Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-02-11
PRECEDENT TAFT DEFENDS REcl.
tpRociTY ARRANGEMENT WITH
CANADA.
REPUBLICAN, PLATFORM
DEMANDS FREE TRADE
Prosidont Tells illinois leoislators We
Must Give and Take in Reciprocal Ar.
ranesment-Areuss That Land VAL
uss Will Not Be Dsprseiated IL
Trsaty 10 Ratified.

ternoon President Taft made another
plea to tho people Of the United States
to support the proposed reciprocity
treaty. with Canada. BY citing the de-
tails Of several tariff schedules covered
by the pending agreement, Mr.. Taft
undertook to point out the exact bene-
fits that would come to American
agricultural and manufacturing inter-
ests. He specified particularly the bene-
fits which would come to the people OF
Illinois. but declared every state would
be benencially affected by the pact.
Taft arrived here this afternoon at
ter a busy morning. during which he
made speeches at Champaign. Decatur
and other points-all in support of re-
ciprocity. At Monticello he was inter-
rupted by several voices exclaimins:
I'VE are with you and we are farm
ers, too.''
IT am mighty glad to hear that"
smiled the president.
Not Treaty, But Law.
The president explained that 1t was
thought wiser on behalf Of both govern
ments not to make a formal treaty.
"but to make an agreement between
ing his constitutional power in his gov
eminent, should submit the agreement
in the form OF statute to be enacted
and to 80 into force on condition that
q similar statute was passed by the
legislature Of the other country" He
said In part:
'"This form Of agreement between the
two countries makes It one from which
either country can withdraw at will by
simply changing the statute by new
legislation. But II the Identical stat
ute Is adopted in both countries. as long
a Il remains unamended in either, the
agreement Is In force.
II oays Hes . pretaetionist.
II am q protectionist. That IL. I be.
lieve that there arc certain industries
in this country which need the en-
couraging effect Of tariff upon im-
ports from foreign countries to enable
them to pay good wages and furnish .
reasonable profit to those who engage
in them. The difference In condition
which generally makes this tariff neces-
sary is the lower price OF labor in the
foreign country as compared with the
price Of labor in our own. The country
has been on a protection basis nearly
all the time since 1851. and the tre-
mcNUOuS SLIlOOS LII 4Au0St1 4oeA PA06AS SS@e
which 1t has made seem to me to vindi-
cate the wisdom of the policy.
But the temptation to a combine by
which the price could be controlled
and thus the excessive tariff taken ad-
vantage of, led to modification of the
protection theory and to q declaration
that the protection of any industry
ought not to exceed in the tariff Inn
posed more than the difference be-
tween the cost of production abroad.
the cost of production here. and
enough to give a fair profit to the do
mestic producer or manufacturer.
Conditions Are the Same.
'sThis limitation Of the protection
theory necessarily took away any
grounds for tariff between this coun-
try and any country in which the
conditions Of production were sub
stantially tho same. The conditions Of
production and Of manufacture in the
United States and in Canada are sub
stantially the same. Wages may dif-
fer in ono part Of Canada from an.
other part. Just as wages differ In dif-
ferent states in this country. but, TAX
on by and large, the character OF the
laborers. their intelligence and their
skill, and the price paid them per unit
Of work are not substantially less In
Canada than they are in this coun-
try.
Platform Demands Il.
sIn other words. the plank in the
platform Of the last republican con-
vention. carried to its logical conclu-
sion. would lead to substantial free
trade with Canada.
with that in view. still adhering
loyalty and sincerely to the principles
OF protection where It il needed to
maintain our important industries.
did not hesitate to give the widest
latitude to tho secretary Of state and
the commissioners who represented
+ this country. In Offering to Canada . re-
duction Of duties on goods and pro-
ducts coming into this country from
Canada IN consideration Of the estab-
lishment Of the Same duty or freedom
from duty on similar goods going into
Canada. I say this for the purpose Of
having it understood that in many
cases where tho agreement has been
criticised for not making greater re-
duction, we could not secure them be-
cause in the judgment Of our Cam
adian friends the trade or industry
which they desired to foster would
suffer by . greater reduction. Thus
with respect to meats, wo would have
hesa Elad to put them on the free list.
!. CAnada objected and We obtained the
1ot figures We could.
Must Give and Take.
u fecipEooaty agreement II give and
I ln1a. ana my Impression r. that when