Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1904-02-25
CANADA AND AMERICA
WHAT cHAM5ERLAlfVs TARIFF
MEANS.
II Is In Our Power, by Reciprocity
Treaty, to Secure the Canadian Mar
kets-Matter Worth Prompt anu
Serious Thought.

MIR. Chamberlains scheme" P:esi-
dent Schurman of Cornell told the
New York Manufacturers association,
would inevitably reduce the volume
OF agricultural products you now send
to Great Britain, and the volume of
manufactured products you now send
to Canada and other British colonies.
That such would be the effect of
Mr.. Chamberlain policy there can be
no doubt. Mr.. Chamberlain plan is
to enlarge and make more nearly
self-sufficient the British imperial in
dustrial plant. 70 do this he must
first get greater food supplies from
within the British empire. This he
proposes to do by giving British colo
NAL agriculture a tariff preference in
the English market, thus stimulating
its extension.
Then he proposes to protect British
manufacture at home by tariff on
foreign manufactures. With the hcme
market thus secured, British manufac-
ture will be strengthened for competi-
ton abroad, and especially in the colo.
mes. Canada has already given Brit.
ish manufactures a tariff preference.
With reciprocal preference for her
agriculture she would maintain this
preference, and perhaps increase it.
Other British colonies would incline
toward a similar exchange of tariff
preferences. The result would he cur
tailment of American exports of both
AGRICULTURAL OnI noo a ntnrnI nrnn-
ucts to the British empire.
1t is true that the success of this
plan involves a sacrifice by Canada of
her aspirations to economic independ-
ence. If she ADOPT the Chamberlain
plan she must be content to let Great
Britain be the mill and Canada only
the farm. While far-sighted Cana
dams may sec that it would be better
| in the long run to reject the Chamber
| lain plan, its adoption offers large inn
| mediate profit to the agricultural inter
| est, which in Canada is overwhelm-
| ingly stronger than the manufacturing.
| 1t also involves an economic turning
| away from America, and an economic
| turning toward Europe, with all the
social and political implications of
| such a change o. attitude, while the
| Canadian spirit is more American than
European.
Nevertheless men are wont to pre-
| fer immediate to remote advantages
and the Canadians are no exception tC
| the rule. That men will close theil
eyes to their highest future welfare
to obtain present profits was wei
shown in the long resistance of the az
ricultural south to the policy of protec
ton. Even to the point of takins
up arms the South preferred immedi
ate profits of agriculture to the ma
tional economic independence which
only the combination of manufactures
with agriculture could give. In spite
Of Canada's essentially American
spirit-in spite of the REIMBURSEMENT
of economic fsufficiency it involve!
Canada will prefer the Chamber
lain plan, because it offers immediat,
profits to agriculture, unless she re
ceiVes solid inducements to reject it
In view of the facts" said Presi
dent Schurman, would it not be pres
cient craftsmanship and shrewd poll
tics for us to negotiate without della,
treaty of reciprocity with Canada
The attitude of Canada toward MI
Chamberlain's scheme will settle il
fate. 1t is still in our power to.da,
to secure the Canadian markets, an
keep Canada politically anchored T.
this continent. Tomorrow it may b
too late"
With Mr.. Chamberlain's plan, dar
gerous to our commerce and hostile {
the ideal of wholly American Amer
ca. as it is, we cannot directly NEEDLE
The action he proposes is wholly with
in the sphere OF British domestic iegi!
lation. We have no more right to oil
ject automatically to his tariff bill
than England has to ours. We can d,
feat his plan if Englishmen have an
common sense left. only by making
worth while for Canada to reject it.
Is it worth our while to make
worth Canada's to reject it? Is 1t {
our interest to prevent Canada frol
becoming European? Shall we kee
Canada American? These question
are certainly worth prompt and ser
Gus thought.-Chicago Record-HeralC
Eoreiun Trade in Iron and Steel