The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1892-11-04


position upon the state issue of cur
rency. The latter in his letter of &C
ceptance said that 'the peoples cur
rency, national on state" should be so
regulated by governmental action or
by wise and careful laws so it's value
would always be stable. His refer
ence to the currency as national or
state" is mild recognition of the
wildcat banking system, for our cur
rency today is all national in it's char
acter and there can be no state cur
rency unless the state bank issue is
restored. But Mr.. Blaine riddles the
position which the eX-PreSident takes
by showing that if the ten per cent
tax is repealed, the states, according
to the Democratic platform, have the
right to issue circulating notes i'm
mediately, and there can be no inter-
ference upon the part of the federal
government in attempt to insure the
stability of value; that the issue of
such notes will be subject to whatever
regulations the legislatures of theva-
rious states may prescribe. "If,"
Mr.. Blaine, ''the government possess
es the poWerOf regulating and guard
ing it by governmental. action, the
states could have been controlled
without levying the ten per cent. tax
on circulation, but this point escap-
ed Mr.. Cleveland's eye, and as Mr..
Blaine says 1T would have been better
for him, had Mr.. Cleveland let the
matter alone entirely.
No man has done more toward
making reciprocity part of the poll
cY Of this government, than has Mr..
Blaine, and no man is better qualified
to speak thereon than is he, and what
he says will carry weight, and the sew
eral pages which he devotes to that
question will be read with interest.
The narrowest treaty of reciprocity,
he says, was negotiated with Brazil
1t is country which needs time to
change the lines of commerce hence
the results from there are not as sat-
isfactory as might be wished, but in
time will probably grow to be of equal
proportion with other countries.
Thus it is that the Democrats in at
lacking reciprocity always take Bra
iii as an illustration, But, says Mr..
Blaine, where reciprocity has accom-
Democrats are silent. They never
refer to our increased trade with the
Leeward and WindWard islands, ia
maica and the Barbados, nor to Gu
ba. Of the latter he says: "No DEM
ocratic director asks the millers of
the country, who send -four to Cuba,
what have been the results. Stats
tics in the state department show
that for the first half of 1892 we sent
337 900 barrels Of flour to Cuba, MAX
ing for the whole year 1000 barrels.
During the same period of 1891 we
sent only $4,000 barrels, or an average
for the year of $4,000 barrels" And
he concludes, as every candid man
will, that trade OF 100000 in flour,
where we previously had not more
than $175, 900 is not a bad showing for
the first year. Three-fourths of the
increased exports to Cuba under reci-
procity were products of the farm,
and Mr.. Blaine says that the same is
true in equal or greater ratio of the
reciprocal treaties with the other is
lands and countries of America and OF
Europe.
Thus with a few well directed shafts
Mr.. Blaine effectually punctures the
Democratic claim that reciprocity has
been of no benefit to the farmer, and
has not opened up market for dol.
lars worth of his product. There is
another point in regard to reciprocity
which Mr.. Blaine calls attention to-
which is of great Importance to this
country, and which before that policy
is cast ruthlessly aside as the Demo
Gratis would treat it, should be duly
considered OF this Mr.. Blaine says
1t will be observed. too, that we are
attempting to increase our trade, by
reciprocity treaties, in the right di.
rection. For series of years oul
trade with the rest of the world has
been largely in our favor. But we
have annually against us SO heavy a
sum in Spanish America as to out.
weigh our balance elsewhere. Ii we
can in any degree lessen that sum we
shall save portion of our gold coin
that is retained on the other side OF
the Atlantic from our large exports,
to pay drafts from Spanish America
on citizens of the United States, made
payable in London. This the Demo
Gratis have not seemed to notice,
though it has been going on year after
year. The reciprocity policy is the
first attempt at change. Already
the treaties negotiated have reduced
our adverse West Indian and South
American balances to an appreciable
extent. If supported and encouraged,
reciprocity will be the means of great
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