The value to the Dominion of Canada of the privilege of transit for
their exports and imports across our territory and to and from our
ports, though great in every aspect, will be better appreciated when
it is remembered that for a considerable portion of each year the St.
Lawrence River, which constitutes the direct avenue of foreign commerce
leading to Canada, is closed by ice.
During the last six years the imports and exports of British Canadian
Provinces carried across our territory under the privileges granted by
our laws amounted in value to about $270,000,000, nearly all of which
were goods dutiable under our tariff laws, by far the larger part of
this traffic consisting of exchanges of goods between Great Britain and
her American Provinces brought to and carried from our ports in their
own vessels.
The treaty stipulation entered into by our Government was in harmony
with laws which were then on our statute book and are still in force.
I recommend immediate legislative action conferring upon the Executive
the power to suspend by proclamation the operation of all laws and
regulations permitting the transit of goods, wares, and merchandise in
bond across or over the territory of the United States to or from
Canada.
There need be no hesitation in suspending these laws arising from the
supposition that their continuation is secured by treaty obligations,
for it seems quite plain that Article XXIX of the treaty of 1871, which
was the only article incorporating such laws, terminated the 1st day of
July, 1885.
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