The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-09
Greatest Danger Now Lies in Free List as An
 Amendment
MEASURE IS BOON TO
 SOUTHERN FARMERS
President Says Senators Can Vote Against Free List Amendment
 and Still Prove Loyal to
 That Measure

earnest plea for the unamended adop- tion by the Senate of the Canadian reciprocity agreement before a repre- sentative audience of southern men to- night.
 The occasion was a banquet given by the New York produce exchange to the Interstate Cotton Seed Crushers' asso- citation. The banquet hall resounded to roaring welcome for the President as he entered the room. He had spent a busy afternoon in Brooklyn, where he reviewed parades of more than 150,O0O Sunday school children and saw the Crescent Athletic club team defeat Montreal at lacrosse. But he showed no signs of fatigue and smiling bo wed his appreciation of the welcome. Governor Dix, who arrived at about the same time, was also the recipient of cor dial greeting.
 In his address President Taft point cd out to the southerners the advan iages which their section would derive from the enactment of the agreement with Canada but did not raglect to recur to his main argument for the ! rcading bill on the broader lines of general national interest
 There was no questioning the sym pathy of the big bulk of his auditors with the Presidents plea. From the start every mention of the word 'recl- proeity" was greeted with cheers and the President at times had difficulty in proceeding. He voiced decided objec- tions to amendming the agreement by tacling on the farmers free list bill, which course he said, would drive away from it's support enough votes to defeat the agreement
 May I not ask you all, as Amer jeans, as southerners, as southern cot ton men and as southern cotton seed men," said MT. Taft, Ito exert your selves through this association and in every other practical way to urge upon and demand of your senators that if they really favor reciprocity-as l sin eerely believe most of them do-they shall take the best and most direct way to secure its passase2"
 Taft's Speech
 President Taft said;
 "Gentlemen of the cotton seed in dnstry:I shall not detain you long this evening. My message is short. You rep
 
 of this country in which we have a practical monopoly. Cotton is grown in Egypt and in India and in some other parts of the world, but the great crop which determines the price in the world each year is the cotton crop of the southern states.
 Your branch of that industry, to- wit: The collecting and treatment of the cotton seed and its expression into oil and the sale of oil is comparatively new. For years, and years the cotton seed was thrown away and its value to the producer of cotton and to the pub lie in general was not understood. Now the cotton seed product figures in ev- cry calculation made with respect to the cultivation of cotton and there has l. eel, added by the proper treatment of the cotton seed a new source of food supply and ganful occupation that reeds and can find market the whole world over Cotton seed oil is one of the best of the edible oils. It is a com petitor of olive oil and of peanut oil and the question of it's sale is much affected by traue agreements and the tariffs of countries which which we do business.
 Tt has been the good fortune of our government within the last few years slan especially during this administra- ton to enlarge the market for cotton seed oil and the Canadian import duty upon cotton seed oil which was 20 per cent before the passage of the Ptvne tariff bill, is reduced under the maximum and minimum clause to TIE Der cent, that is. reduction of one eighth ofNthe duty. In the negotiation ot the reciprocity treaty. however, we secured the admission of cotton seed oil into Canada without duty.
 The growth of the trade is as fol- Jews:
 In I, oil introduced in Canada from the United States was s213.OO0; in 1906 s3ih,000; in 1907. s376,00O; in 1908 ss39,000 in 1909, $62o, 900; in 1910 ss07,000, and in 1911, S1,O47 ,OO0-each year ending March 31. This means a total export to Canada of more than 2.o5o,0Oo gallons of this oil.
 ''With the complete removal of the duty we may expect the trade greatly to in crease fe+#fa4
 Asks Aid for Reciprocity
 'I have gone into detail with refer ence to the effect of the reciprocity agree ment in order to arouse your selfish in terests and to give point to m appeal to you to aid, through your senators and representatives, the passage of the Ca nadian reciprocity agreement. But there are other selfish reasons for men who have the business interests of the south at heart that ought to add to your effort in behalf of the reciprocity agreement. Under the treaty, vegetables and fruits of all kinds enter Canada free.
 "One of the greatest branches of the farming industry in the south today is truck turning and the bringing of early vegetables to the north. The same thing Is true of fruits and berries With the introduction of these free into Canada you will secure other customers with a valuable trade that will add greatly to the demand and that will certainly ex- pand your industry and maintain the prices at which it can be profitably car ried- on.
 q have discussed in this city, Chi cago and elsewhere. the general advan- tages of the reciprocity treaty and do not intend to weary you with a repeti- ton of the reasons of a general char acter which l have previously advanced more than to say while the treaty has in it's provisions peculiarly beneficial to . various branches of ndustries-farming and manufacturing-in different sections the effect of the treaty as a whole is certain to be of the highest usefulness to the country at large and will in- crease rapidly trade that now exceeds $300000,0O0 into figures double that sum.
 "The treaty has opponents, however, vigorous. active and vocferous and the arguments against it and the means