The record-union., 1891-04-30
RECIPROCITY AND PROTECTION.

The New York Tribune loses patience
with the class of people who see in reci-
procity only a modified form of free
trade. To all such free trade is red flag,
it excites their rage without any especial
reason within them. and they imagine
that reciprocity is some sort of cheat to
trick them into what they conceive to be
free trade diabolism.
The Tribune says to all such that reci-
procity that admits that which we cannot
best produce in return for that we wish
to export, is not the foe of protection. OF
course our contemporary does not put it
in just that way, but it is the drift and
logic of what it does say. When it an
nounces that the essence of the protection
policy is not touched by admitting free
that which we cannot produce, ii talks as
if speaking to children. We are unaware
that anyone has ever claimed anything to
the contrary. After naming a number of
articles that ought to come in free, or
under reciprocical exchange, because
years of high duties have proved our in
ability to raise them to better advantage
1t says:
But the free admission of these products,
while not an abandonment or weakening OF
the protective policy, can be made a means of
broadening and strengthening the defenceS of
home industry by securing for its products
larger markets. Thus turned TO account, the
removal OF duties on some things not here
produced becomes n powerful protection of
the home industry engaged in the production
OF other things. IL n treaty with Spain
secures the admission of a million barrels of
flour into Cuba, il adds about S5.000,000
yearly TO the foreign demand for American
-four and consequently to the protection of
American hour-producers and wheat-growers
The Tfibune is progressing, and we
shall expect to see it in time wholly upon
the side of reciprocity. At present it
wishes to limit the exchange to import
only Of those things we cannot produce.
Such policy, it declares, is real protec-
ton. All that our contemporary needs to
embrace now is the legitimate extension
of that rule, to-wit: Certain articles are
either on the free list or rated under a
low tariff. The Mckinley bill lets them
in free, or practically so, regardless OF
the relations between the United States
and the countries producing the untaxed
articles. Reciprocity, however, makes
all countries consuming an article we
produce for export, a portion of our ter
ritorial area, and to secure a permanent
footing in it we agree to admit free some
thing produced in such countries that we
do not produce to so good advantage as
we do the articles we wish to export, and
expectation of which, by maintaining
home industry, protects it.
The doctrine of reciprocity is that
nearly all countries have some discrimi-
mating tariffs to modify the effect of the
industries of one country upon those of
another. When one Of these makes a
tariff it necessarily discriminates in favor
of the production of things it can pro-
duce to the best advantage. Reciprocity
then steps in and secures for those
things we produce to least advan-
taSe admission from abroad, in ex-
change for the admission abroad of arti-
cles which we produce to best advantage.
The Thi5ame'S reciprocity would ap-
near to be shackled by the free listing OF
those articles only which we do not pro-
duce. However, that strong protection
journal is in the right drift, as indeed is
the whole country, and that is towards
reciprocity as a policy for strengthening
and extending our export trade.