The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1904-03-16

English speaking nations as yet are
hardly conscious of the portentous changes
so swiftly making in their political ideas
and relations as well as in their attitude
towards the problems of world politics. 1t
would be impossible to overestmate the
Importance and significance of the sudden
appearance of the United States as a. fore
most world power with vast and populous
possessions over seas and an enormous an
nual industrial surplus demanding foreign
markets. An area introduced by such
changes must bring new problems and de-
mands new policies.
Within the British empire, equally in
teresting and radical changes are going on
John Fiske in his history of New Eng
land contrasts various ideas of empire. The
oriental believed inseonquest without incor
poration and without representation. The
Roman advanced far enough TO incorporate
colonies into the general life of the EN-
pire, but left them without political status,
and the central government supreme. The
English idea grants to the colonies both
incorporation and representation; so that
the imperial life is simply added on, and
the dependencies are left each to work out
its own destiny in its own way. At the
present time the British empire is in the
throes of a revolution which has as its end
a general reorganization upon federal prin
ciples. This change, while political in
form has an economic basis, and was made
necessary by the growth of Canada and
Australasia, by the Boer war and the
causes that led up to it; by the stress of
modern economic conditions, and by the
unique position which Great Britain oc
cupies among the nations of the world.
Any adequate forecast of
THE FUTURE OF CANADA
must take these large movements into full
account. 1t has been universally admitted
that the dominion could not always remain
as it was No English speaking commun
ity can be held as a mere political de-
tendency after its development in popula-
ton, size and wealth passes a certain stage.
Three alternatives were open to Canada
annexation to the United States, indie
pendence or imperial federation. 1t is
the belief of this writer that Canada al
ready has made her choice and upon this
choice is now engaged in building up a
stable political and industrial fabric.
There were many and obvious reasons
why annexation to the United States
seemed to be the logical destiny of Canada;
which reasons may be summed up in the
statement that of necessity the United
States has exercised and must continue to
exercise, deep and far-reaching influences
over all departments of Canadian life. The
Hon. George w, Ross, premier of Ontario,
in a recent address, pointed out some cases
in which the United States has directed
public procedure and opinion in Canada
notably in Technology of currency, stand
ards for weights and measures, railway
gauge and carriages, methods in surveying
new lands. resemblance in municipal sys-
terms, modes of assessment tax collection
and management of highways, voting by
ballot, extension of the franchise and, per-
haps. most important of all, in the educa-
tiODal system. Ross might have gone
farther and shown how the federal idea
was probably suggested by American ex-
ample; and also that high tariff in the
United States means always a high tariff
in Canada. and low tariff here is met by
low tariff there.
However reasonable. from these and 9TH
er considerations annexation may appear
as an abstract proposition, it is strictly
within the truth to say that the idea has
ceased to have weight, or even interest for
any appreciable section of the Canadian
people.
Independence has long been
AN ATTRACTIVE IDEA,
especially among certain groups of restless
young French Canadians, but the relations
of the motherland with the dominion have
been so kindly, wise, and strictly eonstitu-
tional that, since 1887. when the battle
! fer responsible government was fought and.
won, the trend of sentiment has been set
J Ting steadily towards closer connection
with the empire, The hunger for respon-
sibe political identity, which is charac-
terisic OF all healthy-minded men, and es-
peeially of men who talk English, has been
met in another way.
| When the Boer war was thrust upon
England, il found Canada intent upon mat
tiers of present domestic import and quite
Indifferent to the problem of her possible
political future Sir Wilfrid Laurier by
/