The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-02-23
"a Farmer on Reciprocity.

"Ehe following letter was sent 70 ton
gresham D. J. Foster Of Vermont by
our correspondent. E. S. Brigham. II
is a plain and forcibe statement OF the
views OF vast majority Of New Eng
land and middle state farmers.
~ believe that portion Of your con.
stituents which is made up OF the farm
ers OF Vermont has . genuine cause Tor
alarm in the prospect Of the passage Of
the proposed reciprocity treaty with
Canada. aud | would like TO give you
MY reasons for this belief.
II realize that IN the Just settlement Of
this tariff question there should be y
patriotic consideration Of the greatest
good for the greatest number, but from
the newspaper reports Of this treaty
can see in ii very little OF this The
Washington correspondent OF The Jour
nal OF Commerce saws that the plan Of
the commission has been to select the
commodities for reciprocity in such
way as to arouse the smallest amount
of antagonism on either side OF the
border. presume that it was in keep.
ing with this policy that the articles
which are on the proposed free list are,
with the one exception Of fish, made Sp
of products of the farm. Now ! am
aware that the agricultural interests
have the least effective business organ
ization of any industry in the country.
and for that reason they are the least
prepared 70 offer effective resistance to
any encroaehments upon their rights,
but we can at least appeal to the sense
OF Justice Of the president and Congress
OF the United States.
fI do not believe that the farmers OF
this country would greatly object TO
free trade with Canada, because they
realize that they gain as well as lose IN
free interchange OF commodities with
people having a standard OF living
and economic resources similar to our
own. nor do ! think that the farmers
would object TO a reciprocal agreement
with Canada which would enable them
TO benefit bv the lower cost Of some
manufactured articles obtaining IN Can
ada. but treaty ike the one proposed,
which throws the whole burden upon
agriculture and gives no benefits il re-
turn. il manifestly unfair.
IF the farmers of this country were
unduly prosperous and they were aecu-
mulating large fortunes. there might be
some Justice In sutir a course, but such
il not the case. The inducements Of
fered By the federal government for the
rapid settlement Of the new lands of the
West in the past century, the invention
OF machinery TO till these lands and har-
vest the crops grown upon them, and
the building Of railroads TO transport
these crops to market, all worked to
cause a production OF foodstuffs far in
excess of the demand 4 system of
farming based upon soil robbery resulted
and much of the time farm products
were produced at a loss, if labor and de-
pletion of soil fertility had been taken
into account Farmers became discoW
aged boys who. could get away left the
farms. and the business was considered
good one to get out Of During this
I time however. there was a high pro-
tectiye tariff on foodstutfs, although the
! price of these fo0dstHtfs was largely de-
/ termined by the price of the large sur
! plus exported to free trade market.
I The people. however. were blessed with
cheap food and acquired habits OF living
unknown in the aistory of the world.
| In the past few years u change has
taken place. Population has increased
so that the farmer is beginning to get
living wage for his work and some in
terest on his investment. Young men
are beginning to consider farming prof
liable occupation and one which requires
training aud ability for success. The
past 10 years Of higher prices has wit
messed the employment Of more capital
and better methods in agriculture, and
the farms have responded with q larger
and surer production to meet the need
OF the increasing population, but the
record so far but points the way to what
/ the farms OF this country may do with
the employment Of yet more capital and
better methods 1t is now proposed 20
put upon us this new burden OF eompe-
tition with a new and undeyeloped coun-
/ try. President Taft says, We have