Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1890-07-24

the three Americas was the chief object
of the Pan-American Congress. More
than 81 per cent of the products sent to
our ports from the countries to the south
of us are now admitted duty free. The
pending tariff bill by placing sugar on
the free list, and by the rebate of SO per
cent of the duties paid upon imported
raw materials, manufactured and eX-
ported, practically makes our markets
free to the nations referred to. In the
direction of still further assurances to
the Latin American nations there is now
before the Senate, as an amendment to
the Mckinley bill, clause auth Orizing
the President, without further leg Station.
to declare our ports free to all the prod
uctS of any nation of the American
hemisphere, upon which no export duties
are imposed, whenever such nation shall
admit to its ports, free flour, corn meal,
and other breadstuffs, preserved meats,
fish, vegetables, and fruits, cottonseed
oil, rice, and other provisions, including
articles of food, lumber, furniture, and
other articles of wood, agricultural i'm
plements and machinery, mining and
mechanical machinery, structural steel
and iron, steel rails, locomotives, railway
cars, and supplies, street cars, refined
petroleum or such other products of the
United States as may be agreed upon.
This is all in perfect harmony with
the purpose of Mr.. Blaine's letter Our
Government proposes not only to be just
but to be generous with the Latin
American nations. But if it opens our
ports free to their products, they must
make corresponding concessions. They
should not, in any event, answer such
favors by discriminating against our
products. One great difficulty in the
way of augmenting our trade with other
nations of the American hemisphere is
that we have already made numerous
invaluable concessions for which we have
received nothing in return. The per
sistent and bitter assaults upon the pro-
tective tariff, the senseless cry for the
free trade, has caused some unwise re-
ductions in the tariff. From the close of
the war up to 1872 the Democracy had
clamorously demanded the repeal of the
duty on coffee. 1t was repealed and the
countries from which we imported it
Immediately imposed an export tax upon
that article leaving the price to the
consumer about the same as under the
tariff, and giving the proceeds of large
export tax to the producing country.
Mr.. Blaine points out in his letter to
Mr.. FRYE that since 1872 we have i'm
ported the products of Brazil to the ex-
tent of 1921, ,S06,000 and have sold to
her only $156,135,000. The difference
$664, ,671 900, we have paid in gold, or its
equivalent, and Brazil has expended it
in the markets of Europe 1t is possible
that, before removing the duty from
coffee in 1875, concessions of equal i'm
portance might have been obtained from
Brazil Our experience in 1872 is GER
tainly worthy of thoughtful considera-
tion in connection with the proposal to
remove the duty from sugar. Nearly
one half of the sugar consumed in this
country is the product of the Spanish
plantations. AT the very moment while !
we are introducing this liberal policy anu
making an important concession Spain
is devising means to shut out our prod
ucts. 1t is possible that, in any event,
whether we admit sugar free or tax it,
whether Spain imposes prohibitive duties
on our products or not, we will be COM
PEELED to continue to purchase a large
part of our sugar from Cuba. This is a
question for the Senate to consider. |
Mr.. Blaine seems to think that the policy
of Spain calls for retaliatory rather than
friendly measures, and that way should
be found to secure reciprocal favors
before granting them. He accords a
warm approval to the Mckinley bill as a
whole, saying that sit is just measure,
and most of its provisions are in accord
ance with the wise policy of protection
But the point he raises in regard to sugar,
taken in connection with the attitude of
the Spanish Government in regard to
American flour, is certainly worthy of
serious attention.