New-York tribune., 1909-04-11
IMPERIAL DEFENCE
Canada's 4ftitude Tosoard Con-
tributing One of Indifference.

matter of Worldwide interest through the develop
meAt OF German naval strength. It involves abso
late and fan responsibility for the defence Of e,e
Fart % The empire IN time OF war. the axnsra,,,o
"i vast sums every year upon military forces and
naval strength: the practical burden of ,,rotaotion
ilr an l3e varied interests and conflicting issues
% q o-ooh'g diplomacy in several youthful ma
Gohs' ule guardianship of commerce totalIinp ar
least at2o,,l0ooo, Of which about one -fo,,rtb q,
e''o'1-' 1he not distant completion OF war
ola'Aa ii South Africa which cost the British
'aNiaSs- --'@v'+1oJ and though essentially a
e'-oiai strusgle cost the outside British subject
very little in q monetary sense. Tho naoessitv ~
teE prepared for conditions in India and -ba Eas+
winch may strain at any time the most vital ra
sources ol me nation, and the fact that financially
a the self-soverning colonies do not spend rnon
Local and imperial defence combined moro than
fl.5da0ea. '''"N
-ASainSt Jhis situation Of burden and stress can
' ia't1 ''e diqUesuoned readiness of the daugh-
'N ana dependent countries to provide men and
perhaps money in any time of real crisis. the
SlGehgih arc prestige which come to Great Britain
from E1elr association with and Mace in the ern
F--7- l-e lact that neither the British army nor
navy Is appreciably larger or more expensive than
" No~'a nave TO be II there were no great colonies
tI deInlnlons beyond the seas: the conditions oF
growth in these youthful countries which make
ioF lnlneasurahly greater strength to the empire
O. The future and for combination of power
winch VIII surely enable the notherland TO reduce
her burdens in future time
Meanwhile, however the load is restinp heavily
upon aer shoulders, and the situation clearly de-
nlatlds consideration. What then IS Canada's atti-
lace toward this vital problem? Officially it is one
'. expressed antagonsm TO any financial contribu-
ton hE ihe Dominion To OF direct rarticnstior hi,
Canada IN a general and organized system Of
'-.-t.# ae+eAce No money 10 the Admiralty win
re given. he expenditure upon defence outside Of
canada N5L be incurred, 10 control bv -ba yx-.-
H-ii'- over 1anada's militia will be permitted-fn
time of peace What VIII lee done in time of ,,.,-
= '5 - limited al IA general terms of which +ba
.a3alt cannot he questioned but which 1acl,
Ni'lel-ness ana organized effectiveness In +rie
ati'tlde the Eoyernment * probably sustained b--
majority of the people Of the country = .,
---e-lsei'-s- unawakened and non-refectiva sen+t-
me3T or tra part Of the masses
---S -lo-t'e1tnt feeling IS supplemented by an
s'ei ready though dormant antagonist, On +,,a 49,
.-' Ftfhch canadians 10 external military or
haF2i policy Canada Is everything ~ ,te,, 60
--7 average hahi'ant knows less about sea rovzar
'--lLlA7 less aao1t tho protection of his coasts
- commerce 5han The British workman does Of
[7tyEol1E or the differeutial calculus Or+sida ~
g-7bec and in English speazin Canada o. -,
-t iii'ia 10 arouse thought upon this subject he
eTe = since The South African war The hurst of
--s-aSha resulting from that event the sin
'eIs embodiment Of a real and basic rstrio+ic,,
which It evoked. would have had earlio +.s
'71SeguenceS had il not been for the LITTLE ,,nda-
stood hut vital Influences Of the Alaskan bornd.-r
sllzir in damnening sentiment checking in7peria1-
" aellon and encouraging non British feeling and
t-t-a-Canadian locaIisru.
PROTECTION UNAPPRECJATED
As - Is, Canadians 90 not vet discuss +b. .,,L
.e-- Win any degree CT thoroughness To the nm
tssse1 and careful Canadian student the -osi,i .
- course SGrhciently clear. He finds that orr neo
gre A-he MADE no return for and expressed 1ittls
7tr7-it1ios oT the expenditure by Great Britain Of
if''''''" IN the military purely local defence
~ this country during the piDetaen+t, oe,,+,,,-,
-.at while Great Britain has for a century been
ae.- IN difficult and sometimes rnenacing dipIo-
5.- .a.aJio1shlD with the United States on behalf
~ Canada. The latter country now shows something
Jess -tau appreciation Britain's diplomacy snd
something more than forgetfuiness Of the value Of
British protection. While Canadian treaties ara now
made almost entirely by Canadian statesmen they
are as Judge Barron recently pointed out in q
Toronto speech. maintained and enforced by Brit
ssh power To obtain single handed and alone such
defence as the Admiralty gives upon the seas OF
'ie F'Tt-ano the flag provides for British 81
leets eyeTyv- here-wOuId ne utter impossibiIity
Tor Canada while the building OF half dozen soli-
iar- hacrleshins would cripple her finances and
hamper her development 10 but little purpose and
E.-Gat-t-ou with the United States in naval con-
Htr-clgn would bankrupt her. IF Canada paid for
her defence in the proportion as the people Of
'r-t@t britain, II would approximately her
l-t.al.-0 year; II in proportion to the people of
lie United States II would be over 100000 year
and If IN proportion 10 export trade mercantile
tonnage within the -mpire il would be more than
is1olpa
Under any other position than one Of British pro-
lection Canada would face seriocs alternatives in
s-cl incidents the Vancouver anti-Japanese riot
s--h disputes those Of the Alaskan boundary or
HrrlE Sea seal fisheries. such negotiations those
q AL-. LeElieuN al Toxic and such acts Of tariff
hostility the surtax upon German goods. The
Monroe Doctrine is no shield for the most
Gus--aliTnous, because II applies only to the an
C=ZaCOn and the temporary occupation of terri
rory, and certainly affords protection against
tinted States influence such aggressiveness as
vas shown years ago in the Panama incident.
The Cheapesrr easiest and most honorable method
1r obtaining natiolaI defence is by cooperation
with Great Britain and support the existing
imperial systematic most powerful and effective IN
The word
~ these varied Considerations. however are
quite Unfamiliar a whole, the average
Canadian One, few, may have been brought
hq1s 20 MIN: any consecutive or continuous study
GT The subject IS still absent from the popular mind
- press Is hostile 10 sharing IN empire de-
fence except IN a Few ca2es Il is distinctly friend
4. = so.le very important directions. on the
EoIe Il is Indifferent the imperial aspect OF the
Cuestion Influenced, IN Quebec, by local
d.ttors. There are several tentative schools Of
thought upon the general subject in the country,
hut only one Of them is clearly defined, and It is
also the most distinct the most compact the most
clearly expressed IN public policy.
AVERSION TO MILITARIsM.
r g. voiced in Sir WnfrId Laurier's frequent
references 20 ''the Eortex OF European militarsn"
snd Canadas duty as being apart from all associa-
don with this evil, in Mr. Bourassa's idea
'Hdorsed and embodied ia a resolution Of the
Canadian National League at Montreal August
3, -s9- This declared that the Canadian people
have ln the past done than their duty
insure The maintenance Of British power in Am
ercas that they refuse 10 further sacrifices
lo organize the defence Of the empire: that they
assert the duty Of the colonies in this respect 10