The New York herald., 1879-09-20
Lord Beaconsfieid's Rsmarkabie speech
ON the American Grain supply.

| most singular exhibition OF ignorance OF
America since the Duke Of Newcastle, then
Minister Tor the Colonies (see Bancroft's
Hstory) addressed letters to 'the Island
OF New England" and could not tell but
that Jamaica was in the Mediterranean.
/ Lord Beaconsfcld has been SO absorbed in
the affairs Of Europe and the East that he
4 would seem to have bestowed little atten-
tion on the Western Continent, although it
is the seat of the greatest and most impor-
tant Of Her Majesty's colonies. 1t would
/ have been safe for him to have advised with
I Earl Dufferin before making the extraordi.
nary after dinner speech reported by cable
yesterday. The subject on which he fell
into these surprising blunders is one
which engages the anxious attention
of the whole British public, since
the prodigious influx of cheap American
! grain threatens to subvert the land system
| Of England, which, with its primogeniture
and entails, is the main pillar Of the Eng
lish aristocracy.
! Referring to American competition with
Great Britain. His Lordship said that 'fhe
greatest apprehension is felt in the United
| States that they could not compete with
Canada owing to their high taxation and
high wages" In view Of the fact that the
Canadians have been in chronic fer
ment for the last thirteen years over
the disadvantages under which they were
| placed by the abrogation Of the Reciprocity
Treaty, complaining that their agriculture
| is depressed by the loss Of markets, this
statement of the Prime Minister is amusing
by it's absurdity. He goes on to say, what
| is perfectly true, that ''since the surren-
der Of the territories Of the Hudson's
Bay Company Canada has become pos
sessed of an illimitable and fertile will
derness." This is followed by state
ment 80 preposterous as to justify q
suspicion that some travelling Munchau-
sen has been practising ON His Lordship's
credulity by tales Of which his dense ignor-
ance Of America prevented him from seeing
the wild and romancing absurdity. NEARLY
all the chief landholders," he proceeds to
say, Gin the extreme Western States Of
America had sold out, gone to that wilder
ness, and begun the work Of cultivation
there" Had anybody of less note and
|
foolish and fighty statement the Ameri-
can public would laugh at it and let it
pass. But coming from him it may, per-
haps. deserve exposure. He said:-"He
had heard on high authority that Canada
expected to outstrip the United States in
the competition for the European markets.
He, therefore. advised the farmers Of Eng
land not to be precipitate Another high
authority informed him that under all the
circumstances the markets of the United
States would be disturbed, and that, with
the impulsive character Of humanity in the
United States, the Canadian wilderness
would soon be occupied by millions"
very slight degree OF attention to the
condition of things in Manitoba (for this
province includes the fertile Wilderness al
luded toy would have saved Lord Beacons-
field from uttering all this bumptious and
gasconading nonsense. How could any
sane Western farmer think of selling out
and emigrating to Manitoba? The first
necessity Of grain growers is the abil-
ity to send their products to mar
ket. The Western American States are
covered with a network Of railroads con-
Meeting their rich agricultural lands
with great cities and the marts OF exporta-
tion, while Manitoba is remote region cut
off ION cheap intercourse with the world.
How can there be any rivalry between that
distant and secluded wilderness and the
grain producing regions Of the United
States? What American farmer not bereft
of his senses, would think OF emigratng
from the vicinity Of railroads and cult
vating grain where it would cost twice its
value to transport it to market?
The absurdity of Lord Beaconsfield' s
statements are so apparent on their face
that it may seem suporhuous to go into any
detail of facts. Lord Dufferin made Jour
ney through Manitoba in the last years of
his administration, and while, in his sub
sequent speeches, he gave glowing nc
count of the agricultural capabilities of the
region, he never lisped o hint Of tho
possibility of emigration to it from the
United States. In looking about for
sources of settlement he dilated with great
oloquenco on immigration from--Iceland
In a speech to the Toronto Club,
after his rsturn from his Northwest ern
tour Lord Dufierin said:--"lt is probable
that those great streams Of emigration from
Ireland, which have hitherto contributed
so much to tho development Of this CONT
nont, will have ceased to flow, and that we
shall have to look somewhere else for those
we require MS partners in the rich heritage
placed ut our disposal. But there liz
still ono fountain Of emigration which
has been comparatively untapped. but
which am convinced might be turned into
} Canada with the greatest advantage and
that is mn emigration from Iceland" There