The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-11-09


surrender any of its advantages on the
mere general proposition Of extending
the Couutry's foreign trade The real
obstacle in the way of "a general policy
OF reciprocity is the opposition OF the
protected interests in this country and
not the difficulty of negotiating treaties
with others. There is not "A country in
Europe but viii gladly go almost any
length in favor of a policy Of freer trade
with The United states. but. naturally
and properly. each desires to get some
thing of value I'm exchange for the con
cessions which il makes. The un-
willingness of the protected interests t.
yield any thing e their present advan-
tage is clearly shown by the failure OF
the pending reciprocity treaties, the
most unfavorable of which tG US re-
Iuces duties no more than oGe-Gtth of
their present rates.
The character Of reciprocity THAI The
extreme protectiOnist is likely 10 favor
Is well eNampiided by the recent action
of the Home Market Club, and of the
members Of the Board of Trade and
Transportation. who met a day or two
since IT, New York. The former wants
reciprocity, of course, but it must De of
a kind that viii injure no American in
dustry. and throw no American labor
out of employment Thus speaks the
Home Market Club. and IL means sim
ply that there must be no substantial
lowering of duties on any article that IS
produced in the United States, for the
instant it is proposed TO lower the duty
on such an article the plea Is made ihat
the industry Will be crippled, and work
ingmen deprived of employment
so the members of the New York
board mentioned declared themselves IN
favor of reciprocity SO directed as 10
open our markets on favorable terms
FOR what we do not produce in return
for free foreign markets" That is 10
say. they propose To- allow other coun-
tries 90 sell an our markets such things
as we do not ourselves produce IN re-
turn for free access TO foreign markets
for the things which we do produce
Aside from few tropical products
there are very few things of much in
tCTnational consequence that are not
produced in this country To greater OF
less extent The things which we do
not produce here we import anyway. if
we need them. The duty does not keep
them out any more than il does sugar
/ The effect is simply To make them dear
, or 20 the American consumer
There is not great commercial ma
| ton in the world, having any protective
tariff Of its own, that viii enter into
reciprocity treaty with us upon such
basis. Imagine Germany. for example,
allowing US freer access 10 her markets
with our manufactures Of iron and
steel, boots and shoes, etc, in return for
| the privilege Of sending US some little
/ geWgaWs that We cannot. or at least
/ do not, make for ourselves. II we con
( cede nothing but the privilege Of selling
( in our markets the things that We do
not produce. we can only expect the
( privilege OF selling upon like terms in
/ the German market the things which
/ Germany does not produce. The fair
ness Of that proposition IS beyond dis
pute. Where, then, are we TO find in
/ Europe a vent for the surplus Of our
manufactures in almost every line
The answer is that we shall find IL no
where If the extreme protectionists have
their way. as they seem likely To for
/ some time to come. 1t must be Temem-
bered that in his advocacy of reciproci-
" Mr.. Mckinley was looking for mar
llets for these very things. We have
almost nothing 10 offer for sale in Eu-