The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-08-18
Are Not PrOttctiOniSts According
 to Gov Cummins
MOTIVES ARE TOO SELFISH
American Reoiproca! Tariff League Is Formally Launched In Chicago and Will Fight for Better For
 eign Trade Relations.

Chicago, August 17.-The reciprocity conference called to devise means of bet tering the trade relations between the United States and foreign countries fin- ished the work today for which the meet ing was called, arranged for a committee to prosecute the plans of the conven- ton and formed a permanent organiza- ton styled as the American Reciprocal Tariff league. The committee. which will consist of fifteen members to be appoint ed by the chair, was given full power to organize and promote the work for which the convention assembled.
 The resolutions adopted advocate a maximum and minimum tariff as means of relieving the situation with which this country is confronted and suggests that such reciprocal concessions be arranged by permanent tariff commission to ba created by Congress, and to be appointed by the President
 Cummins Principal Speaker.
 The principal speaker at todays ses- sion was Governor A. B. Cummins of Iowa. who in a speech fur of fire and elo-
 
 of reciprocity. Mir Cummins brought tho audience under his spell and except when interrupted with uproarous applause. he held full sway for three-quarters of an hour. Other speakers today were Edward Rosewater of Omaha, former Mayor w. c. Maybury of Detroit. A. B. Farkuhar of Pennsylvania, s. F. Power of Wisconsin, E. s. Lockrldge of Indiana and a dozen delegates who made voluntary addresses.
 Martin B. Madden, representative of the First Illinois Congressional district Lori mer of the Sixth and others will make a trip in a gasoline launch down the pro- posed water way from Chicago to New Orleans early next fall. The trip will be made for the purpose of getting all pos sible information to aid them in ad- vocating the passage of a bill by Con- gress making an appropriation for build ing the proposed ship canal that will com- plete deep water way 10 the gulf.
 Trusts the Common People.
 Governor Cummins of Iowa said:
 T for one have deep and abiding and persisting confidence in the judgment of the plain. common simple people of the land, and l want to settle this question in the good old-fashioned way, the in. staling of free institutions for the deter imitation of public policies.
 Let us fight 1t out before the people: If we lose. We will abandon the attempt, and if We win let those who are skulk- inG In the shadows of concealment re- tire to the places that are appropriate for towards and traitors to the policies of our government (cheers and continued applause). If the decision of the people be for reciprocity there must not be further Juggling with words, and tho promise that is kept to the ear must not be broken to the people The gray ity of the situation is manifest, and 1t is acknowledged I believe upon all hands that we must meet it in one of two ways retaliation or reciprocity. stand patters have raised the banner of the former and we march to the music of the latter. tApplause).
 Trade Treaties Not Adequate.
 Many people think this question is confined to treaties with ourselves, but it is not so for 1t cannot be accom- plished through general tariffs as we'll as through special arrangements. Indeed it can be truthfully said that with us if attained in the near future, 1t must be attained through a general law by a revision of our schedule for 1t has been made clear to the dullest mind that no trade treaty however advantageous to the people of this country. can command lWO-lHlTuS Ol lHt ODlteu StateS sen ate. (Applause). It involves invariably whether attained In the one way or the other some changes In our import duties, and here the trouble begins. 1t is use- less to attempt to close our eyes to the obvious fact that the efforts to n- troduce reciprocity an effective policy of the government have failed because many well-intentioned intelligent people have believed and still believe that it means the destruction of the system of protection to which the great majority of the voters are attached. I have been a constant advocate of the policy of pro lection. The protective tariff was not originally intended to exclude competition but rather to create competition. No for eign nation could justly complain of this equalization, and so far as l know no nation has ever complained of such criterion for import duties. With sched- ules arranged with any fair regard for this definition of protection, reciprocity would be already secured, and retaliation would be the weapon with which to pun ish any country that refused to deal fairly with us. At the most, we would need treaties in very few instances to provide for unusual and extraordinary conditions.
 There is no conflict and can be none between protection and reciprocity If we abandon the senish interest of partic- uIar producer or class of producers, and ascend to the higher standpoint from which we may view the common well fare" continued the governor.
 '"rhe only justification for interference with the absolute free trade is first to provide a revenue and second to diversity and increase the products of the c,un- try and 1t Is Just as essential and just as beneficial to our producers to preserve and enlarge their market abroad as we'll is to preserve and enlarge their markets at home
 "The demand we make Is not new. The men who today are the opponents of the stand pat theory of government are not protectionists; they are exclusionists tApplause). They have no title to the leadership of the party of protection"
 Warm Debate Over Resolution.
 After brief speeches by ex-Mayor May bury of Detroit and F. Rrietbock o2 Wisconsin the report of the committee on resolutions was taken up. The first resolution was amended by agreement of the committee to read as follows:
 Resolved, First. that this committee