The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-10-19
WILSON ANSWERED.
Hon. P. s. Webster, of Iowa, Tears
His "Forum" Article to Pieces.
RECIPROCITY is NOT A HUMBUG.
MIR. Webster mt Hurper's Ferry Proves
the Benefits of the Reciprocity
Clause of the Mckinley Bill by Mfr.
Wilson's Own Flgurcs--The Advan-
taccs Of Trade in Our Favor.

HARPER's FERRY, w. VA, Oct. lS.-
Hon. p. S. Webster, OF Iowa, addressed
a large Republican gathering at this
place to-day.
He ably and clearly discussed the cur
rency, tariff and reciprocity, and an
werod Congressman Wilson's plea as
set forth in the Forum, that reciprocity
is a fraud and a humbug. Mr.. Webster
showed how West Virginia was reaping
benefits under and by virtue of the re-
ciprocal treaties. He said concerning
Nj. Wilson: "Your congressman, the
Hon. William L. Wilson, sees fit 10 sneer
at and ridicule the reciprocity section
of the Mckinley law, and to make great
sport OF the Brazil and Cuba treaties
made hereunder. / refer specifically
to his article in the September Forum.
"In the first two-thirds Of the article
he cackles at the apparent diversity OF
views held by Republicans when the
reciprocity section was first brought to
the attention OF the public. He thinks
in this he has discovered q big egg on
which he proceeds to sit with the hope
OF Matching out some progeny which
will be a terror to Republicans. The
result, in due time, is that he shows
that Republicans differed then, as they
do not now, with reference to the idea
OF reciprocity. He is welcome to all
the consolation he can extract from
that fact. Republicans are not like a
lot of parrots, but they propose to in
vestigate and did study and did inves-
tigate and thereafter came to a unani-
nous conclusion to put reciprocity into
the tariff law.
"The first %two-thirds OF the article OF
Mr.. Wilson is the merest trash and
amounts absolutely to nothing. The last
third o. tine article is german and to
the point. His aim is TO show that
reciprocity is u fraud and a humbug.
He takes, first. the treaty with Brazil
and shows that our exports to this
country for the past year, April ], 1891,
to April ], 1892, increased over the pre-
ceding year 81, 764, 4S3, and that our ex-
ports therefrom increased S57,000,000
Tor the same period. He shows further
OH that in the one article of flour we
exported in value Sl,745,O00 more last
year than in the year preceding. In
other words his own figures and his
own statements admit a large increase
of trade with Brazil. He tries to mini
mize the force OF his own conclusions
by saying hat our foreign trade has
increased, in the same period, with
countries not embraced in reciprocal
treaties and that therefore reciprocity
had nothing whatever to do with the
increased trade with Brazil.
"For years we have had small trade
with this country, remaining about the
same year to year; we make n treaty
in which it is specified that u agri-
cultural products and many OF . our
manufactured goods go to that country
free, or at greatly reduced rates, while
the rates on the same goods and prod
ucts going from all other countries into
Brazil remain the same. Under this
condition our trade with said country
suddenly and rapidly increases, Why
is not that increase largely due to the
fact that our products are given a bet
ter rate when passing through the Gus
tom houses OF Brazil?
again, Mr.. Wilson takes up the
treaty of Cuba. He says the recipro-
cal treaty has been in force o ten
months and that the showing is much
better than in the case Brazil. Ac-
cording to his figures our exports to
Cuba have increased in the ten months
ST. 02, 1877 as compared with the pre-
ceding ten months and he further adds
which is very important that one
fourth OF the increase wa in bread
stuff. Mr.. Wilson concludes by say
ing that our exports to the South Amer
lean countries increased 1918 per
ccntum but that that amounts to moth
ing because our imports from these
countries has increased more than so
per centum. He admits a large in
crease, Of trade but as might be expect
ed, holds that reciprocity is responsible
for it not at all.
"What | have stated as to the treaty
with Brazil holds with equal force as to
that with Cuba. We have in these
countries vast advantages in conces-
sions granted to our products that are
not granted to those Of other countries.
To show the increased trade with Cuba
take the first seven months OF 1891
compared with the first seven months
oil 1892: