The New York herald., 1868-03-20
snsssIlnx On sh. canadIaa Fr,esier-The


The Canadian Parliament has inaugurated
legislative agitation on the subject Of the ar
rest within the territory Of the Dominion of
one Allan Macdonald. refugee convict frontier
smuggler escaped from St. Clair county, In the
State Of Michigan. and his subsequent liberia
ton within the jurisdiction Of the United States
without extradition or judicial return to the
soil of the colony. The case Of this Macdonald
is officially set forth in message of President
Johnson communicated to the Senate of the
United States on the 9th of March, which was
read and duly referred to the Committee on
Foreign Relations Of that branch Of
our legislature. The man was convicted
Eastern district of Michigan Of smuggling
across the frontier line-in other words,
taking over foreign manufactured goods duty
free to have them sold in our home market
when staggering under load of taxation
committed to prison, escaped to Canada, was
rearrested. returned to Michigan, and finally
set at liberty with the consent Of Secretary
Seward, who did not approve exactly OF the
course of the American officers in the matter OF
his pursuance and recapture. Mr.. Seward
offered to have the man set free in Canada--a
measure Of executive reparation which, al
though in exact accordance with our ever
scrupulous regard for the strict observance Of
international law, was declined by the British
Minister in Washington, on the ground that it
was quite unnecessary, although exceedingly
-, khO ~ ind Suid al vuit
| whom her Majesty's government has mo
| sympathy" and who showed $50 great want
Of good faith"
The Canadian Parliament, sitting in the
| bleak clearance ground Of Ottawa, appears
| inclined to make fuss on this state of facts,
by addressing Mr.. Thornton, the British Minis
ter in Washington and demanding in terms
| amounting almost to threat that he shall hunt
up Macdonald, and have the American Win
Watch, or ''bold smuggler," escorted over
to Canada and set free there in due form, it
may be with solemnity and artillery salutes.
By this action the representatives of the land
of Kanuck betray their complete ignorance of
English ministerial usage and the policy of the
Foreign Office in London at a moment when they
show that they are very unwise Solons indeed.
Added a little by the title of dominion as
applied to their territory-perhaps by some
thing still more potent-the Canadian Ministers
and members of Parliament appear to think
that they may throw off the grubworm coat Of
provincialism, assume an imperial position and
commence to correspond with an Independent
Power and even direct the course of the Queens
representative. In this they make grand
error. England never creates nation. She
may rearrange, reconstruct, throw down and
alter the constituent parts of nationality;
but she will never stand volunta-
rily at the baptismal font Of q new
and free government springing from her
own. The Canadians, therefore, are just as
much provincials at present as they ever have
been and if they had kept this fact steadily in
view they would see at once that Mr.. Thornton
cannot pay any attention to their official docu-
ments further than transmit them to London,
nor can they be digniied by the reception of a
| circular from Mr.. Seward, who must commu-
nicate only with Mr.. Thornton and Lord
| Stanley.
| These views present the situation, however,
| merely as between the colonists, the Queen
| and the British Foreign Office. If the Cana
dians, Nova Scotians and men of New
| Brunswick can once agree on the form Of
a pinchbeck royalty and subsidiary Parlia-
ment, we are quite content. Let them get
along as well as they can. We warn them,
however-and in this the case becomes serious
| Of the danger of an open encouragement Of
smuggling across the boundary line. Our in
dustrial interests are just at present in mood
ill-suited to tolerate stealthy inroads on
their income by the illegal importation Of
British manufactures. Our trade is regulated
under tariff approved by Congress as suited
to the exigencies of the State, which can be
altered only by legislative enactment, and
which is even now in process of parliamentary
| modification. Our market rates and scale
Of wages are being accommodated to this sys-
| tenn, as far as practicable, without reference to
our neighbors; but If the American people find
that their commerce is deranged, the home
markets enfeebled and wages likely to be sud
denly altered through the avarice of few
needy spectators in Canada, Queen Victoria
had better-if she values 1t any-look out for
the integrity and inviolability of the Dominion.
That 1t is difficult to prevent smuggling
we are well aware, but our citizens can
scarcely endure the operations Of q lot Of
hungry foreign leeches applied all along our
border side when they know that hostile
finger raised by the American Executive in
Washington would cause them to be imme-
diately swept away. Mr.. Seward has merely
to say word and the smugglers will disap-
pear and Canada become part Of the Union,
with plenty of employment, at good wages, for
her people, even IL they pay few more
shillings in taxes for time.
| The Negro Suffrage Question In Connecticut