New-York tribune., 1911-02-02
THE NORTHWEST And REC
PROCITT.


We pointed out the other day that the
representatives at Washington of the
agricultural states of the West and
Northwest were miSjudging home Senti-
ment if they thought nat it Was over
whelmngly hostile To the Canadian reel
procity agreement. The Republican in
SurgentS" from those states have been
maintaining an oppressive silence since
the terms of the agreement were an
nounccd. thereby subjccting themselves
to the suspicion of having suddenly be
come lukeWarn in their crusade for
downward revision" They criticised
President Taft for signing Il tariff act
which. in their opinion did not lower
rates sufficiently Now they hesitate TO
praise him for trying to bring about a
free exchange Of foodStuffS with Can
ada because fOodstuffS now protected
against Canadian competition are pro-
duced in large quantiti,e by their con
stituencieS.
We quoted recently from The Topeka
Capital" one of the leading inSurgent
I
sentiment i'm the Western agricultural
states was not sclidly arTayed against
! the Canadian reciprocity scheme. "The
| Capital" has the courage of its convic-
tionS now as much as when il was de
ucunCing as inadequate the reductions
in rates made by the Payne tariff law.
/ il is not alarmed at what timid pOliti-
clans are calling threat to the farm
( ing interest" and. looking at the ma
! tional ends certain To- be served hy closer
trade relations with Canada. it said:
The Taft administration in establish
/ ing reciprocity with Canada viii have
performed an act of far-sightcd states
"manship and an achievement of policy
(which will he historic
We take pleasure in reproducing a
similarly broad-ninded c0mmendatiOn Of
/ the Presidents course from The Des
( Moines Register and Leader" the lead
/ ing Progressive newspaper in Iowa.
/ Iowa Is nearer Canada than Kansas IS.
and its agricultural interests will suffer
: tcmpOrarily-if any states will suffer
from the readiuStment of trade cOndi-
tiOnS along the Canadian border and the
removal Of duties on food products sup
posed now 70 have. AT least locally. Il
protective value But THE Register and
( Leader can seq the larger good quickly
I overbalancing trit1ng local injury. If
there Is 10 be any injury II said last
Saturday:
The President viii be roundly de-
nuunCed. And Yet, probably the most
/ important step toward annexing markets
/ since the Cuban treaty has been taken.
! The future lies along the way Blaine
/ LlaZcd. We may not gain all at any ono
/ time We might have reason to expect
Sat every opening for reciprocal good
will on the American Continent means
something more than the immediate gain
! i'm dollars and cents President Taft is
right.
The public in the Western and North
western states devoted chiefly Ia aGri-
culture is too intelligent To he deceived
by The protests of statesmen like Sen
ator Lafayette Young. who hold that q
free exchange Of fOOdStuffS with Car
ada will impOveriSh the DakotaS. Ne
braska Kansas and Iowa. As II matter
of fact. there Is good reason 10 believe
that the industrial position of the North
western states will be greatly improved
( by securing new and valuable markets to
the northward and by the opening up
Of Il rich territory which will become
tributary to the Mississippi and Mis-
souri, valleys. instead of 10 Eastern
Canada. The Republican insurgents at
Washington should take courage. They
will discover that in approving the Presl-
dents Canadian policy they can be right
and at the same time populart