35^ 



Tlie Proyrcss of the New Dominio)i, 



Mill' 



cli 



1883. 



with rcinarkaMe rapidity all over 

 the pros iiici", or in foroign ("oiiti- 

 trics, which arc always ready to 

 piirtdiaso just such artich's as he 

 H'l'ows. Tiiosc who wisli to know 

 the origin of the jjrospority of this 

 Ihiiirisiiiiiti- provinco, now the lionie 

 of two millions of peo})le, will liave 

 to 150 back many years ago, and 

 follow step by step the progress of 

 the pioneer from the day he raised 

 his little lr>geahiii amid the forest, 

 and ele: ed the acre or two on 

 which 1, gr(!w his first crop. It 

 was a hard tight for years, hut 

 courage and industry triumphed 

 at last ; and now the forest has 

 receded to the rocks of Muskoka, 

 or to the remote lumber districts 

 of the Ottawa and its tributary 

 streams. The best evidence of the 

 success that has crowned the elforts 

 of the j)ioneers, is the fact that 

 Ontario produces more than lialf 

 of the total export of the produce 

 of the farms of Canada, which may 

 be valued at over twelve million 

 pounds sterling. 



As a manufacturing C(uintry, 

 Canada lias made very consi<lerable 

 progress within the past five years. 

 Whatever may be the o[)inion of 

 English political economists as to 

 the soundness of the present fiscal 

 policy of the Dominion, there is 

 reason for the statement constantiv 

 made by its supporters, now largely 

 in the majority, that it has helped 

 to stimulate manufactures through- 

 out tlie country. Montreal, Ham- 

 ilton, and other cities and towns, 

 oast and west, have become import- 

 ant centres for the manufacture of 

 sugar, ironware, agricultural imple- 

 ments, sewing-machines, pianos, 

 woollen and cotton goods, and fur- 

 niture. All over Ontario, wherever 

 there is a valuable water privilege, 

 or a thriving busy community, fac- 

 tories arS established from time to 

 time, to give additional employ- 

 ment to population, and a larger 

 market to the farmers. Quanti- 



ties of articles, hitherto purchased 

 aiiroad, are now produced at home, 

 — a fact which helps to nndv<( the 

 people of Canada more self-reliant, 

 and independent of other countries. 

 More than that, Canada already 

 manufactures more articles than 

 she r(Mjuires for her own use, and 

 last year sold in foreign markets a 

 million's worth of her own manu- 

 factures — oidy a small amount, it 

 is true, but sullicient to show the 

 present direction of her energies. 

 Political economists mav point out 

 as much as they please the fallacies 

 of the system, but the fact neverthe- 

 less remains, that protection in a 

 modified form is likely to be the 

 popular policy for some time to 

 come in Canada. A good deal 

 probalilv depends 011 the action of 

 the United States, where protection 

 practically amounts to prohibition 

 in the case of certain classes of 

 foreign goods. If, as will probably 

 occur, the Democrats obtain com- 

 plete control of the Government, 

 the cliange of policy will be in the 

 direction of tariff reform rather 

 than in that of free trade as un- 

 derstood in p]ngland. The New 

 York ' World,' an intluential organ 

 of the Democratic party, s[)eak3 

 authoritatively when it says that 

 " there is no man of weight in the 

 councils of the Democratic party 

 who proposes, in simplifying and 

 remodelling the tariff, to disregard 

 and demolish interests which have 

 grown up under the present tariff." 

 A revenue tariff which will give 

 incidental protection to manufac- 

 tures will likely be the policy to be 

 adopted sooner or later. And as 

 long as protection exists in any 

 shape in the United States, Canada 

 will not be disposed to alter what 

 her public men call a "national 

 policy." Indeed the present dis- 

 position of the dominant party in 

 Canada is to work out, under any 

 circumstances whatever, such a 

 policy as will make Canada as in- 



aiiv 



ng to 



river. 



