The Opelousas courier., 1888-06-02
Canada's Fate.
N. O. Times.Dem0crat.

N. y. IlmeS-DeIi0cfaU
There are many Canadians who be-
Iieye that it would benefit themselves
and their country if it were annexed to
the United States. There has perhaps
been no better demonstration of how
much Canada loses in remaining out of
the Union than in the remarkable
speech in the Canadian House of Com
mons, a few days ago, of Sir Richard
Cartwright.
He showed very conclusively that
Canada is a sieve, as it were, through
which the population and immigrants
pass to the United States, to which
country, indeed, it has lost 1000, 900
People in the last twenty-five years.
No land has ever made more strenuous
efforts to secure immigration thar the
Dominion, which has paid the way OF
the new corners from Great Britain to
America. By great exertlons and at
heavy expense it has succeeded in get
ting 1000, 900 people to go there, but
only to lose three-fourths OF them to
the United States, in addition to one
fourth of its native population. The
net result is that more people move out
Of Canada each year than move in
that the government is actually paying
the fare of people from London to Mon
treal, who, instead of remaining in the
latter city, move on to the United
States. Q BY lavish expenditures on
railways and by liberal land grants,
l55, 154 persons were induced to settle
in Manitoba between 1881 and 1856,
vet the census finds only 43, 1000 of them
there to day, the rest having moved to
the United States. The foreign popu.
lation of the whole Dominion actually
decreased 100000 between 1861 and
1881, although 81 900 immigrants
were imported during that period. Oh
the AS, l60 persons brought there be
tween 1881 and 1886, less than one
fifth remain in Canada to day.
Notwithstanding this slow increase
of population, the debt of Canada Is
steadily growing, having more thar
trebled in the last few years, while
there has been a decrease Ill the sell
ing value of farms, a marked decrease
in the total volume of trade, which ii
considerably less to-day than it was 9
quarter of Il century ago. Perhaps the
difference in the two countries and the
changes that have taken place in then
Tre well illustrated by the fact thai
twenty years ago the taxes in Canada
were one-thlrd per capita those in the
United States, whereas to-day these
are two and a half times greater. Ant
it should be further noted in regard tt
this debt and these taxes, that the
United States has this much xcu fol
its national debt, a prolonged and ex
pensiye civil var, whereas Canada ha'
had continued peace and ought to have
increasing prosperity
1t is not to be wondered at that il
~tiieotace of these facts Sir Richard Cart
wright is alarmed for the future ofCan
ada, although he declares that he is n
annexationist. 1t is, however, Difficult
to see how Canada is to avoid annexa
ton. 1t is not probable that the Unit
cd States will yer go to wal for tn,
British American possessions; it vii
T wait patiently for the Dominion t
come over and join it; and with tn
facts as presented by Sir Richard Cart
wright and other Canadians, it will nc
q be long before it does come over. oTha
5 gentleman thinks that some life an
Vigor can be instilled into his countr.
by a reciprocity treaty with the Unite
(, States. Should it bG denied, nc on
n can see how, with the many dificultie
t facing Canada, its debt, taxes, etc., til
drift of population away from th
country to the United States, it ca
long continue q separate existence.