Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-31
THE GREAT RECIPROCITY
FIGHT.

January 20 the commissioners OF the
United States and Canada, at work
quietly since the previous September.
reached a reciprocity agreement at
Washington, the principle Of which was
the exchange of Canadian foodstuffs for
American manufactured commodities
With an unexpectedness that took away
the country's breath for the moment, the
President submitted the agreement to
Congress. with a message strongly urg-
ing it's approval The republican House
leaders speedily passed the reciprocity
bill. Debate on the measure was begun
in the Senate February Z, and from
then on until the end Of the session
hundreds of thousands of words on the
proposed agreement were delivered pro
and con on the Senate floor, the Senate
reaching no agreement.
President Taft had let it be known that
If the Senate failed to take action on the
bill he would call an extra session OF
Congress for the express purpose Of TAX
,, ing final consideration on the measure.
The extra session Of the Sixty-sec0nd
Congress accordingly convened April 4
Seventeen days later the House. now un-
der democratic leadership. as the result
of the election the November previous.
passed the reciprocity bill by a vote OF
266 to 81. Not until July %. however, did
the Senate get down to q vote on the bill.
when it was passed by vote Of 50 to q.
In the meantime, the head of the liberal
government in Canada, Sir Wilfrid Iau-
rier, the premier, and his lieutenants had
been urging parliament to ratify the reci-
procity agreement. The determined op-
position of the conservatives finally
caused the premier to appeal to the coun-
try. and July % parliament was dissolved
and a general election set for September
q. From then on until the day of the
election the hottest campaign in the his
tory Of Canada was waged. the liberals
asking that they be returned to power to
pass the reciprocity measure. and the
conservatives. under the leadership Of r
| l. Borden, denouncing the pact vehe.
mently. among other things declaring thai
| it was the beginning of q well laid plaI
on the part Of the United States ulti'
| mately to ALLEVIATE Canada from the
| mother country and annex her to the re.
| public The election resulted in veri.
| table landslide for the conservatives. IL
! opponents of reciprocity being elected tt
| the great ambition Of President Taft Il
| bring about closer commercial relations
between the two countries became as deaf
| as the proverbial door nail, and Bor
den gained I4aurier's place as Canadian
premier.
| Tariff Question to Fore.
Closely allied to the fight over the re.
| ciprocity bill. as far as this country Is
concerned, has been the tariff situation
The first work Of the House of Repre-
sentatives, when it convened in extra
session, was to elect Champ Clark. dem
F, ocrat, Speaker and otherwise place the
machinery Of the House in democratic
hands, the ways and means committee
| instead Of the Speaker as Heretofore
| making the committee appointments un
der a new rule of the majority. Their
tha democrats assumed the RESPONSIBLE
ty of putting through the reciprocity
measure, and Oscar w. Underwood
| chairman of the ways and means com
J mittee, coincidently introduced meas
\ ure placing on the free list more than &
hundred articles largely used by farm
ers-this to Offset the cry that the farm
| ers were being Disseminated against II
the reciprocity bill.
bill revising downward the much dis
cussed wool schedule OF the Payne-Ald
rich tariff bill. and a month later ht
introduced still another bill. this one
calling. for lower duties In the cottor
piece. In something like one. two, three
| order, these bills were passed by the
House, not a few republicans casting
their votes with the democrats In the
Senate the farmers free list bill wa:
passed by a coalition Of democrats ant
progressive republicans. The wool bill
was sent to conference and the result
| was passed by both houses in August
| Then. too, the cotton bill was passed by
the Senate. The President made shor
| work of these measures. Each and every
one he vetoed on the ground that thu
| tariff situation was being investigated
| scientifically by the tariff board; thai
the regular session of Congress in De
cember, and not until the report hat
been received ought there to be any re
| vision Of the tariff.