The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-02-01
The comlno Showdown.


Des Moines Capital: In discussing
the proposed trade arrangement be-
tween the United States and Canada,
the Chicago Record Herald editorfally
says:
Already certain members OF con.
gress, including progressives. are up
in arms against the reciprocity agree
ment with Canada Already certain
industries that fear injury from Ca
madam competition are declaring I'M
alterable opposition to it. No doubt
this is not wholly unexpected, for re-
ciprocity has always been honored in
the breach rather than in the obsery,
ance by many professed, eloquent
friends OF abstract propositions. Yet
the situation is really grave and criti-
cal, for the agreement with Canada is
fundam entally unlike any other reel
nrccity treaty ever framed. 1t is en-
phatically a test treaty. If it fails fur
Their talk of reciprocity will be farci-
cial and hypocritical. If it fails, many
so-called revisionists will write them
selves down Pickwickian Cor Peck
sniffian) prosressives.
Our esteemed Chicago contemporary
is much panied. but not without rea-
son. For years it has been preaching
the doctrine of low tariff. 1t has
ever been liberal in providing space
with which to sound the praises OF La
Toilette, Borah, Bristow and Cum
,~,;,a v,~l,o, ,,na,, tho Chant NINA
platform, or around the banquet board
they have hurled their rounded per-
iods against the protective system.
At last the hour arrives with oppor-
tunity to put precept into practice. A
treaty is negotiated proposing to wipe
out at one fell swoop all the tariff on
farm products and place the agricul-
tural interests of both the United
States and Canada upon common
level
And just as the Record-Herald is
lifting its stentorian voice to shout,
Charge Chester. charge! On, Stanley,
on.'' it looks about, and oh. what a
scattering is there, my countrymen,
In its own telegraph columns it
finds that the New York Herald has
already taken poll of the senate on
the proposed treaty and that so far
as members have committed them
selves, there are forty-two votes IN
favor OF confirmation and forty-eight
in favor OF rejection.
To cap the climax among those lin
- ~
which is calculated to carry their pet
doctrines into effect the names of La
Toilette, Borah, Bristow and Cum
Minis lead all the rest.
The Chicago Record-Heraid should
not permit itself to be deceived. When
public sentiment thunders upon the
prairies of the west the detonations
can be heard even as far away as
Washington, D C.
For dozen years the insIrgent
statesmen of the west have kept
themselves to the front by agitation.
They have denounced the principles
upon which for half century the Re-
publican party had won its long line
of brilliant triumphs. They have ma
lisned the motives of the old leaders.
They have declared that the functions
of government are in the hands OF
the special interests" They alone
we're the ones who could point the
way to better order of things.
Today the New Lights have reach
ed the point on, the highway of Re
form where goods must be actually
delivered. Have the apostles OF insur-
gency the courage of their solemn
convictions The nation at large will
struggle hard to restrain its impulse
toward humor while the representa-
ltives OF Repu blican insurgency in the
/ American congress decide whether it
were better to eat their own prodigal
ity, of words or exemplify them in
logical action, and then calmly await
TO see what the farmer vote will dc
at the polls
"pickwickian or Pecksniffian? 2
! Probably both
r..<nrn;. ,uAather in Iowa