The morning call., 1891-02-23
COMMERCIAL IDIOCY.

DR.. Talmage Is reported in New York
paper aS follows:
Tie Presidents proclamation swinging wide
oTen tie door OF commerce between Brazil and
the I nited States is tie beginning OF a move
nent which Viii make every dollar invested in
Northern American manufactures worth two
dollars. aud lift our laborlng classes into
greater prosperity tlan They have yet dreamed of.
o. TITS nation to-day IS like a silly dry-gOOds
m e. chant who Stands behind The counter bag
Cling With d small customer about three yards
OF tare, when lheIe are at tie counter, impa-
uenuy waiting, three prlncesses wishing to pur-
chase teir bridal trousseaus. May God arouse
this nation from its commercial idiOcyI
We trust reciprocity with Brazil Will do
all for US that Mr.. Talmage imaglnes it will.
At the same time judgment which defines
the policy under which the United States
. has made such progress in the last quarter
OF a century as Commercial idiOcy' cannot
be regarded as infallIble. This policy of
commercial idiOcy las restored the balance
Of foreign trade to our side of the ledger
without diminishing its volume in proper
ton to the population. 1t has made the
United States the first manufacturing
country in the world. 1t has also made the
United States the most wealthy country in
the world. Nations that have been con-
. .tinuously piling up money for centuries are
now surpassed in the magnitude of
possessions by one which has an
active life Of only about one-half
OF. one century. The sounding phrase
of Swinging wide open the door of
commerce between Brazil and the United
States" may be accepted as an allowable
figure Of speech. But the President has
done nothing of the kind. He has simply
mazda tho pnhIip announcement
having complied with certain conditions in
our present tariff law, will continue to send us
coffee, hides and other specified products,free.
Brazilian sugar Will also be admitted free
when the sugar clause in the new Tariff Bill
goes into effect. In return the United States
gets admission for some of her products
into Brazil free and for others at reduced
rates Of duty. 1t is probable that under this
new arrangement we shall pay for the coffee
and sugar we import from Brazil in part in
goods instead Of paying in coin as in the
past. But later on in Mr.. Talmage's speech
he expresses the opinion that if a little reel
procity with Brazil is good thing, a wider
range of reciprocity with Europe would be
better. Probably Mr.. Blaine is a wiser
statesman than MIR. Talmage Mr.. Blaine
selects for reciprocal trade relations with
the United States countries that do not seek
To export the kinds of products we make a
surplus of. In most cases the things we re-
eeiye from Brazil are products that we would
import if duty were imposed. There is no
present danger that Brazil will send Us the
kinds of manufactured goods which We need
foreign market for, and if she should, such
goods would be subject to a duty. Raci-
rrocty with Brazil, limited as it is, may give
as a market for our surplus manufactures
without exposing our industries to foreign
competition. But reciprocity with European
countries would produce opposite results.
We could not, under existing conditions,
sell largely of our manufactured goods in
Europe, but if we should Swing open the
door Of commerce" with European ceun-
tries, we should expose our own industries
, t. the fercest competition.