Iron County register., 1891-04-16

For two Powers the process of fisca
readjustment consequent upon th
lapse of commercial treaties begins il
the present year. The treaties nego
tiated by the Ottoman Empire in 1856
and 1862 with Belgium, Denmark
Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy
the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal
Russia, Sweden and Norway, Swift
erland, Spain, and the United States
terminate this year. The Porte il
ready to negotiate new treaties, but
they will be unlike the old ones fixing
general duty of S per cent. ad valo
rem. Their nature is doubtless fore
| shadowed in the treaty between Ger
,, many and the Empire, ratified last
August, and going upon the system
of specific duties. So far as Turkish
trade is concerned, therefore, an ele-
ment of uncertainty is now appearing
i'll the commercial world. Rumania's s
treaties with Belgium, Germany Great
Britain, Russia and Turkey terminal
ed March 13; the others will expire
July 10. Exception should be made
of the one with the Netherlands, which
runs on till September 10, 1892, but as
that is simply ''most-favared" ma
ton treaty it offers no hindrance to a
complete Encouragement of the Ruma-
nian tariff
But 1892 will be the critical year, as
we said, and February l, will be the
eliminating date of the period of COM
mercial reciprocity in Europe. On
that day the whole series of French
treaties expires, and notice that they
will not be renewed has already been
given. Such, too, is the case with
Spain. The Queens speech at the
declared for the recovery of liberty
to regulate international commerce" J"
and already the new and highly pro-
tective tariff decreed by the Govern
ment shows which way things are go
ing in the Peninsula. In addition to
these two series of treaties, we may
mention Germany's with Switzer-
land QS6D, Italy's with Germany
18S3), Switzerland Q8S9), and Aus
tria QS97), Austria's with Switzerland
l8SS), Portugal's with Belgium (1o74,
and with Italy 1S72), Sweden and
Norway's with Portugal 1SS5), all of
which reach their term on the fateful
February l, 1892. The amount of dis
cussion and negotiation and tinkering
with tariff laws involved in this gen
eral clearing of the decks is going to
be terribly disheartening to those
who think tariffs too sacred to be
talked about.
IN America, too, the immediate fu-
ture discovers at present no question
likely to receive wider and more in
tense attention. The recent elections
in Canada show that the tariff ques-
ton will not down in that country.
Several of the South American repub-
lies are launching new tariffs or pro-
pose shortly to do so. This is notably
the case with Brazil, Uruguay, the
Argentine Republic, and Peru. Their
example will doubtless incite, if it
does not compel, similar action by the
other countries of Spanish-America.
In short, tariff debates and impend-
ing tariff changes now constitute, or
will shortly constitute. world phe-
nomenon, as the Germans say. 1t
seems almost incredible that the
United States should be able to with
stand the movement. Indeed, we
have heard vague rumors to the effect
t'tat we, too, have a tariff question,
and that the year 1892 VIII see more
or less talk upon the subject. But
since President Harrison has express
ed his annoyance at all forms of con-
versation on the tariff. there is nothing
left for us but to stand aside and fur
nish one more proof of how different
we are from all mankind by remain
ing mute while all the other nations of
the world are noisily discussing ways
OF robbing and taxing by tariff.-Neau
York Post.