The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-08-25
Liberals Taking Heart in Que
bee After the Premier's
Series of Speeches
NEW THEORY HAS Been
SPRUNG BY BOURASA
Says Present Democratic Congress-
Would Have Given Canada An OF.
fered by Reciprocity Without Any
Concessions by the Dominion.

Toronto, Ont. Aug. 25.-With the
election which will decide the fate
OF the reciprocity agreement still
more than three weeks Of. the tight
In this great industrial and agricul.
tural province Of Canada has reached
a point where practically everything
else has been neglected in the heat
Of the political battle.
r. L. Borden, leader Of the opposi-
tion, has completed his Ontario tour,
having delivered more than thirty
speeches in constituencies considered
doubtful, and will devote the balance
Of his time to Quebec and the mari
time provinces, where his own seat
at Halifax is thought to bo In dan
ger.
Premier Laurier will return to On
tario next week to speak in several
rural constituencies. It is the farm
ers' vote which. Is considered likely
to decide the fate Of reciprocity. Ev-
cry voter In a farming community, 10
considered important, whereas, in the
city nobody seems to care whether
the voter exercises his franchise. This
Is explained by the fact that every
city in Canada, except Kingston and
Ottawa (the seat Of government and
the home Of thousands Of civil en-
ployes) gives an overwhelming tory
majority.
An unusual feature of the campaign
Is that Clifford Sifton, formerly min
lister of the interior in the Laurier
government, has come out against re-
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Liberal and was the Liberal member
for Brandon in the house Of commons
just dissolved, hut has taken the
stump against the issue favored by
his party. MI
In some Of the farming communi-
ties the failure Of the Farmers bank,
which cost the farmers of several
counties hundreds Of thousands Of
dollars, is being discussed by the op-
position and may lose the government
votes.
Before the charter was issued, It is
claimed that Finance Minister Field
ing was notified Of the shady char
acter Of those promoting the bank but
nevertheless the charter was granted.
The alleged laxity of the finance min
lister is being used as an argument
against the government.
Liberals Take Heart.
Montreal, Aug. 25.-Now that Sir
Wilfred Laurier has addressed half
dozen meetings in his native province
Of Quebec, which has given him his
working majority in every parliament
since that of 1896, there Is distinct
revival of confidence in the Liberal
ranks over the outcome Of reciprocity.
Everywhere the crowds which
greeted the premier have been large.
the applause has been generous and
on each occasion Sir Wilfred has
demonstrated anew that he is still
the idol of the French Canadians.
That the danger to Laurier's prestige
was great is admitted by his follow
ers. In 1908 Henri Bourassa, another
victorious French Canadian type,
while not distinctly friendly to Sir
Wilfrid, was not openly antagonistic.
In the present campaign Bourassa has
attacked Laurier and the Liberal par
ty vigorously.
Bourassa will not take reciprocity
seriously. He holds that If Canada
had waited she would have obtained
from the Democratic congress prac-
tically all that the pact gives without
making any returns. He asserts tina:
reciprocity is cloud under which the
government Is seeking to hide the
corruption and graft which, as he
says, have made him ashamed Of the
party to which he belongs, but above
all 1t is intended to divert the minds
Of the people from the naval question.
Sir Wilfrid's reply to Bourassa 70
that the latter is in an unholy alli-
ance with the Conservative party with
the sole object Of bringing about
Laurier's downfall. II he can con-
vince. the French Canadian people Of
Quebec province that the fight II
against Laurier in person he will go
back to Ottawa. But II he fails In
this reciprocity probably viii tall
with him.
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