New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-03-15
ENEORCLNG RECIPROCI1

| To-day is the date set by the otate depart
meut for the enforcement of the Reciprocity
| amendment against Venezuela IIayti, Colombia,
! Honduras and other countries which have not
complied with the requirements of the Tarlii
Act. Nicaragua, having negotiated an equitaDlc
convention, will DO excluded from the operation
of the amendment; but the other countries which
received official warning early in January OF the
roimpositon Of duties after the middle OF this
month will be deprived by Executive proclama-
ton of the privilege Of free market IN the
United States for coffee, sugar, molasses and
hides As the United States Supreme Court has
affirmed the constiMtionality of the Reciprocity
provisions tho law will be enforced with the
sanction of the highest tribunal. Coffee will be
subject to duty of cents pound, hides to ono
of ID cents pound, sugar to duties varying
according to classification from rs to 2 cents a
pound, and molasses TO a duty of cents gallon.
The enforcement of the Reciprocity amend
ment is described by Democratic journals as an
act Of retaliation, which will raise the price Of
sugar, coffee and hides and increase the burdens
Of American consumers Retaliation is not the
word that ought to be employed. The Southern
countries represented in the Pan-American Con-
gleSs united in recommending the negotiation
of treaties of Reciprocity based upon equivalent
advantages. The United States Congress took
them at their word and opened the American
market to large classes of their produce with the
understanding that the privilege would be with
drawn in 1892 if the concessions were not
rcciprocated The reimposition of duties upon
sugar, coffee and hides simply implies the fail
ure of Venezuela and other Southern countries
to carry out the policy which their representatives
at the Pan-Amercan Congress advocated. jus
tice to those countries which have complied with
the requirements of Reciprocity requires dis
elimination against the produce Of other coun-
tries which have neglected to take advantage
of a generous offer Retaliation there is none
The United States Government made condi-
tiona offer, and now withdraws ID in those In
stances in which equitable trade arrangements
have been withheld
EQUALLY erroneous is abe assumption that the
enforcement of the Reciprocity amendment will
involve the payment of the reimposed duties by
consumers in the United States. As 81 per cent
of the imported sugar supply Is already cgu-
lated by Reciprocity conventions and the amount
exported from Venezuela, Colombia, Honduras
and Hayt is inconsiderable, no appreciable effect
will be produced upon prices by the duties to be
reimpHed The increased production of cane
sugar In Cuba and the British West Indies, and
of beet-sugar in Germany and France, will more
than fiji any vacuum created and will tend stead
ily to lower the price Of sugar. The American
supply of imported hides and skins is drawn from
every quarter of the world, and the duties levied
upon this class OF raw material against lew
countries viii not be likely 10 affect prices. Less
than Is per cent of the imported coffee now
comes from the four countries previously named
The enormous increase of coffee imported from
Brazil, Central America and Mexico during the
last wear indicates that the vacuum caused by
the complete Withdrawal Of Venezuelan, Colon
ban and Haytian coffee would easily be filled
But that coffee cannot be withdrawn unless 1t
can be sold somewhere else, and there is no
other market TO be compared with that Of the
United States. 1t is altogether probable that the
bulk of The Venezuelan coffee will continue to
be shipped to the American market, and that
the duty of cents will be paid by the producers
there but it will not be many weeks before they
will compel the Caracas Government to negotiate
Reciprocity convention.
Apart from tho duties on hides the enforce
ment Of the Reciprocity amendment against
Venezuela will involve discrimination against
its coffee amounting at 3 cents pound TO
S1,722,614l3 on the basis Of recent impolta-
tons. That discrimination will prove so runous
to the main staple Of that country that the law
has only to be enforced in order to secure the
speedy negotiation Of a treaty with the new Adj
mnstration, which is to succeed President An
duezas this month. All that is required at
Washington is Gmness in dealing with the
Caracas Government, and the duties will not be
in operation many weeks. What IS needed IS a
practical demonstration that the United States
intends to carry out the Reciprocity law literal
y and to confine the benefits of the policy to
those countries which accept it IN good faith.
When that is done by the Presidents ploclama-
tons a great impulse will be impaired TO treaty
making.