Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-07-06

| Y. SIS that you, South America?
S. Ayes; what do you want?
| q. S.-This is United States. You
know we put reciprocity clause into
what we call the Mckinley bill, that we
passed here last fall?
S. Ayes, heard you did.
| q. Swell, that clause authorizes the
president to put duties on tea, coffee,
| sugar, molasses and hides.
S. A.-Aren't you mistaken? Thought
your constitution gave your congress
full and exclusive power to lay and col
lect taxes, duties, etc.
q. S.-Yes, so It does; but I haven't
time to discuss a constitution now more
than 100 years old. As I was going to
say, the president can put a duty of
cents per pound on your coffee, ~ cents
per pound on your hides and cents per
pound on your sugar, if in his opinion
you unduly tax tie goods imported into
your countries from the United States.
1t is to learn what you intend to do in
| regard to this ma ter that l have called
you up.
5. Aft your president wishes to put a
tax on these articles, all of which are now
on your free list and your people don't
object to paying it, don't see why we
should. As to what kind of duties we
should have, think we can decide for
ourselves without any foreign interfer-
ence.
U. S.-Of course we don't wish to in
terfere, but dom you understand that
If we tax our imports of those articles
from your countries and not from other
countries you will lose some of your
trade up here?
5. A.-Oh, yes; of course we might
lose little with you, but we would gain
| about as much with other countries. If
| you tax raw hides and increase their
cost your manufacturers will make
fewer gloves and shoes, but Europe will
make more; so if you tax sugar as you
have been doing your Gamers and pre-
servers will do less business and Europe
will do more in this line. l see clearly
that while such policy might injure US
little it would harm you much more,
| so much more that I can't think YOU
would be so foolish as to adopt it but
only intend it for a bluff. No, we don't
| care to swap any tariffs this year.
.. S.-But wait little; don't talk
quite so loudly. After I shall have ex-
planned few things you may take quite
different view.
5. A.-Well, 90 on.
.. S.-You see we have had a high
protective tariff here for thirty years.
S. A.-Yes, know that's what you
call it. agree, though, that it's high.
U.S.-Well, the Republican party that
| made this tariff has been telling the
| farmers and laborers that it was to help
them by giving them home markets,
high wages, etc.
S. A.-You didn't have to give reasons
to your manufacturers, l guess. They
didn't object to policy that would give
| them exclusive ownership of your "home
markets" and
I. S.-Please wait until am through.
! As was going to say, the farmers who
expected everything of protection be-
came spendthr. fits, and, because nearly
half of their farms were mortgaged, and
because farmers east of the Mississippi
river have lost half of their value during
the last fifteen years, they got it into
their heads that protection" was to
blame for all their extravaganza and
foolishness. The same kind of an alb
| surd idea was taking possession of the
wage earners, who, because they had to
do more work or see their wages reduced
nearly every year, began to think that
| protection was at fault, though it was
| explained to them that it was due to
| overproduction, excessive competition,
| etc. Well, anyway, by 1890, when Nc
Kinley was revising the tariff, few of
us saw clearly that the protection sys-
tenn could not stand much longer unless
it was again repaired with view to
helping the farmer. TWAS for this pur-
| pose that THAT is, we-hit Ipon this
scheme of reciprocity to open markets
in your countries for our farm products.
S. Ayes, see; but you don't ex-
pect to find markets for farm products
down here? We are in the farming bust
ness ourselves, and unless your farmers
look well to their laurels they will soon
| lose some of their markets in Central
America and the West Indies, where we
are already selling -four and other agri-
cultural products. 1t is implements of
tSIICulIuIS IdlntI Lldu pTOuuCIS Oh 8Rr1-
| culture that we want
q. Snow you understand our pre-
| dicament. We must make the farmers
believe that we really expect that reci-
procity will open up new markets.
S. A.-But isn't the scheme sad COM
mentary on your "home market" the
DRY? Doesn't it admit that protection
| can't make "home markets.
| Canada-Hello! Hellol Is this United
| States?
| q. S.-Yes.
CT called you up to learn what kind
of a reciprocity treaty you intend to make
| with us.
q. S.-We are not considering any
reciprocity treaty with you and I am
not certain that we shall do so. We do
| not care to decker with you
C.-But our 5000, 900 people purchase
as much of you as the other 81, 900, 900
on the western hemisphere, and this is
the only country that buys more from
| you than it sells to you. For the last
forty wears Won have had a balance of