8572. TREATIES OF COMMERCE, Favored nation principle.—
I know of no
investigation, at the instance of any nation, of
the extent of the clause giving the rights of the
most favored nation but from the import of the
words themselves, and from the clause that a
privilege granted to any other nation shall immediately
become common, freely where freely
granted, or yielding the compensation where a
compensation is given, I have no doubt that if
any one nation will admit our goods free in consideration
of our doing the same by them, no
other nation can claim an exception from duties
in our ports without yielding us the same in
theirs.—
To James Monroe.
Ford ed., iv, 19.
(P.
Dec. 1784)
