The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1891-03-04
RECIPROCITY TREATY.
OUR NEW RELATIONS WITH
BRAZIL.
We Have Reason To Be Gratifed By the
Early Accomplishment of tine Treaty
What the Immediate Eject VIII Re.

w. Have Reason to Be Gratided by the
Early Accomplishment of tine Treaty
What the Immediate Eject VIII Re.
The President has reason TO be graf
flied by the early accomplishment OF
this important treaty and its cordial APP
proval by the people OF this country.
Even a hostile press has not discovered
grounds for assailing IL, except by insin-
uaiions concerning the motives OF both
the parties TO IL, or by paltry lies about It,
The immediate effect of this treaty
will be TO give the United States an
important advantage in the markets OF
Brazil, without In turn, granting any
!. advantage To Brazil, except such as may
arise from the cheapening OF cost and
the wider distribution OF our staple
products and of certain kinds OF ma
chinery among the Brazilian people
. We do not open our ports moro widely,
or admit any articles from Brazil free
which were not already free, or, in The
case of sugar, soon TO be free TO all
other nations. 1t is, therefore, natural
that spcculations should be INDUCED in
as 20 the motive which has persuaded
the Brazilian Government TO assent TO
this, at first sight, one-sided treaty
No doubt the course OF events VIII
solve this puzzle Ii may be reason
ably surmiseG that other countries
from which we receive coffee, sugar.
molaSses and hides free will be warned
: that these articles will be put upon the
dutiable list when coming from those
countries, unless satisfactory reciprocal
arrangements can be made, involving
liberal reductions of the tariff of those
countries on our staple productions.
Should these countries respond satisfac-
torily Brazil would have no advantage
over them. But should they fail to re-
spond satisfactorily, and our duties on
sugar. coffee, hides and molasses be re-
imposed as to them, then, and only In
such cases, would Brazil reap any adyant-
age from the treaty in larger share OF
our trade.
1t is probable, therefore, that tho
present reciprocity treaty is only the
first step toward opening the ports of
many other tropical or semi-tropical
countries TO our agricultural and manu-
featured products.
But there is another important consid-
Grafton. The advantages OF this or any
other similar treaty depend upon the
special terms accorded TO this country as
TO the rates of duty imposed on its pro-
.ductions Whenever these or similar
terms are accorded to other nations, our
advantages cease. The question now
suggests itself: How long will the great
trading and manufacturing nations OF
Europe quietly submit To the diversion
OF their Brazilian trade to the United
States? We do not attach special i'm
portance TO the fayored-natiOn clause.
But il is clear that the Brazilian Govern
ment must, under all rules OF interna-
tion comfy, show valid reasons
for the preference given by this
treaty 20 exports from the United
States or grant the same privileges 10
all others. Here, then. is a puzzle for
time TO solve. We shall follow the de-
veopments under the new treaty with
great interest. The subject is worthy
the brilliant statesman from whose fer
tile brain the scheme Of reciprocity pro-
ceeded, and who, we are confident, will
find the way TO remove every obstacle u
its success.
The importance of our trade with
Brazil is admitted. In the year ending
June 30, 1890, IL amounted 10 S7l, 22l, lS2,
of which 9,3lS, 756 were exports TO
Brazil and ST., 902, 426 were imports.
This exceeds the trade of Brazil with
any other country, and was by far
larger than the business OF any pre-
ceding year. The largest trade in
former years was in 1851 when
il amounted TO nearly S62, 900, 600.
The trade with Great Britain i'm 1851
amounted to S64 100000 and In 1883 to
S57 900, 600.
The chief articles OF import and ex-
port for 1889 were as follows