New-York tribune., 1903-03-28
THE RECIPROCITY TRE4TIES.

Tho announcement that the Jannican Teci-
nrocity treaty has been abandoned, ana lha'
the other conventions Of like character al'
similarly to be disposed of. surprises hopo"!
II will cause some regret. both now ahd' we
heIicvc hereafter But it las long peen ~
cnpted as a forcgOne conclusion that the ue"-
ties were to be defeated in one way or announcer
and any other disposition of them WouId nave
heen as surprising as It would have Oeen grau-
fving 1t is said that the administration VIII
make no further efforts to establish ana eA-
tend n system Of reciprOcai trade ihoFe IL
carto;nIv LITTLE encouragement for it to do So
with the practical assurance that no such mPdS-
urc will be permitted to pass the Senate. How
long It will be possible for the mutton to CON
tinue thus screwing down the safety valve OF
trade is an interesting question, which may be
considered by the Independent outsider more
pleasantly than by those who are sitting ABOVE
the boiler
1t is to be regretted, as matter Of sentiment
that the treaties have been killed by lndirec-
ton. The Senate had tho right, of course, TO
reject them; just good & right as the EXecu-
tive had 20 negotiate them. But far more
agreeable impression would have been produceu
if it had done so openly by voting adversely
unon them. The Executive had the courage to
negotiate the treaties and lay them before the
Senate for its action. Courtesy and good policy
both seemed to require that the Senate should
frankly place itself record either for OF
against them.
Before taking leave Of the subject 1t Will De
nerhsns worth while for the sake of the rec
ord to dispose of the pretence that the oD]ec-
ton to these treaties, as well as to the Cuban
treaty. is simply because they provide for reel
procty in some competitive products, and be-
cause the only reciprocity consonant with pro-
lection and approved by the Republican party
is reciprocity in non-competitive products Mr.
Blaine, writing to Mr.. Mckinley in 1890 when
the Mckinley tariff being formulated,
urged that the ports of the United States should
be declared free to all the products Of any
nation of the American hemisphere upon
(which no export duties are imposed 1hat
certainly would not have restricted reciprocity
to non competitive products. Following that
correspondence the famous Mckinley tariff was
enacted 1t did not provide for reciprocity as
wide as Mr.. Blaine had proposed. But 1t dld
provide for the free introduction into this coun-
try Of sugar, molasses, coffee, tea and hides"
OF these five articles, three were and are most
emphatically not non-competitive products
Sugar, molasses and hides are products of the
United States, and the admission Of them free
from other countries was admission of competi-
tive products That was Republican reciprocity,
as defined by Harrison, Blaine and Mckinley
and as approved by national Republican con-
ventions.
That, beyond doubt, was the reciprocity
which Mckinley had in mind when, in his last
speech, he said: RECIPROCITY is the natural out
growth Of our wonderful industrial develop
"ment under the domestic policy now firmly
established. Reciprocity treaties are in har-
"mony with the spirit of the times. If per
"chance some of our tariffs are no longer
needed for revenue or to encourage and pro-
'tect our industries at home, why should they
mot be employed to extend and promote our
markets abroad? Only a broad and enlight-
"ened policy will keep what we have. No other
'policy will get more"