The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-03-26
Colonel Roosevelt Is on Rec
ord in Three Speeches
As IndOrsing the Presidents
Canadian Reciprocity Policy.
WITH HIM ON THE TARIFF
Declared the Payne Law the
Best Ever Passed.
And He Is Also Committed to
the Commission Plan.

Washington, March 26.-The Taf
bureau has given out the following
statement:
Theodore Roosevelt is on record threy
times in public speeches as ENDORSING
the Canadian reciprocity policy OF
President Taft. This issue is now
Jead through the failure of Canada tc
ratify the trade agreement on the
ground that the United States would
derive the greatest benefit from its
provisions. The fact remains, however
that the farmers of the country ara
not generally aware that Mr.. Rcose-
welt so thoroughly approved of Canadian
reciprocity when it was a live issue,
Canadian reciprocity was voted for by
J Republicans and Democrats alike when
1t was before congress and, as between
Mr.. Roosevelt and Mr. Taft, in the
present campaign for the Republican
nomination for president, there is no
| choice on this issue.
In connection with his public utter
ances on the tariff Mr.. Roosevelt has
also joined President Taft in saying
that the Payne tariff law, while by no
means perfect, is, nevertheless, the hest
tariff law yet passed by congress I'M
Ger the old system of making such
| laws. OF course President Taft and
Mr.. Roosevelt are both now commit
| ted to the tariff commission plan OF
revising the tariff and Mr.. Roosevelt
has given President Taft credit for ad-
Vocating this commission plan from
the beginning.
Mr. Roosevelt's public Endorsements
of Canadian reciprocity were as fol ;
lows:
In speech at Grand Rapids, Mich.
February IL, 1911, he said:
Here, friends in Michigan, right on
the northern frontier, I have the pc
culiar right to say a word of congraru-
lation to you and to all Of us upon the
likelihood that we shall soon have
closer reciprocal tariff and trade re-
lationS with the great nation to the
north of US. (Applause.) And 1 feel
so pleased primarily because 1 wish
to see the two peoples, the Canadiali
and the American peoples, drawn to-
gether by the closest ties on footinS
of complete equality of interest anu
mutual respect. (Applause.) 1 feel
that it should be one of the cardinal
policies of this republic to establish
the very. closest relations of good will
and friendship with the Dominion of
Canada" (Applause.)
In a speech before the Republican.
club of New York city, delivered at
the Lincoln day dinner at the Waldorf
hotel on February 10. 1911. he said:
81 want to say how glad am at the
way in which the members of the club
here tonight responded to the two ap-
peals made by them to uphold the
hands of President Taft, both in his
effort to secure reciprocity with Cam
ada, and in his effort to secure the
fertilization of the Panama canal.
And in addition to what has been
said about reciprocity with Canada I
would like to make this point: It
should always be a cardinal point in
our foreign policy to establish the
closest and most friendly relations of
equal respect and advantage with our
great neighbor on the north. And
hail the reciprocity arrangement be-
cause it represents an effort to bring
about a closer, a more intimate, a
more friendly relationship of mutual
on equal terms between
Canada and the United States"
At Sioux City, Ia, on September 3, |
1910, Mr.. Roosevelt said:
Il was particularly pleased with
what the president (Taft) said in his
letter on the subject Of the tariff COM
A number of senators and
congressman have for some years ad-
vocated this as the proper method of
dealing with the tariff, and am glad |
that the country now seems awak- |
ened to the idea that a tariff commits |
sion offers the only solution of the |
problem which is both rational and
insures the absence of jobbery. The |
president (Taft) from the beginning |
this commission.
There is another feature of the !
tariff law and points our course in the /
right direction, the maximum and I
minimum provision, and here again |
wish to point out that the value of the |
provision has depended largely upon
the excellent work done by the adj |
in the negotiations with
the Dominion of Canada, which were
the most difficult of all, and yet in my
eyes the most important, because L
esteem it of vital consequence that we
should always be on relations of the
highest friendship and good will with
our great and growing neighbor in the
1orth.''
At Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on
he same day. Mr.. Roosevelt discussed
he tariff question in general, after
having gone over his speech carefully
with Senator Dolliver of Iowa, and in
he course of his remarks he said:
II think that the present tariff
Payne law is better than the last
lDingley Iaw), and considerably bet
er than the one before the last (Mc-
xinley law; but it has certainly fail
ID to give general satisfaction.
From these quotations from Mr..
speeches it is, therefore,
apparent that there can be no choice
Is between President Taft and Mr..
Roosevelt on these issues.
l.