Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-05-07
AMERICAN TARIFF LAWS
~ RECIPROCITY.
BY FREDERIC ]. HAsKIN.
RECIPROCITY.

BY FREDE
Several years before the Civil war a
treaty for reciprocal trade relations was
ratified between the United States and
Canada. II was pronounced failure
and was finally repealed by the Repub-
lfcans That was the last heard OF rec
iprocity for many years. When the
Mckinley bill was pending, after II hao
passed the house and was being eonsid-
cred in the senate, James @. Blaine sec
rotary OF state at that time, startled the
country with a letter in which he called
the attention OF the president TO the fact
that the pending tariff bill, while taxing
care OF the home markets, did not pro-
vide the slightest means for building up
an export trade. He could not see
where the bin would carry single dol
lars worth of new exports to the ma
lions OF the earth, and especially to those
of South America.
Blaine was a sort OF compound fore
runner OF Elihu Root and John Barrett
fin his desire to build up trade relations
between the Pan-American states. He
pointed out how the United States was
large buyer from South and Central
American countries, but shipped them
comparatively little in exchange. They
were right at the nations door yet we
were allowing Europe to supply them
with all their imports. 1t was like coun-
try merchant overlooking the opportuni-
ty OF selling the farmers wife bill of
goods in exchange for her butter and
eggs. He might make some profit by
buying the eggs for cash, but he would
maze much more by giving her goods in
exceange.
The idea impressed President Harrison,
and he sent a message to congress in
which he called attention TO the fact that
more than 81 per cent of the imports
coming from South and Central Ameri-
can states were admitted free OF duty,
and that IL sugar were admitted free,
as was then proposed. wool would be
about the only important product those
countries sent to the United States left
TO pay a duty. fHe thought that the real
difficulty In successfully negotiating rec
iproclty agreements 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 te specific Blaine plan Of
carrying il into effect. '.
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and Blaines letter were read in the SEN
ate. Eugene Hale. of Mr.. Blaine's own
state. offered an amendment to the pend
ing tariff bill providing open ports for
the products Of any American nation that
would give like concession to the Unit
ed States. Blaine was in deadly earnest,
and wrote another letter TO Senator Frye,
who mad succeeded him in the senate,
In which he made the celebrated state
ment that there was not a line in the
Mckinley bill thM would open a market
for another bushel Of American wheat or
another barrel Of American pork. He
also wrote a letter to the mayor of his
home city declaring that IL sugar were
placed on the free list we would be CIV
ing a free market 10 s95. 900 worth of
imports every year without free mar
ket for a penny's worth of our goods in
exchange. He was for free sugar. but
he wanted to make II so only on condi-
ton that South. and Central America
would open their markets to our exports
to like eStent I'm short" he inquired,
shall We pay all cash for what we get
from these countries or try friendly bar
ter in part?'
Senator Gibson, of louisiana. picked
the Blaine idea to shreds in a remarkable
1
lean nation either included Canada, or
else II could not embrace Cuba and Porto
Rico, all Of them possessing the same
status as colonies rather than nations.
II was intended TO include Cuba and
Porto Rico, but not Canada, with whose
products the advocates of reciprocity
thought IL unwise to bring the American
producer into competition. The PROPOSE
ton also involved free wool from Argen-
1 - 10. rr.nT ~,rsFA
consent to that. 1t also involved free
copper, which was the subject of a high
duty. Thus" he exclaimed. ''the prop
osition has gone down before the shep-
herds crook"
The reciprocity clause, as finally passed
gave the president the right to stop the
entry OF free molasses. sugar, coffee, tea
and hides and skins from any country he
thought was not giving proper conces-
sions to imports from the United States
He could levy duties UP 10 two cents 8
pound on sugar, four cents a gallon or
I molasses, three cents a pound on coffee
Il and ten cents on tea. The debate In the
senate was rather uninteresting, showing
| an effort to jockey for position in the
ensuing presidential election. The excep.
ton was when the eonstitutionality oil
l the clause was argued The Democrats
COMMENDED NldI IL conferred on Lne pTeSl
dent a power that was vested in con.
gress, and that when left to his discre.
ton rather than to that of congress Il
was dangerous. II indeed not unconstitu.
tional. This view was shared by Ed
munds, of Vermont, and Evarts, of New
York, two of the ablest men on the Re
publican side OF the senate. The Repub
leans asserted that the power conferred
upon the president was merely admins
trative-to do certain well-defined things
in the event certain equally well defined
contingencies developed. They quoted
many precedents for their position.
That William Mckinley did not thinl
much of reciprocity before it was intro
duced in the senate may be inferred from
a statement made by him in the house
month before Blaine wrote his celebrated
letter. He was talking about tariffs il
general, and stated that whenever w,
have had low tariff or reciprocity W.
have been the loser"
The parties had both faced about or
reciprocity. President Pierce had nego
tiated a reciprocity treaty with Canad,
in 1854. which received the sanction .
congress the next year. 1t was said tina
Canada got the long end OF the bargain
and that the only part OF the UniteC
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