Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1902-03-21
RECIPROCITY AND soUNTIEs.

hNV
1t is hardly in accordance with the
itness of things, that the same Con
.ressmen and party leaders who are
lighting tooth and nail against any re-
luction of tariff duties in order that
,trangled Cuba may be revived, should
De so determined upon the payment of
from the treasury for the sub
sidy of steamship lines. The opposi-
ton to Cuban reciprocity contrasts
with the clamor for ship
subsidy.
1t is hardly in accordance with the
fitness OF things, that we should hest
tnte to grant the Cuban petition for a
reciprocal reduction of duties just
when the excess of our revenues, and
the impudence of powerful protected
interests, bring upon us demand for
the absolute gift of money from the
national treasury to induce prosperous
millionaires to sail steamships under
their own flag.
There is steady growth of our sur
plus, the increased revenue from the
tariff being very marked. Cuba does
not ask tariff concessions as benevo
lent gift, or any sort of gift. She asks
them in fair and equal exchange for
like advantages in the market which
she will surely be able to offer for our
products, if we only enable her to earn
the necessary money to pay for them
by admitting her to our markets upon
special and reasonable terms. She
claims special terms because we have
forced upon her the acceptance of
special and intimate relations which
bar her from negotiating with other
powers. But for her acceptance of the
Platt amendment, she might look for
an easy agreement with some Europe
an country. That amendment shut
out all hopes of that sort, and compels
her to look to the United States alone.
She was induced to accept it by many
assurances of fair and liberal treat
ment, and President Mckinley in his
last speech urged such treatment when
he plead for reciprocity. Cuba thus
comes at a most opportune moment.
when our treasury is full, when COM
mercial expansion II in the air. and
when justice and expediency are clear
and strong in favor of the step.
On the other hand, the associated
millionaires, who want to organize OF
expand steamship lines under bounty
system, have no claim whatever upon
our bounty or our sense of justice.
Their plea is merely that the treasury
is full, and that there are hardly any
American steamship lines and there.
fore, they would have us take money
from the treasury to run a few ships
for fun or pride, as child runs toy
railroad.
The most common adverse answer
to the plea of the Cubans is that they
have no claim upon us, and that We
have already done quite enough fol
them? Is not the disappearance o.
our flag from the seas largely due to th'
absurd navigation laws, enacted fol
the hopeless and extravagant protec
ton of American shipping, so thai
while other industries are protected
by tariff, shipbuilding is guarded BY
prohibition of foreign registry. But
if We go on with the subsidy business
where can we draw the line?
If the government is to pay a subsidy
or bonus to companies owning anl
managing fleets of home-buiIt steam
ships, why should it not pay to com
panies that own and manage HON,
made railroad lines. Will it be RICH
to discriminate against American cap
italists who may ask subsidy for {
railroad down through Central ant
South America. or across South Afri
Ca, or up through British America tt
Alaska and Russian Asia F.? Can sub
sidy be confined to steam lines afioat
Ipjunctions by Federal judges have