Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-17
Reciprocity Misunderstood.

Reciprocity Misunderstood.
II condemn the word reciprocity said
l.. E. Lincoln of the Buffalo Live Stock AS
ISOLATION who addressed the conference
yesterday after The Stars report closed.
In the minds of many voters reciprocity
means nothing else than free trade and
free trade is not the object for which this
conference is called.
This statement elected a round OF
hearty applause. which broke forth anew
when James F. Parker charm an of the
New York Produce Exchange de egation,
made a similar declaration. Mr.. Lincoln
suggested as d title for the organizAt ton
about to be formed the III gh and Low
Tariff League" He believed an org -,niza-
ton with branches in every state could eff
fectively accomplish it's purpose. Both
Lincoln and Parker asserted that reel
procity'' had outiived its usefulness and
must go.
Other suggestions for a title were tariff
"elas ticity." moderation" or alteration"
But none of them appeared to meet the
favor of the men who heard them
A concise statement of the availability
and the desirab:lity Of the dual tlrlif as
against reciprocity was made by Senator
Shelby NJ. Cullom of Illinois, who spoke in
part as follows:
Senator Cullom's Remarks.
The west Is almost unanimously In favor
of reciprocity, the eastern senators are al
most soidly against 1t, the minority in the
Senate is divided reciprocity under the
fourth section of the Dingley act has
failed.
II believe that the Dingley rates are
sufficiently high to warrant our entering
into reciprocity arrangements with Central
and South American countries, and with
European nations as well
Il very much prefer the adoption OF the
principle of reciprocity a means of re-
tanning and extending our foreign mar
kets as a means of quietly, without inter-
ruption of our business conditions, revising,
where necessary, the tariff, as means Of
preventing discrimination against our prod
ucts, such Germany and other nations
now propose to make.
But If cannot secure the ratifcatio
of reciprocity treaties there is one other
method that was seriously considered by
the committee on foreign relations more
than two years ago. when 1t became ap-
parent that the reciprocity treaties could
not be ratified, and that is the adoption of
a maximum and minimum tariff. BY that
l mean the adoption of an arrangement, by
act of Congress, somewhat similar to that
In force in France. Have minimum tariff,
applicable to all nations who give our
products the most favored nation treat
ment, and a maximum tariff, say % per
cent higher, to apply to nations which .ls-
eliminate against our products
The adoption of this principle would
not accomplish for our foreign trade all
that reciprocity would accomplish. 1t would
not open any very extensive new markets
for our products, but 1t would prevent dis
elimination. maximum and minimum
tariff Is more in the way Of retaliation;
but something must be done, and If we
cannot secure reciprocity, L shall favor the
enactment of law by Congress providing
a maximum tariff to be applicable to every
nation that discriminates against our
products"
Gov. Mickey's Views.
Gov. ]. H. Mickey of Nebraska address
Ing the conference, declared that the con-
iicts which the citizenship of America will
wage during the coming decade will not be
fought upon the field of battle, but rather
In the commercial arena; that It will be a
conflict of diplomacy which will determine
whether or not American products of the
farm and factory are to receive the game
concessions abroad as are guaranteed 10
the %most favored nation.
"At present. he said, "our tariff Is al
leged in some instances to work unrea SON
able hardships upon the commerce OF Ger
tain foreign nations. and hence a degree of
retaliation in force and in prospect threat
ems seriously to cripple our commerce
abroad. The questions are: Can we Offset
the threatened calamity; what Is the best
method of procedure, and when determined
will we adopt it?'
Henry B. Blackwell Of Boston, who is a
member of the chamber of commerce COM
mittee Of 100 from that city, said
I'VE have lost many of our manufa cturers
in consequence of the failure to have raw
materials with the freedom which we for
merly enjoyed. We need change of the
tariff to enable our people to continue their
industries and to become customers of the
western farmer, the western agriculturist
and the western meat raiser. We regard
with profound dfsapprOval the action of
minority of the United States Senate during
the past ten years. which has turned down
twelve treaties for reciprocity and arbitra-
ton negotiated by the administrations Of
Mckinley and Roosevelt, and we call upon
the American people, irrespective Of party.
to elect House of Representatives able
and willing to assert its old prerogative as
the originator and maintainer of fiscal legis-
lation to take out of the hands OF the
minority of the Senate the control of the
matter and make the voice of the people
heard in behalf of liberal trade relations"
Favored Lower Tariffs.
Former Governor Stannard of st. Louis,
Mo-, favored material reduction Of the
tariff and reciprocal relations with for
eign countries far commercial
lations are concerned, and pictured the
conditions which would prevail by reason
of utter Generalization of prices IL the
great export trade of the United States
were to be materially reduced and the
excessive products confined to the Ameri-
can markets.
Former Governor William Larrabee of
Iowa said, among other things. that while
the protective policy has brought great
prosperity to this country, other nations are
realizing the fact that such policies will
bring prosperity to them, and 1t had be-
come necessary to have reciprocal relations
and a square deal with other nations as
we'll as our own people AS to the method
of accomplishing this result, the speaker
stated that it must be brought about only
by bringing the proper pressure to bear at
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