Omaha daily bee., 1911-09-25
CAMPAIGNING IN CANADA
How the Hastings Proceeded Dur
ing the Late Unpleasantness."
QUEER TACTICS BY OPPOSITION
Conservatives Resort TO Unusual
Means to Carry Through De-
feat for Reciprocity at
the Polls.

Frank Crawford of Omaha. writing
from Strathcona, Alberta, just before
the election in Canada last week. de-
scribes the campaign that preceded the
voting, graphically pointing out its pc
culiar features and reciting some Incl
dents that show that our Canadian
cousins, and especially those who are
but recently from England, take their
politics very seriously, and do not look
with any especial favor on the ''Yank-
ees." In part, Mr.. Crawford's letter is:
"If reciprocity is lost it will be because
of Canadian fear that 1t will lead TO the
adoption of our habits and costumes or
of annexation. Think of it! We shall
stand condemned at the hands Of fairly
good and fairly unprecedented jury Of
Canadian citizens. Are we such a bad
lot or are Canadians dolts or WIN reci-
procity carry? The first two PROPOSE
tiops are interesting ones, but at this
stage they had better be passed by. II
the bill fails of passage we can then go
into the causes. However, it is rather
humiliating to find practically no one
anywhere saying a good word Of the
United States or it's citizens. Perhaps
we can excuse liberal speakers, because
praise of the United States might not
be a convincing argument and Would
throw them open to criticism even though
unjust, but why is it that the Canadian
citizen generally cannot be generous
enough TO give us a crumb of praise /?
believe that their progress and pros
perity is due in a very large measure,
a larger one than l care to express con-
cretely, to American money and Ameri-
can Drawn and brain, and that the
American settler is their best citizen.
THE tory battle cry is Canada for
Canadians and they fear trade with us
will despoil them of their heritage. They
think or preach that our habits are bad,
our laws not enforced and that our coun-
try is in bad shape, almost on the verge
of panic, stepped in socialism or in dan
ger from it, otherwise the simple
creatures want TO know why we leave
the United States and come to Canada
in such numbers. The arguments ad-
vanced in a conservative meeting are
enough to cause an earthquake of the
brain. I actually think they are worse
than ! heard in England, reminding me
of the arguments l used TO hear as a boy
in elections in the province of Quebec,
when the orators Of the privileged classes
did not hesitate to promise that they
were going to take all the property and
divide il up il they won and secured
office II will be interesting TO you to
know that the conservatives hold mighty
few large meetings. Their meetings are
in their club rooms for the most part,
where only their own kind are present.
aud nrnfaS.
sional entertainers provided TO help out
(they are usually needed one large
meeting was held in Vancouver and the
hall was packed with conservatives and
their wives, but not without a generous
sprinking of liberals and socialists, who
came there to heckle. ask questions, in
terrupt and deride the views of the
speakers on this occasion a dignitied
and wooden-he AIDED member Of Pariia-
ment was the stellar attraction. He had
hard time of 1t and [ was sorry for
him Two men got into fight and rolled
to the floor and they fought rolling over
and over with their boots beating on the
floor for over nine minutes with no po-
licemen to interfere, can well under
stand how an intelligent crowd would
Jeer at a speaker who insults their in
telligence. but ,heckling is going little
too far nowadays.
Don't you know that foolish utterance
Of Champ Clark about annexation is ac-
tually doing the cause lots of harm. II
is taken as a frequent text. In fact II
is used overtime. but the speaker who
refers to 1t always gets his applause be-
cause no one in Canada except the re-
Gently naturalized Americans would ever
want 10 be annexed to such an awful /
country as ours They resent any ad- |
vice from us When they want advice
they will go 10 that dear unselfish mother
across the seas.
Now ] have not overdrawn the situa-
ton There is quite general belief that
this pact is the entering wedge 10 an
mex them. ] do not blame the Canadian
for opposing annexation, but how on
earth does he get the notion that we
want them7 The Canadian Is a fine
sterling fellow, but he knows mighty ut
tie about the United states, and very
seldom goes far across the line.
As a circus. the campaign Is most
interesting. For ordinations and re-
ordinations, false statements ignor-
ance. charges of election frauds, etc, II
beats anything I have yet seen. The
courts are full OF libel suits An English
man. YOU know, demands that you ar
rest an accuser and hire lot OF cheap |
lawyers and clear your name think
that unless | picked my jury as KING
George did. that l would as soon sub
init 10 wager by battle and save the
trouble and expense, but Of course an
Englishman, being English must be
right.
1T will ali be over soon and the farm
ers here can haul their grain 70 the
sIasataES Ana GaRRt thslE gold. II reel