New-York tribune., 1911-11-14
TELLS CANADA'S ATTITUDE
Trade Minister, at Club Dinner,
EXPLAINS ReCiprocity's Defeat.
"sTILL NEED PROTECTION"
says His Country Is but a Nation
Building, While the United
States Is O. Nation Built.

ceorre F.. Foster. Minister OF TRADE
and Commerce in the Cabinet or the ne"
prime Minister Of Canada, explained 10
the Canadian Club OF New York last night
AZ tbe Hotel Astor just what motives
moved the voters who disapproved Of 'he
I.aurier administration on tic issue OF reel
procity
The reason. he said, was that the Cana
dian PEOPLE did not like the peculiar ior"
OF that agreement" The explanation ne
suIrmed up In these words;
..\ye in Canada are British, we Intend 70
remain British to the last crack or DOOM
and We could not have done so under tha'
pact. We're not strong enough nor Dig
enough. 10 throw down the barriers OF
protection"
Andrew Carnegie preceded the Canadian
Minister on the list Of speakers. The IRON
mater devoted himself entirely to extoillng
the great example Of peace that the tVo
English speaking nations OF the North
american continent have set for the worId.
In fgurative language he pictured the
three thousand mile border between the
United states and Canada as being guarded
by but zone tiny craft Of each country
but 10 this feature Of Mr.. Carnegie
speech Mr.. Foster took decided exception
'Td Ike 10 have Mr.. Carnegie take
look around the southern border or the
Great Lakes" said Nr. Foster, some time
when he has leisure Of five or six WEEKS
and then come back to the eighth annuai
dinner Of this club next year and tell us
whether he did not see more than one
tiny craft around there. lurking In the
byways"
Mr.. Foster added that these remarks
were nothing more than byplay and, al
a matter of putting himself or record, h'
had only the highest OF praise for Mr
Corneeie's efforts toward universal peace
In spite of that concession. though NJ
added the reservation that he believed VIII
Mr.. Taft and with Mr. Asquith, that 'll'
best way to keep peace was TO nave SUI"
cient force to make others keep H.
Mr.. Carnegie told Of his last VISIT u
Canada. when Earl Grey was Governor
General explaining solemnly that Lad'
Crev Was in Europe at the time. and ~
had had a fine tr,,e" with Earl Grey. lhes
: saw Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Of course ~
said and at that name the diners oroK'
into applause.
THE Canadian and the American i've il
peace." said Mr.. Carnegie, "a peace Una
nothing can break, treaty or no treaty
What a contrast between US on the ->otl'
! American continent ard the peoples o
Europe. Twenty-odd different nations 'l'er'
are living es in an armed camp each su'
riclous of the other This continent set
! all example TO the world
Nr Foster reminded Mr.. Carnegie, among
other mild criticisms Of his ADDRESS tl"'
every great right won by Enghsh-speaAi"t
peoples had been won, not by peace ou'
! by war. and he thought that sucn uiliVersa
peace as the ironmaster urged was soiiie
| thing for the future, and the not iinfheu'
| late future either.
/ Rv NAV Of advice to Mr.. Carnegie. ne
advanced the idea that at least one sheli
in each OF his libraries should be devoted
TO books which would teach people the
! value of being careful in their esuhiate VI
| the value of the printed word
For every one Incorporate utterance oi
a Canadian" he said there are nine num-
| dred and ninety-nine whose remarks are
| temperate, and are for that reason never
heard of. Remember that when you see
an incorporate statement from Canada, as
! we do when we see an Incorporate state
ment from here.
eft was said after reciprocity had been
declined. that Canada did not want TO DC
trade with the United States. That is
absolutely false. We wanted and do want
TO do trade with The United States, but II
| Is iust a question Of how the system OF
! trading shall be worked.
I'VE now buy from you $40 per capita OF
our population: you buy from US sll PEI
capita of your population. We meet you
M the border with an average tariff OF 2
per cent: you NEE, us with an average
tariff Of AZ per cent. There is no feeling
of animcsity in Canada for the United
States; there is no feeling that We DO not
want to trade with you. as / think the fig
ures show, but We are but a nation build
ing, while you are a nation built
As u concrete example OF the workings OF
the reciprocity pact. had IT been accepted,
the Canadian Minister cited the case OF
British Columbia and the American port Of
Seattle II reciprocity had been accepted
British Columbia would be buying produce
from Seattle that Il now buys from Nova
Scotia, he said.
planned "in fact, we know IL would cost
less but il would not be better nationally.
w. F. Cockshutt. member Of Parliament,
ard a Conservative like Mr. Foster. ampli-
fed the arguments of the latter. and, al
though letters Of regret were read from
both Prime Minister Borden and his de
feated opponent Sir Wilfrid Laurer. II
was noted that no member OF the Liberal
leaders forces was a speaker at the din
ner. The president Of the CLUB, who acted
as toastrnaster. Sharon Graham, was a
camnaign speaker for the Liberal party In
the recent elections In Canada.
William Peterson. Of McGill University;
Kenneth j. Dunston. president OF the Cana
dian Club of Toronto; Robert a. Falconer,
president OF the University OF Toronto.
and Henry A. Coussirat. president OF the
McGill Graduates Society OF New York,
were the other speakers.