The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-05-01
ARGUMENT FOR RECIPROCITY
STRONG LETTER FROM MFHRER
OF WAYS AND MEANS CON-
MITTEE
President Taft Still Fighting Progress
sive Republicans-FYve States Now
Needed to Adopt the Income Tax
Amendment.
(Ry Clyde H. Tavenner.e

(By Clyde HI. Tavenner.e
Washington. May dorsey w.
Shackleford of Missouri, a member of
the Ways and Means committee Of
the House. has prepared one Of the
most illuminating letters on the sub
Ject of reciprocity that has appeared.
The document has caused much dis
cussion among members of Congress
and is to be widely circulated
'The lumber trust and the paper
trust are waging a fierce fight against
They are making desperate efforts
to get the farmers to join them
Wherever possible they have enlisted
the papers which circulate among the
farmers. They try to make the farm
ers believe that, by reason of the tar
III, he gets more than the fair market
price for his products.
Canada has a tariff which operates
against our products sold in Canada.
We have tariff which operates
against Canadian products sold here
Reciprocity is an agreement between
the two countries to modify both tar
ifs with a view to more extended
trade.
"A large trade has grown up be-
tween us and Canada. In five years
ending June 80, in goods of all kinds
We sold in Canada $3.50, All, 376
Canada sold to us 393, 913,673
ANY country which buys from us
more than it sells to us is a good
country to trade with. No tariff wall
should stand between us and such a
country
Government statistics for the five
years ending June 30 also show these
things:
HORSES.
We sold in Canada s14,172, 075
Canada sold to us 2,549, 201
Difference in our favor 81, 622,874
CATTLE.
We sold in Canada s1.57s.179 |
Canada sold to us 1,193,796 |
Difference in our favor s 1884, 1888 |
MEAT AND DAIRY
We sold in Canada s17,o11,O17
Canada sold to us 904 191 |
Difference in our favor SIS, ,S26
BREADSTUFFS.
We sold in Canada $S1, 596, $50
Canada sold to us 6,679,SS4
Difference in our favor s24s1es72
You ask why Canada favors reci-
procity if II Is to give us the best |
of it on these products. The answer
is easy:
First. the Canadian tariff is added |
to the price which the Canadian con-
sumner must pay. Canada desires to
relieve her people from this extra
price.
Second, Canada is willing to take
her tariff off of the goods which we
sell her if in turn we will 'take our
tariff off of the paper, wood pulp and
lumber which she sells us. If our
tariff against these products were re-
moved she would sell us still larger
amount of timber products than she
now sells us. How could that hurt
the American farmer?
WHO, then. would be hurt by reci-
procity? L will tell you. The lum-
procity would bring Canadian lumber
and paper here to be sold in competi-
ton with the American lumber and
paper. This would give the Ameri-
can people cheaper paper, and the
farmer cheaper lumber to build houses
and barns. So you see why it is the
trusts are making such frantic eff
forts to defeat reciprocity. They de-
sire to hold a monopoly of the Amer
lean lumber and paper markets. Let
the farmer be of good cheer. He is
not the fellow who will be hit by reci-
prOcIty. He VIII be nelpeU. Inc
lumber trust and the paper trust are
the ones who will feel the weight of
this measure
TAFT FIGHTS PROGRESSIVES
President Taft is still fighting pro-
gressive Republicans He first en-
deavored to smother progressiveism
by refusing patronage to members of
Congress who would not vote for bills
recommended by him whether they
thought them to be for the public
good or not. This movement failed
Insurgency increased in
stead of disappearing. Then the Pres
ident used all the influences at his
command to bring about the defeat
of Senator LaFollette in wisconsin.
LaFollette was reelected by a larger
vote than ever. Now the President
is taking the leading part in the fight
against giving the progressives of the
Senate the committee places they de-
mand Inasmuch as the Presidents
former efforts caused two progressives
to grow where but one had grown be-
fore, the progressives can afford to be
patient.
RECIPROCITY ACT IMPROVED
Practically the only change made in
the Canadian reciprocity agreement by
the Democrats in the House was the