The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1892-04-08
RECIPROCITY A FAKE
The Offspring OF Free Trade and Pro-
lection O Detrlment to the
County.
How It Works With Some Of the South
American Countries and the
Hawaiian Islands.


ist can cause the entire party follow
ing to about face. Two years ago the
republican party, in the larger part of
the country, was for free coinage.
Now it is arraYed against it.
The party has tackled on the tariff.
Reciprocity! How charming the word:
Presto change! What is reciprocityg
Free trade. After making manufac-
Curers wealthy in the eastern cities
and trade cenrers, the proposition is to
take down the bars and let in free
hides. free wool and free raw material
from all the world.
Where does the dear farmer come
imp 1t reminds one of Sancho Panza,
after being sadly demoralized in one
of the episodes of knight errantry,
asking Don Quixote for the kingdom
: he had so long and faithfully promised
him.
When the Mckinley bill had gone
over from the house and was pending
in the senate. james G. Blaine at
tackled the measure and said: at did
not open market for another bushel
of wheat or another barrel Of pork. :"
He at the same time affirmed that it
raised the duties on the articles that
the farmer must have, and that free
sugar would not "sweeten the pill"
Then there was a secret marriage
between protection aud free trade, and
soon after reciprocity was born. 1t
was prodigy, and child of remark
able promise. Sub rosa-please do
not enquire to closely as to its legita-
macy.
Where does the dear farmer come
IMP Perhaps we hear the words "Am-
erican pork" This was no parG of the
reciprocity idea. and the arrangement
was made with Germany, Denmark,
Italy, Austria and France as a direct
result of the meat inspection bill, and
was in response to the demands of
those different peoples for the lower
ing of the tariff on breadstutfs and
provisions. Germany had already
made tariff arrangement with Austria
Hungary, Italy ard Belgium, and she
simply extended the same terms to us.
Reciprocity looked southwark to new
trade relations with the West Indies.
and with central and south America
Apropos TO this subject. We have had
reciprocity treaty with the Hawaiian
islands for nearly fifteen years-sincc
1877. Let us see how the thing has
worked there. According to the re-
port of Mr.. S. G. Beck, government
statistican, in an official report, June
20, 1890, for thirteen years from 1877
to 1890 the case is as follows: We
were to let in their sugar and rice free
and they we're to let in our agricul-
tural products free.
The duties that we have RENTED to
the Sandwich islands in thirteen years
amounted to $49,89S,97S. 1t will be
remembered thai sugar from other
countries was taxed 2.06 cents per
pound on the avarage, and that only
one-tenth of our sugar came from the
Hawaiian islands. Hence, the i'm
porters from that country were en-
abled, on account of the smallness of
their export to this country, to realize
this profit, and the people paid just as
much for sugar as usual. Not even
did the people of the Pacific coast
realize any reduction.
That $43,S9S;978 went into the
pocket of Claus Spieckels and others.
Now as to the balance of trade. In
1889 Hawaiian free exports to the
United States amounted to $12,846,-
TAO. Our free exports to these islands
the same year, amounted to 1886, GAO.
Here is a balance of trade against us;
in single year, of $9,511,7OO; and it is
estimated that we could have given
$S5, 870,S01 to the poor, and had still
$S,024.177 to turn into the United
States treasury, if we had maintained
the former tariff arrangements that
existed prior to this reciprocity
treaty. We wonder whose brain this
bright idea originated in.
How about the farmerp Out Of the
1885, 40 exports to those islands, in
1889. s75s,65S were farm products.
The balance against the farmer for