Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-02-02
VERMONT AND RECIPROCITY.

| lHe treaty submitted TO congress
by President Taft Is to be regarded
from two points of view. pc. .ical and
economic.
Politically the Republican party can
not afford to have this intornationn al
trade arrangement fail OF ratification
at Washington If the republicans
In control of Congress at the present
time, set the official seal Of their ap-
prevail upon this master move by Pres
ident Taft, they effectively answer the
charge that their party ia the party
Of retrosression. high cost of living
and narrowed spheres Of commerce.
made so effectively in the recent au-
tumn elections, and as a result they
will he in splendid shape to appeal to
the country for approval in 1912. So
far we can see the democrats will
be deprived of the one effective issue
they have left to them and the re-
publicans will go before the country
az the party of achievement, or at least
of effort to achieve, rather than II
party of more promises
We do not see how the republican
insurgents Of the Western States, who
so bitterly arraiEned the Taft admin
istration for It's failure to secure a
more thorough revision of the tariff
downward. can raise their voices IN
protest or opposition. now that Prcsl-
dent Taft has taken them az their own
! word any moro than can the progress
sive republicans of New England who
have been shouting for Canadian reci-
procity
If the result Of the recent elections
had any national significance what
ever, 1T meant that the people Of
this country as a whole desire a modi-
hcation OF the present tariff law. and
the measure providing for closer
trade relations with Canada is the
most ready and effective way for the
republicans to put into effect the
manifest will of the people
If any republican is inclined 20
question this assertion, let him OK
plain to himself why Senator Aldrich
is so generally execrated politically
by the people. Is there any explana-
ton except that Senator Aldrich re-
sisted successfully the efforts of Pres
dent Taft and others who stood for
real revision OF the tarif downward q,
Tt is easy to see what will happen
in case the republican majority in
Congress fails to ratify the CONNER
cial treaty so successfully negotiated
with the Canadian ministry The SEN
;iment which turned the republicans
autumn will force an extra session of
Congress, \ democratic House after
March viii ratify the treaty and
the republicans IN the Senate will be
put in the position of obstructionists
or be forced to follow the example of
the popular branch Of the government
'oiti oll'u bN Ine democracy.
This will mean the complete sur
render by the republicans of the ad-
vantage they now hold over the demo-
Gratis. The republicans will discard
trumps, and the democrats will pick
UP the cards thus discarded. The
democrats. and not the republicans.
will enter the campaign Of 1912 as the
party of achievement. and republicans
who have refused 10 uphold the hands
Of the President will hardly he in =
position to try 10 refute this claim for
democracy before the people.
IN short. we believe the refusal of
the present Congress to ratify the
reciprocity arrangement negotiated
by President Taft will destroy ire
fievably whatever hope Of victory IN
1912 remains to the Republican party
for while Mr. Taft would be the cham
pion Of the same policy in a second
administration, the party which had
refused TO follow his leadership would
be the same party after 1912 as in
1911, and the people would have no
reason TO expect a change of heart
after the party, refusing to follow its
President, had won another victory at
the polls.
BY rejecting the treaty looking ia
reciprocity with Canada our present
republican Congress viii absolutely
demonstrate that If the people want
any material modification Of the tar,rI
they must look to the democrats in
t 1912
! This being the case those residents
of Vermont whose interests might be
, adversely affected by this commercial
2 treaty are faced by the very practical
, question whether they prefer this mar.
tial revision of the tariff by the repub.
, licans or the probability Of still more
radical revision generally a short
time later by the democrats, for We
may as we'll realize that the opera
I tons OF the trusts have made a tarir
e uprising by the people inevitable
e What has already been faced by tn,
- print paper trust is sure to result
S from the extortions OF other trusts
and newspapers which have bee,