The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1911-09-18
PREJUDICE VS.. PATRIOTIsM

fight for and against reciprocity now
going on in the Dominion:
As the day of the general Dominion
election involving reciprocity with the
United States grows nearer, the f1ercer
grows the campaign of opposition
which the Conservative party has been
waging ever since parliament was
dissolved and the question was thrown
before the people.
That the Conservatives have gained
ground against the Laurier admins
tration with reciprocity as a cudgel OF
war Is quite apparent TO any observer
Of unbiased mind. What has been re-
garded in the United States by Pres
ident Taft and his reciprocity enthus-
lasts as a matter of course is now re-
garded in Canada as a matter Of. doubt.
II is by no means certain that recipro-
city is going to be carried by Sir
Filfrid Laurier and the Liberal party.
The fight has been the bitterest Can
ada has ever experienced. Sir Wilfrid
Laurier has found it necessary to take
the stump, himself, in his own de-
Tense. r. L. Borden, leader Of the OPP
position in the Dominion, has follow
ed the prime minister in all of his
tours Sir Wilfrid on the one hand has
rocity; has been showing that the
Canadian farmer will have opened to
him the nearby markets of all the
great cities Of the United States. He
has been trying to teach the lesson
that a protective tariff does not en-
courage agricultural enterprises; that
it limits such industries to the local
demand within Canada; and that in
order to build up the farming inter-
ests, the cattle and poultry and stock
interests, the people Of Canada must
tear down all trade barriers with the
United States.
The Conservative Argument
Mr. Borden. on the other hand, has
been outlining what he terms the folly
Of sending food experts to a nation
which already makes it's own living
and exports more food stuffs than any
other country in the world. He con-
tends that instead of getting higher
prices for their products a nation
which already makes it's own living
and exports more foodstuffs than any
other country in the world. He con-
tends that instead of getting higher
prices for their products in the United
States, the farmers in Canada will be
sending coal to Newcastle, only to
cheaper the cost of living in the
states. He goes further than this and
asserts that with the tariff taken off
the farmers of the United States, with
superior soil and climatic advantages
will be enabled to ship their products
into Canada in such vast quantities
and SO far ahead Of the truck farmers
OF the more northern country as te
completely flood the markets anG
lower the prices in Canada beyond al
profit for the local farmers Mr. Bor.
den says reciprocity will mean com
mercial union. and commercial unto,
with a stronger nation will eventual,
mean annexation.
1t is amazing to an observer from
the United States to see to what al
extent this cry of annexation is bens
waged by the Conservative press On
OF the leading newspapers of New
brunswick province carries every da,
in big black type above the heraldr,
OF it's front page this query: "Unde
Which Flag, the Union Jack, or tn
Stars and Stripes?" The Conservativ
newspapers throughout the Maraitim
provinces, and, indeed, throughout On
tario and the central provinces ar
carrying the annexation cry as far a
possible to instill hatred against tn
United States and to impress upon tn
Canadian mind the Importance Q
standing by England in the next cleo
ton.
Sir Wilfrid Laurier has just finishe
tour lasting week in which h
travelled over the entire eastern pal
of Canada, making from five to te
speeches a day. He replied to the an
nexation cry by saying that it wa
Si mi irS,
Canada. He pointed out that Sir job
Mcdonald. and all the leaders of tn
Conservative party in the past favore
reciprocity and tried all they kne
how to get the United States to ACRE
to it. but failed. He said he has r
patience with the man who will u:
such an argument in this campaig
and urged that reciprocity would on
be a trade agreement for the mutu
benefit of both countries.
1t was not to be expected that En-.
land would not have a hand in tn
election in Canada. One particular
pathetic appeal from the mother coul
try comes in the shape of a circul
with illustrations showing that En-
land has only six weeks rations abe:
and in case of a blockade starvati.
would stare her 100000 people
the face. This circular shows tn
England looks to Canada for her TO,
supplies in case of war, particular
with respect to wheat, and hence t.
necessity of not diverting in any w:
the trade which might be England's.
To a calm, unbiased mind it wou
seem that Sir Wilfrd and the Ii
erals have the best end of the arg
ment- 1t is a plain matter of fact tn
hay is selling in Canada for IS or
ton, and in Boston at above s25
ton. 1t is a fact that should the Ca
adam farmer send a ton of his hay
get the high price in Boston a man
uniform meets him at the border a
collects a tariff of 81 for that ton
hay. 1t is a plain fact that under re
iprocity with the United States tn
tax of 81 on a ton of hay would
removed and the Canadians hay
dustry would be free from such
eumberances. A proportionate arg
Canadian products.
So far as the Southern states a
concerned it does not appear that ira
would be affected to any vast exte
The raw cotton from that section
already admitted free of duty by Ca
ada and the lumber of the South is
superior grade to the lumber
Canada and there would probably
to competition interferred with if
United States admitted Canadian lu
Der free of duty. In fact. the hal