The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-05-18
n. D. u. PROFESSOR
AGAINST FARMERS
PROFESSOR BOYLE or NORTH
DAKOTA UNIVERSITY TO APP.
PEAR BEFORE SENATE FINANCE
coMMiTTEE-Hls ARGUMENTS
ARE OUTLINED.

W. w. Jermane. washington CORES.
pendent Of The Minneapolis Journal
sent an article to his paper Wednes-
DAY that must be misleading. It il
unlikely that a man whose salary il
being paid by the agricultural taxnay.
ers OF North Dakota would voluntarily
80 TO Washington to oppose their in
terests. The article is as follows:
There will be some amusement be-
fore the senate finance committee
when Professor James r. Boyle OF
North Dakota comes on the stand.
PROBABLY tomorrow, to testify in favor
or the Canadian reciprocity agreement
and to say that the farmers are not as
much opposed to 1t as are the dele
cations of farmers friends" who have
already appeared before the commit
tee.
professor Boyle is professor Of econ
omlcs at the state university OF North
Dakota, and is a free trader. accord
ing to the views of North Dakotans in
washington. Members of the state
deiegations in congress purpose quiz
Ting him rather literally when he APP
pears to testify. They want to know
VINO asked him to come to Washing
ton, and by what right he speaks for
the farmers and says they are not OPP
posed to reciprocity. This quizzing is
expected to develop much interest and
perhaps some excitement, for Boyle is
said to be a very bright man, and
abundantly able to take care of him
self under cross examination, He init
mates that certain members of the
delegation have tried to induce him
not to testify, but whether this has
been the case or not the delegation
does not say. 1t is plain, however, that
his testimony will run violently coun-
ter to all that the fifteen farmers
friends from that state have been
telling the committee.
II is said at the capitol that Profess
sor Boyle will testify in pursuance Of a.
request sent him by certain members
Of the finance committee.
Not Opposed to Agreement.
Il have been out among the farm
ers Of the state" said Professor Boyle
today, "and / have seen both sides
of the question threshed out thorough
ly in their presence. I have seen the
farmers of my state pumped full of en-
thusiasm against the bill by persons
who are trying to work on their SYM
pathies.
But the farmers up our way are
pretty well informed as to what is
going on. To take concrete cases
have seen gatherings representative of
different parts of the state meet to-
gather with the idea that reciprocity
Is going to do them harm and leave,
after hearing both sides, with the con-
viction that it is q very good thing.
1.-THE sentiment among the farmers
is in reality one Of indifference to rec
iprocity. They reason that in a meas
ure 1t may reduce the cost Of living,
that it will make lumber or wire fenc-
ing or fish cheaper and that it will
help more than hurt them. The sig
nificant feature of the sentiment
among them is not so much the fact
that they are wild over reciprocity as
the fact that there is no opposition
to ii.
"Of course, there are some sincere
men who believe that it may hurt, but
they are few and far between. Then,
of course, there are others who have
been influenced by the persons who
have come to tell them that their land
values will decrease and that they will
face ruin and starvation If the bill goes
through.
''Most of the farmers, however,
realize that this is merely profession
al politics. They see the efforts of the