Evening star., 1935-10-13
Canada's Election.

Canadians go to the polls tomorrow
in what is equivalent to an American
presidential election. Though nominally
choosing a House of Commons, they
will, in fact, determine the complexion
of the next Dominion government
whether it shall continue to be con-
trolled by the Conservative party under
Prime Minister Richard Bedford Bennett
or whether power shall be transferred
to the Liberals, led by that seasoned
disciple of the late Sir Wilfrid Laurier,
former Prime Minister William Lyon
Mackenzie King.
There are two other parties in the
field-the Cooperative Commonwealth
Federation, grouping of former labor
political factions, and the Reconstrue-
ton party, led by H. H. Stevens, one
time ministerial colleague of Mr.. Ben
nett. The Social Credit movement. fol-
lowing its recent spectacular success in
Alberta, has overf1owed into the federal
field. but it is making little polltlcal
40
it originated. The contest is essentially
an old-time two-party Conservative
Liberal fight.
Mackenzie King and his supporters
claim with impressive confidence that
If they do not obtain an actual majority
of Commons seats, thus wrestling con-
trol of the government from the Con-
servatives, they will at least capture not
far short of half the House and be in
correspondingly strong position in the
next Parliament. Mr.. Bennett has ruled
since 1880 by q substantial majority
over a combination of Liberals and other
minority groups. He has waged Wig
orous campaign to retain Office on the
record of his crusade against depression
Canadians follow politics in the United
States closely, and their parliamentary
battle has been thickly coated with
"Americanism" 1t reverberated with
charges, counter charges and slogans re-
sembling those destined to make the
welkin ring in our own arena next year.
Prime Minister Bennett, taking leaf
out of the Roosevelt note book, has
sought to give Canada New Deal. HIS
program has been carried on under that
name. It aimed, like its Washington
counterpart, to abolish unemployment,
rehabilitate agriculture and revive in
dustry. In the course of his recovery
drive, Mr.. Bennett was charged with
RECOMMENDATION" dictatorship" "bu-
reaucratic tyranny" extravaganza, pad
ding of federal pay rolls for political
purposes, and finally with failing to re-
store prosperity. His government came
under especially heavy fire for not nego-
tiating a reciprocal tariff treaty with
this country. Mr.. Benefits plalntlve
rejoinder was that he could not hurry
the United States Congress"
The Liberals pledge themselves to en-
bark aggressively upon tariff policy
which will open up the markets OF the
world for surplus Canadian farm, forest,
mine and sea produce. To that end Mr..
Mackenzie King advocates the abandon
ment of what Secretary Hull calls "eco-
nomic nationalism" in favor of broad
gauge reciprocity.
The issue is clear cut. 1t has been
ably and, at times, fercely debated for
many weeks from Quebec to Vancouver
and from Hudson Bay to the Great
Lakes. Both Messrs. Bennett and Mac
kenzie King are well known and highly
esteemed in the United States. Each is
a time-tried friend of the American peo-
pie. Whichever one of them emerges
as the Dominion's leader he is certain
to perpetuate Canada's traditional policy
of good neighborliness with the sister
democracy to the South, separated from
it by three Thousand miles of unfortified
frontier, each and every mile symbol
of peace and mutual respect.