The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-01-10
French peciprocity Treaty.

While there 10 some opposition TO tne
ratification Of the French reciprocity
treaty, it comes from a source that,
perhaps, has not weighted fully the
benefits 1t would confer. The endorse
ment Of the treaty win be Of consider
able benefit to West Virginia as an oil
producer, and the southern states will
be benehcIaries to a greater extent. on
this subject the Philadelphia Press
says:
Before the competition Of our manu-
factures European tariffs are rising
against US. The French reciprocity
treaty ID the first serious attempt 70
lower these tariffs. France has two
tariffs, high and low, maximum and
minimum. The first apply to countries
without treaties with France. The
second are enjoyed by countries which
have negotiated treaties. The tourth
section OF the Dlngley act opened the
way 10 a 20 per cent reduction on GER
tain articles In order to gain Just such
advantages as France offers on the MIN
imum or lower reciprocity rates Of the
French tarifL, Germany and England
alteany enjoy this advantage. Italy
secured the conventional or minimum
tariff by the treaty ratified in December,
1898, q year ago. The United States
needs q like advantage. Unless the
present reciprocity treaty 10 ratified this
cannot be secured. On our petroleum
exports to France alone, the difference
between the maximum and minimum
rates will be q heavy sum year. This
tax alone would be enough to substitute
Russian for American petroleum, as
hostile tariffs have already introduced
oil in east Europe.
The French reciprocity treaty gives
all our products an advantage In the
French market Raw materials, like
cotton and petroleum, are favored and
our highest manufactured products. the
reciprocal concessions Will tn1ure no
American industry, and must be constd-
cred and estimated, not individually,
but with reference to the whole OF our
products and all our manufactures.
The Stanton. Va, Daily News, an
able Democratic journal, warmly advo-
Gates the ratification Of the treaty,
commenting the foreign policy of Pres
ident Mckinley as ''one Of the bright
est spots in his administration" It does
not refer especially to the Spanish war,
though 1t admits that was wisely and
ably handled, but to the administers
TONS general foreign policy. ION all
sides as far as we can judge, the United
states have been brought into closer
friendly relations. We are now on the
best Of terms with Germany, and seem
in fair way to secure a modification
Of the restrictive measures Of that
country and the United States.
With France a reciprocity treaty has
been negotiated that 1t is of the utmost
Importance to the United States, and
especially to the southern states, the
senate should ratify."
The News says it falls to find in the
treaty single item which affects the
south othe. than benefclally, and adds:
.'By providing new outlet for Ala
bama's iron and steel. a larger per-
centage Of the home market is saved
to the ironmasters of Virginia. West
Virginia will be greatly benefited by
the assurance that mineral oil and pc
troleum products win be exportable to
France in competition with like Rus
sian products, which now have the ben
eht Of the minimum rate. In the Caro-
linas and Georgia the enlargement Of
the field Of consumption for resin and
turpentine naval storeS) and lumber,
will insure for the treaty popular sup
port, while throughout the cotton
country generally the direct benefits
due to larger exports and better prices
for cotton-seed oil and other cotton
seed products viii probably run into
millions OF dollars annually"