Rensselaer Republican, Volume 21, Number 47, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 July 1889 — BEN RUTLER'S IDEA. [ARTICLE]

BEN RUTLER'S IDEA.

Ats Proposed league of Englishjii WaterviUe, Me., ppcail. In addressing the literary societies of Annexation of Canada.” Gen, Benjamin F. sutler concluded thus: that country with the United SWtes? The problem seeips to me to be this. Does Canada desire ! a union with the United States? If she so signifies her wish in a recognisable form, England has no power to prevent it. If Canada does not, then England has no power to enact it. She may throw Canada off as a dependency, but she cannot throw her upon the United States. Would it hot he the more feasi ble, the more sensible, the more statesmanlike ahd effective manner of bringing together the United States and Canada to enter inti? negotiations for that purpose, carefully and in the most friendly spirit, the negotiators in charge having only one idea m common —that is, how can the three peoples best get together? Our late attempt at negotiations and enactments, for diplomacy it could not be called, will only result in raising ill-feeling on the part of our neighbors, because of the annoying thought that for the first time in the history of diplomacy has a province been left to carry on a diplomatic struggle with a nation almost without the aid of the parent country under a threat from the nation that the consequences of failure of treaty were to be visited on the province alone. Why should not the diplomacy, instead of this paltry and narrow matter, be that negotiations should be approached with a view of uniting the two adjacent English-speaking peoples lying side by side in America in the same commercial and business nets conditions between each other,with or without a zollverein, as may be determined, leaving Great Britain, whose institutions depend upon the same constitutional provisions, and whose laws of freedom give equal protection to their several peoples, later, when her interest or safety demands, to come nto like compact with the United States and Canada in a league against the world, if any part of the world should see fit to take a stand, which none would or could successfully do? “Negotiations conducted on 6uch a basis and for such an end could be carried on without touching the pride or arousing jealousies, with none but the kindest sentiments being evolved in either people. Two great navies to menace each other with their enormous equipment and consequent expenditures and losses by decay would be at once dispensed with. A small, inexpensive navy could hid the world defi anee. All Europe and ABia joined together in battle array, if such a thing were possible, against the English speaking people of the globe, would pause in dismay before any hostile step should be taken against such a united power. Such a national combination would within its own borders have everything that would be necessary to carry on a defensive or offensive warfare.

= "•Take another view: Such a united power 8B I have sketched would save all the other nations of Europe from a final and inevitable bankruptcy because of maintaining immense armies and navies to the restriction of their people to hold each other in check. To that English speaking league every nation would be obliged to submit for arbitrament every cause of difference, if not bscimeof fear of its armed intervention, yet because of its holding the money of the world. No war could be carried on which that power Bhould any nation might disarm who should be protected even by the promise cf financial aid from the pledge of the unite 1 English speaking people of the earth.”