
satisfied.
When the bill reached the Senate Mr..
Blainemade the suggestion through unofficial
channels that the sugar paragraph might be
made the key with which to unlock large
and profitable trade with the Latin-Ameri-
can republics to the South of US. His propo-
sition was essentially that the President be
authorized to suspend the operation of the
section which repealed the sugar duty ana
use it to obtain access for us to the markets
of the sugar producing countries OF South
America. 1t was urged that those coun-
tries would be very wiling to pay for free
sugar by valuable concessions to our prod
ucts. A serious objection to the PROPOSE
ton was that coming so late In the session it
might have tendency to defeat all tariff
legislation this session. But that objection
does not 60 to the intrinsic value of the
proposition. Let us look at that
The ordinary yearly product of
sugar by the Latin American countries
to the South of us is about
100000 900 pounds. But the United States
has to import every year 900, 900. 900 pounds
to supply its needs. So that If the privilege
of sending sugar here free of duty were con-
fined to the Latln-American countries we
should not get free sugar. In fact we should
get sugar no cheaper than now. All the
profit by that arrangement so far as sugar is
concerned would 60 to the Latin-American
countries. The free sugar clause in the tariff
bill would be nullifed. Perhaps we should
get something in return in the shape of trade
but not very much Brazil is the principal
sugar raising country of South America and
it is the one, perhaps, we have more to hope
from in the way of trade than any other. Now
1t has always been commended that the chief
reason why we did not sell more to that
country was because of the want of steam
ship lines. Mr.. Blaine in his letter to Sena-
tor Frye thinks the repeal Of the duty on
coffee might have been made to increase our
trade with Brazil, though he does not ex-
plain how. But the prevailing idea-and it
has prevailed nowhere to a greater extent
than among our statesmen-has been
that 1t was simply lack Of easy communica-
tion with that country and lack of acquain-
lance which such communication brings that
has prevented us from doing thriving bust
ness with Brazil. 1.-THE very first thing"
said Mr.. Blaine In notable speech in the
Senate, "to connect US in any commercial
relations whatever with Brazil is to enable
Brazilians to come here and to come here
with comfort, to make a journey both of
pleasure and of business" We have not
this "yery first thing" yet and until we get
1t or are nearer getting it there is very little
prospect of increasing our commercial rela-
tions with Brazil by reciprocal tariff.
Mr.. Blaine's second suggestion, commu-
nicated to the Senate unoficially through
letter to Senator Frye, is to offer Spain
free admission into the United States for
the sugar of Cuba and Porto Rico II she
will reduce or remove the tariff by
which she now excludes our flour from
those islands. This has one great merit
which the other does not. 1t would undoubt-
eddy ensure us .free sugar, for though these
Islands cannot supply all that we need, they
can supply very large per cent. of 1t. Now
If we were dealing with the people of Cuba
and Porto Rico we could no doubt make the
trade Mr.. Blaine suggests, not because the
removal of the sugar duty wo uld be of great
benefit to them, for it probably would not,
inasmuch as they do net pay the duty, but
because they would get their flour very much
cheaper. RGtthe misfortune of the situation
In this ease is that we cannot deal with the
people of these.islands, but must deal with
Spain, and SPANS only interest in Cuba is
to make all she can out of her. If the tax on
the importation of our products into Cuba
be removed Spain will lose profitable mar
ket for Ler products, for we Can undersell
her, and she will lose also some revenue. 1t
would seem, therefore, that Spain would
lose much and gain nothing by such reci-
procity as.is proposed, and hence, can hardly
be expected to assent to it, unless the selfish
and obdurate heart with which she has al
ways been credited has been in some un-
accountable way very much soft ened If
MI Blaine has received any assurances
from Spain that she will make the trade
proposed. that might put different face up
on the matter, 1ut no such assurances have
been made public, and that would probably
have been done If any had been given.
The main question then recurs. Is there
anything in the conditions surrounding the
question of the sugar tariff. to impeach the
soundness of Mr.. Blaine's principle laid
down to his Maine constituents, or consti-
tute this case an exception, that the great
power of adjusting revenue questions should
be kept in the House Of Representatives
where 1t ''can be controlled by direct and
unbiased vote of the people" and that every
country should decide for itself what arti-
cles shall be taxed and what admitted free
There is vague, underlined prospect of ad-
vantage to us in the arrangement Mr.. Blaine
suggests, just as there was in the PROPOSE
tion Mr.. Blaine was discussing when he laid
down the principle that the settlement of
the tariff should be left to Congress and that
Congress should act independently of the
effect the duties imposed or repealed might
produce, or be made to produce, in foreign
countries But that is all.
1t seems likely, therefore, that Mr.. Blaine's
laudable desire to make the recent PAN
American Congress bear fruit in the way of
the extension Of our trade to the South has
betrayed him into a position much less
sound than the one he took when he declared
that the country, through its House of Rep
/ resentatives, should decide for itself what
articles of import should be taxed and what
should be admitted free, and that there
should be no ''log rolling"
CURRENT COMMENT.
HISTORY AND SCRIPTURE MIXED.
Hartford Post.)