The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-28

 agreement I deny it. It Is said that it in- jures the farmers. I deny it. It is strict ly in accordance with the protective prin- ciple that we should have only a protec- tive tariff between us and countries in which the conditions are so dssimilar as to make a difference in the cost of pro- auction. Now it is known by all men that the general conditions that prevail in canada are the same as those which ob- tain in the United States in the matter of agricultural products. Indeed, if there Is any advantage the advantage is largely on the side of the United States, be- cause we have much greater variety of product in view of the varieties of our climate than they can have in Canada.
 We raise cotton as no other country does Of course they raise none in Can ada.
 We raise corn, and hogs and cattle fed on corn, and with the exception of very small part of the acreage of Canada, in Ontario, it is not possible to raise corn at all in the Dominion.
 With respect to wheat and barley and oats, conditions differ in different parts of Canada, and in different parts of the United tSates. Chasing them together as on the whole, the conditions are sub stantially the same. In prices of farm
 
 tween Canada and the United States than between the different states in the United States. In the matter of farm wages, on the whole they are about the same.
 Tt is said this is an agreement to af- feet agricultural products more than manufactures. This is true, but if we are to have an interchange of products be- tween the two countries of any substan- tial amount, the chief part of it must nec- nSS1rilV he in agricultural nrOdi1cte As 1t is, we export to Canada more agri- cultural products than we receive from her, and so it will be afterward. The eff feet is not going to. In my judgment lower the specific prices of agricultural products in our country. It is going to steady them, and it is going to produce an interchange of products at uroft which will be beneficial to both coun- tries.
 If objection can be made to the treaty on the ground that a particular class would derive less benefit from it than other classes, then 1t Is tn manufacturer of the country who ought to object because the treaty in it's na- ture will not enlarge his market as much as it will that of the farmer.
 Farmers Warned
 q am quite aware that from one motive or another a great deal of ef- fort and money have been spent in sending circulars to farmers to con- vince them that this Canadian treaty if adopted, will do them injury. do not know that it is possible to allay such fears by argument. pending the consideration of the treaty by the Sen- ate. But there is one way-and that a conclusive way-of demonstrating the fallacy and unfounded character of their fears to the farmers or any other olass that he1iovas ifsalf to he ,,pi,c +1x affected by this treaty and that is to try it on. There Is no obligation on either nation to continue the reciproc- | ity arrangement any longer than it de- sires and if 1t be found by actual prac- tice that there is an injury and a per- manent injury to the farmers of this country, everybody knows that they can l sufficiently control Legislation to bring | about change and a return to the old conditions. Those of us who are responsible for the Canadian treaty are willing and anxious to subject 1t to | that kind of test. Another and a very conclusive req | son for closing the contract Is the op- portunity which it gives us to increase | the supply of our natural resources l which, with the watchfulness of chil- | dren, we have wantonly exhausted. The l timber resources of Canada which will | open themselves to us inevitably under the operation of this agreement are now l apparently inexhaustible and we ma, derive ample supplies of timber from | canadian sources to the profit of Can ada and for our own benefit. There are other natural resources which need not enumerate and which will be- come available to us as if our own Il we adopt and maintain commercial union with Canada.
 But there are other. even broader grounds than this, that should lead te the adoption of this agreement. Canada's superficial area is greater than that o1 1 the United States between the oceans Ol course, it has a great deal of waste 1T the far north, but 1t has enormous tracts of unoccuped land or land settled se sparsely as to be substantially unoccu pied, which in the next two or thre. decades will rapidly acquire substantia and valuable population.
 | "Canada has now between seven ant | eight millions of people. They are 6 hearty temperate. persistent race, brave intelligent and enterprising They art | good neighbors; we could not have bet | ter neighbors. They offer to any na ton with whom they have sympathetic relations and with whom 1t is profitable for them to deal, a constantly tncreasins market and an ever increasing trade
 Mutual Benefit
 "As between Canada and the United States the trade and the mutual benefit | from the trade will increase. It Is anus Ing and I am not sure that 1t has moi I some elements of consolation in 1t, tt | find that all the buncomba and all of tn, l exaggeration and misrepresentation '. l politics and all of the political ghosts are not confined to our own country, ant that there has entered into the discus sion in Canada, as a reason for defeat Ing the adoption of this contract b, the Canadian parliament, a fear that W, desire to annex the dominion and th' dreams of Americans with irresponsibl, imaginations who like to talk of the star