Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1888-05-04
TIE DECLINE OF CANADA


New York Sun: In his very remauk-
able speech in the Canadian house Of
commons last month, Sir Richazd
Cartwright showed by incontestable sta
tisties that during the last twenty-five
years Canada has lost to the United
States 100000 OF It's population.
which at present is only about 1900,
GOO as against cur 81, 600, OOO
As a consequence, Canada has not
even retained the natural increase of its
population. Yet during that period it
has made prodigious efforts to stimu-
late immigration, with the result that
it has succeeded in getting about j, 600.
coo immigrants, but only to lose three
fourths of them to the United States.
to which, also, one-fourth of its native
population has gone. By lavish ex-
penditures on railways and by liberal
land grants, 1876, I54 persons we're in
duced to settle ia Manitoba between
1881 and 1886, and yet the census finds
now only 43, 600 of them. The foreign
population of the whole dominion de-
creased from 665, 600 in 1861 to $40. coo
IN 1881, though meanwhile 521, GOO i'm
migrants We're imported. OF the AZ.
los brought over between 1881 and
1886, 1t is not possible to account for
one-hfth IN Canada at the present time. F.
During the last twenty years, toe.
the debt of Canada has been more than
trebled, or increased from $73, 600, coo
tn md h.
nearly the same proportion, or from
81, 500, 600 to $50, 00O, 900. Yet In that
time there has been, in the words of
Sir Richard, a very formidable reduc-
ton" IN the selling value of farm lands
IN all the four provinces, and In the
prices of farm products. The total
volume of trade and exports, which
was $2l7, $780, 600 in 1873, with a pOpu-
latiOn of $3.50, 600, has decreased to
1902, OOO,0 600, with a population OF
4, 60O,OO0 Twenty years ago the taxes
and the debt per head were one-third
those of the United States Now, the
Canadian debt per head is two and one
half times as large as ours, and our
necessary taxes" are One-third less
per head than those of Canada. Nearly
One-haH of the Canadian products are
sold to us, and of $1O5, GOO, 600 of goods
entered for consumption last year,
Canada bought $45, 600, 600 from us.
Meantime Canada has expended
nearly $500, 600, 600 of the public money
for railways, built especially to draw off
trade and population from us, and on
this sum it not only does not receive
zone farthing of interest, but there is a
dead annual loss of 500, 600, not to
speak of various important items, which
under our most vicious system of book
keeping, says Sir Richard, care
charged to capital account. " In the
whole Dominion of Canada there are
now about u 600 miles of railway,
and other, of a nominal
cost of 1888, 600, 600, and yet although
a great part of the mileage is In the old
and most pOpulOus provinces of On
tariO and Quebec it pays less than Il
per cent on that sum-
Even after the expenditure of $40
600, 600 to bring about the settlement
of the northwestern part of the DOmin-
lon, population refuses to go there,
unless to speedily cross over to as.
Manitoba and Dakota started seventeen
years ago on equal terms, each having
white population of about 14,OOO In
ten years Dakota had increased by
more than 100, 900, and Manitoba by
Ol14J d uGG1o over OO,OOO. Inc pOpuAa-
ton of Dakota Is now above 60O, 600, as
against less than 100, 600 in Manitoba;
and yet 100000, 600 of public money
was expended for especial purpose Of
immigration to Manitoba.
1t IS no wonder that Sir Richard Is
alarmed for the future OF Canada. But
he refused to accept the only possible
remedy for the dry rot from which it Is
suffering. Il am no annexatiOnist. he
says, and 1 do not propose to become
one" Therefore, he merely goes to
5he extent Of advocating reciprocity of
5rade with Us, IN the vain hope of say
ng his country from inevitable decay.
Canada must come into the Amer
IAN union, or starve out In the cold.