Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-09-04
sjy,
Will Last Just as Long as She is Let
Alone.
WILfRID LAURIER AND TIE ENGLISH
What He Accomplished Was All
by American Methods.
NOW A FACTORINTHE EMPIRE
special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

oAA w Aii ~ A/otiici, tHe premier VI Ndll-
ada, who came to London plain Mr.. Lau-
rier, and bears home his .itle as a part of
the spoils of his visit, has left a stronger
ir preston here than any other among a
hest of distinguished visitors of the summer
The premier carries back to Canada otter
and more material trophies than a title,
however, for the commercial treaties of
Great Britain with Germany and Belgium
are in his pocket, or rather the remains of
these treaties, which were destroyed for
the beneht of Canada. 1t is from this stroke
or work that Sir Wifrid, who landed AT
Liverpool an unknown provincial and one
whose loyalty to the government was dis
trusted because of his French blood, de-
parts recognized factor In The politics of
the empire, while other colonials who have
been the guests of the queen are merely
bowed away end forgotten Sir Wilfrid de-
serves the position he has gained in the
ESTIMATION OF brltlSherS for two reasons
FIRST, because by his American INGENIOUS
ne accomplished in a month the Inaugural
ton of commercial policy which Eng
iand left to herself would have debated
cautiously and timidly for years; secondly,
because he taught the rulers of the en-
pre- the real nature of the allegiance of
the colonies. incidentally he used both OF
these to strengthen his political standing
at home.
The chief motive which inspired England
to invite the colonial premlers to be her
guests during the jubilee was undsguised-
~ TO impress upon them the greatness of
the British empire and the honor conferred
upon them by the privilege of membership
therein. Sir Wilfrid was sharp enough to
turn the tables on his hosts by taking ad-
vantage of the opportunity to impress upon
them the fact that British North Amer
lea Is dominion of considerable import
ance In her own right; that In the eyes of
Canadians the alliance was rather more
In the nature Of partnership than chap
eronage.
Placed amid circumstances which might
give an excuse for dealing in fiattery of
his hosts or at best for leaving the
pleasant truths unsaid, MIR. Laurier has
Steeled his face against these pOStprandial
temptations, which even Mr.. Bayard, with
less excuse, was unable to Withstand.
Flattery he has ladled out in doses rather
heavy even for man being dined and
feted, but throughout the wallow of plati-
tudeS he has repeatedly drummed into Brit
lsh ears one unwelcome truth. If the gov
eminent hugs any delusiOns as to the terms
on which she retains Canada as a province
they are not the fault of the premier.
Canada is loyal SO long as she is let
alone" he has made the keynote of a TWO
months round of after-dinner speeches.
I'VE are loyal to England because she
gives us liberty, hetrepeated many times,
until even the preteinaturally pachyder-
Eiatous hide of London public dinners was
pierced with understanding of the yelled
ed by any attempt to curtail her liberties.
"Prove Her Affection,
1t was because of this, declaration that
England fastened to denounce her COM
merc:al treaties with Germany and Bel
GUM. IF this deep affection which the
mother country processes for her colonies
is real let her prove 1T by doing something
practical Sir Wilfredz said In effect
Canada has offered to give England the
preference in her tariff. surely you will
not refuse to take the steps necessary to
carry it into effect"
The situation which the Canadian leader
faced was humorous one to an outsider
He had secured the enactment of tariff
which gave England great advantages over
her European competitors, and England
seemed likely to make him ridiculous by
declining to accept the favor for fear she
might offend her special rival and enemy
Germany. The government began to quib-
BILE and ponder over the proba bilities of
making trouble If The treaty was denc unc-
ed and to discuss the minutiae of diplomat
ic etiquette. At this stage Sir Wilfred
protested that the way to denounce a
treaty was to denounce it. He summoned
to his support his ablest cabinet minister
Sir Louis Davies, the Canadian states
man, who was principally instrumental in
securing the Halifax award, and the two
set siege to the foreign office and stormed
the gloomy bastile with a vigor and enter
prise refreshingly American. The sensation
with which the news that the German and
Belgian governments had been notified
that the treaties were to be Cancelled was
received Is comparable only to that which
would be caused if the people of the United
States were to wake up to find that Con-
gress had made a new tariff over night
without previous discussion Nine-tenths
of them are dependent directly or Indirectly
on foreign trade, and the Importance of the
stroke to them can be measured by the
fact that it will enable them to place their
goods in one Of the largest markets. after
a year, under a tariff p per cent less than
their competitors must pay. a margin quite
sufncient to give them the entire market.
Lnurier's Awkward Position.
There is no doubt that Mr.. Laurier was a
politician in distress when he came to
England. Things had gone very badly
with his administration. His party had
been elected to Office on platform pledg-
irg it to secure closer trade relations with
the United States. Unfortunately for him,
he came into power as the Dngloy bill was
about to be framed, and his ministers who
vent to Washington to negotiate a reci-
procity treaty last spring had moth
ing to propose but that the manufactures
of the United States be admitted to Can
ada free in return for free market for
Canadian farm produce, a proposition
which Mr.. Dingley would not listen to- On
receiving this rebuff the Laurier admins
tration proceeded to turn its coat with one
of the most rapid political shuffles on rec
ord 1t shifted its platform to closer re-
lations with the mother country, and the
party which had been voted into author
ity because of its Partially toward the
United States, so strong that its leader
was accused by Canadian tories of har-
boring 4 scheme for annexation, became
the party of friendship for England
1t speaks volumes for the political DOW
ers of Mr.. Laurier that he has been able
to swap horses while crossing a stream. as
Mr.. Lincoln said, and sstill maintain his
prestige. He has measured the capacity of
the dull, straightforward. English for he
Ing fooled much as Disraeli did
There is parallel between the methods
by which the latter clever statesman and
the shrewd French Caradi1n both aliens.
heve played upon 9the British for their
own advancement. For Mr.. Ii urier is evil
IDENTIFY of an alien 3Tacs! His speech is
tirged with a marked French accent AMI
it was a decidedly unique episode to hear
this Frenchman lecturing the leaders of
England upon the management of the en-
pire. Mr.. Laur:er is mere French than Eng
fish; he is more American than either and
his friends do not deny,-nor does he. that
he would prefer to have carried out his
first proposed alliance with the United
states than the second makeshift one with
England. Many America ls who have nat
him are convinced that he is at heart an
annexaticnist. However that NAV he M
one questions that he Is a most resourcefnJ
politician.
Related by ''Labby."