El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-09-08

| ent campaign, which will terminate
with the general parliamentary cleo
most holly contested in the history
OF the dominion. and certainly the
most exciting since 1896.
Inc issue that will be settled by
the event OF the election is whether
or not Canada will ratify the recf
procity pact already assented to bv
i the United States. This is the cbier
/, questlon involved In the campaign, and
settled by the election. But it does
not follow that it is the only topic of
| discussion.
The Annexation Bugbear.
Annexation to the United States. a
pogie and bugbear, and the naval
! question, racial scarecroW are the
/ cross cutting issues which have
| usurped the greater part of ,,uhlic dis
cussion In the campaign.
Inc Liberal party, headed by sir
W1lfrfd Laurfer, now and for Is years
past the prime minister and actual
| ruler of Canada, supports reciprocity
| If the Liberal party wins in major
| tty of the parliamentary constituent
| cies, sir Wilfrid will be- continued in
| the office of premier. and the newly
elected parliament, upon assembling
at Ottawa, viii at once ratify the reel
effective. 80 le00'''e
Liberals Urge Adoption.
Sir Wilfrid and leaders, candidates.
and supporters of the Liberal party
assert that reciprocity with the United
States will be beneficial to the people
OF Canada as whole, that it will tend
to correct present inequalities in the
Canadian tariff system, that it will
not In the least affect the relations of
Canada and Great Britain, and that
advantageous not only to Canada but
to thes British empire as well. The
slogan Of the Liberals is: 'Laurier
and Larger Markets.
To this the Conservative party, head
ed by r. L. Borden for several years
leader of his majesty's loyal opposi-
ton in the Canadian parliament, re-
plies with truly conservative slo-
gan: LET well enough alone" The
leaders of the opposition party assert
that the reciprocity agreement viii
have the inevitable effect of disturb
ing the national and imperial course
now being taken in the progress of
Canadian trade and commerce, that 1t
will lead inevitably to still further re-
auctions of the tariff between the
United States and Canada, that Its i'm
mediate effect Will be commercial
union. and that its ultimate result will
be the annexation of Canada to the
United States.
Think Annexation Next.
BY process of elision, so easy in
the heat of campaign, the interme
diate steps in the conservative proph-
ecy of woes are generally omitted;
and thus the ultra conservative slo-
gan has been made up: "a vote for
Reciprocity is a Vote for Annexation
If there is any one thing about
which the people of Canada are unani-
mously agreed, 1t is that they do not
desire to be annexed to the United
States now or at any future time
Therefore, the assertion of the Con-
seryatives that a vote for reciprocity
Is vote for annexation has brought
into the campaign the principal cross
issue Of annexation
1t is used by the opposition party
as a bogie and a bugbear, but its use,
even In this way, compels the Liberal
party to take up the issue and to en-
deavor to convince the voters that the
ports to be. only a business arrange
ment having no present or future po-
litical significance.
Naval Question Eliminated.
although reciprocity and annexa-
tion are the two things most talked
ABOUT In the campaign, it is entirely
possible, even probable, that the re-
suit OF the election will be determined
Dy yet another prosecuting Issue
The Naval Question. The naval oues-
ton has nothing whatever to do with
the election, but yet 1t may be the de-
termining factor in the campaign.
ABOUT two years ago when the far
flung British empire was shaken from
end to end by the German war scare, |
the resultant imperialistic enthusiasm |
caused the self governing colonies of |
cat DAlldiu 10 take thought unto 4
themselves how they might aid the |
mother country to preserve her threat |
ened supremacy of the seas.
. In Canada, is in other self-goyern- /
ing colonies, the overwhelming major |
lty OF the people desired to aid the |
British navy in some substantial fash |
lon- The government in Canada pro-
posed to relieve the British navy of |
any Iurtner responsibility for guard
Ing the coasts of Canada and to estab-
nsn and maintain at Canadian ex-
pense Canadian navy that should at |
all times act in defence of Canadian
coasts and in times of war under GER
tain conditions, become part of the
British imperial navy. This policy was
all British ships were with
drawn from Canadian waters, and the
small cruisers and established a Cana
dian navy.
The opposition party, led by Mr.. Bor-
den, advocated the contribution of two
proposed that the sum of 5000 GOO be
directly to the British adj
rniralty from the Canadian treasury.
Attitude of French Element.
unfortunately for political peace In !
Canada, however, the French sneak
Ing Canadians agreed neither with the
colonial naval policy or sir Wilfrid
laurier nor the imperial naval policy
ton that Canada didn't need to spend |
any money on any kind of a navy This
attitude was represented in parlia-
ment by the leader of the Conserva-
tive party. in the French speaking
province of Quebec, F. D. Monk. But
In the country it became a much more
serious issue and was directly respons-
bile for the formation of a new DO
litical party, the Nationalist party, I'M
der the leadership of NJ. Henri Bou-
rassa.
Now, 1t so happens, that the Liberal
In parliament for the past Is |
years has been the direct result of the |
overwhelming Liberal majority in the
province of Quebec where in the
last parliament, the Conservatives
could claim but II of the 60 members.
quebec was intensely proud of sir !
Ntlfrid, the first French Canadian pre-
m1er OF federated Canada, and disloy-
atty to- Laurier was regarded as |
sort of political apostasy.
But In this campaign Bourassa and
the Nationalist leaders are fighting |
against Laurier with all their might.
fhey decline to discuss the issue of
reciprocity, they refuse to be excited
ABOUT annexation. then content them
serves with attacking the naval policy
oI the government and with impuSn-
ng the loyalty of sir Wilfrid to his
French speaking compatriots.
Detection In Quebec