^^ 
 
fiottse of Commons ©ctiat^s* 
 
 THIRD SnSSION-SnVENTIl I'ARLI.WIIiNT. 
 
 SPEECH OF MR. COGKBURN, M.P. 
 
 ov 
 
 THE TARIFF 
 
 THURSDAY, 23kd FEBRUARY, 1893. 
 
 Mr. COGKBURN. Mr. Speaker, the elo- 
 hout. and .sliall I call it the fervid address 
 \t tlie lion. meml>er for Queen's (Mr. Davles), 
 I regret to say, only another proof, if 
 h'oof were needed, of the desfradation which 
 otherwise good and noble nature Incurs 
 associating wltli men whose political crt>ed 
 one Hint can only lead to the degradation 
 id destrnctlon of the higher piitriotic in- 
 ilincts nnd aspirations. It may be, Sir, tliat 
 Is iviav pi'oximity to tlie representative of 
 forth Norfolk (Mr. Charlton) comnninicate<l 
 hira some of that hon. gentleman's bitter- 
 ess of feeling to this his native countiy. It 
 \ay be tliat, seated, as he is, with such an 
 3sy conductor between him and the member 
 North Norfolk, the stream of political 
 pison has passed from the one to the other. 
 Icihaps I am wrong in saying that the hon. 
 V^uber for South Oxford (Sir lUchard Cart- 
 I'ight) is an easy conductor, for T should 
 t$inlc that in matters of this kind ho would 
 such an absorbent that he would retain 
 pi the political poison that might pass from 
 )i> member for North Norfolk, and not allow 
 to reach the hon. member for Queen's. Sir, 
 jr two blessed hours last; night, the hon. 
 'uiber for North Norfoll?: not only exliausted 
 file, but almost encroached on eternity, in 
 everlasting praise and defence of the 
 ^p.eric4in hunbeiing system. He depicted to 
 the glories of that great country to the 
 luth of us. He showed what a miserable. 
 }or, craven, stricken lot we were, that we 
 ^ve unable to hold our own in the race of 
 Jmpetltlon. I felt at the time that If I rose to 
 ply I should be compelled to apologize to 
 [is House for taking hon. members away from 
 K- consideration of the interests and glory 
 tJie great repubUc to the scatii of 
 and asking them 
 E|v moments to give 
 |>.1ect thait pertained 
 |nal welfare. Sir, I am side, dead sJck, 
 the efforts made by the Opposition at all 
 les to thmst dovra our throats the example 
 Id out b% the United States. The hon. 
 
 to come for a 
 
 attention to the 
 
 fo our own na- 
 
 member for Queen's tells us that ho Is here 
 as a representative of the Maritime pro- 
 vinces, and in tJiat nnrrow sectional spirit 
 which he ha.s Imbibed from the party, though 
 contrary to his natui-e, he gives us a discourse 
 pertaining, he tells us, more particularly to 
 till) llttie province from which ho hails. Now. 
 Sir, T happen to k.now something of the Island 
 of Prince Edward : nnd though my hon. 
 friend imdertakes to pose as a representative 
 of the Maritime provinces, the Maritime pi*o- 
 vhioes deny his right to sissmue any 
 such title. They have sent to this House 
 a band of noble men, and wirth the 
 single exception of the Island of Prince 
 Edward, they imanimonsly support the 
 Government. Well, I regret to «ee my hon. 
 friend, a man with good and noble aspira- 
 tions, so far forgot himself ns lo take the 
 stand he has done, and to take sides with the 
 hon. member for North Norfolk In the picture 
 he has given of our nati'Uial degimlation. 
 \Miy, Sir, It was only last night that the hon. 
 member for Nortli Norfolk w^as bewailing 
 the condition of those poor farmers who bnve 
 lately become the special property of Op- 
 position ; and what did he tell us ? 
 He told us that we had Iticurred a debt of 
 some $250,000,000, that $60,000,000 had been 
 paid towards the construction of the Canadian 
 Pacific Railway, and that a large proportion 
 of this was paid" by the fai-mers. In count- 
 ing up the enonnous burdens wliioh were 
 laid upon the farmers, he calculated that no 
 less a smn was paid by them than $63,000,000 
 annually. Weh, I have been brought up in 
 tills House by the Opposition to believe that 
 the Canadian farmer Ls a poor, down-trodden 
 man, and that so far from being able to con- 
 tribute $63,000,000 per year, he never in Ms 
 wildest dreams could unagine himself ever 
 being able to pay a titiie of that amoiuit. I 
 take these $63,000,000, wliioh ai-e payable 
 annually by fhe farmer's, as my hon. 
 friend staites, and I divide them fairly 
 among the 600,000 fanners of the Do- 
 minion, and I find that, according to 
 
the cnlculatlon of the hon. member for North 
 Norfolk (Mr. Charlton), eveiy farmer pays 
 in duty alone no leas a smn than $105 per 
 yeai". The statement the )iou, sentleiiian 
 makes In this instance Is on a par with the 
 others he has made. He polnletl out to us 
 a fanner in New York state as having made 
 on his farm no less a sum than $4,00') a 
 year. 1 turn to a book recently published 
 In that state called " American Fanner," and 
 what do I liud V The hon. gentleman tells 
 us that the Canadian fanner can only eke out 
 a miserable existence, that he can not better 
 himself even if he would, but that the Ameri- 
 can farmer, if he would only deny himself a 
 few of the luxuries and live like an ordinary 
 man, would soon regain his prosperous posi- ; 
 tion. Well, tliL>» impartial authority, which Ii 
 have mentioned, arrives at tlie conclusion, i 
 after gathorin.!,' data, that not less tJian 25 ' 
 per cent of tJie farmers in an imporlant sec- 
 tion on the American sidt? are In the grip of 
 the usurer, and adds that the evil is a grow- 
 ing one. The writer goes ou to stiy : 
 
 Tlif viiliic of fariii liiiids has j-clddin Ik-cii liiwcr 
 diiriiif,' tlif last tliirty ycins thai low. 
 
 And mind you. Sir, these are not ordinary 
 fanners, Avho thus suffer ; they are not men 
 against whom the imputation of lack of enter- 
 prise, thought or sliill can l>e cast, for the 
 authority I refer to thus describes them : 
 
 Till! avenifff farin proprintor ^if tiie (;()iiimunity is as 
 fiiii- a ly|>i' (if man a-< the avcra^^c in any city (ir ((Min- 
 try in Xintli America ~fni;,'al, indn.strioiis, iiUcUi- 
 geiit, <|nick of wit, and aniliitions Inncind tlic average 
 man. 
 
 And yet this authority tells us that the aver- 
 age Income of the best of these men is only 
 $350 a year, and that : 
 
 We have for some time Mitertained the <)|)ini(in that 
 thousands of our land proprietors, on less fruitful 
 lands, arc in tiiis country, forced to meet necessities of 
 life for their families, and jiaythe demands made \i|K>n 
 them l)y society '^ut of less than S'2M jier year. 
 
 Well, Sir, we have here the assurance that 
 the fanner in the United States has but $250 
 per year income, and yet the hon. member 
 for Nortli Norfolk (Mr. Chai-lton) tells us that 
 the Canadian farmer, although less well off 
 than the American farmer, is able, by some 
 hook or crook, to contribute no less a sum 
 than $105 annually, not for purchases, but 
 simply as duties paid on the purchases he 
 makes. Such statements are an outrage on 
 tlie common sense of this country, and I think 
 it is most disgraceful that, in our political 
 contests, hon. gentlemen should not scruple 
 to have recourse to extravagant statements of 
 this kind in order to make our farmers dis- 
 contented with their condition. We have 
 been led in this House, by the constant reiter- 
 ation of the assertion, to believe that a mort- 
 gage is something of which we ought to be 
 ashamed. Now, 1 consider a mortgage simply 
 as so much lx>rrowed capital. A mortgage may 
 often be regarded indeed as a measure of the 
 
 prosperity of the coimtrj-. Tlie farmer simply 
 anticipates receipts from his lands, and bor- 
 rows the money from the loan companies. 
 That Is a mortgage. A merchant anticipates 
 the receipts from his goods and borrows the 
 mono.v from a bank. That Is a discount 
 Now we are all proud and rejidy to acluiowl. 
 edge that our discounts have greatly in- 
 crease<l. We look upon that as a proDf ot 
 Increasing business and Increasing prolits; 
 but when a fanner wishes to borrow money, 
 on the same security, by anticipating rcc<>ipts 
 from his Investment in land, we are told that 
 lie is in a most deplorable condition. As au 
 iUustratlou of my contention, thixt the borrow, 
 ing of capital by the farmer must not bn 
 regarded as any indication of his having fallen 
 into an evil condition, I would direct your 
 attention to a late census bulletin of the 
 United States, and I would commend It to the 
 attention of the hon. member for North Nor- 
 folk (Mr. Charlton), who is fully coguizmi 
 not only of all tlie various states of the Union, i 
 but appai'entiy of iHi the various statesmen ; j 
 
 A Inilletin recently issued by the I' iiited States Cwi- 
 Hus IJurtNui on c(^rta in features of tlie niortt?aKe in- 
 (lelitedness in the five states of Alaliaiiia, llliiuiis, 
 Iowa, Kansas and 'reniiessi'e contains strikini; evi- 
 dence i if the general trutli that nlort^'ag('^ :ire a sijfii 
 of amliition and prospciity rather tliaii of I lie (le>|mir 
 and failure of hind owneis. They show the hiiyiiigdf 
 property of men without capital enough to pay fur it 
 entirely rather than the incurring of indeiiteihiess liy 
 those already owning land. If tiiis were not soitis 
 certain that Alaliaiiia and Tennessee, in wliicii states 
 a once wealtliy slavc-hol'ling class of land-owners was 
 largely reduced to poverty liy the civil war, riitiict 
 tliaii Illinois, lowaand Kansas, would show tiiegrciitfr 
 increase in mortgage indelitediiess and the iiigliest 
 proportion of iiiortgag<'s to poiiulrtioiiaiid to the value 
 of all the proiH-rty encumbered. The ipHicial records 
 show, however, that in the two southern states tlif- 
 proportion of iiiortgagi-s to population is only alxjiit 
 one-third as great as in tlie three iiortliern states wliich 
 have enjoyed niucl) more rapid growth and greater 
 prosperity. In iirojiortion to all the real estate and 
 to the real estate mortgaged, the contrast is alsi 
 remarkable. In ratio of the delit in force to the 
 estimated true value of all real estate, in 18M!t, the 
 year covi-red liy the census, was 1()"!(() iiercent in Ala- 
 bama, 14"(t(i p(!r cent in Illinois, 17"(il |)er cent in 
 Iowa, 28'13 per cent in Kansas, and only 8'(i7 percent 
 in Tennt'.ssee. These figures are suHicieiit in tlienilj 
 selves to show at a glance how alisiird it is to tteatr 
 real estate mortgages in a growing anil enterprisiiijl 
 country na evidence of general misfortune and iiidii'T 
 trial distress. 
 
 I thinlv, while this general wall on the parll 
 of Uie farmers has been going on, it is walj 
 to direct our attention to the results. I speillll 
 only with reference to Ontario, representlnjj 
 as I partly do, that province, and asl 
 that has been the province which hail 
 l)een selected by the hon. member fwj 
 South Oxford (Sir Richard Oartwrighfll 
 and others as an example. I Mf 
 that during the last year all the mortgages m 
 real estate amounted to $106,404,850. I majj 
 say that I am a director In two of our loadinil 
 loan companies, and therefore have opportuni] 
 ties of making myself conversant with 
 transactions passing through those companlei 
 
ami 1 am prepared to slKite that the mort- 
 jiiiKos which are hicurred are uot, as a rule, 
 hu'iuTeil by men In destitute circumstances, 
 liut by men who want to better the con- 
 dition of their holdings, or who wish to start 
 their sons In life or their daughters In man! 
 age, and feel It necessary to assume some 
 teinporai-y burden. How are these burdens 
 paid off ? Are they the dead Incubus on 
 the coniniunlty which they are represented 
 to be ? Why, the whole amount In default In 
 1880 to the loan companies out of the 
 S106,404,850 capital, was only 8-(i() per wnt. 
 But last year, eleven years later. Instead of 
 an Increase, we find a great rcdtu;tiou, wo find 
 that tlie amomit In default was 2-()4 per cent, 
 or $2 per $100. Now, I ask hon. gentlemen 
 in this House If they ctm have better evidence 
 of the gonei-al prospeiity of tlie country than 
 the fact that eleven yeans ago there wan 
 8'CO per cent on mortgage In defaidt, where- 
 as now there Is only a fraction over 2 per 
 cent In default. And, Mr. Speaker, th(» same 
 tendency Is to be noted with referenc' to un- 
 paid and oviji'due notes protested. Why, Sir, 
 in ISSO the percentage was 4-24 ; last yeiir 
 it was only 1-03. I think we may fairly ap- 
 peal to this as a proof of the prosperity of the 
 countiy. But, Sir, I am free, at the same 
 time, to confess that there has been a ma- 
 terial nnluction In tJie selling value of the 
 famis of die province of Ontario. I am p(u-- 
 fectly free to accept the statement of my 
 hon. ft-ieiKl from North Norfolk (Mr. Charl- 
 ton) that that reduction has been, as I tliink 
 he said, 25 per cent. I .should have been 
 n.iich astonished had there not Ix'en a re- 
 daction ; I am much lustonished that that re- 
 duction has not been greater. But, Sir. I 
 am not prepared to attribute that reduction 
 to any action of the Government or to any 
 policy they have pureued. I think that the 
 canse of this reducti(m lies deeper and,, at 
 the same time, mom plainly to be seen. V/e 
 nnist not forget, Sir, that during the last 
 ten years, in which time this rotluction has 
 taken place, we have bi'ought into com- 
 petition wth the lands of Ontario mlllioas 
 of acres of the best wheat-growing lands 
 in the world. It la impossible to believe that 
 the niarke;^ "an be flooded wltli amy class of 
 goods Avlthou'' the price of that class of goods 
 depreciating. The same laws of poUtlcal 
 economy that apply to the sale of boots, or 
 vegetables, or anything else must apply to the 
 purchase of land. When we, in Ontario, iu 
 a spirit of self-sacriflce, let vis say, contri- 
 buted our quota to develop tlie lands of 
 Manitoba and the North-west, we did 
 it conscious that there woiild neces- 
 sarily follow a depreciation in the 
 value of our own lands. Bnt, Sir, It is a 
 depression that exists not only in Ontario, 
 hut, to a certain extent, all over the world. 
 And while we have a temporary loss in the 
 depreciation of 25 per cent in the value of 
 the lands of Ontario, think what an enormous 
 gain we have made to the increased value 
 given to the millions of acres in the 
 
 Nortli-wesrt. Let us ask oureelves if in that 
 we have rtot recolvcul Intlnltely great 
 compensation for the .siicritice avo 
 have made ? I will not speak as does 
 the member for Queen's (Mr. Davles), and 
 limit my,self to the island of I'rinoe 
 I'idward, or to the Maritime provinces. 
 I care not whether we come from Halifax 
 or Victoria, or Toronto or Winnipeg. Wo 
 j are here representing no one section ; we 
 I have to deal with a great and mighty Dom- 
 I Inlon. And, when I frankly confess the fact 
 I that there has been a diminution in the value 
 I of lands In the province of Ontario of 25 
 I per cent, I am proud to say tl'.it. If ibere has 
 I been a loss in one sense lO tlie province, 
 there has been an UiflniLely greatA-r gain in 
 ] the great North-wcsi, luid the amouni we 
 have added to the value of the nat onal 
 a.ssets Is a rpcum of thousands per cert on 
 every dollar of value of wliich we have been 
 deprived. Why, Sir, the naiTow spirit that 
 iinimaies hon. gentlemen opposite Is something 
 that is almost Intolerable. The very opening 
 reiimrk.s. last night, of tJie hon. member for 
 North Norfolk (^Mr. Charlton) were an attack 
 upon tlie Canadian Pacllic Railway, and how 
 little it had done. And tlie hon. member 
 for Queen's (Mr. Davles), when in Bramp- 
 ton, in 1884, imbued with narrowness of 
 spirit, caught from his associate, told the 
 audience, which applauded him to the skies, 
 that the running of the Canadian Pacific 
 Railway was actually an Impossiliility. that 
 tilie grades wliioh the engineers were laying 
 were grades over which no locomotive could 
 ever run. 
 
 Mr. DAVIES (P.E.T.) What is the hon. 
 gentleman quoting from ? 
 
 Mr. COCKBURN. I am quoting from the 
 
 speech of the hon. member for Queen's, 
 
 i P.E.I. (Mr. Davies), delivered at Brampton 
 !hi 1884. 
 
 Mr. DAVIES (P.E.I.) But what are you 
 quoting from ? 
 
 Mr. COCKBURN. We have. Sir, the same 
 narrow spirit in the hon. member for North 
 I Norfolk (Mr. Charlton). He made this at- 
 ! tack on the Ciinadian Pacific Railway. Had 
 I tJie narrow policy of hon. gentlemen oppo- 
 j site been carried out, my hon. friend the 
 : talented member for East Asslniboia (Mr. 
 ! Davln) would have been obliged to make his 
 I journey here to take part in the coimcll" of 
 I the nation in a rather odd way. I suppose 
 i he would have come ten or twenty miles by 
 roil, then he would have transferred to an- 
 other of tlie shreds and patches of this route 
 and would have come twenty miles further 
 by an omnibus, then, perhaps, he would have 
 been whisked along another twenty miles in 
 a reindeer sledge, then a dog train would 
 have carried him 100 or 200 miles, and, after 
 that, he might have been told : You can 
 make the rest of your way on skates or by 
 toboggan or snow-shoes as best you can. 
 That is the spirit and policy of hon. gentlemen 
 
opposite, aiul when my lion. I'ritJid from North 
 Noi'folk (Mf. C'luirltou) drew apedjil attention 
 to the Cnundliin I'licUlo Hallway and the 
 burdens which he said It laid upon the 
 shoulders of our workinj,'tueu, he rlld not 
 know—or, perhaps, he did know but did not 
 wish to say— that the expendltur(>s of the 
 Canadian Paclllc Railway alone In tlie year 
 1892 for wages paid directly to their own 
 employees in Canada and for Avages paid by 
 manufacturers </f supplies use<l by the rail- 
 way and manuf.'ct'.red in Camida werc up- 
 wards of ltill,(X)0,000. So, Sir, In this one 
 Item alone, we have nearly one-third of the 
 whole anioimt we require for the Interest on 
 that great national debt over which my hon. 
 fi'lend shed croccKlile tears. And In addition 
 we have tliere oue-thlrd of the cost of the col- 
 lection of the reveuue for all purposes what- 
 soever. 
 
 I being six o'clock, the Speaker left the 
 Chair. 
 
 After Recess. 
 
 Mr. COCKBURN. Mr. Speaker, before 
 six o'clock I wa.s drawing the attention of 
 the House to the narrow and puny spirit 
 which characterized the policy of the Oppo- 
 sition In this House. I was drawing atten- 
 tion to the fact tliat from the beginnnig to 
 the end of the building of the Canadian 
 Pacific Railway, they had been opposed to 
 It in all its phases ; and I was showing that, 
 during; tlio last year alone, the expenditure 
 of the Canadian Pacific Railway for wages 
 paid directly to their own employees in Can- 
 ada, and for wages paid by manufacturers of 
 supplies used by the railway and manitfac- 
 tured in Canada, was upwards of ifll,0O0,O()O; 
 and I said that on that one item alone nearly 
 one-third of the whole amount paid out durb-g 
 the year for interest on the public debt, for 
 collection of the revenue, and for all other 
 purposes whatsoever, had been paid by this 
 road, the building of which liad been declared 
 by one of the leading Opposition members 
 to be an impossibility . Sir, the same narrow 
 spirit hag been betrayed, and Is ocung !)<;- 
 trayed, by the Opposition tiironghout their 
 whole policy. My hon. friend from Prince 
 Edward Island (Mr. Davles), on the wall 
 which ho made over the misfortunes whlcli 
 had fallen on the devoted head of his poor 
 country, seemed to cast longing eyes on the 
 fine old square-rigged ships which once fre- 
 quented the ports of his tidy little island. 
 He drew our attention to the fact that there 
 was formerly a busy hum of Industry at 
 every port, that thousands of ships came 
 and went from these ports, and carried on a 
 busy trafflo with the whole civilized world. 
 He seemed txj regard such modern inventions 
 as the Allan and Dominion line of steam-ships 
 as inventions of the devil that ought to be 
 avoided, things that were interfering with 
 the quiet current of life that pervades that 
 tight little Island. He told us that he must 
 
 coiidemu the poUc/ Widch hasJ rosuiu'il i)i 
 the wlthdravnl of those nice, old Mnian- 
 rij;ge(l ships. Why. Sli. if ho is t(» )) )si> liciv 
 as the representative of the Maritime pro- 
 vinces — 
 
 Mr. CAMERON. Oh, no. 
 
 Mr. COCKBURN. He clnimod that priv- 
 ilege*, and I must say 't was a bold ifTrrt 
 on his part, di.sclalmjd, I believe, by cM-ry 
 l)rovln(;e. But ho took the j)osltIon here, that 
 ho wan representing thoao Inte.tistrf. and h^ 
 uttered such a cry of woe as to lead us to 
 believe ho contracted the same disease from 
 l)eing seated ;dongsldo the eml)lem of \\w, 
 and having close to him the other equally 
 decided end)lem. Sir, I am afraid our lilpnd 
 from I'rlnco Edward Island, owlTig to his 
 lu'iug sluU off during so many moalhs of the 
 year from conmumicatlon witli the malnlana, 
 has gone to sleep and will never awake luitn 
 such time as the great t unn el has been l)iiilt. 
 Sir, he Is the representative Rip Van Winkle 
 of the Maritime provinces ; and he seems to 
 dream of llie good old time when he tlumght 
 a passage would be made away to tlie 
 Pacific Coast In some jolly old omnibus. His 
 thoughts are still of the past, and he can see 
 no trade except the trade wliich Is carrietl by 
 Ills wooden sliips from port to port. He sch'Ids 
 to deny altogether, and not to l)o aware of 
 the fact, that there Is such a thing as hiter- 
 provincial trade. In speaking of the deplor- 
 able condition of things, while compelltd to 
 admit that tliere is an annual product 
 fi(-ni agriculture of some JfS.jO.OtH 1,000. 
 he might have drawn our attention 
 to the fact that only $49,000,000 of that 
 great product was exported, and that, tliere- 
 I'ore, that Interprovlnclal trade alone must 
 rise to the figure of $300,000,000. Sir. the 
 tactics pursued by the Opposition are most 
 unfair. They take hold of the blue-books, 
 and they twist this figure and twist the other 
 figure, and then Avlsh to send such state- 
 ments to tlie country as a fair representation 
 of its condition. Now, one would thinlt tUa( 
 the dittlculties under which our shipping Is 
 labouring on tlie Island of Prince Edward 
 and in the Maritime provinces, was a malady 
 confined entirely to that particular part of 
 the world. But, Sir, I happened to have 
 lying on that table, at the very time tlie lioii. 
 gentleman was making that statement, a 
 paper pidilished in Montreal, the " Daily 
 Witness," and In this I read an account of 
 a meeting held yesterday in New York, by 
 the United States and Brazil Steamship Com- 
 pany, and one of the directors makes thej 
 following statement : 
 
 .liwt now it looks dark for the company. 
 
 .Tust (IS it looks dark for Prince EdAvard 
 Island. 
 
 There are 8,000 gteam-HhifM ti«l up at docl<s in 
 different ])art8 of tlie world. American lines cannot 
 stand tlie couiijetition. 
 
 Perhaps my friend, with his Rip Van Winkle 
 ideas, may think that, as these are iron ships, 
 

 
 not till' fine old square-rlggea ships of the 
 Miirltiint' provlnoos, that thoy merit tlio fato 
 tliat liiis befallen them ; but I want others, 
 who iiiii.v not be ble.sse<l with the same ante- 
 (liliivliiii tastes, to understand that In modern 
 timi's w(> run our commei-ce In Iron built 
 Isliilis, iind that It Is no ordinary case where 
 8,000 iron stcam-slilps are tied up Idle at 
 their (locks. Why, Sir, this was a tribute to 
 jtbe National I'oUcy. What are we to say 
 I of the pohcy of the whole civilized world, 
 I which has resulted In tyhif,' up 8,()<K) larjje 
 I iron Htcam-shlps V My hon. friend seemed 
 I to thi/ik It was sh nice day when eacli little 
 Isqniire built vessel went out with Its little 
 I carp) iiiid traded from port to port, and 
 Istopped a few hours and asketl the time of 
 Iday. and how all tlie children were, and how 
 Iniadaiiie was ; and what a nice thing it woulfl 
 Ibe if we could only return t/i that primeval 
 l<iondition of happiness, a kind of primitive 
 I Eden. Rut he says that tlnit day has gone and 
 Ithe slilps are gone. Did it never occur to him, 
 ■that while it may have been a source of en- 
 royment for him to go down and have hI.^ 
 Tittle crack or chat with the captains, as 
 they came from the little neighbouring ports 
 hnd anchored alongsid<3 some of the ports of 
 prince Edward Island.— did it not occur to 
 Diim that that trade was done now at one- 
 pnth of the price by these large steamers ' 
 tiTid tJiat the charges of conducting trade 
 hy these square-rigged ships must have 
 lieen infinitely heavier to bear than those 
 for conducting trade by tlie large iron .ships, 
 buch as those of the Allan and Domin- 
 ion lines ? Suppose a movement were made 
 TO transport our grain in the whale-back 
 Vessels which would go through oar canals 
 piKl carry our 80,()00 or 100,000 bushels of 
 h'hent in one veesel, no doubt my hon. 
 rrieml would get up here and say it was 
 bontrary to the National Policy that anything 
 put a square-rlgge<l slUp should go tlirough 
 lie canals, and that a special toll .should be 
 nposed on any ship that was not a wooden 
 lliip and square-rigged. ' Now, Sir, he has 
 IhoAvn this narrowness of spfrit, wldch, I am i 
 |lad to say, does not characterize all tlie \ 
 pembers from the Maritime provinces, not 
 my In regard to this matter, but also in the 
 planner in which he made an attack on the 
 6on. member for Bnice (Mr. McNeill). That 
 ►on. member when he vlslte<l England, 
 TiouRlit he might say a word for his own land, 
 le did not go to Washington to hold mid- : 
 Jgnt meethigs to see how he could stab i 
 iTf^^' ^^^' ^^'^ ^® hob-nob with and know 
 Pl the intricate secrets of the Washington I 
 paolnet, as they appear to be known to my i 
 Ion. friend for North Norfolk. My hon. 
 Blend was in England as a private citizen, 
 IM openly, honestly, in the light of day, he ! 
 |ned to see if he could not draw closer those ' 
 onds of loving friendship that he hopes, and 
 hope, will ever unite us to the dear old 
 pother land. And this action is to be brought 
 P in tills House, foi-sootli. He is to be asked 
 pat was the reason of this mission. Mission 
 
 to whom ? To his own fellow-cltlzens. W'heu 
 an hon. member of this Iloiise dares to visit 
 the mother country, which gives tis the pro- 
 tection of its army and navy and dli)l(.matlc 
 service free of charge, whose people are 
 ready to shed tlielr blood f(»r us, and who, 
 at an expense of i'800,0{X),0(K), have accpilred 
 their great Cohmlal Empire and handcil It 
 over to us, without demanding on*" farthing or 
 one fraction for the linniensc .sjicrificos they 
 have nuuhv- when my hon. friend goes to tlie 
 old country, to the dear old land, and ad- 
 dresses public asseiiiblles, asking how we can 
 enlarge our trade, he is, forsooth, to be called 
 to accoimt. If he had gone privately and 
 shown to our enemies how they could best 
 destroy tlds c>olony. If he had told tlieni how 
 best they could phice us in such a position 
 that we would be compelhxl to go down on 
 our knees and accept the foreign yoke, if he 
 had pointed out to tliem our most vulnerable 
 part Jind told them how to innict a death 
 blow upon us, tlien hon. gentlemen opposite 
 woiUd have been preparetl to receive him 
 with open arms, to vote him a tiaie patriot, 
 one of tlielr own party, and a man after their 
 own heart. Shame to any lion, member who 
 can be so naiTow-minded In his Ideas as to 
 call to account any hon. gentleman because 
 he openly, honestly, and in the light of day, 
 sought to strengthen tlie ties tliat bind tills 
 (ioloiiy to the motht?r counti-j'. Not content 
 with attiicklng every principle held dear by 
 my hon. friend, he attempted to turn my hon. 
 friend's position into ridicule, by stating that 
 he had only 3 per cent of the Empire's trade 
 to offer. My hon. friend has none of the 
 provincial ideas that characterize the speeches 
 of the hon. gentleman. He went there as a 
 citizen, not of Toronto), not of linice, not of 
 Canada even, but he went there as a citizen 
 of the British Empire, and as such be spoke 
 to the people of a grand Imperial policy for 
 Canada and the whole cohmlal eiiii»lre. But 
 my hon. friend from Queen's P.E.I. (Mr. 
 Davies) has told us that he does not 
 speak to us as a Canadian, as a man with 
 the same heai't and sj-mpathles as ourselves, 
 bound to build up a great and migliity Empire, 
 but he speaks to us peculiarly from a mari- 
 time point of vhnv, just as if I were to address 
 tlie House from a Toronto point of view, 1 
 had better address the House from the point 
 of view of Toronto Centre, or speak as the 
 representative of St. John's ward. It is too 
 absurd. I might, of course, take that ground 
 because I would then represent more citizens 
 in that ward alone than thfe hon. gentleman 
 represents In Queen's county ; but I hope the 
 day will never come that this country will 
 he governed by such naiTow ideas, that its 
 representatives will be driven into such nar- 
 row views, or that when they decide the 
 great question of the tarlflC or the great 
 question of our future, they will consider 
 whether a man is from the north, south, east 
 or west of Canada. It is sufficient to know- 
 that he is a Canadian, that he has the same 
 thoughts, the same desires and the same aims. 
 
6 
 
 Hiul whlk' I nin proud to hall from tlie grand I 
 Idiunt r province of Oiitftrio.l am no loss proud 
 to welooino iiml wo around mo tliose from 
 ovory other part of this Dominion. The hou. 
 mombor for North Norfolk (Mr. Charlton); 
 Hald last nlKlit that wc- had Htok'ti our iiollcy 
 from tlicm. i>r as he clmpicntly put H. wi- had 
 Htoh'U tlu'lr clollu'H. Woll, Mr. S|)caUi'r, when 
 I look at tho ullcr nakedness of llie lion, i 
 p-iithMuea opposlU'. I think It must boi 
 true. A more tattered, raKKe<l, tatter- 1 
 dennUion lot In politics 1 never saw. Their, 
 clothes have been stoh'U ; but if the Ideas of 
 the tjdlor dated back to the Ume of the Ideas 
 of the hou. uiend)er lor I'rlnce Kdward l.shuid, 
 we must cut a. sorry llKiiro ; iht'y will lake 
 us to be masquerading In the clothes ot the ^ 
 early part of Uie llfteemUi century. No ; we 
 liave no desire to niasqueriule In the clothes 
 of the hou. Oppoelllon. We have our owe I 
 idea.'J, and unluckily or luckily for the oountiy 
 they ciuuiot : an In oon-^onance with theirs. 
 They are a -ui row-gauge road entirely ; 
 it is only sinaU .rathe they will 
 ever be able to cany. Sir, as 
 
 I was shewing the House, histead of 
 grund)llng as hon. gentlemen have done at 
 every stage In eonueotlon \vllh the construc- 
 tion of this gi-eat highway, the Oan:ulian 
 PacUic Ilalhvay, .built to open up our gri^t 
 national birthright in the North-west, they 
 as the sptKJlal protectors of the fannei-s, as 
 the spechd prot(K3tora of the labouring 
 classes, shoidd have regai-ded it in an 
 entirely <llfferent llglit, because that very 
 road 'which tliey oppose has expended 
 in Canadian lal>our and in wag&s and In 
 manufjictured gooiis made in Canada oy 
 Canadians, no less than $11,000,000, while 
 this ro'id, according to statements of the lion, 
 raeml/er for North Norfolk, is indebted to the 
 country In the sum of $60,000,000. Those 
 $11,000,000 represent live times over the in- 
 terest -^ve pay on the $60,000,000, and I hav«? 
 no doubt^I am not making one of the pro 
 phecies made by Sir Cliarles Tupper in which 
 Itoe hon. gentiemen profess to have 
 very little conlidence, but 1 am malc- 
 ing a sitatement^-tliat hi a few years, 
 instejid of paying out in wages and on 
 work $11,000,000, the Canadian Pacific Rail- 
 way will be paying a sum equal to the whole 
 amoimt we now spend during ttie year for in- 
 terest on pubUc debt, for the collection of our 
 revenue, and for every other puiiwse. 
 I know no grander Investment for this coun- 
 tiy, and no one can realize iiow Immense Is 
 the acquisition made to our national assets 
 by the value tliat has been given to that im- 
 mense territory. Sir, I am not speaking of On- 
 tario, or of Quebec, or of the Maritime pro- 
 vinces, or of British Columbia, but I am say- 
 ing : that admitting there Is a reduction of 
 25 per cent on the value of the fai-m land in 
 Ont^ario, or in Quebec also, if you like ; yet. 
 we have gained in the increased value of the 
 assets of tlds country, far more than we have 
 lost. And when agi-iculture in Ontario 
 adapts itself to the changed circum- 
 
 slaiitt*s of ihe country, as It will, w^ 
 
 shall within ten years have re^ialncd 
 
 much of the value which we liav« 
 
 lost, and lost but temporarily. I hope. Sir, 
 
 HO blgotfd seems to Im« the feeling on the 
 
 part of the Opposition, that the hoti. m raber 
 
 for North Norfolk (.Mr. (!haiU^)n). who jj 
 
 no fool, but a man up In many a wile, a.skc<l 
 
 us coolly y»«st<'rday : Why do you not pay 
 
 tlu» fanner $1.25 per bushel for his wluat; 
 
 as If, forsooth, the (iovernment by Its mere 
 
 tiat could detennlno tlie iirice of whiat or 
 
 ;inytliliig else. Such a statenu'Ut must either 
 
 have been mad(> with a desire of stirring uj 
 
 strife In this country, or It must have Un 
 
 llu> result of an Ignoraiic*' more colossal than 
 
 I eau Imagine. Does the hon. gentlouiiiii 
 
 lidnk, as they nse<l U> think hi t\w Middle 
 
 Ages, that tli'o king by his di-ereo can tix the 
 
 price of commodities ? Why, Sir, the price 
 
 of wheat Is lixed neither hen* In Canada, nor 
 
 Is It fixed In the Unlt(>fl States, nor Is it fixed 
 
 In Kngland, nor Is it fixed, as we are apt to 
 
 think, in Liverpool— th»' price of wheat is i* 
 
 cord(Hi, if you like, at Tilverpool, and flashed 
 
 l)y the telegraph across the Pacific and At 
 
 liintic oceans— but the price of wheat Is de- 
 
 teriiiliitHl far away In the northern jdaius ol 
 
 India, where we have to competi' with the 
 
 cheap labour that is to bo had there, and out 
 
 oidy hope of sustiiinlng prices in our great 
 
 North-west Is that the peoi»h> In India tlicni- 
 
 selves will become consumei-s of the iiidiiuoti 
 
 they raise, and that then there will be a l;n|,'rt 
 
 profit loft for oui; Canadian farmers. ANHut 
 
 iionsonse It \h 1o complain of tlie price of wlieu 
 
 being lower now than It was years ago. An 
 
 there any goods for sale tlmt are not Iowa 
 
 in price ? It would 1)0 a nuracnlous tliiiitf, II 
 
 with all our 'improvc-d machinery, and om 
 
 means of multiplying labour, we were uos 
 
 iiblo 1o provide for the working people anl 
 
 for oui-selves, more ccm^'ort for the saiu* 
 
 money. It Is a step in the advance of civlilzt 
 
 tion, "and the statement of my hon. irien 
 
 (Mr. Chiirlton) .shows, that there is anothe 
 
 itip Van Wlnkl(> who wauls to go back ti 
 
 the primeval times. The hon. gentleman deal 
 
 with our farmers, and he Indulged in tiil.scri 
 
 of woe, which, when I first entered tW 
 
 House, I must confess, simple-minded as 
 
 was, went to my heart, and I thought wha 
 
 :i terrible lot it must be for on 
 
 poor farmers. Yesterday I began to doub 
 
 my own senses iis my friend i)oured fortli *- 
 
 lamentations on behalf of the farmer, a 
 
 had I not got from him the assurance tha 
 
 every farmer in Canada paid a tax of $10 
 
 every year— more' duty than I think I pa 
 
 myself— had I not got from him that assui 
 
 ance, and divided this $63,000,000 that the fa 
 
 mers pay among them, I do not know but th 
 
 I might have been unable to address youhei 
 
 his evennig. Of course, after the cry of the fa 
 
 mers, comes the talk about the exodus, ai 
 
 my friend from Prince Edward Island (M 
 
 Davies) modestly placed it at a little sum 
 
 1,250,000 people. He has shown, I thin 
 
 conclusively, how more people have la 
 
I'rlnce Kdward Isliiml thim ever lived In It. 
 Soirii' of our friends i-un prove anythiuK, 
 l»iit tlioy oiiRht to know that tl.jro Is a cer- 
 tain brain jiowcr iiccdcd to diso(«rn the pro- 
 ber \M' <>(' siiiiisilcs, and not only that, but a 
 certain dIspoHltlon to regard tlunn fiilrly, Im- 
 partially, and solentltlcally, and If u man 
 by use of 8t4itlsll('s, Is dctcrmhUHl to prove 
 III what a fearful condition this conntiy Ih, 
 why, he would be a born fool if the statis- 
 tics did not supply all the Information lie 
 uoeds. Lord Bacon, In one of his essays, 
 says : that a man brings back from a foreign 
 conutry what he takes there ; meaning; that 
 what he gathers in his travels depends very 
 much tipon his previous education, and I 
 thhik that these hon. f^entlemen opposite 
 nflford us a very fair illustration of the apo- 
 tlicpn of Lord Bacon. Now, Sir, I think it 
 was established very clearly the other ev(>n- 
 Ing by my friend, the Minister of the Interior, 
 who I regret to see Is not in his seat Just 
 now. for whom I have the highest respect, 
 whom I have known from his childhood up- 
 wards hik' for whom I predict a brilliant 
 career— the li^m Minister of the Interior 
 showed ua that yearly, during the last ten 
 ye.trs, about 2">,000 people hive left this 
 country ; 250,000 In rotuid uunibors during the 
 last ten years. Well, 1 do not think that a 
 vorj' large number. We know in fact that 
 this exodus, about which s<: nnicli has betui 
 said, started nearly one hundred years ago, 
 started, in fact, with the early settlement of 
 the country, and It will go on until such time 
 as a kind of etpiillbrium is established be- 
 between the northern and southern parts of 
 this country. I do not know whether all of 
 us are so enamoured of tlie thermometer ' 
 20 or 30 degrees below zero, or even at zero, : 
 that In Immigrating we should select a coun- 
 try where the cold reaches that point. Ac- 1 
 cordlngly it is but natural that settlers com- 1 
 hig from Eui-ope should And their way to- '' 
 wards the south, and It is also natural that i 
 such of our own people as a -e obliged to \ 
 leave the country, should go thither. Look- ' 
 ing at this exodus we find the fact : That 
 one-half, or over 13,000 of the 25,000 who ; 
 left this country for the United States go to ' 
 New England. Why is that ? They go for 
 two reasons ; the chief of which is that they 
 can find employment In the factories there. 
 Now, if my hon. friend from North Norfolk 
 (Mr. Charlton) had kept to his original Idea of 
 over ten years ago, and built up the lai-ge 
 cities in Canada that he spoke of as having 
 been built up and affording such attractions 
 m the United States ; if he had kept steadily 
 to his national poUcy at that time, at a time 
 'vnen he determined that there was nothing 
 Ike protection to build up a city, thj chances 
 are that we would have been able to retain 
 our present population. My hon. friend 
 ought not to be hard on us, because you see 
 we hold still to the opinions which he held 
 lome years ago, namely, that the Interests 
 »f the nation at large would be promoted by 
 ludicious protection. Here Is what the hon. 
 
 gentleman said in this very House of Com- 
 mons : 
 
 I lii'licvi' tliiit tile liKriiiiliuiiil iiit<restM nf tlii'|)(i- 
 tiiiiiioii 
 
 The agricultural interests, above all things. 
 
 uipiiid Ih- |ii'i>iij<iti'(| liy |iriitf(fiiiii, nUi\ tUi- iiiitllll- 
 t'jictiMfi IdiiiK' liiuii^'lit tn till' <|i«>r 1(1 tlif fitriiifi' 
 
 .Vot away In Milwaukee or Chicago. 
 
 wiMilil iilford li iimrki't for ii Ki'iit niiiiiy urtioli'M of 
 lu-ntliicf Hint wniild not U' naiealile ill II iimil<ci U,(KH) 
 inileH iiwiiy. 
 
 And then, warming up to his subject, with that 
 ardont feeling which ho ilLsplays in debate, 
 he says : 
 
 With :i Imirie limckel, (if tliis l<iiic| •■Mtidillitliwl by 
 |iicitcctiuii 111 iniimifiirtiiirrH, tin' uKiieiiltiirlNt 
 
 He always has hhn in view 
 
 ciiii liiiii fit liis siiil liy |in)iliieing aiiitatitm of crofMt. 
 lie says furtlier : 
 
 It liiiM lieeii clmrKeil lliiit |ir(iti'(tii)ii Iuim incvelitfd 
 tlie exteiiMiuii iif fnivign I'liiiiiiiiTce ill that loiiiitry. 
 
 He is tjilking as usual of the United States. 
 
 Tlmt may lie fl-iU' ; Ijill it is eHtiiinited tliat the <lu- 
 liieNticeoiiniieiceot the.lfnitfd States last yi-iir rnaclied 
 theciKiniioiis |ir<)|K)rtiiins (if 20().iM)(),(MM> tens, valued 
 at, !^10,IIIM).0(MI,(M)0. 
 
 Well, I have Just dra\vn his attention to the 
 fact that our Internal commerce last y. i* In 
 natural products was over $300,000,000. lien 
 he says : 
 
 >Vhat is the f(ireij,'ii (•(iiiiiiK.ire ut tlmt euiiiitry Cdlii- 
 |iari'(| witli tiie vast (Idimstic trade tliat k<»"< "H 
 iiu'i-easiiin withiiiit tlie Miietimtioiis ur riNi<s (if foicijfii 
 tiiide '! I,()(il< at the | in iff ress (if tlie e^ittmi trade in 
 tliat e<iiiiitiy. I'levidiis t(i the iiii|Hirt duties mi for- 
 eiKU edttdii in 1«24 IJritisli niaiiiifactiiiers crushed 
 (lilt all elfdi-ts til est;d;lisli factiiries in the fe|iulilie, 
 Imt the iiiiiKisitidU (if L'.'i per eeiit duty iin fdieiffi'i 
 cdttdiis liad tlic ett'eet iii a few years, not (inly of 
 liiiildiii^; n|( iiiamifactdries, hut led" to the |iro(luetion 
 of an article hetter in ipiality and lower in price tlian 
 the Anierieans received from IJritisli manufactories 
 111 fore their own industries were estalilislied. In 1H(M» 
 the United States were exporters of cottons, export- 
 ing nearly li» per cent of tlic whole amount manufac- 
 tuied. The same war witli tiie iron trade. Ail 
 attempts to t'stalilish iron industries wen: cruslied 
 out by forei(,'n competition, and liigli prit^es were 
 maintained at intervals liiKlier, on tlie aveniKe, than 
 tlie percelitat^e necessary to produce tlieiii in the 
 I'nited States at a priitit. Hut wlien a pnitective 
 duty was imposed iron manufactories were estali- 
 lislied, and ill a short time the price (if inin was 
 hidUKlit down several dollars jier ton, and it is now 
 sold clieaper than tlie J5ritisli iron ever was iitfered 
 fdr on tiiat mariiet. 
 
 Then, speaking about articles of food, he says : 
 
 It is simply liecause tliey have hy jirotection liiiiit 
 up manufacturing cities witli a numerous iMipulation 
 that consumes not only the vast products of tlieir own 
 cdiintry, liut also afford a hetter market for our pro- 
 ducts than we in the Dominion possess. 
 
 These words are from the Budget debate, 
 and are headed " Mr. Charlton, member for 
 North Norfolk." Now, I ask the hon. gen- 
 tleman to deal patiently with us. If the 
 same light that dawned upon him has not 
 yet, owing to the high heaven in which he 
 
Boara, ruacbed the Hublimnty sphero uiul 
 illumined our iiilnds, ho must know that It 
 is simply because of tlio tniiiscoudout dis- 
 tance of the great hoaven ahovo us, from 
 which It Boinetluios takes a thousand years 
 for n ray of light to strike the earth— and 1 
 hope the light will not strike us any sooner 
 than tnat ; and I have tlie hope that njy lion, 
 friend may yet havo such light she<l upon 
 him that we shall have an Illumination suit- 
 able to the (K'caslon. Now, Sir, 1 have said 
 that one-half of this exochis of '^o.lHM) yearly 
 went to New lOnglaiid, and went tlien> be- 
 cuuse there they tM)uld g<'t that, woi'k which 
 my lion, friend from North Norfolk (Mr. 
 Charlton) wished us to .secMU'e In Canada for 
 our own p(?ople by the itollcy ho wah .idvo- 
 catlng. They are nttracteil thither by the 
 large cities which he yesterday polnte«l out 
 to us as oiu* natural market, uot thinking of 
 the time when he* (ionslderod the propriety 
 of our building up large cities of our own 
 where our farmers would llnd a market for 
 their produce. And, Sir, there Is this con- 
 sideratiou, which is a very remarkable one, 
 that, owing to the configuration of Canada, 
 the problem that we have of building up 
 our North-west Is a much more dUHcult prob- 
 lem than that which has been given to the 
 United States to solve ; for, right alongside 
 the Maritime provinces arc these large nianti- 
 facturlng cities, to which transport Is I'asy 
 and cheap, and which afccess to and from Is 
 equally easy and cheap ; so that It Is but 
 natural that the flow of emigration from this 
 country, espccUilly from tlio provUure of 
 Quebec and the Maritime provinces, should 
 be directed towards the manufacturing 
 centres of the New England stntes ; and 1 
 have no doubt that the desire of tlte Conser- 
 vative party, and a part of their National 
 Pohcy, Is to build up such centres as will 
 enable us to retain our own indtistrles and 
 oiu* own population. Now, Sir, loolcing to 
 the condition of tlie whole Dominion, as re- 
 viewed by my hon. friend from Prince Ed- 
 ward Island, I think he will admit that we 
 have fair reason to be tliaakful, whether 
 we are to look at the immense increase In 
 the deposits of the banks— and here I caiuiot 
 but draw the attention of the House to tlie 
 statement made the oUier evening by tlie 
 hon. member for South Oxford (Sir Richard 
 Cartwrlght). I uid not thiiik that, knowing 
 as he did, the responsibility that must go 
 with and the credence which wou'l be given 
 to words uttered by lilm, he would have 
 been cruel enough to inflict such a wound 
 upon Canada as to make the statement, 
 however true it might be, that, however 
 much we might bOast of our deposits in the 
 various banlcs, if a run were to set in on 
 those banks, they would be unable to meet 
 it. Sir, he knows as well as I do, and as 
 evei*v man in this House knows, tliat no 
 bank in this world, not even the Bank of 
 England nor the Bank of France, could 
 stand against a run when that run becomes, 
 as the hon. gentleman said, a universal one. 
 
 It Is impossible. Uaidcs are the creation of 
 credit, the creation of confidence, nnil !• wm 
 a wrong thing of him to say anythbiK' that 
 might tend to break that contldence wiiioh 
 exists between the publico and our baaklnn 
 system. My hon. friend from Prince Kit 
 ward Island told you that, no doubt, then; 
 wore large savings acctunulating In tlu; hiuilu 
 
 j and In the savings banks of the country, th? 
 Goveniment savings banks and the post o( 
 flee siivlngs banks ; but he sal<1— and a k'Iow 
 of sMilsl'actlon pervaded his genial eouiiti'it 
 
 j anct! when he said so— but they are with- 
 drawing that mon<>y ; last year tliey with 
 drew a million and a half, and they :in> (^ 
 lug cm withdrawing It. Why should it i^ivf 
 any pleasure to our lion, friends to ihlni 
 that there shotild be any lack of conll(l('n« 
 in the tiltlmate power of ,he (Joveninient or 
 of tills counti-y o pay Its debts ? Why, Sir, 
 ho was correct In saying that there had Iteei 
 withdrawals, but why did he not iiieutlnii 
 the reas(m V He knows well the reasoa 
 There is no part of the Dominion where tli» 
 savings per head are so large as they are li 
 his own tidy little province. And tliej 
 know Loth sides of a dollar a.s well 
 and as clearly as any man In tills workl. Ani! 
 if they wlthdnnv their ('cposlts for awli 
 why did they do so ? Simply becau.se th^ 
 (Government, feeling it'i own strength and 
 feeling confident In the resources of the couii' 
 try, chose to otter one-half per cent l(>.ss for 
 the use of money. They had been paying 4 pef 
 (!ent before on deposits, and our friends in 
 Pilnce Edward Island crowded In, bin. when 
 the Government decided to pay only a% our 
 I'rince Edward Island friends hunted all round 
 to see 'if there was any place where thej 
 could obbiin four. They had a perfect riglt 
 to do this ; and now that the CTOvernmenl 
 savings bank interest stands at 3,1, the monej 
 Is l)elng again crowded In, because the banM 
 as a rule, are paying less than that 
 I thank the Lord that these laws 
 political economy are immutable, 
 tliat no Government or Opposition can chang 
 them, otherwise I think we would be in I 
 very sad plight We have seen, as the hon 
 gentleman says, our trade with the world li 
 creased. Last year I was glad to see au Id 
 crease of .$15,0(X),000 In our trade with tb 
 mother land, but I regret to notice at th 
 same time a diminution in our trade with on 
 neighbours to the south of over $2,000,000 
 Commerce admits of no prejudice. 1 can 
 not where I trade. I am content to maii 
 a dollar from my cousin across the bordei 
 or a sovereign from my brother in En;,'laffi 
 or a franc from the Frenchman, or a lin 
 from an Italian, or a mark from a German 
 They are all the same to mo ; all is fish tli9 
 comes to my net ; and, therefore, while 
 
 ' am glad to notice this great increase in on 
 trade with the mother land— and the moti 
 glad because that market is not one of c<* 
 venience like the market of the United State 
 but one on which we can steadily rely ft 
 a persistent and steady demand for our goods 
 
irhlL'ii •« of Kr«»nt linpoptiinoo In coinmerclnl 
 
 natloi-H I rcK'i'ot Ihiit. our inulo Ims dccroasrd 
 ^Itli iiiir iicly;lilH)iirH to tln> south. Attention 
 Ins 1k<('Ii ilrinvn also U) tli»> liicreiwc In rall- 
 I'liy tiiiv'i'l 1111(1 froljclit, wliloh Indlciitt's a cor- 
 l(s|ioiiiliiit,' liuMvasi' In liio Intonuil trade of 
 111. (•(.iiiitry, 'ind 1 liavo already pointed out 
 )i:il niir Internal trade lii f;iini prudnoi.s 
 lloiie must 1m< ov'or $:«)(MHM),(HK). W'c liavo 
 Ven tit tile Haine Muu> mi incrcatie made In 
 iiM' ciin.ds. It Im well for ns to renienilier 
 Vat the trannport by canal and by water Is 
 I'SM lliaii iine-lU'lli the trannport by rail, and 
 
 tniHt lli<> lime Is not far tUstaiil, wli(>n, In 
 lie Interest not only of our brethren down 
 the Atlantic, but lu the Interest of the 
 ITortli-west— In I'act, in tlit> Inteies;, of the 
 iliiile Dominion— those canals will be so en 
 lirpMl that we shall be* ai)lo lo so chi apon 
 Viinsport down to tlie ]\raritinic pro- 
 llnceH, that the tax which now they 
 ]li('iTl'idly beai" will be so alleviated that 
 licy will scarcely feel the burden. I wish to 
 |ra\V ntteiuion lo the ^reat Increase in life 
 [isurance. If there Is one thing more than 
 liiothcr which sliows the thrll^ly habits of a 
 latioii, it Id the amount of life liisuraiic«> ; 
 liui I tlnd that durliit? tli(> last year the 
 [iiKimit caiTi(>d ex<'ecds by .fo.Ood.OOO our 
 ihole of ^25(),(K)I),0(K) debt, which so npi)ais 
 lio hon. member for North Norfolk (Mr. 
 Iharlton). As an Indication of Incri-aslnR con- 
 |(lence In our resources by the outside world, 
 
 would draw attention to the fact that the 
 ahacriptlons to our last loan In England 
 ('ere t.lireo limes greater than tlie amount i 
 iMpiired. 'rii(> progress of the country is' 
 [idlcatod also by the decrease in tlie number 
 
 our insolvencies ; and we see additional 
 [iiarantcci-i of our prosperity and progress; 
 
 the fact that during the last ten yi>ars wt- 
 bivo been relieved of liurdens wliicli, had 
 jjcy continued to tin- present, would have 
 iproxiiiinted some four and twenty millions. ' 
 f'c liMve soon our progress also in the fact 
 at SO cents p(>r h<'ad, or H per family, of 
 ^-\(M were n,Multted last year, and that no 
 Ulan lin articles have been added to the 
 rw ll9t under the Conservative Gov- 
 J-ninent. But yet. Sir. In .'<pite of all tlioo 
 ii(l('nc(>s of the gre;it progress M'hich tTUs 
 Miiitry has nmde. a spirit ot unrest and dis- 
 fiict exists ; and I am glad to hear that the 
 
 •vTiiineitt liav(> determined to meet this 
 Jiint iVanldy. lumestly and fairly, with such 
 I policy as will bo best for the country as a 
 rliole. r know that, the feeling, rightly or 
 h-oiiu'ly. ia gradually spreading throughout 
 m country, that we are leaving, perhaps 
 Biwiscly. tlu' safe mooring in which \v(> 
 |(lgprt. when wo started the National Policy 
 
 the year 1870, and that if the Govemmeiit 
 ^not car(>ful against yielding to the clamotir- 
 |is rtemnTid.s made by many a one for increas- 
 
 protection. the ship of sUito may gradually 
 
 ft awry from those safe niooi'ings and per- 
 fp.? got wrecked on the rocks and shallows ' 
 
 Taiiadian McKinleylsra. But I am happy' 
 
 think that the Government have deter- i 
 c 2 I 
 
 mined to grapple fearl»>SHly with this matter. 
 I know that the charge has been made from 
 he OppoMlilim side of the Hoiisf that thlHcoin- 
 ndsslon of b.cpilry Is not such a oii<> as a calm 
 • (dlslderatlon of the whoh* ipiestlon would 
 have .Instilled. It has been pointed out tnat 
 .1 spirit ( t unrest and disipiiet and dl>satm- 
 I'acilon M usi lliereby be engendere<l. It liii.s 
 been urged that If two MliilHters are to stay 
 here at Ottawa durinu the summer with rwo 
 ControliiM-s -<'mbry<> .Ministers— to help them 
 in tills matter, a feeling of dlstnist viU arise, 
 and our Industrl's will be i»artly. for a time, 
 paralyzed. I think In opiiosltlon to that, 
 however fair the argument may 1m>, one may 
 fairly jilace the eonlldeiice which the people 
 have ftdt In the present Goveninient that 
 llicy will fuKll to tlie letter any promLses 
 they do malic. I tnist that the investigation 
 which is about to be made will l»e conduct^-d 
 with the spirit and determination to carry 
 out fully the premises made by ;ii(> Finance 
 
 Minister. I do not think tliat'thls policy. If 
 enterixl upon in the spirit In which the coal 
 oil and the binder twine <iuestions are being 
 dealt with, will be satisfactory to the country. 
 
 ' Two vei-j' tender twigs have been delicately 
 lopped off. shall I say, or rather pnined or 
 trinuiKvl on the parent tr(>e ; but tlu> prin- 
 ciple In the case of coal oil has been left 
 stjindliig, that the natural product should be 
 protected by a tariff of over .''•(M) per cent, 
 
 i while the same article, wlien refined by Can- 
 
 ; adlan labour and brought into competition 
 with American labour. Is subject to a protec- 
 
 \ tlon of only one-third that rate. I think, 
 
 ' therefore, that when the commission 
 takes up this question, they should 
 take It up in no mere nilnclng spirit. 
 
 : Such, 1 believL", is not the spirit of the country 
 now. 1 tliink il is evident that the Govennnent 
 will not be caugiit sleej)ing. as our friends 
 were not* many yiars ago. when they had to 
 
 ' c(rafess that tliey v/ere so iml)ecile they knew 
 not how to d(\al with the position. I have 
 coiifldeuce that the Ministry will probe these 
 tiuesth)ns to the bottom. But while they 
 will apply the pnuiing-knife, 1 believe they 
 will be careful how they handle it. Sir, this 
 is a great (luestion, requiring careful treat- 
 ment. It is an imiK)rtant question how you 
 ought to deal with a capital of lt>:!.'"v{,()()0,(X)0 
 invested in mauufacturuig ; you must proceed 
 (•arefully when yoii are dealing wltli the very 
 life-blood, the wages, of 307,000 workmen, 
 drawing an annual wage of 1^100,000,000 ; 
 you have to look twice before you move when 
 yoii are to legislate so that vou may affect 
 !t;47r),000,000 of products, which yield a net 
 proiit, I suppose, of ii;iK),000,000 a year. When 
 1 look at tlieso figures, I cannot but think 
 of the rash over-confidence of my hon. friend 
 
 from Prince Edward Island, who desires us to 
 
 rush into the tariff revision at once. I can only 
 attribute It to the narrowness of the spirit in 
 which he has regarded eveiythlng, that he 
 .seems to thiulc it as eai3y to deal with the 
 ^.'553,000.000 of capital, the 307,000 employees, 
 the ?1 00,000,000 of wages, and the $475,000,- 
 
10 
 
 000 of products as it would be for tlie tl«lit 
 llttlo Island iu which he lives to settle the 
 question ot a new brldye, or of the improve- 
 ment of a macadamized road. Sir, we can 
 uever forget that In dealing with the ques- 
 tion of tarilf we are dealing with the question 
 of revenue. ThriKJ courses have been ottered 
 to us. We lu'v^e free trade. But I thinli, 
 under the pnyient circumstances of our covm- 
 try, as .Mr. Blak(> says, free t"ade is dead 
 We havt! had Commercial Uuion. And the 
 good sense of the people danmed it. It was 
 then trotted out as Unrestilctod llecipiocity. 
 But it was diiven back with ignoi liny from 
 tlie polls by the common sense of the people. 
 And then tliese ajiosties, driven from every 
 corner, fotmd refuge iu Continental Union. 
 For a tiuK- tlicy blinded the people with a 
 mere shibboleth, bnt when the by-elections 
 came, and after they had lost the golden 
 money key with whicli they had solved many 
 a difficulty, when Mr. Mercier was no long(>r 
 to the fore, when we lay there abandoned 
 by gods and men, when no more sums of 
 $28,000 could be filched from the :»oor work- 
 ingnien of tlie Bale des Chaleurs ro put up 
 in elections, when no more sending for an- 
 another Inmdred thousand > \ 
 
 An hon. MEMBER. Another ten thousand 
 
 Mr. COCKBURN. Ah, gentlemen, there 
 was a time when we went another tx?n thou- 
 Siind, but they saw us and went us ten times 
 betU^r. They called us. And it would rinpilre 
 a geneiation of demoralization for the party 
 of purity and principle to whidi 1 belong.' to 
 e<pial one tithe of the Ignominy, the brazen, 
 uublusiliing ignominy, with which tliey used the 
 money tllelied from the horny-handed sous of 
 toU of the province of Quebec. Driven to 
 abandon Continental Union, tlieir ideas have 
 changed, and we have hon. gentlemen speaking 
 in a grandiose way of the great Anglo-Saxon 
 Union. But now another policy is propound- 
 ed. It is no longer connnercial union, it is 
 no longer unrestricted reciprocity, it is no 
 longer continental union, it is no longer even 
 Anglo-Saxon rnion, but it Is Freer Trade. 
 But how come they to ask for freer trade ? 
 They have stood up there, to put it in their 
 own elegant language, with both feet for 
 free trade, and how can they have freer 
 trade than free trade ? I do not know. I 
 cannot understiind this wonderful proposi- 
 tion of tlie hon. member for South Oxford 
 (Sir Richard Cartwright). He asks me here 
 to agree with this : " Be it resolved that the 
 Customs tariff bears heavily and unjustly 
 upon the great consuming classes of the 
 Dominion." Sir, we understand the term 
 " classes " to mean a body of men distinct 
 from the workingmen. Surely, it cannot be 
 that our friends opposite are going to aban- 
 don the cry of tli. farmer and the working- 
 man and run after the classes. Surely, they 
 have ransacked heaven and earth, and I 
 might say they have gone even lower, in 
 search of some policy to cover them. And 
 yet they seem as naJied as the day when 
 
 their poUtical clothes were 8tolen from then 
 Not a step furtlier can they i larch, and now 
 forsootli, they seek to pretend that tl\(>y an 
 tlie special guardians of the consiiniiaj 
 classes ; tliey, the men who tried to stoj) thii 
 $11,000,000 from rolng to the employees and 
 others through the Canadian I'aciiic itaii. 
 way, the men who have tried to bloci; cveij 
 step of progress tliat has been attciuptMl 
 within the last tive-imd-twenty years l)y tli( 
 Liberal-Conservative party, the party tliai 
 has given to the workingmen all the piiv| 
 leges that they now enjoy. I am asked ii 
 say " that the tariff should be at once thor 
 ouglil.v reformed in the direction of fre 
 trade." I know not what sort of trade tlii 
 can be. Can it mean that gentlemen oppo 
 site, flnding themselves naked and utterl; 
 helpless and forlorn, weary and dispirited 
 have determinetl to throw themselves int 
 our arms and say : AVe will take you 
 policy ; only make the trade a little trm 
 and let us down easy ? I do not know tin 
 we ought to treat them as the prodigiil sn 
 was treated, for their position is not exacll) 
 the same— he had at least tlie satisfaclionc 
 having had a good old time before lio 
 ' pented. I would like to olfer tlieui a mea 
 of pottiige, but I know not what to do will 
 them. Tliey are of our own blood ; they an 
 our kinsmen, and In tlie hour of advei-sitr 
 In the hour of agony. In the last great troul)li 
 of their little existence, they como to us an 
 say : It is only freer trade we want ; 
 jibandon Connnercial Union, away with Rw 
 proeity ; down with Continental Union 
 trample under the foot Anglo-Saxon '^ iiion 
 ism ; we see no chance of ever leacb 
 lug our haven, except by the patl 
 you have trodden, and our only bop 
 Is in taking lessons from you. Noj 
 there is the (luestion of Free Trade. ^ 
 have afterwards to consider the questio 
 of tariff for revenue only to meet expense 
 This s(»ems to l)e partly what is aimed iitt 
 the resolution moved by the hon. niemh 
 for South Oxford, " Such a sum as is leqiiiB 
 to meet the expenses of the Goveriimei 
 elliciontly and economically atlministered." 
 do not know what experience my friends bat 
 had in the management of government. Tho 
 ideas must be somewhat antediluvian. It 
 many a long day since they have had a thaiii 
 of practising the art of government, and 
 there are a few stragglers left, oldish m( 
 who once on a time, In the distant past, s 
 on this side of the House, they may still bai 
 ideas left which may be of stTvice to tl 
 I public, and they may think that this Go 
 i ernnient is not economically and etlicient 
 1 managed. I do not wish to say anvtliii 
 I al)out etflciency, that I take for granted ; iJ 
 I can assure them, as to economy, I hai 
 ' ti'ied iu vain to melt the heart of tlie Fiuan 
 Minister, and a harder and a meaner ma 
 in money respects, I never met. Now, tii« 
 , is tile third alternative, if I may use 
 word, still left to us, and that is, how to de 
 i with tlie tariff for revenue and at the siin 
 
 
11 
 
 time encourngo our native" Iiuliistties. Now, 
 I do uot Ko iu for free triido, I do not «o in 
 for tjiriff for revenue only. I still adiiere to 
 my iiriiiciplt's of ii uaMoiuil policy, and under 
 the National Policy I wisli a t^iriff fur 
 ri'VciiiH", !iiid I wisii it sui>i)iemented by such 
 an iidditioual tarilf, if 1 may use llie words, 
 ns will I'osfer iind protect our native industries. 
 It is a dlrticult taslc wbicli lias been asslArncd 
 to tlie (jDvernnient to <letermiue 1 ow lliis 
 policy shall l)e apportioned. Tlie quarrel willx 
 tlie (Jovernnicnt just now, if there is any 
 quarrel, is not in reference to ilie National 
 Policy, it is Avitli reference to tli' application 
 of liie i)riiiciples of t;lio .National I'olicy. i'eople 
 Tjiinlv. after fourteen years' experience, that 
 tlicre are c(>rtaln industries wldcli have been 
 fostered, anti fostered, too, with a delicate 
 band, and which ought now to be self-support- 
 ing ; and they tliinlc it imfair thai, if tliere 
 arc sucli industries, the pul)lic should have, 
 out of their hard earnings, to supi)leine)it 
 moneys wliicli niei-ely go inio tlie pockets of 
 tlie nianutjicturors. To illustrate what I 
 mean, 1 should like to draw your alteutlou 
 to some remarks made the ()th(>r evening by i 
 the hon. member Joi- West Ontario (.Mr. Ed- 
 gar). Speaking of cotton goods, calicoes, li<> 
 draws attention to (he hardsliips of the tarilf 
 as they affect the workinj;iiian. Sjieaking 
 of the duties on shirts, &c., being 48 per cent, : 
 he says : 
 
 Tlio above duties are paid to the revenue a« dutieH, 
 and arc rccnved l)y tlie couiifry : hut tlie tariff is so 
 aiiMM^'id that cm the coarser f,'o(Mlstlie.si)('citic duties per ' 
 yard or ])vi- jM.und are so lienvy rliat they are not paid 
 at ail as duties, and tlie poor man pays tlie liifrl„>|. tax 
 on them to tlie protected iiianufaetn'rer. 'I'liiit is of 
 course whiit those hi^rj, duties are for, and the result ' 
 \«.rks licautifully. One or two examples of the ofli-ct I 
 of those specific duties in addition to the ad valorem 
 finties upon the coarser kinds of cotton ^oods the I 
 giKMls use( by the poorer classes, will illustrate what 
 Imean. 1 a,in iu)t Koniy to weary the House by a i 
 long hst, such as I noKlit give it, but 1 will only tike ' 
 three cases Cotton shirtin^fs, for instance, sv'ich as 
 are worn by working-inen are t;ixed 2 ci^nts per 
 square yard, sjiccific duty, ni addition to l,') ner cent 
 ad valorem, imported goods of this kind, L>7 inches 
 ni width, cost troni iM. to 4d. sterling per yard, averag- 
 ini;- .id., \v uch 111 our currency is (I cents per yard, 
 lluswtnild be a tax of 2.-10 per yard, or 40 percent 
 eii cotton Bheeting. 
 
 Ho says further on : 
 
 Our Canadian mills can supply the heathen Chinese 
 s lio'iiin"" ''■'*''»'"■ protection, while they extort 
 • .i-'"«MKJO per aunuin from tin; long-sidreriiii,' Caua- 
 iliaiis liy means of this tariff. 
 
 Xow, I consider a statement of this kind 
 most unfair. The gentleman must have known, 
 It ik; made any Inquiry, that such goods are 
 aut imported into tWs country, and ihat, al- 
 tlioii-h the tariff stivt(>s there is a duty of 
 
 ^vnlT'^'^^T* "V, ^^^^"^^ ^'"«'^'^' t'i«^ <lu y is" not 
 f.,lV ; ^ ^''^^ illustrate my argument from 
 lacts of my own observation. I have her(> 
 a .st.atenieut showing the cost of certain de- 
 sonptious of cotton goods In Manchester, 
 With the rate of duty : 
 
 Cheek shirtiiig.s 
 and coloured 
 
 cottons 
 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 (Jray and bleaciied 
 
 cotton . . 
 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 Flannels, wool, 4 
 oz. to yd. . . , 
 do 
 do 
 <lo 
 do 
 do 
 Tweeds, cloth, 8 
 
 oz. to yd 
 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 Tweeds, cloth, 12 
 oz. to yd. , .... 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 Overcoatings, 28 
 oz. to yd. .... 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 (Jray blaukets.iier 
 
 lb 
 
 do 
 White blankets, 
 
 per lb . 
 
 do 
 <lo 
 do 
 do 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 3? 
 
 G 
 
 7 
 8 
 
 
 2c. iiers. yd. & 15p.c. 
 
 2c. 
 2c. 
 2c. 
 2c. 
 2c. 
 2c. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 1 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 2| Ic 
 
 3.1 lie 
 U le, 
 
 (> 
 
 7 
 8 
 
 6 
 
 !) 
 
 4 
 7 
 10 
 
 Ic. 
 Ic. 
 lo. 
 
 (fo 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 d(j 
 do 
 
 per lb. 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 
 I.'-) do 
 
 \r> do 
 
 ir. do 
 1.'. do 
 
 ir. do 
 1.5 do 
 
 & 15 p. c. 
 15 do 
 
 ir. do 
 i:> do 
 \:> do 
 
 If) do 
 
 lOc. per lb. & 20 p.c 
 10c, do 20 do 
 10c. do 20 do 
 10c. do 20 do 
 lllc. do 20 do 
 10c. do 20 do 
 
 !l 
 
 1 
 
 1 () 
 
 2 (5 
 
 3 i; 
 
 5 
 
 10c. 
 10c. 
 10c. 
 lOc. 
 10c. 
 10c. 
 
 lOi 10c. 
 lOc. 
 lOe. 
 10c. 
 lOc. 
 10c. 
 
 1 4' 
 
 1 10 
 
 2 H 
 
 3 « 
 5 
 
 1 
 1 
 2 
 3 
 4 
 
 lOe. 
 
 10c. 
 10c. 
 
 lOe. 
 10c. 
 
 lOc. 
 10c. 
 
 4.1, 10c. 
 
 y" loc. 
 
 1 
 1 
 
 2 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 llOc 
 
 10c. 
 lOe. 
 lOc. 
 
 lOc. 
 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 
 do 
 do 
 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 do 
 
 20 do 
 20 do 
 20 d(j 
 20 do 
 20 do 
 20 do 
 
 20 do 
 20 do 
 20 do 
 20 do 
 20 do 
 20 do 
 
 20 do 
 20 do 
 20 do 
 20 do 
 20 do 
 20 do 
 20 do 
 
 20 do 
 20 do 
 
 do do 
 do do 
 do do 
 do do 
 do do 
 
 Printed and dyed cottons 32i p. c, as used by tlie 
 masses. 
 
 Silks, satins and silk velvets 30 p. c, as used by the 
 classes. 
 
 I want to draw the attention to the fact that, 
 owing to tiie fostering action of the National 
 rolicy,on certam grades of w()ollen,cotton and 
 other manufactures, we are able now to pro- 
 duce these goods cheap(>r than we are able to 
 import them ; but at the same time I cannot 
 but feel with hon. gentlemen opposite that 
 they have a ground of complaint, and that Is, 
 tliat the tariff should remain li.xetl as it is. I 
 may be told that the tariff is kei>t at 48 or 35 
 or 20 per cent with a view to protecting our 
 coxmtry from being made a slaughter-market. 
 That may be the case. Bu I think our manu- 
 
12 
 
 0. 
 
 factures, esppclnlly of this class of goods, 
 are either able now to stand entirely 
 alone or should do with such a moth'rati; 
 tariff in the shape of protection as woultl 
 enable them to carry on their busi- 
 ness. I would not, however, leave it to 
 any Goveninieut to Interfere directly with 
 tlie course of trade on the ground that a " com- 
 bine " miglit exist. Of coiu-se, so long as we 
 have a tiirill' of 48 per cent on tho.se cottons, 
 we are liolding out n direct incentive, an in- 
 c<mt.ive more or less direct, to tlie manufactur- 
 ei-s in tliis country to combine and raise tlie 
 price of cottons, and it is perfectly possible 
 under sucli a tarilf that they would reap en- 
 ormous prolits. At the same time I would 
 not wisli to establish such a tariff, and leave 
 it to the tJov(H'niuent, or leave it to any Gov- 
 ermnent, however great my confidence m ly 
 be in this Government, to control, l)y 
 special interference, the commercial in- 
 terests of tills country. Well, Sir, at 
 the same time I may notice with respect 
 to the specific duty that it does bear hardly 
 on the poorer class. We have heard, and we 
 all know, that the poorer cliisses of woods liave 
 fallen 50 per cent in value ; tliey are down to 
 one-half what they were before. The poor 
 man is not getting the benefit of vlils to the 
 full extent. Inasmuch as tlie sj)eclfic dutj' re- 
 mains the same, while the article itself may 
 have dropped one-half. The specific duty 
 on a pair of stockings would remain the same 
 to the poor man, although the article itself 
 had fallen one-half in value. I think, there- 
 fore, in any rearrangement of the tariff it 
 would be advisable, as far as practicable— I 
 know in many cases it cannot be d<me, and 
 thei-e must be a specillc duty— that due re- 
 gard should be had to placing the duties on 
 the basi.'i of ad valorem duties. Tn conclusion, 
 I have merely to say that I trust we will 
 remain one country, prepared to a.ssiime our 
 own bnrdens, ard that we will lie careful to 
 enter into no embarrassing eommeivlal trea- 
 ties. I think the experience we have had dur- 
 ing the past years ought to give us confidence 
 in oui-selves. We have i?iH?n the McKinley 
 Bill place upon us nn iron hand, and for the 
 moment even those who had confidence in 
 this country seemed to waver ; but the lilher- 
 al-Cons'H'vativc party .stood finn, and we 
 have sho\\Ti by our action that we are 
 alile in an efficient manner to manage our 
 own commercial affairs. You may make a 
 treaty with the United States, you may make 
 a treaty with England or -nith France. There 
 are certain undeniable advantag(>s, I admit ; 
 but, at the same time, you ai-e taking a 
 young country and forcing its commerce into 
 a particular groove, and after ten or fifteen 
 years, when its commerce has fallen into 
 that particular chaimel, you may find the 
 treaty suddenly rescinded, and the trade of 
 this country rliro-mi back, with all the dis- 
 organization of commerce wdiich such a change 
 naturally involves. I tnist, therefore, we ■Rill 
 be careful not too much to complicate our posi- 
 tion with commercial treaties entered into 
 
 ! with any counti-y whatever. Naturally . 
 
 I enough, we ore looking to tho new policy ot' 
 tlie Democrats in the United States. Our 
 
 ; hon. friends opposite seem to laugh, and 
 
 ' think it odd we sliould corusider that question. 
 
 ! I think that ono plea miglit have been put 
 foward for delayhig the tai'iff, namely, while 
 
 ; there were great dangers in delay, especially 
 aftcH' llu! proclamation had gone forth ihat 
 an intpiiry would take place, it was to be 
 
 , expect(Kl that we must take account of the 
 
 ; changes that might be made by the new 
 Deiuocratid party in the United States. No 
 
 ! Iieople can live alongside a nation of (55,000,- 
 000 souls, with a boundaiy line, undistingiiish- 
 able at many points, extending for 3,000 miles, 
 without our tarilf being more or less Influ- 
 enced or controlled by them. I tnist in the 
 
 '. new tariff to which sve are to be treated next 
 session, a fair and reasoruible protection ^vllI 
 
 ; be given, such as is necessary to establish 
 and protect industries that will take peniia- 
 nenl; root in the countiy and may be ex- 
 pected ultimately to stiind alone. Foi- my 
 own part, I tnist tliat the consum(>r will no 
 longer be forced to pay a duty under a pro- 
 tective tariff to encourage the manufacture 
 of those goods in this country which have 
 been bonused or offered to be bonused (hir- 
 ing the last fourteen years, and of which no 
 m.anufacture has yet been attempted, for tills 
 duty neither aids nor pi'otects any one, and 
 fails in it.s purpose. It oppresses the con- 
 
 i sumer and it adds imn( oessarily to the btir- 
 den which he has to bear. But this, how- 
 ever, Is not the only objectionable result, for 
 if It were, it might be borne ; but the English 
 manufacturi'r, who supplies this market, 
 finding that when the duty is added lo the 
 A^'llue of the goods, the article he is sending 
 
 I becomes too expensive, produces an infeHor 
 artiele of a value calculated to meet the views 
 of purchasers, and thus we are doing injury 
 to oureelves, and our protective tariff" is not 
 contributing to benefit the interests of the 
 counti-y. I trust, therefore, that the protoc- 
 tion afforded to such goods will be lopped off, 
 as no attempt has been made or will be made 
 to manufactiu'o them In this country. T am 
 glad to hear that railway bonuses will be 
 diminished. Cheaper living is an essential 
 condition to the progress of the country, and 
 to the filling up of our great North-west, and 
 however much T tnist our young fnend, the ' 
 Minister of the Interior, in whom I have ex- 
 ])ressed such unbounded confidence, to fill up 
 that vast territoi*y under his control, the first 
 and the greatest desiderntuni will be to make 
 the country as cheap to live in as the corres- 
 ponding counti-y to the soutli of us. I trust, 
 therefore, that all expenses not necess:u7 
 
 I will be cut down, and that some steps will be 
 taken to reduce the railway bonus system. 
 So far as my experience goes, it has not been 
 fraiight with unqualified advantage to the 
 country, and I tliink we have arrived at that 
 
 I time when we may consider how we may 
 considerably reduce such bonuses, and ask 
 
 I such enterprises to stand on their own com- 
 
 i mercial basis. 
 
 OTTAWA : Printed by S. E. Dawson, Printer to the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty, 181)3 
 
■ y w"" I ..I,' :.r.^> ? ;.t