Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1911-07-12
TAFT IN DEFENSE
OF RECIPROCITY
Declares That National Platform
Sustains His Policy.
FARMERS NEED HAVE NO FEAR
Refutes Argument That Admission Of
Free Wheat Into United States
VIII Reduce Price Ten
Cents a BusheI.

| Indianapolis, Ind. - In speech
| delivered before the Marion club
( at the Claypool hotel, President Taft
! devoted himself entirely to the
! subject of reciprocity with Canada,
declaring the passage of the pending
bill modifying the tariff on some Cana
dian products is a Republican not
! Democratic measure. Mr.. Taft quoted
from Blaine and Mckinley to show
that the contention that reciprocity
was never advocated by Republican
! leaders so as to include competing
products, Is refuted by the record of
| history"
Speaking of Republican opposition
to the reciprocity agreement, he said:
THE Republican party in their last
national platform declared In favor of
! tariff duties which would measure
only the difference in the cost of pro-
duction of articles here and of arti-
cles abroad The Canadian reciprocity
agreement squares exactly with this
doctrine.
1T is said this Canadian agreement
is made entirely at the expense of the
| farmer and only in the interest of
those who would have farm products
at a less price, to-wit: the wage earn
ers of the large cities. 1t is my own
/ judgment that the reciprocity agree
| ment will not greatly reduce the cost
of living, If at all. 1t will, however,
steady prices, by enlarging the reser-
voir of supplies for those things that
are raised in both countries, and 1t
will make more remote the possibility
of cornering commodities and extort-
ing excessive prices for them from
the public.
TT is a mistake to say this agree
ment is not in the interest of the
). farmers. The truth is that when the
complaint is made on behalf Of the
farmer, and is analysed, it will be
found to be'limited to an argument
that by the admission of free wheat
into the United States the price of
wheat will be reduced ten cents a
bushel.
The answer to the argument is
that this cannot be, for the reason
that the price of wheat in the United
States and In Canada both is ulti-
mately fixed by the price Of wheat in
the world, and that the worlds price
is adjusted and made at Liverpool by
the relation of the supply of the ex-
ported wheat to the demand for it by
countries which do not raise enough
to supply their people.
1T may be that the free admission
of wheat from the United States into
Canada will increase to some extent
the price to the Canadian farmer, but
1t will not decrease the demand upon
the American farmer for his wheat.
THE American grown wheat would
not be decreased in the slightest, but
on the contrary, because of increased
market facilities and fuller time opera
ton, the mills would be in better po-
sition to absorb increased quantities
of American grown wheat
Wherever the probable course of
trade under reciprocity is analysed as
to its effect on farm products, in
which Canada can compete, the con-
illusions vary but slightly from those
reached with respect to wheat
Farmers who have not broadly
considered the subject in all its bear
ings have overlooked the benefits aris-
ing from a more extended field of
supply which will accrue to the small
farmer throughout the central and
eastern states whose expanding posi-
bil1ties in dairying, fruit raising,
stock conditioning ana other special
lied forms of farm life, have reduced
his productive capacity in the raising
of grains and hay, and who is becom-
ing among the best of customers for
hay, corn, oats ana m1ll feeds-the
products of the farmer of the west
and southwest.
These small farmers-and their
number is large and constantly in
creasins-wiIl be benefited by the
greatest measure of uniformity of
cost and assured regularity of supply
through reciprocity.
II am most earnestly hopeful the
/ Canadian reciprocity agreement will
/ pass The senate and will be confirmed
4 by the Canadian parliament. 1 am
! hopeful of this, not for political rea-
/ son. because the responsibility and
! credit for it will not be wholly with
any one political party. The Demo
Gratis of the house and Democrats of
the senate should have their full
measure of praise for its adoption,
should 1t become a law"
The presidents reciprocity speech
was a climax to his part in Indianapo-
| lis sane Fourth celegration.