The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-07
Laurier Government Pre- pares For Reciprocity
 Campaign
LITTLE ELECTION
 MACHINERY GOING
Nominating Conventions Scheduled. Candidates Will Be Named In Month-Taft Personality
 Is Very Strong

Ottawa. Ont. August 6e-Readjust- ment of the political plans and prepara- tion for the campaign throughout the Dominion involving reciprocity with the United States have characterized the past week when the Laurier govern ment dazed most of its own followers and the opposition by the 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 re-elec- tion
 Little election machinery is in run ming order This is because the contest has been precipiated year before it's normal time. This would have been lafter four sessions of the eleventh par lament instead of after three, gen eral election being required every five years. Neither party has enough con- 1 ventioned- candidates in the field to begin extensive campaigning at once.
 Nominating conventions, however, are scheduled and then naming of candidates will be completed in a month Both party leaders will be well started on their speech making tours by that time.
 1t Is the evident purpose of the op- ponents of reciprocity to ignore and to \ divert attention from it as much as possible. But the government and its supporters will Insist that at the elec- tion six weeks from nov, every ballot for a candidate shall be morally if not politically, a decision whether there shall be reciprocity with the United in ho determine whether Sir Wilfrd Laurier shall continue to be prime minister or whether he shall be replaced by R. L. Borden, the opposition leader
 To defeat reciprocity the opposition will have to return with 25 more mem bers than they have now. That would give them majority of five in the house. But as one of these would have to be elected speaker, tue working ma jority would be but four; This small margin. however. would suffice. Parlia- nlent has membership of 221l Today 13s are government supporters and SS are opponents of the government, the administration majority being 45
 The governments principal strength lies east of ontario. In the part or the do- mnion. comprised by Ontario and the provinces to the west the parties are more evenly divided.
 President Taft is almost as great per- sonality as Sir Wilfrid Laurier in the present campaign, and it is safe to say that his utterances on reciprocity VIII be more often quoted throughout the provinces these coming weeks than those of Sir Wilfrid. The opposition will cover several acres of billboards with them. ba Uia of American champions of reciprocity also will figure largely.
 Despite immense cartoons and facetious speeches to the contrary, the annexation bogey is hardly alive. But the opposi- tion probably will renew it's efforts to con- vince the people that reciprocity really means parting of the, ways" with that phrase variously interpreted. The ten- dency of the opposition after forcing an election on reciprocity to depart from discussion of that issue is especially mo- ticeable in the>west Much is being made there of the fact that the prairie prov inces will not be fully represented in par lament during the next four years, be- cause the government brought on the election before completion of the census now being taken.
 The government alleges that the conser- vatives are relying for success on large financial support expected from manu- facturers in Canada, tariff reformers in England and anti-reciprocty interests in the United States.
 Probably the most notable figure in the ranks of those fighting the return of the government Is Henri Bourassa, head of the opposition at Quebec, and formerly member of the dominion house, where he always was regarded as brilliant and effective. Through his paper Le. Devoir, printed in Montreal, and In his speeches he is advising the electors of Quebec to vote against Laurier and the Canadian navy. He is not opposed to reciprocity, however. -tN.
 Another opponent of the governments return is Clifford Sifton, one-time minis ter of interior under Premier Laurier. He is against reciprocity on the ground that 1t is anti British.