Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1891-09-10
CANADIAN RETROGRESSIoN
The Only Policy That Can Save the
Dominion is Annexation

Dominion is Annexation
The Canadians are surprised, disap'
pointed, and even chagrined by the re-
suits of the census of the dominion,
says the New York Sun. Between
1871 and 1881 the gain in population
was over II per cent. Between 1881
and 1891 it has been H. per cent.
"The population of the older provin-
',ces has been almost at a standstill. On
tario and Quebec have increased only
9.65 and 9.52 per cent respectively. The
gain i'm Nova Scotia has been barely 9
per cent in the ten years since 1881.
New Brunswick and Prince Edward
Island have merely held their own.
The most conspicuous increase has been
i'm the northwest, but even there it has
been actually small as compared with
the growth towhich we are accustomed
on this side of the border.
"The disappointment of the Cana
dians is the keener because the dOmin-
ion government made extraordinary
efforts during the last ten years TO slim
ulate immigration and succeeded so far
as to bring in more than $50, 900 foreign
ing TO the census is only about half u
million. 1t is obvious that the great
majority of newcomers passed over the
border to us. In seeking to draw inn
migration to itself the dominion has
swollen the stream which pours into
this country far more than it has Sc
cured new settlers for its own territory
In all its more populous provinces it is
not holding even its natural increase
Along with the immigrants brought
over from Europe by many induce
ments, a steadily augmenting number
of the Canadians themselves emigrate
20 the United States to take advantage
of the greater opportunities for employ
ment which our larger and more varied
prosperity offers. In other words, we
gain far more population from Canada
than il gains for ITSELF though 1t uses
every effort to win new settlers, and
we make no effort to draw the Cana
dians or any other foreigners to our
territory. They come hither of their
own motion and because it is for their
interest to come. If they leave Canada,
of course it is for the reason that they
can do better for themselves i'm the re-
public.
"The indications of this last census
are that the Canadian emigration i'm
our favor was greater during the last
ten years than ever before. The re-
turns show that the rate of increase of
the population is declining and declin-
ing greatly, and the decrease is likely
TO continue. Instead of competing
with US, Canada is helping our growth.
Instead Of keeping step with our pro-
gress it is falling behind more and
fash
insignificant as compared with us. 1t
is a new and undeveloped country,
with symptoms of decreptitude as
marked as those which appear i'm an
old and fully developed country. 1t
has no future ofprogress and prosperity
to which it can look forward. As an
independent government beside this
growing and multiplying republic il
has no chance. Relatively to Us it be-
comes less and less. After all its pro-
digious expenditures to attract popula-
ton and stimulate trade it has, in all
its broad domains, all told, less popula-
ton than a single state of the Union
extending from the Atlantic to the
Pacific.
Canadians, i'm their modification
over such a result, are questioning the
wisdom of the policy of the government
so far as concerns the trade relations
with us. Does the phenomenon asks
the Toronto Globe, sustain the theory
that we are living under the best of all
trade pOlicies?'
"But there is no policy that can save
Canada from retrogression so long as it
continues apart from the United States.
If that separation continues, the de-
cline in the rate of increase of popula-
ton from over Il per cent between 1871
and 1881 to l1l per cent during the
next decade is likely to he continuous
in the next century. The future offers
no hope which the last ten years did
not present, and the Canadians are
compelled to face the gloomy prospect.
They have loaded themselves with debt
TO secure progress and prosperity, and
yet, except in the northwest, they are
standing still. Their richest provinces
are the most stagnant.
"Of course, this state of things can
not continue. The Canadians will not
submit to such a sacrifice to maintain
a separate colonial existence when they
can gain real independence and SOW
ereignty and secure material prosperity
by uniting with people akin to them
selves, and with whom experience
shows that they cannot compete.
1.-THE only policy that can save
Canada is that of annexation to the
American Union"