The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-12-19
HARRIsON'S RECIPROCITY.

Ii 1t is true as stated by the Washington
reporter of the Western Associated Press
that President HARRISON will restore the
ouUes on sugar, coffee, teas and molasses
imported from those countries that have
not negotiated reciprocity treaties, he will
90 an act which will not iniure them and
benefit nobody. 1t will besides develop q
sample OF national bravado and attempted
ouil-oozing never before seen in the history
Oh this country. What effect the threats of
sucn an embargo may have had upon the
governments Of Brazil, Cuba, San Do
mlngo ana the British West Indies
cannot now be told, but it is
not too much tc the credit of the
United States that such means were re-
sorted to. In the very inception of the re-
ciproclty measures Mr.. BLAINE announced
that 1t was proposed to pursue policy of
coercion Said he, in letter under date of
June 4, 1890:
VI course the exchanges involved in these
propositions would be rendered impossible if
Congress, in its wisdom, should repeal the DUTY
on sugar by direct legislation, instead of allow
ing the same object to be obtained by the re-
clprocal arrangement suggested
In other words the foreign countries
could not be trusted to voluntarily recipro.
cate by concessions to American exporters
which THE HERALD believes to be an un-
warranted assumption.
The efforts that have been put forth by
the state department show most in the
perfected arrangements with the sugar
producing regions, the policy evidently
being to secure as much free sugar as pos
sible. Brazil. San Domingo, Cuba and the
West Indian islands export immense sup
plies, and the expected beet sugar importa-
tons from Germany will add largely
thereto. But as one result of this must be
the repeal of the bounty clauses, the sue
cess OF the negotiations will not be spe-
clally gratifying to the cane-raisers of
Louisiana, the sorghum-makers of Kansas
and the beet observation-disclosures Of
Nebraska, Utah and California In
deed, there is good reason to be-
lleve that free sugar is regarded
as blessed boon by tie pro-
tectionists, since it reduces the reve-
nue. by some sSO,O00,OO and enables
them thereby 10 get an increase of the
manner they favor the abolition of the in
ternal revenue taxes, such as those i'm
posed on tobacco and spirits.
Among the countries which have not re-
sponded to the state departments expecta-
tons in the way of reciprocal treaties, and
which therefore might be included in the
Presidents embargo, are Uruguay and the
Argentine Republic. But, according to
the information sent out from Wash
lngton, there is no reference
to any restoration of the duty
on hides, which are the chief exports of
those two countries, and which are so i'm
portant 10 the boot and SHOE harness and
other manufactured-lesther trade of the
| United States. 1t is likely that the renon-
strances from Massachusetts and other
northeastern states against the exclusion
OF hides by means of a tariff have had a
restraining effect upon the President For
in this whole business of reciprocal protec-
| ton, under the disguise of fair trade, the
| administration of Mr.. HARRISON appears to
| have looked towards but one result, and
that is change of base without change of
policy in the line OF high tariff.