The Portland daily press., 1871-04-26

1he spirit Of annexation Is rife In many
parts Of the British Provinces. But certain
ambition, politicians, controlling the Domin-
ion Government, looking TO the establishment
Of another English speaking nation on the
American Continent, with themselves as rrA-
ers, are making desperate efforts to check It's
progress; millions are being appropriated for
subsidies under various pretences, and more
millions for Railway extensions and canal en-
largemenss. The International Railway, pro-
jected to chantogether the upper and lower
Provinces, was provided Tor in the act of con-
federation, by governmental loan of twenty
millions of dollars, and is being rapidly push
ed forward to completion. And now the OF
tawa Parliament have pledged the govern
ment 10 construct Railroad to the Pacific
Ocean, wholly through Dominion Territory.
To show what is thought of this policy by far
seeing and intelligent Provincial Journalists,
we give below an article from The st. John.
N. B. Globe of the 18th inst.
I The fourth session of the Dominion ParIia.
ment has ended. The legislation, so far a. Il
was initiated and conducted by the Govern
ment, appears to have been directed to one
object oEly-the stretching of the bounds of
the Dominion SO as to p. .omote the realiza.
tion OF great British power on this Conti-
nent. II there was any craftsmanship at all,
any high political motives, in the conduct of
the Government, 1t was this. They consum-
mated the Manitohah matter, and they made
a bargain with British Columbia that will be
absolutely ruinous In Its terms to the Domin-
ion II carried out, unless indeed, there is some
miraculous impulse given to the whole coun-
| try. With a sincere desire TO be convinced of
the wisdom of the legislation, with an anx-
| ious feeling to be satisfied that the building
| up of another power on this continent besides
| the United States is possible, recent events
| have not tended to make converts of US, nor
have we been able to convince ourselves of the
| wisdom of the course the country Is
persung. We are sacrificing ourselves to
an idea. We are spending time and
money. and allowing the golden days
of youth to slip by, and our labors will
| be vain. We are laboring and spending In
an effort TO make the riveIs flow back to their
source instead of emptying at their mouths,
| and we cannot succeed. The addition OF
/ British Columbia to the Dominion only serves
! to show how weak the Dominion Is. 1t only
| serves to show that nature Is against US, and
now, that we have one foot on the Atlantic
and one on the Pacific, we have but narrow
strip of land after all, mere band across the
| continent. As we stood before we had Nova
Scotia and New Brunswick, whose natural
| markets is the United States. These Prov
inces have comparatively little or no trade
with Canada, and il is only by mutual sacri-
fees that apy trade can be carried on. We
had Ontario and Quebec, whose natural out
let is at New York and Portland, across and
through American territory. we have aoded
Manitobah, whose only communication with
the outer world is through the State Of Min
nesota. and whose business is attracted to-
wards that State with a force as Irresistible as
erayitation. And, lastly, we have purchased
| British Columbia at a price that is frightful
| for its extravaganza, and yet British Colum-
bias natural position draws her towards
Oregon and California as surely as
the needle points to the pole. Brit
ish Columbia is Enthusiastically an evi-
dence OF the truth of the remark, that we are
trying to make the rivers run in a contrary
direction. The Hon. Mr.. Tilley, in his speech
in the House Of Comm ons on the purchase OF
British Columbia, stated that it was necessary
to make the sacrifices the Dominion was
about to make in the bargain, or the Paclnc
Province would,tail into the hands OF theu unI- :
ed States. Well, we have stopped Mdt . ou.
| for time only, at great cost 10 o,sb ,ba
and eventually with a tremendous i III onT
flood will come back upon US, oenrt 10 altar
money will be spent IN nrsBritish Columbia was
Ihe ,oieee O " 80 ibe United States, why not
ready to 60 i9to Go she he must some day. and why
es ~. .e cover one strip OF the conunent win
need ws srd earned dollars in order 10 keep her.
our naia u mistake! We have seen the United
Itd,as"-notably IL M the New England States
oth ;,h no better natural advantages than we
ourselves possess grow to be great and rich
and prosperous in every way we bave seen
them draw from us in steady stream thu
best and finest of our people, the flower OF
generation after generation of our youth; yet
we 90 on in our old way and 1t Is slow work
tearing us away from the idol to which We
have been Joined.