Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1870-12-09
THE CANADAS.


-A9@f'' THE CANADAS.
The Message of President Grant excites.
as we anticipated it would, considerable
commotion in the Canadas. 1t so effectu-
ally stripped the thin varnish from their
pretensions to power and dominion, hold
ing them to be only the subordinate and
nursing Of Great Britain, as they really
sr,e, that they feel !. keeHly nor do they
Esel less keenly the direct language Of the
President about their course uponthe fish
cry question and the plain spirit which the
Message evinces to endure none of their
high handed proceedings either about that
or the navigation Of the St. Lawrence.
The interest Of the Canadas is closely
allied to that of the United States. Their
alliance with Great Britain is unnatural.
They have been tied to her by their form
of government. by the control Of their
business exercised through English mer-
camille houses and English capital, by
their dependence upon England for de-
fence and support. BY blood and associa-
ton. and yet it was all a forced connec-
ton so far as material interests are con-
cerned, and ought to have been dissolved
long ago. There is neither honor nor
success to them as a people on account OF
il. They are but children when they
should be men. They lean upon England
where they should lean upon themselves.
They are mortaged to English capitalists,
and robbed to support English pride, am
.bition and wealth. Their trade is forced
into unnatural and Improbable channels
It is compelled to cross the Atlantic when
it might find better market close at its
own door. The business of the Canadas
flows naturally to the United States. Here
are the best of markets for all they pro-
duce. The relations of the people of the
Dominion and our people should be of
the most friendly character. and would be
were It not for the foreign influence which
causes an adverse feeling. They might
become part of our Union, with all the
rights, privileges and powers of a sovereign
State. having voice in all national mat
tiers, instead Of being as now mere trib-
utary to nation that has ne further inter-
est in their welfare than to drain their
country of its wealth.
Now every step the Canadas take in this
fishery business the way they are going is
damaging to them. 1t is not unfriendli-
ness they should cultivate on our part
toward them but friendly relations. How
much would it hurt us though they built a
Chinese wall bet tween us and them, and
stopped all intercourse Or what do we
really care about their buster over the
spheries or the st. Lawrence? We know
by little, the repeal of the reciprocity
treaty, and they know as well as we, that
it is not wholesome for them tn be at va
rance with us; and if they can stand it to
suffer the detriment which it is to them we
can stand it to see them take the course
which they do. Their snarling about the
fisheries is to their disadvantage; it it
were particularly troublesome to us we
could snap up fisheries and Dominion at
one bite. But the nursing is not the
party President Grant proposes to deal
with. 1t is England herself that he holds
responsible. because England is the party
at the bottom Of this matter, and with her
only is the power to defend it. The Can
adas should know better than to run into
the difficulty before them, but if they are
80 blind as to go on piling up proyocations
to make enemies Of those whom they
ought to seek to make their best friends
they must take the consequence.
We believe we can answer for it thai
the United States desire nothing more il
this fishery business than their rights
They do not desire from it any pretext IL
make war upon Canada, to force her to
annexation. or to do anything not consis
tent with the honor of the Dominion OIL
detrimental to the interests of our neigh
borx. We fear the Canadas have an idea
that We are exceedingly DESTROYS of an
nsxing them To our government, but they
deceive themselves II they think SO. They
- ~ 60 who shouId desire annexation
~ slsssesgss would betbsirs. We view
Il il that light. and wonder that they dc