Daily national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1854, 1854-07-18

duties, is manifest from the fact, that our
trade with those Provinces has doubled
since 1916, the year of the abolition; and
that the exports are double the imports.
| The effect Of this abolition on the trade of
the Provinces with Great Britain, though
| not conespondently great, is still very
great. This trade has fallen off from one
fourth to one-half.
Preferred to our inconsistency in urging
the Provinces to adopt universal free trade
with US, and thereby virtually urging
! them to adopt universal free trade with
Great Britain, also. | proceed TO in
quire--what would be the effect upon our
selves of the success Of this inconsistent
cyl In other words-what would be the
effect upon ourselves of free trade between
these Provinces and Great Britain, whilst
the present restrictions upon the trade
| between ourselves and Great Britain are
continued The effect would be Sc
rious diminution Of our revenue, and
serious damage TO our manufactures, and
serious damage to our morals, also :-as
in that case, goods to an immense amount
would be brought from Great Britain into
these Provinces for the purpose Of being
Struggled into the United States.
On the one hand, it is objected to the
Treaty. that its list of productions is not
full enough and, on the other that it is
too full. | admit, that it is not full enough.
Consistency demands, that it should in
clude all natural productions. And when
| speak here of natural productions, /
mean them, not only as they come from
the earth, but, also, in that next stage of
forms, which human labor gives to them,
for the purpose of making them more
portable-such as wood in the board, as
well as in the log, and wheat ground, as
well as unground. Iron in the pig, as
well as in the ore, should be included in
the Treaty; and if it is not, it is, proba-
| bly,, because of the fear on the part of the
| Provinces Of thereby letting in Scotch
and other pigs, duty free. So, too, unre-
fined sugar, if not included in the Treaty,
should have been. But, | trust, that
| they, whose natural productions are not
included in it, will, nevertheless, not
condemn the Treaty. trust that they
| will, magnanimously, allow its justice in
the main to outweigh its particular injus
! tice; its justice to others to outweigh its in
justice TO themselves. At the same time,
however, that they cannot but feel them
selves to be wronged by the Treaty in this
respect; they will be consoled by the
reflection, that the adoption of it will
be the adoption of the principle of the
free exchange Of natural productions;
and, therefore, that the productions, in
which they are especially interested, can
not remain, for long time, excepted from
the scope of this principle.
1t is held, in some quarters, that wheat
and -four should not be in the list Of free
articles. But why should they not be
Because our flour and wheat will, as is
alleged sink in price under the free COM
petition Of Canada wheat and flour.
But, were this apprehended depreciation
really to take place, nevertheless, free
trade in the productions of Nature is an
ordination of Nature, which cannot be in
nocently violated. But would there be
such depreciation | see not, that the
Treaty is to be credited with such a bene-
fcent operation. Our country and Cana
da do each grow surplus of wheat; and,
hence, in the case of each, the foreign
market regulates the price. The surplus
of each country goes to foreign markets
and whether the Canada surplus goes upon
the st. Lawrence, or across our country,
cannot affect the price of our wheat. The
competition for that surplus and ours being
in foreign markets exclusively, must be
the same, whatever the route to them.
say, that the competition is there only.
This is virtually, if not literally, true.
For what if little Of the Canada surplus
should come into our country for consump-
ton, it could only have the effect TO dis
place the like quantity of our surplus, and
TO liberatc il for foreign markets. Were 4
any proof needed, beyond what is afforded
by the reason Of the case that foreign
markets rule the price of the surplus pro-
ducton, we might instance the fact, that,
for eleven-twelfths of the year, wheat in
bond in the city Of New York bears as high
price, as wheat, that is not in bond.
Indeed, it is sometimes higher since the
repeal of duties between the British North
American Provinces, for now il can 90
duty free from our ports TO the lower of
those Provinces.
said, that, whether the Canada surplus
wheat shall find its way to foreign mar
kets upon the ST. Lawrence, or across our
country, cannot affect the price of our
wheat. Nevertheless, we are deeply in
terested to have it take the latter route,
and SO add immensely to the business of
our canals, and railroads, and storehouses,
and shipping, both on our lakes and on
the ocean. Ii may not add immensely to
il, Just now. But it will soon. There is
no assignable limit to the production Of
wheat in that best Of all wheat countries,
Canada West.
Ii is true, that, if, in year of famine in
our land, there should be a free admission
of Canada food into it, such free admis-
sion would reduce The nrica of American