Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1912-10-25
why THE FARMER
SUPPORTS TAFT
His Reelection Means Contln.
ued Prosperity.
CANADIAN RECIPROCITY.
Wlllful Deception on the Farmer Prae-
tieed by Wilson and Roose-
velt-Taft Their Only
Friend.

Friend.
There has been so much claptrap
and balderdash, heroics and generali-
ties injected into this campaign by
the forces opposing the reelection Of
President Taft that 1t has become an
easy matter for the average voter,
particularly the tillers of the soil, the
farmers Of this country, who have been
busy harvesting and marketing tre-
mendOus crops at -ecord-breaking
prices-it is an easy matter for the
stalwart and substantial citizens OF
this country to become confused as
to the real elements, the genuine is.
sues the legitimate questions involved
in this campaign and which will be
decided at the coming election in No
vember
Indeed, not only has II become easy
to confuse the average busy agricul-
turist, not only is it easy for him TO
get confused, but II is a well-defined
plan, part of the studied program
Of those who are burning the false
lights along the shore and singing the
sirens song throughout the land-it
is the studied purpose of these politi-
cal demsgogues to not only confuse
and obscure the real issues, but to
deliberately deceive and mislead the
unwary and induce them wherever
possible to accept as fact and logic
that which is palpably and absolutely
false and fallacious.
And the arts and wiles Of these cum
ming and crafty politicians are espe-
cially and particularly directed toward
the farmers. because they know that
none have prospered more in recent
years and none are today more gener.
ousiy participating in the benefits Of
protective tariff than the farmer.
and they know that unless they can
disguise the realities, unless they can
deceive them by confusing them-they
know that the farmers will vote to
continue their present unprecedented
prosperity by voting the Republican
ticket and retaining In power the Re-
publican party and the Republican
President.
Perhaps the most convenient, and,
they hope, the most successful efforts
to mislead the farmer and direct him
into false paths that lead to the quick
sands of disaster are being made
through the dead issue Of Canadian
Reciprocity because, they hope, the
busy husbandman will not take the
time to look up the actual facts and
inform himself conclusively upon this
matter, and so they are going about
telling the farmer one thing with the
avowed and already pledged intention
of doing just the opposite If by any
mischance or misfortune, either of
President Taft's opponents should be
elected and placed in power.
Both the Democratic and the Pro
gressiye party candidates for presi'
dent are telling the farmers Of this
country that they are opposed to reci-
procity with Canada, and that they
will protect the agriculturists OF this
country from the invasion of Canadian
products. This is clearly cunning de
ceit and willful untruth. What are the
facts? The Democratic platform DE
clares II to be fundamental principle
that the Federal Government under
the Constitution has no right or power
to impose or collect tariff duties, ex
cept for the purposes of revenue" :"
That means "a tariff for revenue only"
and the American farmer knows from
experience just how far that will af
feet him as against his nearest com
petltor-the Canadian farmer,
And Woodrow Wilson, the Demo
cratic candidate for president. said in
his speech on August Is. 1912;
I'VE must broaden our borders and
make conquest of the markets Of the
world and break down, wherever pos
sible, that dam against which all the
tides of our prosperity have banked
up-that great dam which runs around
all our coasts. and which we call the
protective tariff"
Break down the dam" which is
keeping out the Canadian farm prod
ucts under the Republican idea.
Likewise, the Progressive party, so
called, declares in its platform for a
tariff which will equallze conditions
OF competition between the United
States and foreign countries. both for
the farmers and the manufacturer"
Is there anything definite about that?
The purpose is made more significant,
however. when taken in connection
with what Mr.. Roosevelt said to Presi-
dent Taft on the subject Of Canadian
reciprocity III letter to the President
under date OF January 18th, 1911, his
exact language being; 81 firmly be-
lieve in free trade with Canada for
both economic and political reasons, ,"
Roosevelt also strongly endorsed
the proposition of a Canadian reci-
procity treaty in public speeches,
notably at Grand Rapids. Michigan,
on February 18th, 1911, and at the
Lincoln Day dinner at the Wal
dorf-Astoria Hotel in New York city
the night Of the 18th of February the
same year. He was president for seven
and a half years, was Roosevelt, and
II is worthy OF note that during all
that time he did not a single thing