The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-28
CANADA'S NEW PREMIER

ritories. This right the Laurier govern
 ment determined to secure under the
 provincial constitutions, while tie advo- yates of a common national school sys-
 tenn contended that, subjece to cer- tain right of appeal to the federal gov-, ernm Ut against unjust treatment of the minority, the provinces under the British
 North America act had the exclusive control over education. To this position
 Borden committed himself He insisted
 upon tf1 principle of federalism in its
 integrity, while tho government held that there were limitations upon the provincial sovereignty over education, and that the concession of separate schools to the ter ritories amounted to compact with the minority that the right would be recog- nized in the provincial constitution. A
 result of the controversy was to strain
 Bordens relations with the Roman Cath ollie hiefarcy and the French people and
 for a time, at least, to weaken the op- position in many constituencies. Public ownership of railways, tele-
 graphs. and telephones was onesefsfhe
 principles for whichahe took affirm stand. and it was due to his insistence, in the
 
 conservative party was eventually won
 over to the support of this principle; in competitor with the construction of the
 Grand Trunk Pacific railway and the na- tonal ownership of telegraph and tele- phone service.
 He was also exposed to an angry and persistent attack, owing to his accep- tance of the salary which the Laurier government, under legislation of few years ago, provided for the leader of the opposition. This was an experiment in parliamentary government which had rot been attempted elsewhere. There
 were few men of wealth or leisure in
 Canadian public life and generally prl- vate party fund had been provided for
 the support of the leader of the opposi- tion. The charge was commonly made that, as this fund was likely to be pro- vided by the few wealthy men of the party, they would exact compensation in the form of official appointment or legislative favor when the opposition leader became the head of the govern
 ment.
 It was decided, therefore, to give sal ary, equal to that of a minister of the crown, to the leader of the, opposition. Borden sanctioned this legislation, and accepted the remuneration provided. It was argued that he thus became pen sioner on the government, and that ser vile consideration for his salary would | affect his independence and restrain his criticism of the paymasters on the. treas 1 ury benches. 
 | While disposed more than once to relin- quish the salary, he felt that this criti- | cism was unjust, and, knowing the grave ! financial distresses which some of his | predecessors had experienced, waited pa l tiently for the attack to exhaust itself and for opportunity to prove that he was
 not dependent of the treasury. At length his course was justified. and the
 appropriation of salary for the leader
 of the opposition became a settled fea- ture of the Canadian parliamentary sys- | tenn.
 Until 1904, the conservative leader held
 his seat with little difficulty. In that
 year, however, he met defeat at the polls
 in his own district and for a. time was
 on the point of resigning his leadership. Others in his party prevailed upon him 1 to accept seat in Ontario, and he had
 the satisfaction four years later, of being
 returned to parliament once more from Nova Scotia eff
 The immense personal popularity of Sir Wilfrid Laurier of. course, was an ob-
 stacle with which Borden had to con tend from the moment that he assumed
 the minority leadership. But he was | rlra al hi ind i time went on, he developed into an inn | pressive campaigner In elections of re- cent years it has been his custom 10 travel from one end of the Dominion to
 the other speaking at remote villages in
 the west and addressing frontier gather ings night after night-as Sir Wilfrd
 had done in the days of his political as- tendency.