Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-09-17
are in Canada those who conscientiously
object To CO.
Protection With No operation in
Cost to the Protected. e ss

great disquietude. I can understand men
who advocate independence: can under
stand men, If there be any such in Can
ada, who conscientously advocate the
union Of this country with the great
neighboring republic. l cannot under
stand, however, how any man receiving
and accepting the protection of the Brit
ish flag the advantage of British citizen
ship. can reconcile it with his sef-respect
to have every dollar of the cost paid by
the overburdened taxpayers of the Brit
ish Islands"
The very position now taken by the
nationalist party was then outlined by
Mr.. Monk, leader of the French con-
servatives, who did not believe in giving
any organized assistance to England. He
said: "If Great Britain is involved in any
war. whether it be to suppress insurrection
| in India or against any foreign country
or in virtue of her numerous alliances
and treaties, the moment that war breaks
| outfit we carry out this plan-we are
| into that war. 1t is said that it is alb
| solutely necessary anyway. l deny that
What Is proposed today is to invite us to
become responsible for the policy. for
! alliances of which we know nothing, over
which we have no control and made by
men-excellent men, no doubt-but men
| who are not responsible to And the
proposal is to ask US to assume all these
responsibilities without our enjoying the
privileges of representation
On these speeches, the spirit of which
| is outlined in these necessarily brief ex-
cerpts, and
Premier Modified on Sir Will
His War Declaration. 70 '' Mr. Rory
den and Mr. Monk. is made up the whole
Of the naval issue in Canada. In that re-
ply Sir Wilfrid said:
II do not pretend to be an imperialst
nor do / pretend to be an anti-imperiaI-
| list. / am Canadian first, last and at
| all times. / am British subject by
| birth. by tradition. by conviction-by the
conviction that under British institutions
my native land has found a measure of
security and freedom which it could not
| have found under any other regime
After defending his ideas of autonomy
and the separate navy. he somewhat
| modified his previous declaration regard
| ing war in these words: If England is
at war, we are at war and liable to at
| tack. / do not say that we shall alway S
| be attacked. neither do l say that we
should take part in all the wars of Eng
land. That is matter that must be
guided by circumstances, upon which the
Canadian parliament will have to pro-
nounce and will have to decide in its own
| best judgment"
But it was not long before Sir Wilfrid
was compelled to recognize the fact that
/ his own people, the FTench-CanadianS of
Quebec. had no stomach for fighting for
| England. even II the solidity of the empire
should be endangered To these in his
last speech in parliament upon the sub
ject. he addressed himself in language
| that is almost pathetic. He said:
/ X
| i am free TO say that the province
| Of Quebec has always given this govern
| ment its chief
Laurier Compares support 1t
c.,r vry:4l n,nu may be that
A 40. 0oA' in the province
OF Quebec there are men who have given