Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1911-06-23
hIII on ReclproeIty.

l account Tor his course
James j. Hill, empire builder of the
Northwest and who for a generation
has been advocating reciprocity with
canada, thus dismissed further dis
cusslon of the opposition Of the senior
Senator from this State to the Cana
dian Reciprocity pact.
Mr.. Hill was seen at the Offices of
the Northern Securities Compa Nv /, es.
terday by an American reporter. He
was rushed with business, as he al
ways is after arrival in New York, but
he is SO interested in the success of the
trade agreement between the unitet.
States and Canada negotiated by Pres
ident Taft that he stopped all work to
talk about his favorite subject.
When reminded that opposition
seemed strong among the farmers of
bis own part of the country he shook
his grizzled headiimpatiently and said:
"It's ghost dauce--that's all 1t isn'
BY this time MIR. Hill had stepped
out of an elevator in the Mutual Life
Building, holding to an arm of the re-
porter, and dashed into Nassau street
with the agility of a youngster.
Clutching the reporters arm, he
pushed his way through the jostIing
crowd that lines that thorougbfare at
that hour almost dragged his COM
panion down the street toward the
centre of the financial district, where
he had an engagement. With the
laugh ola Senator he repeated;
ats a ghost dance. The farmers of
the Northwest are not opposed To re-
ciprocity with Cansda. A group of pol
iticians up there who are being pulled
by strings that lie beyond their do
main are trying to excite the farmers,
just as the medicine men, or snake
doctors, used to do among the Indian
tribes III the early days when devil
ment was afoot. These snake doctors
would get the Indians aroand camp
fire and start ghost dance that
worked them up into frightful fury.
Then the Indians would go out and
ravage the white settlements.
"But these snake doctors that are
now trying TO raise the devil in the
Northw west are finding out that the
ghost dance game can't be worked on
the palefaces up there.
"President Taft told the real truth
about it in his speech in Chicago re-
Gently, de hit the nail squarely on the
head when he declared that only few
politicians iE our section of the coun-
Try are declaiming against reciprocity
with Canada"
Mr.. Hill had reached his destina-
ton at this point of his conversation.
He stop ped on The first step of the big
financial house at which he had
pressing engagement, and so absorbed
was he in his subject that he continu.
ed to talk.
"Wheat in Minneapolis yesterday"
he went on, twas cents lower than it
was in Winnipeg. 1t is 500 miles be-
tween the two cities, each of which is
the centre of the wheat industry of its
section.
sit costs cents bushel to haul
wheat from Winnipeg to Minneapolis.
Yes, sir, 8 cents bushel. Then how
can nybody claim that reciprocity
with Canada will mean the ruin of the
grain industry il the Northweat or
any other part of our country? Such
talk is foolish. 1t MAKES me tired. 1t
is the gabble of the snake doctors who
are trying TO start ghost dance.
"Do you know" Mr.. Hill inquired,
his eyes blazing with enthusiasm,
shat we now 10 an annual business
of 1920, 000,0 900 with Canada? | won
der if Senator Root stopped to think
about that before he adopted his queer
course?
"rhese figures mean that we do
per capita business of $31 year with
Canada, and that the balance of trade
IN our favor is $40 per capita.
"Wby, we do only SIT per capita of
business year with all of Great
Britain.
( "The Southern people and their rep
resentatives at Washington have
livelier appreciation of the prospect
afforded by the reciprocity agreement
with Canada than have those of the
North. They see that with even the
limited form of free trade offered by
the pact the market for their cotton
goods and raw cotton will be enlarged,
as we'll as that for other of their farm
and manufactured articles.
ave have the Canadian marketright
at our back door. We are looking for
markets in all other parts ofthe world,
where our advantage cannot possibly
be one-half so good as in Canada.