Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-04-07
TIE REc1PRoIrY HuMRuG.

The answers to the circular sent out
by the House Ways and Means Commit
! tee by business men throughout the
country asking their opinion Of the ben
etfs of Mckinley reciprocity" have up
to date been anything but favorable
TO that policy. Most of those who ia
vor reciprocity" speak in general terms
without referring to the particular
measure embodied in the Mckinley tar
if, while others give expression TO
vague belief that has no foundation in
| knowledge or experience. Thus the
/ Phoenix Silk Manufacturing Company,
at Paterson. y. j.. believes" that reel
procity treaties were favorable TO the
/ export trade of the United States. There
is nothing in the experience OF the silk
Industries that warrants this belief. The
/ silk manufacturers of this country owe
their prosperity in large degree to free
raw materials: but they were not helped
by reciprocity. nor have they been hurt
| by the existing tariff.
The Business Mems Association. of
Marunsburg. W. Va. wisely says that
Congress is the proper repository OF
tariff legislation. and that it would be
"unwise to shift the burden Of such leg
Iislation upon the Executive Department
of this Government A strong proof
of this truth was witnessed in Presi-
dent Harrison's proclamation levying
duty on the coffee and hides of Venezu-
/ Ella and Colombia as a measure Of retail
iarion. But Venezuela and Colombia
did not make the least change in their
tariffs on that account They contin-
ned to send their coffee and goat skins
to this country. i'm somewhat dimin-
ished quantities. and American consum-
ers paid the duties. The worst feature
of the business was in exempting from
/ the embargo Mexico and Argentina,
which countries utterly refused to listen
TO the diplomatic Establishments or
threats of Harrison's administration.
Argentina maintained her duties on
American exports for the sake Of rev
enue.. and Harrison's administration did
not dare TO offend the leather men OF
Massachusetts by putting & duty on Ar
gentine hides
The Diamond Machine Company,
Providence. R. l.. is not aware Of any
/ particularly beneficial effects derived
from reciprocity legislation Charles
A. Schieren & Co. New York, remark.
with touch OF humor. that they have
no knowledge of the principle of reel
procity affecting leather betting" Mr..
A. B. Farquhar the prominent manu-
facturer and exporter Of agricultural
I implemtns. York. Pa. "favors the ap-
plication Of reciprocity abroad" but he
1 SAYS lit would not be so effective as the
labrogation of duties" The Reading
pa Stove Works are strongly in IA
vor Of absolute Free Trade" Kan
hardt & Co., New York. say that the
general effect Of the reciprocity treaties
of 1890 was unfavorable to the trade
of the United States" They are not
in favor Of giving the President power
TO put such treaties into erect and TO
abrogate them at pleasure Tate, Mil
| Ter & Co. Baltimore. do not think the
reciprocity principle Will do us any
good
There are other replies quite as hos
/ tile as those to reciprocity; but the con
temptuous silence Of the great body of
American manufacturers and merchants
TO whom the circular Of the Ways and
Means Committee was sent is far more
significant The attempt to restore in
a small way. al this end of the Nine
teenth Century. the discarded CONNER
cial policy of a bygone age is alike
futile and absurd. The day for favorit-
ism in trade to some nations and for
tarin warfare upon others has passed
away never 10 return. The modern
commercial world has no notion Of tax
ing such a backward plunge into the
Middle Ages.