Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1892-02-11


increased trade with countries that pro-
duce articles which we cannot produce,
which articles we can purchase with the
products of our farms and mines and
manufactures, which our Southern sister
nations need and which they cannot pro-
duce. Reciprocity of this kind Is, in fact.
an aid to protection, and broadens the field
of the American laborer by opening new
markets for his products, to be paid for in
articles which can never compete with his
labor. The people all understand this,
and they made their voice heard and their
wishes known here and in the chamber at
the other end of the capitol. and, except
in the Democratic party. open opposition
WAS drowned and no further hostile note
was heard
do not hesitate, Mr.. President In stat
ing here and now as the result of my OBJ
servation. that firmly believe that Sec
tion 8 of the Mckinley bill, which contains
the reciprocity feature. is the part of the
measure which has floated the whole act.
and is that part of the bill which kept it
from being swamped by the storm which,
with or without reason, broke upon it
from the day of its passage. The great
merits Of other parts of the Mckinley bill
| would have sunk under a sea of oboquy
and would never have been seen and ap-
preciated il the reciprocity clause had not
kept the whole structure from going down.
The Effect of Democratic Opposition.
l come now to take up the situstion
which the Administration and the State
Department found themselves confronted
| with after the passage of the bill.
| The power given TO the President by
| Section 3 of the Tariff act, to rempuse
duties upon certain articles the products
of other countries, whenever he shall be-
| leye that duties and exactions upon the
products of the United States in these
countries are reciprocally unreasop pahle,
was the leverage under which treaties or
, agreements Were to be negotiated With
out this power no Inducements could he
! urged with the representatives, Of Central
and South American nations rs reason
| for lowering their tariff upon our products
and giving up a valuable portion of their
revenues.
| In the first attempts at negotiation the
President and Secretary Of State found
themselves hsmpered and hindercd by the
position of the opposition press through
out the country. Il was alleged by these
newspapers that this power would never
De earned into effect; that no President
! would venture To reimpose duties on Cot-
fee. sugar, and other srticles after they
had once been admitted free. The Demo
cratic newspapers claimed that no foreign
/ nation would negotiate treaty or give the
subject attention because tine measure was
partisan one and part of an offensive tar.
III act, which, on the first change of par
ties. would he repealed, II was also CON
tended that the measure was uHcons'iju-
tIopal in comforting Legislative power upon
the President for the imposition Of taxes
/ in his own discretion.
Evidences appeared showing clearly that
the leaders of the Democratic party had
become alarmed at the growing popularity
with the people of the reciprocity plan,
born of distinguished Republican parent
age, and adopted, at last, by the Repuhl-
can party in general, and were determined
10 beiittle it and deride it and to drive il
from It's lodgmeni in the good will of the
people. Democratic newspapers denounced
it eseryw here as an imprac,icable sham,
and whenever Democratic authority was
heard from it carried with 1t a sneer
against the measure.
The Senator from New York, who has
lately entered this chamber rs member
OF this body, and who has brought TO his
party as his credcntial of leadership upon
the other side the trophy of = great
State. chained and gagged and despoiled
Of her political rights, paused for mo-
ment 10 his work Of spoliatlon - declare
in the Democratic State Convention of
New York. which assembled at Saratoga
on the The. 10th Of September lat '2ldp lHs
Democratic party of the State of New
York In convention assembled renews the
pledges of its fidelity to Democratic faith,
and TO denounce in terms / give the words
of the platform) .'the Blaine reciprocity
humbug.'
These vicious attacks upon the measure
u.
and leaders had their Inevitable result;
they weakened the effect of the measure
abroad, made hard the task Of our nego-
,iators; they strengthened the hands of
foreign governments; they were mischiev-
Gus. unpatrlutic, aud were meant TO be
deadly in their effect, both at home and
abroad.
Importers who brought the products af-
fected hy the measure into our markets
were Influenced by these attacks. and com
muncated their doubts and fears to their
correspondents abroad. Articles from
Democratic newspapers were translated
and reproduced in the sugar and coffee
producing countries; all carrying the i'm
preston that the reciprocity provision in
the Tariff act was an idle menace which
would never be enforced. and, without
danger to the foreign producer that it
would be enforced, we have nothing to
trade on.
We had repealed, at different times, the
duties upon great foreign products. which,
at the time of their repeal, might have
been used to induce foreign governments
to reduce their duties on our products.
We had given up coffee. tea and hides
and, last and greatest Of all. had given up
sugar; and rever before in giving up any
of these had we sought TO acquire any sd-
-stL -. H..
these articles in return. Their impp>i-
tions upon our products bad continued a.
great ever, aud in some cases had been
Increased. The time had now come when
| We were TO try TO retrace our steps aud
get back some of the advantages which We
had so blindly thrown away.
Result of Negotiations with Brazil.
The first country approached was Brazil.
For the ten years preceding the year
1890 we had received of Brazil's goods
and products S502 547 25s and had sent
back only SS3.432 557. The balance Of
more than S400 900 900 against us had
been paid TO Brazil in money which had
gone to purchase English, French and
German products which the Brazilians
needed, and which we ought to have sent
to them instead of the gold which they
made us pay.
The chief products of Brazil sent to US
are coffee, rubber, hides and sugar. The
first three have for years been admitted
free, and the Tariff act which had Just
been passed had practically placed sugar
on the free list, thus letting in the entire
product of Brazil free of duty.
The reverse side of this was not a pleas
ing thing for our negotiators TO contem-
plate. Brazil imposed heavy duty upon
almost every one of our products, and ever
since the duty on coffee was removed, in
1872, the United States, through its Minis
ters to Brazil, has tried to obtain some
concessions to American products from
the Government of B. azil, as a compensa-
ton for the free admission of coffee from
that country. Nothing came of this till
the passage Of the Tariff act of October,
1880. The power conferred upon the Pres
ident to reimpose duties on coffee, sugar
and hides brought the Brazilian Govern
ment at once to a sense of the marked diff
ference in the tariff conditions of the two
countries. and speedy progress was made
to reciprocity arrangement, by which
Brazil gave free admission to a valuable
list Of American products and to reduc
tion of duties on another valuable list thus
approximating an equality of treatment in
tariffs.
For the last ten or twelve years we have
taken annually from Brazil about $50 0OO.-
Av.d hor1 . hoo .t< nnn