-Hon. William F. Draper, Massachusetts. There is no Union, no government even, that can force a man to carry on a losing business. RECEIPTS For 1893, compared with 1892, showing an increase of $35,848,301.72. -Hon. Thomas B. Reed, Maine. muscle strike for the highest remuneration. EXPENDITURES. There was an increase of $38,454,623.91 in the ordinary expenditures for $345, 023, 330. 58 $383, 477, 954. 49 $48, 557, 841. 99 $10, 103, 218. 08 $38, 454, 623. 91 crease wages is to say that busy factories do not -Senator Geo. F. Hoar, Mass. RECIPROCITY. RECIPROCITY Is an arrangement between our own nation and another by which we agree to admit, free of duty, certain articles which we need, but which we cannot produce here; and in return the other nation admits to its ports, free of duty, certain articles which we produce, and which they need, but cannot produce in their own land. Illustration: Brazil produces great quantities of coffee and rubber, but does not produce flour or machinery. We cannot produce coffee and rubber, but we have a surplus of flour and machinery. We admit free of duty their coffee and rubber, and they admit free of duty our flour and and machinery, both nations are benefited, their home productions are greatly increased, their markets enlarged and the laborers of each country find additional work and improved wages at home. Germany has a large surplus of beet sugar which we need; and we have a large surplus of pork which they need. Each remitting the duty, we take their sugar and they take our pork, and both nations are richer. The opponents of protection denounce reciprocity as a "fraud" and a "humbug," and ask "if reciprocity is desirable with South America and with Germany, why not with Great Britain?" The answer is plain and ready, and has been given by Lord Salisbury, thus: "We live in an age of a war of tariffs. Every nation is trying how it can, by agreement with its neighbor, get the greatest possible protection for its own industries, and at the same time the greatest possible access to the markets of its neighbors. "The weapon with which they all fight is admission to their own markets-that is to say, A says to B, 'if you will make your duties such that I can sell in your markets I will make my duties such that you can sell in my market.' "But we begin by saying we will levy no duties on anybody, and we declare that it would be contrary and disloyal to the glorious and sacred doctrine of free trade to levy any duty on anybody for the sake of what we can get by it. "It may be noble, but it is not business." In plain words, Great Britain has nothing to offer us as an exchange. Besides, reciprocity is impossible where both produce, and want to send abroad the same products. Canada wants reciprocity in natural products, coal, iron ore, wheat, and fish. But we have all these, and can sell none to her. She does not want reciprocity in manufactured goods, which we want to sell to her. Now we will receive her natural products free of duty, if she will receive our machinery and manufactures. But this she refuses, and, therefore, we can have no reciprocity with her. But the give place to the splendidly-constructed barns that RECIPROCITY. (Continued.) Democratic plan is to put all her natural products on the free list, and allow her to tax all our manufactures as she pleases. As Lord Salisbury says, this may be noble, but it is not business. In our struggle for foreign markets we must bear in mind that nearly all the great nations of the world have adopted the protective system, and we must keep ourselves in a position to grant favors if we would receive any. In other words, we must retain our protective system while present conditions remain, so that we may be able to demand proper consideration. Protection and reciprocity are complementary terms. They are two forces whose resultant is commercial triumph. This fact was recognized in the McKinley act. Section 2 of that act enumerates several hundred articles of import that shall be admitted free of duty. Then section 3 contains the following proviso: "That, with a view to secure reciprocal trade with countries producing the following articles, on and after the 1st day of January, 1892, whenever and so often as the President shall be satisfied that the government of any country producing and exporting sugars, molasses, coffee, tea, and hides, raw and uncured or any such articles-" All of which had bysection 2 been placed on the free list "impose duties or other exactions upon the agricultural or other products of the United States, which, in view of the free introduction of such sugar, molasses, coffee, tea, and hides into the United States, he may deem to be reciprocally unequal and unreasonable, he shall have the power and it shall be his duty to suspend, by proclamation to that effect, the provisions of this act relating to the free introduction of such sugar, molasses, coffee, tea, and hides, the production of such country, for such time as he shall deem just, and in such case and during such suspension duties shall be levied, collected, and paid upon sugar, molasses, coffee, tea, and hides, the product of or exported from such designated country as follows, namely." Then follows the schedule of duties to be charged on each. The articles enumerated are such as, under a protective system, would properly be on the free list. This free use of our markets, therefore, is an exceedingly valuable consideration to the countries exporting these articles, therefore the act wisely provides a way whereby we may secure proper reciprocal advantages. This illustrates very clearly one difference between free trade aud reciprocity. The former gives away items of great value without requiring anything in return; the latter demands an equivalent. Free trade lets the horses run as by "nature" they may choose; reciprocity holds the reins and guides them in the highway of progress and prosperity. Reciprocity is free trade kept within proper bounds, controlled by ourselves in our own interest with proper regard for that of others. WHAT RECIPROCITY HAS ALREADY ACCOMPLISHED. Under section 3 of the McKinley act agreements for reciprocity were he has acquired in an art, trade or mystery. RECIPROCITY. (Continued.) concluded with Brazil, with the Spanish colonies, Cuba and Puerto Rico, with the British Indies, with Santo Domingo, with Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Salvador, with the German and Austrian empires, and other countries, fifteen in all. And similar arrangements for mutual advantage might be made with France and other countries of Europe, with the Argentine Republic, Chile, and other countries of South America, and with our neighbors, Mexico and Canada. Only a very brief epitome of some of the advantages that have already accrued from these reciprocity conventions can be given. Our exports to Brazil, notwithstanding the fact that its foreign commerce has for a long time been controlled by Europeans, in the face of the combined opposition of all these interests, and in spite of depressed conditions of trade consequent upon a state of political revolution and semiwar-rose from $9,351,081 in 1889 to $11,972,214 in 1890, and $14,120,246 in 1891, thus showing in two years a gain of more than 50 per cent. This trade was more than maintained through the following year; and in 1893, the year of greatest depression, fell off only slightly. During these years there had been a marked falling off of the sales of European countries to Brazil, that of England alone being in 1892 about $5,000,000, while that of France in the same year was over $6,000,000. And to show still further the importance of the treaty, it should be stated that France had established a few years before a new line of steamers to Brazil, while our American line, owing to differences among the owners, was discontinued. Our transportation facilities with Brazil are in the hands of foreigners who have discriminated against us greatly. With direct communication in our own vessels and a continuance of the reciprocity treaty, the possibilities of future trade with Brazil are enormous. Our trade with Cuba increased from less than $12,000,000 annually for many years to nearly $18,000,000 in 1892, and to over $24,000,000 in 1893. While the trade of Great Britain with Cuba has fallen off over 40 per cent. and that of France nearly 60 per cent., ours increased more than 100 per cent. In other words, by means of reciprocity we have been acquiring the Cuban market. A large percentage of this increase has been in farm products. The increase in flour, for example, was from 114,447 barrels in 1891 to 616,406 barrels in 1893. In Europe the most important treaty of reciprocity was that with Germany, whereby we secured the free admission to that country of a number of our farm products and a special reduction of about one-third of the regular tariff on a long list of agricultural and other items. By this means, too, the embargo placed on American pork in 1880 has been removed and a new and valuable market for American meats secured. RECIPROCITY CONVENTIONS, WHY ABROGATE THEM? These are some of the victories already achieved through our reciprocity conventions. When we remember that they have been in existence only |