Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1871-03-17

The editor of Harpr's Ueebly puts the
question Of ceding Canada into a nutshell
when he says the question Of the removal of
the British Tag from the continent. is wholly
independent Of those that are to be submit
ted to the commission. If British America
should vote next year that it wished to be
annexed To the United States, the home gov
eminent would interpose no objection. Great
Britain does not propose to hold Canada by
force; but the question of separation could
not properly proceed from her. Nobody
supposes, we presume, that Canada would
now vote for annexation. Therefore it would
DO idle to propose it as a condition Of peace,
because when a vote shows that the junction
is desired England will not oppose it.
To expect England Voluntarily to with
draw her flag from those British sub
jects who prefer that flag to any other is to
expect her to submit to conquest without a
battle. 1t is to ask her to do what We should
justly scorn to do ourselves, and what, there
fore, We ought to sc0rn ourselves for asking
The Field Bowes controversy has taken a
new phase in the papers. Nj. Field having
declared in one Of his published letters, that
he " was never consulted beforehand about
any transaction whatever Of these gentle
men Fisk and COULD to which, any excep-
ton has been taken" Gen. Francis G..
Barlow. late Secretary of State Of New York.
and Tow "a member of the New York bar.
has boldly undertaken in a series Of news
PAPER article 90 show, with dates and names
ami circumstances that Mr. Field, as counsel
Tor Fink and Gould, conducts their litigations
in defiance IT the rules Of professional hon
Ct and ,,nmou honesty that be is con-
ceIned IN the bringing Of fraudulent and or-
TressiNe suits; that he dngs bis opponents
be!u;e Judges " nom be himself denOunces rs
corrupt, and obtains orders, and iniunctions.
and relief which are not warranted by the law
and which he could not obtain from any IN
biased Judge and all under circumstances
showing that he must have been consulted
beforehand by the Erie magnates. whom
he serves. Gen. Barlow uses a good many
words in his articles but he seems to sue
coed pretty well in making out his points
and it is plain that Mr. Field feels the
shame Of the pillory.
The " skeleton in the house" of the New
Dominion, the weak spot in the frame Of |
her political fabric, is the bitter and uncon-
cealed antaginlsm between English and /
Protestant Ontario and French and Catholic /
Quebec. This has again betrayed itself .
The act Of Confederation provided that the .
debt Of the old Province of Canada in ex- .
cess Of So, 500 600 should be divided be-
tween Quebec and Ontario by arbitration.
The amount j. between ten and eleven mil .
lions. Each Province appointed an arbltra- .
tor and the Dominion an umpire OF course.
each wished to saddle the major part Of the .
debt on the other Quebec claimed that she .
went into the Union free Of debt. while On .
tario was impoverished and heavily indebted. .
She proposed settling the matter by the law .
of common partnership but Ontario desired .
basis Of population or Of capitalization Of
assets. The Quebec arbitrator, Judge Day, |
withdrew, when the others proceeded to an I
award without him. This Quebec protests /
against and has appealed to the Commons. /
10 the course OF debate, Mr. Chauveau, the I
Premier Of Qaebec, said that unless justice /
were done his Province, its representatives
would solidly - impede the working of Con- /
federation This would be adding IS votes
to the repeal faction, ;hus almost making
majority Of the House for secession. There
is little doubt but that Quebec will carry
her point, as she did last year in the Mani
toba difficulties when a similar threat was
made. But the incident deserves considera-
ton as showing how brittle is the bond of
Confederation, and that the acquiesence in il
of each of its States is only based on con-
venience.