The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-11-17

Inellr OF tne fOauS.
The men who till the soil team the
roads and keep the stores in the principal
towns, all favor better roads, and should
the bond issue question, which has been
so earnestly advocated during the past
receive some more converts, then the
question will be submitted to the people
and 1t is believed will carry.
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ital which Is invested in Mexican proper
ties represents railroads, and there have
been large investments in mining prop
critics and IL ranches. The Mexican in
vestments would be much greater were
tranquility established in the republic to
the south of us.
1t has been frequent saying of lead
ing business men in this city that the
probabilities are strong that in the future
a great increase in investment of Amer
lean capital in Canada will take ploce.
some think that when the ultimate effects
ol tne new tailff are understood there
may be established in Canada some large
manufacturing plants controlled entirely
or chiefly by American capital
Mr.. Foster stated that immigration from
the United States to the prairie provinces
OF Canada now averages about 1900 per-
sons every year.
Domestic Emigration
Ihls movement OF Americans into Cam
ada is many or our business men think
likely 20 be supplemented or matched nv
emigration from some of the northern and
western states into the southern states.
Some of the railway managers are con-
Vlncef that as soon as the Panama canal
iourishes with commerce very great en-
lsration from some of the northern and
western states to the southern states es-
pecially those where land is now oh ,an
VIII take place Reports como to this city
that the prices which productive lands In
some parts of the remoter west now com
fndao are liohit tive, at least In conpart-
son with the prices per acre for rich lands
in some Lorts of the south, and In all
parts orr the I'airie country of Canada.
Canadian Reciprocity
The Canadian minister of finance vsn-
tured to speak of reciprocity as that rela-
tion mas already been established between
Canada and the United States 1t Is tho
Kind of reciprocity which ultimately will
result, In his view, in greatly enlarged
international trade. The kind OF 1eci-
pi io.ity to which Mr.. Foster referred Ia
shat illustrated by unity OF language. III
era;h-e end IDEAS. and. to some eatent.
SER y reciprocal emigration ar i.nmi-
grafton. The tide has now turned In favor
of Canada so far as immigration is con-
cerned, although a few years ago that
tendency favored the United States
which, Mr.. Foster says received several
millions Of Canadians who did much to
exploit natural resources
He omitted to mention a reciprocal rs
lation which is Illustrated by the wonder
full achievements of Canadian born men,
of whom James ]. Hill is type, in ad-
vancing American prosperity All of
these great Canadians who became Amer
leans illustrated the truth of the funda-
mental philosophy held by the late J. P.
Morgan, which was that it always re-
quires courage tempered by good judg-
ment to create new wealth and to make
money. On the other hand, the United
States sent some men of great achieve
ments into Canada, of whom Sir William
C. Van Horne and the late Charles Mel
vile Hays are examples.
Curiously enough, Sir William Van
Horne, who was for II years chairman
of the board of the Canadian Pacific rail-
road company, and Charles NJ. Hays, who
became president of the Grand Trunk
railway system in 1870 were born within
few miles of one another in the state
of Illinois
The International Trade
Not until recently has public attention
been called to the really marvellous
growth of trade between the United States
and Canada. When the magnitude of that
trade was illustrated by q comparative
statement-namely, leaving cotton out of
consideration. 1t is the greatest interna-
tional trade the United States has-then
the fact was presented concretely to the
American people so that within a. year or
two they have been able to grasp the
meaning of il.
The Canadian minister of finance, in the
informal address before the Canadian club
stated. as of his own knowledge that
the United States buys commodities from
the dominion Of the value of 81 10 per
capita, whereas Canada buys from the
United States yearly merchandise of the
value of $50 per capita. This Is merely
another way of illustrating the magnitude
of the international trade. OF course, one
reason why the United States purchases
less from the dominion than the dominion
buys from the United States is because
of the fact that the Canadian surplus
products are not so large nor is the va
riety of products great az to Justify
a great increase of purchasing by the
United States. On the other hand the
United States grows or makes commodi-
ties of which Canada stands in need
The Guarantee of Peace
The chief apostles OF the worlds peace
would have been gratified had they heard
the Canadian minister Of finance exnress
In single sentence a formula by which
the dangers of war would be greatly les.
sened. That formula he compacted into
three lines, as follows: Let these two
countries stand back to back four square
to the world and war becomes a greatly
possibility"
In the wholly informal and vet highly
important statement made at the Canad-
ian club by the dominion minister of
finance is compacted the entire philosophy
OF what the real union between the great
dominion to the north of us and ourselves
should be. And this is the philosophy
which the great Goodwin Smith in the last
years of his life accepted. although he
at one time advocated complete political
union.
How important the visit Of the Canadian
of finance is regarded was dem |
onstrated by the presence of men of large
influence at the guests table. Among
tI.,t,