Opinion at Home and Abroad

ably reported by the Ways and Means Com- value of articles imported into the United mittee on February 10, and, four days later, States affected by the reciprocity agreement the House passed it by a vote of 221-93. is approximately $47,000,000, and the value The bill went through without any amend- of articles imported into Canada from the ment except a technical one proposed by United States affected by the agreement is the committee "to clarify the section relat- slightly over $47,000,000. ing to wood pulp and print paper, in order that it might more closely conform to the Three countries have been deeply ideas of the negotiators." On February 15, it interested in this effort of the was referred to the Foreign Relations ComAmerican and Canadian peoples mittee of the Senate and at once turned over to come to a reasonable and mutually satisto the Finance Committee. On February factory trade agreement. The press of the 7 the Canadian Government caucus decided United States, of Canada and of Great Britin favor of the measure, which came before it ain, during the days immediately following in the form of a resolution drawn up by the the passage of the reciprocity bill by the House Minister of Finance. This was adopted at of Representatives, teemed with comment once. Its provisions were then presented to pro and con, and with news despatches rethe Dominion House of Commons in the form counting the approval and opposition regisof a bill amending the Customs Act. This tered by political leaders, commercial organmeasure was considered, schedule by sched- izations and prominent business interests in ule, and the opposition recorded its dis- all three countries. There can be no doubt approval, item by item. It was expected, that the proposed tariff has interested the however, that by the first of the present month the measure would go through with the normal government majority, which, at the present time, is about fifty votes.

What

From the summary of

4
the

American people. They understand it as they have, perhaps, seldom understood a tariff bill before. It directly affects them as consumers, because it reduces import duties on articles of universal consumption. As to the political party disapproval of the tactics of the Program changes provided by the new administration in forcing through the measProvides agreement, which was given out ure we have already spoken. The opposition to the press on January 26 concurrently by to the bill as a trade agreement has come our own State Department and the Dominion mainly from four sources: the makers of print authorities at Ottawa, we learn that the pro- paper, who fear a loss of profit; New England gram provides for the abolition of duty on a fishermen, who apprehend injury to their number of staple articles of trade between the business from Canadian competition; and an two countries, and for the reduction of duties uncertain but probably large number of farmon many others. On wheat and other grains, ers, and some politicians. The lumber interdairy products, fresh fruits and vegetables, ests also are against it. Among the orfish, eggs and poultry, cattle and other live ganizations which, up to the middle of last animals the duty is abolished entirely by both month, had openly declared their opposition countries. The United States makes rough were the National Grange and other agricultimber free, and Canada replies by letting in tural societies, and a number of chambers of cotton-seed oil without a duty. Both coun- commerce and several political leaders, intries abolish the duty on tin and tin plates cluding Speaker Cannon. and on barbed-wire fencing, all forming the basis of a considerable trade. The agreeOnly a few of the opponents of the Conflicting ment provides that print paper is to become New England present agreement maintain that free on the removal of all restriction now on it will prove injurious to the counthe exportation of pulp wood. Canada re- try at large. They do claim, however, that it duces to the United States rate her former will be bad for farmers and lumber dealers and duties on agricultural implements. She also that it will upset conditions along the Canareduces the duty on coal and cement, and the dian boundary and inflict a certain amount of United States does the same on iron ore and damage, as yet unascertained, upon the bordressed lumber. Furthermore, there will be der interests. But even the border States do reductions to the same level on canned food not quite agree as to the injurious effect preproducts and other food stuffs partly manu- dicted. While flags were at half mast in factured. The United States proposes to Gloucester harbor, in the town itself there were reduce the duties by a total of approximately those who maintained that the new order $5,000,000, and Canada by $2,500,000. The would be a good thing for the fishing business.

Views

whole country. The cardinal feature and outence, and so long as we stay in office it will remain. standing principle of the tariff is the British preferIt is not the policy of the Canadian Government to ask Great Britain to change her fiscal policy by an iota. We make our own interests, so with Great Britain. The loyalty of Canada to the British

Empire is not dependent upon any tariff relations.

Governor Foss, of Massachusetts, and most of the representatives of that State in Congress, are heartily in accord with the new policy. Mr. Foss sent a special letter to the Legislature urging it to draw up a memorial to Congress on behalf of reciprocity. Senator Hale is quoted as believing that Maine's prosperity will be imperiled by the free admission of We have recorded, from time to time, in Canadian products. On the other hand, the these pages, the progress and changes in city of Portland has declared its approval, sentiment on the question of reciprocity and the Maine Legislature has passed resolutions commending reciprocity.

Eminent

Official

and Otherwise

One of the most vigorous opponents of reciprocity is Mr. R. S. Borden, leader of the opposition

among Canadian leaders and commercial interests. It will be remembered that while the negotiations were in progress at Ottawa The measure, moreover, has had last fall, several delegations of farmers, repreTestimony in the earnest championship of Sec- senting the large and powerful agricultural Favor retary Knox, who negotiated the interests of the great Canadian west, came agreement, Secretary Wilson, Senator Bev- to the capital and urged upon the Premier eridge and Speaker-to-be Champ Clark. Sec- the desirability of reciprocity with the United retary Wilson, whose words go a long way. States. It will be remembered also that a with the farmers of the country, in an open number of the conservative interests of the letter last month to the legislative committee Eastern provinces, including the coal miners' of the National Grange of New Hampshire, associations of Nova Scotia and Cape Breton told the farmers that they should favor Island, strongly opposed the idea. reciprocity. He declared that the United States can with profit and benefit take all the grain that Canada has to sell and devote its own lands to less exhausting crops. Senator Beveridge, in a speech in the Senate on in Parliament. His contention is that the February 9, contended that the greatest present agreement must inevitably tend "to benefit of the agreement lay in "its effective- negative the quarter of a century of effort ness in preventing increase in the cost of on the part of Canada to build up trade along living and the manipulation of food prod- east and west lines instead of north and ucts." Speaking of the objections the Sen- south lines, and to destroy the effects of the ator declared further, that "even if they efforts of the Canadian statesmen and railwere valid, instead of groundless, all of them road builders of the last twenty-five years." put together are a small matter when com- The other side is presented in a vigorous pared with getting this fundamental and cable despatch, sent on February 8, to Lord truly national policy established." At the Strathcona, Canadian High Commissioner Pan-American Commercial Conference on in London, by Minister Fielding. He said: February 13, Mr. Clark, who will be the next Speaker of the House of Representatives, said: "I am for reciprocity, not only with Canada, but with all the South and Central American republics. My principle is that honest trade never hurt any nation."

Canada's
Attitude

The attitude of the Dominion Government toward reciprocity with the United States was first officially indicated in a speech of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the Premier, in September last, in the course of which he said:

I believe it is possible to make a treaty with the United States which will not only be of great advantage to us, but equally so to the United States, and I would not have a treaty which was not at least equally profitable to one as to the other. We are asked on either hand by different interests for free trade and protection. It will be our aim to evolve a tariff calculated to benefit the

the desires of our people for half a century and also In making such an arrangement we are realizing that in promoting friendly relations with the neighboring republic we are doing the best possible service to the empire. Canada is seeking markets everywhere for her surplus products, subsidizing steamship lines and sending out commercial agents. Would it not be ridiculous in the pursuit of such a policy to refuse to avail herself of the markets of the great nation lying alongside?

An unexpected amount of interest Keen British has been manifested in England.

Interest

When the terms of the agreement were presented in the legislatures of the United States and Canada, a flood of comment was let loose in the British press. In general it may be said that the Liberals and their allies, who favor the maintenance of the present policy of free trade in England, approve of the measure, while the Conserva

tives and the rest of the opposition, including interpellations, the Prime Minister stated many of the manufacturers of the United that the government would not ask Canada Kingdom, look upon it as a menace to British to postpone ratification, that Mr. Bryce, the In the House of Commons, Mr. British Ambassador at Washington, had Balfour, Mr. Austen Chamberlain and a "carefully watched the progress of the agreenumber of other "Tariff Reformers" made ment on behalf of British interests, but had vigorous speeches denouncing the reciprocity not assisted therein," and that Britain's prefidea, and contending that the conclusion of erential agreement with the Dominion gave the agreement "would have the most dis- her no privileges in American markets. He astrous consequences for the future of the concluded by saying that the present governEmpire." In the Upper House Lord Lans- ment could do nothing by preference or downe claimed that reciprocity "surely otherwise "to prevent the natural trend of means a detriment to British trade and the events; the leveling of the tariff walls bedeflection of Canadian wheat supply to the tween Canada and the United States, which United States." The whole history of the is inevitable." A test vote was then taken, Empire is altered, he said, "if the great and the government won by a majority of dominions are encouraged to develop, not on 102, the Irish and the Laborites sustaining national and imperial lines, but in accord Mr. Asquith. The division was taken on the with geographical lines." opposition's amendment to the parliamentary address in reply to the speech from the throne. Of course there never was in the It was moved by Mr. Austen Chamberlain, As to minds of the negotiators of this ex-Chancellor of the Exchequer, and it Annexation agreement any notion of its adop- urged "fiscal reform," with special refertion leading to a radical change in Canada's ence to reciprocity between Canada and political relationship to the United States- the United States. indiscreet public utterances of prominent. American statesmen to the contrary, notwithstanding. Secretary Knox, in a spirited address at Chicago, on February 15, set forth with great clearness and positiveness the view of the United States Government on this point. He said in part:

The United States recognizes with satisfaction that the Dominion of Canada is a permanent North American political unit, and that her autonomy is secure. ... There is not the slightest probability that this racial and moral union will involve any political change or annexation or absorption. It is an ethnological fact that political anits of the English-speaking people never lose Their autonomy....In the higher atmosphere and broader aspects of the situation it is certain that if there should be any great world movement involving this continent Canada and the United States ould, as a matter of course, act in the most perfet concert in defense of the common rights of

Reciprocity "Preference

US.

In England, it will be remembered, the question of trade under reciprocal concessions-fair trade, as it is generally called by Englishmen—has for some years been under discussion, and a long agitation has been carried on in favor of the substitution of reciprocity for the traditional policy of free trade. It is pointed out that a free-trade country can force no concessions from countries pursuing a protectionist policy. Reciprocity with the British colonies has been especially desired by British "Tariff Reformers," who see in such reciprocal concessions a step toward a complete customs union of the British empire. The principle of reduced duties toward "nation" members of the empire granting equivalent concessions was instituted by Canada in 1897; a rebate of 121⁄2 per cent. being granted for one year to British goods, and of Several interpellations were made 25 per cent. after the expiration of one year. On British in the House of Commons. One Equivalent concessions cannot be granted by member demanded that the Co- Great Britain under the present free-trade Jonial Secretary request Canada to postpone policy; hence the development of a system of ratification of the agreement until after the customs duties is a prerequisite to any concoming imperial conference has been held. siderable extension of reciprocity within the Another inquired whether the British Cabinet empire, or "preferential trade." The conhad been consulted and whether, under the servative press, led by the always antinew arrangement, the United Kingdom would American Saturday Review, calls reciprocity, be able to send her products to American as at present arranged for, an American chalmarkets at the same rate as Canadian manu- lenge to Britain and the beginning of the facturers will send theirs. In a general reply economic annexation of Canada by the United to the opposition speeches, including the States. The Liberal press contends that the

a common blood and civilization.

Effect

Politics

Photograph from the American Press Association, N. Y.

MEXICAN INSURRECTOES" WATERING THEIR HORSES IN THE RIO GRANDE OPPOSITE EL PASO (These striking photographs of the insurrection in Mexico were taken last month, while actual fighting was taking place almost all along the border line)

Photograph from the American Press Association, N. Y.