The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1880-11-07
Is.CANADA A BURDRSTO GREAT
BRITAIN

the hope Of uniting her colonial Deepen.
depcies 70 England by close and endur.
ing bonds. were brought 70 naugbt By
tae downfall Of the Beaconsfeld admin
istTstioa. Mr. Gladstone is no, the
man to incur heavy sacrifices for seuti-
mental considerstious. and lay fresh
burdens on the British taxpayer for the
sake Of upboldiDg 8 colOnisl empire.
Some Of his followers 20 further and
declare that the existing relations be-
tween Great Britain and It's American
possessions imposes q grieyous and
scarcely tolerable load upon the pareDi
State.
The attempt of Canadian fnxnciess
to obtain in London q loan Of hun
dred millions of dollars has provoked
q grsst deal Of unfsvorable comment
and inquisitive scrutiny Oh tho part OF
the Liberal press. The most unpfeas-
ant and significant feature Of the dis
cushion 10 detailed exhibit Of the vast
sums which Canals has already cost
the mother country, and Of the pecuni.
airy loss which is DOW experienced on
her account through Canadian rsst5ic-
tions on the importation Of British
goods. The statistics on this subject
are well calculated to disgust and
aIsrm the British taxpayer. 40 they
have lately been spread before him by
Mr. George Anderson in the Contempo-
rary Reclew. Ii is shown. for instance,
that the original cost Of Canada through
the war which ended in 1862 cannot be
fairly stated at less than $400, 000. 900,
which sum. at the low rate OF three per
cent compound interest. would, by this
time. reach the enormous figure OF
nearly $4,000. OO0. 900, or almost four
times the present total OF the British
national debt. Nor is this all. for it is
further computed that the annual
amounts expended on Canada since the
date mentioned would. at compound
interest, now fall but little short Of an
other thousand millions OF dollars.
Toward the original sums disbursed. or
the annual interest payable upon them.
IL is certain that Cansda has not direct
IL contributed dollar; aud in view OF
facts like these it cannot well he gain
said that the American dependency has
indeed proved an expensive luxury to
England.
Not content with this formidable ar
ray of figures. Mr. Anderson. with the
purpose Of destroying public confidence
IN the proposed loan to the Pacific
Railway, proceeds to demonstrate that
previous advances Of the kind to Cana
da. whether made by Government or
by private investors. have been far
from satisfactory. lie points cut that
$3.50. 600 was lent her for the Welland
aud Shubensccsdle canals. but that
even this trivial SUN has never been
repaid. Again ia 1867. $4,000. 900
was guaranteed to Canada for building
n railway from River do Loup 10 Truro.
In 1869 there was further bestowal of
81 10000 for the purchase of rights in
Rupcr;'s Land; while in 1873 there was
q guarantee Of another $4,000. 900.
partly for the Pacific Railway aud part
ly for the improvement Of canals. every
one of which sums has been left out.
standing as regards the woful mis-
carriage Of private Investments. such
cases are cited Is the Great Trunk Rail
way and ths Great Western OF Canada,
in both Of which British capital has
been hopelessly sunk. Such haYing
been the fate Of prior disbursements III
the same quarter. the British taxpayer
and investor are left to determine for
themselves the propriety of assisting
the Cauadian trans-eontinental railway.
To this 1t may be answered that.
since the formation OF the Dominion.
unly private loans have been sought In
London, aud that the American pro-
vinces have taken upon themselves
nearly ell the cost Of their owa admin
istration. But how has this been done,
To large extent by lsvying duties on
British goods. the effect Of which has
bean to seriously cripple the industries
& Of the mother country. 1t 10 pointed
Z aut by Nj Andersen that tn the matter
Of tariff the Canadian Dominion has
hitherto been the most hostile to the
parent State of all its colonies, the
duty levied on the principal manufac-
lures ranging from twenty to thirty per
oent. BY this tariff British trade is
not only shut out from the colonies
themselves. but from those vast west
ern territories which the mother coan
try won by conquest, or by lavish
expenditure Of treasure. Not only are
these western lands now sold or given
away to settlers by the Dominion Gov.
esnment. but 1t is understood that
Canada claims the right 10 sell or by.
pothecats them TO foreign investors, or
even 70 foreign Governments, as, Tor
instance. 10 France or the United
States. Ia return for advances. Such.
MIR Anderson AYERS. - the view Of
Canadian statesmen. and some such
proposal Is that last named be considers
by no means an improbable contin-
gepcy, though he thinks Great Britain
would have right Of interdics on such
an arrangement.
The conclusion reached by the com
piler Of these statistics is that the
present. relation betweeR EaslAnd aud
her American possessions 10 precarious
aud short lived. aHd that enc OF two
courses will. IN the end. DO taken.
Eifher CAaads will drift Into annexs.
tisn through the easy transitional stage
ofseastoms union with the UnitcdSts,es,
orshe viii bscoweas integral part Of the
United Kingdom. bearing her proper.
sional share OF It's public burden, aud
allowed her quota Of representative in
the iupcrial Parliament. Ii is plain
that Mr. An6erson would like Canada
- join In paying the Interest on the
Brush national debt. and Ia defrayiny
the A,naal expense Of the British Gov
csnnsnt; aad he Is willing b. concsis
the admission OF delegates from the