The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-11-11
Tho Situation Is Bad, lie.
. Says, It Is not too
Late to Act.
Praises Panama Canal as.
Boon to the United
States. il !.
Special to The Journal.

- she must walk in leg-irons. Why
not strike them off and permit her to
pursue her journey freely to the ends"
This single utterance synnbolised with
brilliance and succinetness the domi-
nant note of speech delivered TO the
Merchants club at the Auditorium to-
night by James J.. Hill, president of the
Great Northern railway on 9 Reciproc-
ity with Canada" r. .'ss
: Mr.. Hill had been selected as the
guest and orator Of the first season $
dinner by this Organization, not only
because of his admitted prominence in
the world of traffic and trade, but be-
cause the club felt that no other man
could present the affirmative side Of the
Canadian reciprocity argument better
than he.~, t5ssER
shserest Folly. He Says.
Received with long continued ap-
plause and frequently interrupt ed with
outbursts Of applause, Mr.. Till rose TO-
his subject with confidence, and before
he had closed seemed to have won every
man in his audience TO his belief,
Whether he actually did SO or not, the
speaker pictured in strong, fresh tones,
a striking word canvas Of Chicago 81
opportunity to grow and expand once
the wall that rises between this nation
and its northern neighbor is raised. ,e:.
To erect and maintain forbidding
tariff structure between sections of this.
wonderful country, Mr.. Hill held to.
be as inexcusable as lettering trade
stipulations between states Of the union.
Such agreements and arrangements, he
said, probably would have been made.
years ago had the constitution Of the.
nation: permitted. Yet, he intimated,
all this would have been the sheerest
folly.
Like Plight of Colonies.
"The situation is not unlike that exs
listing between Great Britain and the
American colonies before the, srevolu-7
tion,' declared Mr.. Hill, land every
turn of the tariff screw by the United
States merely creates evaporation and
hardens determination to achieve in
dustrial independence, even tho it be
purchased at the cost of industrial iso-
lation. Each year has seen diminu-
ton in the Canadian desire for reci-
procity."
That reciprocity is still possible, how
ever, the railroad president believes is
L.
favoring influence the downfall of the
Chamberlain policy in Great Britain,
and with it the virtual command Of the
mother country to her dependencies to
make trade agreements wherever posi-
bue. Then Mr.. Hill gave some figures
in the way Of clinching his arguments.
He said:
Urges EARLY Action. -,
That the export trade of Canada to
the United kingdom had risen from
1854, 900 in 1866 to about $110, 1000
in 1904. ~
That on our side Canada does more
business with the United States than
any other country save Great Britain
and Germany.
It remains, continued Mr.. Hill,
for business men in both countries to
take hold before it is too late.o
And he asked at this point what the
first principal step should be, and an
swered it in this manner:
No one can go into this matter, dis
miss bias and self interest, without be-
Ieving that the consummation most to
be wished is the wiping out of custom
houses along our northern frontier and
the establishment there of absolute free.
i trade It is, the suggestion of natural
law, of business interest, of the common
good. If the time be not due for that,
the least that it demands is the policy.
and measure of ample reciprocity.
Canal as Boon to Nation.
There cannot be even beginning
until we shall have fixed in our minds
the desirability OF free interchange
of natural products and raw materials,
Continued on I'd Page. 4th Column.