Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1866-05-01
ooNFEpERACY OF THE BRITISH
PROVINCES. 81

the British provinces, Upper and Lower
Canada, New Brunswick, Nova.scotia'
and Newfoundland, was held at Quebec,
and the first resolution passed in the Con-
ference was "that the British North
American provinces should be united In
one great confederation under Her Majesty
the Queen Of Great Britain and Ireland
Each colony has its W prejudices and
local difficulties, and the scheme was con-
sidered as a compromise that would give
the British province, as strong q govern.
ment as possible under the circumstances.
Still, it was believed by many that the
conflict Of interests between Upper and
Lower Canada, Of ill-feeling between the
French and English Canadians. and some
other elements of disloyalsy and disunion,
which SO large a portion Of the American
continent contained, would render unan-
unity for any length Of time next to i'm
possible. And under that impression,
several legislatures refused to rasify the
plan of union sketched out by the Quebec
Conference.
. A recent event-the ~abrogation OF the
reciprocity treaty-has caused the scheme
of a confederation Of all the British pro-
vinces to be revived with a vigor which
contains the pledge of speedy success.
From Newfoundland to tho banks Of the
St. Lawrence, there seems to be q unani-
nous desire for a great North-American
union, which, instead Of weakening the
Government of England, would become
eventually a source Of strength to it.
Local prejudices and feelings have been
given up, and as the home government has
expressed it wish to see its North-Ameri.
can possessions placed under a confede-
rated form Of government, We must expec.
to SEQ tina. measure soon carried into
effect. Once formed into an independent
power, the British provinces will very
likely invest with executive power some
member of the royal family Of England,
and thus q great political change Of much
importance will occur on the American
continent.
The contemplated %confederacy will in.
cludge the territory stretching from the
foot of the Rocky Mountains to the
ocean, and it will form a nation that,
for the extent Of its dominions and
the number Of its inhabitapts, will ex'
coed many Of the most favored nations Of
the earth. Thersss not the slightest doub,
that the Canadian Confederacy will be, by
the force Of tradition and circumstances
antagonlstic to the American Union. The
latter was inaugurated under Democratic
influence and Democratic institutions F; TIT
former will be formed under the monarch.
cal system, and nurtured BY British law,
and traditions, and it will be interesting
to observe whether the new Confederacy
will as rapidly advance as the United
States in social progress, private enterprise
and public improvement.
We have always considered that, com,
mercislly, the a~brogation Of the reciprocity
treaty was an error; the march Of events
in the British Provinces proves that i
was more than that politically, it was
great fault. It is plain that, with TIT
creation Of an independent power on oul
border, based on Numerically opposite
political principles, we can not expect an!
thing like genuine reciprocity between TIT
two nations. At the same time, it car
not be denied that the party, chiefly com
posed Of Canadians, which favored thu
annexation of the provinces with tn,
United States, at an early day, ceased 4
exist with the repeal Of the teciprocit!
treaty. Looking over the map, thousand,
of people could not understand why i'm,
aginary lines should define the limits o
two distinct Governments. But now theil
feelings. justly or not, have been wounded
BY the fiat refusal Of American authorities
to renew the existing treaty, and the!
have come to the conclusion that they
must wake up and work out their Ma
tional independence with their brethren o
all British North American colonies. I
the avowed policy Of the English Govern
ment ITO carry the Union into effect" l
soon to be an accomplished fact, as vi
are sure it will be, the Washington poll
ticians will be responsible for such q re-
suit, so repletc with serious political com
plications for the future.