The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1849-10-18
Annexation of Canada.

The Montreal Herald, in an able article
on the comparative advantages to Canada,
of annexation with the United States on
the one hand, and on the other of FEEDER
al Union of the British Provinces, with
independence both of Great Britain and
the United States, pronounces the former
to be the only probable remedy for the
evils of its present condition. We quote
the substance of the article, promising that
the Montreal Herald is one of the ablest
and most influential of the Canada Jour
nails:
If we should establish federation to-
morrow, in order TO find some business for
the General Government to do, III order TO
prevent such an institution from becomlug
as useless a mockery as that of the Cover
workmanship, under our present system,
we should have to obtain from Great Bri-
tain the right to treat with Independent ma
tions as an independent State. The cost
of maintaining the army and navy would
necessarily be thrown upon us, as con-
sequence: for it would be absurd TO sup
pose that we would be permitted to quar-
rel on our own account, and that Great
Britain would bear the brunt of the con-
test.
We say, then, that Federal Union and
independence are inseparable, and we pro-
ceed to show, how much less advantageous
that arrangement would be, than the Union
with our Southern neighbors. The ex-
penses OF Government, In case of FEEDER
al Union, would be divided into two parts
that which belongs to the cost of Local
or State Government, and that which be-
longs to the Federal Government. In
Canada, at present, we pay only the first
set of expenses. Great Britain pays all
those other charges, which in the United
States are borne by the Federal Govern
ment, and would have to be borne by the
Federal Government in case of Union
OF the Provinces. By Federal Union,
therefore, we save nothing of sources OF
expense, which we should incur by annex
alton: 1t is easy to show that these expen-
ses would be vastly greater in the former
case than in the latter. We have two
millions of people in British North Amer
lea. Joined to the United States, we
should form a nation of about % 100000
But the two millions, in order to the main
tenance of thorough system of diplomat
ic relations abroad, would require as many
Ambassadors and Consuls, as would be
necessary for the %. The two millions
would have to go to all the cost of paying
for President, instead of paying an elev-
enth part of the cost of one such function
ary for the %. The two millions must
keep up great variety of other civil es-
adjustments, in the same way and out of
their own resources, instead of sharing the
burden with ten times their own number.
Lastly, the army and navy must either
be manifestly useless, or it must be equally
powerful with that army and navy, with
which it would probably have 10 contend
IN case of war. The nation with which
the North American Union would have to
dread collision, would clearly be the Uni
ted States; therefore our army would ell
ther be utterly incapable of affording us
protection, or it must be as numerous as
theirs. Two millions of population, then,
must go to the same expense as twenty
millions: or else waste all the outlay in
useless form; whereas by Union with the
twenty millions, which would diminish