Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-02-06
CANADIAN RECIPROCITY
Try and the Position thereon Held by the Republican
Party Presented BY A Cabinet Officer.

| market for agricultural products. while
the United States is our chief supply
| for manufactures. More than that, in
1856 we bought no agricultural pro-
| ducts or food products from the Uni
ted States, but now, as l say, we buy
,, OF them two and onehalf times as
| much as we sell them
by the testimony of this witness
certainly it can not be said that the
republican policy up to the present
time has been disastrous to us. Our
manufactures have taken the place OF
manufactures of Great Britain and our
farmers have increased their markets
in the Diminion. No wonder that Mr..
Sherman said to Mr.. Charlton. as he
quotes him, We'll. Mr.. Charlton. I
think that our tariff suits us pretty
| WE'LL
Our exports to Canada have in
creased by leaps and bounds year aft
er year. They have increased al
though there is 33 1-3 per cent pref
erence in favor OF Great Britain. In
spite of that preference Mr.. Charlton
says that in 1901 Canada purchased
$2S,OOO,00O more of manufactured
goods from us than was purchased
from Great Britain and $4,000, 900
more than was purchased from all the
rest of the world, Great Britain includ-
ed. The balance of trade is constant.
~ in our favor, and it would seem as
if we had no reasonable ground of
complaint.
Nevertheless. if there is any man
ner in which we can justly increase
our trade with Canada, it is part of
craftsmanship to do it. Mr.. CASTOR
tells us that he is for reciprocity with
Canada. in order that we may get a
further outlet for our manufactures
That is the accepted view in Massa-
chusetts-that we can by some spe-
cles OF reciprocal arrangement obtain
larger market for our manufactured
products. am for any species of rec
iprocity which will do this, but |
question whether Canadian statesmen
are for such reciprocity. 1t takes two
to make bargain, and we ought to
consider Canada's attitude in the
premises
Il know of no one who can speak
with more authority than Mr.. Charl-
ton. The liberal party in 1891 declar-
ed in its platform for reciprocal trea-
ty with this country, including a we'll
considered list of manufactured arti-
cles.' That is well. but there has been
change of heart upon that subject,
If Mr.. Charlton speaks for his party.
In the same speech from which l have
already quoted, he said:
No arrangement will be satisfac-
tory to Canada that does not give us
reciprocity of natural products with
out granting any return or any con-
cession beyond what has already been
granted
Mr.. Clark-Doesp the honorable
gentleman mean reciprocity in nat
ural products alone a.
Mr.. Charlton-'C Certainly. I mean
that we are entitled today to recipro-
city in natural products absolutely and
unrestricted without granting one
solitary iota Of a concession further
than we have granted--without put
ting an article on the free list which
is not already there, and without di-
mlnishing our duties by a single con-
cession.
Again, he says: I say right here
that the very easiest, simplest, and
most favorable arrangement that we
are called upon to make with the Uni
ted States is to have reciprocal free
trade in natural products, without ref
erence' to any other conditions of tar
iff or free trade. We are not called up
on to reduce our duties, but we have
right to ask and should be content
ed with nothing less than reciprocal
free trade in natural products.
Again he says: Free trade in nat