New-York tribune., 1890-05-27
TIE COMING ELECTIONS IN CANADA.
POLITICAL oUEsTIcNs-A NEW ELEMENT IN
PRACTICAL POLITICS.

PRACTICAL POLITICS.
ottawa May 90 spcclal.-rhc Quebec elections
will take place on June Il the ontario election ON
June = In these provinces the lcei-ht'c cp"'''
determines the state political partc- In the provincial
legislatures only. They have nothing to do WIN
comfy and municipal officer. Members oi the lEl''
laiurc, alone arc returned. The Dominion elections
10 return members Of Parliament 70 the Federal HOUSE,
Of Commons will take place by ciiluX Of time ID l-"-'
By dissolution the Government has the power 10 brhE
them on sooner If II thinks nat course best go ii~
own interests The number Of rcprcscf tiil'c' f'"
each province entitled 10 sit in the Federal Commons
ls determined by the last preceding the election
I,y law the next census take, place 10 l-rl. In JuN
1851 the enumeration of population Will be compete.
and upon that enumeration depends the number y Dc
elected There has been con fcrabl" change %
population hy migration, emigration ard lmms-t'n
sine, the last ccnsus. There VIII conS'qurn'N De-
numerous changes iu the neXt trbnuon of seats
Tho Government controls the machinery That decide
tho redistribution Tho lat rcdl-trihuti0n Afforded
wide scope for gerrymandcrug the c,nstuencies Ih'
chances m that direction will he SIN greater n l-3l
on the Other hand the opposition better Informed
10 be forcwaTed is 10 be forcarmcd n his a in other
matters There viii be AZ i''clliront anp-" .ia'on
thi, time Of tie opportunities nr rrrryman'"rn- AMI
Of the means fJr couutoraciln- them. balancing or"
thing with the other ~, prohihlc- aro n itr0r .
wholesale gcrrymandorn-. So spite of all tho opp ''n
can do 10 prevent H. 40 mere -cntlmruluiy or weak
scrrpulouencss viii be suffered rt"r,rc with party
Interests. The Premier is tho wiicst politician in
North America. To suppose he Will hesitate a. any
thing within his power "a manipulate the consttucnrr,
to the utmost in favor of his pariy would be 10 mis-
take the man. the elasticity Of bis conscience. and the
confidence ana devotion II hs leut"nant> and FOL
lowers The party Office is bound % sezc the rcin>
of power more. # II can be done by an un.
-crupulDus 81 the control OF TIE rc',iFhui'i
machine and II cannot be done AZ the poll. good
deal may be accomplished in constituencies wh"f,
parties are evenly balanced. by grant, OF money
nominally for public works. rcallv % dcbanch the
voters Canada is still comparatively poor country.
Development has been slow. There f. not district
In the Dominion that is not starving for Internal
development. Tho construction q railways. canals.
houses. postoniccs. and the liberal expenditure
Of public moneys repayment in vote by the ten,
Of thousands. who look 10 the hands Of the Govern
ment agent, for employment
In Quebec the Nationalsts hold the rc!us of power
and Premier MERCER /, their leader. Mcrccr b. an
anneXatloni-t He is opposed TO the Dominion G,'-
cFnmcnt. The party holding Office u the Dominion
J. IN the minority IN both Quebec and Ontario Mcrc!crs
opponents in Quebec the Cramontanc-. They
pledged against annexation. Ia the coming election
they will have unlimited help from the Dominion cos
crnnent. Money VII now freely. and they VIII have
control Of enormous Federal patronage. Public WORKS
of every KIND In the province have been restricted for
months In order that when the election take, place
stream Of corruption may he let loose over the
province The fight between Nationalist and Ultra,
montane principle will be largely determined by the
expenditure Of money and distribution OF patronage
by the Provincial and Dominion authorities respectively
In ontario the last named rule to some extent
but I'm far less degree applies The rrformcrs are IA
power. and the first plank in their political platform
is unrcsrancd reciprocity with the United state, In
Ontario element In politics has arisen since the
last legislative election The Equal flighcrs have
grown into importance. In bye election for the
Dominion Parliament right here the Federal captal
the Equal Fighter, put mp their first candidate for tho
Federal House Of Commons. and 10 the anezement Of
the entire country, he actually pOllcd more vote,
than the Liberal nominee The Government candidate
owed his large majority chiefly to a dcspairing coalition
OF the parties In the State at the eleventh hour to
crush the Equal Fighters. The suddenly demonstrated
and totally unsuspccted strength OF the new element
had made profound impression on the public mind
A disdaincd aggregation Of contemplate atoms has at
a bound become power in the country. 50 the
Equal Fighters must be rcckoncd with. The Minis
teralst party, roughly speaking may be divided into
three wngs-Frcnrh Cltramontanes, English speahing
a,rmG and te ci ~ me orangrnen
They have invariably prcseryed their individuality.
Sir John Macdonald has been astute enough hithro
hold them fast In association with clement the
with except under snch political pressure as the
Premier has brought tO bear than fire would mix with
repugnant the one 10 the other withdraw one and
The Ministerial majority mclts into minority at once.
The Equal Right movement IL the offspring of the
anti Jesuit agitation foot by the Olangcnrn
The result IS wherever acceptable Equal Rights can
didatc presents himself important percentage Of con
scrvatve strength l. withdrawn from the Mln.tcrallst
Equal Rlghters have also drawn to extent upon
the Liberal party In ontario. II the Equal Rights
movement has other effect the coming election
IT Will assuredy upset existing party maloritlcs In
close constituencies. To prevent the loss of seats
Conservative candidates. wherever the Equal Righiers
are strong, must adopt the Equal Rights platform
otherwise inevitably Equal Rights candidates will be
elected and become a third party holding the balance
Of power and controlling the party In Office as surely
as the Iltrmontancs control the Government Of The
Dominion. the Equal Fighters hold the bnionce
Of power In ontario, the Quebec Iltranontnncs for
the first time In Canadian politics are nentr,lizcd
In Manitoba and the Northwest the Edual Rig. Mai
form already prcdomlnntcs politics. r,montat,l-u
can never spread beyond Quebec. E0uaI pi,sl,tism
expands unchecked In the growing West II these
assertions well founded. the study of the cnmirg
election becomes Invested with "a now interest maj
they are well founded is self evident because thev %
the simple expression of ascertaincd facts Tue na
sentences and ] have done. The Edual RiDhter. '"n
Impcrialsts exclusively, with clear and decided lean
ings to AneOC Canadian Nationality i'm dof,nlt 81
permanent Imperialism. which many see Ia te a." Inn
possible here a. IL In the rcv0led colonies ,nu
the United states OF America There IS moi a nam
among them that would not welcome free Int.r"t., %
Of products with the nted States and n"naii1 aus ~
not man among them who consstentIv tiS WIZ ~ ~
platform could consent 10 political union win ,n
Republic. ~ WIZ