The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1868-03-19
From Canada The Parliament Dis
cusses American AHairs.


OTTAWA, March ls.-In Parliament, last night,
Mr.. Mackenzie moved an address for the CORE
spondence regarding the abduction Of Allen Nc.
Donald by the United States. In doing so, he
said he hoped the Minister OF Justice was now
In position to state whether the report In the
newspapers was true or false
THAT after the United States suthoritis: had I.i
ofhsisis, the British minister al " arlington had
declined to accept the release OF the prisoners
whS had been improperly abducted rom S'''''n
Sir John Mcdonald said the papers would be
brought down. He was bound to say that the
answer given BY the British Minister at wash
ington to Secretary Seward was what had been
stated. That without having communicated
with the Government of Canada he had stated
that he would not ask for the liberation OF the
party under the circumstance The papers In
his case had been sent to the Government OF the
Dominion. He had been greatly surprised to
learn that a person, illegally abducted, had been
allowed to be retained in the United States
without being sent back to Canada. twas due to
the House and to the country to have some expla.
nation Of the extraordinary and unprecedented
conduct Of the British Minister at Washington.
We should not permit any British minister to
take upon himself to say that he would surrender
| the rights and liberties OF British subject
whom the American authorities had no right to
| detain. The motion was carried. Sir John A.
Mcdonald introduced bill for the extension Of
| the extradition treaty. 1t was, he explained,
known to the honorable members that the Ash
burton treaty provided that the imperial act
should remain In force In all the colonies until
| colonial acts had been passed and had given
| effect TO the treaty, and where such acts were
| satisfactory to the Imperial Government, and
| that then such colonies should be governed by
colonial acts, and not by the imperial act.
Such an act had been adopted by Canada, and
was now on the statute book.
| In Nova Scotia and New Brunswick the impe-
rial act alone applied, and Its working there has
| been found to be In great degree prejudiciaL
The United States, in giving effect to the impe-
rial act, provided at once a most comprehensive
measure, with easy machinery to work the
| treaty, and the Government Of Canada subsc-
| auently adopted an act almost similar. As the
measure remained In Nova Scotia and New
Brunswick, II was not SO well adapted to meet
| the desired end as the United States or Canadian
measures Whenever a felon fed from Nova
Scotia to the United States, for instance, there
| had to be an application to the latter Govern
ment for his surrender. That application had
| to be considered and an answer returned, and all
this time the felon was at large under no re-
strsint, and month or two would be spent In
that way, much to the hindrancc Of justice.
| II such felon ned from Canada, II was pro-
yided by the United States that on Information
on oath before certain officers specified In an aot
Of Congress the man should be arrested and held
In custody for two months. II necessary, In order
to allow time for application from the Canadian
Government to the British ambassador at Wash.
ipgton, to obtain the rendition Of the criminal.
The object Of the present bill was to extend the
provisions OF the act Of the Dominion.
The bill was then read for the arst time, and a
sec ,nd reading was ordered for Friday.