The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-07-24
MANY JOIN FORCES Or
FOR RECIPROCITY
Fear Of Germany's Retaliatory
Measures Drives Protectionists
to Change Of Position.
BY w. w. yerrn ane.

a ); - - u
BY w w. Jenmane.
Washington, July 24.-American ex-
porters got more than they had /. bar
gained for when they. went up against
the manufacturers, OF the German en-
pire. Notwithstanding President Me-
Kinley had truly said that the5period Of
exclusiveness was past, and that we
could not expect to trade forever with
another nation without permitting it to
trade with us, American exporters CON
tinued the work Of extending their mar
at home. This was we'll enough for a
time, but at last the situation in Europa
became serious. American trade, under
the impulse Of prosperous times, sought
out every available corner Of the CONT
nent. and American goods in all tho
European cities and towns were sold in
open and successful competition with
goods madesa at home. 1t was realized in
this country by the wisest statesman
continue. and President Mckinley. the
high priest of protection, himself voiced
that realization in his famous last
speech at Buffalo, the day, before he
was assassinated. An effort, was made
in congress shortly afterward, directed
by President Roosevelt, to meet the sit
uation outlined by PRESIDENT Nc inley,
but the selfshness Of the American man.
ufacturers was too strong. Political
either for 3 revision Of The tariff. or
for the. ratification of#:the. long neglect.
ed reciprocity treaties Of ,the Kasson
regime. The entire. subject was dis,
missed with a sheer, and it was conf.
IDENTIFY asserted that neither. Mckinley
nor Roosevelt knew what. they were
talking about, that Europe was com
PEELED to accept American goods, and
that we could continue indefinitely to
ting foreign goods to sell here on an
equally fair footing. r..
Treaties Might Have Helped.
But in Germany we have met oul
equal in selfshness and !. stubbornness
and these traits are being emphasized
by stern necessity. The German is as
good a trader as the American. and as
able to tell a market when he sees it
IF several Of the more important oil
the. Kasson reciprocity treaties had beer
unrest in Europe would not exist, no.
would the great trading countries 0.
that continent be tacitly preparing tt
close their doors against the American
| invasion. But those treaties were no
ratified. They repose in the pigeon
holes of the senate committee on for
eign relations, 9and for years there ha.
not been a. senator SO poor as to dt
them reverence. ~s.a ;&24EF.tt .1.,. &. NJ
psychological moment. All Europ,
knew that the American. senate, con
trolled by the. great manufacturing in
terests of the country on the question
Of reciprocity, would. never ratifv j;
reciprocity treaty. Meanwhile, Ameri
can goods were heavy factor in al
European markets. and in part the 'fnan
cial stagnation that has existed in Ger
many for several years and IN a les
degree on the rest Of the continent
has been due to the; factathat home mad
goods, Imported from Ana erica, Hat
there been an oiutlett ffdr a az bart lof thi
homemade pTodefGB'5 IF the '%Unitet
States, things might have BEEN different
But there WASH It, nor did it seem likel7
that there setersiWould be. .....
| 49,. 4 :, Leaves Surplus, Stocks. -,
Germany undertook ito crystalline. ,Eu
ropean sentiment, commercially, agains
|
piration of her own treaties with Flu
ropean nations favored the move sh
was: about to make. She made nev
reciprocal conventions, on liberal terms
! with the powers about her, some sever
or eight in number, and these treatie
will go into effect next spring. Unde
the terms of those treaties the maxi
mum tariff is to be collected on al
American goods imported after tn
|
mum tariff means that the German doc
will be closed to American meat an.
food products generally, and for al
these things Germany has been one O.
the best customers the United State
has ever had. The same maximum tar
| if will be collected on American good
in the other reciprocity European coun
/ tries. 1854.
The significance Of this new arrange
ment is apparent when it is said tina
these European markets. especially thu
tween prosperity and hard times in tn
United States. Europe has, to a larg
extent, been taking our surplus eac
year, and SO American mills and fac
tories have been running on full time
wages have been high and money ha
been plentiful. Should this, surplus b
dumped back on the United States
prices Will TAIL, wages Will. TALL, mill
and factories will close, the buyin
power Of the people will decrease, an
the country will face period Of bus
ness and industrial stagnation, perhap
as great as that which began in lS9;
clamor for Reciprocity.
When the readers Of the newspaper
are familiar with the situation as SC
forth above, they will know why it
that SO much interest is being taken b
American manufacturers and exporter
in the national reciprocity convention
called to meet in Chicago Aug. Is. Pc,
pie who, a few years ago, wouldn It loo
at 9 reciprocity treaty, except to tur
up their noses, are now clamoring fl
reciprocity conventions-with German
! France, Austria Hungary, Russia, ii
Netherlands, Italy, Scandinavia, and a
other European countries that HAY
goods to sell. Even the beef trust
reported to have come off it's high hors
9 A representative of one Of the ,b
). western packing houses has been wri
!. ing letters and travelling over the mi
! die west to convince members of IL
: two houses Of congress and business m.
Il generally that unless the August co
: vention tcanssdo sonnet hing THAT will i
j, A 49,. = /