The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-04-23
LAST EDITION
RECIPROCITY.
Senator Washburn Delivers
an Eloquent Rebuke Today
Upon Abandonment OF This Great
Policy - The Deliberate Throwing
Away OF Our Markets.
Bu Thc AssocIated Press.

WASHINGTON, April Ex-senator Wash
burn of Minnesota addressed the Senate,
devoting his time entirely to the PROPOSE
tion in the tariff bill TO repeal the reel
procity clause of the Mckinley law. In
his opening remarks he said:
"Mr. President-In all the legislation
that has come before Congress in the his
tory OF the Government, there has been
none probably that has created SO general
an interest and so profoundly stirred the
public mind OF the country, carrying APP
prehension and alarm, as the measure
now under consideration in the Senate,
unless perhaps, we except the legis-
lation between 1850 and the breaking out
of the war in 1861, including the repeal OF
of the Missouri compromise in 1854, and
that soon followed it. The questions con-
sidered during that period, however, were
more of sentiment and morals than such
as relate to the material or economic In
terests of the country"
He then discussed briefly the various
tariff acts since 1916. The present bill, he
declared, would be disastrous to the man
ufacturing interests of the East. Speaking
for his own State, he said the people OF
Minnesota were only TO limited extent
direct beneficiaries OF the protective sys-
tenn, although they had learned that the
well paid laborers of the East were better
consumers of their products than the
poorly paid laborers of Europe.
"They have learned" he continued,
"that the best market for their products
was the home market furnished by the
development and maiptenance OF home
industries.
"Under the inspiration OF this protect
tive policy they have seen industrial de-
velopment throughout the entire land
that has no parallel in history"
He then discussed some of the direct
protective benefits which the north
western states had secured under the
~ <sff a eel. 81 H.
advantages in the present law snd then
took up the reciprocity repeal.
"But, Mr.. President" said Mr.. Wash
burn, "there is another provision in this
bill which will affect the farmers OF the
Northwest more disastrously than even
the reduction of duties TO which j have
referred, and that is the repeal
of the reciprocity provisions in the
law of 1890. There Is probably
no section OF the country where the
effect of reciprocity treaties with foreign
nations, consummated by the wisdom and
persistent efforts of Mr.. Blame, under the
late administration, have been SO marked
and favorable as in the states OF the North
west
"You can, therefore, Mr.. President,
well imagine that the people of Mime
sofa, as well as other Northwestern
States, look with more alarm upon the
repeal of this reciprocity legislation than
any other OF its provisions.
Would Extend Reciprocity.
"I am not only opposed, Mr.. President,
to the termination of the reciprocity Leg
islation arrangements already existing
between the United States and other
countries, but am in favor of applying
the same principle in all our foreign
trade"
Senator Washburn said that Democrats
of the finance committee and members of
the House had misgivings about the re-
peal of the reciprocity clause of the
act of 1890. He said that the direct repeal
OF the reciprocity clause and abrogation
of the treaties was necessary in order to
make il possible to collect duties on
sugar. The people of the United States
did not want the reciprocity treaties ter
minated, although the President was
directed to so inform countries with
whom the treaties were made.
"You will find Mr.. PRESIDENT he said,
''that the abrogation of these arrange
ments will be the most unpopular piece
of legislation this Congress has enacted
or will enact, and that 1t will be resented
by the citizens of the Southern republics