Beverly banner., 1890-04-26
(From our regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON LETTER.

Washington, d. G., April 81, 1890.
The Pan-American concluded its
labors and sent in its report, and now
after the new tariff bill, has been re-
ported our national Legislators find
themselves confronted with a problem
The Conference Of eighteen Southern
Republics was invited by Congress and
presided over by Secretary Blaine.
The Southern delegates expect that the
recommendation ofthe Conference will
be complied with by their several gov
ernments, from which they were sent
not ON junkeling tour, but more in
the character of ambassadors to negoti-
ate terms of commercial intercourse for
the mutual benefit of the nations of
this hemisphere, and most of them will
be astonished if Congress does not take
some action in respect to their report.
Congress has the habit of authorizing
diplomatic discussion without ratifying
the results, and though both parties
are demanding now that the recommen-
dations of the Conference be made OPP
erative, il is very doubtful if anything
will be done.
There are suggestions of vital in
terest to American commerce in the
report, that should be attended to at
once; correction Of abuses at southern
ports, and impositions by custom house
officers that would make New York
boodlers blush.
A curious example of the lack of
harmony between Tariff legislation and
Pan-American diplomacy is instanced
in the fact that while Secretary Blaine
was striving for free trade between
Brazil and the Argentine Republic the
Ways and Means Committee prepared
bill greatly increasing the duties on
important exports of those countries
wool and hides.
One hardship to American shippers
proposed to be corrected was to dis
pense with consular certifcation re-
garding a ships cargo. This occasions
great delay and expense when it is con-
sidered that a steamers time is worth
$1,000 a day.
1t is proposed to establish an inter-
national Bank with a United States
character and branches in each of the
contracting countries. There are no
banking facilities between North and
South America want what that is
fat to large commercial relations be-
tween the two continents. In England
there are eight large Banks maintain
ing relations with South America, and
are known to the merchants of the
Southern countries. AS bank is the
only disinterested source of information
it follows that there can be no system
of long credits such as are demanded in
South America. And all drafts and
letters of credit etc, must be upon
these English banks for which they
charge commission of % per cent.
This greatly retards trade as it absorbs
the profit of the manufacturer in the
United States.
The settlement of disputes between
the countries by arbitration is pro-
posed the extradition of criminals is
recommended and authors, of their
production by filing their patents
within one year.
Everything recommended is practi-
cal and urgent, but the New Tariff
will have precedence, probably, and
after several more months of labor on
this bill the chances are that Congress
will fail to ratify the work of the com
mission.
Although the Tariff Bill is reported
favorably by a majority of the Ways
and Means Committee, it is not re-
ceived favorably by majority of the
House. There it finds antagonists
amongst both Republicans and Demo-
Gratis Members of both parties fail to
comprehend the inscrutable wisdom of
putting sugar on the free list and pay
ing producers bounty of cents per
pound. 1t is hard to see why sugar
producers should be given this bounty
and hides should be put on the free
list when the only plausible but very
candid reason is-the importantly of
interested parties
The minority report that during the