Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-09-21
POLITICS IN CANADA.
M-LAURIER OR BORDEN?
BY Frederic J. Haskin.

his paper he actively opposed the fedora
ton of the provinces as being inimical to
the interests of the French Canadians.
Four years later. in 1871 just forty
years ago. he was elected to the provin-
cial legislature of Quebec where his elo-
quence and clear thinking gave him prom
inence from the beginning. Three years
later he was elected to the Dominion par
lament, of which he has been member
ever since space of thirty-seven years.
He at once became the leader of the
French liberals in the federal parliament
and in 1877 entered the Mackenzie cabi-
net as minister of inland revenue. In the
bye-election which followed his admission
mond and Arthabaska, the only personal
defeat he has ever sustained at the polls.
A few weeks later he was elected for
the constituency Of Quebec east which he
has held ever since by an enormous ma
jority.
Upon the return of the conservatives to
power, in 1878, Laurier naturally took up
the position of cap
Becomes Leader tain of the French lib
of Opposition. and aIS was =" re pppa'1 as
the chief lieutenant of Edward Blake.
who succeeded Alexander Mackenzie as
the liberal leader. Upon Blake's retire
ment, in 1857. Laurier became leader of
the opposition.
This was the first time that French
Canadian ever had been head of a fed
eral party in Canada, and that fact caus-
ed the English speaking provinces to
turn toward the tories, even as 1t
brought Quebec almost solidly to the
support of the grits. In the first election
after Laurier assumed the party leader
ship. held in 1891, the liberals went to
the country on the issue of complete free
trade between the United States and
Canada. The Macdonald government OPP
posed this. unrestricted reciprocity al
though advocating a reciprocity in nat
ural products. The conservatives won
the election by a small ma jority. In the
next general election held in 1896, the
liberals came into power, Laurier became
prime minister and for fifteen years the
party has maintained its complete SUI
premacy.
In the election today Sir Wilfrid's ca
reer is threatened because he advocates
a reciprocity agreement with the United
States which is practically confined to
natural products-an agreement which ne
negotiated after refusing President Taft S
offer of unrestricted reciprocity, such as
Laurier advocated in 1891.
Since 1887 for practically a quarter of a
century Sir Wilfrid Laucier has been the
actual as well as the
Head Of partv titular head of the lib
-. ,oor eral party in Canada.
olHCc 1901. He was elevated to
that position during Grover Cleveland S
first administration as President of the
United States That political lives are
~
republic is indicated by the fact that not
one of the acknowledged political leaders
of the republican and democratic parties
of 1887 remains in public life.
If the conservative party wins today
the new prime minister of Canada will be
Robert Laird Borden of Nova Scotia. Mr..
Borden is fifty-seven years old, and if it
were not for his mass of iron-gray curlS
he would look ten years younger. Tall,
erect, possessed of a deep voice, he is Of
most serious mien. He has not the grace
of Sir w lfrid. and he never would be
called debona'r. He is. rather, pugna-
cious,, aggressive, forceful and uncom-
promising.
1t has been said that he lacks the tact
required to win the complete loyalty of
his party supporters, and several times
since he assumed the leadership nearly
eleven years ago, conservatives have dis
-cussod seriously casting him ASIDE for
some OtneT leader Two years ago, when
his party split on the navy question and
the French conservatives followed Mr.
Monk into an insurgent camp. it was
freely predicted that Borden would never
lead the tories in another electoral bat
tie.
But what Borden may lack in tact he
makes up in determination When reci-
procity presented the opportunity he
swung the big stick. compelled his party
associates to line up in opposition to the
governments proposal and precipitated
this election Once that was Gone. moth
ing more was heard of the proposal to
abandon Borden for some other leader.
Unlike Sir Wilfrid, Mr.. Borden did not
take to politics in boyhood. He was
forty-two years old
Borden's Entry when. in 1896. he was
80 n.l:.: elected to the federal
'~ Parliament. That was
the same election in which Sir Wilfrid