The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-12-26
RECIPROCITY.

According to reports from Washington
the principles of reciprocity and retalia-
tion in trade will be important features OF
the new tariff bill, and will occupy a con-
siderable part of the attention given to
that measure. Some difference of opin-
ion exists as to the way IN which these
principles should be provided for, and
there is likely to be no little discussion on
the subject when the bill is reported to the
next Congress.
1t has been suggested that the United
States could with advantage adopt sys-
tenn which it is said has been successfully
tried by several European nations. Under
this system the tariff law would provide
for three rates of duties. The highest
duty will be applied to all imports except
when otherwise specified. The second
duty will range from % per cent to so per
cent less than the first, and Will be APP
piled to all imports from countries which
make equivalent concessions. The third
duty will be still lower and may be an
nulled altogether, in order to provide for
imports from countries which admit our
exports at equally low duties or without
any duty whatever.
Another plan is that proposed by Rep
resentative Hopkins of Illinois, which di-
vides all foreign countries and colonies
into five classes, and arranges the tariff
duties in accordance with the com parative
rating of their trade with the United
States. The classification as recon-
mended divides various countries into the
following categories:
l. Those whose exports to are greater than
their imports from the United States.
2. Those whose chief articles OF export are
admitted free into the United States.
3. Those whose exports are admitted into
the United States at an average rate of duty
lower than the average rate OF duty imposed
upon the products of the United States by
their customs tariffs.
4. Those which impose higher rates of duty
upon the products of the United states than
are imposed upon the same or similar products
of other nations; and,
5. Those which impose res trictions that are
unjust and excessive, and unnecessarily OBJ
struct the expansion of our commerce.
According to the Hopkins plan the
President will be authorized to negoti-
ate reciprocity arrangements with all
these countries so as to equalize
trade and secure for our products in their
markets the same advantage their pro-
ducts enjoy in ours. Different arrange
ments will, of course, have to be made
with each of the several classes, and the
work of doing this will, of course, have to
be left to the President, since it would be
impossible for Congress to specifically pro-
vide for them.
Whether either of these or some other
plan be adopted, it is certain the reciproci-
| ty clause of the next tariff will be more
important even than that which produced
such good results in the Mckinley law. It
will depend upon the Secretary of State to
make full use of the advantages given by
the clause and obtain for the people all
the benefits which are possible under it..
With such an administration as may be
| confidently expected from President Nc
Kinley we can count on a degree of activ-
ity in the State Department. that viii assure
| the speedy negotiation of trade treaties,
and the proposed reciprocity therefore
will likely result in an immediate expan-
sion of our commerce, and possibly in Sc
curing US almost the whole Of the markets
of South America.