The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1911-02-10
FAVOR,
RECIPROCITY
HOUSE CAUCUS FAvoRs ApoP-
TON OF AGREEMENT
WITH CANADA.
resolution Endorsing Agreement Car
ried in Caucus by Vote Of 90 to %
Action Assures Favorable Vote on
Treaty in House.

treaty IN House.
washington, Feb. Favorable &C
ton OF the houes on the Canadian re-
clprocity agreement was assured last
night when the caucus Of Democratic
representatives formally pledged the
party to vote for the agreement.
The resolution indorsing the Cana
dian agreement was carried, 80 to %.
On motion of Mr.. Clark of Missouri,
the action of the caucus was made
unanimous.
Against Resolution.
The twenty-five voting against the
resolution, it was explained later, were
those who had voted for the free lum-
Der, etc., and their action in caucus
was to make their position consistent.
1t was said they would vote with the
party. The resolution as adopted fol
lows:
Text Of Resolution.
Whereas, The Canadian reciprocity
agreement negotiated, while not form.
ulated in accordance with the Demo
cratic platform plans, is reduction of
some of the prohibitive scales in the
Payne-Aldrich tariff law, will tend to
expand the trade of the United States
and Canada; therefore be it
Resolved, That this caucus indorse
the Canadian reciprocity agreement
and bind ourselves to vote for a bill
carrying it into effect"
For the Farmers.
The caucus unanimously adopted a
resolution by Mr.. Cantrell of Kentucky
declaring that the caucus believes that
every American farmer should have at
his disposal "the information of the
production and stocks on hand of agri-
cultural stocks and pledge ourselves
to attempt to bring about that end by
legislation"
The anti-reciprocity Democrats were
given free rein at last nights caucus
of the house Democrats.
Amendments Invalidate.
Most of those opposed to the Cana
dian agreement submitted by Mr.. Taft
expressed their views and several
dwelt upon the fact that the bill incor.
porating the agreement should not
pass without amendment. Amenud
ments, of course, would invaiidate the
entire agreement.
Conspicuously hung in the lobby
back of the house last night was pla
card bearing quotation from speech
by Minority Leader Clark on June
last, having been placed there by q
Republican to call attention to Mr.
Clark's opposition to any reciprocity
bill. The placard reads:
Fights to Amend.
81 do not know how long we shall
be here, but as long as am here,
intend to fight for the right to amend
every section of every great bill which
comes into this house, and do not
care straw whether the Democrats
control the house or the Republicans. =
Mr.. Clark and Mr.. Underwood OF
Alabama led the movement to indorse
the reciprocity agreement, both OF
them declaring for it unequivocally.
Some Opposition.
Messrs. Hammond of Minnesota,
Brantley of Georgia, Webb of North
Carolina, Legare of South Carolina,
and others spoke in opposition.
Mr.. Brantley urged postponing all
such legislation until the next con
gress rather than put on the statute
books measures that will be used by
the Republicans as campaign material
Mr.. Brantley also objected on the
ground of the disadvantage such legis-
lation would impose on the raw mate
rails of the importer. He suggested
that reciprocity would let American
automobiles into Canada cheaper, but
would act disadvantageously on the
American farmer.
Wheat 10 Hurt.
Mr.. Hammond pointed out that
wheat today is selling at Minneapolis
Z and cents higher than at Winnipeg
and that nearly everything produced
| in his district was injuriously affected
by the provisions Of the agreement.
Mr.. Webb, in an analytical speech,
announced he could not vote for 9
blow at raw materials.
Those Democrats who invoked the
caucus rule which exempts man from
the binding effects Of caucus action
when he has made a pledge to the con-
trarv RI his constituents were Webb of
North Carolina, Pujo and Broussard Of
Louisiana and Hammond Of Mime
sofa.