The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1911-02-01
THE CANADIAN AGREEMENT.

The Canadian reciprocity agreement
submitted by President Taft for the
approval of both houses of congress is
the logical sequel to the tariff insur-
gency that has prevailed so widely
during the last few years. Those who
like the proposed reciprocal arrange
ment may give the insurgents the
main credit for it. Those who do not
like it may charge responsibility to
the same quarter.
In general the suggestion of Cana
dian free trade in food products may
be considered as the presidents re-
Spouse to the clamOrOus complaint
that the existing tariff is responsible
for the high cost of living. This COM
plant has run through the whole in
surgent propaganda of the last few
years. 1t has been, in fact, the back
bone OF that propaganda. In last
years congressional campaign it was
mainly responsible for the heavy re-
publican losses, especially noticeable
in the east. The large democratic gain
throughout New England could be
traced directly to democratic criticism
of the republican tariff and demo-
cratic pledges of cheaper cost of living
If the democrats were allowed to re-
wise the tariff. Gov. Foss won his
remarkable victory in Massachusetts
on the specific issue of Canadian free
trade.
Looking over the whole field the
president found that the complaint
against the Payne tariff and the de-
mand to attain cheaper living cost
through tariff reductions was not con-
fined to the east. The insurgent lead
ers in the middle west, the northwest
and the far west were, if anything,
more bitter in their criticisms of the
existing tariff than We're the eastern
democrats. The insurgent leaders
continued to voice loud demand that
the tariff be revised further to reduce
| 'iiS WV VI iA'1hto. ul incl i1lOlC IllC
constituents of these insurgent leaders
seemed to be back of them. Most of
the insurgents who We're candidates
for reelection were returned. 1t was
a matter of common comment that
where insurgent leadership was pre-
dominant the republicans held their
10Wn 1irir E1,;l
the president concluded it would be
good politics to recognize what
seemed to be widespread, not section
al, popular demand. The Canadian reci-
procity agreement is the result. This
conclusion is not disturbed by the fact
that the negotiations were undertaken
before last falls political overturn.
At the time they were undertaken,
following the maximum and minimum
negotiations, it was the general ex-
pectatiOn that nothing could come of
them. Nothing would have come of
them if toward the last the Ameri-
can commissioners had not been I'M
ISHpCSISuly l4OCI al III COucSS-
sions to Canada without receiving cor
respondingly large concessions in re-
turn.
Now that the Canadian agreement
has been submitted to congress it will
be disclosed whether public sentiment
is back of it-whether it is back of
the plan to reduce the cost of living
at the expense of the agricultural
west. 1t will be interesting to watch
how the insurgent leaders of the west
will deal with the situation they have
helped to create. 1t will be particu-
larly interesting to observe whether
Senator Cummins will stand back of
the president now. Senator Cummins,
by the way, is on record in favor of
the sort of Canadian reciprocity en-
bodied in the proposed agreement. It
is by no means impossible that the
president has read that famous in
augural address and that it may have
influenced him in deciding that the
prosperous and generous west was
ready to make sacrifices for the bene-
fit of the east.
1t is proverbial that reciprocity
treaties find hard shedding in con-
gress. There is nothing as yet to in
dictate that the present convention
will find easier going than the Kas-
son treaties. The first result will be
commotion back home among the con-
stituents who find their products on
the free list or in the reduced SEIZED
ules. This will quickly find reflection
in congress. 1t may be doubted
whether even so brave an insurgent as
Senator La Toilette will care to stand
for free lumber and free wood pulp.
The free lumber item also will test
the mettle of the far western insur-