Envoy to Canada

Last week President Coolidge wrote a letter to King George. Said the letter, in part: "Great and good friend: "I have conferred the rank of Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary upon Mr. William Phillips, a distinguished citizen of the United States. . . . He is well informed of the desire of this government to cultivate to the fullest extent the friendship . . . between Your Majesty's Dominion of Canada and this country.

"I, therefore, request Your Majesty to receive him favorably and to commend him to the officials of the Dominion of Canada in order that full credence may be given to what he shall say on the part of the United States of America. . . .

"May God have Your Majesty in His wise keeping.''

To Ottawa, Ont., with this letter went the "distinguished citizen" about whom it was written--William Phillips, first U. S. Minister to Canada (TIME, Feb. 14). He lunched with Premier William Lyon Mackenzie King, presented his credentials to Governor General Viscount Willingdon, later dined with the Viscount at Rideau Hall, home of Lord and Lady Willingdon. Thus the Dominion greeted its first U. S. Minister, whose actual duties, however, await the official opening of the U. S. legation on July 1.

At that time, with credentials, dinners, speeches, introductions over, what affairs of state will immediately confront Minister Phillips? Officially, he will be called upon to handle the U. S.-Canadian immigration question; unofficially, he will doubtless keep himself informed concerning the adventures of thirsty U. S. citizens in wet Ontario.

Immigration. Late in April (TIME, May 2) the U. S. Department of Labor issued General Order 86 which, among other provisions, classed naturalized but foreign-born Canadians as quota-immigrants, ruled that after Jan. 1, 1928, they could enter the U. S. only by securing admission under the quota given their country of birth. In other words, a Canadian citizen born in London would stand the same chance of getting into the U. S. as would a British citizen born in London and still living there. It should be added, however, that Canadians, even though foreign born, who have been residing in Canada since before the date (1924) when the quota system went into effect in the U. S., are treated as native Canadians. Nevertheless, many foreign-born Canadians who have come to the Dominion since 1924 find themselves virtually excluded, inasmuch as their native countries for the most part have long waiting lists of persons who have already applied for admission under quota.

This situation produced a note of protest to the U. S. Department of State from Vincent Massey, Canadian Minister to the U. S. Last fortnight Secretary of State Frank B. Kellogg replied. He regretted that the order would "cause some hardship," said that "those who obviously cannot hope to receive immigration visas for some time to come" would be "clearly informed of their status" so that they could "make their plans accordingly." He also promised that, if necessary, the six-month time allowance before the order takes effect would be extended. And, finally, he promised to bring the question to the attention of Congress when it should next convene. But he said that the order, based on the Immigration Act of 1924, could not be changed without authority from Congress, nor could any arrangement be made by which Canadian foreign born could be put on the quota ahead of or in place of their fellow nationals who lived at a greater distance from the U. S.

Last week the Canadian Cabinet went into special session at Ottawa to consider a reply to Secretary Kellogg's note. The essential of the Canadian objection is that the U. S., as a foreign power, does not have the right to discriminate between two classes of Canadian citizens by admitting Canadian-born Canadians and putting foreign-born Canadians into an entirely different category, though both classes are equally citizens of Canada. Canadians affected are for the most part residents of Windsor, Ont., who daily cross the border to work in Detroit.

Liquor. Last fortnight Chairman D. H. Hanna of the Ontario Liquor Commission saddened thirsty U. S. citizens by stating that tourists permits to buy liquor would not be granted to "excursionists," that "American visitors" expecting "big blowouts" in Ontario would be "disappointed" (TIME, June 6).

When the Ontario liquor stores actually opened, however, it quickly became obvious that an "excursionist," unless roped, hog-tied and branded as such, could not possibly be distinguished from a "tourist." Any U. S. citizen who found himself in Ontario and considered himself to be a Canadian tourist could secure a tourist permit and quaff beer, wine, ale, whiskey, champagne, gin, in any legal "residence," including his hotel room.

"Opening Day" in Ontario found no riots, no tremendous exodus from the U. S., no Detroit invasion of Windsor. It did find, however, interminable queues of applicants lined up before the liquor-store doors. The first U. S. citizen to make a purchase was one Fayette Bristol of Highland Park (Detroit suburb); Mr. Bristol toted away an undetermined quantity of Old Crow whiskey.

Scotch whiskey appeared in greatest demand. Though no figures on sales were given out, it was estimated that in Windsor alone about $6,500 worth of spirituous liquors were purchased, with hundreds in line when the government stores closed. Chairman Hanna admitted that there had been a "congestion," but denied that there had been a "rush."

Relation's with Canada. Schoolboys innumerable have recited that the U. S. is bounded on the north by Canada; peace-lovers have beamed upon this border as one of the few great international boundaries "unmarred by fort or battleship." But U. S.-Canadian relationships have not been invariably happy; sometimes harsh words have been spoken, sometimes powder has been burned.

Thus one of the least discussed (in U. S. history textbooks) issues of the War of 1812 was the movement (advocated by Henry Clay and other U. S. fire-eaters) for the annexation of Canada. During the war, however, the U. S. Canadian operations were a dismal failure, relieved chiefly by Perry's famed "We have met the enemy and they are ours" victory on Lake Erie.

In 1844 disputes between U. S. settlers in the northwest and the (British) Hudson's Bay Co. became critical when the Democrats made their campaign slogan "Fifty-four forty or fight"--meaning that Oregon should extend north to 54DEG 40' and include about half of what is now British Columbia and Alberta, provinces of the Dominion of Canada. The Democrats won the election, did not get the "fifty-four forty" line (it was settled at 49DEG) and also did not fight, having on their hands the Mexican War.

The most recent outstanding U. S.-Canadian relationship was the movement to arrange a reciprocal tariff agreement with Canada (1911) by which each country would lower its protective tariff duties on the other's products. Canadian reciprocity was a pet issue of William Howard Taft, the measure was passed in the U. S. Congress by a combination of Democratic and Republican votes and injured President Taft with many members of his own party. The President's victory was then made to appear somewhat futile when the Canadians overthrew the Laurier Liberal government, which supported the reciprocity movement.