Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-06
CANADIAN POLITICS
Some Remarks From -Edmon-
ton, Alberta Province.
MINISTER FRANK OLIVER
Lives There and is Dominator From
the High Grass.
TWO PARTIES MUCH ALIKE
Both Favor Filling Up the Country
\ West win Soon Hold tho Bal
ance OF Power.
TWO PARTIES MUCH ALIKE
t'peciai Correspondents of The Star.

July ~ 1909.
This seems a pretty fair sort of place
from which to pass out few learned re-
marks concerning Canadian politics. OF
course, Ottawf. IL the capital OF the domin-
ion and viii probably feel rather sighted.
and Montreal and Quebec are huniming fine
cities. But there are a couple Of good real
Sons in favor of Edmonton. In the first
place western Canada will dominate the do
mfnion some day in the sweet bye and bye
Frank Oliver lives here. He is the present
liberal minister Of the Interior and domi-
nator from the high grass. I've, already
mentioned that there's a whole LOT of stradf-
ton and just slathers Of custom In this do
mfnion,. and politics Is much affected there
by. The Canadian politician, like his Eng
lish brother, wears a frock. coat and drinks
tea with amazing dignity. procession of
grandfathers and an Oxford certificate
usually helps some.
Dominion Politics
A British Columbia politician shook his
head and shifted when asked him II Oliver
had q chance to succeed to the leadership Of
the Canadian liberals upon the passing Of
Sir Wlfred Laurier. 1t was the kind Of a
headshake and the variety Of q sniff that
a woman will give when she Is asked about
some other woman who she things Is not in
her set. It really didn't get down far as
lated prairie provinces take the place In
Canadian politics that will some day be
theirs-that is. IL the tide of immigration
continues.there win be more hustle and a
great deal less so-called good form. no
ticeable at Canadian political gatherings
for Americans are filing up the prairie
provinces and Frank Oliver is an Ameri-
can In all but the accident of BIRTH He is
the sort OF person. who, in the states,
would begin with cash capital of a dollar
and half. acquire seventeen millions In a
reasonably short time. annex a seat In the
Senate and control the biggest political
party In the land. The Transformation out
mere may not come soon enough to make
him the leader of his party but the prairie
provinces Will soon produce other politicians
of his type.
The man doesn't live who can shoot
through Canada In a private car, the play
things OF railroads with ambitions toward
Oroken records the slave of strenuous
Canadian hospitality. and claim at the
finish, II he reaches 1t. that he has any ac-
curate knowledge concerning Canadian poI-
tiles Canada from a car window is not
saicuiated to make for detail in anything.
let alone big problem of the sort that the
CANADIAN political system offers to the in
curing visitor. But any man of average
intehigence who has watched the game
look into the type Of citizens filling up the
prairie provinces. can predict with cDm-
parative safety approximately what is
going to happen In those regions bye and
Dye. 1 imagine that even the Canadians
themselves have little. anticipation OF dust
what Ii In store for them. For they ara
attracting the breed OF men who are not
entirely happy without an election f,Ist
about once every six months the breed
that 10 proud Of convention where some
nine thousand odd ballots are required to
nominate the sort of breed that first pro-
duces and then bows to its boss and that
then rebels against its own creation 1t is
the growing predominance OF this kind OF
American In the prairie provinces that Is
fno m -or1x Llv.x--.
indicated.
The Restless Spirits of the States.
1t Is a halfway sort of a shame that
the restless political spirit of the states is
to be Injected into the Canadian system
Things political on this side of the border
are rather quiet and respectable as COM
pared with the average local or national
eruption in the states. There is less ex-
element less red fire, less setting 'em
up" Faults are numerous, but that Is
nothing unusual anywhere on the globe.
and the occasional discoveries of graft and
general rottenness seems rather petty in
character. and. indeed. but pale refiec-
ton of our own troubles of this kind.
The two big political parties of the do.
minion correspond pretty nearly to those In
the United States. The liberals have the
same horror of tariff schedules as do the
disciples OF Jefferson, and the conservatives
are the standpatters. They haven't had
much chance to do anything but talk lately.
however. for the liberals have been in power
for good many years following similar
tenure Of power by their opponents The
liberal party Is nowadays as apparently
as strongly entrenched as ever But the
loss of Sir Wifred Laurier. who is well
where its enemy was just before the last
reversal And that spells pretty bad
shape" This. and an Indifference to the
party which has been In power over long
hfC faolt Inc mot hnf 1for
seem to be the most imminent dangers in
the path of the liberals
The two Canadian political parties have
about reached the same dead center as to
issues as the two parties in the states. To
say nowadays that man is democrat
does not guarantee by any means that he
Is not a protectfonist. and the words of
President Roosevelt and William Jennings
Bryan sound like one grand sweet song
The close harmony on some questions is
most notable. So 1t is I'm Canada The lib
made little or no change In the schedules
they denounced as robbery before thew
came In power. And IL the conservatives
manage to get the upper hand they viii be
compelled to go on with the building of
half the Grand Trunk Pacific railroad.
which they have bitterly arratgned because
1t is a part Of the liberal program. Most
of the fighting in the last session of parlia-
ment was over administrative scandals.
These have no mean Importance In Canad-
ian eyes, but they look mighty small at the
emu OF TIC ionS perspective enjoyed by the
more or less disinterested observer
Filling Up the Country.
The real business to which the pubIic
men Of Canada. the men Of party and poll
TICS have set themselves Is filling up the
country. Both parties are committed TO
this. There Is absolutely no disagreement
on this head. Politics for 4 conservative
has come to the point OF viewing with
alarm the methods to this END adopted
by the liberals In power. and for liberal
pointing with pride" to the work AL
ready done and that now in the doing.
The last general election here was in 1904.
when the liberals voluntarily appealed To
the country. as they say here. on two
issues which the conservatives were maxi
ing against them-one the proposition that
the government should actually construct
one-h half of the Grand Trunk Pacific rail-
way. the new transcontinental line. and
guarantee the bonds for the whole system:
the other based on autonomy btlIs which
admitted the territories of saskatchewan
and Alberta to the dignity OF provinces.
The conservative opposition to the govern
ment's building the Crank Trunk Paci6e