Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1911-06-04
LUMBER TRUST FOE
To REC|P PROC|TY
DECLARES
TAFT I
President Outlines Methods
Employed By Special Inter
eStS to BunCO Farmer Into
Fighting Trade Agreement,
BELIEVES PUBLIC OPINION
WILL FORCE SENATE TO ACT

In Spite of Strong Forces Ar
rayed Against 1t Executive
Confident That Il VIII Be-
come Law,
tBy Morning scurnsl Special Leased Wire,
Chicago, June 3.-presldent Taft
in a speech before the Western Eco
monte society here tonight declared
that the principal opposition TO the
Canadian reciprocity agreement came
not from the American farmer, but
from the lumber trust" and from
American manufacturers Of print pa
per.
In one of the most comprehensive
addresses that he has ever made on
the subject the president outlined
some of the methods employed by
the opponents of reciprocity; practie-
ally told the farmers that they were
being "buncoed" by special interests
and said that the fate OF the agree
ment rested not SO much with the
United States senate as with the peo-
pie of the country,
IF the farmer and the country at
large he said, could be brought to
understand that this treaty was in the
interests Of the majority of the peop-
pie he would not l1nger fear the COM
ing vote in the senate"
The president was not sp0ring In his
words. He told the reasons for the
opposition to the treaty by the "lum.
ber trust and by the paper manu-
facturers and without using names,
scored a New ork firm, some of
whose members recently appeared at
the hearings before the senate finance
committee in Washington ostensibly in
behalf of the national grange and OBJ
iected to the enactment of the agree
ment.
IN spite Of the forces that are ar
rayed against Y ,Aa president express
cd the belief that the agreement would
become a law
'The bill, he said. will pass, If 1t
passes at all, because of the force of
public opinion in its favor"
The president said in part:
The Canadian reciprocity agree.
ment providing for free trade in ag-
ricultural products of the countries,
and for a corresponding reduction Of
duty on all the secondary food prod
ucts. and for considerable reduction
in a number of manufacturing goods.
passed the house Of representatives.
in April last, was referred by the SEN
ate to its committee on finance and
there has been under consideration by
the committee for number of
weeks. Witnesses in favor and
against the passage of the bill em-
bodying the agreements have been
heard at considerable length, and VIC
hope that the bill will be brought be-
fore the senate possibly without rec
ommendation some time during tho
coming week.
THE agreement has been adjusted
In a conference held with the repre-
sentatives of Canada over the ques-
tion of the application of the maxi
mum and minimum clauses OF the
Payne tariff bill to Canadian impor
tations into this country; and In the
course of the adjustment of that qucs
tion, I'm which. by reason Of certain
Canadian conccssi,ns on exports OF
the United States into Canada, we are
able to apply the minimum tariff 10
Canadian imports, It seemed mutu-
ally profitable to extend the consider
alton of the tariffs of the two coun-
tries, already begun, to the point OF
complete reciprocity agreement.
Commissioners who had expert
knowledge Of tho subject were ap-
pointed, and after Investigations andl
study and conferences that covered an
entire year, an agreement was finally /
reached which had been embodied In
the bill which has passed the house
and is pending in the senate.
"The cordial approval throughout
the country which the proposed |
agreement received when It was sent
to congress. surprised even those who |
were responsible for It's making, and |
| am confident that further consider
alton OF the treaty since its submis-
sion TO congress in January last, has |
only confirmed the popular Judgment
In favor of its adoption into law,
"The agreement has been critlcis' |
ed because Il was framed as a COM |
pleted document by the state de- |
partment. without consultation with |
members Of the house or senate ana
we of the administration have been |
subjected to many attacks on these |
grounds. The subject matter OF the |
treaty, however, was OF such charac-
ter--it covered so many different |
itcms--that If conferences had been |
sought In respect to these items, the |
individual objections by senator's and |
representatives would have heen 80 |
many that we Wonld never have /
reached an agreement at all
~ venture to think that there IS
much less real opposition TO reel |
proclty than has been represented IN
Washington for the purpose of intlu- |
enclng votes IN both houses. ! am
very hopeful that the bill viii pass
the senate, and when II does pass and |
has been agreed upon by the Canadi- ,
an parliament. its actual operation
will be so beneficial to both countries
that the arguments against It's adop-
tion viii be forgotten or VIII only be
remembered as exaggerated Instances
of perverted Imagination
Regarding the benefits of reclproel-
ty with other countries. Mr.. Tan
said.
Under reciprocity with Cuba,
which reduced the duties on each side
twenty per cent our trade with that
country has doubled, Under complete
reciprocity, or free trade. with Porto
Rico. our trade with that island has
Increased nearly fifteen times under