The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1892-07-15
..sHAM RECIPROCITY"

A republican subscriber writing to the
DEMOCRAT wants to know how we recon-
cile a statement made in the DEMOCRAT
some months ago to the effect that true
reciprocity means freer trade, " with that
clause in the democratic platform which
denounces the reciprocity clause of the Nc
Kinley bill as "sham reciprocity.
They are easily reconciled. There is no
conflict in the statements. 1t is no new
thing that democrats regard Mckinley reci-
procity as 'sham AMI fraud" Under
date of September 10Th 1890. the DEMOCRAT
speaking of the reciprocity in the Mckinley
bill said:
Strange, is it not, that the very articles
should be selected to carry out this sham
reciprocity scheme that will result in the
largest amount of revenue to the govern
ment? The whole scheme is a sham and
fraud.
From the day of the passage of the Nc
Kinley bill to the present, every new fact
brought to light, bearing upon the Mckin-
ley bill reciprocity, has tenaed to strength
en- the opinion that it is glaring sham
and fraud. The reason is that it is purel
one sided affair. By it the foreign cony
sumner is untaxed, while in not a single
Instance is the American consumer untaxed.
Has our correspondent ever read section 3
of the Mckinley bill /? 1t is as follows:
Section 3. That with view to secure
reciprocal trade s,itk countries Producing the
F1ollowiSg articles, and for this purpose, on
and after the first day of January 1892,
whenever, and So often as the president
shall be satisfied that the government of
any country producing andexporting sugars
tea, coffee, R'0ldSSes and hides raw and un-
cured, or any of such articles, imposes duties
or other exactions upon the agricultural or
other products of the United States. which in
| in view of free introduction of such sugar,
molasses. coffee, tea and hides into the
| United States he may deem to be recipro-
cally unequal and unreasonable. he shall
have the power and it shall be his duty to
suspend by proclamation to that effect, the
provisions of this act relating TO the free
introduction of such sugar, molassss, coffee.
tea and hides, the production OF such
country for such time as he sha deem Just.
and in such case and during such suspen-
sion duties shall be levied, collected. and
paid upon sugar, molaSses, coffee. tea and
hides, the product of or export from such
designated country as follows, namely:
All sugars not above No Is Dutch stand
ard in color shall pay duty on their polaris-
copic tests rs follows, namely:
All sugars not above No Is Dutch stand
ard in color. all tank bottoms, sirups of
cane Juice or of heet Juice, malada, concen-
trated malada, concrete and concentrated
moIasses, testing by the polariscope not
above IS degrees, seven tenths of one cent
per pound, and for every additional degree
or fraction Of degree shown by the polar
iscopic test two hundredths of one cent per
pound additional. All sugars above No Is
Dutch standard in color shall be classified
by the Dutch standard Of color, and pay
duties as follows. namely: All sugar above
No IS and not above No I6 Dutch standard
of color, one and three-eights cents per
pound.
Al sugars above No I6 and not abose Nc
S20 Dutch standard of color, one and five
eights cents per pound.
All sugars above No % Dutch standard
of color two cents per pound.
Molasses testing 56 degrees four cents
per gallon.
Sugar DRAWINGS and sugar sweeping.
shall be subject to duty either as molasses
or sugar. as the case may be, according tc
polariscopie test-s
On coffee 8 ernts Per pound.
On tea 10 cents per pound.
Hides, raw or uncured, whether dry
salted. or picked. Angora goat skins, raw
without the wool. manufactured. asses
skins, raw or unmanufactured. and skins
except sheep skins, with the wool ON, on'
and one-haif cents per pound
We have tins set out a. length above, al
Of the Mckinley bill that has reference t
reciprocity. One significant feature of the
section must strikeeyery reader with force
and that is the fac; that the president hai
power to make reciprocity treaties Oni,
with countries producing and exporting
sugars, nsoldssss, oofer, fea aai hides.
Another is the fact, (misunderktood by
three fourths of the people ofihe country,
that under this law the president has no
authority under any circumstances tn re-
, duce the duty on any ar;ic!s imported
into this country. The only power
he has 50 far as changing the rate Of duties
! is concerned is to increase the duty on su-
gars, molasses, tea, coffee, and hides. he
is authorized, under this law to say TO am
of the countries that produce and expor
sugar, molasses, coffee, tea and hides
"Now we lthe United Ssates) are letting
sou come into our country free Of duty
with coffee, tea, hides, and ont a small
duty on sugar and niolasses, and you must
in return, reduce or remove the heavy
duties which you nos impose upon sr-
ticies which we seed into your country
If you do not l will, by the authority
invested in me. suspend the operation
of the law und-r which you bring thes
articles In free and you will be require
TO pay the duties enumerated in section !
of the Mckinley law Now, II the presi
dent should impose these duties II would
only add to the price of the articles which
Mckinley reciprocity is a sham because
ituntaxes foreigners ON hundred necessary
articles, without abating in the least one oi
these taxes for our own people. The con.
sumption of American flour and other
! articles has been increased in Cuba BY
eheapening them through removal of til,
duties-just as Cuban sugar was cheapened
here and its consumption increased by re.
moving the tax. Other articles would b,
cheapened here-honest woolens, for ex
ample-by the same process.
But no. This boon of cheapened necess
aries and increased consumption has beer
bestowed solely upon foreigners under the
jug handled republican reciprocity.
II is sham
The Tim dfouataineer Is ALWAYS parti-
san, purely so. Il says in speaking of the