Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-07-05
THE PRESIDENT.
econtlnued from Page one.)

secure an amendment to one of the
tariff laws in which the subjects foi
reciprocity mentioned in the amend
ment were almost all of them articles
in which the foreign countries would
compete with us in our own markets
More than this, Mckinley, who was
the secc nd leader as to reciprocity. and
who delivered his last speech in its ia
vor just before his tragic death, had
negotiated number of reciprocity
treaties in 81 of which the duties were
reduced or abolished on a number of
products which would compete in our
markets with those of our own pro-
ductan The truth is, if YOU viii read
the last speech of Mckinley. you will
see that he speaks in this connection OF
duties which have become uuneCes-
sary and that might we'll be abolished
Ry that he meant duties which could
be taken off of commodities foreign
competition in which We could safely
meet in our markets.
Another answer To the objection OF
Republican, friends who denounce Ca
madam reciprocity as a heresy is that
the amount of competition which is to
take place in our markets between Ca
ed states under this agreement is very
much less than they would by their
general statements have you believe.
In the first place they say that by
free trade IN agricultural products we
are giving them a market Of nWo-ooo
peoples and taking only market OF
s.nOD.noo people for the same things,
and that necessarily they derive great
er advantage. As a matter OF faet, IN
the vast bulk of our agricultural prod
uets they can furnish no competition
whatever. while this agreement admits
all our products free into Canada.
eft is said that this Canadian reel
nroeitv agreement is made wholly at
the EXPENSE of the farmers. and only
IN the interest of those who would
have farm products at a less price. 10
Wit the wage earners of the large
cities. II is my own judgment that the
reciprocity agreement will not great
IL reduce the cost of living. II at all. II
Will however. steady prices. by en-
Iarging the reservoir of supplies Ter
those things that are raised IN poth
countries and it will make more remote
the possihil1ty of cornering common
TIES anu tht1AAhhN,
them from the public.
III is a mistake to say. however,
that this agreement is not in the IN
terest of the farmers. Let US examine
the statistics and see. The free list Is
made up almost entirely OF agricui-
turaf products. The amounts oil eN-
per,aticn from this country to Canada
at present in the articles covered anu
affected by the reciprocity agreement
was for the fiscal year ending March
81. 1910, s4s.000.0 900 and the duties paid
on those articles was something more
thar $1,000. 000 The expectation OF
these same articles into Canada for the
wear ended March 81, 1911, was ss4.-
600 900 and the duties levied and col
leeted were s10,500. 600 The increase
in other words was about $16.0Oo.0o0
last year and the additional duties col
lected was about $2.7o0.0O0. There
seems little doubt that for the current
year the United States trade covered
by reciprocity will reach $4,000 900
and the remission of duties would be
not less than $4.o00.000 under the
agreement What | wish to call your
attention to is that of this remission
of approximately s3.4o0.000, which
would have been made on the imports
into Canada from the United States
If the reciprocity agreement had been
in effect, little less than $4,000, 900
would have been on agricultural pro-
ducts.
THE truth is that when the com
plant is made on behalf of the farm
er and is analyzed. it will be found to
be limited to an argument that by the
admission of free wheat into the Unit
ed States the price of wheat will be
recuced 10 cents a bushel. The an
sNer to the argument is that this can
not be. for the reason that the price
OF wheat in the United States and in
Canada both is ultimately fixed by the
price of wheat in the world, and that
the worlds price is adjusted and made
at Liverpool by the relation of the
supply of the exported wheat to the
demand for it by countries which do
not raise enough to supply their peo-
pie.
1T may be that the free admission
of wheat from the United States into
Canada will increase to some extent
the price of the Canadian farmer. but
u VIII not decrease the price paid to
the American farmer because il viii
not decrease the demand upon the
American farmer for his wheat
The diversion from British and
European markets to the markets oil
the United States of 2o.00o,OOo to 40,
100000 bushels of Canadian wheat an
nua'ly would not only strengthen the
wheat market abroad, but would fur
nish the American mills with needed
complement of wheat which the world
woulh require just as it has in the
past but II then would be in the shape
OF American made flour. The effect of
increased wheat supplies would be to
reduoe the cost of manufacturing flour
IN j6ft the ratio that the mills were
able 10 thereby increase their output.
rms reduced cost of production would
enable the mills to regain in the for
eign market the 100000 to 20 .0D0 0ne
barrels of flour sold III foreign trade
annually 10 years ago. but which Il
recent years has fallen to less thar
10 900, 600 barrels.
THE A mprtPap p,rou.n nh. ..-..t-