The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-01

canal across the continent from New York to San Francisco and therefore they must resort to Panama, and Chaun- cey Depew said it was a devilish good speech. It would take a chapter of crit ics made up of Hazlitts to determine whether Debow on the canal surpassed Smith on reciprocity.
 Among the industries of the United States Smith declared reciprocity would utterly extirpate was beet sugar At that time our production of beet sugar was 369,211733 pounds per annum. Less than ten years later, when reciprocity with Cuba prevailed, our production of beet sugar had grown to S51, 1,7S,0O0 pounds. That was the effect of reciproci- ty with Cuba had on a business that scores of our national solons asseverated in sepulchral tones and direful warnings would be utterly destroyed. The Hon. William Alden is now swearing by all the gods that admired Hector of Troy that nothing but utter ruin can be ex- pected to follow reciprocity with Cana da. And he is just as confident, just as dogmatic, and just as eloquent now as he was then-and just as fallacious.
 Dewitt Clinton was one of the greatest practical statesmen the Anglo-Saxon race has produced. and his monument is the Erie canal. It was long, stubborn and vicious fight he waged, but finally ne overcame all his enemies, and they were numerous, powerful and bitter. One or the arguments against the canal was that the farmers O. the Genesee and Mohawk valleys would starve to death when Ohio sent cheap grain through the canal. But in truth the canal benefited every far mer in the Empire State. l commend the argument of the Hon. McCumber of North Dakota, perhaps the most super senatorial in his matchless ponderosity of all the men now in public life. He is convinced that Canada's superiority to the United States is so overwhelming that the slightest breach in the tariff wall that protects us from this arctic giant will altogether desolate our fair land.
 
 When Illinois was first opened to set tlement the price of government lands was greatly reduced and there was much opposition to it on the ground that so much grain would be grown in Illinois that the farmers of Kentucky and Ohio would be undone. And the same argu- ment was made against the homestead act-that the cheap farms would drive out of commission che fine farms of the elder states But the farmers of Kansas and Nebraska, with their immense nroductlon of grain, did not ruin their brethren of Illinois and Iowa.
 Then again we ship more products or the farm to Canada than Canada sends to us and that is conclusive argument to a man of common sense that if any farmer is in danger from this reciprocity he lives on the other side of the border and is subject of King George. There has been some loose talk of annexation. Now, II McCumber is right annexation of our northern neighbor would make barren waste of every farm In the Dakotas.
 No, 1t is not the farmer who will be hurt On the contrary, reciprocity will benefit him at the expense of the lumber trust, the paper trust, and the hsh monopoly of New England. The farmer will get cheaper lumber, cheaper books, magazines and newspapers and he will have a wider market for what he sells.
 The glass trust, too, is here trying 10 bust the pact for reciprocity.
 Washington May 26