The evening times., 1896-05-28

The Republican members OF the House
Ways aud Means Committee who have
been engaged Ior several months invest-
gazing the SUBJECT of reciprocal trade reta-
uuus with uti,er cCui.lrles nave nihsted
their labors, aud Today laid the report
agreed ulou by them Leiore their Dein.-
cratic colleagues.
Inis reporU comprehensive document
OF iirty-two Iages, covering Ill extension
the history o. iiie recipr, city polcy adopted
by the Uniteu states, Inc results oil reci-
procity, the Protests against its repeal,
aud tic ei.ect Of ieciprCcity upon the eX-
ports oil breaasiuIIs, L, geGner with a flnai
chapter showing me present eonuitlof of
our export Trade.
IL is explained in the report that the
committee in,iteu representatives Of the
various arts, INDUSTRIES, anu occupations
Interested 10 apprar DcIUre them Tor the
purpose OF mahiiig statements ana eApiii-
uallons concerning the Present conaiIion
CT The export irtue OF Tue uHiteu SldteS
and the iegisiation necessary 10 promote
its extension and prosperity., The state
mrnIs anu exp:anauons Oh these gentle
niel, Which, tiIr report states, are bots
Interesting ana in.portant,' are incor-
porated III the report. Upon this subject
the report adds:
1T viii he observed that there is a
remarkable unanimity in the sentiments
expressed concerning tue value. and re-
Oh The i,eiprucity arrangements ne-
sctiated with c"rtain countries and COLONIES
uEuvr Tue authority OIL section 8 OF the
tariff act oI 1880 and tie disastrous
effect OF their. repeal.
WANT II RENEWED.
ut will also be nnsicei chat the CONNER
cial and industrial interests OF the United
States as thus represented, without po-
litlc:l distinction, are almost without cX-
ceDtion ANXIOUS tnat such arrangements
shall lie rene We'd and negotiated VIII other
nations, and ti!uI ,ne rec1procity pollcy lie
permanently adopted in future Legislation
affecting tile tariIf and the foreign com
meTce OF tnis country.'
Tie isseldun is n.i,Ge by the committee
that Tie repeal OF the reciprocity section
and restoration OF the duty on sugar did
not result irolG any popular demand cr
commercial necessity. IL was not de.
inanded Dy Any commercial or Industrial
association. hut was simply legislative
necessity 10 order to accomplish tariff
reiorm." The committee tnen snow the I'M
portauce OF the reciprocity feature of the
IaTiiI act oi lS.c, SO .;ir as Germany is cen
cened. 1t removed the embargo that had
been placed upon American products iii
lss0. auililttea lice Il UurnGer OF agriCul-
tural products ana many more at greatly
reduced rate OF duty.
III iiie lace oi iii,sv facts and the formal
protest tnat was cred by the German
Ambassador, the Fifty third Congress
proceeded to ignore the treaty stipula-
lions aud tue Cv,niLcrcidI Interests oil the
! Lifted States without reflection and with
a. motive except To repeal the legislation
of the Fifty-first Congress. The commit
tee and the senate were warned that the
commercial agreements whSh had been
entered into uIOef the act of 1890 We're
solemn compacts between this and friendly
nations winch should not he carelcsSly set
aside, and could not be terminated in the
was proposed wittiuutnationa ldishonor
Sucn un oireilse as was committed by the
passage OF the tarIIf act or S9i, ir COM
mItteu by an individual or a corpora ton,
would be- followed by asuitfor damages but
when committed by one nation against an
| other, tie usual course is 4 declaration of
war OF commercial retaliation. The gov
| ernment OF germany at.Oieu the latter al
| tentative, and proceeded TO inaGgIrate IL
| commerciai warfare against the United
States which has 0emordiiled our commerce
| with that country and has been a serious
! blow Ia tie export trade.
RETALIATION OF NATIONS.
Nor is it confined to the German en-
| pire. Sympathetic retaliation has followed
from Austria. Belgium, Holland aud Dem
mark. until now Our agricultural products
| are practically shut out OF the markets OF
| northern Europe.
EXTENDED mention is made of the protests
| filed at tine State Depa rtment by Austria,
| Guatemala. Brazil and otner OF the Latin
American republics against the repeal
The report next dweils upon the. ef
| feet of the repeal upon the milling and live
| stock industries, Which, 1t says, have SUI
fered more by the revocation of the reel
| procity arrangements than any other in
| terests.
| circumstance that nearly all the great ma
| tions are increasing their rates OF tariff,
| both for tile protection of domestic in
| dust:lcs and for revenue, and attention rs
| directed TO the utterances of Mr.. Chamber
| lain, the colonial secretary of Great Britain
| on the 2sth of March last in which lie
proposed an imperial Zoliverein based upon
| free trade Within and tariff for protec.
| tion without, the British Empire. While
| the committee do not regard IL as probable
that MIR. Chanberlain's suggestion will find
| sufficientfavo.t tt be fran Ell into Ia w during
| the present year, his ra ical departure from
| the established policy OF his government is
a striking indication of the development OF
| the protection sentiment in Great Britain.
| The chapter devoted to our commerce
| with Latin American countries contains II
vast amount of data OF general interest.
II shows that last year the United States
| bought of the republics TO the south of il
products Worth III the aggregate S246.-
| 100000, and that 90. per cent of these
| products were admitted free of duty Dur
| ing the same period we sold them lnerCha H.
| disc to tie value of SAB. 00U. 600 every
| ounce of which was taxed from to 90
| per cent on its value in their custom houses
The balance OF trade against the United
| States. SOB .0n0.noO- was paid in gold.
The committee regret, in conclusion. that.
| the impoSsihiity OF securing legisla ton from
the present Congress makes it inexpedient
| to report measure that will answer the
| urgent demands from the different irdus
| tries engaged in the export trade "It
| is a wcll-known fact" they assert that
political hostility in the other branch Of
| Congress VIII prevent the enactment OF any
| important legislation They believe
| therefore, that the application of the reci
proeity principle 10 our foreign commerce.
| with a general revision of the tariff than
as separate measure.