The times., 1898-09-28
The quebec Conference.

The Quebec Conference.
The most hurried reader of the news
paper must note that this is a time of
commissions. The mornings news re-
cords the arrival at Paris of the Peace
Commissioners who are to determine
the destiny of the Philippines as the
chief feature of the treaty between
America and Spain, and the one in
which the people of this country have
the greatest interest. At Washington
the Presidents commission to report on
some features of the conduct of the
war has begun its secret sessions. AT
Havana there is momentary Interrupt
tion of the slow moving of the Evacua-
ton Commission, caused by the absence
of the president of the body and by the
house hunting of the representative OF
the navy-but where the ordinary pro-
ceedings ore so leisurely total ces-
sation of work is hardly worth atten-
ton. Nothing is heard of the Evacua-
ton Commission in Porto Rico, because
its labors were virtually ended in three
days, and it is now supervising the de-
parture OF the Spaniards. This commits
sion took a firm stand for American
supremacy at the start, so there have
been no absurd claims Of Spanish SOW
ereignty.
Owing to the elements of popular in
terest in the movements of these bodies,
the proceedings of the commission in
Canada have attracted less attention
than they would receive in other cir
cumstances. The questions TO be deter
mined are many and complicated ana
the people have only general knowl-
edge of them. They know, however,
that the highest purpose of the confer
ence is to effect more intimate relations
between the two governments and re-
move the causes of friction that have
at times caused talk Of retaliation and
even war. Reciprocity has been the
ideal of the more liberal statesmen on
both sides of the st. Lawrence, and its
realization is nearer than was apparent
before the meeting of the representa- a
tives of the two peoples.
The dispatches published yesterday
morning state that the twelve orig
inal questions in the protocol have
DEGn CdllNdSScd anu d DoSlo Va o6AN~-
ment reached on nearly all of them.
From the action of our own Gov
ernment in making an appraisal OF
the value of the Canadian vessels
engaged in the Alaskan sailing busi-
ness. il is naturally inferred that
we shall purchase them as condition
of Canadian REIMBURSEMENT of all seal
ing claims The boundary question will
be left for a special joint commission,
and the bonding privilege, against
which our trans-continental railroads
make such bitter complaint Will be
continued, though, perhaps, under the
regulations established by our Inter-
state Commerce Commission. There
will be an easy agreement as to the
alien labor question. probably by Cana
da's adoption of our restrictions, and
fair arrangement will be made as TO the
rights of American miners in the Can
ada gold fields, and vice versa. AS
predicted, the prohibitions as to war
! vessels on the Great Lakes will be
modified.
The commissioners from this country
! have, of course, held out for the selfish
interests of the lumbermen, whose con-
tributions to Republican campaign
funds entitle them to special considera-
ton The popular sentiment in favor of
placing all lumber on the free list has
had no more influence here than in Con-
| gress The two-dollar rate on Cana
dian sawed lumber will remain, except
that the duty on the best grade of pine
| lumber, of which the Republican lum-
Der monarchs have but little, will be
lowered. 1t was not to be expected that
| the commissioners selected by a high
tariff Administration would allow the
| people of this country the benefit of the
| free entry of Canadian field products.
| These things stand in the way of the
reciprocity that might otherwise be eff
fected, but on the whole the work of the
commission has been done with less
friction than was feared. 1t is amusing
to be assured by the American commits
sioners that our industrial system will
| not be misunderstanding that the
| favored few are not to be deprived of
any of their special advantages.
In a fortnight the commission will
leave Quebec to meet in Washington,
where its proceedings will probably at
tract more interest