Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1874-06-22
RECIPROCITY TREATY.

1uc RECIPROCITY tICltys picPdiCu anu
negotiated by Secretary Fish with the
Canadian representatives, was sent to the
Senate Thursday. 1t is not probable that
any action upon it will take place pre-
vious to the adjournment of Congress.
There has been no time to give it the con-
sideration which it demands at this ses-
sion. Neither is it probable that an extra
session will be called to act upon it, and
so it will lay over to be taken up when
Congress meets in December. This delay
will have the advantage Of allowing a
better knowledge of the treaty to be dis
seminated and its merits to be discussed.
Already there is quite a stir of oppo-
sition, for there are great interests in
volved in the treaty, which will be heard
in relation to it. The wool interest will
protest against it. Mr. Hayes, the Sec
rotary of the National Association of Wool
Manufacturers, has written letter oppos-
ing it, in which he declares that
whatever temporary advantage would
"accrue to US from free Canada woods
"would be counteracted by the discour.
"agement given to our own production o.
''combing woods"
Hon. George Geddes of Onondaga
county, New York, endorses the state
ment of Mr. Hayes, and in letter to the
New York senators says: "With CHEAP
labor and sound currency, the Canadians
only want FREQ trade with us to make
them prosperous and populous. The
Canadian country south of the 45th par.
allel, from St. Lawrence county, N. Y,
west to Lake Huron, is as large, and in its
agricultural capacity superior to the State
of New York. Give our markets free to
such country for twenty-one years and
subject our producers of all kinds to the
payment of our debts kindly asking no
contributions, direct or indirect, from any
thing but our own labor. giving up all our
advantages of position--what must be the
result? The ratification of such treaty
ends all thought, on the part of Cana
dams, Of annexation, and the current of
emigration turns from our shores TO coun-
tries more wisely governed" 1t is said
we will gain. as nation, more by recip-
rocity than we shall lose, and Mr.. Geddes
asks why, if this is so, the statesmen OF
Canada work so hard every year to bring
about such treaty. "They have" he
says, "been in Washington every year
since the termination of the old treaty,
trying to negotiate new one, and they
are wise in their generation" Mr. Ged-
des closes his letter as follows: 1.-THE ag-
ricultural interests have no organization
through which to act, and they may be
destined again to be, as they have many
times before been, sacrificed to interests
that are organized so as to be felt in the
government of the nation. As the pre-
liminary measure of general Free Trade
a reciprocity treaty will find friends, and
if the Republican party proposes to adopt
such national policy, to be followed in
due time by reputation, words of protest
are useless. But entertaining the hope
that no such future is before either the
Republican party or the country. ven
ture to thus briefly state some of the rea-
sons that appear to me to be imperative
against surrendering our markets free, to
people who have no part of our debts to
pay 9fDY