the canadian dominion-第40章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


tries　supply；　was　greater　still；　that　voluntary　recruiting　had　yielded　over　four　hundred　thousand　men；　proportionately　equivalent　to　six　million　from　the　United　States；　and　was　slackening　only　because　the　reservoir　was　nearly　drained　dry；　and　that　Quebec　could　be　brought　into　line　more　effectively　by　conciliation　than　by　compulsion。

The　issue　of　conscription　brought　to　an　end　the　political　truce　which　had　been　declared　in　August；　1914。　The　keener　partisans　on　both　sides　had　not　long　been　able　to　abide　on　the　heights　of　non…political　patriotism　which　they　had　occupied　in　the　first　generous　weeks　of　the　war。　But　the　public　was　weary　of　party　cries　and　called　for　unity。　Suggestions　of　a　coalition　were　made　at　different　times；　but　the　party　in　power；　new　to　the　sweets　of　office；　confident　of　its　capacity；　and　backed　by　a　strong　majority；　gave　little　heed　to　the　demand。　Now；　however；　the　strong　popular　opposition　offered　to　the　announcement　of　conscription　led　the　Prime　Minister　to　propose　to　Sir　Wilfrid　Laurier　a　coalition　Government　on　a　conscription　basis。　Sir　Wilfrid；　while　continuing　to　express　his　desire　to　cooperate　in　any　way　that　would　advance　the　common　cause；　declined　to　enter　a　coalition　to　carry　out　a　programme　decided　upon　without　consultation　and　likely；　in　his　view；　to　wreck　national　unity　without　securing　any　compensating　increase　in　numbers　beyond　what　a　vigorous　and　sympathetic　voluntary　campaign　could　yet　obtain。

For　months　negotiations　continued　within　Parliament　and　without。　The　Military　Service　Act　was　passed　in　August；　1917；　with　the　support　of　the　majority　of　the　English…speaking　members　of　the　Opposition。　Then　the　Government；　which　had　already　secured　the　passage　of　an　Act　providing　for　taking　the　votes　of　the　soldiers　overseas；　forced　through　under　closure　a　measure　depriving　of　the　franchise　all　aliens　of　enemy　birth　or　speech　who　had　been　admitted　to　citizenship　since　1902；　and　giving　a　vote　to　every　adult　woman　relative　of　a　soldier　on　active　service。　Victory　for　the　Government　now　appeared　certain。　Leading　English…peaking　Liberals；　particularly　from　the　West；　convinced　that　conscription　was　necessary　to　keep　Canada's　forces　up　to　the　need；　or　that　the　War　Times　Election　Act　made　opposition　hopeless；　decided　to　accept　Sir　Robert　Borden's　offer　of　seats　in　a　coalition　Cabinet。

In　the　election　of　December；　1917；　in　which　passion　and　prejudice　were　stirred　as　never　before　in　the　history　of　Canada；　the　Unionist　forces　won　by　a　sweeping　majority。　Ontario　and　the　West　were　almost　solidly　behind　the　Government　in　the　number　of　members　elected；　Quebec　as　solidly　against　it；　and　the　Maritime　Provinces　nearly　evenly　divided。　The　soldiers'　vote；　contrary　to　Australian　experience；　was　overwhelmingly　for　conscription。　The　Laurier　Liberals　polled　more　civilian　votes　in　Ontario；　Quebec；　Alberta；　and　British　Columbia；　and　in　the　Dominion　as　a　whole；　than　the　united　Liberal　party　had　received　in　the　Reciprocity　election　of　1911。　The　increase　in　the　Unionist　popular　vote　was　still　greater；　however；　and　gave　the　Government　fifty…eight　per　cent　of　the　popular　vote　and　sixty…five　per　cent　of　the　seats　in　the　House。　Confidence　in　the　administrative　capacity　of　the　new　Government；　the　belief　that　it　would　be　more　vigorous　in　carrying　on　the　war；　the　desire　to　make　Quebec　do　its　share；　the　influence　of　the　leaders　of　the　Western　Liberals　and　of　the　Grain　Growers'　Associations；　wholesale　promises　of　exemption　to　farmers；　and　the　working　of　the　new　franchise　law　all　had　their　part　in　the　result。　Eight　months　after　the　Military　Service　Act　was　passed；　it　had　added　only　twenty　thousand　men　to　the　nearly　five　hundred　thousand　volunteers；　but　steps　were　then　taken　to　cancel　exemptions　and　to　simplify　the　machinery　of　administration。　Some　eighty　thousand　men　were　raised　under　conscription；　but　the　war；　so　far　as　Canada　was　concerned；　was　fought　and　won　by　volunteers。

〃The　self…governing　British　colonies；〃　wrote　Bernhardi　before　the　war；　〃have　at　their　disposal　a　militia；　which　is　sometimes　only　in　process　of　formation。　They　can　be　completely　ignored　so　far　as　concerns　any　European　theater　of　war。〃　This　contemptuous　forecast　might　have　been　justified　had　German　expectations　of　a　short　war　been　fulfilled。　Though　large　and　increasing　sums　had　in　recent　years　been　spent　on　the　Canadian　militia　and　on　a　small　permanent　force；　the　work　of　building　up　an　army　on　the　scale　the　war　demanded　had　virtually　to　be　begun　from　the　foundation。　It　was　pushed　ahead　with　vigor；　under　the　direction；　for　the　first　three　years；　of　the　Minister　of　Militia；　General　Sir　Sam　Hughes。　Many　mistakes　were　made。　Complaints　of　waste　in　supply　departments　and　of　slackness　of　discipline　among　the　troops　were　rife　in　the　early　months。　But　the　work　went　on；　and　when　the　testing　time　came；　Canada's　civilian　soldiers　held　their　own　with　any　veterans　on　either　side　the　long　line　of　trenches。

It　was　in　April；　1915；　at　the　second　battle　of　Ypresor；　as　it　is　more　often　termed　in　Canada；　St。　Julien　or　Langemarckthat　the　quality　of　the　men　of　the　first　contingent　was　blazoned　forth。　The　Germans　had　launched　a　determined　attack　on　the　junction　of　the　French　and　Canadian　forces；　seeking　to　drive　through　to　Calais。　The　use；　for　the　first　time；　of　asphyxiating　gases　drove　back　in　confusion　the　French　colonial　troops　on　the　left　of　the　Canadians。　Attacked　and　outflanked　by　a　German　army　of　150；000　men；　four　Canadian　brigades；　immensely　inferior　in　heavy　artillery　and　tortured　by　the　poisonous　fumes；　filled　the　gap；　hanging　on　doggedly　day　and　night　until　reenforcements　came　and　Calais　was　saved。　In　sober　retrospection　it　was　almost　incredible　that　the　thin　khaki　line　had　held　against　the　overwhelming　odds　which　faced　it。　A　few　weeks　later；　at　Givenchy　and　Festubert；　in　the　same　bloody　salient　of　Ypres；　the　Canadian　division　displayed　equal　courage　with　hardly　equal　success。　In　the　spring　of　1916；　when　the　Canadian　forces　grew　first　to　three　and　then　to　four　divisions；　heavy　toll　was　taken　at　St。　Eloi　and　Sanctuary　Wood。

When　they　were　shifted　from　the　Ypres　sector　to　the　Somme；　the　dashing　success　at　Courcelette　showed　them　as　efficient　in　offense　as　in　defense。　In　1917　a　Canadian　general；　Sir　Arthur　Currie；　three　years　before　only　a　business　man　of　Vancouver；　took　command　of　the　Canadian　troops。　The　capture　of　Vimy　Ridge；　key　to　the　whole　Arras　position；　after　months　of　careful　preparation；　the　hard…fought　struggle　for　Lens；　and　toward　the　close　of　the　year　the　winning　of　the　Passchendaele　Ridge；　at　heavy　cost；　were　instances　of　the　increasing　scale　and　importance　of　the　operations　entrusted　to　Currie's　men。

In　the　closing　year　of　the　war　the　Canadian　corps　played　a　still　more　distinctive　and　essential　part。　During　the　early　months　of　1918；　when　the　Germans　were　making　their　desperate　thrusts　for　Paris　and　the　Channel；　the　Canadians　held　little　of　the　line　that　was　attacked。　Their　divisions　had　been　withdrawn　in　turn　for　special　training　in　open　warfare　movements；　in　close　cooperation　with　tanks　and　air　forces。　When　the　time　came　to　launch　the　Allied　offensive；　they　were　ready。　It　was　Canadian　troops　who　broke　the　hitherto　unbreakable　Wotan　line；　or　Drocourt…Queant　switch；　it　was　Canadians　who　served　as　the　spearhead　in　the　decisive　thrust　against　Cambrai；　and　it　was　Canadians　who　captured　Mons；　the　last　German　stronghold　taken　before　the　armistice　was　signed；　and　thus　ended　the　war　at　the　very　spot　where　the　British　〃Old　Contemptibles〃　had　begun　their　dogged　fight　four　years　before。

Through　all　the　years　of　war　the　Canadian　forces　never　lost　a　gun　nor　retired　from　a　position　they　had　consolidated。　Canadians　were　the　first　to　practice　trench　raiding；　and　Canadian　cadets　thronged　that　branch　of　the　service；　the　Royal　Flying　Corps；　where　steady　nerves　and　individual　initiative　were　at　a　premium。　In　countless　actions　they　proved　their　fitness　to　stand　shoulder　to　shoulder　with　the　best　that　Britain　and　France　and　the　United　States　could　send：　they　asked　no　more　than　that。　The　casualty　list　of　220；000　men；　of　whom　60；000　sleep　forever　in　the　fields　of　France　and　Flanders　and　in　the　plains　of　England；　witnesses　the　price　this　people　of　eight　millions　paid　as　its　share