Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1892-03-03
Congressional,

Tuesday. Feb. 23-The senate The
President sent 10 the nomination Of VIII
lam b. Gilbert Of Oregon. a. circuit Judge
for the Ninth Circuit; the Pure Food bill
was discussed
The House. only few committee re-
ports were received.
Wedue> dsy-The President sent a mes
sage advocating liberal appropriation for
the Worlds Fair
Senate: The Dubois Claggett contest
was discussed. The Indian Appropriation
bill was taken up.
Thur>day-The Senate engaged in an
other interesting discussion OF the reel
procity policy To day, a shsrp attack hv
Mr. Vest oh the Aldrich amendment 10 the
Mckinley bill precipitatiDg a debate which
promises 10 De continued al many other
,it'Ipgs during this session of Congress
Mr. Vest called up the Hale resolution.
asking tor general information A. TO the
effects IF reciprocity with the variou.
countries with which agreements have been
made so far, and wanted to have Il amend
ed to include all inquiry "a to the state Of
reciprocity negotiations with Mexico. II
any such had been attempted or were pend
ing Mr.. Vest then went into general
assault on the policy of special agreements
for reciprocal commercial advantages aud
argued speciousy that If reciprocal agree
ments were beneficial rs to uun-compeiing
products and with non competing cuun.
tries, they would be even more beneficial
IS % competing products and with rival
commercial countries. Ia other words.
true reciprocity was absolute free trade
Mr. Hale took time enough to reply that
the essence Of the present reciprocity law
was It's applicability to non-competing
t4T,as LII, l..
pletely with the other Republican policy
Of protection He denied many of M
Vests statements a. to the barren results
Of the Aldrich amendment, and went over
some of the more important commercial
concessions obtained under il from Brazil,
Spain, Germany and other countries Mr.
Allison. Mr.. Aldrich and Mr. Voorhees,
will probably have something TO say about
reciprocity hen the subject IS next taken
up.
MIR. Hale said that be did not propose
TO be drawn into a general discussion on
the merits or weaknesses of the Mckinley
Iarih bill. He supposed, from the ind-
cations at the other end of the Capitol,
that ample opportunity would be given be-
fore the session closed to discuss the Me
hinley bill. The reciprocity plan did not
SUIT the Senator from Missouri and did not
suit his associates on the Democratic side
That was not strange to him. The school
OF thought in which that Senator and
many of his associates had been reared
from boyhOod would have never believed
for moment in the plan of reciprocity
"a no attractive picture TO the Senator
from Missouri that by reciprocity more
American goods could be sent to Brazil
which she needed. and which she could
n ka IT,i.
dld not produce. That did not suit the
Senator from Missouri, because IL was the
reciprocity plan. As TO Mr.. Vests state
ment that nothing had been accomplished
by the reciprocity plan, Mr. Hale read q
newspaper paragraph about an excursion
OF American -four millers to Havana in or
der TO open and increase the market there
for American -four. and said that the re-
suit had been a notable increase of exports
of -four TO Cuba telegram from the
Consul-General az Havana gave the fol-
lowing figures as 10 the imports of -four
In the months Of July, 1890, and July, 1891
| ls90-from Spain 400 bags; from the
United States 2,720 bags; ls9l-from
Spain none; from the United States g., 81
bags That showed that the -four of old
Spain had been driven out of the market
Mi Hale went on TO give other figures
showing the increase of imports into Cuba
OF American farm produce that Of pota-
toes having increased from % 900 barrels
In 1890 to % 900 barrels in 1891 lard from
ii 1868 packages to 1885 packages bacon,
In tierces, barrels and boxes, from 900
to 3, 400; hay, from 1863 tons to GIL tons;
oats. from 259 bushels TO 1894 bushels:
pork, from PSI barrels to 1856 barrels. and
apples. from 76S barrels to 1890 barrels.
IL reciprocity intended anything, it intend
ed precisely that thing. 1t intended lines
Of ships running from New York and 9TH
er American ports to the ports of South
America. Mr.. Hale quoted from an arti-
Gle in the Frankfurter ZietaRg Of Deem
Der l6, 1891, as to the success of the reci-
procity plan, and said that that article
showed that the United States had out
generated European Governments. Time
would tell more fully whether the Senator
from Missouri or he was right as to the
beneficent effects of reciprocity The Sen
ator was in dilemma. Reciprocity had
been made the Republican policy. 1t
would 60 before the American people in
the next campaign. There was not a min
er or laborer or farmer or a shipper
who was not interested in reciprocity and
In its success. and who was not hoping and
praying for its success. That was the at
titude of the Republican party. He had
no objection to the amendment offered by
Mr.. Vest.
Mr.. Vest recalled the denunciation of
the reciprocity clause In the Tariff bill by
Republican Senators when it was first pro-
posed by Mr.. Aldrich. Senators Edmunds
and Evarts had declared it to be unconsti-
tutiOnal; Senator Morrill, had character
lied it as a heresy and innovation, and
Senator Dolph had denounced it IS utterly
irreconcilable with the protective system
And yet the Senator from Maine had spok-
en- of the Democratic party as being op-
posed to anything like an increase of com
mercial intercourse. The fundamental
doctrine of the Democrats was freer
trade.