The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-04-19
THE ANNEXATION DEBATE.

Ernest A. Macdonald, leading citizen
of Toronto, in Q recent address says that
the present situation of Canada is desper-
ate, and he advocates political union with
the United States on the following
grounds:
Firkt-The assumption BY the union of all
public debts, dominion, provincial and
municipal.
second-The deepening and widening of the
st. Lawrence, Welland and other canals, SO as to
admit any or all ocean vessels to all principal
lake ports, and the construction Of the Lake
Huron and Ontario ship canal, with like OBJ
ject
Third-The admission of and recognition of
each province as a sovereign state of the Union.
Mr.. Macdonald denounces as mistaken
policy the attempt to make Canada part
of Europe when she was int nded to form
part of America. He urges annexation as
meaning q perpetual treaty of peace and
free trade with 20 900, 900 of English-speak-
ing people, as well as the adequate de-
velopment of Canadian mineral resources
on scale that would be sure to bring
pros perity to the whole Dominion.
This is the view of the Canadian annex
ationists who are fairly represented by
Mr.. Macdonald, who is Canadian, born
and bred, and recently candidate for the
mayoralty of the large, highly intelligent
and important city of Toronto. The Mon
treal Star, Tory organ, admits that Mr..
Macdonald does not exaggerate when he
describes the existing Canadian situation
as productive of extreme dependency.
The Dominion government owes $3.50, OOO.-
600, in addition to which the tax
payers are burdened with heavy provincial
and municipal debts. Every kind of in
debtedness is increasing. The Dominion
expenditure exceeds the revenue, and
with the exception of Ontario the provin-
cial debts show steady annual increase.
The Dominion census shows that Canada
has gained nothing by immigration; the
immigrants she has imported have gone
to the United States, and there are now in
the United States a million of adult Cana
dams and a half million of their children.
The Star admits that there is no prospect
OF the tax-paying power of the Dominion
increasing in proportion with its in
creasing burdens. The Star frankly
admits that Canada cannot stand
still and die of over-taxation; it
does not believe in Canadian 'independ-
ence'; it sees no help for Canada save by
close commercial alliance with Great
Britain, and yet it does not believe that
the British Radical Liberals who will
soon administer the home government.
will ever discriminate against the COM
merce of the world and give the Canadians
the monopoly OF r market of 10000. 600 of
consumers in exchange for a market of
100000. The Canadian tory is full of
fervid and boisterous loyalty TO the
mother-iand' but, as matter of fact, the
mother country under the rule of the En-.
glish Radicals will he as Indifferent To the
fate of Canada as the Promised Land was
20 the fate of Moses. Moses, viewin1 the
Promised Land, which he could see br,
could not enter. and the Promised Land
saying unto Moses, Look and be ID ;,
is about the situation OF Canada lookin, %
England for extrication from her diiemr,
Another Tory organ. the Montreal Her..
cid, tells the Canadian annexationists m a,
the United States would never admit the
Canadian provinces, comprising the Do.
miniou, into union of states, first. be.
cause we should not care to complicate on,
politics by Incorporating 10. Of states
whose vote would be sH unknown factor a,
elections, and. second, because We should
never consent 20 assume the public debt o.
the Dominion. much less the provincial
and municipal debts under which the
Canadians now labor.
The New York san thinks that these OBJ
iections are without foundation of reason o
fact; that neither of our political partie.
has anything to lose by the placement o
the artificial boundary between ourselves