Conservative. 9
jootora thau thn grounds oil which
their objections rest ; and it is impos
sible to see that they have made any
point which need seriously discourage
us. The constitutional provision
some times quoted , that revenue bills
shall originate in the house of repre
sentatives , suggesting the intention
that all modifications of them shall so
originate , seems to bo quite sufficient
ly met by another constitutional pro
vision that treaties , duly ratified ,
shall have the full force of law. The
principle that revenue changes should
not be introduced by the executive
branch of government , cannot apply
to changes expressly following pro
visions of an act of congress. The
most serious objections came natur
ally from interests that fear a cutting
down of the protective bounty they
enjoy , either directly by action of
the treaties , or remotely by what any
relaxation of the Diugley law may at
some time lead to. President McKinley -
loy , as already shown , was convinced
that not a single industry would be
appreciably injured by the French
treaty now pending , but even suppos
ing that some minor one knit goods ,
say , or spectacles , or bogus jewelry ,
employing comparatively few work
men , might be disturbed a little , we
surely cannot be expected to sacrifice
to it the interests of the whole coun
try , and the vast number of its labor
ers dependent on exports for employ
ment. This would be like praying
Providence to send us no rain , how
ever our fields might be suffering for
lack of it , because some worthy citi
zen might perchance be out without
an umbrella. We would have no one
suffer ; but if some suffering must be ,
bettor it should be a slight suffering
by the very few , than a general de
privation to the great majority.
"When we come to compare , with
any view to deciding impartially how
the facts stand , the numbers interest
ed adversely to such a reciprocity
treaty as that concluded with France ,
and now awaiting action by the sen
ate , with those favorably interested ,
the disproportion is so enormous as to
make all argument appear ridiculous.
Readers of our economic literature are
doubtless familiar with the demonstra
tion often made that the number of
working people now occupied in any
art of which a competing foreign pro
duct could be imported , whoso liveli
hood therefore depends on limiting
foreign commerce , is after all a small
number in comparison with those en
gaged in producing goods for export ,
whose livelihood therefore depends on
maintaining and extending foreign
commerce. The proof is plain , when
once the comparative figures are stud
ied , and quite convincing , But the
case for the proposed treaties is
stronger yet ; they have been so drawn
this applies to the French treaty in
particular as especially to guard
those lines of manufacture in which
competition is most feared by our
great producers , while opening the
doors to the agricultural and manu
factured products we export. It may
safely bo said of this treaty , that those
who would be better off for its ratifi
cation whether traders , producers or
manual laborers are to those who
would be worse off as many hundreds
to one. In view of the high probabil
ity , which wo are fully entitled to
accept as a certainty , that this is our
last chance for so favorable a treaty
with the French republic , and that
any measure hereafter drawn up must
contain greater concessions for it and
less for us , the delay in ratification
appears nothing less than fatuous I
have spoken as though only manufac
turers were concerned in exporting ,
chiefly because it is among them that
opposition is feared. But agriculture
now furnishes $900,000,000 worth of
our exports ; more than three-fourths
of the whole half a century ago , and
still not far from two-thirds. This
huge and vitally important 'export
trade is attacked by hostile duties
from many different directions ( wo
oven hear of a proposition in Holland
to put a heavy tariff on our flour ) and
the interests of our farmers it will
not do to overlook. Nor have wo by
any means exhausted the field in con
sidering only the producers involved.
Our people are all interested , as consumers
sumors , in securing and enjoying the
widest possible source of supply
through extended commerce.
' ' There is a double satisfaction in
advancing a movement , when , as so
truly in this instance , our pecuniary
interests lead us in perfect accord
with the drawings of Christian
brotherhood. While extending our
commerce , wo can discharge a nation
al obligation in one direction , and
win friends for ourselves in another.
'Our plain duty' is no less plain in
dealing with Cuba than with Porto
Rico. Our arms have conquered for
both islands alike a new place in the
world ; and , though we may continue
to treat one of them as a dependency
while recognizing the other as a free
nationality over whose foreign rela
tions wo retain control , our responsi
bilities by no means differ so widely
in the two cases as do the words we
use. Reciprocity may bo merely
policy toward the other nations of the
earth ; it is the payment of a sacred
debt to Ouba. And none the less so
because , by freely extending the hos
pitality of our markets to her crude
productions , thus furnishing the na
tural commercial outlet to her teem
ing soil , we assure ourselves another
outlet at the same time for our manu
factures. These we cannot sell to
people whom our policy keeps poor ; to
buy of us they must earn the where
withal.
' ' Towards other peoples , those of
Europe , when wo moot on equal foot
ing , our attitude should bo that com
mended by Jefferson : ' Peace , com
merce and honest friendship with
all. ' We do not need their kindly
sentiment , I grant , for our national
defense ; yet there is no precaution wo
may despise as superfluous as a means
of preventing war.
"The promotion of commerce is a
far nobler and worthier aim for an
enlightened government than any that
can bo realized by victorious warfare.
Commerce , though it may have its
source in self interest , is a powerful
stimulus to broad human sympathy.
It opens up the mental horizon , makes
over the citizens of one limited coun
try into citizens of the world , studies
the common interests of mankind in
providing the most advantageous di
vision of labor , stimulates invention
and promotes progress. It feeds the
'hungry and clothes the naked ; it re
lieves the scarcity of one region by
the plenty of another , instead of
gorging the strong with the spoils of
the weak ; and it. adds value to ar
ticles it takes and those it brings ,
instead of destroying or corrupting
whatever it touches. Carrying ,
along the gospel of service , it is the
messenger of practical Christianity.
1' Our late president truly said that
'Reciprocity is in harmony with the
spirit of the times , retaliation is not ; '
adding that the 'ships of commerce
are messengers of peace and amity
wherever they po ; ' and ho closed his
farewell address with the noble ex
hortation : 'Let us ever remember
that pur interests are in concord , not
conflict , that our real eminence rests
in the victories of peace , not those of
war. ' "
A NEW BOOK.
The Tribune has received a copy of
4' Leaves from Arbor Lodge , ' ' by Mary
French Morton. This is a handsome
book of some sixty pages , in a delicate
pale green binding , issued by the
Blakely Printing Company of Chicago
cage , and illustrated with a dozen pho
tographic views , of spots about the
historic old homestead. It contains a
number of the short poems of its
author. Miss Morton has contributed
quite freely to The Conservative , and
these brief poems of hers have attract
ed more attention , and been copied
more widely , than her fellow-citizens
perhaps are aware. There is always
a peculiar satisfaction in reading a
new poem by Miss Morton. They are
mechanically perfect , for one thing ;
and there is always an idea at the
bottom of them. Also the things that
they deal with are things that exist.
They do not go into abstractions. They
are the fruits of a mature understand -
ing , that sees the world through un-
glamored eyes and finds all the humor
and tradegy of life in the every-day
facts that lie around it. We are glad
to have this much of them in perman
ent form. Nebraska City Daily .
Tribune.
