The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-09-18


The Washington dispatches bring
brief announcement from Minister Blu
chanan, at Buenos Ayres, to our state
department that the president of Ar
gentine recommends to the congress
now sitting that in view of the tariff
just adopted by the United States, the
Argentine tariff be increased Sc per cent
on yellow pine 125 per cent on farm
wagons, 100 per cent on plows, harroWs,
kerosene and agricultural machinery
not specifically mentioned, with a max
imum and minimum clause authorizing
the president to impose so per cent ad-
ditional to the regular duty. Thus Ar
gentine on the south makes answer to
Dingleyism, as Canada on the north
made last spring. This is one of the
countries which Blaine hoped to bring
into a Pan-American zollverein; one of
those to which the National Association
of Manufacturers sent representatives
last year seeking avenues Of trade, of
export for our wares and exchange for
theirs; one of the countries invited to
participate and which did take part in
the opening and dedication of the mu-
scum of manufactures in Philadelphia
in June by President Mckinley.
The president said in his address that
the avowed object of the museum was
ito aid in the development of Industrial
and commercial prosperity" than which
mo worthier cause can engage our en-
erges at this hour" 'Who can doubt"
he said with enthusiasm, in closing,
that the deliberations of these able
and public-spirted men, acting togeth-
er freely and cordially, animated by a
common impulse and a common inter
est, will result in still closer relations
of international comfy and a higher
prosperity for ALL" At the moment
when the president was thus lauding
international trade and expressing hope
for its enlargement two committees of
congress were endeavoring to perfect a
bill whose every intent and device was
for the restriction of international COM
merce and the destruction of interna-
tional comfy; a bill to which, a month
later, the president affixed his approx
ing signature.
This action of Argentine makes inter-
esting the remarks made by Senior Men
dorca, Brazil's minister, on that occasion
as indicating that he we'll sensed the
farce of the whole display and the by
pocrisy of the dedicatory address. At
Tor, Of ho Of in,
terests of the eighteen republics of this
continent, he said that he was sure the
influential commissioners of the manu-
facturers and merchants of this country
have gone to Washington to plead our
common cause under the dome of the
capitol. They have gone there to say
that this continent is today covered by
a net, the meshes of which are so con-
nected that, if one is broken, the whole
combination will be impaired. To at
tain such an end Gan International zol1-
vere;n) your commissioners have GER
tainly said that the need of the times
is not retaliation, but real reciprocity;
that the North and the South have en-
IlISly QllLSISuI pIOuuSlS, WHICH Cali We
interchanged to mutual advantages;
that some of our raw materials are as
Indispensable to you as some of your
manufactures are necessary to US; that
the two interests ought to be harmon
lied and not arrayed in conflict; that
if protection is to be the lemma of the
government of this country it cannot
be coercion for the other countries of
the continent"
Proceeding in his hypothetical state
ment Of what our manufacturers were
saying to congress- he said; They
must have said to congress that there
is no good reason to tax the nitrate and
wool Of Chile; to discriminate in favor
of Australia and against Argentine in
overtaXing the carpet wool Of the lat
ter; to take from the free list the hides
of Argentine, Uruguay, Brazil and Mex
leo" to tax goat skins to make gloves
dearer: rubber to increase the cost Of
tlose fabrics, or the fibers Of Brazil.