The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1891-07-15
OUR RECIPROCITY POLICY.

"A Foreign Criticism-Tho Bitter End OF
FREQ Trade - Brazilian Trade = An In
crcasinG Market-lnorease OF Lsbor-The
Mugwump Cry.
A Manchester correspondent OF the
st. James. Gazette writes as follows of
our reciprocity policy:
The effect OF it is that g per cent. Of the
Brazilian duties are RENTED on American
goods as compared with those levied on English
and other similar goods Take the case OF cot
ton print The duty on these IS normally 100
per cent, or equal to the actual value Of the
goods as imported As the duty, however. has
10 be paid in gold, It il in reality nearly 200 per
cent, or twice the cost OF the imported article.
Thus, the American producer OF cotton prints
Fill for the future enjoy in the Brazilian mar
ket an advantage over his English competitor
equal to one half the cost Of the manufactured
article. Even with the Mckinley tarin the
cost OF production in America can not be nearly
SO much in excess OF the cost in England We
must. therefore, look forward to the gradual
loss of our Brazilian markets for cotton goods
which means a trade OF at least f2.OO0OOO per
nnnum-not because We cannot beat the world
on equal terms but because the United States
are enabled to purchase special advantages by
concessions" to Brazil We have no 'conces-
eions" to offer, and We never stipulate for spe-
cial and exclusive privileges.
We are endeavoring to fight the commercial
battle OF the world on free trade lines. and wish
TO fight II out on these lines to the bitter end.
But II is the most unwise and ridiculous policy
to shut our eyes to the fact that this Blaine
treaty is bow to the success Of our free trade
system. We have always been taught to believe
that our free trade regime gave us pull" in
all neutral markets; and SO it does, and has
done, SO long IS We receive most favored
nation treatment" II our free trade system
does not secure Us 1.-THE most favored nation
treatment" one Of the reasons for maintaining
our free trade system has disappeared. We
have treaties or agreements to secure us this
amount OF fair play with Bolivia, Chilli and
Mexico; but We can not be sure that these
/. countries will not be bribed by concessions"
to cease to treat our imports with fair play and
o equal justice. We know that the attempt will
be made for this Brazilian business Is part OF
. great scheme to establish . customs union
OF America at the expense OF the trade OF South
America with Europe.
And Canada! Our only guarantee against
Canada giving United States goods prefer
'ence over ours is in the jealousy OF certain
United States commercial interests of Cana
dian competition.
II England and Europe pass over the conduct
of Brazil with polite and futile remonstrances,
it seems reasonable that the rest Of South
America should follow the example Of Brazil.
The matter is very serious.
II SOUucu . COnHUcHJ pICOlCtIOu, Luot
all the world would embrace free-trade,
had proved true, there would now be
no talk of fighting to the bitter end.
England, instead of paying us back the
fifteen hundred million dollars she
gained from us on balance of trade
during free-trade times would not only
have kept it all, but would have added
to it. We would be a nation of poor
producers of raw agricultural products,
with few very rich importers in our
seacoast cities, and England would be
occupied by the estates of the very
rich and the novels of the very poor.
Railroad treights here, as in free-trade
times, would be higher than in En-
glahd- and we would have no more
chance to sell cotton cloth in Brazil
than we now have to sell tin plates
there.
So far, our protective policy has not
Injured Great Britain; on the contrary,
it has been of decided advantage to that
country on the basis of its political
. economy, for our trade with the United
Kingdom in 1890 was within fifty-three
million dollars of our total trade with
all the world in 1860. But when the
principle of protection is broadened so
as to demand reciprocity in the common
pursuit of wealth from nations that
produce non-competitive commodities
j. e., that those our climate forbids us
raising-our protective policy presents
a different aspect. Heretofore it offered
an increasing market, requiring only in
-creasing sums invested in improved
machinery, forbidding only the profits
that accrue from famine prices. Now,
with its reciprocity annex it goes into
non-protective countries to supply de-
mand that does not increase. The word
non-protective is used Intentionally, as
the Brazilian duties are mostly revenue
duties.
1t was the certainty that reciprocity
would prove of advantage to the trade
of this country, and increase the amount
of labor profitably employed herein,
that led our Mugwump contemporaries
to first proclaim it as free trade meas
ure, then oppose it, and lastly to assert
that it was of no advantage to this
country.
Cotton Ties and the Tariff.