The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-02-08
.O: Q! !.
news AND MO7E5

Rugby Optimist: President Taft's
proposed reciprocity pact with Cam
ada has aroused more public sentiment
and called for more diverse express
sions from our public men than any
single event since the return of DR..
Cook from the northern wilds. Many
and varied are the opinions of our ma
t'onal lawmakers upon this subject of
Canadian reciprocity, and the discus
sion has reached that stage where IL
be comes plainly evident that the afore-
said lawmakers, individually and col
lectively, propose to do a lot of axe
grinding on the proposition. To be-
Gin with, it is evident that nothing
viii come of this proposition, in spite
Of the presidents apparent earnest
ness in attempting to push the meas
ure through congress at once. The dis
cussion Of this question, which is of so
great Importance to the people of two
nations, that it oYershadows all other
public questions at present, brings in
to evidence many sidelights on the re-
cent tariff struggle, and puts many of
those who took part in that fight in an
embarrassing position.
For instance, take our own congress
man, A. j. Gronna, Mr.. Gronna attain
ed remarkable degree of fame during
that titanic struggle by his reported
stand in favor OF lowering of the tariff
on all necessaries of life
McCumber fought along the line that
the wheat grower of the northwest
ought to be protected by a duty on
their products to protect them from
Il Il
cussion. Now. when McCumber made
his plea for the farmers, he was de-
nounced and ridiculed by his insur-
gent colleagues, who claimed that the
duty on wheat was a joke, pure and
simple, and that the farmers would not
be injured at all by putting his cereals
on the free list, and that McCumber
was simply making play to the gall
leries.
Now comes the rub. When it comes
right down 20 brass lacks and the pres
ident is trying to establish an agree
ment' between the two countries, we
find all the insurgent senators and con-
gressmen from the northwestern states
standing side by side and shoulder 10
shoulder with the standpatters, ready
to deliver a knockout blow to any
agreement whatever that proposes to
put wheat on the free list.
If McCumber was right then, he is
right now, and the other fellows must
have been wrong,
But in our opinion they are all wrong.
We believe that the proposed agree
ment with Canada would rebound to
the immense benefit of both countries
and that no power could defeat its sue
cessful passage except sectional sell
fishness upon the part of our own
country. We all fully realize the mag
nificence of the proposition in the alb
stract, but when it comes to the con-
that. 1t might injure our own COM
munity. The rest of the country can
go to- but our own personal inter
ests must be protected
That is the spirit exactly that con-
trolled the making of the tariff bill
which has been the cause of the de-
feat OF the republican party at the
POLLS in nearly every state where cleo
tions have been held since that act
became law.
The people of the northwest were
hot under the collar because certain
things were not put on the free list.
Now, when it is proposed to put many
of these things on the free list, so far
as Canada is concerned and at the
same time add two or three other items
in which they are vitality interested
bigger howl than ever goes up from
the throat of the outraged populace.
Which makes us feel that maybe,
after all, some of our representatives
in congress are justified in exclaiming
what the devil do the people want,
anyway"