Arizona republican., 1900-11-25
A PERSONAL TRIUMPH
A Race Appeal Almost 0bliterated the Conservatives-French Can adians Indignant Over Charges of Disloyalty-The Tories Learn ed a Bitter Lesson The Reor- ganization of Their Party.

Montreal. Nov. 24.-The remarkable majority given to Sir Wilfrid Laurier's government in his native province, Quebec, is the feature of the recent do minion elections that continues to at tract attention throughout Canada. Of siXty-five seats in that province, his followers took fifty-seven, and of those only about a bakers dozen were Eng lish
 That striking fact is accounted for by the defeated conservatives on the ground that the liberals conducted the campaign in Quebec on racial lines, and appealed to the French Canadian electors to vote for Sir Wilfrid Lau- rier as one of themselves.
 The liberals on the other hand, at tribute their victory to the strength and popularity of the government ana the prevalence of good times, but they practically admit the conservatives charge when they add that their trl- umph was the natural consequence or the i'll considered and insulting refer ences to the French Canadians in cer- tain Ontario conservative newspapers which reused the ire of the French press. In fact, the French newspapers are raising such hue and cry over that aspect of the situation as to glVe rise to a shrewd suspicion that they themselves are somewhat alarmed at the result, which was even more over whelming than they counted upon ana is of such q nature as to suggest re- prisals. Quebec has given large ma iorities before, but never quite to the present extent of practically sollu Quebec" and there is a lurking lear that another time there may be solid array of English speaking provinces against Quebec.
 The saving element in the situation is that the English speaking provinces as a whole gave Laurier a majority or eight. Ontario was the one province in which the government met ueteat' a favorable majority of twelve being turned into an adverse majority ol twenty-one.
 The race appeal in Quebec resulted III almost obliterating the conservative party in that province, Out or colisei vative candidates in every county onlg il paltry eight were elected or "noiii three only were English. one might quote columns of speeches and news paper articles to show the character or the appeals made to the preJudlces ana racial passions of the habitant. It IS only necessary. however, to point out that the English literature distributed in the province referred to each canol- date as ",The liberal candidate" while in every case the French announce ments and campaign literature used "Le candidat du Sir Wilfrid Laurier.
 One had only to make a tour of the f, thn Montreal to be convinced that the bur den of the speeches was not so much the merits of the questions before the country as insidious appeals to the generous feelings and clannish spirit of the French Canadian. The Hon M. F.. Bernier minister of inland revenue, made a tour of the province below the city of Quebec in company with the premier. and wherever he spoke he ap- pealed to the electors to forget party differences, to remain conservative If they would, but to vote for Laurier, who was one of their own race and re- ligion. MT. Tarte is a shrewd cam paigner, and knows his people well, and he turned to good account every criticism of the premier and himself. Every criticism was twisted Into an at- tack on his race. The premier, he said, was assailed in the other provinces be- cause he was a French Laurier himself used the appeal direct to his compatriots, but he was more adrot.
 T do not ask you" he would say, ito support me because I am French Canadian. but I ask you if it is any disgrace to have one of yourselves at the head of the state.'
 Such an appeal was insidious and eff fective.
 The curious part of the situation was that the best allies of the liberals were the Ontario conservative newspapers and certain politicians. When the Boer war broke out and it was ques- tion of Canada going to the assistance of the mother country many French Canadians were doubtful as to the jus tice of England's cause. The division of opinion was not in any way more re- markable than that in England, yet to the more hysterical of the pro-British newspapers in Ontario it was sufficient ground on which to brand the French Canadian race with disloyalty. Strong utterances were of course, put forth, and these stirred up reprisals in que bee. When the election came on the Tarte machine had these insulting re- marks collected and published in d pamphlet in French. The criticisms of a sensitive people were held up as the opinions of the conservative leaders and with the fervor of spellbnders the liberal orators at every little cross roads meeting called on the French Canadian to avenge the insults to their race and leader.
 The French Canadians are as loyal as any citizens of Canada. but if a sure means of disaffecting them were re- quired, none better could be desired than for the English newspapers to re fer to them as an inferior race and constantly doubt their loyalty and tha > of their representative men.
 The conservative attempt at coun-