Evening star., 1934-12-16

naQ, IN aQQlClOn, Cne rlSnJ 10 nulllIy pro-
vincial legislation if contrary to the gen.
eral interest, of which the federal gov
ernment itself was the judge. 1t was
sovereign if it wished to be SO. There
was no bill of rights, no reservation. The
only special safeguards for the provinces
referred to the language and religion OF
the French and to the actual areas of the
provinces. Economic rights were not con-
cerned. At first sight, the Dominion
seemed to have them all
The Dominion'S ownership of the vast
northwest Qess only the little postage
stamp" Province of Manitoba) made it
supreme for land settlement. home
steadS, immigration and the building OF
the tranScontinental railway. 1t held in
its hands the whole forward movement
of the Dominion. It's power of taxation
was not restricted, but as plenary as
words could make it-"taXation by any
mode or system" The commerce clause
was the same.
The Dominion controlled money, legal
tender banks, the customs, the excise. Its
financial power seemed SO great that
there was little left for the provinces.
They had to be put on dole and re-
ceived most of their revenue as subsidy.
The Dominion had the criminal law,
conspicuous success from the first. In
Canada there is only one kind of murder.
and people get hanged for it. They
don't have to be extradited.
THE provincial powers looked puny be-
side those of the Dominion. They
controlled "property"-that didn't seem
to mean much-"direct taxation for a
provincial revenue" meaning in those
days taxes on land, buildings and such.
They controlled licenses" meaning such
things as liquor and peddlers and dogs.
At first all the prestige was with the
Dominion The leading men of the coun-
try-English and French, east and west
sought its offices and the titled honorS
it bestowed The Macdonalds and the
Tuppers and Carriers left the provincial
field. Wilfred Laurier never entered 1t.
The provinces were left to second-rate
men and village politics
At Ottawa was vice regal court with
the princess royal to grace it, and be-
yond that the honors of London and the
countenance of the Queen. Beside all
that the little old red brick Legislative
assembly in King street, Toronto, looked
like high school.
Who could have foreSeen the change?
In the United States exactly the opposite
happened The Federal Government be-
gan with nothing BY Interpretation and
force of circumstances it acquired every
thing. It is now, for veal or woe, the
author and instrument of national SAL
vation.
Not so in Canada. The economic de-
velopment since 1867 shifted the center
of life to the provinces. The rise and
growth of the vast paper industry threw
into high relief the Importance of the
eastern forests and crown timber lands,
all controlled by the provinces 1t is
Quebec and Ontario-King Taschereau
and Prince Hepburn-who are now die
tating terms to vanquiShed America.
Canada is rich beyond all the world
in potential electric power, the main
momentum of the worlds work when
gasoline, a vanishing asset, backfireS into
space. Of the 33 3,617 900 horsepower esti-
mated, only 731 900 is in territory (Arctic)
controlled by the Dominion. The rest
belongs to the provinces. More than this.
Canada since confederation has become
one of the greatest mining countries tn