The Sun.
London, England, 1869-07-26 00:00:00

THE CANADIAN QUESTION,

(From the Anglo-American Times.)
No. 11.

" Young Canada," although dogmatical, fails,
as we think, to refute the article he undertakes to
answer. We both consider that the comparative
degree of prosperity where the nations adjoin is
the best test of progress, but while we disclaimed
discussing " a subject which would require both
study and reflection," " Young Canada" prc-
fesses to have made it the subject of scientific in-
vestigation and analysis, and has arrived at the con-
clusion that " there is not the slightest ground for
holding that the United States enjoy a greater mea-
sure of properity than their C:anadia❑ neighbours."
Now, broadly speaking, British North America is
larger than the United States, the former being
estimated to contain nearly four millions of square
miles, while the area of the thirty-seven States and
eight Territories is about 3,400,000 square miles.
Taking the census of 1860, we find the population
of British North Americi to be estimated at
3,500,000, which gives one adult person for every
two square miles, while in the United States there
were five and a half adults to each square mile,
the population being in the aggregate fourteen
times as dense. This is the broad fact ; but we
do not choose to rely on such generalities as
broad facts ; for, again we repeat, that the compa •
rative prosperity must be judged of wholly by the
condition and well-being of the people on either
side the boundary. " Young Canada," asserting
labour to be the true source of national wealth, and
the increase of population on the whole affording
the best standard by which to judge of prosperity,
proceeds to show that the population of the Dominion
is increasing much more rapidly than that of the
adjoining States. Now there are two palpable fal-
lacies in " Young Canada's" way of putting his pro-
position ; the first is, that his figures are incorrect,
the second, that they omit something so material, as
to vitiate the whole calculation, even had the figures
been correct. In 1850, or rather in 1851, for the
census was then taken, the population of Ontario
was 952,004, and not as given in "Young Canada's"
table 837,700, while his figures are exactly right
for 1861. As regards Quebec or Lower Canada,
his figures are again right for 1861, but wrong for
1851, when the population was 890,261, and
not 845,000,.as he says. In respect to New Bruns-
wick, he omits only 800 people from the cen-
sus of 1851, but this is unfair, considering that
he adds the odd number 47 to the New Brunswick
census of 1861. "Young Canada's" error may consist
in having unconsciously taken eleven years instead
of ten for the Canadian increase, and this we con-
sider to be the more probable as he is accurate in his
figures showing the population in the different
States. Putting aside the errors in his Canadian
table, the grave error in the comparison is this--
the Eastern States, such as Maine, New Hamp-
shire, and Vermont are those which go far in sup-'
plying the inhabitants to Indiana, Illinois, lowa,
and other prairie States. This drain renders the
calculation essentially unfair, the more so as there
is no such outlet within the Dominion. Minnesota
is a State bordering on the British territories. Sup-
posing that our correspondent bad added it to his
list, it would have shown for 1850, 6,077 ; for 1860,
172,123. Wisconsin is another, and its population
iu 1850 was 305,391 ; in 1860, 775,881. Illinois and
Indiana touch on Lake Michigan ; the former in
1850 contained 851,470; in 1860, 1,711,951 ; the lat-
ter, in 1850, 988,416; in 1860, 1,350,428. Let Young
Canada throw in these States, and his deductions will
be wholly changed. his manifestly unjust to com-
pare the increase in very small populations, with
the increase in the very large. London is the most
rapidly increasing city in the world, but any village
which had 100 inhabitants and added another hun-
dred, would show a ratio far in excess. The larger
the population of the United States as well as of
Canada become, notwithstanding that the volume
of immigr4ion continues to swell, still, the less
will be the rail() of increase. If the United States
now contain forty millions and the Dominion
four millions, one million added to the popula-
tion of the latter;- will be in the ratio of ten
millions added to the population of the former,
and if Canada is contented, should the ratio
little exceed this in favour of the British Provinces
the Republic can have no reason to complain. But
people ought not to be deluded into the belief that
this ratio is that of the comparative prosperity.
We have explained why the New England States
which border on Canada do not show a greater
increase in population ; the young citizens be-
ing attracted into the richer, more genial, and
more easily cultivated Prairie States, where, as we
observed in our article, they get into a drift of more
enterprise, more capital, and more people, realising
more quickly the prosperity they seek. Now, what
we have always asserted is this : that a vast ma-
jority of those who emigrate to Canada cross the
border, and do exactly what the New Englanders
do, and although we laid this down as the first point
for discussion, and it is clear that " Young Canada"
does not overlook it, he is silent on the subject. We
would like to draw his attention, as well as that of

our readers, to the words of our article. Nor do
we ignore the fact, that the New England States
bordering on Canada have but little increased in
population, while Canada has considerably increased,
which tells in favour of the Dominion, as it shows
that the States are not able to replenish the efflux,
while Canada does. But a little inquiry will tell
how ; for New Hampshire and Vermont have no
agents in Europe turning the tide of emigration to
those States, nor are there pamphlets and leading
articles published in favour of them as of Canada ;
meetings, speeches, and even sermons advocating
emigration to the Dominion, while English men-of-
war have actually conveyed the emigrants gathered
by subscriptions through societies formed for the ob-
ject of peopling the British Provinces. We have

shown " Young Canada's" figures, where be deigns
to give them, to be incorrect ; we have shown that
he selects the States where the least increase is de-
veloped, and avoids those which may also be said to
border the British dominions ; that he evades the
very point of our article, au inquiry into which
would have demonstrated why the New England
States have not increased, as well as the cause of
the Canadian exodus across the border ; therefore
we may be excused for not following our corres-
pondent into mere assertions, to prove the fallacy,
which we could easily do, of his statement, that
there is " even a greater disparity in the relative
increase of the other elements of prosperity." We

cannot, however, forbear an allusion to one of
these points ; the only railways of importance
constructed in Canada, have beenbuilt with Bri-
tish money, by British engineers, to the mate-
rial loss of the Mother Country ; Is this an
element comparing favourably with a similar one
in the United States ? No doubt " Young Ca-
nada" is not prepared "to controvert the opinion
of men of large military experience," that Canada
could be defended against the United States in case
of war. Indeed, if he wanted to argue against
the almost unanimous verdict of officers of largo
experience, he would have to take the other side
and assert that it could be defended, for we main-
tain that where he found one to say it could be so
defended, a score would be forthcoming to say it
could not. Which power does he suppose would
hold the Canadian ship-canals ten days after a De-
claration of War? Our correspondent's reference
to the feeling of disgust called forth by the Prime
Minister's reception of the New Yorker's assertion
that irritation is felt in the Republic on account of
the United Kingdom retaining its footing on
American soil, is again unfairly illustrated. A
Londoner's objection to the Republic's newly-
acquired Russian Territory, is altogether a dif-
ferent matter. Supposing that the United States
purchased Norway, or Sweden, or Denmark, or the
I-land of there, or in any way attempted to estab-
lish a political footing in Europe, a Londoner might,
with great propriety, expresi " irritation " and
alarm. Americans assert the broad principle, that
the Continent should be free from the political con-
trol of Europe, and for this reason, they purchased
the useless territory of Alaska, being always prepared
to make sacrifices in upholding what they profess.
Nor can we trace the connection between the pub-
lisher and au ass, even supposing that a writer did
make a donkey of himself ' • but we confess the ob-
scurity of this sentence is beyond us, and we may
do "Young Canada" an injustice, if wo touch fur-
ther upon it.