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? Oh, for
the southwest. - common sense (who wants to be , ' a few •T reaus in these timid
h' -g,... swelling
wng against ie iti lea t) or
ti'•'{k:,''•.�:�':..:+;v'{v•ti, •r.v: :,: •! •r v •v :• • •• •consc•ience.
days!
,,-;'*%.,,...,...,:...:.:.;-:{,...::...„.:„.:,,,•§„;:......;.:"........,„ r;'v;}; :}{.:•:•4,v}:}•hv}v•,;•.}:.:'•v}:vv}:•:.v{.$:}}:::%$:r:::'•:•}:r:{::::ti:y,tiv•:ti{:v}}.:%:{v•}v}:•v•vt. }{••. •.••' : S ti:%:%'%•:};f.:}};.;}�;.;.;{{:•:�tit;'•'•}• ••: , ••::,;;;r::• •v• •.•:
,1;ti}AU•4 .k::.:..Mv ?:}•�:•\•.•,l.V::.•.:.:.•*�•:ti:}.•.}}�ti{•.•.:•.••:•:•:.;::.� {l::•.•},,, .w• :•.:y •:•:..:{ .: :+.,•,,�:::ti.L �'.}.:•v},vh:•:.•r'.:.ti}Lk} �..r:.„.F
r:�
}}{
:-}•'•y
Gk{•
...}•h:k5,J;:::4:�;• ti:;