Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-04-28
PRES. TAFT.
Continued from Page one.)

me this occasion as an opportunity fol
getting even, as it were. with some o1
its members. But | shall disappoint
| him. Experience has taught me thai
| an exhibition of ones wounds gives
only momentary pleasure to the ex-
| hibitor and too often furnishes an adj
ditional qualification to the one who
inflicted them. l have no grievance
This is the only world we have, the
press is it's chief instrument in the
formation of public opinion and could
not hope to change the tone of the
press by what | might say here by
way of suggesting Improvement and
so far as l am personally concerned,
might make it good deal worse.
L am in a position where every act of
mine is fairly subject to review and
whether the comment be friendly and
judicial. or hostile and unfair, it goes
with other burdens of the office: is the
price of serving the public and is to
be taken as every thorough and
sportsmanlike golfer will understand,
las rub on the green
Your postmaster has been good
enough To mention. as a subject upon
which our minds will meet, a general
arbitration treaty with Great Britain.
l believe that the proposal for this is
moving along with as much rapidity
as is consistent with care in drafting
the agreement and securing for it as
broad scope as possible.
1t may not be inappropriate for me to
refer to a kindred subject that will in
directly stimulate international peace
and will be substantial step in that
direction, to wit, the reciprocity with
Canada.
l am glad to have the opportunity
of speaking to a body which fully rep
resents the most important agencies
for the formation of public opinion in
this country. upon a question which
has now reached a critical point in it's
settlement. The. agreement is a COM
mercial one, and affects the duties on
imports from each country into the
other and, therefore, it is difficult to
say that a detailed discussion of tariff
schedules is not relevant and import
ant in considering its wisdom. But the
general commercial. economic and So
eial arguments in its favor are so con-
vincing that I may be pardoned if | do
The treaty provides for free trade in all
agricultural products and in rough lum-
Der down to the point of planning. 1t re-
duces the duties ON secondary food pro-
ducts by very substantial percentage
and II makes such reductions on a num-
Der or manufactured articles that those
engaged in making them have assured
us that the reductions will substantially
increase the already large Canadian de-
mand for them.
We rendered to the Canadian commits.
sioners absolute free trade in all pro.
ducts of either country, manufactured or
natural, but the Canadian commissioners
did not feel justified in going so far. II
is only reasonable to infer, therefore,
that with respect to those articles upon
when they refuse free trade to us they
felt that the profitable price at which
they could be sold by our manufacturers
In Canada was less than the price at
which their manufacturers could afford to
sell the same either to their own people
or to us. Hence it follows that their re-
fusal to agree to free trade in these arti-
Giles as we proposed is the strongest kind
of evidence that il we should take off the
N>-SNho Nutg liOiii SuCn drIlCleS coming
INTO the United States it would not af.
feet in the slightest degree the price al
which tho-, articles could be furnished
to the public here. In other words, the
proposition to put on the free list, for en-
trance into the United States, all articles
that Canada has declined to make free in
both countries would not lower the price
to the consumers here. Thus the reason
why meats We're not put on the free list
in this Canadian agreement was because
Canada felt that the competition of our
packers would injuriously effect the pro.
ducts of their packing houses. If that
be true, how would it help our consumer
or lower the price of meat in our markets
If we let their meat in free while they re.
tanned duty on our Ieat?
The same thing is true of flour They
would not consent to free trade in fioui
| because they knew that our flour mill.
would undersen their millers. If that was
| so, then how much competition and low.
ering of the price of flour could we ex
pect from putting Canadian flour on tho
free list?
And yet gentlemen insist that the
| farmer has been unjustly treated be-
| cause we haven't put Canadian floul
and meat on the free list. And it is
proposed 10 satisfy the supposed griev-
ance o. the farmers by now doing sc
without any compensating concession
| from Canada. This proposal would be-
legislation passed for political plat.
form uses without accomplishing any
| real good.
In another aspect. however. the effect
OF the proposal might be serious. Oh
course mere reduction of our tariff
or the putting of any article on oui
free list. without insisting on a cor
responding change in the Canadian
tariff, viii not interfere with the con
tract as made with Canada. Canada
cannot object to our giving her great
er tariff concessions than We have
agreed to give her under the contract
But If we do make such concessions
without any consideration ON the par
of Canada, without any quid PRO quo
so TO speak. after the contract has heel
tentatively agreed upon by those au
| thorlzed to make contracts for ratiti
cation in both governments, then w
| are in danger of creating an obliga Ia,