St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-05-03
RECIPROCITY AND COFFEE.

RECIPROCITY AND COFFEE.
Venezuela refused to enter into the
little project of making her people pay
more for what they bought of other ma
tons in order to keep the people OF this
free country from paying more for their
coffee and hides. Taking umb rage at
this rejection of the great American
idea President HARRISON promptly pro-
claimed tax of three cents a pound on
Venezuelan coffee and one and a half
cents pound on their hides.
AARON, the legend runs, once made
proposition to Moses to "cut off our
noses" MOSES declined for the reason
that sit is the fashion 10 wear 'em." 1t
is not recorded that AARON, nOtWltb-
standing, cut off his own nose, and it is
a pity that the legend does not assure US
that he did, for it would be some conSola-
ton to us to have some historic, or even
legendary precedent for Uncle Sans
eXcision of his nose after Venezuela had
decided TO retain hers.
The consular report Of Mr.. PLUMACH-
Err, our colsul at Maracaibo, shows how
retaliative measure like the reciproc-
ity clause of the MCKINLEY act be-
comes veritable boomerang when
thrown at nation With whom we have
commercial relations, hurting only the
thrOWer. Our imports Of coffee fell off
100000 900 pounds, and On the 1924, 76j
pounds received from there we have
paid an impoSt Of three cents pound
on the portion retained for domestic
consumption. For the six months OF
1892 ending June so the statistical alb
stract Of the treasury department shows
the dutiable imports from Venezuela
had jumped from S24, S42 in the fiscal
year 1891 to sl.l5O,522. The figures
Of coffee imports do not show the full
effect, for the consul says tWo-thirdS of
the coffee shipped to this country was
merely sent here in transit for Euro
pean ports, which would give for home
consumption some eleven million
pounds This is an enormous shrink
aye when compared with the imports of
1891 of 43,11S.76 pounds. In the i'm
pOrtation OF hides we have similar re-
suit, the imports of Gil, l34 pounds in
1891 shrinking to I'll, 100 in 1892.
How has it affected Venezuela? The
story is best told in the words of the
report Of the consul, who, it is evident,
is warm supporter of the nose-remoV-
ing policy. He says:
Maracaibo coffee (at least. certain grades,
is of Il special quality and appearance, re-
sembling 10 a great extent the Java coffee,
which is so highly esteemed in Europe; and
it SO happened that the recent scarcity of the
Java product conceded with the appearance
in Hamburg of large quantities of Maracaibo
coffee. diverted from the usual m arket at
New y DIRK by the imposition of import duties.
This coffee was quickly sold at advanced
prices, and further acquisitions made upon
Maracaibu by the Hamburg merchants who
even commenced to build vessels especially
for this trade the pioneer of which, the
bark Maracaibo, is now on her home voyage
with 5000 bags of coffee, having brought out
a full cargo of European merchandise.
The net result seems to be that the
United States has succeeded in paying
more for its coffee, i'll diminishing its
exports to that country and in introduce
ing the Dutch coffee merchants to the
Java-liKe qualities Of the Mara caibo
coffee.