El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-09-15

mons in the last Canadian parliament,
which never has tested its strength in
a general election, and which does not
SO much as pretend to have any follow
ing outside of the province of Quebec,
is nevertheless the prime factor in the
present campaign.
If it had not been for the hope in
! spired in the hearts of the Conservative
| party leaders by the Nationalist oppo-
| s1tion to Laurier in the French prov
| innce of Quebec, 1T is improbable that
| any election would have been held this
| year. The Conservative cause seemed
| almost hopeless, and as long as Que
| bee gave Sir Wilfrid Laurier practf-
| cally solid support, there seemed to
| sentative victory in a parliamentary
| election.
Revolt Against Laurier.
But last October the revolt against
the Laurier naval policy having re-
| suited in the formation of a Nation
| a1ist party in Quebec, the Liberals lost
| a seat in parliament in the bye-elec-
ton for the constituency of Drummond
and Arthabaska- This defeat of a Lib
, eral member in a French constituency,
the very riding for which Sir Wilfrid
died the fires of hope in every Tory
bosom
1t mattered not that they, the Con-
servatives. made a supreme virtue OF
Liberal candidate owed his disaster to
the fact that he was considered to be
too 1oyal-the only thing the politi-
clans thought of was that Laurier was
losing his hold on Quebec, and that
after all, the Tories might be able to
come back into power.
L 1t had not been for the hope in
spired by this one Nationalist victory
the Conservative opposition in parIia-
ment probably would have offered only
perfunctory opposition to the reciproc-
ity pact and 1T would now be law.
But the result in Drummond and Ar
tlaDdSka them
den saw the premiership within his
grasp, and therefore, the opposition fill
ibustered against reciprocity, forced
the government to dissolve parliament
and to bring on the election
NafiOnalists Stay Win.
As the Nationalist party precipitated
decide It If Laurier and the Liberals
are defeated, it will probably be by
virtue of the Nationalist movement,
although the Nationalist may not re-
to Ottawa.
Although the Nationalist movement
had its inception in the French opposf-
ton to the Laurier naval policy. its
present scope is much broader. The
Nationalists aim at complete autono-
my for Canada within the British en-
pire, although confessing to the ulti-
mate hope of entire independence. They
oppose everything and everybody that
is imperialistic- They do not believe
that Canada needs either an army or
navy and they are opposed TO taxing
the people for military purposes
Underlying. and explaining ali these
Things, the Nationalist party In Canada
stands for the French language, French
laws. French customs and French re-
ligion. as against the English Ian
guage, English laws, English customs
and English religion 1t is national in
name. but 1t is racial in spirit
Mr. Bourassa. the acknowledged leader
Of the party, said: I'm Is years-even
before that time comes-the eastern
provinces. Quebec. Ontario Nova Scotia
come French in language" 1t GER
tainly. cannot be said that Mr.. Bou-
ressa Is a pessimist-
Founder of the Party.
Henri BouraSsa, the founder and
dominating spirit. OF the Nationalist
party, is the grandson Of Louis Joseph
Zap Pjapin ne who. in 1897; led the rebel
pose to establish an independent
French republic, but which did bring
about self-government in Canada Bou-
rassa has been always identified with
the Liberal party, and in his early po-
litical career was a supporter of Lau-
rfer. He has preferred to exercise his
talents in the field or provincial rath-
er than of federal politics, and for sew
eral years has been a free lance, or
fnsurgent" Liberal member of the
provincial legislature of Quebec In
directing his Nationalist propaganda
send his lieutenants to the front and
to keep himself ir the background.
win perhaps the single exception OF
Sir Wflfrid Lauder. Mr.. Bourassa is !
madam politics AS an orator. not even
Sir Wilfrid surpasses him, and, be it |
known. Sir Wilfrid is one OF the great |
e Wi,f lying orators. Bourassa, like Sir
quence in two tongues, and If the Ma
tlona1st leader is a consuming flame |
when he speaks in French. he is a col |
umn of fire in English
Fight Long and Hard
Flames-red flames-are the stock |
in trade of the Nationalists. In spite |
OF the fact that the naval service bill |
provided for voluntary enlistment only.
and in spite of the fact that~this fea-
ture of the bill was carefully explained
ny Sir Wilfrid in the opening speech of !
tors. not only in Drummond and Artha-
paska, but all over French speaking !
Canada, have painted the terrors of |
CONSUMPTION in colors so bold that only |
OF them. Said one speech which was |
in pamphlet form:
In 20 years the recruiting officer |
W come to your homes and Will say
TO your wives: Mother, you count on I
your son to make you happy in your /
DID years, you expect him to protect |
you In your old age. but you are mis- |
taken The law passed in 1910 by the |
Laurier government robs you OF your
and I shall carry away thy |
son with me-
This will take $4,000 to $4,000 men.
fathers of families or young men on |
the point of SO becoming, who win |
nave TO go TO Japan, China or Ocea-
11a under command of English officers |
VINO. wishing to make our race rfs-
appear, viii see to 1t that these ships |
90 to the bottom of the sea. The Eng
lsh have never done anything for the
french Canadians; we owe them moth
ng. Those who disemboweled your
fathers on the Plains of Abraham ask
you today to go and get killed for
hem"
Baufassa's Statement
Scarcely less radical was the state |
nent made by Mr. Bourassa himself: !
1 continue to believe that Canada |
yves nothing to England. that Canada
las paid all her debt to England: that |
I Canada were separated from Great |
Britain tomorrow the British taxpay-
RS could not cut down a farthing Of |
heir taxes, could not dispense with |
me OF their warships and could not |
'etrench in their expenditure for de-
ence. day will come when drafting
'fficers will be securing this country
nd compelling young men to enlist
either IN the navy or army, to go to
lays, and no man will calmly sit by