Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1890-05-24

have made Mr.. Butterworth's bill par
OF their platform, and II wise counso
prevails at Washington the two coun
tr es may be brought into closer trade
relations In the future.
From Europe also there are reports Of
retaliatory measures in prospect. Ar
article has recently been reprinted from
. paper OF Lyons. France, which shows
that several Of the leading European
nations will act together in remonstrat'
ing against the rigor Of our pro-
posed tariff measures. This pa
per reports that o member Of the
French Chamber Of Deputies recently
had an interview with the Minister Of
Foreign Affairs on this subject and
learned that France, England, Italy and
Switzerland had agreed to make joint
address to our Government protesting
against the more oppressive features OF
the bill now before Congress for chang
ing the administration Of the customs
laws in the direction Of still greater re-
striction. This Lyons paper goes on to
show that we have ourselves given an
example Of retaliatory legislation in the
resolution passed by Congress several
years ago authorizing tho President to
take measures Of reprisal against Can
ada. The editor closes with these
words: "They could not be surprised,
therefore, IL the Governments of coun-
tries whose commerce is threatened by
the application Of the Mckinley bill
should do the same thing on their own
behalf, should this ill-advised measure
be adopted with the oppressive and out
rageous provisions which arouse against
it so justly the Indignation Of the COM
mercial classes Of the Old World"
This may be resented by us as an I'M
warrantable interference on the part Of
foreign nations with our right to pass
such laws as we please; but it will not
help matters to ask what right Europe
has to intermeddle in our affairs. The
point which deserves our attention is
that Europe may hit back and hurt us
worse than we can hurt it. Snch action
is very probable. The most recent news
from Holland Is that the Dutch also will
take hand in this business of retalia-
ton. We sell o vast quantity of petrol
leum to them, and they have threatened
TO put heavy duties on it in retaliation
Tor the enormous increase Of the duty on
Sumatra tobacco as proposed by Mr.. Nc
Kinley's comm ttee. And so it goes on
10 the end of the chapter. Tariff battles
are in prospect for US which will prove -
foolish and wasteful as the usual rate
wars between railroads.
David Hume startled England more
han century ago by asserting that
each particular nation is benefited by
the prosperity of every other nation.
England had believed up to that time
that her prosperity could come only by
njuring other nations. 1t was thought
necessary to shut out foreign wares, and
thus to cripple the industries of foreign
before England could prosper.
But Hume showed that the more pros
porous other nations were, the better
.ble they would be to buy English
FOODS.
The truth OF this is now admitted by
practically all intelligent men; and il is
'ather late in the worlds history for the
to come forward with their
dea of non-intercourse and Of making
he country commercially indepen'
lent" Trade between nations has
.lways been recognized as one OF the
,hief civilizing agencies in the world.
And who is harmed by it? One man
loes not trade with another unless he
inds it to his advantage to trade. If the
market for our farm products can be en-
arged in foreign countries, where is the
Justice in Congress passing laws which
,ndanger that market? Are we not only
% give the highest kind of protection to
but also to ask the farmer
% surrender his foreign market for the
benefit of the manufacturer. And are
,he farmers to be hoodwinked by pre-
tense OF protection for them, which, as
papers have already con-
Iessed, will do the farmers no good at
all?