The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-08-03


thrown open by the warehousing laws, tn,
Times admits, and It is just this admission W,
have been fishing for The Canadians usst
the St. Lawrence when they were compsllst
to do 20, and were paid for so doing by larg,
discrimination in their favor on the property
conveyed by that route. The moment thu
compulsion on the one hand was removed by
the action of our Government, and the induce
ment on the other by that of Great Britain, tn,
trade became free, and, seeking the best chan
mel, deserted the St. Lawrence. The Cana
dams pay twenty per cent. duty rather thar
take their grain to England; and when they d,
take ii to England, they pay duty of half o
one per cent to the Federal Government, be
sides tolls to the State of New York, rather
than take it by the way of the ST. Lawrence.
And now, when the navigation of that stream
has become useless to them, and of course more
useless to us, by the amount of transit duty
they have TO pay to avoid it, and which our citi
zens are not charged with, it is gravely held
out to us as a valuable consideration for the re-
lease by our Government of twenty per cent
duties on their agricultural produce, and by oul
people of the protection derived against the
competition produce which finds its way int,
our markets, notwithstanding those duties. II
is offered in the name of reciprocity, WREN, as
the Times informs us, ''instead of buying in oul
markets, the Canadians have become sellers
exclusively" To use phrase more expires
sive than elegant, this is cutting it rather toe
fat
But there is another thing about this matter
in the prospective, which our friends at Osweg,
understand good deal better than it is under
stood at Washington. They know perfectly
well. that the tolls paid to the State of New
York constitute large part of the expense o
canal transportation, frequently two-thirds o
the entire charge for freight. They know
too, perfectly that it is vital to the State of New
York to retain the trade of the western States
and that if necessary, and just as fast as it i,
necessary, to prevent its diversion to the St
Lawrence, those tolls will be reduced-re
duced, if need be, to an amount almost nominal
Large reductions-one- half on sundry articles
were made this year; and all experience ha
shown that, with every reduction of tolls, thei
total amount is increased in consequence Of
more than proportionate increase of traffic
Moreover, the Erie canal enlargement is ap-
| preaching its completion-when completed thu
cost of traction will be very largely reduced
and in this way still further reduction mad
in the expense of transportation. Moreover, TIT
| Ogdensburgh and Lake Champain railroad i
| advancing to completion, and this is anothe
rival to the St. Lawrence, which is every da,
becoming of even less consequence TO us thai
| at present.
| navigation of the Hudson river has been opened
| to the Canadian agricultural products and tn,
merchandise which is returned In payment 70
| them, by the warehousng and drawback
| laws. These are more than equivalent, in TIT
scale of compensation, to the navigation of thu
St. Lawrence; and when the latter is offered al
a consideration for new concessions, we ar,
well entitled TO reply that we have paid TO
that in advance, and over paid for it. We hav,
| good right to demand that, if il is now set VI
| for sale, we shall be permitted to bring tn,
value of these privileges to Canada into the &C
count, and have balance certified in our ia
vor. That done, the application for recipro
city would stand upon its naked merits. Re
ciprocity must have two sides TO it, VIVA
the import side is, we can see very plainly
what the export side, for our citizens, shall be
is what we have yet to see.
The Times asks:
"In view of the free admission of our product
into the English markets, by which annual out
let has been found for millions of bushels Of In
dian corn, which formerly not worth produ
| cing is il unreasonable that England should ask u
to reciprocate far as to admit Canadian product
on equally liberal terms;''
England repealed the corn laws from no re
gard to our interests, but exclusively to wha
were supposed to be those of her own subjects
| 1t is unreasonable, therefore, TO ask any thin!
Of us on this account. The question of tn
| Times implies that our reciprocating by the ad
mission Of Canadian products would be, as W,
think it, clear sacrifice of our interests, ant
this certainly ought not TO be made until W,
discern the certainty Of greater evil than tn,
restoration of her corn laws would be likely t
prove to MS.