Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-08-17
CANADIAN TRANSFORMATIONS LINES.
ts Affecting American Interests-The De
haze in the United states senate Au-
gust 3-Mr. Edmuuds'S speech.


owned and operated by Canadian corpo-
cations, and what legislation is desirable
to protect American interests being under
consideration in the Senate. Mr.. Cor
man of Maryland among other thugs
said he hoped the subject would have
thorough investigation He added;
The fact does stand out to-day that eX-
cept for the coercion by some of the
American interests the Canadian racine
would bankrupt the Northern Pacific, the
Union, and the Central they cannot com
pete with it to-day for the through traffic
The Canadian Pacific road has had
enough money from the Canadian govern
ment not only to build the road it is be
ing maintained "a a line not merely for
transportation, but rs military neces-
sity. They are in position to make any
rate to take traffic; they are moderate
about il, because they are still anxious to
get more of our American citizens to JOIN
them and still further extend their lines
juto our territory, but they are making
Such rates that our roads cannot possibly
carry the goods whenever it is necessary
Cor them to control traffic as against our
interests. 1t is the same with their steam
ships They are subsidized, paid a liberal
COMPENSATION at least Tor carrying the
mails, and we had not one upon the ocean
| remarked a moment ago that 25 years
OF millions to get this trade, and we have
since 1866, when the country has been in
peace, with no craftsmanship about it, when
sou had absolute control of both branches
Of Congress and the executive, and now
when we have only the executive and one
branch of Congress, here we stand trying
10 get partisan advantage over each other
while this whole trade, the trade of a
hemisphere, is passing away from us to an
insignificant people in point of population.
Sixty millions of Americans, strong
enough, as my friend from Missouri Mr..
Eockrelli has said to meet the world, are
nutgeneraled and our business is being
-aken away by our neighbOrS on the
north ! say, Mr.. President, iC is time
dhst we should meet these questions, not
sis partlsans, but as patriots
The senator from Vermont says that
lhe construction OF the act Of 1856 was all
wrong; that democratic official had
given construction broader than had
been gwen before and against the Ameri-
an interests; and yet the senator from
Vermont, the leader of his party, if he
Will permit me to say so Inc gets almost
everything he wants he is an autocrat
Gore, with power to pass almost any
measure he wants, certainly the power TO
pass any measure that affects alone the
great interests OF this country)-there he
las been as chairman of the judiciary
committee, the organ of this body, the
one man we all look to in such matters,
aud he has been silent since 1885 until the
fisheries treaty came here.
He is the one man who. until very re.
Gently, of all others in this body, demo-
era. or republican, in looking at these
great questions and determining them as
between this and other governments, has
.aken, think | may take the liberty TO
say, the broad and manly view, the Amerl
can view, the one that has lasted from the
foundations of the government until now,
when so he has been reported in the
papers to have said, no man could think
of taking your enemies into public consul
tation when you are determining ques-
lion which affected their and your inter
eStS
! know the struggle it will be in Maine
and Vermont and i'll Michigan, if you
please, and some other States where Can |
4dian money and English money are
these roads aud making this en-
terprise prop 10 their focal interests;
SIeat my friend from Vermont is, | |
ioubt very much whether he is prepared |
10 come up and drop ali craftsmanship and |
lake up this question and wipe out the |
he local interests along that border and |
ON The democratic party, not rs demo. |
3rat5 but AS Americans, in protecting |
ans great American interest.
REMARKS OF MR. EDMUNDs.
MIR. Edmunds. When 7 join the demo-
.raiit party it will have one quality be-
sides the only democratic quality it has
now, and that is its name. The fault of
he democratic party is that the only dem
1cratlc thing about it is its name. 1t has
aad the House of Representatives for 10 or
~ wears the tribunes of the people, those
who are Immediately expected to take
care of these great interests, and who, so
far as revenue in any way is concerned,
nave the sole right to begin and we have
never heard hint or an intimation of any
attempt to rectty these prodigiOus evils
mat my friend from Maryland bias now for
the fist time discovered
In the State of Vermont, so far as | know
Or believe, there is only one line of rail
road track that Is in any way controlled
oy any foreign corp' ration whatever. ard
that is that part-in all about 20 miles, or,
/ should say, from 20 TO 30 miles, certainly
not over 3O-of the Grand Trunk line from
Montreal to Portland, III the State OF
Maine, which nearly 30 years ago was
built across the very northeast corner of
the State OF Vermont, then almost en-
tirely unsettled region of forest land, to
enable that line to get from Canada into
the State of Naine under n charter which
lvss granted, as all our charters are requir-
&. 20 De granted, to citizens of Vermont rs
n corporation, and it required, unless the
laws have recently been changed, that the
majority of its directors should be citizens
md residents OF that State. II is perfect
~ lIue thaU that Canadian railway, the
Grand Trunk line, is really the cont roller
OF that road. The Vermont directorship
practically amounts to nothing. That IS
: he end OF the small share in this local
business that Vermont has. Now | come
Mr.. President, to the more general queS-
ion. ! suppose there is one other thing
nat may ne taken rs true on both sides OF
he chamber without my frlen from
toCyiaud ,uspecting me or anybody else
90 This side Of being intensely partisan
about - aud that Is that the physical ge-
1g-ophy ot the globe Can not he changed
either by the II. Louis or the Chicago plat
form or 10y President Cleveland, or his
successor, President Harrison. The round
globe VIII be Just where il is, aud if it is
800 miles shorter from Japan to Liverpool
line across Canada by the borders of
.Iudson' bay, it will remain 800 miles
shorter, and without going through our
country and if it is 800 miles shorter than
IL is r way of New York by going through
our country, it will be 300 miles shorter.
The globe will stay just where it is. We
Jan not change the physical Geography of
chs globe, and if 1t turns out to be cheap
az &c carry goods from Yokohama or Hong
Kong 10 Liverpool by this route through
CapEda we can not stop it. 1t has even