Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 December 1891 — Reciprocity and Our Export Trade. [ARTICLE]

Reciprocity and Our Export Trade.

The following table shows the value of our exports to tho different quartors of the globe in 181*0 and 1891, and the percentdgo*which exports to each section bears to total exports: Per ot. 1820. 1831. of total. Europe 8077,284,305 SCO *,614,100 7U.97 British N. America 38,544.454 43,813,513 5.03 South America.. 87,745,U02 87,315,515 4.29 Asia Oceanioa 80,121,452 33,4111,178 8.83 Mexico, O. America <fe B. Honduras 18118.947 21,236.545 3.43 Afrioa 4,590,127 4,708,847 .64 AUother 900,810 879,172 .11 Total 8846,299,828 8872,270,283 100.00 This shows that Europo takes nearly 80 per cent of our total exports. Tho American countries, about which tho believers in tho reciprocity plans advanced by Secretary Blaine are so solicitous, take but 4.29 per cent of our exports. Even tho provinces north of us, whoso trado our statesmen liavo discouraged as much as possible, going evon so far as to snub witli cool deliberation the commissioner sent here to discuss a re iproclty treaty, take ovor 5 percent of our exports, if reciprocity with South America h to boom our oxport trade. why not try it with tho countries north of us ns well'.’ A more pertinent question suggested by tho abovo figures is wherein lies the wisdom and consistency of discouraging, by every form of ro»t:i tion, trade with Europe, which takes nearly 80 per cent of our total exports, and making such extravagant predictions of tho good to come from treaties of ro iproclty with a section of the world which Is able to tako less than 5 per cent of what wo can sell them.

Again, Secretary Blaine cla'ras that his reciprocity treaties with South America aro chiefly in the interest of our farmers, utterly ignoring tho fact that It is just thoso ( ountrles which in tho future will ho our strongest competitors in furnishing tho world with tho food supply It needs. How can our export-trade in farm products he increased by reciprocity treaties with countries which are thom-elves exporters of these very products? Cloarly then, if Secretary Blaine Is sincere in his beliefs, ho is using tho farmers’ interest as a dodge to conceal his real purposes. The best that can bo said of reciprocity as at present outlined Is that it Is a brilliant coup d ctat, to detract attention from the outrageous high tariff and to give to its originator such political glory as can come from it, bofore its sham character is fully understood.