The Detroit times., 1911-04-05
BY JOHN BURGESS.


WINNIPEG, April 5.-The people
Of Manitoba want reciprocity.
They want reciprocity such as haa
been proposed In the Fielding pact.
They want reciprocity in a great
er measure, especially free farm i'm
plements
They want reciprocity to whatever
extent that they can get IL as soon
as possible, hoping fervently that they
VIII eventually get the fullest and
freest exchange between Canada and
the United States OF all articles Of
commerce on strictly competitive
basis.
The imaginary line between the
great dominion on the north and the
great republic on the south has NO
terrors for them. The cost OF living,
the manipulation Of prices, gang gov
ernment has.
There is an opposition, of course.
There 10 always an opposition with
anything which the people want, and
that opposition in this case. a. In
similar cases in the United States
where some would thwart the popu-
lar will for the benefit of the few, is
stage-managed, press-agented and sub
sidized.
The people with money in winni-
peg are not very strong for recipri-
city. The people who have axes To
grind, who have selfish interests, who
are tied up with monopolists, the
manipulators, the grating game "
high finance, are sometimes openly,
sometimes secretly against recipro-
city. The reason they are sometimes
| only secretly against reciprocity Is
because the popular demand for this
measure Is so strong in Manitoba
that some OF them dare not take q
| decided stand against 1t.
A convincing instance OF the
strength of this demand for recipro-
city in Manitoba Is shown in the edi-
torial attitude OF the Winnipeg Free
Press, the paper with the largest CIR
| culation in the west This paper II
owned by the Hon. Clifford SeftoE,
chairman of the conservative commit
tee OF Canada. The Hon. Mr.. Sifton
| Is a business man who in the last few
years has made a great deal OF money,
which he spends on a castle on the
| ST. Lawrence. yachts and things, but
| he knows how to run a successful
newspaper, and he does not allow
! personal ideas TO interfere with his
investments.
Therefore, the usual spectacle is
presented In the Free Press once
of the editors OF the paper standing
strongly personally and in the col
umns OF the paper for reciprocity
against the expressed public utter
ances OF the owner.
| This paper took q poll through o
coupon run in the paper one day, and
through some hundreds of circulars
sent broadcast throughout Manitoba,
and the returns are in the proportion
| OF about 1000 for as against 200 or
300 against.
Champ Clark's annexation bugaboo
! Is ripping joke In Manitoba-Oh,
quite. Ii has not been given ser1-
GUS thought in connection with the
reciprocity question.
The politics OF the reciprocity mat.
ter In Canada are peculiar. Manitoba
| is conservative government. The
majority OF its constituents In parlia-
ment are represented by conservative
members. The Fielding reciprocity
pact is liberal party measure, there
| for the conservatives at Ottawa
are fighting the measure tooth and
nail, knowing in their hearts that
their constituents do not approve
their actions.
A case in point is where j. w. Seal
lion. representative OF the Virden
constituency, member OF the Consery-
atiye party. called a meeting OF his
constituents and asked for an express
sion of opinion on reciprocity. TWO
hundred farmers responded. many
driving 20 miles to attend the meet
ing In that gathering only four were
10 be found, and they were OF the mil.
itary or professional class, who would
declare themselves against the meas
ure.
One OF the interesting signs OF the
times in Winnipeg is the intense In
terest taken in the question.
Ten men In ordinary walks or NE,
ranging from the cigar-stand attend
ant at the Royal Alexandra hotel, 10
the street car conductor with whom J
rode up town. asked offhand what
they thought of reciprocity, knew
what the question was. understood
81 far more thoroughly than the aver.
age citizen OF the United States, and
were unequivocally in favor OF IL
They we're anxious TO talk about IL.
knew how to talk about 1t, and seem
cd TO think that IL would vitality al
! feet their welfare.