Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-02-10
bEvER|DCE FIRES FIRST GUN
FOR RECIPROCITY IN SENATE,
Although an InSurgent, He Lines Up with
President and Makes Forceful Argument
in Favor OF Agreement=-Canadian Par
lament Begins Debate--Passage Sure.
RECIPROCITY WITH CANADA.


Washington. Feb. 9-Thc first gun
in the Congressional battle over Ca
madam reciprocity WAS fired in the
senate today. Senator Reverdge of
indiana, an insurgcnt, was the marks
man and he lined up on the side Of
the administration. He did not make
.pretense Of representing others of
the Progressive Republican camp.
Plunging Immediately into the heart
of his subject. Beveridge welcomed
the compact as the first concrete ey-
idence of the establishment Of such
relations with Canada as he thought
the United States should maintain
with Il country so closely adioined
physically and with 4 people so in
timatcly alice With Americans i'm
klnship and interest. contending for
the Importance If the principle in
Volved, he urged the necessity for
prompt and decided action. The de-
tails. he sand, Wefo of comparatively
littfc significance and might rs well
be left To future adjustment
shall the United States and Canada
begin the policy II mutual trade con-
eessions and commercial friendliness?
| or shall We make permanent the poll
| icy of trade obstruction and CONNER
| cih hostility between the countries ,"
Thus asking. Beverage said these
Were real questions which must be
answered il dealing with the recipro-
cal agreement.
His general proposition was an
nounced as follows
Il some think that the agreement
! is not all that t should be because
OF the treatmen: of few articles,
the ans"er is that even if this OBJ
lection is sound us To those few de-
! tails. vet it is negligible when COM
pared with the Importance Of getting
iris great national established.
AS Il matter of fact it will be found
that the objection To few scattered
items is not sound. for this is a mat
Ter of agreement ana mutual con-
SESSIONS, are necessary. Even so our
government has lone surprisingly we'll
| in the concessions il has secured.
If the agreement is enacted into
law and proved beneficial to the ma
ton as whole. il is certain to he
extended a., times goes on and the
] two peoples experience its good effect.
harmful to the nation as a whole. 1t
| could ana would be repealed quickly.
every element Of the situation is
an unanswcrable argument for in
innate trade relations With Canada.
! These elements are peculiar. They
exist only and exclusively as to Can
ada and the United States. There
fore they require Il policy as differ
! ent from that which we apply to other
countries as those unique conditions
| affecting Canada and ourselves are
different from those affecting other
! countries and ourselves"
In 4 later connection BeVeridge said :;
! We do not need To protect our peo-
/ pie from. the Canadian people What
we need is to make ii easy for can
! ada 10 freely buy from us the things
! she needs and that we produc" N
/ stead of making il hard for canada
! to do so. What we need is to MAKE
| il easy for our people to buy from
/ Canada. those things when our peo
/ pie need. instead of making IT nara
| fer Them to do 81.
Argument was chen presented TO
| show that the natural resources o'
/ Canada might be depended upon TO re-
/ ducc the cost of living. in TINS country.
by the premature destruction VI
American resources.
After undertaking to demonstrate
| that the objections to the various
itams covered in the treaty are trivial
! Reycridge declared them to be of mop,
skin md jump variety.
| Rut even il they were valid instead
| NJ eroundless." he said. "all OF them
mt together are a small matter when
| com pared with getting this fundament-
al an! truly national policy established.
The beginning of the policy itself is
the great aud overshadowing consider
alton. The beginning of freer trade re-
| lations between these two peoples VINO
! are immediate neighbors and who are
| of one blood, language and religion. Is
the large phase of this question.
Many of the Indiana senator's state
ments provoked controversy. Rorah "a
| idaho asked 'how can YOU reduce the
cost Of living without reducing the
price of farm products Beveridge re-
piled that the problem was one of pre-
venting future increases quite as much
as OF reducing the present cost.
Continued on ra%e TwelVr)