Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-09-21
ISSUES AND LEADERS.

Sir Wlfrid Laurer. now 10 years of
age has been premier of the Dominion
for over 10 years since June, 1895, when
his party. the liberals. defeated the con-
servatlves under Sir Charles Topper,
Bart known to Canadian politics as the
Old war horse of Cumberland" from the
name of his first constituency. in his ma
tive province of Nova Scotia. Sir Wilfrid
is French Canadian. and his own prov
ince, Quebec. with its overwhelming
French population. has always given him
strong support
Sir Wilfrld has toured five of the nine
Canadian provinces during the campaign,
and everywhere he has maintained that
the reciprocity agreement was a purely
business transaction, and that the loyal
~ of Canada was not to DO trafficked
for any trade advantages.
The conservative opposition has been
under the leadership of Robert Laird
Borden of Halifax. who first challenged
the reciprocity pact before the Canadian
Parliament and afterwards carried the
contest before tho people, The grounds
for this opposition are twofold On the
one hand the conservatives are high pro-
tectionlsts and they contend that the
present agreement Is but an entering
wedge, while on the other hand they con-
tend that trade under such n pact would
create a community OF interest between
the United States and Canada which could
not but weaken the British connection,
and would eventually bring about the an
ncxat!on OF Canada TO the United states
During the campaign on the stump and
in the newspapers. the utterances Of Pres
ident Taft that Canada is at the parting
Of the ways" and that the tie binding
! Canada to tho empire was so slight as tc
lie almost imperccptihle. have been used
TO prove that the United States has ulte
ror designs on her Canadian nclghhor
while the anneXation!st sentiments attri
huted to some American public men an,
newspapers have aroused tho cry tina
reciprocity Is the forerunner OF anneXa
| ton.
ONTARIO PROVINCE.
Ontario, the great industrial and ag
| ricultural province OF Canada, has tn
largest population and the greatest nun
| her of seats at issue, Sc IN ALL as agains
60 seats for Quebec, the next larges
| province. Ontario has been strongly con
| servatlve for many years. The PROVING
was peopled In the early days by tn
! United Empire loyallsts, who fled from
the thirteen colonies when the American
| revolution proved successful. and sough
| British territory to settle upon anew. t
| these people the annexation cry possesse
| a strong appeal and the opposition ha
| had its emissaries hard at work In tn
United Empire loyalists districts,
Tho brunt of the defense of the reclpro
city measure had fallen upon George /
Graham, the minister of railways, VIII
on the stump and through his newspape
has been making a vigorous campaign
The Hon Mackenzie King, tho minister G
labor, has also been active on behalf c
the measure. William Patterson, one
the authors of the pact, Is an old maj
and he has been kept busy In his own cor
! stltuency. while Sir Alan Ayleswortl
who resigned a few days after dissolutio
as minister of justice, is procluded b
deafness from taking as active a part q
he would have liked In the campaign
nugh Guthrie, who seems slated az Ayle'
worth's successor. and A. G.. MacKay. tN
liberal leader In the provincial field. hay
also been among tho most active SUI
porters OF reciprocity before the poop
!
on the opposition side. the economic an
sentimental arguments against the mea
ure have been set forth strongly by Geore
Eulas Foster, the finance minister In II
last conservative administration. at
other leading candidates OF the opposition
-, Sir James Whitney, premier OF Ontari
Frank Cochrane minister OF mines OF TIN
, | province, and w. ], Hanna. provinces
secretary, have also taken part In tr!
ing to defeat tho pact and the govern
( ment.
. While the reciprocity pact is the mai
point of attack there are several charge
OF scandalous conduct In administrator
and a number of local questions whic
have aroused heated controversy
:, PROVINCE Or QUEBEC.
The French Canadlan province OF Qu
| bee Is considered the pivotal point in til