Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-02-16
RECIPROCITY IN VERMONT
Farm Interests Would be Helped by
Restoration of Former Trade Rela-
lions With Canada.
(From the Montpelier Journal


very effective replies to the claim that
the farming interests Of the United States
are to be seriously harmed by the pro-
posed reciprocity agreement with Cana
da. President Taft points out that owing
to the shortness of Canadian seasons
corn cannot be raised there in large
quantities The price OF wheat is fixed
In the worlds market at Liverpool. The
President it well says:
Let the agreement he adopted and
20 into operation and In six months the
farmers on the border who now have
fears will rejoice in this great step tow
ard closer business and social relations
with our neishbors. Tho whole country
farmer manufacturer. railroad COM
pany. middleman warehouseman-all will
b. the gamer
Secretary Wilson declares that
Wheat growing for sale from the
farm as the pioneer practices It can
only he temporary. The land refuses
to yield profitable crops after few
years. then recuperatiye farming must
be resortod to in order to build up the
soil which has been robbed by grain
growing.
This IS the reason the older prairie
states turn 10 grass. corn and domes-
tic animals as soon as they can bring
about tine change. The United States
could, with great profit and benefit 20
the land. take all the grains Canada
has to sell and devote its land to less
exhaustive crops as is evidenced by the
older prairie states farmers, who grow
no grain t. sell, buy their flour and
thereby keep mp the fertility Of the soil.
IN the western States. where the farmer
has turned from grain raising for sale
to production OF crops to he fed 10 dom
estic animals on the farm. the new de-
parture has been 50 profitable that lands
in those States have risen in value to
500 and 5000 an acre and rents from 81
to &c an acre"
The Secretary Of Agriculture points out
further that the American farmer will
profit further by having cattle or so
called feeders admitted free from Cana
da, Canada. he points out cannot turn
to the production of beef and pork like
the United States. They cannot raise the
corn crop They can, however. turn out
grass beer" which is not the highest
selling meat. With cattle entering the
United States duty free the American
corn AVID sell them ar q profit. Score
| airy Wilson POINTS out that there Is At
| 7rceont Goarth Of such feeders in this
| country owing 10 the tendency to split
the ranches into homeste7ds,
| "Tho Canadians" said he. "can fur
nish US with feeders large per cont
of the cattle that come to the United
states are OF that class The Canadian
could finish his cattle at home II he
could gov sufficient corn, but the eli
mate forbids."
( Secretary wilson declares that the
growing Of wheat In competition with pi-
oneerS IN other countries like Canada
is not HOW as profitable as growing
| crops to feed meat producing animals
! He gives IT as his opinion that Canada
| can produce barley longer than it car
| wheat because the former is not such
an exacting crop. But the United States
now produces more barley than It needs
and ANY Canadian barley that might &C
| through the United States for export OF
be manufactured in the United States IN
to pearl barley, malt or beer would no,
| affect the price -arously."
Senator Beverldge says:
canadian reciprocity would steady and
regulate prices and do much to end the
cruel wrong Of cornering the food on
| which our people live. With Canadian
reciprocity the food gamblers in the pi,
! would have to corner the products of a
| continent instead OF country"
| The Boston Record says:
The actual facts regarding the far
mers and Canadian reciprocity show
what a piece Of straw this bugaboo is
Canada exported 10 all the world last
year only enough butter to give two
! thirds of one ounce to each person If
the United Statesmen enough for one
American breakfast.
| II all Canadas eggs came to Rostor
| alone there would only he enough &c
give each citizen Of this city one egs
every two years.
| "Canada's exports Of grains OF al
kinds show about one-fifteth OF tn,
value of the cereal crop of the United
| States
| Its 1910 exports of barley, regarded
as n serious menace to the producers OF
100000 bushels on our side OF the line
were 10000 bushels.
THE National grange opposing the
agreement as a menace is in danger OF
| ''''H''0 i'atIl lltlltulOuS
Probably the products which affect
| vermont most directly are eggs. butter
ana hay The duty on eggs IS five cents
per dozen and during the last fiscal veal
| "''ooo dozen We're imported from Canada
valued at sl2 500 Spread out over tn,
whole country that would not oonstitut.
| a very serious invasion OF Vermont mar
! kets. Butter pays a duty of six cents ne,
| pound and during the last fiscal veal
! Canada sold to this country go 0s
pounds That amount looks prettv small
cunpared with the United States nrodnct
| The duty on hay Is four dollars ner Ions
| ton ana "6'oS tons were shipped acros.
the border for the year ending June 20
| $40 The hay shipments are very rIuc
| tuatlnc however. In 1909 they amounted
to s.G5l tons and in 1908 to 10000 tons.
The springfield Republican has this :,
say regarding the claim that the farm
ing interests of Vermont would supfa,
by rociprocity
This sort OF talk representing the con
sequences Of freer or even free trad,
,yas more familiar years ago than II ha,
been of late It was the veriest nonsens,
then and has become moro so perhaps
in the progress Of time and the neces
sarily clos approximation Of labor anc
other industrial conditions Of Canada Il
| those of fine United States.
Let us, however, consider the blight