The Savannah morning news., 1902-12-11
FOR RECIPROCITY
WITH CANADA.
Views Favoring 1t Expressed ut De-
troit Banquet.

Views Favoring 1t Expressed ut De-
troit Banquet.
Detroit, Dec 10.-Reciprocity be-
tween the United States and Canada
was the keynote of the speeches to-
night at the dinner rendered the dele
gates to the National Reciprocity con-
vention by the Detroit Chamber of
Commerce, and the arguments in favor
of it by John Charlton of the Cana
dian Pertinent and Campbell Shaw OF
Buffalo were enthusiastically received
by the 300 guests who were present.
The afternoon session of the confer
ence was devoted to an address of Hon.
A. B. Cummings of Iowa, on "Recip-
rocity and the Tariff" He was given
careful attention throughout. He SAID
in part:
There are many ardent advocates
for reciprocity who believes that tariff
schedules should be changed only
through reciprocal treaties. l am not
one of them. 1t seems to me manifest
that prerequisite 20 any material or
important reciprocal tariff is a willing
ness to adjust, whenever fairly re-
quired, our exclusive tariff to the con-
ditions of the times.
Reciprocity will never win it's way
until We shall be willing to treat the
tariff nationally instead of Historically;
and the frs step in the process is to
be willing to make such changes as
from time t. time may be necessary
to brinss tariff schedules into harmony
with the principle which vindicates
their existence.
"I believe some changes are demand
ed now without respect to a modifica-
ton of duties levied by any other
country upon our exports. / am unal-
terably opposed to readjustment Tor
light or trivial reasons. Changes
should not be made unless it shall be
clear that duties are too high or too
low. Tariff schedules, like all other
laws, are to be made, unmade and re-
| made, according to the public needs;
and we are not to be warned off by the
cry that we are on holy ground, and
that the sacred vestments of the
| priests are not to be touched by pro-
| fame hands.
There are duties, notably in the iron
| and steel schedule, although not con-
| fined to it, which are absolutely indie
feasible. which no men will ever at
tempt to defend, and which are as
much at war with the real object of
protection as free trade itself. They
| can be greatly reduced, and still the
American manufacturer will occupy
the whole American market, pay the
highest American wages, and be re-
warded with an ample American profit;
| and, therefore, they ought to be re-
duced, not years hence, but now.
There are materials which our expert
ence has shown us should be admitted
| free, simply because they would give
our people more work to do in prepar-
| ing them for their ultimate uses, and
it should be done, not years hence, but
now"
John Charlton was the first speaker
at the banquet tonight. He said:
There is beyond question a crying
necessity for action in securing a
! change of that trade policy towards
| Canada which has been adopted and
| followed by the United States for the
| last thirty-five years. The policy, be-
| yond question, is absurd. detrimental
| to the interests of both countries. and
| calculated to most efficiently promote
variance, ill feeling and hostility of in
| terest. 1t is time that it was changed
and something akin to the free trade
policy prevailing between all the states
| of the American union, substituted for
it, with the certainty that the blessings
that have followed in the one case
would follow in the other"