The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1902-02-06
Republican Sham.
A Kind of Reciprocity That
Isn't Reciprocal.
The Pledges of the Party Will Not Stand
Plank in the Republican Platform That
Broke Down Under the Weight
of Special Privileges.

an outrage, Tor The Wool Schedule was
arranged after long conference be
tween the growers and the manufac-
turers." 1t Is not apparent from this
statement that the question Of revenue
or of consumers interests was of any
consequence in this matter. The or
ganization further declared that the
treaties "are not based upon the true
principle of reciprocity. which Is the
exchange on favorable terms or dis
similar and noncompeting products,
and that, on the contrary, they are
based on the principle of free trade
and will introduce a damaging IL not
ruinous, competition. In addition to
this they disturb the harmony Of ad-
justment between industries, which is
an important characteristic of the tar
iff law, and will therefore introduce
such inequalities az to unfavorably af-
feet all business"
Senator Elkins of West Virginia de-
clared: 81 shall fight these treaties to
the bitter end. They are wrong in
principle and ruinous in practice. The
Republican party made q mistake In
suggesting reciprocity in its platform
and in enacting a reciprocity law"
After favorable report by the SEN
ate committee on foreign relations
Senator Aldrich of Rhode Island, anx-
ious for his novelty constituents, mov-
ed that the matter be referred to the
finance COMMITTEES; and, although Mr..
Kasson secured an extension of time
for ratification to save some of the
treaties from defeat, they were never
allowed to come to vote and perished
before they were born. The senate
adjourned, and Mr.. Kasson resigned in
disgust. Reciprocity is defined in the
Standard dictionary as mutual equal
fly of rights and benefits" In modern
journalism it is frequently styled "a
Sickly Republican twin"
The foregoing facts constitute the
best evidence Of the insincerity Of Re-
publican declarations regarding 80
called reciprocity. The arguments
against the treaties were fallacious
excuses. The only "dissimilar and non-
preston Of the Home Market club-in
which we can trade are raw materials
from the tropics. as coffee, chocolate.
tea and spices. The tropics include
the West indies. Mexico, Central
America and South America as far
south as Rio Janeiro, Malaysia, south
ern India and central Africa. These
kctn nd al, will hn In
dustrially and commercially the poor
est. The people from whom we derive
our origin. the nations which furnish
us the finest examples of art and sci
ence. the lands which give us the great
est incentive to industry and inventive
achievements and where our merchants
turn to seek in friendly commercial in
tercourse the accumulation of honest
wealth, are still by Republican tariffs
to be closed to traders sailing under the
stars and stripes. How many of our
machines can the tropics take? How
many shiploads of breadstuffs, the i'm
ports OF an active metropolis. can we
send to the indolent natives basking in
the meridian heat of perpetual sum-
mer? Yet the fruit growers of Califor-
MIA beg to be saved from competition
with even them.
Mr.. Kasson. in letter to the 3oston
Merchants association. said, instead
of contenting ourselves with the oar
barian position of supplying raw :, ate
rials to a refined civilization, we will
take our rightful attitude before
France and the world of exchanging
with her all the products of an ad-
vanced civilization" The annual i'm
ports to France amounted to SIT 7,000,-
600 of manufactured goods, Of which
we furnished only $4,000,000. We turn
from the friendly hand of invitation to
share in this wealth of commerce and
seek out some crude district remote
from the keen competition of trade.
1t is very evident that Republican rec
iprocity is sham. Reciprocity means
nothing else than tariff reform. 1t en-
counters exactly the same difficulties
and meets the same selfish opposition
of our industrial wards, who never con.
slider revenue needs and national well
fare. The treaties perlshed in the hands
of their friends. Reciprocity was new
er treated more shabbily by the Dem
ocratic party which they denounce.
We are once again brought face to face
with the question of tariff reform,
from which there can be no evasion. II
appeals to us now. not only through
our surplus revenue, but in the PERM.
cious effect on our own industries,
whose product is checked and whose
exports are repressed. We are now
coming into the great family Of world
nations. A world trade is ours. Presi.
dent Mckinley, who had in this matter
keener sight than his party, realized
our position and tried to remedy it
Let reciprocity now find its true twin
and go hand in hand with tariff reform
NORMAN F. HEssELTINE.