Evening star., 1919-11-16
BY A. II. FORD.

BY A. II. FORD.
Correspondence of The Star.
OTTAWA. Canada, November 10
political circles in Canada are ex-
ceedinly perturbed over recent mani
festations of public sentiment. as ex-
hibited in the elections in Ontario,
New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and
other widely separated parts of
the Dominion. For some years past
the farmers of western Canada have
been banded together as sort of
politico-ecohomic league. under the
name of the Grain Growers Associ-
alton. They prospered very greatly
as a result of their economic VEN
lures. ard one of their subsidiaries.
the Grain Growers Grain Company,
which embraces a very wide range of
trading activities has grown so pew
erful that it itself has frequently
been indicted in parliament for rap
idly partaking of those evil qualities
alleged to be so conspicuous in the
old business and political systems
which its parent organization was
created to attack.
The Grain Growers Association was
founded ten or twelve years ago.
in the province of Saskatchewan. as
a protest against the eXactions of
railways, elevators and other corpo-
rations. 1t gradually spread over the
three prairie provinces from Winnipeg
west to the Rockies. Today it owns
hundreds of interior grain elevators as
well as some of the largest terminal
elevators in the world. and is SAID
to be the biggest in-handling or
ganization in North America.
Drawn Into Politics.
For the earlier part Of its existence
it kept strictly aloof from party poll
tics, and in so doing was able to ex-
ercise considerable influence upon
both of the old-line parties IN can
ada; but certain ambitious men in its
ranks always have been agitating for
direct political action. and in recent
years have succeeded in committing
the organization. much against .ne
wishes of some of the older and more |
conservative leaders. to their views.
In the province of Saskatchewan
during the present autumn. greal
political propaganda was set on 1901;
One day in October, which they called
independence day. was set apart for !
the undertaking of provlnce-"loe
campaign to secure SUBSCRIPTIONS 70
political fund. 1t was very successful
Candidates are being put in the neid |
in all the federal constituencies there, |
and the chances are that when the
Dominion elections are held. WITHIN
the next year or two, the farmers Will
sweep the province as thoroughiy as
did their brethren in North Dakota i
One federal by-election was held IN /
the constituency of Assinibola, in |
Saskatchewan. recently. and the farm
er candidate won by very large ma !
he defeated. w. r. Motherwell. was !
himself the original founder of the |
Grain Growers movement.
Defeat Ontario Conservatives.
In the provincial elections held in
Ontario recently, the farmers party,
known as the United Farmers of On
ernment. including Premier Hearst
and most of his ministers. They got
some valuable assistance from the Ia
Dor party. of whom ten members
were elected to the legislature. The
farmers have selected one of their
number, E. C. Drury. as premier. and
the leading province of Canada will
now have an experience OF govern
ment by the masses. How the COM
bination of the farmers and labor
will work out will be watched with
interest. The basis plank in the la
bor platform. the eight-hour day. can
hardly ever be acceptable to the farm
ers. although they are endeavoring to
introduce it among the farmers of
Australia. At recent big confer
ence of labor and employers at Otta-
wa. in which their respective inter-
ests and ideals were discussed, a men,
"a farmer and former leader among
the Grain Growers) warned those |
present that it would be difficult, if !
not impossible, ever to apply the |
eight-hour day on the farm
Politicians of the old order do not at
tempt to disguise their hostility to the
new movement. In one of the federal |
constituencies where by-elections were
Brunswick, where the farmers are
strongly organized as the United Farm ,
ers of New Brunswick and where they |
eventually elected their candidate by a ;
large majority. three members of the
Dominion cabinet went down to lend ,
their aid to the government candidate. !
Opposes "occupational Politics."
Arthur Meighen. minister of the in
terror. perhaps the strongest man in |
parliament, said there was ample sphere |
for the farmers to do good work in CO.
operation. but he did not believe Can
ada should have "occupational politics" |
The minister of labor, Gideon Robert |
son. also spoke in this constituency. and /
said it was utterly impossible for farm |
ers. labor or any other one class to |
undertake to carry on government for |
the benefit of themselves, as every citi- !
zen must have equal rights. Notwith- /
standing such warnings, repeated where !
ever there has been a contest the cleo !
tors have apparently decided to take |
chance on the farmers In the constit- i
uency mentioned the government can
didate was a well known soldier, but !
he lost his deposit. In fact soldiers have
been almost invariably unsuccessful in |
politics so far.
Perhaps even more significant of |
the alarm of the old parties at the
new movement is an incident which /
recently happened in the province of |
Alberta. in the west There was a !
provincial contest there, in which the (,
farmers butted in and ran a candi- |
date. Every member of the provincial |
government got into the constituency
in the endeavor to defeat the farmer |
candidate. and SO alarmed were the !
o1d-line politicians that the news |
paper organs of both political Darties |
united to fight the farmer 1t was /,
all in vain: he won in spite of them !
The result so scared the government
katchewan that. although the farmers !
have put up a candidate in the open
constituency of kindersley. the gov
'ernment has not yet had the courage
to do so and risk defeat.
Impetus Comes From West
The platforms of the farmers in the
east and in the west are practically
the same, but the impetus comes from
the west. 1t was there the platform
was first formed. and it was only
there, as matter, of fact. that there
was ever much cause for complaint
on the part of the farmers. Being
almost entirely grain producing and
under considerable disabilities in the
matter of transportation. it was an
economic movement. produced by cir