The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-07-24
CANADA AND ANNEXATION.
Question Which Senator Hoar Thinks Will
Settle Itself in Good Time

Settle Itself In Good Time.
From an Address Before the Massachusetts Clnb
Annexation to this country must from
the necessity of the case be Canadian
question. The people of the United States
did not conquer the other people. They did
not subject them to our institutions against
their Will We don't propose ever to have
under the flag vAssal states or subject citi-
zens think there are many coHsidela-
tons which will make Our Canadian
brethren desire to be united to us. In
impossible that hostile or different COM
mercial system or fiscal system or tariff can
be maintained with that great country that
has got filled up along our borders.
In the next place, do not see how this
notion of what is called commercial union
can ever be practiced, although many wise
men think it possible, and have very great
Difference for them. i do not think that
one tariff under two administrations can be
conducted by two peoples like the United
States and Canada. L do not think it is
posi- bic for the people of Canada to main
tain the political relation with Great Brit
ain and at the same time have absolute
freedom of commercial intercourse with us.
Undoubtedly the unsettled,portions of Can
ada, and they are by far the greatest pOr-
lions, are objects of great desire to us If we
could acquire them honestly and peace
fully. The towns on Puget sOund-Tacoma
aud Port TOwnsend-are the natural outlet
for a large amount of trade from British
Columbia.
The cities of ST. Paul and Minneapolis
are the center OF trade for Manitoba and ALI
that portion of Canada, and the only outlet
for commerce and the only source of manu-
featuring supplies for the eastern Canadian
provinces Is Boston and Massachusetts.
These places are connected with us by
river and railroad; but separated from us
by the valleys and surfaces of the earth.
Although these provinces are separated
from each other by an almost insurmounta-
BILE barrier, Great Britain is attempting. at
vast cost, to make artificial connection
provinces. But the whole thing is flying
i'm the face of nature. Why should not
Manitoba ship her wheat to Minneapolis
and st. Paul just as much as Dakotai As
our population grows, we desire. for the
sake of maintaining the high standard of
wages, to have great agricultural resources
In order to have cheap land for agricultural.
employment that the labOrer may never be
reduced to starvation wages.
1t is desirable that the people should have
this vast northern territory for the over
flow of people. That cOunpy does not get
settled Tor some reason or other under the
present institution. We speak of British
cause of the few people who occupy it.
There are not 60,000 people all told in
British Columbia. At this moment there
are not 10000 white people, all told, in
on sne
larger population, is infinitely of more i'm
poriance to us than British Columbia or
Manitoba. Why, they do not equal, both
together, in point of wealth, population or
influence, two of the many wards of Boston
which we might name. 1t is, therefore, a
matter of the future and not of the present
that these populations are matters which
interest us.
/ do not suppose there is an incident in
history where separate people and nations
were brought together by a sober calcula-
ton of their commercial interest Holland
and Belgium tried it, and they held to-
gether for a little while, but separated
again. England andScOtland were brought
together at the time of King James, but
were soon separated.
This annexation of Canada will come in
time. There are many forces which will
bring her to us; with every invention,
every Improvement in transportation,
with every cheapening of freight, with
every means of intercourse, with the tel
are mighty attractions which are pulling
her irresistibly this way. But at
the same time there are obstacles,
which have been enough to keep
Europe divided into sixty nationalities at
the present time, with which we must con-
tend and which we must overcome before
this annexation takes place. 1t takes in
the province of Quebec, where there is the
practical rule of a great religious body.
That is not in accordance with the desires
of the people of the United States; and
whole, take up the idea, and whether the
church, to whom the population is so de-
voted and loyal. will think it to be for her
interest and will give her consent to the
bringing In of the proposed Constitution of
the United States, we cannot tell.