New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-26
CRITICISM
AND BOOK NEWS
A Builder Of Canada-Lord Strathcona and
His Unsympathetic Biographer-J ames
T. M Barrie's War Play.

The simultaneous publication Of i ne :,
life and Times OF Lord StrstnccCo1nia,
by ". T. r. Preston, and the foIltlCS,i,
"Reminiscences OF Sir Charles uPnPTTtI'
edited b. W q. Harkin. leads ne
London OWlook' 20 violent a''a'N
anon Nr PrcstOn's work.
Il all tnas Mr. Preston says were
fre.. maintains the English reviewer
b,s Indictment of Lord Strathcona
MIGHT still be held 10 be in the very
worst OF taste. Donald \. Smith was
enc Of the most remarkable men VINO
csor went from Scottish village 70
seci fortune in uncXplOrcd WIGS ne
Hudson's Bav Company was not SLOW
a. rocognIzc that IN him was mental
md Dbvsical material out OF inc oTdi-
ragv He was soon invested with
certain amount OF authority, ana ne IN
.pired such confidence In his associ-
atcs that he Vas gwen charge OF IheII
,avings. There IS no suggestion tha'
he ever appropriated iarthing OF any
ones money, but 10 IS evidence OF
nickedness in Mr.. Prestou.s eyes tnaI
Donald A. as he calls MN with
familiarity which one does not expect
I1 so bitter an opponent. should nave
placed the money intrusted 20 hlm
where 70 ultimately advantagcd him
.clf. A. we'll might We charge our
banks with immoral practices because
they use our deposits 20 promote their
pronts.
When the Hudson's Bay Company was
mckng its bargain with the Oomin-
.ou government tine shareholders got
tau.cky and threw stock on the mar
hct % absurd price. Donald smith,
serya ant OF the company. showed
his confidence by buying up az ne
could, and. Of course, he made ms PIE
To Mr.. Preston that was exploitation
, oe "a national trustecshlp' for per
,onal ends. lie does not suggest that
Donald Smith started the panic, out
he seems to labor under some SORT
ur half-baked idea that the oihclal
.bould have taken steps TO reassure
the pubnc mind. What Smith could
have done we do not quite know; d
b j., had assured the public that the
PROSPECTS we're better than were as
.umcd and things had turned out bad
> iv. after AN. then we suppose ineIe
: would have been ground Tor suspect
. .nr that Donald Smith had teathered
, his nest that Vayi Every transaction,
from the dealings OF the Montreal
b Bank TO The building OF the CANADIAN
Pacific Railway. 100 which Lord strain
. ccua WAS involved, would appear TO
have been "a very saturnala OF cor
ruption if Mr.. Preston were TO ne
taken as guide. corruption, o.
course. there was. contracts Nnlo.
cover works spread over a continent
arc hound 10 be occasions OF intrigue
and of scIf-scchiuC Sir Charles lup-
per has something 10 say OF the cor
ruption OF Mr. Preston political
rrtrwI.
Sir John Macdonald was guilty OF
-crious corruption. according 10 WI
Preston. when me secured party
funds M return for railway cor
,cssion, but the story as told by MI
Preston is not ON all-fours with the
story az told by Sir Charles upper
The Canadian Pacific syndicate Us rep,
resented as the most colossal anu
1vdra headed monster ever concelNeu
Tor the robbery OF people, WhaJ we
80. oven in this narrative OF corrup-
non as set forth by thc puutanicai
non Of Mr. Preston. rs that the men
Who undertook to build the railway
came very near personal rum anu
.rlv the mastery financial methods o!
Bonald A. Smith and his friends saved
thcm and the Dominion from a dlSas-
ter Of the FIRST magnitude. IneSt una
Mo service was rendered not only 70
tho Dominion. but to the Empire MI
Preston prefers to enlarge ON the per
Sonal souabbles and misunders landings
Of men like Macdonald and upper
ard Donald Smith. ~
We should be more disposed to iend
patient hearing TO Mr. Preston II ne
had not made his purpose quite so 90
trusivc. There Is not single a0t ~
Lord Strathcona's hfe when ne uoc'
not find was dictated either oy Nah' !!
- ,orruntion. He even attempts "a
convey an unpleasant impression =; y
hat fine effort of individual muhln'
onco tho sending Of Strathcona'
Horse 10 South Africa. Certain things
~ Lord Ctrathcona's life were IN
soubtcdlv opcu TO criticism; no man
ND accomplish what he did ana Is
csnc altogether. If he had failed II
enc of his great enterprises the pen
.It, oxacted would have been com
s,suratc with the failure. Lore
Stratbcona's cardinal sin apparently
was that he never did tall, and all VI
Preston's delving into ancient RECORDS
OF corrupt practices, when the s0eus
crs never subetantiateo. Will not cor
vince reasonable men that TINS olVs
faphv was justified.
What M. Preston cannot advance o.
direct
~ndo. end he IS so eager 10 0eilt'ie M
subiect that he twice draws an e'spo
ate contrast between Donald A. Snlti
and Cecil Rhodes 90 this eject zee
Ehodes was dreaming OF en emplr
with no personal advantages TO hlm
self: Donald A. Smith was dreaming o
Inc development of an empire ina
nigh be turned 90 his personal aggran
.,,crf Cecil Rhodes was
,orn leader OF men IN parliamentar
government; Donald \. Smith was no
but ne had no peer as shrewd manlPu
istor of political leaders for his ow
nr~noges." II NJ. Preston had a gllm
mering sense either Of humor or o
nroportion he would hardly have CON
n;tted himself 70 so bald ar antthesi'
The intensity OF our admiration 10
cecil Rhodes cannot make US see oni
,bc arch corrupter and the colosS;a
,..oist I'm the man, who, whatever IN
iiGo~cnccs Of early days. was non
rcd an the end alike by the ConservS
Ivc and Liberal governments OF Can
sSo. Mr. Preston has shown peeuha
courage in taking pot shots at eea'
l.cu.