Iron County register., 1904-03-03
REPUBLICANS WILL S0UlRM
There Will Be Something Doing Wnen
Their Old Reciprocity Bills
Are Brought Up.

John Sharp Williams, the democratic
eader in the house of representatives,
is about to execute flank movement on
he republicans which is likely to cause
tbem on end of trouble. He will soon in
:rGduce several reciprocity bills which
will practically be duplicates of some Of
!he Kasson treaties, negotiated il 1893
10 1900 with foreign countries, but which
were never ratified by the senate. The
sad fate of these treaties, which were
smothered to death in the senate pig
con holes, forms an interesting story.
When the Dingley bill was put
through, in 1897, many duties were in
tentionally left considerably higher
than was thought necessary, even by the
leading protectionsts. 1t was expected
by Dingley and other republicans that
reciprocity treaties would soon be made
with many foreign countries and du-
ties were left very high so that we
would have large margin, or bargain
ing power. Then, after swapping tar
! IFS with these countries, we would have
ample protection left. Hon. John A.
kasson, of Iowa, was made a special
commissioner plenipotentiary and ne
gotiated treaties with France, Argen-
tina, Ecuador, and, through Denmark
and the United Kingdom, with several
West Indian islands and with British
Guinea.
These treaties were negotiated under
section of the Dingley bill, which per-
mitted reduction of 20 per cent. in our
1uties if foreign countries would make
reciprocal reduction on our exports. Be-
cause the reciprocity proposed by this
section might have accomplished soma
good, by lowering the prices of some ar
ticles to consumers, our protected
trusts held these treaties up in the SEN
ate and did not permit them to pass.
The result is that:
l. Our consumers are now paying
duties higher than was planned, even
by the protectionists.
z The trusts are receiving more pro-
ftection than many protectionists would
have been the case had the reciprocity
treaties been contemplated.
g. Our goods-wheat, corn, beef, pork,
canned goods, etc.-are kept out of
France and other countries by duties
ten or 20 per cent. higher than would
have been the case had the reciprocity
clause been omitted from the Dingley
law.
Thus, the failure of reciprocity has
greatly injured the very classes that reci-
procity was intended to benefft-our
farmers and our pent-up manufacture
ers. The protected trusts just gobbled
up and appropriated the higher duties
of the Dingley bill and told the simple
trusting farmers and small exporting
manufacturers to whistle for their reci-
procity. 1t is to relieve this situation,
brought upon the country Intentionally
or unintentionally by the protection
leaders in 1897 and since, that Mr.. Will
liams will introduce these reciprocity
bills anew. If the republicans were
! sincere in their former professions, they
will now join with the democrats in pass
ing these bills. If not, they will again
submit to the domination of the trusts
and will let our unprotected farmers and
manufacturers suffer in the future as in
the past, under the extremely heavy
burdens of the Dingley tariff law.
Watch the republicans squirm and
hem and haw when they again face their
old reciprocity bills