Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1900-02-08

other nations have tho advantage OF
the United States in trading with
the French republic. This advan-
tagc is duo the existence of reel.
procity treaties. Should we fail to
avail ourselves of this opportunity tc
get an open door for our products
the result will not be merely to pre-
vent any increase in our exports to
France, bat IN all probability very
disastrous curtailmcnt. AS Senator
McLaurin points out, the items in
this treaty which concern the South
arc those which exemplify in its
highest form the idea Of reciprocity,
providing for an interchange of such
products as each country produces
more advantagcously, without scri-
Gus interference with home produc-
ton in either. Taking the matter Of
cotton goods, for instance, the people
of France manufacture the finest
fabrics to he found in the world, but
at the same time investigation of
statistics discloscs the fact that
France is now getting more than
$6,000,000 worth of coarse cottons
from European countries, mainly
England and Germany, which ought
to be shipped from Southern mills,
ana will be should this treaty be -ati-
fled. Southern goods in these grades
are now excluded from France by
reason of a discriminating duty in
the ratio of 81 to 70 in favor of the
European countries named.
Again, inasmuch as the South is
rapidly becoming center for wood
working industries, it is likely that
the French, who, while they make
the most artistic furniture in the
world, nevertheless buy the cheaper
kinds from other European countries,
mainly Austria, under the present
low duty with which Austria is now
favored, will, when this treaty shall
be ratified, buy large quantities from
Southern factories. We are now
shipping to France from Southern
ports little more than 81, ,OO0, 900
worth OF rough lumber, including
stavcs-a trade which has grown up
since the temporary Commercial
Agreement Of 1893, and which,
under the operations Of this treaty,
will doubtless be largely increased.
There are numerous other items of
Southern production which will find
profitable market in France, chief
among which ut present are cotton
seed oil, to which Senators Jones and
Mclaurin both refer, and mineral
oils, the production of which is now
becoming so large in West Virginia.
1t is stated that there is a good
deal of opposition in France to this
treaty, and it is admitted that some
Of the extreme protectionists of this
country are, as Senator Jones takes
occasion to say, opposing its ratiG-
cation ; but when the provisions of
the treaty shall come to be carefully
studied and understood, it will be
found that it is rs beneficial to the
French people as to the people Of
this country; and while some indus
tries both there and here may suffer
in small way, yet it cmbodcs in a
very large degree the doctrine of
"thc greatest good to the greatest
number" The character of the op-
position is perhaps fairly indicate Il
in the following from the New York
Herald Of the 2::4d Of January:
"Thc fact that the extreme pro-
tcctionists in both countries oppose
the treaty is point in its favor.
Senator lIoar Objects on the ground
that optical instruments would come
in too chcaply, while in France the
Deputy of Beauvais protests against
the reduction Of duty on oils az cal
culatcd to inijurc the growers of cola
cabbagcs in i'icardy and Normandy
The largest reduction made from
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