The sun., 1919-09-10
ROWELL ASSAMS
STAND OF LIBERALS
President of Canadian Privy
Council Upholds Right to
Ratify Treaty.
AN ADVISER TO THE KING
Says Dominion Is in Stage Of
Transition From Colony
to Sister Nation.
AN ADVISER TO THE KING
By a stoc oore,pondsnt Of tn. Sun.

Point, the Canadian member for Kamour-
aslsa, Quebec. gave the peace treaty
debate a decidedly better turn for the
Liberal opposition to-day, and saved
the party from being drawn into the
position OF UNFOLDING the archaic doc
trine of Colonialism. which Mr.. Mcken-
xie 20 literally fell into yesterday.
Il am not living IN the past" said
Mr.. LaPointe, "but am Canadian OF
1919, claiming for my country all the
rights she IN entitled to, and desirous
to see her go forward and occupy that
place among the nations OF the WORM
which she deserves"
Mr.. I,aPointe still maintained that the
treaty was made between Great Britain
and the other Powers. and whether APP
proved of or not, It binds the whole OF
the British Empire, including the Do
minion of Canada" But he saw further
and said that "a proclamation by this
Parliament that we refuse to be bound
by this treaty, and refuse to acknowl-
edge the right Of the British representa-
tives to sign this treaty, would be tanta-
mount to q declaration Of independence
and formal separation from the en-
pire"
But" he added, the fact that we
are designated in the League OF Nations
as q separate entity creates, neverthe-
less, an anomalous and equivocal stu
alton. We are going to have separate
representation IN the assembly Of the
league. We have even the right to be
represented on the council by one or the
representatives OF the small nations, II
the assembly chooses to elect or appoint
a Canadian rs one of the four delegates
on the council"
Opposed to Capitalization.
Mr.. La Pointe quoted President Will
son and Senator Brandegee on the dip
lomatic place of Canada in the inter-
national forum and put the question up
to the Administration. He wanted no
step taken that would lessen the sover-
eign rights of this Parliament. 1T must
be made clear that no Canadian soldier
can be ordered anywhere except by the
authority of the Parliament of Canada"
He deprecated any change that would
make Canada a province of a larger
state and was opposed to any centrallza-
ton of the sovereignty OF the empire in a
large imperial legislature.
Newton Wesley Rowell. president of
the Privy Council called attention to
the marked contrast between the speech
Of Mr.. La Pointe and that Of Mr.. Mac
kenzie yesterday. He knew of nothing
in the past history of Canada as a self
governing state that would support the
position taken by the leader of the OPP
position.
Ratification is an executive act by
the head OF the state, in this case by the
sovereign. The sovereign ratifles upon
the advice OF his constitutional advisors.
The view of the Government Is this ::
q xxyhi1 haa otv he ieyht hx-
executive act TO advise his Majesty to
ratify, with respect TO Canada, yet in
view Of the Importance OF this treaty and
its bearing upon the future history of
Canada It was the duty of the Govern
ment to submit 1t to this Parliament and
ask it's approval before taking any fur
Their responsibility in the matter.
The leader of the Opposition fails
to distinguish between legal authority
and constitutional right. The King has
a legal right to ratify this treaty, ire
spective OF any of his advisers. but he
has no constitutional right to do so.
The imperial Parliament has the legal
authority to repeal the British North
America act, to conscript our men for
their armies, to levy taxes upon our
people, but Great Britain has no con-
stitutional right to do 80.
Constitutional Freedom Assured.
The strength OF the British Empire
to-day rests upon the constitutional
rights which have been granted to diff
ferent portions of the empire, and the
British Government would no more think
OF interfering with our constitutional
rights and freedom than It would think
OF recommending that his Majesty
should sign his own death warrant
all
hilated II the views OF the imperial
Government were to be preferred to
those of the Dominion of Canada
Mr.. Rowell pointed out that the right
OF Canada to voice in the treaty MAX
Ing power was not a new thing In
Canadian affairs.
The Washington treaty of 1888 was
approved by this House before ratifoa-
tion," he said. ''It did not finally 20
into effect because OF tho failure of the
United States 10 ratlfy the treaty.
ut has been repeatedly pointed out
that our constitutional relations within
the empire are in a state of transition.
The whole object of the constitutional
jurisdiction 10 to put those relations on
a more definite basis, II we can. 1t is a
gradual process, an evolution from the
position OF colony to that of a sister
nation OF equal status with the mother
country"
britannia League of Nations.
when Sir Wilfrid Laurier returned
from the Queens Jubilee in 1897 he de-
clared that Canada was a nation. A
great many people disputed that propo-
sition. So to-day when this Government
says the status of Canada must be on
an equal basis with that OF Great Brit
ain and the other dominions in the Brit
tanic League Of Nations, II you so choose
to call 1t, the recognition OF that status
by the Government of Great Britain puts
us In position where all that is neces-
sary is to complete the working out of
the machinery in order that we NAV
operate on that basis.
There Is no parallel for an empire
like this Of self-govening nations seek.
Ing to work together. 1t Is the greatest
experiment In democratic government
that the world has ever seen. But
have confidence m the Angao-Saxon
genius for government, as have equal
coincidence In the genius for government
or our friends of French Canadian birth
ana race. They have shown great ca
pacity in that direction, just as the peo-
pie or two races in South Africa have
worked out their own political good un-
oer the British nag within the empire -
Lucien Turcotte Pacaud, lawyer and
journalist, member for Megantic, Quebec
expressed regret that the treaty pro-
vided no final settlement ~ the Irlsh
problem. He also held that Article Y.
or the League of Nations strips the Ca
madam Parliament NJ ita r,oat ,,a,,,.A