The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1911-02-17
NOW TALKING
ANNEXATION
President Taft Fears II May Kill
the Canadian Pact
STATEMENTS GIVE ALARM
No Thought of Unibn in Treaty Pres
ident Says in a Letter--Clark's s
Speech Held as Great Blunder.
senate Not Expected to Permit
Measure to Come to a Vote.

dent is alarmed today over the state
ments made by Champ Clark during
the debate yesterday on reciprocity
in which he said the present treaty
would ultimately result in the an
nexation of Canada by this country
and the extension OF our national
boundaries to the polar zone.
At the conference held at the
white house yesterday morning the
president told some of his callers
that he feared Mr.. Clark's sentiment
would result in the rejection of trade
agreement by the Canadians.
Ground for Protest.
He said it would give the English
people ground for urging that closer
trade relations between the Domin-
ion and the United States be not en-
couraged.
The president yesterday afternoon
decided to make the attitude Of the
administration toward Canadian an
nexation plain, and issued letter to
Representative Mccall, Of Massachu-
setts, to this effect. The letter fol-
lows:
Il write to congratulate you sin
cerely upon the passage through the
house OF the Mccall bill enacting
into legislation the reciprocity agree
ment with Canada. sincerely hope
that it will pass the senate and be-
come part Of our statutes.
This agreement. IL il becomes .
law, has no political significance.
No thought of future political an
nexation or union was in the mind Of
the negotiators on either side. Can
ada is now and will remain a politi-
cal unit.
II am very sure that IL this agfee-
ment becomes a law it will innure to
the great social and economical bene-
fit OF both countries"
Secretary Knox may be telegraph
ed to make clear the administrations
attitude in his Chicago speech.
From what could be gathered at
the white house today from those
who talked directly with the presi-
dent, ii was learned that the presi-
dent regards the Clark speech as a
great blunder. They say the admin
istration fears that the English news
papers which already have been APP
posed to the treaty, will now find An
excuse for further protest. and that
they may finally exert enough infiu-
ence to prevent the Canadians from
carrying out their part Of the treaty
enactment.
Now Up 10 Senate.
The question of what 10 do with
the Canadian reciprocity agreement
is now up TO the'senate.
The house having passed the meas.
ure by an overwhelming vote. with
the democrats practically united and
the republicans split, there Is much
speculation as TO what the senate
which Is quite as badly divided on
the question as the house, will do.
IL is generally conceaed that the
votes can be had to pass the bill
through the senate. The real ques.
tlon, so far as this session Is con.
cerned, is whether Il viii be allowed
TO come to a vote.
The bill was reported to the senate
from the house today. Il was refer
red 10 the finance committee. The
senate committee on foreign rela.
tIons which had the agreement nndei
consideration. reported IL. Thus IN,
finance committee now has jurisdic
tion OF the matter.
Prompt Report Assured.
| So far as developed. there Is M
disposition to hold the measure Il
the finance committee. and its sup
porters are assured that II will be re
ported out OF that body.
A good deal Of talk is heard that
vote viii be reached. This talk Il
the last few days has been growing
But in spite Of this. most senator
say they do not see how II viii b
possible to reach vote. In tn
house. the gag rule was applied, bu
this cannot be done in the senate
with its traditional right OF unlim
tied debate.
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