Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1913-09-15
Canada's Views on Mexico.

are pIOCeeulnS SLOWLY, anu luOuSn
the impatient regard them as unsat-
isfactory, it is interesting to note an
unexpected result in their effect
upon Canadian estimates of the mo-
! tives actuating the United States. II
may be difficult for people in this
country to understand what justifica-
tion there is for the suspicion that
we are desirous of anneXing the Do
minion, but until the Mexican situa-
tion it has been an ever-present fear
lin Canada. In the days when Brit
ish and American relations were
strained that fear was naturally ac-
tive, but ii reached its height during
the war with Mexico, the misinter-
probation of which has kept it alive
ever since. Despite the facts too OBJ
vious to need recital Canada took
the view that the United States de-
liberately provoked a war with the
Mexicans to secure a preteXt for an
neXing Texas, and believed that the
next step would be to seize the Do
minion. Many years have inter-
vened with nothing more threatening
than an occasional and wholly ire
sponsible indiscretion on the part of
some United States politician
Champ Clark, for instance, said some
foolish things about annexation dur
ing the course of the reciprocity de-
bate-and yet the fears had not been
allayed in Canada until this coun-
try, under what the rest of the
world admits to be the utmost provo
cation, showed both it's forbearance
and magnanimity toward Mexico
Canadian papers, many of which
have harped upon the bogy that the
United States was only waiting fol
an opportunity to "gobble Canada,
are now busy in pointing out thai
we are quite reasonable people, who
though Unsuitable in the matter ot
commercial expansion have no de
sire for territorial aggression.
Anti-Strike Law Proves Success.
There is also interesting reading
in Canadian papers which are con
graduating the country on the sue
cess of the law designed to abolish
industrial warfare. The arbitration
measure has now been working fol
a little over six years, and as many
of its provisions are copied in the
law which has just been adopted in
this country, its success is reassur.
ing. In Canada, whenever a strike
or lockout is threatened, the parties
if unable to adjust their differences
refer them to a board for settlement
before such strike or lockout car
legally take place. Both sides name
a representative and these two selec
a third or umpire. If the two dele
gates are unable to agree as to th'
third man within a reasonable per
iod the minister of labor himself ap
points chairman. After the con
ference is a settlement has been eff
fected it is reported to the govern
ment. If no solution of the diff
Guilty has been found the board pub
fishes a report which is furnished
! tn fhn an6 hanNp1oe ha hoc
of more enlightened public opinion
as to the merits of the dispute. TIL
department of labor has just fur
nished an account of all such trans
actions since the inception of the Law
six years ago. In all there hav
been las applications for boards. o
these 40 had to do with coal mining
II with metal mining, 61 with rail
roads, l3 with street railroads ant
seven with shipping. Strikes wer
averted or ended in all cases saw
Is, which is to say that the Do
minion had an average of only thre,
strikes per year.
Startling Plans at The Hague.
If arbitration in industrial dis
putes becomes equally successful il
the United States it is estimated tina
it will effect saving greater thai
our present annual outlay on arma
ments, which, despite the statement
of certain enthusiasts at The Hagu,
conference, is, relatively to European
countries, very small. There wer,
some unlocked for, curious and al
most amusing results at that confer
ence. 1t was seriously proposed tina
there should be "an. internationa
police organized for the peaceful en-
forcement of arbitral decisions" A,
to the details of the strength ant
financing of such police little wa
said, but it is curious as an admis
sion that mere arbitration is not o
itself sufficient, and that it will still
be necessary to have an army to en-
force decisions AS it would hav
to be a standing army of considerabl,
numbers to compel submission 1t 4
difficult to see wherein it would diff
fer from those now maintained ol
.