The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1903-03-13
WHAT M'KINLEY SAID
AND WHAT WAS MEANT BY THE
BUFFALO SPEECH.
An Address Which Has Been Persist
emily Perverted to Mean the Aban-
donment of Protection Through the
Adoption Of Competitive Reoip-
rocity.

Carefully disregarding and usually
emitting such qualifying phrases as
those which insist upon preserving the
domestic market to the domestic pro-
Queer, and which deprecate any
scheme of foreign trade expansion
that shall "injure home industry"
or "curtail domestic production
phrases which do and were unmis-
takably intended to indicate the gen.
eral tone of strict adherence to the
principles and policy of protection
the advocates of wide-open reciprocity
continue to parade certain parts of
President McKinley's speech at Buff
falo in September, 1901, and to in
sist that the President in that
speech committed himself unreserved-
ly to the scheme of swapping trade
privileges by means Of special tariff
concessions. 1t is not true that
President Mckinley committed him
self or the Republican party to ar
such sacrifice or abandonment of pro-
lection. Let us take up that portion
of the speech most quoted by the ad-
vocates of reciprocity in competitive
products and see to what extent il
any, the speech can be properly so
construed.
"a system which provides a mutual
exchange of commodities is manifest
ly essential to the continued health
| f,,I nf fra a
That system we already have. We
mutually exchange commodities to
the extent of close upon billion dol
lars worth of merchandise which we
nearly so per cent is admitted free
of duty. Add to the billion dollars
worth which we buy, the 5000, 100000
which we pay every year to foreign
steamships for carrying 90 per cent
of our commerce and the total makes
us out to be the most liberal buyer OF
foreign goods of any nation in the
world.
1--WE must not repose in fancied
security that we can forever sell ev.
erything and buy little or nothing"
We are very far from reposing in
any such security. AS already stat
ed, we buy in merchandise and
freights about $1,200,000,000 a year.
We buy even more than this, for our
tourists spend abroad about $75,O00,-
900 a year, and we are paying $751;
100000 more each year in the shape
of interest and dividends on Ameri-
can bonds and investment stocks
owned abroad. The total, then, of
what we actually buy each year is
brought up to about $1,350,000, 900.
That would hardly be called little
or nothing"
Reciprocity is the natural out
growth of our wonderful industrial de-
velopment under the domestic policy
now firmly established"
True, provided it is the right kind
of reciprocity, that is, in articles
which we do not ourselves produce.
or non-competitive reciprocity. Re-
ciprocity in competitive products
would be distinctly unnatural
outgrowth of our wonderful indus
trial development, an absolute mega
tion of the domestic policy now firmly
established.
THE period of exclusiveness is
past"
Undoubtedly 1t is. A country which
buys every year from the rest of the
world $3.50, 100000 would not, we
think, be called an exclusive" coun-
try.
1.-THE expansion Of our trade and
commerce is the pressing problem"
Yes, and we are solving that prob
lem in the most thorough and salts
factory manner. In the last five and
a half years of protection we have
made mighty strides in the expan-
sion of our trade and commerce. For
1901 our total exports were 81, AGO.
462,S06; against total of s793,392,-
500 for 1895; a gain of 1867, 070,216,
or about 81 per cent. How is that
| for solution of pressing problem?
Commercial wars are improbable"
Truer word was never spoken.
How to avoid them? Treat every ma
ton exactly alike and require at the
hands of every nation equally fair
and impartial treatment. This done,
there can be no such thing as COM
mercial wars for our country.
"a policy of good will and friendly
trade relations will prevent repris-
ais"
Good will and friendly trade rela-
lions are best conserved by strict
adherence to the policy of non-dis-
elimination, non-favoritism. You ex-
cite jealousy, irritation and repris-
ais when by special treaty agreement
you admit the goods Of one nation
at a lower rate Of duty than that
imposed upon the competitive goods
of another nation. Commercial peace
and amity are disturbed by such I'M
fair and impolitic trade arrange
ments. For every friend secured you
make several enemies, says Andrew
Carnegie. Uniformity and equality
of treatment is the only policy of