Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-29
Canada Goes Conservative.

As the result of a rather surprising
landslide, Canada has gone overwhelm-
ingly Conservative. The Mackenzie
King Liberal government was swept out
Of ONCE at yesterdays Dominion-wide
parliamentary elections For the first
time in nine years the Conservatives
will take Office at Ottawa under the pre-
miership of r. B. Bennett of Alberta
Province: They do these things bet
ter across the border, and the Bennett
cabinet will be at the helm two weeks
after its victory at the polls.
The results of the Canadian cleo
tions carry no comfort to the United
States. We were the paramount issue.
For several years, and in recent times
more vociferously than ever. the Con-
servatives have been assailing Mr.. Mac
kenzie King for his "poltroon" attitude
toward the United States. His Liberal
government was accused of system
attic "kow-towing" to Washington in
half-a-dozen different directions. Con-
sentative fire was aimed at the Liberals
during the past year with especial fury
es Canadians saw the Hawley-Smoot
tariff law assuming shape and as they
observed too passive policy at Ottawa
in face OF this Yankee menace to Do
minion trade.
In the midst of the late campaign
the Liberals, making virtue of po-
litical necessity, resorted to the des-
perate extreme of enacting a series of
countervailing duties against American
imports in retaliation for the proposed
Hawley-Smoot higher rates on like Ca
madam products entering the United
States. Thus, the Liberals, long the
keepers of the ark of the free trade
covenant in Canada, were melted to
make q grudging concession to the
rising tide of protectionism. But the
Conservatives only intensified their bar
rage on the Liberal position, arguing
before the voters that Mackenzie Kings
government had done little except to
confess its economic guilt. Mr.. Ben
nett and his cohorts responded by de-
manding of Canada, as Andrew Jack
son demanded in this country on an
historic occasion, that the country
should turn the rascals out"
Yesterday, in stentorian tone, the
Dominion electorate answered the Con-
servatives' call. Many Liberal cabinet
ministers were defeated for reelection
20 their seats In Parliament. including
Finance Minister Dunning, author of
the anti-American countervailing plan.
Premier Mackenzie King himself has
apparently nosed back into his own seat
in the House of Commons from Sas-
katchewan by the slenderest majority.
Final figures are lacking, but it ap-
pears probable that the Conservatives
will dominate the next Parliament at
Ottawa by majority of at least three
to two, if not more.
Unemployment, the st. Lawrence
waterway, imperial tariff preference.
agricultural policy and other issues were
involved in the Canadian elections. But
economic relations with the United
States comprised the paramount issue.
Along three thousand miles of unde-
Tended frontier lies a people to the
north Of us more and more imbued
with the ideals of sovereign pationhood.
Canada is no longer content to be
treated by the United States as a
British colony" whose will and in
terests can be fiouted at the pleasure of
her mighty neighbor to the South.
Canadians resent more than our tariff
laws. They object to our usurpation of
radio wave lengths throughout North
America. They have acquiesced re-
luctantly in our desire for their CO.
operation in the enforcement of Amer
acan prohibition. They look askance at
projects to man the border with en-
army of American liquor sleuths, ten
thousand strong. They are our best
customers in the world. They buy from
lis more than twice as much as they
sell us.
These are the things which were up
permost in the minds Of Canadian
voters as on Monday all the way from
Prince Edward Island to British CO.
lumbia thy trooped TO the ballot box.
Their vero.ct imparts an unmistakable
message to this country. The burden
Of it is that the Dominion requires a
square deal from US. To continue to
deny 1t will undoubtedly be to create a
situation disruptive of our trade and
inimical to friendship which deserves
10 be cherished and not imperiled.