San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-05-01
RECIPROCITY WITH MEXICO.


LIG HIT hopes to see amended out of
existence during it passage through
congress. While there are no reasons
of any considerable weight requiring
this duty as proposed, there are sew
eral very weighty reasons for the re-
moval of the proposed duty and the
admissio of the Mexican composite
lead and silver ores free ofduty. The
reasons that would induce this policy
are these:
This country gains rather than
loses by the admission of these Mex
lean ores duty free, as they are COM
posite ores and are really required for
tluxing in connection with the great
body of our silver ore in this country.
The amount of lead thus imported
has not deprecated the price of
United States lead as is seen by
comparing quotations of the past five
wears, during which Mexican lead
ores have been admitted duty free,
with quotations of previous years.
The reduction of these ores on this
side of the border gives employment
to labor and capital which, with a
duty levied upon these ores, will be
transferred to the Mexican side of the
Rio Grande and give to that section
benefit which might readily have
been retained on this. Already has
the president of Mexico made over
lures for five large smelling furnaces,
which with English capital will take
the business out of our hands and
turn that stream of lead and silver
bullion into English channels. This
will be the beginning of the end of
the profitable employment of Ameri-
can capital in the republic across the
Rio Grande.
This levy of duty upon al
most the only considerable
article of export from Mex
leo into the United States preju-
dices that country against US and rem
ders the reciprocal exchange of mer-
chandise impossible. This is a de-
cided loss to the United States. That
republic, with over 12,OOO,OO0 of peo-
pie and daily growing in numbers
and wealth. doss not supply its own
food products. Not more than fifty
per cent Of the corn and flour con-
sumed in Mexico is raised there,
while they are almost wholly depend
ent upon foreign countries for their
manufactured goods. True, all this
is changing and that people are MAX
ing rapid strides in civilization. Now
is the time to make friends with them
and bind them to US in commercial
bonds that cannot be easily broken.
American statesmen have heretofore
dlspised the trade of Mexico and
have cast il from them, and yet
that trade can be made Of inn
mense value to us. Mexico is dis
posed to look with friendly eye
upon Americans who have built their
railroads and formed trade relations
with them in the chief cities of the
republic. Our commerce with Mexico
does not aggregate q million of eX-
ports into that country per month
and yet it might he increased to
$500, 900, 900 per annum within few
years by the exercise of a wise and
fostering policy. II seems strange
that with the facts of the pan-Ameri-
can council and its position on recip-
rocity fresh before it, that the CON-
mttee on ways and means should
give no heed to the advice of that
body and recommend to congress the
taxing of the only product that Mex
leo exports to US in any considerable
quantities.
That clause Of tho Mckinley
bill should not pass. 1t is very
dIstastefuI to the republicans of
the Southwest, and they are
neither few nor uninfIuential. If
that duty on Mexican lead ore be-
comes law, it shuts up the reduc-
ton works from the Rio Grande to
Kansas City erected to take care of
those ores; it cuts off the freight from
railway lines expressly built to trans
port those ores; it deprives four fifths
of the mining plants in America of
their cheap tluxing ores and leaves
thanl nj the rnnrnE of the thrna Or