Daily Kennebec journal., 1911-04-08
Reciprocity Plans Unfairness.

|
of other businesses from all parts "
: Maine, and a few from neighborin
states, against reciprocity. All
those are interesting and, taken to
gether. bring out the general opposi
ton to the ratification of the proposed
arrangement Most of these letter
are brief. each setting forth one O
4 two points that strike the writer forcl
blv. but all of them see the light from
the same standpoint the farmers ar
| being made the scape goat of an up
| heaval for lower prices. Many q
| these letters we expect to publish
| but we arc obliged on account of th'
number to select representative ones
which seem to combine more of the
| points generally expressed.
| We are pleased to note. also, thai
| other papers are hearing from the peo-
plc, some of the most radical reel
procityites giving space to communi-
cations contrary to their belief be-
cause challenged to do so. one of the
most striking of these is from }. II.
O'Donnell, Presquc Isle, Maine. to the
Waterville Sentinel. The editor at
tempted feebly to answer it in the old
free trade hand downs but succeeded
only in showing that he was hopeless
" outclassed in the argument. The
Lewiston Journal also received Il let
ter from John l.. Ham. Lewiston,
which it did not attempt to answer,
the editor contentng himself with
reiterating: "The sentiment is over
whelming FOR reciprocity"
Contrary to other Democratic pa
pers, the Bangor Commercial comes
out plumply and plainly for it's farmer
constituents and all those other call
ings which depend upon the farmers
prosperity. The Commercial does not
bother with free trade or tariff-for-
revenue arguments. but hammers
away at plain facts in characteristic
straight to- the-point argument. Among
other things it says;
The treaty as now proposed is not
nearly as fair in its provisions as that
which expired in March, 1856. At that
time there was free labor between the
two nations and the laboring man
could go back and forth across the
border and a Maine employer of labor
could employ help from Canada. This
condition no longer exists. A Maine
employer who hires labor in Canada
is subject to a fine or Imprisonment
under the alien labor act. To enact
reciprocity law placing the produc-
tions of the forest and of the farm on
the free list, without removing the re
strictions on labor, is not only placing
a great burden upon such productions
and thereby limiting Maine activities
but it is enacting law that is ah-
solutely unjust, unfair and ineputable.
Now look at the situation for our
farmers. In ArooStook county and the
otner counties of the state men have
invested their all in farms under the
present protection against Canadian
competition. a competition that Tor
success would be based upon cheaper
farms, cheaper labor and cheaper sup
plies. Think what free trade with
Canada means to our farmers. free
trade in everything that the farmer
produces, in every agricultural prod
uct, while on the other hand the far
mer is not receiving the least consid-
GRAFTON in the articles that he is
obliged to buy.
1t means competition under the most
unfavorabIe circumstances and Condi-
tiCns, competition that the govern
ment itself renders unfair to our own
people, because the contract labor law
is still' on the statute books. 1t means
that our farmers will see their own
markets invaded by foreign farmers
who pay less to their help, less Tor
their farms and less for their sup
plies and all this without the slightest
payment for the privilege.
This wicked blow at Names pros
pecity. a blow that also falls heavily
on all the border states, is attempted
with the explanation that it Will tend
to reduce the general high price of
living. an inadequate explanation that
has no foundation on fact. Had there
been suggested a general letting down
of the bars this argument might have
had more weight. but this blow is di-
rectly at the farmers Thus ii is to
be noted that in this agreement framed
by President Taft and Secretary OF
State Knox, care has been exercised
not to place coal on the free list. Had
such action been taken Canadian coal
could be brought by water to various
United States ports and saving
made.
But no. That is a saving that does
not count. for Secretary Knox is q
resident of Pennsylvania and the great
coal interests of that state must be
safcguarded.
The reciprocity agreement as plan
red contemplates a sacrifice of our ag-
ricultural interests that will inlli"t a
most grevious blow on the prosperity
of our state. Its very unfairness rem
ders it the more obnoxious.
REFLECTIONS OF A BACHELOR.
(NeW York Press