New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-09-05
ELECTIONS TN CANADA
The PARTY Leaders and the Historic
Environment.

four years instead of awaiting the constitutional
limit OF five years in which Parliament is allowed
To sit without an appeal to the people Incidentally
.hs has OF late brought the contest on at about
the same the Presidential elections IN ,he
United States. Beginning with 1895. wnen Wiiifio
Isaurier got into power, we have hao the ISSUES
fought out at the polls in 1900. In 1901 ana no" i
leg In each the Liberals won with iarse
majority that Of four years ago being DO IN
1895 this party held local control OF practicay All
the provinces Of Canada; now the conservatives
have obtained possession of the provincial seats OF
power in Ontario. Manitoba New Brunswick ana
British Columbia. In 1926 the Liberals, under
Iaurier. went up against a party which they had
heen fighting at Ottawa for eighteen years which
had lost five years before the dominating ana an
powerful personality of Sir john MaCoohao'
which had been for some years struggling on me
ragged edge of internal disintegration, and heen
cursed with the rivalry of contending leaders ana
a rapid succession of Prime Ministers. caused pS
death retirement which was face to face IN Tue
Manitoba school question with one Of those occa-
sional sectarian and racial struggles which, IN
Canada. usually make or break governments
Sir Charles Upper. the last Conservative
Premier of the old regime. an interesting ana
strenuous personaljty Bred in his early politics
during the stormy days of anti-confederation
struggle in Nova Scotia. rival OF Joseph HOWE
and victor in the long provincial contest for su-
premacy between those TWO masters IN poItlea
warfare the friend. devoted follower and colleague
of Sir John Macdonald. the High Commissioner OF
Canada in England for many years. ana YET an
ever presenf factor in Canadian political nghtlne'
ne came too late into his heritage of the Premier
shin He nut up great struggle in 1896, but the
clever leadership the face and flexible politics OF
I.surier were too much for him. as they were also
tn 1890 when he fought his last fight ana was
beaten.
The personality OF the present Liberal leader ana
,,er 3 enc NJ the most interesting in Canadian
annals Sir Wifrid Laurier Che was knlsheed IN
1897 was q Liberal from the cradle 1t was q
be form Of Liberalism and was adJasteo
10 a varied local and general development in pohcy
and leadership time went on In one respect
however i was almost uniformly consistent-n a
frequent expression of admiration for knghsh LID
eralisr and its living. vital doctrines Free trade
rs an abstract principle. self-goVernment as al
object Of regard which approached fetichlsm' the
,ieifse7tiol II democracy political abstraction
were tho primary clements in this respect ana
such line thought in Il French-Canadlah was
very naturally attractive 10 other parts OF the DO
rninion when Sir Wilfrid Laurier finally became
toral figure
Prior that time he was In other important
respects "A typical Frerch-Canadian politician
lawyer by profession and for some years journal
isr in practice. he naturally turned. as oiu au
aor,ng and ambitious French Canadians, 10 political
life for a chance to rise Elected at the age OF
thirty the Quebec Legislature he retired IN three
years TO run the House of Commons was elect
ed. and in 1877 became for d few months a menper
81 the Mackenzie government in its last year OF
power He shared in the Liberal collapse OF 1919
remained. however, member Of the House, gradu-
ally
lie Quebec Federal forces. and in 1899 succeeded
Edward Blake as Liberal leader for all Canada
Nine years later he became Prime Minister During
these thirty-seven years in Legislature or Parma
rnent Sir wffrid Baurier has seen many changes
and one of the greatest has been himself " men
he entered public life in Quebec the Conservatives
were in power locally, and remained So with one
short exception, until 1887, when Honore Mercier
obtained Office as head of Nationalist wing of
The Liberal party. With him Mr.. Laurier was in
close alliance: they helped each other. the one in
Dominion politics and the other in Provincial af-
fairs The French race the religion Of its people,
the language and laws Of stereotyped past were
elements of political success 10 each
In Merciers extraordinary career of brilliant sue
cess and saddening collapse Laurier shared in vary
ing degree up the point of failure. Then he
,,assed out into a and broader and brighter
pathway toward political power and 10 success
which has been greater than anything yet recorded
in the annals Of his native province Eloquent as
Only French Canadians can be. and in his own
tongue the peer OF Papineau. MERCER and Chap
leaT he was also the equal of The best that Eng
fish Canada in its language, could bring 10
bear either for against him. Something OF TINS
eloouence has gone with the fire of youth
much of the Iightness and brightness Of earlier
hone has disappeared; age and responsibility nave
brought anxiety cares and "A heavy record of po-
Itical troubles well as of party successes Yet
A. has been q remarkable life The politician VINO
stood beside MERCER. who opposed the sending OF
Frenah troops to suppress the Riel rebellion VINO
shared in the bitter fight of 1885 against Chapleau
Caron and Langevin for indorsing Sir John Mac
daualds doctrine that the VINO had stirred
m two rebelHons must die. has lived TO adjust
and smooth over that most keen OF racial ana re-
l,.=o-,s tsss,es-tf1e Manitoba school queston-and
10 see Saskatchewan and Alberta carried by proVln-
cisl Liberal parties which Endorsed his policy OF
maintaining separate tCatholic) schools in the
further west
He has lived 10 lie Privy Councillor of the en-
,ire 10 attend three conferences of its sefgoyern
ing countries irf London TO send Canadian troops
10 South Africa and TO pay Queen Victoria an
eratoricaI tribute at her death which ranks WIN
the greatest and best utterances of that mournful
,erio5 The rolitica leader who entered and fought
in early public life English free trader now
maintains and improves a highly protective tarlh'
she onetiule advocate of unrestricted reciprocity
with the United States has initiated and preserVeo
a preferential fiscal policy in favor of Great Brit
ain The young French chief Of an enthusiastic
progressive ans rash political minority has lived TO
become one OF the prominent figures IN the BRUSH
empire and conspicuous illustration in later Gays
Of his own phrase. Make haste slowly
In lesser men such charges would be termed
glaring inconsistency. In leaders ike MacoOhad
ana Iaaurier, the worst charge brought by their
friends would of opportunsm AS q RUE
public men in Canada do not care what their en-
on,ies call them Both of these men may be prop
erly termed opportunsts-Sir John Macdonald for
instance in seeking United States reciprocity In
natural products when he had no personal desire
for II and no real expectation of getting it; Sir
flfrsd Iaurier in advocating an unrestricted NaIi-
CIV of the same policy when he knew the Cana
dian people would never consent to the necessary
condition OF adopting the American tariff against
,.reat f3ritain-when also. he probably had no de-
.snea intention Of attempting such line OF action
THE present Premier is, none the less. man OF
st-ong character. He proved this in his opposi-
ton as Z French-Canadan and Catholic to the