The Washington times., 1922-07-23

OF imperialism. h Z
COMES AT PROPER TINE.
The declaration of the Ameri-
can bankers comes at a time
when the official mind in the
dominion shows healthy. signs of
a closer approximation to Cana
dian thought on the great, issues
that today are separating the
sheep from the goats at the
judgment seat of international
atonement and reconstruction.
It comes at a moment when
Canada, following the lead Of the
United States. is turning from
militarism to economic reconstruc-
tion-when Canadian statesmen
and people are casting into the dis
card the implements Of war and
are beating the swords into plow-
shares.
Alone among the foreign nations
represented at the Washington
conference Canada has redeemed
her pledges Of peace by turning to
the paths Of peace. Canada has
disarmed.
Her Parliament and government.
with q century of peace on her
borders to disarm all suspicion Of
war along her 1000 miles Of uu-
guarded frontiers, have scrapped
the navy and reduced the land
forces TO skeleton units.
To mark her adherence Of the
militaristic spirit that fmperialists
have striven to perpetuate as a
war legacy, they have stripped the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police,
formerly known as the Northwest
Mounted Police (tbe famous riders
Of the plains) Of the quasi.military
powers conferred upon It by the
late government and revoked the
authority to impose this police
force upon the organized provinces.
Canada. In a word, has reacted
to her American environment.
q. 8. IDEALS IN CANADA.
So strongly is Canadian senti-
ment permeated by American
ideals in contradistinction to Eu-
ropean ideals that in the official
note Of instructions to Canada's
delegates to the Genoa Conference
the government Of Ottawa laid
down the line Of cleavage between
the British Empire delegation and
that Of the Dominion:
I'VE (the government. feel that
you should not actively intervene
in questions that are Of purely Eu-
ropean concern, but that you
should interest yourselves in such
questions as are Of economic con-
Germ to Canada"
Apart from the economic neces-
sity that compels Canada to re-
trench. the debates in the House
at Ottawa recently clearly en-
phasize the return Of Canada to
normal. non-military activities and
her strong reaction to the Amer
lean position Of nonintervention
in European politics. In this the
new government. backed by the
new house of commons, reflects
the country at large.
To appreciate the position
Canada has taken, II is necessary
to understand the British Imperial
point Of view, voiced by the
former premier. Mr.. Arthur Meig-
hen. when he asked the present
prime minister, Mr.. Mackenzie
King:
How will the prime minister
feel when he stands before the
prime minister Of Great Britain!"
BRITISH ENJOYS AT WORK.
In other words, will Canada re-
sist British pressure to make Of
her a military adjunct to the
British war office?
Since the war British navy and
military ENJOYS have been endesv-
oring to force the hands of Cana
dian statesmen by warning the
Canadian people that they must be
prepared for another war. and ad-
vising them that to be efficient
they must create military and ma.
val forces. under Canadian pay and
British control.
Lord Lee. we'll known to Ameri.
cans, recently complained In pub.
lie speech Of the meanness Of the
Dominion In laying the burden Of
empire defense on the shoulders of
the British taxpayers, but the only
response has been the cutting down
Of all military and naval estimates
to the vanishing point.
The Canadian people do not ad.
NIT their responsibility to take
part in England's wars. and he
would be q bold statesman who
would venture at the present time
to tell Canadians that they must
tax themselves to re-enforce the