The evening times., 1911-08-07
THE CAMPAIGN
IN CANADA HAS
BECOME 8 ! ! !. warm
Reciprocity Main Issue But
Others Used For Blinds
By Opponents
PRESIDENT TAFT IS ONE
OF CAMPAIGN PERSONALITIES

M W OhluI NUN TCll1UuhLlI IIl1
An Analysis of the Strength of the
Reciprocity and Anti.Reciprocity
Forces and What Each Party Hopes
to Accomplish. .a...
Ottawa, Ont, Aug. 7-Readiustment
OF the political plans and preparation
for the campaign throughout the do
minion involving reciprocity with the
United States, have characterized the
past week when the Laurier govern
ment dazed most Of its own follow
ers and the opposition by sudden dis
solution of parliament. The. extent
OF the surprise is indicated by the
fact that few members were ready to
leave for their constituencies to seek
reelection and the last groups are
now leaving Ottawa. Meanwhile tons
of printed matter has been put in the
mails. the franking privilege having
been extended one week.
Little election machinery is In run
ming order because the contest has
been precipitated year before its
normal time. This would have been
after four sessions of the eleventh
parliament. instead of after three, a
general election being required every,
five years. Neither party has enough
convention named candidates in the
field to begin extensive campaigning
at once. Nominating conventions,
however. are scheduled and the nam
ing Of candidates will be completed
in a month. Both party leaders will
be we'll started on their speech maxi
ing tours by that time.. stt
1t is the evident purpose of the op-
ponents Of reciprocity to ignore and
divert attention from it as much as
possible. ...t 80,
But the government and its sup
porters will insist that on the cleo
tion six weeks from now every bal
lot for a candidate shall be, morally
It not, politically, 70 decision whether
there shall bessEeciprpEitY with the
United States. In 50 deciding the
people wAl determine whether Sir
Wilfred Laurier shall continue to be
prime minister or whether he shall
be replaced by r. l.. Borden, the op-
position leader.
Prominent members of the govern
ment express increased confidence
that after the first week, of pulse feel
ing, far and near, the new parlia-
ment to be opened in October by the
new governor general, the Duke Of
Connaught, will be SO constituted by
the reelection results as to be able
to make its initial act the ratification
Of the reciprocity agreement. The
opposition forces, on the contrary, as
sert that the crest of tidal wave of
anti-reciprocity sentiment has been
sighted and that after it has rolled
across the map of resultant Conserva-
tive and French. nationalist majority
in the new parliament will kill the
pact by leaving It in its present con-
dition, ratified at Washington but not
at Ottawa. ..... .
To kill reciprocity the opposition
will have to return with twenty five
more members than they have now.
That would give them majority of
five in the house. But as one Of
these would have to be elected speak
or, the working majority would be
but four. This small margin, how.
ever, would suffice. Parliament has
q membership Of 221. Today 1873 are
government supporters and 88 are in
opposition, the administrations ma
jority being forty-five.
The governments principal strength
lies east, of Ontario. Its supporters
from that portion of Canada number
seventy mine, while the opposition has
IH,,% trrn 1<u hn ~
Dominion comprised by Ontario and
the provinces to the west, the parties
are more evenly divided, there being
|sixty-seven opposition and stxty-fOur
government members.
President Taft is. almost as great q
personality as. Sir Wilfrid. Laurier in
the present campaign and it is safe
to say that his utterances on reci-
procity will be more often quoted
throughout the provinces these COM
ing weeks than those OF Sir Wilfrid
Laurier or Finance Minister Field
ling. Already extensive discussion Of
them has been made by both sides
in parliament. The opposition will
cover several acres of bill boards with
them. The views Of Champ Clark
and other American champions pf
reciprocity also will figure largely
in the speech making, as will the
opinion Of British statesmen rela-
tive to the effect reciprocity would
have on British reform and imperial
preference. ,.s ,.s
The tendency Of the opposition, aft
| er forcing an election on reciprocity,
to depart from discussion Of that 10
sue and to get the people thinking Of
lother things which It holds are dis
tcreditable to the government, is
especially noticeable In the west.
Much Is being made there Of the fact
THAT the prairie provinces will not