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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1973-01-25, Page 4`�.•: `�\: ��`ti� 4• \4, \tin ~. nc A pa � of editoriol opinion erved Ontario well The resignation of Ontario's senior cabi- netminister, Charles MacNaughton, ends a political career of Jugh calibre. Charlie dame Well known to a great many people in the Western Ontario area, for he never permitted high office to change his homey style or to interfere with the warm friend- ships he had made over the years. An Exeter businessman before he won his first election, he always remained a "small town boy"—one„, who could be ap- proached on a first -name basis. Yet his career in provincial politics carried him to several cabinet posts which were only one step away from the premiership. It came with some surprise that he did not contest the leadership of the PC party when that post was open. It would now appear that Charlie placed high value on the human elements in - vol dand decided that home and family oc- cup a place in his life which was more im- portant than fame and power. Whatever his reasons, it is apparent that the. premiership might well have been his had he chosen to seek that office. Often referred to as the "workhorse" of the cabinet, he was one of those rare indi- viduals who are capable of carrying out heavy responsibilities without loss of good nature or sense of proportion, The Province of Ontario has been well and faithfully anergy for sale Suddenly the United States has awaken i! ed to, the fact that its own resources of natural :gas, oil andelectricity are near the vanishing pcoint.. Homes; office buildings and • 3 schools in the mid -west have been • forced to • operate with drasticallyrationed heat dur- ing'the recent -cold yveather. •Near -panic has seized a nation that prides jjself on having the most of 'everything on darth. Just as suddenly Canada's reserves of energy -producing fuels and electricity have become a subtect of .major concern. Only a few months back Canadian producers of &l- and gas were worried' about:the tight ' rt �n qi §;, I+ " 1. 'a Oft. S. governtrrieht: ^t i . , that. the big neighbor will lean on Canada to force sale of our reserve energy resources. Public and official opinion in Canada is split right down the middle.- One bodyof thought says that "'in no way should'we jeopardie our own future by exporting vast quantities of oil and gas to the south; the other ,group says, this is the time to make sbme money •and ease our balance of pay- ments position with the States. The third, and most 'unpleasant easan t prospect spesti s that Canadaa may have no choice. existing trade agree- ments could be .used for some quiet arm - twisting which would leave us no alternative. ' Unfortunately the climate for cool and sensible discussion of a serious problem which threatens the economic welfare of the c tt lc ir C1 m w 4t th er fit pt Price' of progress After all the argurnent and hassle, it now seems possible that the new international airport will not be built at the Pickering site which has been under discussion for the past two years. There are indications that an an- nouncement in this regard may be forth- coming within a few days.. Two important factors have influenced the final decision about the Pickering pro- posal. Most urgent is the continuing protest from residents of that area who are de- termined that they will have no part of a gigantic airport on their doorstep. The sec- ond argument is that the Western Ontario area is growing much faster than the sector east of Toronto and the residents of the west- ern area of the province should not be forced to drive the extra miles,' particularly through the already over -used Toronto by- pass, to reach the airport. So—if there is a decision to move the site to some place between Toronto and Kitchener we will, in all probability, have to listen to another round of screaming protests from the people who have to move off their farms or those who don't want to put up with the noise pollution inherent in the proximity of any big airport. How can we have it both ways? The served by Charles MacNaughton and his many friends are unanimous in their hope that retirement will see the fulfillment of many postponed personal satisfactions which cabinet office precludes. To find a worthy successor for such an able man is always a problem, but in this particular case a very capable young man has already announced his intention of seek- ing nomination by the PC party. He is Don- ald Southcott, also of Exeter, who has been Mr. MacNaughton's assistant for the past five years. We have known Don personally since his public school days; have observed his pro- gress through university and a distinguished career in journalism and the finesse with which he carried out his tasks as right -hand - man to the top cabinet minister. He is a man of unusual energy and outstanding ability. One of the most perceptive newsmen we have ever known, -he contributed very large- ly to the excellent development of The Exe- ter Times -Advocate and later founded and made a success of The Stratford Times. The Progressive Conservative party in Huron will find it difficult to select a better candidate than Don Southcott and his elec- tion in the coming vote might well send an- other potential cabinet minister to Queen's Park from the riding of Huron. whole continent was chilled to a near -freeze over the past year and a half as officers of the Nixon administration lashed out with rules and restrictions, some of which fell heavily on Canadian business. When our own government representatives went to Wash- ington to ask for consideration as 10 per cent import duties were imposed, they were told in unequivocal terms that Canada had no special status in U.S. plans. The Americans have complained bitterly because the auto pact was leaving us with a favorable trade balance. Canadian protests over a Pacific coasti o I tanker route were disregarded 'in many American quarters. Now, it seems, Canada really does have a special status with the States—one that cannot be denied. We have the only close -at - hand energy reserves, There is bound to be some tight and tough bargaining. We do not believe it would be wise to turn a totally deaf ear. to American pleas for Canadian oil and gas—but let's not get into a panic to meet' every demand without due consideration. Before any new contracts are signed it would be wi se to forcefully cel l lY remind nd our American scan friends that a these two nations do, in fact, owe special consideration to one another. No other national neighborson the face of the globe are more closely integrated or more inter -dependent. That fact must be remem- bered in Washington just as much as it is in Ottawa. • Province of Quebec has planned a giant power project on their side of the James Bay .watershed which could do great things for the sagging economy of that province—buf a few hundred Indians who live in the area which would be flooded by the power dam will have no part of the plan. The naturalists and conservationists, too, are irate at the damage which would be caused to wildlife and wilderness beauty. Who can blame the Indians who call that particular part of the forest their home? The conservationists, too, have a valid point. Nevertheless it appears imperative that the welfare of thousands cannot be set aside be- cause of the dislocation of a few. Canada is a very big place—particularly in the acreage of untouched forest land which is inhabited by only a scattering of people. There are many townships in Northern Ontario, for example, in which not one single human being has his abode. Most of us have become acutely conscious of the injustice we have condoned where Indians are concerned, but perhaps the only logical way to make the decision is whether or not the next generation of Indians might be better off if progress is permitted to take its logical course today. THE WINGHAM ADVANCE -TIMES Published it Wingharn, Ontario, by Wenger Bros. Limited. Barry Wenger, President Robert O. Wenger, Sec.-Treas. Member Audit Bureau of Circulations Member Canadian and Ontario Weekly Newspaper Associations Subscription $10:00 a Year Second Class Mail $5.25 for Six Months, in United States $12.50 in Advare Registration No. 0821 Return Postage Guaranteed v'• Z r' Is there anything new under the tivate a respect for the law, batt for what is right, says Tboreati. Ile uses the illustration of an un- due respect for the law, of soldiers marehi, g to war against their common sense and., con- sciences. This has been happen- ing for years in Viet Nam. There are three types of men, he says. First are those who un- questioningly serve the state with their bodies, such as, soldiers. - Next are those who" serve tile' state with their minds ---politi- cians, lawyers, office-holders— but not with their consciences. Finally there are the very few— matryrs, reformers, patriots in the real sense—who serve it with their consciendes also, and are commonly treated as enemies by. it. The trigger for Thoreau's essay was his strong disapproval of the American government of his day on two issues, the Mexican War and slavery. The Mexican War was one of flagrant aggression in which the Americans moved in sun, despite the old adage? Not much. I've just been reading a ,124. year-old essay by Henry David., Thoreau, and it could have been written last week by anybody who dislikes, ray, despises gov. ernment and what it stands for, The author says that govern. ment is best which governs least. Many Canadians, who are sick to death of government and its agents poking their inquisitive snouts into every aspect of the in- dividual's life, would agree heartily. Most businessmen would not only concur, but would raise a cheer for the sentiments elt- pressed. Ask any man who runs a small business, if you want to get a blistered ear, what he thinks of government. Thoreau suggests that the first purpose of any government is not to seek out and ,abolish injustice, but to perpetuate itself. Ask any realistic politician, and he'll agree. We should not necessarily cul - Perhaps We Are (It has always been a source of pleasure to me, when Americans decry British "colonialism" sm" to► remind them of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, the Phillippi s, - Panama And Texas. They have conveniently -forgotten, in moat cases, that many of these "ac- (Iuisitions" were a result of direct' • and violent conquest!) Thoreau spoke openly of revo- lution. "When a sixth of the poun- lation of a nation whit "has un- dertaken to be the refuge of liberty are slaves, and a whole country (Texas) is unjustly over- run and conquered by a foreign army (U.S.), I think it is not too soon for honest men to rebel and revolutionize." 1 Isn't the situation almost, exactly the same today? Blacks are not legal slaves, but they are economic upness North Viet Nam was not exactly overrun, but not for want of trying. And what would happen to Thoreau if he expressed such sentiments today? Probably not becausethere is a grow - stupid, war among. A n►er'icans of an walks of life. But if he'd said it ten years: ago? Or in the era of Joe Mc- Carthy? He'd likely have lost, his job, been harassed by the CIA and -or FBI, attacked by some ' segments of the press, and generally driven like a fox before hounds. It speaks much for the growing lack of freedom in the U.S. (and elsewhere) that nothing serious happened to Thoreau at all, when he' uttered these inflammatory remarks. He did spend one night in- jail, when he .refused` to. pay his poll - tax,, on the basis that his dollar might buy either a man or a mus- ket to shoot nue with. But Smftey a Joan Baez, the foik-aing+ anti -war individual, tried:to take a similar staid by ;ging to pay her income tax'. The government merely 'deducted it: at Vie, from the record companies who paid her royalties. Thoreau , advocated that, ' if there were an • unjust law, ,we should break it.. What do. you think? . What would happen to an ordin- ary Canadian who said, "f will pay to have my garbagecollected and. the streets repaired.. But I will not pay one penny for 'na- tional defence'. I don't want wel- fare, unemployment insurance, Medicare so I won't pay a nickel toward them."? somebody paid nils fine, and he The- answer is obvious, That was released. bold Canadian would spend the Today we have the prospect of rest of his life in the law courts men spending years in jail be- being punished by 'jhis" govern - cause they refuse to go against - ment, instead of being allowed their consciences. We have the simple, sensible alternative thousands of U. S. draft -dodgers of opting out. - in Canada,, forsaking their home Life is too • short. • But are ' we and conquered vast territories in much and - native land• for reasons , of being governed to death? 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