The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-03-21
CANADIAN POLITICS.
pr.r.,.r Abbott's Probable Course-Mer-
cier's Overthrow In Quebec Not Regret.
trd-The Question Of Direct Taxation
aud Imperial Federation Looming Up.

| having the tight squeeze 1t had last session.
Ind weathered the by elections and met Par
lament on its reassemblng with an almost
| doubled majority. every one would have at
| tributed Il to the wonderful leadership and
| equally wonderful luck of the "old man. This
is what has happened in his absence. and some
| people are beginning to saw that there Is n
rather wonderful old man In Sir Johns place.
| The probability. indeed. Is that in some re-
| spects Mr.. Abbott Is superior to tho late leader
| OF the Conservative party. Ho Is n better man
| OF business and more capable OF applying HIM
| self to details without burying himself In
| them. or abandoning TINT elevated point OF
view which leader ought always to occupy.
| According to all accounts. he wants to have
the work of tho country well DONE and makes
his colleagues understand that he looks to
| them to keep their departments in good shape.
| There Is nothing about him OF the devil-may-
| caro- clement which was so conspicuous in Sir
| John. and WAS one of the causes OF his popu-
| larity. He does not expect ever to be popular
as Sir John was; he will be content II lie can
| guide his party with prudence and success.
| and earn for hms,lf in his later wears. some
| little rcnown for conservative craftsmanship.
| 1t is Just u week to-day since the country be-
came aware Of the utter collapse Of MIR. Nor
cier. In the general iprovincial election of
| the 9Th inst his party was all but wiped out of
| existence. In House OF seventy three mcm-
| bers he carried only seventeen seats. leaving
| his opponents in possession Of nfty-two. while
| four were held by so.called independents lib
erals" A day or two later it was announced
that Mr.. MERCER had decided on retiring for
ever from public life: he would resign his
constituency. hc said. and devote hms to
| law as profession and farming as II
recreation. In announcing this detcrm-
nation he took tho tone Of deeply
| injured man who had failed in the
| effort 10 serve an ungrateful country. Moth
| ing could exceed the eXutation Of the Consor-
vative party in tho Province of Quebec They
whoopcd. hurrahed. yelled. had bonilrcs. pro-
| cessions iluminations. and exhausted all
| their powers of imagination and sarcasm in
| devisng taunts and giles for the fallen leader.
| Their luck in getting him out OF power was
what few months ago they had hardly dared
to look forward to. such powers of leadership.
! such splendid audacity-a little Il Ia Sir John
| Macdonad-did he appear to possess: SO that
| when their good fortune came. and came with
| such a rush. il Is no wonder they wero nearly
| driven wild.
| The French Canadians are nearly. ifnot quito,
| as eXcitable n race as tho French of Europe.
and their political warfare is marked by
| greater malignty than is common among tho
English-speaking portion OF our population.
| They are not ashamed to cXult in an almost
| fendish manner over fallen foe aud they are
very fond of pointing him out one upon
| whom the curse Of heaven has fai"n. This
was the case when NJ. Lcteler de St Just the
| Liberal Lieutenant Governor Of tho Province
OF Quebec. dismissed Conservative Cabinet
and called Liberal Minister on. Jolly, to his
councils. The air became blue with Conserva-
tive i'm precautions. and when. some time after
| tho Lieutenant Governor. who in turn was
dismissed by Sir John Macdonald. lay upon
his dea.hbed. sinking from nervous prostra-
| ton brought on by the terrible ordeal of
| abuse and persecution he had undergone. there
were not wanting those who said that they saw
the hand of God in his affection. SO now of Mr..
| Mercier. God has been after him. too THE
| justice Of God has passed by exclaims the
| Courier 1u Canada. very pious journal. Tho
finger OF God is in it," cries another: while
| a third reminds its readers that once Jesus
| Christ chased out of the temple the traders who
| had made it den of thieves. and calls upon
them to recognize the similarity between that
performance and the rout Of the Liberals
| the 9Th Of this month. The extreme piety of
| these remarks is one Of the. hcnc!riai results
| OF the priesty education prevailing in this
| province. Mr. Mercir,- could be very pious
| e. ~ and. though l do not re-
" no doubt that ne and his
FH'oi the execution of Louis
ger Of heaven pointing quite
10 overthrow Of their opponents.
80 2onsentinG to that act.
There are those who think that tho Province
| OF Quebec acted under virtuous impulse in
| overwhelming MERCER rs 1t did last week. l
was talking to n Presbyterian Scotchman
day or two before tho event. and he said that
! he had great respect for the French charac-
| ter. and that ho fully expected the constit-
uencies would vindcate themselves nobly
| when tho day came to pronounce ap-
| Ituon Ma
acts. You may imagine | thought of
| my friends words the morning Of
| the nth. when. reading the news OF the cy-
| clone in which MERCER and his party had disap-
peared. confess had not myself counted Oh
| any largo amount OF virtue coming to the
front: but something like this must have hap
| pened. for n mere shifting OF a certain number
| from one side to the other, upon n sordid cal
culation OF personal or local benefits. could not
| account for so utter n rout OF n powerful party
| and for the very decisive majortics recorded
| against tho LiborH candidates almost every
where The Province of Quebec has. indeed.
| moved up several degrees in the estimation OF
| good mon everywhere throughout tho Domin-
| ion, and comparisons are now drawn between
| Ontario. and very much to tho disadvantage
OF the wealther. moro protentious. and moro
| pharlsaical province.
| Ontario prides itself on its Sabbath obscrv-
| ance. on tne HOuTlSnlnS OF TcllRiOn Wltnln
| its borders. on the solid and vrtuous charac-
| ter Of its yoomnnry: yet its constituencies
seem to move mainly in obedience to the sor-
| did attraction OF Government grants. Con-
| sentative organs in that province now make no
| concealment about urging the voters to take
| tho Government side on account Of tho money
| that is to be made out Of it. gave you an in
| stance OF this recently. and another is
now under my eye. Tho Toronto G'obe of yes
| tcrday quotes a Cobourg. Ont, paper TO the
| following effect: "Wo have witnessed with
| much regret the efforts of our political orpo-
nents to belittle the railway question in tho
present contest. The opportunity
| is again offered to the people to secure the
| construction Of the new railway or otherwise,
| as they may decide ut the polls on Tuceday.
| Let them not he deceived. for upon their
decision In this contest depends the fate
| OF Cobours for NJ least tho present decade We
| do not propose to deceive the people nor TO
hold ont To them false hopes. Our sncross
| Just now depends upon sencins to Ct'awan