The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-03-22
POLITICS IN THE DOMINION.
RISE TO POWER or 1HE PATRoNi
or INDUSTRY ~ ONTARIO.

OF DJSTR IN
The New rnrty Hopes 20 Hold the mas
nncc OF Power In the Nest DomIniou
Psrlinneut-The Growth OF the II ,pub,
ucnn Iden 'rrouhie- the Governments
MONTREAL, NJ rch ~. Politics in Cannda
arc In the melting pot, and what shape they
may eventually assrmc crn only lie known
rfter they hive been tccast IN the mould Of
public opinion at the next general election,
Even then there will lie room tor reasonable
doubt as to whether the result will he n true
representation of the popular will, for the cleo
tions are TO he made on the lists " 1894 I'm.
revised, 80 that the genius for tampcring WITH
the vote. possessed tn q remarkable degree bJ
the agents Of the party now in power Mt Ottar
wa, will have full play. In any case. in tho
Judgment of many, 1t Ia OF little conse1
quence which party comes back to Ottawa o.
top, for rs things here cannot get better before
they get to the worst, not II few hope to see the
Tuppcritcs return to hurry on the smash.
At the same time IL seems pretty certain that
politics are no longer going to lie left entirely
In the hands Of the two old time and worn .out
parties that have hitherto divldcd the 9Surt-v
between tiem-tnc Grlts and Tories. roe
other groups have put in an appearance, one Of
which bids fair to obtain substantial support
from the electorate, namely, the Patrons OF In-
dustry. composed mainly II not entirely Of
farmer RS and others connected with agriculture,
who have scaled Off the old parties; and the
Dalton McCarthyite, who pose as purified
Tories and aim Mt constitute NJ n kind Of Ma
tional Independent party, that is TO say, inde-
pendent Of the other two existing parties. 10
Is not likely that these last will gain at once
any considerable section of tho Tories, on
whom they will have to depend: tho Canadian
electorate. and more especially the Tory section
of it, has too long enjoyed the lcshpots of Of
0rp IN bn inrlinaI fnr cyan N tar,pnrorv -
journ In the wilderness Of opposition.
II - somewhat different with the Patrons of
Industry. They came Into existence as n politi-
cal body with definite aims some six years
ago. moved principally to do so by the way in
which the Province OF Ontario had become the
prey Of two or three family groups in politics
and Of a set OF needy place hunting lawyers
and exploiting lumbernen. The Patrons aiin
Mt serious reductions in the expenses of admin-
i%stration and government both in DomiDion at-
fairs and In provincial concerns; and to such
an extent had they acquired strength In 1904.
that in the provincial elections in that year in
Ontario they succeeded, in the teeth OF tho
most formidable opposition and the compact
fifteen out Of ninety three, members in the On
tario Legislative. Assembly. In their efforts
the personnel OF the Leg!slative Assembly in
tho matter of free railway passes they wore
not at first entirely, successful; but public
opinion declared itself so strongly on the way
in whic il the two old parties combined To vote
down the Patron proposal that members should
either torego their seasonal travelling allow
ances or give up their free passes on the rail-
ways, that during this pre- cent session the On
nit 10 the expression of the popular will. and
furnish the members with tickets paid for By
the GoyeEnment ana cease the seasonal trav-
While this goes to the credit Of the Mowat
the prestige of the Patrons. and nerved them
for further efforts on behalf of the sorely bur-
dened farmers of Canada in "A wider field,
that Of the dominion Parliament. They con.
~fidently expect to elect at least fifteen menu
where. If the old parties return in anything
like equal strength. they may hold the balance
and exercise an important influence on which;
depends on the electorate. which, as concern.
dominion politics. seems still unable to divest
has not acquired sufficient clearness of vision
to detect the true merits of a question or policy
amid the clouds of dust thrown, up by tho
contending parties and press. Still TIE advent
Of the Patrons into the field of practical poll.
tics has had a lively and disconccrting etfeo1
Within the last few, days the pres. of Can.
manifesto puTporting to be issued by the Ca
madam Republican Committee at Toronto.
OF n tRe anGy ate; i has af Seen re en- f@f ms%o fos
the country has beel flooded with their work,
and the manifestoes are heard Of from all sorts
all kinds of people. They were even made the
su ssemb , of "a an r interTpella an% IN in n the heEisi%tiys
eminent was able to divert some of its atten-
tion from the Manitoba, school question to
setting detectives to work watching the To-
ronto Post Office To try and find out the authors.
It il not known so far that their efforts have
worded document. has Ieen received, repro
English and French, it would appear to ex-
nress the secret thoughts of many Canadians.
ut Ottawa has brought thousands in Canada
to see that the men mt Ottawa have their T..
sea- ssouE5H $500 "' miles s' away ~ than eau to canada anaSss and md
her interests, They at Inst have discovered
n moath saips about 'n at 0t,sws ~n nTe not aFs and q" cn m%sa
be identical with colonial interests. and that
II is Canada after all that will have to pay for
condition of the country this is impossible.
and the people, are not such fools as not to
and the lainb It was the lion that. eventually
absorbed the lamb: Hence the importance
which has been reproduced by, tho hundreds
Of thousands in the papers and found its way
Already it is commonly said that clubs arc
being formed in some of the larger towns, for
methods of bringing about Canadian indepcn-
dence; I Windsor. where a club, Of over
the question will be brought definitely before
the electors at the dominion elections. This
snG It TO Mii Hn Sot be- sur rnf mSSf Il tIe o SissTherf {;
brought mp in more than ono constituency.
OF course both the old political paroles arc
disturbing element In their already disturbed
calculations, but with the farmers and store
and chattel mortgages on their stocks and per-
sonal belongings, al, the rate OF from one hun
dred to one hundred and Atty a day. II is inev-
table that they should lie looking for some
change. At present impcrlalism and chattoi
mortgages seem a kind of Siamcse twins, and
IL may only be- possible to get ri! Of one by
throwing over tho other: Al any rate thou
sands OF Canadians are thinking that the Gov
eminent OF Canada should be controlled in
Canada and not from London in England, and
that the only way to do that cfrectually II TO
cut the connection. What that Involves and
how IL may be brought about Is matter for fur.
Their consideration.