the canadian dominion-第38章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


rom　the　economic　advantages　by　raising　the　cry　of　political　danger。　The　red　herring　of　annexation　was　drawn　across　the　trail；　and　many　a　farmer　followed　it　to　the　polling　booth。

From　the　outset；　then；　the　opponents　of　reciprocity　concentrated　their　attacks　on　its　political　perils。　They　denounced　the　reciprocity　agreement　as　the　forerunner　of　annexation；　the　deathblow　to　Canadian　nationality　and　British　connection。　They　prophesied　that　the　trade　and　intercourse　built　up　between　the　East　and　the　West　of　Canada　by　years　of　sacrifice　and　striving　would　shrivel　away；　and　that　each　section　of　the　Dominion　would　become　a　mere　appendage　to　the　adjacent　section　of　the　United　States。　Where　the　treasure　was；　there　would　the　heart　be　also。　After　some　years　of　reciprocity；　the　channels　of　Canadian　trade　would　be　so　changed　that　a　sudden　return　to　high　protection　on　the　part　of　the　United　States　would　disrupt　industry　and　a　mere　threat　of　such　a　change　would　lead　to　a　movement　for　complete　union。

This　prophecy　was　strengthened　by　apposite　quotations　showing　the　existing　drift　of　opinion　in　the　United　States。　President　Taft's　reference　to　the　〃light　and　imperceptible　bond　uniting　the　Dominion　with　the　mother　country〃　and　his　〃parting　of　the　ways〃　speech　received　sinister　interpretations。　Speaker　Champ　Clark's　announcement　that　he　was　in　favor　of　the　agreement　because　he　hoped　〃to　see　the　day　when　the　American　flag　will　float　over　every　square　foot　of　the　British　North　American　possessions〃　was　worth　tens　of　thousands　of　votes。　The　anti…reciprocity　press　of　Canada　seized　upon　these　utterances；　magnified　them；　and　sometimes；　it　was　charged；　inspired　or　invented　them。　Every　American　crossroads　politician　who　found　a　useful　peroration　in　a　vision　of　the　Stars　and　Stripes　floating　from　Panama　to　the　North　Pole　was　represented　as　a　statesman　of　national　power　voicing　a　universal　sentiment。　The　action　of　the　Hearst　papers　in　sending　pro…reciprocity　editions　into　the　border　cities　of　Canada　made　many　votesbut　not　for　reciprocity。　The　Canadian　public　proved　that　it　was　unable　to　suffer　fools　gladly。　It　was　vain　to　argue　that　all　men　of　weight　in　the　United　States　had　come　to　understand　and　to　respect　Canada's　independent　ambitions；　that　in　any　event　it　was　not　what　the　United　States　thought　but　what　Canada　thought　that　mattered；　or　that　the　Canadian　farmer　who　sold　a　bushel　of　good　wheat　to　a　United　States　miller　no　more　sold　his　loyalty　with　it　than　a　Kipling　selling　a　volume　of　verse　or　a　Canadian　financier　selling　a　block　of　stock　in　the　same　market。　The　flag　was　waved；　and　the　Canadian　voter；　mindful　of　former　American　slights　and　backed　by　newly　arrived　Englishmen　admirably　organized　by　the　anti…reciprocity　forces；　turned　against　any　〃entangling　alliance。〃　The　prosperity　of　the　country　made　it　safe　to　express　resentment　of　the　slights　of　half　a　century　or　fear　of　this　too　sudden　friendliness。

The　result　of　the　elections；　which　were　held　on　September　21；　1911；　was　the　crushing　defeat　of　the　Liberal　party。　A　Liberal　majority　of　forty…four　in　a　house　of　two　hundred　and　twenty…one　members　was　turned　into　a　Conservative　majority　of　forty…nine。　Eight　cabinet　ministers　went　down　to　defeat。　The　Government　had　a　slight　majority　in　the　Maritime　Provinces　and　Quebec；　and　a　large　majority　in　the　prairie　West；　but　the　overwhelming　victory　of　the　Opposition　in　Ontario；　Manitoba；　and　British　Columbia　turned　the　day。

The　appeal　to　loyalty　revealed　much　that　was　worthy　and　much　that　was　sordid　in　Canadian　life。　It　was　well　that　a　sturdy　national　self…reliance　should　be　developed　and　expressed　in　the　face　of　American　prophets　of　〃manifest　destiny；〃　and　that　men　should　be　ready　to　set　ideals　above　pocket。　It　was　unfortunate　that　in　order　to　demonstrate　a　loyalty　which　might　have　been　taken　for　granted　economic　advantage　was　sacrificed；　and　it　was　disturbing　to　note　the　ease　with　which　big　interests　with　unlimited　funds　for　organizing；　advertising；　and　newspaper　campaigning；　could　pervert　national　sentiment　to　serve　their　own　ends。　Yet　this　was　possibly　a　stage　through　which　Canada；　like　every　young　nation；　had　to　pass；　and　the　gentle　art　of　twisting　the　lion's　tail　had　proved　a　model　for　the　practice　of　plucking　the　eagle's　feathers。


The　growth　of　Canada　brought　her　into　closer　touch　with　lands　across　the　sea。　Men；　money；　and　merchandise　came　from　East　and　West；　and　with　their　coming　new　problems　faced　the　Government　of　the　Dominion。　With　Europe　they　were　trade　questions　to　solve；　and　with　Asia　the　more　delicate　issues　arising　out　of　oriental　immigration。

In　1907　the　Canadian　Government　had　established　an　intermediate　tariff；　with　rates　halfway　between　the　general　and　the　British　preferential　tariffs；　for　the　express　purpose　of　bargaining　with　other　powers。　In　that　year　an　agreement　based　substantially　on　these　intermediate　rates　was　negotiated　with　France；　though　protectionist　opposition　in　the　French　Senate　prevented　ratification　until　1910。　Similar　reciprocal　arrangements　were　concluded　in　1910　with　Belgium；　the　Netherlands；　and　Italy。　The　manner　of　the　negotiation　was　as　significant　as　the　matter。　In　the　case　of　France　the　treaty　was　negotiated　in　Paris　by　two　Canadian　ministers；　W。S。　Fielding　and　L。P。　Brodeur；　appointed　plenipotentiaries　of　His　Majesty　for　that　purpose；　with　the　British　Ambassador　associated　in　what　Mr。　Arthur　Balfour　termed　a　〃purely　technical〃　capacity。　In　the　case　of　the　other　countries　even　this　formal　recognition　of　the　old　colonial　status　was　abandoned。　The　agreement　with　Italy　was　negotiated　in　Canada　between　〃the　Royal　Consul　of　Italy　for　Canada；　representing　the　government　of　the　Kingdom　of　Italy；　and　the　Minister　of　Finance　of　Canada；　representing　His　Excellency　the　Governor　General　acting　in　conjunction　with　the　King's　Privy　Council　for　Canada。〃　The　conclusions　in　these　later　instances　were　embodied　in　conventions；　rather　than　formal　treaties。

With　one　country；　however；　tariff　war　reigned　instead　of　treaty　peace。　In　1899　Germany　subjected　Canadian　exports　to　her　general　or　maximum　tariff；　because　the　Dominion　refused　to　grant　her　the　preferential　rates　reserved　for　members　of　the　British　Empire　group　of　countries。　After　four　years'　deliberation　Canada　eventually　retaliated　by　imposing　on　German　goods　a　special　surtax　of　thirty…three　and　one…third　per　cent。　The　trade　of　both　countries　suffered；　but　Germany's；　being　more　specialized；　much　the　more　severely。　After　seven　years'　strife；　Germany　took　the　initiative　in　proposing　a　truce。　In　1910　Canada　agreed　to　admit　German　goods　at　the　rates　of　the　generalnot　the　intermediatetariff；　while　Germany　in　return　waived　her　protest　against　the　British　preference　and　granted　minimum　rates　on　the　most　important　Canadian　exports。

Oriental　immigration　had　been　an　issue　in　Canada　ever　since　Chinese　navvies　had　been　imported　in　the　early　eighties　to　work　on　the　government　sections　of　the　Canadian　Pacific　Railway。　Mine　owners；　fruit　farmers；　and　contractors　were　anxious　that　the　supply　should　continue　unchecked；　but；　as　in　the　United　States；　the　economic　objections　of　the　labor　unions　and　the　political　objections　of　the　advocates　of　a　〃White　Canada〃　carried　the　day。

Chinese　immigration　had　been　restricted　in　1885　by　a　head　tax　of　50　on　all　immigrants　save　officials；　merchants；　or　scholars；　in　1901　this　tax　was　doubled；　and　in　1904　it　was　raised　to　500。　In　each　case　the　tax　proved　a　barrier　only　for　a　year　or　two；　when　wages　would　rise　sufficiently　to　warrant　Orientals　paying　the　higher　toll　to　enter　the　Promised　Land。　Japanese　immigrants　did　not　come　in　large　numbers　until　1906；　when　the　activities　of　employment　companies　brought　seven　thousand　Japanese　by　way　of　Hawaii。　Agitators　from　。the　Pacific　States　fanned　the　flames　of　opposition　in　British　Columbia；　and　anti…Chinese　and　anti…Japanese　riots　broke　out　in　Vancouver　in　1907。　The　Dominion　Government　then　grappled　with　the　question。　Japan's　national　sensitiveness　and　her　position　as　an　ally　of　Great　Britain　called　for　diplomatic　handling。　A　member　of　the　Dominion　Cabinet；　Rodolphe　Lemieux；　succeeded　in　1907　in　negotiating　at　Tokio　an　agreement　by　which　Japan　herself　undertook　to　restrict　the　number　of　passports　issued　annuall