Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1903-02-05

of the Fact That In DfckertnS For
Special Trade Treaty Privileges
Somebody's interests May He Hurt.
The peculiar beauties Of the scheme
Of trading away some other fellows
prosperity by special treaty arrange
ments are just now illustrated by the
conflict of interest which has arisen in
connection with the proposed New
foundland treaty. Under this instru-
ment the Observation-Disclosures concede
certain privileges as to imports from
the United States and in return are
granted certain privileges as to the
sale of their fresh fish in the American
market. A very pretty arrangement
1t would seem on its face; but, as in
variably happens when dickers of this
sort are undertaken, somebody is going
to be badly hurt by it, and it isn't the
fishermen who are going to be put out
of business in order that somebody
may sell more of his products in New
foundland, and they are up in arms
about it. They protest that 1t is unfair
to crush out their industry by taking
away the tariff protection guaranteed
by the Dingley law schedules. OF
course 1t is unfair. They must Of ne
cessity sacrifice one or more industries
for the benefit of some other industries.
That is reciprocity. If there was moth
ing to be sacrificed, you couldn't dick
er. There would be no reciprocity.
All of a sudden the Gloucester fisher
men have comprehended the fact that
when you bargain for the privilege Of
selling more to foreign country you
must pay for that privilege. They find
that this time they are the fellows
picked out to pay for 1t, and they are
making tremendous kick about it.
All of sudden, too, the New England
senators seem to be able to grasp the
idea that somebody is going to be
robbed for the benefit Of somebody else
and that 1t is their constituents this
time who are going to be robbed. Ac-
cordingly they are fighting the New
foundland treaty tooth and nail.
But we wonder If it doesn't seem q
bit funny to these New England sena-
tors that they should now object 50
strenuously to having their own toes
stepped on. They now know how it
feels themselves They did not appear
to know when some other fellows toes
were being stepped on. They have sup
ported the Cuban treaty in serene In
difference to the fact that the growers
of domestic sugar and tobacco were
yelling with pain. What If these west
ern farmers were hurt? They ought to
stand it, first, for the sake of "suffer.
ing Cuba" and, when that sugar trust
lie was exposed and 1t became known
to certainty that Cuba was not suf-
fering at all, second, for the sake of
monopolizing the Cuban market. In
either case, said the New England SEN
ators, the cause of Cuban reciprocity
is sacred cause, and the fellows who
raise sugar and tobacco here in the
United States are low, mean fellows to
kick when they are hurt.
Now, however, the sacred Goldfish Is
in danger. Hands off the sacred cod
fish! Touch him at your peril. Around
Iris form they draw the awful circle Of
never to be abated protection. You
may trade off sugar, tobacco, wool,
hides, wheat, barley, hay, eggs, any
thing or everything that is necessary
in order to fix up reciprocity dickers
with Cuba or with Canada or with Ar
gentina, but you shall not monkey
with that codfish!
In the meantime we beg to be par
doned for remarking that in favoring
reciprocity dickers with Cuba and Can
ada and at the same time fighting the
deal with Newfoundland they appear
just trifle ridiculous. We hope they
will not nail the poor devils ears to
the pump. We hope the western sena-
tors will not be so mean as to give
the New Englanders a dose Of their
own medicine. Still, 1t would be hu-
man nature to do just that. Moreover,
1t would be triumph of poetic justice
If the New England senators were
forced to help defeat the Cuban gouge
game in order to save the sacred cod
fish.-American Economist