The morning call., 1891-12-24
RECIPROCITY WITH CANADA.

The impending downfall of the Tory
Government at Ottawa has revived the dis
cussion of reciprocity with Canada. With
the successors of Sir John Macdonald and
the executors of his political will Mr..
Blaine did not care 10 deal, partly because
he had no confidence in the vitality of the
party to which they belonged and partly
by reason of radical differences of opinion
between them and himself. Now that 1t
seems likely that Liberal party with more
enlightened views of policy may succeed
them in the ad ADMINISTRATION Of public affairs,
the State Department may perhaps enlarge
the scope Of the pending negotiations with
Canada on the fur seal and the fisheries
questions.
Two opinions prevail in this country
touching reciprocity with the Dominion.
One school OF statesmen opposes reciprocity.
chiefly on the ground that it would retard
the drift of Canadian opinion toward annex
alton to the United States. Another school,
agreeing as to the desirability of the annex
alton of Canada, advocates reciprocity on
the ground that in their opinion it would
prepare the Canadians for annexation by
increasing their intercourse with this coun-
try, and would educate them in an arpre-
citation of the advantages which would flow
from a consolidation of all North America
north of Mexico under one Government
No vote in Congress has ever indicated
which opinion predominated in that body.
The old reciprocity treaty with Canada
was negotiated by Lord Eigin and William
L. Marcy in 1854. Under it the traffic be-
tween the L nited States and British North
America grew from SIS, 100000 in 1858 to
nearly S75, 00O, coo in 1865. But the behavior
OF Canada during the War of the Rebellion
so eXasperated the North that as soon as
the war was over notice was given of the
abrogqton of the treaty. The American
people felt that they desired no close inter-
course with colonies which had sided with
our enemy. not from affection for the South,
but from spite against US. Accordingly the
treaty was repealed In 1866 Since then
every effort to revive it has met with deter
mined and effectual opposition. A fresh
endeavor is now about to be made to i'm
press the Government at Washington with
the advantages of q reciprocity treaty and
the subject in oneNshape or another is likely
to come before Congress. Sir Richard Cart
wright on the Canadian side of the line,
and Mr. Erastus Wiman of New York on
our side, are agitstins the subject with vgor.
1t is urged that Mr.. Blaine's arguments
in favor of reciprocity with the Spanish
force to Canada. Mr.. Blaine points out
that we are now manufacturing goods
enough for 100, e00, 900 people. and that we
have only 65.00O,0OO at home to con-
sumo them; he seeks markets in South
and Central America to consume the
surplus. But it is argued that the Span
ish American peoples, belonging to
different race frcm ourselves, have different
wants and different habits from ours. and
that it will take long time to educate them
to consume the articles of which we produce
a surplus. They are a long way from the
United States, and Intercourse with them
can oniv be conducted in steamers, which
have to be subsidized or they will not run.
They have no banking facilities and Ameri-
can shippers always experie nee difficulty in
getting payment for the goods they send
them. Their Governments are unstable.
and Americans who have property in South
America run risks of confscatiOn DEGREES
and forced loans. Finally there are very
few of them, and their necessities are so
small, that all of them put together only
consumed last year 81 so per head of Ameri-
can goods, while the Canadians consumed
$40 per head.
These arguments will all in due course be
laid before the State Department and the
Houses of Congress, and will be weighed
on their merits. 1t must be expected that
the influence of Great Britain will be exerted
against any measure which tends to draw
Canada nearer TO the United States. England
would really be gamer by the outburst of
prosperity which would take place in Can
ada if the frontier were abolished, just as
size was gamer by the accomplishment of
American independence. But politicians
seldom look so far ahead as that. Any policy
which drew Canada and the United States
closer together would strike the average
Engllshman as likely to ALLEVIATE the colony
from the mother country, and as calculated
to dismember the empire. 1t would be re-
sisted accordingly. But happily Canada is
the arbiter of her own destiny, and Eng
lands power to interfere is limited to re-