The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1889-01-30
IL Union with Canada Desirable!

is Union Win canada Desirable!
1t is by no means new question, and
was provided for as early as 1777, in
article eleven of the confederation, as
follows: Canada, acceding to this con-
federation and joining in the measures
of the United States, shall be admitted
into and entitled to all the advantages
of this Union, but no other colony
shall be admitted to the same, unless
such admission shall be agreed to by
niue states" To carry this into effect
a committee of three was appointed to
procure translation of the articles of
confederation to be made into the French
language, and to report an address to
the inhabitants of Canada. A mastery
address was accordingly drawn up by
Mr.. Dickinson, from which | make the
following extract "The injuries of
Boston have reused and associated
every colony from Nova Scotia to
Georgia. Your province is the only
link wanting to complete the bright and
strong chain of union. Nature has
joined your country to theirs: do you
Join your political interests for their
own sakes they will never betray you.
The happiness of people inevitably
depends on their liberty and their spirit
to assert it. The value and the extent
of the advantages rendered to you are
immense. Heaven grant you may not
discover them to be blessings after they
have bid you an eternal adieu." This
shows our earliest congress to have
looked upon union with the Canadian
provinces as worthy of their highest
efforts. Great Britain, however, with
the help of the Indian tribes, succeeded
in retaining the provinces, and our
weak military attempts, under Arnold
and Allen, to bring them into the fold
of the Stars and Stripes resulted in
pitiful failures. But to-day the plea of
nature is as potential as it was a hun
dred years ago. We feel that there
should be no divided empire on the
great lakes, and we are not insen-
sible to the grandeur of a continental
boundary. The few French and Span
ish inhabitants who came to us with the
Louisiana purchase soon became Ameri-
canized and learned and adopted the
English language in their legislative
assemblies, their courts and their laws.
In fact, our acquisitions of territory
hitherto, with only inconsiderable Access
slons OF population, have presented no
serious obstacles to national eXpan-
sion. A Canadian union would per-
petuate our peace policy, as well as our
policy of a small standing army, and
would have no reciprocity of retreat
for criminal fugitives. The very en-
tensive wheat fields of the Canadian
territories, as supplement to our own,
would prove welcome guaranty against
any possible future deficiencies of Amer
lean crops. Their bituminous coal
would be convenient to our Eastern
States, and there might be an equal de-
mand for our abundant anthracite in
their wintry climate. Certainly the
cost would be considerably cheapened.
Their wild lands would be a timely and
almost bOundess reinforcement of
our forest and timber lands. Although
our original hardy American fishermen
could not be expected to survive a
Canadian union, all the fisheries and
all the fishermen would at last be ours,
and the difference would be chiefly
noted among our future throng of sail
ors by their slightly provincial accent.
Our naval squadrons would still be
manned by thoroughly-trained seamen.
The people of the Dominion are largely
of the same English-speaking stock
with ourselves. Their Jurisprudence
and courts are based on similar gen
eral principles. They have been prac-
tically instructed in a representative
form of government and understand
the omnipotence of popular maiorities.
There is some reason to hope that, as
additional states, their history would
be fairly credtable and not greatly in
ferior to that of some of our older
states. A union must first be asked
for on the part of the Dominion, or it
will not be worth the having. 1t can
not be fastened by any effort of ours.
but all such efforts will retard it, If
there is now a great difference in the
estate and property of the parties, that
difference will be likely to be greater
fifty years hence. There is no reason
why the United States should take the
initiative as to a union with the Canadas.
With the highest Christian ethics, let
us do unto them whatsoever we would
have them do unto us; and if ever the
effervescent predictions concerning our
manifest destiny" shall, by the de-
termination of providence, be fulfilled,
we may hope American statesmanship
will be sufficient to give assurance that
union with our northern neighbors
will advance the future dignity of our
country and the permanent prosperity
of the people.-Justin s. Morrill,, IN the