Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-08-24

l
spect, will be better appreciated when it is
that, for considerable portion
of each year the st. Lawrence river, which
constitutes the direct avenue of foreign COM
merce leading to Canada, is closed by ice
During the last six years the imports and ex-
ports of British Canadian provinces car
ried across our territory under the privileges
granted by our laws, amounted in value to
about s270, 900 900, nearly all of which were
goods dutiable under our tariff laws, by far
the larger part of this traffic consisting of
exchanges of goods between Great Britain
and her American provinces, brought to and
carried from our ports in their own vessels.
The treaty stipulation entered into by our
own government was in harmony with laws
which were then on our statute book and |
are still in force
recommend immediate legislative action |
comforting upon the executive the power to |
suspend 10y proclamation the operation of all |
laws and regulations permitting the transit |
of goods, wares, and merchandise in bond |
across or over the territory Of the United |
States to or from Canada
There need be no hesitation in suspending |
these laws arising from the supposition that |
their continuation is secured by treaty
obligations, for it seems quite plain that
Article ~ of the treaty of 1871, which was
the only article incorporating such laws,
terminated the list day of July, lSs5.
The president here quotes the treaty and
the law made by congress in pursuance there
of, fully sustaining his view that the privi-
lege referred to ceased when the treaty was
ahrogated by the Act of the United States,
and than hot in htS
Judgment, all obligation on the
part of the United States to permit the trans
mission in bond of the goods referred to
ended when the fishery treaty was abrogated,
the United States continued to permit this
transmission and did not repeal the law per-
hitting the same. He then says that the
| history of events connected with this subject
| shows that Canada can protect its own citi-
| Zens' interests without the unneighborly
| treatment complained OF by our fishermen,
and suggests that whatever is done should be
| done in the hope that the Dominion govern
ment will remove the harshneSs SO justly
| complained of. He also suggests that, though
he is clear in his conviction that the whole
treaty has been abrogated, congress may
think differently, and if so, he urges that
anything in the way of the actionhe suggests
may be promptly removed He then pro-
ceeds:
l desire, also to call the attention of con-
gress to another subject involving such
wrongs and unfair treatment of our citizens
as, in my opinion, require prompt action:
The navigation of the great lakes, and the
immense business and CARRYING trade grow
| ing out of the same, have been treated
broadly and literally by the United States
government, and made free to all mankind.
| While Canadian railroads and navigation
companies share in our country's transporta-
ton upon terms as favorable as are accorded
to our own citizens, the canals and other
public works, built and maintained by the
government along the line of the lakes, are
made free to all. In contrast to this condi-
ton, and evincing narrow and ungenerous
commercial spirit, every lock and canal
which is public work of the Dominion of
Canada, is subject to tolls and charges
By article q of the treaty of 1871 pro-
vision was made TO secure to the citizens OF
| the United States the use of the Welland.
| St Lawrence, and other canals in the Do
minion of Canada on terms of equality with
the inhabitants of the Dominion, and to also
secure TO the subjects of Great Britain the
use of the st Clair Flats canal on terms OF
equality with the inhabitants of the United
. States The equality with the inhabitants
of the Dominion which we were promised in
the use of the canals OF Canada did not Sc
cure to Us freedom from tolls in their navi-
cation, but We had right to expect that
, We, being Americans and interested in
/ American commerce, would be no more bur
, dened in regard to the same than Canadian.
| in hai bu -bn1s
a spirit of the concession made was, OF should
have been, that merchandise and property
, transported TO an American market
, through these canals should not b
enhanced in its cost by tolls many time
: higher than such as we're carried to an adj
joining Canadian market All our citizens
q producers, and consumers, as well as vesse
owners, were to enjoy the equality promised
= And yet evidence has for some time been be
fore the congress- furnished by the secretar,
of the treasury, showing that while the toll
charged in the first instance are the same t,
all, such vessels and cargoes as are destine,
f to certain Canadian ports are allowed re
+ fund of nearly the entire tolls while thos
o bound for American ports are not allowe,
Y any such advantage. To promise equality
4 and then in practice make it conditional upol
v our vessels doing Canadian business insteal
f OF their own, is to fulfill promise with tn
q shadow of performance.
. | recommend that such legislative actio
be taken as will give Canadian vessels nav
q eating orr canals, and their cargoes, precise
a ly the advantages granted to our vessels an,
"a cargoes upon Canadian canals, and that tn
81 same be measured by exactly the same rul
/ of discrimination
The course which have outlined, and til
h recommendations made, relate to the homo
# and dignity of our count y, and the protet
i ton and preservation of the rights and intel
"a ests of all our people A government doc
n but half Its duty when it projects its either
n at home, and permits them to be impose
n upon and humiliated by the unfair and ovei
v reaching disposition of other nations If "
i. invite our people to rely upon arrangement
r. made for their benefit abroad, we should Sc
"a to it that they are not deceived
N and il we are generous and liberal /,
s. reap the advantage of it by return of lii
B. erality and generosity. Those are subject
q which partisanship should not disturb c
, confuse. Let us survey the ground calml
and moderately, and having put aside othe
means OF settlement, III we enter upon en
e policy of retaliation lat us pursue it firmly
70 with determination only to subserve tt
n interests of our people and maintain the hig
as standard and becoming pride of America
lr citizenship.
n tSigned GROVER CLEVELAND.
OF Executive Mansion, Aug. %, 1888.
y, After the above message had been read
ss the house-and the reading was listened
u with the closest Standardization of MINI
d sofa Immediately offered the following bi
~ which was referred to the foreign affai
81 committee:
81 An act to empower the president more effet
all ualy to carry out the purposes of an act to a
" thorize the president to protect and defend [
he rights of American fishing vessels, American ifs
a. ermen, American trading and other vessels
certain cases, and for other purposes, approx
L., March 3, 1897, and to authorize the president
- protect American interests against unjust d
y" elimination in the use of canals in the British
50 minions of North America
ow BE it enacted, etc, that whenever the preside
may deem II his duty to exercise any of the pc
~ ers given him by an act entitled An Act to Pl
at tect and Defend the Rights of American FISH
IT. vessels" it shall be lawful for the president,
Ill