New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-09-29
CANADIAN :oPINfoXs..
THE ANSEx41lox oUEsrIoN-PUBLIc OPINION
In THE MARITIME PRovINCRs-aROwTH W
ANNEXATION sRNTIhRkT-THx TRUE foLioi
OF THE UNITED STATES.

OF THE UNITED STATES.
' TPnon QUA RsmAL coRR1F0SD1rri '-.
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia. Sept. G.-No o6servant
American can DO long in either OF the maritime
of Brtiah Annerics Without estfng hfnsen ne qees
Ia thero any good reason why this country should no.
bs Fart of the United statesT And II ne minses
much with tho people no wfl ind thst great numoef
thom have been puttug the Same query 70 shcmseiyo
for several years pest and that they have como 70
san,e oo<e,usou At which be speedily arrtves namep
sst no GOOD reason against annexation exs oas 'us
on the contrary all theintorests Of the PROVINCES
be advanced BY annexation. EspociAAJ INC w
Hshment OF that singuarly artificial Government known
"a the Dominion OF Canada tho feeling fay9r OF an
nexstion become widespread and openly MANIFEST IN
New brunswick and Nova Scotia Tho people OF tnese
Provinces have no interests In common WIN
Canada that makes the union with that Dominion na'u
ursi one ney are geographically isolated RON 'ne res'
Of tho Csnsdisn territory have no railroad oosnmnnea
t,on with any part of It, and reach the Capital OF emo
Dominion only By long sea voyages or BY tnRrso
ttcafiSe. roAds through On immense Wilderness. ihpJ
have fex business Affairs TO lead them In that dtrecon
and no intercourse with thu people OF the Upper PreV
inosa that yos them tho feeling Of COMMON nationality
On tia other hand their natural trade relations arc with
tho sev-EngAnd Statssy They make feqaent Journeys
To Portland and Boston, while few OF thbm ever zoo Suo
bec Montreal or Toronto Their young mon ma MONIES
and business In Che United States and keep themselves
informed Of Tho rapid evsopent OF The
they contrast with the slow progress Of the Provinces
There ~ no doubt that the sentiment Ia favor ef On
nexfon has boen gthened instead ef woakeheo'
vss expected, BY the scheme OF Confederation, "ncn
has signey failed TO develop any feeling Of
and national pride. This 10 particularly true, moro IN
Nova Scotia which was forced into the Confederation
against the wishes Of the people, by Legislature whose
members were rewarded by liberal fts Of ofhoe under
tho Ottawa Government for their betrayal OF their con-
stituents The people not given chance 70 vo@
on the question and all they could DO aftef tnoy mao
been firmly tied "a the Dominion. was to repudate tne
treaoherous legislators at tho next election winch they
had the scanty satisfaction Of doing BY largo mAories
They arc still IS hostile - ever TO the Donn-
lon, and chose new opposition Legslatnre
few months ago. They speak OF their
Province a. having been swallowed up by Canada,
and deprived OF Its powers Of selfgovornment without
any compromising advantages, and IL not UNUSUAL 70
hear such remarks these "I We can be annexed 70
Canada against our wf and contrary TO our interests
what is the reason we can't be annexed to the United
States an event which would DO to our advantage and
please us much better than this Dominion business "
II We are not to govern ourselves here ut homo rs we
used to do then let US make part OF great nation and
not tuppeany Like that ut Ottawa, which Is
neither one thing the other-not nation and not
colony" " 1t does good to send few members Of
Parliament up TO Ottawa; they are out-voted BY the
Canadians all the time. Our interests would be much
tives at Washington"
The Anne xstlonss In these Lower Provinces may be
divided into three Glasses There are, first, limited
number Of intelligent people who are Anne1ationists
from principle They believe thoroughly In republican
government, and familiar with and admire the
methods by which people govern themselves o. the
wonderfully Harmonious mechanism OF tho township the
county, the State, and the nation, all working together
like the whees of watch, and deriving all their force
from the constantly active main,png Of public opinion
They believe that the character of the people OF the Brit
Provinces fits them for our system OF self
governmest and that their LOCATION makes manfesoy
to their advantage to become part Of the American Re-
public In the second place, there much larger olass
of men who favor annexation IS matter OF interest,"
alone. These are business men-merchants, hshermen,
shipbullders lumbermen, bankers, railroad directors,
mine owners and others who SEQ that their natural In
dustrial relations with the United States and that all
their material interests would be promoted, and their
inA-.t-las stirnnietod union with u.s. MO ih nbh
markets for their surplus products; Canada does~not
They want capital and enterprise to help them de-
veop their neglected natural resources and they want
to cell in cities their coal, gypsum lumber, ships
hay, potatoes and fish. They look upon the question
from purely material point Of view. "Novs Scotia
hasn they say "twenty times tho natural wealth Of
by careful estimates and yet she has but
about 800 people, while Massachusetts, has 100000
II Scotia Of the States Of the Union. We
should get Of the Yankee energy that has made Its
mark all tie way from Boston TO San Francisco Our
land would double In value, population would rapidly
increase, and great natural resources In forests
mines SOIL and fisheries would be made to produce ten
times the wealth they yield" Many Of the leading
business men In 81. John, NeE.Brunswck, belong to
this GLASS; and outspoken In favor Of immediate an
nexstion.
Beside these two classes of xatiOniss there Ia
third small In numbers, but politically influential Of
who favor Joining the Union from motives Of hos
tAty to the Dominion which they have opposed from its
inception They would rather return to their old sepa
rate Colonial Government which established its own
tariff levied It's own taxes, coined Its own money and
managed Its own affairs unders very slight supervision
from the Imperial Government at Londoa; but rs this
not possibe they for annexation "a the next best
thing. These men politician for the most part and,
as they opposed the they Of course have
nothing to expect from Ottawa and everything TO hope
for In the way of qualification for their ambition from
the direction Of Washington.
Several men In this Province and in New-Bruuswck
occupying positions In business politics, which enable
them to know the sentiments Of the people, assure me
that II fair election could be held now majority Of
votes In both Provinces would be cast for immediate
pexaton Others, who less sangune, say that the
free agitation Of the question for few months lbs dis
cusson at public meetings. and the distribution Of docu
cuments giving comparative statistics Of the States and
the Colonies, and plain erpostons OF the workings Of
our municipal State and national systems Of govern
ment would certainly produce this result Few people
are wen informed upon these subjects. Hdd many
SUPPOSE that in case they join "a they will
come under strange and perhaps Objectionable
system of laws but knowing that as States Of the Uaon
they would have far larger powers Of segovernment
and could regulate their home affairs to much greater
Then thew imagine that We grooming under heavy
weight OF taxation as our Demoeraue stump orators
thew would have to help shoulder II annexed. A few
rres giving comparison of the relatt OF our debt 70
or With that of Canada TO her sources would
remove the chief objection TO annexation. "n had
$4,000 to spend in disseminating inlormstion In New
the other day would guarantee that th5eefourths Of
the people would be In favor OF In less than
years time.n