Norwich bulletin., 1911-04-08
RECIPROCITY WITH CANADA AS TIE FARMER SEES IT

(written Specially for The Bulletin.)
 I'm a pretty fair Granger. as Gran gers go. I am charter member of my grange, a past lecturer and past master, and have been lecturer of my Pomona. It would hardly be fair to accuse me of dialoyalty to the order, and even of indifference to it's welfare. But I confess I am chafng at the way in which the national officers have succeeded in swaying it, ofdcially, this large question of international craftsmanship, the national officers have chosen to take the reactionary side and have dragged the grange it. self over there with them. At least, they have succeeded in, inducing vari- ous grange meetings to indorse their stand. To the outside world they rep resent the whole body and congress- men are being bembarded with ap- r"~'~ 70 orpose the reciprocity agree mont because "the grange Is ag'in' 1t -...e niers are az in It.
 Az I've said, lin . Granger; also a farmer. In the last month, talking the matter over with other Changers and farmers, I've found a great many who are not opposed to the reciprocity treaty; who are distinctly in favor of 1t. Indeed, nearly all with whom I've had the chance to exchange views believe in the idea, though none of us pretend to understand all the details of the proposed agreement. Nor, of course, are any of us prophets to forssee and foreteii just exactly how 1t win work in every little clause. It is too bad, we of this opinion feel, that the great body we all belong to should have teken Bourbon view. It is worse yet hat we who believe in progressive neis. >orliness should be put In the seemh position of in dorsing and supporting an opposition we really condemn. If I were alone In my feeling-just a single crank still and save ink. But if majority of us in this one little corner are rest I've in the attitude the national officers have forced us into, it is reasonable to suppose that there are others, else where, equally dissatisfied I don't want to leap into the arena as an antagonist of the national master and his cabinet. But l do feel that those whom these officers misrepresent ought to have some sort of spokesman, in a hopeless minority--which it is very Tar from being proved that they are.
 When this country first took up the policy of protection, 1t was to afford protection to our infant industries" When those industries had reached maturity and full growth, the policy
 
 the higher American standard of wages and living If, in some cases, the tariff levied on imported goods to pro- tect American industries and Ameri- can labor has resulted in a temporary increase in the price of American produced goods. that has been an evil we have accepted and borne, for the sake of a greater good. But. as a pro- tectionist myself of fixed conviction, never before heard of anyone seri- ously defending protection merely and solely as a priee-booster. Yet, so far as l am able to make out, that is the very thing which is being harped upon to arouse opposition to the Canadian reciprocity agreement That is to say we are asked to take a certain line of action because that said line sustains one of the evils we protectionists have hitherto sought to excuse, but never easional and temporary high prices be borne patiently for the sake of a much more important and permanent good. But now we seem to be asked to array ourselves in defense of high prices, for themselves. l., for one, decline to be wheedled or dragooned or lassooed into any such corral And, as I have said. find there are others who agree with me.
 As to the details of the proposed agreement. there has been a good deal said on both sides. How it will work, if adopted, the Lord only knows, for sure. But it promises some advan- the selfish point Of view. For one thing. our forests are already almost things of the past. We have cut them and slssheG them till now we sudden