The herald., 1893-06-07
FREE TRADE WITH CANADA
The Benefits of the Scheme
Are Apparent.
1t Would Be a Good Thing for
Both Countries.
SO the Convention at st. Paul Has
Declared.
Congrsssman springer's sapfent Remarks
A Hot Fight in the Antitrust
Convention at Chicago.
Radicals Downed.

ST. PAUL, MIMI, y uue O.-W n0n the
delegates to the international reciprocity
convention got together today, the Of
ficers selected last evening by the COM
mittee on organization we're elected.
Letters OF regret were read from Gov
ernor Russell, OF Massachusetts,; Hon.
Wilfrsd Laurier, of Quebec, and other
prominent men. E. V. Smalley, chair
man of the committee on resolutions,
read report and epoke briefly in its
support. The resolutions were sub
stantially As follows:
In favor of reciprocity in trade. espec-
tally with Canada, which would, it was
held, be Of great mutual advantage; inn
provement of waterways from the great
lakes to tidewater. so as to admit OF the
passage of ocean steamers and open COM
petition between the railways OF both
countries, and providing for @ acommittee
of 10, five from the United States and
five from Canads, to lay the matters be-
fore the respective governments, with a
view to securing the enactment OF the
necessary laws to the ends sought.
After addresses favoring the resolu-
tions, by Hon. Joseph Martin and Hon.
William NJ. Springer Of Illinois, the con-
vention took recess.
At the afternoon session President
James J. Hill, Of the Great Northern
railroad, spoke at some length. He said
if the custom houses along the border
were abolished it would make a new
geography, commercially speaking, OF
the continent on both sides of the
boundary. The people engaged in prac-
llxy ho oop no II a ia
no reason why the commerce which now
seeks an outlet ct Baltimore, New York
and Boston, should not be divided with
Montreal. Rates that will let the
farmers live and prosper are necessary
for the development of the Canadian
northwest. An arrangement agreed
upon between the two countries will rrs
! eult in good To nortinn u shis courfs {
and all OF Canada. He thought ID well
not to ask for go much that the people
will feel that Canada lie getting all the
advantage. II it were possible to build
ship canal to the Hudson, it would
never approach in effectiveness the nat
ural highway of the lakes and st. Law
renee, if the natural way were improved.
DIR. 0rton, former member of the
Canadian parliament, j. W. Hawne OF
Minneapolis and Mr.. Hall OF Brandon,
Man., spoke on the platform, and S. A.
Thompson of Duluth spoke at length on
| deep waterways to the sea. After
further discussion the platform was
unanimously adopted.
In the evening mass meeting was
| held in the auditorium. Hon. William
M. Springer, chairman of the ways and
means committee of the last house of
representatives, delivered the chief ad-
| dress of the session.
Springer said in part: ''The most i'm
portant feature in the union OF our states
is the absolute freedom of trade which
| the constitution secures in all the states
OF the republic. To this feature of our
institutions can be attributed more of
the substantial growth Of our country
than to any other cause. II this trade
has been so beneficial, what reason can
we give, what argument can we offer in
favor of continuing this trade among our
own states which will not apply
to trade between the Dominion of
Canada and the United States? That
there has not been the same freedom of
trade between Canada and the United
States seems almost mystery to one
who can view the situation without
prejudice. Restricted trade between
! the Dominion and the United States has
1
selfehneeH of special interests. What
is needed is intelligent debate, discus
sions in conventions of this kind, argu-
ments in the public press and more un-
selfish and patriotic devotion to the in
terests of the masses, as distinguished
from those of the favored classes.
''How can we proceed to bring about
this result? I would favor conferring
upon the president of the United States
authority to appoint an international
commission on our part to treat with
any like commission appointed by the
Dominion for the purpose of submit
ting to the respective governments
treaty Of reciprocity, embody-
ing as far as possible the following pro-
| visions: Free exchange of the products
of the soil, forest and mines of the two
countries and of the fisheries of the At
lantic and inland seas free exchange of
manufactured articles, the component
parts of which have been produced in
either cofntry. Where articles are sub
ject to an internal tax, each country
should impose tariff equal to the in
ternal tax.
"There might be some exceptions to
these general rules which it would be
safe to submit to the Judgment of the
international commission. The advan-
tages that would accrue to both
countries would greatly stimulate
and promote their commerce, would
develop their growth and re-
sources, and confer upon each the in
estimable advantages which have re-
suited from perfect free trade between
the states of our union. Every new
change would broaden and widen the
system until there would be nothing left
to remind as of the folly of the past, ex-
cept the records Of congresses.
"The nearer the Dominion approaches
to absolute fres trade with the United
States, the more satisfactory will that
condition be to Great Britain. Under
that system England has developed and
hrnusht to her ueople A WEALTH which