The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-08-15

NG, AUGUST Is, 1902
free raw material from Canada. Canada's
advantage would be no greater in having the
greatest market in the world open to her
wheat and lumber. than in receiving free Of
duty our agricultural implements and other
staple manufactured articles
Dangers to Be Avoided.
am not unnlindful of the dangers that lurk
IN every reciprocity agreement. Suoh can
never be made except by mutual concessions.
Each nation must surrender something. Some
industry may be lnjuriously affected, or. what
Is more certain, the profits in some lines may
be reduced. But in this our commerce must
be considered whole. If on the hnal
balance it Is greatly the gamer, then reci-
proctty Is desirable, even II some Industry |
shall suffer. But the greatest care must te |
exercised that there shall be no entering
wedge that will result in the destruction or
overflow of the principle have laid down as
tho foundation of protection. In arranging
reciprocity agreement with Canada, care must
also be exercised that none other than the !
products of the Dominion may be admitted
under the agreement that is, the agreement
must not be so loosely drawn that Canada
may become but the highway for the prod
ucts OF ali of Great Britain and her colonies.
Both Sides of the Matter.
Let us look for moment at the advan-
tages and the dangers of reciprocity with
Canada and look frankly at both sides of it.
1t is idle to deny that some small industries
In New England would be injuriously eff
fected and that the owners of large bodies
of pine timber in the northwest and in the
south would have their enormous profits re-
duced. The latter could stand this and at
the same time reap enormous fortunes while
the former are too insignificant to be per-
mitted to stand in the way Of the great ad-
vantage to our commerce as whole, to be
derived from reciprocity.
Canada's Interest.
On the other hand, eastern Canada is be-
ginning TO take interest in manufactures.
and there Is already some talk from that
section of reciprocity only on raw materials.
But l am persuaded that it Is not too late
yet If we shall be prompt and fair in our
ofrsr. to tempt the people OF Canada with
the market offered ty 100000 OF people,
the best market in the world, for their coal
their wheat and their lumber.
I;ut the people of western Canada have
another interest 1t would he greatly to their
advantage to purchase all their staple COM
modities from the states. Not only would
they have the advantage of cheapness, If the
duty was removed. but the advantage in
quality and style would. itself, be a con-
trolling inducement. Add to this our mar
kct for their wheat, and we may count on
the people from this section to strongly ia
vor reciprocity.
Our Side of 1t.
! But let US look at own side Of the
question. The tide Of emigration is
pouring into western Canada as it did into
northern Minnesota and the Dakotas in the
| eighties. This country Is being occupied by
the same class of people who settled our
"estern prairies; they are the highest class
people In the world the largest consumers
per person. The great part Of this enormous
empire that is 50 rapidly settling up Is nat
uraliy tributary to Minneapolis. In less than
ten years it will te as thickly settled as
northern Minnesota aud the Dakotas are 20
day. With reciprocity. minneapolis woy
have their trade: would supply nearly all
the great commodities they require. Think
of the enormous Possibilities for the COM
nlerce of our city. lie: each jobbing house
in Minneapolis aid 10 its present business
an amount equal to !hst now done in the
Dakotas. and the aggregate forms stupep :
deus volume MinneaE oils now handles in
value more agricultural implements than any
ether point the world. Remove the tariff
and 80 per cent of the implements used in
Canada would be sold by Minneapolis Goa!-
ers. When contemplate this enormous
empire and the thousands upon thousands OF
acres yet to come under cultivation. there
is presented a dazzling possibility. What is
true Of agricultural implements Is true Of
all other staple commodities. Viewed from
this standpoint alone is not the prize worth
| the effort?
Canada Becoming Less Inter ested.
But there Is another matter of great i'm
portance. II reciprocity with Canada Is much
longer postponed we will find the Canadian
! people in a position where they will not
want to enter into any agreement with US.
and the opportunity for making Minneapolis
a great commercial center and distributing
point for western Canada will be lost AL
ready some manufacturers OF agricultural
implements planning to build factories
in Canada and others have 1t under consid-
GRAFTON. II we shall much longer pursue oul
short-sighted policy, American capital will
be largely invested In manufacturing II
Canada and Canadian labor will reap the
benefit which, with reciprocity, would go tc
American labor. Canadian cities will be
built up at the expense of Minneapolis.
There is still another point of view from
which we should consider this question. W.
. want their coal, we want their lumber ant
I above all, want their wheat Every con-
super Of coal can appreciate the advantage
of Canadian competition. Not only do va
want their lumber, that competition may re-
duce the price to the consumer and encouras:
The building st homes, but We want it t.
all ana increase OIf various WOOD maQu1AC
turing industries, and this is particular!
true of timber that enters INTO the man:lfac
ture CT barrels, an important industry in Min
neapolis.
Free Wheat.
But important as are all OF these things
of far greater importance is it that we shoult
have their wheat. The present tariff OF
wheat is worse than useless; 1t Is Injurious
The tariff serves as protection to hom
industries only by limiting preventin,
foreign competition in our home market
OF given commodity, we produce a large sur
plus the world is necessarily our market AM
that price Of that article is fixed at the foreig1
ports where that surplus finds its sale.
tariff on such commodity serves no goo
purpose and may be damaging. This Is tru
OF the wheat and -four tariff at the presen
time. Many European countries are buyer
Of wheat both in It's natural state and in it
finished product, -four. Great Britain, O
course. is the largest The price OF wheat
therefore, the world over is controlled by tn
price at Liverpool, where the surplus whea
of the world Is marketed. The United State
exported In 1901 1872 900, 900 bushels of whea
and nearly 100000 barrels Of -four, tn
aggregate Of wheat and flour annually ex
ported being equal 10 about two-f1fths OF a.
the wheat raised in the United States. Th
price OF wheat, therefore, at every elevate
in the United States Is fixed by. the surplus
and, except for occasional furnes, resutin