New-York tribune., 1908-06-18

BelIechasse spectacular IN the extreme thousH
1T finally left Bourassa lying uader an adverse na~
jority Of 100 votes With the general eiecuons
which have Just ended ne revived. raised ms iancs
against the whole Gouin government. ran ss $500
candidates in other constituencies while he hmseih
faced the Prime Minister in division Of Montreas
The Conservative party, which has osen aIhioss
dead in the province. with seven members OF tho
late Legislature against LIBERAL host Oh @OoaS
seventy. also picked itself up. got out ITS eanai>
dates IN the constituencies. and. under the ieaoer"
ship of P. E. lie Blanc. proceeded TO put up a Ns-
fight for life and infuence-eyen II there waS
not much chance of winning Office.
THE CONTEST MONTREAL
Premier Gouin IS not a man Of magnetic per-
sonality, but he is respected and he had recort
of reasonably good legislation; hts government
in its three years of ofice-he had succeeded g.
y. Parent. another Liberal. without any tnterEen-
ing electfon-had been clean OF scandal except in
the Bourassa charges OF the last year. he had q
progressive educational policy which even hfsH
opponents could not criticise his administrators
had won a record for careful and conservative
management Of provincial finances Prestige and.
position went along way. also, and they go fur
ther In Quebec province than in most places. and,
to the public. II seemed very plucky thing ror'
Bourassa to go up against the Premier In a
metropolitan constituency which was supposed To
be strongly liberal and where Sir Wllfrid Lau~
rier's specific statement that he was personally
supporter OF Mr. Gouin might be expected 70
have pronounced effect Each canG1date ran IN
another constituency, so as 70 be fairly certain
of a seat In the House. and their Montreal oatu>
became the spectacular centre OF the elections
Mr.. Boursssa could obtain no halls large
enough hold the crowds that desired TO hear
him; Out-of- doors meetings ran into masses OF
ten thousand and twenty thousand persons; sPon-
taneous professions followed his carriage through
the streets. Yet there nothing striking IN his
policy OF honest administration Of DEPART
ments or Of the better protection OF forests and
crown lands He did. however, stand for Queoeo
and Quebec alone: he throwing OF all Do
mfnion entanglenents and becoming purely pro-
vincial IN politics he had long been French In
principle. These things. in man OF impressive
personality, the masses could understand. ano
these things they liked. He elected by a
fair majority, with two followers in other con-
stituencies and the opposition whole in the
new Legislature will have great advance upon
the last in numbers. although Mr. Gouin carried
the province by a substantial working majority
Mr.. lie Blanc is still in doubt 70 his personal
election. but about eighteen Conservatives ars'
returned compared with seven in the previous
House. Mr. Bourassa becomes, far as one cam
anticipate anything from his complicated per-
sonality power in the province. force bitterly
opposed TO the GOuin government and not very
friendly the Laurier administration at Ottawa
and this latter fact have far-reaching results
in the Dominion elections of some time IN the
next twelve months. For the moment. however,
Mr.. Gouin and his friends express satisfaction
with the situation.
This revival OF Conservatism in Quebec. it,
overwhelming victory in Ontario. it's recent success
in carrying New Brunswick after twenty years OF
Liberal rule. its proved ability in the last to'
hold Manitoba and British Columbia by good ma
jorities. have put life and heart into the Do
minion Conservative party and have made possible
change which years ago would have been
deemed impossible IN the Parliamentary strug-
gle going at Ottawa the results in Ontario
and Quebec were anxOusly awaited and the effort
of the Laurier government 10 amend the fran.
chise and, incidentally. take control OF the
preparation OF the electoral lists for Dominion pur-
poses Of the hands of the provincial (Conser-
vative' governments OF Manitoba and British Co
Iurnbia viii probably be cheCkmated- Indications
that compromise has now been reached m
the fight going for some weeks past and in
which the Conservative opposition practically said-
If You eliminate the obnoxious clauses IN
This franchise measure will not pass supplies.
In other words the government would have had no
InOrey the affairs of the country-an Unen-
durable situation. which the opposition could Gre
b. its technical right to discuss in detail every
item Of supply, instead of passing large amounts
bloc is the custom. IL is interesting stu
alton. and the end is yet Meantime the coun-
try IS worrying. the weather has been splendid
the cr,p prospects the best or record. busi-
is reyivins depression Of last winter
and where every prospect pleases' only politics
is troublesome, to paTaphraSe an old hymn