Republican farmer., 1909-04-02

]. The leading and strongest objection
 made by the opponents of the treaty
 was to the So-called violation of the
 spirit of the treaty. on the part of
 Canada, because she increased her tar
 if on products of the United States
 not Included in the reciprocity provis- ions Of the treaty, mostly manufac-
 tured products, of course. It must be
 confessed that it was natural that
 Canada's course in this respect should
 irritate the Americans. It needs but a moment to conclude that our manu- featuring industries a whole must
 have been much superior to those or
 Canada, and no doubt our manufac-
 turers anticipated the development of a most excellent and profitable trade with Canada under duties no higher of the treaty. But Canada raised du- ties on imports through her tariff of 1858 and it was done for the sake of making important internal improve or very desirable for the development of the resources of the provinces. Can als and railroads were built and inn provementS were also made in canals renee river. MT. Frederick E. Haynes takes the ground that the object of these works was as much political as commercial, ''the desire of the Canad- ian statesmen having been to consoli- date the separate provinces and by an increase in the material wealth of the people to remove all diScontent, which from the situation of the country, so easily developed into a desire for an nexation to the United States" MT Haynes points out that to obtain the large revenues needed for the improve mentS increase of taxation was eSSen- tial, and that the easier method seem ed to be to raise the tariff. ''This," he adds, "could not be done in the case of those articles included in the treaty, but could be done in the case of man ufactured goods. This was done, and then arose the grievance of which the From year to year. as greater revenue was required, a higher tariff was inn posed to the increasing disgust of the American manufacturer"
 In this connection it is important to consider some things contained in a report, dated May, 1860, and made by John W. Taylor to the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States In taken a broad and unprejudiced view, favordng Canada to an extent that could hardly have been expected. He compared at length the American tar ifs of 1896 and 1857 with the Canadian tariff of 1858 and found that Canada had done nothing more than to bring her duties up so as to approach an with ours. MT. Taylor even claimed that the demand that Canada should put her duties back to where they were when the reciprocity treaty was ratified or endure the abrogatdon of the treaty itself, bordered on arTo- gance in view of the fact that the du- ties imposed under the tariff of 1857 were at least 25 per cent higher than the corresponding rates of the Canad- ian tariff. Referring to the pamphlet of MT. Haynes again, I find that he that the complaint of the might have had a doubtful justification before the outbreak of the Civil War, while the tariff of 1857 was in force, but he adds: ''It could have none at all after. the war tariffs came into existence Even under the tariff of 1857 the tariff rate of the United States upon cotton and woolen goods was 24 per cent, per cent. higher than the Canadian duty under the tar If of 1S59.''
 But such facts as have just been cited had to contend with popular prejudice and the self-interest of pro- ducers, and we all know that a biased mind seeks to justify itself rather than to learn the truth against which, in deed, it often steels Itself with per- tinacfty that would be astonishing, were we not aware that men are gov erned far more by strong feelings en- yendered by prejudice than they are by nationality
 But the commercial and economical objections to the treaty-that to which have made reference and others that either were advanced or may have been advanced-were not the direct and predominating cause of the abro- yation of the treaty. Indeed, it may we'll be doubted whether these objec- ions alone, untrammeled by the com Jlications leading to and following the opening of the Civil War, would have ended the efforts to promote reciprocal ;rade between the two countries. Il write advisedly; for, in spite of the here, there was strong sentiment in he United. States which favored the of liberal trade arrange nents with Canada This sentiment ion held at Detroit. July 11-14, 1865. The convention was composed of prominent business men and others representing the leading commercial bodies of the United States and the British North American provinces and anne 'to substantial unanfmity, and hey united in urging upon the gov at Washington the great inn l ,ortance of immediately opening nego- iations with the British government | or a new arrangement, at the least as iberal on both sides as the one about | o expire mad been, and as much | broader as should appear practicable. | Their action was approved by every | Board of Trade and Chamber of Com | nerce in the country taking any in- | crest in the matter; it was disapprov- | d, so far as we ever heard, by none."
 Certainly the business interests in
  Ird as desirous that reciprocity with | Canada should be continued in some l orn; but the unhappy political influ- nces of the time were sufficient to verride wise utilitarian considerations, nd were the direct cause of the abro- ,ation of the treaty as is freely ac-
 by all writers on the sub ect whom I have consulted. One of hem, Goldwin Smith, the famous his brian, has expressed himself as fol- | owS:
 ''To the anger which the behavior of party in England had excited in America Canada owes the loss of the eciprocity treaty. If Great Britain can, with justice, say that she as paid heavily for the defense of sanada, Canada can with equal jus ice reply that she has paid heavily in he way of commercial sacrifice for he policy of Great Britain
 I have already mentioned the hin rance to enlightened and friendly re- ations between the inhabitants of diff erent countries which springs from he instinctive and unreasonable preJu- ice against 8 foreigner simply be- ause he is a foreigner. If the effect