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Show IT WAS NOT RECIPROCITY Editor, Philadelphia Record: Under Un-der the head, "Republicans and Reciprocity," Rec-iprocity," you discuss editorially this morning a statement In which I told of Mr. Roosevelt's pernicious trade agreements with Germany and other foreign Powers. You quote me correctly assaying: "Mr. Roosevelt, availing himself In a most questionable way ot the powers pow-ers vested in the Executive, with regard re-gard to reciprocity treaties, succeeded succeed-ed by stealth," etc. Rut you then go on to inter that 1 was arguing ngainst reciprocity. There was nothing In my statement to indicate this. Tho very paragraph you quote proves that I did not. It was the questionable way in which Mr. Roosevelt availed himself ot those powers and the worse than questionable uso to which ho put them that I objected to. The prlnciplo of reciprocity did not enter Into the statement at all. Ast a Republican, I have stood for reciprocity as typified typi-fied by the agreements entered into by James G. Dlaine. Hut whether reciprocity Is right or, wrong can havo nothing to do with Mr. Roosevelt's having Issued orders or-ders to pormlt unlimited cheating by foreign manufacturers and Importers under the guise ot -reciprocity. It was not reciprocity to Inform a foroign merchant In effect that his own valuatf. of. goods shipped, to this country- would be satisfactory to us. It was not reciprocity to erase from tho Invoice the name ot the ship on which the goods were carried to American ports In order that 'It might be tho more difficult to trace fraud. It was not reciprocity to serve notice on our special agents abroad that It they meddled with the undervaluations they were paid to prevent they would be ordered homo. It was not reciprocity to fix a duty at a certain rato and then say with a wink that tho foreigner might make it whatever ho chose. These things I said, and I repeat, wero plain swindles. Debate that charge as long ns you please, but kindly do not credit mo with snying something I did not say and did not oven appear to say. JOSEPH R. GRUNDY', Bristol, Pa July 7, 1914. la |