Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-10
policy to injure the farmer has much
to answer for at the bar of public opin-

a policy to injure the farmer has much
| to answer for at the bar of public opln'
| ion.
The greatest reason for adopting this
| agreement is the fact that 1t Is going to
| unite two countries with kindred people
! and living together across wide contl-
| ncnt i'll a commercial and social union
| to the great advantage of both. Such a
] result does not need to be justfhed Dy
| nice balancing of pecuniary proilt 10 eacn.
Its undoubted general benefit will v1ndi-
| cate those who are responsible for 1T.
| say this in order that by answering the
arguments directed to the detailed erect
| of the agreement upon df1erent GRASSES
| of persons may not be thought to aDan-
| don the broad ground upon which the op-
! portunity to confirm this agreement ought
| to be seized"
Taking up first the effect of the agree
ment on corn, he said:
/ "The total production of corn In the
United states in 1910 was S.1a5,713,0oo
bushels. of which we exported 44,O72.-
| 200 and used the rest in domestic con-
sumption, chiefly in raising cattle and
| hogs. of which in live cattle and pack
ing house products we exported in value
lS135,9S5,212. The Canadian product or
corn was 1S.726,000 bushels. or six
| tenths of l per cent of the total pro-
duction of the United States. We ex-
ported 100000 bushels to Canada. Ger
tainly in respect of corn the American
farmer is king. and will remain so. reca-
procity or no reciprocity. lndeed, the
change will greatly help him by IN
| creasing his supply Of young ana tnln
cattle, now very scarce. for feedlng win
his corn and making good beef
Value of Farm Lands.
But it is said that the farm land of
| Ohio Indiana Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin
| and other states is much more valuable
| than the land in Manitoba, saskatchewan
Assiniboine and Alberta, the four great
northwestern provinces OF CANADA, ana
| that to give Canadian farmers free entry
! of products raised on cheaper lands Will
be certain to lower farm lands In value
| in this country. Nothing could be further
from the fact. The Canadian lands are
further removed from the Minneapolis
and Chicago markets than the lands OF
Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa or Illinois,
and proximity to market is most i'm
portant element in the value of farm
land.
Then the natural change In farming in
this country is from the raising of grain
for export to the raising of grain for farm
consumption and development of the Sec
ondary products in the form of cattle and
hogs. The live cattle are bought and fat
tened. The hogs are raised and fed. 1t
is farming of this kind that explains the
high value of farm lands in Illinois and
Iowa.
IF the argument as to the disastrous
| effect of admitting the crops Of the Cana
dian northwest to our markets upon the
value of our farm land is correct, then
the opening of lands in Kansas, Nebraska
| and the two Dakotas in the two decades
from 1890 to 1910 should have had a
similar effect upon the land of the older
states.
Were Doubled in Value.
Now what was the fact? What was
the effect upon the farm lands Of the
| older states of the competition Of these
newer states? The land in the older
cattle and hogs, while the wheat and
other cereals were left to the new lands.
The effect was that the values of the
land In the older farming states were in
most cases more than doubled.
1.-THE difference in the value of the
acre between Manitoba and Minnesota
is but little more than So, while the
difference between Minnesota and Wis
consin is S., between Wisconsin and IL
linois is $50, between Wisconsin and Iowa
is $40. between Michigan and Indiana is
SCI. These figures show incontestably
that the fear of reduction In farm
land values of this country by letting In
Canada's products is wholly unfounded.
THE price of wheat less transportation
and other charges for warehouse delivery
is fixed by what all the wheat exporting
countries, including the United States
and Canada. can get for their surplus in
Liverpool Hence. the sending of any
part of Canada's surplus through our
country instead of through Canada to be
milled or to be exported without milling,
will not perceptibly or materially affect
the price of wheat for our farmers.
open up the market Of Minneapolis
and Chicago, give the transportation
and warehousing facilities Of our north
west. and the Canadian farmer will
get for his wheat practically what the
American farmer gets, less the higher
freight charges due to greater distance
from market.
No Injury to Farmers.
I'm other words, the advantage We
give the Canadian farmer will not hurt
our farmer. for the price will remain
the same; but by patronizfng our ele-
vators, our -four mills our railroads, he
will secure admission to the worlds
market at a less cost to himself, while
we still secure the advantage of in
creased trade for our elevators, our
mills, our railroads and our commission
men.
.'Thc United States secured for the
farmers the free listing of such important
agricultural products as cOttonseed Oil,
all kinds of fruits and vegetables, timothy
and clover seeds, eggs and numerous other
products in which the movement to Can
ada from the United States is much
greater than from Canada to the United
States. The remission of S1,3OO.OOO in du-
ties on rough lumber imported into the
United States by free listing it. along
with pickets and palings, and the heavy
reductions on dressed lumber, laths and
shingles, arc all in the interest of the
farmer.
Let the agreement be adopted and go
into operation, and in six months the
farmers on the border who now have
fears will rejoice in this great step to-
ward closer business and social relations
| with out neighbors. The whole country
| farmer. manufacturer. railroad company,
middleman, warehouseman = all will be
10 syainar y