The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1911-02-16
STRONG POINTS MADE FOR RECIPROCITY BY
PRESIDENT IAFT IN SPEECH AT COLUMBUS

open up the market of Minneapolis and Chicago, give the trans
portaton and warehousins facilities of u Northwest and the Canadian
farmer will get for his wheat practically what the American farmer gets,
less the higher freight charges due TO greater distance from market. In
other words, the advantage we give the Canadian farmer will not hurt
our farmer, for the price will remain the same; but by paronizns our
elevators, our flour mills, railroads, he will secure admission to the
wor,asm market at a less essto himself while w viii secure n aa-
vantage of increased trade for u elevators, II mills, Ut railroads
and u commission men, .. .
Let the agreement be adopted and go into operation and in six
months the farmers on the border who now have fears will rejoice in
this great step toward closer business and social relations with III
neighbos. The whole country-farmer, manufacturer, railroad company,
middeman, warehouse man, all will be the gamer
important agricultural products a cottonseed oil, all kinds of fruits and
vegetables, timothy and clover seeds, eggs and numerous other products
in which the movement to Canada from the United States is much
greater than from Canada to the United States"
nesota is but little more than IS, while the difference between Mmneso-
ia and Wisconsin is So. between Wisconsin and Illinois is $50, between
figures show incontestaby that the fear of a reduction in farm land val
ues of this country by letting in Canadas products is wholly unfounded.
The principle of production takes away the justification for any
try where the conditions as to labor and other circumstances are the
same a s in ours and thus makes the cost of production substantially the
same
Should VI not, by taking down a useless and unnecessary tariff
wall bring within our agricultural resources the great plains of the
Northwest when they can bring to us what W e need and that without
hurting any of our own people,
Canada is our neighbor on the North for 5000 miles. Her popuIa-
ton is English, Scotch and French. Her soil is like ours. Her traditions
are the same a ours. Her language is ours: Her climate is temperate
lks ours, except that her growing seasons are shorter and she cannot
raise corn in any great quantities. She has a free, popular government,
with a "ageearnns class as mteIlgent n al well paid as ours. 1t is
dihcut to see in what respect her farmers have any advantage over
our own except a virgin soil in the Far Northwest "
The greatest reasrn for adopting this agreement is.the fact that it
is going to unite two countries with kindred people and lying together
across a wide continent In a commercial m social unon 70 the great
advantage Of both. Such a result does not need to be justified by Il
nice balancing of pccuniary profit to each. Its mdoubted general bene-
fit will Vindicato those who are responsible o IT. say this in order
that by answering the arguments directed to the detailed effect of the
agreement upon different classes of persons may not be thought to
abandon the broad ground upon which the opportunity to confirm this
agreement ought to be seized