The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-08-30

have lost sil2.0O0.0oO in our ccmmerc,
with the countries outside Of this to whicl
| | have referred. From where could we hav'
| found such large adverse balance! Lc
me tell you: We lost sil,0c,0W In Cuba
from which our imports were s52,Oco.W
and TO which our exports were 0nll
81 ,0OO, 900. In the republic NJ BRA
iii we lost S5l 100000. our imports
| from Brazil were SG0,0O0,O00; our exports
| to Brazil were $9.OO0,000. In Mexico W,
| lost Sl0.0OO,0O9. Imports from Mexico were
| S2l. .0O0. 900: our exports TO Mexico were
81 100000. To sum 1t all up our imports
| from countries south of us, both insiilai
and continental, on this hemisphere
were s2l6,VO,9O; our exports Il
| theml were s7i,OO0,OOO, the balanc,
against us on our trade with them, there
fore, SIZE, 900. 900, exceeding our gains frNu
all the rest OF the world by sl5,OOO,0O0. by
no figure OF speech can we Halter ourseve,
into the belief that our trade with oui
american neignb0rs Is in a prosperous con.
dition.
WHAT Is THE REMEDYi
Now can this state Of affairs be remedicd
You have heard a great deal said within
the past ten years by our Democratic
friends about the iniquity of the Republi-
can party keeping up the war tariff
AS matter OF fact. the war tariff
has not been kept upt but has
been amended over and over again until the
! revision Of 1883 left scarcely a trace of the
actual tariff that was in operation at the
close of the war and for few
wears afterwards. so entirely has
the war tariff been abolished that in
the fiscal year ending June 80, 1890, the
articles admitted free were considerably
more than Onc-third Of all the imports. The
inevitable tendency is, think. toward an
increase of the free list. our great mis-
take was made when we began 10 repeal
the war duties on SO large an amount OF
imports ANY duty repeal was favor
and an advantage 10 the exporting coun-
try. and we have asked nothing in return.
Instead of this course (Which | must say
was one of carelessness and wasteiulness
10y both political parties) every repeal oi
duty shosd have been preceded by most
thorough investigation, and whenever IL
was found practicable 10 export anything
from the United States and thus
establish reciprocity of trade it should
have been done. With all the
duties we have thus far repealed it has been
question of whether we should get some
thing or get nothing. hope now, with our
eyes open, that we shall in future choose 10
sti 9pihtluiu-.
OPPOSITION TO THIS POLICY.
We encounter opposition 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 am sure the fact will not
prove what is predicted. We may enter
into reciprocity with one nation because we
find advantage in il. We may decline 70
enter into reciprocity with another nation
because we see no advantage in it. All Oh
ections Ofthat kind are, am sure. unfound-
ed and will not stand the test Of argument or
a practical trial. The few millions OF gold
that have gone out of the country within
the last three months have created uneasl-
ness IN certain quarters rs 10 our financial
position. II is very extraordinary that
the loss of these millions from banks
in Wall street should be account.
ed 80 serious an event when We
have lost a much larger amount during the
same period from the condition of our trade
with the countries South of us without eX-
citing the least observation. Whenever
merchants and bankers come 10 thoroughly
appreciate this fact We shall receive aid
and influence in the reform Of our trade
from quarter which thus far 1t has been
impossible to enlist.