Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1911-04-14
FRIDAY, APRIL IA, 1911.
Co m m U nicstion.
Mr.. Editor:

W III
Mr.. Editor:
A glimpse at the causes and effects
of the old Reciprocity Treaty of 1855
may be interesting if not useful. At
that time the Democratic party, under
the leadership of one of its greatest
statesman, Robert J. Walker of
Alabama, had enacted tariff law QI
think in 1846) which like all other tariff
laws, whether enacted by Democrats,
Wings or Republicans, gave protection
to farmers in greater or lesser degree
as we'll as to manufacturers. There
was duty of ten per cent on hides and a
corresponding duty on nearly every other
article which farmers produce. Canada
had a population of about 5000, 900,
mainly engaged in agriculture. There
were no steamship lines to England as
now, and almost their sole market for
farm products was the United States.
Unable to secure free admission of these
products to this country the distress in
Canada became acute and the people
saw no remedy except through annex
alton, and they clamored for it, This feel
ing was particularly strong after 1S48
1t existed among nearly all the younger
Canadian public men, among whom
was Sir John Macdonald mot then
knighted), and he too advocated an
neXation.
strong that in some places revolution
was threatened. England sent that
great statesman, Lord Elgin, over as
Governor General of Canada to study
the situation. In 1849 he wrote to the
home government as follows:
eff England will not make the
sacrifices which are absolutely necessary
to put the colonists here in as good a
position commercially as the citizens of
the States, in order to do which free
navigation and reciprocal trade with the
States are indispensable, the end may
be nearer than we wot of.
Again in November, 1849, Lord Elgin
wrote:
"But if things remain on this footing
there is nothing before US but violent
agitation ending in convulsion or annex
alton, and much fear that no measure
but the establishment of reciprocal
trade between Canada and the States, or
the imposition of duty on the produce
of the States when imported into
England, will remove it..
Repeated efforts were made to
negotiate such treaty, but they all
failed, as did a similar proposed treaty
with Germany and another with Mexico,
mainly on the ground that the President
had no constitutional right to make a
treaty regulating the revenues and also
because such a treaty with Canada
would work great hardship and
injustice to the border farmers. But
Lord Elgin persevered. He came to
Washington in 1853 accompanied by a
brilliant staff of young, wealthy
English noblemen. They entered into
the social life of the capital with great
zeal and earnestness, giving parties,
balls, dinners aad other festivities of
the greatest luXuriance, and succeeded
so well that notwithstanding the Dem
ocratic Senate was at first strongly
opposed, the first reciprocity treaty was
ratified by the Senate and approved by
the President August 5, 1854, taking
effect March 16, 1855.
At that time, and for long afterwards
it was openly charged that the treaty
was secured by corrupt and dishonor-
able methods. 1t was said over and
over again that the treaty was floated
through the Senate by British gold
and English champagne. Lawrence
Ohphant, one of Lord Elgin's staff
wrote book giving a sarcastic and
contemptuous account of American
craftsmanship, which was held to give
color to the charges.
Anti-slavery agitation was then rife
throughout the United States. There
was an equal number of slave and free
states. Southern politicians feared an
nexation as the addition of three or
more free states from Canada would
destroy the even balance of power, and
they preferred free trade for northern
farmers rather than annexation. Some
northern senators thought the Canadians
would be so grateful for reciprocity that
the annexation feeling would increase.
But in this they were mistaken. Lord
Elgin and the southern men were more
farsighted. The gratitude of Canada
turned to Lord Elgin and the British
Empire. By this treaty President