The morning call., 1890-09-11
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TIE RIFF OUTLOOK.

The Senate in its revision of the House
Tariff Bill, accepted by vote of 3S TO
% the reciprocity amendment adopted
bv the Finance Committee. BY vote of
80 to "a the amendment lowering the
sugar standard to be admitted free Of duty
from No. 16 to No. Is was agreed to. There
does not seem to have been much party divl-
sion in this yo.e as a number of Republican
Senators are recorded as voting in the mega
tive and still larger number OF Democrats
in the affirmative. Among the Democrats
voting for free sugar is Senator Hearst.
The reciprocity amendment which the Sen
ate adopted states that the exemptions from
duty of sugar, molasses, coffee, tea and hides
provided for in this act are made with
view to secure reciprocal trade with coun-
tries producing these articles. Having made
this declaration of purpose, the amendment
proceeds to place in the hands of the Presl-
dent the power, TO be exercised on and alter
July. 1891, to suspend by proclamation the
provision of the act making such eXemp-
tions, and fixes the rate of duty on the artl-
cIes named TO be levied and collected while
the proclamation remains in force. Tea
will be subject to tax of 10 cents pound,
coffee 8 cents, hides and angora goat skins
~ cents 1t will be seen that under GER
tain conditions which are likely to prevail.
tea. coffee and hides, now ON the free list,
are liable after next July to be subject to
import duty. In his speech supporting the
eciprocity amendment, Senator Hale refers
to the act If Brazil in 1872 in imposing an
export duty on Ct fee equal to the import
duty tie Unit ted States had taken from that
article, and asks: Would it not have been
the part of craftsmanship and of patriotism
at that time to have tried to secure some cor
responding advantage IN the removal Of
Brazilian duties on our products, which
would have tended TO increase our trade
with Brazil and the consumption 10y
her of our own goods and products|
This quest ION is the basis of Mr.. Hale's
argument in support of the reciprocity
propos ion. Instead of having liked rates
of duty upon which the business OF the
country can calculate until Congress changes
them, reciprocity proposes to make these
rates the subject of a dicker with the ma
TONS producing the articles enumerated.
Under these provisions the country Will be
in doubt from month 10 month what will be
the duties on staplfS which we must OF
necessity import Our tariff act will depend
largely upon the legislation of foreign coun-
tries. If foreign countries pursue a certain
policy the United States will pursue GER
tain policy, but our policy will depend upon
the policy these other countries may pursue.
1t must be burne in mind also that one coun-
Try may impose export duties on articles ex-
ported TO the United States, while another
country may not. In other words, one coun-
try NAV comply with the conditions upon
which the United States will admit its
products free, while another country de-
cliupS tn accent these conditions There is
reason to fear that the confusion and un-
certainty arising from conditional legislation
of this character will cause a greater loss
than the total amount nf the import duties
on coffee which we handed over to Brazil in