Omaha daily bee., 1890-12-02
THE MKINLEY BILL.
1t Should at Least BE Given a Fair
Trial.


ions OF the law have been In force less than
sixty days. Its permanent effect upon trade
and prices still largely stands in conjecture.
1t is curious to note that the advance in the
price of articles wholly unaffected by the
tariff act was by many hastily ascribed to
that act. Notice was not taken of the fact
that the general tendency of the markets
was upward from influences wholly apart
from the recent tariff legislation. The en-.
largcment OF our currency by the silver bill
undoubtedly gave an upward tendency to
trade and had "a marked effect on prices but
this natural and desired effect of the silver
legislation was by many enormously at
tributed to the tariff act
There is neither wisdom nor Justice in the
suggestion that the subject Of tariff revision
shall be opened before this law has had
fair trial. 1t is quite as true that every
tariff schedule is subject to objections No
bill was ever framed, suppose, that in all OF
its rates and classifications had the full ap-
proval even of party caucus. Such legis-
ation is always and necessarily the product
of compromise as to details, and the present
law is no exception. But in its general
scG!,e, scope and effect l think it will
believe that American legislation should
con serve and defend American trade and the
wages of American workmen. The misin-
formation as to the terms Of the act, which
have been so widely dissemin ated at home
and abroad, will be corrected by experience,
and the evil auguries as to its results con-
founded by the market reports, the savings
banks international trade balances, and the
general prosperity of our people. Already
we begin to hear from abroad and from our
custom houses that the prohibitory effect
upon importations Imputed to the act is not
justified. The imports at the port
of New York for the first three
weeks of November were nearlyS per cent
greater than for the same period in 1889, and
30 per cent greater than in the same period of
1888. And so far from being an act to limit
exports, L confidently believe that under it
we shall secure larger and more profitable
participation in foreign trade than we have
ever enjoyed. and that we shall recover
proportionate participation in the ocean car
rylng trade of the world Criticisms of the
bill which have come to us from foreign
sources, may well be rejected for repugnaucy.
Ii these critics really believe that adoption
by us of free trade policy or of
tariff rates having reference solely
to revenue, would diminish the participation
of their own countries in the commerce OF the
world, their advocacy and the promotion by
speech and other forms of an organized effort
of this movement among our people, is a rare
exhibition of unseltishneSs in trade. And on
the other hand, if they sincerely believe
that the adoption of "a protective tariff policy
by this country inures to their profit and our
hurt, it is noticeably strange that they should
lead the outcry agalnstthe authors of policy
so helpful to their countrynen and
crown nwith their favor those who
would snatch from them substantial share
of trade with other lands already Inadequate
to their necessities.
There is no disposition among any of our
people to promote prOhlbitOry or retaliatOry
legislation. Our policies are not adopted to
the hurt of others, butto secure for ourselves
those advantages that fairly grow out of our
favored position as "a nation Our form of
government, with its incident of universal
suffrage makes it imperative that we shall
save our working people from the agitations
| and distresses which scant work that has no
| margin for comfort always begets
| But after all this is done,
| it will be found that our markets are open to
| friendly commercial exchanges of enormous
value to other great powers,
From the time of my induction into office,
| the duty of using every power and influence
| given by law to the executive department
| for the development of larger markets for our
| products, especially our farm products, has
been kept constantly in mind, and no effort
has been or will be spared to promote that
| end. We are under no disadvantage in any
| foreign market except that we pay our work
| ingmen and workwomen better wages than
| are paid INSTRUMENTATION abstractly,
better relatively to the cost dc of the
| doubt that a very largely increased
| foreign trade is accessible to us without
| barterng for either our home market for such
products of the farm and shop as our own
people can supply, or the wages of our work
and iron, and in meats and breadstutfs, we
have advantages that only need better facill-
| ties of intercourse and transportation to
secure for them large foreign markets,
The Rectprocity Clause.
The reciprocity clause of the tariff act
| wisely and in effect opens the way TO secure
| a large reciprocal trade in exchange for the
| free admission to our ports of certain
! products. The right of Independent nations
to make special reciprocal trade concessions
| is well established and does not impair either
| the comfy due to other powers or what is
| known as the Favored nation clause
| so generally found in commercial treat
| les. What Is given to one
| for an adequate, agreed consideration
| cannot be claimed by another freely The
| state of the revenues was such that we could
| dispose with any Import duties upon coffee,
tea, hides and the lower grades of sugar and
| molasses. That the large advantage result
| ing to the countries producing and exporting
| these articles, by placing them on the free
| list, entitled us to expect tair return in the
| way of customs concessions upon ar
ticles exported by us to them,
| was so obvious that to have
gratuitously abandoned this opportunity to
| enlarge our trade would have been an un-
pardonabe error. There were but two
methods of maintaining control of this queS-
| tion open to congress-to place all OF these
| articles upon the dutiable list, subject to such
| treaty agreements as could be secured, or
place them all presently upon the free list,
but subject to the reimposition of specified
| duties if the countries from which we re-
| ceived them should refuse 10 give us suitable
reciprocal benefits. This latter method pos
sesses great advantages. 1t expresses in ad-
vance the consent of congress 10 reciprocity
arrangements affecting these products which
must otherwise have been delayed and un-
acertained until each treaty was ratified
by the senate and the necessary legislation
enacted by congress. Experience has shown
that some treaties looking toward reciprocal
trade have failed to secure "a two-thirds vote
in the senate for ratification, and Others hav-
ing passed that stage have for years awaited
| the concurrence of the house and senate in
such notifications of our revenue laws as
Were necessary to give effect to their pro
| visions. We now have the concurrence OF
| both houses in advance in a distinct and def
mite offer of free entry to our ports of specific
articles. The executive is not re-
quired to deal IN coniucture as
to what congress will accept. Indeed
this reciprocity provision is more than al
offer. Our part of the bargain is complete
delivery has been made and when countries
from which we receive sugar, coffee, tea anC
hides have placed on their free lists such o!
our products as shall be agreed upon as al
equivalent for our concession, proclamation
of that fact completes the transaction; anC
in the meantime our own people have free