Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1911-06-29
ARGUMENT FAILS


procity pact, there comes out of a /
controversy between Senator Borah
and Secretary of Agriculture James
/ Wilson, some interesting information.
The MarshaIltown Qa.) Times
4 Republican explains it clearly in this
logical editorial:
Among the opponents of Canadian
reciprocity Senator Borah of Idaho is
as strong as any. In letter to a
constituent he cites reasons for his
opposition and quotes statements
from & speech by Sir Wilfred Laur-
Ter, Canadian premier in which Laur-
Ter says:
| We are above all an agricultural
i people; our chief wealth is the growth
OF those products of the temperate
zone fruits, cereals and vegeta bles;
and it is our boast--but a boast found
ed on actual eXperience-tha in
cereals vegetables and fruits we can
without exaggeration beat the world.
AT the northern extremity of the
temperate zone our cereals have more
strength, our fruit has better flavor,
our vegetables have more delicacy
than similar products from other
parts of the world; under free COM
petition not barred in any way by
tariff legislation they will displace
. all other products OH the table of the
wealthy. Cur objects is to open the
J door of the American market-to
open the door OF a nation of 100000
00e which has been closed to us for
the last fifty years.
This would be interesting if true,
but the facts are against Sir Wilfred's
theory. The secretary OF agricul-
tuTe, James Wilson, has given this
subject careful attention. In re-
cent address delivered in Detroit he
said with reference to climatic condi-
tions:
= The temperatures from April to
July inclusive average above the
boundary line so degrees 4. and be-
. low the boundary line So to IS de-
Igrees 4. we lind that the range III
the lei 9Th OF the season between the
S klsss;;is frost of the spring and the
d killing frost Of the fall is about three
!. months north of the line and nearly
!, five months south of the line. The
!. rainfall above the boundary line
] varies from six to ten inches and from
n VII hDtn
boundary. From the foregoing it is
F, evident that the farmer growing
{. crops in Canada labors under difficult
8 ties that the farmer south of the
I. boundary does not meet. When kill
l ing frosts come within ninety days of
: each other, the wheat crop will un-
ldoubtedly be caught to some extent. !"
The long Canadian winters, the COM
, paratively late frosts in spring and
! early ones in in fail, together with mea-
. ger rainfall will make crop failures and
crop damage frequent in Canada There
, is no possibility therefore of Canada
E being serious competitor with the
2 United States in fruits, vegetables or
: meats. Development has been going
on in Canada for many years. Especi-
ally has this been true in the last de-
cade During this time there has been
an exchange of products from the farms
of both countries, with strong balance
in favor OF the United States. From
!. 1906 to 1910 inclusive We sold to Canada
horses to the value of s14, 172. ITS and
imported 81, 549, 20I worth, difference
, in our favor of $11, 622, 1914. Our ex-
ports of breadstuffs to Canada in that
period was S31, 596, 655 and our imports
$6,679, 1874, difference in our favor of
$A, 916, IT, In this same period we
exported to Canada sl7,066, 135 worth
of meats and dairy products and re-
ceived in return 81, 3S1, 1888, difference
in our favor of s15,523, Eat.
The total exports of domestic mer-
chandise from the United States to
Canada in the five year period under
consideration amounted to 1886, ALL
876. Our imports from Canada in
the same period amounted to $780,
149, 299, difference in our favor of
$495, 266, 077. This difference is more
than 2 to 1. We are in favor of in
creasing business with customer of
this character
The tariff between the two countries
affects localities in both countries,
sometimes adversely, sometimes fay-
orably. In the whole it lie detrimen-
| tai to both. The statement may seem
absurd, but it will bear the test of
1 analysis. We Craze our growing
horses and cattle SIX TO nine anu
twelve months. Canadians must feed
i theirs from six to twelve months.