The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-01-16
NO LOFTY APPEALS
IN BRITISH FIGHT
Campaign Has Degencrated Into
Effort to Win Public
Stomach.
"TARIFf REFORM" THE CRY
To Tell Humping Big Lie and
Stick to It. Plan of OPP
position,
ny ,yILt,1A,1 n. STEAD.

ISUCCiai Canie TO j nc IlfptS-DispatCU.
London, January 15.--Ihc electoral
hurIyburly RACES more furiously than
ever.t Despite the determined efforts
of the Liberals to force the lighting
on the constitutional question: the
contest has degenerated into moro
or less direct appeal to the stomach.
Tho Conservatives, excepting indis-
Greet enthusiasts like Lord Curzon,
have persistently shirked the question
OF peers versus people, and have con-
fined themselves to monotonously as
sorting that tariff reform will cure
unemployment, fill the exchequer and
cheaper food. There is not even an
attempt to prove one OF these three
assertions which, indeed, are demon
strably false. Mr.. Balfour has not
even attempted to explain what he
means by tariff reform" what taxes
he will impose. or what revenue they
will yield. Neither has any one ex-
planned how the addition of a tax 10
the price OF food will diminish the cost
to the consumer. To tell q big thump-
ing lie and stick to it through thick
and thin, to evade all demands for ex-
PLANTATION and to ignore all obvious
objections has been the policy Of the
opposition from first to last
Never has political party appealed
TO the nation at a general election on
more solid issue. No one listening
10 the speeches would imagine that
the destinies of worldwide empire
hung on the Issue. India is never men,
toned, and with the exception of Ger
many no candidate alludcS to any for
eign country. There is no lofty appeal
to noble aspirations; ii is all a ques-
tion of tho stomach.
Both Parties Promise Pensions.
Both parties promise old age pen
sions. The opposition is outlying the
Liberals In protestations of devotion
to this method of providing for the
wornout septuagenarian. The Con-
servatives, who voted against them
now pretend they did so because the
pensions were not liberal enough, and
they propose to extend them. But as
they refuse to provide the money to
pay them, their promises do not amount
to much The cynical observer thus
sums UP the controversy;
Those who have got all wish tn
keep all; those who have nothing wish
to get something
Laurier's emphatic declaration dur
ing the debate on the navy bill that
Canada is at war whenever Britain is
has startled some of us who remember
how emphatically he maintained tho
opposite doctrine in 1897. Lauriel
then declared categorically that ht
was passionately determined to pre-
vent Canada being dragged into thu
vortex Of European politics. If Eng
land should ever go to war. lie said
Canada reserved the right to decide
whether she would take part or stant
aside as a neutral OF course. he haC
to admit that. from standpoint OF
international law, 1t was Theoretically
an impossible position, but he held
fenaciously TO his contention that II
Canada declared her neutrality no
foreign foe of England's would VEN
lure to attrack the Dominion.
The significance of this declaration
was much commented on at the time.
and three years later, when at
Montreal, I publicly discussed the
question whether il the policy were
persisted in Canada could be regarded
IS an integral part of the British en-
pire. Laurier has now apparently
abandoned ltss 'forrHar position. Logi-
cally he could. not do otherwise, but
this involves turnabout which among
other things gives new edge to the
Monroe doctrine
This is all the more serious because
Canada is being colonized more rapid
" from the United States than from
tile Uiiileu hlHSQolIl. IN the laSt fiscal
year only G,9o0 British settlers made
homestead entries, against 10000
Americans. These non-British settlers
are not likely TO be very keen to fight
EnGland's wars all around the world
IL as Sir Thomas Shaughuessy calcu-
lates. Canada viii have 12,500,O00
population decade hence, less than
bali will be OF British descent 1t is
70 be hoped I>aurier has made adequate
provision against the catastrophe that
might accrue from his new departure.