New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1871-05-25

Since the abolition OF the reciprocity treaty,
and indeed, for some years before, there has
been great emigration of Canadian laborers
to the United States, the reason being, ofcourse,
that they can get better wages or steadier work,
or both, in this country. Some of the New
York free traders, who have been trying to prove
for some years that free trade necessarily i'm
proves the condition of workingmen, have been
much puzzled to explain why Canada, with a
low tariff, should be 80 much less attractive TO
its own people than the United States, where
duties are so high. A Mr.. Stiles, of Washing
ton, to whom they applied to help them settle
this problem, has given the free traders just the
answer they did not expect; and tells them
that American protection is the true explanation
Of this emigration He says:
The protective policy has enriched our coun-
try; its absence has impoverished the colonies
In illustration, let us look at the trade of the
provinces. For the sake of brevity, we will
take one colony, promising that the result is
nearly the same in each of them. For the ifs
cal year ending June 30, 1870, Nova Scotia sold
to England goods to the value of 1896, 1926, and
bought in England goods to the value OF 81
1884,, 725, being excess of purchases over sales
amounting to 81, 00l 800, which, to square ac-
counts at the end of the year, Nova Scotia is
| obliged to remit in gold. In doing this, year
after year, the colony is impoverished The
only thing that saves her from bankruptcy is her
trade with the United States and West Indies.
She has no factories, and cannot have them so
long as England floods the colony with manu-.
faetured goods. Her sons and daughters have
little or no employment at home, and are com
PEELED to seek it in the United States. Give
the colonies a good protective tariff, and they
will build factories, give employment to the
hand OF industry, and keep the millions of dol
lars at home that are now annually sent to
England. There is another cause of migration
from the colonies to the States Nearly all the
duties collected in the United States on goods
from the colonies are taken from the pockets of
the colonial producer, thus depriving them of
the liberal profits received while the reciprocity
treaty was in operation. The Dominion sent
US, during the fiscal year ending June 80, 1870,
dutiable goods to the value of $32, us, 1874
Upon these goods the duties averaged over 90
per cent. But at 20 per cent. the amount col
lected and paid into the United States Treasury
was SO, SAB, 626. Owing to the peculiar nature
of our trade with the colonies, this must of ne
cessity come from the pockets of the seller.
For example: A cargo Of Nova Scotia and q
cargo ofMaine potatoes arrive at the wharves Of
Boston, and are sold at 81 per bushel Maine
carries home the dollar, while Nova Scotia is
compelled to take ffteen cents in gold, out of
each dollar, and deposit ii in the BOSTON, GUS
tom house, TO the credit of Uncle Sam. This is
the foreigners contribution toward paying our
government expenses, paid over for the privi-
lege of using our markets. Take another illus.
tration We produce annually at home about
| S5O, 900, 900 worth of lumber and buy from the
colonies to the value Of 100000. Upon this,
the Canadian owner pays duty of 90 per cent,
amounting to 81 400, 900, reducing the profits
of the colonial producer to that extent. From
the fact that the colonies have few other mar
kets, they are compelled to resort to those of
the United States and though they now, for
this reason send us nearly as many goods as
they did during the operation of the reciprocity
treaty, yet the profits upon their exports to
| the United States are reduced nearly to the ex-
tent OF the duties paid, or over "a, 500, 900 an
nually. The profits formerly received are now
paid into the United States Treasury. Ac-
cording to the wealth of the colonies estimated
| on the basis of their census in 1851, our neigh
bors are paying, per capita, q larger proportion
OF our national debt, in tariff duties, than they
would be required to pay in internal revenue,
| if their colonies were States in the Union and
shippers were enjoying free access TO all the
American markets. The American tariff con
sumes the former profits of the colonial exporter
This reduces the price of labor in the colonies
and renders it Improbable The result is emf.
grafton to the United States, where labor is
| more literally rewarded under the operation OF
| q protective tariff