The Washington times., 1901-09-05
TRADE PROBLEMS TO FACE
Questions for the Consideration Of
the Coming Congress.
Reciprocity Relations With cuba
and Canndn-AdNantaEes TO BE
Gained by This Country, and Some
of the Obstacles TO Be Overcome


| and Canada IL is now thought, will
| engage the attention of the coming Con-
| gress. 1t is even urged that their con-
! sideration will not be postponed after the
| first of January.
The advantages of freer trade With
Canada are 50 manifest as to be beyond
| dispute. and the commercial bodies of
| New England are bestirring themselves
none too soon to bring it about. Canada
has quite as much to gain from a more
liberal policy. Her slow growth during
the last decade for new country, with
railroads opening up fresh wheat fields in
the west. for one possessed of liberal
Government and with protection from
all hostile encroachment by the strong
arm of Great Britain. is most surprising
Her heavy debt is not sufficient to ac
count for 1t.
Much of the explanation evidently lies
in Canada's outsbirt relation to The
United States. 1t is a great agricultural
country deprived of its natural markets,
for the bulkier products of the outskirts
always gravitate toward the centres of
population. In the same way manufac-
| turing, under modern conditions, could be
done to much better advantage were the
| boundary barrier either erased or soft
| ened. \ wallpaper manufacturer who was
recently in Washington doubtless de-
| scribed a condition common to many ar
| ticles when he said that there should be
| no tariff on wallpaper going into Can
| ada, since its population was not large
| enough to Justify home manufacturers in
| bringing out the variety of styles and pat
| terms which were desirable Their users
| of wallpaper would profit by the same
| free entry TO the general American mar
| kets that the people of Florida or of Wyo-
ming enjoy. This must be true of count
less other articles. or the basis of trust
economies is unsubstantial.
The American people, protectionists and
free traders have too long rejoiced over
the enormous area in this Republic open
to unrestricted commerce not to see the
advantages TO both sides of the Canadian
line of a more liberal policy. Its friends
point out that there Is no difference be-
tween the wages and wage-earners of
Canada and those of the United States
which is not exceeded by differences that
already exist within our own Republic
The working white population of the
South is cheaper labor than that of
Canada; they subsist more economically,
and are. as a rule, less civilized. North
ern manufacturers are in open compeu-
ton with this low-priced labor or the
grew so rapidly in the last decade as the
manufacturing cities of the Northeast,
which were meeting this very competi.
ton. Pittsburg is a region OF high-priced
labor and Birmingham of low-priced. and
vet they are both doing business In the
same tariff area In the light OF such
obvious facts. friends of more liberal tar
ifs find II hard to understand the eN-
treme alarm with which the egg-raiser
and the hay-producer along our Canadian
line hears reciprocity mentioned. for
no one expects more than lowering OF
the tariff barriers
Whether Canadian reciprocity can be
brought about, no matter how strong the
business influences and financial argu-
ments is serious question Two great
difficulties stand In the way-the two
thirds requirement in the United states
Senate and the old unwillingness of Can
a. la to come to an agreement on anything
less than the entire list of controverted
subjects. 1t is believed here that reci-
procity arrangement could have been
reached by the Joint High Commission,
which would at least have gone out of
that body with its full approval, had the
Canadians been willing to agree upon
part of the subjects in dispute. OF
course, the Alaskan boundary was the one
great obstacle in the path.
The impression prevails here that the
Joint High Commission Will probably be
reassembled before long. and. of course,
at the instance of Canada Lord Paunce-
totes London interview a few weeks ago
implied this. The reported appointment
Mount Royal to succeed Lord Herschel
at the head of the commission. whether
IL proves well founded or not, suggests a
rippling of the waters in that quarter IT
may be assumed that Canada will be
in a more plant mood this time than be-
fore. Her preferential duties in favor of
Great Britain have apparently not ac-
complished the object for which they were
intended; at least the importation o. our
goods has increased in spite OF the prefer
ence OF. first 12n, then 25. and now
80 1-3 per cent in favor of the mother
country.
How much more rapidly the trade of the
United States would have grown had
there been no discriminating duties can
not be known, but the Indications are that
contiguity is factor not easily overcome
by preferential tariffs. But any reciproc-
ity treaty with the United States natur-
ally involves the naturalization, at least,
of the present preferences toward Great
Britain, and as this is the great policy of
the Laurier party. II is evident that some
opposition would attend its undoing. That
the Canadians could figure out more prof
IL to themselves from concessions to us |
is clear. but having ventured on the policy !
of cultivating trade across the seas they |
may hesitate to reverse IL now.
In case the Joint High Commission
should reassemble, with Canada willing |,
TO discuss reciprocity on its own merits, |
and a provisional treaty should go to the |
Senate. another battle would have to be |
fought there. Friends of Canadian reci- |
procity would have to meet not only the |
t~O-lnlruS vote requirement, Dut tney |
would have to avoid the more dangerous |
shoals of Senatorial combinations. There |
will be opponents to the other great |
reciprocity projects of the session, par |
ticularly that with Cuba, who viii want |
allies The opportunity for log-rolling is |
always especially strong in tariff making. /
because the Senator who represents the |
plain consumer or simply general busi- |
ness interests is much less jealous than |
the one who stands for some single pro-
ducing interest which might be greatly |
injured by the change.
The Senatorial advocate, for example,
of a bill which would save five dollars a
year in the cost of living to every house
holder in his State is under less pressure
than the spokesman of business inter-
est that may have half million dollars
n year at stake in the maintenance OF the
he one of the great items in the Canadian
reciprocity, we always hear great deal
about the holders of Canadian patents
and the owners of American stumpage, of
those who have competing lumber to sell
In the southern AlleghenieS, of the mill
owners on one shore of Lake Huron and !
on the other: their interests are discussed
with minuteness of detail, but the every
day person in Connecticut or New Jersey, !
who in building a home. might be affect |
ed $50 worth by the price OF lumber. is
rarely considered. Particularly is this so |
Of the man who pays rent on such a
house. whose tax might not amount to 81
a year. He often does not know his own
interest. II the Senators who represent
great bodies of consumers would weigh
their interests In the aggregate they
would in many cases reach different con-
clusions.
The Cuban reciprocity project should in
yolye some sentimental considerations.
Senator Platt of Connecticut Chairman
IF the Cuban Committee. is expected to