The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1865-01-13
The Passport System.

A great deal of trouble end an 'mnec-
essary amount of bad blood is being
stirred I'D between Canada and the
United States in relation to the passport
system lately inaugurated by Secretary
SEWARD. AllpecsOns coming from Canada
to the United States are required, upon
entrance into our territory, to produce
passport from Z British official setting
forth their destination business &c, and
this must be rjsed by an American Off
eel and fee of abOnt six dollars pad
before the traveller can he permitted to
continue his journey ill the States. The
object of the regulation is to prevent
any future incursions upon our Northern
border by armed bodies of rebels, as i'll
the case of the st. Adams raid, and to
detect and punish, OF turn back, any
spies who may seek admittance here
through Canada The object is all well
enough, but the means adopted is palpa
bly, inadequate to the end proposed
The passport system has been for many
years in operation between the jealous
sovereignties of Europe, but has accom-
plished little more than the annoyance
of inofcnsive travellers, engaged i'll
legitimate pursuits This must be the
case between Canada and the United
States to even a greater extent than be-
tween Eurorcan nations There are SO
many points ot communication with
Canada that IL ~ impossible, without
pickctlng the whole boundary line, to
guard every point of entrance upon our
territory, and if eyil-disposed persons
were DESTROYS Of coming III, they could
very easily select some point at which no
officer are stationed Besides This, there
IS very little i'll outward appearance to
distinguish Northerner from South
ron, union man from arobel, and rebels
passports and cross tho lines without
risk of detection, as il wonld be fol the
most Jealous and consistent loyal
leaguer.
The present result of the system is
simply To cut of lawful intercourse be
tween the people of Canada and the
United States, deprivmg our merchants
of the benefit of their trade and their
merchants of the benefit OF ours. The
principal lines of business communica-
ton, three or four in number, are guarded
by officers who demand passports and
exact fees and, as consequence, travel
has materially fallen off and only those
who are compelled TO go from one country |
to the other are willing to pay for the
privilege ofcrossing the line. The Cana
dams complain that these restrictions are
ruiniag their trade; making their rail
roads worthless an dinhicting general
arrangement upon all their business af-
fairs. They propose to Tetaliate, by re-
quiring passports from all who come from
the United States into Canada and put
ting the price of the rise as high or high
er. than we have placed it, but they can
not avoid seeing that such measure
will only aggravate, rather than remedy, |
the evil of which they complain. They |
would be the losers by such an opera
ton, for assmedly, ace can stand it better
than they.
But there is another view to be taken
of the matter The Canadian govern
ment, while perhaps not quite as friendly
to the North as We might desire, has
nevertheless maintained, to the best of
its ability, its neutral character so far as
official acts are concerned. The Cana
dian authorities disavow all connection
with or connivance at the ST Adams
raid and have been endeavoring to pun
;sh the raiders and prevent the future
recurrence of similar lawless acts A
number of regiments of Canadian mil
itia are now stationed along the border
for the purpose of preventing rebel raids
and protecting our frontier. 1t seems TO
MS that these precautionary measures