Canadian-U.S. Reciprocity.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLV, Issue 18, 3 May 1911, Page 6

Canadian-U.S. Reciprocity.

By mail last week Mr. Th. de Schryver received a letter from Mr. James P. Murray, managing director of the Toronto Carpet Manufacturing Co., and president of the Empire League, which contains an interesting passage on the Canadian attitude towards the reciprocity treaty with the United States. , “Just now we are in the heat of a debate on reciprocity in agriculture with the United States,” writes Mr. Murray. "The antis are not treating it in a trade sense, but see in it a division of Canada—east as west, or west as east. Should such ever occur, it would undoubtedly seriously interfere with the unity of Canada, and prejudice our standing in the Empire. When we look up history, we find that originally, with the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and periodically and intermittently, the people of the L’nited States have ever hoped and believed for the ultimate absorption of Canada, Then the Grit party in Canada have always nursed some foible fancy, which had closer relations with the United States, such as ‘unrestricted reciprocity,’ 'commercial union,’ and it has even been as bad as ‘annexation.’ "The British Unionists of Canada have always been obliged to come to the front, and although ‘flag waving’ sounds well when spoken in ridicule on the hustings, yet- what nation is there that has any pride and spirit that IB without enthusiasm over ‘the flag’? ■ “For myself, -I think Canada is doing so well that it looks to me like treason to commence monkeying with our progress. Already, the semblance of a possibility has done an awful lot of harm. Negotiations, loans, buildings, etc., have been stopped—running into many millions in dollars—pending the outcome. Declare' for Reciprocity, and there will be iie-' renewal.”