The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-03-07
,CxSApsAS poEfr1Cs.

and reports from Ottawa tell Of jubilatinR
Tories and sadly depressed Liberals. Since
last wrote tho Secretary Of State. Mr. J. C.
Patterson. has carried q recognized Grit y
stronghold. West Huron. to the great JOY oil
his friends and the equal confusion OF his
opponerts. Two or three other by-elections
have also gone In favor Of the Government.
who now havo very solid working ma
jorty OF something over forty. Whether
the Minister Of Agriculture. Mr. John CARING.
has carried London. tho election In which
came OF last Friday. Is still n disputed nues-
lion. The Tories claim that he is elected by a
small majority. while the Liberals have II that
Hyman is elected. The question is not very i'm
portant. As I explained before. II he Is not
elected the doors OF the Senate will open to
receive him, and the Government Is strong
enough without his vote In the Commons.
great change has come over the face OF
politics since the close OF last session. At
that limo there was widespread indignation
throughout the country ut tho ex posures made
before the Parliamentary Committees and
over the obstructive policy pursued bv some
members of tho Cabinet who. when inquiry
threatened to i'm plicate themselves or their col.
leagues. would arbitrarily silence II by mere
force Of numbers. the Government having. Of
course. majority OF votes In each committee
The by.elections were then looked forward
to by the ministerlallsts with tho greatest ap.
prehenslon. as tho loss OF very few constItu-
encles would have meant the reduction OF their
already slender majority below the point nec-
ossary for effectively controlling the House.
Had II not been for the Bale des Chaleurs
Railway scandal. which carnc to light toward
the end OF tho session. covering the Quebec
wing OF tho Liberal party with utter disgrace.
their worst fears would probably have been
realized.
That scandal was godsend indeed for Mr..
Abbott and his colleagues. They had 1t thor
oughly Investigated by q Royal Commission
and allowed the damning facts to become
familiar to the whole population Of tho Do
minion before they brought OIL any OF the BY
elections Their plans altogether must have
been very we'll laid. judging by results. Here.
as with you. vast amount OF important. or ut
least effective. work. in . political sense. ia
done by outside committees. or. as we call
them. associations. and there would seem
to have been rather more brains at work on
tho Conservative than on the Liberal side. OF
course the resources OF Government are i'm
mense compared with those Of an opposition.
The Government makes the tariff and 10 enti-
tied to gratitude. and little more. from the
manufacturers II distributes offices. It erects
public buildings. 1t grants railway subsidies.
1t undertakes great variety Of public
works; to bask in It's favor may mean much
for constituency: to live under its
power may also moan much In very different
sense. Several Of the constituencies which the
Government has lately carried have boon won
by majorities OF twenty or less: and when 1t ia
considered what q vast amount Of influence
Government can exert In tho ways above
mentioned. to carry a constituency by such
majority cannot be said to signify great
moral victory. The moral victory is really on
the other side.
However this may be. tho Government to-day
10 strong. and its opponents are correspond
ingly depressed. The latter indeed do not
know whore to turn for consolation. To-day
10 nomination day for the approaching gen.
eral election in the Province Of Quebec. and on
tho 9Th inst the election takes place. The
Ontario Liberals scarcely know what to wish
for. II Mr. Mercier. tho dismissed Premier OF
the Province OF Quebec. is sustained BY the Cleo
tors. they will suffer through the indignation
that the success OF a NAH whose name IL now a
byword for political corruption will naturally
cause. II. on the other hand. he is badly beat
On and the present Conservative regime In the
Province OF Quebec Is confirmed. the Liberal
cause In tho other provinces will receive set
back through the discontinue OF its present
ally. It Is really diffioult situation. and one
that cannot be mended in moment. Tho
Liberals. 1t must be confessed. have here
tofore suffered from bad leadership. They
have never been able to resist the tempta.
tion to grasp at small advantages. and
have shown q lack Of faith In broad prin-
ciples. A few years ago they had as their
leader Mr.. Edward Blake. Q man OF high char
aoter and great intellectual power and on ora.
tor OF the first rank. but even he could not re-
sist the temptation to try and make political
capital ont OF the execution OF Riel He knew
that all Quebec would be up in arms against
the execution. and he thought he saw his way
to Q combination that would be fatal to the
Government Of Sir John Macdonald-a COM
bination such as they practice in France from
time to time. with damaging results to the
ministry Of the day and sometimes to the pub
lie interest as we'll. That folly condemned
the Liberal party to years OF almost
aimless wandering in the wilderness
whether they can now find lead
or and policy that will carry them
on to fortune They thought last session
they would soon ride into power over the
wreck OF their opponents reputation. when.
10 the scandal cloud began to gather and
lower over portion OF their own camp. What
they have to do now Is. in the first place. to
settle upon a serious policy which they can
seriously recommend to the country and which
they will uphold without faItering or waver.
ing: and. In the second. to cut themselves
completely free from all damaging and en-
tanglinG alliances. The conditions OF warfare
for q Government and for an opposition are
not at all the same A party claiming TO dis
place the one In power must profess higher
political virtue. and II 1t Ia caught using the
methods no better than those resorted to by
their opponents they stand convicted Of the
vice OF hypocrisy. 1t Is hard
to have to fight Government which pos-
sesses every material advantage. and to be
obliged. under pain OF utter disgrace. to con-
duct your campaign upon altogether higher
principles than the Government is required to
adopt. 1t Is. indeed. an unequal strife. but an
opposition that cannot accept the terms may
as well retro from the conflict.
1t Is very rare thing Tor n politician. on
grounds OF conscientious conviction. TO re-
nounce the political party with which no has
always previously been connected: but II hap
pens sometimes and 1t happened In our Senate