Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1903-09-05

Mr.. Shaw, Chairman of the Nation
al Reciprocity Committee, Undu1y
Sanguine Over the Labors of the
Joint High Comm ission.
The chairman of the national reel
procity committee, Mr.. Campbell Shaw,
expresses the conviction that a treaty
with Canada will be framed by the
joint high commission in time for con-
sideration and ratification by the
United States senate at next winters
session. This treaty, Mr.. Shaw be-
lieves, will provide for free trade in
natural products only. He summarizes
the situation as follows:
"Now, Senator Fairbanks has invited
the reconvening of the joint high COM
mission to renew negotiations for a
reciprocity treaty, and the commission
will meet this autumn. If the negotia-
lions fail or if treaty is framed and
is not ratified by the United States SEN
ate at the next session of congress the
Conservatives will promptly declare
that closer trade relations with the
United States are an impossibility.
as to practically exclude the trade Of
the United States would become so
strong the Conservatives would be
placed in power and there would be a
high tariff wall as long as they could
keep themselves in control of the coun-
try, which would probably be half
century.
'The general elections in Canada are
due next year, and policy of waiting
upon favorable action by this country
is out of the question. Had the Liber
ais lease of power for two or three
years to come there would undoubtedly
be no necessity for dispOsing of the
matter of trade relations with Canada
until after our elections next year
Nor can we fool ourselves with the idea
that Canada can wait until we are good
and ready to arrange a trade treaty
with her, for she is now in position to
get along without us, just as we have
been in a position to get along without
her. For this reason the Conservatives
could carry the country with a cry for
high protection and the building up of
home industries"
Just how a reciprocity arrangement
restricted to natural products is going
to greatly increase our sales to Cana
dian consumers Mr.. Shaw does not take
the trouble to explain. In some mystic
rious way he expects that such treaty
would insure the maintenance of our
control of the Canadian market, and he
urges that the matter be hurried up,
for, says he, If it be delayed beyond
next year ''the foes instead of the
friends of reciprocity will be in power
in Canada" Very likely they will be.
1t is reasonably certain that the party
in Canada which concludes a treaty on
any basis other than that of the free in
terchange Of natural products will find
itself out Of power within two years
from the negotiation of such treaty.
1t is also reasonably certain that the
party in the United States which takes
from the American farmer the protec-
ton against Canadian competition in
agricultural products which is guaran-
teed by the Dingley tariff will find it
self out Of power in considerably less
than two years.
Free trade in natural products be-
tween the United States and Canada,
following closely upon the sacrifice of
our domestic agricultural interests that
is contemplated in the pending Cuban
treaty, would hardly tend to impress
the American farmer with the convic-
ton that he was receiving his rightfui
share Of the benefits Of the protective
policy. He would be pretty sure to
ask, where do l come in?" And if
the answer was not to his satisfaction,
how long would he be likely to con-
tinue to give his support tooa policy
which excludes foreign competition
with everything he buys and invites
foreign competition with everything he
has to sell? To be more explicit, is the
American farmer such an idiot as to
vote protection for manufacturers
while exposed to all the disadvantages
Of free trade in products that compete
with his own? Probably not.
1t seems strange that the Republican
advocates of reciprocity in what are
known as natural products-products
Of the farm, the forest, the fishery and
the mine-cannot comprehend that this
is the beginning of the end Of all pro-
lection. With Cuba as the entering
wedge, followed by Canada as a far
bigger wedge, what becomes Of the pro
lection log? The answer is obvious. It
will be split wide open. The American
farmer Ill see to that. American