The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-02-11
President Taft Says We will Add
Strength to Our Country By
Adopting the ReciprOc-
ity Agreement
TALKS TO Ill. LEGISLATURE
Gives Splendid Address in Support of
Important Legislation Now Pend
ina in the United States
and Canada.

Springfield, ILL.,, Feb. 11.-President
Taft defended the proposed reciproci-
Nv agreement with Canada in an ad-
dress before the Illinois legislature
here today as the logical conclusion"
of the protection plank in the last re-
publican national platform. He de-
fed the protection theory as one that
should impose tariff not exceeding
the difference i'm the cost of produc-
tion in this country and abroad and
allowing a fair margin of profit for
the home producer. He argued, there
fore. that inasmuch as the conditions
OF production from the United States
and Canada "were substantially the
same" 'the widest latitude was
given Secretary Knox and the COM
missioners who represented the United
States in Offering TO Canada a reduc-
tion of duties on goods and products
coming into this country from Canada
i'm consideration of the establishment
of the same duty or freedom from
duty. on similar goods going into Can
ada.
"A reciprocity agreement is give and
take and my impression Is that when
you examine closely this agreement,
you will congratulate yourselves that
we were able to make one that COW
cred so wide a range of subjects"
The president declared the criticism
that reductions had been avoided pur-
posely on manufactured articles who'll
~ unfounded and that a reciprocity
agreement between the United states
and Canada must of necessity relate
more to agricultural products than to
manufactures.
"The suggestion that the opening of
our markets to Canadian wheat and
other cereals" continued the presi-
dent, "will reduce the price of land in
Ohio, Illinois, Indiana and Iowa, is re-
futed by every table of satisfies and
represents the comparative increases
of land in those states under the in
fluence of the opening of the wheat
fields of the states further west.
ITO let the wheat of the northwest
come down to Minneapolis and Chica-
go will steady the price of wheat, Will
prevent its fluctuations, will make
much more difficult speculation and
will furnish us greater insurance
against short crops and high prices
But that it will in the end substan-
TALLY reduce the price of wheat, which
is fixed for the world i'm Liverpool, no
one familiar with the conditions will
assert.
1T will give to the United States
much greater control of the wheat
market than ii has ever had before.
1t will enable its milling plants TO
turn Canadian wheat into Hour and
send abroad the finished prod act, and
IL will stimulate the sale of =, lnufac-
lures and other things that we have
to sell to Canada"
The president further asserted that
in removing the artificial barriers be-
tween the northwestern part of the
United States and the Canadian prov
inces. the agreement would result in
the bringing over OF live cattle to feed
on the corn of the American farmer
He added that the rapid increase oil
population in the United States re-
quired "a source of food supply like
Canada, right at our doors"
1--WE shall be blind indeed, said the
president, ''if we reject this golden op-
portunity to add to the strength and
virility of our country by thus increas-
ing our self supporting capacity.