The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-09-16

Think of what our neighbors have |
done Think OF how we should feel |
if they flung back in our faces by a |
popular vote trade agreement which
they had been asking us for during
two generations and which we had at
last given them, more TO show good
will than in any hope to gain money
by il. Think how we would feel If
such an agreement had been often
sought by them; if they had sworn
never to ask us for it again; if we
had at last gone to them saying, Let
US talk about your old wish now if
they had consented TO dicker; If the
dickering had produced the very thing
that all their public men had publicly
desired for so years; If our men of
good will had passed ii as the result
of long political struggle and much
OF that in hot weather; if our COVER
nor general had to sit over a refrig-
orator TO supervise the struggle for
amity; if the bargain had been slow.
ly worked through our Senate with
difficulty if il had been signed by
our governor general-think, | repeat
OF how We should feel if our neigh
boris then kicked the whole thing into
oblivion at the polls!
Would we not feel trapped, insult
ed, enraged and mighty ready to be
as nasty as possible to such deceitful
and cantankerous neighbors? Put
yourself in the place of the Yankee
at this moment. He, his president,
his House Of Representatives, his Sen
ates, his editors, by an immense ma.
jority, have passed reciprocity, in
spite OF the most strenuous opposition
Of m1ltitudinous American farming
and other interests, because in my ex-
perienced judgment, the Yankees
know that both our parties and all
our ottawa ministries asked for ii
for fifty years; because the Yankees
always did feel kind of mean in re-
fusing to be neighborly enough to
concede to 1t; because they have been
admiring Canadian courage and en-
terprise for ten years back and be-
cause they simply wish to be neigh
borly now. To allege that they imag
inc reciprocity to be half as much to
|, their commercial advantage as they
anu We huOM IL viii Ut W OulH db
pure bosh as it is to allege that they
think so contemptibly OF the stanch.
J hearted Canadian people as to con.
ceive that reciprocity will soothe
them into wish for political union.
, THE truth is, as know from much
! intercourse with Americans, that they
have got completely over their old,
, fond notion that we Canadians would
: come in If they persisted in refusing
our farmers and other procedure OF
Z 'naturals free entrance to their mar
, kets. BY forsaking that old delusion
! comes one of their friendly reasons
= for at last consenting TO reciprocity
l. They have said in their hearts, We
5 have tested those industrious Canadi.
2 ans long enough. Took us more In a
/ hundred years to get through our
+ heads that they meant to stay Brit
: ish. Now we have got sure OF that
+ All right Let 'em stay out. That's
4 no reason we shouldn't treat them
e neighborly. And, by gosh! we are
4 aware of being ourselves now mighty
!. we'll inclined to the old daddy of most
a of our daddies. John Bull. Here's fol
I friendliness with our blood brother
Johnny Cannuck and IL won't be sur
r prising if we show Old Jim himself
/. next, by some practical reciprocity Of
t trade preference, that, we amt unami
l. BILE toward himself, not by any man
: ner or means
n Hands all around among English
n speaking peoples is a goal straight OF
e the road forward once we get recipro
r city in natural products between th'
|. Kings ever faithful dominion and tn,
n immensely powerful and rich English
It speaking community alongside GooC
s. will produces good will which end
8 lessly reproduces benefcent effects
C Hate and jealousy produce also thei
r. devilish kind