New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-11-07
THE LAURIER TRIUMPH
Canadian Elections GiUe Liberal Ma-
joritq-Less than an 1904.
From Special Correspondent. of The Tribune

Correspondent OF The IT1oune-I
-roranto Nov 3-The elections n Canada nave
haen cor7pleted The Liberal government IS sus-
tanned by 50 majority, against So IN 1914 Inc
Iauriar cult has trtumphed and the force Oh
personality instinct with charm OF manner grace
OF speech tactfulness in action and generosity IN
,ror;sa has heeu once more successful. Either the
charges of corruption made by the Conservatives
were Tot believed If accepted, they were coL-
doned as being worse than the alleged nlstoric
record of that party its possible performances Il
returned TO power. Or. again, the electorate may
have become callous such allegations or nave
set off against them the charges MADE as 70
speculative use by certain Conservative poht1clans
of funds belonging to the Independent Oroer OF
z7oros+ars through the Union Trust Company The
probabilities are that each Of these arguments Vi
influences had effect in keeping the AlDeIal
party in line behind its attractive ana popu4@i
leader Whatever the faults OF his followers OF
colleagues he they believed, clean, honest anu
above reproach And the country has now declared
that whatever the actual conditions behlno al TINS
cloud Of words he any rate, was not respoislOlo
"A 70 the result in figures tbs Conservatives
under r L Borden had hoped much from On
+ario II had recently given Sir J. P. whitney Z
Conservative majority of 70 in provincial ponuCs'
and why they asked should it not give MI I'olu
at least so in Dominion politics? II so, success was
certain even against the overwhelming Aoeral anu
Taurier predominance in Quebec But ontario
only maintained its old position OF about ~ CoI
servattves to 81 Liberals. while quebec also re
manned about the same, with II Colse1 F91OiN 0e ~
r3r17nsuvick gave a Liberal majority OF seats
greatly to the surprise Of those VINO oeleVe0 uiHI
the active intervention Of the Hazen provincial
government Conservative would produce q NeiS
different result. In Nova Scotia R l. boraen
came TO his own again at Halifax where ne hao
been nersouaIlv defeated in 1904. He won seats
in that province despite the determined local enorIs
of W s. Fielding, Minister Of Finance anu PioS
pective successor to the Liberal leadership
A surprise Of the campaign was IN ManlloOa'
e+re o R. p
servative Provincial Premier. and his colleagues
turned representation Of three CONSERVATIVES az
seven Liberals IN 1904 TO Of seven ConserVauseS
and three Liberals in 1908. Saskatchewan and Al
berta went strongly Liberal and British Columbia
returned three Conservatives TO one Liberal Win
three deferred elections which VIII prooa0S ~
with the government The only minister oeIeaIeu
William Templenan in Victoria, b g. "hil0
". L. Mackenzie King, the popular young OepulS
Minister Of Labor and prospective member OF tne
government head OF the new Labor Department
a seat for his party and himself from OUT lh7
Conservative column in Ontario. He will De as
tinct acquisition the government and to the pun
lie life of the country J. r Strarton, assocIa'eo
with the famous Carney of 1904 in the Ontario
Legislature, elected g Liberal IN Peternoro'
In Hamilton Mayor Stewart won seat for the
Conservatives: in St John. N B. Mr. Pussley'
Minister of Public Works held his own against
hard pressed charges OF political corruption ana
will now have to try to keep his pledge OF making
ST John the winter port Of Canada and his promises
of varied public works and great local development
Winnipeg surprised the country with its Conserva-
tive majority and Toronto maintained its Tory rep
utation by sending five Conservative members back
to Parliament, including George E. Foster. the
ruch-attacked and eloquent colleague Of Mr. Bor-
DEN H R. EInmerson, e1-Minister OF Railways
and Sir Frederick Borden. Minister Of Militia,
against whom certain personal charges had been
made received large rnatorities in their New
Brunswick constituencies
So much for the surface results of the campaign
Below the surface II is freely asserted that the
French vote in Quebec and the Roman Catholic
vote elsewhere has once more made Laurier Prime
Minister Of Canada and that without this influence.
in a country where one-thrd of the population
comes under such racial religious heading, sue
would have been impossible for even the
sunny ways of the Liberal leader. As to the
future there is a demand in the LIBERAL ranks for
reform and the elimination Of graft; there is con-
solatory reflection in Conservative minds that four
years is long period and that falling revenues,
the necessity for heavy borrowings the money
market and the varied results of alleged naladnin-
istration viii have their effects during that inter
val Meanwhile there comes across the field Of
politics a vision Of something higher greater and
better than the present contracted party point of
view in the speeches of Lord Miner and the as
pirations stirred by his presentation of wide i'm
periaI policy.