Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-03-02
BIRTH OF RECIPROCITY.
Garfield GrAsped the Idea and BlAi
agreed to Help Him Push Il.

1
| agreed to Help Him Push Il.
CLEVELAND, O., March Ii Special. THE
discussion in the Senate the other day over
the doctrine of reciprocity in which Senator
| Vest, of Missouri, asserted that Secretary
Blaine was not the author OF the reciprocity
idea, recalls a bit of history that is of great
| interest at this time.
There has never been a more profound
student of American affairs and of the great
| problems of political economy that affect
the United States than the late President
| Garfield.
Years before he was thought OF by more
than a few friends for President he used to
say that he was in favor of ultimate free
trade in this country
His utterance, II am in favor of that pro-
lection that leads to ultimate free trade"
has been frequently quoted and almost as
often misrepresented.
In General Garfields profound and pains
taking study of economic questions he nat
urally was led to see the utter impractica.
bility of immediate free trade. He was in
frequent consultations with Speaker Blaine.
afterward Senator Blaine. Together they
talked over many such incidents as the re-
duction of the tariff on coffee. which was i'm
mediately followed by the imposition of an
export duty in Brazil which kept the price
to consumers in the United States about the
same as IL was before.
Blaine and Garfield Convinced.
This was striking object lesson and both
Garfield and Blaine tried to get ut the pith
OF it. The result was that they both became
convinced that the only practical solution
of the tariff question lay through treaties
which are mutually conciliatory and which
make concessions and agreements upon both
Sides This is the essence of reciprocity and
"the sort of protection that leads to ultimate
free trade"
When General Garfield was elected P resi-
dent he naturally began to consider what
should be the great distinguishing points to
be made by his administration.
He had already selected Mr.. Blaine as his
Secretary of State. They naturally recurred
TO this matter of reciprocity of trade which
they had SO often discussed before. 1t was
talked over by various other prominent
men who were close i'll the confidence of tho
President, and everybody was convinced
that this was the proper course to pursue.
In order that the writer of this might re-
fresh his own memory and be certain that
he was right, he consulted Captain G. e.
Henry, of Geauga Lake, O., who was very
close to President Garfield and who held the
office of Marshal of the District OF Columbia
under the Garfield administration. This is
what Captain Henry said:
Staked Much on Reciprocity.
"You are quite right. Reciprocity was
the prominent feature of President Gar
fields administration. He proposed to stake
much upon it. He saw that the trend OF
things was toward free trade He thorough
ly believed in the United States having all
the trade she could possibly attend to where
it does not interfere with our business.
President Garfield and Secretary of State
bad OH DIV cl.od iv,o a
way the reciprocity idea, which it was pro-
posed to submit to Congress first in the
form Of a message and then to urge as a
law.
"Upon this great principle it was proposed
to go before the country and ask for the sup
port that would have been sure to follow.
Both General Garfield and Mr.. Blaine be-
Heved that the time had come when there
could be gradual movement made along
the line of reciprocity"
When the Mckinley bill submitted in 1890
did not seem to recognize this doctrine of
reciprocity, which was 30 familiar, ana the
benefits of which were SO apparent to Mr..
Blaine, he very naturally was astonished,
and expressed himself in the forcible Ian
guage that has been SO often repeated. All
this is the most natural thing in tho world.
The doctrine was not an impulse 1t was
not something that dawned upon Secretary
Blaine III q moment. 1t was a well-estab-
lished principle in his mind, and he was
simply astonished that others had not
thought of it before.
Reciprocity Is Purely Republican.
Hon. n. B. Sherwin, of this city, who
was well acquainted with General Garfield |
and had frequent consultations with him,
also confirms the memory of the writer in |
regard to this matter.
During the winter of 1ss0S1, while Presi- |
deptelect Garfield was still at Mentor, Hon. |
Joseph Medfll, editor of the Chicago Tribune, |
paid him one or two visits, and the policy of |
the administration was talked over in a con-
hdential way at that time. Mr.. Medill's !
views on the tariff coincided almost exactly |
with those of the President-elect and what |
was said by the great Chicago editor, who |
had quarter of a century before named the |
Republican party, and had done SO much to |
disseminate its principles during all the ln- |
tervening years. had great weight in decid- |
ing the course which the coming administra- |
tion would pursue.
1t will thus be easily seen where the reci- |
procity idea came from. 1t is not Demo- |
cratic doctrine. It is purely Republican
Republicans conceived it. A Republican |
Congress passed it. A Republican President |
signed the law. 1t is doing more to-day to |