The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1895-01-18
ThE RETALIATION POLICY.
kepnbhcsos Making Party Capital Of an
lnimportant l~suc.

Rspnbiscsus Mailing Party Capital Of q
tnimportant Issue.
The discussion over the rc.aliator,
policy of Spain and Germany i 5ecom
ing somew hat hystcrioal. Ii is presses
upoh public attention with view x
making party capital. We have al
ready exposed the presentation,
that have been circulated with refer.
ence to IT, An editorial in republic
nm paper on this subject must be
classci as phenomerally fair unless i,
contains as many misstateme hts a.
sentences. The bizarre feature of tbs
discussion is the; the republicans
while claiming to be the only good
Americans on earth without even
excepting dead Indiansl. almost uni.
versally take the foreign side OF the
question, protesting tina; Spain and
Germany are right and we are wrong.
There is in this certain clement of
consistency for which. in a spirit of
fairness, we must give the republicans
credit lmprimis. they are entirely
consistent in defending their own
party and attacking the democrats.
whether one or the other is right or
wrong. What is more to the purpose.
they are consistent in defending a
policy OF retaliation against 4 country
Tor regulating its tariff rates in ac-
cordance with the requirements of its
revenue. They are quite wrong. how
ever, in nscribing this policy To Mr..
Blaine. The idea of the latter was to
continue the tariff on sugar in the
Mckinley bill. but 10 take it of the
sugar produced by any country when
ever the latter by a comm ercial
treaty granted special iv.nta-c to
our exports In more comprehensive
way. he looked 20 absolute free trade
among American countries, and John
Sherman said he was almost Der
suaded' to agree with him. II is hard
TO say why free tide would be any
more of blessing with American
countries than with others. but at any
rate Mr.. Blaine did not advocate the
policy OF retaliation which went into
the Mckinley bill as section s.
The Aldrich amendment to the Nc
kinley bill, numbered section :, and
misnamed 1.-The reciprocity clause
provided for retaliation against such
countries as did not. in the Judgment
OF the president. levy fair rates OF
duty on commodities exported from
the United States. 1t was not ncces- |
sary that any state shouil levy more
tax on our products than on similar
articles from other countries II was
sufficient that these rates should be l
deemed by the president 'reciprocally 4
unfair and unequal" Our state de-
partment called the attention of a
number OF countries to this provision.
md especially the countries producing
sugar and coffee. AS TO coffee. 10
'hange was made by the Mckinley
pill 1t had been on the free list since
81. Still coffee-producing countries
we're held up and asked to admit our
PRODUCTS free, or at less rates than
imilar articles from other countries.
IN the ground that their coffee
anne in free. Several of the Spanish
american countries pointed out that
hey made no discrimination against
he produce Of the United States: that
hey levied no duties for protection.
ut only for revenue. and that il they
made the reductions desired of them
y the Harrison administration they
ould not collect revenue enough TO
upport their governments These
easons did not satisfy President Har. .
lson as to several countries He is.
ned proclamations taxing the coffee 9
Venezuela and several other coun- ,
rieA Some other South American :
tatcs that made no concessions es- :
Aped, Tor what reason has never been
kpiained. though possibly it may I
ave been the strong sentiment In 3
ew England in favor of free hides. Z
Now here was case where our gov.
'nmcnt undertook to say what tariff
ties other countries should levy for =
richly revenue purposes, where there
as no discrimination against US at
We required them to discrimin. =
e In our favor. even to the sacrifice I,
needed revenue, on pain OF having r.
tax put upon certain .
their exports to the United States y
ne principle underlying this action. .,
formulated. would have been some =
ing like this: I'VE have a right u -
opt retaiiatory measures against :,
y other country that refuses to dis !,
inmate in our favor =,
Thus the Mckinley bill set the pace y
d other countries have not been ~
Nv to fall into it. Here is Spain. for n
ample. undertaking to retaliate up 60
us because we find it necessary TO ~
~ revenue duty on sugar. The
gar duty is necessary to the support q.
our government, but Spain does not en-
ed that any more than Mr. Harrison ~
edcd similar explanation from GER an
n Spanish American countries. Thus n
ain is simply initiating the former -,
nous policy OF the United States. by or
ting her own subjects by way Of re- al
iation against US for raising our m,
'enues in our own way. Louisville w.
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