New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-06-29
CANADA IN THE VEST INDIES.


CANADA IN THE VEST INDIES.
In brilliant letter from the island of Jamaica
orr staff correspondent supplies timely COM
mentary on one of the prominent topics recently
discussed at Ottawa in Minister Fosters budget
speech. The Canadian Minister of Finance is
one of those cheerful statesmen who can extract
from the gloomieSt situation not mere com
fort, but positive JOY He has been compelled
TO acknowledge to the House that Canadian
exports to the United States had fallen off about
81 900 600 since the Mckinley bill passed, but
he consoles himself and his party by pointing
ont that he will hereafter make series OF
Reciprocity treaties with the British West In
dies. after Mr.. Blaine's plan, and that the Ca
nadians will then sell to their fellow-subjects
in the South moro than enough to make up for
the loss they have sustained in their American
trade In celebrating this idea Mr. Foster told
of his recent visit to Jamaica, of what an in
tense degree of brotherly love for Canada he
found there of the public clamor that was raised
in favor of turning the Jamaican trade away
from the United States into Halifax and Mon
tleal so soon as he showed his samples and told
his prices. All that Canada needed to do to get
this rich trade, he said, was to start a line OF
fast ships down there and set up Canadian
shops. The West Indian people, he said, were
eager to arrange system OF intercolona trade
The speculative folly OF these statements is
demonstrated by our correspondent in facts and
figures that leave no room to suppose that Mr..
Foster is serious. The idea OF competition be-
tween a nation Of 5000. 900 people who buy
from Jamaica less than 100000 a year, and
one Of CD 900 900, who buy nearly $4,000
600 a year more than half the islands total
expectation. is nothing else than preposterons.
II becomes utterly grotesque when the reverse
side Of Jamaicas trade is shown, and it is seen
that the smaller nation sells to the islanders
already four times as much as she buys, while
the larger nation buys nearly twice as much as
she sells. For Mr. Foster to talk Of dispacing
American goods, or even of counting strqWS
weight against our effort to enlarge our market
there and TO induce the islanders to buy of us
in fair proportion to the sums we spend with
them is rainbow-chas;ng of the sillest kind.
1t is not hard to discover the motive of this
business. Mr.. Hlane's great policy OF Reel
procity has worried the Government of Canada
not less than those of the nations of Europe.
This is not because Canada is in any sense
rival of ours in Southern markets, as Eng
land Spain and France are. 1t is because OF
the public sentiment the Grit leaders have Gre
ated in favor of their scheme of commercial
union by arguments as to the bearings Of our
Reciprocity treaties NJ Laurier and Sir Rich
ard Cartwright have shown that the goods we
are exporting to Brazil Cuba and other tropical
lands. upon which goods we are obtaining favor
ing import duties are precisely those goods of
which Canada has a surplus. They are using
facts similar to those which our correspondent
so impressively presents to show that if our
new policy is persisted in we must soon control
the Southern import trade Just as we now con-
troll it's export trade, and that no possible com
bination of foreign States can embarraSs this
result. From these indiSputabe premises it is
short work to convince so thoughtful people
as the Canadians that with commercial union
they would have for nothing an important share
in this export business, and a share which by
no other method they could hope to obtain.
There would thus be placed at their disposal to
secure the prompt and certain sale of their
surplus products the purchasing strength of
So 900 900 of well-to-do people. 1t is I'M
necessary to draw upon the imagination to per-
ceiye what this would mean to Canada.
But VIVA; it would mean to the United States
is not so plain Their farmers and artisans are
already competent to supply the trade which
Mr.. Blaine is so successfully reaching after 1t
would undoubtedly be agreeable to the United
States to see upon their Northern borders a
rich and progressive republican nation, true TO
American principles, welded to Ameri-
can interests, free of all European entangle-
ments, devoted, as is every other State upon
the two continents, not 10 the aggtandize-
ment Of foreign monarchies, but to the propa-
CATION Of the American principle of equal rights
and plenty of them. The United States would
be most unseGsh in dealing with such a COM
munty liut it will be hard to convince an
American that he can find either duty or in
terest in supplying linen, money and markets
to strengthen and develop people who, leaning
on a foreign Power and giving it allegiance,
direct a large part of their energies toward rem
dering its relations with us disagreeable and
troublesome who in one sea seize Our ships
unlawfuly and levy dishonest tribute upon them
and in another destroy our fisheries whose poll
ticians conduct successful campaigns on the one
principle Of hostility to American interests and
whose Government thus commissioned, puts
the principle into laws and orders The Ca
| nadans should choose which continent they will
| call their "home," before we can properly de-