Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-22
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL !. COLLINS.

OF unbroken and frank friendship. EN-.
| phasiZed by 5000 miles of lima inary
| line wholly unfortified and undefend-
| ed. Secession from Great Britain and
annexation to the United States would
be an impossibility without war and
neither party has the slightest desire
| for such catastrophe, however den
teal may he the economics of nature
north and south Of the boundary.
*
| There appears sentiment growing
up which may trend toward separa-
| ton of agricultural Western Canada
| from industrial Eastern Canada leav-
ing both parts as independent domin-
| ions within the British Empire.
The divergence of interests was
demonstrated in the 1911 fight of the
Taft administration for Canadian rec
| iprocity. The grain raisers of Mani
| toba, Saskatchewan and Alberta were
suffering from the long haul to mar
| ket, and they saw the farmers of
Minnesota and the Dakotas receiving
an average of IL cents a bushel more
| for their wheat than the Canadian
| farmer. They asked for reciprocity
| which would enable them to ship their
wheat into the Minneapolis market.
free of duty. This was bitterly fought
|
| States. but supported by our manu-
facturers. To the great surprise of
Americans, it was Canada-Ea stern
Cana da-which defeated the pact and
| saved our Northwest from the loss of
! its home market superiority over the
| prices ruling the export market at
| that time. Farmers of Western Can
ada have never forgiven the CONNER
cial interests of Ontario and Quebec
| for refusing 10 stand with them in
| that attempt to wipe out the United
| States, tariff protection Of America n
| agriculture.
! Another crievs nee tending to al
| ienate the west from the east is the
treatment of the western grain
| raisers in the matter of freight rates
' The Canadian Parliament is easily
dominated by the French of the east,
who supply one-third of its members
| 1t Is necessary to secure only one
| fifth more members to control ma.
jority. hence no reforms are possible
! without the consent of the French
| Canadians of Quebec
In 1897, the Canadian Pacific Rail
road received a federal subsidy in
consideration of pledge to retain the
existing freight rates perma nently.
Owing to the exigencies of the World
War the Dominion Railway Commits
sion agreed to suspend that stipula-
| ton and permit the c. r. r. TO ad-
, just it's rates to meet higher costs Of
opera ton. This suspension Iapsed
after the war, but last year the rail
roads-now the combined c. P. r. and
the National Railway-were author
lied to continue war rates on freight
from the grain region.
| The argument was used that as the
Dominion Railway Commission had
| come into existence since the 1897
agreement fixing permanent rates
with the subsidy. the commission,
| having full discretion in fixing rates.
was empowered to ignore that pledge.
That alleged betrayal of the farmers
has aroused much talk of seeding
! from the east, and 1t argued that it is
economical to ship the grain to Var
couver and by ocean through the
| Panama Canal, in place of the long
haul eastward.
| Also there is talk Of completing the
| half-finished railroad to Hudson Bay,
where, prior to Winter freezing, ships
can meet the grain. The Hudson Bay
port Is as near to Liverpool as is
Buffalo. So long as the east dominates
| Parliament, the farmers declare they
cannot get equitable legislation, and
they claim that an Independent don1in.
ion whose leading interests are agri-
cultural will be to their advantage
Parliament possesses a progressive
party" similar to Dakotas Non-Parti.
san League, which holds balance of
power, but it is not functioning
smoothly because of personal dissatis.
faction with some of the leaders of
both the old parties.
tcopyrirht. 1928. by Paul Y. coliins)