New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-02-20
VOTE ON RECIPROCITY
OR AN EXTRA SESSION
President Feels Under Interna.
tionaI Obligation to Recall
Congress if It Fails to Act. f!
RELUCTANT TO TAKE STEP
Republican Senators Recognize
It Would Be a Serious Embar.
rassment to Business, Says
Representative Mccall.

/ From The Tribune Bureauf
Washington. Feb. 19.-Reprcsentative
Mccall. of Massachusetts. leaving the
White House tonight after conference
with the President, gave out a statement
which Is strikingly sig ncant.
"I believe" Mr.. Mccall said, "Repuo'
llcan Senator'S are gradually coming 10
recognize that. with the certain prospect
Of an extra session, unless they bring
the reciprocity bill to vote before
March 4 there will be serious inconveni"
ence and embarrassment, II not DANGER
to the business and industrial enterpriSs
which are entitled to protection
The President feels under an inter"
national obligation to summon an extra
session. He will do this reluctantly, be-
cause II is bringing into power Demo-
cratic House and Senate With a mucn
larger Democratic minority. But II tho
Senate should fail to act, the President
will feel that under his agreement win
the Canadian government 10 use ms
utmost endeavor to have the reciprocity
agreement confirmed he will be COM
imagine the Democrats are not anxious
for an extra session. They would natu-
rally feel that they cannot eXtemporiIe
revision OF the tariff schedules. The
light remark that you can prepare
tariff bill overnight, or in two weeks, or
a month. every one knows TO be wide OF
the mark.
Danger in an Extra Session.
"Rut what an extra session is likely TO
mean is a constant agitation and a con-
tinuous investigation into the industries
which are made POSSIBLE by protection
and interference with their business thar
bodies no good to business at large Con
seuuently, if any Oh. should prevent ac-
ton on the reciprocity bill he would be
In the position Of helping to bring a-out
a condition injurious to those Industries
which really need protection What fol-
lows in an extra session will not be the
Presidents fault The President is a
protectionist, and expects to use the veto
power, so far as he properly may, TO
maintain the protective principles. But
il would be a misfortune TO have this in
evitable conflict come nine months ahead
Of the time when 1t is naturally due.
| Garfield when in the House, voted
| against denouncing the Elgin treaty,
which was drawn on almost exactly the
same lines as is the present reciprocity
agreement. In Grants administration
treaty in nearly the same ter~-s was
negotiated, but rejected by the Senate
Mckinley, in later times, advocated
like policy, and after many years OF agi-
taton the present admi- .stratlon mas
been able to take advantage OF an inter-
national situation and to bring TO con-
clusion a fair, equitable reciprocity
agreement. which fills the measure ot
McKinleys requirement, namely, that IL
shall injure no interest at home and SHAH
further increase our foreign trac. res
ident Taft is impressed with the extreme
importance 10 the country of the rati-
fication of the agreement. and also Win
the solemn obligation he has under
taken. to use his utmost endcaVor to
have it enacted into law.
I'm conclusion, l desire TO call atten-
tjon to the following extract from the
Presidents speech at Springfield. ILL.,.
with it's attendant warning:
"'There are those conservative pro-
tectlonists who hang back from AN ap-
proval of this agreement on the ground
that it is a departure from the principle
Of protection and is the opening wedge
to let in free trade. Ny own view Is
that no step could be taken more in the
interest of a reasonable polic.' of protcc-
ton than the approval OF this treaty.
The very existence Of the policy depends
on our abolition Of the tariff where II is
not really needed under the principle OF
the last Republican platform. II We per-
sist in retaining it, in these times OF high
prices and gradually exhausting food
supply, and base our retention on pro-
lection principles we shall rouse an op-
position that will know no moderation.
and will not cease radical economic
changes until it has removed from the
statute books the last trace Of pro-
tective tariff"