Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-05-18
House Democrats Finally Gel
Sugar Trust Investigating Com.
Three Bills in Senate 10 Revise
Sherman Antitrust Law.
Early Decision on Morse Pardon
Case Expected from President.

Washington. May 17.-Thc reciproe-
ity agreement With Canada was char
acterized as "a cowardly abandon-
ment of a grave DUTY in speech
delivered IN the Senate te1ay by Sem
ator Coe |. Crawford Of South Dakota.
Mr.. Crawford spoke for several
hours in opposition to the agreement.
He charged that not only would it fail
to promote the general welfare, but
that it would do irreparable harms to
agriculture. Indeed he declared it to
be a discrimination against the farm
er in favor of the trusts and of Can
ada. He found in it an especial ef-
fort to favor the newspapers. The
Presidents contention that it would
reduce the cost Of living, he would not
accept.
The proposed law" Mr.. Crawford
said, lis, in effect, declaration that
We intend no longer to depend upon
the cultivation of our own soil and the
industry Of the American farmer for
our food supplies. and that agriculture
in the United States is no longer to
hold its imperial place at the head Of
our great industries. but is heneeforth
to be treated as a pursuit of lesser
Importance among American people;
because from this time on we shall
look beyond the American farms into
foreign lands and We shall invite the
whole world. upon equal terms to com
pete with the American farmer in his
own market places"
Asserting that the principal bene-
iciaries under the bill would he the
many OF them, among them the lin
seed oil, the brewing, the distilling,
the beef and the manufactured food
companies.
Mr.. Crawford paid his respects to
Governor Foss of Massachusetts,, de-
elaring that we have allowed Canada
to tickle the adherents of Gov Foss of
Massachusetts and the selfish and
highly protected manufacturers of
New England through this treaty into
a cold-blooded betrayal of the Ameri-
can farmer" He asserted that in eff
feet Mr.. Foss was laboring in behalf
of the millers and brewers trusts of
Massachusetts, rather than for a re-
duetion of the cost of living.
Charging one great purpose of the
bill to be to put news print paper and
wood pulp on the free list, Mr.. Craw-
ford asked why this was So Replying
to his own question he said.
simply because the great news
papers and the great magazines of the
United States-as a special class-ag-
excessively organized for the purpose
DEMAND il, and propose to get it as
a SPECIAL PRIVILEGE"
Mr. Crawford fell into prophesy say
ing:
Instead of leading in the system
which is developing an empire in Can
ada, and which enables Germany and
France To keep first place in the world
of agriculture. commerce and manu-
features, the United States will follow
England in u policy which in many
ways is adapted to the needs of the
two small islands known as Great
Britain, but which is not adapted to
the needs of a nation like ours-the
possessor of half continent with in
finite possibilities in the vet unde-
veloped resources of its soil the adop-
ton of a policy in which the country is
to yield forever the scepter of power
and influence to the city: a policy
which will soon change the .ntire
character of our institutions ana the
quality OF our citizenship"