The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-03-06
Looks Bad, Certainly.

London cable reports a speech made
by Colonel Kitson, commandment of the
Sandhurst military college, Wednesday, to
the Canada Club of London, in which he
declared that, while the possibility of
trouble with the United States is remote,
it should be known that Canada is practi-
cally defenseless against the American
army, and the Canadians would enter
campaign under the greatest strategical
disadvantages and would be short of am
munition, as their only arsenal is at Que
bee, and the Americans could easily cut
the lines of communication.
This is rather pessimistic talk and GER
tainly premature, but it is noticeable that
in London there is deal of talk of the
same kind about the home army of Great
Britain, which is represented by many
English newspapers as in a very unpre
pared condition to defend 1.-The tight little
isle" itself, imperfect divisions and in
complete cavalry brgades chara cterizing
it, while the paper strength Of the army
of home defense Is very much: in excess OF
the reality. The British parliament is
food supply for the United Kingdom in the
event of war. as foreign countries furnish
fve-siXths of the foodstuffs consumed
there, and the United States and Canada
furnish three-fourths of the wheat supply
alone, the, contribution Of Canada last
year being about ten million hundred
weights. With Canada at the mercy of
Trit Ctoto u
mates, Britain, in a war with this country,
would be at a tremendous disadvantage.
This, however, is talk with. which to
scare children: This country has no de-
sign upon Canada except to Americanize
that country, as it is gradually doing now
to the very great advantage of Canada, as
Americans have introduced an era, of de-
velopment of her. material resources ,anG
are putting much money in mining opera
lions and electrical transmission Of water
power, colonization schemes and other i'm.
Eportant enterprises, and are sending thou
sands of sturdy settlers They are doing
more for Canada than English capitalist:
*neglectful of their Canadian opportunitie!
lean and other distant enterprises, taking
! big risks, and1have done comparatively lit
tie in Canada. Following the American
interest in Canada there is increasing emf
grafton thither from England. 1t is an
nounced in London that the largest emf
grafton this generation has seen will NOV
from that country to- Canada this spring
and very few will go to South Africa. TIL
movement from our own country will ais
be large. and the Amercanizing process
will steadily proceed. What this countr
loses in population by the Canadian drift
it will speedily recover withrthe expansion
of the irrigation and arid land reclama
ton west and southwest, which will ope
for settlement millions of acres of the fin
est arabic land. Meantime our increasing
trade with Canada, in spite of our hig
tariff, shows that trade Of countries hay
ing a common boundary line has a .natura
tendency to overcome tariffs, and ou
trade with our gneighbor would be greatl
Increased with a few layers of the ston
wall taken down on our part. 1t is un
doubtedly true that. had Canada &C
copied the invitation of the thirteen colo
MES in 1776 to join them in the revol
against England, she would have to-day a
least 25,0O0,0O0 population, instead of les
than 100000. Now that American enter
prise has been enlisted in Canadas behalf
and progressive Americans are stirrin
I things up over the line, there is a pros
pect that Canada will ultimately, at som
distant day. ibe Americanized and svolun
i tarily merge herself in the fortunes Of til
Great Republic It willsbe "a conquest {
peace, not of war.