The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1911-08-10
ARGUMENT FAILS.

controversy between Senator Borah
and Secretary of Agriculture James
Wilson, some interesting information.
The Marshalltown Qa.) Times-Re-
publican explains it clearly in this
logical editorial:
Among the opponents of Canadian
reciprocity Senator Borah of Idaho
is as strong as any. In a letter II
a constituent he cites reasons for his
opposition and quotes statements
from a speech by Sir Wilfred Laur-
Ter, Canadian premier in which Laur-
Ter says:
We are above all an agricultural
people; our chief wealth is the
growth of those products of the tenn
perate zone-fruits, cereals and
vegetables; and it is our boast-but
a boast founded on actual experience
that in cereals, vegetables and
fruits We can without eXaggeration
beat the world. At the northern eX-
tremity OF the temperate zone our
cereals have more strength, our
fruit has a better flavor, our vege-
tables have more delicacy than SIM
liar products from other parts Of
the world: under free competition
not barred in any way by tariff leg
l|slation they viii displace all other
products on the table of the wealthy.
Our object is to open the dood of the
American market-to open the door
of a nation of 90, 600, 900 which has
been closed to us for the last fifty
years"
This would be interesting if true,
but the facts are against Sir Will
fred's theory. The secretary of agri-
culture. James Wilson, has given
this subject careful attention. In a
recent address delivered in Detroit he
said with reference to climatic con-
ditions:
The temperatures from April to
July inclusive average above the
boundary line 80 degrees F. and be
low the boundary line So to 60 de
grees F. We find that the range in
the length of the season between the
killing frost of the spring and the
killing frost of the fall is about
three months north of the line and
The rainfall above the boundary
varies from six to ten inches and
from ten to sixteen inches below the
boundary. From the foregoing it is
evident that the farmer growing
crops in Canada labors under diff
culties that the farmer south of the
boundary does not meet. When
killing frosts come within ninety
days of each other, the wheat crop
will undoubtedly be caught to some
extent"
The long Canadian winters, the
comparatively late frOsts in spring
and early ones in fall, together with
meager rainfall will make crop fail
ures and crop damage frequent in
Canada. There is no possibility
therefore of Canada being a serious
competitor with the United States
In fruits, vegetables or meats. De
velopment has been going On in Can
ada for many years. Especially has
this been true in the last decade.
During this time there has been an
exchange of produce from the farms
of both countries, with a strong bal
ance in favor of the United States.
From 1906 to 1910 inclusive we
sold to Canada horses to the value
of s|14,172,175 and imported 81
b49,2 POI worth, a difference in our
favor of 1922 94. Our exports
Of breadstuffs to Canada in that pc
riod was s31, $780, 55 and our i'm
ports S6,679,SS4, a difference in
our favor of $24 1916, 772. In this same
period we exported to Canada s17,-
065,135 worth of meats and dairy pro-
ducts and received in return S1,3S1,-
$50, a difference in our favor Of $751;
623,247.
The total exports Of domestic
merchandise from the United States
to Canada in the five year period
under consideration amounting to
SSS6,417,376. Our imports from Can-
ada in the same period amounted %
s391,149,299, a difference in our favor
of s495, 26S,0 This difference is
more than two to one. We are in IA
Tor of increasing business with a
customer of this character.
The tariff between the two coun-
tries affects localities in both coun-
tries, sometimes adversely, sometimes
~fayOrably. In the whole It is detri-