Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-08-17
Reasons Why Our Neighbor Does Not
Desire Annexation.
SEES NO GREAT ADVANTAGE IN IT
Feeling is Due to the Workings Of
Our Tariff.
THE BALANCE OF TRADE


! cal zones of North America. His terri
| torial possessions in this field reach total
| Of over 7.00O, 900 square miles. The English
| speaking Inhabitants of this great region
already number nearly So, 900 900 souls. To-
| day it may fairly claim to be the center of
Anglo-Saxon power, and 1t will, beyond
| doubt, be in the future the theater of the
| highest development of civilization.
The area of this great region Is about
| equally divided between the United State
| Of America and the Dominion of Canada
About two-thirds of the total arabic area
belongs to the United States. Canada pos
sesses the greater timber resources. The
| Canadian fisheries are at least two-fold
more valuable than those of the United
States. The andiferous region of Canada is
more extensive than that Of the United
States. and the two countries are both sup
piled with inexhaustible deposits of coal
and iron ore, while Canada possesses the
| most valuable nickel deposits in the world,
so far as known.
The United States is very far in advance
OF Canada in population, in wealth and in
the development of resources; but the dis
parity now existing in these respects will
no doubt rapidly diminish in the future.
In the Canadian northwest Is situated the
greatest undeveloped wheat region of he
world, where a. least go 100000 acres are
adapted to the growth of this cereal. and
where only 100000 acres are now under
cultivation. Already the tide Of immigra-
ton into this region has commenced to
flow from the United States, and this
movement must rapidly gain momentum,
for Canada alone possesses great stretches
Of virgin soil, inviting the occupation OF
the pioneer settler.
Our Future Relations.
The future relations of these two great
countries are matter of high Importance
to the inhabitants of each, and will be
| 80 s,,k--
To the American mind the question of an
Eexation when considering Canadian mat
ters is generally in view. and the advan-
tages 10 be derived from commercial and
political union seem to him to be SO OBJ
vions that surprise is felt that the Ca
madam does not see the matter in the
same light.
The American realizes the advantages
that have been derived from unrestricted
free trade between all the states of the
American Union since the Constitution was
framed. He thinks, and reasonably So
that the extension of the same system to
Canada would result in material advantages
equally great.
The Canadian, however, has no object
lesson to lead him to the same conclusion.
With him 1T is an abstract question. OF
the advantages likely to result from free
access to the American market the Cana
dian has had but little practical knowledge
since 1856. For twelve years prior to that
day the reciprocity treaty of 1854 gave
free admission of Canadian natural prod
ucts into the markets of the United States.
The result of this treaty was that Cana
dian exports to The United States quadru-
pied in twelve years. The exports to the
United States in 1868 were $44 143, 600 The
exports to the United States in 1900, with
out coin. bullion and the precious metals.
were S4. $4,000, an increase in thirty-four
years OF less than l per cent.
The export of farm products to the
United States IN 1866 was $25 O46, 900; in
1900, S7,367 900. During all of the years
since 1866 the American tariff has borne
heavily upon the importation of Canadian
natural products, and with special severity
upon farm products, by means of duties
reaching in some instances 100 per cent.
Undervalue Our Market.
If the American market under free
trade policy can offer satisfactory prices
to the Canadian producer extraordinary
precautions have been taken by means OF
Mckinley and Dingley bills to conceal the
fact from him, and within the last gener-
alton no practical demonstration that the
American market would be desirable one
has been offered. AS result the Cana
dian has become Indifferent to American
markets and American matters In general.
Meeting the American tariff wall. he has
not wasted time in vain regrets but has
pushed the work of securing markets else
where, with great success.
In 1890 the total exports of Canada to
Great Britain were S4S,333,OOO. In 1900 the
total exports to Great Britain were S107,-
1856, 600 OF this amount s70,OOOOOO con-
sisted of farm products. or ten times the
value of exports In the same line to the
United States. The same year the balance
of trade In favor of Canada and against
Great Britain was So 100000
In 1S49 an annexation manifesto was is
sued in Canada, and sigend by large
number of leading public men. During
the American civil war over 10000 Cana
dams served in the northern army, and the
two people were constantly being drawn
into more intimate and cordial relations.
Thirty-four years of American tariff legis-
lation calculated to reduce to the lowest
possible scale the volume of Canadian i'm
ports have caused the state of feeling that
led to issuing the annexation manifesto of
1919 to fade from public recollection and
today no annexation sentiment exists in
Canada. Whether the inauguration of in
innate and liberal commercial relations
would lead to a revival of this feeling 1t
is impossible to say, but that this feeling
will ever again manifest itself while the
present trade policy of the United States
continues 1t would be absurd to expect.
Satisfied With Present Conditions.
Canada is well satisfied with her own
political institutions, modelled upon those Of
Great Britain with executive responsibility
to parliament. and all the British safe
guards of liberty, and with instant applica-
ton of the popular WILL as expressed at
elGCtlOnS, anu luc UeSl IUlSTeStS OF
the race will be prompted by allowing the
American and the British systems of gov
eminent to develop side by side, with such
international policy in force as will deal
equitably with mutual interests and pro-
mote harmonious and intimate relations.
While the trade policy OF the United
States toward Canada has certainly been
characterized by want of breadth and lib
erality the trade policy of Canada toward
the United States has in the main been
quite the reverse. In 1860 the United
States duties upon total imports were q
per cent, and the duties upon dutiable i'm
ports were 40 per cent. The same year
Canadian duties upon total American i'm
ports were 12A, and upon American dutia-
BILE imports 25 per cent. This liberal policy
has led TO a great expansion Of the import
trade from the United States, the imports
from that country having risen from s2S.-
81, 900 in 1866 to S116,972000 in 1900, an In
crease of 305 per cent. OF the imports from
the United States in 1900, $50. 946 0G0 was on
the free list. This was % per cent of the
total free imports of Canada.
During the same year the free imports
of the United States from Canada, aside
from coin and the precious metals was
practically nothing. OF the Canadian i'm
ports from the United States in 1900 nearly
$63, 000O00 consisted of manufactures, aS.-