El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-02-24


question of loyalty or friendship to the
union. The Canadians were suspected,
rightly or wrongly. of being unfriend-
~. Reciprocity meant much to Canada,
then, and little to the United States.
The high protectionists already were
at work at Washington to make the
tariff wall impervious. All of these
things operating together impelled the
American government to denounce the
treaty. Since that time Canada and
the. United States have paid full tariff
duties to each other at the boundary
line on all wares transported from one
country to the other
After the welding OF the Canadian
provinces into the Dominion the Cana
dian government sounded the authori-
ties at Washington with view to a
renewal of the old treaty, but met with
no encoura cement whatever. Not until
the Liberal administration OF Maeken-
zie did Canada formally attempt to re-
new the reciprocal relations. In 1874
George Brown. famous Canadian.
was sent to Washington on a mission
for reciprocity. but he was met with
cold Indifference.
-Four years later Sir John Macdonald
and the Conservatives again came into
power. They proposed to force the
United States into renewal Of the
to protective basis. The experiment,
of course. was doomed to failure even
If 1t was sincerely Initiated.
Sentiment Against Americans.
As result Of these rebuffs. Cana
dian sentiment was turned against the
Americans and there was renewal Of
7 the old fisheries disputes. President
Cleveland and secretary OF state Bay
ard obtained the consent OF England 10
special commission to settle these
+ disputes. Sir Charles Upper. later a
Conservative premier, attempted to IN
duce the American commissioners to
consider some means of freer trade re-
lations between the two countries. hit
/ the, Democrats We're no more wiling to
do so than their Republican predecessors
had been The only result of the CON-
mission was stop-gap comorc n,ise Of
the fisheries Quarrel
( Ten years later. in 1897. negotiations
were renewed after both countries had
+ undergone a political change destined
! to affect affairs for many years IN
/ 1896 the Canadian Liberals obtained a
/ lease of power. which they still hold.
and the American Republicans began
series Of victories not in anywise in
terrupted until last November. The
Republican congress repealed the VIII
son German tariff and substituted for
It the DingIey bill. which made pro-
vision for the negotiation of reciprocity
treaties Mr.. Blaine. 2. leader who had
appealed strongly to the imagination Of
the rank and file. of the Republican
party. had preached reciprocity as the
correct palliative for the alleged evils
of protection. and the DingIey bill took
that fact into consideration
Fairbanks Member -ss board
In Canada the newly elected Laurfer
government had made reciprocity with
the United States part of its program.
President Mckinley and premier Laur-
: Ter named a joint high commission 70
settle all the various disputes between
the two countries. Sir Wilfrid himself
sat at the head Of the Canadian con-
tingent and Charles ". Fairbanks. later
! vice president, was the ranking Ameri-
can member. Reciprocity was consid-
cred, and & treaty VS. drawn up bearing
the name of J. A Kasson. one Of the
commissioners. But like all the other
KassOn reciprocity treaties. it never
was so mu-h as considered by the sen
ate. which had by that time come COM
pletely under control OF the high pro-
lection sentiment The joint high CON-
mission brought its labors TO a fruit
less end when the dispute over che
Alaskan Boundary arose. neither side
being willing to yield.
After that failure Sir Wilfrid Laur-
Ter announced that. as much as he be-
lGieved IN reciprocity. he was unwilling
10 submit to humilia ticn. AMI th1t The
future policy OF the Liberal party
would be no mere pilgrimages 10
Washington That policy he adhered
to.
The Present Agreement.
The present reciprocity agreement i:
the result of an American pilgrimage
to Ottawa. When the Payne Aldricl
tariff bill was PASSED. with its pro-
, visions for surtax on imports from
countries not giving the United State.
. its best tariff rates. 1t became neces
sary for president Taft to enter int
negotiations to prevent tariff wal
: with Canada something not at all de-
sired on either side Of the line. TIL,
negotiations resulted in securing from
Canada concessions sufficient TO justif.
, the president in proclaiming the min
imum tariff for Canada
During these negotiations the states