Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-04-26
BRAZIL OBJECTS TO THE TREATY,
Claiming That the United States Was Not TO
Have RecIprocity With Spain.

| nave RECIPROCITY Win spain.
Rio JANEIRo. March 26.-Dr. Ruy Barbosa,
| Minister OF Finance of the Provisional Gov
ernment, has published a long statement In
regard to the reciprocity agreement with
the United States. He says that the Pro
visional Government never authorized this
| agreement in the terms in which it was
made, and asserts that Dr. Salvador de Men,
| donica. Bra lillian Minister at Washington,
| received positive instructions to make no
| treaty that did not expressly bind the
United States Government to refrain from
making a similar agreement with any Euro
pean monarchy. He quotes a letter from
DR.. Salvador de Mendonica dated April %,
1890 assuring the Government that the
United States would NOT make a treaty OF
the same kind with Snain. On the 9th of
May the Minister at Washington wrote to
the same effect and again on July and Au-
gust 4. On September II he wrote to DR..
Ruy Barbos;l as follows:
"If the United States does not make SINH
lar treaties, rs it will not with Spain and
England. no other country can compete
with US here in the sugar market. Cuba,
Porto Rico, Jamaica and Trinidad are at
present our only competitors"
On the Goth of October DR.. Ruy Barbosa
telegraphed to DR.. Salvador Mendonica:
"You can continue negotiations on the terms
mentioned in your letter only now re-
ceived."
"Afterward." says DR.. Ruy Barbosa, "our
envoy came to this capitol and, in his inter-
views both with me and with The Provisional
Governments at its Cabinet meeting. 1t was
positively determined that in this essential
point the agreement should not undergo the
slightest alteration md that the negoti.--
tlonS In all their stages should be carefully
made to adhere thersto." In confirmation
of his assertion DR.. Rty Barbosa quotes the
following statement made to DR.. Justo Cher
mont, Minister of Foreign Affairs, in the
second Cabinet of the Provisional Govern
ment by DR.. CeZario Alvin, Minister of the
Interior in the first Cabinet:
when our representative in the great
North American Republic, Dr. Salvador de
Mendonica, came to this Capitol for the pur-
pose of Fastening and concluding the nego
t1atiOns to which refer, he gave to me and
to all the members of the Cabinet in his in
terviews with US the most positive assurance
that in the treaty about to be made it would
Government would bind itself not to make q
similar agreement with any European mon
archy.
"Our reasons for this demand are obvious,
viously assented thereto, as we are informed
by our diplomatic agent, who assured us that
he had insisted on this, having encountered
thorough acquiescence on the part of the
1llustrious statesman, Mr.. Blaine, for i'm
portant political reasons which may be
easily conjectured."
The Cabinet, to which Dr. Ruy Barbosa be-
longed, resigned on January 20, 1891, and on
February the new Cabinet promulgated the
reciprocity agreement which did not con-
tain the stipulation that had been consid-
cred absolutely essential. Dr. Ruy Barbosa
maintains that under these circumstances
the agreement lacks moral validity, and that
the Brazilian Government has ample
grounds for reviving the question.
1t is said that the present minister of for
active negotiations for the revision of the
treaty.