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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1920-05-07, Page 1L 30, 1920. MACTA t 1SR s Gln tic n4 „s t , I. t7 i' t .th t" tic •r3 an$ «•c w111 ill t4:ene promptly end pay delivery charges 0-3 1.4 hings o buy [ and we will ase our goods Lt, r Beauty of patterns sway buying tendencies 1' to our a store. You -- der real hard use—that also be of a distinctive your our other furnishings. i our -well-selected stock a, Grastex and €}riental I either brilliant; cheer- deable colors and fibre entire showing. FROM $6 TO $115 ',OM 75c TO $$8 ns and oths As large i. a ge .a display of tow Spring Importations nd Domestic makes in lost lines as it bas ever een our pleasure to show onventional designs hold way in the majority of 0 4 r coverings, inter- oersed, however, with oxne delightful floral 'atternas Scotch Lin- leums—all the way from Gotland -are her. e and cu dont have to- be Scotch" to appreciate ie excellent Patterns and aality, produced by the !ants in "The Land of Fe Heather." ion '' r1 he tags " a;ld dais lc caption more 1 1 rISH02 -- 1ACTAYIS • Si FlY-FOURTH YEAR WHOLE NUMBER 278 SEAFOR'TI1,- FRIDAY, MAY 7, 1920. McLean Bros., Publishers $1.50 a Year in Advance f Your 1 Particula About Your Spring Suit There are several reasons why you should not over- look this store. We give you a choice of garments - seldom found outside the larger city stores. We give you the benefit our long Experience in the Clothing business and our knowledge of standard cloth—the Arch Evemy of good clothes shoddy cloth—never finds a place in our store. - Our Styles of garments commend themselves to the good judgment of our customers, the lasting re- sult is a satisfied customer on every purchase. Our prices are consistant with the above condi- tions. Suits $15.00, $25.00, $30.00 to $40.00 Trousers $4.00, $5.00 to - $7.00 Raincoats and Spring Overcoats . $12, $20, to $25 Boys' Suits $5.00, . $7.50 to $12.00 and $15.00 Overalls $1.50, $2.00, $2.50 Smocks - $2.00 to $2.75 Work Shirts $1.25, $1.50 to $1.75 The Greig Clothing Co. Seasonable Specialties. The Big Hardware Use Martin Senour - lOO Pure Paint Covers more surface, lasts longer and can be applied by anybody THE CALM- AT OTTAWA The Easter adjournment found Parliament thoroughly under the in- fluence of the Ottawa atmosphere. The dignity given to the proceedings by the new building$, further isolation provided for the minor . statesmen by new rules that closed 'the corridors adjoining the chamber to press and public,- and the joys of the: social whirl have fully convinced the private member of Itis individual greatness. And gradually suggestion grew into conviction that all was well; that the Farmers were only a political flash in the Pan; that the Liberal Opposi- tion was as weak in the country as itis in the House; and that given reasonable time for the public mind to return to normal there could 'be but one result to an election ---ani overwhelming endorsation by the electors of the party that had won the war and solved the problems of reconstruction. - To be sure ther-e was an occasional echo from the outside world that in- dicatad that the name "Unionist" did not rouse the enthusiasm it should. For instance, Hon, Arthur Meighen hurled himself into the Temiskaming by-election charged to the muzzle with praises for the great work the Gov- ernment had done. And -even he must have been - a hit shocked • when Pullen, the candidate he was supposed to be supporting, stood up and, avowing himself a straight Conservative, shook the weight of Unionists connection from his political shoulders. But littlethings like this were simply flies on the wheel, - A great complacency reigned over the Union camp that nothing but an earthquake could disturd and Sir Thomas White's order to "carry on" was earthquake insurance for at least another. three years. Also illness had again rallied to the aid of its chosen friends. Was not Hon, T. A. Crerar in the hospital having a carbuncle removedhfrom the back of his neck and -Hon. .1. A, Calder confined to his home with an attack of influenza? With the real head of the Government and his most dangerous opponent both out of the House, what could mere members do but throw care to the winds and sit back and enjoy themselves? Nor had the first five weeks of the session provided many wrinkles for the statesmen's brow. To be sure there lied been an occasional ripple on tholitical surface, but it seldom lasted more than a day. It only seemed to emphasize the general calm. • For instance Ottawa woke up with- a start one Monday morning to find. that the- First Sea Lord, Hon. -C. C. Ballantyne, t ii the entire hrow e Yn , had t Canadian navy in the -ash barrel. Shortly before this the Unionist Caucus had frowned on a Ballantyne proposal to spend $5,000,000 per an- num on a real 'navy composed of borrowed British warships manned by jolly Canadian tars. The first Sea Lord was peeved over the rebuff and the whisper circulated that Mr. Bal- lantyne had acted in a moment - of pique and without consulting his Cabinet colleagues. And that whis- per may have contained considerable truth. - - More than one Ministerras- serted privately that the matter had never been discussed . in_Coeincil. But the expected storm never broke. For that naval department was not popular. There was a snob- bery about it that was too strong for even snob -smothered Ottawa. Mr. Ballantyne got so many congratula- tions that the , Government got wise, 'fessed up that it had been in on the scrapping of the old navy from the start and announced a naval policy that 'is simply a modification of the one thecoatus so emphatically h tics lI turn- ed down. And •the Unionists, unused to congratulations of any kind from the general public, felt the thrill of a new statesmanship in their manly bosoms. The Franchise Act also troubled the water for a day or two. When Hon. Hugh Guthrie told of its beau- ties in sonorous and nicely rounded sentences, Hon. Mackenzie King stood up in his place and almost called it blessed. But that evening while the Liberal leader was carefully cediting the report of his speech, his Hansard followers broke lose and went after the new legislation with axes. Fred Pardee, who has got safely back to his old Liberal home, roared that its anti -ashen clauses made the War Tinie Electilons Act look mild and tame. W. D: Eu , , of North Waterloo, follow- ed th one of the most effective speec es delivered in the House in many a day. Himself of German par- entage, he pointed out that not only would the mothers of boys who died at the front be disfranchised, but that his own mother, who had been a good Canadian for sixty years, would be deprived of the ballot. Now when this Franchise had come up -in Unionist caucus the old Tory element had raised their voices and howled that the anti -alien clauses were too mild. They had refused to be comforted even by the promise that a further disfranchising act might . follow. They were quieted with an assuranee that another caucus would be held before the disputed clauses were finally passed in com- mittee. And in the face of all this there were conditions cropping up that made, ameliorating amendments, absolutely necessary. For no Government would care to have it go out to the country that it had disfranchised the near relatives of soldiers who died for their country. It was a time for explanation and Try Campbell's Varnish Stains, e flat finished and Neu Ton paints for interior decoration, Poultry Netting, Etc. We:carry a full line of garden tools Our Prices are right EDGE THE BIG HARDWARE, SEAFORTH 1- c1UFF& SO Building Servicefor 1920 When making preparation for this season's busi- ness we bought our stock early, thereby securing a high standard of quality, and at prices much lower than are now prevailing. We have :- - Cedar Fence Posts --in 8 and 9 foot lengths. Red Cedar iShingles XXX and XXXX Beaver Board Fibre Board Oak Veneer Flooring —for painted walls and ceilings —for covering with wall paper -A polished oak floor is a ne- cessity, not a, luxury, its the greatest labor saver in the house um f ( r 'for all building purposes N. CLUFF & SONS eaforth, Ont., Meighen was selected to do - the ex- plaining. He did it, did it in a way that forever dimmed the star of Hon. Charles Doherty as the champion ex- plainer of the House. • Before he was. half way through - the Press Gallery was reaching for supports and gasp- ing for breath. When his last tangl- ed sentence had been inscribed on Hansard some wise people figured out that the clause would b. amended. Anyway that took - the Franchise Act out - of the active 1'Pork of the House for a time. For ht here it was discovered that Hon. James Cal- his needed a trip south for health. Hon. James took the trip. Also it is surmised he took that troublesome clause of the Franchise Act. Some- where in the South the alien clause, Sir Robert Borden and Hon. James Calder would meet. Ther James would solve the problem, Sir Robert would O. K. it, and later Unionists and Opposition alike would swallow it, no matter what kind of faces they might make in the swallowing. But these were practically the only little snarls which the Union family had to disentangle. Otherwise the session had been so - peaceful that most of the members had trouble keeping awake. There were days too when the adjournment came before the six o'clock whistle blew. Neither Government nor private members ap- peared to be taking interest enough to keep things running. Hon. Mac- kenzie King, looking as pleased and self-satisfied as a member of the Cabinet, was not disposed to make trouble. In fact an opponent sized up his work for the first five weeks of the session i this wise:e: "King m mov- ed an amendment to the address he didn't want carried and raised a point of order on the appropriation for ship- building he didn't want sustained. On every other question he said, `Hear, hear.' And yet they call him the `fighting leader.' " This criticism may be a bit tcro harsh. _ But one of Mr. King's leading supporters, - when brought face to face with it, could only counter with the rather e neg- ative e • g- ative tribute: "Well he knows enough to keep his mouth shut and that is more than D. D. McKenzie could do." So on the whole it will be conceded that the boy leader can hardly be called aggressive. Speaking of speeches naturally brings us back to our old friend and uplifter, Hon. Wesley Rowell. He's the busy bee of the Unionist. hive. In the early days of the session when work was short, interest lagged and the house promised to peter out be- fore its appointed time, they just turned on Hon. Wesley's oratory tap and another good day's .work was checked off. At that time he was us- ing his undoubted industry and energy to make Canada a nation. It was a cold day when he didn't weave one of the ties that binds a nation, even if he had to pluck a handful of feathers from the Eagle's tail to help out the weaving. The • ratiflcat`fon of the Bulgarian treaty was his grand little opportunity. How' he did float off into the - elocutionary ether that appears to be the essential to interna- tional politics! But, just as he had the job nicely finished uff, an d this fair:, , Dominion rounded o into a sure enough nation of the same size as Santa Domingo, along came a cable from England that intimated that the Canadian ambas- sador to Washington was to be a sort i of office boy to the British ambas- sador. It was a dash of cold water that temporarily quenched the fires of oratory. Nevertheless, when the esti item of 480,000 for Canadian repre- sentation at the American capital. And when the wise ones started to figure who would spend the $80,000. their eyes somehow turned to Hon. Wesley. And this is how they figur- ed: "Mr. Rowell claims that he is and always was a Liberal, so he can hardly adopt the Conservative name and the = protection policy that the Unionists have up their sleeveR. If he had intended jumping out he would have made the jump when the Cab- inet rescinded his prohibition - order - in -council. He could have -gone then u. like the out hed with his chest spread P hero of a Sunday school story. But he didn't go. He stayed on the job and kept_ right on working. Now; if he didn't go and can't stay he must know somewhere he's going to light. - "So naturally they picked Washing- ton as the place for him to light. And till the more so that- the seat of Yankee Government is now bone-dry and in a position to provide an en- vironment to his liking. Moreover, a few years in a position that would keep Hon. Wesley in the public eye and still, more or less, protected from i l t the political breezes might suit t a astute person's ambitions. For though the present political map provides no place for him, who can tell what the future might provide? When the country gets back to normal and the prejudices of the war and prohibition period are forgotten, who can tell but that a chastened people might yet clamor for the services of an industri- ous individual who at the present writing is credited with having "made the world safe for sobriety." Anyway there is just one other name mentioned in connection with that Washington job and that is Hon. E. N. Rhodes, Speaker of the House of Commons. Which reminds us that Mr. Speaker had been very much in the Parliamentary eye "dating the present session. Nor must you run away with the impression that he is displeasing to said eyes. From his spats to his carefully kept hair he is sartorially l correct. rreLt. He patronizes onizes the best London tailors and is a credit to them. He claims Nova Scotia as his birthplace and like others of the same nativity he professes law and practises politics. He would doubtless prefer to proceed with the practice but the fact remains that it took the soldier vote to elect him in 1917 and nobody predicts that the soldier vote will be so solidly Unionist in the next elec- tion as it was in 1917. So Hon. Edgar must seek other fields or go back -to law. Nor is the United States altogether interpretation. Naturally Hon. Arthur mates came down there appeared the to his liking. He made a trip down to Washington not so many months ago and the lack of dignity that at- taches to congressional proceedings rather disgusted him. To see "Champ" Clark with his hands in his pockets roll up on the dais and shout "order," only removing one hand from its na- tural resting pace in order to work the gavel, rather shocked his finer instincts. For Mr. -' Speaker has . a - proper respect for his position and the things that attach to it. He iaay accept the Imperial House of Coin mons as an example of how things parliamentary should - be conducted, but his Nova Scotian modesty does not prevent his trying to improve on anything done overseas. In fact, though some people contend that the late war was fought for democracy, Mr. Speaker appears to have later information to the effect that dignity was really what was at stake. Anyway he came back from Wash- ington prepared to put our law-Inak- ing on a high plane; and the opening of the new Parliament buildings fur- nished the opportunity. He grabbed it and got away to a great start. None of that lolling up on a dais, thump- ing a table with a bungstarter and yelling "order" for him! Indeed no, and again no! The Canadian House' of Commons should open with proper eclat. So a - few minutes before three o'clock each day he lines up his staff in three cornered hats - and flowing robes of black. There's himself,. the Ser- geant -at -Arms with the gold mace on his shoulder, the Clerk and the Deputy Clerk and a camp follower or two, not to mention a guard of Dominion policemen, They slip down a side alley and bear down on the front lobby, the majesty of the law person- ified. As they approach the main en- trance to the chamber a big police- man with lungs to match cleaves the awed silence with "Hats off; . Mr. Speaker." - - And through an uncovered throng and on -up the aisle the pro- cession moves till Mr. Speaker is perched upon his throne. Then, and not till then, do hats go back to places of ordinary wear. Nor does anybody smile. Everybody feels that if those three -cornered lids in the grand par- ade should go awry for a moment the laws of the new nation would not be well and truly made. But the. improvements do not stop here. On either side of the Chamber is a peacock alley in which M. P.'s, Senators, correspondents and such like are' expected to gather to discuss na- tional affairs and other . things, in- -eluding cigars.. Mr, Speaker issued an ultimatum ;clecclaring these,. corri- dors - consecrated. to members of Parliament only. The Senators roar- ed oamed and the correspondents protested, with the result that the Senjators were allowed to. desecrate the sacred carpet. But only for a brief period. A few days later the Senators decided to - close up shop and take a well: earned rest till after Easter. No sooner were they out of town than. Mr. Speaker was again busy. This time he got the House Leader to help him out and at a secret session of Parliament those lobbies were again closed. Sanctuary was provided for those harassed representatives of the people who cannot sleep :comfortably in their seats in the House. LISTEN ! TWO-- REDEMPTORIST FATHERS McLaughlin and Barry will open a one week's mission in St. James' Church, Seaforth, commencing Sunday, May 9th, and will close Sunday evening, May 18th. Bring your friends with you as you are cordially invited, Alt But if Mr. Speaker has added to the dignity of Parliament it cannot be said he has helped out his own popularity to any marked extent. The Senators can hardly be expected to take their snub lying down, the correspondents find the gathering of news more difficult and the private members cut off from -intercourse with the common herd are lonesome and homesick. However, all this niay not interfere bions it with Mr. Speaker's alleged ambitions to represent his country at Washing- ton. There is a feeling that the country that won the war and 'the man who gave new dignity to Parlia- ment should not be kept apart. They may represent different brands of snobbery, but after all they're birds 'of a feather. And if by his removal to another sphere, Mr. Speaker should help to smarten up the Yankee Con- gress undoubtedly earn t press he would n y blessing, not only of'his own grateful country but of that great republic that lies immediately to1Y to the e so uth of would flash on a surprised country as - - the chairman of the 'Board of Direc- tors of the greatest railroad system on this or any other continent, To be sure some small part of the country might be indignant as well as sur- prised. For it has not yet learned to know Honest John as a great rail road 'nazi. Still he ,must have some qualifications. It was only the other day, you know, that Mr. D. B. Hanna, the present chairman, in addressing a Canadian club or some kindred organization, predicted that the Na- tional Railways would yet pay the- national henational debt. - Honest John's dis- closure of how they were proceed with the paying shows him to be at least as practical as the address -mak- ing railroader. And Dr. Reid may have other qualities that even his closest friends do not dream of. Any- way he has courage. For his colleagues rather quailed before the prospect of telling the country at one gulp just how much money the railways had lost. They wanted to break it softly, sifting it to the public a bit at a time till they had got rather used to it. - But not for John. He wanted the whole mess spilled at once, and he wanted to do the spilling. Now did the simple doctor from the banks of the St. Lawrence have an object? Did it ever occur to him that if the coun- try was jolted into a belief that the management of the system should be changed it might fix its eyes on the man who furnished the jolt? This question, put to an admirer of the Minister of Railways, brought only a shake of the head. "You never can tell what Jack Reid is thinking," he said. Froin the foregoing You will gather that Easter did not find things at Ot- kiawa very exciting. The old drift had set in, the same old feeling that all was rightwith the Government and the country was epidemic. For a full five weeks not a Minister had resign- ed from the Cabinet. To be sure Hon. Arthur Sifton is .a ,sick man and would like to relinquish the cares of office, - But even a sick Minister is better than a vacant portfolio, and Union Govern- ment as we have it in Canada has portfolios to spare and none - to fill them. Not that numerous Unionists do not hanker for the Cabinet purple. But they're a careful lot. - They have read the story of the dog that grab- bed rabbed at the shadow and lost the bone on which he intended to dine. And it is a good guess that there is not a Unionist in the House who in re- turn for a portfolio could give a ;guar- antee that he could be re-elected in his -constituency. So uncertain is the - !political situation. So the Cabinet will hang on to the Minister it has, sick or well, Any- way, with why should it quarrel with a bit of sickness. Is not a sick Preinier- . the greatest asset it carries on its books ? Were Sir Robert Borden - hale and hearty and in his prune the country would expect him to do some- thing. And any form of activity might breed discord in his "heter- ogeneous flock. So long as he is sick and absent he is part of the price Canada paid for freedom --one of the casualties of the war. As such he is above criticism. As such he can be used as the excuse for "carrying on" by marking .time. He is where � . lot of he can do the Cabinet good without a chance of doing it any harm. For when a snarl arises any solution with a Borden O. K. ,smooths -things out perforce, Anyway Sir Robert may be back in Ottawa by the time this is in print. To resume his duties as Premier? you ask. Heaven forbid. Surely he has a better conception of the duties he owes to that Unionist party of which he is not only the leader but also the father. Nothing must be done to dis- turb the peaceful calm under cover of whichis cls leaven the White -Calder quietly working. Sir Robert's return to active Premiering, might result in a collapse that would drive him en- tirely out of the political arena. And that might bring matters to a pre- mature head, For Sir Thomas White could hardly aesume the Premiership without an appeal to the country. And said country has not yet had s u f- ficenttime,to returrtothose sober senses in wh=ch it can appreciate its present rulers. us. Another statesman who cluttered up the spotlight while the Easter eggs were being laid was Hon. J. D. Reid, Minister of Railways and chore boy in general to the Union Government. But it was hardly an Easter egg that Honest John presented to Parliament. It was the statement of the National System of Railways for the year 1919 and it showed that the amalgamated deficits of the various lines composing that system had reached the magnifi- cent total of $47,000,000. And in. other ways besides its total that statement was a remarkable document. It is said to have been the joint work of D. B. Hanna, Graham Bell and Geo. Yates, But Dr. Reid attended to its - delivery in person, and though he stuck closely to his typewritten notes he did not fail to live up to his usual style of oratory. And as an orator the Medical. Minister reminds you of the British people; he muddles through. With the Railway speech, anyway, i He chorted he was well acquainted. millions and chanted lists of equip- ment as if he had taken the cash of every till and tramped over every tie on the line. Also anyone who want- ed any improvement made got a ready promise. For you know Dr. Reid is said to be nursing a great ambition. When his political career - has ended he So Sir Robert and give the party his blessing and prorogue the House, And the country wilt continue to drift towards those same sober ''enses• • Sir George Foster by the way, has mellowed wonderfully of late yearn. Taking advantage of the leisure af- forded by his elevation to the Acting- Prenderehin he is studying French. Occasionally he delights the Rouse by a short sneech in the language of love end diplomacy. To be sure the Unionists don't understand him and it is a noon guess that the French- men on'f either. But it adds variety to his various forms of uselessness or versatility; take your choice. As to the Farmers they're largely playing,' tfnn nart of snectators. With Hon T n ^rarer absent. Dr, Michael Clark, with his hat pulled down over his e,e^ i^ actin' leader. He looks - as if the cars of leadership rested heavily on his shoulders. Gould of Assinibeia never misses an, oppor- tunity to sneak, but he runs to words rather than idea'. The others are waiting and watching, They'll have a few words to say when the budget comes down, But that will be abort all. They feel that the Unionists are playing the game that will produce a change of Government—se why should they interfere? -:they . who promise to be the chief beneficiaries of that change.—By J. K. Munro, in MacLean's. e