Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1871-04-14
The New Dominion.

HE New Dominion house OF commons mas
PASSED the government bill for the admission OF
British Columbia and for Pacific railroad.
British Columbia is to be awarded three
members in the senate and six in the house
of commons. The Dominion is to grant the
province a subsidy at the rate Of eighty cents
| for each iuhabitant of the new province for
the support of the local government Brit
ish Columbia Is allowed to retain her exist
ing tariff until the Pacific Railroad is com
pleted, or to adopt the Dominion tariff if she
50 prefers The Dominion government IN
dertakes the construction of railroad to
the Pacific, TO be begun within two years
and completed within ten years. Both of
these measures are adopted as antidotes to
annexation. 1t remains to be seen how far
they can prove efeetual.
During the debate in the Dominion Par
lament On these measures, Mr.. Upper
expressed the belief that the Northern Paei-
fc company, having nearly 1000 miles Of
desert to run through and seeing that Canada
was determined to push her road TO that
ocean. would never 20 on with their work
beyond Pembina. They might extend their
line to Pembina and thence to the Red Riy-
er. but it would never, he thought, he car
riod further west, in view Of the far supe-
rior prospect over the Dominion road. This
Is one view Of the subject On the other
are the facts that Canada has a population,
all told, from Vancouver to Halifax, Of s.
100000. She has a debt Of over 100000
600. Her entire revenue in 1865 was Sl4,-
Cos $50, and her expenditures were Sl4,-
32l 800 The road she has chartered is 10
be built by a subsidy Of lands for which there
is no sale is to run through a country
which is simply wilderness, and toward
which immigration is neither tending nor
likely to tend is to be built with a rapid
ity which no past experience promises and
is to cost for interest and operating expenses
after it is built an annual amount nearly or
quite equal to the whole present revenue of
the Dominion, besides doubling if not treb-
ling the debt of the country, and leaving at
least as much to be paid in proportion to the
population as the national debt of the Uni
ted States. hut with far smaller ability to
pay. The adoption of such measures, crowd
ed through in extreme haste as was the orig
iual project Of Canadian Confederation, from
which so many Canadians are repenting at
their leisure, must be considered a sign of
weakness rather than of strength.
We are glad to note indications in the
South that any States are making honest eff
forts to ohyiate the necessity for Federal
legislation for the repression Of ku-kiux
outrascs We zee it stated that in Texas,
On the first of July last, according to the
oiucial report of the Acknowledgement. there
were 2790 known criminals eyading arrest
in los counties, Of whom 100 were murder
cre and 4l3 guilty of assault with intent to
kill. vt that time special mounted state
police, consisting Of l96 men. was organized,
and on the first of January Us Of these
criminals had been committed for trial. The
work has also been vigorously prosecuted
since, SO that now the state is quite free from
the Ku-klux. and there is a general feeling
Of security.
Governor Alcoru of Mississippi has also
hit upon a method for reaching the Ku-klux
maraudeIs. He declares that rewards paid
out of the State treasury Cor the detection
Of persons engaged in the work Of this or
ganization shall be assessed upon the county
in winch their outrages are permitted; and
further, asks authority from the legislature
e. to organize and call into the field a cavalry
regiment of picked men for operating where
ever the masked assassius shall be seen, the |
cost Of the subsistence of said regiment to be /
levied on the county to which they have been [.
called by the appearance of such assassins. -
This looks much as if the governor /
meant business, and had really taken hold Of I
it with view to the security Of life and |
property.