Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-16

trade, and above all you have deprived your
people, particularly the poor laoorlng ctasses;
of cheap, and highly priced article ot LOU uo,,
which they used largely and for wnlcn you
have been able to furnish no adequate supsti-
tute.
DEAD LOSS.
Statistics of your lmportations and the regu-
lar quotations of your domestic prices, SNOW
that what you shut out from us you nave my
supplied from other sources surrey ."
abundant and cheap supply Of healtntui toou
for the laboring classes is one OF the mos. ln
portant essentials for the happiness OIL poT IN
pie the growth of its productive energies ~
competition with neighboring and rlVai , coun
tiles, and the development OF tne na'io""i
prosperity.
clusion of American pork has cost .Snoe'
In return, what good has it done France1
Has 1t helped the national health1 Inefe
has been no more disease from eating pork IN
England or Belejum where the American
product is freely used than IN Francs, muSte 81
you deprive yourselves of II. Has 1t neIpeo Ine
grows for no more now than be could before
the prohibitioB--Dot even for as mucn. has Il
helped the consumer He can buy rrencn
pork no cheaper now than before the proniDi-
ton.
Mr.. Reid gives detailed figures in support
Of his statements, and asking who has oeen
benefited by French DEGREES, answers:
MIDDLEMEN BENEFITED.
Only the small class of middlemen who are
enabled to exact yet larger profits. in the ao-
sence of American competition. and of an ade-
ouate domestic supply at the season of scarcity
the summer months. But it may be thought,
in spite of all this, that a return
to the old order of things would now
injure the French farmer. To that suggestion
~ vnrin
striking reply French swine, with American
pork prohibited, are now selling in Paris for 80
centimes to franc, lac the kilo. English swine
| with American pork freely admitted are now
selling in London for q 6d@4s ID per eight
pounds or S21Sc6l franc. S71zc the kilo.
Meanwhile the English working classes, and
the Begians as well, competing with you IN
manufacture for the world, have the advan-
| tage of liberal and cheap supply of whole
| some American meats. 1t should be Iurtner
noted that there is no real competition Pc
| French fresh pork. They are sold to entlrely
different classes, and the statistics do not sno"
that the prize of French pork has at any tlme
been affected by the presence OF apsenee Va
| the American Importation
NO WORD OF COMPLAINT.
Ihave ventured upon no word OF complaint
against your duty on pork which In late years
you have more than doubled we n1 our own
duties. from our own view of the public need,
same. But considering the large advance which
| You have already made you Will allow me 20
| suggest that in our varied experience on tnls
subject it has been found that lower auties oi.en
produce greater revenues than high ones.
They permit a liberal importation Wnlcn an e1'
cessive duty checks or destroys
Precisely for that reason our House Oh Repre-
sentatives has now voted to reduce excessive
revenues.
In view of the fact that the production OF
\ salt pork in France does not meet the demand
and thar your revenue is not excessive, II can,
not in this case be in your interest. any more
| than in ours, to impose a duly which woulo
| check importation from the country wnlcn mas
the largest supply and can furnish It at tne
the facts and considerations here sci
| forth may be found sufficient TO con
| vince Your Excellency that the early withdraw
al of the existing decree would ,a De an act
alike of friendliness of duty and of policy. Al
the outset ventured to explain that our peo
pie, from their point of view, thought the pro
hibition unfriendly and unjust. Will you per
NIT me to ada one more reason why II seems &c
them to be also-from your point of view-un
wise? You have a product-to take one e4
ample out Of many-more important to France
than pork is to the United States.
ABOUT FRENCH WINES.
We import it more largely than you ever i'm
ported our pork. Nobody in the United Statei
says that our pork Is diseased. but your owl
public men have again and again admitted tht
| adulteration OF French wines. never IN la1'
years in the Senate OF the United States hal
such a whisper been heard about our pork. bu
it is less than a month since the French senate
has been deem debating a bill to preven
the percentage of sulphates of sod;
in French wines, which the French cademy o
Medicine pronounced deleterious to health
and in the course of that debate it was openl!
admitted that other drugs were used. agains
which it was not so easy, to guard
There is growing and already
successful wine industry IN the United
| States Surely 1t is not wise fol
French statesmen, by persistence In what oui
| people think a calumination of our product, {.
drive American statesmen to listen TO Frencl
exposure of their own products, and TO con
slider whether if France still prefers pron1oi
bition to duties, the United States has no
greater reason to do the same.
But refuse to follow that thought. Keenl
as we feel the indefensible nature of your do
cree we are most anxious to avoid even sul
gestion of possible retaliation. That is pat
not to be entered lightly or without full cor
sideration of the mutual injuries to which
NAV lead. The business of diplomacy at an
rate is to make trade easier and national rels
tions more cordial-not to embitrer them. w
prefer to present tie facts and rely upo
French good will, French justice, and Frenc
sagacity.