Reciprocity

A reciprocity agreement between the United States and Canada was concluded in 1854, and terminated in 1866. A similar one was made with Hawaii in1875. Various others, of an equally special sort, were from time to time made by the United States. The matter was brought into a new phase by the tariff act of 1890 (McKinley Act), which provided that the duties on sugar, mola es, coffee, tea and hides, which had been removed, might be reimposed hy the President in case of any countries which levied what he thought unjust or unreasonable duties on the agricultural products of the United States. With this resource in hand, the President entered on negotiations which resulted in the conclusion of reciprocity treaties with Brazil, Spain (for Cuba and Porto Rico), and San Domingo (1891), and Salvador, Germany, Great Britain (for the West Indies), Nicaragua, Honduras, Gustemala and Austria-Hungary (1892).