New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-08-06
nrsoURCES OF RECIPROCITY.


prsoURCES OF RECIPROCITY.
The Reciprority treaties which have peeIl
oo,;,.od are the beginning but not the END
- . oroas nolicy. If it had been impracticabIe
for the state Department to make cohihero'',
a,,., - comepts with any Southern countries, all
would have remained on equal terms after the
1se If January. Not one OF them would nave
boon naced sgt disadvantage in comparison
,,.;.h the others, if the free market for coffee,
suyar molass,s and hides had been withdrawn
From, ALL In order to convert the Reciprocity
amendment into q lever for opening many for
zion markets for American exports it was neces-
sorv 70 bring II to bear upon the two CHIEF
so,,rcos from which coffee and sugar were de-
rivod As SION as Brazil and the Spanish West
indies were drawn into commercial union
bosis was established for future discrimlnatons
AGAINST competing countries, which might be
roluctant to comply with the requirements OF
equitable Reciprocity
Herein lies the potential efficiency OF the
Aldrich amendment The free market Tor
coffee. sugar, molasses and hides is offered on
eoual terms to all the Southern countries. 1hoSe
willing to pay for their privileges by making
reasonable concessions to the American export
trade will retain that free market permanently
Those accepting it only as gratuity VIII DC
deprived of the benefits OF unrestricted trade
in these tropical staples. The RECIPROCITY
amendment will operate after the close OF thiS
YEAR as a discrimination in favor OF those coun-
tries which comply with the conditions OF the
offer of the free market, and against those
{boip
guage of the act is explicit respecting the
Presidents obligations to enforce fixed sched
ule of duties whenever the conditions OF trade
are inequtable and unreasonable. 1t is as FOL
lows:
That with a view to secure reciprocal trade with
countries producing the following articles and lor ths
rrnose on and after the first day Of January 1892,
Whenever and 40 often as the President shall be salts
fed that the Government of any country producing anu
exporting sugars molasses coffee, tea ana hides Nv"
and incurred or any Of such articles, imposes duts OF
other exscons upon the agricultural or other produce
Of the United States which in view OF tho free intro
dnction OF snch sugar moasses coffee, tea ana hdes
into the United States he may deem to be recpocay
uneoual and unreasonable, lie shall have inc
mower and Il shall be his duty to suspend,
by proclamation to that effect, the provisions Vi
This act relating to the free introduction Of such sugar.
mOasses coffee tea and hides the productloh Oh such
country for such time he shall deem JUST ana III
such case and during such suspension duties snail DC
levied collected paid upon sugar molasses' ooHee'
tea and hides tho product Of exported nom sucn
DESIGNATED country follows: cine schedule foIows)
Nothing can be clearer than the Presidents
duty to impose the schedule OF duties and
thereby to place premium upon the produce
of countries entering into commercial union, ana
to discount the industries Of those which do not
conform TO the requirements Of reciprocal trade
On the basis of the coffee importations OF 1890
duty of 8 cents pound will make in favor OF
Brazil the following determinations against the
countries named: Venezuela, Sl'122'o14 10
Central America, 1923, 1868 "a Mexico $500,
OO9 % Hayti, S2o1, 049 so; British West In
dies. S1461s1 0s. To these determinations
will be added the duties on hides, and in the
case of the British West Indies the duties on
sugar There will be sufficient force in this
discrimination in favor of Brazil to compel
Venezuela and the other coffee countries to
make Reciprocity treaties As for the British
West Indies, they will be ruined without Reel
procity. The schedule of duties, If imposed on
the basis of recent importatiOns from Jamaica
alone, Will amount to S466,000 and for the
entire group it will be not less than S1,50O,OOO'
If the Hons Government allows the interests
of the islands to be sacrificed to those OF Bra
I'll. the Spanish West Indies and Santo Domingo
il will be wantonly Indifferent to their fate.
The more closely the Reciprocity question is
studied the larger and more practical appear
the results of this great policy. Congress has
armed the President with tremendous power in
opening the Southern markets to American
trade Determined as he is known to be DC
make Reciprocity and the enlargement of the
Nations exporting interests the browning issue
of his Administration, he can be depended upOr
to employ the resources of the act to their full
extent during the last fifteen months Of his
| term.