The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-01-28
LITTLE HOPE FOR
CANADIAN TREATY
Buried in Committee in Com
pany With Seventeen
Other Compacts
EVERY TARIFF QUESTION
GlNGERLY HANDLED
Negotiations With Northern
Neighbor Meets Little Favor
in Congressional
Circles

WASHINGTON, Jan. 2S.-Among
Congressman to-day, interest centers
not 80 much in the question whether
President Taft's reciprocity agreement
with Canada will be passed this SEES
sion as 1t does In the problem wheth-
er IL will be reported by the commit
tees to which IL has been referred. In
the Senate 1t has been consigned to
the committee on finance, which has
charge OF tariff bills. A member OF
that committee said to-day that a
canvass had been made and that IL
had disclosed not one member of the
committee in favor OF the agreement.
you've seen the last of it, said
q member OF the House, referring TO
it's reference to the committee on ways
and Means.
Both the committees in question
have a. majority of high protection
advocates and they would very re-
iuctantly contribute to a break in the
solid wall OF the Payne-Aldrich tariff
law. Democrats are depended on by
the stand patters to vote against 1t
on the theory that the next congress:
with Its democratic house, should
lead the way In tariff reform. Every
tariff question, In the estimation OF
members of congress. ~ loaded and
they explain that they desire to hear
from their constituents or that they
have not had time to study the agree
ment.
Among those who Will favor rati-
fication with Canada may be men
toned Senator Depew and Represen-
tative Dwight New York;. republi-
cans and Representative Hill. IRE
pubiican1. OF Connecticut.
Insurgent Ii Emphatic.
Senator Rorah fEapuhiican1 of
Idaho. expressed the opinion that the
agreement would not he ratified at
this session. Others expressed thss
same opinion with frills of emphatic
language. Rotten" was the verdict
of a Northwestern insurgsnt. who af-
forwards asked that his name be not
associated with the sentiment.
Eanator Curtis tRepublicane, of
Kansas, said that on general princi-
pies he had always opposed recipro-
city with Canada un rarm products.
the main interests of his state being
agricultural He desired. however, to
withhold Judgment on the present Ca
madam agreement until he had had
time to study 1t and received express
sions OF opinion from his constitu-
ents. Senator McCumber {Republi-
cam. North Dakota. condemned the
proposal to place Western farmers at
the mercy OF Canadian competition
while they received no benefits from
the reduction OF the tariff on manu-
featured articles The people OF North
Dakota would benefit from free lum-
her but he was of the opinion that
the northwest would protest against
that concession to Canada.
Fears as to N1e future OF this har-
binger OF increased trade and friend
fy relations are also based on the pre-
vious history OF the United States in
the matter of reciprocity. Some years
ago tariff bin was passed with high
duties hut with the saving and be-
nigT provision that concessions might
be exchanged with countries In trade
with the United States A high com
missioner was appointed to negotiate
reciprocity treaties and he laborious-
Is entered into tariff trading nego-
tiations with representatives OF all the
leading commercial nations. Treaties
wsre, agreed upon. approved by PRE-
: aiaent's and submitted 10 TIE 'sensstu
until seventeen accumulated In the
capacious pigeon holes OF the senate
committee on foreign relations.
Cope was high in the breast of the
high commissioners. experts and d.
plomats. who contemplated the era OF
everybody making money to result
from these international agreements
each OF the contracting parties in
which. figured that they had won a
great victory, Senators regarded the
agreements with cold and clammy
glare.
Those treaties still repose in the
pigeon holes. accommodating dust and
slowing turning yellow with the raw
ages of time.