The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1911-05-12
LILY APPEAL 10
COUNTRY
RECIPROCITY AcREEMEMT SOME
OF CONTENTION N cAMAp,AM
COMMONS.
Premier Accepts Challenge o. opposl-
ton and House l. DsadIoeiksd- LIN
's'' Conservatives Quit Holding up
Supply sii's. Government viii Call !
General Election.

war TO the knife between the two no.
iitical forces in the Canadian COM
mons. There will be no truce or peace
until one Of them finally secures the
victory. A deadlock has been reached
tnat can only be broken by one OF two
things; the breakdown in physical en-
durance. or the dissolution of parlia-
ment.
Sir Wilfrid Laurier has announced
on the floor Of the House that he &C
cepted the challenge of the leader Of
the Opposition to fight to the Bit
ter end, on the reciprocity issue. The
recently declared determination OF the
conservatives to obstruct all further
voting of supplies for the current year.
and to prevent by every constitutional
means available, and they are amply
suf1cient, the ratification Of the reel.
procity agreement, has just been met
with q straight cut declaration from
the government that it does not pro-
pose to let the minority in the house
dictate the governments policy. There
Is now no question Of compromise SO
FAR as the government is concerned.
There are many shrewd observers of
the political situation here who look
for general election in Canada by
midsummer. II the business of the
country is held up indefinitely, and no
supplies are voted to carry on the ad-
ministrati0n of public affairs after the
LIST OF June next, the only constitutions
al course for the government to take
Is an immediate appeal to the country.
Such an event, under such conditions,
would be unprecedented in the annals
of Canadian parliamentary history.
This alternative, of course, largely IL
not wholly hinges upon the fate Of the
reciprocity bill at Washington. If it
is rejected by the United States SEN
ate, a sudden end will be put to the
mortal combat in the Canadian house
OF commons, and will remove for an
indefinite period, If not for all time.
such a trade policy with the United
States as contentious issue between
the two great political parties in this
country.
If the reciprocity measure Is ratified
at Washington, the strife in the house
here will not be much longer main
tanned. but still sufficiently vigorous
and prolonged to give some excuse
for going to the country prematurely
and before the redistribution of parlia-
mentary representation. following the
taking of the census in June next. It
is said in government circles here, that
there is not the slightest prospect of
the reciprocity bill being held over un-
til after redistribution, but that it must
either go through now, or else a gen.
eral election will be precipitated. A
general election, during the summer
season, is unusual, but If forced to it
by the tactics Of the Opposition, the
government will go to the country up
on the shortest possible notice 1t is
believed The prospect for the coming
clash has stimulated the tension be-
TWEEN the opposing factions, and has
infused new life into the political sit
uation here.
Fear for Unity Of Empire.
The stand that the anti-reciprocity
party assumes is that the agreement
is not popular in the country and Is a
grave menace to the unity of the Brit
ish empire. On the other hand. the
Liberals claim to have ample assur-
ances from all over the country that
reciprocity is eagerly desired by the
great majority of the people, while the
DOGGY of annexation is merely raised
to brighten the loyal electors and is
not taken seriously by the government
supporters. The government will go
to the country on the reciprocity issue.
and Liberals claim that they will
sweep the Dominion from the Atlantic
to the Pacific. Upon the Conservative
leaders, the government claims, will
rest the onus Of forcing an appeal to
the people at this juncture and thus
deprive at least one-fourth Of the peO-
pie OF Canada of their proper repre-
sentation in the next parliament.
through forestalling the coming redis-
tribution of seats.
MINERAL RIGHTS HELD