New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-10-02

1t has out that members Of Parliament have en-
rched themselves frem Government subsidies TO rail-
reads of which they were the promoters IN othei
cases. the reads have been built with the subsidies and
| then sold TO the creduleus British Investor SEN
| ate committee engaged in inquiry into this profit
able industry came by accident upon "lead which
resulted in the discovery that S11 5000 had been stoer
from bonus granted 10 railroad by the Legislature
OF Quebec. The LieutepaRt-GOvernOr OF Quebec has
appointed royal commission composed OF judges 10
explore this matter which complexities Mr.. Merciel
| and other Liberal Ministers Of that Province. Tht
Tories say they prove that Paeaud Merciers agent
has got away with not less than S75ooo0 Of public
| money. Pacaud has been savish and diligent i'm
ftator of Sir john Macdonald In making the taxpayer
foot his own bribery BILL
The Abbott Administration has been discredited by
these revelations and at the byelecti0ns which must
take place before the next session OF Parliament Is
likely to lose supporters The Liberal papers call on
Lord Stanley to dissolve the House. and to give the
people an opportunity Of prJnOuncng fresh judg-
ment. But his Loriship is stiff Tory and Imperial
ist aware that the country is drifting rapidly
toward organic changes. and will endeavor to shore
up" the Government. The British bOndholder, inter
ested in public and private loans and enterprises TO
the extent of $500 100000, would Ike to know Just
now whether the Canadian people arc any more honest
than their rulers but Lord Stanley will not send his
Ministers to the polls while 1t can be avoided.
Aside from the political corruption the general con
ditiOn of the Dominion is far from satisfactory The
census returns lately issued show that, although
S66 900 immigrants brought to the country In the
last decennum, the actual growth Of population was
only 100000 In other words, If the Government had
not spent S3,00O,OOO in hiring those people to come
here, there would have been positive decline OF
nearly 100000. Hence, allowing for the natural
growth, fully million persons must have crossed the
line barbarian who had subdued the country could
not bleed it efiectualy than by exacting an
annual tribute of 100000 of tie choicest men and
women In proportion to population, Canada has sent
nearly as many Of her children to the United states as
Ireland. Yet in the ten years Just passed she made
hercuesn efforts to retain them and to attract foreign
ers, as the following table proves
Population In 1881 '953' V V00
Population IN 1871 A'c-o'OVV
Net Dominion Dominic" Debt asSs il
Es sssss @ea Mileage f ,5 1sSl latest 1850 sSS
roads in $3.50 600 900
'dP posds hiss IN ISL fnu 7soOOOOOO
Customs and excise taxatons in 1881 $4,000 600
Customs and excise taxation in 1S9l----- 5l,OOooOO
Ordinary expenditure Of Dominion in 1881 s25 500 600
Ordinary expenditure Of Dominion In 1911 36OOooOo
These figures tell their own tale, especially when
contrasted with similar figures in the United States
where, to go no further, thousand million dollars Of
Federal debt was redeemed between 1880 and 1890
and where the whole tendency has been toward Hgher
taxation. Canadians asking themselves what the
next ten years will bring when the foreign investor
instead of hurting his money into enterprises without
commercial reason for being begins to press them
for payment for the vast already sunk. Since
1881 some of the Provinces have incurred debts on
their own account Quebec owes $50 100000, and is
trying to get fresh loan Of ten million. Her finances
show an annual deficit of 100000, which will be
swollen to million by the new loan. The Dominion
Constitution provides for the payment of yearly sub
sides out of Federal chest to the several Provinces
TO defray the cost of local government This system
has promoted reckless extravaganza on the part Of
some of them; for hitherto by combining, they have
been able to unload their debts contracted principally
for railroads upon the Federal taxpayer. But the
Dominion debt is now too large to warrant Mr. AD-
bott in shouldeling any more Provincial burdens No
one can see way out of the mess for Quebec, save
through an arrangement with her creditors which
might injure the credit of the whole country. The
Tribune long since pointed out that in adopting the
policy of protection in 1879 Sir John Macdonald chose
to ignore the natural obstacles which confront such
a policy in Canada. The census returns verify this
observation in striking manner "GTeat Nature is
wise than l." says the poet and she is certainly
more potent than Canadian acts Of Parliament The
attempt to create traffic between blocks Of territory
separated from each other by physical and clinical
barriers whilst their true market lies in the region TO
the south, has been pursued with the utmost vigor.
political railroads being constructed at enormous
outlay to further the project, and the people brbed
without stint to submit to the loss and inconvenience.
But all in vain. The flower Of the native population
streams IN endless caravan over the frontier, whilst
the immigrants brought from Europe merely sojourn
here as at a halfway inn on the road to the United
States. Meanwhile the fiscal burdens contracted in
building these useless railroads and in erecting equally
useless docks and harbors from which campaign funds
stolen are becoming too great to be borne quietly
by community whose people possess that easy means
Of escape. The reciprocity measures Of the Admins
tration at Washington are also menacing Canada by
driving her products out Of the markets In the south
portion Of this hemisphere, and leaving her d.
yoroed commercially from The continent to which she
a alternating animal upon her own juices. ,
The Tories have no particular remedy for this state
few weeks ago to advocate his plan for imperial
customs union, but met with little success; Nobody
her forty millions for the sake Of eprchng the home
landlord and the colonial farmer. Even she were
mad enough thus TO restore the Corn Laws, Canada
could not afford to give her goods preferential treat
meqt over those coming from the United stateS o. It
lawyer as ieeniy as any, that the establishment Of
dlferentia tariff against the American Nation would
cusion Of her and bulky wares from the United
states and the withdrawal of the nestimsble privilege
now accorded to her two great railways OF carrying
operations La the States without having to comply too
closely with the Interstate Commerce act The barring
bankrupt those corporations and paralyze every imam
Sial institution in the Dominion within thirty days Us!
United States US the only ready Of relieving the
strain. The Tories rather some of them, would like
TO get wide measure OF reciprocity in natural products
and in certain classes of manufactured goods but they
would not discriminate against British exports. Qhe
Liberals will discriminate, because they that any
reciprocity worthy OF the nsr-, which the lRepub
can party is likely to accept, must needs involve IT,
third body of men, led by Mr.. Blake, the former
chief of the Liberals, and by Mr.. Goodwin smith. be-
Mevng that political union is the inevitable destiny
ment on that line. The immediate turn Of things de-
ponds to large degree upon the result Of the con-
ference between the Tory Ministers and Mr. Harrison
or Mr. Blaine on October II. If they should get
limited reciprocity. the outlook for the country would
imprOve II would be Ike throwing food into
beeag1ered garrison. II they fail, the chances OF an
early Liberal victory will be good All the forces of