The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-09-22
RECIPROCITY IS
TURNED DOWN
IN CANADA
Conservatives Will Have Ma
jority Of so Seats
AN UNEXPECTED LANDSLIDE
Result Means the Retirement of Pre-
mier Laurler Who Has Re-
fused to Lead a Minority

lOTOnJO, sept. me LduIAei
government and reciprocity suffered
an overwhelming defeat In the Can
adam elections held yesterday. BY
veritabe political landslide, the liber-
al majority of 43 was swept away and
the conservative party secured one of
the heaviest majorities, upward Of so,
that any Canadian party has ever
had. Seven cabinet ministers who
served with Premier Laurier were
among the defeated candidates. The
liberals lost ground in practically
every province of the Dominion.
Where they won their majorities
were small Where the conservatives
won their majoritles were tremend-
Gus. Ontario, the leading province OF
Canada, declared almost unanimously
against the administration and recip-
rocity.
Robert L. Borden, leader of the con
servatiye party, will soon become the
prime minister of Canada. He will be
supported in Parliament by working
majority far more than ample for his
purposes. The government defeat
means that the Fielding-Knox reci-
procity agreement, ratified by the
American Congress in extra session,
will not be introduced when the 18th
Parliament assemblies next month and
that revised basis OF trade with the
Trnttad Ctatao Ioobino IN olnaar nnm.
mercial relations will not be possible
In the immediate future. The conser
vatives are committed to policy OF
trade expansion within the empire
and q closed door against the United
States.
Although reelected in two consti
ltuencies in Quebec, the defeat OF the
liberal party also means the retire
ment from public life of Sir Wilfrid
Laurier, who for nearly two decades
has directed the destinies OF the Do
minion. Several times during the
bitter campaign which preceded yes
terday's election, the venerable pre-
mier said that defeat of his party al
the polls meant the end OF his career
that he would never consent to lead
q minority in opposition to a conser
vative government.
The liberal membership OF 80 from
Quebec was cut down to SO, which
taken alone, seriously threatened the
supremacy of the party. But 1t was
In Ontario that the conservatives
won their greatest victories. Spur
red on by appeals to patriotism ant
the cry that reciprocity was the en-
tering wedge for annexation, the con
servatives swept nearly everything
before them. That province, which
In the last Parliament was represent
ed 80 liberals and 81 conservatives
will send a delegation to the mex
composed OF 13 liberals and 75 con
servatives. A notable feature of th'
defeat was the opposition's capture o
two hitherto liberal seats In Saskat
chewan.
There is no doubt but that we have
been decisively defeated" said ST
Wilfrid Laurier early in the evening
at Quebec to group OF friends WHIT
had gathered with him to hear tbs
returns. Il gladly lay down the pre-
miership, a burden which | have car
ried for Is years. We believed tina
In making the reciprocity arrange
ment we had done something which
would be greatly to the benefit OF thu
people of Canada. The electors have
declared otherwise, and bow to thei
decision. regret that we have beef
unable to carry reciprocity, which
still believe would have promoted thu
material advancement Of Canada ant
would have promoted the growing
friendship between the United States
and Great Britain. However, thu
country has spoken. We must bow Z
the inevitable. and ! cheerfully d.
So
The landslide was not expected b.
either side. The liberals were con
! fdent that they would be returned b.
| the people with an increased majorit.
for they believed that reciprocit.
would be most acceptable to the Can
adam electors. The conservatives, al
though they claimed that they woul'
have majority, did not expect tina
II would be so large or that the gen
eral verdict OF the country would b.
30 decisive against the government
They feared that reciprocity wouI'
prove popular with the farmers OF On
tario and the farmers and fishermen
OF the Maritime provinces, and Will
confident that they would win tn
cities, they were dubious as to tn
result in rural constituencies. How
ever, In Ontario especially, the ayr
cultural vote went almost solidl'
against reciprocity, and In the Mar
time provinces II did not prove to b
tho nonular lequa