Show republicans FAVOR RETENTION OF PRESENT ADVANTAGE reciprocity ainna bot he de the protection lineal free ko comfort in alio view 0 convention the substantial trend of republican party comment on the result of the recent reciprocity convention Is well shown in the following from the lu illan apoll s journal the views of the national reciprocity convention will not meet the expectations 0 a number ot the advocates 0 tree trade who have discovered that reciprocity la the means by which the protective can be destroyed the purpose ot thesa men Is imply to open the best market in th world to all competitors by a general reduction ot duties the command of a market tor SOWO of the bert consumers anlie world li an advantage which labor and capital appreciate 80 ions as labor is employed t full a very general prosperity may be expected but 11 two or three branches ot our industries are sacrificed to oraien competitors as was done to the woolen class earthenware and other by the gorrman allton tariff factories will bloc labor will be idle and consumption will strangled because we hare the advantage ot market which Is the largest and best in the world competitors in europe clamor or it to retain or american producers the home market is the hope of our industries inthis connection it Is interesting to read the view taken of the convention and its work by the st paul pioneer press the strongest and ablest of the newspaper representatives of the sentiment so strong throughout the west in favor of such modification of tariffs and trade arrangements as will open wider markets for american products it says the national reciprocity convention held at washington recently developed a great variety of conflicting views aud interests in the discussion of specific measures of reciprocity but aliey were all admirably harmonized in the broad generalities of the resolutions these resolutions were in fact nothing more than a of the republican rule of reciprocity as laid down in the republican national platforms and which it has been sought tomake the underlying principle of all our reciprocity treaties this principle 13 that the extension of our foreign markets through reciprocity treaties should be subordinated to the policy our home industries dus tries from a destructive foreign competition it has been said by some republican opponents of reciprocity that reciprocity meant free trade and received its inspiration and main support from free traders if senator hansbrough over said anything like that ho showed a remarkable disregard of the facts of history there was no of reciprocity than james G blaine to choso whoso initiative was due the ing of the reciprocity policy on the mckinley tariff bill william mckenley and sir dingley who embodied reciprocity provisions in their respective tariffs were fairly good republicans public ans at least their republican orthodoxy has never been questioned the policy of the and dang lcy bills has been incorporated in the republican national platforms it was in accordance policy that president harrlson negotiated the reciprocity treaties which were annulled under the cleveland administration it was president mckenley under choso whoso direction and with whose approval the treaties were negotiated by mr kas eon which are now before the senate these treaties were framed upon the principle declared in the republican national platform that DO injury should result to home industries there was probably no man in the country more familiar with the details of our tariff and their effect upon the industries concerned than president mckenley and his approval of these treaties should be a sufficient guarantee that they would not inflict any harm upon the industries concerned nor was there any free trade sentiment in the resolutions adopted by the national reciprocity convention they began by flauding lauding and demanding the maintenance of that policy of protection under which the value of the manufactures of this country has increased from in asoo to in 1900 the substantially unanimous sentiment of the convention was expressed in the following resolution only two members voting against it resolved Ce solved that till convention recommends to congram the maintenance 0 the principle 0 protection tor be home market and t f P reciprocity opportunities for increased lorelen trade by special modifications 0 the tariff in special cases but only when it c b da without injury to any 0 our home interests in turi nir and arming another resolution recommended alio establishment of a reciprocity commis sion charged with the duty of investigating the condition of aay industry for guidance in negotiating reciprocal trade agreements undoubtedly these resolutions which simply follow the declarations of the republican platform and the principles sought to be followed in the negotiations of our reciprocity treaties lay down a sound general rule rut it does not follow that any harm would come to the industries chose are lighting the treaties with prance and germany because they allege that a reduction of 20 per cent in the duties protect them would bo ruinous to them expert calculations indicate that they would not he injured to any serious extent while tho country at large would bo greatly benefited by these extensions of our foreign trade in franco and germany the action of the convention will no doubt have considerable influence in discouraging those advocates of reciprocity who wish to push it beyond protection lines and to that extent may aid in unifying republican sentiment in favor of the treaties but it Is a great deal easier to uni teon tilt bonc al statement of an abstract principle than on the details of its alon |