Red Blood, Cool Heads

Is Canada scared of the U. S.? Is Ottawa truckling to Washington? Last week these insinuations were hurled at the Government of big, jovial, astute Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King (Liberal) by statesmen of the Opposition (Conservative).

Their object was to brand Mr. King in the eyes of robust Canadian voters as a mollycoddle--all because he is using suavity instead of bluster in adjusting the I'm Alone case and other points of friction.

Climaxing the Conservative attack, last week, came a speech in which peppery Hon. Dr. Robert James Manion, M. P. Pv developed quite unwarrantedly an assumption that the U. S. is about to erect against Canada an insuperable tariff barrier.

"Canada should call a special session of Parliament and show some red blood!" cried Dr. Manion, "If--I say if--the United States, at the approaching special session of Congress, frames a tariff that would shut out our goods!"

Red blood could be shown, he added, by erecting a retaliatory tariff wall. Swift in rebuttal spoke the Minister of Justice. M. Ernest Lapointe, sounding a note which would soon be officially confirmed by the Prime Minister himself.

"If one market is closed to us," said M. Lapointe very quietly, "we will have to find other markets.'' Then, striking in ingenious backhand fashion the chord of patriotism, he continued, "Is it a manifestation of red blood to shape our tariff policy on the policies of foreign countries by imitation or in any other manner? Was it a shameless action on the part of Britain to maintain her free trade policies, though her neighbors in adjoining countries such as France, Germany and other nations had protectionist tariffs? I know of no prouder words than those uttered by Sir Robert Peel in 1846 when, speaking to a world encircled by protectionist tariffs, he said: 'No matter what foreign countries do in the matter of removing their tariffs or not, Britain will act in her own way and in her own interests!' /-

Ruddy of face but sleek of mien was Prime Minister King when he entered the House, next afternoon, to speak for two hours in masterly defense of his policy of conciliation. Afterwards Liberals crowed that the speech was Mr. King's greatest. "Il a gagne ses epaulettes!" cried M. Lapointe and other French Canadians. What had the Prime Minister said to draw such cheers from his colleagues? He had simply uttered these words:

"Trade between Canada and the United States is the greatest trade that exists between any two countries in the world [see p. n]. . . . We have the word of those in authority in the neighboring Republic that there are to be certain measures introduced at a special session of Congress. An important measure, we are led to believe, is a measure relating to farm relief. Another measure relates to certain limited adjustments of the tariff; I think that is the expression which has been officially used. . . . "I say that, with the knowledge that we have before us at the present time, had we done what honorable gentlemen opposite wish us to do, raised the tariff, we would be creating in the minds of the American people the very sentiment which would cause them to raise their tariff higher perhaps than it was ever their intention to raise it. We do not intend to take any action of that provocative character. . . .

"Honorable gentlemen opposite have been pretty cunning, very crafty in some of their methods of dealing with situations. . . . They have talked about a red-blooded attitude on the part of Canada They have chosen their ground well, because, if there is one thing above another that the honorable gentlemen are good at, it is jingoist pronouncements, more particularly when they relate to the United States. But may I say to my honorable friends opposite it is not a red-blooded attitude that is needed at the present moment so much as a cool-headed attitude, and a cool-headed attitude is the attitude which this Administration has taken with regard to all tariff matters from the time it came into office, and that is the attitude which we intend to take during the time we are serving the people in the posts which we now occupy. . . ."