The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1892-09-13
steamships

teen American steamships Of
an aggregate tonnage of ST..
400 tons apd costing S7,40o, 600
, have been built or contracted to be
built in American shipyards- In I'D.
dition to this it is now practically Ger.
tain that we shall soon have under the
, American flag one of the finest steam
ship lines sailing ont of New
York for any European port This
contract will result in the construction
in American yards of four new pas
senger steamships of 10, 0OO tons each.
costing about $1,000. 900 and will add
to our naval reserve six steamships,
the best upon the sea.
The Reciprocity Policy.
Another related measure as furnish
ing an increased ocean trafii: for our
ships. and of great and permanent
benefit to the farmers and man
ufacturers as we'll. is the re-
ciprocity policy declared by section
3 of the tariff act of 1890 and
now in practical operation with five of
the nations of Central Asia and South
America San Domingo, the Spanish
and West India islands and with Ger
many and Austria under special trade
arrangements with each. The removal
of the duty on sugar and the continu;
ance of coffee and tea upon the free
list. while giving great relief to our
own people by cheapening articles used
increasingly in every household, was
also of enormous advantage to
the countries exporting these articles
as to suggest that in consideration
thereof reciprocal factors should be
shown in their tariffs to articles ex-
ported by us to their markets Great
credit is due to Mr.. Blaine for the
vigor with which he pressed this view
upon the country.
The most convincing evidence of the
tremendous commercial strength of
our position is found in the fact that
Great Britain and Spain have found it
necessary to make reciprocal trade
agreements with us for their West
India colonies and that Germany and
Austria have given us important con-
cessions in exchange for the continued
: free importation of their beet sugar.
! The Tariff
The Democratic platform promises .
this provision and especially denounces
as sham the reciprocity section OF
the law under which these trade
F, arrangements have been made:
II no further issue were involved
in the campaign. this alone would
give it importance. Are the farmers
of the great grain growing states will
| ing to surrender these new large and
increasing markets for their surplus?
Are we to have nothing in ex-
change for the free impor-
, tation of sugar and coffee and at
the same time TO destroy the sugar
! planters of the South and beet sugar
Industry CT the Northwest and of the
Pacific coast; or are we to have the
taxed sugar and coffee, which ''tari Il
for the revenue only" necessarily in
wolves. with the added loss of the new
markets, which have been opened as I
have shown.
The declaration OF the platform in
, favor of 1.-The American doctrine of
protection" meets my most hearty ap-
i prevail, The convention did not adopt
a schedule, but principal that is to
control all tariff schedules. The ma
jority report of the committee on plat
form to the Democratic national con.
vention at Chicago contained this
clause:
THAT when custom house taxation
is levied upon articles of any kind
produced in this country, the differ
ence between the cost of labor here
and abroad, when such a difference
exists, fully measures any possible
benefits to labor, and the enormous
additional impOsitions of the existing
tariff fall with crushing force upon
: our farmers and workingmen.
Here we have distinct admission Of
the Republican contention that Amer
lean wOrkmen are advantaged by q
! tariff rate equal to the difference be-
tween home and foreign wages, and .
declaration only against the alleged
additional impositions ''of the existing
tariff law"
Again. this majority report further
declared: But in making a reduction
In taxes it is not proposed to injure
f, any domestic industries, but, rather,
! to promote their healthy growth. . . .
Moreover, many industries have come
to rely upon the legislation for sue
cessful continuance, SO that any
: change of law must be at every step
regardful of the labor and capital thus
involved"
Here we have an admission that
many of our industries depend upon
protective duties ''for their successful
continuance" and q declaration that
tariff charges should be regardful Of
the workmen in such industries aud
of the invested capital The over
whelming reaction of these PROPOSE
tions, which had before received the
sanction of Democratic national con-
ventions, was not more indicative of
the new and more courageous leader
ship to which the party has now COM
mitted itself than the substitute which
was adopted. This substitute declares
that protective duties are unconstitu-
tiOnal-high protection, low pro-
lection all unconstitutional.
A Democratic congress holding this
view cannot enact, nor q Democratic
president approve, any tariff schedule.
the purpose or effect of which
is to limit impOrtations or