Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1874-07-15
The Reciprocity Treaty.

submitted to the Senate by the presiden
for an expression of opinion, and which
ratified will, to all intents and purposes
open the United States and Canada to fire.
trade with each other. The Senate ha
not vet decided the matter, and befOr
Congress again meets there will be such
discussion that the wishes of the nation
will be apparent.
There are several things proposed b,
this document that are very desirable, an,
are in the nature Of bait to catch the Yam
kee fish The main advantage to gu
whole people, if the treaty is ever made
is the opening Of water communication
for large vessels from the upper lakes tt
the Gulf of St Lawrence and to LAX,
Champlain. The Caughnawaga Cana
would be Of great use, not only to tn,
western states but 10 the Champlain re
gion. The treaty secures its completion
in 1880, and its use to our citizens fol
eighteen years thereafter. The New Eng
land fishermen, too ought to be satisfied
with what they get out of the treaty.
The rest Of the bargain we think is q
bad one. and so bad that the canal and fish
business will not compensate us for enter
ing into it. There is one objection brought
against the whole affair that has weight,
even before coming to the question OF
whether Canada or the United States is the
party to be mainly benefited. The mon
ey to pay the expenses of running oul
government comes mainly from the tariff
on imported goods. In raising revenue
the House of Representatives has an i'm
portant voice, bills for that purpose orig
mating in that body by a provision of the
constitution. The House being more di-
rectly than the Senate the representative
of the people. this provision is wise one
The president by and with the advice and
consent of the Senate makes Il treaty and
asks no leave of the House. 4 treaty of
this kind affects so largely the revenues of
the country that, repeated in a few in
stances with countries that we have full as
much reason to favor rs we have our
northern neighbor, the power of the House
over the revenue would be entirely gone
The bills imposing IA tariff on imported
goods are passed after careful considera-
ton of the condition of various parts of
our country and of various classes of citi-
zens. They are arranged to bear as near
as may be in just proportion upon all.
There is great danger that Il well adjusted
system, that thus virtually taxes the peo-
pie, will be grossly interfered with by such
a treaty as this, and will be by it made
over from a means of equal taxation into
a measure of oppression to particular
classes.
So far as the opening of markets to free
trade goes, Canada gains an important adj
vantage. A few agricultural implements
will be sold over the border more than
now, and the oppressed vendors of NOW
ing and sewing machines will receive
somewhat of benefit, but the great body
of our own people will simply have intro
duced, to compete with their productions,
the produce of II country that raises cheap
er than we do, that lives cheaper and can
sell cheaper. The buyer of grain, of hay,
of cattle and of lumber will get some adj
vantage by Il fall in the prices of those
articles. The dealers in these articles
who have well established trade will
flourish, as their trade will naturally in
crease. We know of no part of the coun
try in fact that ought to be more benefited
by this treaty than Burlington. The open
ing of the Caughnawaga Canal, though
for half Il dozen years prospective merely.
will tend to largely increase the import
ance of that city, and the free lumber trade
would enable its lumber merchants to
greatly extend their traffic, and build up
still more the place they have already so
greatly helped. For the sake of the
Queen City " we should be glad to see
the treaty ratified, and do not dispute that
the growth of Il large city within our boz
ders would benefit the rest of the state
AT the same time it now looks as though
the harm to other interests throughout
Vermont would more than over-balance
those benefits, so that on the whole, Justice
to all our people demands its rejection.
The sales of Vermont farmers are main
ly OF the very products which this treaty
will admit to New England markets free
of duty Articles imported and used by
our farming population are heavily taxed
by duties, and thus the working classes of
the state pay in their proportion of the
money that pays the interest on bonds and
the current expenses of maintaining the
national government. These duties were
adjusted with the object of making them
bear equally on all classes. 1t is unrea-
sonable to rob Peter of the country to paw
Paul of the city; to lay upon. scattered
population burden by actually reducing
the price at which their productions are
sold, while Pretense is kept up of offer
ing wider markets.
Any objection that lies against the ma |
tlonal government undertaking on its |
own responsibility and at its own expense,
the great work of opening any desired
water route from the sea-board to the |
great West, lies with greater force against
Il part OF the governments hiring a neigh
boring nation to undertake that work.
The House of Representatives, the direct
representative body of the people, is ex-
Guided from having any word as to what
this contract of hiring shall be- The price
paid by Us for the work to be done by the
Canadian government is double one. and
gives nothing but lease, for few wears.
of the route opened. No permanent control
IS secured. And besides being double
price the one part of it is indefinite. We
pay for rights in Canadian canals that are
IN the future, by rights in our own that are