The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-01-25
Agreement WITa CANADA.
DETAILS WILL BE
MADE PUBLIC SOON.
Joint Statement from United States
and Canadian Commissioners An
nounce that Understanding Has
Been Reached-Result OF Speech
Made by President Taft at Albany,
Followed by Proposal Of Secretary
OF State.

Oh State.
Washington, Jan. 21.--''The neXo-
tiations have reached an understand
Ing. which, when certain formalities
are completed, will be made public
| at Washington and Ottawa. 1t Is
thought this may be done next Thurs
| day"
Though potent. this joint state
ment, ISSUED by the commissioners
| representing Canada and the United
; States. was all that could be learned
at adjournment Of the meeting today
Thus, two weeks of negotiation, how
ever. brought about u reciprocal trade
| agreement.
| The Canadian conference, which
terminated today, was preceded by
ssVeral other attempts, which came
., naught, the last being about ten
years ago, when Sir wilfred Laurier
the Canadian premier. headed dele
gatton of prominent Canadians that
! came to Washington to see President
MoKinley. and attempted to secure an
sagreement on very Iimited scale. Fall
ure attended this movement, bncause
itthe rec'orociy idea was hopelessly in
Evolved with othef important subjsct
such as the regulation of the seal
4 Fisheries and the onelimitation oof the
Alaskan boundry. which aroused the
Irrational spirit on bdth sides Of the
I boundary to a point that caused an
habrupt close OF tire negotiations
4 The present movement differed
ffrom others that preceded tst In the
| absence Of long Drawn out tnegotia-
/ tions. for 1T rs a fact that the import
| ant agreement anounce1 today was
reached Within "a remarkably short
/ space OF time. considering the i'm
! portance u6 the subject nsatter. In
Fact these aeeiDaeeatyz~ aszetiasisos
really occupsed muh less than q years
time. even allowing for Cextsnded pre-
| liminary Soundinss and exchanges be-
fore the point dr actual negotiations
was reachsd.
1 They nay be said to have grown
out of the conferences between the
United States and Canada, incident to
the aliowaSce ~ Canada Of the min
4 imum tarif rates under the Payue-
4 Aldrich Tariff Aat OF 1909. Canada
I was one of the last important coun-
\ tries or dependencies to take ad-
I vantage OF that section OF grhe Tariff
lAct. President Taft sounded the
thrst official note 1of the wish of
the United States to meet
lthese desires in his notable speech at
Albany last spring when In the pres
snce Of Earl Grey, tire Governor Gen.
eral of Canada, he 'vsiced the sgeneraI
demand in this couIEry for W recip-
rocity treaty with Canada.
So well was this suggestion rseceived
in the press that Secretary Knox felt
justified in making a proposal to
Canada that commissioners be ap-
pointed to see what could be done
towards framing a reciprocity scheme.
His proposal was cordially received on
the Canadian side and sast Sepaem-
Der fDrma! acceptance was made.
The commissioners met in the ga
madam Capital November S and work
ed for five days. They accomplished
a good deal by a process Of eiinsi-
nation and cleared the way tor great
er action. so that when they again ar
sembled in Washington, two weeks
ago. they were fully prepared to re-
sumo the negotiations and bring them
to the happy conclusion ansounced
| today.
In the proceedings in Washington
ihe United States has been represent
ed by =. G. Knox, Secretary Of State;
Chandler Anderson, counsellor OF the
State department; Charles 81. Pepper
of the bureau vf trade relations, and
G. II. Montgomery. of the bureau Of
customs.
The Canadian representatives We're:
w. S. Fielding. minister of finance:
William Patterson, minister OF GUS
toms James A. Russell, tariff expert,
and John McDougald, deputy minis
/ ter of customs Of the Dominion.
4