, 1890-09-18
THE FLOUR INDUSTRY.
MY. Blaine's Views as to It's
Promotion.
RECIPROCITY THE ONLY MEANS
New England Selfish in Ita Policy
of Self-Proteotion-A Pro-
lection Issue.

BosroN, Sept. 16.--In response to an
invitation to attend the annual banquet
of the Boot and Shoe Club of Boston,
Colanel Clapp, editor of the Journal
has received Il letter from Mr. Blaine, In
which the secretary of state, referring to
a portion of the invitation, saying that
the members of the club arc in hearty
sympathy with his views regarding the
best methods of extending American
trade, regrets that engagements will not
permit him to address the meeting. Tho
members of tho club, he says. can do
great good by countoracting u certain
phase of New England opinion which
he regards as hurtful to New England
interests. New England is to receive in
the new tariff com pIete protection for
every manufacturing industry within
her borders, and 1t will be, in the juds-
ment of the secretary Of state, both in
expedient and injurious for her represen-
tatives to disregard measure which
will promote Eastern interests. Mr..
Blaine refers to letter recently re-
ceiyed from ln,bs, president of the late
convention of the milers at Minneapo-
American flour in Cuba, and states that
Americans will be unable to retain any
part of the Cuban -four trade, unless inn
mediate relief is secured.
"ln view of these facts" says Mr..
Blaine, ''is 1t possible that a protection
ist congress can even think of opening
our markets to Cuban products free,
while allowing q great Western industry
to be absolutely excluded from her mar
kets by prohibitory tariff With
reciprocity. the West can annually sell
many hundred thousand barrels OF -four
in Cuba and Porto Rico, together with q
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
certainly no protectionist of wise fore.
cast, wishes to expose Western interest
to serious injury, especially when it is
manifestly easy to protect and promote
it-maniiestly easy, because AZ this very
time the boards of trade, chambers of
commerce and public opinion in Havana
are demanding reciprocal! trade with the
United States.
"A certain wise man asked: How
can we sell farm products in South
America when the same things are
produced there?' Cereals are undoubt-
edly grown in 1.-THE southernmost por-
tion of South America, but the wise man
will remember that cereals and sugar do
not grow in the same soil, and that the
sugar countries of South and Central
America and the West Indies contain
10000 people, who import the largest
part of their breadstuifs. Indeed, the
largest portion of the sugar product OF
Latin America is at our doors, and we
can generally genlarge our exchanges
there, if congress will give us the oppor-
tunity for reciprocal trade.
Another class observe that they want
time to study the system. To these
might reply that the best method OF
studying u system Is to observe its prac-
tical workings. While studying in the
abstract and refusing to take some object
Lessons these gentlemen propose TO
open our markets to Latin American
products free of all charge, without ask
| ing Latn-America to give us in return
some freedom in their markets. The
object lesson imm cdiately before us is
| the treatment of the sugar question.
| Shall we make Latin America u gift OF
that trader When we have studied that
lesson We shall be prepared for u 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 take up
the subject of reciprocity If ] under
stand their logic ii is to make sugar free
| this year, without condition, and next
year to ask Spain II she Will not kindly
consent to grant us reciprocal trade.
Holding complete vantage ground
themselves, they propose the policy of
the transfer of this vantage
ground to Spain. Those who
take this ground belong to
that class of fcareful guardians of property
who prepare strong lock for the stable
after the horse is gone.
81 do not mean III anything have
said to imply that reciprocity is only a
Western interest. IL will prove beneli-
cial and profitable, both to the farmer
and the sheep raiser. The many forms
IN which our business interests will be
promoted by reciprocity can not be
known until the active commercial men
of the United States shall have de-
veloped those forms by investigation
and experience. We shall not realize
the full benefit of the policy in a day or
Il year. But shall we, therefore, throw
dition to the $50, 900, 00O we have already y
thrown away, and then ignorantly de-
clare, without trial, that the system
won work
"Finally there is one fact that should
have great weight, especially with pro-
tectionists, every free trader in the SELL
ate voted against reciprocity The free
trade papers throughout the country are
showings determined hostility to it,.
1t is evident that the free trade senators
and free trade papers have specific
reason for their course. They know and
feel that with n system Of reciprocity es-
tablished and growing their policy of
free trade would receive a most serious
blow The protectionist who opposes
reciprocity in the form in whit h II is
now presented knocks away one of the
strongest supports of his system. The
enactment Of reciprocity is the safe
guard of protection. The defeat OF rec.
iprocity is the opportunity of free
| trade"
| FOREIGN NEWS AND GOSSIP.