Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1892-02-11
s5s, aO4 $50 from other countries.

| IOnslueT1Dy ali the CONDITIONS OI IL.
the increased trade Of nearly S2,0O0,0 900
in the last seven or eight months. over me
largest trade which we have had with
| Brazil for the corresponding time, indi-
Gates unerringly that the United States un
| der this arrangement will maintain trade
with Brazil which in due time must bring
| our expectations there nearly or quite
| equal to the importations from that cuun-
| try.
Improved Relations with Cuba.
The next country with which negotis
| tions were opened under Section of lht
Tariff act, was Spain, with view to in
creasiDg our trade with the colonial is
lands of Cuba and Porto Rico. At once
the powerful effect of the reciprocity pro.
vision of the tariff was made apparent
For the past twenty years our trade rela
tions with Cuba have been more unsatis.
factory than with any foreign country
Our commerce has been subjected to an
noyance and embarrassment in entering
| the ports of the island, causing delay and
expense to our exported articles. Not q
month has passed that complaints have
not arisen where American vessels and
American cargoes have suffered annoy
ance and expense by excessive tariff du-
ties and exacting customs regulations; and
80 great have been these difficulties that
the United States producer, conditions ia
voring, has preferred othe- markets to the
Cuban.
Here we have taken OF Cuban products
each year. about So 900 coo and have only
returned Sll ,OO0.u00 per year of our own
goods. But the market # the United
States has become necessity to the Gu
ban sugsr-planters Since the great devel
opment Of the beet-sugar Industry in Eu-
rope, Cuba has been driver almost out of
that market for its sugar. The bounty
system adopted by France. Germany and
Austria gives beet sugar large advant
aye in England and other European mark
cts. and this. added to the heavier freights
and long time consumed In TIE voyage.
makes II impossible tor Cuban sugar to
compete successfully In the European
mat kets with beet sugar. This has shut
Cuba up 10 the market of the United
States
Inc passage of the reciI rocity provision
in the lariti bill brought the Cuban sugar
planter face to face with the question
whether new advantages should be given
10 the trade of the United States by him.
or he should see his own industry ruined
and his plantation abandoned. When this
negotiation was opened the representatives
of the State Department found the Span
ish Government fully impressed with the
belief that the power given to the Prcsi-
dent BY Section 2 of the Tariff act would
never be enforced. All pf the arguments
originally advanced against the amend
ment. and the articles in Democratic news
papers predicting that nothing would
come of il. had been carefully gathered up
10y the Spanish authorities, and our nego-
t0t. t,lI hot apH Nnb
pecied the benefit of free sugar without
being obliged to give anything in return !;
tut vi hen they were assured that the Pres
ident would carry the Law into execution
in good faith, the Spanish Government at
once entered upon the negotiation of an
arraDge which Culmilated in q treaty
having two sets Of provisions.
Spain has certain commercial treaties
with European governments. by which
those Governments are entitled 10 the same
fasors in Cuba a. may oe granted to any
other nation; but, fortunately, these
treaties expire on June 80. 1892. The
Spanish Government therefore proposed
To make n trausitory schedule of articles
for free or favored admission into Cuba
and Porto Rico, 10 be pgt into force at
once. composed Of such products as could
he most successfully exported from the
| United States. and heyonc this TO agree to
a comprehensive schedule " articles TO be
put in operation on July 1892, when the
European reciprocity trea les would cease
to have effect. On acct int of this ar
IaaBg,emenlt ,m nj the United ,Stayes has not yet
~.
SPECIFIC Results Of the I eaty with spain.
We have obtained large favors, especial
~ Tor American agricultural products
Among these, all kinds of meat heretofore
paying heavy duties, are now admitted
TO CUBA entirely free. Lard also, which
we have sent to Cuba to the extent Of
nearly two and one-h half millions of dol
lars annually, and which has heretofore
paid duty of l-2 cents a pound is now
admitted free. II any Senator doubts the
efficacy Of this treaty, let him ask if, with
duty Of l2 cents pound. 33 ,0OO. 600
pounds Of lard have been annually export
cd from the United States, how large is
| this exportation likely TO be when it " i'll
| hereafter be admitted entirely free OF duty !?
So also, fish fresh and salt, of all kinds
are admitted free. All agricultural pro-
ducts, oats, barley and rye, cottonseed oil
| hay, fruits, fresh and preserved; vegeta-
bles, all kinds of wood and lumber. wac-
ons, sewing machines, raw petroleum and
coal are admitted free.
ask the attention of Senators to the
effect of the treaty as TO the Important ar
tlcle of -four. For years there has been
constant struggle going on between the
American and the Spanish peninsula ex-
porters Of flour for the possession of the
Cuban market the tariff schedules Of Cuba
admitting -four from the home country at
much lower rate than that from the I'm
tied States. Notwithstanding this dis
elimination in favor of Spanish flour, our
own flour has been able to compete with
the Spanish, so as TO about equally divide
the trade up to the LIST day Of July, 1890,
when the Spanish Government decreed
the free admission of Spanish flour into
Cuba and added twenty per cent. to the
duty previously paid on American -four.
making the duty, under this decree. S5.64
per barrel This was equivalent to prohl-
bition, and practically drove American
-four from the Cuban market.
If Senators will examine the new reci-
procity treaty negotiated with Spain they
VIII see that, under the menace of REIN
position of the sugar duties, Spain agreed
10 admit American -four at a duty of 81
per 100 Kilograms, which is about 80 cents
barrel. With this small duty, the cheap
ness of American -four, and the advantage
I,
give to this country complete monopoly
of the Cuban -four market, and the indus
try of the Spanish wheat grower and miller
has been in effect destroyed. The added
trade that We have gained with Cuba alone
in this would prove the wisdom of the rec
iprocity feature of the Tariff act of 1890.
The same results apply to corn and corn
meal, the duties of which have been re-
duced from &c cents per 100 Kilograms to
| cents, making it q mere nominal tax and
giving to the United States complete con-
troll of the market in these articles. The
table which | present here win show the
value of this transitory schedule TOR Amer
ican goods.
Reciprocity with other Countries.
The next reciprocity arrangement was
made with the Dominican Republic. Its
trade Is small but in a commercial aud
should be included in the scope Of these
new treaties. The schedules which I pre-
sent show that valuable favors are CON
ferred upon American agricultural and
manufactured products, aud the operation
OF this arrangement will bring this Re.
public into closer harmony and nearer re-
lations with the United States, both COM
mercially and politically.
The fourth reciprocity arrangement
concluded was that with Germany, which
Is important, both in commercial and
political view. By means of reciprocity
treaties already negotiated with Austria,
Italy, Switzerland and Belgium, the pro-
ducts of those countries have been given
great advantage in the German markets. and