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II est filmA i partir da Tangle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite. et de haut an baa. an pranant la nombra d'imagea nteassaira. Las diagrammas suivants illuatrant la mithode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 MICROCOPY RESOLUTION TEST CHART NATIONAL B IREAU OF STANDARDS STANDARD RE. RENCE MATERIAL 1010a (ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2) n lul THE Conservative Platform Mr. J. P. Whitney, K.G.,M.P.P. Conservative Leader in tiie Ontario Legisiature DELIVERED TO THE Members of tlie Lilierai-Gonsirvatlve Association of Ontario Victoria Hall, Toronto, Sept. 3, ISO! ALSO Portions of liis Sf^eecli to tl;;; Electors of tlie County of. Peel, at Charleston, Sept. 19, 1901 ALSO The Speech at Charleston of . JAMES J. FOY, K.O., M.P.P. On the Public Issues of the Day INDEX rxum ▲ot to Prolong Lagldattr* Term « Affriculturo ' • * Aid to Railway! • •• AMesament QoMtlon 84, 4» Beet Sugar Induatry • Bribery— Lawa to Pnnlah ; 7 Bill No. 176 ».*♦ OonaervatiTe Policy Summarlaed *T Cheaper Sohuui booka 19, 88 ConsultatiTe Council on Education 17 DresaedBeef.. *^ W Educational Policy .*. W Election Scandals 24, 89. Bl Financea of Ontario 21, 84,49 Franchise (Manhood) and the Conservatives 8 Government and tha Machine ^7 Imperialism and Mr. Boaa ** Labour Legislation • Lair Befonn ^ Machine, The *• New Ontario ** Nickel 24.38 Preferential Trade ** Pulpwood Concessions ** Summary of Conservative Policy ^ Timber Policy ' University of Toronto, Policy Towards *• Volunteers, Qrants to • * West Elgin •* ;:« ■■M S^Mr. Whitney at Toronto A:i«rc»ly attandMl m««tlnK of th« Ub«ral-OonMrv«tlv« i olatlon of Ontario was hold In Toronto, topt. and and 3rd. 1901, and on tho ovoninc of tho cloalns day of tho mootlns Mr. Whitnoy addrooood tho mooting In Victoria •«a>l on tho publio quoationa of thvv day. Mo aaid:— "Mr. Cbalrmar ' AL-r aiu*. g< ntlemen— This being a gathering of picked men, «o to apeak, fr> • ■ ion«i of th* province, we may well confer togethnr upon the poliUc ' . and endeavor to show to the people at large what our poaltlon la, <■ ;» one that should be endorsed by the p-jople. What I propose to d' ,j tok up the history, very briefly, of the Liberal- Conservative na, .. . relatlr to provincial politics, to bring it up to date as well as I can in my feeble <»ay, and along with It the record and history of the Ontario Oovemment in relation to ourselves as an Opposition. I propose to show the reasons why, in my opinion and in the opinion, I believe, of the majority of the people of this country, the position of the Liberal-Conservative party to-day is one, as contrasted with that of their opponents, which will conduce to the benefit of the people of the Province of Ontario, and which will be accepted by them as soon as they have an opportunity to signify Ihelr acceptance or refusal of It. (Applause.) STATEMENT OF POLICT. We hear a great deal about statements of policy. Our opponents, of course, ' claim that the Conservatives have no policy, utterly oblivious to the fact, well known to every adult person in the Province of Ontario, that whatever policy they have that has good in it has been filched from the provincial Conservative party. (Applause.) They are so very anxious to hear what our policy may b« that they fall Into the opposite extreme of contending we have none at aU. But to-night, as I am speaking, and to-morrow, as the report of my speech is circulated, all over the province the supporters of the Government will be listening with mouths wide open to take up and treasure even the droppings * of the ConservatlTS policy. I shall endeavor to bring up the record of the Conservative party to date, to define our position, and show why it should be endorsed by the people of the Province of Ontario. 1 say there Is enough In the present policy of the Con- servative party to Justify the people in endorsing It, so much so that I am prepared to go to the people of 'he province and I tell now, the Oovemment of Ontario, that we of the Opposi^on In the Legislature are ready for the issue of the writs to the people next week If they dare, and we Invite the verdict of the people, and If we have no policy the people will not endorse us. (Applause.) DATE OP THE ELECTIONS. Prom time to time we are bound to listen to the addresses, public and private, of the Ministers, and their utterances on the subject of the election are to the effect that we will have no election until next June. I am prepared S to unuB* that thw t«U th* troth, althooch thtrc aur b« occmIom oa wMA that would b« a rash aamimpUon. (Lauchtor.) It i« iaaX m w«11, howvrar. that we should deal with tham queatloM from time to tlm*. Btton th« tlto- tlona take place, new queatlona or aolutlona of qnaaUona majr ba aunastad. and it may fall to the proylnce of tha mambera of tha OppcMltton in tha LaclaUtnra -bacttuae they formulate the policy, and not Mr. Whltnay-to aay aomathliiB more .nd dlacuaa any new laanea that may arlaa in tha Intarral. Uwlnv, I ballera, to tha paoallar natitro of our ayitam of raaponalbte gorara- ment thara must bo two poUtlcal parUaa. Publlo opinion veara from aide to aide with regard to great public queatlona from time to time, and ao It la, aa this pendulum of public opinion awinga backward and forward from ona alda to the other, that the majority of the people rule. Thoie who are In power to-day may go out to-morrow, baoauaa pubUo opinion oondemna the policy of the party In power. That. I take It, la tha beauty of our aystem of reaponalbla government. In order that It ahould work out properly, and without frlcUon. It la not only dealrable but nacaasary that each party ahould propoae or auggaat aometblng for the arbitrament of the people. Our opponent!— I am not speaking now In an unkindly aplrlt— alnca Con- fedaratlot. have been In the peculiar position of never having ofTared anything, either at Ottawa or Toronto, of ImporUnca to tha people of Canada or tha Province of OnUrlo. They atUlned power by meana of aceldanta. and thay have retained power— I refer now to the Province of Ontarlo-by various roaana, with most of which you are well acquainted; and they have finally wound up by aelling from year to year the capital atock of the province— Ita timber roaourcea— and when they found that even with that they were on the brink of the last ditch, they even added to that the unique act of breaking open the ballot boxes and stealing the franchises of Conservative voters. (Hear, hear.) Having become brava enongli to go a Uttla deeper they deatroyed the evldencea of their own Iniquity by fire, and that Is the situation at the present tlma. (Hear, hear.) ^ . iw-r/ THE AGRICULTURAL POLICY. I propoae to take up as briefly as I can the queatlona that have been advo- cated and suggested by the Conservative party of this province, some of which have been adopted by the other party; then to deal briefly with some of the acts of the Oovernment. for which they deserve condemnation, concluding with a Btatement of our position to-day and asking tor the endorsement of the people of the Province of Ontario. Take the question first of all of agriculture. Ton will understand that X must use as few words as possible to-nlgbt. and I shall endeavor to do ao. On the great question of agriculture It was news to me to learn the other day that away back In the forties that great British- American I. iperlallst. Sir John A. Macdonald, Introduced a motion In the Legislature for the establishment of agricultural achoola In the old Province of Canada, and so, as on many other questions, we found the Grand Old Man to the front, even on this question, which was practically unheard of then. Then we find that Hon. John Carllng, aa a member of the combination Ministry of 1867, first crystallized Into legis- lative and Government action the desires and views of the people of the province with regard to agriculture, and If he did not establish he was at any rate the originator of the agricultural farm and college. (Applause.) My good friend, Mr. Andrew Broder, who pracaded me In the representation of Dundas In the Leglalature. and now slta aa the honored representative of that county In the House of Commons, was thf »♦ man to propose In the Legis- lature of Ontario the establishment of the travelling dairy, which was €ulopted by the Government and through which they gained more or less popularity In the province. Then, lit 1889, the first year after my election to the Legislature, when Mf. Drury waa Minister of Agriculture. In the last hours of the session. In the midst. 4 II II ot vTMt vmtmtom, I to«k the opportunity of BddrMainff tho Lectalaturo fOr a f>w mlnutM, polnUnff out that u th«ro wero a numMr of rraduatM of tho Agricultural Colltca, it would b« a «oo4 thlnt to havo thoin (o to diffortnt otatroo of tht proTlnca durtnc February and March, whan th« farmera war* Icaat buar. and deliver lacturea on acrlcultural lubjecta for a eoupla of wooka. In thia way th« people would receive tho benefit of the work don* by tho eolltfo. Another feature of that lino of policy i pointed out would bo tho iMdinv up to tho eatablUhment of arrtcultural achoola. In tho roport of my ■pooch at that tlmo I waa quoted aa followa:— " Mr. Whitney la alao of the opinion that in tiraa • ■yatein of avricaltural Mhoola should bo eatabltahed In the province, thereby affordln* tho opportunity of recelvinc inatructton to men in each locality, and that the achemo which ho liaa indicated may prove tho way for the eatablUhment of iuch achoolrs." That is tho policy of tho Conaervatlve party, which will never reat aatrafled till thero la mora than one, and moro than four or flvo agricultural achoola la tho Province of Ontario. (Appiauae.) / nd atlll thoy tell ua wo have no policy! Then aomo people wi*h more audacity than common aenao will tell you that Mr. Whitney and other rentlemoi In tho Le«liilaturo of the Consorratlvo por- Buaalon voted arainat t' t creation of tho Minister of Afrtculturo. That to a dlroct, doliberato. and cjooluto falsehood, known to bo auch by thooo who uttor it. (Applauaa.) THB eUOAR BEBT INDUSTRT. Then last winter, when tho aslUtion for tho eaUMtohtnont of the ngar boot Induatry was rlfo in thla province, tho Oovomment brought In a blll--ao far wo havo not soon many reaulto from it— providing for the aid of such scbemosi It occurred to my good friends Mr. Boyd, of North Orey, and Mr. BUlbor, of Huron, to moiro an amendment, but m Government could not eeo the proprtoty of It and voted It down. The bill as passed does not provide for any direct bonus or encourajrement to tho te i.-«r himself, and th's amendnnont was to tho following effect: — "And this House while approving of the general provlslonu of tho bill, regrets that it contains no p^-ovlslons securlr directly to the farmers producing sugar boots a reasonable bonus or bounty on each ton of hot j produced and sold by thom." It to quite simple, and how jva could Hnd a majority of tlie Legislature TOtlng down a reasonable proposlUon like that, one would think wuld almost pass ordinary comprehension. Again, a year ago my good frtend Mr. Little, a member of the Leglslaturo. whom many of you know, put a resolution on tho order paper to the effect that there should bo In future a standing committee of the Legislature known as the Committee on Agriculture. There aro a number of sUndlng or permanent committees— municipal, law. public accounts, railways, and so on— and It oocur- red to him that In view of the all-absorbing inter >st which the people of tUs provlnco are taking In tho question of agrlculturof anrt all that flows out of agriculture with benefit to the people-that In view of this it would be wise and proper to esUbllsh a standing committee on agriculture. All through tho session of 1900 the Oovemment dallied and trifled with Mr. Little's resolution, putting It off from week to week, and Anally concluded by burking It In the closing days. But warned by experience, when Mr. Little relntrodr, ;ed It last sesfllon. he took such measures as brought the Oovemm'.nt to book. Apparently afraid of any further antagonism to ♦ plain Interests of tho agriculturists of this province, they had to sub.^.t, ana tho journals of tho House of last session wiU show that the resoludon was allowed to p »s and to now the law of the land. Still wo have no policy! (Laughter and applausa.) S THU I*ABOK nmBRBBT. Th*. with r««*r«! to the Uhor int.rwt. Mr. VrmUm. thw mwnbM' «*f ^^— - «.fflcl.nt rat.. <> VlT-Td T; Mr St^l thTt th^^SrlS* word, bo .equentlr I '"''''^^'•^°TA^l]t\t,7^Z^ot thl. Hou.« In the« r«n>Mt. rton o« opinion. W. '''^J'^^^^^^^Z^l^^cf^n carry th.m out. But no, and lot u. put an Act on ^^r***;"!' °7*^ot« It down, and on. of th. m.mbm r?,T:::;ir^U',r«':ru"r.r«. .-. - - .... «« « -■ *^ That .now-t "• J^"^"* J" tnat th. <• .Ir. of th. Opporttlon la tho SSlTatu; ;« Tnot^rnly^TcLTwhat wa. rl.ht. hut al«> to cry.U„u. It MfiMaiurn WW -^ ..,„„„ „ that th». rtiould h. no «olng behind It. r-^'S rr.r "««" rvxci >. .-. ~. .. »..-- .< any time. (Applau...) And rtin they «iy we have no policy! MANHOOD SUFFRAGE. ««.— -iti, r*«ird to th. Breat and Important question of manhood iuffr- ^^S;h"^e haTnow.' In'T885. the present Sir WlUlam Mer^J.th. who wa. SSiThe leeder of the Oppoeltlon. moved tW|jamendment to a bin:- W^ Meredith moved, .econded by Mr. Morrl.. on March 24. 1885:- .^at the following words be added t. the motion, and while assenting to the .e^nrridlnVof the bill, and thereby to the principle that an «tf •'««*» "« r^rhi.ril necessary and expedient, thl. House desire, to express Its opinion. 'hrr«.cheXs^n Which does not. under a proper system of rein.tratlo.. «,d whl!e excluding the criminal and non-sane classes, aliens, and person. Suaulufl^ under the provisions of the Election Acti,. confer the franchise upon JvsTotht male resident of the province of the full a»e of twenty-one years. •''^'^ira^tSnt'^^-fe^ao'^^^^ Oo-mment. and four year, after- ^ in TR^rThe very self-same amendment was adopted by the self-wune ^"^^renfid putTin the statute bool. llKe manr other .ug^on. which emanated from the very same authority. A.pplauM.) C? hlrird^" To rentL the matter of complaints In the public pre.. l^.S If Ll^S n^r^ymen In the province who .nove from on. place to °".th« in the monm ofT^ne In each yeax or thereabouts, 'r*'-/-^-';* ^^ ,1^.1 that having regard to the time the voters' list* ai-e made out It very .^ vf;n»n^ That thew clergymen are rendered Ineligible to vote In the place Se^leTrd ajrinThT p^^IfTey have gone to. and It was. and Is. a grievance. 3 mat It WM ▼•Btltatad In th« publto prM*. I thtaK « rwMattoa WM vmmA tor an MMmbUc* o( ctMryman. and th«r« wn InUnriawa with both th* Prwnktr aa« th« Attornt7-0«n«ral with retard to It. and they both aald It oould not bo rtmodlad. Now, there Is no wren* vltho . ■ * romody under Britlah law— (Raar, hoar, and applauae)— and I tax It can j« romodlod, and I aay It will bo romodltd In spltn of the OoYernmont of tho Provlnco ot Ontario, and thoir de'-larathma tu tho contrary. PUNISHMENT OF BRIBRRS. ' Now, then, I want to touch upon a question which I have often dilated upon, and, therefore, I have that feelln* of hesitation which la felt by all modest man like myaeir, to repeat It, and It la with relation to certain bribery bills intro- duced by me. Now. I had aome experience In thia aort of thine; I waa defeated the flrat time I ran. unreattd my opponent, and within twelve montha waa re> eUqted, and you and I have seen within the laat two yeara very lartc and florid ttateroenta by mcmbera of the Oovemment to tho effect that they were the first peraons who ever pro^pcuted anybody for bribery. ThOi •'ere three or ■>ar peraona proKecuted by me, and each flned 1200, one-half of which went In ie "offera of the Government of the Province jf Ontario. That war in MM In 1889 I introduced a bill In which it waa provided that bribery shoulci be rf Xcgland, now the l,ord Chief Justice. Sir Richard Webster, c - vith Sir " iii»am Har- court, ai.d they acreed that the working ot the EnrU' w waa con chair and atood In the very sam tracks, and declared that his principal objection to this bill waa that It contained a provis- ion In favor of trial by Jury. (Laughter and applause.) He said:— "These people will have sympathlaers on the Jury, and the Juries will never . convict them." And so the bill was voted down a second time. I brought It up the third time, but the Government then were about to condenne and revise the election law, and the gentleman who Is now the Premier of Ontario had charr"* of that bill, and he spoke to me privately In the corridor uf the House, and .3d me what It waa I wanted to bring about by this bill of mine, and {T told him. "Well," he said, "we are going to do something tot you In the bill I am going to bring In." They did something so small , at it is not worth speaking about, but I do not wiah to conceal the fact that he did propose to follow my lead in this regard, even to the small extent he did. X ut in 18M I introduced a bill which went a little further, and that bill, they say— It Is poa- aible there was some misunderstanding— they say I did not wish to push. At any rate, during the last hours of the aecslon— an opportunity of bringing it up before waa prevented by the action of the gentlemen on »he Oovemme- benches —I was practically Jockeyed out of the opportunity to move It. But ot courae it would have been voted down all the aama. Now, after all the Weet Elgin and North Waterloo dlacloaures, and after the other hideous pictures which have been held np to the gaae of the dvlBaed ■ad CtatlBttsa wo?M for tli« tart ttro r*"^ It warn Mt the Qovmnmwt m%M te ■omrthlB* wtth wtard to rartatac th« •tacttoa taw, and I Introduced a felD wtatah I had p««par«d with a «rMit dMl of caro^ and a day or ■© aftwwarda tha Attonwy-Oonaral of Ontario^ who should hava dona It earlier, introdnood a bill, and the WU waa a aheet of blank paper without one word written or printed on It. and when, under the rulea of the Houae. the Ume came for mor- In* the eecond readln* of my bill, the eeco .d reading beln» the decUlve atace, after which no bUl la ever heard of unleaa It la paaaed, they endeavored to prevent me from movIn« the second readln* of my WU. They urged me for « or M mlnutea to let It r> back, and the Attomey-Oeneral's bUl and my blfl would be conaldered together. The Attorney- General was »oln» to Introduce a bUl they aald-and. by the way, I think the bill had not been Introduced up to that time I refused to do It unless the pledge was given me that I would have an opportunity to move the second reading of my blU before the other one. An opportunity waa given me, and the two bills were considered together, and, aa always occurs when the Government have a majority, Mr. Gibson's bill waa earrled with some modlfloatlons. and Mr. Gibson's bill. In aU respects of Import- ance was an exact copy of my bllL (Applause.) I should not. perhaps, have ■aid 'it waa an exact copy, but the main provUlons of my blU were all there, with lust enough few unimportant changes to keep It from being recognised aa one which had Mr. Whltney-a name on the back. And they sUU say wa have no policy of any Idndl ,__,_« Before I leave this question I want to read to you. with your permission, what somebody else says with regard to thia question of my attitude towards bribery. I read from the Farmers' Sun:— "Mr Whitney has done his share toward strengthening the law agalnrt electoral' corruption, and It la to be regretted that the Government atood In Uia way of tiie more stringent legislation he desired to have placed on the eUtute book. Meaauree for the auppreeslon of electoral corruption are Important, but we hope that Mr. Whitney will not conllne his reforming energies to them. THE TIMBER QUESTION. Now the great timber question Is one that would require the whole of this ■yenlng'to ti^at It properly, but I shall endeavor to deal with It aa briefly aa poMlble ai>d at the same time bring out the salient points In relation to It. The policy of Ontario Conservatives has always been twofold with regard to timber : one was to take care of It and conserve It-lf you choose to use that word: the other waa to Investigate all about It. find out what we had; see what measures were necessary to conserve It. and see how It couia be disposed of to Uie best advantage-to see how It could be held and used and conserved Into bringing* out tiie greatest results to the people of the Provlnoe of Ontario. {Hear hear.) That haa always been our attitude, as I shall prove to you In a vary few minutes. In 1886 Mr. Meredith, then the leader used this language:- ' Vast areas of tiie timber lands of the province are placed under license wlUiout the assent of tiie Assembly. No attempt has been made to prevent by Moper conditions the log. cut on our timber lands from being exported Instead oTbelng manufactured In this counUr and practically nothing has bewn done tooklng to tiie development of our mineral wealth or ttie husbanding of our **^'S7*iS*Meredlti» demanded that a provision ba Inserted In the timber leases reaulring all logs taken trom Crown lands to be sawn or manufactured ^ The propcltion was resisted. "The Government." said Mr. Ross who ST^w Semlerr-was prepared to sell timber to the highest bidder It wa. not prepared to Impose such conditions of sale aa would debar American SmSS^from paying high price, for Canadlim limits." " The Questtonj" -■Id Mr Hardy, "has been considered by the Government, and they hava ^ 1^.^ to l.t the Dominion Government take the responslbUlty of the foral«B * I I -H pMef." ▲ mmptign. pann^lat, iarnied liy th* Mlntotry. in UN, teOlaraa that to tatcrfar* wltli the Michlcan liimb«rm«ii, "would biins about a dlaaatrou criala, which would affect not Ontario alone, but the entire Dominion." As late aa 1S97 the Oovemment pleaded for the Michigan Intereeta It declared titronch Mr. Otbeon that It had told the limits without any restriction as to the manufacturing et lumber or the exportinc of logs, and that to Impose restric- tions afterwards would be a breach of faith. In iSSi Mr. Meredith made a motion for a "select committee to enquire Into the extent and nature of the timber and mineral resburces of the provinces and the best means within the control of the Learislature for the conservation of the former and the development of the latter, with power to send for persona, papers, and records." Now, the object of that was this, that the people of Ontario mlffht be told after the examination and surveys were made, what were the extent of the areas and value of our timber and mineral resources, so that they would not only be able to form an opinion as to what should be best done with them, but that they would be able to Judgre intelligently of the action of their represent- atives In Parliament with regard to these two great questions. (Hear, hear.) The Government— I well remember it— the Government refused the motkm with regard to timber, but accepted it with regard to minerals, and In consequence of that motion a commission was appointed which did investigate into the mineral resources of this province, which you all recollect. And still we have never had any policy! Why, every step they have taken, •very act they have done with relation to any of these great public resources can be traced back to its Initiation in the Conservative party. On the 18th May, 1893, Mr. MIscampbell moved this motion:— "That this House disapproves of the policy of diepostng of the timber reserves of the province without its approval being first obtained, and is of the opinion that the right to cut timber upon the present reserves should be sold under such conditions as will insure the manufacture of the timber cut thereupon with- in the province, and more effectually ^uard against the unnecessary cutting and destruction of the small timber growing on such reserves." The motion was voted down. Then, in 1894, the same gentleman movvid again that in many parts of the country the saw milling industries had been transferred to Michigan and other States, and that the policy of the Oovem- ment ought to be changed with a view to preventing this loss to our own prov- ince. That was voted down also. But In one sale the Government Imposed a condition that the logs sold should be manufactured in Canada or Ontario— I forget which. What was the effect? All the timber limits to which this applied, except two or three, were situate north of the height of land, and unless you took the sawlogs to Michigan in a balloon they never could go there. (Hear, hear.) So that there was no danger. (Applause.) There were no speculators to get annoyed at all: It was all lovely, and the (Sovemment mem- bers nudged each other In the ribs and said, "What smart fellows we are.". There were a couple of limits sold at that time which were south of the height of land, and if my recollection serves me right, the condition was withdrawn with regard to them a short time afterwarda That has been, as I have shown you, from time to time, our policy all along, without Ok'.« word being said up to the time I have mentioned In favor of the opposition policy on the other side, and I challenge the production of any such word. In October, 1897, I gave an interview to a newspaper in Ottawa, which was published in The Mail and Empire of the jiext day also, in which I said several thlnfrs. and for fear I shall be accused of leaving something out I had better read It all:— Mall, October port«d a moUaii tatroanced hf Mr. >OMViiptaato aoY.rnm.nt. requiring that aU loo out under aucb Uc«i«« «»»ouW be «Lwnta Ontario. The motton we. voted down by the Government. I^^-^^J^^JT* ■ummer. f oUowln« a pracUce often Indulged In by them, they adopted the poU«r nwated by u«. but heretofore oppoaed by them, and made It » «^« f f^^ the Mlea of Umber Umlt. made montha a«o. that losa cut under thow Ucense. ■bould b« aawn In Canada." " Does thla re»ulatl«m apply to new Uceniea only ? " " Tee, only to thoae leaned laat aununer." " Ara the old Ucwiaea affected In any way by theee new reKuUtionaT " I believe not. Tha Oovemment eeema to lack the courage to deal with the question broadly, and on Ita merlU. There la no 4oubt In my mind that public opinion in the province la pracUcally a unit In favor of the Oovermnent ualna all the powera given It by law to compel the sawing of loga In Oa**"* and would Justify them In so doing. What the Government wlU do la very doubtfuL One thing la quite certain, and that Is that ««ne of the lumberman. American and othei* who have been In the habit of exporting logs to the United SUtee. are making prer;-aU« Impofled In all new timber llmlta sales that ocourred af terwarda, and In all the old ones at the expiration of the then current license year. That cava the Amartcaa lumbermen all that winter to go on and to clean up all the loss they could and take them away, because at the end of the year when the license was renewed this new provision was to be put In. Now, you can understand Why they made preparations to take away an unheard of quantity of logs, and, aa X say. It waa practically adopting our policy in that respect. Mr. Olbaon, with that frankness which someUmes is characteristic of him, actually declared in his speech that the Government had decided on that policy weeks before the House met. (lAUghter.) After I had declared myself publicly they declared themselves to each other secretly, eo he said, and when Mr. Miacampbell, my colleague, attempted to put the policy In force they voted It down, and said to adopt It would be unjust, unfair, ai^d Illegal, and two wedu afterwards they adopted what was praoUcally the policy Itself I (Applause.) gOMBTHING TBT TO COMBS. There Is something else 1 might tell you but I won't to-night; I have not Ume to do It, and. beside, I want to let it hang lire a litUe ; I shall be prepared before long. In fact I am prepared now, but I propose before long to teU you what return the American lumbermen made for this conduct on the part of the Oovemment. (Hear, hear.) Now, then, at the risk of tiring you, I am going to read this article taken from the Saginaw Courier-Herald. Saginaw is in Michigan, and is one of the headquarters of the American lumbar Industry. This Is an organ well acquainted with all Interests of the sawlog men, and this Is the conclusion of the American men as to this great question. This is a paper well acquainted with all the interests of the aawmlU men, I was going to say their "organ," but that would probably not be true. The Saginaw Courier-Herald remarks:—" As far ba«SS as the early eighties William Ralph Meredith, leader of the Opposition In the Ontario legislature, and now Chief Justice of the province, laid down as a matter of public policy that all logs cut in Canada should also be manufactured there. Meredith led the Conservatives In Ontario, and In assuming this policy he was but following In the lead of Sir John A. Macdonald, chief of the party in the country, who established the National Policy of Protection In Canada. Mr. Meredith's Idea grew in popularity, and waa taken up by the people and press irrespfectlve of party. In the meantime, he continued to press the policy upon the attention of the Ontario Oovemment, a course in which he was fpUowed by those who succeeded him In the leadership, after he took office as Chief Justice." " The Ontario Oovemment at first opposed, then opposition grew silent and finally, seeing the bent of public opinion, and fearing defeat on the Issue, the policy was stolen bodUy from the Opposition. It was made part of the Oovem- ment programme as though it had originally belonged there, and It was em- bodied In an Act passed by the Ontario Ijeglslature, In which It Is made compul- sory that all logs cut in that province must be manufactured there also. The policy grew as a direct result of the pressure of public opinion In Ontario, and quite Irrespeotlve of any legislation passed across the border. It would have become the law of Ontario Just the same, no matter what waa done here, for the people forced it upon the Government." That is what a dispassionate olwerver. who has the interests of the saw- mlUera of the United States at heart contributes, as a matter of history, to this question. That has been our policy in the past with regard to this great auestlon, this valuaWe asset of ours, an asset which has been frittered away during the past yean to a greater extpnt than the people of Ontario dreamed U at, aad wWeh, If not oarafalljr lAiatNuiata in th* futai% wUl I«it» bi a tew TMtf* nothlnc to be wid about It by th* pjopto of Ontario but to 4w«U upon th* raoollAotlon of tb« immenM aaaat of provincial wealth which bclonsad to the p«opto of thla province, and which waa dlaalpated and frittered away by men who had not th« Interests of the province at heart. (Iioud and contlnaad applauM) * AS TO ptn;pwoox> concessioks. Th%ii. there la the other great Provlnolal asset, the pvlpwood. Ons hardly estimate the amount and value of the pulowood of this provlnc*. And why cannot you estimate It? Because you cannot get any Information about It, because the motion of Mr. Meredith was thrown aside, at 1 we have never had any InvastUraiion or survey from which to form an opinion or arrive at a con- clusion about it. We had surveyors a year ago sent out, and while I have no personal knowledge on the question, those who know more about lumber than Mr. E. J. CavlB, for instance, tell me that the number of square miles handed over to each party of ten men to survey was ten times the quantity that that number of men could survey— (applause)— and consequently we are to-day practically in the dark as to the amount and value of this wonderful asset known as our pulpwood. Well, there have been a number of pulpwood concasslons, about which there has been a great deal of talk. Several years ago a couple of concessions were granted by the Legislature, and the Legislature granted them practically blind- fold; It was an absolute impossibility to know whether the terms and conditions of Jiese concessions w«re reasonable or nnreasonabla, but the Legislature thought, and I thought, not unreasonably, that It would be well to give these men at first something In the nature of a free hand In order that we might be able to see and the people learn what the vnount and value of this asset of ours was, ao that we would be able to deal with it in an intelligible war aftsr- warda and two or three of these conceeslons were granted. There are two things strange about these agreements; the first thing Is that It would take a pretty good lawyer more than one day to read and construe them proi>erly, 0Md to that project, yoa all know that, and apaaklnf to Parliament ha used thla lancuace on tha 10th January, IIU:— " ToB will notice thai by tha terms ot this contract we are (otaff to buildi tha aaatera end, WO milea, Inslda of ten years. We certainly are not buildlas the Lake Sapertor end of tha read, what la called the eastern aaetion, tor the purpo s e of ocrtoaisatloa. We have no evidence that tha land is ot great value ; wa kaaw that the climate is unfavorable; we know tha aoll is somewhat barren. Trua^ thara may be aome valuable timber to th« country, but we do not require to build a railway into it for tha sake of the timber. We have an abundance of timber on azistinr Itaes ot railway, so that the Immediate construction of the eastern end of this route Is uufnacaaaary. The section from Nlplsslngr to Fort WUllam wiU Involve an expenditure c' $20,000,000, thou«h It has been vartonsly estimated from $18,000,000 to $12,000,000 I see no necessity for the construction of so many miles of railway for tha single purpose of opening up the North- WML" • itr. Koas says to-day tha «xact oppostta to thia. Ha oppoaad tha opening up ot Naw Oatarto by the eastern end of the railway from Lake Niplsstog at the caBeral axpansa, because the land was of no great value, and the climate was untavorabla, and the land was somewhat barren ! All these were good reasons If ttey were true reasons, but tha Conservative party at that time did not believe tliay were true reasons, and consequently they went on with this development of New Ontarto. (Cheers.) We hear a great deal about Mr. Clargne. ICr. Clergua Is a man who deserves every possible praise for his attampta to develop New (Ontario or Old Ontario— I dw, I aay that lome auch jreat. Induce- ment waa neeeaeary to enoourace &n enterpriee Vine that, but it waa not a ootonlsatlon enterprise. Whea I show yuu what we objected to in the t ao»- aetlon T am p«rfectly certain you will all acrevi with me. Tbt CtOTemment aald, we are goinr to gire this to Mr. Cl«rru9, and they recited in tha bill a great lot of things that Mr. Clergue was going to do for them in return for this e o n ees si OB. and there Is where the deeeptloa came in. They provided on certain sections of land, which were to be given in alternate sections as soon as the Zileutenant-Gtovemor should think reasonable, a school-house should be built, a pnbllo haU should be built, oerUtn factories should be started at Sault Ste. -Marie, and a great many other things should be done, together with the estab- Uriiment of a line of four steamshlpa These and other provlBlons of a BlmlUar nature, each one of which was worth a great deal Itself, were recited in the bill as being the oonsldtration for which this Ontario Oovernment gave this amount of property to Mr. Clergue, and it Is all falsehood. I believe in calling things by their proper names, and it is falsehood, madie, uttered, and printed and published with deliberation by the Ontario Oovernment (Hear, hear.) I have here Mr. Clergue's speech made at the Board of Trade in this dty SO days before the bill was Introduced, and In that speech '^r. Clergue says that he to doing or has done nearly all these things which th^ Government of Ontario a month later say he promises to do. Re said the nteamers referred to weire them oa the ocean. By the 17th section there is a pro^^<> n that If the Lleuteaaat- Ooremor-in-Council receives security which shall r . sty him— a mero promise may satisfy— they shall have power to waive th^ performance of the more Important of those conditions which Mr. Clergue has not already done. We say the action of the Oovernment was dlscredlti^le and disreputable. (Hear, hear.) Now, with regard to the Manitoulln ft North Shore Railway, which was given 7.400 acres of land per mile, I voted for It, much to the Intense astonishment ef the Premier. He thought and hoped and prayed, no doubt, thSft the Opposition would make asses of themselves and object to this bill, but the Opposition did nothing of the kind. The Opposition, actuated by :he desire to develop New Ontario, said. No, Manitoulln, with twelve, fourteen, or fifteen thousand people, has never had any railway communication, but the people have Uved there by themselves and have suffered many inconveniences, aad this railway will also go through the undiscovered and unexplored region arm: id Sudbury, and, therefore, we said, "Give them a good liberal concession, and s«:« that this project Is carried out in the interests of the people," and we will do i\' again if we have an opportunity. QUESTION OP BJDUCATION. Now. then, I will come to the question of €«ducatlon. I cannot deal with the High schools to-night I must conflne myself for the present to the PubUo schooL As a matter of fact, 95 per cent, of our children go to the Public school, and never go anywhere else, and their education beginsiand ends in the PubUo school. That is enough to arrest the attention of any ordinary listener, and oomp^ him to agree that nothing can ba of more tmportaaoe to be opnsldered U ^1 <3,| BtMvM long tha naceeeity remains for a radical revolution In our entire aduea- ttonal syatem. (Applauae.) I aald aomathlng of thla nature before the Houae her« In TOrmto as long ago aa IMt and I wan Jeerad at and laughed at by Mr. Roaa, the then Minister of Bdneatlon. but luckily for me and the people the following year there waa a eoBvaoUon of PubUc agistoture. The one in ISM was thto :— " It to desirable that provincial expenditure for educaUonat purpoaea ahould ba ao appropriated and apportioned aa to provide equitably, aa f ar as may be, for tha raqulrements of the whole people ; that the tnterests of higher educatloo ara weU aenred by the High achooto, CoUegiate Instttutee, CoUegea and Unlvw- ptabUe mind with the working and reeulto of the educational system of tha great mass of the people, through the medium of the Public schools, are not in of tha Public schooto may be remodeled and where necessary widened and en- pandltnre, having regard to the relative merits of primary and higher education and particularly to the fact that nlnety-flve per cent, of the children of the provlnee receive aU their education m the Public schools, and that in the opinion of thto House a scheme should l>e devised by which th» sphere at the PubUc school may he wldenedi and enlarged bo as to afford to the chUdren of tha agricultural populaticm further and Increased opportunltes of obtaining such higher education In the Public schooto as may be practicable there." That was tha first motion made by me, and the next one was made, and was voted down, of courdl— I need not teU you th%t. (laughter.) Tn 1898, on the 14th January, the Oovemment oducatffteal poUcy being the subject of debate, I made tha foUowlng motlOD:— TUm nuiiw oti— I %m iTffli uztoty tlM vrtiUaem 9t O m m tMmM m te tlM poMle mad with tb* workta* and rMUlts of th* adaoMloBia nratem «( th« pr«vtBo«i and to of oplalon that » aolnnw liMHUd b* dtrtoad by which Um i^Mn of ttM PaMto Mhoola may b« nmodded uid wb«r« m cMiary wtdaoad aad «t- tercad with OM Tt*w ut affordlnc to tboM pupUa whoaa adueaUoB badna and aada in aooh achoola aueh furtbar and Inoraaaadr aducattooal advaatasaa aa nay ba praoUeabla. Thia Boaaa to atoo of oplalon that amoov othar daalra bl a sbancM that* ahould ba craatad a conaultaUva or Advlaory Couaoll. for tba aaatotanca oC tha MInlatar of Bdueatloa, on which council ahould ba rapraaantad all tha tf-oMng bodlaa In tha prorlnca. And thto Houm Is alao of oplakm that Btapa ahould ba tahan to raduca tha prica of aehool booka, and thoa laaaan materially tha burdan now tmpoaad upon and boma by tb« people of the pro- ▼laoe. by reaaoo of tha larsa euma they are compelled to pay for auoh booka." In thoaa two yaara thoaa moUona were mada by ma. OC oourae they wara voted dwwn, and Mr. Roaa once, and the Olobe once, perbafpa ttaroush want ol proper information, endeavored to suneat that my Idea waa not a conaultaUya body ohoacn by teachera, but a body to ba appointed. Such an Idea never aatand my head. THB CONBUIiTATIVH COUNCIl.. '^Ith retard to our attitude In relation to thto, I find that In Port Perry Mr. Aoaa gaTO the Information— It waa information to me. my frlenda; rery pleaaant to hear. Indeed— Mr. Roaa abandoned the Jeering attitude with regard to my propoaltion of a oonaultotlve council, and he declared there that thto Idea of mine had been advocated during tha paat yeai^tbat to tbrae or four yeara after I originated It— by the Educational Council m EJngland, and that It had been publicly advocated by two members of no leaa reputo than the I>uke ol Devonshire and the Arohbtobop of Canterbury. And what do you think ha propoaed T He said :— " I would ba wllUng to accept Mr. Whitney's Idea, and let him appoint half of the council, and I would appoint tha ' ''« ha"." Now what a council that would be T (Laughter.) ^Jow much tha ^ - ^ca*' jal Interests of the people would be considered by that council; It would -i be what Mr. Ross thought or what Mr. Whitney wanted that would be conaldered at all, would it? But my proposition waa that the Public school teachara, Bqparate school teachers. High school teachers, professors in colleges and unlverrttlea should, each class of them, elect or choose certain representativee, to form thto conanltatlve l>ody, t hoee advice would be at the dispoaal of the Mintoter at all Umea. And it to coming to that. (Hear, hear.) In order to prove that my Ideaa and the Ideaa of thoae who agreed with me In thto matter, both In the l>gtolature and out of It, with regard to the preoent condition of education are not exaggerated, let me read you a few words of that great man. Sir Daniel Wllaon, the principal of the university, in hto convocation addresa aa long ago aa 1888, on the uniformity of the Public sdhool system of Ontario examinations, that f catering spot on the educational system of the Province of Ontario Now, Sir Daniel Wilson said:— " In truth, professors and students are alike in danger, under the modern system of eUbcnrate programmes, of recognizing the examiners' report and the place in the claas Itota aa the supreme aim and final goal of an academic care^. The educational system which drifts Into such nours-« is on the highway to becoma a mere machine, regulated by the clockwork of some central board to whom a grand paper programme Is the primary essential. It leavea no room for the men on whom the reputaUons of universities have ever most largely depended ; and no time for the wider range of spontaneous and suggeatlve illustration, best calculated to stimulate the enthusiasm of the gifted student The more latitude a th<»oughly qualified! teacher enjoys the greater will ba hto auccess in all but rouUna work. His method may fall short of the depart- mental standard, but It to hto own and the one by which h« will produce the moat successful results." 17 If:: AaA tbcir mtn toM«i worte Ib wif tmaM» opiaton. K«w, Umb. tot ■• i to yoa • few wor*i *jr PrteeiiMl OrMt. ot Qhmo's Unlmvlty, m4 70b wlU iMte wtat good vmpmaj tto OooMnrMlv* OppostUon ta tiM LtcWstor* ur*. " ft anriMlnj tte Outotoa Ooantr Iteobtra' iuwoctaUoa. Prlaelp*! Gmat. « QuMB'a Unlvwilty. dMdt a hard blow at tlM Ontario PtfbUo aehool syatMB. Ho ■ut^a that Oatarto luUI paa — a from a stato of diMnraatoatlOB to a ivOTSO aUto ot orcaalutton, la tho blind bolM that all tkat waa aoodad was more ortanlaaUoa. la tho old ataa* att dopoadod on tbo pupll'a own ladopoadtoiMO. Now a tMChor oould only raaoh him thiouch a olaaa and atudy orgaataatloa. whlob waa not offacttvo. Ha atoo daplMVd tha fact that tha impU'a aarly aSorto wara derotad ao much to writtan axamlaatkxia, thua cramplav tha mind and daatroytnv tha vitality. No two mtnda wara allka. yat. acomyUnc to tha OnUrto ayatam, all waro paaaad throoch tha oaa croora oC atnd}-. Aooordla* to ntodara Idaaa tho study of abati-aota waa jtvaa tha pnfaranoa orar tha raalltlaa. wharaaa but ona mind In a hundrad was capabia o( daallng with tha abstract." I wiirii alao to raad a Mw worda from Profleaaor Ooldwln Smith. Mr. Boas objaota to my Idea ot tha cor«nlt»tlve bodjr bacauaa It intarfarad with tho r»- ■ponalblUty of tha Hlalstara. My propoalUan waa madeparfacUy claar that tha Mintatera ahould not bo obliged to taka tha advlca and tharaforo It would not Int. fara with tha raapoaslblUty. Profaaaor Ooldwla Smith says :— " Naxt to tha ttanbar Mil, tha moat Importaat thing In ha aiaalnn of th« Ontario tiegtalatura was Mr. Whitney's pronoonoamant In CaTor of a raform In tha Dapartmant of BdaoaUon. To his proposal of an Advlaory CouncU of azparU for tha aaalstanca of tha Minister, Mr. Ross is reported as having replied that It would be Impoaalbla for a Parlia- mentary Minister to act with an Advlaory CounclL Why ao T In Bngland both the Parliamentary Minister for India and the Parliamentary First Ijord of the Admiralty act with advisory eouncils of experts, and no difficulty has baaa found m either case. Tha Utla of the Minister of Education himself is Vloe- Presldent of the Committee of Privy Council of Bducatlon. the Privy CouaoU being a non-Parliamentary body ; and he has also experts to assUt him. It Is to be hoped that Mr. Whitney, havlngr put his hand to thU plow, will not turn back. If he goes forward ha wlU carry with him the best wishes of all tha true friends of education." And be will not turn back. (Loud ethaars.) In 1897, Just before the general elections, Mr. Roes waa excited over tha attitude of the people with regard to the price of school books, and Mr. Ross has expended a large amount of printing ink and paper In bis organs throughout the province in order to prove that you people have t>aid Just so many dollars and cents, I think he brings it to $4.M that you spend for all the aohool booka that are neceasary up to a certain couraa. Well, It never occura to Mr. Ross, api>arently, that you people who buy books know what you pay, and he tells you plainly, practically tells you this is wl»at you pay ; you don't know what you pay— I know what you pay, I tell you, and you ought to be thankful for the information. He issued a commission secretly without the knowledge of the public, without the knowledge of the press, vrlth- out the knowledge of the members of the Legislature, enu)Owering certain very estimable gentlemen to enquire Into the price and cost of school books and report on that. And on the last day of the Legislature of 1898 ihe report of these gentlemen was put upon the desk of the members. These commissioners met itt secret, and there waa a list of witnesses given to them, 20 or 22 of them, two of them were experts of the department, who gave technical evidence, ajid the other 18 or 20. I forgot which it was— I have the names here, and the report here— every one of these witnesses was either a papermaker, a book publisher, or bookseller— (Hear, hear)— and they gave evidence, and the com- missioners reported that the cost of school books was not too high. What « strange thing for tbem to do t (Laughter.) And when the proper time comes U ttma U mtM of Om Mtitn «( wn« of tte •tM*bm ttet «M fIVMi ktfor* that — iiniil1«w, crMiBM whteh Z mr biN to-Blght wm AiittMOir talw mA tat«B4M to A«w tiM oommlHloaari tint th* ooal of odwol booin wu lowor tkaa tte aottwl coot wm. (AvplMWO.) CHBiU>aR •OBOOLSOOXS. In my optnkm Jtho coot of tbo oehool books caa bo notorially loworod, oaA. If In no othor war. that rooolt can bo attaiaod by tho pubUcation of thon^by tbo OoTonixMutt Woll. If r. Chatrmaa, a yoar or ao afo, or noro, Mr. Rooo bocaa to ooo bow tbo tido waa tumlac la thio proylneo ; iio bofan to wo that tbo pooplo had mado up thoir mlBda that thoy would haro oomo ehanto with rocard to thta ooltool- book quMtloa, aad that his Mtuatton aa Mtolator of Kducatlon was boooniac untenablo. or at looat, unploassnt. Mr. Rooo ran away from tho Dopartnont of Education, and thoroforo Mr. HAroourt assumod tho bordon. UmVKR8ITT OF TORONTO. With rotard to tho Unlyorslty at Toronto. I say la ao nnploasaat ton*, aor wttb any I m propor nMaalnc, th"t Mr. Roos has boon tho ovil gealus of that laotltutlon. I oay the offoct of Mr. Rooa* oonoootiono with, and his aotloas with regard to tho Unlvtrslty hay* boon a dtotlnct drawback and Injury aad damaco to it for years back. And I oould show that he has Interfered with almost ever) thiac tho faculty wished to do ; ho has endeavored to keep control as he had control of the "^epcuiment of Bducatlon, when, aa cno of tho offlolals told me, if a ..*aa tried to .Irlve a nail In with a hammer ho wbuld bo broucht up before the Minister of Education to ezplata his oonduut. Ho Is datormlaed to see that nothing is done that dooa not n>I>aar to him as aa IndlTldual to bo Just and proper to be done, and this has oocurred with regard to tho Untvorslty ot Toronto, aad It has hampered it for years, until it has been brought Into a condition of stagnation, out cf which, with the help of tho Opposition, it will bo drawn before very long, I hope. To prove what I say with regard to tho attitudo of the Government. X « had utterly misconceived tho effects of the system. iHo spoke witl. .^owledgo. as a man who had stood aloof from the Public schools of the provlnoe." etc. As moon as I got my breath, I asked Mr. Harcourt not to dismiss Prof. Xx>u« don before the end of the year, but he got a little angry then, and ho said It was not the intention to dismiss him at alL I said. If ho Is the man you describe him, Ike otight to be dismissed. But if you noticed, he did not attack Principal Orant, nor he did not attack Prof. Watson, of Queen's TTnlverslty, who came up here and made the most thorough exposure of the educational system of this provlnoe. Now. the situation was getting Intolerable, and at last It fell to the Opposi- tion in tho Liegislature to take a stand upon this question. The Opposition Sid take a stand upon the question, and I made an ann&anceiiiieiit in the Legis- lature ona night which I think I had better read to you, although I am afraid I may tire yoa. The reason I toad it to yon is this, sa I will encplatn after- wards^ the Olobe newspaper did not pubUA this ennouncement of mine oa the University question. These are the words I used :— "With a true foundation thut. laid, and the interests of those who cannot hope to go further than the Publlo school in the acquirement of education, and whose «!•• 9t UBtTwriltir •tacatloa. TkoM wto w* waiditaMr tt* ■niM MtoT* ttot w* v* ■MMroaAtM » »artod «r grMt oovortair'obotadoo ia tbo way of proparatloa. Wo bhmc Mko ■ forward position oa tb« Ualyonltjr qaooUoa. or oloo ooor ot to bo Mt ho p oloo ol y ia tho roar, with tiM dioootrous rtwlto, ono of wtalob will inovitaMy bo that our yvvn* nwa wttt ff» tioowlMro for lil«hor odooatioa. It ia too lato now to dtocun acadomloally Om qaootloa of tho adriMbtUtir of a SUto or ProTlaelal UntvM^ty. It la a ooadltlOB not a ttovory. with wMch wo havo to doal. Tbo Prorlaoial Unlvoroity, wblob ia at oaoo a proivtaolal aaaot, ao to apoak. and a public truat, has boon dragster aloat for mi r yoara, Oaina nobio worli. oonaldorlnv tlio maaas at its dls'^ooaL SoToral otbar oollacoo liavo eomo In u ier tlM fodoratlon aeftOBM, and tiM UalToroitjr has atnicylad on Tll^"^llly undar groat dlAouItioo. Tocr aftor yoar. thooo ooaaeeted wltb It and boot ablo to ludgo of Its roqalromonto, hava pr aa s ad upon tbo Proirlaatal OoTomment its urpant nooda, but iwaotieally a doaf oar has booa turaad to all tboir appoala. Tbo attuatloa baa at laat baaoiaa aouto, and. Indoad. Intolerablo. Wo must oitlior support or abandon tbo Ui Ivorslty. Wo liavo arrlvad at tba parting of tbo waya, and wo nrast daclda whaitbor wo will forward or drop baok." " Baicg convincod that tba paopia of the provtnoa aro unwilling tlutt tbo proaant oonody of the Unlveraity aball have more Influence and power In the appointment of profeaoors, and In the internal management of the Inatltutlon than at preaent." " The f eea ahould be ao regulated that the aona and daughtera of the rela- ttvely poor may find practlcaUy an ' open duor ' s.1 the Unlveraity." "We believe that the fund provided by the succeaalon dutlea ahould be drawn upon for, at any rate, tha annual payment to the Unlveraity, or a pereentags of the amount realised from such duties ahould be devoted to that purpose. If It be that the moneys arising from the aucceaslon dutlea were to be devoted to keeping up tfie asylums and charitable Inatitutlona, the answer Is that edu- cattonal instttuaons are "cbarlttea," In xiki eyes of the taw. This is well-settled doctrine." " It ia not roaalble to Ignoi-e, in the conalderatlon of this very Important quea- tlon, the subject of Queen's University. Ita standing as a great educational Inatltutlon la well knt wn. From a small beginning, its foundation caused and Justified by the then condition of our educational ayatem, It haa gone on grow- ing deservedly In importance and Infiuence. until to-day It Is not too much to /I Uto ao ■nan 9tft tr tto flioMtlOMa IM tt tlM piMlM*. It to agMlr ftmmA vnr. Roimtw, air. m I tov* mM. w« •*• «MUa« wItt a«t ttoerlM. W* toltoTt ttmt tto sMp* 1 !!»▼• te«lwt«« "hortd to wltilMt Majr* wtth rctMWM* to tto PiorUMtai UnlTMilty. »aA thm MT _ t«y to «4v»iiy offlea In tha LaHatotnra and thankad ma (Or tha poaitloa whi> my aollaafnaa and I had tahan. (Applaaaa.) •traat* to aay, bar* waa now a vary taaporUat qoaotlon. a (Ormat daolaratfcm ot th© policy of ona of tha two graat political partiaa, and yat tha Oloto did aot publiah a word of It. 1 maka no charta, I marrty atate tha (aqt : not oaa word ncardlfi* tha attitude of tha Oppoaltion on thla craat quaatlon toaad Ita ./ay tato tha columna of tha Oloto. Straavar atlU to aay, a taw daya or a wa* jttarwarda In aa aditorial In tha Oloto, I raa4t that* worda : " It to cratltyta* that Mr. Whltnay baa tahan up ao oorract and wlaa a poalttoa." (Laujhtar.) " On thto aa on tha quaatioa of aiding Quaan'a Unlvarrtty, Mr. Wbltnay-a poal- tlon in unaxcepUonab'-^." And rtlVI thay would not print my poalUon. Now, I would Hka to Intactaa wtot Mr. Roaa* taallnga vera, and what bia laacuaca waa when bo '>»ad tbaaa two excerpta which I have taken from tto Oloba. Thay ■ay we hara " no policy." and yet aay alao that our policy la " unaxoapUonabla." (Xianchtar.) THB PROVmCIAIi FINANCB8. On another occasion 1 will endeavor to ahow mora fully tha raaaona why tho flnaneial aystem of the Oovammant andad In diaaatv, tot the niarkad feature of the management of Ontario flnancea by the preaant Oovernment baa toan the lar»e and steady Increase of axpendltura, accompanied by tncreaaed taxation, while at the same time tha raaourcea of tha provlnco bare bean waated and rtvan away to trlenda of tha OoTemmant without any adequate returiL Tha expenditure for tho ordinary aenrlcea ot goyammant other than paymenta for railways, public worto, and bulldlnsa waa : In 1874 |1,«00,000 InUM I,»00,000 In 1900 - •.WO.OOO in the !ast ten yeara thla nxpendltura for ordinary aervtcea baa increased (practically) $700,000, while at the sanqa time new taxes from succession duties, licenaes, distillers, and oompanlea were Imposed, which laat year produced over lfiSO.0OO. Durlngr the last session succession duties were extended to cover movable property outside the province, and an tsxtraordtnary provision was ntade where- by the amounf f a man's debts will determihe the amount of succession duty— the more tha* 1 owea the greater tha duty to be paid on hU estate. And even with these t axes the expenditure continuae to incraaaa several hundred thousand dollt..s yearly toyond tto revenue. U MXU STRATTOmi DSCBPTIOM. WMk • Ttaw tm atalflaOliis tli* pwpl* aa to this InerMM of expenditar* and n«w t««>tloB, Mr. Stratton «tot«d at Newtaston. tn Stormont, and acalB at Tam, in arooak ttaat " tbm aapendttiira In UOO waa onir tSl,000 greatar than in U74.'* TIM mooar paid oat in UOO waa only tU.OOO mora than la U74, bat in U74 ti.MO,000 of gaadflold Ifaodonald'a caab aurplua was dlatrtbatad to tba ratmletpaUtieM, none mm paid tliem in UOO : in U74 |1U,000 of olargy resenro monoy, called th« nmnletpalltiaa' fond, ~waa paid to tha muniolpalitiaai none in UOO. And in t h e— two Itema alone Me. Btratton, a raaponaibla Minlatar, under- took to deceiTO tha people to the extent of a million and a half of dollara. And in U74 the expenditura on pnblio building*, irorka and railwaara waa muob in exeoM ot UOO. INCRBA8INO S2XPBNDITTTRB. In the yean 1894 to 1898, except U97, when there waa a largely increawd revenue owing to the mining boom, the annual expenditure ayeraged from 88.700,000 to 88,800,000, while the annual revenue^ other than meaeya borrowed or reeeived aa bonua on timber aalea^ averaged from 88,800,000 to $8,400,000, thna leaving an annual deflcH of from three to four hundred thouaand doUara, except in U>7. Thia waa Jie contHition of the Oppoattlon at the laat general election, and they aaaerted that direct taxation mnat fcdlow untoaa the expenditure waa reduced. After the election, in 1899, Mr. Hardy admitted Ita truth by impoaing new taxes on lioenaea, dlatlUerlea, and companlea, excluding banka, railroads. Are and life inanranee companies, and othera, to the extent of $860,000 XP*^^! which must be deducted! from the bonua to bo added to the poUdea in favor of the widows and orpbana UOO Iiaat year, 1900, the total receipts were about $4,800,000, but of thla no leas than $070,000 waa for bonus on timber sale ($680,000) and prlneipal of drainage debenturea ($34,000), so that the Income waa not ever $8,630,000, apart from timber bonua. The expenditure In the same year waa $4,000,000, deducting from which the grants to the Ottawa Fire and Patriotic Funds ($38,000), the Northern Survey ($86,000), and the re-purchase of asylum mortgagee ($08,000). in all 8186,000, we have atlll an expenditure of $3,864,000, which ahould have been met by the revenue of $3,530,000, but waa not, there being a deficit for UOO of over $800,000, covered up by a timber xale. UOL ■ For the current year, 1901, the estlmatedi expenditure, Inclading railway pay- ments. Is $1,160,000, to meet which the estimated revenue is only $3,800,000. The expenditure has increased over that from 1894 to 1898 by $360,000, and another deficit of that amouui. Is In view foe the current year. This deficit it ia sought again to temporarily cover by another timber sale to be held this year. More taxation must be expec. .d, especially as such sales cannot be held every year, and the revenue from timber points to a steady diminution. No attempt Is made to reduce expenses, but, on the contrarjr, they steadily increase. Mr. Whitney next diealt with the scrap iron assessment, showing how the (Sovemment had legislated In favor of the sorporations so soon aa the judg- ment in favor of the companies known aa the " acrap Iron " deciaion had been given. LAW REFORM. Now there ia the question of law reform. For years no eameat attempt has been made to grapple with this question at all, and I have no heoitation in saying that some of the changes have not had the desiAd effect and have not - tad a rood «flMt OflOMioMll7 the Ooirtrnnwnt hmm adoptad. with a cnat floarUOi of trumpets, aome BncUsli 8totut« and said, " Sm wlnat we have donek" whm It waa an exact transcript of an SncUsh SUtute passed a few years before. We say that the Dlvlalon Court must not be abolished, that It must remain the poor man's Court, in which the strict rules of evidence and technicalities shall not have a place. In which a sensible and intelligent judge shall have the power to get at the facta in 4 case unhampered by the more technical methods of the higher Courts ; we say that some of the anomolles attached to the Division Court should be removed, but It should remain essentially, as now, the poor man's Court. "We say the great object of the Iieglslature should be the lessening of the expense of litigation, expenditing the results of it, and provide one provincial appeal from a trial judge. (Applause.) That is our position and the position by which we propose to stand. MR. ROSS' PROGRAMMB. Now I come to Mr. Ross' programme. A financial commission was issued to endeavor to find the surplus whl«sh they said had existed during all these years In which many of you and myself have grown up from young men Into men that havn passed the prime of life. The financial commission, however, did not say there wtus a surplus, although the Government has claimed a sur- plus of from four to six millions. Next is the drainage question. I wish some of you would get that Act and read the preamble and see how long your head aches after you read it. You are aware that the Government of Ontario has the power to recommend to the Legislature, and tfae Legislature has the right to carry, any grant in aid of under-drainage, and for years it has been the custom, very often properly, of the Government to propose to the Legislature certain grants for drainage in differ- ent parts of the province, and these grants were made. Now Mr. Ross made a great flourish of trumpets about an Act which allowed him to do something which he had had the power' to do and had done for years. REMOUNTS. Mr. Ross declared that he would establish remount stations, and that he was In communication with the Imperial Government. Shortly afterwards I asked if he had received a reply. After studying quite a while, Mr. Ross said that the answer of the War Department had been unfavorable. I can show you here, from Lord Strathcona's report and from other sources, that the British Govern- ment has been going on buying horses, and there were 3,380 horses bought between April and July of this year. Mr. Ross tells you' that he is going to do great things in the matter of the remounts, but it Is like the Clergue question, the things are 1>eing done without him. DRESSED BEEP. Now as to Ihe dressed beef. I am afraid that Is In some places a tender question. Dr. Pyne, as long 8«o as 1898, in a speech in this city, ad- vocated the obtaining of a market for dressed beef in Great Britain and yet his suggestion fell apparently on unheeding ears. Mr. Ross said that his Government was going to take such steps that the farmers of this province would find a market in Great Britain for their dressed beef. He spoke as If he knew all about It, but within a week Mr. Davles, a supporter, told him in the Globe that it would be Impossible to find a market In Great Britain until Ontario got better cattle. Lord Strathcona, in his report, said that until Canada can fu«iiah a large and constant supply of cattle equal to those of the United States the prospect of establishing a paying chilled beef trade Is small Indeed. Here we have the Premier telling what he Is going to do to get a dressed beef market, and then one of his colleagues instead of working night and day, as his m Oatr wooM b*. to help onrsUIllM Into metoMl txl'HonM tlw poitey •( hto ofefK ■aya tr an oblaet Immb to tho wholo olTUlMd wortd, th«r« to uo qm tn tryiac to ntoo bMf In Ontario. Dakota to the placo to ratoa tt i (ApplaoM*) Mow It to not a crime to go to Dakota and Invoat In a raneta at aU, but It to a malrtr- ■atlon of tato duty for the Minister of AJtrioultur* of the 7*rovlnoe of Ontario to do that which will mlUUte agralnat the IntereaU of dr«iMed beef tn Ontaito, to aay nothing about the deliberate Iniult which he offers to the position taken by hte chief and leader. (Applause.) Then Mr. Pettyplefce, whom I know very well— a very renlal man who got Into the Lftfflslaitura by accident last election, and there Is no Joke about that, he will admit It himself— althouvb a stronc Oovemment supporter, denounced Mr. Dryden'a conduct and Instoted that he should be relieved from office. Quite a hubbub was raised In the Oovemment ranks, but Mr. Pettyplece stood by bis gruns. Now, Hon. Mr. Strattoa to m colleague of Mr. Drydon, and Mr. Pettyplece justlfled his attack on Mr. Dryden at a meetinff in hto constituency, to hto people, and they unanimously endorsed hts attitude, and Mr. Dryden's colleague, Mr. Btratton. stood by and apparently took part lb the ccmdemnation of his colleague! Imagine, if you can, a Brlttoh Minister standing on the platform by the side of a man who to denouncing the aot of his colleague, a Cabinet Minister, and the Minister present saying nothing in i«ply and remaining la that Oovemment ! (Appluse.) NICKBL. Another article in Mr. Ross' programme was nickel, but he (Mr. Whitney) would not give a nickel for all the results of that programme. (Iiaughter.) The cold-storage policy of the Oovemment had resulted Ip one cold-storage station takihg advantage of the Act which was passed. The only effect of the grants to the highways had been to make the County and Township Coundto anarreL BUDCTION SCANDAIiS. "Now then," continued Mr. Whitney, "for some of the things for which the Oovemment should be condemned." The public knew all alwut West EHgln and North Waterloo, but these questions were of Inflnltely more importance with regard to public morality and the happiness of the people than any ethers. He had called upon the Lleutenant-Oovemor, as the representative of Her Majesty, even if his Ministers were unwilling, that the cover should be taken off this Iniquity, to compel them to do so. and he had also appealedl to the religious press, but he could not say that he saw any appreciable answer" to that request. All summer thto agitation was kept up, and at last a commission was appointed— to do what ? He said It publicly that the commission was issued with the deliberate Intention of concealing the frauds and preventing punishment. (Hear, hear.) The instructions to the commlsskm excluded all the scoundrels who had done the evil work excepting one or two. and the investigation was confined to the acts of the RetumlnR Officers. Deputy Returning Officers and Poll Qlerks : The commissioners exceeded their authority when they Investigated the bum- ing of the West Elgin ballots at the Parliament Buildings. Nine or ten boxes containing the bye-election ballotp were deposited on one side of the room, and all the boxes relating to the other 94 elections were placed on the other. Some- body, as the commissioners sa'd. undoubtedly went over and took one of the nine boxes that should not have been touched, and, stranger still, took the one containing the poison which would have killed the Ontario Oovemment ! And yet, the commissioners. Judges though they were, had the assurance to tell the people of this province that It was done involuntarily and by accident! The three men who signed the report might believe It. but they were the only human beings in the province who did. (Applause.) Mr. Whitney repeated u ^nn^ ids daoUurmtloa that the GorammMt Omx* not proMouto Prttcbett. who challmc- •i proMoaUoo. for if he w«a proMoutad It would bo dlaeovored that tho sUmy track or the machine led backward to a room adjacent to that of the Bxecttttre Coanell of the Parliament Bulldlnca. Beferrlnc to th4 recent proeecution of WUdfong and Cummlnra In Noi^th Waterloo, Mr. Wl tney wld the^-e wae no IntenUon that there ahould be a con- viction, and he was eorry to eay it, but the Attomey-Oeneral of Ontario had decraded and dlagraced hla hlvh office by the course he pursued In this matter. (Hear, hearj The speakM' said he would read' some extracts from the press on this subject. The Farmers' Sun said on different occasions :— " If, In the proeecution of ordinary crime, the crfHclals of the Crown were to follow the course adopted by the Oovemment In West EUgln, would not the resulU be likely to prove as Inconclusive as the result of the enquiry there ? How many parties would be convicted of crime in this province if the Crown prosecutors were to rely f<»- evidence at the trial not upon the result of close Investiffatloo and enquiry, but upon such witnesses as mlsht come forward' in answer to advertisements ? How many bank robbers would be Jailed if no detectives were set upon their tracks, and the resources of those charged with the administration at Justify were not freely drawn up-v T In the West EUffln case there has been a conspicuous absence of effort to brine the cf'rcAmm to Justice, and although the crimes were committed eighteen months a3'j, not a single detective has been put upon the trail, nor a single erlminal put behind the bars." "The latest act of the Government Is the appointment of counsel to conduct the so-called Investigation. Tet in Its choice of counsel It persisted in its mistaken course. It is beside the question for Mr. Roes to talk of the honor of the men whom he selected to conduct the enquiry. However honorable the ful business is growing deeper rather than abating. If the Oovemment would hardly take him from the side of the prisoner and Instruct him to present the case against his own client. Tet the Oovemment has placed the bringing out of the evidence in the West Elgin case in the exclusive control of two men, one of whom Is ^e legal adviser of the very machine charged with the commission of the frauds and the other is an active Liberal politician who was only recently employed as counsel for his party In election matters. In its appointment of counsel the Oovemment has showu a dlsregrard of public decency which has, we believe, hardly a parallel in the history of Canadian politics. As to whether the object of the Oovemment in making these appointments was to ensure that the facts should be brought out or that the facts should be concealed we leave our readers to draw their own conclusions. Public disgust over this whole shame- ful business is growing deepw rather than abating. If the Oovemment would escape from the tangled web It has been weaving and do Its full duty to the public, it cannot too quickly change its course." Mr. Whitney said he bad also a complaint from the Kingston Whig, a staunch L'^eral paper, which denounced the Oovemment for t'ae failure of Justice Ir dO case of WlMfong and Cummings. The Whig said :— "Th. prosecuUon of Mr. Wlldfong, who was a deputy-retum- Ing officer in the N«r, and should be dlspossd oC "PKdj by public competition. It is hardly necessary to say tha,t tbs poUcy of the Opposition regarding sawlogs, which has brought about such beneficial results, must be continued. FINANCS8. Tbe financial padtloa of the province is the key to the situation. With our ezt«urive resources the problem of the provincial finances can be easily sotved. leaving the way clear for such Increased expenditure on agriculture and education as m^ be found necessary and desirable, and this result can be arrived at without periodically selling timber Umlts, or. In other words, coital stodc, to cover up an anticipated deficit caused by the excess of annual ex- penditure over aa;.aal income. AOBICUliTimE. Orants for ssttonltural purposes should be increased, and espselally looking forward to the earty establishment of additional agricultural schools. FOOD TRAiraPORTATION. We Aould co-operate heartily wltb the Dominion Oovemment in improv- ing the facilities for the transportation ot onr food products, and our Depart- ment of Agriculture should, without any further delay, address itself to the qnestkm of ttie improvement of the breed cf our cattle, in order that we saay obtain a market In Oreat Britain for dressed beef, and allow the dressed beef of Dakota to find a market without our assistance. HDUCATION. The Public School oarrioulum must be so cbanged and framed that the ninety-five per cent, of our ebild.'en who cannot go further than the Public ■HH^iiiliiMMtfaaMillil iiiiil aaiB t ■dMOl Witt thart no^tn ttic hutt poarrfU* adiMattoB loltad to thalr IwTtac ncsM MiMctaUy to the teot that tbtlr •dnoatSo* 'al Counclla to ^empt from taxation the property of certain oorporatlona for thrm yeara at a time without the ccwsect of the i-atepayera I nie faot that the leader of a Oovemment dared to submit such leglalatlon. coupled with the fact that he carefully refrained from alluding to it when b^ore the people, ia a aignlflcant indication of the position of the Oovemmenr with relatloo to the great corporations, and a startling inUmation to the ratepayera of the province of the dangera that confront them. Will the ratepayera quietly submit or will they give their assistance to the Oppoeition ao that this question may be settled once and forever in their favor f BAIiLOT 8T3tAUNO. While the moral aenae of the people of Ontario wlU no doubt, soon speak in unmistakable tones and render it very dUUcult, if not impossible, for a Oovemment ever again to hold power by virtue of the violation nt the ballot- box, and tha deatruotion of the evidence of guilt, or to stand between the actual perpetratora of theae Crimea e hetr Just punishment, yet legislation must be had to render collusion betw such criminals and the benefloiaries of their Crimea Impoaaible in the future. As to the difflcultlea in the way, we must not forget that, at preaenl, at any rate, the men in whose power it may lie to expedite or retard auch legla- latlon are those who could see no harm in the tnfamoua census circular, those on whose behalf the bye-elections of 1898 were stolen, those who have not felt ashamed to hold olBce and receive aalariea und«- auch droumataacea, thoae in wteae Intereat the incriminating baUota in Weat Blgla were burned, thoae who caiefnUy concealed the destracUon of this evidnoe, those who strained evwy ii I ;i utm to prvTwit foU iBTMtlcatloa ; thoM who har* m Our ■ u a e wt fully c fc M >> ad inattc*. and ahteldad from puntabnMBt tlM rofiMia wImm Mts have ktpt thorn ta 0000 ; and tha poopio will not forfot that, attar aU. tlila tbolr laadar, wtth " faoo oC tripla braaa. ' anno>inc«a to tha poopla, whoao hmor ha haa outracad. that a portion of hta poller will ba tlio improvamant and anforotoMnt oC all lawa affoetlnf publlo morality," and furthar. " I ahaU darotfc aU my asarslaa not almply to the darelopment of tha country, bat to tha moral Improrammit of the people. Blchteouaneaa exalteth a nation I " "Thla la the anU-ollmaz," continued Mr. Whitney. "Hera we haTa the senQraoan who haa been the prime mover In all these acta, deUverin* hlmaalf aa I have Just read." The speaker lald he proposed to addresa other meetlnva lu different parta of the province, and would then dlacosa In mora detail acveral of tha aubjeeta he had touched upon, aa well aa othera upon which he waa then unable to tooeh. They were ready to go to the country now, but before the general election they would perhapa aatlafy the curioalty of thoae of their opponeata who were woader- ln« iriiat elaa they (the Opposition) were going to do. AN BLOQUSmr PBROBATION. Mr. Whitney oloaed hla speech of nearly three houra with thia eloquent peroration :— Mr. ChairmaA,— God haa abundantly blessed thla country in which we live. If we do not forset this fact, and if we realise that by the law of compenaatlon — froin which there ts no appeal— some return must be made, by nationa as wen aa individuals, for the benefits and bleaainga which they have recevled. then we will be able to pass on to our children the happy condltlona under whlcfi we have lived. J dread, sir, to contemplate the reverse of the picture, and my confidence in the love of fair play, the love of lustlce and in the aelf-reapeot of our people rendera it unne ce s s a r y. Aa for my colleagues In the Legialatnra and myself, we do not prate of our capacity or of our virtue. We believe that tha people of Ontario desire honest and clean government, and therefore we ask the assistance and co-operation of all those who are ready to defend the publlo honor and public decency. We will endeavor to do our duty, '^e will ask the people to Judge us by the same atandard by which we now aak them to Judge our opponents. If we fail, we shall know what to expect, while 11 we succeed— even mecunirably— we know that we will receive from the people that appreciation which all public men who do their duty have a right to expeet, and more than which they have no right to ask. At the conclusion of the ad^^ess Mr. Whitney resumed his seat amid i>ro- longed applause. A vote of thanks was then tendered him, which was moved by W. H. Hoyle, M.P.P. for North Ontario, and seconded by Dr. Kalaer. of South Ontario, and carried with three hearty cheers. <0 Mr. Whitney at Charleston On 9mpit. i*tti, 1901, Mr. Whitney and Mr. Poy addrMsad an •nthuslaatio puMlo 'naatlns at Oharlaaton, in tha Oounty «f Paal. Ha said, in part:— Mr. Chalmuin, ladies and gcntltmAO, of the County o< Pool— I haro lookod forward with a rreat deal of pleasurefVto my Tiait to tbis County ; I wished to ■ee and become acquainted with the people of the County which produces men like Bobert Blaln and Samuel Chartwa. (Applause.) I speak of the two men as representatives of the County of Peel, because although the formal part of electins Mr. Charters ha" not yet been gonp through with, it will b* gone through with before very long, and then my good friend Mr. John Smith wUl feel bound to acquiesce In the choice of the pele of the County of PeaL Before I say anything with regard to matters political, I desire to concur In the Tei7 proper and irraceful words used by my friend Mr. Foy with regard to the terrible affliction which Providence in His Infinite Wisdom has chosen to bring down upon the people of the United States — a people practically one with ourHPlvea in many respects as you are all aware. The peculiar enormity of the crime brings It home to every British heart, brings It home to every man and woman, dtisene of any civilized country, who has proper regard not only for fair play and for Justice but for the laws either of Ood or of man. The murdered Fiesldent was not only a man who occupied with acceptability to his people the high position of Chief Magistrate of the United States, but he had proved conclusively within the few short years during which he had occupied that DCMition that he was able to take his country Into a war and bring it out again, and also able to do that which I am sure appeals most strongly to every person within sound of my voice, namely, tu bring into closer accord the two great nfltions of the world whose duty evidently in the future is under Ood's Pro- vidence to march forward together In one grand procession, having for Its objective point the protection of life and liberty, and the advancement of civilization and of Christianity everywhere. (Applause.) Now, ladles and gentlemen, there are a great many things I would like to discuss with you to-day, a number of which however I must pass over because " enough is e.8 good as a feast," even of political subjects, but some few of them I shall have to deal with, and I promise you I will make my reference to them as short as pcesible. I am glad to see and meet with you ; I am glad to stand before this large audience, eep«cia11y when I think that I, the humble representative of the Conservative party of the Province of Optarlo, have been taunted and twltidd in the past by the assertion, which was false to the knowledge of the men who made it, that we have no policy and no standing before the people. And one proof of our standing with the people la that here in this County of Peel we are welcomed to-day by an audience such am the whole Ross aggregation has not been able for months to bring together for a similar purpose. (Applause.) All over the Fiovlnce of Ontario the Ministers have gone out, hunting In couples, for what ? For some recomltiea of what they say is the credit to irtilch they are entitled at the hands of the people of the province. liOt me dM I Ml y«« thii. uid M M flMtt tktak I mb «an«g««tiw wto«i I mj It, ^^_^ tlM ronl dtotrlota of tlM Prortac* of Ontario eat of twmty cr ttUrty bmump ImU by th* MlBlatan Umm wtrc aot thiM «t nMoh Umt* war* tteM baadrt* paopto pit— nt- (ZAasktMT.) ▲ad M w« biiT* daddad that It i& not uooommt for tw t« so ob what |a ooUod o tour tbrousliout tho provineo. but wo will go to certain plaoao aad •ttoaq^ to ahow what Is tho position and tho elalma of tho CoBMrrattro panjr with rotoronco to tho bonoflts which wo lay we wlU bo ablo to brln« to tho poopto ot tho Provlnoo. lomoono hao oald. porhapo It woo both Mr. Fojr and Mr. Chartors, that tho Mlnlotora and thalr party havo not admlttod that thoy haro dono anythln* wronc w that thoy woro aorry for havln* dona anything of tho kind. Wall parhapa occasionally wa hava hoard expreaslon% of regrot for aonto of tho acta ot aoma of tha friends of the Mlnlatera, but I have aaan nothing yat la tha nature of any axpraaslon which shows any ponlMnco for thalr orlBMS. And ponltanco la naceaaary. Does not tha wall known Laatan byam ■ay, " In valB the ontwayd atgn of grief; In vain tbe fninal (rarer, Onlcae the hearl Implore reUef And penitence be th»re." Who orar heard of panltanoo being azpraasad by any apologist of tha Roas OoTommant T (AppUuaa.) Ask my friend Mr. John Smith whether thoy ar* aorry and whether he feaU penitence : whether ha can beat hla breast and And an echo coming from there that telU him he la permeated with the spirit of penltenoe for the misdeeds as a supporter of the Ross OoTemment T (Laugh- ter and applause.) THO SCHOOL BOOK QITB8TION. Coming to the consideration of public questlona let us take the question of education, than which there Is no question of greater Importance. (Hear, hear.) We have stated over and over 'again the position of the Conservatl ^-e Party, and I wlU now refer only to the subject of school books. A sensible system of school books must be brought Into existence and the people not be worried and harried as they have been year after year with regard to them. (Applaase.) Mr. Ross tella us, with the greatest condescension, I was going to say. that It cosU only a few dollars to buy all the school books necessary for the Ontario coune. What do I aay In reply 7 I say nothing about It, beoauaa I know that you know what you pay better than Mr. Roes knows (Applauae), and therefore I do not think It worth while to take up your time and my own proving to you what you vend for school books when each one of yon knows best hlmaelf , If any person on earth knows. (Applause.) A pracUeal revolution la nofded In the Department of EducaUon In this province, and ualaea I am very much mis- taken the appointment of a Superintendent of Bducatlon will become absolutely neoeaaaor before very long. Mr. Roas, in 1S97, Issued a oommlsslen In secret to a number of gentlemm to inquire into, take evidence en, and report on the question whether the price of school botdu was too high. He did this In aacrat, a thing that no Brttl^ Cabinet Minister has ever been guUty ot doing, and f have challenged over and over acaln, without getting a reply, the produotlon of an instance of such a thing having been done. The public was not made acquainted with It : the memben of the LegiaUtnre knew nothing of It Tha oommlaaion met in secret and took evidence, and on tbe day before the last day of the Seaslon of the last Parliament, In January UN, the report of these gentle- men was laid on the desk of each member too late to be discussed. And this was the first intimation that such a commission had been Issued. And what do yott think the report was? Why, It was that the price of school books was not too high. (lArghtn:.) Now I have their report here, and a Ust of the wltneaeea, and tMr* w* twwtr wltBMMs. Two o( tbam war* •Uttetloa w lU iwwf tA for* tbclr OTidtnoo to o( no parUeuUr ooB»»«*> tut wbo do too thtak tko ottaor tlchtMn war* r Thoir naiBw war* flron to th* eomintmloiMra, and tfeor woro told to call ttaon oad no oaa otoo. I will r.ad you tlio umM if jreu ai* It. Init trorr on* of thorn was oithar a papor makor, a bookbiadwr, or a book poMMtw I (Lraushter and applau^o.) Waa It not a atraac* thins that that eom- ralHton ahould raport that tha price of achool booka waa not too hich T Too haTO raad In tha papara Utaly aomathinr about a ■aatlaraaa eallad Voran*. a pnbllaher In Toronto. Ha haa thrown down tha taca of battla to thO Oorammant Ha haa aaid that thara la a achool book rln* In tha ProriBO* of OnUrio, and that ha la (oinc to break It up. I aay to you alao that thara la a aehool book r|nr In tha Proytnca of Ontario compoaod of a few publlahara, aiTMT oo* of whom haa become a wealthy man, and I bellava arary ona of whom ooBtrlbtttao money to the Ortt election fund. (Applauae.) Now thara waa aa acraameat for tan yaara, which expired In ItM, and waa renewed than for ten yaara more. It waa an agreement between the Oovemment and certain book pub- UShara, to thia effect. For certain aeu of Raadera the acreamant provided that tbaaa fantlamen were to publUh them at a certain price. lu thoaa raadara ware a lot of atorlaa and aeUctlons from Envllah wrltera, the copyrishta of which ware and are held In Bngland. Then there la a proriaion In thia contract— and I want to ahow you now how ounnlnv aome people can be, and how much dodflnv can ba dona in auoh oontracta by men who wtoh to dodge. Thara to a clauaa which proTldaa that If any ouUlde pubHaher wiahea to take a hand in publiahinc thaaa booka, thaaa gentlamen, tha partiaa of tha flrat part, will conaant that ha ahall do ao and do all In their power to aid him to become atoo a pubUahar of aehool botdca. By the way. one of the achool booka aaya to-flay that ihara to a popntotlon of 80,000 in tha City of Toronto I That la one of the Itema of hiatory that you find In a achool book, and you And aararal mm of Oatlnfutohad reputation who have ^ en dead a number of yeara apoken of aa lirlnv. In March Mr. Moranr ma.led and reglatered a letter to the preaant Mlnlatar of Education aaklng to ba allowed to publlah achool booka. He haa publlahed that letter. He rot a reply acknowledfflnr his letter, but from that day to thto ha haa never had an anawer aa to whether he will be allowed to oome In or not. And here are tha plain terms of thia contract allowing him In. Mr. Morans propoaea to aea whether the Government intends to allow him in or net. At any rata ha intanda to try to get an anawer from them. Now X will ahow you tha effect of tha cunning provlalon In this contract. Th<«e aelectlona, tha copy- right of which la held In Bngland, cannot be publlahed In Ontario without the conaent of the parttea who hold the copyright. These book publlBhem of Toronto, have the permiaalon of the r> Hlah publlshera who have the copyrlghta, to uaa theae extracts ; but the mo .-nt a third party cornea in and says " I wtoh to take advantage of that clause of the contract, and I call upon you aa you have agreed aa far aa la In your power to do so to aid me." ; oh, they say. "we are quite willing that you ahould do it, but unfortunately we have only permiaalon to nae them ourselves^ the publtohers In England won't allow it, and) wa cannot help you." Consequently tha monopoly goea on and it will exist until the power of the Rosa Qovemment to keep it In existence Is taken away. (Applause.) Now Mr. Roaa— and I have tc'd him ao on the floor of the Houae more than oooo— saw the coming wave cr llssatlsfaction all over the province with respect to our educational system and he thought it well to get out. He did get out and Mr, Haroourt la thera to-day, sitting practically upon a hornet's nest. (Ijaughter.) And to-day let me tell you that the friends and the heelers and workera of the Ontario Oovemnient are chasing after Mr. Morang, trying to bulldoae him, frighten him, induce bim to give up his attempt to bring to book the achool book ring In the City of Toronto, and I believe they are doing ao under the distinct orders and Instructlona of the Government of Ontario, but I betleve that no inducement whatever will succeed In turning Mr. Morang aalde tin psUl OB wMMi IM to tk* tawkklac «p of the OBtll h» w oe— a « ta bU ltd— Tt . Hag ot tiM Prwrtae* o< ObUiIa THSflNANCM. With r«:«tlon to th* flnaaeM of tlM pivvtiio*. Mr. Foy hu dMlt with tho mbjoct la » yoit wittefMtory way. and I will try to touch only upon petots aot alluAod to by him. Tho OoTornmant lone mto abandoned 8 as 1810, the Olob* newspaper gave them thla waminc : " The opinion la forced home to ua that the time haa come to cry. ' Halt ■ or at least to review our career as a province, and to endeavw to fore- oast tb* future as fraakly aa our bearings will allow. We certainly think that th* maximum la outlay has baan r*aoh*d, that It would be unwis* t* laarsH* It beyond present figures. To do that would only hasten on the day of direct taxation, a consummation to be staved off to aa distant a period as poostbla." THE AIIPBSS5TTBNT QUESTION. That was the very fOoA advice given by the Globe as long ago aa 1810, aad It to aulte la line with the i>a«ltion taken by our party on this queetlon. During th* years 1M4-5-6, there was a deficit every year. There la na doubt about this; tha only dispute that has ever occurred with regard to It haa been a i to the amount, but roughly speaking the deficit has amounted to between 1400,000 and $600,000 per annum. Mr. Hsidy made no pretence of d-^nylng this fact and w they found that direct taxation, which had been foreshadowed by the Olobe had come upon them at lael. They went to w^rk then to frame a Tax Bill by which to raise new revenue In the province, and taxes were put upon banks. Insurance and other companies, as you are aware. Some of the companies did not like it very well, but In 1899 seven or eight bye-elections took place— and now I want to speak to you very seriously upon a very serious subject— I say to you and to the people of the province that In 1899 a certain number of these corpor- ations furnished a large amount of money to the Ontario Government, which money carried the bye-elections by means of stealing the ballots and other thievery, and kept this Oovemment In power against the will of the majority of the voters of this province. (Applause.) I make the statement boldly, and I am not making It nearly aa strongly as I did to Mr. Ross face to face with him In the Legislature last Session, and then I said I was prepared to sit down and be contradicted, but there was no contradiction offered. (Hear, hear.) Now the oorporatlons having given this money wanted something in return, and then the Supplementary Revenue Act was amended declaring that the property of these corporations— you know the kind I mean— should be assessable and taxable, as they were by law on the first of February, 1899. That was a strange thing, and no one not in the secret could understand what was TO^ant by «ay!ng that their property should be assessable and taxable as it was on the first day of February, 1899. But let us go on a little further. For many years previous to 1894 no attempt was made to assess the rails, poles, wires, etc., of Street Railway Companies, etc., but In 1894 the City of Toronto assessed the Consumers' Oas Co. for $500,000 In respect of Us mains and pipes laid under the streets of the city. The case went from court to court until It reached the Supreme Court of Canada, 27 S.C.R. 453. It was then tiMl Um rwpaiij «•■ ilabto t» MMMBMSt ttpoB ttair ■■!■■ Mid pIvM M l«Bd, tat that MMk propwiy nust b* ■■■■■■■d la th* Mranl ward* ot tlM eity. Br this dMiatMi s vary tergt olaif of propartr bccun* (or th* Ant tlmo MaWo to ■wiwiiiiBt. tat tho rvty doototen that mad* It m Uablo tuaUflad th* UaMUtr by dotormlalnc that tb« property w aasMMd muat bo aaaoMOd la tta Mfraral wards. tator oa la tho caao of tho B«U Talophono Company ▼•. City of HamOtoa, M A.R. m aad la ro Iroadoa Btroot Railway, S7 A.R. IS, tho ccnnpaaloa ■■■■■■oil awoalod from aa aaaeaament which dln-otardod tho ward limitation and thoir •W**ia woro uphold by what lo now known aa tho " Scrap Iron " declalon : that to to Miy, tho MttnlolpaUtioa woro by tho rulln* of tho Supromo Court ontltlod to asaaoa thaao proportloa but only aa thoy oxtatod in aaoh ward and without raCoraaoo to thoIr conaoottoa aa a golnc concom. Tho momont you mado their proparty raal aatota yoa had to aaaoaa aach bit of It whara It waa ; you oouJd not atrtav It altocothor and aaaoaa It In ono parcoL Tho property eould h* aaaeawd only at Ita ralue aa acrap Iron, and thia la tho origin of thia «xpr«a- alon, " The aorap iron aaaeosTncnt." Now both the JecUloni I have mentioned were clToa prior to the flrat day of February, U&u, so tha. when they amended the lav to the effect that theee properttea ahould be aaaeaaable and taxable aa they ware on tho flrat day of February, ISM, that waa to prevent the Municipal- Ittea from aaaeaalnc them at their real value ; and to compel them to aaaoaa then* aa aerap Iron. Public opinion became arouaed, and the repeal of tbla anMndment waa Inaiated on, the Aaaeisment Commlealon, aa Mr. Foy ha« mentioned, waa appointed to deal with the whole queatlon, and BUI No. 167 waa Introduced, which Mr. Foy baa referred to, deallnar with the asaeaament queatlon aa a whole. This Bill waa prepared by the Aaaeasment Commiasionera at the requeat of the Gtovemment, but it waa objected to by the corporattona aa bear- ing; to hard upon them, and It waa withdrawn. Before It waa withdrawn how- ever we had a dlacttaalon on tha. flrat aectlon of it which had reference to the aaaeaament of farm property, and the evident intention of the Act waa that a farm ahould not be aaseaaed aimply with rerard to the coat of replacing every- thine that waa on It. For Inatance if a man built a twenty- five thoueand dollar houae on a twenty-flve hundred dollar farm, and then sold out, it .vould not be rlfht to aaaeoa the purchaaer on the principle of what it would coat to repro- duce a houae like that, but for fear the aaaeeaora might take that view of It it waa acreed In dlacuaslon that that aectlon ahould be amended and several aug- SeatlOBa were made by Members of the House. Among others one waa made by myaelf to add to the clause of the section these words, 'MThat the actual value of the land and buUdinga ahould In all caaea be the governing consider- ation." That would have settled the question. I have to tell you this In order to make the atory intelligible as I go along. But the Bill never came up for further dtacuaalon becauae the corporatlona being dtssatiafled and the Govern- ment under their control, the Bill waa withdrawn, or held back at any rate, and never dtacuased until theae clausea were all atruck out and new clauses put la. INFAMOUS BILL NO. 176. Meantime the corporations were so angry that Mr. Ross Introduced a Bill, No. 175, and I told him In the House, in the presence of his colleagues and his Bupportera, that the Bill waa an infamous Bill, and deserved to be burned by th« common hangman. (Applause.) Tou will bf>ar In mind that the corporatinna were annoyed because of thia other Aaaeasment Bill, and that they had given the Government agents money to help the scoundrels who stole and burned the ballots In West Blgln and kept these men In power, by virtue of which they are drawing their salaries to-day and are not ashamed of It. (Laughter and applause.) In order to please theae corporations he introduced this Bill, which provided that certain municipal councils In Ontario may for three yeara at a time l! oninpt from »11 taxation the proparty of theM oorporattona wtthoat milnBltttac afcr-Uw to the will of the people ! Now there are not one hnndrefl men In the Frovlnee of Ontario^ I believe^ ootalde of the City of Toronto who nnderetand and bellere that a Bill like that was Introduced. Why T Beoauae It was with- drawn. Because the unworthy public men who dared to Inault the Intelllgenoe of an Ontario Iieiclalatare by propoalnr mch a scheme, withdrew It quietly, In the dark so to irMtak. and never dared stand up In the House to say a word In defence at It (Jt.pplanse.) I want you people to understand what these men in the OoTamment of Ontario are prepared to do In order to keep power. Sup- pose there was In your township a Ions telephone line or electric railway. Under thla Bill the municipal counoll would have the power without reference to the ratepayers to vote that no taxation should be levied on the property of these corporatlo n B for three yetuv, and they could snap their fingers at Ihelr constituents! Now you can see the outnweous nature 7> tsV^n nv«r by the Dominion — the Provinces have made claims to the Dom''iloa Gnvemment and the Dominion Oovernment has repaid the subsidies paid by the Provinces to the railways. Now should not Ontario be treated in the same way t fHear, hear.) Tou will be surprised when I show rou the amount of monajr tbla wUl IiitoIy*. I wUl Jut rwtd 7*o an aKtraet from a ipMch of rain* on thl« quostlon, mad* laat 8«alon. BXTRACT FROM MR. WHTTNSIT'B SPBODCH. . " It wu tra« tluit tba OoTemmant had dlaalpatad tha mirplua. It waa alao true that It had aousht to rejMiir the damage by encroaching upon the irevenuea of the MunlolpaUtles. k» a conseauence o( the policy with regard to the Munl- olpalltlea a oondltlon oalUnr for conalderatkm had arlaen. The municipal tazea had vreatly bwraaaed. In 1886 they amounted to 19,000,000 ; In IIM they were $12,600,000. The rate of taxation had riaen from; $4.»6 per head to $1.38, and the rate per mill on the dollar from 12.97 to 15.36. The municipal debta had also arown, they were 829.900,000 In 1886. and 164,600,000 In 1898. The people who formerly owed $16.66 i>er head now owed $27.11. The annual Interest on loana had gone up from $1,716,000 to $2,600,000, although the population bad Increased by but 180,000. While thla was fcx>lnff on the Dominion taxee were Increaalnc. Ontario paid $2,400,000 more laat year than ten years aco, and on a rouffh eatlmate this province pays $14,000,000 of Federal taxes, which, with the $18,600,000 Qf municipal taxes, made $24,600,000 altogether. A freat porUon of the Federal taxation waa expended on Bastem railways. And while this province contributed to the conatructlon and to the coot of operating these roada, it had paid In provincial and municipal bonusea no less than 817,400,000 on \\M own. To-day the Federal Oovemment was fecosnlxlng claims made by the ESaatem provlncea on account of their railway grants. It had allowed $232,- 000 to New Brunswick, and more recently $671,000 to Nova Scotia under this head. Further claims were pending, the Baatern provlncea maintaining that tliey were entitled to a return of the bonuses they had paid, and one Prince Bdward Island, going so far as to demand a large aum aa compensation, because the Federal power had apent money on the Canadian Pacific and Inter- ce showed that It was Impossible to do so until they had improved the breed of cattle in the province. Now Mr. John Dryden, who until a short time ago was known aa the only man in North America who knew anything worth knowing about farming, and who get* a salary of $4,000 and Sessional allowance for attending to that sort of thing, Instead of cajrrying out Mr. Boas' Idea, waa found to have bought a ranch in Dakota, and thus held up a sort of object lesson proving that the proposition and doctrine of his leader was nonsense, and that the place *a get beef tliat Mi eouM be made Into mmrkeUble drttssed b««e wm th« State of Dakota aad not tta* ProTlnoa of OnUrla (Applansa.) Then Mr. Pettyplece, a membw of the LactolatMr*, attacked Mr. Dnrdea. and a cou7>le of weeka ago Mr. Pettyplece went before a Ghrlt conymUon for nomination. Mr. Stratton waa there, and heard Mr. Pettypleoe attack Mr. Dry- den ajraln, and he heard people endorse Mr. Pettyplece'* conduct and made no »lgn ; he sat there while the conduct of hie own colleague In the OoTemiaent was denounced, and he had not a word to say. People aay Mr. Dryden and Mr. Stratton are not on the beat terms. I do not know whether that Is so or not, but I would like to have Mr. Stratton explain Just what are the private relations between himself and more thaq one of hta ccMeasues, because I have my own opinion as to what they are. (Apiplause.) THB NICKBXi MINES. Then with retard to the nickel mines. Mr. Ross was going to do something wonderful with nickel, and two editorials were pubUshed in the Globe, and an Order-ln-Conncil passed by the Oovemment to endeavor to get the British Oovemment to encourage the exploitation of the nickel mines In order to use the metal In warships. But nothing was ever heard of that proposition from that day to the present. COLD STORAOB. On the question of cold storage, an Act was passed providing that aid could be given to cold storage buildings in different Municipalities. I have Mr. Ross* own authority for stating that there has been only one corporation that has taken advantage of It. Then the proposed grants to highw«ys-|1.000,000 in ten yecms— ha« simply resulted in setting the county councils and township councils by the eac^ 4n different parte of the province, and that Is all the practical effect it has had. GRANTS TO VOLUNTEBSRS. Some of you saw a stetement in the Olobe the other day that a Veteran of 1837 had applied for a grant of land as a volunteer. He could not get It, but the Olobe said very nicely and kindly that they were going to take his oase Into consideration. Last winter when the Stetute was passed giving graute of land to volunteers, a member of our side of the house, Mr. Mcliaughlln, of the County of Stonront, made a motion regretting that the mllltla men of 1817 were not given a grant of land for their services too, and the Oovemment tried flrat to get the Speaker to declare It out of order, and when the Speaker refused to* do that they voted it down. 1 have not looked at the Journals to see whether Mr. Smith was attending to an action in another part of the country on that day or whether he was paired. (Laughter and applause.) But he did one thing or the other; he either voted against that motion or he was paired against it. Now then these land grants are absolutely worthless to the volunteers because if they want to sell the land the purchaser has to do the settlement duty. He need not buy it from the volunteer ; he can get It from the Department for nothing If he is willing to do the settlement duty. The only volunteer who can get any advantege frony the land grant Is one who is willing to go up there to settle and do the settlement duty. Tou have observed that our opponente claim that we are not oapaUa of doing anything in a public way : that we are not capable of carrying on the Oovemment. We have nothing to say about that; we do not make a boast of our capacity or of our public virtue at all : we leave the people to Judge about that. A couple of years ago when they had called a Session of the Legislature in the month of August, the Oovemment, which Is the present Oovemment practically, made a blunder in the adjournment of the House. They issued / writs nhUh were utterly InvaUd, for curtain l>T»-elections. TheM wrtta were Invalid becauae the Session was not closed and they had to prorocue the House, thus oauslnc another new Session to be called, and the indemnity of two Ses- sions to be paid to the Members because they did not undersUnd the simple Statute which provides for the election of members to the Lerislatlye Assembly. My distinguished friend, whose services to the Conservative Party no man can appreciate better than I do, and whose services to the Conservative Party and to the country, are not yet known to the extent to which they exist, my friend Mr. Foy (loud applause) was the gentleman who discovered this error, and showed the Govemmeqt the humiliaUnc position in which they had pUced theniselvea Tou are aware that in the monthi of June many clercymen move from one station to another. The result U that they are not able to vote either In the place from which they have come or the place to which they have gone. lately a deputation of them asked the Government to remedy this state of afCalrs. Two members of the Government said they did not see how it could be done. I say It can be done and it shr done, and when the time comes ww will show them how to do it, so ths ibUc Indecency of a clergyman who is entitled to his vote being obllr rn away from the polling bo<>th shaU no longer be tolerated in the Prov ...o of Ontario. (Applause.) /^ VrBAXNEBS OF THE (JOVBIRNMSINT. Under our system of responsible government the doctrine holds that the Government shall assume responsibility for all legislation that passes the House. Does this Government do that ? No, they are afraid to assume responsibility; they have not the courage of their convictions or rather of their desires. Per- haps It is a stronv sense of their coming defeat which causes tills timidity. As to that I do not know, but I do know that It Is a very common thing during the Session for persons to come to me with the story that they want the Govern- ment to pass a certain Bill, they want a certain thing allowed, and the Govern- ment say, " Oh, we cannot say ; try and find out what the OpposiUon will do," and their action is practically dependant upon us. This Is a direct abandon- ment of the principle or law of responsible government. They are not supposed to consider what the Opposition will do ; they are supposed to take the respon- slblUty themsalvML Then it would seem with regard to Mr. Dryden and some others that there is quarrelling going on among them all the time. The edifice is steadily and rapidly going down. It is rotten at the bottom and rotten at the top. (Laugh- ter.) From day to day there are tumults, there are mutinies ; there are dls- sentlons in the ranks of their supporters, so that when the Speaker takes the chair at three o'clock very often you can see In the countenances of the men opposite that they are barely able to mau ■>Sn that frieudly attitude which they are bound to maintain towards each other. They have said to the past that we have no policy ; 1 think I have shown you fairly well that wo have^a policy, but if we have not 5ust now that Is of no consequence to them. They adopted our policy on agriculture, with regard to the travelling dairy, minerals, sawlogs, the Bribery Bill, and they are waiting now to see what more they can pilfer from us (Applause), and the reason why they have been talking so much during the past few moi.ths with reference to our want of policy is because they wish us to make some new declaratlm«r on these gentlemen will pM-hMts hesitate to again steal and destroy the ballots of the electors, but, even it they i mm •re »iniA to do that, they will nJly to thetr aMtotanoo u thoy haT* don* la tb« pMt all thfi tjroM of evil In the r>rovlnce of Ontario. Tho bmo who wn raadjr on behalf of corporation* todve them large nun* of numey to pvrehaae Totea, and who In return expect to cet leglalation such as I have ahown yaa this afternoon, will he to the fore again as one of those forces to bring back again to power the discredited and disgraced men who to-day form the Oovemment of Ontario. (Applause.) Although they may hesitate to steal or bum the ballots, any unfair advantage that can be taken, will be taken, and I hava Just one word of advice to give to the electors of this and of every oonstituenoy. When the time comes the first «•- - ^itant thing to do wlU be to see to it t»««* every sc? tineer is a picked ma^ in the polling sub-dlvlslon. (Hear, hear.) A shrewd and plucky man who will stay by the ballot box to the end. who wIU do hlB duty, who won't put on his overcoat and run away jTrom the polling booth as soon as five b'clock comes, but who will stay and watch every act of th* deputy-returning officer, stranger or not though he may be, ^d see to it that when the ballot box is closed nothing ihall have been done that he has not observed. The next thing is this— I am speaking of the rural districts now, because as a rule It is in the rur^J districts that such things occur— let a committee of two or three stalwart young men who are not afraid of any of the ballot thieves or other forces of evil, be appointed In every polling sub-dlvlslon. liOt these young men not commit any breach of the peace, but the moment the scent of one of these scoundrels is found in any polling sub- division, let them Induce him to leave that polling mib-dlvlslon. Let there bt no hesitaUon in bringing this about. (Applause.) I can assure you that we have with us the feeling of the people of this province. I would be foolish If I did not believe this, knowing what 1 know, and I say that there Is no earthly power, if the wriU were issued next week, to prevent the defeat of the iRoss Government (Applause.) Then lot those who are anxious to maintain the credit of tho province and who are determined to object to any further continuation of provincial shame and dis- grace see to it that no effort be left undone, no step left untaken to bring about that very desirable result. So far the feeling of ^he people is unmistakable, and it Is a mater of the most unalloyed satisfaction and happiness to me to see that wherever we go we are not only met with respectable audiences, but with large and sympathetic audiences like this; while on the other hand the members of the Government meet with audiences of from 70 to 100, or 160 people. It is not only a matter of great satisfaction to me, but it will be In the end when you shall have done your duty, a matter of great saUsfactlon to yourselves with whom the result will He. I thank you heartily for the patient hearing you have given me in my long and tedious address, i have not been able to give it as I should because I have had to hurry too much, but you will I am sure take the wUl for the deed and perhaps In future, who knows, we may meet again and perhaps on that occasion if my friend Mr. Smith is asked he wUl come. (Laugh- ter and applause.) I think it was Mr. Charters who said that Mr. Smith was invited here, but that he did not turn up. I can perhaps understand why ; be knew that you were going to turn him down so what was the use of his turn- ing up ? (Laughter and applause.) I ; MR. ROSS AND IMPERIALISM. Now ladles and gentlemen, if you will l)ear with me a few minutes longer (cries of "Qo on "), I would like to say something to you as an elector of the Dominion of Canada. Heretofore I have been speaking to you as leader of the OpposiUon of Ontario, and with regard to provincial Issues, but now I would like to say a few words to you In my capacity as en elector of the Dominion oC Canada, and in relation to DonUnlon subjects. I wish to speaK of the attitude of Mr. Ross with regard to Imperial Federation and preferential trade. I &av» MHil ! • ^ i 1 ■ ■ i « i I ten MTcral axtraeta from apceohM of Mr. Rom. I hay* •tetrrod that te bM bMB addreMlnc pubUo mMtlnpi In Ulnslud, and wrltlnr to tb« n«wiq»p«Tt with r«fer*nc* to prefarentlal trade and Smperlal Federation, a&d I have rjao otMcrvad that th« london Times, amonc other pajMrs, atUcka tha eorre<;'- day's Issue that it Is quite evident that emlgrration does not follow the tec, since It acoepU a forelm or friendly flair without the ,«llffhtes«^ reluctance or regard to Imperial Interests or associations." Whatever m«.y be the fact with regard to his "Statistics" he certainly varies and changes his " conclusions " from time to time as I shall try to show. In 1897 he advocated preferential trade. In a speech at Toronto he said : "It may be said tL-t under no circumstances can we look forward to such a change in the free trade policy of Great Britain as would warrant us tn hop- ing that her laboring classes would submit to the taxation of their food in any sense or form for the benefit of the colonies. On that point I am not so sure. The reasons I have already stated would go a considerable distance to satisfy the laboring classefl of Great Britain that a trifling increajse, putting It at the very worst, of the coat of their food supplies had some compensating advant- ages." He dismissed the " trifling Increase " with a wave of the hand but we shall see how he regarded It later on for the purposes of the Laurier Campaign. Hear him further : " In order to make my poslUon clear It might be worth while to give In detail a few of the considerations which might very properly Influence Great Britain to give the products of Canada and of her other colonies a preference over the products of foreign nations. "1. The commercial advantages to the oolontes ujider such a prefemee would greatly strengthen and increase their attachment to the Ehnplre. Commercial Interchange means much more than simply buying and selling ; It carries with It social and business relations, and leads to a better knowledge of the political Institutions of the countries concerned In such commerce. Nothing would con- duce more to a permdnent union of her colonies than a beter understanding In Great Britain of Canadian sentiment and feeling, and no better way could be found of tncreasins that axsquaintance than by Increasing trade." Very clearly put and vtry good doctrine too. But a little later when Sir W. Iiaarier— the destroyer foi the time being of preferential trade— needed hte services, the services of the more or less crippled " right arm " ot tha Ottawa Government— Mr. Ross war ready to " flop " and he did " flop." At Olenooe. on 27th Sept., ISOO, he quoted speeches of several British Statesmen In opposi- tion to preferentl?.) trade, and commented as tollowa : — '.7ho stands In our way T Is it not the leaders of both parties In Great Britain, and In face of their opposition, how can we prevail T " And waxing warmer In his onslaught he declared : " Britain Impo) cs annually about $900,000,000 worth of food products, »: wfaleh Canada suppUea about $70,000,000. Now what is the propoaitlod ? In MM am ^1^ m&w to rlvc a i>ntor«iee to tbe ITO.WW.OM wortH of food mnrilM wUolt BrttkiB eonsumes, she to Mk«« to ImpoM a duty upon tho mtlro Iralk of taw food acpply. SuppoM we put that duty at E per cent.— and a lower figure ttaaa that would not be worth cenaldertnr— five per cent, on 1900,000,000 would moan that the Britlah workman and consumer would be taxed $46,000,000 a year for hie f(>od nipplles. In order that the $70,000,000 coming from Canada would be enhanced In price. la the British workman prepared for thia ? Do not let ua be deceived by the glamour of the propoaal. To ua it la cerUlnly In-iUn* : but to the heavny-burdened BrlUeh taxpayer It would be considered an enor- moua price to p»y." The " trifling Increase " had grown to $46,000,000, against which the British wcn-kman would surely rebel and which caused this formal recantation. In a speech at Manchester, on 30th July isat (the published report of which la not rery clear), Mr. Ross merely squints at Imperial Federation, and, mind- ful CO doubt of his aiencoe utterances, avoids the subject of Preferential trade altogether-Just as he carefully refrained from alluding on the platform to the remarkable Bill he Introduced for the purpose of taking away from the people of Ontario for three years at a time the power to iiapose taxation on tbe pro- perty of Corporations. PREPERBNTIAli TRADE. Now then genUemen. in my opinion, a properly thought out scheme of Preferential trade, framed with reference to the situation, the requirements and the resources of " aU the British poasesaions beyond the seas," would inevitobly bring great results to the Empire as a whole, and to the Colcnies individually. And let me suggest to Mr, Roes that the adopUon of such la scheme would be the Ideal plan to attract -migrants, both from the old land and fW»m Europe. As soon as the prospective emigrant realized that, by virtue of the relations between the Colonies and the Empire, Canadian products would command the first place and a higher price in the British market than the IMwducta of other countries, would not the problem of emigration to Canada be solved 7 And it simply resta with the Colon'.ea to bring about this desirable state of aftalrs. Listen to Mr. Chamberlain as quoted by Mr. Ross himself— before ha " flopped " : "I want to impress upon you my personal convlcUon that If a proposal of this kind came to us rom the Colonies, backed by any considerable support on their part, it would not be met by a blank refusal by the people of this country." Well now let us see Mr. Roes' latest proposition. Here it is : " I say to you here in Manchester that we are willing— I think we are willing —In Canada to impose a duty of 5 per cent, on all importations from any foreign country, excepting the Colonies of the Empire, the money to be applied as a war tax or as a defence fund for the defence of the Empire. Will you reciprocate that 7 Will you impose a 6 per cent, tax on all Imports from foreign countries, excluding the Colonies, as a defence fund for the defence of the Empire 7 Surely that Is a practical basis. (No, No.) Tou eay no. Work it out and see. That is the thought I give you to-day. I am not the originator s IL"JL *""• *"'"■ *"•* ***^*** "* P""'"* " forward. I say, if the commerce of the Empire Is to be defended there must be a tax such as I have described, and that's the logic of It ai;. But If you think that that is not the solution let us try and find some other solution." Tou will observe that, as soon as one hard-headed Englishman cried out No, no," he dropped the proposal Ilk0 a very hot poUto Indeed, disclaiming tt» paternity of the Idea and brought his speech to a close. And no wonder. His suggestion was put In such a form that no Englishman of the present day eould aeoept It. The value of foreign goods In^orted by Oreat Britain In the *••• ^•w »WJ.B«,I«I, and Hr. Rom aaks tn« trad* Bmrfaad to impoM a dBty (tf • per cant, on thaaa Importa-auch duty amounUn* to ov«r 1100.000,000— Mka taw to do that whtab aU her c.-Mit bmu beUerad would almply ruin her aa a nation and a people, In order to induce the Colonlea to contribute a like duty which would amount to about $7,000,000 1 According to hia Glenooe deUver- ance the Brltlah werkaan would not eubmlt to a five per cent, duty on merely food product* from foreign countries araountinr to $46,000,000, and therefore la It likely he would aubmlt to a almlUar duty on all forelm Importa amounting to orer 1100,000,000 T Mr. Roaa* eameatneea In thla matter may weU be doubted I am afraid the garmente In whteh he la maaqueradlng are borrowed and there- fore net a rood at HU propoeltlon la not In line with the true Idea of Imperial Vederatlonj nm- is it— and probably It waa not intended to b*-a proper baale on which to balld up a ayetem of Preferential trade. We Canadian* require no bribe to Induce us to take up wllUngly our ahare of the burden* of the Bmplre, nor will we haggle about term* at all. There can be no miatake a* to the spirit which actuate* our people. The response of Hi* Majesty** Canadian aubject* with reference to their manifest duty in thl* reapeet wOl be warm and ready and the eplrit in which they wlU stand by the grand old Mother of Nations across the sea wIU be the spirit in which Ruth shewed her doToUon to Naomi in the beautiful Bible atory. " AA me not ta leave thee nor forsake thee for where thou goest I will go and where thou lodgest I will lodge, thy people Ehall be my people and thy God my Ood. And where thou dlest will I die, cmd there will I be buried— The liord d* so to me and more aI*o if aught but death part thee and me." Thl* is the eplrit alway* fo*tered and encouraged by the Qreat Brltlsh- Ahi s rl can Imperialist, Sir John Macdonald. whose last war cry to the people wa* the Imperial elogan, " A BritUh aubject I was bom, a BriUsh subject I wlU die," and whose fervent hope and aspiration was that, m the near future the Dominion of Canada will take her place a* one of those outlying and auxiliary Ungdom* which will aa time goe* on, become the buttresses and bulwarks of the British ESmpire all round the world. And the people of Canada to-day are to a man imbued with the mme hope and the same aspiration. Great changes come quickly In these latter days. Already Sir John'* aspiration has been practically accomplished and nothing remains to be done but to watch the development of the Imperial spirit a* It goes on from ^%y to day with accelerated pace, and sooner even perhaps than we expect will come a practical solution of the question and the crystallization of sentiment into permanent legislation by the Imperial and Colonial Parliaments. Now ladles and gentlemen, in conclusion I desire to ask you In your own interests and in the icarests of this province of ours, the reputation and credit and fair nam* of which is I have no doubt dear to us all as a Christian people, and as a civilised people, appreciating the privileges and liberties which are ours, I appeal to you whether it will not be your bounden duty, not merely your privilege, because the franchise is the privilege of every man, I ask you to consider whether it will not be our duty to give your votes to oup friend Mr. Charters, who a* you aU know, better than any outsider know* 1* a distinct credit not only to himself but to the locality which produced him T (Applause.) Surely it will be your duty to do that and having regard to the great and momentous questtons which are now before the public mind, I have every posaible confidence that when the time comes you will do so, and this grand Old County of Pee! which was repra-tfented once by a man like John Hlllyard Cameron, will have as Its represenUMvea in th-s two Houses of Parliament, of Canada and Ontario, men like Richard Blaln and Samuel Charters, men of whom a greater County, if such were possible, need not be ashamad. (Cheers.) i iMl t ■ mjuif. in. Vht Mlewlnc to • oo^r of tlM temoiw-or rathtr Inftunoiu— BUI latroduMd kr Mr. KoM, ctrlav lfUBtelp«l Couneito the powar to nnnipt owtala Oorpor»> tloM from Ux atl oB for tkrao ftm at a tlmo without tlio oonMnt oC tbo t«t«> No. 171) BXLXib An Act to UBond Tho Mtmlotiwl Aet Hta Majeaty, hy and wim tho advice and conaeat at tho t«gtiIattT« laum bl7 of tha ProTlnoo at Ontario, onacta aa follows :— L laotlon sn of Tlw Municipal Aet as amendad by Tba Mnnlotpal ABMBdnant Act, 1900, is hereby amendad by addiaf thereto »he following :— "By the coundla of cities, towns and Incorporated Tillages. U. For the remiaalon of taxes In whole or la part payable for any ourrant year, or for exemption in whole or In part from taxation for one or mora tu- tors years, or for flxinv ths amount of assesament to be made for one or mora future years, la the case of any peraon exerctein^ or about to axerclae wtthln tha municipality, any public franchlae for the aupply ot water, light, heat, traaaporutlon or other public Benrice to the municipality or to the inhabitants thereof. ation and in expressing our abhorrsnce of the terrible crime that removed from them their Chief Magistrate. I have great pleuure. In coming here to-day to attend a meeting that is intended to further the interests of Mr. Charters as a candidate for the I/egls- lative Assembly of Ontario. Tou have heard Mr. Charters to-day. Tou have no doubt hear^ him on other occasions, and he has promised to meet you fre- quently during the campaign that is now near at hand. I am sure that you will find in him, when you elect him, a representative worthy of this great historic County of Peel. His Bp««ch shows the kind and quality of man he is : he has shown that he la a man of thought, that he gives reasons for his opin- ions. He has asked his opponent Mr. Smith to meet him here to-day, and he regrets that his opponent did not accept the invitation. We all regret it. In discussing the public questions from our side we wish to discuss them fairly and intelligently. We wish that both sides should be heard. We wish our opponents to hear what wa say, because we do not want to say anything behind their back that we are not willing to say to their face ; and on the other hand In meeting the party that has been d power so long, we want them tc- come on the platform before us, and give their reasons why they should be continued in power. (Applause.) If we hear these reasons we are prepared and wll'lng and anxious to meet them, and we undertake to thoroughly and fully refute anything that they dare set forth before you as r<>a»ons why the present Government should receive a continued support from the people of this province. Mr. Smith is not here to-day, and I regret it, because I would like to tMor what reasons a candidate for the Ross Party can give to the people of the County of Feel, why this county should send a representative who will endorse the Ross Ctoverument. A MKCHANICAIi MAJORITT. Now, as has been mentioned by Mr. Charters. Mr. Smith In the House doe* not Stand up and represent you. He makes no motions, he gives no addresses, he gives no reasons for his votes, but he simply stands up and votes at the beck and call of the Ministers of the Crown. (Hear, hear.) He gives no reasons for his action ; hs does not assert any cause or reason for his vote, but hs gets up mechanically and Joins the mechanical majority that has been mpportlng for so long the present Government. Mr. Ross in one of his spssohss In tiM Legislature asserted that we could not down him in that House aai long 4B 'i I M he had ax hia back Umm SporUaa balitiid bin. nvw yoa In rMdlnv hlst<»7 that th« Spartana wtr* famoua aa soldlara ; thay war* mca who obeyed the word of command ; they were told to inarch forward, and ttaay went forward ; they were told to turn rlcht-about, and they turned rltht- about ; they did not reason why, they elmply obeyed the word of oommaad of thalr luperlor offlcer ; and ao Mr. Roaa waa correct In calllnr'hla followerB l^iartana. The Spar>.'. returnd, what wtll b« the •Sect upon the people of the country T The public will aay, and other countrlea win aey, that Ontario la Indlfferdnt aa to whether we have representative Initltntlona or not, whether the voice of the people expreeaed at the poll ahall prevail or not ; they will aay that we are not worthy of repreamitatlve Inetl- totlona. I aay that to-day ropreaentatlve Government, Oovemment by the voice of the people la at atake, and It reeta with all of ua, Rt»fonnera and Con- aervatlvea and men who do not belonf to either party, to join In this strunrl* together and by an overwhelmlnK majority at the polls in this province show to the world that we at all events are down on one thine, and can combine In downing one thing, and that la any fraudulent manipulation of the ballots or any mlarepreaentatlon of the voice of the people. (Loud applause.) We have always boasted that this province was in the van, that Ontario was the banner Province, that we were the people who best understood representation by the people and resiKinslble government, for which cur fathers pressed and fought, la it now to be said that Instead of being aa we claim In the van, we are to be In the rear of all the Provinces of the Dominion ? I irust that the proper feel- ing will go forth through this country from one end to the other and be so ■trong that no attempts will ever hereafter be made to strangle, to choke the voice of the people of this country, and to put Into power the men who have not at their back the real majority of the country. (Applause.) THE MACHINE AND THE OOVERNMENT. However, Mr. Chairman, the Corservative Party does not in thi^ election rely solely upon what we call the wickedness of— I won't say of the other party— but of the dominating people in the other party. I claim, sir, that there are thousands and thousanda of honest Liberals who deprecate what has been done just as much as the Conservatives do. These acts have been the acta of active supporters of the party In various constituencies. They have been the acts of office hold«a and office seekers, of men In Government pay, and men who have been seeking tr get at the purse strings of this country, and I cherts^ that Gtovemment, even if not personally implicated, are really responsible because they have virtually condoned what these men have done. They have taken the fruits of the worK of these men ; they are enjoying the fruits of office, the results of the action of these men, and have done notMng to bring them to justice. We charge that the Government Is giving grants to their favorites, and that they are legislating In the interest of corporations and others who make a return to them by assisting them at election time. The feeling of the country must be against that sort of thing, and we have to bring it before the I>eople. I soy there are thousands of Liberals who feel that way, but we mast ask them to go farther than feel that way, we muat ask them to give exprts- ston to their feelings at the polls In the coming election. (Hear, hear.) Then there Is another class of men who force the Government to do things that probably they do not feel Inclined to do. I have told you of their giving grants and favors to political favorites, but there are other men who are even more dangerous than favorites. They are men who jnobably are not favorites with them, but who hold the political pistol to their heads and demand certain things, and i& default of gritting their uermand threaten that they will s"^ against the Government The Government is weak and yields, and that Is even u greater danger than merely having a friendly feeling towards some of their friends, and srlvlng them political favors of one kind and another. That Is something that I ask honest Liberals to condemn, and to go further than merely condemn with their mouths, condemn with th^r deeds by their votes at the ballot. (Applauae.) •xXy. It la to .dminta!^ .h- -^ ' "*• »•"«">»' advwicwawt of any. nm^y tho.« wronm. Anoth«. .li.tt J * *** >*" ««»««IaUon to "d fair, and abovrboard "n^.f^^^^^.f??™""* «•,»» ^ P^-ctlr frank condition Of th. country. T^.y iJ^M Ti^. t^ •k^.""'*' " *** *"^« ""'"""^ th. OoT.rnn,«t ; l.t l7taow«ac^y Ihl^t^ ' '"""'° ""** **'* «»»«a«>o» of •nd llabllltl... - to It. r^rt-lnd di.T?.r "'"'•*'"' •*•"""• " *» "« *-^t» cUar, lnt.UI,.bl. and u^I^bi jloff f;'^""*""**' •"<' «'v them . fr.nk. full, oon-ry. Mr. ChaWn^ I!! " -Utement of the Hnanctal condition of tha the^Thlch I«; 17^"; prl.^!: ">•/—"» Government with rloUtln,^ body, and of a ro vera?n/h«S» T^ ^ ^'°^' Junction, of an admlnl.tratlvo m«u„r. w«l bfnefltth.' pSc b^f th:, 1: "' ""' '" "^ "'"^''•' * '>-*'««'^ Wit them and whom thly^ne^It !„? '^k * •'"^'""»«<> ^^ "'"d. who con. not admlnl.ter the i^tt^tl oT?^T' f " "• '"'"*'** ""•' «»"■""• They do and over a^ln. .^d ^Wch i J.ve'no Z MT'^'r"''' ** '"' »^» Pn>v« over you In detail )re j^. ^JL *"'"''* '*'■• Charter, will be ablo to .how admlnlater tie aia.^-JJromlca'uy^Th" "^f '' '*" '•"•'*^- ^'^ «»»"«" b«cau.. they think l7nl^ c^ "'ll^*^'! "" ""* ""' '*«l->*tlon, .imply tbln, rl,ht ^^ «n»y cura a wron». t« remedy .ome evil, to put Mmo- THE ASSESSMENT LAW Act.' "i^.*^i:;.crr .'ecrn r^itrTw'Lr'r'**" ""^'^ '^^^ ^— »•»» corUIn oonwrate bodirthrt hll. Vr T '" ""«'*''<=• »« *»>« a-Msment of railway., t^ephono aS othlr ^moanT. w' ^"'t '" *" companle.. .treat immediately mtereated in tl-^r*^ ^^ '" Toronto perhaps are mora Tou connne youT .ylpJt^e, and '^"v '° f ! '""''*^' *'"* '"" ' "» ^^ ««""' affect, only your.elvM V f hi„v ^ """""^ "''"P"' '° 'e»1»lat!on that .ake. no mitUr rhom It aff cu orTheTh^^'lt";," ^ti'^^''^^ **''"• '°' ^"•'*'' 1 win .nonb a nf*i« I •"""'»■'■ or wnetner It directly affect, you or not. So oprn^^L^^ th': Xe^r:L:' ;:;^"^'r^ -r , ^^ ' •-" •- - SaHlon. ago. when there wm nT^Irt,^ ,. Municipal Committee two know member, tr^ toTay asTd^ tit flTZJ ""' "°"'"'- ^"^ committee you and If they b^yJlor^l^lVZfT^ ^'"'*'"'" '** * ""^""^ '**"°* inclined to take a hSivW^Tf th/ '''.?''*" *''" Government member, ar. When that Queetlon of The I^e^Lent''.""' I!! *"""" '*"' Committee. Now were no partlean >^Jcb^,o^7(^lTrr,t ^""■' '^' Committee and there wa. an unanlmoureTpr^ro„ of ^in ZT "V """^ ''"' committee, there law. as to the a«e..rZt "f thZ ! * '^''"*^ '"^''"''' ''V^ale In the -treet rail., ga. X. Tnd oth^r tM '*'"P'"^'~ »•>«* •"^^e pole, and wire, or other munl^lj^itua riC were niX^'"""' f'""°"»'' «'"" ^"'^ *<>-"» •"<> ;*ou.d then have t>een^:trod7::iTc^Si'Lrorrw:Va'::' ^ '•'^'""'"* There wa. an expression of n,n„J» k„ ''* '"'^e always claimed. lanro attendance on ttt pitlcu"^^?, * ^^ '^I^Z -"f ""•• '''*" ' ^"^ they are well up on any one thlnrmo^th.r^ member, of the T^miatur. If in municipal matter.. Cey iaveT^^^ated ^ '' "* «>»««<'»'""' well up Many of th«m hav- been lic^^tl «^"^"**^'* '-om municipal In-tltution* a~ very familiar- ^1 The ITs's^^nrrcf-T. *"V""'""**"' "^"^ *''•' they can point out Us d«fect7^Ter^rt i ''v """"^ '** workings It and a. I say wh.r. no one ^h^ Z *''*"'°"»»"y conversant with in th. matter they were unanlmou. In «;^n* thaHh/r' *?''*'"'" ''°""°*' to th. Assewment Law ought to ^ pL" lu th. ^ "mporUnt amendmant -ot do anything thl. Se«lon. we ar.^^^ tf "4^^:^=^^ L^oT 48 win UlM vr iMiM, tli«r wUI tM tM» BMB, ew«fttl mm, thcr will ll«t«B to tlM knrumtnts ID all atdM : trwy oorporktion will liaY* an opportuattjr to b« prMent either throufb thalr manacain or their lawyer* to present their ■id* of the oaae. Thia was done, and the conanies co to tha Oovemment. But they suddenly chanced their mind, v n ^ rivinf any reasons or Justification, and they withdrew the BUI. Thei. _ the people of thia country will draw the inference that these powerful corporations had tha ear of the Oovemment, and dictated to the Government, and made them with- draw their own Bill, and made them contradict themselves, and made tham get their Spartans behind them contradict themselves, wlU anybody blama tha public for drawlnr such an Inference 7 (Applauaa.) THB FINANCIAL QUBSTION. Then I have told you that one of the dutiee of a OoremnMnt Is to viva a plain and simple and explicit statement of the flnandal condition of the country. Has this Oovemment done that 7 Is it not known to every person. Conservative and Reformer, that they have done the very opposite of that ? Have wa not read It In their campaign literature in previous elections that their surplus waa Bva millions of dollars 7 Did we not hear Mr. Rosa in his Whitby speech say it was two millions of dollars 7 This la the statement of the Minister Af Financa to the House, and it shows us that the alleged surplus la made up of funda that have no right to be considered the assets of this province. Five millina dollars of surplus that they alleged and went to the country claiming to possess, disappears on their own acknowledgment to a great extent, and is reduced to two millions, and when the public accounta are seen and the surplus la analysed and considered. It disappears altoi^ether. They do not produce to tha country a straightforward, plain, business-like statement of the finances of thla proTlnca, but they attempt to mislead us, to mislead the voters, and they seek a return to power by claiming that they had gathered together such enormous funds, that they were economical, that they had savings, and that they had this enormous surplus. That fairy tale has disappeared long ago. The publio cannot be hoodwinked by that any more, and I say that the two milllona that they claimed as a surplus is a myth ; that has been shown ever and over again, and I think I can recall It to your memories without going very much into detail about It, or womrlng you with figures. I think I can explain that part sf it very briefly by just recalling to ycu, with the knowledge you already poeaess, a few facts. The assets that the Government put down aa belonging to this province consist in great part of what are merely trust .funds. The Dominion of Canada holds in trust for the Province of Ontario certain funds ; Common School Fund. Upper Canada Grammar School Fund. Upper Canadia Building Fund, and others that are purely tni not own tiiMn ; tbey do not pownn tham ; thcjr ar« than almpl^ hi tholr hand* aa truateea for scboola and apcdat purpose* ; they cmaaot vm It ; they could not pay their own salarieK with It ; they oould not pay any of their employeea with It, or their railway obllsaUona or other debts wltH Jt ; It to not thelra. Lot mo iUuatrate It In thla way ; suppoee I am worth |100, and on leaving Toronto this morning I put that $100 In my pocket, but aa I waa oomlnr Kway, aomebody meets me and aaya: " Tou are going up to the County ot Peel ; here are 110,000 which belong to the County of Peel, and I wiiih you would »Iv» It to them." I come up hero with 110,100 In my pocket, and I go aroimd among you people, and I produce thla and I say, " I am worth 110,100." Would r not be considered a fraud ? Would It not be a misrepresentation ? (Applause.) I have the $10,000 of the Toronto man'a money In my pocket, as weU as my own noo, but I have It for a special purporo ; It la my duty to hand It over to the person I was told to give It to. It is not my mon, v at all. 1 have it however in my pocket : if I wsjb a fraud and a deceiver I could parade around and say that Js my money, and probably the people could not contradict me ; but it is not mine, I can't spend It or pay my debts with It : I hold it for a special purpose And so it is trust funds that the Oovemment put in as acseis of tholr own, as moneys of their own to apparentiy swell their exchequer ; it does not belong to them any more than It belongs to me ; it is in their hands for a specific purpose. Even the ilnanclal Committee in re- porUag upon that, omitted some very Important wxwdsln referring to -one of the trust Ainds. It was pointed out In the House that they had omitted in their rvport to mention that these moneys wAe in and by the Award of the Oovemment arbitrators stated to be moneys held by the Province of Ontario "for the purpose for which they were Intended." Tou look back at the Act y receive from capital, and they add them together and put the result before the pnblle as the receipts for the year, and unless you closely analyse it and go carefully Into the matter you cannot tell one from the other. They say they have received during the year so many dollars, and that they have expended during that year so many dollars; the diflterence they say Is their saving; " Oreat Is Ross and his Government that they have made these immense sav- ings." But look Into some of the items, one was mentioned to-day by Mr. Charters. They have timber sales from Ume to time. They had one the day before yesterday, and $782,000 were the proceeds of that That will appear in their statement of receipts for 1901, just the same way, mixed up with their revenue. It wIU all appear together. " We are a great Oovemment ; we have collected so many milUons of dollars." But you will find among the collection this $782,000. They mix the capital and the revenue. They should, of course, state that they received It but they ought to distinguish between the two;' they ought to give the people of this country a statement of what they have n- celved on capital and where It aame from. If It came from a timber sals we ate not richer $782,000 by that timber sale, we are out the timber limits; there were ours, there are not ours to-day. The $782,000 belongs to us, but we are no richer for the sale ; It should not be added .50 A to tlw reeetpti wd iiilz«4 op wltb Ibooiim, Irat tfiould M put In a ■nt* aooonnt m> that th« people oouM aee th* thing plainly. But 'wbat would bo tlM ranilt ot tills motbod wtalOb Z augg«str The result would be that the poblto would see at a glance that the Income receipts, the revenue receipts w«re so much, and the disbursements chargeable to revenue were so many dollars also, and the pubUo would then see that every year instead of the bowrted aorplus, ther* was reaUy a deficit and that wa are Uvtn« on ous* oapttal. So, I say, they do not do their duty to the public in this regard: they are not candid and above-board In mixing up their accounts In that way, and I think, Witt this explanation, that everybody will agree with me. If my statement is not right, I am sorry Hr. Smith is not here to correct me and give the true explanation. (Applause.) THB B1.BX3TION FRAUDS. Now a few words as to the West Sngin fraud and the North Waterloo fraud. We think that the Government has not done its duty In prosecuting the people whom the Judges said were guilty of various crimes In connection with ttiose elections. But the Government say, we are tired of that, we have heard that before, give us a rest, we don't want any more of it. Well, ladles and gentlemen, we wiU have in the Interest of the public to tire them still more; we win have to repeat it again and again until the Government not merely say they are sorry these things happened, but they will have to show true contrition and do penance for their sins. (Applause.) It Is not sufBclent for them to say we will be honest about these things in future, we are sorry for it. They promise now to be honest, because even their own supporters will demand It from them. There are different kinds of honesty. Some people rest their claim to honesty on very weak foundation. I heard the other day at a man who stole a dog, and he said, " I have come to the conclusion that honesty ts the best policy." " How is that?" said his pal, quite astonished at the man taking this view Of It. " Well." he says. " you know that dog I stole the other day, I went to several people and tried to sell It, and I could not, and I re- turned It to the old lady I stole it from, and She gave me |6. Honesty is the best policy." (lAughter.) Now we do not put much confldei.ce in people who when they have been found out say they won't do It again if we let them off. " Do not tire us about thls^ do not repeat this, do not always bring up West Elgin and North Waterloo; do not mention Pritchet and Cahill. and Bole, and all the illustrious lights who aided the Government in procuring the small majority they possess; do not let us hear any more of them; we are down on corruption, we are down on these wrongs." We do not believe much in these protestations after they have been found out, any more than we believe in the honesty of the man who took $5 from the woman from whom he stole the dog. Now, Just to follow up what I was saying ; mt having much faith In these promises of repentance of the Government, and that they won't do it again, it is my contention that they ought first, in order to purge themselves, prosecute and follow up these men. After a couple of years of dinning it into their ears that this ought to be done, the Government promised to prosecute some of them and after that promise was made some Conservatives were wicked enough to say, "I will bet anything these men will never be found guilty." Now, that was awful for these Conservatives to say that. The Attorney-General was going to prosecute these men; he was going to put the full power of the law into force sgatnst them, and yet the Conservatives were wicked enough to prophesy that none of these men would be convicted. Some of them apparently have been tried, but none of them have been convicted. Mr. Wlldfong, an active Government supporter, was accused of having In the MEWdse of his office of Deputy Returning Officer improperly handled 61 1 "^••■'" ■'— fc»l>«i»a^«»-:a.^. . tlM ballots. Th* JaStm w eoaad; I iwv* ttaair nport 1mi% whia X BMd not roftA to you, tbe temXUr la Joat w (amilter to yoa aa tt la to ma. Tha lud«aa found that WUdfonv and Caramlavi, anotbar dot- anmaat buttraaa, bad manlpaUted ballota. had mada falaa raturaa, bad Arattd« ulantly dafacad and Injured U, and that Cumminsa had (raudulantly mlaeeoat* ad Kl ballota which bad been oaat for tha ConaanratlTe candidate. Tbe Judcaa ao found at tbe trial, and tbe Oovamment were urged to proaacuta ^aaa man. After a great deal of delay they did ao. but before doing ao the matter eamo up la the House, when they wwe again urged, and I have a copy at the apaach of the Attorney-General on tbe queatlon here before me, one publlabad by themselvea, and aent out to the country. Now I do not understand tba moral obtuaeneaa of anyone who would think that tbe Ooveniment'a ezouaa waa anything Ilka a defence for theae men, anything like a reaaon ^^y tba Oomnment ahould not prosecute them. I will Just read to you a little of tbe Attomey-Oeneral'a speech In a pamphlet prir).>.d by the Reform party, circulat- ed by them aa their Juatlfloation and excuse. "WUdfong'a case, ICr. Olbaon continued, ia diflCerent; the defacing of ballots it ezpreaaly mada an offanca, but no direct evidence waa given to incriminate Wlldfong." Now, mark you tbla la from tbe Attomey-Oeneral who la aaked to prosecute Wlldfong. The Judges say ha manlpuUted thoaa baUota, that bP had Umpered with them, that ta tbe dlacharga of what ahould be a sacred duty, the taking care of the baUota of tba people of this country, bo had violated tbla truat, and returned tba wrong man Inatead of tba right man, and tbe Attomey-Qenaral, aaked to proaeeute this man, aaya on tba floor of the House, and baa it printed and publlahed and circulated through tbla country in reference to thla aocuaed m^n, that no dbraet evidence baa bean given to implicate him. The Judges who had tried the petition, were not trying tha accuaed at the time, but foiud that there was evidence that tbeaa things bad occurred and the election waa upaat in conaaquence of that, and the Court of Appeal confirmed the Judgment of tlie two Judgea who tried it And yet tbe Attomey-Oeneral aays no direct evi- dence appears to have l>een given to Incriminate Wlldfong. "A proceaa of exclusion of others who denied having any knowledge of alteration or defacing of the ballota seema to have led to the conclusion that Wlldfong aa a deputy- returning ofllcer, must have committed the offence. My view is that further proceedings sbopld be instituted." And yet be publicly announces before tbe proaecutlon waa commenced, that there waa no direct evidence to incriminate Wlldfong. And what do you think happened? Can the people of tbe country believe it? That In that proeecutlon of a man charged with having manipulated ballots and switched them, that the ballots were not produced in Court, and tbe case was dismissed without the production of the ballots. Can one con- ceive of a proaecutlon by the law leaving out the very imporant evidence, tbe only evidence that could have been given, the p^pductlon of the ballota tham- aalvea, ard summoning the men who bad marked these ballota to atate bow they had marked them, and ahowlng that nobody else could have touched them but this deputy-returning officer. That la Justice! If we heard that aald of any other country we would aay what an awftU state of affairs must exist in that country ; and yet men will be found so tied to their party that tbey will support the Oovemment that has been guilty of this, that has so prostituted tbe law by asserting that tbey were prosecuting the man abd yet net having tbe production at the trial of the very ballots that he was charged wttb having manlpulaed. Bo that tba wicked Toriea wtao propbastad that Wlldfong would not be convicted wera right after all. A •nlce—WbaA did tbsy do with tbe baUots? ICr. Foy— Well, the Ooverament prosecutor did not produoa them at tba trtal, that was the trouble. A voiofr— Tlioy burned them. (lAughter and applause.) 52 t tf*': rex WIST BLonv casb. Ifr. For.— Thtr* w*a aootlMr act of twilott that my friend tb«r« alludes to tbat were wanted at another trial and the oaae waa called; the baUota were not produced, but Mr. HaoNlab save a oonfeaalon, and he waa tma— ted. He gave a oonfesslon aerknulr Implicating his own party. 7 happen to have tt with me, and it i« ancb intereatins reading, that I might Je pardoned if X were to give it to you once more. Thla la a atatement algned by Mr. MaeNiah, wltneaaed by hla oounael and signed by hla counael in wliieh he aaya: " We beg to advise you that Mr. MacNlah has dlaooaaed at length with his aoUdtors **— it waa not an off-hand confearion. It waa deliberate, he had gone all over it with hla aolldtora first—" oonUined In the petition which has b n filed against his return as a member of the Ijeglslatlve Assembly of Ontario for West BOgln, and that they have to a considerable extent investigated the charges contained therein, a^d other matters which have come to their knowledge in connection wlUi the election ; and the subscribers hereto make the following statements and admissions respecting the same. First, that a large number of persons were specially sent into the constituency by men working on behalf of the X'- ing on behalf of the Liberal party for the express purpose of taking part lOr Mr. MacNlSh In the election. "And we believe that fraudulent and cosmpt means were used by several of such persons to t -^re his election: that several of the said persons Illegally and without authority acted as deputy-returning ofllcers." Just think of that : that they had actually dared to take a semi- Jndlci" See. a man sworn to do Ms duty, to hold the scale of Justice evMi be* >- '<> parties, men whom you trust, when you go in there you see a re i'' jfllcer, and you assume he has been appointed prc?erly, and you gi\ "^ur ballots without fear, and then you find that this man has been fra ^ My appointed and that he Is there for the express and deliberate pur- pose of cheating you out of your votes, tiheating the constituency out of its member, and returning to power by deceit and trickery a Oovemment that does not deserve to be there. (Applause.) Then the MacNish confession proceeds with several other things that I need not trouble you with, except this: " Sixth, that a large number of votes cast for Mr. McDiarmid were in some corrupt manner manipulated, whereby the result of the election was rendered doubt- ful, and that In this connection the voting at Ashdown and Middlemareh, and several dtvialons in St. Thomas where strangers were acting as deputy-returning officers merit special mention." Mr. Ross in his speech at Whitby alluded to West Elgin. He said: " There wHl be an election at West BHgln; we have a majority there: that Is easy." Well, Mr. Ross miscalculated. All the Liberals of the riding of West Klgln were not Spartans who obeyed his word of command. There were independent Liberals in that constituency who saw the wrong and iniquity and did right, and by a fair majority sent Mr. MacNlsb. back to retirement and elected Mr. McDiarmid in his place. (Applause.) Mr. Ross said "we have a majority in that riding, we will carry it, that is easy ; " but he counted witho t his host ; he counted not that amongst the Liberals of that riding were many honest and fair-minded men who would not swallow things of that kind, and I trust that in the coming election Mr. Ross will be shown that the honest Liberals of the different ridings throughout this country will not be at his back and will stand by the coimtry and not by their party. (Applause.) THB CONSB3RVATIVB LEASER. Now I find that the time allotted to me Is up, and I will have but very few jaan words to say to you. We will have the pleasure of presently hearing our dlta- tlnguished leader, Mr. Whitney. (Applause.) He is a man of whom w* are 53 i. ■AdM ■a prood. of whom th* party la proud, and the mor* th» country knowa htm tho moro tho country wUI bo proud ot htm. Ht tiao boon tn Parllosnont for •omo yous, ctvlnc bla tlmo and attention to tho porformanoo of tho onorete duttoo that bolons to a loadw, and tho rank and file, I may aay. do not fatty approolate how onerous those AviiM are. how much time a leader lias to gtve both tn the session and out of it to fuUU the responsible poslUon to which HiB party has appointed lUm. Since I have been In public life I have had a (llmpae of what his duties are, of the time and the attention and devotion he glTes, and thourh in his presence I say It, the country ousht to be proud that It can produce men who will vlve unselfishly so much of their time and the sacrifice of their personal interests in loc^nff after the Interests of this country. And in return for tla^ .. man like Mr. Whitney ourht to command the InteUl- cent approval and "■.*.« endorsatlon of the people throughout the whole pro- vince. (Applause.) He iwrforms his duty to us; let us i>erform our duty to iitm. Now, Mr. Chairman, I will Juat conclude by saylnr that If the Ross Oov- emment Is sustained in this coming campaign, the wicked men in the country will be seekinar places in Parliament and as rulers of the land. They will say that the people of Ontario do not care what are the methods of settlnit Into Parliament provided you get thore, the people of Ontario do not shrink at ballot swltehinsr, and ballot stufflpr-, and faUe returns by deputy-retumlns officers and men ntpuntlns to power by these nefarious methods; and the Tweeds and Crokers and all that arang ,wtll say that in future they will preseat themselves for the suffrages of a country that Is willing to swallow things like these. On the other hand the good men who would only take their seats If honestly elected, and who will not descend tC' these low methods, will say, what is the good of our going into the contest und seeking to represent constitu- encies when we will have to sit side by side with men tL t are elected In tliat other way ? And what is the use of our contesting constituencies by honest and proper methods, and these are the only methods we will adopt, if we are to flght men who wtH rooelv* the approval of this province for having adopted the other methods T So that you see that I did not exaggerate, that I was perfectly correct In saying that the present contest that Is coming to us is one of exceptional character, one of the most critical, one in which the character and reputation of this province are at stake. But we go into the campaign. Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, with the fullest confidence that the people of this country have not descended so low as not to frown down and condemn such methods, as the courts have condemned, and show to the world that they, at all events, do not approve of them. (Loud applause.) l S4 \ t. s. < 'i ;. ■ ■ -i ' •f' : '