The Daily News. MONDAY, MAY 8, 1911. THE "SCEPTRE OF DOMINION."

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 295, 8 May 1911, Page 4

The Daily News. MONDAY, MAY 8, 1911. THE "SCEPTRE OF DOMINION."

A good-deal of "hat" talk (with no "head" in it) has lately been indulged in both in John Bull's America and in that portion of it dominated by Uncle Sam. It is a little difficult to ascertain who speaks authoritatively in either country. We can at least assume that the President of the United States spoke with some sense of responsibility when he said that the talk of the annexation of Canada by the United States was "all bosh or a platform joke." In his notable speech on President Taft's plan for an International Arbitration Court, Sir Edward Grey gravely stated his belief that over-arming would be more likely to lead to revolution than- to international war.-I The idea, therefore, of any means that would cause a better and less expensive method of settling international disputes would be hailed with delight on either side of the Atlantic. At the moment wheir these great schemes for peaceful settlement of difficulties were being discussed, Britain was making provision for the expenditure of forty-four million pounds in new armaments. Quite the most remarkable sample of "hat" talk to date is the contribution to the international debate by a Canadian politician (Mr. Northrup), who is credited with saying that the sceptre of the world's dominion must pass to America from Europe. In the course of one banquet a single politician arranged, according to his own idea, the destinies of the great white races. Presumably, in his mind's eye he saw the United States, Canada and Britain linked in indissoluble and permanently peaceful fraternity, a combination immensely powerful for good and gigantic in its destructive possibilities. Putting aside the question of international brotherhood —a seed tliat might germinate from the fraternity of the three named countries—the politician mentioned that it might be necessary to fight for the sceptre of dominion. He hoped that in such an eventuality Canada would stand side by side with the United States, supported by the wealth and treasure of her sister nations under the Imperial flag. It is a gorgeous | programme. In order that the sceptre may be wrested from Europe a treaty of peace between Britain and America, embracing Canada, is the first essential. With this as a groundwork, the next step is the pooling of the resources of the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, so that the "sceptre" (which is at least shared in Britain) may Ibe wrested from Europe. To he a little more explicit, Britain, according to a Canadian politician, should be very glad to he spending forty-four millions so that she can wrest the sceptre out of Britain's hand—and, incidentally, the hands of Europe. Australia, one of the sister nations, which is laying down a navy so that she may be comparatively safe from eastern aggression, is called upon to "stand side by side" with the United States and the King's overseas dominions, so that Europe (and incidentally Britain) may become secondary to the United States. So that Uncle Sam may rule, the "wealth and treasure" of New Zealand, another of the "sister nations" should be at the call

of the country from whence the sceptre of dominion "must" ultimately wave. While British statesmen are talking pence, the President of the United States is talking peaceful reciprocity, arbitration, and so on, and the Prime Minister of Canada is saying that Canadians will, if necessary, die for the Union Jack, we get a reminder from a certain Mr. Prince that "Uncle Sam gets what he wants" (his supposed wants being Canada). In the meantime, of course, one wants to know whether "Uncle Sam" is personified in President Taft or in Senator Prince, whether the former is veiling the wicked desire of the United States to mop up Canada by calling the idea "bosh," or whether Mr. Prince has a brief from the great American nation to plant the stars and stripes on British territory. There seems to be no doubt that citizens of the United States are flocking over the border into Canada, but there certainly is a doubt whether these people are doing so because they wish to become British citizens or merely United States citizens leagued together to annex by degrees the great Dominion. At anyrate, the advice we get from individuals in both Americas is to stand by Uncle Sam, to use our "treasure" on his behalf, so •that he may wave that sceptre and in order that any combination formed for peace and fraternity may be used to smash outsiders. Up to now it may not have occurred to the citizens of the Em-, pire that domination by Uncle Sam is the only possible- method of ensuring the dominancy of the Anglo-Saxon race. It would be interesting to hear a British politician rising to advise the "sister nations" to use their "treasure" in order to annex the United States, or to ensure a continuance of the dominancy of the sceptre in Europe. The deadlock in the reciprocity treaty is obviously the cause of all the "hat" talk. The earlier refusal of the Canadian Prime Minister to attend the Colonial Conference is good ammunition for the annexation advocates. His presumed disloyalty to the Crown may bo interpreted as loyalty to the United States and desire for annexation. If these events hasten Imperial reciprocity (the whole bother being based on business), or, better still, free trade within the Empire, the vaporings of politicians in the Americas of John Bull and Uncle Sam will not have been in vain.