Sharp County record., 1891-05-07
TRADE WITH THE SOUTH.

-Reciprocity Not Needed - American
Goods Can Compete Already, But We
Lack Enterprise-Pauper Labor and
american Labor-Our Labor the Cheapest
on Earth.
At a recent meeting of the Boston
Shoe and Leather exchange Mr. D. +.
Murphy, an enterprising Yankee mer-
chant who does wholesale business in
American manufactures at Kingston,
Jamaica, made an address on reciproc-
ity and our general trade relations with
southern countries. Mr.. Murphy dis
player. absolutely no enthusiasm on the
subject of reciprocity, since even with
out reciprocity American goods can be
proftably exported to neighboring
countries to the south of us, and the
only reason which now keeps American
merchants from doing large and prof
table business there is lack of infor-
nation and enterprise.
"There is nothing whatever" said
Mr.. Murphy, sin the way of our doing
business in the south excepting what
exists here at home, and that we can
remedy. We have free raw material
for all the south requires The credit
system is as good, | say better, than
our cwr We have ample steamship
and mail service. We have access to
all the markets of the south on the
same terms as the most favored nation.
These advantages are sufficient to in
sure us trade of $500, 900, 900 a year
out of the 81, 400, 900, 900 or ST. 500, O0O 900
year of the southern commerce.
These are all the advantages we can
have or shall be likely to have. | am
not believer in Mr. Blaine's reciproc-
ity scheme including manufactured
goods"
There is chance" he went on,
What reciprocity may become polite
al question, and our manufacturers will
await congressional action on it. fail
to see how congress can give us any
help in this southern trade that will
give us any advantage over European
competitors; but while we are waiting
to see, valuable concessions for eXclu-
sive rights are being granted to Euro
pean houses for manufacture of ice, of
soap, of navigation of rivers, of con-
struction of public works. of electric
light plants, of banks, refining of sugar
for home use, erection of coffee cleaning
plants. This system of concessions, or
exclusive rights, is to hasten develop
ment, but it is most pernicious one. The
few able representatives we have in the
south see no movement on our part in
dicating that we want any OF the good
things going, and therefore do not use
their influence against the concessions.
'It appears to me that our govern
ment, in giving us reciprocity, is like CIV
ing us a white elephant. As we are, we
are not in position to use it, 1t may
be costly to keep, by our surrendering
duties on southern goods in exchange
for that which we cannot use. There
are about twenty points on which we
must have information, regardless of
any southern tariffs, before we can
safely export"
We pride ourselves with being the
most enterprising nation on earth; but,
SO far as the export trade to South
America is concerned, it is clear from
the facts stated by Mr.. Murphy that
American manufacturers and mer-
chants have not been awake to their op-
portunities. They have not studied
southern markets; they have not gath
cred information about the wants of
the southern peoples, about their tar
ifs, their routes of trade and methods
of transportation; and they have never
Undertaken to manufacture the special
grades and varieties of goods demanded
in the sc-called Latin America.
In confirmation of all this writer in
Hardware, q New York trade journal,
points out how New York merchant
lost an opportunity to build up trade
In South America for American made
shovels by refusing to pack them as Or
dered. The same writer contrasts with
This the way in which English manu-
facturers accommodate themselves to
the wants of the people for whom goods
are intended, He says; "For all parts
OF the world they manufacture goods
with reference to the local demand,
laying British preferences entirely
inside, 1t would be difficult to buy a
macSintosh in England similar to the
great mass of those sent for the market
of the United States Every Chola
woman in Eastern Peru wears pecul-
lar shawl knit in Manchester in exact
limitation of the old cotton shawls
(which the Indians had for ages prevl-
ously made with their own hands; and
the trapiches, or sugar mills, for the
Amazon valley are designed after those
Formerly constructed by the natives out
of the hardwoods Of their forests
The trouble with our manufacturers
is that they have learned under their
protection schooling to look almost en-
tircly to the home market Protection
has sappcd their enterprise and self-re-
lance, Mr., Murphy said in his address;
ut appears TO me that our people are
growing into u habit Of leaning on the
government for help, while our business
interests are becoming the foot ball to
be tossed between the rival parties In
politics"
In this address Mr., Murphy exposed
some Of tho false notions upon which
our protcctionists defend McKinleyism.