exception of lumber, we probably should have no
great inconvenience were Canada uninhabited and
inaccessible to us.
The old stock of Canadians, (the larger part of
the population), differs from us in blood, speech,
and institutions. For this' reason we fail to see
what benefit our country could receive by their
annexation. The people of Canada have never
been educated up to the ideas of a republican
form of government; and it is to be seriously
doubted whether she could harmoniously unite
with us in the government which we enjoy. Al-
ready her experience with con flicts bet ween Church
and State ought to be enough to settle with us all
questions of annexation. Why should we wish to
mix ourselves up with that disturber of peace ? for
annexation would be no settlement of this ques
tion, only the inauguration of it. If we had no
social or political problems of our own to solve
in the near future, we nevertheless ought to con
sider well our ground before taking to ourselves
the solu'ion of a problem with which we have
never had any experience.
It has been expressed that Canada would be of
value to us in the event of war with England, for
the reason that if owned by England, she could
use it for a recruiting ground and base of supplies.
This may be true, but our country has never look
ed forward to a war policy. We would be con
tent to use Canada fora battle ground, and thus
save our own territory from the devastating re
sults of war, should we ever meet England again;
for did we own Canada, it is no more probable
that we would be invaded there than elsewhere,
where as it now is, either Canada or the border
line would surely be the field of action, on land,
were a war with England in progress.
It is true that England has the advantage of us
by owning the ship canals which lead from Lake
Erie to Lake Ontario, thus controlling the outlet
of the Great Lakes. Were our country less tardy
in gaining the management of important com
munications to the interior of its own territory, we
should already have had canals of our own, upon
THE FLEE LANCS.
our own territory, suitable for the passage of ships
to and from the Lakes ; for many such routes
have been pointed out as feasible by engineers.
As for territory we have ample room for devel
opment in all branches of indurtry. We can
double, yes, quadruple our present population be
fore we shall begin to feel uncomfortable, and by
that time all land that is unsettled in Canada,
will not be worth considering. We should look
to history and weigh well the results which have
come from the greed of territory. We shall not
have much trouble to see how mighty kingdoms,
and empires, kept grabbing territory until they
had boundaries too large to hold in their power ;
and how by trying to assimilate different peoples
they were eventually crumbled by invasions from
without, aided by civil dissentions within. The
power of a country does not depend wholly upon
the size of its territory, its large population or its
wealth, but upon the. unity of its people, in their
institutions and in the government which has giv
them peace and happiness.
Let us then not envy foreign powers of their
territory, when we possess the finest country, all
things considered, which the light of the sun
shines upon, when we enjoy the freest govern
ment in existence.
Let us not like Rome of old add so much ter
ritory to our own, that, through diverse races of
people and antagonistic institutions, we shall be
unable under one form of government to Main - -
tain peace and order.
By measures, reciprocal and otherwise, it is
possible for the two countries to exchange with
each other their products in a manner both satis
factory and beneficial to each. By better diploma
tic laws it is possible for better relations to exist
between them. By internal laws best suited to
each and best formed by each individually, they
can and ought to grow in power and wealth, liv
ing peaceably side by side ; where were they unit
ed as one country under a common government,
conflicts would inevitably occur between people
so different in growth and sentiment.