The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1850-07-30
Reciprocity with Canada.

We published on the 18th instant a
statement Of the Importation at Oswego
of few leading articles of Canadian
agricultural production. from the open
ing Of navigation to the Sth Of June, TO-
geiher with an estimate, founded upon
the imports of last season, Of the proba-
BILE quantity of the same articles to ar
rive during the residue of the year.
The statement went to show that the
trade in the articles which it is proposed
by the Canadian reciprocity bill shall be
admitted free of duty, is all from Cam
ada
Since that publication, several 6ocu'
ments have come under our notice which
tend to establish the same fact, and also
TO enable us to attain ust estimate of
the commercial value of the navigation
Of the St. Lawrence, which is offered as
an equivalent for subjecting our agricul-
turlsts to competition with the cheap
lands of Canada.
In the annual statement of the trade
and navigation Of the province for the
year ending on the 9th of January last,
recently submitted to the Canadian par
lament now sitting at Toronto, by the
Executive, we find that the value Of the
agricultural products imported is sci
down at $IIl,767 while among the
leading articles of exports are, wheat,
1902 ,260 bushels flour, 400, ,335 bar
rels beans and peas, 10000 bushels
oats, 34S, ,7773 bushels. The value ofthe
wheat and flour alone is more than thirty
times that of all their imports Of agri-
cultural products.
The true state of the case is this, the
agricultural labor of Canada is poorly
paid, because the policy Of England will
not permit her colonies to create mar
ket fr the fruits of the land, oy diversi>
fying their industry, and devoting por-
ton of it to manufactures. Until with.
in the last four years Canada was com-
pensated in some measure for this re-
straint, by different duties imposed on
the breadsiuiis of those nations which
had emancipated themselves from it.
She is now paying the full price of SUBJ
lection to the policy Of British mer-
chants. She obtains manufactures at
cheap rates, estimated in coin at a
ruiuously dear one, estimated in labor.
This has brought her to poverty, aud to
the verge of rebellion and TO avert it,
Great Britain unlies with her in request
ing the United States that she may be
allowed the advantages which would re-
suit from her belonging To both governs
ments, that she may be permitted to bring
her land and her labor up to the stand
ard of American value, by the free ad-
mission of their products into our supe-
rior market-lhat Canada may convert
her agricultural products into money at
our rate, and exchange the money for
manufactures at the British rate-to sell
at the prices Of American labor, without
giving particle of additional employ
ment TO it, and to purchase, at the pri-
ces of British labor, employing it to a
larger extent than before, because the
means to do so will have been derived
from the legitimate profits OF American
agriculture, shared without contribution
TO the American treasury. In return for
this, VIC are offered the free navigation
ofthe ST. Lawrence, which is closed sew
en- months in the year, and which, when
open, is found less attractive for the very
dwellers on its banks, than the canals OF
New York and the railroads Of New
Eng ngland.-RcpubHc.