New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-06-24
r.1p TRADE WITH CENTRAL AMERlCA

,ron az the greatest preacher of his time
FAIR TRADE WITH CENTRAL AMEhi'A'
Ore If the most important of our stan CORE
snondent's Southern letters was prinleu ia'.
Thursday dealing with the poSsloiiloieS Vi
reciprocal trade arrangements WIN uhe Hto
nnhiics composing Central America. IL was
nloinlv shown that well-directed diplomacy may
be able to obtain valuable treaties from eacn Oh
these countries. Their products are ldenV ia
and 60 are their requirements from US Nv
nractical difficulty lies in the fact that IL Is
necessary to deal with so many dlHerelV ooV
ernments and with Governments not so staole
oe wa could wish The fact OF their NUMBER
however. may possibly be turned to goou ac-
count for if a trade convention were maue
Nth anv one of them under which its pnnclpa
nroduc,s were admitted here free, the knowledge
ho+ +a,ig discrimination would be exercised
against all the rest would serve as a powerful
inspiration to induce them to come 10 'ern'S'
The articles produced in these countries "hion
Congress authorized the President TO use aS d
basis of reciprocal treaties are cohee' sugar anu
hides. Our correspondent shows that althouRn
sugar could be proftably produced IN CehUrd
America upon an enormous scale, htUe aS Je'
has been done in that direction. Nor are these
countries large producers OF hides. Ihey wouu
undoubtedly value a tariff concession from US
admitting their hide exports free, but it would
not he 4 strong factor in the negotiation. Gomez
is their great industry and furnishes our oppor-
tunity.
II should be observed that Central America
already purchases from us largely. The dis
parity which exists between our imports ana
exports from and to Cuba and Brazil does not
exist in our trade with Central America AL
the same time it does not buy of us so largely
as our imports from it warrant US IN demanding
According to the figures Of 1889, our imports
reached SS,414,O19, and our exports amounted
only TO S4146,511. In the same year Great
Britain, purchasing goods to the value OF only
81. 750.S57. contrived to sell goods amounting
to s4.s4S,114. 1t is probable that during the
two years which have elapsed since these hg-
ures were obtained our exports to Central
America have largely increased. Commuhlca-
ton has improved since then, and the exports
of the last few weeks from this city alone woIud
seem to indicate n considerable proporuonae
enlargement of trade. Newly DIRK does con
siderably less than half the business OF this
country with Central America, New-Orleans and
| San Francisco being also great ports OF south
ern export. Yet in the seven weeks since May
exports to the value Of S4S2,714 have been
sent to Central America from this city alone.
This represents an annual export trade OF over
three and a half millions, nearly as much as
orr total export trade in 1889. The character
Of these shipments is infinite. They include
petroleum, -four, lard and other food stuffs in
enormous quantities, and a remarkable variety
of manufactures, such as sewing machines, cot
ton goods, hardware, boots and shoes and all
kinds of household goods. Nothing that we
export is omitted from the tariff schedules OF the
Central American States, and it Is needless To
say that the tariff rates are enormously high.
On the other hand all the products OF these
countries are now admitted here free Of duty.
Every encouragement is given to their mer-
chants here and very little is given to ours there
Three -fOurths in value of their shipments are
coffee. The United States consume nearly one
half of the total coffee crop of the world, and
they obtain annually from 3O,OO0,0OO to
35, 90 0, 900 pounds from Central America. 1T
seems unfair that we should exact large con-
cessions from Brazil for the admission OF her
coffee products free and then allow the coffee
products Of Central America to be admitted free
without such concessions. In following out the
Reciprocity plan it is necessary to consider the
element of justice and when we have barganed
with one State to do given thing in return
for given favor we are under moral Obliga-
ton not to extend the same consideration to
other States which are unwilling TO make the
same sacrifice. The negotiation Of a Reciprocity
duty with Central America would have a great
influence in inducing Mexico to render her
tariff schedules more favorable to US 1t seems
as if the arguments to be drawn from the fig
ures of our Central American trade ought to be
sufficiently numerous and powerful to induce
each Government concerned to render the fair
play we demand. Ii is unreasonable to require
the markets of this country, rich as they are, to
spend Sl5O,OOO,O0O in South and Central
American countries while receiving from them
a trade of only S45,O0O,OOO, less than third
of their imports. The results OF our staff
CORES pondent's investigations have proved that
Congress exercised wise discrimination in the
selection Of the articles which it gave the Pres
dent permission TO negotiate upon, and it is
probable that before the Administration closes
we shall see our Southern trade increased so