The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1911-07-20
PAGE NINE
EDITORIAL NOTES
BY j. ID. WATSON


BY agreement of the leaders of the differ
ent parties and factions the vote on the Re-
clproclty measure will be taken July o. The
wooden tariff revision will be voted on
July q; the free list bill will be voted on
August l; the House reapportionment on
August 3, and the statehood bill on August Z.
The Canadian agreement seems certain of
passage without northumberland test
votes having already been taken which show
the strength of the measure.
But on wool, and the free list bills the vote
Will be close, no one at this time being willing
to risk a prediction as to what will be the re-
suit
While the Insurgent Republicans have been
the ones to obstruct Canadian reciprocity,
they are the ones to aid the Democrats on the
wooden and free list bills, if they are passed
LaFollette and Cummins have made power
full speeches for week against reciprocity,
but their fight was an effort to amend recipro-
city by lacking on a general tariff revision.
On the wooden and free list measures the
alignment will be altogether different to that
on reciprocity, while wool and the free list
must be supported by Democrats and Insur-
gents, reciprocity has received it's support
from Democrats and the Republicans friendly
to the administration.
LaFollette and Cummins have made mis-
take in fighting Canadian reciprocity as they
have for the past week. While their move
may have been good politics from their view
point, it didn't strengthen them with the peO-
pie.
The game of the Insurgents was to tack a
general tariff revision onto the reciprocity
agreement, and thus force President Taft to
either sign a general tariff reduction, or veto
his pet Observation-Disclosures
1t might have been good political move for
the Insurgents to have freed Mr.. Taft in this
way but that would not have given the coun-
try relief. Mr.. Taft would have probably We
toed the whole thing, and then we would have
lost even reciprocity with Canada.
Reciprocity is an entering wedge for gem
eral reduction, and it is certain that the
President will sign tit is his pet measure,
the reason that he called Congress in special
session.
With the wooden schedule already passed
by the House, and the free list bill the same,
the Insurgents could have helped pass the re-
ciprocity agreement and then formed coali-
ton with the Democrats and passed the
wooden and free list bills.
In that case even if the Senate passes the
wooden and free list bills and the President
vetoes them, we would have reciprocity with
Canada.
The lacking on of general tariff revision
to reciprocity meant the death of all. It was
the same way that the Trusts tools tried to
kill reciprocity, and they came pretty near
doing it.
Reciprocity was an agreement between the
United States and Canada, and adding to or
taking away from the agreement made the en-
tire contract null and void.
The Insurgents should have done as the
Democrats did-let the reel procity agreement
pass as the President had indorsed it-mak-
ing sure Of that much good tariff legislation,
instead of trying to get the whole hog and
losing everything.
Another case somewhat similar to the Bal