The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-04-17
Dominion Parliament Meets This
Week and viii Probably Ratify
the Proposed Pact
Soon.
AWAITING WASHINGTON
United States Must Act First in the
Matter Before Canada viii
Accept the Propo-
sition.

auie report on the reciprocity agree
ment with the United States is locked
Tor by members of the Dominion gov.
ernment not long after parliament re.
assemblies on Wednesday, The rapid
progress being made at Washington
and the prediction that the agreement
will be before the senate by next
Thursday have been noted here with
satisfaction.
Settlement of the reciprocity issue
in Canada, they believe, now depends
primarily upon action at Washington
Any assurance that congress will
ratify the agreement may be coupled,
they say, with the assurance that the
Canadian Parliament will do its part.
The Canadian government, backed
by majority of more than forty in
the house, is pledged and anxious to
put the agreement through as soon as
the conservative opposition permits u
vote.
Ratification then by the senate
would be merely matter OF form,
since the governments supporters in
that body outnumber the conserva-
tives three to one.
Until the agreement is ratified by
both branches of the United States
congress, the fight against 1t in the
Canadian legislature. Will be continued
by Mr. Bordens S adherents along the
lines followed during the last six
weeks, but stubborn resistance admit
tedly is being kept up only in hope
that the situation may be saved from
the conservative point of view by IL
second failure of the senate at Wash.
ington to pass the American part of
the pact.
There has been a decided modera-
tion in the last few weeks of the op-
position at first waaed against the
agreement Resentment aroused by i'll
advised annexation talk has practical
ly disappeared and members of the
governement assert some of the COLI
servatiye representatives of rural con
stituencies have been under strong
pressure because of their alleged
alarming attitude on the subject.
In large centers like Montreal and
Toronto, where the protectionist ele-
ment is strongest, the fight against
the agreement is being continued by
conservative press and speakers. But
it is admitted by some conservative
members that their fight against the
proposition in the prairie provinces
and in the nonurban parts of Eastern
Canada will not prove TO have won
them votes.
There is no method by which the
government can force closure of de-
bate, if the conservative leaders after
conferences of the Easter recess have
decided to continue obstructive tactics
OF the government appears to be that
if Washington passes favorably on the
measure, the opposition will not per
sist in whatever intention ii may have
had TO talk the measure TO death, or
to delay its ratification of debate until
the middle of May, when Sir Wilfrid
Laurier, prime minister plans to sail
for London to attend the colonial coll-
ference and the coronation.
The debate will be resumed when
parliament reassembles next Wednes-
day. There will be liberal caucus
Thursday and so certain are the mem
bers of the government that the reci
procal proposal now has the indorse-
ment of the great majority of the
Canadians. liberals will be urged TO
spend little more time in urging their
position in the house.
The intention OF Mr. Borden of con-
tinu;ng the debate and thus postpon-
ing the vote will be left to individual
members
Sir Wilfrid Laurier hopes that #
the agreement is not approved by
both houses by May u, there will bs
such certainty of its accomplishment
within few days as to warrant his
departure on that date for London
otherwise he will probably not leave
Ottawa, but will depute Frederick K.
Borden, minister of militia and Hon
l.. P. Brodeaur, minister of marine
and naval affairs, to represent Can
ada at the conference
Il