The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-08-12
MACKENZIE KING, LEADER,
GRADED IN LIBERALISM
Successor to Laurier Head of Party in Canada Is
Grandson of Famous Rebel of 1887.
By D. X. sANDwELL

Of Montreal.
Written Especially for the Canadian
Section Of THE SUN.
MONTREAL, Aug lin spite OF the
disadvantages under which the new
leader of the Liberal party labors. in
respect of his youth, his lack of pic
turesque personal qualities. his pro-
longed absence from the country during
the recent years of trial and of war
effort and his reputation as a solemn
student and a "highbrow." his nominal
ton may turn out to be the cleverest
thing that the convention could have
done.
The party was already assured, by
reason Of It's second economic platform.
Of the support of r. fairly solid West.
1t Is now assured, by reason OF the lead
er's anti-conscription record and his
rebel" ancestry, as we'll as his rather
fiamboyant loyalty to the late Sir Will
frid Laurier, of an absolutely solid Que
bee. This combination goes far enough
towards providing a working majority of
the House Of Commons to make 1t neces-
sary for the opposite side to work every
means In It's power to retain a solid
Ontario and as much as can be held of
the Maritime Provinces and British
Columbia
The beauty of the situation, from the
Liberal standpoint, Is that Quebec which
means French-speaking Quebec and a
few French seats in other Provinces,
will not bother about the platform, and
the West will not bother about the lead
er. Economically. the interests of Que
bee and those of the West have nothing
in common; but the French vote has
never concerned itself about economics.
1t will rally as one man to the young
leader who was the personal friend
almost the adopted child-and the con-
spicuously reverential pupil Of Sir Will
frid Laurier; whose first act on re-
ceiving the nomination was to go and
lay a wreath on Sir Wilfrid's grave
whose ancestor, the "rebel' William
Lyon Mackenzie. was the fellow in-arms
Of the Quebec leader Papineau; who re-
garded and still regards the enactment
OF conscription as an unjustihable ex-
aggeration of the powers of the central
Government. On the other hand, the
West cares nothing about the new leader
except that he is young. which is in his
favor; but 1t has dictated the plat
form of the party, and IL believes itself
strong enough to get it carried out.
As Viewed by Conservatives.
Eastern Conservatives are talking in
a somewhat contemptuous MANNER about
William Lyon Mackenzie King, as II he
were leader too young and too light of
weight to be bothered about at the pres
ent time. They lay stress on the points
that he is devoid of personal picturesque
ness and magnetism, that he is a heavy
and laborious speaker. that he has been
out of touch with political conditions in
Canada since the Liberal defeat in 1911
and that his anti-conscription record will
solidify the returned soldier element
Il
conscriptionist Liberals to return to the
fold.
All of this begs the main question,
which Is whether he can insure a solid
Liberal Quebec. And there Is every rea-
son to suppose that he can, not by his
personality but by his political record
and antecedents 1t Is not the person.
ality OF leader that gets an Opposition
into power in Canada. The personality
Of Wilfrid Lauriep was not known out
side of Quebec when the Liberals came
into power in 1896. though it became
known later and kept the party in power
in many elections. 1t was certainly not
the personality of Robert Borden that
got the Conservatives into power in 1911
The advent of this brilliant grandson
Of William Lyon Mackenzie to the posi-
ton which may shortly involve the mas
terry of the political destinies of Canada
Is of unusual interest to Americans.
There is probably not a politician in
Canada who owes so much of his train
ing or of his inherited instincts to
United States influences. His grandfather
was a journalist and publicist of marked
influence in New York for dozen years.
ending about 1850, and was the init
mate friend and associate of Horace
Greeley and many leading American
statesmen. The grandson, after his
course in Toronto University, took post
graduate courses in Chicago and in Har-
ward. was a fellow in the former uni
versity for a year. and fellow and then
instructor in political economy in Har-
ward from 1891 to 1900. More recently
his services as director OF the Industrial
relations department of the Rockefeller
Foundation have brought him into con-
tact with an enormous number of Amer
leans of prominence in all walks of life.
He is an interna tionalist by instinct and
training, and his support of the reci-
procity agreement In 1911 was due not
so much to economic motives to an
intense conviction of the common inter
ests and ideals OF the two nations of the
North American continent. His leader
ship is quite certain to continue and to
emphasize the anti-imperlalstic ten
denotes OF the Liberal party as devel-
oped under Sir Wilfrid Laurier.
A Profound Schoolgirl.
In one respect his selection is par
ticularly timely. He Is a profound and
professional student OF social problems
and has recently been the author OF a
work enunciating the responsibility OF
the State as a party to all Industrial re-
lations. Social problems have not hither-
to "cut much ice in Canadian politics,
but they are doubtless destined to do so
more and more In the years to come.
The platform as adopted at the conven-
ton does not have much to say about
them, and Mr.. King will therefore have
free hand In formulating his ideas
and impressing them upon his follow
ing.
The social unrest in the centres OF
population at the present time is not
to be allayed by any mere raising or
lowering of the tariff-an operation
which Is viewed by most Canadians as
merely an adjustment between one class
Of vested interests (the farmers and the
exporting industries) and another (the
industries for home consumption)
There is an urgent need of new ideas and
new leadership that will cut gather more
deeply into the problems Of poverty and
wealth, waste and unemployment. The
younger Liberals who were responsible
for Mr.. Kings election undoubtedly
look to him for good deal OF light
on these subjects. The Rockefeller
Foundation may turn out to have faith
cred the social policy Of Canada for the