The Washington herald., 1911-02-22
ANTI-RECIPROCITY
MENLESSCONFIDENT
Realize Responsibility Due if
Bill Is Killed.
FARMERS THREATEN REVOLT
Opponents to Trade Agreement De-
clare Before Senate Finance Com
mittee that Enactment Threatens
Farming Industry and Will Be Re-
taIiated for by Free Trade.

The situation as regards the admins
tration's reciprocity agreement remained
o. practically unchanged yesterday.
The opponents of the measure are still
making their plans to prevent it from
coming to a vote in the Senate. but with
probably a little less confidence as to the
outcome than they had few days $50.
Two or three remarks made by Senator
Hale at the Senate Finance Committee
hearing yesterday shows that the oppo-
nents of the measure appreciate that
they will have to shoulder a Tremendous
responsibility in killing the measure IN
the face of the Presidents determined
attitude. Senator Hale is one % the most
outspoken opponents of the reciprocity
plan, and his apparent lack Of confidence
was regarded yesterday as significant.
President Taft still has hopes of bring
ing the bill TO a vote before March 4
and he will continue to exert himself
along this line.
Hearing Lasts Long Time.
For seven hours yesterday the mem
bers Of the Senate Finance Committee
heard the protests against the proposed
reciprocity with Canada Most of the
witnesses who appeared represented the
agrarian idea. All of them declared that
the adoption of Canadian reciprocity
would be detrimental to the agricultural
industry. particularly along the American
side of the Canadian boundary.
Some of these witnesses even threat
ened the Republican party with a pOiIi-
cal revolt by the farmers, and others
predicted that if Congress adopted the
idea of free trade in foreign products
the farmers would snow their resentment
by having free trade in every article
produced in the United States within
another two years.
The members of the committee showed
considerable interest in the testimony
submitted by the representatives Of the
farmers organizations. Some of the
Senators even gave vent to their ap-
proval. For example, when F. N God
frey. of Olean, n. Y, master of the New
York State Grange, declared that the
proposed Canadian pact if adopted, would
set back the farming industry in the
United States at least ten years, Senator
NcCumber. OF North Dakota, observed:
Yes. a hundred years
Fishermen Complain.
Senator Root appeared before the corr
mittee and made brief statement con-
cerning the Mann amendment added to
the Mccall bill in the House. Senator
Root pointed out that the Mccall bill
embodied the features of the agreement
between the United States and Canada,
but that the bill in its present form, with
the Mann amendment added, did ut rep
resent the agreement.
Representative Augustus P. Gardner
was before the committee to protest
against the reciprocal trade agreement,
which Disseminated against the Glou-
cestcr fishermen. according to Mr..
Gardner Senator Hale took advantage
of Representative Gardner's presence to
bring out the fact that Senators and
Representatives had not been consulted by
the executive department while the ne
rotations were under way. After estab-
listing the fact that Representative
Gardner was familiar with the needs of
the New England fishermen, and had
always looked after their interests in
matters of legislation. Mr.. Hale asked
him il he had ever been consulted by
those interested in the negotiations. Mr..
Gardner replied that he had tried once
to get some light from the State De-
partment on tho negotiations, but that
it proved unsatisfactory, and that he
then went to the White House and was
told ny III" President that the case was
closed. MIR. Hale pursued this line of
questioning until he elected the fact that
the Massachusetts Senators had not been
consulted. and, 50 far as Mr.. Gardner
know, no other Senator or Representative