The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-07-15
Our Commercial fielat!ons with Canada-
Reciprocity or Anne xatiOn.

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The announcement of the arrival of the Hon.
John Rose, the Finance Minister of the New
Dominion, at the federal capital, for the
special object of opening negotiations with our
government for new treaty of commerce,
cannot fail to excite interest in political and
commercial circles. Since the termination by
the act of the United States of the first treaty,
which gave free trade in q few leading articles,
the produce of the two countries, great
changes have been effected in the political
status of the provinces now embraced in the
New Confed6rated Dominion. These changes
are directly traceable to the termination Of
that one-sided treaty, which gave TO Canada
the benefit of our markets for her products
without opening hers to such as we desired to
give in exchange. Under the Reciprocity
treaty, which lasted eleven years, the pro-
vinces prospered greatly, The cash value Of
the treaty has been estimated at from five to
ten millions year to the provincials; to us it
was worth nothing but the small profits
realized by our canal and railway carriers.
The notice given by our government to termi-
nate that treaty was in conformity with the
universal public sentiment.
The effect in the provinces was different
At first the protection party were greatly
rejoiced at the step. They thought they saw
the millennium so much desired by all that
class in every country just little way ahead.
The pro-Britsh party was equally delighted.
They had labored long and earnestly to effect
colonial confederation, which they hoped
would enable the confederated government to
treat with ours on terms of greater equality.
In this they were right, and they succeeded in
Matching the egg out Of which came forth
full aedged Dominion. Had the people Of the
provinces agreed among themselves to ask
good Mother England to create them king
dom or a republic, no matter which, by act of
Parliament, she would have been equally COM
plant On this question, however, they were
and still are divided.
Although this pretty little toy Of the Do
minion, accompanied by half dozen or less
baronetcies to leading public men, has
served to amuse few of the Kanucks for two
or three years, the people at large do not see
how they have been benefited by an addition
of several millions to the public burdens, en-
tailed by the costly machinery of the central
administration The ''Bue Noses of Nova
Scotia, in particular, think that it would have
been wiser to have joined a more powerful
confederation, wherein they would have the
full benefits of unrestricted free trade with
forty millions of people, instead of with
three or four, which they now possess. In
Montreal, Toronto, and, indeed, throughout
all Western Canada, the merchants, land
owners and farmers are intelligent enough to
see that their true interests lie in establishing
the most unrestricted commercial relations
with the United States. They perceive that
their produce would be worth twenty-i to
thirty per cent more-that their incipient
manufactures would be qnadrupled by getting
free admission into the great markets of the
East for the one and of the West for the other.
Hence the Dominion had not celebrated its
second birthday before renewal of the old
annexation agitation which preceded the first
treaty was apparent.
Now, what is the true policy Of the admins
tration at Washington under these circum-
stances? Why, clearly to treat Mr.. Rose
home with flea in his ear; or rather tell him
that the favors he has come to ask can only be
had in one way. He will no doubt take the
hint and return to his ancient faith. He was
once an ardent annexationist, and it may fairly
be presumed that he will do no great violence
to his new love by laying it aside and going
back to his old one. If he and his colleagues
are so conscientious as to cling to their allegi-
ance to good Mother England she will no
doubt promptly pass an act Of Parliament to
absolve them.
But we are told that Mr.. Rose has gone to
Washington in response to an invitation sent
through the British Minister by Secretary Fish,
who is acting on suggestions made by the Com
mittee of Ways and Means. Furthermore, it
is insinuated that the suggestion of the COM
mittee was engineered by secret Canadian
agent, who has been kept at Washington for
the last eighteen months. This agent, it is
said, drafted the bill introduced in May or
June last year into the House of Representa-
tives, at the instance of Secretary McCulloch,
which led to the report recommending the
President to open negotiations with Canada
through the British Minister. To further
these plans the Canadian government
placed in the hands of certain prominent
republican newspaper man in Washington a
large sum of money. What was done with this
money we are not advised but most likely
the newspaper man kept it and published the
of commerce with Canada in his columns, as
they were from time to time furnished by the
Canadian secret agent, who could not restrain
his satisfaction at the success of his labors.