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Show CANADIANS AFRAID OF ANNEXATION The Enemies of Reciprocity Hold Up United States -as Bogie. ELECTION SEPT. 21 TO SETTLE PROBLEM s. May Reject Offer of Uncle Sam; Lanrier Favors Taft's Pet Plan. (Editor's note The publication to-. to-. rii ol -Mr Haekia 'a fust article oa Canadian politics begins a most important import-ant scries. While the daily news dispatches dis-patches record the passing events in tbe interesting strugiX.' now progressing in Csnsds, Mr. Uaskin's articles will aid the reader to understand the true significance sig-nificance of the news by clearly and auceinctly explaining the origin of tbe issues, and the antecedents 01 the men involved.) BY FBEDEBICK J. HASKItf. OTTAWA, Csnsda. The people of ibe dominion of Canada are now engaged en-gaged in most tremendous political struggle. The present csmpsign, which will terminate with the general parliamentary parlia-mentary elections of September 21, is perhsps the most hotly contested in the history of the dominion, and eertaSnly the most exciting since 1898. The itsue that will be settled by the event of the election is whether or not Canada will ratify the reciprocity pact already assented to bv the United States. This is the chief question involved in-volved in the campaign, and is. indeed, the only one that will be settled by the election. But it does not follow that it is the onlv topic of discussion. Annexation to the United States, a bogie and a bugbear, and the naval question, a racial scarecrow, are tbe crosscutting issues which have usurped the greater part of public discussion in the csmpsign. The Liberal psrtv, headed bv Sir Wilfrid Wil-frid l.simer. now and for fifteen years b patit the prime minister and actual ruler of I'anada, supports reciprocity. If the Liberal party wins in a ms.iority of the parliamentary constituencies, Rir Wilfrid Wil-frid will be 'continued tn the office of premier, nd the newly elected parlia---wieitt, upon assembling at Ottawa, will at onee ratlfv the reciprocity pact, and it will then become effective. . Wurt Larger Market. Sir Wilfrid and fenders, candidates.' and supporters of the I.ilwral party, assert as-sert that reciprocity with Ihe United Htates will be beneficinl to the people of Csnsda as a whole, that it will tend to correct present inequalities in the Canadian tariff system, that it will not in the least affect the relations of Canada Can-ada and Great Britain, and that its operation op-eration will be in every respect advantageous advan-tageous not only to Canada, but to the British empire as well. The slogsn of the Liberals is: "Laurier and larger markets." To this the Conservative party, headed head-ed by Mr. B. L. Borden, for several vesrs' leader of his majesty's loyal opposition op-position In the Canadian parliament, replies re-plies with a trulv conservative slogan: ''Let well enough alone." The leaders of the opposition party assert that the reciprocity sgreement will have the inevitable inev-itable effect of distributing the national nation-al and imperial course now being taken in the progress of Canadian trade and commerce, that (t will lead inevitably to still further reductions of the tariff between the United Ktatea and t'anada, that its immediate effect will be commercial com-mercial nnion, and that it ultimate result re-sult will be the annexation of Canada to tha United Htatee. By a process of elision, so easy in the heat of the campaign, the intermediate stepa ia the Conservative prophecy of woe a re .generally omitted; aad thus the vHra-ennservative slogan has been made up: "A vote for reciprocity is a vote for annexation." So Hot Dsslra Annexation. If there is any one thing about which ths people of Canada are unanimously agreed, it is that thev do not desire to V be annexed to the United States now or at any future time. Therefore, tbe assertion as-sertion of the Conservatives that a vote for reciprocity is a vote for annexation has brought into the campaign the principal prin-cipal cross i6ue of annexation. It ia used bv tho opposition partv aa a bogie and a bugbear, but its nse, even in this wsy, compels the Liberal party to take up the issue aad to endeavor to convince the ' voters that the reciprocity reci-procity pact is. aa it purports to be, only a bosineas agreement having no present pres-ent or future political significance. Although reciprocity and annexetion ara tba two things most talked about in tha campaign, it is entirely possible, ven probable, that the result of the election will ha determined by yet another an-other erosscutting issue the naval question. The naval question has nothing noth-ing whatever to do with the election, but vet it may be the determinmg factor fac-tor (a the campaign. About two years ago when the farflung British empire was shaken . from end to end by the German war scare, the resultant imperialistic imperi-alistic enthusiasm caused tbe self gov. rving colonies of Great Britain to take thought onto themselves how they might aid the mother country to preserve her tbseateaed supremacy of the seas. Led to Saw Party. In Canada, as in the ether self gov. erning colonies, the overwhelming ma-inrity ma-inrity of the people desirsd to aid the British navy ia some substantial fasa-ien. fasa-ien. Tha government in Canada proposed pro-posed to relieve the British navv of any further responsibility for guarding the coasts of Canada and to establish and maiotaia at Canadian expense a Cans-dian Cans-dian navy that should at all times act in defense of Canadian coasts and ia aimes ef war, under certain conditions, become a part of the British imperial navy. This poliey waa adopted, all a British ahipa were withdrawn from ' Canadian waters, and tba Canadiaa government gov-ernment purchased two small cruisers aad established a Canadiaa navy. The appoaitioa party, led by Mr. Bor. (Com tinned oa page a.) CANADIANS AFRAID OF ANNEXATION ("on tinned from pag If) ft'ii. advocated the contribution of two rirpadaaught to the imperial navv and nropwd that the cum f 'JohV).inhi be contributed directly to the British admiralty from the Canadian treasury. Unfortuoatelv for political pea re in .Canada, however, the French speaking f Canadians agreed neither with the colo-nial colo-nial naval policy of Hir Wilfrid Laurir nor the imperial naval policy of Mr. Bofden. They took the position that anada dido t need to spend any money on any kind of a navy. This "attitude was represented in parliament by the eadr of the (.'outtervative party in the French ppeaktng province of Quebec. Mr. K. I). Monk. But in the country it became a much more serious istie and was directly responsible for the formation of a new political-party; the Nationalist party, under the leadership of M. Henrt Hour anna. Last Election in 1908. Now, it so happen, that the Liberal majority in parliament for the past fifteen years has been the direct renult of the overwhelming Libera) majority in the province of yiirtioc. whore lu the -last parliament the i 'onaervativca could claim hut twelve of the aixty nvr member. Quebec waa intensely proud of Sir Wilfrid, the firet Kreneh-C'ana-ilian premier of federated Canada, and dialoraltr to I.auner waa regarded aa a aort of political apoatasr. nui in in is campaign two rn una nni the Nationalist leaders aro fighting against aurter with all their- might. They refuse to discuss the isMie of reciprocity, reci-procity, they refuse to be cieited about annexation, they content tbemselvrt frovernmcnt and with impugniag thf nynlty of Sir Wilfrid to his French speaking compatriots. If the Liberals are defeated it prob abty will be the result of the Nation aiist defection in Quebec. Of course, sucb a result would uut settle the naval question because it would bring into power a coalition majorilv of Conservatives Conserva-tives and Nationalists who arc at the opposite poles on the naval question, united onlv in their hatred of Laurter, who, on thia question, occupies a mid die ground. Whatever may determine the result nf the election, it is certain that one issue will be determined by it that of reciprocity. The last general elec tion in Canada was held in lWoS, when the Liberals were returned to power and Sir Wilfrid waa given a mandate, tn paraphrase a campaign slogan, "to finish his work." In the eongrea of the Vnited Htatea passed the Payne Aldrich tariff act, which provided for the imposition of a maximum tariff on wares coming in from countries discriminating dis-criminating against American goods. For a time this threatened a tariff war with Canada, but the negotiations be I tween the two rouutriea, resulting in I a settlement of the pending question, brought about diplomatic conversations looking toward the establishment of reciprocal trade relations. Had to Pat It to Vota. Out of these conversations grew the Taft-Fielding reciprocity part, which, after a long struggle, waa ratified by the United States congress. Tbe reci- rrocrty bill, when introduced in the anadian parliament, was met with determined de-termined opposition of the Conservative Conserva-tive party. Mr. Borden and hia follow era -took "the position that the govern i meat had received no mandate from the i people authorizing such an agreement ; and tbat it should not pass parliament until after the question had been sub mitted to the voters of Canada. In the house of commons of the Canadian parliament, par-liament, unlike the American house of representatives, there is no rule for shutting off debate. The Conservatives began a determined filibuster against the reciprocity bill and announced that they would apeak against it and ob-atruet ob-atruet its consideration in every one-; aible way until after the people had expressed themselves upon it. After four months of utterly futile effort to ret n vote on the bill. Sir Wilfrid Laurier suddenly decided to go to the country on the issue. On his advice tba governor general on July 29 diesolved parliament and writs were issued for a new general election to be held on September 1. ff a majority of the members of parliament elected on that date are Liberals the reci procitv pact will be ratified. If the ma jorit T t hen elected are 'onscrva ties, tba bill will be defeated. Tomorrow: POLITICS IK CANADA. XX. Tbo Linn of Battle., |