Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-11-12
FOR RECIPROCITY
Railway Magnate Favors Free !. Trade With Canada.
CRYING NEED FOR A GREAT CANAL
Success of Interstate Trade Proves Deneiat That Would Follow Tear tng Down of Customs Houses
 All Along FrDntier.


 All Along Frontier.
 CHICAGO, Nov. 12.-,J. J. Hill was
 the guest of honor at the banQue! of the Merchants club and delivered an extended address upon "Chicago's In terest In Reciprocity With Canada"
 Mir. Hill was introduced to his audi tors by Charles D. Norton, president of the club, who said that Chicago in its history had suffered two great ca lamities. the first being the great Chi cago fire and the other the fact that James J. Hill passed through the city without stopping when he went to make his home in the northwest.
 After outlining the commercial great mess of Chicago and giving some of the reasons therefor, Mir. Hill said:
 Today the entire country is suffer ing from want of transportation facili-i ties to move its business without un- reasonable delay The prevailing idea with the public Is that the railways are short of cars, while the facts are that the shortage is in tracks and terminals to provide greater oppor- tpnity for the movement of the cars"
 The speaker declared that the coun- try today faced transportation prob lem which only time, patience and the expenditure of enormous sums of mon- ey will remedy. He asserted that there is crying need now for the constrnc- tion of a fifteen foot channel between St. Louis and New Orleans, and he said that the necessity for this would in- crease with time. There was no more important general work for the gov ernnent to perform, he said. than to construct canal capable of carrying vessels of fifteen feet draft.
 Mir. Hill recited figures showing that the trade with the people whom the United States will be able to reach by the construction of the Panama canal amounts to only about $54.500, 900 an- nually. while our trade with Canada is over $20O.O00, GOO per annum. He as- serted that the conservation and in- crease of this trade is of greater i'm portance than anything that will ac- crue to the United States because of the construction of the canal.
 Concerning reciprocity with Cana da, Mir. Hill said:
 The plea for more liberal trade re- Iations is negatived only by unreason- Ing individual selfshness. The con- elusive argument for reciprocity with Canada always has been anu must be Inc experience of the several American Itates Had 1t not been prohibited by | he constitution each state of the Un- on would have levied duty on all commerce crossing its boundaries. Yet III acknowledge now that one great 'actor in the development of the Unit d States has been the commercial of state lines. Unrestrict- d trade between the states has favor d all of them.
 The time is opportune for a practi. al movement toward better trade rs- ations with Canada. There has been increasing irritations toward our atti- ude. and already the fact that our av- rage tari6 against the Dominion Is I0,8S while that of Canada against the United States is 24.S3 causes comment md suggests reprisals."
 In closing Mir. Hill said:
 "What is the first practical stepI The most to be wished is the viping out of customs houses along he northern frontier and the establish nent thereof of absolute free trade. If he time is not ripe for that the least hat 1t demands is ample reciprocity. There cannot be . beginning until we lave fixed in our minds the deslrabil- ty of . free interchange of natural 'roducts and raw materials. giving to he New England manufacturer his uel and to the farmer of the western 'lains his lumber and to the makers of looks and newspapers everywhere heir print paper free from the exac- ions which q needless tarif now per aits monopoly to impose. From this as
 beginning work may go forward to- yard larger liberty by an enlargement f markets and a progress of public eminent that reciprocity once in oper- tion will assure."