Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1893-05-18
THE nuMeua OF REclPRocITx

THE HuMBuG or REcIPRocITx
Losses to American Commerce Under Re-
publican Rule.
In August, 1890, Mr.. Blaine, recog-
nizing that there was a growing de
mand for larger markets, suggested
Reciprocity as palliative of the evils
of protection. In speech delivered at
Waterville. Me-, August %, 1890. Mr..
Blaine said: 81 am here to speak of an
expansion of our foreign trade Com
pairing the returns for 1889. he declared
that with the countries to the south of
us we had by commerce s1ost" S142,-
000,000 in one year. With Cuba we
''lost," according to Mr.. Blaine, s41,-
0O0, 900, as we imported $50, 0o0, 900 and
exported only 81. 200, 900. With Brazil
we 'slost'' s51. Oo0, 900, importing $780,
600, 600 and exporting $4,000, 600. With
Mexico we sslost" SO, OO0, 900, buying
s21 600. 900 and selling 81, Zoo, 900. That
was Mr.. Blaine's idea of commerce;
that was his plea for reciprocity"
Turning now to the record of 1892,
under reciprocity we find an alarming
condition infinitely worse, according to
Mr.. Blaine's philosophy, than in 1889.
In 1892 we sslost" with Cuba $50, 600, 900,
as against $40, 600, 600 in 1889, importing
SIS. 600, 900 and exporting only s1s,O00,-
O0O With Brazil our closes" in 1892
were 800, 341, 731, as against s51, 052. 723
in the dark year. of 1890. In 1892 we
imported s11s.633 GOA and exported only
s41, 240, 009. With Mexico our closes"
in 1892 were 1888. 526, against SO, 1885,
705 in 1889, our imports being S2S, 107,-
525, our exports only $4,000, 531.
Throughout the record is the same.
The discrepancy between imports and
exports is growing at an enormous rate,
and if this discrepancy represents a
'sloss," as Mr.. Blaine contends, then we
are rushing headlong to ruin.
That there should be some increase
in our exports was inevitable. Every
obstruction, natural or artificial, les
sens commerce; every removal of an OBJ
struction increases the volume of COM
merce. The relaxing of the protective
principle led to an increase in ex-
changes, but absolute free trade would
have led to a fair exchange and to
larger exports. Of course this discrep-
ancy between imports and exports is in
no sense ''loss,'' but it has its lesson.
Brazil. Cuba and Mexico offer us their
products at prices we are willing to pay.
and SO they sell to us in great quaint
ties.
We offer to Mexico, Brazil and Cuba
products of our mills at prices greater
than those named by Germany, France
and England, and SO our neighbors send
their orders across the water. Com
merce will continue to run in these
channels until we revise our tariff for
our own benefit: until we relieve our
own people, manufacturers and con-
sumers of outrageous burdens and en-
ter competitive markets on equal terms
with other nations. What we need is
not reciprocity. but free trade. We
must be able to show all nations that
our manufacturers do not need ''protec-
tion;' that they are able to hold their
home markets against all corners and
are ready to undersell Europe in any
American market.
Our protective tariff is a proclama-
ton to all nations that the American
manufacturers cannot compete on
equal terms with the manufacturers of
Europe What would be thought of a
city merchant who advertised that he
could not sell goods at prices named by
his competitors? That is what Amer
lea does with its protective tariff and
it's alleged treaties OF reciprocity.
For these reasons we should abandon
the hypocritical pretense of reciprocity
and substitute for it the offer of Jeffer-
sons free commerce with all nations"
But other reasons remain for this
change. A Washington dispatch says:
'.Spain has imposed an excise tax real
ly equal to the duties RENTED by the
Mckinley BILL
The same dispatch says the Brazilian
government is also making trouble over
the treaty with that country, ''but it
is not apparently violating the treaty
SO dagrantly as the government of
Spain. It was understood when the
schedules of determinations in favor of
the United States were made that the
general scale of Brazilian import duties
might be raised. The Determinations
in favor of this country were based
upon reductions of 25 per cent. on the
duties levied on imports from other
countries, whatever those might be.
Brazil took advantage of this arrange
ment to raise her dutiable schedules
after the reciprocity arrangement
wasmade, and she was obliged to
do so in order to obtain sufficient
revenues for carrying on the federal
government"
Well, America needs this duty-which
must ultimately be paid by the con-
srmer-as much as it is needed by Spain
or Brazil. A slight tax on coffee and
on sugar would relieve the treasury of
its embarrassments and supply the de-
felt in the revenue. Abolish reciprocity
and give us as near an approach to free
trade as the necessities of our govern
ment justify.-Louisville Courier Jour-
nal.
THIS is AN OFF YEAR.
The Republicans Have an Uphill Strug-
gle Before Them.
The present is what is called an off