Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1891-10-01
REPUBLICAN TRUTHS.
RECIPROCITY AND FREE TRADE.
A Writer to the Burlington Hawkeye
analizes the Subject.

EplaoR HAwK-EYE: We sometimes
forget that no nation on the earth has
| free trade. The term Stree trade" is
not used by either democrats or re-
publicans with the meaning attached
10 the words. The democrats mean
by it, levy duty on anything import
ed to raise the revenue necessary to
support tho general government; but
that Is not free trade The republic
cans say, raise the same revenue by
putting in only on such articles of COM
merce as we can produce ut home
and do not have TO import so that the
duties on these things will not inter-
fere with the prices of home produc-
tions, and reduce duties toward the
free list according to this rule. There
is no nation that has free trade. All
have duties. 1t is only question on
what it is the best policy to impose
them. II duties are protection, then
all have it; even England
Now the policy of reciprocity is
neither free trade nor protection in
the sense OF the terms above defined.
1t is wholly Independent OF them both;
but it is one OF the finest attempts to
ad Just the international commercial
relations between the United States
and foreign countries that has come
10 the front. 1t is the road IS well to
international friendship as CONNER
cial success. The status is this as an
illustration: The United States says,
1--WE have all the cereals we need,
therefore il anybody wants to ship
them here, he will have TO pay toll at
the entry OF the nations gateway
But IL a nation comes and says: 1--WE
raise not enough cereals, but have
sugar and coffee and tea;if you receive
| free what we have we will open our
ports free to your grain" that is re-
ciprocity. Reciprocity is not a one
sided affair; it has considerations both
ways. We say we cannot produce
these things-we are all buyers and SO
we will get all this as cheap as we
can. Suppose that another nation
had only partial supply of manufact-
ured goods, but had raw materials,
like wool, which we were importing
IN part at the time;then we could give
/ special rate to that people on raw
wool, because they favored US with
their market on clothing. The same
ihing would run throughout the com
nerce among nations. Each nation
would get Il special market on the
ground OF supplying others with what
They lacked IN whole or part, on spe,
eial rates. This policy would constant
ly tend to make u commercial cquilib
rum of all productions, and at tht
lame time would create the necessity
Of national friendship by the CONNER
eial treaties. The policy OF CONNER
sial reciprocity would tend to bind
nations externally in amity like they
lre now bound internally.
Then reciprocity is different from
hny tariff, as it involves special nego
tiations with nations only who car
!, open the door TO mutual reciprocity
1t results not from q general specific
or GdvalOrum tariff statute. but is q spe
cial contract between nations for spe
Gifted cons derations. 1t can only b.
ronsummated by the treaty making
powers OF the governments under i
general policy, defined by acts g
congress. But tEat this is q CONNER
cial step Of great promise has alread,
been verified by facts.
, AMOS STECKEL.