The Portland daily press., 1867-12-17

PORTLAND.
Tuesday Morning, December II, 1887.



past week. The general impression seems 10
be that the bill will pass, though the scheme is
far from popular. In the maritime Provinces,
especially, it meets with great disf lvor. The
Opposition part. are strong in that part of the
country, and the influences of government
patronage are but slightly felt. Their papers
insist that the task of the government of the
Dominion ought to be to strengthen the pres
ent bonds Of the Union, instead of drawing
them out into an attenuated thread across
the continent. Nova Scotia is not yet fairly
in the Union; New Brunswick is beginning
to have an anxious feeling; aud even Lower
Canada Is enquiring whether she may no
have been in too great haste. The Dominion
has already more land than she knows what
to do with. The people are fleeing fron her
and it is impossible to get in immigrants on
any terms, and the new territory will only be
source OF expense at time when the need
OF economy is imperative. The St. John
Globe thus touches the probable truth of the
matter:
No doubt one, If not the leading idea among
many who favor the acquisition of this Ter
ritory is that it we DO not attach it to or
Confederation it will fall into the hands OF
the United States. But it is much mole
sensible assumption that we, by attaching to
us his compar fativeiy useless country, tie
around our neckS milestone which must
drag US down into tn. very abyss from which
we hope to escape. The consc iidation OF the
various interests now united in the Dominion,
the lmpro ement and development of what
we already have, would be a lar more sensible
proceeding than the taking in OF a territory
whlch 1t Will cost us much to keep, and which
can be OF no benefit to us whatever. The
important state reasons 10 which Mr.. Car
tier referred last night, as making it desirable
that the matter should be settled during the
present session, refer no doubt. principally to
the Efforts Mr.. Seward is making to secure
the territory, and to the fear that the British
Government will transfer it to MIN.
MIR. Goodwin smith, sound thinker as ey-
cry one knows, and shrewd observer, has
lately written to the Manchester Examiner
letter which is calculated to dispel some of
the illusions cherished by the admirers of tie
Dominion scheme. He plainly declares his
conviction that those who celebrated with
apocalyptic raptures the birth of a great
North American empire, the destined rival
and counterpoiSe, as it was evidently hoped,
OF the Unit d States," are dest ned to disap-
pointment He shows how strong and able the
anti confederation party is, tells and England
that she will probably be placed between the
alternatives of coercing the Nova Scotians
and offending the more powerful members o;
the confeder ltion. He scouts the notion that
the British possessions in North America
form geographical whole. or that they are
the natural scat of distinct and united en-
pire. To insist, he SAYS, on uniting the two
provinces by railroad. because both are
British possessions on the American conti-
nent, is almost as irrational as it would be to
insist on uniting Gibraltar and Malta by
submarine tunnel, because both are British
possessions in the NJ ,Jiterranean Sea. Ine
Intercolonial railway IS worse than waste OF
money, it is a mere political job, vast Zee,
given to colonial politicians for procuring the
consent of their ,e ,islatures to the union. As
military work it is even worse in his estima-
ton, because it is a menace against the Uni
ted States. and to heavily tax the English
people for purpose of that kind meets his
disapproyal. In this connection Mr.. smith
says: sa.g
What imaginable interest have the mass of
us in dtivating International division and
antipathy betw cen two communities of the
English race wlcn nature has united in
blood, in language, and in commercial inter
est; and eacl o. which, if we would only
let them alone, is disposed to The most kindly
relations with its kinsmen in this country?
The lingering hope that the Canadians will
adopt mOnarchical and aristocIatic institu-
tlons-a hope which will te fulrilled when
the current OF history turns backward, and
the laws Of nature lose their iorce-is the
sole ground fol all this perilous interference
in ,he affairs OF a distinct continent, with
The inhabitants OF which nature bids us
trade tor our mutual advantage, cultivate
friendship, and remain at peace.
Mr. Smith !oresees crisis in the relations
between England and this country If the at
tempt to erect Canada into military con-
federacy is persisted in. Already he says,
the torbsarance of the United States has
been severely tested by the conduct OF Cana
di IN officials and OF, British officers in colo
nial sarrisOns, and by hostile action during
the rebellion. Yet he is satisfied that there
isat presentno general disposition among the
American people to interfere with the au-
tonomy Of the Cana lans 1t seems to him
that the policy OF England under these cir
cumstances. should be conciliatory rather
than threatening. He adds:
The Americans cannot suffer the course of
thu St. Lawrence. an Indispensable highway
OF their cOmm,r to be in hostile, though
they are, and ought to be, content that it
should be in neutral, hands. The fear of
seeing the Mississippi pass into hostile hands
was the great moving cause oil the tenacity
which the Western States exhibited durin
the civil war. 1T s. happens too thar by ex.
citing alarm On the subject OF the Sc. Law
renee. we should convert into enemies the
tree trade producers of the West who are at
present our best friends. [ do moi mean to
sly ha5. even unI, these circumstances. the
Americans would. without further cause of
quarrel attack Canada; but 1 do mean to
say that under suh circumstances. any dis
pute to which tenian inroads, smuggling
on the Canadian frontier or any casual in
jury or atfront might lead. might be fraught
with danger OF serious rupture And what
such rupture would be to both nations no
commercial man, or community, at AL events,
needs to lie told.
The CANADIAN papers, as might be expect
ed, carefully avoid all reference to Mr.. Smiths
letter.