The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-28

ry flag flying from Panama to the pole. are exhibited by the opponents of the Canadian treaty in Canada as the decla- ration of a. real policy by this country and as an announcement of our purpose to push political control over our neigh bor of the north.
 T am not an anti-imperalist, but [ have had considerable experience in the countries over which we have assumed temporary control. I do not know when that control will end, but I do know that in respect to those countries we have taken over heavy duties and obli- gations, the weight of which ought to destroy any temptation to further ac- quisition of territory.
 Tt would be invdious to institute comparison between the government of Canada and this country, but there is one part of our Jurisdiction and that of Can ada that come together sufficiently close to enable the Canadians and ourselves to realize that the sample of government that we exhibit is not alluring. I refer to the control of Alaska compared with the control by Canada of her northwest territory. The talk of anexation Is
 'bosh." Every one who knows anything about it realizes that it is "bosh." Cana ia is a great, strong youth, anxious 10 test his muscles, rejoicing in the race he is. ready to run. The United States has all it can attend to with the territory it is now governing and to>naake the possibili ty of the annexation of Canada to the United States basis.for objection to any steps toward their greater economic and commercial union should be treated as one of the jokes of the platform and should not enter into consideration of serious men engaged in solving serious problem.
 Why Not Closer Relations?
 ''Why should not we have closer union with Canada? Think of the absurdity of separating Manitoba and Minneapolis by as great distance as Manitoba and Liv- erpool when certainly providence intended that their separation. socially and com mercially, should only be that of their geographical distance. Canadians have furnished us a large number of our best citizens. We are giving them a large number of the pick of our young farmers. Let us open the gateways between us. Let us give to both countries the profit of the trade that God intended between us. Let the political governments remain as they are. Let us abolish arbitrary and artificial instructions to our association with our friends upon the north and derive the mutual profit that it will certainly bring.
 ''The Canadian contract has passed the House substantially as adopted and in such form that if adopted in the same way by the Senate it would go into effect as soon as the bill now pending in the Canadian parliament shall be passed by that parliament.
 Compliments House
 q desire to express my high apprecia- ton of the manner in which the present House of Representatives has treated the reciprocity agreement. It has not played politics.. It has taken the statesman like course In respect to it.
 q am very hopeful that the Senate will treat the agreement in the same way, and that no amendments will there be sdded to the bill. For the reasons given think they are dangerous.
 'It may be that the Canadian contract does not go far enough. In making 1t we were limited by the reluctance of Canada to go as far as we would wish to have her go, but the fact that it does not go far enough is the poorest reason for not going as far as we can. We were making contract; we were balancing considera- tions; we were not making a general tariff law or general tariff revision. It was no part of our duty to reduce the tariff generally In this contract with other coun- tries. If that is to be done, and if there is a sincere desire to have it done, then 1t ought to be- done by separate legislR- tion.
 .I appeal to this company. representing as 1t does the press of the United States. to see to it that 1t is made clear to the public that!this contract ought to stand or fall by its own terms, and that it's pass age or It's defeat ought not to be af- fected in any regard by other amend ments to the tariff law.
 'I think there is general sentiment now in favor of revising the tariff schedule by schedule and of making this revision the pendant on exact in- formation as to each schedule, gathered by impartial investigators. To amend this Canadian contract and to make its passage the pendant on other tariff leg islation is to continue the old method of tariff revision characterized. not without reason as a local issue.
 q have said that this was a critical time in the solution of the question of reciprocity. It is critical because un- less it is now decided favorably to re- ciprocity 1t is exceedingly probable that no such opportunity will ever again come to the United States. The forces which are at work in England and in Caada to separate her by d Chinese wall from the United States and to make her part of an imperial commercial band reaching from Eng land around the world to England again by a, system of preferential tariffs, will derive an impetus from the rejection of this treaty and if we would have re- ciprocity with all the advantages that 1 have described and that earnestly and sincerely believe will follow its adoption, we must take it now or give 1t up forever"