Middletown transcript., 1894-06-30
tral. the Osdensburg and New York:


there is a line of steamers, I do not
know whether they run under theAmer.
ican or British flag, from San Francisco
to Vancouver. carrying goods 10 be car
ried over their road. They make rates
from one end of this continent to the
other for American goods carried
through Canada, not merely
goods whose transportation
origin begins in tie States
on the northern border, but by means
of these feeders on the coast, as well as
inland, extending down into the heart
of our country. For reason | shall
give in IA moment they can afford TO
make always and every lime a lower
rate than any American road can afford
to make and they do make rate low
enough TO secure the traffic.
Thus, MIR. PIeidtnt, shipper al San
Francisco can send goods destined to
New York u the coast to Vancouver,
across the continent by the Canadian
Pacific, then down t. New York by its
Eastern connection, at IA lower rate than
he can send by an American railway.
How is it that the Canadian Pacific,
can command this trade? 1t is because
unless it had this traffic it could not
exist as business undertaking. 1t
could not earn its own axle grease by
Canadian traffic alone. But because it
earns nothing from Canadian freight it
can afford to take American freig Int + t
any rate lower than the rate made by
an American railway because whatever
it gets is just that much more than
nothing. This is the attack that is
leveled by the Canadian corporation
at the railway and transportation in
terests of the United States.
Now, if this was done by a merely
commercial corporation i. would be
important enough and serious enough,
but it is very much more serious mat
ter. The Canadian Pacific Road was
constructed primarily not for CONNER
cial purposes 50 much as for political,
military and imperial purposes. It
was to make this railway and the Do
miniOn of Canada the CONNECTING link
bet tHet.. G. eat Britain on the oi:p side
and her Asiatic and Pacific Ocean de-
tendencies upon the other. 1t was in
tended to accomplish the same object
for which the Dominion of Canada was
created-th consolidation of the con-
federated Canadian provinces under
one government In order to maintain
their homogeneity and their depen-
dence upon and allegiance to the Bri-
tish Crown. It was intended for the
transportation Of troops and munitions
of war from one part of Canada to an
other part of Canada, and to weld the
whole together into one harmonious
entity.
The nominating fact for Canadian and
American alike is theAmerican market.
1t is necessity to Canada equally with
the United States. Canada in respect
to it holds peculiar place arising out
of her geographical position. Canada
is divided into four distinct and sepa-
rate sections, each separated from the
other by vast uuinhabited waste,
having no immediate trade or m
merce with one another. You have on
the east the maritime provinces; in the
eastern center, Ontario and Quebec; in
the western center, Manitoba and the
Northwestern provinces, and, on the
Pacific Coast, British Columbia. Their
natural trade is with the United States
rather than with each other. If you
were to compare them to the fingers of
one hand, the tie is naturally with the
palm rather than with each other.
That palm in this case is the United
States. The prosperity Of the mari
time provinces rests upon their being
able to trade freely with New England
and the eastern section of our country.
In like manner the prosperity OF
Quebec and Montreal depends upon
their free access to the markets of our
neIghboring States. SO with Manitoba
and British Columbia. They are
merely joined together by this political
road and by no natural tie, as they
would be if they lay along the same
line of longitude but different lines of
latitude, instead Of lying along the
same lines of latitude.
But, Mr.. President, the American
people have large interest in this
question themselves, and from our
standpoint took occasion few days
ago, in the course of this debate, to
call attention to the fact that we have
arrived at the end of our available land
for homesteading, Possibly there may
be a few acres added from the Indian
reservation. The rush for the Chero-
kee Strip year ago furnished an object
lesson. For the first time since John
Smith landed at Jamestowe. or the
Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock, there is
no longer home for any American in
need or want to be had for the asking
and the taking.
The unemployed to day are not going
to the prairie. They are joining the
army of the unemployed, or Coxey's
army. North of US in Canada there is
an illimitable expanse of unoccupied
lands, and the isothermal lines formed
by the chinook winds coming across
the low passes of the Rocky Noun
tains To the north make the land hab-
liable and arabic and profitable to oc-
cupy away up on the Peace River of
the North.
Ta-,laY The Spnafa ia oninn ~ v,to