The weekly tribune., 1892-06-04
A POOR EXCHANGE
RECIPROCITY ON ONE HAND, RE-
TAlIATlON ON THE OTHER.

Trade with Canada, Where We Have q
Balance of SEQ. 200, 900 IN Our Favor.
A hundred years ago Thomas Jeffer-
son declared for peace, commerce and
honest friendship with all nations-en-
tanyling alliance with none" This has
been one of the guiding principles of our
solons. and because of it we have had
few serious difficulties with foreign ma
tions. To be sure the protective system,
fastened upon us in 1861. has done much
to destroy our commerce with the rest
of the world. But then it treated all
nations alike, and besides it was policy
which, while it has injured most other
nations slightly, has been veritable
curse on our own people. Hence SO long
as we do not complain others surely
should not do So though they may pity
us for our shortsightedness.
But this new tangled economic doc
trine called reciprocity" which has
been hitched up with protection"
while it may induce few other nations
to lower their duties and untax their
people, and can do us but little harm by
taxing four or five articles. makes rad
ical departure from Jefferson's sound
policy, which already threatens to in
volve us in serious commercial difficult
ties that may later lead to open hostili-
ties. The attempts ~ coerce foreign ma
tions to change their revenue policy and
the discrimination made against many
countries have already produced com
plants and threats. The Independence
Beige has contained number of articles
by Senor lbane, accusing the United
States of unjust designs upon South
America. In one of them he says:
That the reciprocity treaty with
Brazil was wrested from Senor Fonseca
by illegitimste means; that the United
States openly supported Balmaceda
against the national rising in order to
obtain from Chill a commercial treaty
wholly in favor of the North American
| Union; that the Republican party will
renew it with fresh vigor if the Demo-
Gratis do not oust it from power: that it
will likewise attempt to coerce Argen-
tina unless the latter combines with
Brazil and Chill to resist Yankee en-
croachment."
| He then appeals to the countries of
western Europe to combine with South
American countries to resist the com
mercial designs of the United States.
This is only one of the many manifesto
tions of a spirit of resentfulness that is
growing out Of this mischief working
policy. Ono or two of the South Ameri-
can countries that have made treaties of
reciprocity already feel dissatisfied and
threaten to annul them. The blighting
effect upon commerce between the Uni
ted States and Canada, of the Mckinley
bill, and the unceremonious way in
which we refused to treat with the
| Canadian diplomats sent here twice
since the adoption of reciprocity now
seems likely to lead to "A tariff war with
Canada. Our trade with this country
exceeds our trade with all other coun-
tries of the western continent And be-
sides, it is the only one of these countries
in which the balance of trade is in our
favor. If our bungling attempt to prop
up the decaying system of protection"
with reciprocity" impairs our COM
merce with Canada it will do more in
jury here than it could possibly do good
elsewhere.
We extract the following from the
New York Times of April 2S:
Signs are growing that IA tariff war
with Canada may not be much longer
delayed, There have been whisperings
Of this prospect since the Mckinley bill
shut ont this market from Canadian
farmers. The people across the border
long ago learned to make allowances for
campaign needs in this country. and
stood snubhing good naturedly so long
as it did not affect trade. Now that their
pockets are touched. they feel like hit
ting back. They sold II 900 600 bushels
of barley here every year until the pres
ent tariff came into force. Now they
sell 2,OO0,0OO bushels. In return they
bought our manufactures.
The impression has been fostered by
the high tariff men that Canada wo;,id
be the gamer by a trade arrangement be-
tween the two countries. Figures show
the contrary. 1t appears, indeed. that
the balance of trade has been very largely
i'll favor of the United States. ANY re-
taliatory legislation by the Dominion
government would hit American manu-
facturers much more seriously than the
Mckinley bill affects Canadian farmers.
In discussing yesterday the prospect of
such retaliation, II gentleman who has
made thorough study Of our CONNER
cial relations with Canada. both from
the United States and the Dominion
point of view, said;
''lt can be shown that the clauses of
the Mckinley tariff which affect our
commerce with Canada. and the condi-
tions of the reciprocity measure which
exclude that country from its operations,
are unjustitiable and impolitic and com
pletely subversive of the very objects
which the vaunted joint policy processes
| to accomplish