The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-12-27
SPAIN STUBBORN.
She Must Remove All the
Restrictions
ON AMERICAN COMMERCE.
Cleveland Getting Data for a
Proclamation.
CALLED DOWN ONCE BEFORE.
Cuba and Porto Rico Would Suffer
Most By Retaliative
Measure.
CALLED DOWN ONCE BEFORE.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 26.-Unless the
Spanish Government within a very short
time indicates its purpose to remove :he
restrictions now placed on American COM
merce with the Spanish West Indies by
the imposition of the maximum tariff on
American commodities, it is probable the
Pres dent will issue proclamation im-
posing DISCRIMINATING flag duties" upon
Spanish, Cuban and Porto Rican imports
into tine United States.
The intimation of this purpose on the
part of the President is distinctly con-
veyed in a request received by the Treas
ury Department from the Department of
State to furnish it with detailed informa-
tion as to the amount of such imports and
p list of the vessels carrying the Spanish
flag which trade with our ports. IL was
the original intention of the State Depart
ment to have recourse TO the power of
prohibition of Spanish trade conveyed by
the act of 1890. but AS this power has
never been exercised and as it has been
deemed best to foil w the line of prere-
dent it is quite clear that the department
has fallen back upon section 1928 of the
revised statutes.
a paragraph of the old Morrill, tariff act
which still stands on the statute books,
imposes a duty of 10 per cent, in addition
to all other duties upon goods brought into
the United States in ships of foreign coun-
tries, unless they are expressly relieved
from the additional duty by treaty These
are known as discriminating flag duties" :"
Section 1928 aut orizas the President to
SUSPEND the benefits conferred by the dis
eliminating flag st tute on being satisfied
that any country in discriminating against
the United States in the matter of trade.
1t is a singular fat that the only coun-
try which has so far felt the force of this
revision of the law is the very one against
whom IL is TO be again used. In 1856 our
relations with Spain were so strained that
President Cleveland issued proclamation
Teciting that Spain had failed to carry out
the first article of the commercial agree
ment signed at Madrid February Is. 1884
which stipulated that the differeDtial flag
duties should be relieved at once from the
United States products entering Cuba and
Porto Rico. Being satisfied that higher
and discriminating duties. had been i'm
posed, he therefore revoked the suspen-
sion OF the discriminating customs duties
imposed in he ports of the United States
upon Cuban and Porto Riean products
coming under the Spanish flag. The effect
of this action by the President was
almost instan taneous, for in fourteen days
thereafter he issued a PROCLAMATION stat
ing that, hy an. agreement entered into
that day October q. 1856, Spain bad re-
moved the source of complaint, and he
consequently again restored her to treat
ment under the favored nation clause of
our treaties.
Treasury officials. at the request of the
State Department, are engaged in collect
ing statistics showing the volume of the
trade that would be affected by a repeti-
iion of his action in 1886 by the President.
1t appears that the Spanish colonies would
get much the worst of il. The tables show
that during the fiscal year ended June 81
last, Cuba alone exported 10 the United
States goods 10 the aggregate value OF
S75 67S, 261 and took from us goods to the
amount of only S19.S55, 237. Porto Rico
sent US in the same time goods valued al
So 1853 and received in return goods to
the amount of 81. 705, ,646
With the direct trade with Spain the case
was reversed, for exports to that country
were S13, 104,076, against imports amount
ing to S4. 255,S75. The tariff differences
between Spain and the United States are
being watched with keen interest by other
sugar producing countries, particularly
Hawaii and Brazil, as the execution OF
Secretary Gresham's threat to discriminate
against Cuban products will create a
heavy demand for raw sugar. now brought
almost exclusively from Cuba.
Mr. Hastings, the Charge d'Affaires OF
the Hawaiian legation. is an interested
observer of the Spanish negotiations, the
Hawaiian sugar planters having been
giving close attention to Cuba of late.
many of them visiting the islands and
studying the Cuban processes of making
sugar. One of them wrote Mr.. Hastings
recently of the antquated methods pre-.
vailing, and other Hawaiian planters
pointed out to him that the Cubans goi
but twenty-five tons OF cane and two ton:
of actual sugar to the acre. The Ha.
waiians thought that double this yield
could be obtained. and that Cuban planta
tions could not exist if cut off from the
United States markets.
Being dependent upon this country fol-
their product, Hawaii would expect tt
benefit If Cuba was shut out. The Ha
waiians expect soon to conclude European
treaties. Minister Tnurston has writer
tn Mr.. Hastings briefly from Lisbon to the
effect that his trip 10 Spain is proving en-
tirely satisfactory. The Minister ha:
visited many European countries for The
purpose of inducing them to renew theii
treaties of commerce and amity with the
new republic of The Pacific. he has alsC
sought to make arrangements for immi-
grafton to Hawaii of the better class ol
laborers. While he gives no exact details
the tenor of his letter indicates success
He will return TO Washington about Jan.
uary 15
NOT WANTED THEQR