New-York tribune., 1908-10-21
ELECTIONS In CANADA
Prospects and Policy Of ConserUd-
tiUes-Conwption Charges.
fFron a speeIal cerr.spondent Of The Trtbune.l


but its policy in the main is of practical, mod
ern and IN some details, radical character. EN-
bedded in the older minds of the rank and file as
well IN most of its pronounced opinions as
party there is strong British sentiment 1t has
particular place in the present contest and lies
dormant for the time 1t may or may not develop
along lines of closer imperial duty. but the prob
abilities that when the time place and
power 1t will do This feeling is the
chief inheritance of the party from the old dsys
of Sir John Macdonald. and 1t fourishes side by
side with memories of the creative political condi-
tions OF Canadian federal system. of the con-
struction of the Canadian Pacific Railway across
the continent. of the evolution of protectonism
under the name of the national policy and of bit
ter opposition to any form of commercial union
free trade Industrial reciprocity with the United
States. This British sentiment made the party
ready to support the Liberal government in its
South African War policy and to urge still more
generous aid to the motherland. 1t has prevented
the party from opposing with any vigor the pref
erential tariff policy of the Liberals and 1t made
the bulk of its membership ready to support Sir
Wilfrid Laurier in any moderate and guarded pol
Icy Of closer relations at recent empire CONFER
ences in London
The elections of 1895 turned chiefly the Mani
toba school question Those of 1900 involved no
vital issue but based the appeal to give
Laurier fair and full chance and were Influenced
by the growing force Of his personality. THOSE
Of 1904 turned On the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway
project. Those Of 1903 depend on the relative IN
huerce Of what may be termed the Laurier cult
and the Opposition charges Of corruption The
latter both wholesale and specific R L. Bor-
den declared in his recent Halifax speech, with
all the personal and political responsibilities OF
leadership and the reputation OF being himself an
honest and high spirited public man. that the
government record Of corruption IS so long and so
startling that the whole evening might be spent
in enumerating the various scandals brought 10
light in the last three years" He specifically
claims that s1OOOOO00 a year is being corruptly or
improperly expended H. B. Ames. Conservative
member Of Parliament, has been speaking through
out the Western provinces, with lantern slide ac-
compartment describing the hundreds Of thou
sands OF acres of western lands said to have been
given away TO Liberal politicians and their friends
or relatives One Conservative newspaper states
that 100000 acres have been thus disposed OF
since 1896. special commission appointed by the
government itself has reported most damaging
facts in connection with the purchase OF sup
plies for OF the great departments has dealt
with the alleged profits OF middlemen and de-
clared the mana cement Of the department to be
lacking in both conscience ard economy.
e. Bristol IN Parliament stated that &"S4Z0
went 10 the middleman or gobetween in the ROD
| ms irrigation case alone: G. E Foster asserts
that the famous" trip Of the Arctic to the
Northern regions 1906 $264oo instead Of the
original estimate s24 900, and details have been
given in Parliament to the enormous amount
paid for supplies. The increased expenditure OF
1924 900 in the last twelve years over the pre-
ceding Conservative period is declared largely to
have been the result of extravaganza or corrup-
ton. Charges to the personal morality or some
members Of the government have been freely made.
and two have resigned in the last year Jaunt
from the Conservative benches as to wine, women
and graft" on one memorable night in the late
Parliament has rung the changes upon a thou
sand platforms. Electoral crookedness, depart
mental jobbery, wasting Of the public domain,
abuse political patronage, extravagant supply
contracts and rake-os to friends Of the party, the
building Of useless bridges and farcical wharves
and unnecessary postoflces and political armorles
are all freely alleged against the government
How far such charges and incidents are true OF
false are partly explainable or fully answered
are excusable IN detail exaggerated in state
ment cannot be entered into here. That they
have been vigorously made and must have cunu-
latve effect upon the public mind can hardly be
denied.
It is declared also that the Liberal pl form
! formulated at a great convention of the T-rty In
1898 was made only to get into power upon, ana
| that its promises were not honest and have Ger
| tainly not been put into effect. Mr. Borden de-
clares that planks Of his Opposition platform
of 1901 have been carried out by the Liberals than
| Of their fourteen-year-old policy Nothing mas
| been done TO bring about the promised reciprocity
with the United States: nothing TO lower substan-
tialv the protectice tariff, although the British
preference has a measured step in that dlrec-
| ton. Nothing has been done 10 reform the Sen
ate; nothing to promote political purity, and every
! thing on the other hand, to encourage or permit
! corq,ption Nothing has been done to maintain
/ an economical administration, but everything TO
! encourage extravaganza: nothing to preserve pub
lie lands for settler public franchises for
| the people In the matter OF extravaganza II Is
! pointed out that the disbursements Of the Laurler
| government in the eleven years ended with I"'
! have increased in every direction over those OF
their predecessors In a similar period; that, for
instance the bounties iron. lead. binder JWlne
etc which the Liberals did not originally approve
| Of have grown from S79,000 in the first period
t s11 COO O0o in the second; that the expenditure
Cor r,,itia rurDoses has increased from $l52l2,oO0
to OO in the 1Ss61O7 period and that public
works have cost $2S.SZ,OC0 more in 1S6-ERI than
| in the preceding eleven years.
Another charge against the government. and one
involving a condition which it is difficult Tor an
Oppositon successfully to meet, is the alesSiiloh
of wholesale bribery of constituencies by gov
| eminent promises This is undoubtedly growing
evil in Canada and which places enormous
power in the hands of unscrupuIous poIIlcI"NS'
Years ago, in certain notorious speech A .,
/ Hardy a member of the Ontario government tod
the people of North Grey that if they elected the
i,a-aI nominee they would receive generous treat
| ment in all matters OF government patronage
| public works etc. but If they did not DO 50 they
could expect nothing but cold justice IN TINS
| rresent contest as in 1894 there is much OF THIS
sort of thing At Berlin the other day the Postmas-
ter General pointed out how much the government
had done for the people, and then made a special
appeal for the local Liberal candidate H. he
said you can get all this from the government
without a Liberal member representing your riding
how much more can you expect Il you o--o- MI
! King TO represent you!'
In Welland W. NJ. German points out that he has
Obtained for the constituency bridges DOCKS eIe-
vators postofnce and customs buildings prom
| ,eed arrnory and $2,50)000 expenditure upon the
| deepening of Port Coborne harbor. etc. More
| viii come If the people elect him and the gov
ernment is returned to power. In Bonaventure'