New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-09-17
BENEFITS OF RECIPROCITY.
MR.. BLAINE DISCUSSES THE POLICY TO IN
PURSUED.

THE SECRETARY WRITES TO COLONEL ". W
CLAPP, OF BOSTON, AND ANSWERS
SOME CRITICISMS.
Boston, Sept. l6.-The following letter has been
received from Mr. Blaine by Colonel Clapp. Editor
OF The Boston Journal:
Colonel w. W. Clapp, Editor Boston Journal
Boston.
My Dear Sir: am in receipt OF your favor
asking me if I can attend the annual banquet Of
the Boot and Shoe Club Of Boston in October.
You add that the members are in hearty sympathy
with my views regarding the best method Of eX-
tending American trade. and would be glad 70
have me address them
Il regret that my ENGAGEMENTS will not permit
me to accept the invitation. hut you will please
thank the club for tho compliment they pay me.
am glad 70 hear that the members OF the club
are interested in system of reciprocal trade with
Latin America. They can do great good ~
countcractng a certain phase Of New-England opin-
ion entertained at home as we'll as in Washing
ton-an opinion which ] must regard as in tho
highest degree nnwisc and hurtful 10 New-Eng.
land interests. New England is to receive In the
new tariff the amplcst protection for every manu-
featuring industry within her borders, both great
and small, and it will. in my Judgment, he both
inc xpe.len and injurious for her Representatives to
disregard a measure which will promote Western
interests
Il have lately received letter from j. T.
limbs, Of 81 l.ouis a leading representative OF
the flour interests and president Of the late Con-
vcntion Of Mers at Minneapolis. Speaking for
the grain and Touring interests Of that great
Section Mr. limbs says that advice; Of recent date
from Cuba state that the duties now collected on
American -four are at higher rate than was
first supposed 10 be the case And adds: j
respectfully submit that tho American miller will
bc unable to retain any part Of the Cuban hour
trade unless immediate relief is secured In
view of these facts, is it possible that pro-
tectioriist Congress even think Of opening our
market to Cubas products free, while allowing
great Western interest 10 bc absolutely excluded
from her market by prohibit )ry tariff? With
reciprocity the West can annually Sll many
huncd thousand barrels Of flour in the markets Of
| cuba and Porto Rico. together with a large mass
of other agricultural products. Without rec
iprocify she will be driven more and more from
thosr markets.
"hiving the fullest protection TO all Eastern in
forests the proposed Tariff bill does, surely
man of good Judgment. certainly no Protrctionist
| Of wise forecast, wishes 10 expose Western ln-
| tercst 10 serious injury, especially when II Is
| manlfcsty easy TO protect II and promote it
| manifc,tly easy because at this very time the
| Boards of Trade the thamrrs of Commerce and
the public opinion in Havana demanding rccip-
rocal trade with the United States. select
! Cuba and Porto Rico for examples because in GER
! tain quarters il has been said that while We
might secure reciprocity with some little coun.
| tries in South America, We could do nothing With
| the Spanish Islands Let lis at least give the
| Spanish Islands an opportunity to speak for them
| selves.
| Certain wise plen ask How can we sell farm
| products in South America when the same things
| are produced there? Cereals are undoubtedly
| grown in the >outhernmost parts Of South Amer
| ica bur the wise men will remember that cereals
| and sugar do not grow in the same soil, and that
| the sugar countries of South and Central Amer
| lea and the West India Islands contain 10000
600 of people who import the largest part Of their
brradsui:,. Indeed. the largest part of the sugar
| product of all Latin America is at our doors, and
we can greatly enlarge our exchanges there If
| Congress will give us the opportunity for recip-
| rocal trade.
"Anothr class observe that they want time to
| study The system To This | might reply that
tie best method of studying a system is to OBJ
| serve lis practical WORKINGS While studying in
| the abstract and refusing 10 take some object
| l'ssons, thr>" -cntlrmcn propose to open our
| market L. Latin American products free OF all
| charge, without asking Latin America TO give
| us in turn some freedom IN their markets. Fhs
| object lesson immediately before US Is the treat
mrnt of the sugar question. Shall W. make
/ Latin America Il lift OF that trade: When We
have studied that lesson We shall he prepared
for the >rrond
The worst proposition of all is put forward
by those who say: Let us put sugar on the free
list now and neat Year We will take up the
itt | upIp nd flietr
logic it is to make sugar free this year without
CONDITION, and nc\t year To ask Spain il she will
not kindly con"nt Ia grant us reciprocal trade
Holding the complete Vantage ground ourselves
the proposed policy transfers the vantage ground
To Spain. Instead OF granting favor 10 Spain
to-day, To- ask her tor a favor Tomorrow
lhoS. who take tins ground belong 10 that class
Of careful guardiln> of property who prepare -
very strong lock i"r the stable after the horse Is
gone. .
." do not mean. IN anything have slid. 10
Imply that rrrIprocIi, l. only u Western interest.
A> / remarked IN IA note I" senator Frye, VIII
prove hcrrh"Al and pr"iitahlr both TO the Iarm
and the shop. What, for instance, could bc more
natural or more Just than that, IN giving a free
! market IN thr | mtcl States TO hincs from the
Argentine Republic. We shonld ask the Argentine
Rrpuhlr Ia siNr better market than We now
have Tor thr pr"dnrt ot leather from the lnltrt
states The many forms IN which onr business
interests will hr promoted hy rrriprcity cannot
be- known until the active rominrrcial men OF the
United states shall have '"vel'Psd those forms by
investigation and experience. We shall not real
llc the full benefit of the policy in a day or a
year. bur shall We. ihrrrtor. throw away count
les, millions of trade in addition to the $4,000.
ooO we have already thrown away. and then
ignorantly declare without trial that the sys-
TEN won't work.
Finally. there is one fac, that should have
great weight especially with Protertionists.
Every Free Trader in the senate voted againss
the reciprocity provision. The frcctratle papers
throughout the country are showing determined
hostility 10 it. II is evident that the rrcetrate
Senators and the frcc-tradc papers have specific
reason for their coursr,. They know and feel
that with system Of rcciprociy established and
growing their policy Of free trade receives a
most serious blow. The Protcctionist who opposes
reciprocity in the form in which IL is now pre-
scnt".l knocks away of tn" strongest eupporN
l,i cf,upnf Of