New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-06
CONTROVERSY OVER
ATTITUDE OF THE u. 5.
Undercurrent of Feeling That
This Country Should Act in
Belgium's Behalf.
fB, TELEGRAPH to Tn. Tribun,.l

deliyerance. The leading organs VI 'he
Liberal and Conservative parties, re-
spectively, 1.-THE Globe" and THE Mail
and Empire" agree that his view IS
sound. "Mr. Taft is beyond all ques-
ton correct" says "The Globe" There
was no thought Of looking to the
United States for protection" says
1.-THE Mail and Empire"
The somewhat efevescent "Iele-
gram" refers to Mr.. Taft's 'ponderous
nothings" and believes that the
future of the Monroe Doctrine is being
decided on the North Sea and on the
continent of Europe" Similarly The
News" saws that "if the British Navy
should be destroyed the United States
would have no power to prevent the as
sertion of German authority over
Canada"
"The Montreal Star" rises to remark
that now perhaps the "spineless, blood
less and poor-spirited set OF political
parasites in this country will have the
decency to stop blubbering" about the
pr lection Canada would have from
"our big brother to the south" For
itself. "The Star" says, it has always
taken the same ground a. Mr.. TAFT; IN
deed, it has always felt IT would be a
piece of impertinence" for the United
States to patronize Canada with offe- 5
of protection. A different matter
would be an offensive and defensive
alliance between Canada and the United
States. something for which mucn
might be said, although The Star
does not believe Canada needs IT.
An interesting controversy mas
broken out in the press and elsewhere
about the attitude of the United States
to the war. The position of critics Is
succinctly expressed by this paragraph
in "The Mail and Empire: by send
ing generous relief to Belgium the
United States is doing something t.
bale out the boat. Why doesn't she do
something to stop the leak?"
"The Toronto Star" puts 1t this way:
what would be thought of police
man who in time of trouble said: L
shall keep out of this. | do not want
to take risks because | might get hurt
and bring distress to my wife and fam
il. will let the row proceed and then
I'll call the ambulance and tenderly
look after the killed and wounded?
Wilson's Policy Criticised.
At a recent meeting of the Harvard
University Club of Toronto b. A. Gould,
an American citizen, at present residing
in Canada, made a speech criticising
President Wilson's policy and advo-
eating participation IN the European
cataclysm. The speech brought flood
of letters TO the papers, pro and con.
One declared that Mr.. Gould had shown
himself to be "unpatriotic." and several
pointed out that it would be foolish for
the United States to rush into the fight,
thereby increasing the area of the SUI
ferings of war.
Some Of the letters wax warm. Says
one: "The Statue of Liberty still
stands at the entrance TO the harbor OF
New York, but as yet il has seen no
battleships or troopships slip past into
the gray sea, headed for Belgium. The
United States was one of the signatorles
to the treaty guaranteeing the neutral
ity of Belgium, but to-day Belgium
stands broken and rayished because
that treaty waj broken"
And another observes: "The United
States was not obliged to pledge its
word concerning Belgium, but, having
done so, il surely should not regard
that treaty as merely scrap of pa
per-"
One of the subtle but none the less
important effects of the war TO date has
been TO emphasize the line of demarca-
ton between Canada and the United
States. Hitherto Canada's interests
have largely been centred on this CONT
nent. Her habits, customs, tastes, her
fashions, mode of living, even her poll
ties, have been largely Influenced, or
even based on, those of her big and i'm
portant neighbor. The result is that if
it were not for an inquisitive customs
official one could not tell where the
United States ends and Canada begins.
This condition has been a continual
source of worriment to English observ
ers, who have never been able to get it
out of their heads that Canada is Amer
icanized to a dangerous degree.
1t has been quite true that as be-
tween the two countries there was a
sympathy and a community of interest
quite unheard of and strange to the
jealous nations of Europe.
Of course, this condition has not dis
appeared But it is a fact that the war
and Canada's participation in it have
given the Dominion consciousness of
interest and aspiration beyond the con-
fines OF the American continent such as
she has not before experienced. The
event has done more than any other to
differentiate her national sentiment,
and as matters are proceeding the line
of cleavage between her and the United
States is distinctly widening.
Ambitious Project Appears.
A vigorous effort to exploit the pres
ent outburst of active loyalty and pa
triotism along the lines of centralizing
imperialism will without doubt be
made. II was just after the South Afri-
can war that Joseph Chamberlain, TAX
ing advantage of a similar patriotic
demonstration, almost swept the empire
into his tariff reform scheme of impe-
rial preferences. Mr.. Chamberlain is
dead, and so is the essential feature OF
his scheme of imperial tariffs. But
now an even more ambitious project
appears on the horizon. The scheme
now is to organize the empire on lines
of efficiency" with an Imperial Par
lament which is TO control all matters
of defence, foreign affairs and Deepen
denotes.
Hitherto the advocates Of the scheme
have been working behind the scenes.
But they have been emboldened By the
war and are coming into the open.
There is evidence that an active propa-
ganda will soon be under way. A year
ago it would have been almost impos-
sible to get u prominent Canadian pub
licly to advocate Imperial Federation,
AS was done the other night by Sir
John Wilson in an address to Fed
Grated Young Mems Clubs. One argu-
ment is that an Imperial Parliament
will be a surety against recurrence OF
a world war. If the thirteen colonies
had never revoltcd there would be no
war to-day. because the British Empire