T H E
P R OPO S E D R E C I PR O C IT Y T R E A T Y :
A N A D D R E S S
D E L I "E R E D
BY R
E "UE S T
E P R E S E N T A TI "E S O F T H E L E A D I N G M A N UF A C T U R I N G
I N D U S T R IE S O F T H E U N ITE D S T A TE S
OF R
,
A T
A CA D EM Y
TH E
O F M US I C
,
P H IL A D EL P H IA
28, 1 8 7 4
O C T O BE R
,
.
BY
HON WM
.
P H
C O L L INS
,
D
.
IL
KELLEY
.
A D E L P H
P R IN T E R
,
IA
:
70 5 J A Y N E
18 7 4
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S T R E E T
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l fl i
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y
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I
a
RE CI PR O CI TY TR EA TY
L
A D I E S A ND
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GE NT L E M E N
egarding th e s o called reci procity treaty n o w pen ding before
the Sen at e o f the U n ited States as one of th e m o st im portant
m easu re s ever s ubm itted t o t hat b o d y, I cheerfully comply with
the request of the represent atives of the m an ufact u rin g an d i nd u s
t rial i nterest s o f Phil adelphi a to expres s m y vi ews u pon it ; and
w ithou t detaining yo u with prelim in ary rem ark s will proceed at
on ce to the con sideration o f t he s ubj ect
R
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T h e S ou r ce
of
B r iti sh S up r em a c y
.
The story o f the B riti sh arm y an d n avy i s a cont i n u o u s page o f
glory , th e l u stre of which i s rarely di m m ed by a clo ud even s uch a s
tho se o u r fathers cas t u pon i t by the i r s uccess in achievin g t h e
independen ce of the col onies , an d d u rin g the w ar o f 1812 Yet in
n o sen se h as E nglan d m ad e her chief or m o st rem un erative co n
qu est s by m ean s o f he r army and n avy D iplom acy i s th e in s t r u
m entality by which these h ave been achieved ; an d sh o uld the
treaty n o w pe n ding be rati fi ed an d s ub mi tte d t o by the A m erican
people it wo ul d , tho ugh h er representatives wo uld h ave u s believe
that i t is sim ply a m eas ure providing fo r a reciprocal treaty between
the D o m ini on o f C anad a and the United St ates , be the grandest
an d m ost profit abl e o f her d ipl om ati c con quest s The Im perial
govern ment , so they wo ul d m ake u s believe , doe s b ut consent that
the C an adian g overn ment m ay propose to th e govern ment o f the
United State s the term s o f such a treaty , an d th at it s min i ster at
W ashin gton , as an ac t of grace toward s the provinces , m ay cond uct
n egotiati on s rel atin g thereto , in conj unction with a representative
o f C an ad a
Meanwh ile we are not t o be perm itted to know th at
E nglan d i s th e party s u premely i nteres ted , an d th e only o n e o f
th e contracting parties to wh o se hon or and p rofit the treaty will
redo u n d
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T h e C ana d i a n s d o
n ot
w ant t h e T
re a t y
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"
"
T he phrase a p ut u p j ob is probably unkn own to d iplom ati c
c ircles , though it i s often u sed in the n eighb orh ood of p olice offi ces
and crimin al courts L ong y ears ago , when I prosecuted th e pleas
o f this county , I learned that this ill so unding phrase exp ressed the
fact that crafty peopl e h ad s o arran ge d ci rcum stances as to en able
them to ch arge an inn ocent p arty who m ight be obn ox i o u s to them
with a criminal or discred itable t ran saction , and th u s in d u ce the
government to p ut hi m o u t of the i r way ; and if thi s tre aty should
be approved by the Sen ate , and ratified by the P resident , the phrase
sho uld th enceforth be in corporated int o the langu age o f diplomacy ;
for the C anadian peopl e do n o t a sk for a renewal of reciprocity ,
are opposed t o alm ost every provisio n of the s che m e no w proposed
i n their n am e , an d w ill s u ffe r fro m s ome o f its p rovision s m ore
vitally than we can fro m any o f them They n u mber but fo u r
m illions and it will bind them in perpet ual vassalage ; b ut a s we
n umber fo rty m illion s , we m ay , by t he free u se of o u r army , n avy ,
an d militia , n ow so largely composed of tried veteran s , emancipate
o ursel ves N o t only do the C anadian s n ot desire this treaty b ut
m any of the m denounce it as a j ob p ut u p by t he Briti sh govern
ment an d the ambitiou s l eaders o f their own D om inion who recog
nize th e I mperial govern m ent as the fo untain o f wealth an d h onor
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A F ew E ng l i sh D
ip l omati c
C on q u e sts
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Before proceed i ng t o th e consideration o f the details o f the
treaty , and p ointing o u t the dangers with which its p rovision s
t hreaten the ind ustries an d fin ances o f C an ada and the U n ited
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States , let m e c all yo ur atten tion to a few o f E ngl and s dipl o matic
con quests , which will serve t o ill u strate the means by which she
ext ends h er co mmerce an d forces her prod uction s upon foreign
n ation s , t o the destruction o f their enterprise and the p revention
I n 15 3 5 E urope
o f the developm en t o f thei r n at ural reso urces
trembled before the advancing h ordes o f S olym an th e Magnificent ,
the S ultan o f T u rkey fro m who s e victo riou s grasp "ienna h ad j ust
n arrowly escaped
All E u rope trem bled before the steady con
que st s o f t he Mo slem ch ief B ut notwithstanding this alm o st
univers al fear , F rancis the F irst and C harles t he F ifth fo un d tim e
to train their armies i n a war bet ween F rance and the Ger m an
E mpire I n this war E nglan d was not engaged , yet o n e o f i ts
incidents paved th e way to her con quest o f T u rkey , wh ich she no w
hold s i n s ubj ectio n t o her w ill al most as completely as she does
I relan d or In dia , both o f whom are v icti m s rather o f her diplo m acy
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th an o f her prowess F ra n cis , anx i ou s to aven ge the defea t o f
Pav i a , m ade secret p roposal s t o th e Porte fo r a n alli an ce by me an s
o f which h e co uld threaten the i ntrod uct i o n o f the Mo slem into
I taly T he T urk was t oo pro ud t o bind h imself by a t reaty , b ut ,
c allin g it a truce o r ar m i stice , h e entered into stipul ation s w ith
F rance which received the n am e o f c ap i tulat i on s
Before th at tim e
n o Ch ristian co unt ry h ad en tered i nt o treaty rel ation s o r other
con vention s with the in fidel , an d F ran cis bro ught hi m self into d is
cred i t w ith all C hri stian p owers by h avin g th us recognized th e
Moslem a s a p o wer th at o ught to exist He was deno un ced i n
every tongue an d at every co urt I t was then for th e first ti m e
that E urope decl ared o n e t raito r to be w orse t h an te n T urk s B ut
bitter a s were th e den u nciation s o f C h ristian rulers they were with
drawn when it was d iscovered that th e term s F rancis h ad m ade
were good fo r trade H avin g di scovere d thi s they n ot only hel d
their peace , b ut h asten ed to enter in to like capit ulation s "en ice
con cl uded h ers in l es s th an five years ; A ustria hers i n 15 6 7 ; E n g
la n d did not s ucceed u nti l 15 79 , ten ye ars aft e r th e o rigi n al articles
had been renewed ; and H ollan d n o t u ntil 15 9 8 A m on g the
renewed capitu lations was a provis ion th at th e d uties o n th e
i m p ortation of m anu facture s i nto T urkey sh o ul d be fix ed at t h ree
per ce n t ad val o rem , an d o f this provision E ngl and got the benefit
I t was n ot , let m e rem ark i n p assing , stipul ated that the d uty
sho ul d be calculated o n the val ue of th e article in T urkey , an d th e
practice h as been fo r foreign exporters to fix thei r val ue an d th u s
d eter m in e th e am o un t o n which th e three per cen t s ho ul d be paid
O f co urse , th e glor i es of th e O tto m an p o we r so on va n ished , and
poor T urkey h as been known to o u r genera tion as the S ick Man of
E urope The T urk , tho ugh inv i nc i ble i n arm s w as en slaved by
d iplo m acy
E ncou raged by her s uccess at C on stan tinople , E n gland sought
si m ila r t reaties with the States on th e B arbary coast — with T uni s ,
Trip ol i , Morocco , a n d s ubseque n tly forced s uch p ro v ision s u po n
Persia , M u scat , S iam , Japan , an d C h in a I t i s d ue to her t o say
th at in so me i nstan ce s she h as perm i tted he r vict i m s to exact as
high as five per cent d uty on the En gl i sh val uatio n of good s A
writer i n th e F or tn igh tly R e v i ew fo r J uly last , t o whom I ac k n o wl
edge my indebted n es s , says
"
In the same way an d at th e sam e ti me , we h ave everywh ere o h
t ain e d that o u r good s sh all be i m p or t ed int o all these co untries at
d uties o f either three or fi v e per cen t W e are contin uing to apply
to E astern nation s th i s do uble syste m o f t ariffs an d j u risd ictio n o f
good s a n d j udges To attai n thos e end s we u se all sorts o f mean s ,
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fro m courteo us invitation s t o bombardm ents W e prefer to employ
m ere elo quence , becau se it i s cheap an d easy b ut if talking fail s
w e follow it u p by gunboats , and in that con vi ncing w ay w e induce
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h esitating barbarian s n ot only to accept o u r two un varying con
d it ion s , but al so t o pay th e co st o f th e expedit i on by which thei r
consent to these con dition s was extorted from them W e t ried
p atien ce and pol i te propo sal s with T unis , Tripol i , an d Moro cco
C hin a was so unwillin g t o li sten t o o u r advice , so blin d to the
strikin g merits o f o u r opiu m a n d o ur co n sul s , that we were obliged ,
with great regret , t o resort to gentle force with h er Japan pre
sent s th e m o st cu r i ou s example o f the series ; it i s m ade u p of
ign oran ce circumvented an d o f i ndignati on fright ened Indeed , if
w e h ad s pace for it , th e story o f the Japan treaties wo uld be worth
telling , becau se it i s a very special o n e beca u se it i s the n ewest
trium ph of o u r j usti ce abro ad , a n d becau se it m ay be taken as in
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d ic a t iv e of o u r pres ent manner , as painters say
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R
e
c iproc ity
E
r ad i c at e d
th e W
l len
oo
F a ctor i es
of
P ortug a l
.
Unlike these cases wa s that of the famo u s Meth uen treaty o f
16 84 with Portugal
The Po rtu g u ese had m ade great progress i n
the man ufact ure o f wo ollen go ods , and h ad becom e im men se pro
d ucers o f wool T h e people steadily i n c reased i n prosperity , an d
th e gove rnm ent fo un d an n u ally in creas i ng reven ues flowin g int o
its coffers T racin g these good res ult s to the e stabli sh ment of m an
u fa c t u r e s the govern men t prohibited the i nt rod uction of woollen
,
good s from oth er co untries , b ut unh appily n amed the articles pro
h ib it e d
E nglish man ufacturers evaded the prohibitio n by chang
ing the nam es and m odifyi n g the ch aracter o f th eir prod uction s
Serges an d drugget s were n am es , then wh olly unkn own t o t he
Portuguese , but wit h w hich the E n gli s h were s oon to m ake t he m
familiar by flooding their m arkets w ith good s com petin g with their
D e t e r m in
o w n prod uction s u nder the se hithert o u nkn own n ame s
i n g to p rotect the ind u stries of its people an d it s own reven ues , the
Portugues e govern ment prohibited th e im portation o f articles h ear
ing these n ew n ames and of w oollen cl oth s gen erally
E n gli sh m an ufact urers , fi n din g them selves excl uded fro m Port u
f
m
arkets
invoked
the
aid
their
govern
m
ent
an
d
dem
anded
u
o
e
s
e
,
,
g
that it should destroy t hese in du stries which thre atened th eir pro
fits and t heir co mm ercial s uprem acy Th e establish ment an d p ro
t e c t io n of m an ufactures was however , n ot a recognized cau se of war
The army an d n avy were , therefore , powerles s i n the premi ses , but
the Briti sh govern men t di d not t ur n a deaf ear to t h e appeal , and
woul d try wh at diplo macy m ight acco m pli sh , an d Meth uen he r
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wily
rep re sentative , whi sperin g reci procity to th e Port uguese gov
v i sion s o f co m mercial greatnes s W h at if
e r n m e n t , s uggested
Portugal , by t he admissi on of h er w ines free o f duty in to B ritish
ports sho uld be enabled to excl u de tho se of F rance an d Germ any ,
an d th u s enj oy a m on opoly o f the B ritish win e m arket " H ow
wo uld ot her co u n tries be abased and Po rt ugal exalted by s u ch a
result " Hav i ng thu s to uched the ambition o f the govern ment , it
was easy to s u ggest that Portugal and E nglan d should by perpet ual
treaty agree th at the wines o f the former an d t he woollen m a n u fa c
t u res o f the latte r sh ould , in a spirit o f fratern al reciprocity , be
adm itted in to the respective countries fre e o f d uty T he spider
had ch arm ed the fly T he treaty wa s m ade
O f the effect o f this reci procity u pon Portugal and E nglan d , a
w riter i n th e B r i ti s h M e r c h a n tm a n , a few years after , said
"
B efore th e t re aty o ur woollen good s , woollen S erges , an d clo th
p ro d u c t s wer e p ro h ibited in Po rtugal T hey h ad set u p fabrics
there for m akin g cloth an d proceeded with very good s u cces s , and
we might j u stly apprehen d they w o uld h ave gone o n to erect ot h er
fabri cs , until at l ast they had served them selve s w i th every species
T he t reaty t ake s o ff all prohi bition s an d
o f w oollen m an ufactures
pledges Po rt ugal to adm i t , forever , all o u r w oollen m an ufact ures
Thei r o wn fabrics , by thi s m ean s were perfect l y r uined , an d we
exp orted on e h u ndred tho u s an d po unds , sterl in g val ue , o f the
single article o f cloth s the v ery year after the treaty T he c o urt
was pestered wit h rem o n stran ces fro m their m an ufact urers wh en
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the p rohibitio n w as taken o ff, p urs u ant t o Mr Met h uen s trea ty ,
b ut the thin g was pa s s ed , t he t reaty was ratified , an d their loom s
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were all rui ned
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It w oul d I m p over i sh
our
P e op le
an d
Inv ol v e u s I n
W
ar
w ith E ng l and
.
Let m e n ot be mi su n derstood I do n ot mea n t o inti mate th at
th e rat i fication o f th e pendin g t reaty wo ul d red u ce the United
States t o t he conditio n o f T urkey , P ortugal , o r C hina W hat I
a fli r m i s t h at , wh ile clo sin g th e m in e s and destroying m any of the
in d ustries of C an ada , i t wo ul d revive the lang uishing t rad e an d
com m erce o f E n gla n d , an d red uce a n um ber of o u r lead ing indu s
trie s to s uc h a con dition as w o ul d i m pel the im poveri shed a n d
s u fferin g people to force th e Govern men t t o di sregard the stip ul a
tion s of th e treaty , thoug h it sho uld involve u s in years of war , an d
again d r ive o ur shippi ng fro m th e seas
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S om e P r ovi si on s
of
th e T r e a t y
.
In order th at yo u m ay j udge whether th is suggestion i s an ex
treme one , let m e invite yo ur attention t o som e of its provision s :
I t propose s to restore t o u s th e right we held prior to th e treaty
of 1818, of taking c u rin g , an d d ryin g fi sh in an d along t h e in shore
fi sherie s o f the D om inion , an d th at in con sideration o f the re s t o r a
tion o f this righ t the fi shermen o f the D ominion m ay e nj oy t he
same right s o n o u r coast as far so uth as the thirty n inth parallel ,
which they h ave not hith erto don e I n so far I can di scover only
harmless an d s ub stantial reciprocity
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H ow L on g
it is t o Bind U s
.
I t propo ses th at the articles , be i ng the growth , prod uct , o r m an
u fac t u r e o f th e D ominio n o f C an ada o r of t he United States en u
,
m e r at e d in three extended sched ules , shall , o n their im portation fro m
t h e one co u ntry into th e other ; fro m th e l s t day of J uly , 1875 , to
the 3 ot h d ay o f J une , 1876 , b oth incl uded , p ay only t w o th i rd s o f
the d uties payable at the d ate o f the treaty , o n s uch importations ,
an d from the 1s t d ay o f J uly , 1876 , to the 3 0 th o f J uly , 1877 shall
pay only o n e third of s uch d uties , an d on a n d after the 1s t d ay o f
J uly , 1877, for a period o f twenty one years , s uch goo ds shall be
admitted free o f d uty into each co untry respectively
W itho ut
pau si n g t o con sider the articles e mbraced i n thes e sch edul es , let m e
bring other o f its p ropo sition s to you r attention
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It w i ll E xtend th e B r iti sh
F r onti er t o th e
P ort
of
New
York
.
I t proposes to exten d the B rit i sh frontier , which is o u r weak
poin t i n case o f w ar with Gre at B ritain , t o an d th rough Lake
C h a m plai n and the H udson R iver to the wharves o f New York and
Jersey C ity , an d along the St Clai r F lat s C an al an d th e S ault S te
Marie C an al , an d to s o i m prove an d enlarge t hese ch ann el s that
B ritish vessel s o f war drawin g not m ore th a n t welve feet m ay tra
verse , an d i n t he even t o f w ar occ upy them all , an d thu s h arass and
i nvest B u ffalo , Erie , Cleveland , Chicago , Mil waukee , D etroit , D u
l uth , an d oth er cities and town s upon t he lakes
I n m aking th i s statement I do not quot e the text o f t h e treaty ,
b ut expres s a pos sibility its proj ector ev i de n tly had in view The
t reaty bein g o n e o f am ity for the pro m otio n o f reciprocal trade ,
s uch suggestion s cou l d h ave n o place i n its text B ut l e t u s see
wheth er its draftsm an m ay n ot h ave contem plated su c h poss i bilities
0
A rticle " stipulates that the C an adia n canals o n the m ain ro ute
fro m L ake E ri e t o Mo n treal sh al l be e n l a rged forthwith , a t the ex
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pen se o f C a n ada , so as t o ad mit t he pass age o f ves sel s d raw in g
twelve feet o f water , th e locks n o t to be less th an 270 feet i n length
45 feet i n width , a n d o f n o t less t h an 12 feet in depth o n the m itre
sill , an d th at th e chan n el o f th e S t L awren ce shall be deepen ed
i n the reaches between the can al s s o as to allow the free passage o f
vessels drawing twelve feet
Article "I stipulates that C a n ad a sh all , before th e l s t o f J an u
ary , 1880 , construct a canal o f like dimension s t o conn ect th e S t
Lawrence a t a po i n t n ear C a u h n a w ag a with Lake C h am plain , an d
bind s the Un ited State s t o urge th e govern ment o f t he State of New
York to cause th e canal at W hiteh all o n L ake Ch ampl ai n t o A lbany
to be enl arged , an d if necessary exten d ed , o r an other o r other canal s
t o be con structed o f equal capacity with the C augh n aw aga can al ,
a n d the n avigatio n o f th e H u d son R iver to b e im proved , so as to
ad mit th e passage to the l ower w aters o f th e Hu dso n R iver o f
v es sels draw i n g twelve feet o f wat er
W hen thi s sh all all h ave been acco m plished , will n ot , I ask yo u ,
th e m aritim e frontier o f the B ritish p rovin ce s h ave bee n exte n ded
to the wharves o f N ew York , an d a n ample chan nel h ave bee n pro
v id e d for th e approach o f E n gl i sh w a r ves sel s o f light d raught to
ou r co mm ercial m etropol i s "
T h e provi sion s o f A rt icl e "I I I , whi ch secure the free u se o f th ese
ch a nn els t o C anadian vessels are so com plicated , and exp res sed
with s o m uch s ubtl ety , that I p refer t o st ate t he m in th e l an gu age
o f the t reat y
T hey are as foll ows :
I t is agreed , th at fo r the t er m o f years m e n tioned i n A rticl e " I II
of th is treaty , the citizen s o f th e U n ited States sh all enj oy th e use
o f th e W elland , the S t L awrence , a n d other c an al s in th e D omini o n
o f C a n ad a
i
n
cl
udin
g
the
p
roposed
C
aughn
awaga
an
al
term
s
o
n
C
,
)
(
o f equality w i th the inh abitan ts of the D o m inio n o f C a n ad a , and
th at w i th o ut i nterferin g with th e ri ght o f the govern m en t o f C anad a
t o i mpose s uch toll s o n the aforesaid C an adian ca n al s res p ectively
as it may think fit , the toll s sh all be lev i ed i n relatio n to th e n u m ber
o f the lock s in each can al , witho ut any d rawback o r di scr im inat ion
w hatever t he destination o f the ves sel , o r wh ether o n e o r m o re
can al o r canals , o r part o f a can al , be p assed
A n d it i s al so agreed that for the like term o f years th e inh abitants
o f C an ad a sh all enj oy the u s e o f the S t Cl a i r F lats C an al o n term s
o f equ ality with the inh abitant s o f the United States ; an d that th e
n avigation o f Lake C ham plai n an d L ake Mich i gan sh all be free an d
open for th e p urpose o f co mm erce t o th e inh abitants of Can ada
s ubj ect t o a n y law s o r regul atio n s o f the U n ited S tates , or of the
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St ates bordering thereon res pectively , n ot incon sistent with such
privileges of free n avigati on
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An d the United States further en gage t o u rge upon th e govern
ments of the States o f New York and o f Michigan t o sec ure t o th e
in habitan t s o f C an ada the u s e o f the E rie , the W hitehall , th e S aul t
Ste Marie canals , an d of any enlarged or extended or new can al o r
other im provement con nectin g L ake C ham plain with the lowe r
waters o f the Hudson R iver which m ay be made as contem plated
in A rticle " I , o n term s o f equ ality with th e in habitants of th e
Un ited States
"
A n d it i s m utually agreed th at full p ower shall be given an d
allowed to tran sship cargo fro m ves sel s i nto can al b oats , an d fro m
can al boats into vessel s , at either t e r m in u s o f every can al
"
An d further , that i f the u se o f the E rie an d W hitehall , o r other
canal connecting L ake C ham plain with the lower waters of the
H udson R iver an d o f S ault Ste M arie can al , be n ot granted to
the in habitants of C anad a on term s o f equ ality with the citizen s o f
the Un ited States , as conte mpl ated i n th i s arti cle , then the u se of
t he proposed C aughnawaga canal by th e citizen s o f the United
S tates , as above co n templated , shall be s uspended a n d cease until
the u se o f the sai d canal s i n the United States shall be secured to
"
the inhabita n ts of C anada , as above contempl ated
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It w oul d A b ol i sh
ou r
S hip -ya rds
an d
C om mer c ia l M
a r in e
.
Th e remarkable growth o f o u r ship yard s an d i n crease o f o u r
com merci al m arine was secured by th e F irst C ongres s an d the
Ad ministration o f W ashin gton , when they enacted an d carried i nto
e ffect n avigat i on l aw s , which p rovided th at all exch an ge o f com mo
d it ie s between Un ited States ports should be carrie d i n ve ssels
b uilt in th e c o untry and own ed ex cl us i vely by A merican citizen s
residing i n the co untry O ur do mes ti c o r coastwi se com merce i s
m ore th an thirty times as great as o u r foreign co m m erce , an d by
securing it t o A m eric an b uilt ves sels , o wned an d m anned by A me
rican citizen s , the fathers ass ured the growt h o f o u r ship b uildin g
a n d th e m ai n t enance of a train in g school fo r sailors fit for the d uties
B ut th e E n glish drafts m an o f thi s t reaty h as
o f com merce o r war
dis covered that the wisdo m o f the fathers was folly That it i s not
n eces s ary for a com m ercial rep ublic with a m ore extended coast
th a n dem and s protection at the h and s o f any other people , to h ave
eith er ship yard s o r a training school for sailors , and that it will
best con sult i t s interests and its honor by permittin g th e s ubj ects
o f it s m a n ufact urin g an d co mm ercial rival to b u ild it s vessel s an d
co n d uct the carrying tr a de between its ports Lest i t m ay be
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11
d oubted W hether B r i ti sh e ffrontery c o uld g o s o far as to s ub mi t
s uch a proposition a s this , let m e re m ind v o u th at we im port m ost
o f o u r ship ti m ber fro m C an ad a , th at wages i n the D ominion are
b ut fro m sixty six t o seventy fi v e per cen t o f thos e we c usto m arily
p ay , and invite yo u r attention t o A rti cl e I " , which i s as follows
F o r the ter m o f years mentioned i n A rticle " I I I of thi s treaty ,
v essel s of all kind s b uilt i n th e Un ited S tates m ay be p urch ased by
i nh a b itan ts of C anada , s ubj ects of Great B ritain , an d regi stered
i n Can ada as C an adian ve ssels , and , reciprocally , ves sel s o f all
ki nds built i n Canada m ay be p urch ased by citizen s of the United
S tates , an d registered i n th e Un ited State s as Un ited S tates ves
"
sels
It m ay no t be i m proper t o re m ark to th e l adies wh o h o n o r m e
wi th their p resence , an d who are n ot familiar with the technical
language of co mm erce , that a ves sel registered as a United States
ves sel m ay s ail un der o ur flag a n d en gage in o ur d omestic or coast
wi se carryin g trade ; an d tha t as ti m ber i s s o m uch cheaper an d
wage s so m u ch lower in C anad a th a n in th e Un ited States we
would u n der th i s stipulation soo n co un t ship b uild in g a s a los t art
W h eth er at the en d of twenty fo ur years , for w hi ch th e treaty is t o
bin d us , C on gre s s co u ld revive it by an n u lin g the treaty an d r e v iv
ing th e w ise n avigation l aw s of t h e fath ers , n o tho ughtful m a n will
attempt t o s ay
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It P rop ose s to R em it J ur i sdi ction ov e r Pa r t of our Terr it or y L i g ht
h ou se s an d F i sh e r i e s t o J oint C ommi ssi ons
N ot conte n t w ith exten d ing th e B riti sh frontier t o th e wh arves
,
,
.
of
New York an d extirp atin g o u r ship yard s , th e auth ors o f this pro
j cet propose that we sh all yiel d j u risdictio n ove r o u r s oil — s o far as
the m atte r o f lighthouses on the great l akes , a n d the pro m otion o f
the propagation of fish i n inlan d w ater , wh ich are to be m ade c o m
m on t o both peopl e — to j o i n t co mm ission s ; and , after h av i n g t h u s
ill ust rated th e exces sive m odesty of B r i tish diplo m acy , the treaty
gracio u sly p rovid es , th at , after the ex piration of twenty one years
fro m the l s t day of J uly , 1875 either o f the h igh con tractin g p ar
ties m ay give n otice o f its wish th at , at the en d o f t h ree years from
the giving o f s uch notice , the treaty shall term in ate A s it wo uld
require C ongres s to in struct th e P res i dent t o give s uch n otice , m ore
than a qu arter of a cen tu ry m u st elapse before we will be able to
escape peaceably fro m th e crippl ing , d w a r fin g , an d enfeebl ing p ro
vi sion s o f thi s t reaty about which th e peopl e were n ot t o be con
s ul t e d
W h at m inister o r sen ator h as the prescience t o determin e
the fiscal policy thi s co u n try will req u i re ten o r t wenty years hen ce ,
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12
o r at th e end of a qu arter centu ry " Has the executive power the
right to deprive C ongres s o f its con stitution al control of the reven ue
system of th e co u ntry for a qu arte r o f a century " An d will the
A merican people con sen t to be im poveri shed for so long a period
by s uch an as sum ptio n of p ower by any exec utive " These are
questions worthy o f grave con sideration W hos e I m agin ation can
adequately portray the con dition o f o u r co untry a quarter century
hen ce " My poor p owers sh rink fro m the task O ne th ing how
"
"
—
ever , is certain if we a v oid su ch en tanglin g alliances as thi s
an d gro w at o u r nor m al rate , the A m erican people will , a quarter
of a centu ry hence n umber nearly if n ot quite on e h und red million s
W hat will be their conditio n as to wealth , refinem ent an d power
I will not attempt t o suggest , but a brief retros pect m ay help yo u
to conceive it Permit m e , therefore , to repeat a few remarks I
m ad e fro m th is desk o n the 12t h o f J une , 1871
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T he
A qu arter
R
e su l ts
of
a "uarter
of
a C entur y
.
of
a centu ry ago there was n o S an F ran cisco Not a
cabi n o r a h ut stood withi n the n e w corporate l imits of th a t beau
tiful an d prospero u s city C alifo rnia , Nevad a , Arizon a , and New
Mexico were still Mexican te rrito r y N either s cien ce nor observa
tion had detected the deposits o f gold an d silver , or the a g r ic u l
tural capabilities of that v ast region o f country The great rail
ro ad ce n tre o f the W est , C hi cago , h ad n o t yet com e in to p ublic
view T he less th an
peopl e wh o had gathered at the c on fl u
ence of the C hicago river with Lake Michigan , h ad n o presentiment
that the s wam p i n whi ch they dwelt would , in les s than twenty
years , be filled up an d rai sed n early twenty feet , to pro v ide drainage
for the st reets of the m o st enterpr ising an d remarkable city o f it s
age in t he world Mi chigan then h ad a pop ulation of les s than
and Mis so uri and Iowa e ach but
an d civilization
h ad n ot yet penetrated the wild region k n own as Minneso t a Terri
tory , wh ere the cen s us t akers fo ur years later , fo und but 6 0 3 8
people F o ur years l ater there were but
people i n C alifornia ,
whic h h a d then been ceded to u s by Mexico , and admitted to the
U n ion as a S tate an d whose recen tly discovered deposit s of gold
h ad att racted i m m i grant s fro m every clime There was n o govern
m ent in K an sa s an d Nebraska , th at whole fertile regio n bein g in
po ssessio n o f the I ndian and b u ffalo The n ame of that bu sy cen
t re of river and railroad comm erce , O m aha , had n ot been heard by
English speaking people , an d th e vast m ineral , grazin g , an d agri
cultural regi on through which t he Un io n and C entral Pacific R ail
ro a d i s n o w do i n g a profitable an d rapidly increasing busi n ess , wa s
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13
"
P h il a d e l
n oted by geograph ers as the Great A m erican Dese rt
phia had n o railro ad connection w ith Pittsbu rg Pittsb urg n o ne
with C in cinn ati o r C hicago , n o r any of these with St L o uis The
"
n orthwestern part o f o u r S tate was kn ow n as the W ild C at
"
C o untry , i n which i t was regarded as a m isfort une to o w n lan d
un les s i t was ti mbered an d o n th e banks of a m o untai n stream ;
an d pro perties i n t hat wide section in which coal an d petroleu m
h ave sin ce been discovered were sold every fe w years for taxes
becau se peopl e co ul d n o t a fford t o o wn lan d i n s uch a cold , m o u n
t ain o u s , unprod uctive , an d i n acces sible co untry
S urely the world m oves , an d tim e d oe s work wonders W hat
rail ro ad s we have yo u kn ow ; wh at railroad s we are to h ave yo u
only begin to s u spect In E urope d uring this quarter of a century
dynastie s an d the bo undaries o f e mpires h ave changed , b ut the in
crease o f p op ulatio n has been scarcely perceptible T he O pp r e s
sion s o f the feud al past linger th e re and can n ot be sh aken o fl B ut
here , where m an i s free , and n at u re o ffers bo un dless retu rn s t o e n
t e rp r is e , broad em pire s h ave risen , e m bracin g town s , cities , and
States ; and million s of peo ple , born i n m any l an ds , w ith poverty
an d oppres sion as thei r on ly b i rthrigh t , are no w , as A m eric an citi
zen s enj oying all the com forts an d refinement s of civilizat i on an d
with capital r i valling tha t o f E urop ean prin ces , origin atin g an d
pressing forward great enterpri ses wh ich are i n th e n ext quarter of
a cent ury to work mo re m arvello u s ch an g es th an any I h ave all uded
to Yes , l adie s an d gentle men , were s upern al po wer to unfol d to
o u r view o u r co untry a s it sh all be a quarter o f a cen t ury hen ce ,
th e m ost far seeing and san guin e o f u s wo uld regard the reali ty a s
a m agnificent delu sion O ur exte n sio n o f te rritory an d l aw , great
as i t has been , i s o f s m all con sequen ce in com parison with t he
achievement s o f m ind i n t he e m pi re o f scien ce an d art , whereby
m an i s en able d to prod uce tenfold , and in m any d epartments o f
prod u ctive ind u stry a h undre d fold a s m uch a s he co uld twenty fi v e
years ago by t he sa m e am o un t of l abo r Ne w road s a re to be built
new town s , cities an d States to be created ne w res ou rces t o be de
v e l o p e d ; an d the sluggish people o f the O rien t are t o be awakened
to their o w n i nterest , an d ind uced t o contribute their vast sh are to
the p rogress an d com m erce o f the wo rld T he vi sion that filled
the so ul o f C ol umb us w as a gran d o n e , b ut th at which Open s t o o u r
v ie w , an d sh o uld posses s and animate u s , i s as m uch grander an d
m ore b en e fic e n t as the civil iz ation an d art s o f the close o f the n ine
t ee n t h cent ury are s uper i or t o th ose of th e d aw ni ng days of the
fo urteenth ce n t ury
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14
T h e C a na dian s
a re O pp osed t o the Tr e at y
.
The people o f C an ada d o not desire this treaty I n d eed , they
j ustly d read it more th an we have reason to They see that it i s
replete with cau ses of mi s understan din g bet w een th e United State s
and G reat B rit ain , an d that m ore th an on e of th ese are grave en ough
to be a possible cause of war In s uch an event C anada wo uld b e
th e battle fie l d ; for w i th the B riti sh frontier brought t o the heart
of o u r co un t ry i t would be im po ssibl e to defen d it except by o ver
runn ing C an ada , blockadin g the S t L aw rence , a n d maintainin g an
adequate line of defence at a poin t east of "uebec I h ave observed
several all usion s t o thi s p os sibility in C an adian disc u ssion s of the
question B ut o n other point s they speak m ore freely The Hamil
t on Sp e c ta tor , in a th o ughtful article concernin g the treaty , said :
"
Not on ly d oe s this treaty propose free trade between u s an d the
United St ates b u t it in volves free trade between u s and Great
B ritain I t is n ot to be s uppo sed that the B riti sh govern m ent h as
con sented to the treaty witho ut stip ulati n g fo r the same privileges
for their own peopl e a s are to be ac c orded to tho se of the Unite d
States It h as long been th e set tled policy of th e em pire that n o
other n ation shall obtai n a favored po siti on in the m arkets of th e
col onies A n d it i s n ot at all probable th at Mr Disraeli would co n
se n t to a di fferent policy witho ut th e con s ent of Parliam ent E ven
if h e did , the public sentimen t o f E ngland wo ul d condem n th e ac t
an d demand its revers al Beyond a doubt the acceptan ce of this
treaty mean s free trade w ith both the Un ited States and Great
Britain I s there a sane m an i n C an ad a wh o believes ou r infan t
m an ufact urin g ind ustry can with stan d the shock of th at combined
assault " B ut this free trade is n ot only fra u ght with ruin to ou r
m an ufacturing i nd ustry , b u t it also dries u p the m ain so u rce o f o u r
presen t reven ue N o w the n ation al w orks which the faith of th e
country i s pledged to carry o u t requ ire th at o ur reven ues shoul d
be in creased , n ot d i m inished F rom wh at so urce , then , i s th at i n
crease and t h e deficien cy ca u sed by th e tre aty t o be m ade good "
E very one will see th at direct taxat i on i s o u r only resort under
"
s uch circu mstance s
In another article , app rov i n g the protest o f th e D om inion Board
"
of Trade a gainst the treaty th e sam e p aper says : It is folly any
longer to disgui se t he fact th at unles s we are saved by the United
St ates Sen a te we are on the eve o f a cri si s which o u ght to m ake
‘
’
tho u ghtful men pause an d con sider I f thi s leap in the d a rk is
on ce take n it cann ot u n fo rtun ately , be recall ed , even i f the auth ors
o f it become con vinced o f their m istake
F or n early a quarter of a
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15
century th e treaty m o ul d s o u r fi scal policy if it i s accepted No
m atter wh at ch anges m ay take pl ace in o ur conditio n d urin g th at
time , n o m atter what experien ce we m ay gain i n th at tim e , we leave
o urselves powerless t o take advant age o f either O u r people m ay
grow restive under th e bu rden o f direct taxation which th e treaty
will certainly im pose , b ut they will be bo und h and an d foot to it ,
witho ut the possibility o f e scap e T he United S tates can a fford
the risk of thi s experi ment , becau se eve n if it sh ould prove i nj urio u s
to them it will be b ut a d rop in the b ucket , b u t to u s the q uest i on
"
i s a vital o n e ; i f we m ake a mistake in thi s m atter it is a v i tal on e
O n the 23 d of September a large an d in tel ligent m eeting assem
bled ih S t Lawren ce H all , T oronto , o n t he call o f his W orship the
Mayor , for th e purpose of con siderin g the treaty T h e ti m e o f h old
in g the m eetin g w as selected with reference to th e sim ultaneou s
assemblin g at Toronto of an i mport an t polit ical conven tion , an d the
holdin g o f a p rov i n cial exhibition er the m ineral , mechan ical , a n d
agric ultural prod uctions of th e D o m inio n "uite a n u mber o f ge n
t l e m e n addressed th e m eetin g , and I will detain yo u on this p oint
lon g en ou gh to quote briefly fro m so me of the i r add res ses :
"
Mr Hewitt s aid that , i n l ookin g back to t he hi story o f th eir
co untry they would fin d o ut th at it h ad not lon g emerge d fro m a
wil dernes s T he thin g they n o w o ught to do was to try to d evelop
the m in eral res ources of the co untry , an d al so to develop m a n u fa c
t ures I t wo uld n ot be well fo r C an ad a t o rem ain sim ply an agri
cult ural co m m unity I t has n ever been as serted by th ose wh o de
sired to see th e treaty p assed th at it wo uld ben efit the i ron , leather
o r paper trade b ut it had been said th at the agricultural clas se s
,
"
"
wo uld be benefited
He al s o observed that it w a s wel l for a
co untry t o develop it s o wn res o urces and al so to con s ume its o wn
prod uction s T he treaty , if passed , wo ul d ent ail m a n y difficulties
o n this coun t ry ; for if it were fo un d t o be i mpossible for C an ada
to fulfil the obligation s contain ed in th e treaty regarding the d eep
e n in
f
an
d
b
uilding
the
can
al
it
wo
ul
d
probably
brin
g
ab
out
a
o
,
g
"
qu arrel with the United S tate s
"
Mr R eynold s sa i d th at the treaty would probably bring abo ut
d irect taxation , an d that th e farmers wo uld n ot desire to pro m ote
"
s uch a state of things
"
Mr E O Bickford said George B rown was the cause o f thi s
treaty , h e havin g origin ated it , an d he only did s o fo r the sake of
self aggran dizem ent It h ad been argued th at E nglan d did well
un der a policy o f free trade , b ut he should like t o point o u t th at
the trade of E n gl an d had been b uilt u p under a protective pol icy ,
a n d E nglan d onl y de sired free t rade when her m anufactures h ad
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16
been th oroughly b uilt u p If C an ad a p as sed the reciprocity treaty
the m an ufacturing interes ts o f the coun try wo u ld altogether be d on e
away with Un der the present circ umstan ces em igrant s co uld al
ways get work , b u t i f the treaty were ado pted there wo uld be n o
work for a l arge n um ber o f person s who arrive i n this co un try from
"
the lands o f E urope
D r R oll es who was o n e of the fi rst speakers , rem i n ded th e m eet
ing th at it was not pol itical but o ne which h ad come toge ther to
con sider a m atter a ffecting the social wel fare of th e co untry fo r the
next twenty years an d added t hat it was the gen eral opin ion in
C an ada that th e treaty h ad not been negotiated i n a con stitution al
m anner as the govern m ent ought t o h ave origin ated the m atter ,
an d n o t Mr George B rown Mr B ro wn had for m any years o b
n g t o get the United S tates to grant a treaty
to
en
deavori
e
d
e
c
t
j
,
b u t n ow h e w as s uin g h ar d for o n e O ther gentlemen s poke i n the
sam e vein , m akin g it per fectly clear th at none of them regarded the
m ovement as one originatin g with the C an adian people , or one that
was des ired by them B ut m ost auth oritative of these expression s
was that o f the D o min io n B oard of Trade , which after elaborate
discussion of the s ubj ect , expres sed it s dis approval of the propo sed
treaty by th e e mph atic vote of t we n ty seven t o six
Th e C an adian p apers speak o f the b oard as a representative body ,
com in g fro m every s ection o f th e D ominion and s ay th at it was
governed not by p olitical , b ut by p urely co m mercial consideration s ,
and also speak o f th e treaty as t he res ult of t he ambitio us views
"
o f Mr B ro wn
I might add uce m u ch additional evidence of th e hostility of th e
people of the D o minio n t o the propos ed treaty , but will n ot con
s ume more tim e in that direction , b ut will i nvite yo ur attention to
o flic ia l proof th at the t reaty i s a j ob , p ut u p by the B riti sh an d
C an adia n ministers o f which the people o f th e North A m eric an
C olonies are , in co m mon with the peopl e of the United States , t o
be the victim s
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—
W hat a Br iti sh Bl u e B ook s h ow s a S udde n C onv er si on
.
I n t urn i n g fro m board s o f trade , tow n meetings , an d lead i n g ed i
tors , let u s take a gl an ce at a chapter fro m the B ritish Blue B ook
"
I t i s h ere en titled North A merica Nov 4, 1874 corresponden ce
relatin g to the negotiation s for a R eciprocity Treaty between C an ad a
and the Un ited States , p resented to both Ho use s of Parliamen t by
co mm an d o f h er Maj esty ,
I pray yo u keep in m in d the fact ,
asserted by D r R olles and referred to by others , th at Mr George
B ro w n had bee n the persistent adversary o f reciproc i ty Yo u will
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18
the coming o f th e full copy befo re replyin g Th e b usi nes s wa s
n ot o f s uch i mportan ce as to require deliberation , and o n the 5 t h
of March hi s l ordshi p replied fro m D o wnin g Street t o Lord D u f
’
fer l u s telegra m of the 24t h o f F ebruary , approvin g the p ropo s al
an d
in formin g the C an adi a n m inisters that th ey m igh t
re st
’
assu red that her Maj esty s governmen t are d e s ir io u s to m eet , as
far as it m ay be p racti cabl e to do s o th e reasonable wish es upon
this subj ect of th e C a n adian m inisters , and that they will be pre
pared to give careful con sideration t o any further proposals which
m ay be m ad e by the m d uring the co urse of th e negotiation s
and
"
i n passin g hi s lord ship added that , with view to saving delay yo u
are at liberty to comm un icate un reservedly , though confidentially ,
with S ir E d ward T hornto n the views of you r govern men t , taking
care , however , to trans mit t o m e , at the earliest o pport unity , copie s
"
of s uch co rresponden ce
Here it become s apparent th at p art of the correspon dence h as po s
s ib l y, from prudenti al reason s been withheld even fro m Parli ament
F o r th e next com m unica t ion is from th e E arl o f D u fferin t o the E arl
o f C arn arvon I t is d ated Govern ment Ho u se O ttawa , M arch 17
General o f C anad a s ays :
I h ave the
1874, in wh ich the Govern o r —
hon or to ackn owledge th e re ceipt of a telegram d ated March 14
fro m you r l ord ship , i n which yo u are pleased to signify yo ur assent
t o th e request o f m y govern men t th at a C an adian gentleman sh o uld
’
be as sociated with Sir E dward T horn ton in the even t of her Maj esty s
govern men t authoriz in g th e B riti s h m inister at W ashin gton to enter
u pon a n egotiat i on with th e Un ited S tates fo r the w hole o r a p art
"
H i s lo rdship then con
o f the ren ewal o f the reciprocity treaty
veys t o the E arl o f C arn arvon th e sen se o f M r Mackenzie an d
his colleagues in the ad m inistration of th e con sideration which has
’
been sh own t o thei r representation s by h er M aj es ty s govern m en t
i n thi s m atter ; an d i n fo rm s h is lord ship that it i s perfectly
’
u n ders too d by th e D omin i on government that her Maj esty s govern
m ent , in consenting to auth orize the s ubstit ution o f a re ciprocity
t reaty in l ie u o f the m on ey pay ment sec ured to C an ad a by h er
fi shery cl ai ms i n th e article of the T reaty o f W ash ington have done
so at the in stance an d solicitation s of the C an adian go vern men t
"
an d further add s that it i s al so u nderstoo d that the C an adian
com m i s sion e r will act under I mperial in stru ctions an d that all
p roposition s t o be m a d e to the United S t ates govern ment will be
"
previou sly s ub mitted to the secretary of State
J us t h ere , questions obtrud e th em sel ve s upon u s C an yo u help
askin g why the com m unication of the Governor General of C anad a
conveying to the I m perial govern ment th e request of the D o m i n io n
.
"
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19
gove rnment th at a C a n ad ian gentlem an might be associated with
S ir Edward Tho rn ton in thi s negotiati on i s n ot given i n thi s Bl ue
Book " The request h ad b een m ad e before the 14t h o f March fo r
o n th at d ay it was granted by telegram
C o uld the request possibl y
h ave been en fo rced by the s uggestion th at s u ch a C anadian gentle
m an might res ort t o practices and avail h i m sel f o f agen cies wh i ch
di plom atic p ropriety wo uld p revent S ir E d ward T hornton , her
’
Maj esty s m inister pleni potentia ry , fro m reso rtin g t o " A s we
proceed , circ u m stan ces m ay shed some ligh t o n t h e point A gain
if th ese n egotiation s h ad been in s tituted , as i s preten d ed , at th e
special in stance and request o f the C an adian govern men t , why did
t h e E arl s o f D u fferin an d C arn arvon feel it n ecessary to spread th e
fact so broadly upon the face o f th at part of the correspondence
"
t hat was to b e p ublished " My l ady d oth protest t o o m uch , s ays
H a m l e t ; and if the C an adian people h ad im pelled th eir govern m ent
to ask fo r a reciproci ty treaty , som e o f the m w o uld h ave kn ow n t he
fact before read in g th i s d iplo matic ass u ran ce t hat it h ad occurred
Yet their kn o wl edge o f th e fact depend s upon thi s ass uran ce , an d
u pon it alon e "
’
W h y, if Mr George Brown s con version h ad b een as s udden a s
th at of S aul , an d he h ad been i n spired with the p ower to m ove the
Privy C o uncil an d th e Govern or General with s uch fiery zeal th at
h is n ew idea m u st be telegraphed t o E n gland on the d a y of his ih
spiration , w as n ot L ord D u fi e rin conten t t o let the world accept th e
fact witho ut p utting it so p romin ently before th e p ublic " an d i f the
m ovemen t w as o f C an adian origin , an d was m ad e for th e benefit of
the peopl e o f Can ad a , an d was gracio u sly con sented to by the
British govern men t , why doe s D u fferi n take such pain s t o a ss u re
C arn arvon th at it i s un derstoo d th at th e C an ad ian co m m i ssioner
will act n ot u pon hi s o w n j ud gmen t o r fo r th e interest s of th e
peopl e of C an ad a , or in accordan ce with th e wi shes of th e C an adi an
"
Mini st ry , b ut w i ll a c t u n d e r I m p e r i a l i n s tr u c ti on s , a n d th a t a l l
,
,
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,
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.
-
p
ro
p
os i ti o n s
to be m a d e to th e U n i te d
v i ou s ly s u bm i tte d
to th e
S e c r e t a r y of
S ta te s g o ve r n m e n t w i l l be p r e
"
S ta te "
Bu t if it be true that th ese negotiation s we re in iti ated an d h ave
been cond u cted at the expres s in stance an d solicitation o f th e
C an ad ian govern m ent , Mr B rown n ot only c ut i m m en s e packages
o f red tape b ut imparted hi s own hot h aste an d fiery zeal in the
’
ca u s e to h er Maj esty s min isters T hi s s ubj ect , of s uch vast im
portan ce , was , a s I h ave shown , fi rs t s uggested t o th e Privy C o un
oil o n th e 23 d of F ebr uary ; an d th e E arl o f D erby by a letter fro m
the F oreign O ffice , d ated F ebrua ry 27, t ran s mitted to S i r E d ward
T horn ton a copy of t h e telegraphi c despatch received by her
.
.
,
:20
Maj esty s S ecretary of S tate fo r th e colonial department , from th e
"
G overn o r Gen eral o f C an ad a ; fro m wh ich it appears , that the
C o uncil o f the D om inion are o f t he o pin ion t h at the present i s a
m ost favorable opportun it y for a renewal o f negotiation s for a
"
reciprocity t reaty between Great Britain an d the United States ,
’
"
etc ; an d in formin g S i r E dward th at h er Maj esty s govern ment
are ready t o make t he propos al s wh ich the C o u n cil desire , and th ey
n ow auth orize yo u t o propose to the Un ited States govern ment t o
en ter int o a t reaty to ren ew th e third article of the reciprocity
treaty o f 185 4 ; with a p ro vision for p reservin g in force articles
twenty secon d t o t wen ty fi ft h o f th e treaty o f W ashington , in c ase
th e arrangem e n t n ow proposed sho ul d fail to be carried o u t w i thi n
"
a li mited time , t o be fixed for th at pu rpose
W hen was diplom acy ever s o rap i d as th i s " O n the 23 d M r
B rown an d Mr Mackenzie s uggest t o the Privy C oun cil of Canad a
th e idea o f m akin g an e ffort fo r a renewal o f reciprocity The
Governo r General tran s mits th e idea to Lon d on with lightnin g speed ,
an d by the 26 t h , when the S ecretary o f State for the colonial de
r t m e n t probably d i ctated hi s l etters , which would bear d ate th e
a
p
27t h , he had given th e grave an d com pl icated subj ect s uch m ature
con sideration that h e wa s abl e t o co m m un icate the basis o f j u s t
s uch a treaty as M r George B ro wn and th e o ther m embers o f th e
P rivy C o u n c i l had t hough t o f Let n o o n e h ereafter say th at
’
B ritish d iplomacy i s slo w an d crafty , o r regard D i cken s descriptio n
o f th e circumloc ution office as anythin g else th an a libello u s c aric a
t ure l I n v i ew o f t hes e fact s , i s t here room to do ubt that Mr
’
George B rown s i n spiratio n cam e fro m the B ritish govern men t "
W here h ad he obse rved fact s i ndicatin g that th at was a m ost favor
able Opport un ity fo r a renewal o f negotiation s for a recipro cit y
t re aty betwee n the Un ited States an d th e D om i n io n "
’
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"
H
e
h as
W ho
e ye s
se e s
l
fu l
sh ar
w h a t is
p
n ot
I w e en
to b e
se e n
"
.
H ad n o t yo u an d I as good o pportunitie s as he for ascertainin g
wheth er the p ubl ic Opin ion o f th i s co untry d esired a renewal of
reciprocity " W hat statesm an had bro ught forward any such p ro
p osition " W h at com m u nity h ad agitated t he question " W as i t
th e s ubj ect of d iscu ssion i n the d aily o r oth er j ou rn als o f th e
co un try " N o , n on e o f these things had taken pl ace , and the n u
b roken c urren t of event s s h o wed th at the A m erica n people were
h o st i le to s uch a proj ect
C on gres s had availed it self o f the
earl iest opportunity t o g i ve n o tice o f the termin ation of the treaty
In
o f 185 4, and i ts action h ad been approved by the entire co untry
.
.
21
the earl y part o f th e sess i on o f C on gres s o f 186 5 —6 , the C om mittee
o f W ays an d Me an s reported a bill to th e Ho u se o f R epresen t a
t iv e s w hich , by a red uct i on of th e d uties on C anadi an p rod uction s ,
wo uld practic ally revive s om e o f th e provision s of th e expiring
treaty ; b ut i t was s o ro ughly han dled by the Ho u se , an d fo un d s o
little s upport , th at the chairman withd re w the b ill on the 7t h o f
March , an d i t n ever was h eard o f again
T he representatives o f the peopl e wo u ld n ot tolerate e v e n t hi s
m odified for m o f reciprocity , th ou gh as a l aw i t wo uld be under
their control a n d , u nlike the provision s of a tre aty , liable t o r e
visio n as th e m utatio n s o f b usin es s migh t req uire
B ut , as if t o e m ph asize t h e n a tion al ho stility t o th e meas ure ,
C on gres s by a j oint resolution , w hi ch w as approved J un e 23 , 1870
requi red the Sec retary of the T reas u ry to app oin t a special agent
to in quire i n to the exten t a n d state o f th e trade between the Un ited
States and th e several dependen cie s o f Great B ritain i n North
Am erica T he S ecretary confided th at d uty to M r J N Larn ed
a gen tlem an e min en tly qual ifie d for i ts faithful an d intelligent dis
ch arge His report , to wh ich I sh all h ave o ccasio n to refer , wa s
m ade Jan u ary 28, 1871, a n d tran sm itted t o C ongres s o n the 3 d of
F eb ruary , 1871, and fro m t hat d ay till the co m in g am on g u s o f M r
George B ro wn , s o far as yo u an d I h ave been able to l earn , n o ex
p ress ion o f opin ion in favo r o f th e establ ish m ent o f recipro city
between the B ritis h d om inion s o f North A m erica an d th e U n ited
S tates h ad been heard in this c ountry T h at o pinion h ad yet to b e
created an d Mr B rown exhibited n o sm al l m eas ure o f self relian ce
when h e concl ude d that he co uld , i f the B ritish govern men t wo uld
fu rnish h i m with t he proper appli ances , com e t o th i s co untry an d
c reate it
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M
r
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G eor g e Br ow n
’
s
D
ip l omati c
M
eth ods
.
Mr B ro w n does n ot l ack confid ence I t was n o t u ntil th e 2l s t
o f March that the E arl o f D erby i nform ed h i m that her Maj esty
had been g rac i o usly pleased to app oint h im to be j o i n t p l e n ip o t e n
’
t ia ry with he r Maj esty s m ini s ter at W ashin gto n for the p u rpo se o f
n egoti ating an d c on cl ud in g a treaty with the United S tates B ut
anticipating his appointmen t M r George B rown h ad d one u s th e
h on or to c om e am ong u s early i n F ebruary , an d t o begi n t o m an u
fact ure the opinion which was to j ustify h is assertio n th at t he time s
presen ted a m ost favorable o pportunity for the renewal o f reci
procity His pal pable p rogres s w a s n ot rapid
I n deed , d uring that vis i t h e see m s t o have d one l ittle el se than
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confer with Sir E d ward Thornton and as a p rivate citizen boardin g
at a hotel , ascertain the material o u t of which he could wh en
he sh o uld be com m is sioned t o treat w ith o ur govern m ent , organize
a corp s of claquers and lobbyists to infl uence the opinion of
A m erican senators Th e tim e h ad n ot yet com e fo r active opera
tion s ; b ut it woul d be n o d isad van tage to h im to be o n fam iliar
term s with the represen tative s an d m anagers o f s uch j o u rn al s as
m igh t be ind u ced to s upport hi s proj ect , an d he m ade the intim ate
acquaintance o f so me s u ch gentlem en H avin g acco m plish ed th us
m uch h e retu rned t o C an ad a to set hi s m ach inery in m otion and
i nd u ce the Privy C o uncil to act , an d d id not ret urn till h e h ad been
’
com mission ed to c o o perate with her Maj esty s mini ster B ut when
h e d i d ret urn he was n o t dem on strative
T o h ave opened the
s ubj ect in March o r A p ril might h ave bro ugh t it to the atten
tio n of o u r peopl e an d arou s ed opposition Mr B rown w as quite
too pol itic fo r this : an d it was n ot til l about the l 0 th o f May that
the article s he h a d p rep ared b egan to appear i n free trade j o urn al s
i n vario u s parts of the country T ho ug h h e h as b ut littl e versa
t il it y of style , Mr Bro w n i s e viden tly ind u striou s an d fon d o f u sin g
hi s pen H avin g seen hi s articles in t he papers t o which they h ad
been sent , h e rep ublished th em in bro ad sides s uch as thi s "
exhibitin g
m
an
d
with
th
ese
concentration
s
o
f
hi
s
wisdo
and
o
f
hi
s
o n e"
,
A m erican patriotism b e flooded the m ail s of un s uspectin g m embers
and s enators T his sheet contain s t wen ty six a rticl es , and I fin d
the earliest th at bears date was p u blished o n the l 6 t h o f May , on e
on the 20 t h , o n e o n the 23 d , on e o n the 25 t h , o n e on the 26 t h , o n e
o n the 27th on e o n the 28t h , one on the 29 t h , on e on the 3 0 t h , an d
on e o n the 3 1s t ; o n e o n J une 1 on e o n J u n e 2, o n e on J une 3 , t w o
J un e 5 , o n e on J une 8 and th e oth ers are w ith o ut d ate
W hat
e ffect thes e able ed itorial s an d patriotic broad sides m ay h ave had
u pon t he S tate D epart men t o r th e President , I h ave no m ean s o f
kn owin g , but that they failed to con vin ce the j udgment o r aw ake
the enth usias m o f any portio n o f the people , yo u will , I am s u re ,
bear witn ess In j u stice to Mr B rown , I sho uld perh ap s s uggest
th at it m us t have been hi s l ove o f editorial labo r that te mpted h im
to so flagran tly tran scen d the li m its o f the provin ce of an accredited
d ipl om atic agent as to th u s attem pt t o influ en ce pop ular and sena
t o r ial Opinion and action on qu estion s pen din g before th e govern
men t to which he is accredi t e d I f I err in ascribin g to hi m these
articles , which are as like to eac h oth er in style a n d m atter as eggs
o r peas I am fa r from being alon e i n the erro r
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23
W
h at a
C orr esp on de nt T old
.
Boston rej oices in an o rgan of B ritish trade and th e Manchester
sch ool o f pol itical econ omy It i s kno wn as the B o ston J o u r n a l of
O f co urse bein g th e o rgan o f B riti sh trade an d o pin
C om m e r c e
ion , it n o t only favo red th e schem e of reciprocity , b u t its W ashin g
ton correspon d en t seem s to h ave been ad m itted pretty freely to the
co un cil s o f th e B ritish plen ipotentiaries , a n d when Mr George
B rown an d S ir E d w ard T h orn ton — o r s peakin g m ore dipl om atically
S ir E d ward T horn ton an d Mr Geo rge B ro wn — h ad s u fli c ie n t l y
m atu red thei r pl an s t o brin g the m fai rly to the light of d ay , their
frien d an d ally laid thi s com m unic ation befo re th e readers of the
Bo sto n J ou r n a l of C o m m e r c e o f May 3 0
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W
A S H I NG T O N,
D
.
M
0
ay
26 , 1874
'
T o Ne w E ngl an d the question of C anadian reci pro city an d th e
freedo m o f the in sh ore fi sheries o f the m aritim e provinces of th e
T here i s n o
N e w D o m in ion m u st be of p aramo unt im po rtan ce
d oubt whatever t h at th e B riti sh govern ment h as m ad e propo s al s
to u s l ookin g t oward the n egotiatio n o f a n ew reciprocity treaty
T o so m e exten t th e m atter h as been kept very quiet E arly i n
the presen t ses sion , Mr Brown the well kn own editor o f t he T o
ronto G l obe , appeared h ere i n com pany with a M r A G S h aw , the
Un ited States con s ul at th at place T hey d id n ot rem ain long , b u t
several week s after Mr B rown retu rn ed alone , and after rem ainin g
at a hotel fo r a fe w d ays , took u p hi s residence at Sir E d ward
’
Th ornton s th e s agacio u s and suave d i plo m at wh o represen ts Great
B ritai n at thi s govern ment M r B rown has rem ained h ere s in c e ,
m o ving abo ut quite quietly , fe w pers on s seemin g to kn o w that h e
was here as the co nfiden tial agen t of t h e D o minion govern men t i n
th e m atter of working u p a recipro ci ty treaty T his fact I h eard
m ention ed vaguely so me ti me sin ce , bu t i t did n ot fasten itself o n
my m in d until seein g articles , evidently i nspired by one s o urce , a p
peari n g i n vario u s form s in the press of di fferen t section s I do n ot
say the in spiration i s th at o f Mr B rown , b ut I am in clined to a t
trib ute so me o f them to the State D epart ment itself M r F ish i s
qu ite sh rewd ; he kno ws h o w to u se as wel l as t o ab u se th e p res s
A well informed W as hin gto n j ou rn alist will however , be s u re to
s uppose , wh en he sees an elaborate A s sociated Press d espatch r e
l atin g to som e quest ion of foreign a ffairs , th at the s ame has been
i n spired by the S tate D epartm ent T h e gentlem a n who is at th e
h ead of their offi ce wo ul d avo id o n e relatin g to d ipl o macy , u nles s
i t cam e to hi m by authority A s a p ro of o f t he movement s in the
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24
d irection of reci procity negoti ations , l et m e cite a very el aborat e
A s sociated Pres s des patch fro m W ashin g ton und e r d ate of the 12t h
i nst , t o an editorial i n the T r i bu n e o f the 15 t h , to o n e i n the W or l d
o f th e 9 t h ( the dem ocrati c o rgan i s always the bes t and earliest ih
formed paper ih N e w York o n dipl om atic a d ai rs ) ; to an editorial
i n the T i m e s o f th e l 6 t h o f th e C hicago P os t a n d M a i l o f the
13 th ; of the T r i bu n e thereof, sam e d ate , an d to articles in the
E ve n i n g P os t, the S p r i n gfi e l d R ep u bli c a n , an d other papers
Mr
B r o w n , o r so me o n e for hi m , u n derstand s the way t o infl uen ce the
A m erican p ublic , and Si r E d w ard T horn t on , h i s h o st , appears t o
h av e well selected the m ean s of reaching the A merican Senate A
series o f very quiet p e ti te d in n ers h ave been in progress at th e
B riti sh e mbas sy T o these attractive a ffairs sen at o r s an d other
publ i c men are invited T hey h ave co u rses of B rown an d r e c ip r o
city m ingled with the sou ps , j oints , and ent rees
"
A frien d o f mine — a leadin g m em ber o f the ho use — d ined there
a few evenings since O f c ourse the conversatio n t u rned on reci
’
p rocity , Canada , its rel ation s w i th the U nited States M r B ro wn
was eloquen t an d n o t wearisom e o n th e ad vantages o f s uch a treaty ,
which it i s now understood has b een proposed by S ir E d ward , an d
an an swer t o which i s expected by t he 10 t h o f J un e from t he State
D epartment T he m iniste r , whil e Mr B rown was arg uing th at th e
D om inion wo uld and need not grav i tate to the U n ited St ates , an d
th at it wo uld be better for b oth t o be separate , th o ugh in tim ate an d
‘
friendly , remarked , s otto v o c e to th e guest referred t o : O f course ,
General , I would n ot say so to Mr B rown , fo r he i s C an adian , and
all his interests are there , b ut speaking for myself, I s h ould n ot care
at all if the provin ces were t o be annexed to the United State s t o
m orrow n or d o I believe th e resul t wo uld greatly an noy the B ritis h
’
govern ment
P erhaps this may h ave been u ndiplom atic , b ut it wa s
certainly significant I t i s rum ored here , an d I give it as a straw
with out testin g its qu ality , th a t the late v i sits to th e capital of the
editorial W arwicks o f th e liberal m ove m ent , Messrs Horace W hite ,
’
S am B owles , Murat H al stead , an d Mr W atters on h ad so m eth ing
’
"
t o d o with pu shi n g forward Mr George B rown s m is sion
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W hy
I Prop ounded a "uesti on
.
Before passing from this curio us epistle , wh ich tested by fact s
that h ave sin ce come t o my knowled ge I am con st rained to say
contain s far m ore truth than poetry , I m ust decl are that I cannot
b elieve , and that n o o n e w h o kn ows th e presen t S ecretary of State
w ill believe , that he i s capabl e o f con spiring again st the interes t s o f
t h e trade and com merce o f hi s coun t ry , and o f fo rwa rd in g su ch a
,
,
26
sio u al and especially sen atorial m ill s grin d slowly but with the n ew
Dem o cratic blood bein g rapidly introd uced into their m an agement
they will in evitab l y grin d m on opoly to an im pal pable powder Mean
tim e in t he wrath of Penn sylvanian m an ufact urers at th e p robabl e
in trod u ction of wh at they con sider t o be the thin en d of the wed ge
kn own as th e reci procity with C an ada , th e thick end of whi ch is free
trade , E nglish m an ufactu rers in gen eral , a n d She ffi eld m a n u fac t u r
ers in particular , sho uld see th at somethin g i s tran spirin g worthy
of their earnes t attention S in ce Pitt sb urg i s so enraged at the di s
t an t p ro spect , when i m port d uties are abol ished , of being bro ught
int o a n eck and n eck race with S h e ffi e l d — S h e ffi e l d only h andicapped
w ith the cost of freight acros s the A tlantic it i s ti me for Sheffiel d
t o get itsel f into trainin g th at when th e event co mes o ff, it m ay
n ot be fou n d to o late at the tape T he even t i s yet in the distance ,
b u t wh at we d esire t o point o u t to S he ffi eld m an ufact urers i s t his
—
as th e winn ers o f the T wo T ho u san d G uin eas , the O ak s , and th e
D erby give so m e in d icati on s o f the winner o f the Great S t Leger ,
there m ay be a field in wh ich Sheffield m an u fact urers can , in th e
even t o f th e recipro city treaty being ratified , show thei r capacity
for competin g with Penn sylvan ian m an ufacturers o n t h eir o w n
ground , when free trade , o f which reciprocity i s th e first fruits
open s that gro un d to i nternation al competition England h as bee n
em ph atically assured by th e C an ad ian P rime Minister the C anadian
pl en ipotentiary , an d —lastly an d m o st s tron gly — b y Lord D u fferin
i n his speech at C hicago , that C an ad a will n ot co n sent to a di ffer
I n o th e r
e n t ia l arrangem en t to the prej udice o f the m othe r co untry
,
,
.
,
,
.
,
,
.
.
,
.
,
,
.
S ta te s
w or d s , w h a t th e Un i te d
fi
sp e c i
c
d u ty
i mp or te d
fr e e of
or
fr om
p
os s e s s
p
er
d u ty, th a t
m itte d to i mp or t i n to C
a ls o
th e U n i te d K i n gd om
W e l l , th e n , s h a ll
and
is
n ot o u r
th e l a n d "
n am ed are as foll ow s
i r on
an d
Th e import
i t w i l l be
on
p
an a
r e c i s e ly
th e
sa m e
N ai
l
iron
tin
pl ate s
.
h a r d w a r e m a n ufa c tu r e r s go u p
d uties i n to C an ad a o f th e articles
ce n t
er
1
0
1
0
pik e
iro n
Bar ro d o r h oop ir o n
B oil e r pl at e ir on
R o ll e d pl ate ir on
Br as s or c opp e r m anu fa ctur e d
H ar d w ar e
P l at e d ware
,
te r m s
.
d a pl ate s an d
S h e et
m a y be
a r r a n ge d
P
C
an ada a t
an d s
ro d
,
,
1
0
1
0
1
0
5
15
15
15
Now , free ad mis s i on of all , o r nearly all , these article s int o
C an ada , will n o do ubt be stip ul ated fo r o n behalf of the A meri can
"
27
man ufact urers o f the m If s uch a stip ul ation i s ratified th e same
p rivilege will be con ferred o n English m an u fact urers S u rely they
will n o t fail to t ake ad van tage o f it when the dis advantages they
will labor unde r wil l be m erely the d ifl e re n c e in freight wh ich will
always exist in con sequence o f t w o tho u sand miles o f ocean rollin g
between th e two co untries — a di ffere n ce which very sligh t econo my
o n this side o f the water wo uld easily s u rmo unt
S hoal s o f A meri
can citizen s are passin g o ver to C an ad a i n th e s u mm er seas on , an d
as we when i n a C on ti nental c o unt ry , buy o u r box o f cigars , o r
other c heap p rod uct o f that co unt ry , so A merican ci tizen s in
C an ad a ran s ack th e variou s cities an d t own s fo r cheap p urchases ;
a rticles o f B riti sh man ufactu re being specially in dem an d O ur
serio u s ad v i ce to o u r m an u fact ure rs i s , leave n o ston e unt urned to
take the leadi n g positio n in the C an ad ian m arket s wh en th e r e
e l p r o c it
treaty
i
s
ratified
S
end
t
o
th
e
Ne
w
D
ominion
the
best
y
s pecim en s o f yo ur man u fact ure , an d ch arge the l o west p racticable
p rice , be cau se i n s o doin g yo u will be hasten in g the d own fall o f
A m erican m on opoly , an d , by yo ur excel lent workm an shi p and rea
son able ch arges i n th e sm aller m arkets o f C an ada , th rowin g Open
for yourselves th e larger an d alm ost u n li m ited m arket of th e
A m erican Union , and obt aining a foothold there fro m wh ich , if yo u
"
act with su stain ed en ergy an d discretion , yo u ca n n ever be d riven
,
.
.
"
,
.
,
.
.
.
Th e
G ov er nm ent
nly
o
,
an d n ot
th e P e op l e
,
w as t o be
consu l te d
.
The editor of the She ffield T e l e g r ap h was sligh tly mistaken whe n
h e s upposed that A m eri can m an ufact urers w ould s tipulate fo r the
free ad m is s ion of all o r any of th e arti cles h e en u m erated I ndeed ,
he w as mi staken i n s u ppo sin g that the tactics o f th e B riti sh go v
e r n m e n t as el ucidated by h er plen ipo ten tiar i es w ould perm it th e
,
,
A merica n m an ufactu rers to h ave an y voice i n th e m atter , o r pro
pose any stipulation s o n th e s ubj ect The c unni n gly d evised plan
’
o f her Maj esty s representatives was to n egoti ate in secret
an
d
;
have the treaty s en t t o the S en ate for confirm ation i n t h e b u sy ,
clo sin g h ours o f th e ses sion , before th e p rotest o f th e A m erica n
people co uld be heard In relation to t h l s s o called treaty of r e
.
-
.
-
.
i n argument
T he D
i r ect
.
A pp eal
of
Br iti sh M
ini ster s
P e op le
t o th e A m er i c an S e nat e
an d
.
I have here a copy
a pamphl et en t i tled , Mem oran d um o f the
C om m ercial R el ation s , Past an d P resen t o f th e B ritish North
,
"
A m erican Provin ces with t he Un i ted States o f A m erica , of which ,
of
"
28
'
though it was circul ated confiden tially in W ashin gton d uring th e
last ses sion o f the Senate , I h ave b ut recently , after m u ch e ffort i n
m any direction s , been able to o b tain a copy It i s d ated at W ash
in g t o n , 27t h of A pril , 1874, an d i s signed E dward Th ornton an d
George B rown I t p urports to be a n im partial examin ation of the
co m m ercial relation s that h ave existed between the Un ited S tates
an d th e British North A m erican P rovin ces for th e l ast fifty years
"
I t says : A n i m partial exam ination o f th e com mercial rel ation s
that h ave existed b etween the Un ited S tate s an d the B r i tish N o r th
A merican Prov i n ces for th e l ast fifty years cannot fail t o establi sh ,
w e h ave v ent u red t o think , beyo n d all do ubt th at the t raffi c b e
t wee n them has been exceedingly val u able to both co untries , b ut
that th e Uni ted S tates h ave , from firs t t o last , reaped greatly the
"
l argest advantage fro m i t
Ti me will not permit m e t o brin g t o
yo ur n otice the briefest abstract o f thi s stateme n t , but I m ay r e
m ark i n pas sin g , that i f it be full , fai r , an d frank , S ir E dward
Th ornton an d Mr George B rown m u st feel that th e i nj unction ,
"
D o unto others as yo u w o uld h ave others d o u n to yo u , is l u ade
qu ate to e xpress th e C h ristian d uty the B ritish an d C an adian gov
e r n m e n t s owe t o thi s R ep ublic ; for if they wish to revive reciprocity
at such a co st t o C an ad a as th is pa m phlet d iscloses — if th e treaty
o f 185 4 w a s as i nfinitely profitable t o the Un ited States as they
represen t , an d they still wi sh t o re v ive it —th ey m ust bel i eve that
the script ural inj un ction sho uld read , D o unto others a great d eal
"
m ore th a n yo u woul d h ope or expect anybody to d o unto you
S o surprised was I when first p erm itted to read thi s argu men t a d
dressed directly by Brit i sh plenipoten tiaries to the A merican S en at e
’
that , remem bering Mr L arned s report o n the s am e s ubj ect I
determined to co mpare th e statem ents of th e British diplo mats
with th e facts a s fo und by th e A m erican agent M r L arned i s not
hostile to reciprocity Hi s report points o u t m any advantages th at
would flow to both countries from act ual reciprocity , but he d oe s
n ot find that it h ad bee n attained under the t reaty o f 185 4 and it
is apparen t that h e wo uld fin d still graver obj ection s i n the unfai r
n es s
an d want o f reciprocity in the p r e posed treaty o f 1874
S peaking o f the trade under th e former treaty Mr Larned says :
"
Th e actual trade , therefore , which occurred between the tw o
countries d uring th e existence o f the covenan t o f 185 4 s hows an
i nequality o f exch an ges very n early in the proportion o f two to
’
T wo h undred and th i rty n ine million s o f dollars worth of
on e
C anadian prod ucts fo un d a free m arket in th e United States un der
the provision s of the treaty again st o n e h und red a n d twenty fou r
million s of A mer i ca n p rod ucts fo r w hich the treaty Opened a free
.
.
.
,
.
,
.
.
,
,
.
.
.
.
,
.
.
-
.
-
,
29
market i n the C anadas O f the total C an adia n p rod u cts sold i n
’
th e U n ited St ate s d urin g a twelve years period , n in ety fo ur per
cen t cam e free , an d but six per cent paid d uty , while fi fty eigh t
per cen t only o f the A m erican co m modities s old in C anad a pas s ed
free to their m arket , an d forty two pe r cent of all paid trib ute t o
th e c usto m ho uses o f th e pro vinci al govern m en t Moreover , th e
entire s ales from thi s co u n t ry to C a n a d a , free goods an d d utiable
good s , domestic p ro d uct s and foreign r e exports , altogether a g g re
gate le ss fo r the twel ve years by t wenty six million s th a n the fr e e
wh
ich
C
an
adian
prod
ucers
were
enabled
by
th
e
treat
to
sell
oo
d
s
y
g
"
i n the Un i ted States
I n con siderin g the qu est i o n whethe r recipro cal free trade between
the D o mi ni o n an d th e Un ited State s i s practicable , Mr L arned
"
s ays : W e want n ot sim ply t o exch ange bre adstu ffs an d provision s ,
a n d coal an d hides an d tall ow w ith th e m , b ut to sell th em o u r o wn
cotton s o u r boots and sh oes , o u r m achin ery , an d o u r m an ufact u re s
generally , in trade fo r th eir l umber , thei r live s to ck , th e i r ashes ,
t h eir pl aste r , thei r furs thei r m in eral s , an d t h e general p ro d uct s o f
th ei r farm ers
W e w a n t, i n fa c t, s u c h a n a dj u s tm e n t of th e tr a d e
.
-
-
.
.
.
-
.
-
.
-
-
.
.
"
,
,
.
th a t th e p r o vi n c e s
S ta te s
s h a l l n ot s e l l
w h a t th e y h a ve to
s e ll
i n th e Un i te d
"
an d
bu y w h a t th e y h a v e to bu y i n G r e a t B r i ta i n
facts , figures , an d ded uction s o f M r L arned
.
T he
cann ot be
’
recon ciled with those presen ted i n th i s p am phlet by her Maj esty s
m in isters to chosen m em bers o f th e United State s S en ate , an d
e m bodied i n th e ch apter o f the B ritish Bl ue Bo ok to wh ich , though
i t was n ot i n tend ed fo r A m erican ci rcul ation , I h ave referred
.
.
A G l an c e
at th e S c h ed ul es
.
B ut l et u s t u rn to the sched ul es con ta ining th e art i cles in whi ch
C anad a is t o enj oy by virtu e of th e proposed treaty free trad e w ith
both E n gl an d an d th e U n ited S tates T hey are con structed with
great in gen uity , an d leave ope n irritat i n g que s t i on s en o u gh t o in
volve u s i n war twenty ti mes o ver T h e edito r o f th e S h e fli e l d
T e l egr ap h , th ou gh m istake n i n s u ppo s i ng th at th e A merican m an u
fac t u r e r s wo ul d stipulate for t h e free ad m is sion o f the articles he
e n u m erated , was right when he s u ggested th at t hey w o uld be fo un d
i n thes e schedules Here they are : I ro n — bar , h oop , pig , p uddled ,
r o d , sheet , or scrap
i
ro
n
n
ail
s
pikes
bolt
s
ta
cks
brads
sprigs
S
o
r
;
,
;
,
,
i ro n cast i ngs , axes , axles , spades , s hovels sn ath s ; loco motive s fo r
r ai l ways o r parts th ereof ; lead , sheet o r pig ; m il l , o r factory , o r
s tea m boat fixed engines an d m achi n es o r p arts th ereof ; p rinting
type , presses , a n d folders , p aper cutters , ruling machines , page
n u m berin g m achin es , stereotypin g an d electrot ypin g apparatu s , or
.
.
.
,
,
.
,
steel , wrought and cast , and s teel plates and rail s ; t in t ubes an d
pipin g ; water wheel m achin es and apparat u s , o r par t s th ereof ;
tweeds of wool solely ; print ing paper fo r n ewspapers , etc etc
‘
-
.
ad
i nfi n i tu m
.
,
.
S u ch R
ec i p r oci ty w ou l d end i n
W
ar .
examining the list o f articl es embraced by t h e sch ed ules , o r
proposed free li st as I h ope each of yo u will do , yo u w ill be struck
by the in gen u ity with wh ich m any o f o u r ind u stries which give
work an d wage s to great n u mbers of people are t o be involved i n
free competition with th e lower wages o f E ngl an d and S cotland ,
an d with wh ich grave questions are l e ft Ope n for fut ure settl em en t
T h e term s of th e treaty refer to articles th e gro wth , prod uction , o r
m an ufactu re o f the D ominion o r the Un ited States Let us , as an
ill ustration , con sider thi s cl au se of sched ule C M an ufact ures of
woo d solely o r w ood n ailed bo und , hinged , o r locked with m et al
m aterial s A re th e m etal m aterial s with which th e articl es m ay be
n ailed bound , hin ged , or l ocked required to be o f the growth and
prod ucti on of the co un try o r could su ch metal be procured in it s
fin ish ed condition from Engl and , and sent in to thi s cou n try free o f
"
"
"
"
d uty u nder thi s cl ause
I f and h ad been used in st ead of o r,
s o th at articles m ust b e th e growt h , p ro d uction , an d m an ufact ure
o f the co untry , th e q uestion wo uld be m ore s i m ple , b ut t hen E n g
land wo uld take n o interest in the tre aty In the co urse o f a d is
c ussi e n of th e s ubj ec t a C an adian asks wh o i s to determine wh at
are t h e prod uc t s an d m an u fact u res of the co un tries respectively
"
"
"
I s , s aid h e , a spade o r axe im ported fro m England to pass
into th e United S tates free o f d uty u n d er t h e n ew t reaty , becau se
"
we i n C a n ad a have pu t a han dle to i t " Th e speaker ad mitted
th at th i s m ight seem an extreme case , b ut adde d th at h e selected
an extrem e cas e to ill u st rate h i s argu m ent I f di fferences arise as
t o the con struction of th ese clau ses , wh at co u rt will settle them "
S hall we refer o u r tari ff l aws an d c ust o m s regul ation s to a j oin t
high com mission " Un der th e teachings o f o u r representatives o f
the M an chester S chool o f E cono my th e spade in question would
undo ubtedly enter free as a m an ufact ure Mr E dward Atkin so n
assert s th at pig i ro n an d cast steel are raw m aterial , becau se pig
iron will certainly be advanced an d cast steel is u sed as the material
o u t of w hich tools ,
m an ufactured ; t h us , broadcloth , i n his
n ot only the m aterial , b ut t he raw m aterial
r Mo re
acc urate thinkers while ad mitting th at broa
th i
m aterial
In
,
.
.
.
,
,
.
,
,
,
,
.
.
.
,
.
-
.
-
,
-
.
,
31
th e ta i lor , a n d steel th e m ate ri al fro m wh ich saws an d othe r
tools are fashion ed , take care to define the m as th e m an ufact ured
o r ad van ced m aterials wh ich others , by thei r skill and labor , will
s till furthe r advan ce
Again , we find i n thi s s a m e sched ule printi n g paper fo r n ews
papers W h at phraseol ogy coul d be si m p l er o r m ore d irec t th an
that " B ut s uppose o u r m arkets s ho u l d be flooded with th e fin e
sized p aper u pon which o u r best ill u s t rated j ou rn al s are pri n ted
and it s ho uld be fo und a s has bee n the c ase in o ur experience , t hat
th e di men sion s o f the sheets h ad been so arranged as t o perm it
them t o be ou t witho ut l oss i nto cap , p ost an d n ote p aper
W e
co uld n ot p revent the con sign m en t o f m o re paper , beca u se t h e
m arket w as glutt ed , an d s uch p ap er w as bein g cu t to sizes and u sed
t o th e detriment o f ou r m akers o f writin g p ape r N or co uld w e
prevent parties fro m usin g it as cap , post o r n ote paper , tho ugh
th e treaty h ad bro ugh t i t through t h e c usto m ho u se free as
pr i nting p aper A n d , again , we h ave t weed s of w ool sol ely W h at
are tweed s " I t i s a co m merci al design ation , an d th e arti cles to
which it applies ch a n ge wit h the fashion , and the n am e might cove r
in o u r m arkets a s m any varieties of wo ollen clot h s as were on ce
c alled serge s an d d rugget s in Portug al B ut i f th is be regarded
a s an im aginary d an ger , i s th ere n ot a real and grave on e i n th e
prob ability o f yarn s bein g s pun and dyed an d bro ugh t free o f d u ty
i n to C a n ad a , t o b e woven o r m an u fact u red i n to every kin d of cl oth
fo r free entry in to o u r m arket " W o uld this be fair t o F rance , t o
B el giu m , an d Germ any , whose fab ric s o f t he sam e kin d w o ul d be
l iabl e t o th e d uties imposed by o u r tari ff " A m I wron g in t hink
ing the Am erican people w o uld co m pel the gove rn ment , eve n at the
co st o f war , to d isregard a t reaty s o replete wit h frau d ulent d e
vices by wh ic h to work th e i r rui n "
I t i s proper that I sh o uld s ay th at I h ave selected these clau s e s
al mo st at ran do m , and n o t becau se t hey are th e m o s t strikin g o r
fraught wit h graver con sequences th an s cores o f o thers I m ight
have taken b ut beca use some illustration s were n eeded t o sho w
what a field this treaty wo uld open fo r fut u re d ipl om acy an d a rb i
t r a t io n and , in s p i te o f dipl om acy an d arb i tration , for w ar with all
it s h orrors
of
.
.
,
,
.
,
.
,
.
.
.
,
,
.
W
o
ul d
n ot
R
ec ipr oc i t y b e B en efic ia l "
B ut I detain you t oo lon g , and yet before I cl ose I s ho ul d , per
hap s con sider the question whether reciprocity between o u r
n orth ern neighbor and o ursel ves , if possibl e , wo ul d n ot be ben e
h elal " T o t hi s questio n I an s wer , yes
W h ateve r in creases the
,
.
32
productive activ i ties o f a people i s a blessing , an d th ose o f the
C an adian people , n ow n um bering abo ut fo u r m illion s , would be
vastly qui ckened co uld th ey h ave access t o o u r market s , while we
should n ot fail to receive s om e slight advan tage from freer access
to their mo re lim ited m arkets b u t t he contras t bet w een the m ar
kets of fo ur m illio n s o f people whos e rivers are ice bo und nearly
h alf th e ye ar , d uring wh ich th ey have n o comm erci al o utlet except
th ro ugh o ur territory by rail , an d t hose o f forty m illi on s o f m ore
active and prospero u s people , wh ose rivers are never Obstructed by
i ce , are by n o m ean s reciprocal B ut will we derive n o advantage s
from the widenin g and deepening o f the W elland C an al , an d the
i m provem ent o f the channel o f the S t L awrence " Yes , the peopl e
of o u r co untry inh abiting certai n comparatively limited section s
wo uld be greatly benefited by thi s ; b ut it i s a privilege they need
n o t p urch ase T hey m u st get it T he very existen ce o f the D o
m i nio n dem an d s th e s peedy com pl etion o f these works
W ithout
the m al l their interests lan gui sh , and an ample an swe r to th e sophis
tical m e m orand u m o f co mm erci al relation s p repared by Si r E dward
T horn ton an d Mr George B rown , by wh ich they sho w s u ch m ar
v ello u sl
favorabl
e
results
th
e
United
States
fro
m
reciprocity
t
o
,
y
are an s w ered by t he in disp utable fact th at d ur i ng the existence o f
the tre aty few o r n o C an adian s emig rated t o the Un ited St ates ,
bu t th at wit h th e cess atio n o f the treaty th ere bega n a flo w o f
C an adian i m m igration into this country which has bee n so steady
and s o l arge that C anadian F rench is fo und t o be th e p revailin g
l an g uage in m any o f th e n ew man ufactu ring t o wn s o f Ne w En g
land , an d C an adi an s are fo un d in l arge n u m bers I n a ll th e W ester n
S tate s and Terri tories o f o u r co un t ry I n deed , s o great has bee n
t he im migration o f F ren ch C an adian s t o th i s co untry , th at a p ubl ic
e ffort h as rece n tly been set o n foot to i nd u ce them to return fro m the i r
m ore prospero us ho mes i n the Un ited S tates to th e land of their
n ativity u pon o u r n orthern borders It will n ot be e asy for Sir
E dward T hornton an d M r George B rown t o pers uade the A mer i
can people th at the C an adia n s ad hered to their n ative l and with
F ren ch tenacity fo r t welve years , d uring which the people of th e
United Stat e s w ere absorbin g thei r wealth , an d that when th e cau se
of thei r s u ffer i n g had bee n rem oved by t he rescindin g o f the t reaty
o f 185 4, th e y emigra ted fro m thei r then m ore prospero u s coun try
by h undred s o f th o u sand s
O n this poin t o n e o f the daily n ewspapers o f Montreal said i n
O ctober , 1870 : S tati stics tell u s , and any o n e who has travelled
i n th e United St at e s will confirm the fact , th at we an n ually s u ffer
heavier los ses fro m n ative person s leavin g th e c o untry than the
-
,
.
.
.
.
.
.
-
.
.
.
.
34
syste m o f th e C anadas i s der i ved fro m the A m erican com merce
which circulates through it ; wh ile , o n th e other h and , their ow n
com merce with the worl d abro ad can only be c ond u cted at exceed
ing d is advantage , i f at all , for five m on th s of the year , otherwise
than across th e territory o f t he United States , and by the privilege
o f t he cu s to m s reg ulation s o f th e A m erican govern ment
If, therefore , th e D om inio n desires to increase i t s vital force t o
promote i m m igratio n an d perm an en t settlement , an d to develop the
un questio n ed m ineral reso urces o f the co untry , she m u st invit e o u r
carrying t rade , by offerin g i t s u perio r facilities — m u st Open s uch
ch an n els an d b uil d s uch railroad s as will a cco m mo d ate it ; and m ust
m a n age the m i n such a way an d fo r s uch rates o f t e ll as will tran s
p ort o u r pro d ucts through her territory cheaper an d more exped i
W h y, th en , sho u l d we
t io u sl y th an i t ca n be done over o u r o w n
e n dan ger o u r ind u stries and involve o urselve s i n e ntangle ment s
with Englan d fro m which w ar al on e ca n rel ieve u s , as con sideration
for C an ad a do i ng that witho ut do in g which she cann ot l iv e and grow "
.
O ur T r u e
P ositi on
th e "u e sti on
on
.
T he t rade be t wee n th e D o m in io n and u s c an not , fro m the very
n a t u re of th ings b e reciprocal while she co n t i n ues t o be a p art o f
the B riti sh E m pire , an d ca n only becom e s o whe n th e same flag sh all
w av e over both co untries , an d th e people o f each sh all be ar th e ir
sh are o f the b urd en s i m posed upo n u s by t h e rece n t w ar , wh ich the
C an adian s did so m uch to p rol ong T he n l abo r in either co u ntry
will fin d equal rewards , w h i ch it n o w doe s n ot Mean wh ile , ladies
an d gentlem en , I s ay t o you , as I said to the H o u se o f R epresenta
"
Let u s m a in t ain o u r rights , ou r
t iv e s o n th e 7th o f March , 186 6 ,
’
i nterest s , an d o u r country s dig n ity
L et u s go o n o u r way as
though there were n o B rit i sh p rovin ces , an d the m ere action of
B ritis h legislation con strain in g their peo p l e to un requited a g ric u l
t ural labo r will m ake the m sigh fo r o u r pro sperity , an d then w e
shall fi n d th at the A merica n C on stit ut i on is as el astic a s it i s g ran d
an d en d urin g I t has expande d to embrace i m m en se tracts o f ter
r it o ry
O ur flag h as swept fro m th e l imits of the original thirtee n
States t o th e Pacific an d s o uthw ard t o the R io Gran de ; an d , si r
wh e n th e people o f C an ada s hall , as t he y will if we protect o u r
l abor , ask to u nite th e i r destinies with ou rs , the worl d will receive
addition al proof that wh en Prov i dence i mpelled o u r fathers t o the
creation of ou r govern m ent , i t gave the m the wisdo m to bles s u s
with a C o n stit utio n wh ich i s th e fit canopy of a cont i nent , an d w ill
"
e
t
crow
n
n
o
e
y
Here I sh o uld pa u s e , bu t you w i ll bear w i th m e a fe w m i n utes
,
.
.
.
.
.
.
35
m ore
I ca nn ot believe , in deed I will n ot b el i e v e , that the Se na te
will co n se n t t o th e ratification o f th i s t re aty
B ut the fact t h at a treaty wh ic h wo ul d depr iv e th e Hou s e o f R e
its
con
st
i
tution
al
right
t
o
regulate
the
reve
n
ues
i
f
v
r
e
n
t
a
s
s
e
t
e
o
p
o f th e gover n ment , revol ution ize o u r reve n ue system , a n d co m pel
u s to depe n d chiefly on d i rect tax a tio n , a s th i s o n e wo uld , co uld be
co n cocted in E n gla n d a n d m at u red with s u ch c u nni n g a mplitude o f
detail as th i s h as been , an d be p resented t o o u r gover n m en t a s an
expres sion of th e w i sh es o f th e C an adian people , an d t he fu rther
’
fact th at her B r i ta nni c Maj esty s min isters pleni potent i ary co uld
u se the col umn s o f m any o f o u r p apers a n d e m ploy s uch agenc i e s
as are descr i bed i n the letter I have read , t o i n fl ue n ce the O pin io n s
o f S e n ators a n d m e m bers Of C on gre ss , a n d th a t o u r o w n p eople
s ho ul d be per mi tted to k n o w little o r n oth in g o f th ese m o v e m e n t s
u n til o n the eve o f adj ourn m e n t the treaty w as s ub m itted t o the
S e n ate , i ll u s trates a p oss i bility o f d a n ger agai n s t w hich t h e people
s ho ul d d em and a con stit ut ion al safeguard T he n ext a m en d men t
t o the C on stit ution sho uld , i n my j udg m e n t , be on e l i mitin g the
treaty m akin g power , an d guard i n g against E xecut i ve encroach m en t
u pon the co n stit ut i o n al right o f the R ep rese n tat iv es of the people
to regul ate the reve n ue s of th e co u n tr y
.
.
,
.
-
.
l a tio n d es k o f a ny
Un iv e rs ity o f C a l ifo rn ia L ib ra ry
R ET UR N TO th e
c irc u
o r To
th e
RTH E R N R E G IO NA L L IBR A RY FAC IL ITY
Bl d g 40 0 R ic h m on d Fie l d Sta tion
Un ive rs ity o f C a l ifo rn ia
R ic h m on d C A 9 480 4 46 9 8
NO
.
,
-
,
A LL
0
RE C A LLE D A FT E R 7 D AY S
2 m on th l oa n s m a y b e re n e w e d b y c a l l in g
(5 10 ) 642 6 75 3
I ye a r l oa n s m a y b e re c h a rg e d b y b rin g in g
b oo ks to NR LF
Re n e w a ls a n d re c h a rg es m a y b e m a d e 4
d a ys p rio r To d ue d a te
BO O KS M A Y BE
-
-
-
.
D UE
A S STA M P E D
0
0
S E"
2000
JAN22 2001
JUN 1 2 2001
i
en
ru x t re "
BE LO W