The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-07-05
IAFIS DEFENSE,
The President Replies to the
Opponents of Reciprocity
In an Address at a Banquet in
indianapolis.
SAME OLD DOCTRINE
Taught by Blaine and Mckinley,
He Declares.
And 1t Is Backed by the Repub-
lican Platform.


the celebration of this city's safe and
sane Fourth in a speech on Canadian
reciprocity at the Marion club banquet
last night. The president made his an
swer to the arguments of other Repub-
icans, that reciprocity, as he has pro-
posed it, is not good Republican doe
trine, but Democratic doctrine.
He showed that reciprocity as pre-
sented to congress by him, differed. if
at all, only slightly from reciprocity as
advocated by James G. Blaine. and for
mer President Mckinley. He declared
that the contention of the opponents OF
his reciprocity plan that the doctrine
is un-Republican because it affects ar
ticles that are competitive and ltot
merely noncompetitive articles is not
sound
Replying to the contention thai reci-
procity would be made wholly at the ex-
pense of the farmer and in the interest
of the wage Garner of the large cities,
Mr.. Taft declared that in his judgment
the reciprocity agreement will not
greatly reduce the cost of living, if at
ALL"
The complaint that the farmers would
suffer by the agreement, the president
said, when analyZed, would be found to
be an argument that the admlsslon OF
Canadian wheat free of duty woulo low
er the price of wheat raised in the Uni
ted States 10 cents a bushel-
Il had occasion elsewhere to say
that the three subjects in which nave
been most greatly interested are not
party issues,'' said the president. Car
tainly this is true of universal arbl-
tration and of the plan of the none
tary commission for the reform Of cur
currency and banking system
with respect to reciprocity, how
ever / find there is a disposition by
some Republicans to dispute the pro-
position that Republicans can consist
emily support the adoption of the pres
ent agreement made for TINS purpose
with the Canadian government II Is
said that this kind of reciprocity is not
Republican reciprocity
! Refers to the Platform.
"It is said this reciprocity covers
| competitive products of each country
and that the reciprocity of former Re
publican leaders was intended to in
clude only lowering or abolition of
duties on products of other countries
which did not compete with products
of this country. Therefore 1t is said
that the Canadian reciprocity as now
proposed, is nothing but a Democratic
measure, reducing or abOliShlng the
tariff on goods or products from Can
ada that compete with those raised by
our own people, and that it is espec-
| tally injurious because 1t is so drawn
as prejudicially to affect the farmers
of the country as a class
1.-THE Repu ublican party in their last
national platform declared in favor of
tariff duties, which would measure
| only in difference in the cost of pro-
duction of articles here and of articles
| abroad. In other words, the sound
/ Republican doctrine has become the
imposition of duties only where the
conditions are naturally unequal, and
where duties are necessary in order
to enable our manufacturers and other
| 70 OF On nd q
com petition of foreign producers. The
Canadian reciprocity agreement which
has been made, squares exactly with
this doctrine.
Another answer to the objection of
Republican friends who denounce re-
ciprocity as a heresy, is that the
amount of competition which is to
take place in our markets between
Canadian products and those of the
United States under this agreement, is
very much less than they would by
their general statements have you be-
lieve. In the first place, they say that
by free trade in agricultural products
we are giving them a market of 90,-
100000 people and taking only a mar
ket of 100000 people for the same
things. and that necessarily they de-
rive greater advantage. AS a matter
of fact, in the vast bulk of our agri-
cultural products, they can furnish no
competition whatever, while this
into Canada.
'.It is said that this Canadian reci-
prOcity agreement is made wholly at
the expense of the farmers and only
in the interest of those who would
have farm products at less
price, towit: The wage-earners of the
large cities. It is my own judgment
that the reciprocity agreement will not
greatly reduce the cost of living, if at
all 1t will however, steady prices by
enlarging the reservoir of supplies for
those things that are raised in both
countries, and it will make more re-
mote the possibility of cornering COM
modities and extorting excessive
prices for them from the public.
As to the Farmers.
1T is a mistake to say, however,
that this agreement is not in the in
terest of the farmers. Let US examine
the statistics and see. The free list is
made up almost entirely of agricultur-
al products. The amounts of expor-
tations from this country to Canada
at present in the articles covered and
affected by the reciprocity agreement,
was for the fiscal year ended Mar
ISL 1910, $4S,0O0,0OO, and the duties
paid on those articles was something
more than $500, 900. The exporta-
ton of these same articles into Can
ada for the year ended March 81, 1911,
was s64,OOO,000 and the duties levied
and collected were $10,500,0 600 The
4 increase. in other words. was about
$4,000 900 last year, and the addi-
tionaI duties collected were about ST.
700, 900.
ssThere seems little doubt that for
the current year the United States
trade covered by reciprocity will
reach S75. 100000 and the remission of
duties would be not less than $4,000