New-York tribune., 1909-07-08
cA1ADA'S DELEGATES
rn,,oys to Press Conference Chiefly
1;berol-Diuisiion on Defence
Toronto, July >


The neWspapeiS -..a,+1y come into blaze
Of them. have receIlils ,.l--,itali+y and
-,tIioitv through bIiliSii -. ,r-1,ie they
Of puU.-.ii interests Of the moment MS -
impe1lalis., -teir Australian and other eiHi''9
shareo ,rh Canadian dispatches nav
oonIreI0 ,o+hinc 10 say Of the utleraIioeS O1
had ll'ls ,,,.r reople-rehecting, perhaps lile w
Sis - nv unconscious locallsh "i''Ol -
,o,, closer empire unity -" 'iie -
3 u@o ~ Australian delegates Passeu IN
z n"--- ~, their way TO the Press
re entertained at victoria, Nfi'0' - -
calgary Winnipeg Fort Ili'','-'' ~
Regina, .-ao1 and Quebec. They received an
-avsi,-e local view Of CahaulaH ioH 'i''
Inp.e NM eoe7fnp- they expressed sentiments OF
BIi'isI -,r,+b and Of clear-cut constructive i'm
eq1'- +ba,- sailed for England with greatly
- ;5eas REGARDING the pTogresslVeness OF
enc .-5 the ossib3liries Of closer relation
80, the Dominion and the Common
wealth -, bora soon
,-.r6 They were representative OF cana
-. io,7--,aIisrn and men Of standing. but 1t Is
s+ior whether they quite equaIIeo lle
ss+-aTisns in the range of their representation
1-be latter were spokesmen for every variety ol
.a-L+-6sca1. - defence. partisan and purely
,..aI. the Canadians numbered ten Liberals two
..5s,sndent Conservatives and two straight
t.rotas everything high and low, imperial and
- This fact is significant Without any re-
ssr-ton On the actual representation or any
5onbt Of the ability Of those who were present
:, the conference the fact-1s that in the original
r-sss meetings held for the local choice Of rep
-ssentatives who should accept the proffered
british hospitality Liberal opinion and Liberal
tnHuence were sUpreTne-so much SO that To-
routo. the most invulnerable Conservative cen
,1e he pFra-
ference.
Quebec opinion was represented by only one
nan. an able Liberal politician. in the person OF
coaf-oi I.anglois. NJ - A: the Conservative
nniuion OF the West from the Great Lakes to
the Pacific had only one exponent, in the person
ofME Nichols; the three maritime provinces.
as vel as Quebec. had no Conservative repre-
sentative at all. What do these facts involve
50 far as current questions of imperial import
are concerned
They mean that J. A Macdonald. Of the To-
ronto Liberal organ. voiced dominant aggres-
sre liberalism in his speeches and in the ex-
preston Of a feeling that Canada's duty as to
emniFe defence consists solely in the building Of
s Canadian navy and the avoidance Of what Sir
wilfrid Lau-ier and his press supporters 50 fre-
uuently call the vortex Of European militar-
ism" that J. s. Brierley, of the Montreal Lib
eral organ. voiced the party attitude Of depre-
eating, while not actually opposing, the food
taxation and tariff reform policy Of the British
Conservatives-partly from traditional though
not -ery practical, local anita gonism 10 protec-
tion- and partly because the triumph Of Cham
bersinism in Britain is going to split up parties
in Canada and introduce new political and fiscal
complications: that Sir Hugh Graham and p
D Ross and NJ E Nichols. almost alone in the
conference, represented the bulk Of Conservative
opinion in Canada, where, II must be reme7a-
beTed that party polled at the recent general
elections $4,000 votes, as against the $4,000
votes which gave a Liberal ma joritv OF forty
seats Sir Hugh Craham's statement that for
long years Canada, under both political parties
has been sp0nging on the rnotherIand for uro-
tection: that both political parties in Great
Britain have been too indulgent and too pa
ternai 70 ask Us 10 pay our share while We have
been TOO mean 70 offer it." with the prophecy
that change Is impending, probably repre-
sented the present opinion Of the Conservative
party upon the question Of defence though 5t
certainly was not expressed in the conclusions
Of the conference
As 10 defence details the Conservatives Of
Canada are divided. while the official r.f,ara1e
and their press are very nearly unit in favor
OF local naval forces. Eliminating Quebec.
which viii always prefer localized action and
Always have plenty Of political leaders and pa
pers 70 voice that view, the large majority Of
NE Conservative party would have supported a
policy Of presenting Dreadnoughts or cash 10
me Admiralty at this junctUre, and in this they
were led by Sir Hugh Graham and J 6 Will
son Representative Conservative papers how
ever supported the Canadian navy idea, which
seems 70 appeal 70 many local instincts Of pa
ulousn Mr- Borden. the party leader. has
taken no direct stand. although in giving the
government a free hand for the coming imperial
0@ence conference ne and his parliamentary
ooledgaes must have known what was involved.
a. the press conference Liberal opinion seems
10 nave been dominant. as might have been ex-
pected-as il no doubt was expected. Mr. Mac
conalos opposition t. compulsory training and
70 The defence resolution simply embodied the
fohcy CT his party. though il need not have
been quite SO imperative in tone The fact is
mat Canadians are too far inland too much as
sociated with vast continental interests. too
oeeply devoted TO the material and daily work Of
making the country grow and expand under
ueir very eyes, 70 grasp quickly all the military
Nho naval interests and responsibilities OF the
empire. They are doing so. but it will be a
fioWer process than in Australia. or even in
South Africa
Ia an educative way the press conference will
nave considerable influence. If it has no other
specific or detailed result it VIII still do what q
tshaoian Speaker recently described as making
people feel more strongly that they are sub
'ects Of the same King. citizens of the same en-
pre- oo-workers in the orderly evolution OF
british institutions" Members Of the confer
ehoe heard the British Premier tell them that the
uuly OF the press was TO promote in its highest
lorm the spirit OF imperial unity. They listened
:" LORD Rosebery's ringing appeal to mark the
orninous hush in Europe, to note the silent wal
anner which a continent was reverting 10 bar
osr1stn 10 see the mighty strain Of this condi-
Hoh upon the sinews Of Britain. TO realize the
oufy Of the overseas dominions to help in main