The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-10
Secretary Tells Why Treaty
 Will Not Hurt Farmers
NEW MARKETS PROVIDED
Canadians Will Not Profit More By the Treaty Than Will Americans
 According to Wilson Who
 Explains His Position

Explains His Position
 Washington, February g.-"The pending
 reciprocity treaty with Canada J go
 some distance toward meeting tiie de-
 mands of the people at the last election
 without interfering with the policy of pro-
 lection as applied to the whole world
 This Is the declaration of James Will
 son, Secretary of Agriculture, in an an-
 swer in behalf of the Taft administration
 to the National Grange's declared oppo-
 sition to the proposed agreement. The
 answer is in the form of an open letter
 made public tonight, addressed to the leg
 islative committee of the National Grange.
 Secretary Wilson argued that the cost
 of production in the United States and
 Canada is more nearly identical than it is between the United States and any other country, that the same difficult ties with regard to farm labor exists on both sides of the international line and
 that Canadian and American farming
 methods are virtually the same.
 Our town population has grown much faster than our country population
 writes Secretary Wilson.
 Prices for the necessities of life have
 been high and wages, stipends and sal aries have not kept pace with the in- crease in the price of food. There was a demand for lower tariffs during the last election by the population of the towns. That interest carried the election by default; the farmer either sympa- thized with the town dweller or he stayed at home on election day and husked corn. Election Results Explained
 "A new Congress was elected along their tariff lines if it had any instruc- l tions from the people. The republican | party Is a protectionist party; the demo- l cratic party wants revenue tariffs
 "There is quite an element ir the dem- ocratic party fllat hslieTes in protection 1 and there always has been and that may
 be the reason why that party favors this reciprocity treaty. That element in the
 democratic party may be willing to go as far sas this reciprocity treaty goes in
 letting the natural products of Canada into the United States and that may be as far as a great many people fin Con
 gress and out of it, think 1t necessary to go in modification of our statutes re- garding importations from foreign coun- tries.
 
 our markets for meats and grains to the Canadians with nothing in return. We
 get in the Canadian woods, 90.000,000. or | more of us, for timber products, things very, very much needed. as our home supplies are much reduced that prices have gone up markedly in the last few years and our development in the future will draw heavily on what remains. Much | building has halted on this account. The southern states have a new market for their cotton seed oil which will be val uable to them. Canada opens her doors to our fruits, which will give. to our or chardlsts a growing marker for their products. Fish comes into the United | States free, which will mean quite as
 much to our people as the opening of our | markets to Canadian poultry products | We are to have free trade In seeds. which l is well, because many seeds are more valuable coming from northern attitudes. | We do not grow enough of flax to make our oils and will derive benefit from the l free introduction of flax seed. Free barb ed fencing wire will be a boon to our | farmers.
 Lowering of Duties
 "It Is said that a tariff bill or reef procity treaty or any movement toward modification of our trade relations with foreign countries should consider the manufacturers at the same time 1t con-
  | tice requires the lowering of the duties on manufactured products simultaneous ly with the lowering of the duties Of products of the farm but whether we shall make any of them free, to the ex- tent to which the duty on manufactured products could be reduced with safety depends entirely upon what reelection of duty on manufactured goods would ldt in foreign goods to such an extent as to interfere with the employment and wages of our working people. When the working man loses his job ir the factory the farmer loses his GUS toner The Payne tariff act reduces duty on a great many articles, and we have been having heavy importations since the passage of that act. That may do no harm and a reduction of the amount of protection given some other manufactur- | CTS may do no harm indeed, may be Jus tiled: but whenever these reductions go so far as to permit very heavy importa- lions of goods in those classes, the fac- | tory stops and the farmer loses his mar ket.
 Different Viewpoint
 "Reciprociry with Canada must be con sidered from viewpoint somewhat uil- | ferent from that of tariff act af- | fecting our commerce with the entire world; localities in both Canada and tho | United States will be opposed from real l imaginary TedSois. put e'~ ~iof ment of either country as whole calls | for first consideration from its states men.
 ..There Is just as much opposition in To- calities there now to letting in American manufactured goods at lower rates as
 there is in localities on the American side | to letting in Canadian farm products at lower rates or without duty. If this reel
 procity treaty becomes the law of both countries, Canada would become inti-
 mate and our trade with her will extend and increase | Secretary Wilson concluded that if the United States handled Canada's surplus wheat American transportation facilities would tend to reduce the price of bread | to the American consumer. He suggested | that the Canadians also will be able to l furnish cattle feeders for the corn belt
 of the United States and that meats will l be reduced in price by the activities of
 the American rancher and homesteader.
 These considerations" says MT. Wilson l in closing his letter, Head me to the
 conclusion that the adoption of the pend-
 ing reciprocity treaty would from the na-
 tional standpoint be as much an act of wisdom as was the adoption of treaties
 in the past that have added to our com
 mon country more than half It's present area"