Arizona republican., 1911-06-04
Not the Farmer But Selfish
 Interest PRESIDENTS PLAIN TALK
Agents of Lumber Trust and Paper Trust Have Been Especially Active in Buncoing the Farmer Into Hostility to the Treaty.

Chicago, June 3.-President Taft. in a speech before the Western Economic society here tonight declarel that the principal opposition to the Canadian reciprocity agreement came. not from the farmer, but from the lumber trust and from American manufacturers of
 print paper
 In one of the most comprehensive ad-
 dresses that he has ever made on the subject the president outlined some of
 the methods employed by the opponents of reciprocity, and practically told the
 farmers they were being "buncoed" by
 the special interest, and said that the
 fate of the agreement rested not so much with the United States senate as with the people of the country. If
 the farmer and the country at large. he said, could be brought to under stand that this treaty was in the in- terest of the majority of the people. they would no longer fear the coming vote in the senate.
 The president was not sparing in his words. He told the reasons for the op- position to the treaty by the lumber trust and by the paper manufacturers. and, without using names, scored the paper manufacturers and a New York firm, some of whose members recently appeared at the hearing before the sen ate finance committee in Washington. ostensibly in behalf of the National Grange. and objected to the enactment of the agreement. In spite of the forces that are arrayed against it, the presi- cd h agreement would become a law.
 The bill,' he said. will pass. if it passes at all, because of the force of public opinion ir its favor"
 The president said in part:
 Tn the beginning of what I have to say. I desire to express my sincere gratitude to the members of the West ern Economic society for giving me an opportunity to address on this impor- tant subject, so distinguished and in telligent a company.
 The Canadian reciprocity agree ment providing for free trade in the agricultural products of the two coun- tries and for a corresponding reduc- ton of duty on all the secondary food products and for a considerable reduc- ton in number of manufactured goods. passed the house of representa- tives in April last, was referred by the senate to it's committee on finance. and there has been under consideration by the committee for a number of weeks. Witnesses in favor of and against the passage of the agreement have been heard at considerable length, and We now hope that the bill will be brought before the senate. possibly without rec ommendation. some time during the coming week
 ''The cordial approval throughout the country which the proposed aGr cement received when sent to congress sur prised even those who were responsible for it's making, and I am confident that further consideration of the treaty since its submission to congress in Jan uary last has only confirmed the popu- lar judgment in favor of its adoption into law.
 The treaty is pending in Washing ton and the decision must be made in the senate of the United States. The bill will pass. if it passes at all, be- cause of the force of public opinion in its favor.
 "One of the great objections to the old method of framing a tariff bill was that in order to secure its passage ev- cry district had to be given something in the bill in the way of protection. whether it needed it or not, for the purpose of appeasing the representa- tives of that district and securing their support. This method was obviously calculated to produce a bill drawn. not with view to their protection. but for many industries that did not need it at all.
 Now the Canadian reciprocity agree ment, in a little different way, in wolves in its consideration the same principle. It calls for the approval of its provisions as a unit, without regard to the necessity for a tariff revision, if there be such necessity, in respect to other schedules of the tariff not affect ed or touched by it.
 q venture to think that there is much less real opposition to reciprocity than has been represented in Washington for the purpose of influencing votes in bOthhouses. I am very hopeful that the bill will pass the senate and when it | does pass and has been agreed upon by the Canadian parliament, its actual operation will be so beneficial to both that the arguments against its adoption will be forgotten or will