CANADA'S DEFENCE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22619, 6 January 1937, Page 6

CANADA'S DEFENCE

AMERICAN ATTITUDE MR. ROOSEVELT'S STATEMENT SPECULATION ON MEANING " [from our own* cokrkspondkxt] VANCOUVER, Dec. lo Ever since President Hoosevelt stated, while on a holiday in Quebec-, j that the United States would defend its "neighbourhood." a sharp discusj sion has been going on in -Canada, with i a note of bitterness on the part of j those who believe that Canada should j increase her contribution to the cost ' of Empire defence to a figure tnor* j nearly approximating the ratio under- ! taken by other Dominions. Extra fn e | j was added to the controversy by the ! terse warning of Lord Elibank about j Canada's vulnerability to attack I Nevertheless, although he was rebuked liy the Minister of Defence, the lattei i has since announced a supplementary i vote of £1.000.000 for defence. Questions asked on both sides of the | border are:—Does the Monroe Doctrine apply to Canada? Would the I'nited States go to war to protect Canada? Would she permit a foreign force to land in Canada? What stand would United States take if Canada were involved, with Great Britain or the League of Nations, in war? How would American protection affect Canada in the Empire? New Word Coined | The discussion has led to the com j ing of a new word, "Americana j dians," applied to those in Canada who believe that, due to the propinquity and policy of the United States, thiDominion is safe from attack. In view of the growing tension in Europe and Asia, President Koosevelt't exact words are important: all the nations in the- world to-day," he said, "we are in many ways most singularly blessed. Our closest neighbours are good neighbours. If there are remoter nations that wish us not good, but ill, they know that we are strong; they know that we can, and will, defend ourselves, and defend our neighbourhood.'' In the same address, delivered in the ancient Citadel, in Quebec City, lie gently ehided a section of the Canadian press that referred to the United States as a foreign country. The Monroe Doctrine was invoked three times in regard to Canada. The first occasion was during the dispute between United States and Great Britain over' the territorial border in 184-j, up to which year British North America included the State of Washington and portion of Oregon, to the moirth of the Columbia. A compromise settlement was reached in the following year, setting the boundary at tli" 49th Parallel. Alaskan Border Dispute The second invocation was' at Confederation in 1867. The House oi Bepre.sentatives at Washington .passed | a resolution, deprecating "a eonfedera- | tion of States on this continent, exi tending from ocean to ocean. . . . ! founded on monarchical principles." j The Senate took no action, and the I matter was dropped, j -The third occasion was in the disj pute between United States and j Great Britain over the proposed j Alaska-British Columbia border. The fervour of the cry, ".Fifty-four—Forty, |or Fight." that swept the United I States led to the perpetual incongruity j of the Alaska Panhandle, which has been condemned bv Canadians ever since the border was fixed. The United States interceded three times in defence of the Monroe Doctrine. In 1863 a French army invaded Mexico. and ' set up an Empire under l Maximilian. As soon as the Civil War j was over, the American Army was con- ; centrated on the Bio Grande, and j France decided to recall her troops. In | 1897 the United States backed Venezu- • ela in her demand for arbitration of i the British Guiana border. Lord Salisbury agreed to arbitrate. Germany bombarded Venezuela in 1902 to collect certain claims. President Theodore Boosevelt threatened to send the American Fleet to Venezuela unless the Kaiser agreed to arbitrate. The Kaiser acquiesced. Occasion of Great War Within a month of the outbreak ot the Great War the question of the i invasion of Canada was discussed bej tween the I'nited States and Germany. Dr. Bernhard Dernburg. an unofficial j representative of the German Govern- ! lnent. made the amazing claim that ; Canada, by taking part in the war, ! violated the Monroe Doctrine. He made | it clear that Germany believed that | Canada was bound by it. "as a self- | governing American Dominion." j The crux of the arguments in the I prevailing discussion is expressed by ! the Times' correspondent at Washing- | ton, Sir Willinott Lewis: —-"One canI not conceive of the United States al* I lowing a foreign power—say a dic- ] tatorship which had achieved hegemony in Europe—to establish a dictatorship in Canada. Such an attempt would have t<> overcome the opposition of the British Navy to reach Canada, and most certainly would face United States naval and military power here."