Republican farmer., 1909-04-02

lowing the adoption of the Reciprocity Treaty and the causes which led to it's negotiation. It Is not necessary to weary the reader with d minute ac-
 count Of the legislative and diplomatic steps that were taken to bring the proceedings to a close Suffice 1t here Of the English government a party, comprising Lord Elgin, MT. Francis Hincks. then prime minister of Can ada, Captain Hamilton, A. D. C., and Lawrence Oliphant, private secretary
 of Lord Elgin. left England, were join ed by Colonel Bruce and one or two Canadians at New York, and thence
 proceeded to Washington where by means of skillful diplomacy, some of it, according to certain writers. not being
 above reproach. they overcame the opposition of the Democratic majority
 in the Senate and successfully paved
 the way for the adoption of the treaty. It was approved by President Pierce on August 5th, 1854, and following his
 proclamation promulgating the treaty on March 16 1855, 1t went into effect.
 WORKING OF THE TREATY.
 The treaty continued in operation for eleven years and two months, or un- til May F, 1866. Had the trial of the nearly normal conditions we could judge of it's merits much better than it is possible to judge of them under the abnormal, even violently disturb
 
 major part of the period. The crisis or panic" of 1857 unsettled business to marked extent in the United States and to some extent in Canada, but was fortunately not long in dura tion. "In the inquiries which were made as to the causes of the crisis,
 writes Prof. William G. Sumner, ''the state of the currency was generally recognized as the root of the trouble" It is clear that the crisis erudely inter rupted an encouraging growth in trade between the United States and the British provinces in the first years of the treaty, both imports and exports falling off largely in 1857 and 1858, particularly in the latter year, fol- lowed in 1859 by a noteworthy bound toward improved conditions. But the business crisis was merely like a thun- der shower which makes big commo- ton, then quickly passes away, leav- ing a landscape flooded with sunlight and full of promise. Far more seri- ous was the effect of the Civil War of 1S61-65. and we should also allow for the effect of the troublesome agttations that led up to it, agitations developed from the increasing hostility between the North and the South on account of the slavery question.
 The most important deduction to be soundly made from the statistics GOV ering the working of the treaty is that under the favorable years of the treaty, I meaning by favorable years those which were not disturbed by the | DuSlneSS Cr1S1S ana acCud1 there was a marked increase in the l trade between the two countries; and i 1t seems safe to conclude that a large 1 part of this increase, at least, was due 1 to the direct effect of the treaty itself. | For an exhaustive presentation and discussion of the relevant statistics. see the valuable pamphlet entitled '"The | Reciprocity Treaty with Canada of 1854" written by Frederick E. Haynes, | Ph. D., and published by the Ameri- | can Economic ASSociatiOn.)
 Concerning the working of the treaty | during it's latter years I may fittingly | quote from the already mentioned book l of Laughlin and Willis follows:
 During the war. of course, when | the productive power of our own coun- | try was curtailed, we naturally looked to Canada for supplies, and 1860 and 1861 were the only years in which our imports from that country exceeded our exports during the life of the | treaty. until just at the time the agree had already begun before the end of the Civil War, and 1864 might be con- sfdered a more normal year. Then, with the general recognition of the fact that the treaty was practically certain to be abrogated, came a great rush to bring quantities of Canadian goods over the border before the duties again became effective. This movement ac- counts for the. abnormal increase in imports in 1865, and particularly in 1866, which fell off as sharply in 1867. During. the four years after the ter mination of the treaty-1S67-1S7O- trade continued on a lower but fairly nor nal level, and the close of the period shows a marked tendency to an in crease in both exports and imports"
 It may be said that the reciprocity treaty was popular in Canada through out its life. certainly there was little, If any, noteworthy opposition to it. and the dissatisfaction that brought about it's abrogation was on the part SfqfaG firGf Q treaty was favorably regarded by the people of both countries. The idea was also prevalent among us that the treaty would pave the way toward a closer bond of union with Canada, one writer express 2 himself as follows:
 "A people identified Cwith us), it Is argued, cannot long remain polftic- ally separated, but must be united by Events will probably justify this last line of reasoning. But whenever annexation comes, be it sooner or later, the operation of the treaty will make it, beyond all doubt, a,. peaceful, amicable, and altogether salutary transition"
 But following the crisis of 1857 dis began and increased in the United States in various ways which influenced not a few to enter tain the notion that Canada was gain ng under the treaty advantages good 1eal greater than we obtained. There Is an unlikenesS between the inhabit-
 
 they speak the same language and are ,f the same ethnica1 stock, which pre- 1isposes them to be jealous and sus- |: oicious in their mutual dealings. Their their interests, their points of view, their ways of doing . things are sufficiently divergent to make the cementing of close and quite 1 friendly relations more or less slow md difficult. Wide prejudice still ex- sts against a foreigner just because 1e is a foreigner and because his in ,erests are supposed to be opposed to l ours, and, it must be recollected. this founded in ignorance and lourished by ignorance, was once very { s in this day of enlightenment when ! population more heterogeneous than [ ormerly, due to the emigration Of peo- ole from many countries occupies the ( United States and when a greater and nore intimate relationship with other iatfons exists because of wonderfully I changed conditions with which every informed person is well