St. Paul daily globe., 1884-10-25
JiMIICA.

Canadian confederation is beginning to be
actively discussed by the papers Of the Domin
| ion pro and con. There are evidently two
sides to the question, and its decision at the
present stage of the discussion problemati-
cal. 1t was not long since stated that Jamaica
was anxious for annexation TO Canada, but
that the imperial government was opposed
| to it; and in consequence Jamaica was look
! ing with desire TO annexation to the United
States. All this seems merely conjectural,
and was believed to be the product of
chimerical speculation. But the annexation
project seems, at last, to have the real basis,
and that official action has been taken in
Jamaica itself, looking to annexation. On
October 1st, Mr.. Solomon gave the following
formal notice to the legislative council of
Jamacia:
"That will at the next meeting of the legis-
lative council to be held this day four weeks,
if no council meets that day, at the following
meeting thereafter, move the following resolu-
ton: that in the opinion of this council it will
he for the general interests of this island that
steps should be taken for negotiating and con-
Guiding arrangements for its political and COM
mercial Confederation with the Dominion OF
Canada"
sideration Of the council, the next step will
be to obtain the approval Of the British gov
ernmcnt. This obtained, the question will
then come up for discussion and decision in
Canada itself. Commenting on this the
Montreal Gazette is of the opinion that there
is something to be said on both sides from
Canadian standpoint, and already portion
of the press, with a scant knowledge of the
conditions of union, is settling the merits of
the proposal, but it will be ample time to
take up the question when formal application
for admission is made by Jamaica through
the British government.
Toronto journal maintains thai as long
as Canada remains part of the empire there
would be no objection to the admission OF
Jamaica, provided the commercial advan-
tages were shown TO be sufficient; but in the
event of independence, the United States,
on the least provocation, would proceed to
annex the island In the twinkliug OF an eye.
II will be many years yet before Canada will
become independent, aud even then IL would
be next 10 impossible to provoke a quarrel
with the United States which could not be
satisfactorily settled by arbitration. There
may be many good reasons why Jamaica
should not be taken into the Dominion, but
apprehension arising out of such remote con-
tngencies as these mentioned is not one of
them.
Sir John Macdonald, the Dominion Prem
ier, is now in Englard and the enemies of
annexation allege that he is there TO furtively
aid the scheme of Jamaica annexation, and
his alleged action is criticized with much
spirit and severity. The Montreal Herald
strongly objects to the project of annexation
apd for various and vigorous reasons like
these. The great majority of the Jamaicans
are black-iguorant, degraded, and unable
to govern themselyes-with no elevating po-
litical aspirations, and nothing in common
with the people of Canada. The persons who
would represent jamaica in the Federal
Parliament would represent people srpar-
ated by wide gulf from the Canadian peo-
ple-separated by every possible form of
difference, whether of color, race, sentiment
or political opinion. The distance separat-
ing Jamaica from Canada--say ! 800 miles
is not greater than that which separates
the two peoples socially aud politically. But
ifthis distiuctionwere obliterated, and the two
countries stood on the same footing ia this
respect, Canadians might well ask them
selves, saws the Herald, why they should go
to the tropics in search of new territory when
they have hundreds of millions of acres at
home awaiting development, why they should
assnme the responsibility and expense of
governing and defending an island lying at
the mercy of any navy in the world, why
they should expend their energies and means
in developing a country so distant and so
strange when there lies at their own doors
ample work to keep Canadians and their
capital aud all the resources of the Govern
ment employed for the next hundred years.