New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-07-27
THE RETALTATION BILL.


Retaliation against neighbor is not pleas
ant business TO engage in. But the CANADIAN
Government has deliberately closed its eyes and
ears to all argument and protest and has con-
tinued its assaults upon American trade with
an ingenuity and studied effect that leave
us only the alternative of submission or fight.
Its course with regard to the canal tolls is
positively dishonest The NXNllth Article
of the Treaty of Washington engages that the
Canadian Government shall allow the use of
all the Dominion canals to American citizens
ION terms of equality with the inhabitants of
the Dominion: and, on the other hand, that
the Government of the United States shall
allow the use Of its canals TO inhabitants of the
Dominion d" on terms Of equality with citizens
of the United States" Thus there is to be
complete reciprocity.
Now, in practice, the American canals are
entirely free, and are supported by annual APP
propratiOns from the Federal TreaSur-'. Their
maintenance costs this Government about
$3.50, 900 a year. The Canadian canals, how
ever. are supported by tolls collected from the
vessels passing through. Nothing can be plain
or from The terms of the treaty just quoted than
that Canada is under obligation t. exac, from
from her own-the rate. whatever il is must
be common in its application TO the citizens Of
both countries. But "a a matter Of fact Canada
has for years been charging ships passing
through the lakes between Canadian ports Just
ten times as much as she charges those that
pass from American ports or from Canadian
to an American port This discrimination is
accomplished by means of a rebate. That is
90 cents a TN is levied on all cargOcs. Canadian
or American but when the cargo has passed
through, if il goes 10 a Canadian port TO be
discharged for export IS cents per ton is re
funded to the shipper. so that for every $4,000
eXactcd from cargocS discharged at Canadian
ports. 100000 is eXacted from cargoeS dis
charging at American ports.
Still another outrage is inflicted on American
shippers. and its method illustrates what we
have called the dcliberatiOn and ingenuity of
the Canadian Government in its attacks on our
commerce \ great dea! Of coal runs through
these lake canals going from PENNSYLVANIA
north into Minnesota and the Northwest There
is small coal trade that comes down the canals
70 Canadian ports Until within two years
the Canadian Government has charged Il uni
form rate Of 30 cents on all coal whether
utSilHHu norm OF SOuLE DNl OF ApllI /. lSJN.
an order in council was issued reducing the
tariff on coal coming down to ! 0 cents per ton.
The Old rate was left on shipments going north
The result was an extraordinary discrimination
against Our trade. During 1890 the coal
going north. and compelled 10 pa 90 cents a
ton. amounted to 1895 tons Of which only
so tons passed between Canadian ports All the
rest Of that trade was American. But of the coal
coming down. and required to lay onl; 10
cents a ton, 227S1 tens were Canadian trade
and only Gl5 tons American. The effect Of
all this is that the Canadians, while using our
canals without let or hindrance, without being
asked 10 pay a single dollar for their mainte-
nance, requiring of us not merely that pro-
portion Of the cost for maintaining their canals
which would be properly based on the volume
Of our trade, but vastly greater proportion
inflicted by these rebates and discriminating
tolls.
Our canals are as necessary to the Canadians
as theirs are to us. In tho passage from Lake
Superior to the sea we own two Of these arti-
fetal waterways. and they two. In their viola
tOns Of the treaty they have proceeded in blind
disregard Of their own interests. simply RELYING
on orr unwilingncSs to make trouble Our
Government has demonstrated with them again
and again. They have been ready enough with
promises, but just when we have supposed that
old wrongs were to be righted they have como
TO the front with some new method of eXtor-
ton. 1t is perfectly plain that we have moth
ing to hope from peaceful methods The choice
was absolutely necessary between suffering the
treaty to be torn to pieces and allowing our
farmers and grain shippers in the Northwest TO
be robbed to the extent Of hundreds of thou
sands of dollars every year, and the course that
Congress has empowered the President to pur-
sue. The Retaliation Act is ample in its pro-
visions. The President may either tax Cana
dian vessels heavily or entirely prohibit their
passage through the American canals. The
execution of this law will raise the issue be-
tween our Government and that of Canada so
that it cannot be ignored or escaped. The
Canadians will have TO observe the treaty or dig
themselves some new canals.