New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-02-26
A DEBATE ON RECIPROClII l..
SENATOR VEST ASSAULTS THE REPUBLICAN
POLICY.
AN ANSWER BY SENATOR HALE-THE sOD'h"i
PROBABLY TO BE DISCUSSED FURTHER

AN ANSWER BY SENATOR HALE-inH
pRoB,B1Y TO BE DISCUSSED FURTHER.
tBY TELEGRAPH THE TRtBrNE.i
Washington, Feb. 23.-The Senate ens'seu ~ %
other interesting discussion OF the reopo."' '.,.n
to day. sharp attack by Mr.. Vest on the A,u,'."
amendment to the Mckinley bill precIptafng aeoa'o
which promises to be continued at many other s'hsS
during this session OF Congress Mt. vest canoa w
tho Hale resolution asking for general lniorha"'n q"
10 the effects OF reciprocity with the various coue
with which agreements have been made so r'r' an"
wanted TO have 1t amended to include an inquiry as
tho state of reciprocity negotiations with Mexico, any
sucb had been attempted were pending. Mr. 'e0c
tbon vent into n general assault on tho policy Vi
special agreements for reciprocal commercial au'~
tages and argued speciousy that IL recipfoea' as'
ments were beneficial as t. non-competng prou"'''
and with non competing countries they would DC even
more beneficial to competing products and win ."
commercial countries. In other w0uS, True reo'Pi''''
WIS absolute free trade.
Mr. HoIe took time enough TO reply that the essence
Of the present reciprocity law was its applicability 70
noncompcting products solely, thereby harmohIi"s
compl.tely with the other Republican policy Of pro-
tocon lilo denied many OF Mr. Vests statements as
IN the barren results of the Adrich amendment and
went over some of the more important commercai
concessions obtained under it from Brazil SPAIN Cor
many and other countries. Mr.. Allison. MI Adrch
and Mr. VOORHEES, will probably have something TO say
about reciprocity when the subject Is next taAeh up
Mr.. Vest moved the following amendment to Mr..
Uae,s resolur m u January 10, calling on fe secre-
tary Of the Treasury for copies OF recipfoois "ei''
ments under the last Tariff act:
And that the secrca OF state also n1oI I'm c,e
Senate whether any steps have leen taafsi oy O.r
a,Ghorlties TO neg tiafc relipr,cI an and With
with Mexico: and II SO, what has been zone au VII"
aIso tha. the Secretary inform the Senate-if ne
yotIarios,s hoye been inaugurated for the purpose
avrosad ard have been unsuccessfu!-what has been
the cause OF the failure. -,
Mr. Vest in the beginning OF bis speech agreed WIN
Mr. Hale that the discussion Of the question would De-
no tho ,saanc issue I'm the approaching National can
vsss lie Mr. yesU should undertake 10 show by the
statistics OF the Treasury Department Itself That IN e
months OF reciprocity with Brazl-the largest oi '"o
south American marketsso far from there having oeen
an incas OF exports OF farm products from te ohteu
states there had been a decrease Of such exports ana
that the only increase In exports from TINS country W
Brazil had been in steam engines. machinery ana agl
cultural implements which Brazil had not charged
and did not now charge any import duty.
II had been stated by Mr.. Foster In his recent New
York speech that reciprocal Intercourse with CahaaS
was very different thing from reciprocal intercourse
with south America and the pincipa reason gwen was
that Great Britain controlled the tarin treaties 81
canadn and TINT Great Britain was under the system
OF free trade. which entirely an'agonstc to the
system adopted by the people OF the United sates'
Mr. Foster seemed (Mr. Vest said To be entirely isD)-
rant OF the that Canada emitted - impose its
fhrH
undertaken to interfere with the import duties OF her
utoyinces and u be Ignorant OF the fact that Eng
lish imports paid as high duties In Canada American
imports paid.
Much Of Mr.. Vests speech consisted OF quotations
from the speeches Of Republican Senator's In the tarin
debate and Of statistics. lie declared his con-
vetion that long New England dominated there
never would be reciprocal relations with Canada. on
this point he quoted Nr. Hale rs saying In that 90
bate Reciprocity with Canada Is an animal OF
very different breed from reciprocity with so'th Amer
ca.' In other words, said Mr. Vest reciprocity
which brought hides and free rubber TO the manu-
facturcrs OF New England was different from reel
procliy which brought free Canadian products to tho
consumers of the whole country. lie spoke OF MeM-
can retaliation on account OF the duties on foreign
The amendment which he had offered TO the reso-
luton was intended 10 elicit from the state Department
Information As TO any efforts recently made to estab-
Nah reciprocity with the neigborng republic. ana,
II such efforts had failed what had been the cause OF
the failure The Democratic party only opposed
10 sham reciprocity. The reciprocity arrangement
with Brazil did not benefit the American farmer No
act OF Congress could chlngc the inexorbls law Of
supply and demand-whch prevented an agricultural
people from purchasing agricultural products. South
America furnished no market for the agricultural
products United States. Every qualified to
vote knew that the market for American agricultural
products was In Great Britain not In south America.
In 1891 the exports OF cattle to Great Britain amounted
10 over S2O oOo.Ooo to South America and the West
indies to 800 OOO The exports OF corn 10 Great
Britain were over $4,000, 600; 10 South America
100000.
The exports To Great Britain were in value S31 800.
600 70 South America over S2,j0OOOo. The exports
Of wheat -four TO Great Britain were 355OOo0O. tn
South America s3.5oo.oOO. II the principle OF rect
procty was right with country was it not right
with all Why stop with South America and sugari
and
was free trade
Mr.. Hale said that he did not propose to be drawn
into a general discussion the merits weaknesses
Of the Mckinley Tand bill. lie supposed. from the
indications at the other end Of the Capitol that ample
opportunity would be given before the session closed to
discuss the Mckinley bill The reciprocity plan did
not suit the senator from Missouri and did not suit his
| associates on the Democratic side. That not
strange him. The school OF thought in which TINT
Senator and many Of his associates had
been reared from boyhood would have never
believed for a moment In the plan Of reciprocity.
II was attractive picture to the senator from
Missouri that by reciprocity American gools
could be cent TO Brazil which she needed and which
shs could pay for In goods which the United states
did not produce. That did not suit the senator from
Missouri, because 1t was the reciprocity plan As to
Mr. Vests statement that nothing had been accom-
pshed by the reciprocity pan Mr. Hale read II news
paper paragraph about aa excursion OF American flour
millers to Havana in order to open and increase the
market there for American -four, and said that the
result had been notable Increase OF exports Of -four
TO Cuba Telegram from tho Consul General mt
Havana gave the following figures TO the imports
OF flour In the months Of July, 1890, aud July, 1891
s9O-from Spain 30 400 bags from the United States
2.72O bags; 1sO1-frOm Spain none from the United
states 62,37l bags. That showed that the -four OF
old Spain had been driven out Of the market.
Mr. Hale went on to give other figures showing the