Rensselaer Republican, Volume 24, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 March 1892 — IS CANADA LOYAL? [ARTICLE]

IS CANADA LOYAL?

Exciting Debate in the Commons Over the Behring Sea. Questions Pat to Lord Hamilton Which He Promptly Declined to Answer, and Which Cansed a Great Hubbub in the House. The question of the defenses of the harbor of Esquimault, on Vancouver island, was raised In the House of Commons Thursday afternoon, aud was discussed with heat by Lord George Francis Hamilton, First Lord of the Admiralty, and several Liberal interrogators. Hardly had this breeze died out when the Behring sea controversy was brought before the House by the questions addressed by Edward Tenperly Gourley, the advanced Liberal member from Sunderland, and answered for the government by the Rt. Hon. James William Lowther, Under SecYetary of the Foreign Office. While making the Interrogatories, Mr. Gourley was interrupted frequently by noisy demonstration! from the Ministerial majority. All his interrogatories, after the one concerning the support of the Pacific fleet bT the garrison, were delivered amid a storm of exclamations of remonstrances. Tilts was due to the fact that they were put in such shape as to imply that in time of war, or of threatened war, the Dominion of Canada could not be relied on. Lord Hamilton, upon rising to reply to the interrogatories, said: “Tho honorable gentleman’s questions seem to have been put with the object of causing the inference to be drawn that in time of trouble or danger Canada will not be ready to cooperate with the home government in the common defense of British interests against; the enemy that will threaten us. The honorable gentleman must excuse me, therefore, If I decline to answer his hypothetical questions, which are prompted by suppositions at biice Injudicious and dangerous. The close of Lord Hamilton’s reply wa s greeted with ministerial cheers, which had not died away when Mr. Fergusson was on his feet asking: ( T beg the First Lord of the Admiralty to answer my inquiry, whether or not in the event of Canada’s separating herself from Her Majes_ ty’s empire [cries of ‘Oh, oh. Don’t an! swer,] the guns, stores and ammunition, as well as the fortifications, will belong to the imperial government.

The House was in a hubbub when Mr. Ferguson sat down, and rang with cries of “Order,” “Don’t answer.” Lord Hamilton made no reply to Mr. Ferguson’s repeated question. * Under Secretary Lowther, of the Foreign Office, in response to inquiries of Mr. Gourley as to the report of the Behring commission, said that all the commissioners had signed the joint report embodying the points upon which they were agreed as regards the protection and preservation of the seal industry. Points at which no agreement could be arrived at, and these were the main points, he added, concerned the length of the season around the pelagic Islands. These questions would be re ferred to the arbitration commission for settiemeht