The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-10-27
sOUNDARyEs AND CORN Laws.

To THE EDirNA OF TNE STS-SW: Ino0e
Canadians who are now unhappy over what
has happened TO them in London regarding
the Alaska boundary. can find paillation
In what bcfell the United States . half GEN.
fury ago. when they were by England con-
strained 70 drop from the 81 deg. 20 min.
parallel Of latitude as a boundary down
to the tsth deg. A glance at an atlns will
! disclose the dminution Of territory TO which
I the United States had TO submit. inclu-
ding the loss Of Vancouver leland. and
the corresponding gain OF Canada. There
was then great party In the United States
which. after the treaty with Russia in 1924,
az firmly believed that 81 deg. 20 min
was the northern boundary Of their country
| as Canadians believed in their Alaska con-
tention The Democratic national oonven-
| ton of 1874 insisted on the whole Of Oregon
! up to that 81 deg. 20 min. line Of latitude.
President Polk told Congress in the next
year that American rights up to that line
| could not he abandoned without 'sacri-
| ficing national honor and interest,"" but a
Wing Senate did not think the territory in
dispute Of much consequence. not worth
even 20 cents an acre.
The British Government thereupon in
sisted on the 4Sth deg. OF latitude and
would not yield. 1t instructed its Minister
at Washington. Mr.. Paken ham, to oder to
the United States a pvojef of treaty on
the basis OF the 18th deg and excluding
the United States from all Of Vancouver
Island, which he did on June Q, ls%6. Presi-
dent Polk. neither approving nor disap-
proving the projet sent it to the Senate,
which. by vote Of 81 to ~, yielded to Eng
land. and then treaty WAS made without
the change or addition OF q word,
That was going on in the United States
between May. 1874. and June. lsAS! What
was, meanwhile, happening in London2
On Dec. Q, ls4s. the Times announced that
Peel intended to repeal the Corn laws.
That very month. the Earl Of Aberdeen,
Peel's Foreign Minister. made his ultimat'm
Of - deg. TO the United States. For long
time it was a mystery how the Times got
the news of the Corn laws repeal. but now
it is known that the British Foreign Min
lister informed the Times in orGer that
when the news arrived in Washington
that British ports were to be opened to
American wheat, 1t might promote yield
ing at Washington Of 81 deg. 10 min. The
C ncession was made.
Then Peel was Prime Minister In 1908
Chamberlain was Colonial Minister The
former came TO power as an advocate Of
the Corn laws; the latter came to power
AZ their enemy Each suddenly crossed
over and changed sides. Last May, Mr..
Chamberlain declared that duty on Ameri-
can wheat should be reimposed.
In ls45 it was Ireland and potatoes!' In
1908 1t is Canada and imperialism!' In
ls45 Peel gave to what is now Uanana u
colossal accession Of territorial jurisdic-
ton Mr.. Chamberlain's fiscal scheme Of
preferential dutiee and British Empire
pivots on Canada Unless Great Britain
and Canada shall come to terms over tariff
taxes. all Of his plan OF imperialism. baeed
on free trade between the United Kingdom
and her self-gove rning colonies. may fall
fiat. Peel opened British ports to Ameri-
can wheat; Chamberlain and the British
Ministry. allured by what has been done
with tariff taxes in the United Kingdom and
Canada under very different conditions. are
endeavoring TO close them. Canada holds
the key.
Mr.. Morley. In the fst volume Of his 70
Gently published biography Of Gladstone.
he's related again the story of the repeal Of
tho Corn laws in July. ,s4s and OF tho
personal revenge that angered Wings and
protectionists took against Peel within five
hours after the repeal had been vot /, in
the House OF Lords. In that repeal, Glad
stone bore only secondary part. On Peel.
Aberdeen, and Palnerston. and the rela-
ton OF each TO the Oregon question, Mr..
Morley throws illuminating side light. He
writes that PalInerston regarded Bright
and Cobden as disple asing mixtures Of the
bagman and the preacher His opinion
is that not the arguments Of Golden in
ls4j, but Ireland potatoes and prosperity
after tho repeal Of the Corn laws con-
verted Great Britain to free trade. He
might have added. converted Gladstone
as we'll
Palmerston had been Foreign Minister
during three years under Melbourne; then
came the Earl Of Aberdeen under Peel's
four years; then came Palmerston again
during a part Of the Ave years OF Russell
after Peel Palrnerston was never again
Foreign Secretary.
There was no love lost between Pal
merston and Gladstone. Mr.. Morley thinks
the anta gonism was az much moral as
political. and Palmerston capable OF In
finite recklessness." He writes OF him:
In 1870 he had brought us within an &c OF war
with France. Disputes alb out an America frontier
were bringing US. at the same period. thin an
ace OF war with the United States
That refers to Palmerston in the House
OF Commons as an opponent OF Peers Gov
eminent.
Mr.. Morley goes on to say in reference
to PakenhaIn's instructions when British
Minister at Washington:
When Peel and Aberdeen got this quarrel into
more promising shape. Palmers.on characterize
cally tainted them with rapitulstion.
He adds that Lord Grey refused Office.
when Lord John Russell attempted to form
a Ministry in December. 1S45. because "con-
WINGED that, at that moment, Palmerston
at the Foreign Office meant an American
war"
Only sixteen years later Palmerston's
Ministry was so friendly TO the Conf derate
States and so unfriendly to the United
States that it could not or would not, full
III its obligations of neutrality and prevent
the former from using British territory No
an arsenal and naval base OF belligerent
operations,
Historians now know the daily sequence
OF events Peel handed his resignation 70
the Queen on Dec. o. Is45, when he had
asoertained that his colleagues would not