The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-01-08

VTWUUDTU WUTOTTTY, TUTVTUa5FW
with the financial necessities of the nation, will
be wheedled by the opportunities of the Pro-
vincial agents into further sacrifice OF revenue,
or coerced by the scolding of the World into the
abandonment of a purpose formed deliberately
and in fun view of ell the merits Of the case.
One thing, at any rate Is satisfactory. or the
journals in this country that have espoused the
cause of Canada, none has ventured to excuse
the bad faith of that province, or to urge re-
newal Of the treaty In its present shape. The
acknowledgment is general that Canada has in
divers ways violated the spirit of the treaty, and
further, that the benefits accruing from 1t have
been shared to a very imperfect degree by the
United States. Surely, little else Is needed for
an answer to much of the rhetoric that has re-
Gently appeared in print. The province whose
ministers and legislators 80 far disregarded their
quota OF obligations as'to trample upon the spirit
of the whole arrangement by discriminating in
favor of Great Britain and against this country
have no right to demdr because we decline q
continuance of the unequal bargain.
They chose voluntarily, for their own convent
ence and profit, to disturb relations contem-
plated by the American promoters OF the
measure and to give a preference to British
interests avowedly because they were such; and
assuredly they cannot complain of ill.usage be-
cause we refuse TO prolong the arrangement.
They violated the essence of the treaty more
than once during its existence; certainly we
have right 10 say that the treaty shall end at
the period indicated by itself. On their side is
bad faith; on ours, simply a resolve to under
stand thoroughly the position we are hence
forward to occupy towards neighbors who
appear to forget that upon this country they
are dependent and inevitably ever will be de-
pendent tor whatever commercial prosperity
falls to their lot They in effect overturned
business compact we demand new compact
before again sailing in the same ship; and mean
while they will have an opportunity of realizing
results meet for repentance.
Nobody doubts that genuine reciprocity is good
thing. Our most distinguished statesmen long
ago pronounced in It's favor. They were advo-
al hot
England accepted the gospel according to Cob
den and Bright.
But they uniformly held that reciprocity
should be real--that IL should be Just and mu-
tually benehcial-that it should be accepted in
good faith and carried out in large and liberal
spirit by all contracting parties Judged by
this standard, the treaty with the British Prov
lnces must be pronounced failure. Aside from
the talthlessness on the part of Canada to which
we have alluded, the operation of the treaty has
developed results which Congress could not have
passed over without a palpahle neglect OF duty.
Its concessions and advantages have been shown
to be unequal. The Provinces surrendered very
little and acquired very much; this country con-
ceded great deal and gained comparatively
nothing. Their duties bear unduly upon our
products, while we made free the larger proper
ton OF theirs. The treaty imposed upon them
only trifling loss of revenue; upon us it has
entailed a sacrifice which could not at any time
be overlooked.
Just now, we prefer this general glance to
distractions on which profound pundits love to
dwell. Theories on the balance OF trade are
sometimes amusing, but rarely conclusive, eX-
cept when case is proved without them. This
case OF reciprocity is manageable by the people,
whether the theorists say yea or nay, We have
experimental these ten years, and propose now
TO profit by the lessons learned. Under any cir.
cumstances this would be duty, The fact that
reciprocity is vital to Canada should not alone
change our course Priding itself on its colonial
relation, although more than sixty per cent, of
its exports come into the United States, its
claims to commercial favor cannot be exempted
from the ordinary test OF business interest. Thus
tried, the treaty has been condemned.
Manufacturers whose products are admitted
into the Canadian market only after payment of
heavy duties, complain of the disadvantage i'm
posed by those who thrive by free access to the
American market. Importers, who tancied that
they saw in Canada a field for enterprise, dis
cover that the province with which they dealt
SO literally has taken special pains to favor the
ST. Lawrence route at their expense Producers
OF various grades are impatient under q compe-
tltion which brings few countervalling benefits,
and entails losses not lessened by the pay OF
gratitude. In this Direction the current has been
greatly changed. The logic of experience is
doing its work. The woolgrowers have sent
forth their utterances, and other branches of
the farming fraternity are not disinclined to say
amen.
Whole communities avow an acceptance of the
moral. Chicago but lately an unit for recipro-
city, is now loud against it; and those bodies
which, like the Chamber of Commerce of this
city, strenuously favor extended intercourse, and
deprecate much of the opposition to the treaty,
admit a necessity for its modification. The num-
Der of those who desire an extension of the
treaty as it is, is ludicrously small The journals
which would make of reciprocity partisan
shuttlecock give tribute to the popular WILL so
far as the existing system is concerned. Even
they couple pleas for reciprocity with assertions
touching the propriety OF reconsidering, revis-
ing, recasting the treaty.
n 10 m orrnu inn
out of experience, we have the greater and yet
more urgent reason suggested by the altered cir.
| cumstances of the country. When the treaty
was originally entered into we were lightly
| taxed people, ready to run fiscal race with all
| comeIs. There was then, at the outset no OBJ
| vious hardship or injustice in admitting the
! population OF the provinces to our markets. and
| no peculiar folly in the expectation that we
might gain ground In their markets. The legacy
derived from the gigantic struggle through
which we have triumphantly passed has changed
our position in this respect. All classes are now
required to sustain their share of load of which
/ we can never lose sight when questions concern
| ing revenue challenge attention. The farmer
and the forwarder, the mechanic and the manu-
tacturer the merchant and the laborer-all arr
| interested in the equitable adjustment of ou
trade relations with other countries. IT woul(
be neither polite nor just to expose the Ameri
can producer to unrestrained competition will
markets, and at the same time remain exemp
from our burdens.
Spain and Chili-ViolatiOn of our Neu
uality laws