OUR AMERICAN LETTER.

Evening Star, Issue 8843, 4 June 1892, Page 2 (Supplement)

OUR AMERICAN LETTER.

Keokuk, lowa, April 22, CANADIAN ANNEXATIONISTS. The revelation made by the late census of the rapidly increasing emigration of the French from Quebec to the New England States and of Ontario’s young men'to the Western States has awakened great interest and the discussion is taking form. A new party is coming to the front who boldly proclaim annexation, and advocate political as well as commercial union with the United States.

4 La Patrie,’ a leading paper of Montreal, unfurls the banner of the new party in the following emphatic manner We believe that it this question was frankly submitted to the electorate the popular voe would bhow a Viry unexpected result. Should the false pretemi n lb »t our religion, our language and our nationality would incur more risk ia the United States tha > in the Canadian confederation be laid aside; should the electors who for the most part know the United States from having lived in it or from bavieg relatives in it be askei whether they wou d preferjmperbl fedetat on, to which wo are being diagged despite oursi Ives, or political union with the to t?hifch arp nUp ally gravitating; should ft ho said to or Americans-you hayo' no other alternat ve ?" the majority of the citizens \yho do not profit hom our too i g neroua governments tyonld respond from their hearts tfjat they were Americans, and that they oared nothing 7 for the insignificant title of Canadians of the Old Country. Such is our opinion as regards the Province of Quel)Poi and M'L’onald, who should know, declares that In thousands of eases the people of Onta io affirm that the only way to put an end to oqr ebrouie trouble is annexation to the United States, It is about time wo should understand that Canada was Intended to form an integral part of the American Continent, and not to be perpetually governed from Europe in tbo interest of Europeans. When we see English capitalists investing in the United States a hundred times more money than they do in Canada, why should we hesitate to give a little attention to our own interests in a matter of such importance i .John Pull cannot expect that we should be more loyal or fcqre gogllah than he is himself ; and be has always efiowp himspjf loyal to his own Interests I We are anxious to sse the result of tha vote In Toronto, and we would not be surprised to find » considerable number in favor of annexation,

The etjjnd taken by this leading newspaper has caused ooneiderable excitement in the Dominion, Mr B. A - . M’Donald, of Toronto, is a candidate for Parliament on a straight annexation ticket. In his address to the electors be recognises Canada’s extremity, and declares fcbffli the only remedy for the desperate condition is political union, which he advocates on the following grounds-? 1. The assumption by the Union of all public debts -Dominion, p ovinoial. and municipal, 2. The deepening and widening of the St Lawrence, Welland, and other oaoals so as to admit any or all ocean vessels to all the principal lake ports, and the construction of the Lake Huron and Ontario ship canal with a like object 3. The admission and recognition of each province gs a sovereign State of the Union,

In closing a strong appeal for votes, he gays farther We have a country that la the grandest natural heritage on the face of the earth; bat it has been restricted and impoverished by a mistaken policy, by an attempt on this part of some to make Canada a part of Europe when it was intended to form a part of America. Annexation would mean a perpetual treaty of peace and free and unrestricted trade with Mo.oqg of our own people, in consequence of which tops of millions of dollars wfnld flow Into our country, and the investor would have no cause to fear a change of trade relations that would destroy or confiscate his means, and our mineral resources would be developed en such a scale as would bring prosperity to the whole country.

Mr M'Donald states bla case vigoroksly. Of ooqim he will not be elected on this tone in the present election; bat he ie a pioneer, and as he is nota very old man he may live

to see wonderful changes in the sentiment of his countrymen. The United States Will not need to foster this movement] when the fruit is ripe it will fall to the ground without force of any sort. THK BEHRING FISHERY DISPUTE. This year, after the Treaty of Arbitration was agreed to, and pending the ratification of the treaty by the American Senate, Lord Salisbury, for some unexplained reason, refused for a time to renew the agreement of last year to prevent the destruction of the seals during the breeding season. That is is as though A and B should agree to have C decide for them who is the owner of a certain lot of cattle, and that immediately upon making the agreement, and before U could decide the question, B proceeds to kl'l the cattle and bang them up In bis own shed. Whereupon A gave notice that he will protect the cattle with all the force at bis command, peaceably if possible, but forcibly If necessary, This is a question that is so wholly right that even the London ' Times ’ says: “ The argument of last year must be renewed.” - Aud Lord Salisbury, like Davy Crocket’s coon, has “come down the tree.” His position in this matter was so manifestly wrong, that it is impossible to assume that a great and wise people, when they look at the matter calmly, would allow their Minister to maintain it. England and America would never go to war about a few seals. The following are the questions to be submitted to arbitration ; What exclusive jarisdio.ion in the sea known as the Bebrirg tea, and what exclusive rights in the seal fisheries therein, did Russia assert aud exercise prior and up to the time of the cession of Alaska to the United St -tes? How far were these claims of jurisdiction as to the seal fisbeiles recognised and conceded by Great Britain ?

Was the body of water now known as the Behring Sea included in the phrase ‘'Pacific ( oean/'as used in the Treaty of 1825 between Great Britain and Russia, and what rights, if any, in the Behring Sea were held aud exclusively exercised by Rnsda after said treaty ? Did not all the rights of Russia as to jurisdiction and as to the seal fisheries in Behring Sea east of the water boundary, in the treaty between the United States and Russia of the 30th March, 1857, pass unimpaired to the United States under that treaty ? Has the United States any right, and, if so, what right, of protection or property In the fur seals frequenting the islands of the United States la Behring Sea when such seals are found outside of the ordinary three-mile limit? The Board will be composed of seven—two to be appointed by Great Britain, two by the United States, and one each by France, Italy, and Sweden, a majority of the Board to decide each question, and the decision to be binding upon both countries. The main question at issue is embodied in the fifth article stated above, ANOTHER DISPUTE SETTLED, The murder of a few Italians by a mob in New Orleans a few months ago caused a rupture of diplomatic relations with Italy. The Government of the United States have made an offer of L 5,000 to be divided among the families of those who were lynched and wero subjects of Italy, accompanied with a declaration that this payment is not to be interpreted as an acknowledgment of the responsibility of the United States for the failure of the municipal authorities of New Orleans to protect the lives of Italian citizens, but as an evidence of the goodwill of the United States, and her desire to make what reparation she can for the wrong isfliotod at hew Orleans. This offer has been promptly and cheerfully accepted by the Italian Government as satisfactory, and diplomatic relations will be restored at onoe on a basis as intimate, cordial, and friendly as they were before the unfortunate occurrence which caused their rupture. ANARCHY IN WYOMING, The big and little cattle ranoheros of Wyoming are at war - with each other. This condition has been long brewing. It is a conflict of property hunger, where both the large and the small proprietors precipitatily took the law into their own bands and now see no easy way to let go of jt. The small owners have for a long time claimed that the large ranchmen, owning nearly all the stock ranges, with an army of cowboys as their agents, have at every spring rounded up and gathered all tbo oattle on the ranges, and have branded as their own all the young unmarked cattle of small stockowner 1 , as well as their own. This year the email stockholders organised to prevent that, and arranged for a roundup and stock-marking thirty days in advance of the time provided by law. This was c)aiippd by the large ownerg ag merely a subterfuge to steal from themselves all the unmarked cattle on the plain?, They accordingly hastily organ!«d to prevent the sequesti alien, and two or three of the small owners wero shot. This fired the train. There were some fifty or a hundred of the armed ranchmen, and they have been confronted by a thousand or more of armed cattle owners who vowed vengeance. The large owners, seeing the sitnation in which they bad placed themselves, surrendered to General Van Horn, of the regular army, The other side, who are strongly armed, threaten to overpower the troops, to take the prisoners away, and to make short work of them. In any event they demand that certain ones shall be given up to be shot. The Governor and the United States authorities are trying to end the trouble without further bloodshed; but it has become plain that, even if the armed trouble ends here, not one of the surrendered men will dare return to his property, because sooner or later the “ rustlers,’’ as the small owners are called, will waylay and kill them. The situation on the stock ranges is simply lawless. In a mtUe like this the lawless aod thieves have the best chance, Many honest aud peaceable men have been warned to leave their property and go. They will have to take the chance of losing their property or losing their lives. It is a bad situation, VERMONT JUDGES AJfR fHK LIQUOR ' TRAFFIC. :

That every form of public policy about the liquor traffic is transitional, experimental, and temporary is illustrated by what is happening in Vermont, Tbo Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Vermont recently announced that he and bis associates on the bench hqd decided to adopt a new system in regard to the punishment of offenders against the liquor laws. The State has bad a prohibitory law for forty years, but it has not been generally enforced, and the main reason appears to be that the courts have been very lenient in the matter of penalties. As to the present Chief Justice, it is said that " his court has rarely advanced a liquorseller beyond the first offence in the schedule of crime. The fine has for forty years been imposed and paid, and the seller returned to his traffic to make up, by larger sales and greater adulteration of his liquors, the money paid to the State in fines ’’ At the recent term of court ia Rutland, the Chief Justice announced that 'he understood bow the people fepl tjje liquor traffic, and how for forty years the Legislature have been making tho law more and more stringent, and adding heavier and heavier penalties. The judges realise that tie only reason why people violate the law is money. So it has been decided to adopt, as $ genpral practice, an increase of the ordinary penalties for soiling, If increasing the money penalty will not stop the traffic, then imprisonment may be added. He therefore imposes a fine of L2 for the first offence, and will doable it fof the second, and so on, ffihe other judges have done the same thing. 41arm and consternation among the rum sellers are the result. The most remarkable thing about the matter is that it should take these judges forty years to understand the will of the people. When the Legislature have been making the law more and more stringent, and increasing the penalties, the judges have been rendering the law nugatory by making the penalty so m|l4 that the traffic has been fostered rather than prohibited. 4 PLUCKY EBEAfiHEB, Rev, Dr Parkhprst, qf New York, has made a pulpit attack upon the city government, charging that it gave protection to the wicked instead of to the good) to immorality instead of to virtue; and to the criminal class instead of the law abiding. The retort was made that he was a preacher, and did not know what be was talking abont. So he laid aside bis ministerial garb. dressed as a man of the town, went to the saloons, visited the bawdy kernes and dancing saloons, made the rounds of the gambling hells, and did the town like a thorough-bred. , The next tlnuhe went into his pulpit he had an experience to tell that was not hearsay—** he had been there,” On Monday be went

before the Grand Jury with the evidence which he had collected, and secured indictments against many places and persons. His brethren in the ministry are anything but unanimous in approving his methods. He, however, justifies his action by the challenge that nad been thrown down to him and by the results that have followed. A HINT TO FABMSBB. According to a recent consular report Russia contains more than 700,000 acres devoted to the culture of sunflowers, the first effort to grow them for mercantile purposes dating back just fifty years. The chief product is the seed, the average yield of which has been about 1,3501b to the acre, this selling io Russia at about l£operlb. The return to the farmer is estimated at 20dol per acre, or double that on ordinary produce, and the soil on which the sunflower is grown becomes very porous, being thereby better prepared for the rotation of other crops. The seed of some species of sunflowers is used for making oil, which has largely taken the place of the French table oil in consequence of superior color, flavor, and taste, and its low price. The seeds of another species are eaten somewhat as peanuts are eaten in this country. After the oil has been pressed ont of the shells they are sold in cake-form as food for oattle, and the exports of this to Germany, Danmark, and Great Britain have recently amounted to nearly 100,000 pounds per year. The etalks are gathered in the fields, dried ip piles, and used instead cf firewood. They are preferred to pine, as they give a quick and hot fire. The product of stalks is a ton to the acre. The ashes contain a high percentage of potassium, and are largely used as a fertilise;’. The stalk often reaches a diameter of three inches and a height of eight feet, sometimes forming many heads, each of whiob may contain some 2,000 seeds. A soil that is deep as well ag fertile is required for the successful cultivation of the sunflower. COMPULSORY EDUCATION IN ILLINOIS. The compulsory education law of Illinois has not met expectation, and the Republicans of Illinois are moving for its unconditional repeal. I think now that that should be done. It is one of the blunders of a class of reformers who cannot wait foi God's time. The intention was right and good : to hasten the process of transforming foreigners into Americans. The attempt to do this is merely to delay it. The grand children are all Americans. It is folly to make them by law renounce their grandparents in doing so. Patriotism and filialism are both of Nature’s providing, and go comrade with each other. To assume that patriotism could be made of sterling stamp in the heart of the child, who is asked as a condition of it to pot evil in the heart of his grandparents, is a blander. Nature does not work that way, and the law had better go Nature’s way. The child will grow in its own way and out cf the grandparents’ way soon enough. OONQBESSIONAL AND LEGISLATIVE DOINGS. Both parties in Congress are watching each other closely. Every move is examined critically for what effect it may have on the coming elections. What will benefit the party is a first, that which will benefit the country a secondary consideration, fhe Democrats have recently giygp an illustration of the chropig wrbngheadednoss for which they we proverbial. The Republicans attempted to provide that only the actual proceedings of Congress should be published in the ’Congressional Record,’ but the Democrats have a majority, and refused to yield, claiming the right to publish anything as a speech, whether m&de on the floor of Congress or not. go three or four Congressmen, under the pretence of making speeches, have had the whole of Henry George’s book on ‘ Protection and Freetrade ’ printed in the ‘Record.’ To mark the absurdity of the thing, some Republican Congressmen have filed books with the ‘Record’ for printing. The Free Wool Bill has passed the Lower House by the party majority, and is now before the Senate. There is just a possibility that it will pass the latter body, in whiob case the President will undoubtedly approve it.

The Free Silver Coinage BUI was, by a parliamentary triok, buried under the mass of prior legislation bo deep that it will not be reached again this session. The regular Appropriation Bills are being out down with a show of economy, for effect upon the elections—the deficiencies to be supplied after the elections are over. The mail contracts made by the PostmasterGeneral will not'be disturbed this session. The severest out of all is made in the Estimates under the item of the Navy. The majority will not authorise any more new veseela than are now on the stocks to be built. This is a mistake in which the country will not sustain them. The Ameri can people are getting tired of being at the tail end of other nations in the matter of force and defence.

There is a marked reaction against or indifference to the agitation for woman ■jffrage, The lowa Legislature, which in 1882 had a majority in both Houses for striking the word “ male ’ from the suffrage qualification in the State Constitution, refused last session (by a vote of 54 to 27) to even let the women vote at school elections. The Massachusetts Legislature, which in 1884 had a majority for woman suffrage, have just refused (by a vote of two to one) to let the women vote at school elections. In New York last year the Senate passed a Woman Suffrage Bill, but it was defeated in the Lower House, This year the Lower House passed the Woman Suffrage Bill, but tho Senate defeated it.

There are no very marked changes in the political situation. No new issues are developed as yet. The contest for nomination as President is narrowing down to Mr Harrison and Mr Cleveland, The spring elections have been gradually favorable to the Republicans, Rhode Island was fairly won by the Republicans, and a senator secured a result that wnq quite unexpected, In (iQujsiaqa the issue was made on lottery and anti-lottery, with three tickets in the field, and. anti lottery hag wqn by a very large majority. This \yas ffigo an agreeable surprise, and settles the question of the renewal of tha charter. The lottery must go. The anti-lottery candidate for mayor of New Orleans was elected by QOO majority, so that the victory wa| most complete, Ulysses,