The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-03-21
JUG HANDLE JUGGLERY.


JUG-HANDLE JUGGLERY.
Our Canadian neighbors are still violently
exercised upon the subject of reciprocity
with the United States. The operations of
the treaty recently in force were so beneficial
to the Dominion that its abregation has
proved severe blow to its commercial and
industrial prosperity. Talk about indepen-
dence and annexation has followed inevita-
bly, upon the heels of the unsuccessful at
tempts at persuading the United States to
consent to a renewal of the treaty; and, as a
preliminary movement towards ultimate in
corporation with this country, with the pre-
sent special object of preventing the depopu-
lation of the Dominion, Mr.. Huntington, a
member of the Canadian Parliament, has had
the audacity to suggest Customs Union
with the United States, similar in its features
to that which binds together certain German
States otherwise independent of each other.
Both Sir Francis Hincks and Sir Alexander L.
Gait, the leading financiers of the Dominion,
have arrayed themselves against this scheme,
the former opposing it because, In his way of
thinking, it would necessitate the extension
to Canada of such high tariff that "British
manufactures, which are the cheapest in the
world, would be shut out from the Dominion;
while the latter has given notice that he will
to-day propose an amendment to Mr.. Hunt
ington's resolution, having in view the open
ing up to the products and manufactures of
Canada the markets of the whole world, in
what particular manner, however, does not
yet appear.
Some months ago several leading Canadian
papers were engaged in the discussion Of a
Customs Union project on the following basis:
ALL restrictions upon the trade between the
United States and the Dominion to be abo-
lished the United States to reduce by five
per cent its tariff on the manufactures of
countries other than the Dominion; the tariff
of the latter to be made conformable to that
of the former as thus modified, and the ex-
else laws of the United States to be adopted,
as WE'LL and, finally, the aggregate of revenue
from customs and excise duties in both coun-
tries to be divided annually between the two
governments according to their comparative
populations. By this scheme, which is doubt
less substantially the same as that which Mr.
Huntington cherishes, Canada would secure
absolutely free trade with the United States,
while the latter would gain the right to navi-
gate the waters and work the fisheries of the
former without being subjected to any of the
embarrassments which have existed from the
earliest period of our independent history
If such a Customs Union should be
inaugurated, it is easy to see that the
advantages at the outset, at least, would be
as much on one side as the handle of Jug
Canada would lose q share of her trade
with Great Britain, thousands of miles away
but she would, in return, find ready marke
for all her wares and productions in the
United States, at her very door. On thC
other hand, the United States would lose
about one-seventh of her revenue from Gus
toms duties, with the privilege of fishing in
and navigating the waters of the Dominion
and the chance of making up portion of he
direct losses from the increase in the custom
revenue of Canada. Reduced to dollars ant
cents, the argument would stand thus:-Th
imports of the Dominion amount to abou
$50, 900, 900 per annum, which yield, at the
present tariff of about 10 per cent.
$4,000, 900. The revenue of the Unite
States from customs duties during the fisca
year enulnB JSuo oo' Aoo', was, III rum
Numbers, $3.50, 100000. If there were
general reduction in the tariff to an averag
of 80 per cent, the revenue would be lowere
to about 1854, 900, 900; while the raising of tn
Canadian tariff to 80 per cent. would doubl
the customs revenue of that country
making it $24, 100000 per annum. Whe
the aggregate of $17s,OOO,oOO came to
divided between the two countries accordin
to population n-assuming that of the Unite
States to be 4O,OO0,OOO and that of the d.
minion to be 1000, ,OOO-to Canada would ia
a share of SIG, 100000 and to the Unite
States S1G5, 100000. This result would TAX
$l4, 900 out Of the Treasury Of the Unite