New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-06-07
SENATOR TCRPIES SPEECH.

Conator Turpc has made a conspicuous eA-
h;,;.;or If his marty zeal in venturing to dis
cuss the Reciprocity question. lie has iaDoreu
arduously to fill the pages OF " Inc Oohsres-
s;onal Record" with lucid argument IN deiencc
of the proposition that commercial treaties
antedated the present tariff law. This propo-
s;ton has never been denied by the advocates
&c Rocinrocity. II has never been claimed that
tho poicv of negotiating treaties based upon
oo,,ivalent concessions was original with the
IIanr;son Administration There have been
many commercial conventions OF this KIND raul
fed in European capitals and IN WASHINGTON.
Rocinrocjty i'm that sense was not an 0riglnal
discovery or a special invention OF the har
ris,n Administration. Senator Iurple produces
with triumphant air the text OF a convention
mazda ne long ago as 1903 between England
and Portugal and based upon free exchange
of wool and wines. That is one OF his proofs
that the Harrison Administration has not ac-
complished anything unique in the annals OF
craftsmanship in concluding series OF Reel
procity treaties. The point will be readily
conceded. But if it be true that Reciprocity
NEGOTIATIONS are not essentially novel, it can
not he denied that the Administration has made
= brilliant use of old precedents in enacting
the present policy, and is entitled to great
crcdit for IFS wise and enlightened action.
Another point which Senator Turpie empha-
sizes in his able speech is the fact that the
President has assumed to proclaim treaties
which have not been ratified by the Senate
This he evidently regards as despotic act
parallcled only by the Napoleonc orders in
council. To be sure Congress authorized the
President in the Tariff Act to make such
procamatons and also to reimpOsc duties IN
accordance with fixed schedule il diplomatic
overtures were rejected; but the Senator is I'M
willing to acknowledge that legislative action
in advance of the treaties has anything to do
with the question. Then, again, the United
States Supreme Court has taken mp the Keel
procty amendment, critically examined 1t and
affirmed its conStiutionality but that fact does
not affect his private conviction that the PreSl-
dent has uslrped the functions OF Congress
in obcying its instructions and executing its
will lie does not perceive what is plain to the
dullest observer, that the Administration has
succeeded in negotiating n long series of adj
mrablc treaties mainly because II was armed
with power to proclaim them without refer
cnce To subsequent ratification by the Senate.
In its diplomatic consultations there has never
been any question as to its power to carry out
the compactS which it was proposing to foreign
nations. That has been one of the secrets OF
its success.
The Senator returns at the close of his
vigorous remarks to the stock complaint of the
Democracy that Republican Reciprocity is not
that broad liberal and comprehensive free
trade with all nations" which his own party
favors That is true enough and we are al
ways grateful TO our friends the enemy when
they lay stress upon that fact. The Reciprocity
policy is n normal development of the Repub-
lcan principle of Protection. 1t does not in
volve the destruction of any American indus
try. IL tends to develop the export trade by
eyacting concessions in return for a free mar
ket for non-competing products. IL opens for
cign markets without sacrificing the interests of
American labor and capital. senator TWple
is right. That is not Free Trade.