Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1911-06-05
WHY FARMERS SHOULD
FAVOR RECIPROCITY
Former Governor Hoard, Himself a
Farmer, Shows How It Would
Benefit All Classes.
[By AssocIated Press.1

\
Chicago, June Sin a statement
sent to the Western Economic Society
and read at today's session. at which
reciprocity was discussed, former Gov
ernor Hoard of Wisconsin declared
that most of the opposition against
reciprocity with Canada was based on
, politics and that reciprocity would
/ help the farmers. His statement fol-
lows:
/ Back of all this confusing cry OF
clamoring politicians, of high protec-
tionists on one hand and the insur-
gents looking for political advantage
( to their group on the other, lies the
great basal recollection with me tina
always in the history of this country
has the farmer prospered best when
the manufacturer prospered best
when the great army of workmen were
employed and their families consum-
ing largely OF the farmers food. Never
once have | seen agriculture prosper
when labor was idle. For that reason
| have faith that reciprocity with Can
ada will stimulate demand for the
products of labor on this side Of the
line, and, as day follows night, will it
help the farmers.
Already have the farmers been
given a taste of declining prices for
their food products. Do they like it?
Do they want more of it? Then let
them follow the counsels of those poll
ticians who are fighting President
Taft for political purposes only, and
in my opinion they will get belly
full of it.
Surely, we as farmers ought to
have enough common sense to know
which side of our own bread is but
tered. We ought TO know that our in
terests and prosperity are indissolubly
bound up with the general industrial
interests of the whole country, and
that anything that promotes the food
consumers ability to purchase our
food is play into our own hands.
IF we do not know these things, il
we have studied the economic history
of our country so little that We are
ignorant of its lessons, then all can
say is that We are mighty poor farm
ers and unworthy of the interests we
are called on to defend. | wish could
get the farmers of the country to see
that the most of this opposition to
reciprocity is based on politics and
mighty little of it on any regard what
ever for their future welfare. Already
the business interests of the country
are beginning to show signs of shrink
age and suffering because of the as
saults of these contending politicians.
THE farmers of the land must carry
steadying hand. They must bark
back to the lessons of the past. They
must see their true position in rela-
tion to all the other industries of the
country They must see that the pri-
mary thing for them to do is to pro-
mote the purchasing power of the con-
sumner and not allow themselves to be
hoodwinked into opposition to that
great basic proposition.
The effect of reciprocity, in my T,
opinion, will be to promote the busi- |
ness interests of both countries. In |
this the farmers must not stand aloof |
If they do the day of their sore punish !
ment is not far off, in my judgment. |
AS a farmer ! am not at all afraid |
of letting the above principle of reci- |
procity have free course, run and be |
glorified