Evening star., 1948-11-17
Canada Changes Premiers

At time when majority Of the Amer
lean voters have just extended the tenure
of their Chief Executive for another four
years, our northern neighbor, Canada, is
having a shift of Prime Ministers. This
shift, however, involves no change in ad-
ministration. Under the parliamentary
system, so different from our own, the
choice of leaders is determined, not by the
electorate, but by the dominant party In
the legislature So the venerable William
Lyon Mackenzie King retires from the
Premiership for reasons of age and Ill
health with the regretful acquiescence OF
his Liberal followers.
Despite continuity of party tenure and
retirement from parliamentary leadership
Is a noteworthy event. This outstanding
figure in Dominion politics has the unique.
distinction of having served longer in 4
democratically elective post than any man
in history, having held the Premiership for
more than 21 years. To be sure this tenure
was not consecutive. His frst Premiership,
begun in 1921, was briefly interrupted in
1925 and again from 1890 to 1885, when
the Conservatives were In power. But
since that latter date he has been con-
tinuously at the helm, and he has also
conducted Canadian foreign policy by
holding likewise the Ministry Of External
Affairs. Furthermore, it should be noted
that he has been active in Canadian poll
tics for nearly half a century, his first
ministerial post dating from 1900.
Mr.. King was the epitome Of that Liberal
Party to which he has devoted lifetime
OF distinguished service. He came Of out
standing Liberal stock, his grandfather
being the celebrated William Lyon Macken-
zie, who championed the cause Of respon-
sible government and was once exiled for
his political activities.
The Liberal Party owes it's recurrent
successes chiefly to the fact that it has
known how to combine under one political
banner the bulk Of the French-speaking
element with a large section OF the Eng
disappearing electorate. 1t is therefore
understandable that, just as Mr.. Kings
leadership was preceded by that OF a
French Canadian, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, so
it is now succeeded by another man Of
French extraction, Louis Stephen st.
Laurent. The new Premier differs mark
edly from his predecessor, both in person.
alty and background. Unlike Mr. King,
he IS not veteran politician, his profess
sional career being that of the law How
ever, during the past seven years since he
became Cabinet member, he has worked
closely under his chief, who considered
him the best man for the Premiership.
There can be no doubt, therefore, that he
entertains the same outlook as Mr.. King
and can be counted on to continue along
the same lines. especially in foreign policy.
The one question is whether he possesses
the same quality OF leadership with which
Mr.. King is so abundantly endowed.
This is politically important, because the
Liberals, while holding command in Parlia-
ment, do not possess an overwhelming
majority. Their traditional rivals are the
Conservatives, whose stronghold Is On
tario and whose following is mainly Eng
disappearing. There are likewise two
minor parties. the Progressives and the
Social Creditors. Both hail chiefly from
the prairie provinces Of the Canadian mid
west and exemplify that agrarian radical
ism In our contiguous States which has
given rise to similar movements here, from
the Populists down.
The Liberals are thus Canada's middle
of-the-road party, with a program best
described as slightly left of center, although
their new leader has relatively conserva-
tive antecedents