The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-03-01
RUINED THEIR ONN TRADE.
vancsoveR Merchants Confess Thee
the Exelasion Of Americans Fro0
the Atlin ReOA~n Has Nearly Par
aly,ea Commerce Wish the xertA-

the ALTA ReOaoD Has Nearly Par
aly,ea Commerce with the xertA.
Special Dispatch 70 the Post-InteligenceT.
VANCOUVER, B. c., Feb. A-Wnsn
nghting Joe Martin. attorney generI
Of British Columbia, framed his little oas,
which IL intended TO keep aliens OUT OF
the placer fields OF tho province, q gen
eral cry was sent up ITS good move
Merchants, professional men. ousfitters-
In fact all cfa0as jo.ned IN the cry, m.
We have, We viii keep" referring, OF
course. to the recently discovered ricn
placers Of the Attin district, IN Northern
British Co.umhfa-
II was generally conceded that the blu
was Directly aimed at Uncle Sam Amer
icans were grabbing up all the rscn Gains
In the new "a Dorado. tos as they had IA
the Klondike. II they were Kept out,
Canadians and British subjects would get
show. The Attn gold he-ds would %
purely Canadian In every sense OF tne
word. The lucky canueks would return
with their baSs of shining COLO dus %
Canadian cities on the coast, and az
result Of their work IN the far nortn many
people would directly benefit
OF Course there would be rush TO AZ
lin The scenes Of year ago wouia 90
repeated along the water 'front.'. "hefe
speedy Canadian steamers would De taxod
to their utmost capacity TO accommodate
passengers and their outfits There Woa.o
be this difference however. A year ago
many Americans attired in their plctur.
esoue Kond.ke garb made the streets ana
wharves Of Vancouver an animated saglt-
Unole Gam would no longer be represent
ed In the motley crowd Of gold seekers
that would leave for the new soiu nei. a..
for were they not held exclusively for
British subjects s
confidently expected. 1t was argued tnas
when Canadians knew that they had
Gear field in very rich district iney
would mast assursdly take advantage q
A few jobbers and outftters looked up
on Mr. Martins exclusion bin with sas.
p.c4ous eye. They were not 50 sure slAt
wear arc. from a purely Canadian .rads
The majority. however, felt confident that
the bill would not injure the northern
trade. The rush TO the north would PROB
Mr.. MARITIME exclusion bill became law
in January. Perhaps II % too early yet
to estimate lis effect on the northern
trade Of the city. Joobers ana outhtters
thoroughly experienced In the trade say
not.
From a thorough canvass Of the trade
situation here and particularly OF that
phase of it relating to the northern bust
the results have anything but met the
expec; cations OF the merchants.
Many of them are daring enough 70
come out and say that Mr.. Martins bill
has AL the characteristics OF boomerang.
IL was aimed at the Americans, and II
appears to have struck with no inconsider-
able force the merchants and northern
ou,fitters Of Canadian coast cities
The business OF Quitting miners for the
northern gold fields and particularly for
Attn, has fallen far short of expectations
A serious phase of the situation is mat
tho usual Indications do not point to an
improy ement. The rush OF argonaufs from
Eastern Canada has not yet matertalized.
The extensive stocks laid in by merchants.
purely for the purpose OF catering to men
who might come here to outfit. stun 81
main on the shelves.
General trade u poor in this city. and
for tbs reason a.one the failure OF the
demand for the north 10 not so noticeable
Where ten parties QUILTED here last year.
one perhaps y outfit M now. The outfits
are In every case lighter than they were
+ 70 a. an ,s snnE aoa,n:
In the business nov. We are carrying
heavy stocks at big expense, and our
business Is limited to a few small orders.
A year ago orders for $3.50 and 500 to the
man were not uncommon.
DO you blame the exclusion law for the
falling OF In trader" asked him.
, Yes" be replied, TO great extent.
brought in just now. many Americans
would have come here to outht. We ex-
pected TO see a .ot OF Canadians from tho
Fast but they have not arrived. l an
doubtful If they ever will. In the mean
time we are loaded up with heavy stocks
and VIII ! guess have to send them Up
NORTH"
Very heavy supplies had been sent
north from here by wholesale merchants.
Some OF these have gone to the White
Pass & Yukon railway. and the rema nder
have been cent into the Attn district for
the purpose of establishing branch stores
The amount supplied to individual parties
is Enthusiastically small as compared with
the volume OF business year ago. Al
least this is what ! am informed by men
In the trade.
Many merchants can be found In this
city now who viii tell Won frankly that
the exclusion measure has injured their
northern trade greatly For obvious rel-
their names In connection with such a
statement.
There is. It 10 true. a possibility that
eastern Canadians here to Q outfit for At
In, but IL II very slight, TIE. most sar-
xuine merchants even do not anticipate
any such good luck.
A visit TO the Canadian Pacinc railroad
station when the eastern train arrives
cannot but confirm the statement that
the travel norsh~ard has fallen off. A
YEAR ago there were hundreds OF arrivals
weekly Prospective miners came here
frenr every province In the dominion II
would seem that Canadians are either
suspicious Of the rev gold feds, or that
they are slow 20 take advantage Of tho
e. nsld offered To them ~ Air. Martins
exclusion bill.
TIE outa,;ers are row asking sAetn-
se,ves. Who are 10 take their place. 20
Not the Americans who Gocaed here In
such numbers last year for they cannot
d< for gold in Atlin. The problem is
brain wracker.
To sum np, cay on the authority Of
SINE OF the prominent outftters and job
oers here. that the northern trade SO far
u q gr.evcus disappointment Many zay
that the serious falling of tn trade IS due
10 the exclusion measure passed liz jan
gary ny tnf pfov .1cfa EssrsrDFsr Mt.
Others more conservative. confess that
they are disappointed In this particular
branch Of trade, but they say II s too
eariy yet 10 lay the blame on The bill
THE tide Of travel nershward fro4n this
pert has not by any means cease1. Many
Or the passengers, however. are prospec-
tive employees OF the White Pass 4 Yukon
railway ara they are going IN light -
The sfea rnacaf ren have benefited by
this travel but the merchants ard out