The sun., 1891-05-10

British to q Canadian oficet. and with
regard to commercial matters there fs a grad
ual assertion OF diplomatic Independence.
The appointment OF q Governor General ID
about oil that remains, and Mr.. Smith
suggests that It may not be long before the
colonies generally improve upon the ex-
ample Of Queensland. which asserted q veto,
and take the appointment Of Governor-Gen-
ersl into their own hands. That England can
derive no military strength from q dependen.
cy possessing . frontier OF 1000 miles, Mr.
Smith holds to be self-evident. Nor oan Eng
land even derive that false show Of strength.
styied prestige; the weakness is too patent,
The leader Of the Canadian Conservatives has
himself intimated that the Dominion will help
the mother country only in case OF defensivs
war, and he evidently did not regard as de-
fsnsive tho war In Afehanistan. or that In
Egypt. In word. neither profit nor glory is
obtainable nv the mother country from Can
ada. On this point Mr.. Smith auotes Sir George
Cornew .ll Lewis, who declared that :" II coun-
try possesses. q dependency from which
1t derives no public revenue, no mill
itary or naval strength. and NO com-
mercisl advantages or facilities for en-
migration. which It would not equally
dent such possession cannot Justly be called
glorious" To the same effect wrote Sir Henry
Taylor. whose testimony 10 made particularly
valuable By his long experience In the post Of
Under Secretary OF tho Colonies: ~ cannot
but regard the North American provinces rs
most disadvantageous possession for this
country. whether as likely to breed q war With
the United States, or to mako a war otherwise
generated more Grievous and disastrous. I
do not suppose the provinces to be useless to
us at present lrhis was written nearly forty
years aeol. but regard any present usefulness
not obtains able from them as independent ma
tions as no moro than dust In tho balance
compared with the evil CONTINGENCIES"
On tho side Of the colony. Mr. Smith contends
that tho disadvantages OF dependence stare
one In the face II to be nation Is strength.
energy. and grandeur. to be less than nation
is to have less than a full measure OF all those.
He insists. too. that NO one who has lived In
dependency eau fail to sec that tho high spirit
OF independence is not there. The full pride OF
country cannot have place. neither can the full
attachment to country. Even the military and
naval protection which Canada may be said to
receive ia protection Of very precarious kind.
1t Is not even preranded that tho arm Of Eng
land could save Canada from Invasion. Tho
most that is aleeed is that after Canada had suf-
fered all the evils OF invasion she would be re-
deemed by tho pressure which the English
navy would put on the seaboard OF the cities OF
the enemy. Mr.. Smith points out that. ad-
mitting such pressure could be exsrted in the
event OF q war between England aud any other
maritime power. it could hardly be so effec-
tive as to prevent rise in the rate Of marine
insurance. such as would ruinously reduce
Canadian trade. As to the other alleged In
ducement for adhering to the connection with
Crest Britain-ths saving OF diplomatic OK
pense-this will be done away with II tho Ca
madam proposal to have residents at seats Of
commerce 10 carried out. In the balance
against this shalowy claim to protection and
this insignificant saving Of diplomatic ex-
psnse Mr.. Smith would lay the heavy weight
of . constant liability to ENHANCEMENT In the
quarrels OF England all over the world. with
which Canada has nothing to do. and about
which nothing Is known BY her people. Her
commerce may at any hour be cut mp and
the frontier Of Afghsnistan. about the treat-
ment Of Armenia. or Of Crots. or BY the
Turks about the relations Of the Danubian
to Russia or about the
balance Of power In Europe. It is
not disputed in Canada that in all diplomatic
controversies With the United States the inter-
est Of the Dominion has besn sacrificed to the
imperial oxigencies Of keeping the peace with
America. On this head Mr.. Smith quotes q
Canadian knight: IT do not think that We are
under any deep debt of gratitude to English
or that we owe them much. unless.
perchance. 1t be our duty As Christian men to
forgive them for tho atrocious blunders that
have marked every treaty. transaction. or ne
which they ever had With the United
States whore the interests Of Canada were
HkA do pAn nsov Il E,o~ ~1,
lin to this hour" To understand how deeply
the iron Of imperial Indifference to Canadian In
terests has entered into the Canadian soul Mr..
Smith would have the reader turn to the map
and mark how much OF geographical compact
ness. Of military security and Of commercial
was lost whom Great Britain gave
up Maine. In tho opinion ofCanadians Q large
portion also Of Minnesota. Dakota. Montana.
aud Washington has been wrongfully lost. In
q word. sentiment is tho sole life Of the present
onnection between the Dominion OF Canada
and England. OF sentiment Mr. Smith has no
wish to speak irreverently. but he submits
that to be sound it must after all. have its root
In some kind OF utility. and whom tho root is
dead the days Of the flower arc numbered.
H. then. there is only sentimental reason.
Einuing In her present relation Of semi -dspen-
ience. what course ought she to pursue?
Should she seek complete political indepen-
isnce3 Docs the path OF her destiny lie there2
Ar. Smith begins BY admitting that there is
nothing in nature. or In political oircum-
stances. to forbid the existence on the western
hemisphere OF nation Independents OF the
United States. American aggression need not
be feared The violence and unscrupulous-
ness bred Of slavery having passed away. tho
Americans are . moral people. 1t would
not be possible for Clay. or any othor dsma-
zogue now to ex3lte them to an unpro-
voked attack upon another free nation, or even
10 manifest encroachment on It's rights. An
Canada. however inferior to tho
United States In force. might rest In perfect
safety by their side. Nevertheless. It seems to
10 Mr.. Smiths conviction that the several
provinces OF which the Dominion 10 composed
arc 30 heterogeneous that = more complete
1niAcation would be impraoticable. and that
zach Of them Ia less drawn by reciprocal inter-
,sts toward tho others than II 10 toward the
[Jnitsd States or the British Northwest at