The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-03-05
MISTAKEN POLICY TOWARD CANADA
A correspondent of the New York Coz

A correspondent OF the New York Com
ADVERTISER says:
One hears nothing Of Canadian independ-
ence in Canada these days. Imperial fedora
ton, the development Of trade within the en-
pire. the protection of the manufacturer and
the agrculturist against the aggressive many
handed American producer, retaliation in tar
ifs and the cultivation Of the Canadian ma
tional sentiment-a nation within the empire
dominates every other fad. Annexation is
a dead issue. Public men have cast the idea
Of; commercial reciprocity aside ,unobtain-
able without disadvantage to Canada and are
busying themselves with the promotion of the
Incompatible Canadian business prosperity
which has obtained during the past five years.
We believe the above paragraph very
fairly sums up the attitude Of the Cana
dian people toward the rest of the world.
Between its lines can be read one of the
greatest mistakes Of American states
manship. 1t has always been a cause
Of keen regret to- all students of Ameri-
can history who care fig about the
future that in some way or other Canada
was not long ago incorporated into the
United States. That is now an .impossi-
bility in the course events are taking.
Something may happen yet to change this
course and throw Canada into our arms,
but 1t is not within the range Of sober
calculation. The. right kind Of states
manship at the time the annexation SEN
timent was so strong in Canada, some
twentyfyears ago, would, if it had not led
to political annexation, have given: us
commercial annexation by this time. 1t
is not too much to say that the highest
kind of craftsmanship would have Guilt
waited Canadian sentiment in favor Of
becoming and. remaining as much a part
Of the American commercial system as
Minnesota is, quite willing to take it's
chances with the rest of the states in
manufacturing and agricultural develop
ment. f." 90. --..-'z. - D..
But our persistent refusal to establish
reciprocity with. Canada and our. failure
to continue it after the civil war because
we shortsightedly believed that Canada
was getting 1.-The big end" of the bargain,
have driven Canada to copy our own pro-
tective system. Now what Canadian SEN
ti1nent there may be in favor of reciproc-
ity finds itself confronted by the interests
Of the manufacturing industry that has
been. built up under a system we taught
Canada how to use. When Canada
wanted reciprocity we would not give it
to her; when we get around to want reci-
procity she may refuse it to US, having
made UP, her mind to travel the road we
directed her to-. In the development OF
the contest for world supremacy in trade
and manufactures we may find the natural
products of Canada so necessary that we
will have to- abolish the duties, on some
Of them without reciprocity. Our foolish
! course has led: to the buttressing OF g
rival political organization, controlling
| more than third OF the whole area OF
| the continent, by an Independent comme-1
cial system. It was in our power to pre-
vent the growth Of the latter, with the
result that the former would have been
I weakened. S%Ef Il