The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1892-05-07
Reciprocity and Tariff Reform.

To the Editor of the lntclligcnccr.
Claiming as | do to be the first who
published the idea OF ''licciprocity,'
or of trading with our friends and not
with our enemies, it is not solely with
Observation-Disclosures that | call the atten-
ton OF your readers To the fact that
''lieciprocity" threatens To Hank ''Tar-
It'll Reform" In the Quarterly Rcgis-
ter of Current History, published by
The Detroit Evening News association,
Vol. |, No. T., there are some startling
facts published on The point. The figures
are from official sources. The average
annual increase of American foreign
commerce, imports and exports from
1871 To 1891 was under forty miflionsa
year. The increase in eleven months
OF the present practice was nearly
double hat. The total commerce Qm-
ports) for the said eleven months in
creased more than twenty-five millions
over the same period of the year before.
The value of merchandise imported
free of duty in the sad eleven months
shows an increase OF ~ n hundred
and twelve millions compared with the
''"'' l'' wv VI NV NN'i WI IL NtlS
about 4S per cent, nearly half, of the
total importations. For the same period
in the former year it was II little over
one third. There was II decrease OF
cighty-siX millions in the imports of
duiiable merchandise and over forty
millions less collected as duties on i'm
ports. During the eleven months end
ing August 81, 1891, our exports of
foreign and domestic merchandise in
creased to II trillc under fifty million
dollars over the exports of the same
eleven months i'll the year before, the
average increase per year being nearly
two and q half times us great as in the
twenty years before. During the said
eleven months our exports were over
scvcnty-seven millions greater than our
imports. In 1888 the imports exceeded
the exports by over twenty-cight mil
lions. 'lt appears that the large in
crease in exports is almost wholly con
fined TO two classes, the products of
agriculture and manufactures" The
increase in the value of the former was
over t%hirty-five millions, of the last
nearly twenty millions. ssThe reciproc-
ity clause of the new tariff is opening
new markets and increasing the de-
mand for United States products.n
These figures must of course be
closely sifted, for they come from those
who wish to justify Mr.. Aldrich's reel
procity amendment to the Mckinley
bill. do not jump to conclusions on
them, but they are sufficient to put any
prudent democrat on his guard. We
ought to adopt the Napoleonic tactics
of concentrating our fire on one point
in the enemy's line-consiitutional
coinage. Even with the lowest revenue
tariff we 4 get along with, and the
price of silver CLEARED" by law, we
must meet the Indian competition for
wheat, heeM!seIGasa will sell wheat
cheap rather than part with her silver
ut so low n rate, to pay her debts in
England. And the fewer dollars there
are the fewer we get for our beef and
pork and wheat. The more dollars
there are the more will the farmer ret
for his products. Everybody knows
this. The dollars ought to be as num-
erous as mans industry and natures
g~enefUShy can make them. The basis
of exSbsnge is n medium of exchange.
Modern commerce must have enough
money or producers are robbed and
~debt-holdrrs become mere plundercrs.
Cool, calm examination and thought
must show some Of our friends that
while they have allowed themselves to
be carried away with the idea that
there is only one issue and one mar
who represents it, in reality n good
deal of the wind has been taken out of
the sails of tariff reform by reciprocity.
At least it looks so 10 me. But under
any tariff reform or any ''ossity'' La
fayette county farmers must sell n
larger number of barrels and bushels
to pay their county, township and pri-
vate debts without constitutional coin
age than with il. A president who is
for constitutional coinage, not against
it, is u greatest present national
need. Gro WILSON