The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-03-05
DAILY PRESS.
PORTLAND.


tuesday Morning. March s. 1867.
British Provincial Matters,
A Diief review OF the Provincial papers re-
celVed at TINS office during the past weel, bas
afforded the following synopsis of more or less
interest.
ctsr a.. CONFEDERATION.
The Toronto Globe, an ardent supporter of
Confederation, has long and severe article
condemnatory of the course Of the Confed-
Grafton Commissioners now in London. 1t
accuses them of consenting to very unjust
and injurious changes in the Quebec scheme
OF Confederation, making the bill passed by
the, Imperial Parliament very different
thing from the plan agreed upon at Quebec,
and which had received the sanction
of the Provincial legislatures. The Globe
complains that "the maintenance and man
':agement of penetentiaries, of marine hos
"pitals, and of seacoast and inland fisheries,
(which, under the Quebec scheme were spe-
"cially assigned to the Provincial governments
"and legislatures, have been by the Imperial
"Act handed back to the exclusive control of
"the Federal authorities; that the power
committed to the local authorities by the
"Quebec scheme to make provision for all lC-
"cal works-for the local advancement of
agriculture, and for the local promotion of
"immigration-has by the Imperial Act been
"placed in subsection to the action of the
Federal Government and Parliament, which
"are clothed with supreme power over all
"works and undertakings in all or any of the
provinces, and over everything affecting
agriculture and immigration" The Globe
these matters under local control in the Que
bee scheme, was to put an end to scandalous
abuses, and says "their reckless and unauthor-
sized restoration to Federal control is calcu-
"lated to entail in the future the same scanda-
';loas scenes of scrambling for local adyan-
"tages, and of buying local popularity by To-
"cal jobs that have been witnessed in the
"past."
The greatest act of injustice in the changes
made in the Quebec scheme, the Globe claims,
is that growing out of the distribution of the
local subsi1es-money distributed from the
common treasury among the local govern
ments. On this point the editor delivers him
self as follows:
According to the present estimated popula-
ton of the several Provinces, the annual subsi-
dies are to be distributed by the Imperial Act
In the following most unjust fashion:
a asl Population. Per head
Lower Canada 1,2ss,sso "a cents
Nova Scotia 368,782 10Y cents !
New Brunswick ,g 295,084 125 cents! |!
The thing is so preposterously unjust that
we are amazed how any one could have the
audacity to propose it, much less the folly to
concede it. Only think of it! The burden
thrown by these gentlemen in London ON the
Federal Exchequer-over and above what was
settled in Quebec to be amply sufficient for all
local purposes-is the enormous sum of $447,
sos year-or the annual interest ON nine hun
dred millions of dollars!
A special dispatch from Montreal to the
Quebec Chronicle says, ''the full textof the
Confederation Bill in the Globe is received
"this morning, and creates much interest and
'is generally approved off,
The st. John Globe, -anti-coHfederation
contains the long and able memorial of the
Nova Scotia delegates to Lord Caravan, in
opposition to forcing union of the maratime
provinces with Canada, which discusses at
length the question forced unions, showing
their evil tendencies, and specially showing
the injustice of the Quebec scheme. Refer
ing to the proposition made in the u S. Con-
gress 10 admit the lower provinces as States of
the American Union, the memorialists say:
The terms offered to the maritime provinces
are far more liberal than those grudgingly
yielded by the Canadians Let us Contrast
them. By General Banks Bill Nova Scotia
would, at once, secure free trade with thirty
four millions of people, whose markets are ac-
cessble at all seasons, instead OF with three
millions, who are frozen up for half the year.
and in the summer can be got at only by a
long tedious river navigation. They would
participate in the American fishing bounties.
SO long as these last. They would Secure nro,
lection abroad, which the Canadians cannot
give them. Capital would flow in from Bos-
ton and New York, to work their mines and
employ their water power. Canada has none
to spare. Turning from material to political
interests, how would matters stand? Nova
Scotia would enter the Union as a State,
clothed with the accustomed rights and guard
| ed by recognized securities. She would select
her own governors judges and senators, un-
controlled by any Federal authority. All
these, by the Quebec scheme, are to be select
ed for her by the ruling parties at Ottawa
We trust we have said enough to show that
as compared with Gen. Banks's Bill the temp
tation held out by these schemes at Quebec
are poor indeed" 1t may be said, AYE, but
you will have to surrender your customs rev.
enues to the general government" What
matter? The Canadians are to take all but 80
per cent per head We shall not be much
worse off when the balance has been taken.-
"But then you must bear the heavy taxes of
| the United States" True; but the taxes will
be reduced as the debt comes down, and in
twenty years it will be reduced one half by
the natural increase Of the population. In the
| meantime we shall enjoy protection which the
Canadians cannot give us.
The memorialists in conclusion saw:
We have thus, my Lord, simply stated the
case as presented us by Gene. al Banks and
| tions offered us at Washington, we ask SIM
ply to be let alone, or we ask to be folded to
our mothers bosom, and not be cast out into
the wilderness of untried experience and polit-
ical speculation. Nova Scotia says to England
| as Ruth said to Naomi, sWhere you go we will
go; your people shall be our people," This
| love and affection spring from a thousand
sources that we need not inger to describe,
| but which it would be fatal mistake to sup
| posed can ever be transferred, You cannot en-
| dorse our hearts or our allegiance over to the
| Canadas as you would note of hand or in
| vest village on the Ottawa with the historic
| interests and association that cluster around
| London.
The Globe editorially says, in commenting
upon this memorial:
| Let us hope that the warnings uttered by
| these gentlemen will have their due effect, and
| that we will be spared in this enlightened
| quarter of the world the melancholy spectacle
Of seeing free people forced into a connec-
tion they detest. t
In Offset to this blast against Confederation,
we give the opening paragraph Of a leader in
the St. John Morn;no Journal of the 22d