Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-09
TRADE FIGHT OPENS
Senator Beveridge Makes Plea
for Canadian Agreement.
NEED RECIPROCAL POLICY
Declares Business Understanding Is
Paramount Issue.
CALLS DIRECTIONS UNsOUND
Tells Associates in Senate Farmers
Will Benefit and Interests
Are Not Favored.
| NEED RECIPROCAL POLICY
CALLS DIRECTIONS UNsoUND

Holding that the esta adjustment OF {
policy of reciprocity with Canada is para
mount to all sound objections made
against the specific agreement proposed
noon opened the fight in the Senate fol
tie ratification by Congress of the Cana
dian reciprocity arrangement.
Giving attention to some of the objec'
tions made to the agreement. Senator
Beveridge declared that he had noticed
these few items to illustrate the unsound-
ness of many of the mop. skip and JUMP
objections to the mere details of this pro-
posed arrangement"
But even IL they were valid instead OF
groundless. all of them put together are
a small matter when compared with get
ting this fundamental and truly national
policy established
And shortly afterward he sounded a
warning:
"Selfshness is seldom wise. The Amer
lean people as a whole are patient, long
suffering, kindly, slow TO wrath. But
il few selfish interests prevent even
the beginning of this beneffcent program
it we'll may be that those Short-sighted
and selfish interests Will be made to SUI
fer in stern reality infinitely more than
they vainly imagine that this reciprocal
agreement will make them suffer now.
Objections Not Sound, He Says
Objections which the agricultural peo-
pie have made to the agreement, Senator
Beverage contended, are not sound.
1.-THE general effort to make American
farmers believe that this arrangement is
a blow at their prosperity is not justi-
fed" he argued. 1T will not hurt the
American farmer in the item of wheat
and flour. The worlds consumption of
wheat is rapidly overtaking the world S
production OF wheat. The comparatively
small amount of wheat which Canada
can send us for the next few years will
not more than meet the increasing de-
mand.
And by the time that Canada can sup
ply us larger quantities Of wheat the
pressure of our increased population upon
our means Of sustenance will absorb all
Of the wheat that Canada can send us
without changing the American farmer S
relative position.
THE free admission of cattle, horses
and other live animals will not hurt our
farmers. Canadian cattle will have to
be corn fed here. We already export to
Canada greater numbers OF horses and
mules than we import from Canada. The
mules will enlarge our markets in Can
ada for these animals.
Senator Beveridge parts company With
those of his fellow progressive senators
who contend that the arrangement Is an
aid to 1.-The interests"
Where Agreement Benefits.
For example, it is said that because
the agreement admits live animals from
Canada free of duty and does not admit
fresh meats and meat food products free
Of duty, this arrangement helps the BEEF
trust" he continued.
But. Of course, this Is not true. but
the very reverse. II fresh meats and
meat food products were made free be.
tween this country and Canada our beef
trust would have new, easy and free
market in Canada. 1t would be to the
interest OF the beef trust to have this
new, free and easy market
"Of course, fresh meats and meat food
products should be free OF duty between
this country and Canada, because our
people need all Of the meat and meat
food products they can get. And nothing
is more certain than that once this policy
Of Canadian reciprocity becomes the Law
of the two countries and the Canadian
and American people as whole feel its
good effects. meat and meat food products
very soon will be made as free as live
animals.
THE reason why fresh meat or meat
food products were not made free in the
proposed agreement. as are live animals
doubtless was that the Canadian govern
ment would not agree to it. Probably
Canada has packing industries. who
feared the free competition of our Older
and more powerful American packing in
dustries.
No Advantage to Trusts.
Tt has been suggested that the pro-
posed arrangement will help some
others of our greater industries, known
easier access to the Canadian markets.
BUT this Is plainly unsound; for do not
al! Americans of all parties want to
enlarge foreign markets for any and
every American industry. little or big?
If our automobile manufacturers
can sell abroad more OF their products
which they make here, it follows that
they will employ more laborers here
and these laborers will buy more of
our own farmers products.
THE same is true, of course, of all
other American manufacturers and pro-
ducers whose foreign markets this ar
rangement enlarges. ] have not heard
sound objection to single item OF
perience will not speedily correct, ex-
cept, perhaps, the item of barley.
Perhaps barley should not be on the
free list It's free admission possibly
may hurt for a short time two or three
thousand farmers in the northwest
near the Canadian line, and it will help
no American interests except American
breweries.
But this is a reciprocal arrange
ment-the policy of friendly give and
take. We cannot begin the Pc. cy by
getting everything We want and giving
Canada nothing she wants. And one
Of the things she did want was free
barley"
States Real Question at Issue.
In considering the Canadian reciprocit,
arrangement, Senator Beveridge stated
the real questions to be:
shall the United States and Canada
begin the policy Of mutual trade conces
sions and commercial friendlipess? o.
shall We make permanent the policy OF
trade obstruction and commercial hos
tility between these countries?"
Every element Of the situation is al
unanswerable argument for intimat.
trade relations with Canada, Senator
Beveridge argued. The countries are con
tiguous, the industrial methods of thu
people of both nations are alike. the
standards OF living are alike the wages
paid the wOrkmen IN both countries are
on the average. not widely apart Be
cause of the exhaustion of the natura
resources Of this country, he also point
ed out, the United States needs the enor
nous natural resources of the northern