The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-03-10
WASHINGTON, ID. G..
CANA DIAN RECIPROCITY.


dtions."
Mr.. TOWNSHEND said:
MIR. SPEAKER: At this late day OF the session,
would not tax the patience of the House by
inv further discussion of this question, were it
rot that no gentleman representing any part of
he valley OF the st. Lawrence-the region "a
Decially interested in some Of the most import
ant provisions of this bill--has yet been heard
Ipon the subject
AGRICULTURAL INTEREST.
And 10 the first place beg to offer remark
Or two for the purpose Of quoting the fears Of
some gentlemen here-oppOnents OF the meas
seem to imagine that reciprocal free
trade with Canada is likely to be prejudicial
to the agricultural interest of the country, and
especially to that of the Northwest Perhaps
may venture to speak for this interest. am
myself farmer, and | represent, in part, one
of the best agricultural regions OF the whole
country.
The Canadas annually produce some fifteen
millions of bushels Of wheat not more than
one third of which can be spared for exporta-
ton. This surplus, it is supposed, may come
into competition with the wheat grown in Ohio
Indiana, Illinois and Michigan But when II
is recolected that the price of wheat in thos,
States. and also in Canada, is governed by the
European, and particularly the English mar.
ket. to which our surplus together with that o'
Canada is cent it is easily seen that it cannot
be pUssible for Canadian producers tn under
sell us in our own market But all these tear'
are utterly groundless, in view OF the fact thai
the production of wheat in the British Ameri-
can Provinces il necessarily limited by the
rigors of the climate, a part of Canada only
being adapted for wheat culture, while the
Amount that may be produced in our North
western States ia almost illimitable. Why, sir,
one Of the counties of the Congressional dis
trict in which reside, the county OF Wayne,
had, last year. seventy thousand acres OF wheat,
the Drop of which averaged thirty bushels an
acre, or. in the aggregate, amounting to over
two millions of bushels. In Ohio there are
eighty five counties, each one of which could
readily produce one million of bushels year,
without interfering in any incOnvenient degree
with other agricultural products. Under these
does any one fear the competi-
ton of the Canadasi The idea is absurd.
All that the agricultural interest of the
Northwest demands, is the removal of the OBJ
staces thrown in the way of trade by high
and unequal tariff, and to secure the free paw
CATION Of the river st. Lawrence. Only permit
rs to sell where we can sell dearest, and to buy
where we can buy eapest--permlt us to avail
ourselves of any market we can find for our
wheat and pork, beef cheese, and other artl-
us to buy lumber, fish, and what
ever else we need, without restrictions and we
ask no favors of this Government or of the rest
of mankind We have no conscious weakness
to excite our fears of competition, we are not
oontendng against the economy and laws OF
nature, and therefore we ask for no artificial
protection. This point settled, come now to
consider briefly the bearings Of reciprocity on
The coal trade.
COAL INTEREST
It il to be regretted that the bill reported by
the committee does not provide for the free ex-
portation and importation of coal. sincerely
hope it will be amended in this particular. My
anxiety for this amendment does not arise SIM
ply from the fact that the shipping interest of
The Lakes desires the profits of the trade, nor
merely from my conviction that it will directly
promote the general interests of the country
but also from the fact which is or which ought
10 be perfectly understood, that without this
provision for free trade in coal, our proposed
reciprocity will not be accepted 10y the Provin-
cial Parliament. 70 obtain market for tins
GOAL is the principal object with Nova Scotia
and New Brunswick, and the only consdera-
ton that will induce them to coucede to us the
benefits OF their coast fisheries
At present Pennsylvania almost monopOlize-
the coal trade of the country. That State sell'
some five millions of tons annually at n cost u
consumers Of $50 100000 IL is not, therefore
surprising that the coal interest there shoul'
resist the free importation of Goals from Nov
Scotia, where they ara found in great ahund
ance and of excellent quality IL may, howeve,
be seriously doubted whether the coal interes
OF Pennsylvania has anything to fear from FIRE
trade in this article though if it has, it is jus
az certain that other important interests G
that great State would be proportionately pre-
NOTED
The coal imported from Nova Scotia and Ne,
Brunswick il highly bitumInous, some OF it cor
tanning IN much IA sixty per cent of volatil
matter Such coal M this can never come int
competition with the anthracite of Pennsylvg
MIA The latter will always be preferred fc
domestic and some other purposes and in cor
iirmation of this, ! may refer to the fact tbs
the British Cunard steamers which stop g
Halifax, do not and cannot use the Nova Scott
coal but obtain the coal they use from Penn
sylvania, though at much higher price. IL
also equally notorious that all the anthraclt
in Pennsylvania would not make gas enoug
10 supply the oity of Philadelphia for n sngI
evening; nor from the Cumberland coal oa
gar be made, without the admixture of som
more bituminous variety Free trade in coa
will therefore result in the expectation Of Penn
syl,ania Goals, to be used for purposes to which
they are best adapted, and in the importation
Of GOALS from the Provinces, to be used for tia
special purposes to which they are suited !
il also true that an increased consumption O
anthracite will, tO some extent, take place io
il is known that some factories in the East ar
now lying idle, because they cannot, wthou
paying high duty, obtain u certain amour
of Pictou coal which they find it beneficial {
use in connection with that from Pennsylya
MIA Such in the difference in the qualities q
these Goals, and 90 different the purposes FL
which each IL especially adapted, that Pennsy
yania and Nova Scotia can scarcely come int
direct competition. But the Liverpool Goa
which more closely resembles that from Nov
Scotia, will suffer more by this competition, an
must ultimately be driven from our market.
The Importance Of the Western coal trad
can scarcely have been taken into considers
ton by tho4o representing the coal interes
here. This il already of great consequence bu
it is speedily destined to be immensely in
creased. Our Lake trade now employs abou
seyenty-four thousand tons of steam vessels
mostly using coal, and the whole of the Cana
das are entirely destitute of the article; so tina
Toronto and other growing cities will be CON
PEELED to obtain their supplies from the wester
part of Pennsylvania and from Ohio. Tho d,
mand in this direction will be an equivalent 10
any competition or diminuton of demand i
the Eastern cities
Pennsylvania is also largely engaged in tn
manufacture of iron this is, in fact her e.
pecial manufacturing interest. The iron man
ufacturers are now compelled to compete wit
those of England at n great disadvantage, nc
only ON account of the difference in the prize
of labor, but also on account of the diticrenc
in the price Of coal, In England, iron can b
afforded cheap mainly because, in many local
ltie~ the iron and GOAL and clay suitable fn
re-bricks, and of which furnaces can DO built