Democratic Sentinel, Volume 14, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 December 1890 — Obstructing Trade. [ARTICLE]

Obstructing Trade.

The protectionists are continually lamenting the fact that we sell so little of our goods in Mexico and other countries lying south of us. But tho matter is very plain. Take Mexico, for example: For the fiscal year 1889 our exports to that country were only 810,000,000, while our imports amounted to $21,000,000. Hereafter our Mexican trade will make a still more unfavorable showing, both in imports and exports. This appears clear from a recent report from Mr. Fetchet, our Consul at Piedras Negras (Eagle Pass), Mexico. Speaking of the recent changes in Mexico’s trade, he says: “A larger tonnage of ores, low in silver and high in lead, that was formerly shipped to the United States for treatment, is now smelted in Mexico, thus largely swelling the amount of base bullion (silver-lead) to seek a foreign market. Unfortunately, the markets of England and Germany are more advantageous than those of the United States for base bullion. This base bullion forms a very convenient and profitable mode of remittance to meet European maturing credits of the Importing merchants of Mexico, so that tho uso of silver-lead bullion in Europe becomes a factor to be considered in the ultimate determination of the question why Mexico buys so largely of Europe. In the coming year, it is anticipated, there will bo a still larger falling off of ore exports to the United States and a consequent increase of silver-lead bullion shipped in transit through the United States to Europe.” All this is Quite natural. We put a duty on silver-lead ores to keep them out of the country and insure larger profits to a few Colorado mine-owners. We have accomplished both these objects, and our Consul very naturally finds that Mexico is shipping her products to Europe right through our own country. In the meantime, what are we gaining by the policy set in motion by our protectionist rulers? The price of pig lead in our markets was 3% cents a pound not many months ago. The tariff legislation has caused a rise to 0 cents a pound; and lead has become so scarce that we have begun to import it from Europe again, notwithstanding what was, until the recent rise in price, a prohibitory duty. After the* lead has been in Europe, ft is shipped back to ,U 3at an increased price—an,4 all because we refuse to let our smelters have the silver-lead ores free of duty as formerly. Some of our smelters have moved their to Mexico to escape this duty, ana even Leadville, Col., is forced to import tho Mexican ores at the increased duty, for mixing purposes. Wo bought some $0,000,000 worth of those ores from Mexico in 1889; but the. importation has failen off greatly under the duty of 1% cents per pound. Provoked by our silver-lead ore duty Mexico has laid retaliatory duties upon some of our products: and already the Treasury reports show a great decline of exports to Mexico of these articles. Are we not paying too much for our protection? '