The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-02-27
Reciprocity and the Farmer.

The ways and means committees re-
port in favor Of the Canadian reciprocity
agreement. attributed to the pen OF
Samuel ". Mccall of Massachusetts, IS
document that restores faith in the
ability of American public men. 1t IS
ereditable in every way-broad IN spirit,
strong in argument fair in statement.
There is not cheap line in the TWO
columns. Placed in the hands Ct every
voter and soberly considered, there IS
no doubt of what would be the over
whelming popular Judgment
But one pretended argument is made
against the agreement, and to tins the
report devotes the major part OF IT'S
attention namely, the argument that
it isn't fair to reduce the duties on
what the farmer has to sell without at
the same reducing the duties on what
the farmer has to buy This aliega-
tion of unfairness has surface plaus-
ibilitv that has influenced certain agrl-
cultural organizations, but when an
alyzed as Mr.. Mccall analyses it it ap-
pears that it is hollow and false. In
the first place. agricultural duties do
the farmer practically no good for the
reason that this country is an export
er of agricultural products, and IN so
far as it is, the domestic prices OF agri-
cultural products are fixed by the worlds
price. In the second place, it is not
true that in the trade in agricultural
products the current Is from Canada to
the United States rather than from the
United States to Canada. In 1909, for
example. we sent more wheat to Canada
than the Canadians sent to us. In fruit,
in vegetables, in corn products, IN ami
mails, not to speak Of cotton and other
things, the farmers of the United States
will gain larger market than they
surrender by unrestricted trade with
Canada. Where the season is short and
the climate impedes the production OF
many crops there will not spring up
competition that will injure our farmers.
The middle West will be particularly
benefited by the reciprocity for the mid
die Vests chief crop Is corn, the great
feeder Every farm animal in the Can
adian northwest owned by wheat raiser
will tend to add to the price OF corn
by increasing the demand for it. But
ter and eggs that now painfully and eX-
pensiyely come to the Canadian north
west from eastern Canada will be sup
pHed by Illinois. Iowa, and Wisconsin.
Economic waste is involved in cutting
off Ontario and Quebec from the eastern
part of the United States from the west
ern part of the United States from the
western part OF Canada. Two unneces-
sary long hauls, with their attendant ex-
,pense, are forced, to the injury OF all
No argument can be made against
the trade agreement with Canada which
WAS not made a hundred years ago
against the acquisition OF the Louisiana
territory. The intellectual forebears oil
the present opponents Of reciprocity
feared free trade with the transMissis'
sippi country. Yet the best thing in our
m.atioaal history done for the East IL
II economic way was done when Louis
lana was bought, We now have an op
portunity to gain almost as great
thinq-something that in the years t
come will add to the value of every acr'
Of land in the United States, and quite
as good for the farmer as for the manu-
facturer. the wholesaler, the railroad
owner, and the warehouse man.
II il were proposed to eject Main,
from the union and to erect a tarif
wall Just south of Portland we cal
imagine that Boston and Massachusetts
would greatly object because of the los
of trade territory. Nova Scotia an'
New Brunswick are almost as close t
Boston as Maine. Isn't it to Boston
interest to have them in her trade ter
ritory rather than without it
As TO alleged oppressive duties o.