The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-07-23

three are already on the free list so it is pos-
sible to make no concessions in regard N
them' The last three are still subject to
.arin duty, and Of course there is a chance
70 concede something as to them. If
ooutn American markets are to be opened by
tarin trading, the trading must proceed with
reverence to one or all of these three articles.
First there is sugar. Can we get from
from Brazil which is the principal sugar pro-
Queer OF the Latin-American Republics sub
stantial concessions to our products in re-
turn for admitting her sugar to our markets
free of duly? Undoubtedly If we confine the
privilege exclusively to her and her sister
republics. No doubt it would be of great ad-
vantage to her sugar growers to have free
access to our markets, provided the product
of the sugar growers OF Cuba and Porto Rico
was admitted only after the payment of the
duty, for the Cuban product, constituting al
it would the great proportion of the sugar
supply Of the United States, must fix the
price OF all sugars imported. The result
would be that the Brazilian sugar planters
would sell their sugar at as high price as
the Cuban, and not having to pay any duty,
WtuiN Va OOuioO lOdHLO u ldlSO PANN-N'
advantage of a trade of this kind to Brazil is
obvious enough but is not so obviously to the
advantage of the United States, for the lat
ter would get sugar not cent cheaper on
account of it. The only advantage that
could accrue to us would be in an increased
sale Of some of our products In Brazil. In
order to compensate US for the loss of free
sugar that would have to amount to enough
TO yield an annual profit to our people of
$56, OOO, 900, which is the amount of the tax the
people of the United States at present pay
on the sugar they consume. Under the
most favorable circumstances nothing near
this sum could be realized. If we should
extend the free sugar privilege to Cuba and
Porto Rico then we should destroy its value
to the South American countries, and of
course the latter would refuse to pay for it
under those circumstances. We can undoubt-
eddy trade with sugar, but the advantage of
the trade will be all. or about all, with the
South Americans.
Next there is wool. No doubt the wool
growers of the Argentine Republic and Uru-
quay would be willing to pay something
handsome for free access to our market
We could undoubtedly get some substantial
concessions in return for our products in their
markets. But eventually the price we
should p ~ for them would be the destruction
of our wool growing business. The Amer
lean wool growers say, and they probably do
not exaggerate, that free wool from South
America would mean the complete ruin" of
their business. But the ruin would by no
means stop there, for the ruin Of the wool
growing business would mean the destruc-
ton of the protective system. Trading with
South America on the basis of South Amer
lea is therefore impracticable unless we are
ready to launch out into free trade policy.
As regards copper the same objections lie
as in the case of wool. The admission of
copper free would strike very serious blow
at the mining industry of this country and
jeopardize the whole protective system.