The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1904-12-12
OOKS AS THOUGH THE TEX
RITOEIES WILL SOON BE-
COME PROVINCES.
Many People of the Northwest Terri
tory Are Clamoring for Home
Rule Government.

WINNIPEG. Man., Dec. 12.-Ihe
countrv editors of the states VINO
think that it is sufficiently DEFINITE 10
say in a personal paragraph that MI.
So and So has left for Canada, may not
he greatly disturbed by the news that
great changes are to be made IN the
man of the Canadian northwest. The
event. which it is now assured VIII
take place at an early date, is one
which will be of great political sig
nificance for the northern part of this
continent. By the beginning of the
next year. delegates from Regina Will
go to Ottawa to discuss the terms on
which the three territories of Alberta,
only a generation ago were the private
property of that most ancient corpora
ton, the Hudson Bay company, are to
become free and autonomous provinces.
We say autonomous on this side of
the line and not sovereign" and there
in lies the whole difference between
the American and the Canadian system
of federation. In the beginning the
state declared whether it would or
would not join the American union.
Even now the people of a new state
frame their own constitution and re-
II
delegated In Canada the new prov
ince is created by the federal power
and receives it's constitution from it's
hands, subject to the approval of the
sovereign crown of great Britain.
Consequently there can be no talk of
the right to secede on the part of the
provinces whose Legislature can only
deal with matters placed within it's jul
risliction by the federal act In short
in the scheme of Canadian legislation,
the crown, not the people. is still con-
Sidered the source of authority.
Not Much Practical Difference.
In practice, however, the average
man seldom feels the difference. The
Canadian parliament has heretofore
been most generous in it's treatment
of the territories Manitoba became a
province when it's population scarcely
entitled it to the privilege of home
rule and it's right to govern itself in
all matters of local concern have been
upheld by the rest of the Dominion in
some very strenuous political strug-
giles.
The present territories, which are
soon to become provinces also, furnish
an excellent example of the pliability
of Canadian institutions and of the
fair temper of the Canadian rulers.
AS early as 1888 these territories were
given a measure of home rule and
since 1897 they have enjoyed govern
ment by legislature chosen by the
people and cabinet responsible to the
representatives in the same manner as
the British cabinet is responsible to
the commons. Instead of being repre-
sented by delegates in the federal cap
ltal, the territories now have ten rep
resentatives in the house of commons
and two senator's, number of seats
greater than their population would
nave entitled them to at the time the
act was passed. All British subjects
have the right to vote and, in NUM-
cipal matters, all rate-payers have the
right of suffrage irrespective of ma
tionality. AS the territorial legislature
does not levy any tax on property. the
only direct taxation being for NUM-
clpal purposes, it can truly be said that
there is no taxation without represen-
tation in the Canadian northwest.
The only rights which the territorial
legislature does not possess are those
TO borrow money on it's own response
bility and to dispose of the public
lands. AS the federal government at
tends to those services in a very salts
factory manner it is not surprising
TO md that in some localities conven
tons are actually passing resolutions
TO the effect that the territories are not
yet ripe for provincial autonomy. 1t
would be poor politician in an Amer
lean territory who would run counter
TO an agitation for admission to state
hood. But in the recent elections. Pre-
mier Houltain of the Canadian terri
tories, tried to defeat the liberals bv
representing that they were opposed
TO provincial autonomy for the terri
tories, but signally failed.