CIHM Microfiche Series (IVIonographs) ICI\1H Collection de microfiches (monographjes) m Canadian Inatituta for Historical Microraproductiora / Institut Canadian da microraproductiona historiquaa • !• Technical and Bibliographic Notes / Motes technique el bibliographiques The Institute tias attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. 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Original copiaa in printad papar eovars ara filmad baginning with tha front cowar and anding on tha lait p«ga with a printad or illu»iratad impraa- •ion. or tha back co*ar whan appropriata. All othar original copiaa ara filmad baomnmg on tha first paga with a printad or illuatratad impraa- •ion. and anding on tha laat paga with a pnntad or illuatratad impraaaion. Tha last racordad frama on aach microfiche shall contain tha symbol -» '""•"'"O "5° .,* TINUEO"). or tha symbol V Imaaniog END I. whichavar appliaa. Map*, platas. charts, ate. may ba filmad at diHarant raduction ratios. Thosa too larga to ba aniiraly includad in ons a.posura ara filmad baginning in tha uppar laft hand eornar. laft to right and top to bonom. as many framas as raquirad. Tha following diagrams iliustrata tha mathod: Las imagas suivantas ont *t* raproduitas avac la plus grand soin. compia tanu da la condition at da la nanat* da I'axampiaira film*, at an conformit* avac las conditions du control da filmaga. Laa aaamplairaa originaua dont la couvartura an papiar aat imprimOa sont filmOs »n commancant par la promiar plat at an tarminani soil par la darnitra paga qui comporta una amprainta d'Imprassion ou d'illustratien. soit par la sscond plat, salon lo cas. Tous laa autras aaamplairas orlginaux sont fllmta an commancant par la pramlAra paga qui comporta una amprainta d'impraasion ou d'illustration at an tarminant par la aarnMra pag* qui eompon* una uila amprainta. Un das symboles suivantt apparaitra sur la darniira imaga da cliaqua mieroficha. salon la cas: la symbola -• signifla "A 8UIVRE ". la symbola ▼ signifla "FIN". Las cartaa. planchas. ubIaauM. ate. pauvant atra filmta * daa Mux da reduction difftrants. Lorsqua la documant aat trap grand pour atra raproduit an un saul clleh*. il ast films « partir da I'angia supOriaur gaucha. da gaucha * droita. at da haul an baa. an pranant la nombra d'imagaa nOcassaira. Laa diagrammas suivanis llluatrant la mOtheda. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 MICtOCOPY HSCHUTION TEST CHART (ANSI ,-d ISO TESr CHART No 2) A >^PPLIED IIVt^GE In. ^K teS3 Eoit Wain SUeel ^nS Rocheste'. N»« York U609 uSA ^^B (716) *82 - OJOO - Phone ^S C"^) ^S9 - ^999 ~ fax ^y / c ADDRESS OF 1/ HON. J. M. GIBSON ATTORNEY-GENERAL ^ Comprehensive Review of Provincial Questions IN RELATION TO The Advance Policy and Great Record of the Ross Government DELIVERED AT FERGUS, OCTOBER 2l5T 1901 q^L^ Hon. J. M. Gibson's Address At Femus, on October 21st. 1901. Till-: nK■clirl^' wa> Iil-U in llic Town Hiill anJ vv:i> iIk- ihc;isumi o the .\tlorm.-v-t;oiicr:irs lirst appi-^irii.u..- :il ;i nicL^lin^' in l■.:l^l W i-llmn- liiii siin:V hisrenominiilion. 'Uw (.iKiir \v;iMVCupii-il hy Mr. ■^'ii'>- who niiidc a hriff sptvi-h hy way of inlnHhalioii. I'ho Hon. Mr. tiihsiMi was well rcccivud and spoke as lollons ; Mv first word to the Liberals of ICast Wellington at the present time- is natu'rallv an expression ot' ffratiluUe lor the nnanimoiis noinnia; .1 at the I'onvei'llion. When 1 lirst entered I'le eonstitllen.-y in lXc)«thc nnder- standinj; was that the representation should he yi' en 10 me lor the halanee of the I'arliamentarv term, and [ ^ave the assiiranee that a nominatioii tor a further term would not be .soutjhl hy me. I'hat assiiranee has been li\ed up to on mv part in ffood faith. Kretpiently, when I have felt a desire to visit the eonstituenev and beeome better .lequaintcd with my constit- uents, I have been deterred from doinj; so by the consideration that it miKht be charj,'ed afrainst me that I was in reality seekiii}; to make mvself solid for another term and my visits to Kast \Vellinj,'ton have bJen confined to special occasions in connection with which my presence could not possibly justify any such construction ol my motives. UNANIMOUS NOMINATION AOOBPTBD. There are manv men in the riding of ability, whose names hiive often been suffjfested in connectior with the i'arliamcntary representation of East Wellinj,'ton, and from amonj; whom excellent candidates mif,'ht have been selected. It has not been without some misttivint; theretore, on my part that my connection with the constituency should for the time beinf; seem to stand in the wav of verv reasonable and natural aspirationson the part ot any of these (fentlemcn. the invitation, however, appeared to me to come with such a dejjree of unanimity as to justify my immediate acceptance n- a response to the telejjraph'ie messajje sent from the President of the .Association, askiufr my reply on the afternoon of the Convention. The honour of having represented East Welliiiffton has b en s;rcatly appreciated by me. It can safelv be said without flattery, and ..ithout any insincerity on my part, that Ea.st Wellington stands second to no constituency in the r'roviuce in the material advantages it enjoys as an agricultural section of the country and certainly not as regards the solid, sterling and intelli- gent qualitie's of the people. (.Vpplause.) Correspondingly great is thu hoMoiir- of hciiiK iiiimcil ii> l\w ^iMiiJiiril KMrcr nl' llu' l.ihenil I'iiily iii mccIi :i icmstilutucv, :iiul IuuH'mt liii I may lie lOnsiiliTcd to llavo hillon ^hoil 111 pcrfurmint,' iiillv tlic Jutics ol your rcpreMMitalivc in the past, I h.iw no lK•^itatioll in makiiif,' llif proiiii^o ol lailhlully iMuU'avourin^' to i-omplctfl> iuMily thi> toiilidoiKc ol llK- |,'ooil people ol' Ka^l \Vellin^'ton, in llie neM parliament. MR. WHITNEY'S ATTITUDE. In comint; here this eveiiin); to speak to some of the electors m the riJiilt: one leels a diHicullv in ileeiilint; npon tlle ipiesthMis to take up llie discussion ol" which is likeli to he ol' nuisl interest. Kecenllv the leader of the Opposition delivered a speech in Toronto whicl'l was intended for the province. The most strik- int; characteristics of this speech were its enormous lent,'lh and its remark- able thinness. If vou eliminate the worn out diatribes about West Kl(,'m and North Waterloo and the extracts from the Karmer's Sun and other newspapers, .ind nuike a further subtraction of items of policy taken with colourable variations from the Ross speeches and laboured ellorts to show that because sometime or other some one on that side of the House had said somethin^ or other consistent with some of the numerous items ol the bu.siness policy of the Ross (lovernmenl, therefore the liovernment were stealing,' the Torv I'oliev -vou will not have much left of that speech. I do not propose to follow Mr. Whitney through his speech, but, probably be- fore 1 have finished, some of the matters on which he has dwell wdl be discussed bv .ne. . _««.™»™ OROWN LANDS DEPARTMENT. When 1 last came before vou it was as the head of the Crown Lands Department, a position which was held by me until the resignation of the late Premier, the Honourable A. S. Hardy, when the Departm.i.t ol Attornev General was assumed b\ me. Durinfr my term ol ollice as Com- missioner of Crown Lands the Gov -rnment was called upon to consider the basis upon which privilejjes ol cuttinf,' pulp wood should be ^rallied. Mr. Whitney has found fault with the liovern- ment for not disposing; of these ri),'hts by public competition in the same manner as we dispose of pine timber limits. As a matter ol tact it is not possible to treat the d-sposition of pine timber and pulp wood under the same regulations. We have adopted the policy ol insisting that all pulp woodsoldbvtheCrown shallte manufactured in thiscountry. Sotartheregu- lations arc tne same. In the regulations affecting the sale ot pine timber we do not sti, -date for the building of mills, or the establishment ol a.iy manufacturing plant, or the employment of any number ot n.en as oper- atives, or the manufacture of ai.y lumber. Purchasers ol pme limits may let them stand from vear to vear without cutting a slick ol timber, paying the annual ground rental and waiting for enhanced value ; but m all ol our pulp agreements we have required, as a condition of the right to cut, that large expenditures .shall be made in the erection ot mills and development of water power, and that a minimum number of men shall beempUwcJ, r-nd thai I mi iirnin. oiilput -hM hv rc.iihoj. mir ohivit hoirl^: to In^M on the «»liibhshmcMt as r.-.pidly ;.sp,.ssihlo iilaM.lro of industrial iictivity at diftVr. «nt points in \\.» Ontario, v> hicli cannot fail to prnm,>ti- thi- ^fontral dc- velopmont ol a^'nciillnr:.' and oiIkt r^sonr.vs in tho surroundinif svctions of IIk' foiinlrv. WATBR POWER RBOULATIONS. While I was Commissioner of Crown Lands k-^'isliition was adopted, and rcK'ulations passed providing; for the leasing of vatcr powers at an annual rental instead of disp^sinj; thereof bv absolute (fanl I nder the rej,'ulalu>ns no water power ean he secur, d iinless inder eondi- tlon that the same sliall be developed within aeertain time with a minimum output of power, and with the further eondilion that power shall be provided by the lessee to other user- rei|uiriii),' same at rates to be fixed by the Lieutenant Cun eriior in < onncil, in ease .'( dispute. This is especiallv iiilportant in these days of easy lransmi^sion of eleetrie power over lone distances K>r the first ten years the rental pavable to the Crown is moderate y low, but as these Hrsl terms expne and 'the rental values have to be hxed lor further terms, often years, a considerable in. a-ase of revenue will be derived by the Crown fr.m these power sites, manv of which have (freat natural advantajje;.. PROVINCIAL PULP WOODS. It is liable to happen that sections of the countrv havin),' a supply ol spruce are more or less tributary to streams, the water power on which already belon),'s to private owner-, and in such cases there could practically be no competition between them and others in purchasing,' the pulp wood .\ very effective control, lowever, is retained bvthe Government, bv means of a provision in all a^'reelnents that the Government mav at anv time or from time to time, increase the r: tes per cord charjred for all wood which may be cut. Formerl>- the rate was 20 cents per cord. .A year or two aco it \yas raised to 40 cents per cord, and the Government may at any time make further increases. Mr. Whitney tells us that the Opposition were about to press (or the increase of these dues and almost poes the lenirth of including this Item of i,'overnment policy in the stock of stolen iroods about which he whines. M\ I can sav is, we were entirely unconscious of .Mr. Whitney or the Opposition havinff any views on the subject, and we .icted in that m.atter .is in all other matters, upon our owr convictions ot what was ri.cht and proper in the public interest. The records of the department will show that the subject had been under consideration for some time and was not hastily dealt with bv the Government More- over, the matter was dealtwith by Order in Council and not by legislation and one cannot help feelinj,' a certain amount of amusement at Mr Whit- ney s lame efTort to have himself associated with the Government in the action adopted in tins matter. ..\ glance at the map on which are indicated the difTeren points at which the establishment of th- se immense industrial enterprises have either already been, or are being established will convince anyone of llu- imnu-iisc iiJv:int:i(;i". that must K- iUtIvc.I tlKrclVoir. NorthiTii Ontario i- i-xic|.lionall> «cll pro\ klt-il «itli «aliM poHcr-. on thi- nmiKTOus riiiT- whiih run from the lu-i|,'hl ^'t lanil southerly to lieor^^iai. Hav. Lakes llnroii anil Superior, as »ell as those whi.h riui nor'herlj towards James |lav , not losav iMhini,' of ll.e immenee power wliieh has been so extensi el> ile\elopeil by Mr. C'lerj;iie at the Sault. BXTBNT OP PULP WvyOD RESOURCES. Kslimates made hy the evplorim; parlies seitt out by ths iiovernment in the summer of l<)cxi sho'.v a snppi; of pulp tim, .-r on the seetions tra- \ersed of .'HS millions of eords. It is almost im.iossible to realize 1'k' immensilv of the extent arul number of enterprises vhieh may be expeeted to he established in New Ontario in the near future, hav iii); in \ iew the advanta^'es of sneh an inexhaustible sn[>ply of pulp wood and ol' so many exeellent water powers. Indeed, it does not .seem at all undvd> oplimistie to expeet that the lime will soon eome when this rapidl\ |,'rowifl^' industry will prove to be onei the principal sonrees of I'rov incial reienne. (.\pplause| The tiovernmeut poliey is to eneoura(,'e the establishment of these industries as r.inidly as possible and instead of allowing' the spruce to be destroyed by forest fires to (,'et some returns therefrom for the benelit ol theProvinee' Itis si(;uineantthat Mr. Marter. the Opposition Leader's first lieutenant, and himself formerly leader of the Opposition, approves of the lioyernnient's p y in dcalinj,' with the pulp industries, as als.i some of the L'onsc.yativ^ ewspapers. (.\pplause|. WHAT NB vV ONTARIO MBANlJ. From the moment of Mr. Ross' accession to the Premiership the active development of New Ontario has been one of the chief items in his programme. The time seems to have arrived when that immense area can he opened up and converted into a field of mining'. at,'ricullural and manufacturing' industries. Let us see what this New Ontario, this greater Ontario, consists of. In round lif;ures the whole Provmce embraces an area of joo.ooo siiuare miles. Old Ontario 1> mti south of Lake Nipissin); and Maltawa River contains '' ,000 square miles. North of the Lakes and Old Ontario, but south oi the heiijht of land, lies a belt of .nother 60, 000 square miles while north of the heij,'ht of land is an immense area of «o,ooo square miles. In the middle bei' there is a larfje proportion of rockv and nroken territory 'hat •■.',11 never be of much utility for agricultural purposes but portions, of which are very rich in mineral resources. Mir laAL BB'VBLOPMBNT. Uurint; the last eitfht or ten years ureal progress has been made in niinin;; which rray now be considered as an important and s,'rowinf; indus- try. Probably at' no time has the Crown Lands Department been more crowded with'applicalions fir patents and leases than duriuf; my term as Commissioner, and this activity is continuinr. Much caiatal has been in- vested in i,'old mini'i),', principally in the west.tly part of the Province. Of course many investmer is have been made vhich will never prove to he rcmuntrauie. Hut the niurn, mado iroiii war to viar show, that »hil.. there have been ilisappoiiilmenis there ha>e al>o heen numerous Hiueesslul Jevelopnu-nls. [he returns show that in the tonnajfe of lioUl and SiKer ore treated the ^.'old and siKer produet and the waifes paid lor hiK.ur here has durniK the past ei,;hl years bee., ve^^ k'O.kI pro^-ress and that the prospects ol a permanetit K'"ld and siUer niininir industry are yerv tirtjfht. IRON MINING OPBRATIONS. The dep>'*ils of iror, ore at Miehipoeoten and north of that point are tiemi; rapidly ^;oi at. supplies otore lor the smellers at llanMlton, Midland and [Jeseronto are at the present time shipped in lar^e Huantilies from thatponit »hile Ihenew Canadian Northern Railway runnin^.- from I'ort Arthur to U uuupej; will yerv soon render easy aeeess to the important and valuable iron ranj;es kMO«n as the Atikokan and Matlawan deposits I. .ere is no room for doubt that the iron industry will in the early luture become a very prominent industry in this I'royinte. With i smelter at Hamilton turning out well ni^h joo tons of excellent pii; iron every day, a similar concern in full operation at Midland, a charcoal smelter at Heseronto, and the promise of an immense smeitinif plant at Lollinj,rwood, not to say anything of the smelting; works sure to he estab- lished and already under construction at Sault Ste. Marie by Mr. Clerirue and the steel plant in full operation at Hamilton, and the immense steel plant now beuiK installed by Mr. Cler^-ue at the Sault, yye have reason not merely lor satislaction but surprist that so much has been accom- plished duriiii,' the last few years. (Applause) NIOKBIi AND OOFFBR. .\mon^' the mininj; industries in this middle belt of Ontario are the nickel and copper mines. While there are known to be very yaluable copper deposits, the development of which has already be;run, there I ..-rtainlj- are immense stores ol nicke! and copper in combination. Ontario has the best supply ol nickel in the world, easy of access and favoiirably situated lor the successlul development of the nickel industry in minin./ smeltinff and rehninj;. Indeed, the Province has not only' the lar.'est known deposits of nickel ores but the only deposits in ,\mjrica found in economic quantities. .New Caledonia is the only riv.d of Ont.r io in nickel resources and it is a penal colony on the other side of the .'lobe. Labour there is less elhcient and the dilliculties .M' mining' and shipping are rela r. ely t;realer. 1 he Ontario ni, kel mines .should control the w^irld's rnarket, lor nowhere can it be produced at so low a cost. The works of the Canadian topper C ompauy near Sudbury have for several years been A .t'^'v- ,' , K'"'-'"' ""l"^"-!''! activity, while the new Monde works and the Nickel Copper Comp:iny of Hamilton will ijreally add to the extent of the output of this rare metal. The time may comj, I think will come, when with the rehuement of nickel in this Province we shall have the,most important nickel steel industrs in the world AQRIOULTORAL POSSIBILITIBS. All t^i^ mean, ,nuch lor S\-» On.ari... hul i. .;.1imII.v importani ;,. OM Oi.lario. II nuiM i.ot ho tlK.n«ht lor a nu.mor,! that m 1 .., K- ol \c« Ontario south ol ih. hoi^ht ol la„J a„J borJcnn^ < th.' lakvs, th« ,, ,,o n>om lor ih. farmer. Whil. .ua.h of this part ol tho I'rovu.co .s u nt lor aKr"vl."n,l parposv, thero arc .onsidc, hi. areas ol cx.ole,,. larntm, Ta^ds, so,.u. portion, of »hi.h ar. hcintf s.KC.sslnlly .altnalcd 1-or so . tars past soltl.m.n. around I.akc NipissL ;. in th. ncuhhorhood ol lor, \r hur ar,d alouK Rainv Rivtr, has h>v„ Koi.iK on w,lh ^.ns.d.rahl. rapid V .nanv cl'tho townships hcin,- ^.rv lor.ilo and lavonrahlc or arn,- Z operations, whilo everyone is a«are of the »;reat increase ol settlers in the remiseaminjfue Distrat (Applause.) NORTH OF I'HH HBIOHT OF LAND. n,.- third division of the I'rovinee north of (he hei^'ht of land eontains 80 otH. square miles and ut.til reeent years but little ha. Ken known as to n?;~apabilitie, of this ^.-rea. area. The inf. mal.on oh.anK.d Iron, the eKDloralions mad. ,ast ^ear, however, fully eonhrm, all previous reports as oThc « e , ",d Muali.vof ,and for farn,inK P poses. North ol the he,»,.l,t ," land, and extending westerly from , I-ake Fem.scam.np.e, a,,d from the nei>.-hborhood of Lake .Vhitihi, ,h. . ,s an mjmense held o ^ood aKrTcultural land described as clay ^-"U .lo^>n,y clay land where ,n the ,ot distant future, I hope in the very early luture, set.len.enls »,1 he estab- nltdand whJa. trr^wiuK and general |■armin^' operations , -trr.ed on on a I larijc scale. IhouKh North of the height ol land ,t m,,st n. I that this fertile tract i, out of the world. Practically the ^> it lie, in the same latitude as Southern Manitoba or somewha The 1 it,.de of Winnipeg' is 50 , of Cal^'ary ;, ■.• and ot hdmonton .4 ■ A lar«e part of the wheat belts of our North West is north o where this North Ontario Belt ends and there seems no room tor doubt that u the matter of latitude this portion of our I'rovince is well within the whe.it growinj; districts of the world. A MILD CLIMATB. Moreover the testimony of trappers and cx,,lorers Koes to prove that the climate of the section South of James Bay and N^'"', ol the hei^-htol "nd is much milder than the climate .alontf the North Shore ol ..ake Super or and South of the heigh, of land, and milder than the c .mate ol Manitoba, It is said that the season opens as early as in Manitoba and c lorjs later, and that even in its present uncleared condition it '^ 'rce from summer frosts. Probably it is not too sanguine "" estimate to s, y tha theTare well nigh twenty millions of acres of good land fit tor settlemen n the area 1 h.ave jus, been describing, perhaps considerably more, but certainly ""t much less. Of the total , .0 milhons ot acres o land o which the I'rovince is composed only between .0 and 2; millions altogether ha^ e been sold, and fully two thirds of the Province has yet ,0 be surveyed. ^' ciMisiilorcJ * jr portion ol .i.rtluT South. One can, therefore, appreci.ite the momentous possibilities of the fiitnr. in the open„,e up and development of these districts of Vew Ontario ENBROETIO RAILWAY POLICY men^^^h!' v?n:tcti:i;;';f t^t'f ■ '" ^"^'^- r"'^""^"' """ "--'^p- ^^:;:=:::;::^-f^£;r^^^^ in the new dis ric wh ch J • ' "'" ■■• Ih^^^ffWare for all lines locating the lin ,f hi r.Z'.v "irri""'"'- '""^'"'^^^^ '''' ""- Alsoma Central fron its i^ t?./ .„,■ V"?"' .1™''"'*"'' extending, the Missanabietojame B-vwhch wh'";^ " "^^ t '■'"'■''''"'" ^''"^'^ '■'■^''"»- not too much to exnec h- . L"/ ' , "'' "";"""■"■ j"'"'""^ """"• I' is siderahly south of James Ha! Xp^^c) " ' "*-""'"""' "^'^ '-""- JAMBS BAY FISHERIES pi^^^!:^::::::!:^:^:^';^:;::^ /=•"'" ^^'^ ^''''" "--^ "-- ™'"- beins established on our northern border '7" "h l'" '',''''"'^ '"""»"•>■ Hudson Bav and the streams emntvi-.' u '""' """ J"""^" ^ay and the salmon breeding' grounds are -immr' '" "'' '"'^'' "''h ^sh-that irrotmdsinj.amesmn Tre manv iT '" ^"♦'""-""'i that the cod North Atlantic. Th inexh-u,s iW ?^ '"/"'^"'"'e cod banks of the afford constant busines for h e '|L "' "1 T"'?'' '" '""^ "'''"'^i" «ill brin. emigration in ^r,^;!™'-'^;;; ^l/^ i;;^-:^- -"<" '^i' - TIMBER POLICY pres^';:';;rc;ul;:;:i:;?:t-^;;:;v''^:f iii'T" r^ "^"-''^ >"'"'^>' - timber policy has been stolen bvth -liberal Z^t '''""" " "' "'^■'• truthfulness of that statement ' '^""^'^•"'>- Let us examme into the forceI'::pon r l^:i:^^^''X r^^:;: -P-'--- °f --frs was by them In the fall of ,890 th. Go!e nment ofo,^- ; '"^'"■'■■■'""^'1 ''"" ""f^-n^.d. tributary ,0 La.es Hnr^^^J st^r'im^i: S^ u!::;;^,!, "^^'-^ Prior to the sale of 1890 the Conservatives had never propounded the manufacturing- conditions as a part o( their policy or moved any resolution on the subject. Mr. Meredith had, it is true, said in an academic way something on the subject by way of suj^^estion, hut had never irons so far as claiming" to have any policy oi' his own or puttinjj^ himself on record on the subject. EARLIER ACTION NOT INDICATED. There was no reason why he should. The export oi' saw \o^s had not at that time assumed serious proportions, and every one knew that it was being dealt with by the Dominion Government, that there had been inter- national nej^^otiations, that the Dominion had leg-islated in 1SS6 and 1 888 and passed different Orders in Council relating to export duties on saw logs. No one prior to 1890 expected or desired the Provincial tiovernment to act, lumbermen and Ottawa politicians and Tory leaders alike desired the ad- mission of Canadian lumber into the Cnited States duty free — and under the conditions then existing neither party in the Province could have as- sumed the responsibility of interfering in an important question of Inter- national Trade and Commerce by proposing the imposition of m:inut"actur- ing conditions which certainly would have been followed by the imposition of a very heavy duty on Canadian lumber entering the L'nited States. Mr. Whitney by his long and laboured reference to the timber question misrepresents the tacts, and I regret to say that he does this in a manner which looks like the result of deliberation oi\ his part. THE OPPOSITION RECORD. The first declaration of policy by the Conservatives by resolution in the House w-as Mr. Miscampbell's motion in 1893. This resolution called for the manufacture ivithin the Pnn'inve of all lumber cut in reserves there- after to be sold. This was a direct blow at Quebec mill owners and the lumbermen of a sister province and against the spirit oi the B. \. A. Act and could not be entertained, and having been proposed as a motion of want of confidence in j;oing into supply it could not be amended and was voted down by a majority of 21. Nothing further was heard from the Conser\'atives in the House about the policy they claim to have been the owners of until the Government brought down their policy in the session oi (897, which policy was render- ed necessarv bv the offensive provisions of the American Dingley Bill. It will be remembered that the bill was a sudden change of policy on the part of the United States. It imposed S2 a thousand duty on our lumber going to the States but provided further that there should be added to this duty a further duty equivalent to any export duty we might put on logs going into that country from Canada, so that if as an offset to the S2 duty on our lumber the Canadiangovernment put an export duty of S2 a thousand on our logs !!ie dutv on our lumber automatically as it were, would be increased to $4. WHAT THE SITUATION WAS. This, of course, meant exclusion of our lumber from tlie L'. S. marl^cts and wholesale towinjj of loj^s across the lakes to be manufactured in Michijfan. This situation was intolerable and created jfreat excitement amonj; those interested in the lumber trade. Deputations came to the Government, and meetinj^s i.-^t' business men for the purpose of discussing- the matter were held. Public opinion was making itself heard most unmistakably. The Government was listeninjj to what could be said on both sides of the question. This was our duty. A great and important question was forcing itself upon the Government for solution. Many who had invested heavily in timber limits purcha-ied from private owners and which had been sold by the Crown a quarter of a century before without any manufacturing condition attached relied on any change of policy that might be adopted as to future sales not being made retrospective, and apprehending a danger that the conditions affecting their heavy invest- ments were about to be changed, they came to the Government and stated their case with great earnestness and strong argument. THE OOVBRNMBNT TOOK ACTION. .All this was taking place during the summer and early autumn of i8g7. Letters addressed by the then Premier, to Mr. Scott and Colonel Davidson intimated that the question was of such gravity and importance as regards both public interests and private rights, that instead of dealing with it by Order in Council the Legislature would be asked by the Govern- ment to enact such legislation as the public interests required and the exigencies of the situation appeared to demand. These were public deliverances and there could be but one inference as to their meaning. They meant that the Government had decided to deal with the matter in the mannei in which later on it was dealt with. That was the Govern- ment policy which Mr. Whitney says we stole from the Conservative Party. Let it be remembered that in the 1890 sale the Government had imposed the manufacturing conditions. It was not inserted in the sale of 1892 because the bulk of the area sold in that sale was tributary to the Ottawa and other streams from which export was sure not to take place. An increase of 25 cts. made itrthe lumber dues and the largest prices ever ob- tained were realized in that sale. Out of 633 miles sold only 78 miles went to .Americans and from this 78 miles practically no logs have been cut for exportation. THE OPPOSITION'S INDIFFERENCE. With the exception of Mr. Miscampbell's foolish amendment nothing was heard from the Opposition about the policy they claim to have had d'' these years, either in the House or in the country. Mr. Whitney was touring Ontario that summer— June, July and .\ugust. He made 36 speeches in none of which does he appear to have made any mention of, or reference to, this policy of theirs which he says we stole. We had a timber sale on the i8lh of August that very year. The manufacturing requirement was one of the conditions of that sale. Even that did not appear to remind him that the subject was one worthy of reference or passing remark. On 3rd September at Barrie, Mr. Miscampbell expressed plea.sure at seeing the Government adopting the manufacturing conditions, conven- ientlv omitting any reference to the conditions of the sale of iHyo, but even then' Mr. Whitney does not appear to have had a word to say on the tim- ber question, and we do not find him- uttering a word on the subject throughout this period of excited public opinion until the 1 ;!th ot October, by which time it was known, as announced by the Premier, that the Gov- ernment intended dealing with the matter. The House was called for the ^oth November, 1897, and the speech of the Lieutenant Governor stated that a Bill relating to timber and timber licenses would be brought down. The mover of the address said that the people were strongly in favour of regulations compelling the manufacture of logs in the Province, and spoke at length in that strain, plainly indicating the policy about to be submitted. MR. WHITNEY'S SXTODBN CONVERSION. Then, when Mr. Whitney had to develop a positive attitude of some sort on the subject, be be;ame frantic and stated that he was prepared to legislate tc-morrow morning. ( Laughter. ) He coUldnot wait forthe ordinary forms of procedure and insisted that the manufacturing requirements should be put into force at the earliest hour. He even went the length of insisting that the Government policy should be made to apply to the logs cut under the outstanding annual licenses. Had his policy been adopted, the province would have incurred most serious obligations to license holders, lor what- ever right the Province may have to vary the conditions, and that right has been very strenuously litigated, it was not contended by the strongest advocates of the manufacturing conditions among Ontario Lumbermen, that we should interfere with operations under the then outstanding annual licenses by imposing these conditions. But it was an illustration of the habit which the leader of the opposi- tion has frequentiv displaved when he finds the Government pursuing a course which is calculated to please the public. He then determines to go one better, so to speak. In this particular case his policy of going one better would have been detriment.al to the best interests of the Province from everv point of \ iew. No stronger evidence of unfitness for a leader s position could be given bv a public man than Mr. Whitney's course on th,at occasion He talks of our favouring the Michigan timber owner while evervone, including Mr. Whitney, knows that the .Michigan people have been the 'loudest in complaining of our legislation, but if Mr. Whitney s absurd amendment had been adopted the Court would have declared the legislation ultni vires and then the Michigan lumberman would indeed have been fa\ oured greatly at Ontario's expense. (Applause) AS TO CORPORATIONS. Sometimes the Go\crnmL'nt-and the Libera! Party are charjfed with unduly favourinjf corpLiratioiis at the expense of the public. This accusation can of course he *ery easil)- made, whether there is the slij^hest loundation for it or not. and it lias become fashionable on the pan of the Tory speak- ers and journals to re-iterate this charffe, evidently with the purpose of creating an impression on the p: rt of the public that in some way or other we are under the inHiience of corporations, or that corporations can obtain legislative or administrative favours at our hands to which thev are not entitled. We den_\' that we ha\e unduly fa\oured corporations or companies, or that to any extent or in any sense any corporation or company, or corporations or companies, h.'ive acquired an>- special or undue influence with the Go\erninent. We owe no corporation or company an\thinj^ be- yond the oblif,'.ition which we owe every individual in the community the right to be heard and the rijjht to fair and just treatment. To that they are entitled and more than that they ha\e not had. ACTIVITY IN OROANIZINQ CORPORATIONS. The number of companies incorporated in recent vears has been un- precedentedly lar^je. .\ spirit of enterprise has manifesled itself in the for- mation of companies all over the Province for manufacturinjf, mininj;, agricultural and trading purposes. Kreryone is glad that this is so. It is a sign of progress. It means the development of lUir natural resources on which the future prosperity of Ontario will largel}' depend. Then there have been numerous railway companies and Street Railwa\' Companies chartered and companies for the supply of gas or water or de\elopment of electric light and power. In nearly e\ery town will be found a system of electric lighting provided by local companies generally composed of the most enterprising citizens of the community. Ordinary railway companies are chartered by special acts of the legislature but all these other compan- ies apply for and obtain their charters of incorporation under general .Acts to be found among our Revised Statues, and obtain only such powers and rights as are warranted by the general laws of the Pro\ince. Special facilities have been olTered for the incorporation of dairying and other companies, in which farmers are specially interested. It has never been charged that, in dealing with applications for Ch.arters the Provin- cial Secretary's Department, which primarily de.als with these applications, or the Government, had acted otherwise than on general principles, adopted, in all cases and with strict fairness and impartiality. MUNICIPALITIES AND CORPORATIONS. Between certain classes of companies and the communities where thev operate, questions do undoubtedly arise and conflict of interest manifest's itself. In case of companies chartered for the promotion or operation of what wy be termed "public uti'.itki," such as { s or water companies, electric light or power companies and street railway companies, questions frequently arise between the municipal councils and such companies. Indeed the Company's charter as a rule is of less importance than the municipal by-law scttinjf forth the terms and conditions under which the city, town or villajfe, as the case may be, permits the company to operate, and local communities, very properly, throui,'h their municipal councils, view with much jealousy the placinj; in the haiids of a few individuals who have become incorporated as a company, monopolies oi these public utilities, •"hey are called monopolies, inasmuch as in matiy cases from the nature of the circumstances, there cannot be competition or, at all events, effective competition. No doubt, in some instances valuable franchises have been ifr.anted under municipal by-laws without the interests of the public beinif amply protected, but these are matters of dealinj; between the companies .and th- municipalities, over which the Government exercises no control. The laws of the Province for many years past have jjiven municipalities the rijjht to establish under municipal control systems of water works and also of lijjhtinj.; and heatinjf by j;as. A few years aj,'o power was conferred to establish electric liffht systems under municipal control, andthen serious questions arose as to the exercise of this power in cities, towns orvillaf;es where there already existed .systems of liyhtinj,' provided bv private enter- prise, whether as incorporated or unincorporated companies. .Manifestiv it would be ffrossly unfair where, by private enterprise, a svstem of lij,'htinjf sufficient for the purpose of a town c villafje had been established with the consent and authority of the municipality, that a competing system should be established by the town or village depriviu),' the company not only of the public lifrhtinjf contract but perhaps of a larjfe proportion of its business with private consumers. This would mean confiscation and ruin of private enterprise and unjustifiable disregard of principles of equitv and fair dealing. PUBLIC INTERESTS GUARDED. To meet such cases the .amendments of the .Municipal .Act (known as the "Conmee Clau.ses" because the bill containing the provisions was introduced by the member for West .Algoma) provide that the Municipal Council shall before establishing the .Municipal Water, Light or Heating Plant as the case may be, purchase the existing system, the price or com- pensation being fixed by arbitration where not mutually agreed to. The basis of valuation in such a case is a very important matter, and I have yet to learn that in the clauses in que.s'i: . to which the lale Premier Hardy gave a great deal of personal atte .tion, anyone has ever suggested that partiality has been shewn to the Companies. The interests of the public have been most carefully and effectively guarded. Questions of policy, as between the alternatives of public control on the one h,and and public ownership of the public utilities, to which I have been referring, on the other hani!, have been by our legislation left to the decision of the communities interested. Large powers have been conferred on the municipal councils, demanded by the voice of public opinion, and the growing tendency of public opinion is in the direction of public ownership, and in no sense can it be said that eitlier tlie liovLTiimcni or the Liberal Party has stood in the way of or discouraged this tendency f.ir the benefit or advantage of companies or priv ate corporations. SCRAP IRON ASSESSMENT. But they sav we have favoured these corporations tlirouKh 'he medium of the Assessment .Act, and ihat we are char^eaWc with the so-called "Scrap Iron Provisions' of that .\ct, and so on. The tact is that until the very last session of the House, there has been no le),'islation on the subject! For the past 40 or 50 years or more the .\ct has contained a provision that : "Ihe Personal Prapfrlv of ii hank or .1 .-omp.-iny iiiv.-^tiiiK Ihe whole or priiu-i]ml part of ils ineiins in j,a.. work^. w.iler work-, plank or i.'r.iv>'l re. J~. railway and tramway roads, or other works reqiiirinj; llir inveslnunt »l Ihe Tfllole urprinripnl pari »f its mfiins in mi/ ,'slii/i- slifill tln>in asst'ssnlftil : but the sharehoklerr. shall be assesse.; on die income clerivod Ironi -uih eoiniianies." This is a verv old clause and the principle has remained unvaried for nearly half a century. But the question which has of recent years become very important is whether much of the property of the.se companies is or is not pvrsimal pniperly and accordingly exempt from or liable to assessment. Whether for example (,'as mains, railway tracks, telephone poles and wires and such like have been liable to assessment as real estate or not. The Court of .Appeal in the case ol Kleminj,' vs Toronto Street Railway Company in 187; held that the rails of street railways were //k/ assessable as real estate and so the law remained judicially settled for a number oi years, until about five years ajjo in a case. Consumers' Cias Company ajjainst the City of Toronto,' it was decided that the (.'as mains were assessable as real estate and the decision in the case of Fleminj; against the city of Toronto was overruled. ■WHAT LED TO THE SCRAP IRON ACT. But there is a provision in tht .Act that land shall be assessed in cities and towns in the ward in which the property lies, and in the case of the Bell Telephone Company and City of Hamilton the Court of .\ppeal held that if such property as that of the Telephone Company had to be as .essed in fractional parts by wards, its value for assessment purposes was simply that ef the material or in other words as "scrap, " and hence the origin of what has been called the "scrap iron law". CORPORATIONS NOT FAVOURED. There never has been legislation relieving any of these cv>mpanics from taxation burdens — on the contrary larifc additional burdens havf Ih'cn imposed on all these companies hy tlie Act 0/ i/ig6' to supplement the revenues of the Province. Not onlv Railway Companies, Banks, Insurance t'ompanies. Loan Companies, 'rrust Companies, Express Companies, Sleeping Car Companies, Telegraph Companies and Natural Gas Companies, but also Street Railway, Cias and Electric Com^ .tnies and Telephone Compinies have all been obliged to contribute to the provincial Kxchetjuer, and all 15 these last meiuioned Companies continue assessable and taxaMe for municipal purposes as under the law they previously were assessable and taxable. It is, therefore, the case that, instead of Companies bcin^ reliev- ed from taxation, the Courts by hokltnj^ that (las mains. Street Railway Tracks, the poles and the wirinj; o( Telephone and Klectric Companies were assessable ns real estate, and the Lej^islature. by imposinf^- the pro- vincial tax, have very considerably increased the burdens these Companies have to bear. (Applause.) THE ASSESSMENT COMMISSION. But, in view of the fact that some classes of these Ci>mpanies have come into extstcTice manv years subsequent to the framinj; of the orif^inal provisions o{ the Assessment Act and could not ha\e been in contemplation o( those who were responsible for the lej^islation, and in view of the anomalous result of the decision of the Court in the Hell Telephone case, and in order that all these questions, as well as others relatinjf to the as- sessment of property, mijfht be fully enquired into, re\ iewed and reported on, a Royal Commission was issued and the report of the Commission is now before the countrw There has been ji^eneral satisfaction with the careful and patient manner in which Mr. Justice McLennan and his associate commis- sioners have been performinj; rheir duties. At the request of the Clovern- nient, 3 Icrm of bill was prepared by the Commissioners and introduced by the Premier, mainly with the objector removinj^ the so called "scrap iron" anomal}', but the bill was framed in j^eneral terms and was objected to by many as likel}' to produce a revolutionary effect in the assessment of rural properties. It was, therefore, thought prudent and advisable to withhold the measure till another session and substitute, as a cure for the scrap iron j,^rievance, a measure which had for two or three _\ears been urj^^ed by the Council of the city o( Hamilton and adopted by the Ontario Municipal As- sociation, and this was done. This course was taken, not, as Mr. Whitney alleges, owing to pressure by the Companies, but simply and solely to allow ample opportunity to the Municipal Councils and the country to carefully consider the bearing and effect of the provisions proposed by the Com- missioners, their report and the evidence being in the meantime printed and distributed. The distinct intention has been to remove the scrap iron j^nievence and any pretence that the Government, in the course which has been adopted, has favoured the corpo-ations is entirely without foundation and contrary to the fact. HELPING MUNICIPALITIES. Much has been s^id also about a clause which the Premier proposed (or introduction in the Municipal Amendment Act, authorizing Municipal Councils to exempt or to partially exempt some of these companies from assessment. It is well known that in not a few towns and smaller municipalities there are Street Railways, which have never paid dividends and. which indeed, have not made revenue sufficient to mc«t their opcratinjf expenses. It was thouj,--!!! that in cases of this nature Coun^iils miyhl salely be entrusted with a certain amount of discretioni-ry power. I''or many \ears Councils had the rif^ht to exempt manufacturin|f industries from assessment, tor periods not exceeding; ten years, and, in the cases of these unrcmunerative properties, operated for the public conven- ienci-. at a sacrifice, a discretion mijjht very well have been jfi\en to the Councils to exercise as they iliou^ht prudent and reasonable. In the larger cities, like Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa, London, etc., the provisions would have been practically inoperative, as no Council would have dared to act under it. Hut the Premier withdrew- the clause rather than allow the Opposition the opportunity oi' allrihutinj^ to the liovernment motives in connection therewith of lejjislaling in favour of wealthy monopolies — motives the very opposite oi' those which led to the proposal of the clause. CORPORATIONS AND THB OPPOSITION. But acts speak more loudly than words and the vot-.'s .-md proceedings of the House show .,nich party has favoured corporate jns. On 14th March 189c), on the order for second reading of the Hill 165, an .\ct to supple- ment the Revenues of the Crown, providing for certain taxes on corpora- tions to be paid to the Province, NIr. Foy mo\ed a six months hoist, and Mr. Whitney and the Opposition voted for Mr. I'oy's m Hion and against the bill. .Again on March 30th, in the same session, on the order for the third reading of the bill, Mr. Whitney himself moved the six months hoist and, with his irllowers, voted for the motion and against the bill. (Appl.-iuse.) LEGISLATION. Our legislation has been well abreast of the times, and, generally speaking, we have been as progressive in our legislative record as any count: . in the world. Xo reforms are being clamored tor by the people. We have always been fortunate in giving measures of legislation at the right time. Oovernments or Party leaders must refrain from being so far in advance of the people that they will not acquiesce, and must not lag so far behind public opinion as to be considered unprogressive. All the im- portant measures of reform, given to the people by Liberal Governments, have been easily and naturally accepted by the people and assimilated .n a part of our system. A good illustration of this is to be found in tl.o reforms of our Courts and law practice. That, which in England gave rise to much confusion and clogging of the wheels of justice, was, by means of Sir Oliver Mowat's Administration of Justice Act of 1873, followed by the Judicature Act of 1882, experienced as a comparatively easy transition from what now appears to have been a medieval, to a common sense and modern system. The suitor no longer spends half a fortune with no better result than to find out that he is in the wrong Court, the best talent of the legal profession is no longer wasted in sharp practice and scientific hair splitting, multiplicity of actions has been discouraged in favour of expedition and directness as well as completeness of remedies, and law and equity, so far **viion\ mous as tlu- AUminislration of Juslice is comcitikiI. have hei-oinc sy terms. BBNBFIOBNT MBASURBS. 'I he ballot in elcttioiis, improved melhoJs of' condiutiiij; elections, sensible provisions for Uisposinj; ol' disputed cKvlions, the law for sett- ing at rest forever the Municipal Loan h'und difficulties, numerous Acts re- lating to labor, the Mech; nics'and Wage Karners' Lien La« , the Kmplovers' Liability Act, the Kaclory Ad, the Shops Regulation A.t, the Raiiway Accidents' Act, Acts for facilitating the adjustment of disputes between masters and workmen and the settlement of industrial disputes of a general nature, providing for Councils and conciliation, Uiv. for the Registra- tion of X'oters: all are illustrations of how fortunate the Liberal liovern- ment has been in giving to the people measures, which thev were prepi.-ed to receive and which they have accepted with satisfaction. ' In this age cf Benefit Societies what conid have been more timely than our Insurance Corporations Act of i8i)i ;■- In Massachussetls and other Si ites the legitimate benefit societies were being swamped by the end- less var.eties of fake concerns, which unscrupulous adventure's were organ- izing and. which, day by d.ay. were springing up, resulting in ,. .reneral cra.sb and the loss of millions of dollars by the poor wage earner. What legisla- tion could have been better timed than the Ontario Act of ifiijo slopping the furihe' incorporation of these societies here and the Act of i8i)J requiring .ill such societies, whether home or foreign, to comply with cer- tain conditions and register in the Department at Toronto y PRAOTIOAIi PRAISB. r-i.ichofour legislation has been copied by other Provinces and by state legisl.itures, which is the best testimony that we have been sensible as well as progressive. At the same time, there has been a complete absence of anything like a clamor or demand for the repeal of anv of the laws we have enacted, which also is conclusive evidence of the people's general approval. Laws relating to educational matters have, within the last ten vears been thoroughly revised. Laws, affecting the interests of farmers and the great agricultural industries of the Province, have been enacted and gener- ally approved by the people. An evening might be taken up in the di.s- discussion alone of these matters. GOOD ROADS. During the past session a measure, relating to good roads was passed through the Hou.se under the personal supervisionand guidance of the Premier which is likely to produce most beneficial and Lasting results. If the Pro- vince, by a contribution of one million dollars, shall have succeeded in stimulatiiigthe municipalities generally to a policy of action in improving the condition of our country roads, the final abolition of the last relics of toll gate mediicvaiism, and the adoption of modern methods of road con- struction, the Premier, personally, will have earned the gratitude of the pub- He for having; ^o couraj;cou«.Iy ^jrappleil with ;i question which undtnibtedlj Wits surrounjcd hy many dilfifultics. (Applause.) UNWARRANTED BOASTINO. Mr. Whitney boasts of his efforts to make the provisions or the elec- tion law more strin^'ent, and accuses me of adopting some of the amend- ments which he had embodied in ;» bill introduced by him in the session ot lyoo. In the speech of the Lieutenant liovernor an intimation had been given that the election law would be amended, and in no sense is it true.a'- Htated by Mr. Whitney, that the Government Bill was a copy of his Bill. Both Bills dealt with penaltits. but as Mr. Whitney knows quite well, the most important clauses of the llovernment Bill were not covered by his Bill at all. His effort at best was a poor attempt to f.-.restall a Government Bill which he knew was about to be broujfht before the House, (.\pplause. i ADMINISTILATION. If we have been prof^ressive and up to date in our lejjfislation, we havo been no less fortunate in the administrative career of the Government for the past thirty years. What scandals or misdeeds have ever been charged against us '.' What mistakes have been made? Let it be borne in mind that justice has been administered throughout this Province all this time, and ever the suggestion oi' wrong doing oi maladministration of the most trifling character has never been made The Public Works of the Province have been carried out alt these years and large amounts of public money expended, and I have no recollection of a suggestion, much less a charge, of maladministtation ever having been made. (Applause) Our Public Institutions have been managed efficiently and economic- ally and, considering the amount of detail connected with this department of administration, there has been a wonderful absence of irregularities oi jarring of any description. The Crown Lands Department has been administered without jobber) or corruption. It is true that discussions have frequently arisen as to this or that question of policy pursued by that Department, but there has been no question regarding the honesty or integrity of the Go\ernment in tarrynig out that policy, a policy which over and o\er again has been approved of by the people. (.Applause.) EDUCATION. Mr. Whitney has always talked loudly and volubly on Educatlona: matters, but if anyone were asked to state precisely what Mr. Whitney wanted to accomplish, or what changes he desires to make, he would ha\ o much difliculty in giving an intelligible answer. Kvervone who has children attending school or everyone who is, or has been, a school trustee is apt to have his own views on edi'.ation. Do what yiui may In imprm injf the >yslom and iIilto will always hi' loiind those whi' will say that I'vcrythiii^f is w ronjf . It not inrrcquenlly happens that loarncd educationists crilici/o oxist- in(f conditions, without su(fj,'fslinjf practical improicnicnls, and it is easy to collect snatches here and there IVom academical discussions and present them as evidence that e\erylhinj; is wron^j. This is Mr. W'hI'ncy's favourite plan of attack. Hut it is jiot loll); snice Or. S.mjfster, an experi- enced educationist as well as practical teacher, from the piihlic school up, in reviewing; the pro^jress made in Ontario in our schools during' the last half century, st.iled that mir system was an eminently successful system, and expressed douht w ether more and belter work is accomplished in public and hi(,'h scho. ' inywhere else in the world or whether as much )food work is done ,i> where else in schools of a similar ^rrade. I>r. Sanj; ;er is a tliorou);hly independent critic, and this expression by him of his deliberate opinion is worth infinitely more than .Mr. Whitney's unfairly selected excerpts. .\ny quantity ^t( testimony similar to Dr. San^rster's could be produced. Mr. Whitney aims at deriiinj; some political advanta),'e from a policy of tfeneral. instead of, specitic criticism and fault lindinj;. He has char^,'ed that the Educ.itional Department is conductei' on political lines, which is the reverse oi true. He has criticized the pub ic school course as ha\ in^f been framed with a \ ie\\ to leading' up to entrai ■•e in the hijfh schools, in- stead of prov idiii); a rou.>ded out course for tie vast majority of pupils who I. ever enter the hi(,'h schools, but he has never ventured to state what chan);es he would su^ftfest in the public school pro(;ramme of studies. For my part, 1 ha\e always been unable to --.e what better can be done for the public school pupil than to let him take precisely the same work as if he in- tended n'oin^f into the hi;,'h school. .Mi. Whitney hasclanioredtohave the entire control of the Uni\ersity divested from the liovernmcnt and has insinuated that such was the view of the I'niversity authorities, but none of the I'ni- versity authorities support him in this statement, nor will the people of the Province approve of placinj; the control of that institution in the hands of any irresponsible body, call that body what you may. Trustees, senate, Ciinvocativin or an\thinj; else. During; last .session the Cio\ernment made a very important provision for the better equipment of the I'niversity. When .Mr. Whitney found that the Government proposed doinj,' this he h.id either to approve of the Government measure or condemn it for yoinj; too far or not far enouj^h. He settled the matter by concluding; that the Government had not (;one tar cnou(;h, thoufjh it is but a few years since it would have keen absolutely impossible for any tiovernment to have proposed to the House anvthin^ nearly so liberal as our. measure cf last session. FINANCIAL. It is not ni}- intention to discuss the financi.'d .'ifTiiirs of the Province this evening at any Ient;th. The people of this Province h:M-e complete confidence in the financial record of the Liberal Govern .id there has hi'iii, friim lime In timo, ahimUant tc-.tiiiu>ii> Irom i)iiili.' iiidtfpciuliMU sourios, thai iIk' pvopU' of Ontario have noi'U rcil»i'ii to IWI »ali»ticJ hIiIi the MatemiMls nWwh, from year 10 >car, our IrcaMirtr'. han.' Kvn able 1. pri'siMil. ThiTi' ha- K'l'ii nui.h ili»iu«-.ion tor t'u- past l«o ilocaJi's aKnii our su'pliis, ami aci I'v iilcnt iksirc al all time-, on tin- part of our oppoiKMils, lo impress the people with the view that we hale iw surplus. The Roy.il Commission of ahle finaiieiers, appointed by the lio> erumcut soon alleT Mr. Koss' aeeession lo the I'remiership, for the purpose of examiniii({ into and reporting on the I'rovineial aceonnis from Confederation di>» ii lo lh> present time, has foimd that tile aeeounts ha\e been aee irately kept and that 'he »l •einenis made hy suceessiie treasur rs were reliable. It is true we claim prior to Mr! Koss heeomiii); I'remier, that deduetinc all oblitratioi, resently payable, we had in round fiifures a surplus ol $S,noo,<»K. or more. ' W'c did not elaim this surplus remained idler makini; ailowanees for li;.bilities to be provided for in future years in respeel ol railway subsidies. RAILWAY LIABILITIBS. We treated these railway liabilities just as the Dominion and other Provincial liovernments have done, and not as lorminj; a part ol niir present public debt. No CKnernmenl treats ohIiKalions of this special character as ordin iry public debts. The Dominion Government issues railway certificates exactly as we do, payable year by year \\ith interest duridj; the currency of a fixed term, and never includes them imaiiy state- ment of debts of the Dominion. .Manitoba treats railway liabilities exactly as we have hitherl'i been doinj,'. Our opppoiienls have been insistint; thai we should put in our balance sheet or statement of assets and li.ibililies, debts accruing; in l 'future, and onl> part of our assets. They take certain special assets and s. ' off ajjainst them all our future liabilities, although the ac ruing iijleresi on special items of interest bearing' assets will be more than sutlicienl each year lo pay accruing annuities and certificates lalliii),' due in that 'ear. WB HAVE NO DEBT. VV'ehave, n aniuiitv payable by the Dominion of Si ,.133,000. It mij;hl be aslsed why shon'd not the annuities or certificates we have to pay in future years ^fo af; .inst this instead of beirj; chart,'ed up at,'ainst our cash capital bearing interest? In the Dominion year book, published by thi Dominion Ciovernment, is published a table of provincial debts. No debt of the Province ci Ontario is j.,'iven in this table. Our annuities arc thus refen eu io in this Dominion year book. "The IV.nini-e ijf Ontario has sold annuities to the i.:ttMit of ?i,432,,sii>. to provide lor railwav exiH-ndilui-es. but these amounts are paid oil by a lixeii sum every ve.ii . and, while a liahilily, does not sland on exactly the same I'oolini; as or lin.-iry puhlie debts." They are like any other necessary payments of yearly occurrence, juts as annuities to retired officers of the Dominion Civil Ser\'ice, or Indian annuities, or even the Provincial subsidies under the B. I\. A. Act, whien arc never Uikcw iiiUi it».\iMint as Domininii ilebtn. However, it ha» httn Lustimiary in i>nr iitinual stati'iTK'nt*. ti> sliow the present xalite of thciie iiciTuinjf I'liliTv- liiihililics, ami Mr. Kosh in ihe tirsi speech made by him us IVomier, statt.'(.l in Uu- plainisl niiinni-r possible that the present value of our onlstaiulin^'^ railwav s>.Tip atui .Lntuiitics anu>nnU'J to $;,(hm),ihk>, and, iC deducU'J troni our inlcri-vt bearini,'" ass».'ts aiiuiuntinj,' to $5,(kxi,ooo, that a siirphis of Sj.ikki, IKK) would represent our tinarK'ial position. A COMPARISON. Conipiirf ihi-. with tin- |Kwiti(>n ol othiT IVovimfs. ^iirbts- s ^foss tlcbt of over $.^5,000,0110, N'ovii Si\>tiii $,1,700,000, N't w Kruiiswiek mt'r $_i,ooo,ooo, MHiiitobit iifarly 9(>,o(Ki,(H)o, Krili'ili (.'iiliiiiiltiiL $;,S'>i),i)iX). I'rint'i- Kdw.irJ Island About 9500,000. WhiTc is rliiMi'ii tnuiitry, SlaU- or rroviiur in //if ;(■•"'/,/ haviiiif botttfr ri'Ason thnn Ontario lo hi- siilisltfJ with iK Hnaiiiiiil position .^ (Appliiusc. ) Hut dcvi'lopmeni m«Mns t.>x)H'nJitiir>-. Tlu-o)HMiiiiK up of New ilntario, by tlie biiiKlitiK ol railways, mAkln^^ fXleiisivL' siir\eys, eonsi meting t'olotiixalitMi ronds, providing foi' (lie adniin- iMtrulion of juslit e in I he newt-r •H'ttlfineiits, t.iii only ho i-arried out by the outlay of inoiu-v. That iihle, s;t li'i so f>v liinrf fiixiifi'in on i/x /vit/i/f, Theie are his very words. WV hnv*; niidi' ^Teiilt-r pr-o^'res^ aiul thi-re U no prospeel of direi't taxation. (Applausi-.J Our opinmerils O'lasionully claim that we are living or eapital, liavinj; refi-renee to the revenue we deiive iVoni our woods and forests; but the same Treasurer of the SanHeld M lald tlovernnu'iit lie.iteil and ro>farded rt-reipts from this sourt-t- as ordinary r ■ ■ and as a maitt-r of *"act similar reeeipis are so treated by thf dominion -tnd al. 'r llovernments. ) Applause. | THB PROVINOB AND MUNIOIPALITIDS. Again otir opponents, fii\ious of our sueeessful Hnaneial record, sometimes ar^ue that we rob the Mimicipalilies, in the matter of revenue from liquor licensi-s. As a matter of f.ict, muniiiivtlilics are dctivin^f about lh.> same revenue from this source as thev ilid before Sanlielil M;,wdunald '.v.-nt oul, and migi.*, if they chose to do so, increase their reeeipis from lieen.es. lUii ihe same Treasurer, was known to express the opinion in one of his bud^^et speeches that the Province should appi-opriate the entire revenue from licenses jusi as the Province of (Juem-c does today. (Applause.) CREDITABLE FINANCIAL RECORD. sur]jliis is not as large as it oiuc was, who will say lla\e we not expended wisely in erecting public insti- ;nul other nclpless classes ot' our population, and in We must progress, am there is nothing to slu>w f.i: tutions, for the care of the carrying oul m.iiiy pubi'C works in tlie Province which have never been criticized, at an outlav ot about $ 10, j'jo,ooo; in .liding ;ind stimulating the eonslruclion of railways at a cost of $7,000,000 or thereabouts, in constructing Colonization Roads at a cost of nearlv S.l.ooo.ooo; in ^urveying and exploring 'he newer portions of the Province at a c'lsi of about S 1,^50,000; and sti on -.ill capital expenditures? I am saying nothing of Ihe set, lenient of the .Municip.il Loan Fund involving a distribution among the Munici- P'*'"''"'' *'l S.^.^^**.777 or assfts. Ami wIiucvit licard of iiiiy i'i>imtry .Tt'i-liii^-^ N l*.ir!i.imi-iil Binltii !!>;■, witlioiM iTuiirriii>f dfht ior thi- purpose? Our prescnl I'iirli.iin and Di'partnu-iil HuiklMifijs wen' paid Tor out of ordinary reveiUH' and we do not c .ounl in our surplu-, th.> valuanl.' propt'rty known a-, -'to old Farliami'm Kuildin^fs \i\o a propiTly whiili slio-ikl r.-aliz»- a Vrry lar^'^■ sum. W'v haw anipio rfiourci-, ;i with just suili manatifiii.'tit in tlio tiitiirf as tin- Liberal CloviTumonls havo ^'iv.-n IVovini-i- in tlu- pasi, llifrc not'dbo nodr*-ad of Mr. Whilnoys throaloiu-d diri*il raxi-ti (Applause.) ELECTION FRAUDS. The inosl has boon niado of any frauds wliioh won- porpotraU-d in Wost Klj.nti ,v North U'arorloo, in tlu- wav of alt.'mplinj; to smiroh llio rooord of I lie Liberal parly, ii season and oul of si'ason. more frequently out of season. .Mr. Whitiiev hasexbausl.il tile supply of vituperative and abusive words which the Kn^^lish lanjfuajfe affords m diseussin^- these matters. Wo have never thouK-hl lo exeuse or palliate the wronj; do- ings of those irresponsible persons, who, in these bye-eleelicis, were jjuilty ofinipropc! eonduet. But the thearrieal displays made by Mr. Whitney from lime to lime throu^'ll- out this IVovinee, in diss-ussinj; these two eleetioii eases are slron^-- testimony of ihr weakness o( his ^jeneral opposition to the (.ioverimiei t and its poliey. Two blacks do not make a white ami no one is ever edified very mueh by hearinj; the pot eall the ketil, blaek. But one would suppose, from the simulation of virtuous indij^nation, practised so frequently by Mr. Whitney, that he belonjfed lo a parly whose record in tlie past was !>.■.■ from even the suspicion of electoral wron^^-doinK or impurity. .\o (Jovernment in (.an.ul., has ^fone further than the Ontario Government, or so far, in following np with-proM'- cutions those who were reported at the election trials, and if some of those, who were concerned in somt of the election irrejfularities, have esc.-', ' t-mishment, it has not b. en from any fault on the part of the Government. THE CONSERVATIVE RECORD IN PART. A lon>; list of cases miKht be mentioned of systematic frauds perpetrated bv lli. Conservative Party in Election Contests, cases in which deliberate efforts were mai his custody, took them out of the box and put them in his safe, and while ther.- they were tampe'-ed with, some hein^: stolen and t'or>feries substituted. In a South Wentworth election the Liberal candidate was the choice of a inajoriu of the voters hut was left al home by 15 Kood ballots marked for him beinjf convenienlU stowed away in the envelopes for spoiled ballots. In a Chateau^fuay eleciion the Liberal candidate had a jfood majoritv ol .!■;:, whittled down to 9 by similar fraudulent practices. .\nd so in othei cases, the fag^ot vote frauds of East York, the Lincohi case, ihe 53 Kind's Cuunty v'ase of Prinre Kdward Island and tin.* i^u(?en\ County i-jim' in \ew Hrunswick an.* illustration's ofHaii^i-ant deHanco of tlit* popular will. But it has been \ i-ry conclu.sively demonatrated tlial a pri.'vailin>r sy^toni of fraud was carried on by the Conservatives. In the Dominion elections of 1S96 in 34 constitiieni'i*?s selei-ted there were ,1,65s spoiled ballots, as a>{:ainst 541 in the eleetion of l8gi, The eireular of instructions K'veu to the man Freeborn by a man who told him they were ^iven 10 him by the Conservative or^ani/er in Toronto throws a flood ol litifht on the system which was hein^ worked. SCHOOLS AND CORRUPTION. strui.tion in t'raiul and up-to ive or^'.vni/iitiiMi. Indeed it would appear that there were schools ot date fraudulent de\ices in full operation in the Conser The following is the Conservative circular : " We have the priniiuK of the ballots, theietore a suf!icient number ^lunild bi- printed extra to enable the Deputy Returninj; OHicer to have iliem marked for our candidate, and ready to use after the louni to eplace those read out wron,i;l>' to the Scrutineers. Or the Deputy Keturniny Oilicer can .have them marked and folded in his pocket to slip into the box in place of an opposition V.allot if the opportunity happens. This of course will occur quite frequently if we have con- trol of both Scrutineers." " To >fet control of both Scrutineers, have one of our men. not a prominent one, but a supposed kicker, apply to the Opposition to be put ou .as a Scruitneer inside. They are jjenerally short of worker^, and a few plausible men will turn the election in a close constituency. Or the man can write to their headquarters for Scrutineer papers if he lives in the country." " Efforts should be made to make those methods work in wards that jjive the heaviest Opposition vote." " Havinjf control of both Scrutineers a lafjfe vote can be polled— dead and absent voters, etc., can have their ballots marked. There is no redress ; if both Scrutineers were present," "A '■ieiidly constable should he pie.scnl to keep the poll clear of loungers and inq isitive people." "The Deputy Keturninjf Officer should be a reliable, sharp and plausible man, so that if we do not jjet control <.A' the Opposition ScrutinctT he can, when the counting time arrives, ask both Scrutineers to take a piece of paper and record the vote of their candidate as he reads the ballots which li.'ive been emptied o^^ the table. He will then have a chance to lead out wrongly. >o that a majority can be secured for our candidate. The ballots should be put back into the box as quickly as they are read. The extra ones will do to fix thinjfs correctly when he JJ'^es home." " Spoiled ballots can be made sure by a little doctorin>f. Opposition ballots can be spoiled by the lead out of a lead pencil fastened under the little fin>fer with beeswax, drawn across opposite our candidate's name in oiH'ninj; the ballot." " If you cannot jfet control of Opposition Scrutineers, have your Deputy Keturninjf Officer announce that he is a>j^alnsi you so as to lead them astray if possible. ' "SPOILED" BALLOTS ACCOUNTED FOR. Is there any room for surprise th;it as the result there should have been so many spoiled ballots in the 1896 election? (Applause.) The people of this countrv.will neve." >4 know what was Ihe true expreisioii oflhe popular will in some of the Domini,.-, Elections prior to 1896, under the man.iBement of the Conservalivv Parly. One\ l;iiili in the genuiness of Mr. Whilncy-.s moral indignation is not slrengthend very mu, h hi the blind apathy and indifference he has always displayed with reference to the iniq.iii. ou» reoord of his own party. Some might aceuse him of hvpoerisy. I prefer 10 e,.ii- sider the course he has adopted the matured result of his notions of the best wa> ,.1 achieving a little party cipilal or advantage. ( Applause. ) TIME FOR A CHANGE. After all, Mr. Whitney and his party rely lor success on the empty cry that it is lime for a change. They hope that in some way or other the people will be' influem-,.,! by the vague consideration that the Liberal Party having been in power a long lime ill,- Conservative Party should have an innings. It is true we said with reference to the lal,- Dominion Conservative Government that it was time for a change. But there wer,- broad differences of policy between the two parties and charges of rank raal.-iii- ministration and fraud had b.-en brought home 10 the C,-ii lervatives. Prominent men in the Party had been setit to prison and a very prominent Minister of the Crown had l,e,-,i banished from political life. Morever the Conservative le.-iders were at sixes andsevens and quarrelling among themselves. In short, all conditions poinled to the absolnu- necessity for a change, and the people insisted on, and made the change. CONDITIONS ARE THE REVERSE. But the very reverse is the case with the Ross Government. It will be the present Premiers fir.st appeal to the people. They not only have confidence in him and ap- prove of his policy but they admire the man. His programme of onward progress is what the people want and they are not going to cul short his brilliant career as Premie,-. No man in Ontario to-day stands near him in qualification and fitness for the hi^li position he fills. His integrity, his earnestness, his courage, ability and unrivalled elo- quence are a combination of qualities which no other man in the Province possesses. 1 1 is reputation and fame are much wider than Ontario. Few names are better known in Canada and few, very few Canadians stand higher or more prominently, from even an Imperial point of view, than George VV. Ross. The people want him to Jontinue Premie, of Ontario and do not think it is time for a change, ( Loud and continued applause ) iimii'-i liqiiil. iK\ 111 f 1 lu- U( re al; li- bt iii I'll ■vt_ ns oh le uif r, hit;!. I olo- ni in n an