Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1892-09-29

costing about IS, O00,OO0 and will add to
our naval reserve six steamships, the fast
est upon the sea. A special interest has
been taken by me In the establishment Of
lines from our South Atlantic and gulf
ports and, though my expectations have
not yet been realized, attention has been
| called TO the advantages possessed by these
ports, and when their people are more fully
| alive to their interests do not doubt that
they will be able 10 secure the capital
needed to enable them to profit by their
great natural advantages. The Demo-
cratic party has found no place in It's plat
form for any reference to this subject and
has shown its hostility to the general
policy by refusing to expend an appropria-
ton made during the last administration
for ocean mail contracts with American
lines. The patriotic people, the wOrkmen
in our shops, the capital seeking new en-
terprises, must decide whether the great
ships owned by Americans which have
sought American registry shall again hum
bly, ask place IN the English naval re-
| serve the great ships now on the design
ers' tables go to foreign shipyards for con-
| structiOn and the United States lose the
now Frightening opportunity ofrecoyering
| a place commensurate with its wealth, the
| skill of its constructors and the courage or
its sailors in the carrying trade of the seas.
| RECIPROCITY TREATIES.
Another related measure, as furnishing
/
and of great and permanent benefit 10 the
farmers and manufacturers as well, is the
| reciprocity policy declared by section 3 of
the tariff act of 1899 and now In prac-
tical operation with five OF the nations
of Central and South America, with San
| Domingo, the Spanish and British w est
India Islands, and with Germany and Aus
tria, under special trade arrangements
| with each. The removal of the duty on
sugar and the continuance OF coffee and
tea upon the free list, while giving great
relief to our own people by cheapening
articles used increasingly In every house
| hold was also OF such enormous advantage
| to the countries exporting these articles as
| 10 suggest that i'll consideration thereof re-
clprocal favors should be shown in their tar
ills to articles exported by us to their mar
| kets. Great credit is due TO Mr.. Blaine for
the vigor with which he pressed this view
upon the country. We have only begun to
realize the benefit of those trade arrange
ments. The work of creating new agen-
cieS and of adapting our goods to new mar
kets has necessarily taken time, but the
| results already attained are such, | am
sure, as to establish in popular favor the
policy of reciprocal trade, based upon the
| free Importation of such articles as do not
| lnjuriOusly compete with the products OF
our own farms, mines or factories, in eX-
change for the free or favored introduction
OF our produce IN other countries.
EUROPE FEARS OUR RECIPROCITY.
The obvious efficacy of this policy in in
creaSing the foreign trade of the United
States at once attracted the alarmed at
tentiOn of European trade journals and
| boards of trade. The British board OF
| trade has presented to that government
memorial asking for the appointment OF a
com mission 10 consider the best means OF
| counteracting what Is called "he CONNER
clal crusade of the United States" At
meeting held in March last of the AssO-
Glazed Chambers or Commerce of Great
Britain, the president reported that the
exports from Great Britain to the Latin
American countries during the last year
| had decreased So, 100000, and that this
| was not due 10 temporary causes but di-
rectly to the reciprocity policy Of the
United States. Germany and France have
also shown their startled appreciation of
the fact that new and vigorous contestant
has appeared in the battle for the markets
and has already secured important advan-
tages. The most convincing evidence OF
the tremendous commercial strength of our
position is found in the fact that Great
Britain and Spain have found it necessary
to make reciprocal trade agreements with
us tor their West india colonies and that
Germany and Austria have given us i'm
portant concessions in exchange Cor the
continued free importation of their beet
sugar.
A few details only as to the increase of
our trade can be given here. Taking all
the countries with which arrangements
have been made. our trade to June 80, 1892,
had increased 2378 per cent. With Brazil
the increase was nearly IL per cent. with
Cuba, during the first ten months, our ex-
ports increased So, 702 1873 or 5.S6 per cent,
and with Porto Rico $500, 5yy or "a per
cent The liberal participation of our far
mers in the benefits of this policy is shown
by the following report from our consul
general at Havana under date of July rs
last during the first half year of '91
Havana received 0,U56 bags of flour from
Spain and other ports of the island about
an equal amount, or approximately $50, III
bags. During the same period Havana re-
ceived 1896 bags of American flour and
other ports approximately an equal
amount, making ABOUT 2, 900 bags. But for
the first half of this year spain has sent
less than 1000 bags to the whole island and
the United States has sent to Uavana alone
16S, 487 bags and about an equal amount to
other ports of the island, making approx
mately S37 900 for the first half of 1892"
AMERICAN PORK.
Partly by reason of the reciprocal trade
agreement but more largely by reason of
the removal of the sanitary restrictions up
on American pork, our export OF pork pro-
ducts to Germany increased during the ten
months ending June 30 last 81, 025.074 or
about 30 per cent. The British Trade Jour-
nal of London, In recent issue, speaking
of the increase of the American coal ex-
ports and of the falling Off of the English
coal exports, says: at is another case OF
American competition. The United States
now supplies Cuba with about 10000
tons of coal annually, and there is every
prospect of this trade increasing as the
forests of the island become exhausted AMI
the use of steam machinery on the sugar
estates is developed. Alabama coal espe-
cially is securing reputation in the Span
lsh West Indies and the river and rail i'm
provements of the Southern states will un-
doubleday make an important gulf trade.
The new reciprocity policy by which the
United States is enabled 10 import Cuban
sugar will, of course, assist the American
coal exporters even more effectively than
the new lines of railway"
DEMOCRATS PROMISE NO PROTECTION.
The Democratic platform promises a
repeal Of the tariff law containing this pro-
vision and especially denounce as a sham
reciprocity that section of the law under
which these trade arrangements have been
made. III no other issue were involved in
the campaign, this alone would give It
mOmentOus Importance. Are the farmers
of the great grain growing states willing to
surrender these new, large and increasing
markets for their surplus? Are we to have
nothing in exchange for the free importa-
ton of sugar and coffee and at the same
time to destroy the sugar planters of the