Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-08-30
RECIPROCITY OF TRADE.
Secretary Blaine on Cur Relations
With Foreign Countries.
OUR IMPORTS AND EXPORTS.
The United States Should Foster
Trade With the Pan-Amer-
lean States.
ESPECIAL DISPATCHES TO THE arOOnD-usrOs.l

VAUDEVILLE (Me), August 29th.-At. 6
public mass meeting held tonight, and
after Governor Burleigh had spoken, Pres
ident Small OF the Colby University intro
duced 1.-THE leader of the Republican party
and the famous advocate of the interesting
and progressive tariff, Hon. james G..
Blaine"
I'm regard 10 national questions Blaine
said, II wish to declare my opinion that
the United States has reached a point
where one of its highest duties is to enlarge
the area of its foreign trade. Under the
beneficent policy of protection we have de-
veloped volume of manufactures which
in many departments overruns the de-
mands Of the home market.
''In the field of agriculture, with the i'm
mense propulsion given it by agricultural
implements, we can do far more than pro-
duce breadstuffs and provisions for our
own people Nor would it be an ambi-
tious destiny for so great country as ours
to consume or produce only what we can
eat. We are already in many fabrics and
in many products far beyond that and our
great demand is expansion. l mean an
expansion of trade with the countries
where we can find profitable exchanges
I'VE are not seeking the annexation of
territory. Certainly we do not desire it,
unless it should come by volition of the
people who might ask the priceless boon
of a place under our flag in the Union.
feel sure that for long time to come the
people of the United States will be wisely
content with our present area, and will not
launch upon any scheme of annexation
AT the same time | think we should be
unwisely content if we did not seek to
engage in what the younger Pitt SO we'll
termed annexation trade.
For nearly thirty years now the United
States has had the great advantage of pro-
tective tariff, by far a longer uDbroken
period than its industrial policy has been
in force since the Federal Government was
organized. Happily, the great majority of
our people, without strict regard to party
lines, believe the results to the American
speople from the protective policy has been
incidentally bene6cent, aggregating in
quarter of century of national and indi-
Vidusl wealth beyond anything ever
dreamed of before in the history of the
world.
20 not mention protection because
intend 10 speak in reference thereto before
this audience. That would be needless, if
not an impairment affront merely wish
to proclaim its yictc..ies. Without protec-
Nl0EA INC OAliSu OAdlGo WOIlQ AdN6 DCcn
poor indeed after the ravages of war from
1861 to 1865. With protection, every Sec
ton was hourishing. Even where revenue
duties had been laid with no expectation of
developing the industries, there have, in
many instances, been great financial and
industrial results.
The heavy duty on silk was levied pri-
MARTY not for protection, but simply to Sc
cure large revenue from one of the lux
uries of the rich. But, as a consequence,
the silk industry increased so rapidly that
it constitutes one of the leading fabrics of
New Jersey, one of the largest manufact-
uring States of the Union.
II could readily advance other illustrs-
tons to the same effect. As / have already
intimated, am here to speak of the ex-
pansion of our foreign trade, not by any
novel process, not by any mode that will
shock or disturb home industries; not by
any mode that will invite our people to
rash experiment, or that will launch US in
doubtful and dangerous investments. What
/ mean to speak of briefly, is system of
reciprocity not in conflict with protec i've
tariff, but supplementary thereto and pre-
senting a field of enterprise that will richly
repay the effort and energy of the Ameri-
can people. We shall find it instructive
and valuable to examine into the sources
of our imports and the destination of our
exports, and to strike a balance between
the two.
Take last year, 1889. In that year our
whole exports to all the countries in the
three continents of Europe, Asia and
Africa, and Australia, Canada and Hawaii,
amounted in round numbers 10 $685., 000,-
600, and our imports from all those coun-
tries amounted IN round numbers to $780,
600 600, showing that from that vast trade
we had balance of 100000 in our
favor equivalent to that amount in gold
among our people, but when all the ac-
counts were closed, instead of having
Sl29 DOC. 600 in our favor, we had balance
of $4,000 600 against us from our foreign
trade We must, therefore, have lost
$l42, 000,0 600 in our commerce with coun-
tries outside. of those 10 which | have
referred.
"WheIe could we have found such a
large adverse balance Let me tell you.
We lost 81 goo, 600 in Cuba, from which its
imports were $50, 600 goo and to which our
exports were only S1f 900, 0O0-S41, O00. COO
a pretty large sum 10 lose in one island in
a year. In the republic of Brazil we left
$51 100000. Our exports to Brazil were
S., 600 900. In Mexico We lost Sl0,000000.
The imports from Mexico were $21, 0oO, 600;
imports to Mexico, 81 100000. To sum it
all I'D, our imports from the countries
south of the United States were S2l6000,-
600. our exports to them were $74, 900, co.,
The balance against US in our trade with
these countries, therefore, is S142 600 COO
exceeding our gains from all the rest of the
world by S130O0,0OO.
"By no figure of speech can We flatter
ourselves iato the belief that our trade
with our American neighbors is in pros
cfasa ,~f
affairs be remedied2 You have heard
great deal said within the past ten years by
our Democratic friends about the iniquity
of the Republican party in keeping up the
war tariff. AS a matter of fact the war
tariff has not been kept up, but has been
amended over and over again until the re-
vision of 1888 left scarcely any trace of the
actual tariff in operation at the close of the
war and for lew years afterwards. Dur
ing the war we were compelled to tax al
most everything in the air, in the water, on
the earth and under the earth. The neces-
sites of the Government were so great that
we could allow scarcely anything to be inn
ported without paying tribute, and ] think
no patriotic man can deny that
that was wise policy. We were not then
but how to save the life of the nation.
Money was the principal necessity, and we
seized it wherever we could reach ii law
fully. But during the last eighteen years
q great change has been made.
$50 entirely has the war tariff been abol-
ished that in the fiscal year ending June
50. 1889, the articles admitted free were
considerably more than one-third of all
the imports. To be exact, the imported
articles that paid duty exceeded s4Ss, 000-
600 in value, and the imported articles that
paid no duty exceeded $3.50, 600, 600 in
value. The inevitable tendency is,
think, toward an increase in the free list.
Oar great mistake was made when we be-
gan to repeal the war duties on so large an
amount Of imports.
ANY duty repealed was favor and an
advantage TO the exporting country, and
we have asked nothing in return. In
stead of this course (which l must say was