BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1901-12-04
SAN JUAN, DECEMBER 4
Editorial Comment.

There is no mistaiing the meaning OF the
resolutions adopted by the National Reel,
procity Convention at Washington on the
10th Of this month. Those who hoped that
the assembling of representative mauutac
turers from all parts of the United States
meant the expression of an emphatic demand
for reciprocity were disappointed. Instead
of that they must ho content with the hearty
and unanimous Endorsement Of a principe
that has no present application, and which
is not meant to have any, so far as TINS
convention can interpret the feeling of the
manufacturing interests Of The United
States. Neither the Kasson treaties nor
even the reciprocity advocated by Mr..
Blaine found favor when brought to vote.
TIE convention sustained strong protection
for the home market, and recommended the
opening up by reciprocity CT opportunities
for increased foreign trade by special modi
fications of the tariff in special cases only
where it can be done without irjury TO any
of our home intereS's of manufacturing.
commerce or farming. And to maze assur
ance doubly sure it would put the invest
CATION of any home industry presumably
affected by reciprocity in the hands OF a
permanent commission, as a bureau OF the
proposed government department of com
merce and industries.
In discussing the questions which came
before the convention, our progressive mer
chants shut their eyes, wrote the year 1898
on their business letters and in the desire
to maintain the present integrity of Amer
lean mercantile affairs became absolutely
ignorant of the existence of any other in
terests in the United States than that Of the
American merchant aud farmeE>~To ths
Es;i FGsisy ss c5Sg Saviour 6sontely no
attention or notice was given.
The existence Of dependencies with in
terests which needed encouragement and
help much more than those IN the states,
which have for years been launched on the
sea of safety and progress, was absolutely
ignored, and the self styled Reciprocity
Convention went to work IN direct cOntraVen-
ton of the ideas of the very man who was
the strongest prOtectlOnst in the United
States but who saw with the new conditions
of affairs and a neU national life, the neces
sity for closer and more cordial relations
with foreign powers. There is absolutely
no doubt that the set-stlled Reciprocity
Convention was in reality PTOtt ciionIst
Convention Of the most narrow minded
lingo order. It's proceedings reminded one
of the last Cleveland Mckinley Campaign
The incidents of that Campaign have be-
come nothing more than part Of our his
tory. Someone should have entered the
convention and cried out with all his might
"Gentlemen this is the year 1901! The
Spanish. American War has BEEN fOughi.D
"Cuba, Porto Rico and The Philippines are
American territory and are enTitled to
American aid and assis,ancen Mr. Nc
Kinley the greatest of all, American pro
tectionists has said that the United States
was now ready to compete With the world.n
The charce are even then that the cOnven-
tion in body would have opened its eyes,
yawned, gapinsly said s'don't believe it,n
and gone to sleep again
There isno denying that 1t will be impcss.
ible for the present TO 60 beyOnd emphatic
reputation of existing attempts to secure
reciprocity. The manufacturing interests
have spoReD, ard, while they do not reject
the principle, they have completely anticipat
ed any expedjeut by which it can be putinto
speedy operation. Nor is there the slightest
doubt as to what was the controlling cOnsId
Grafton in the convention. Let well enonA
alone was an argument that could not be
answered The fear that an agitstion for
ratification Of exisung treaties or for tho
negotiation of new ones would disturb busi-
ness was too deeply rooted to be displaced byI
any considerations of foreign trade. TIE
protectonist senators who have benttled the
work of Mr.. KassOn and Pres dent Nc
Kinley's recognition of it have undoubtedl,
much to sustain them in the action of the
convention. Ia the meantime tine resOlu.
tioEs, severely protectionIst as they are in
the maintenance of the home market, must
be accepted as cautious beginning for
new programme Of reciprocity, which will
lie in a0eyancs until pressure from domestic
Interests is far more urgent than 1t is to das.
The verdict Of the convention will in all
probability have considerable effect upon
the present divisions Of congressional opin
ion on this question Tae arguments 1T
tariff reyIsionisis, or the friends of recipfoc
tiy, always ultimately rest, SO far as manuf |
aetureIs are concerned, upon just enc.s *.
pressions Of opinion as were formally drawn
up at the Washington convention yesterday,
and It would be idle to expect that either III
the House or In the Senate there will be any
for the friends of better
commercial treaties. Prosperity IS TOO iirm
y enfrenched for the present TO warrant q
breath Of suspicion against ITS continuance.
The manufactures seem 10 regard reciproe-
itJ az an economic med nj, and SO tar as
they have present power ~ say 50 the incId
snt is closed.