Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-06-19
THE FUTURE OF CANADA,
Discomfort in the Provinces Helps on the
Annexation Movement.

Annexation Movement.
Ottawa Correspondence Of the New York Sun
had talk the other day with the Hon.
Thomas Ballantyne, speaker Of the Ontario
legislature. The legislature is liberal, but the
province sends majority of tories to the fed
eral parliament at Ottawa. The explanation
of this seeming anomaly is that in Canada
the federal parliament distributes the
constituencies to suit itself. while
the provincial legislatures have each distri-
button OF their own. The federal franchise
differs from the provincial franchises, and the
campaign Issues are different, too. Mr.. Bal
iantyne is one of the oldest liberals in the
legislature. and has q reputation on both
sloes OF the Atlantic as maker and ex-
porter OF cheese. The liberals at Ottawa
used to advocate free trade in manufactures
well as in natural products with the United
states. which would have involved tariff dis
elimination against British goods. But Sir Oliver
Mowat, the premier of Ontario and other re-
dictionaries identified with it, have forced the
party to abandon that platform and fall back on
tariff reform. which the tories promise, and
such reciprocity with the United States
Shall not necessitate discrimination against
Britain, which is the sort of reciprocity the
tories are eager for In short, there is now no
perceptibe difference between the liberal plat
form and the tory platform. Mr.. Ballantyne
said in substances:
Tariff reform is all very well in its place, but
what the farmers of Ontario want above every
thing else is free access to the American market.
both for buying and selling; that is to say. the
widest possible measure of free trade with their
neighbors. Tories keep telling us to send our
stuff to England, but England is only second
best market for much that we produce. 1t
was shown by the President at the Farmers
Institutes meeting in February, 1892, that the
year before the Mckinley tariff went into effect
Canada exported horses. sheep. poultry. barley,
beans. hay, malt, potatoes, eggs, hides wool.
flax. rye, hemp, tobacco leaf and canned fruit
to the value of S12 900 900 to the states. not
withstanding the duties levied by the American
tariff then in force. Our exports Of these pro-
ducts in the same year to the free British mar
ket amounted In value to only 500, goo. That
tells the whole story. Obviously the man who
saws that the free British market is a moro pro-
ftable market than a free American market
would be for such articles does not know what
he is talking about"
Mr.. Ballantyne might have added that the
farmers are determined to get free trade with
the states even if the price should be political
union. They are losing faith in the two old
loyal parties. They know that tariff reform.
however desirable in itself, will not remove
the Mckinley duty from a single Canadian
product, and as for reciprocity. they do not be-
lieve that democratic Congress is going to
fa!ten Canada up as n separate community on
this continent by allowing Canadians to share
in the material advantages of American citi-
zenship without requiring them to bear its
They are organizing as
patrons Of industry and intend to run candi-
dates of their own.
In the French province of Quebec the discon-
tent is universal.
The Mckinley tariff is augmenting the fight
OF population. 1t is heavy burden on the
hnbitant whose products are principally coarse
and bulky ones that will not bear Transports
ton to England. such as hay, potatoes, lean
cattle and horses. Amid the growing poverty
the people are demanding relief from the &C.
clesiastical taxes collected by law and from
ecclesiastical exemptions from local taxation.
A liberal convention. to be composed of dele
gates from every province in the dominion.
meets here on the goth. Sir Oliver Mowat and
his Office holders have resolved to exclude the
question and get the convention to
indorse a milk-and-water program with 10y
atty to Britain at the forefront, but the
French liberals will not be put off in that way.
Ore of them has been selected to move n resO
luton declaring for the political independence
of Canada. Sir Oliver is tory at heart. and
since he got his title from the colonial Office
has done rs much shouting for the British
flag ~ n professional Orangeman. The French
liberals. on the other hand, and a good many
liberals from Ontario have come to the con-
clusion that the time Is ripe for Independence.
which Is annexation by another name. and if
they are overpowered by the reactionary ele-
ment they will turn in and help the CONT
mental union men. There will probably be a
five-cornered fight at the coming general cleo
ton between the tories, the Mowat liberals the
patrons. the McCarthyites and the continental
unionists backed by the advanced liberals. But
the final struggle to decide the future of Canada
will be between the continental party and the
supporters of British connection within the
other four. The evolution of these two sides is
going on and they will soon be face TO face,
provided Congress keeps its hands off the farm
schedule Of the Mckinley tariff.