Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-06-06
RECIPROCITY WITH i
CANADA NECESSARY
DECLARES Mr.. TAFT
President Delivers Able ADJ
dress in Support of Contem-
plated Measure at Chicago
Reciprocity Conference

ciety here tonight, declared the principal
opposition to the Canadian reciprocity
agreement came not from the farmer,
but from the lumber trust" and. from
American manufacturers of print paper.
In one of the most comprehensive adj
dresses he has made on the subject,
the president outlined some of the meth
DDS employed by the opponents of re-
ciprocity; practically told the farmers
that they were being 'buncoed" by spe-
cial interests and said the fate of the
agreement rested not 50 much with the
United States senate as with the people
of the country.
If the farmer and the country-at-large,
he said, could be brought to understand
that this treaty was in the interests OF
the majority of the people he would no
longer fear the coming vote in the SEN
ate.
The president was not sparing in his
words He told the reasons for the op-
position to the treaty by the lumber
trust and by the paper manufacturers,
and without using names scored a New
York firrp, some of whose members re-
Gently appeared at the hearings before
the senate finance committee in Wash
ington ostensibly in behalf of the Ma
tionaI Grange objecting to the enact
ment of the agreement in spite Of the
expressed the belief that the agreement
would become a law.
1.-The bill'' said he. will pass. If it
passes at all. because of the force or
public opinion in it's favor
The president said in part:
In beginning what have to say, de-
sire to express my sincere gratitude to
the members of the Western Economic
society for giving me an opportunity to
O11aCffOn
distinguished and intelligent a company.
1.-The Canadian reciprocity agreement,
providing for free trade in agricultural
products of the two countries, and cor
respond reductions. Of duty on
| all secondary food products and
for considerable REDUCTION in a number
of manufactured goods, passed the house
of representatives in April last. was re-
ferred by the senate to its COMMITTEES
on finance, and there has been under con-
sideration by the committee for a numbr
of wks. Witnsss in favor and against
! tn passage of the bill embodying the
agreement have been heard at consider
able length and we now hope that the
bill will be brought before the senate,
possibly without recommendation, some
time during the coming week.
The agreement has been suggested in
the necessary conferences held with the
Representatives of Canada over the ques-
ton of the application of the maxi.
mum clauses of the Payne tariff bill
TO Canadian importations in to this
country; and. in the course of the judg-
ment of that question, IN which. by rea-
son of certain Canadian concessions on
exports of the Unitetd States into
Ca NADIA, we are able to apply the mini
seemed mutually profitable to extend the
i
countries. already begun, to the point of.
a complete reciprocity agreement Com
missioners, who had expert knowledge
of the subject were appointed. and after
Investigations and study and conferences
that covered an en,ire year, an agree
ment was finally reached which has
been embodied in the bill which. has
passed the house. and is pending in the
senate.
The cordial approval throughout the
country. which hthe proposed agree
ment received when # was sent to the
senate, surprised even those who We're
responsible for its making. and am con-
hdent that further consideration of the
treaty since its submission to congress in
January last. has on.y confirmed the pop
uIar Judgment in favor OF its adoption
into law.
the decision must be made in the
senate of the United States. The question
ma urally arises, why 1 should come out
from Washington to change matter sf
thousand miles to speak on an issue like
this when the persons TO be reached are
so much nearer my usual place off resi-
denee The bill will pass, If it passes at
all because OF the force OF public opinion
in its flavor
ss7ba aprapruauf has hatan crfficfzad h.
cause 1t was framed as a complete docu-
ment by the state department, without
Consultation with members of the house
or the senate. and we. of the admins
so much near my usual place OF resi-
attacks on this ground.
The subject matter of the treaty,
however, was of such a character-it
covered so many different items-that
if conferences had been sought in re-
spect to those items. the individual OBJ
jections by senator's and representa-
tives would have been so many that
we would never have reached an agree
ment at all One of the great objec-
lions to the old method OF framing q
tariff bill was that in order to secure
its passage every district had to be
given something in the bill in the way Z
of protection, whether it NEEDED it or
not, for the purpose of appeasing the
representatives of that district and Sc
curing his support. This method was
obviously calculated to produce "a bill.
drawn not with a view to the protec-
ton. but for many industries that did
not need it at all. Hence, the PROPOSE
ton has been made and mas received
the general approval, that the various
subjects of the tariff should be consid-
cred separately and that the amount
of protection to be furnished to a par
ticular product should be determined
on its merits with reference to the
cost of it's production at home and
abroad Now the Canadian reciprocity
agreement in a little different way in
wolves in it's consideration the same
principle. 1t calls for approval of It
as unit, without regard to the ne
cessity for tariff revision, if there be
such necessity, in respect to otner
schedules of the tariff not affected or
touched by it.
LESS REAL OPPOSITION.
Il venture TO think there is much
less real opposition to reciprocity than
has been represented in Washington
for the purpose of influencing votes in
both houses. am very hopeful that
the bill will pass the senate, and when
it does pass and has been agreed upon
by the Canadian parliament. it's actual
operation will be so beneficial to both