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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1919-11-14, Page 1t 7, 1919 New etteeetteeete Values tuation rtment rds the Tailored Suits who are in Women who i Good Black. a st importance :ely determine costume. Our e latest style es that tyre is t After r --Yes, more !air of grace - missing in rithal, prices is n what you. Trite any day, ,on in every of Hats at IFIFTY-THIRD YEAR !MOLE, NUMBER 2709 SEAFORTH, FRIDAY,.. NOVEMBER 14, 1919 I THE IDLE HANDS AT OTTAWA ' The Union Government has weather- ed another crisis. That is part of its regular sessional programme. At the spring gathering the farmers caucused and , caucused 'till the country sat up expecting to see them carve all traces of tariff out of the Budget. The cry of "Crisis" filled the air and friends of the U. G. were making wreaths to lay on its coffin, Then the vote came and the usual majority was in its usual place and the Union ship sailed seren- ely on towards that 'harbor which' is labelled 1923. But no ship sails a long voyage with- out meeting en occasional squall. To an old sailor it may simply be a puff of wind. But to the land lubber it looks like sure death and a watery grave. So at the little "Indemnity Session" there was further cry of crisis. This Isession was presumably called to ap- prove the'^Peace Treaty. It could have attended to, that little chore in the Jo approve the declaration of war -e - same time it took another Parliament Greig " Second to .done," orne in and Bu' a New Coat about five days. -As a matter of Tact the Treaty was •approved_and the result cabled to England in just about that-. length of tipne. Butyou'll remember that in the spring session, when mem- bers were shying at the Budget and pretending they wouldn't stay put there was a promise of some kind of increased idemnity. Well, the in- crease did not come along. But an all -wise and discerning Government provided something just as good—viz. and to wit—a- special session with an extra indemnity of $2,500.00. Now be it understood that our Union statesmen, thecommonior garden var- iety of M. P., are paid by the 'ries- 'Mon. But in order to count as a full session the House must sit for thirty- one days. ` If it'"sits for less than that time, members are paid at the rate of $20.00 per diem. Consequently if the members "worked" for thirty days they would get just 600.00, while work- ing for thirty-one days brings this well-earned reward up to $2;500.00. Under such circumstances patriotism requires that any special session worthy of the name shall sit for the full period of thirty-one days. This one did its full duty. It was hard work but the -members were equal to it. On many days there was no -Government business, but the members crammed the order paper with resolu- tions on everything from bran and shorts to the shortcomings of the Government and, by meeting late and adjourning early, they managed never to entirely run out of conversation. It was the most punirnfully dull ses- sion in all political' history, But the iiiembees, stood it like heroes, each men "seen his .,duty and done" it," and all' returned :home -carrying the fruits of patriotism in the shape of a $2,500 check. But the same old Satan who finds mischief for idle hands to do was on hand and working. Into the peaceful and patriotic .gathering came turners that thenteiltitilet Party was dri'`%tin Torywards and a vague .unrest'--! kfltd' into the systems of the forty-four Liberals who wear Union as part of their politicalidentification and who gave up their old affiliations for their country's good, seats in Parliament, ter accompanying indemnities and other perquisites. Then the Montreal press, or rather the English section of it, veered round - and favored a return to the policy of Sir. John A. Macdonald,+his heirs and assigns. And. the air - grew thicker while the political barometer continued to fall when a leading French paper openly declared that the country's sal- vation seemed to lie in a presumably high protection party under the joint leadership. of Sir Thomas White and Sir Lomer Gouin. But things are never. so bad but what they can get worse. This was proved once more , when Sir Robert Borden fell ill and rumors came'from his bedside that he was working on a platform on which the structure t of the new Union Party was to be raised. It was right here that murmurings gave place to action. Just.who raised -the ringing call for all good Unionists to get together is a dark secret. But as Hon. Wesley Rowell and - Hon. Arthur Sifton are the Liberal mem- bers of the Cabinet who are opposed to the immediate formation of a permanent Union Party there is a rough guess that at least part of the blame can - be laid at their - doors. Anyway the caucus was called. It met and was attended by the Liberal Unionists, the farrhers, with the ex- ception of Messrs. -Crerar and Nie - burg, and even Johnston of Lost Moun- tain, the wandering boy of the House. He, is a versatile chap, this man Johnston. He sits with the Unionists, voted with the Grain Growers and at- tended the Grit Convention in August. Yes, they were 'all there. As- usual they were unanimous on the only thing any faction of this Parliament I can agree about. They didn't want any election, so they just talked. And , when it was all over a statement was ' issued that was a work of art. It is said to have been the handiwork of Hon. Arthur Sifton and carries traces of his' rather saturnine vein of humor. • They were Unionists according to this statement. They would. remain Union- ists. They approved the Government war policy. Also they had hopes. These hopes were to the effect that the Government would produce a pro- gressive policy that would fit the af-, ter -war needs of the country. It was, in short, a notice to the Government to get busy but , to remember that enough of its followers were Liberal to 'wreck any Government that did not give their views due consiaeration. But if one kind ofnotice was serv- ed on the . Government, another was given to the old Tories, something over 100 strong, who form the major part of the Unionist following. They figured it out that the Liberal Union - is caucus had taken the Union out of the Unionist Government. More- over, they had a suspicion that the new Borden Platform had been. sub- mitted to this sub -caucus of the party: The fact that Wesley Rowell protested that the foundation of a The Big priced Reduction Sale of women's Coats- in moving out a great number. of Coats. The prices which are less than manufacturers' cost is one reason, but there is also another reason we are told every day that we ,show the choicest lot of Coats of any store in this part of Ontario. Come and See Plush Coats Velour Coats 8 Beaver Coats Silvertone Coats Tweed Coats - 111 25.00 to 45.00 20.00 00 to 35.00 15.00 to 30.00.$ 20,00a• to 30.00 10.00 to20.00 Greig. othing Co. SEA FOItTH 111,1111 MOW Mal NNW VIM OWN a 10111. SIM 4.0 IMO IMP itllilllililfiltitu11111111111111111111iihili1liiliiiiltl111MMI1111111111NN111111111I11111th i E SHIRT YEAR A Go back a year—in memory. _ Then we hoped to win. We believed we would win. 5. We were willing to spend every cent in Seaforth dor Victory. Z. Every man, woman and child in Seaforth was to pay any puce if -only -we could achieve Victory. E. Now Victory is ours—Complete and decisive i Victory. _ i i IMOD NNE :ROO. IMO ORM AIM VINO IMO WINi HMO .41.11 5111. If you were asked to give to the Victory Loan 1919, you should do it in thankfulness for Victory. But you are not asked to give ---only to lend your P. 5, money. —On the best security in the world. At a good rate of interest. If every citizen of Seaforth will make it his duty to support to the utmost of his ability the Victory Loan 1919, we can gain such a reputation for' Sea - E forth as will astonish all Canada. IMO a ... a a i Buy Victor Bonds The money -is here. Why not make this a record. ALL TOGETHER NOW 10 THIS SPACE DONATED TO 'THE VICTORY LOAN 1919 CAMPAIGN BY . The; 51?‘:oht, Bell Engine & Thresher i . Co,, Ltd., Seaforth-, Ont, • ' 1i1milliliililitllll liiliiilll�tilttkllii111ii1111i11tiitl4iiflt93it1lillllill lfiliillNlill illi' 5. OEM ONO IMO MEN SIN IMO MIN IMO ONO MOP OMB WNW Mar • McLean Bros., Publishers $1.50 a Year in Advance Every - one. who bought Canada's Victory' Bonds Made Mone Y Every one who buys the 1919 issue of Victory Bonds will make money . CANADA'S 'VICTORY BONDS WILL ALWAYS BE ACCEPTED' AS. SECURITY FOR A LOAN _ Banks are ready and willing to Loan you money on your Bonds. Canada's Victory Bonds may be turned into cash at any time. There is no other way inwhichyou can invest your money with such absolute security, - paying sucht a high rate of interest._ This will in all prob= ability be the last chance you will have to buy Victory Bonds, on such favorable terms. bon't. delay, but buy all that you can possibly afford. Have your mindmade 'up when the Canvasser calls, just how much you are going to •take, Canvassers for McKillop ---George McKee, Robert Scarlett, Archie McGregor. - - Canvassers for Ttckersmith--George N. 'Turner, Wm. Black, George Layton,' Canvassers for Town of Seaforth—John Beattie, W. E. Kerslake, John Rankin, District'Chairman. - Union Party had not even been dis- cussedchan ed the suspicion to a certainty. Then they began to an- alyze the Cabinet, and they,. carne 'to the conclusion that whereas over two- thirds of the Unionist follow- ing was Tory, ° about two-thirds of the governing was being done by' Liberals. To be sure there were enough Tory members to 'make a _ no one does nothing better than Sir showing. But when' they; .sized up Robert: Borden. Doherty, Foster. Meighen, Kemp and Aside from the "crisis," the two that hustling chore` boy, John . Reid, ! features of the Indemnity Session were and put them up against le Wily trio the reception . accorded Sir Thomas like 'Calder, Sifton and R/ well, even White and 'Hon. - Wesley Rowell's if you didn't count Mewburn Ballan- flash 'into the limelight. Both were n tied consolation to his tro}ibled soul. But for the present the - crisis. is passed. Another session will bring other clouds in the sky, other reeks -in the sea. But the hand at the helm will steer the Union ship safely past them, fdr no one knows better than he that, the -strength of the Unionise Goverhment lies in doing nothing. And tyne and Gut Tories woulc their oppon selves. The rlethey figured that t th e taken as matters osignificance, s be too busy Watching though no one, could exactly figure its to do much them- just what the significance really was. Sir Thomas, who had just returned from a fishing trip, entered the House as a private member for the first time.. looking the picture of health and wear- ing the smile that captivated Grit and Tory alike, last session. Just as was some ceenfort in an assurance' -that James Calder fav- ored -an immediate formation ,of a Unionist Party, while Sifton and Rowell were opposed to it, But not much. They - couldn't be flare wh ch way James would- be facing the next he got inside the door a ripple of t theyi time met him, applause started. In a moment it So, deep discontent burned. in Tory spread over the Unionist benches, bosoms and found. 'exptession in Sulphurous mutterings, Nett ninny of ti them spoke out loud. For there -are TO SUBSCRIBERS severalvacant senatorships; also there are other jobs not affected by the abolition of patronage bat might Bale out a hard winteeeekoteerve: as an insurance against. - a chilly recep» tion by the electorate. - Still there was a certain suspicious indignation spread over those Tories which, taken in - "connection with the Grit growling, furnished all the in- gredients that might make for an explosion that could blow up the Union `bbi1°'and- wreck the Union ship. It looked like a crisis. It listened -like a . crisis. And true to its grand old principles the Government t met the crisis by dodging it. - The Cabinet - met in council. Sir Robert Borden braved the Doctor's wrath . and attended'. He listened to the words of his advisers. - And on the morrow the caucus of the whole Unionist following—it is not .yet a party, you -know{—was -called. Sir Robert Borden entered pale and wan and evidently ' suffering; for it is a of rheumatism that is troubling him. Then the caucus rose as one man and cheered. Sir Robert stated thet he must take a long rest. The cheering was so loud that Sir Robert forgot to make- his usual offer to retire from the leadership. Instead he told his. enthusiastic followers that, under the circumstances, the time for organiza- tion of a permanent party was not - yet. He had, however under his hand and seal a platform which he thought would cure the country's ills. He would read this platform to them so that they might take it • home and ponder over it during the long nights when the voice -of Parliament is hush- ed. And. Sir Robert read, There was much •of that platform that might be classified as camouflage.- But two planks in it are worthy of mention. ?t called -for tariff for revenue. Also it declared for taxation of incomes' to the bearable limit. Now both of these planks are a bit "gritty." They suggest that Sir Robert had help in formulating • his. policy and that he wrote with the soft voice of Hon. James Calder soothing his shattered nerves., while the deadly sweet accents of Wesley Rowell car The date on the green addtess label on your paper is a state- m int; of your ''subs ription 'Ade count. Will you look at it to- day? If it is a past date it would be e -businesslike act for you to ,send us something on account. We pay the . printer to put that date, on your Iabel that you may see where - your subscription stands. When you remit us at the call of that date we get value for - what we paid the printer; but when you put off remitting, we have to typewrite a statement, put it in an envelope and put a three -cent stamp on it and when we do that with several hundreds of accounts the cost cuts far in- to revenue. The label is your bill, if the date is in the -future it is' a receipted bill, if the date is in the past it is a due bill. We thank our subscribers who' are guided by the date on the label, and we invite the- remainder to ' join the label readers. We are now making out statements. Please remit us before we need to' begin to put them into envelopes and stamp them. By so doing you will be helpers of the paper and will earn our thanks. McLEAN BROS. 'FOWL We are shipping a car of all kinds of Fowl from the : C.P.R. • 'station, at Walton, on Monday, Nov. 24th. SPECIAL PRICES W. NEAL The eCentralBarber- SShop- A crossed the floor and gathered volume. from the Opposition and finally broke into a cheer. It was a reception such as no private member and few Prime Ministers had ever received. It made Sir Thomas look like the biggest man in the Unionist Parliament. It was only a few days later that Hon. Wesley Rowell flashed like a meteor across the horizon. Ernet Lapoint of Kamouraska -had criticized the necessity for Canada signing tee Peace Treaty. He did it well from his viewpoint, for this' big •Frenchman of theablest debaters i n the e is one obi , t a n h House. When he had finished there was mourning on Unionist faces. -- It looked as if the last excuse for call- ing the extra- session that - provided the extra indemnity /had been annihil- ated. • Then arose Wesley, Rowell. To do him justice the President of the Privy Council is one industrious chap, He had the treaty at his finger tips and the constitutional rights of the Dominion fairly gushed from his lips. The Unionists cheered him loud and long and when he quit at the, right moment for congratulations, 6 o'clock, old Tories hit the sawdust trail to shake the hand of the new Billy Sunday who had brought them out of the darkness into light. A few days later Mr. Rowell seized an opportunity, dur- ing , the absence of Hon. Charles Murphy, to refute the - Irishman's a famous charges of nearly two years ,ago. He did it in a .fighting speech and though he forgot to mention some things, the sawdust trail scene of a few days before was re-enacted. For a few days there were only two men mentioned in the corridors, Sir Thomas and Hon, Wesley. ` Sir Robert was absent and ill. Would he retire? Would Sir Thomas succeed him and work out an oft -promised alliance with Gouin? What was Rowell aiming at.? Had he leadership dreams? Or, as some of his friends suggested, would he go out in a blaze of oratory, live down his -record in retirement and come back as a member of the Gov- ernment of .Hon. W. L. Mackenaie King ? And as yet there is no answer to any. one of these questions. I - But, even Svhile statesmen are peer- ing into the future and trying' to figure the lay of the Promised Land -on. the further shore of this sea , of turmoil and uncertainty, there are a few 'ministers of the Crown who pur- sue the even tenor of their way prac- tically untbuched by the present stir- roundings. Do you know that there are -members of this Unionist Cabieet with whom a large proportion - of the members of -the House have hardly scraped a bowing acquaintance? k an ordinary backbencher who is Po t master-Genieral and he will scratch is ' heed lead" ° ttis rfrig and even then he won't know" whether to call ; it Blondin or Blond -an. Finally he may blunt out: - "Oh, yes. that chap who shot holes in the British -flag!" ' But this means no disrespect. It simply shows that Canada's chief Postmaster. is known by his past rather than his present. The fact that he has atoned for that National- ist past by leading a French Canadian regiment to England is not overlook- ed, verlooked, but' Colonel Blondin is simply re- membered by the most striking .inci- dent in . his career. Nor is it that Colonel Blondin cis unpopular with those who • know him. He's an up- standing chap with considerable cour- age, both physical and moral. But he is buried in the Senate and- insofar as polities go he must bet judged by his past and present. A member of the Senate has • no, future. However, Colonel Blondin will prob- ably go down in history as the man who took Post -Office out of politics. Time was when the rural mail routes and country post offices were fertile topics of parliamentary conversation.. In the good old days it was a posi- tive treat -to hear Hon. Wm. Pugsley and his confreres from New Brune - wick grow eloquent over the crimes of a.• Government that had robbed a deserving Grit of an $8.00 a month's mail route and handed it over to some wicked Tory follower. They spent the entire afternoon on the subject_and prolonged - their wails far into the night. Now all is changed. A question as to, Post -Office -affairs brings the stereotyped answer from some mem- ber of the Cabinet; "I shall make,in- quiries and inform the Honorable member," And the subject drops. - The Minister is not there. He is in the Senate. Why disturb the -sleeping or try to awake the dead? - • There are other Ministers in the Senate. In fact it is a peculiar thing that the three departments of the Government which ,are at present in the public eye are all represented by Ministers sitting in the Red Chamber. These are Labor, Post -Office and Sol- diers' Civil Establishment. The Min- ister of Labor, Hon. Gideon Robert- son, you have met before. Just re- eently, however, there has • been a flash of the spotlight for him. Has he not been chairman of the fndiistrial Conference, that altruistic gathering that undertook to make the capitalis- tic lion lie down with the labor lamb without decreasing the supply of butcher's meat. The net result of that conference appears to 'be that the capitalists discovered that in the mat- ter of oratory the 'labor • headers had them beaten a block. As to getting any closer together -on the matter of wages and hours of work—well, no- body expected they would anyway: But that conference was a nice thing to hold. Also it made assembled labor and capital' wonder why Sir Robert hadn't selected a real labor man for Minister of Labor. For Hon. Gideon looked like a schoolboy when compared with many, of the labor men he was supposed to represent in this Union Government that is supposed to be representative of all classes of the community. Probably he answers' the purpose for which Sir Robert Borden picked him, Anyway, Sir Robert was never, very much _interest- ed- in the labor species of -biped. There is another and different branch in the Senate—its leader, in fact is its re- presentative—whom the Premier has studied with much greater interest. For Sir, James Lougheed is the' bind of man Sir Robert Borden admires. If you don't think so, turn to Sir Robert's other friend's, Sir George Perley and Sir Edward Kemp. All are men of vast possession's, each luiows the value of -every nickel -of those possessions— awl each is Entitled to write Sir in, fent of his name, in token of Knight- ly deeds he may 'have performed or contemplated. Save and Conserve is the motto- that might be written on the doormats of all three. And all are in the various stages of offidial holdings that Royal favor can confer. Sir James is still a Minister of the Crown. He is re-establishing soldiers and do- ing it despite their protests against his personality. Nor will he allow protest to affect his judgment. lie knows %that money is power and he_ has money to throw to the birds, albeit he doesn't throw it. He has that "public -be -damned" frame of mind that was translated into words by an American millionaire and that only a' politician, who has found- refuge in the Senate, can afford, to carry. Few men even in that august if sleepy as- sembly would have the courage to state right out in open meeting: "If the Senate stands for anything, it stands as the bulwark of vested rights against the clamor and caprice oiE the mob." Yet Sir James said this calmly and without effort. - Neither has he ever taken it back or apologiz- ed iz- ed for any part of it. He just plods along . and does "as he darned pleas- es." Hon. Gideon Robertson may not be a good representative of Labor; but there is no question that Sir James Lougheed is a first-class re- presentative of capital. If changing conditions demand a Minister -of Capi- tal Sir,James should surely have the re- fusal of the portfolio. And withal Sir James has human traits. He plays golf at a medium priced club— and is more accessible to the average man than many statesmen with less work to do, less business ability and less money to keep from spending. Sir Si torefer' But somehow you can't ref James without thinking of the other two—Sir George Perley and Sir Ed- ward Kemp. - Its not that they are so much together as that they all pos- sess in varying degrees the same kind of ability and the same lack of pope- larity with the general public. Of course Sir" George is no longer in the Ministry brut,, as a personal friend and financial adviser of the Premier, he probably possesses more power at. Ottawa than many a nominal member of the Cabinet. Moreover, he has been and will be again High Commissioner at London. While - there during the war he helped to make. Union Govern- ment unpopular with members of the C E.>F.., not so mudby •what;ilie dl as by the way he did it. leo matter what Sir George may be -to his friends, to the general public he is about as warm and responsive as a gravest image. He 'shares with Sire Robert Borden the ability to do a kindly act so graciously that the recipient rushes for the open air and halloos for help, Moreover he carries large rolls of red tape into every transaction and gen- erally-makes en-erally-makes his office a place that it pays to avoid unless you really have to .go. A worthy man Sir George, who understands political economy. Then there is Sir Edward Kemp. He too did his bit in England and stands as the reason why seine of the soldiers will vote against' Union Government. He has just - come back and there is strong possibility that he, will finish his political career as Lieutenant, Governor of Ontario. That 'position by the way, was meant for poor Frank Cochrane whose death caused more genuine sorrow in the House - and in Ontario than the demise of any other Minister in many a day. Yes, Hon Frank was to have been Lieutenant- Governor and, if he hadlived to oc- cupy the big house in Rosedale, he would . have changed things a bit. "The chief would have made Govern- ment House a place to go to instead., of a place to stay away from," is the way one . Ontario politician put it, For "Old Frank" was always "The Chief" among his old followers in On- tario and they gave him a homage it has been the lot, of few leaders to receive. - However, Hon. Frank "Cochrane is gone. When Sir John Hendrie, moves back to Hamilton'• -Sir- Edward Keine will likely reign in his .place—and it remains to be seen whether ;Govern- ment House will be a place to go to or a place to stay away from. For Sir Edward is also of the cold business type whom Sir Robert loves to honor. Heis sometimes called the . Tin Pot King of Canada, for his sheet metal works are large and their business is widespread. He built up this business himself and he has employed his busi- ness ability to his country's benefit as chairman of the War Purchasing Committee and Minister of Militia in Canada and' as Overseas Minister4 England. He has straightened out many a business muddle left by more popular predecessors. But he may even be a sufferer from his own com- petence, for the traits that enable a man to make a business a success seldom endear him to his fellowmen. -But to return for a moment to the Cabinet situation. Sir George Foster and Hon. ,J. C. Doherty wilt probably postpone their retirement for the present. Hon. A. K. Maclean may do- likewise, lslikewise, though personally he favors getting back to party lines and get- ting busy. Whether Hons. Tohnie and Drayton have been fully initiated the by-elections will have told ere this is printed. Anyway, so long .as the: present policy of doing nothing is< adhered to it matters not whether an occasional portfolio is looking for somebody to -hold it. --J. K: Munro- in MacLean's. —A quiet wedding took place Mon- day evening at the home of the bride's brother-in-law, Mr. Arthur Francis, of Stephen, when Mrs. Elizabeth A. Rooke was united in marriage to .Mr.. Rd. Henry Coultis, both of Exeter. Rev. M. J. Wilson, B. A., officiated. M. and Mrs. Coultis left the follow- ing day to visit in Detroit. • The eCentralBarber- SShop- . This shop gives . you full value for your money CLEAN SHAVE Stylish .Hair - Cat and . any Tonsorial need (.one under . the most sanitary conditions, 7 �' hen in need of a bar - bei look forthe revoly= ing pole -the sign of in- stant service. Opposite Post Office W. Robinson A crossed the floor and gathered volume. from the Opposition and finally broke into a cheer. It was a reception such as no private member and few Prime Ministers had ever received. It made Sir Thomas look like the biggest man in the Unionist Parliament. It was only a few days later that Hon. Wesley Rowell flashed like a meteor across the horizon. Ernet Lapoint of Kamouraska -had criticized the necessity for Canada signing tee Peace Treaty. He did it well from his viewpoint, for this' big •Frenchman of theablest debaters i n the e is one obi , t a n h House. When he had finished there was mourning on Unionist faces. -- It looked as if the last excuse for call- ing the extra- session that - provided the extra indemnity /had been annihil- ated. • Then arose Wesley, Rowell. To do him justice the President of the Privy Council is one industrious chap, He had the treaty at his finger tips and the constitutional rights of the Dominion fairly gushed from his lips. The Unionists cheered him loud and long and when he quit at the, right moment for congratulations, 6 o'clock, old Tories hit the sawdust trail to shake the hand of the new Billy Sunday who had brought them out of the darkness into light. A few days later Mr. Rowell seized an opportunity, dur- ing , the absence of Hon. Charles Murphy, to refute the - Irishman's a famous charges of nearly two years ,ago. He did it in a .fighting speech and though he forgot to mention some things, the sawdust trail scene of a few days before was re-enacted. For a few days there were only two men mentioned in the corridors, Sir Thomas and Hon, Wesley. ` Sir Robert was absent and ill. Would he retire? Would Sir Thomas succeed him and work out an oft -promised alliance with Gouin? What was Rowell aiming at.? Had he leadership dreams? Or, as some of his friends suggested, would he go out in a blaze of oratory, live down his -record in retirement and come back as a member of the Gov- ernment of .Hon. W. L. Mackenaie King ? And as yet there is no answer to any. one of these questions. I - But, even Svhile statesmen are peer- ing into the future and trying' to figure the lay of the Promised Land -on. the further shore of this sea , of turmoil and uncertainty, there are a few 'ministers of the Crown who pur- sue the even tenor of their way prac- tically untbuched by the present stir- roundings. Do you know that there are -members of this Unionist Cabieet with whom a large proportion - of the members of -the House have hardly scraped a bowing acquaintance? k an ordinary backbencher who is Po t master-Genieral and he will scratch is ' heed lead" ° ttis rfrig and even then he won't know" whether to call ; it Blondin or Blond -an. Finally he may blunt out: - "Oh, yes. that chap who shot holes in the British -flag!" ' But this means no disrespect. It simply shows that Canada's chief Postmaster. is known by his past rather than his present. The fact that he has atoned for that National- ist past by leading a French Canadian regiment to England is not overlook- ed, verlooked, but' Colonel Blondin is simply re- membered by the most striking .inci- dent in . his career. Nor is it that Colonel Blondin cis unpopular with those who • know him. He's an up- standing chap with considerable cour- age, both physical and moral. But he is buried in the Senate and- insofar as polities go he must bet judged by his past and present. A member of the Senate has • no, future. However, Colonel Blondin will prob- ably go down in history as the man who took Post -Office out of politics. Time was when the rural mail routes and country post offices were fertile topics of parliamentary conversation.. In the good old days it was a posi- tive treat -to hear Hon. Wm. Pugsley and his confreres from New Brune - wick grow eloquent over the crimes of a.• Government that had robbed a deserving Grit of an $8.00 a month's mail route and handed it over to some wicked Tory follower. They spent the entire afternoon on the subject_and prolonged - their wails far into the night. Now all is changed. A question as to, Post -Office -affairs brings the stereotyped answer from some mem- ber of the Cabinet; "I shall make,in- quiries and inform the Honorable member," And the subject drops. - The Minister is not there. He is in the Senate. Why disturb the -sleeping or try to awake the dead? - • There are other Ministers in the Senate. In fact it is a peculiar thing that the three departments of the Government which ,are at present in the public eye are all represented by Ministers sitting in the Red Chamber. These are Labor, Post -Office and Sol- diers' Civil Establishment. The Min- ister of Labor, Hon. Gideon Robert- son, you have met before. Just re- eently, however, there has • been a flash of the spotlight for him. Has he not been chairman of the fndiistrial Conference, that altruistic gathering that undertook to make the capitalis- tic lion lie down with the labor lamb without decreasing the supply of butcher's meat. The net result of that conference appears to 'be that the capitalists discovered that in the mat- ter of oratory the 'labor • headers had them beaten a block. As to getting any closer together -on the matter of wages and hours of work—well, no- body expected they would anyway: But that conference was a nice thing to hold. Also it made assembled labor and capital' wonder why Sir Robert hadn't selected a real labor man for Minister of Labor. For Hon. Gideon looked like a schoolboy when compared with many, of the labor men he was supposed to represent in this Union Government that is supposed to be representative of all classes of the community. Probably he answers' the purpose for which Sir Robert Borden picked him, Anyway, Sir Robert was never, very much _interest- ed- in the labor species of -biped. There is another and different branch in the Senate—its leader, in fact is its re- presentative—whom the Premier has studied with much greater interest. For Sir, James Lougheed is the' bind of man Sir Robert Borden admires. If you don't think so, turn to Sir Robert's other friend's, Sir George Perley and Sir Edward Kemp. All are men of vast possession's, each luiows the value of -every nickel -of those possessions— awl each is Entitled to write Sir in, fent of his name, in token of Knight- ly deeds he may 'have performed or contemplated. Save and Conserve is the motto- that might be written on the doormats of all three. And all are in the various stages of offidial holdings that Royal favor can confer. Sir James is still a Minister of the Crown. He is re-establishing soldiers and do- ing it despite their protests against his personality. Nor will he allow protest to affect his judgment. lie knows %that money is power and he_ has money to throw to the birds, albeit he doesn't throw it. He has that "public -be -damned" frame of mind that was translated into words by an American millionaire and that only a' politician, who has found- refuge in the Senate, can afford, to carry. Few men even in that august if sleepy as- sembly would have the courage to state right out in open meeting: "If the Senate stands for anything, it stands as the bulwark of vested rights against the clamor and caprice oiE the mob." Yet Sir James said this calmly and without effort. - Neither has he ever taken it back or apologiz- ed iz- ed for any part of it. He just plods along . and does "as he darned pleas- es." Hon. Gideon Robertson may not be a good representative of Labor; but there is no question that Sir James Lougheed is a first-class re- presentative of capital. If changing conditions demand a Minister -of Capi- tal Sir,James should surely have the re- fusal of the portfolio. And withal Sir James has human traits. He plays golf at a medium priced club— and is more accessible to the average man than many statesmen with less work to do, less business ability and less money to keep from spending. Sir Si torefer' But somehow you can't ref James without thinking of the other two—Sir George Perley and Sir Ed- ward Kemp. - Its not that they are so much together as that they all pos- sess in varying degrees the same kind of ability and the same lack of pope- larity with the general public. Of course Sir" George is no longer in the Ministry brut,, as a personal friend and financial adviser of the Premier, he probably possesses more power at. Ottawa than many a nominal member of the Cabinet. Moreover, he has been and will be again High Commissioner at London. While - there during the war he helped to make. Union Govern- ment unpopular with members of the C E.>F.., not so mudby •what;ilie dl as by the way he did it. leo matter what Sir George may be -to his friends, to the general public he is about as warm and responsive as a gravest image. He 'shares with Sire Robert Borden the ability to do a kindly act so graciously that the recipient rushes for the open air and halloos for help, Moreover he carries large rolls of red tape into every transaction and gen- erally-makes en-erally-makes his office a place that it pays to avoid unless you really have to .go. A worthy man Sir George, who understands political economy. Then there is Sir Edward Kemp. He too did his bit in England and stands as the reason why seine of the soldiers will vote against' Union Government. He has just - come back and there is strong possibility that he, will finish his political career as Lieutenant, Governor of Ontario. That 'position by the way, was meant for poor Frank Cochrane whose death caused more genuine sorrow in the House - and in Ontario than the demise of any other Minister in many a day. Yes, Hon Frank was to have been Lieutenant- Governor and, if he hadlived to oc- cupy the big house in Rosedale, he would . have changed things a bit. "The chief would have made Govern- ment House a place to go to instead., of a place to stay away from," is the way one . Ontario politician put it, For "Old Frank" was always "The Chief" among his old followers in On- tario and they gave him a homage it has been the lot, of few leaders to receive. - However, Hon. Frank "Cochrane is gone. When Sir John Hendrie, moves back to Hamilton'• -Sir- Edward Keine will likely reign in his .place—and it remains to be seen whether ;Govern- ment House will be a place to go to or a place to stay away from. For Sir Edward is also of the cold business type whom Sir Robert loves to honor. Heis sometimes called the . Tin Pot King of Canada, for his sheet metal works are large and their business is widespread. He built up this business himself and he has employed his busi- ness ability to his country's benefit as chairman of the War Purchasing Committee and Minister of Militia in Canada and' as Overseas Minister4 England. He has straightened out many a business muddle left by more popular predecessors. But he may even be a sufferer from his own com- petence, for the traits that enable a man to make a business a success seldom endear him to his fellowmen. -But to return for a moment to the Cabinet situation. Sir George Foster and Hon. ,J. C. Doherty wilt probably postpone their retirement for the present. Hon. A. K. Maclean may do- likewise, lslikewise, though personally he favors getting back to party lines and get- ting busy. Whether Hons. Tohnie and Drayton have been fully initiated the by-elections will have told ere this is printed. Anyway, so long .as the: present policy of doing nothing is< adhered to it matters not whether an occasional portfolio is looking for somebody to -hold it. --J. K: Munro- in MacLean's. —A quiet wedding took place Mon- day evening at the home of the bride's brother-in-law, Mr. Arthur Francis, of Stephen, when Mrs. Elizabeth A. Rooke was united in marriage to .Mr.. Rd. Henry Coultis, both of Exeter. Rev. M. J. Wilson, B. A., officiated. M. and Mrs. Coultis left the follow- ing day to visit in Detroit. •