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

majority was increased and sir Wilfrid
was given a pleasing vote of confidence
by the people In this. campaign the
tariff was again the issue In the
four years since taking power. the gov
eminent had been repulsed by the Unit
ed States in its efforts to obtain sat
iSfactOry reciprocity agreement. 1t had
reduced the general tariffs to some ex-
tent, but hardly so much as had been
promised in the campaign of 1896 1t
had, however. injected a new feature
into the Canadian tariff system-that
of tariff preference to the mother
country of Great Britain 1t was on
this question of the Gritish preferen-
tial that the campaign of 1900 was
fought and won by the Liberals. The
result of this four years Of tariff tin
kering was so generally satisfactory
that the tariff dropped out of sight as
political issue not to emerge again
until the present campaign.
In 1904 Laurier again went to the
country in general election on the
issue of giving state aid to the con-
structiOn of a new transcontinental
railway This time the Liberals were
successful. and won again by an In
creased majority. Four years later. in
1908, the premier again appealed TO
the voters and was again successful,
although the Liberal majority In che
commons was somewhat reduced In
this campaign the Liberal catch IShra sc
was Let Laurier finish his work" As
a matter Of fact, there was no real is
sue except that OF Liberals versus con-
seryatives. GritS versus Tories, ms YER
sus Outs.
Has Nine Provinces.
Canada is divided into nine provinces
Three of these, at the extreme east,
Nova Scotia. Prince Edwards Island
and New Brunswick. are in ordinary
political discussion grouped together
under the name of The Maritime prov
inces." In the last parliament the Mar
thine provinces were overwhelmingly
Liberal, the government having 70
members as against nine on the Oppo-
sitiop benches. 1t is an interesting
fact however. that Mr. Borden, the
leader of the opposition. sits for his
Scotia The four western provinces OF
British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatche-
wan, Manitoba and the territory OF Yu-
kon, are generally referred to in po-
section is almost evenly divided be-
tween the two parties, the government
in the last parliament having is seats
as against II for the opposition Al
Liberal; British Columbia and Mani
toba were overwhelmingly Conserva-
tive. The seven provinces and one
territory grouped in the Maritime prov
apportionment have a total of only 20
representatives in the house OF COM
mons out Of 221-
This leaves Isl mem bers from the
two great provinces or ontario ana
Quebec Ontario IS the larger, having
Sc members in the federal house OF
commons. It is a Conservative strong
hold. the opposition having in the last
parliament so members as against the
governments SO. The province OF Que
bee largely French speaking. and
wholly under French influence. has
been in the past a stronghold Of the
Laurier Liberals In the parliament
recently dissolved the Liberals had So
seats IN Quebec as against only II held
by the Conservatives
Liberals Work I'm Ontario.
In the present campaign, oddly
enough, the Liberals are directing their
chief attack against Tory Ontario.
while the Conservatives are putting
their best efforts in French speaking
Quebec The Nationalist detection in
Quebec is relied upon by Conservatives
to aid them in reducing the Liberal
strength in that province. while the
promise of larger markets for farm
products is the chief weapon OF the ag-
gressive Liberals In storming the Con-
sentative stronghold Of Ontario.
AS a general rule, the Conservative
party is stronger in the cities OF the
dominion, while the Liberals are more
firmly entrenched in the rural dis
tricts The reciprocity issue has ac-
centuated this tendency. and, for the