The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-03-29
AMERICAN TARIFF LAWS
XI--Reciprociiiiy
By Frederic J. Haskin.

Several years before the Cicil War treaty for reciprocal trade relations was ratified between the United States and Canada. It was pronounced a failure. and was finally repealed by the Republicans. That was the last heard of Reciprocity for many years. When the Mckinley bill was pending after 1t had passed the House and was being considered in the Senate, James G. Blaine, Secretary of State at that time. startled the country with a let ter In which he called the attention of the President to the fact that the pend ing tariff bill. while taking care of the home markets, did not provide the slightest means for building up the ex- port trade. He could not see where the bill would carry a single dollar s worth of new exports to the nations of the earth. and especially to those of South America.
 Blaine was Il sort of compound fore runner of Elihu Root and John Bar rett in his desire to build up trade relations between the Pan-American states. He pointed out how the United States was a larger buyer from South and Central American countries, but shipped them comparatively little in exchange. They were right at the na- tion's door, yet we were allowing Eu- rope to supply them with all their im- ports. It was like country merchant overlooking the opportunity of selling the farmers wife a bill of goods In exchange for her butter and eggs. He might make some profit by buying the eggs for cash. but he would make much more by giving her goods In ex- change.
 The idea impressed President Har- rison, and he sent a message to Con- gross in which he called attention to the fact that more than S7 percent of the imports coming from South and Central American states were admitted free of duty, and that If sugar were ad- mitted free, as was then proposed wool should be about the only impor- tant product those countries sent to the United States left to pay duty. He thought that the real difficulty in successfully negotiating with these countries would lie In the fact that we had given them so much that we had little left to trade on. But he was nevertheless in favor of the Blaine idea. although he did not advocate the specific Blaine plan of carrying 1t into effect.
 Immediately after Harrison's mes- sage and Blain's letter were read in the Senate, Eugene Hale of MT. Blain' s own state, offered an amendment to the penoing tariff bill providing open ports for the products of any Ameri- can nation that would give like con cession to the United States. Blaine was Tn deadly earnest. and wrote an other letter to Senator Frye, who had succeeded him in the Senate. in which he made tho celebrated statement that there was not 8, line in the Mckinley bill that would open market for an- other bushel of American wheat or an other barrel of American pork. He al- so wrote a letter to the mayor of his home city declaring that if sugar were placed on the free list we would be rty,nR A free market to $95.000.00 worth of imports every year without A free market for q penny's worth Of our goods in exchange. He was for free sugar but he wanted to make 1t so only on condition that South and Central America would open their mar kets to our exports to a like extent. Tn short" he inquired, shall we pay all cash for what we get from these countries or try friendly barter in party"
 senator Gibson of Louisiana+ picked the Elaine idea to shreds in remarka- ble speech. He pointed out that any American nation" either included Can ada, or else 1t could not embrace Cuba and Porto Rico. all of them possessing the same status as colonies rather than notions It was intended to include t,uba md Porto Rico. but not Canada, with whose products the advocates or Reciprocity thought 1t unwise to bring the American producer into competi- ton. The proposition also involved free wool from Argentina. and the wool growers would never consent to that. It also involved free copper. which was the subject of a high duty. Thus. he exclaimed. the proposition has gone down before the shepherds crook
 The Reciprocity clause. as finally nassed. gave the President the right to stop the entry of free molasses, su- gar. cofree tea. and hides and skins from any country he thought was not giving proper concessions to imports from the United States. He could levy duties up to two cents 8 pound on su'