On Monday Mr. Sifton, the Canadian Minister of the Interior,
made an important speech to the Canadian Club at Ottawa. He approved of the action of the Canadian Com- missioners in the Alaskan question, and proposed that if a similar case ever arose again the Commissioners on the British side should be entirely Canadian. "It would remove all grounds of complaint against Great Britain, and would give Canada a sobering sense of responsibility." This proposal, it should be noted, does not involve autonomy for Canada in her foreign affairs, but merely suggests a very reasonable change in the constitution of an Arbitration Board. Mr. Sifton went on to praise the work which Lord Dundonald was doing in improving the Militia, and declared that Canada was fully awake to her responsibilities as to the defence of her land frontier. He added that Canada needed no protection by sea, a doctrine which we do not think many Canadian statesmen would agree to.
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