The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-08-10
SEATTLE. MONDAY. AUG. 10.
CANADA IN A BAD WAY.


Canada is clearly in bad way. The re-
cent exposure Of the corrupt practices that
have been INDUCED in by high officers OF
her administration is worse than anything
that has disgraced England since the days
of Sir Robert Walpole under George the
Second, and to parallel it in the United
States we should have to turn to the his
tory of local municipal frauds like that OF
the Tammany ring under Tweed or the an
Gent railroad scandals of the Legislatures
of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylva-
mia. 1t is charged on well supported evil
dence that "in Canada there Is more
political rascality to the square foot
than anywhere this side of St.
Petersburg or Constantinople. Her
senators are bought with offices and
titles; the mem bers OF the lower house
are bribed with promise of promotion to
the Senate, with offices, fat contracts,
privileges, money, or help in some shape
for themselves, their relatives or their
tools, agents and strikers"
The public moneys have been frightfully
squandered. The railway built to con-
meet the maritime provinces with the St.
Lawrence has not now and never will have
any remunerative freight or passenger
business, and there is an annual deficit of
half a million. Her great railway, which
connects the Atlantic t;dewater with the
Pacific, il in the hands of Americans; its
Eastern terminal runs through Maine; a
large part of its business has been the
transportation of a large annual exodus
of dissatisfied and Disguised Canadians
from the Dominion to the United States,
and its corporation is charged with large
responsibility for the corruption that is
employed to debauch the people at the
polls.
The whole population of British Amer
ica is about equal to that of Pennsylvania,
and yet it is split up into seven provinces,
with seven governors, seven legislatures
five of them with two houses) and seven
constitutions. Over them is q governor
general appointed by the crown, who
holds stupid and silly Lilliputian court
at Ottawa, and a general constitution,
which is really subordinate the to British
home government, as Canada finds out
periodically to her great disgust. The inn
perial government no more hesitates to
override Canadian public opinion in the
matter of the Boring sea controversy than
she does the public opinion of Newfound-
land in the controversy over the French
fishery rights, or reciprocity with the
United States. England is not only in
form but in fact Canada's court of last re-
sort.
The ablest governor general that En-
gland ever gave Canada CONTEMPORARY
described Canada as place where "gen-
eral politics are made to bear on private
business and private business on general
politics" where every member of the leg.
islature scrambles with his fellows to get
the largest amount of the public plumber
Tor his constituents, in order to secure an
easy reelection. "a people who have
failed in the art of government with cor
ruption. rank corruption in public NOR
ais, is the severe but correct picture of the
present outcome of the British experiment
in Canada. Goodwin Smith confesses that
in Quebec the French refuse TO become
Anglicized; that the French population
increases. while the British population de-
creases: that there is IAN irrepressible con-
tiict OF races, tongues, customs and re-
ligions."
Goodwin Smith thinks that unrestricted
reciprocity with the United States is the
inevitable and wisest solution of this
ominous Canadian problem, but the
United States are Indifferent, where not
absolutely hostile to it, while the Canadian
parliament recently voted down the Cart
wright trade amendment by a majority of
70. This amendment asked for the widest
sort of reciprocity without limitation both
In manufactures and natural products with
the United States. and was beaten sauarely
on the ground that its enactment meant q
practical union between the two countries.
and was, as distinguished dissenting
Liberal leader defined it, "the necessary
precursor of the extinction of the Domin-
ion and its annexation to the Southern
Republic" The Conservatives and not
few Liberals voted against it on the ground
that 1t Disseminated against the manu-
lectures of the mother country; that it
meant uniformity of tariff with the United
States, and would inevitably transfer the
control OF the Canadian tariff and ulti-
mately the whole Canadian system to the
capital of foreign country. The Con-
servasives and loyal Liberals denounce I'M
limited reciprocity as ian invitation to
Canada to forswesr her allegiance, to strike
her flag and dismember the British en-
pire."
The secession of Canada with the consent
ofGreat Britain would no more dismember
the British Empire than the cession of
Heligoland TO Germany, but there is no
doubt but that unlimited reciprocity
would find IT'S logical ultimate outcome
in the annexation of Canada to the United
States. The United States is indifferent.
If not hostile, TO annexation, for the Prov
ince of Quebec would be as painful thorn
In the aesh of our body polite
as she IS in that of Canada, and
the addition Of these new states would
disturb the present comparative strength
of the two great political parties td\an ex-
tent and degree tina, might prove of doubt
full advantage Sc the peace and prosperity
OF the nation. Quebec would be just wha,