The West Indian Bundle of Sticks. 263 



to Parliament by the several islands, but these appeals 

 have lacked the force which a solid Union of the colonies 

 would have given to a collective protest. The unfamiliar 

 names of some of the smaller islands could hardly be 

 expected to attract: the attention of the majority of the 

 members of the House of Commons. A single petition 

 from the British West Indies, unitjd together, would, on 

 the other hand, hav^ commanded attention : if, indeed, 

 the West Inaies, when united, would need to make such 

 an appeal. Since the British North American colonies 

 joined together in a single commonwealth, Imperial 

 ministers have found themselves in a position to allow 

 the Dominion of Canada to adopt its own Commercial 

 Policy : surely, then, i Union of the West Indian Islands 

 would oe allowed to consult its own interests in matters 

 of trade. As things are, however, we have been plainly 

 told, what we had already been made to feel, that the 

 commercial interests of these colonies are to be held in 

 suhj rction to the commercial interests of the mother coun- 

 try. Never d.d a government try to do a better turn to the 

 West Indies, than the ministry now in power has 

 attempted to do, by its efforts to secure the abolition of 

 the Foreign Bounty system, and yet a minister of the 

 Cabinet, in a speech against that system, openly declared 

 the subjection of our commercial interests to those of 

 the United Kingdom. Here are the Right Honourable 

 C. T. Ritchie's own words : — 



"What is the position of the West Indian colonies in 

 this matter? They are debarred by their connection 

 with this country from making arrangements for the 

 export of their sugar to foreign markets on terms of 

 mutual advantage. We will not permit them to do so." 



