The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-05-25
New Secretary of War Spoke
in Boston Last Night
AT INTERC0L0NIAL CLUB
Sec. Stimson Endorsed the Arguments
In Favor of the Agreement on the
Ground of Broad and Lofty
National Interest"

Boston, May 25.-Arguments in favor
of the adoption of the reciprocity agree
ment with Canada were marshalled and
objections to it brushed aside by Henry
L. Stimson, the secretary OF war, in
an address before the Intercolonial club
of this city last night. Secretary Slim
son Endorsed the arguments in favor OF
the agreement made by President Taft
ais the arguments OF broad and lofty
national interest" and as appropriate to
the craftsmanship (which, not content
with mere lip service to party formulas,
recognizes the economic and social facts
and tendencies of to-day and makes
wide provision in respect to them
The speaker reviewed in brief the
provisions Of the agreement and urged
its enactment into law on grounds OF
national and continental policy.
an the northern half of the American
continent said Mr.. Stimson, "lie these
two great nations speaking the same
language, dominated largely by the same
underlying racial characteristics, with
common sympathies, with identical NOR
al and social ideas. Their standard OF
wages is, speaking generally, the same;
neither Of them has pauper labor. While
racially the two nations resemble each
other, the difference in their climate
and in their present Industries makes
each, in many respects, the supplement
Of the other Canada possesses an i'm
mense supply of virgin land suitable
for the raising of wheat, which is as
vet untouched In the United States,
on the other hand, while the limit OF
virgin wheat lands has been nearly
reached, there can be produced great
crop of corn with which Canada, owing
to its more northern climate, can never
compete Canada possesses almost in
exhaustible forests; the United States,
in it's manufactures, an enor-
nous demand for lumber. Even
in similar products, particularly in
fruits and fresh vegetables, there is
enough difference in season and climate
to make the production OF one country
often serve as a, supplement to the 9th
err.
"The two nations are separated by
3T00 miles OF purely artificial boundary,
The people OF both countries move to
and fro across the boundary in great
thronRs without any regard to the line
OF demarcation Never did physical con
ditions urge two nations more forcibly
into mutual trade and intercourse.
Nothing so securely cements those rela-
tions OF amity and good will which
should exist between kindred and con-
tiguous nations as the constant inter
course which goes with freedom OF trade;
on the other hand, imagination could
hardly well devise a more provocative
engine of prejudice and i'll will than
a purely artificial tariff barrier, extend
ing nearly four thousand miles, held
up against all Of the temptations OF
nature BY mere statutory fist.
ct has been thoughtlessiy suggested
that such trade agreement pointed to-
ward political annexation of Canada.
Nothing could be further from the real
fact. There can be no surer preventive
Of agitation for a political union than
to remove the irritation inherent in
trade restrictions. The strongest motive
that has led men to urge political UNI
ion between Canada and the United
States, has been the belief that in no
other way could they secure mutually
advantageous trade relations"
Mr.. Stimson cited historical examples
to show that abolition of irritating
trade restrictions" had worked to pro-
mote amieable relations between eoun-
tries having naturally close economic
ties and at the same time enabled them
to preserve their distinct political en-
tities-notably in the case of southern
German states and Austria. He noted
also the manner in which, he said, the
Canadian treaty of 1854 had quoted am
nexation agitation in both Canada and
the United States.
'But apart from social and political
justification" continued Mr.. Stimson,
"the proposed reciprocity agreement
stands firmly on the rock of economic
benefit. BY this | do not mean that
some inconvenience, or even possible hard
ship, may not be caused to specific in
dividuals or specific localities. No tar
ifr changes in q country as great and
diversified as our own ever have or
ever can avoid such isolated inconven-
fence; but there can be no doubt that