The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1890-10-31

audience howfree tradeis going to let us into
their markets with our products. We have
been giving Brazil a market for their
nearly 10000, 600 of products, and they were
taking from US seven pr eight or nine mil
lions. Now, suppose we declared absolute
free trade. How would that help us with
Brazil? Theyhave not been buying anything,
they do not let anything in free. Thirty-six
million dollars worth of coffee, S14, 000, 900
to Sic, O00, 900 of rubber, several millions of
hides and great many dye stuffs and wood
of that kind, all coming into the United
States without shilling of duty, but we
want to send down there some flour,
some lumber, some corn, and wheat,
the products of the West as we'll as of the
East, and are not satisfied as things are GO
ing. Laughter.
''Well, we went on and awakened them to
the necessities of the situation, and we find
they feel just as we do-that two nations
dealing with each other must deal as two
men do with each other, fairly, honestly,
literally; so that the advantage shall not al
ways be on the side of the one man or on the
side of the one nation. [Applause.]
well, that was reciprocity. 1t is not a
very complex problem. Mr.. ScEurtz rather
lntlmates it as strange way of getting at
things: How strangely mysterious recipro-
city is! That is just as strange and myster-
iouS as when a Starke county farmer brings
100 bushels of wheat to Canton, gets money
for it, buys supplies for his family and goes
back home. Laughter. That Is myster-
ious process and very difficult to understand.
Yet am sure that Brazil and all the Sonth
American states understood it the moment it
was mentioned. Yet am sure, and I speak
with great candor when I say that believe
that we will make
VERY FAVORABLE ARRANGEMENT
to trade with South America. Take a
country like Venezuela, of large area but
n rIN4I<< - fnO
SOOO.OOO They bring us SIC, AGO. 900 worth
OF products. But how much of that is taxed,
do you suppose, at the custom house? Only
$4,000. Every cent of that except $1,000
escapes taxation. We send them good
many things, but we do not send them one
shilllng's worth that is not taxed by them.
That is not fair. They admit that it is not
fair, and they are glad and willing to right
the matter and place us on reciprocal
grounds that will be to the prosperity of
this country, and to the prosperity of the
other. Because a trade that is SO one-sided
as that cannot be continued forever. I have
not seen an approval from any free trade
country of the reciprocity idea that has
stood the test three months. When recip-
all, or nearly all, approved. At that time
they thought it would divide the protection
lists In congress, and they urged it very earn
estly, as long as they thought there would be
some division, as long as they conceived
that 1t was the dividing line that might OBJ
struct the protectionists."
Mr.. Blaine did not finish this paragraph.
as the crowd in the gallery at his left hand
became excited and started half panic
stricken for the exit. Mr.. Blaine and Min
lister Phelps discovered at a quick glance
that the gallery was in no danger of falling,
and both shouted to the crowd, and waved
t t hands to reassure the excited throng.
When quiet was restored Mr.. Blaine re-
sumed his remarks as follows:
Now, as was saying, these free traders
thought they heard little crack. TCheers.l
They thought that the Republican party
would be stampeded. Applause Repub-
Leans are not frightened by a crack.
Cheers. AS long as the free traders
Thought that there would be division in the
Republican party they encouraged re-
clprocity, but very soon they found that the
hepubilcan party was not in the habit of
having divisions in its ranks. [Cheers.]
The ranks closed up and the reciprocity
provision was adopted by the Republican
congress. [Cheers.l just as soon as the
free traders found that reciprocity could not
be used to divide the Republican party they
were all against it. ICheers.l Every one OF
them. And now
THEY ARE REPUDIATING 1T,
and telling you what humbug it is, and how
little value there is IN it, and how small
result there will be to the people OF TINS