The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-08-16
LAURIER AND
WESTERN CROPS
WHAT A GOOD YIELD MEANS TO
HIS GOVERNMENT.
Mistakes of the Administration May
Be Condoned If the Prosperity
Wave Rolls On-Larger Relation
ship of the Northwest to Eastern
Canada,
Special to The Journal.

Special to The Journal.
Ottawa, Ont, Aug. 1.-THE next
week or two will y decide whether
Canada is to have this year q. bumper.
medium or poor crop. So far all in
dications point to one of the best
ditions remain favorable a splendid
harvest may be confidently looked for.
A few years ago the success or
otherwise Of the western crops would
have attracted only very moderate at
tention in eastern Canada, but now
adays the east is compelled to take
an interest. and a very vital interest,
in the prospects of the great western
wheat country, for to a large extent
the prosperity of the whole country
depends upon a good harvest in Mani
toba and the northwest. A decade
ago Ontario produced a much larger
crop than the west, but now the con-
tario is steadily abandoning wheat for
mixed farming, and grain production
has moved overwhelmingly to western
Canada. t M
Prosperity Wave Spreads East.
A bumper crop means an abundance
of ready money in the hands Of the
western farmer, an added impetus to
the development Of the west, further
influx Of population, the Improvement
Of existing farms, and large demand
for manufact ured articles such. as
eastern Canada is able to supply on
favorable terms. The wave Of pros
wheat belt consequently flows over the
entire country, and it is no wonder
that Canadians east of the Great
Lakes share a good deal of the anxi-
ETY. that prevails in these days Of UNI
certainty.
an added element Of anxiety.ea+H has
managed in. Narfoushways ito rub the
country the wrong way. It's failure to
grant provincial autonomy to the
Northwest Territories is onezNSpoint
against it; another is the mismanage-
ment, Of the Yukon; a third the popu-
lar dissatisfaction with the route of
ment against the governments weak
kneed surrender to the Grand Trunk
in the matter of additional conces-
sions.
Still Other Grievances.
The. general feeling in the country
is that the administration should
have held the Grand Trunk to the
original agreement, Instead Of agree
ing to new conditions which will i'm
| mensely increase the cost Of the trans
continental road to the country. A
fourth grievance with a large and In
fuenttal section Of the population isthe
governments treatment Of Lord Dun
| donald; and there are many other
| matters Of more or less local interest,
which have tended to weaken the gov
ernment's hold on the country, and
reduce it's chances of a return to
power after the next general elections
The political situation has in fact
reached a. point where, so far as the
government is concerned, it's success
or failure may depend upon the char
/. acter of the western crops. Given a
good harvest, with a continuation OF
the present period of prosperity, and
the people, however illogically, viii
probably forgive or forget the mis-
deeds Of the administration; but
should the crops prove failure, the
| government might as we'll dig Its
grave at once, for its chances in the
next election would not be worth
| dime.