Newark post., 1911-08-23
Essay On Canadian Reciprocity
BY RACHEL HIRSCHENSOHN

hat was the time when her pros
perlty depended on recipr o..i,v |
with the United States. That time
iE past. Sir Wilired Laurisr sad
significantly, There shall be nc
ere pllgrlnages to Washington"
anada can now stand on her own
teet. By a system of preferential
tariff towards the moher country,
and by turning the channels of her
Trade east to west instead of north
to south, where it would naturally
1un, she has recovered her pros
oerlty. She no longer kneels to
us and begs reciprocity, butshe is
ready to grant us concessions OH
Ithe tariff in return for concessions
10 herself. We are both realizing
! the mutual benefit which W ould
accrue from such an agreement.
The boundary between the two
countries, formed by the St. Law
fence river and the Great Lakes,
! seems established by nature to fa-
cllitate commercial communica-
ton between the two countries.
The natural divisions of Our con-
tinent formed by the mountain
ranges would naturally turn the
current of Our trade north and
south, instead of east and west.
Why do we raise an artificial and
Improbable barrier of tariffs which
divert commerce from its destined
course? Let us not undo the
work of nature, whose laws are
wiser by far than those which
mortal man with his narrow vision
can make. Let us be neighbors,
| the brothers we were made to be.
Let Our trade be instead of brok-
Ell fractions, an integer.
| But commercial union is not po-
lltical union. Reciprocity does
not mean annexation. Those who
bring forward the idle argument
of annexation, fail entirely to see
the application of the principle OF
reciprocity. They fear that tbs
United States and Canada would
become too friendly. 1t is very
true that commercial unity viii
lead to lasting political harmony
because of the supreme import
ance of prosperous and uninter.
rupted trade in the life o: the ma
ton. But it does not mean thai
either country will assimilate ths
Nther. Proximity of territory doe!
not result in amalgamation of ma
, tions. France, Germany, Austria
eaceh no larger than one OF ou
States, though they lie huddled to
gether, have still retained thei
distinctive nationalities. Diplo
:, mats scoff at those foolish fears
President Taft has said, This tall
of annexation is all bosh." 1t i
as much as the government can dt
to manage what it has, withou
the addition of a great countr
: like Canada. When our countr
shall become perfect; when all po
litical graft, bribery and pollution
> shall be abolished; when the com
mercial greed and rapacity OF tn
corporations shall be overcome
when the oppression of the poore
class b ythe puffed-up rich shall D
done away with; then, can W
turn our thoughts to new acquisi
: tions. In the meanwhile we shaI
find enough to occupy lis in OH
J own fields.
Moreover, our conscientious di
{ ploillats who fear lest we may tres
e pass on Canada's domain, are to
II tally forgetting that she has me
! ther country, indulgent and kin
u when hlnmolested, but who be
] comes the hercest and most dan
G gerous foe when she suspects tn
t least imposition OF her offspring
{ 1t is not likely that England wi
allow such a valuable possessio
Il to slip out of her grasp Withou