The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1890-09-11

MAINE, LAST FRIDAY.
u wish to declare the opinion that the United
States has reached point where one OF III
highest duties IS to enlarge the its for
elgn trade Under the benetcent policy OF pro
lection we have developed volume Of manu-
1acLureS hIcii, III many depai tTlenJs, overrun
JiIe demands OF the nome market III the 1elt
OF agric ilture, with the immense propulsion
CIV Ga III ny agricultural implements, we can az
fif more tniln produce bfeaustuiis and Droyis
ions for our own people, iior would it be an am
plGiOus destiny for SO great country as ours tC
manufacture only what we can consume or IL
produce only what can eat. We are al
ready, III many fabrics and in many products
FAR beyond tnat and our great demand is ey.
panson. mean expansion OF trade with conn
tries where we can find profitable exchanges
We are not seeking annexation OF territory
Certainly we 40 not desire it unless it Should
come by the volition OF people who might ash
the priceless boon OF place under the flag Of
the Union.
feel sure that for a long time to coma tl,f
people of the United States will be wisely con
tent with our present area and not launch upol
any scheme OF annexation. At tile same time
think we Should be unwisely content if we did
notseek to engage in what the younger Pitt 50
Wen termed annexation OF trade For nearly
thirty years now the United States have had the
great advantage of a protective taritf-by ia,
tne longest unbroken period that its industrial
policy has been i'll force since the federal gov
eminent was organized Happily the gres1
majority of our people, without regard to f3art1
lines, believe that the result to the American
people from the protective policy, has been in.
calculabiy benefcent, aggregatiIg in a GI1arte,
OF century of national and individual wealth
DeyOuu any DulilS ever dreamed OF before in ht
history CT The world. ! do not mention nroteo
tion because intend not to speak in referenct
thereto before this audience That Wonld hf
needless, II not an lmpertinent effort I mereIS
wish to proclaim it's victories. Without nrotec
ton the United States would have baan 49,.
indeed ,e afteT the favages OF the war, from 1856
to 1865. With protection every section has fionr
ished and prospered, grown and gained Eve,
where revenue duties have been laid with NJ n,
expectation OF developing Industries thart
have i'll many Instances been great fna nciaJ ~
industrial results. The heavy duty on sill va
levied primarily not for protection, but smnly
to secure lafge revenue from one of the In vi
ries OF the rich; but as consequences Of fine 11u
ty the six industry has increased so rapidly thai
it constitutes one of the leading fabrics al Na,.
Jersey, one Of the largest manufacturing STAT
in the Union. could readily advance ofher n
Illustrations to the same effect. AS have ALREADY
1ntimated, am here to speak of the expansion
OF our foreign trade, not by any novel nrncass
not by any mode that will shock or disturb hoIna
lnuusdrles NOT ny any mode thatwill invite oul
people TO rash experiments or that viii launcf
us i'll doubtful and dangerous inyest.1ants
What mean to speak of briefly is q system al
reciprocity not in conflict with q protecttye
tariff butsupplementafy thereto and present
ing a Held OF enterprise that viii richly ranay
tile elor1 aa ~. energy OF the American people
examine into the sources of our irnpCrts and r.
strike a balance between the two. FAKE Ia 81
yeai-.esS. IN qilat year cur whole exports to ali
the countries III the three continents Of Europe
Asia and Africa, and to Australia Canada and
ddaW ~ amounted IN round numbers to 1858 OO0
UUu, and our imports from all those countriee
amounted IN round numbers TO &5ga MilGn
snW.n n IA thas vast trade we had a balance oi
$i2D,ttW,oDU IN our favor equivalent to that
amount OF gold among our people. But when
all the accounts were closed, instead of hayinp
@ II our favof we had balance of $13000
wv agslllsG us from Our foreign trade. We must
therefore, have lest $l42 900 600 in ina commerce
WIN tiie countries outside Of those to which
nave Ie!eiIeQ. where could we have found
such a large adverse balanceY LET me- tell yo1,
We iosp iortY- one millions i'll Cuba, from which
our ltpoIes were 0D and to which our
Exports were only Sil,000,G00. Forty-one mil
lions IS q pretty large sum to lose in one island
IA :. single year. In the republic of Brazil we
lost 1l1ty TX millions Our imports from Brazil
were $50 700 600; our exports to brazil were saO0,
NV. n paeAleo we lost SI0,0pl,0l0 Imports from
Melc9 y w Xxx NJ ,Qb00 our exports TO Mexico
Mele @it,uYtvvo, 70 sum it all up, our imports
from countries south Of u.s. both insular and
c9nl con on the hemisphere, S216,000,-
Wv, oun eAPoftS TO them were SI4,OO0,0O0. The
o an,4a a$alnst us in our trade with those
countries, therefore, 142 000 900, exceeding our
cams from al the rest of the world by $4,000
oy. " W llgure OF speeeh can we tiatter our
selves into the belief that our trade with our
American neighbors is in a prosperous condl-
tons How can this state Of affairs be rene
died! You have heard great deal said within
Ihe past ten years by our Democratic friends
aooaS tne nlquity OF the Republican party
the war tariff has not been kept un, but has
Deen amended aa oyer ana over again until the
REVISION or 1888 left scarcely a trace of the ac-
tual tariff that was in force at the close of the
war ana Tor few years afterwards. During the
war we We're compelled to tax almost every
thing III the air, in the water, on and under the
eaiJh The necessities of the governm emit were
so great that we could allow scarcely anything
TO De imported without paying tribute, and l
think no patriotic man can deny that that was
q wise policy. We were not then studying the
philosophy of trade relations but how to save
the life of the nation Money was the prime
necessity, and we seized it wherever We could
reach it lawfully but during the last eighteen
years a great change has been made. So entirely
has the war tarif been abolished that in the ifs
calyear ended June 30, 1882 the articles admitted
all the imports. To be exact, the imported arti-
cles that paid duty exceeded S4sS 090000. and the
imported articles that paid no duty exceeded
S256 000,000 in value. The inevitable tendency is,
| think, toward the increase of the free list.
Our great mistake was made when we began
to repeal the war duties on SO large an amount
of imports Any duty repealed was a favor and
an advantage to the exporting country, and we
have asked nathing in return. Instead of this
course (Which must say was one Of careless
ness and wastefunesS by both political parties,
every repeal of duty should have been preceded
by most thorough Investigation, and whenever
it was found practicable to export anything
from the United States, and thus establish re-
ciprocty of trade it should have been done. |
do not, of course, intend to declare or TO imply
that we could have secured the free admission
OF 900 of American products into coun-
tries whose products we purchase annually to
that amount. The richer country cannotiexpect
to get complete reciprocity in amount from
countries less wealthy; but whatever we should
have received would have been q clear gain,
1t is not question of setting deliberately TO
work to establish reciprocal exchanges But
with ali the duties we have thus far repealed 1T
has been question whether we should get
something or get nothing. We have chosen
WlU0 our eyes cl0Seu To S0J llUUIIlH5' Iopc NOW
with our eyes open, that we shall IN future
choose to get something. We encounter oppo-
sition to this policy from those who declare that
if we enter into reciprocity of trade with one
country we must do so with all countries, and
thus Indirectly bring about complete free trade.
do not see the logic Of this, and l am sure
the fact will not prove what is predicted. We
may enter into reciprocity with one nation be-
cause we find advantage in it. We may decline
to enter into reciprocity with another nation
because we see no advantage in it.
Reciprocity is simply policy of circumstance
to be determined faYOr&bly or adversely, &C
cording as its operation may make or 1oose FOR
us. 10 say that because we enter into reclprO-
cal relations with one country on one thing. we
must enter into reciprocal relations with all
other countries all things, issto my mind as alb
surd as to say that if buy horse to-day mus1
necessarily buy drove Of asses to morrow. Ali
objections of that kind are, / am sure, unfOunded,
and will not stand the test of argument or prac-
tical trial. Our people do not realize the great
fact that if snecie is endangered in this country
it is likely to be endangered by our present Sys-
TEN of trade with the Latin American States.
The few millions of gold that have gone out OF
this country within the past few months have
created uneasiness in certain quarters as to our
financial position. tits very extraordinary that
the loss OF those millions from banks in Wall
street should be accounted so serious an event,
when we have lost q much larger amount dur
ing the same period from the condition OF our
trade with the countries south of US without
exciting the least observation When our ner-
ciate this fact, we Shall receive aid and influ-
ence in the reform Of our trade from a quarter
which thus far it has been Impossible to enlist .