The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-09-24
The Dominion Of C.,,,..


very nearly two-thirds Of the House of Com
mons. The opposition have finally made W
their minds to accept defeat; and are calling
in and organizing their forces for The vigorou,
prosecution of new set of tactics. 1t wa'
was expected that Mr.. Brown, after bis de
feat in South Ontario, would try for another
constituency, but he has not done so. Ht
| evidently has other plans.
NEW PROJECTS.
| What is likely to be the early policy of the
triumphant ministerial party it is difficult to
forecast to any extent. The Parliament will
undoubtedly pass the Ottawa Ship Caral and
| the Militia Bills, both of which are intended
as measures OF defense against supposed hos
| tlhty from this country the one being de-
| signed as means of back communication.
further from the frontier than the Grand
Trunk road and the other as a kind of stand
ing army for the Dominion. The inter Colo
nial Railway can hardly fail to be, ere long
the subject of excited contention.
The British Parliament voted to pay twen-
ty millions of dollars to connect Halifax and
Quebec by railway. Not that it is expected
or even pretendedt hat such road would ever
support ITSELF much less repay the cost OF con-
structon. But this, too, it was thought
would be an excellent thing in case OF a war
| with the United States. The mother coun-
| try having agreed to furnish the money for
building the road, the Canadians are natural
ly excited TO know through whose land 1t Is
TO run, and who is to have the benefit OF the
fat jobs and contracts that are to be got out OF
it. An immense amount OF wordy war has
been expended upon both these subjects, but
neither is as yet fully decided. The first
point in dispute has been whether the head
quarters should be at Quebec or at Chauliere,
the junction Of the present Riviere du Loup
railway and the Grand Trunk In the for
mer case, the traffic will be carried half a
dozen miles out of the way, and down and
up she sharp descent from the main level TO
Point Levi. In the latter case, Quebec will
be left quite out of the way as Of no account
in the course of travel.
| Another question respects the course to be
| taken from Riviere du Loup, the present ter
minus, to Halifax. The people along the
coast, at Isle Vert, at Rimouski, and Cape
Chat, expect the road to be built along the
right bank of the st. Lawrence as far as pos
sible, before turning across the New Bruins
wick wilderness. The Montreal Witness sa-
gaciousy reminds the ''longshore" people
that "they have open navigation nine months
in the year," that there is no superabun-
of 70 I,af
"the interests of commerce." and of the coun-
try generally, ought to carry the day over To-
cal interests, and that the road will have to be
built "by the shortest and least expensive
route" instead Of describing circles round
New Brunswick
There is one difficulty in the way of the
Witnesses policy. The shortest and least ex-
pensve route" from Quebec to Halifax is to
strike from Riviere du Loup, the present ter
minus, to Lake Madawaska, and thence along
the valley of the st. John to Fredericton, and
so by the best way around the Bay of Fundy
to Halifax. Unfortunately this route would
lie within gunshot of the United States boun-
dairy, a fatal difficulty when we consider that
the reason for building the railroad is the sup
posed necessity ofproviding in season against
war with the United States.
The journal from which we take this state
ment of the ease shrewdly remarks that in
view Of the commercial uses of this interna-
tional railway, it is well to bear in mind that
Montreal the chief celtre of the trade of
Canada, is some hundred miles nearer the
ocean at Portland than at Halifax and Port
land itself is nearer than Halifax to the West
Indian market, which is the point aimed at
for trade" But that consideration is not
likely to have much weight.
The other aspect of this question, the econ
omical one, is even more grave. 1t is evident
that the managers OF the new Dominion have
started on course of fearful extravaganza
and corruption. "Already," says the Ottawa
News, itself a government organ, ga fear per-
meates every class OF society that the compl-
Gated machinery Of the new Government is
going to press down the people with a fearful
burden OF taxation. Go where you will, in
the city or through the country, the same un-
defined dread of approaching tax-gatherers is
felt by all" The same paper, just before the
elections declared that the ship of state was
running fast upon the rocks, and that the pi-
lots were straining their eyes in different cii-
rection, and it then drew the following proph-
etc picture: o A5- ha
Give us a Coalition with an overwhelming
majority in Parliament and a railway to build
and we will show you country rushing to
bankruptcy and ruin as fast as reckless mana
gers can drive it. The Intercolonial Railway,
ii entered upon with a determined spirit of
economy, Tor rather we should say common
honestly, can be constructed without at all en-
dangering the financial position of the Prov
ince; but if it is seized upon, as was the
Grand Trunk, as grand opportunity of en-
richlng the innumerable cormorants that sur
round the Government it will prove mill
stone around the neck of Confederation, a
rock on which the good ship "Union" will be
hopelessly wrecked
To the question why certain public and
private buildings which are now in course of
erection in the city Of Montreal do not pro-
gress faster, seeing that the fine season is
drawing to a close, the Witness responds that
workmen are comparatively scarce, many of
them having gone to the States, allured by
the abundance of greenbacks.
Two monks OF the order of In Trappe from
monastery somewhere on the Cult, were in
Montreal last week, and attracted much at
tention by their singular costume and man
ners. We were not aware that any estab-
lishment OF this brotherhood existed in
North America.
The Ottawa News says the Governor Cen
eral is to leave Quebec on the oath instant.
"This time he is to be accompanied by his. fam
lily. They are to take up their residence per-
manently at Rideau Hail. Ottawa viii thea
in reality become the Seat of Government.
so long as the vice regal residence was atSpencer
Wood it was scarcely proper to speak ofour city
as the capital Of the Dominion. Now, how
ever, it will be the real centre and seat of
Government"
The Christian Guardian, religious paper
per published in Canada West, thinks il
must be painful to every patriotic mind to
learn, that in Toronto, the metropolis OF On
tario, nobody doubts, that bribery has been
largely resorted to in the recent contest. as a
means of securing the victory.
The Toronto Globe says DR.. Blackburn Of
yellow fever notoriety, lett that city last week
for his native country, having obtained per
mission to return under the late amnesty pro-
clamation. He, il is said, will take up his
residence, for the present, in New Orleans
and devote his attention to the cases of yellow
fever in that city. A nice u, aetitioner to
10 ham s..&I r.