The sun., 1899-06-13
Canadian Comments on the Joint High
Commission.

Tho prospects of the Joint High Commits
sion are discussed with candor and liberal
ity in the Canadian Magazine by Mr.. JOHN
CHARLTON one Of the Commissioners and
also leading Liberal member OF the Do
minion Parliament. To him, also has been
attributed an article OF similar tenor pub
lished in the North American Rerie,r. No
reader OF these papers can doubt that. IL
views equally reasonable and conciliatory
were held by the Canadian community at
large an agreement upon some Of the sub
jects In dispute between the United States
and Canada would be speedily reached.
Whether reciprocity in trade relations will
ever be ratified by the United States Is n
different question.
By the equitable tone Of his article, Mr..
| CHARLTON has given offence to some Of his
countrymen. The Canadian Tories, who are
vexcd at the relatively cordial relations
now existing between the United States
and Great Britain, and who gladly would
SEQ them interrupted, denounce him with
much bitterness for his approval OF those
relations, and insist that he ought to re-
sign his place on the commission, for the
reason that the good will expressed by him
for the American republic Is as they assert,
inconsistent with loyalty to his native
land. Mr. CHARLTON expressed regret that
the provincial legislature Of Ontario
should have laid an embargo on the export
| of rough lumber to the United States, and
had suggested doubt MS to its legal compe-
tence to impose such a prohibition. He also
pointed out that the Joint High Commission
had been embarrassed by the passage Of an
Alien Labor law, the result and obvious
purpose Of which vas to exclude American
citizens from tish Columbia. 1t is for
| these criticisms on provincial legislation
passed by Canadian Jingoes, who desire
the failure OF the attempt to settle long
standing controversies between the United
States and Canada, that Mr.. CHARLTON is
stigmatized by the Toronto World as a
traitor. He ought according to that news.
paper, to be cashiercd from the commits.
sion and called before the bar OF the OF.
tawa House of Commons" 1t will be some
time, We imagine, before the Toronto
Worlds opinion is adopted by the Govern.
mcnt Of which Sir WILFRID LAURIER is the
head, or by the majority Of the Canadian
people, who, above all other things, desire
that improvement of trade relations with
the United States which is Mr. ARLToN's
primary aim.
No Canadian has ever presented more
plausible argument for such an improve
ment than was put forward by him and his
fellow Commissioners in Washington. The
Use which they made OF recent statistics re.
tcctcd not a little credit on their forensic
skill. They succeeded in proving that even
under the existing tariffs, which are some
times spoken Of as II they were mutually
prohibitory, not only does large trade ex
list between the United States and Canada
but it is far more profitable to tho former
than to the latter country. Thus, in S9S
the total imports into Canada from the
| United States amounted to $50, 5S7 600
whereas the exports from Canada to the
United States Were only $40, 464, 600
) Moreover the average rate OF duty i'm
) posed by the Canadian tariff on the tota
imports from the United States was . o.
per cent, while the average American duty
; levied on th" total imports from Canadt
was for I'll" sum" year2I.7S per cent. Thu
il to say, less than 5000 900 Canadians
bought last year twice as mucl
} from 100000 Americans Ms the latte
did from the former, and taxed it only hal
r as much. OF free imports into Canada 72.i