The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-28
From the New York Evening Post.

from the New Aofk EYenlng Post
 1.-TWO years ago the London Times, in
 piece of correspondence from
 ! Toronto. introduced it's readers to a pi respective visitor from Canada, and incidentally made this prophecy:
 "Sooner or later, as the gods shall or der, MT. Borden will be prime minister of Canada and Englishmen may be cer- tain that when the time comes no sounder British imperiaist will fashion legislation and direct opinion in the oversea do- minions.'
 This week the prophecy was fulfilled. The defeat of American reciprocity and the overthrow of the liberals under Sir WEfrid Laurier placed the premiership of Canada in the hands of Robert Laird Borden. The prime minister-elect won his fight on a solid anti-reciprooity plat form, and there can be no doubt that con- servative Canada has chosen a conserva- tive ruler. Throughout the campaign ne reiterated the belief that reciprocity was merely the first step in Canada's annex alton by the United States.
 'It is beyond doubt he declared on one occasion, that the leading public men of the United States, it's leading press, and the mass of it's people believe annexation of this Dominion to be the ultimate, in- evitable, and desirable result of this proposition and for that reason support it.,
 Yet strangely enough, MT. Borden, by all the laws and traditions of American politics should have been liberal. lie should have inherited liberalism. And, indeed. he did, for the liberal affiliations of his family were his in the early days before he became a figure in Canadian politics. Today he is the only conserva- tive member of a family that has always been strongly liberal, his father and brothers all being allied with the defeated party. His cousin Dr. Borden, was min ister of militia under Sir Wilfrid La1- rier.
 But the premier-eect shook off liberal ties long before he first ran for office, which was 15 years ago. He was then a practising lawyer, 42 years old, with d growing reputation as leader of the bar in Nova Scotia. He was native Nova Scotian, having been born in Halifax in 1854, and had appeared as an attorney in number of important cases before the supreme court at Ottawa. Thus, he was not entirely unknown throughout Canada, when, in 1896, not without con- siderable persuasion, he consented to en- ter politics as the Halifax conservative candidate for member of parliament.
 In recent years, and more especially in the campaign just closed, MT. Borden ability as speaker has often been men, toned It was apparently an ability which he acquired with training, for he was not one of those whose entrance into parliament was marked with burst of oratory accompanied with floral wreaths from constituents at home. During his first term MT. Borden spoke seldom, and only upon questions in which legal con alterations were dominant He left or the house an impression of moderate tenn per and solid qualities. but no one saw in the quiet, studious. capable, unassum. ing member for Halifax the future pre- mier of Canada. It was apparent thai his mind turned naturally to considera' tions of equity. There was no sign thai he was greatly interested in the fervol and ferocity of the party struggle. Ht was more concerned with the character of legislation than party exigency ant party strategy. It came to be said, as in
 deed 1t is still said by his opponents, thai he would make an ideal minister Of Jus tice, and that at least establishes th' impression of capacity and integrit. which he made upon the house of com mons.
 The elections of 1901 left the conserva tive party without leader. It had beer understood that Sir Charles Tupper. th' defeated leader would be succeeded eithe bv G. F. Foster of Hugh John Macdon ald. The unexpected defeat of both can didates, however, made it necessary t. cast about for new leader. A caucu of the conservative minority resulted il the selection of MT. Borden, and he re
 luctantly accepted.
 Early in his leadership a disturbin; question arose for consideration. It wa necessary to give provincial constitution to the western territories, and the con trol of education, which has so often con vulsed and embittered Canadian politics l had to be determined as between the pro vincial and federal authorities. Undc
 the territorial constitution the Roman Catholic minority had secured the righ ] to maintain separate schools in the ter