the canadian dominion-第22部分

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der　to　meet　the　bills　for　its　lavish　railway　policy。　This　increase　hit　American　manufacturers　and　led　to　loud　complaints　that　the　spirit　of　the　Reciprocity　Treaty　had　been　violated。　Alexander　T。　Galt；　Canadian　Minister　of　Finance；　had　no　difficulty　in　showing　that　the　tariff　increases　were　the　only　feasible　sources　of　revenue；　that　the　agreement　with　the　United　States　did　not　cover　manufactures；　and　that　the　United　States　itself；　faced　by　war　demands　and　no　longer　controlled　by　free　trade　Southerners；　had　raised　duties　still　higher。　The　exports　of　the　United　States　to　the　Provinces　in　the　reciprocity　period　were　greater；　contrary　to　the　later　traditions；　than　the　imports。　On　economic　grounds　the　case　for　the　continuance　of　the　reciprocity　agreement　was　strong；　and　probably　the　treaty　would　have　remained　in　force　indefinitely　had　not　the　political　passions　roused　by　the　Civil　War　made　sanity　and　neighborliness　in　trade　difficult　to　maintain。


When　the　Civil　War　broke　out；　the　sympathies　of　Canadians　were　overwhelmingly　on　the　side　of　the　North。　The　railway　and　freer　trade　had　been　bringing　the　two　peoples　closer　together；　and　time　was　healing　old　sores。　Slavery　was　held　to　be　the　real　issue；　and　on　that　issue　there　were　scarcely　two　opinions　in　the　British　Provinces。

Yet　in　a　few　months　sympathy　had　given　way　to　angry　and　suspicious　bickering；　and　the　possibility　of　invasion　of　Canada　by　the　Northern　forces　was　vigorously　debated。　This　sudden　shift　of　opinion　and　the　danger　in　which　it　involved　the　provinces　were　both　incidents　in　the　quarrel　which　sprang　up　between　the　United　States　and　Great　Britain。　In　Britain　as　in　Canada；　opinion；　so　far　as　it　found　open　expression；　was　at　first　not　unfriendly　to　the　North。　Then　came　the　anger　of　the　North　at　Great　Britain's　legitimate　and　necessary；　though　perhaps　precipitate；　action　in　acknowledging　the　South　as　a　belligerent。　This　action　ran　counter　to　the　official　Northern　theory　that　the　revolt　of　the　Southern　States　was　a　local　riot；　of　merely　domestic　concern；　and　was　held　to　foreshadow　a　recognition　of　the　independence　of　the　Confederacy。　The　angry　taunts　were　soon　returned。　The　ruling　classes　in　Great　Britain　made　the　discovery　that　the　war　was　a　struggle　between　chivalrous　gentlemen　and　mercenary　counterhoppers　and　cherished　the　hope　that　the　failure　of　the　North　would　discredit；　the　world　over；　the　democracy　which　was　making　uncomfortable　claims　in　England　itself。　The　English　trading　classes　resented　the　shortage　of　cotton　and　the　high　duties　which　the　protectionist　North　was　imposing。　With　the　defeat　of　the　Union　forces　at　Bull　Run　the　prudent　hesitancy　of　aristocrat　and　merchant　in　expressing　their　views　disappeared。　The　responsible　statesmen　of　both　countries；　especially　Lincoln　and　Lord　John　Russell；　refused　to　be　stampeded；　but　unfortunately　the　leading　newspapers　served　them　ill。　The　〃Times〃；　with　its　constant　sneers　and　its　still　more　irritating　patronizing　advice；　and　the　New　York　〃Herald〃；　bragging　and　blustering　in　the　frank　hope　of　forcing　a　war　with　Britain　and　France　which　would　reunite　South　and　North　and　subordinate　the　slavery　issue；　did　more　than　any　other　factors　to　bring　the　two　countries　to　the　verge　of　war。

In　Canada　the　tendency　in　some　quarters　to　reflect　English　opinion；　the　disappointment　in　others　that　the　abolition　of　slavery　was　not　explicitly　pledged　by　the　North；　and　above　all　resentment　against　the　threats　of　the　〃Herald〃　and　its　followers；　soon　cooled　the　early　friendliness。　The　leading　Canadian　newspaper；　for　many　years　a　vigorous　opponent　of　slavery；　thus　summed　up　the　situation　in　August；　1861：

〃The　insolent　bravado　of　the　Northern　press　towards　Great　Britain　and　the　insulting　tone　assumed　toward　these　Provinces　have　unquestionably　produced　a　marked　change　in　the　feelings　of　our　people。　When　the　war　commenced；　there　was　only　one　feeling；　of　hearty　sympathy　with　the　North；　but　now　it　is　very　different。　People　have　lost　sight　of　the　character　of　the　struggle　in　the　exasperation　excited　by　the　injustice　and　abuse　showered　upon　us　by　the　party　with　which　we　sympathized。〃*

*　Toronto　〃Globe〃；　August　7；　1861。


The　Trent　affair　brought　matters　to　a　sobering　climax。*　When　it　was　settled；　resentment　lingered；　but　the　tension　was　never　again　so　acute。　Both　Great　Britain　and　in　Canada　the　normal　sympathy　with　the　cause　of　the　Union　revived　as　the　war　went　on。　In　England　the　classes　continued　to　be　pro…Southern　in　sympathy；　but　the　masses；　in　spite　of　cotton　famines；　held　resolutely　to　their　faith　in　the　cause　of　freedom。　After　Lincoln's　emancipation　of　the　slaves；　the　view　of　the　English　middle　classes　more　and　more　became　the　view　of　the　nation。　In　Canada；　pro…Southern　sentiment　was　strong　in　the　same　classes　and　particularly　in　Montreal　and　Toronto；　where　there　were　to　be　found　many　Southern　refugees；　some　of　whom　made　a　poor　return　for　hospitality　by　endeavoring　to　use　Canada　as　a　base　for　border　raids。　Yet　in　the　smaller　towns　and　in　the　country　sympathy　was　decidedly　on　the　other　side；　particularly　after　the　〃Herald〃　had　ceased　its　campaign　of　bluster　and　after　Lincoln's　proclamation　had　brought　the　moral　issue　again　to　the　fore。　The　fact　that　a　large　number　of　Canadians；　popularly　set　at　forty　thousand；　enlisted　in　the　Northern　armies；　is　to　be　explained　in　part　by　the　call　of　adventure　and　the　lure　of　high　bounties；　but　it　must　also　be　taken　to　reflect　the　sympathy　of　the　mass　of　the　people。

*　See　〃Abraham　Lincoln　and　the　Union〃；　by　Nathaniel　W。　Stephenson　（in　〃The　Chronicles　of　America〃）。


In　the　United　States　resentment　was　slower　in　passing。　While　the　war　was　on；　prudence　forbade　any　overt　act。　When　it　was　over；　the　bill　for　the　Alabama　raids　and　the　taunts　of　the　〃Times〃　came　in。　Great　Britain　paid　in　the　settlement　of　the　Alabama　claims。*　Canada　suffered　by　the　abrogation　of　the　Reciprocity　Treaty　at　the　first　possible　date；　and　by　the　connivance　of　the　American　authorities　in　the　Fenian　raids　of　1866　and　1870。　Yet　for　Canada　the　outcome　was　by　no　means　ill。　If　the　Civil　War　did　not　bring　forth　a　new　nation　in　the　South；　it　helped　to　make　one　in　the　far　North。　A　common　danger　drew　the　scattered　British　Provinces　together　and　made　ready　the　way　for　the　coming　Dominion　of　Canada。

*See　〃The　Day　of　the　Confederacy〃；　by　Nathaniel　W。　Stephenson；　and　〃The　Path　of　Empire〃　（in　〃The　Chronicles　of　America〃）。


It　was　not　from　the　United　States　alone　that　an　impetus　came　for　the　closer　union　of　the　British　Provinces。　The　same　period　and　the　same　events　ripened　opinion　in　the　United　Kingdom　in　favor　of　some　practical　means　of　altering　a　colonial　relationship　which　bad　ceased　to　bring　profit　but　which　had　not　ceased　to　be　a　burden　of　responsibility　and　risk。

The　British　Empire　had　its　beginning　in　the　initiative　of　private　business　men；　not　in　any　conscious　policy　of　state。　Yet　as　the　Empire　grew　the　teaching　of　doctrinaires　and　the　example　of　other　colonial　powers　had　developed　a　definite　policy　whereby　the　plantations　overseas　were　to　be　made　to　serve　the　needs　of　the　nation　at　home。　The　end　of　empire　was　commercial　profit；　the　means；　the　political　subordination　of　the　colonies；　the　debit　entry；　the　cost　of　the　military　and