Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-10-20
A Canadians Dream.

ST WlI1fIu l-durier, the premier o
Canada. is innocent OF English bloot
in his veins, yet he dutifully overcome:
the inherited diversions and likewise
overlooks the facts of Canadian his
tory and refers to England as the
mother country He has just beer
visiting the aforesaid 'mother-coun-
try and in a speech at Liverpool he
made few remarks which are OF
special interest on this side OF the
speech: "Englishmen. continue to let
us Canadians go our own gait. incl
dentally substituting our steamship
lines. and within few years we shall
produce grain enough 10 feed you. with
your other colonial sources of supply
and then you will not have to depend
on unreliable and possibly hostile Yam
KEGS for your bread" Sir Wilirid also
called attention to the rapid develop
ment Of the Canadian Northwest.
Though he Is too diplomatic to say it,
he left the inference to be drawn that
he believes Canada will soon grow to
be a rival in wealth and population of
the United States itself, and this at the
expense of the United States.
Now all this may tickle the ear of
the Englishman and the Canadian, but
ii will not seriously alarm the thought
full citizen of the United States. 1 .ie
idea that Canada can ever rival this
country in the business of furnishing
food for Great Britain or that she can
fill the gap if the supply from this
country is shut off. is nothing less than
map is all against the possibility OF
such thing. 1t has great wheat fields
in the Northwest but they are pretty
near the limit of her practicable wheat
production. Manitoba, Assiniboia and
Alberta. the principal wheat-growing
sections Of the Dominion. produce
nothing but spring wheat. This is
practically a fancy product. The main
reliance of the world for its wheat
supply is now and always will be VIM
ter wheat 1t is the surer crop by far,
and it's production is less exhaustive,
by reason of the length of the season
and the winters fertilizing rains and
SHOWS, than spring wheat All our
own wheat producing land which once
grew spring wheat is now producing
winter wheat. so far as the climate
will permit But Manitoba and As
sinlboia can never produce winter
wheat Their climate is far too cold
and bleak. 1t is also subject to dan
gerous droughts. The Canadian plains
are in every way unattractive as a
place Of residence.
The Canadians must not allow them
selves to be deceived by the fact that
within the past two years many
American farmers have pushed over
the border and taken up Canadian
land. 1t neither means a deep-lald
plot to Americanize and annex the
Dominion nor a prospect of a perma =
nent stream of immigration from this
country to develop and build up Cana
da. One of these is as likely as the
other. THE movement is not large
anyway-it is much more than offset
by the steady stream from Canada in
TO this country--and it will soon be
checked by the occupation of all the
really good Canadian lands. The
homestead habit is strong among our
western farmer. Now that the free
farm is denied him in a large part of
the West he has 'trecked" on IA small
nothing in the movement to raise
hopes or fears on either side of the
line.
Canada's field for the production OF
winter wheat is relatively small and
is already well under cultivation. On
the other hand, the scheme of national
irrigation in the arid regions OF the
West upon which this government OF
the West, means a vast increase of our
productive area and Il steady strength
ening OF our position as the land TO
which Europe looks for its daily bread.
Moreover, Sir Wilfrid must have
forgotten for the moment that the
Englishman doesn't care much where
he gets the stuff he has to import. All
he wants is to get it. That is one OF
the basic principles of the English free
trade theory. and there is not mucf
consolation in it for the Canadian
The Englishman is pretty careful no.
70 mix patriotism and business to the
injury of the latter.
The case of the Maine boy who ha'
had the unique experience of being
registered at three of our colleges, this