The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-08-15
PATRIOTISM
And BUSINESS
The Two Great Motives Behind the
Grand Trunk Pacific Scheme
in Canada.
Liberals Expect to Garry Their Pro.
gram Thru With Possibly an
Appeal to the Country.
From a staff Correspondent,

by giving free rein to the imagination is
one able fully to grasp all that Is In the
minds Of the liberal ministry with refer
ence to this bill, or appreciate what an
all-important factor it may prove to be
in the upbuiding Of the Canadian north
west, EDWARDS from Lake Superior.
Sir Wilfred Laurier and his associates
Sc In prospect, In this region SO richly en-
doWed by nature, population much
larger than that of all Canada at present,
and they would hasten it's coming by the
building Of the proposed railway. They
I point out that their bill Is being opposed
just as the Canadian Pacific railway bill
was opposed, but claim that 1t will sue
coed, just as that bill did. and they will
be regarded by posterity with the love and
respect with which those are regarded to
whom the Canadian Pacific Is due.
While the appeal is patriotic, and there
fore to some degree sentimental, It Is also
intensely practical, and In the speeches
made In favor Of the bill this week many
strong arguments have been presented to
show that the line. when built, will be
safe investment for the government. and
one that will increase in value with the
passing years. This union. of patriotism
and the commercial spirit is shrewd
| union, and it will be depended on to carry
the elections, should the Liberal party
feel that 1t must appeal to the country in
the fall or mid winter.
ne wheat Argument.
The wheat yield of the Manitoba coun-
try, to repeat briefly one argument ad-
vanced in the bills favor, WILL it is pre-
dicted by experts, treble in three years,
after which time its size will only be
measured by the size of the population
and the means of transportation. Very
much of that wheat, either as wheat or
as flour. will be for export, chiefly to the
mother country, and the Canadians want
| no r1 Ito,
lines and be loaded for the ocean voyage
at Canadian ports. They want this, not
wholly as a matter Of national pride, altho
| that of course cuts some figure, but for
the larger reasons Of safety in time of
interna tional danger or uncertainty, and
| independence In time of peace. -
Recently the compilation made by the
Northwestern Miller, Minneapolis, show
| ing the shipments from American and
Canadian ports Of grain grown in both
the United States and Canada, has fallen
| into the hands Of the Ottawa politicians
and the newspaper editors. They quote
from the book freely to make their argu-
ment sound in favor of building the Grand
Trunk Pacific railway, by which Canadian
1 grain, instead sof going, abroad largely by
way of American portss will go by way Of
Quebec and points east. According to the
Northwestern Miller figures, as quoted
here, there was exported during the past
year more Canadian grain by way of
American ports than from Canadian ports
and almost much as Of American and
Canadian combined from Canadian ports
Canadian grain Is shown to be a consid-
cradle item in the traffic of the American
ports. Last year it supplied more than
81 per cent Of all the grain exported from
New York, 40 per cent of that exported
from Boston, and IS per cent of that ex-
ported from Portland, or enough business,
If confined to Canadian ports, to make
them prosperous beyond anything they
ever have known. The Grand Trunk Pa
cific railway will change all this. 1t will
be Canadian line for Canadians, west
and east, and will bind these sections to-
gether in a commercial bond that wifi
! strengthen the bond Of fraternity and ma
tionality. ..-
Great Pacific Port.
This proposed railway will do still an
other thing Of interest to readers of T h e
J o n a /, in addition to making Quebec
the great export city Of Canada on the
east; 1t will build up hnother great city
at Port Simpson on the Pacific, thus giving
Canada shorter water route to Asia than
the United States has, either by way Of
Puget Sound or San Francisco, and at
once making it our strong competitor, not
only for trade in that part of the world
but for the carriage Of Asiatic exports
destined to Europe by way Of the Ameri-
can continent. The single item Of shorter
water hauls, on both oceans Is of itself
important.
Again, the proposed line will furnish a
satisfactory outlet for the grain Of the
Canadian northwest to Europe by way Of
the Panama canal, and will thus place
that section on an equal footing with us in
European markets, and make it entirely
independent Of the great lakes. and indie
pendent, also, Of the proposed new trans
continental line. The Canadian northwest
Will thus have several strings n itS how
Effect on Alaskan Situation.
Nor is this all. BY the building to the
Yukon, this new line would make Canada
Independent OF the action of the Alaskan
boundary commission, and remove the
cause Of friction presented by the bonding
privilege given by the United States to
Canada in Alaska.
The foregoing are few of the points
on which the liberal party will ask the
support Of the country, In the fall or
winter, probably, and mention them be-
cause, altho taken quite at random from
a long list, they are Of peculiar interest
to all the country tributary to Mime
apolis and explain some Of the motives
behind the pending bill. How the new
line, II built on the plans here outlined
will cut into the business of all the great
= American railroads, need not be de-
scribed.
Patriotism and Business.
strong point is made by liberal lead :
4 ers Of the repeated offers which they say
4 have been made by James J. Hill and
various other American railway magnates
to extend their lines into Canada, in pra c.
t1cally the same manner as is now pro-
4 posed by the Grand Trunk-Pacifi These
offers however, were all rejected The
= patriotic impulse seems to have gained
control Of the liberal leaders, and the,
= propose to pay many millions and guar.
antee many millions more, In order Il
have this new transcontinental scheme
Canadian in origin, ownership and pur.
pose. 1t is lofty ambition and not IN
! worthy the best instincts of a great anf
; growing people.
The United States In 1850 had %. 900 00t
Inhabitants, and yet railroads cut no fig.
ure whatever in transportation matters
This was due to our great inland water
ways, leading to ocean and gulf from al.
most every direction. In interior Canada
however, and more particularly in the
Canadian northwest, beyond Winnipeg
there are few water ways. If the country
| is to become populous and rich, and :
source of strength and pride to Canada
and the empire, it must be encouraged b,
artificial helps. Chief of these, in the
minds of the liberal ministry, is the pro-
posed Grand Trunk Pacific, which they
do not hesitate TO sr5~etfs vi a S a cpIon1za-
ton line. It will penetrate soSss 81 the
Jmost fertile regions Of the dominion, and