The Growth of Canada and Imperial Federation. 573 



of 1885, one may travel from the Atlantic to the Pacific on Canadian 

 territory and over Canadian railways. This great work will have 

 been achieved at enormous expense, but the advantages to be realized 

 fully warranted the outlay. 



When the original Union was consummated in 18G7, one could not 

 travel from Nova Scotia or New Brunswick to any part of Quebec 

 or Ontario without passing through the State of Maine, but in a 

 few years the Intercolonial Railway was completed, and by that high- 

 way a direct channel of communication was established. Just as 

 the first Act of Union made the Intercolonial a necessity, so did the 

 extension of the Confederation from the Atlantic to the Pacific 

 render the Canadian Pacific indispensible. It would be impossible 

 to build up vast British Provinces in the Prairie Region as con- 

 stituent parts of the Dominion of Canada, unless they were directly 

 connected with all other parts of Canada by Canadian channels of 

 commerce. The same is true of British Columbia. Hence we may 

 well say that our work so far, has been that of confederating the 

 Provinces ; that of uniting them politically first, and then welding 

 them together commercially afterwards. With the close of 1885 

 this part of the national structure will have been completed, and 

 Canada will be ready to start out with the work of internal 

 development. Having secured proper means of communication 

 between the several Provinces ; having established the arteries of 

 interprovincial commerce through which the national life-blood may 

 commence to flow, it will be time to turn attention to our relations 

 with the outside world, and to open up such channels of communi- 

 cation with the countries of Asia and Europe as the possibilities of 

 the Dominion afford. 



There is a certainty of an early death to the already sickly 

 sentiment existing in Canada in favour of annexation with the 

 United States, and when this evil is rooted out we shall hear less in 

 favour of independence, or of complete severance from the Mother 

 Country. The greatest objection to annexation with the United 

 States is found in the fact we should not be likely ever to enjoy the 

 full advantages of our geographical position if these territories were 

 governed at Washington. Owing to the shape of the earth, and the 



