The Timaru Herald THURSDAY, MAY 2, 1907. SIR WILFRID LAURIER AND PREFERENCE.

Timaru Herald, Volume XC, Issue 13275, 2 May 1907, Page 4

The Timaru Herald THURSDAY, MAY 2, 1907. SIR WILFRID LAURIER AND PREFERENCE.

It might have been expected that the Premier of Canada, as the actual pioneer in the field of Imperial preference, would have taken a prominent part in the discussion on the subject at the conference of Prime Ministers. He contented himself, ' however, with a brief statement,- leaving Mr Deakin, apparently, to expand the arguments which weigh with the colonies i in adopting the views of Mr Chamberlain. Thero is something surprising in this lukewarm attitude until one looks up Sir j Wilfrid connection with Canada's tariff in favour of Great Britain. The bald fact that the Dominion, , as her Prime Minister told the Conference, I has actually granted preference to the 1 Motherland, is misleading to those who are not acquainted with the circumstances under which the grant was made. At the first blush it indicates a strong and disinterested, sentiment of, loyalty towards Great Britain, on .the part of Sir Wilfrid Laurier as an. individual, as well as on that ,of the Dominion itself. In point of fact, however, it was dictated less by exuberant loyalty than by a mixture of a desire to retaliate upon the United States for their refusal of Canadian advances to- ' j wards a close commercial union, and of an ( attempt Ito progress towards free' trade j by cutting down the' tariff of; Canada in f favour of the world's chief manufacturing nation, which happened to be Great Britain. . Our readers have no doubt seen this point lucidly discussed in Mr Foster Frasscr's recent volume on Canada, 'he author's conclusions being summarised in i the following passage dealing with , tha Dominion's preference <of 33 1-3 per cent. on British goods :—■ ' "We gave it out of love, asking for nothing in return," was the beautiful assertion of Sir Wilfrid. This sacrifice on the part of Canada has stirred a responsive thrill in many a British! breast. Public meetings have cheered loudly in acknowledgment of this 'affectionate 33 1-3 per cent, tribute by the Daughterland to the Motherland. The tribute was pretty; it was patriotic ; it was. something to-use in the. peroration of a political speech. ; But let the truth" be told even though perorations suffer. It was nothing more Ulan an adroit:political move on the part of Sir Wilfrid Laurier: and His party. For long they had been 'accused ;of being unpatriotic towards Britain, that .they favoured reciprocity' with the United States i rather than with- England, arid; that nothing in the way of binding Britain and the Britains beyond the seas need be expected from the Premier and his'friends. When y Sir Wilfrid suggested, .reciprocity : with the J ' United States he was snubbed. The cock- i of-the-walk attitude of the .{-States towards ; the Dominion touched Canadians to the I quick. They resented it, and resent it still. :: ~ •■ .•' It was because Sir Wilfrid was a "low; tariff man" that he advocated-reciprocity with the, States., But as he could not get reciprocity he hit upon a • schelne which . staggered -the Conservatives. He got a partially lowered.. tariff by making his party declare:" We will give a preference \ to the Empire against the world." '.. A. \ 33 per cent, preference was given. England cheered.,' There was true love of the,.. ; old land for, you ! " Thus at .one' sweep Sir Wilfrid Laurier I made a move toward low tariffs, which he > lias always advocated, and shut the mouths of his enemies, the Conservatives, who are high tariff men and patriots, and had conj stantly declared that neither' he nor his \ party would ever do anything to ..bring Great Britain and her colonies into closer commercial ties. To put it baldly, Sir Wilfrid, whilst waving the Union Jack, aimed a blow at the Canadian manufacturer, who winced, 'but said little, for he had been a great waver of the Union Jack himself. ,We cannot profess to entertain an implicit belief in Mr Frase.r's accuracy and I' impartiality as a national critic, but within \ the last few weeks the passage Ave have j quoted* has received corroboration from the " lips of Sir Wilfrid Laurier himself. When j the 'new Ambassador to Washington (Mr ! Bryce) was being entertained at Toronto the qther day, Sir Wilfrid referred with extreme bitterness to America's former refusal to enter into, close relationship with Canada, and left no room for doubt that in turning toward;- Great Britain, tho , Dominion had seized an opportunity for avenging that affront. A knowledge cf these facts -makes it easier to understand why he refrains from any of the loud protestations of loyalty and affection which I are a large part of the stock-in-trade of \ preferential nations.