New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-06-25
CANADA ADOPTS FREE SUGAR.

Canada paws to the Mckinley bill the humble
tribute of imitation in its most popular feature
| the repeal of the sugar duties. 1t was per-
ceived that the difference between the cOndi-
tons of life on one side of the border and those
ON the other would be much too fOrcibly illus
| trated if Canadians were compelled to pay
| cents mound more for their sugar than the
| American price, 1t would be plain that some
| thing allied Government which permitted that
| To 90 on. The Finance Minister has therefore
| concluded TO sacrifice the revenue heretofore
derived from that most opuent source low
rich il was will be seen when it is said that
upon total sugar importation OF S5,5SO,oI4
| in 1890, the Government obtained S2,s51,-
| SAT % revenue, nearly one-eighth of the total
income of the Canadian Treasury. Mr.. Foster
proposes to make up about half this loss by in
creased duties upon alcoholic liquors and tobac-
co. The rest he says, he will save by rigid
economy in public expenditures
There is nothing clever about this budget
nothing indeed that was not the inevitable
and easily foreseen necessity Of the situation.
If it proves popular as certainly it will, and If
| it serves to strengthen the Government OF
| Premier Abbott, as almost surely it must, the
result will not be so much a matter of credit
to Ministers as of blame to the Opposition lead
ers. Sir Richard Cartwright now comes for
ward with proposition demanding the reduc-
ton " of all duties on articles OF prime neces-
sity. and particularly on those most generally
| consumed by artisans miners, fishermen ana
| farmers" The obvious answer to this is that
the Government has already sacrificed II per
| cent of its revenues, and in such way as to
lessen the burdens of life to every class in every
Province To do more would imperil admins
| tration The Government can say in other
words, that it has voluntarily and already adopt
| ed Sir Richards resolution, and he will find
| himself hard pushed for an answer.
If, last winter, Immediately upon the adop-
ton of the Mckinley bill, the Liberal lead
ers, in a formal challenge to the Govern
ment, had called its attention to the sugar
legislation adopted by the United States, and
to its inevitable effect in reducing the price to
American consumers. and had demanded sim
liar legislation for the benefit of the Canadian
public, they would have compelled one of two
results. The Government would have had to
bear the onus of refusal Tor it would have
adopted free sugar as Liberal measure. But
there is such large free-trade sentiment among
| the Liberals, so prevalent notion that duties
should be exacted from precisely those imports
that are of general use, regardless of the ques-
ton whether or not similar articles are pro-
duced at home, that they fOrbOre to seize this
advantage, and the result is that they have
allowed the Government to bring in popular
fiscal measure jusi at the moment when its
fortunes were low and when well-directed at
tack might have defeated it.
The concluding clause of Sir Richard Cart
wright's motion calls for the CONDUCT Of the
| Reciprocity negotiations with the American
! Government "upon a basis of the most extend
| ed freedom Of trade in manufactured as well
as in natural products" The chance of max
ing an impression with this proposal would have
| been greater had the Introductory one been
omitted Every Canadian who knows anything
Of public affairs knows that the Reciprocity
Sir Richard demands is the only kind that can
possibly be obtained. The American Govern
ment has already declared officially that it will
not even discuss a scheme of Reciprocity lin
| tied to natural products, and that unless it can
| be developed by informal discussion that there
| is a reasonable prospect OF agreement upon
liberal measure, it will not even enter seriously
upon the labor Of attempting to formulate a
treaty. Sir Richards motion is nothing more,
| then, than a proposal that the American view
be acquiesced in and if he had made this his
only issue and the Government had then OPP
| posed it, the President and Mr.. Blaine would
have been justified in assuming that further
discussion at Washington was waste OF time
But in connecting this demand with general
call for the reduction of duties, the Liberals
| have rendered the field Of the engagement too
wide. They will dive away from their sup
port all that large body of Canadian Protection
lists who favor the National policy. but who
still want wide Reciprocity Treaty. 1t does
not seem probable to Ills that the Liberals will
accomplish much through Sir Richards mode
of procedure, and. ON the other hand it appears