Morning journal and courier., 1891-06-05
CANADIAN nHc1PRoorrx.

| First Installment of the Paper Deal. ing With the Negotiatfons-How Sir Charles TupPer was Received l by MT. Blaine in Washington. OTTAWA, Ont, June 4.-The first install ment of paper dealing with the Wash ington reciprocity negotiations has been laid before the dominion parliament Sir John Thompson expects to make the re-
 maining correspondence public within @ few days. The documents presented in
 clude the protest of the Canadian govern
 ment against the projected United States treaty with Newfoundland. The result of
 the protest was the postponement of the
 Newfoundland treaty and the endeavor to
 make bargain for Canada. The letters
 which indicate the attitude of MT. Blaine
 toward Canada's proposal are not made
 public yet. Lord Knutsford, colonial
 secretary, wrote as follows on January 23: Her majesty's government have given the fullest consideration to the representations of Canada against the proposed Newfoundland convention. As Canadian negotiations with the United States could not, even in spite of the ab- sence of the further delay arising from the dissolution of the dominion government, be commenced before March and may not be carried this year Newfoundland inter ests should not be indefinitely postponed The Newfoundland ministers inform me they are willing to negotiate for an ar rangement with Canada on basis similar to that of the proposed convention with the United States. Her majesty's govern ment strongly hope that Jour government will on this understanding withdraw its, opposition to the ratification of a conven- ton between Newfoundland and the United States"
 No reply to this is given. The docu- ments then deal with the missions to Washington last April. Sir Charles Tup- per in a report to Sir John Macdonald of his first interview with MT. Blaine in com pany with Sir Julian Pauncefote says: MT. Blaine received me very cordially and pro- ceeded to remind me of the opening of the international railway connecting Maine and New Brunswick. I told him had a most agreeable recollection of that incident and that was very glad to have an opportuni ty of renewing pleasant acquaintances I had at that time formed. I told MT. Blaine that I wished at the outset to recognize the accuracy of the statement contained in his letter to Sir Julian Paunce- fote, which I had seen in reference to the invitation to open negotiations regard ing reciprocal trade arrangements between the two countries; that I believed that it arose from negotiations which had re- gently taken place between the United States and Newfoundland and desire ex- pressed by Canada to be included in any arrangements such as had been under stood to have been contemplated by the United States and Newfoundland and that, upon being communicated to him by Sir Julian Pauncefote, he had expressed his willingness to open negotiations for reciprocal trade arrangements between Canada aud the United States, as sisted by delegates from the dominion government, the negotiation to be infor- nal and, to certain extent, of confiden- tial nature, until they could assume a more formal character if any result were arrived at. MT. Blaine said he had under stood Canada had taken some exception to the proposed arrangement with the United States by Newfoundland. I admitted that such was the case, and that I had ex- plained to her majesty's government that in connection with the question of Atlantic fishery the interests of Canada and of Newfoundland had always been regarded as inseparable, and that the treaties of 1854 and 1871 provided for the participa ton of Newfoundland by the action of it's legislature; that the ratification of the treaty of 1888 depended upon the approval of Newfoundland, and that there appeared to be great objections on many accounts to the interests involved being dealt with separately.
 Mr. Blaine asked me what was the reason Newfoundland had not become part of the Canadian confederation. I replied that in addition to it's being somewhat more re- mote the difficulty was that which had been experienced, notably in the United States and British North American provinces, of the reluctance of a small autonomous government to give up it's af- fairs to a larger body when it might possi-
 ply be overrnled. I instanced the strong
 province of Nova Scotia in opposition to becoming part of our confederation
 but which happily had been removed by experience.
 After reciting further facts Sir Charles continued:
 He told MT. Blaine that Sir John Mac donald had understood that MT. Blaine had not been we'll and that Sir John had suggested that it might be more conven- tent to MT. Blaine to take up consideration of these questions at later period, and that pending consideration of these ques- tions at later period the Dominion par liament would be asked to continue the modus vivendi to avoid friction in the l meanwhile. MT. Blaine replied that as he
 was better he was quite prepared to take up the subject later. l then said that l | would ask the the minister of justice and | the minister of finance, who had been de- puted by Sir John Macdonald to join me
 as soon as MT. Blaine could receive us. Continuing, the report says that MT.
 Blaine named April 5, but this date was | afterwards changed to October 12, as President Harrison, who was just about | starting on his western tour, desired to be present.