Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-05-05
North America, s World Leadership

of this continent there has been
growing up into virile young nation
hood another free democracy dividing
with the United States the wealth and
sharing the obligations of North Ameri-
can citizenship. The right Of a free
people to the governance of their own
affairs, won by the American colonies
in the eighteenth century, was inherit
ed without war or sacrifice by the peo-
pie of Canada in the nineteenth cen.
tnry. The act OF Confederation passed
by the British parliament in 1867, uni
fed the provinces of Canada into one
Dominion. That act would have been
an act of absolute national independ-
ence had the people Of Canada so de-
sired. 1t was not Britain, 1t was not
the British government and parliament
that determined Canadian Confedera.
ton rather than Canadian independ-
ence. 1t was Canada. 1t was the
statesmen of Canad. 1t was the
dreamers among the Canadian people.
They knew the old way Of separation
of American independence century
before; open to them without revolt
or revolution. But they chose new
way. an untraveled way, a way to ma
tionhood and to national self.govern-
ment by which no people ever went
before. And SO 1t came about that
when the world had learned the lesson
of the American colonies, that any
people that desire to be free and are
fit to be free must be given the chance
of freedom, Canada stood up with this
lesson from her experience: any peo-
pie that desire self-government and
are fit for self-government may secure
self-government without sacrificing
their national background or cutting
the historic tie.
Home Rule and Empire.
That thing done in Canada's history
was without precedent. 1t was new
experiment in world politics. Bea-
consfield and Gladstone both under
stood it to mean separation. But 1t
had no such meaning. 1t meant a
larger unity 1t made for. new En-
pire. Canada's experiment led the
way; Australia followed and New
Zealand, and only decade ago, South
Africa, with the ancient colony OF
Newfoundland making up a new Brit
ish empire; an empire which has
stuffed off the old centralized imperi.
UNI; an empire which is rather an ALI.
ance of free nations girdling the
globe with one flag an empire which
in it's larger democratic freedom Is
growing loyal to one throne. In that
great experiment Of democratic self
government, under a constitutional
monarch, Canada led the way. Local
self government in the overseas Do
minions Of Britain will yet react On
the mother country and will issue in
| free local governments for England, foI
Scotland. and some day soon for dis
tressful Ireland herself.
BY Canada's experiment the world
empire of Britain is given new
meaning and new life. That demo
cratic empire is organizing one quar-
ter of the land area of the world II
peaceful relations under the Unior
Jack. Who can say but that the Unit
ed States may some day follow Brit
aims world example? Who can tel
but that in our own day the Phillip
pines, If they come to national unity
and develop the instinct for self-gov
eminent, will Anu their highest nation
al Independence not in national isola
! ton, but as self-governing dominion
under the st is and Stripes?
Canada and American Problems.
| In North America Canada rises
! into nationhood to share with the
United States the obligations OF
American civilization. In matters OF
The e two nations, holding sway from
the Gulf of Mexico to the North Pole
have each enough and to spare
Neither need covet the possessions Of
the other. There are problems to be
solved large enough and serious
enough to tax the ingenuity anC
craftsmanship and patriotism Of bott
countries. Each has it's own prob
lens; but they have other problems
in common, problems in social life
in economic life, in political life, II
national life, the solving of which viii
require the combined wisdom and en-
ergy of both nations.
There are problems, too, involving
other nationalities with which botl
the United States and Canada shall
/ have to do. AS joint heritors in Amer
lea Of a common civilization, witt
it's common laws and literature ant
institutions of government they can
not evade responsibility for the free
dom, integrity and peace Of the Latir
republics on this western hemisphere
Not the Monroe Doctrine alone, bu
the inescapable obligations of Chris
tian citizenship involve these two fre'
nations in high concern for the unit!
and consolidation Of Mexico and OF al
the turbulent republics Of Central ant
South America. The supreme nationa
interests of the United States and o
Canada will be served only when free
dom of life and stability Of govern
ment come to each of the other coun
tries, sharing with them the privileges
and duties of the western hemisphere
Among the nationalities of the nev
Pan-Americanism Canada must stan'
up and be counted.
Canada Plus Britain.
Canada counts for more than one
In the North American situation Can
ada stands for more than Canad'
alone. Because of Canada's Imperia
relations the power Of North Amenc'
today Is the power Of the Unite'
States and the power of the Dominion
j 119.714 hogs and Ss.746 sheep CORES
bonding week Of 1918.