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The Huron News-Record, 1894-05-23, Page 40Huron' Nuts-Recora lo§ea Teo -414601 Advseee, Nirgwv,speor, wily Zara, 11394. • TIW FIGHT IS ON. 2TO14IINATION, JUNE 19. 11LI'wOT1ON, JUNE 20.. Sneh was the announcement in the morning papers last Wednesday. THE 1VeWs-RECORD hacl announced' the previous day that the Ontario elections WOW td not likely be delayed longer than the 20th of June, so that we were not far iistray. The fight is now fairly on and few constituencies are without candidates in tho field. The record of the Mowat Govern - 'went is such that nothing can stave of the evil day of certain defeat. On •the 23th of June the people, the elector's, will surely rise in their might in support of the Meredith party. Mowat must go 1 C;.n'rnption, ex- travagance, ignoring the will of the people. All this would even wear away the heart of a stone. Again, Mowat must go 1 Up, eleeLors, and grapple with the enemy. THE CO VSNR VA 7'I VE POLICY. To=day we give in supplement forut Mr. W. R. Meredith's great deliverance and policy of the Ontario Conservative Party as laid clown by him so forcibly in the city of London last Monday night. Such broad principles and manly. arraignment of the Mowat Government will meet with the hearty enden•sation of the electors of Ontario. Read the Conservative platform thoroughly. _It will bear the most severe scrutiny and criticism. Mr. Meredith is Ontario's future hope. WEST HURON. J. T. Garrow, Q. C., a successful law- yer of Goderich, is the Grit candidate for West H ut'ou. Jamas Connolly, a Goderich town- ship farmer, has been placed' in the political arena by the Patrons of In- dustry and up to date is the only op- ponent Mr. Garrow has. The charge has been made in the Grit press and re-echoed that the game was a tory dodge, as Mr. Connolly was a one-time staunch Conservative. Mr. Connolly was a one-4isne Conservative: but as to any dodge on the part of the Conservatives we repudiate the charge. If Grit and Tory politics are to be in- troduced THE NEWS -RECORD is willing to accept the situation, because a maj- ority of the Patron convention which brought Mr. Connolly out were former- ly of the Grit persuasion. How then could it be a Tory dodge? If the . position is as Grit partisans have pictured it, is it not,singultr that very prominent Petrone who were former Grits have Wen stumping West Huron for Mr. Connolly and against Mr. Garrow. And still Sir Oliver Mowat's supporters lyingly con- tend that the Grit and Patron policy are one and the same, while Sir Oliver himself is being opposed by a Patron of Industry. This of itself should give the lie to Grit scheming in West Huron to bring votes to Mr. Garrow. WELS'MILLER FOR SOUTH HURON. The unswerving support of THE NEWS -RECORD is for WEISMI.LLER, the Meredith candidate for South Huron. He is a man of more than ordinary ability, of unimpeachable character, and has been honestly suc- cessful in his whole career. The charge has been made that he is a German and should not be allowed a voice in making the laws and governing this grand Ontario of burs. Why such disreputable tactics should be intro- duced in this South Huron election THE NEws-REcoRD is certainly at a loss to know. As a student of ancient and modern history, we know the German people are among the most noble and loyal on the face of God's beautiful earth. In saying this we do not cast any reflection on the many noble deeds of other nationalities. And there is no valid reason why every nationality should not be on the side of good Government in this con- test. There can be only one honest opinion as to the strong and just policy of Mr. Meredith and hie followers. The Mowat Government has been one of the most unjust, tyrannical and ex- travagant in the annals of Canadian history. Our timber i esources have been squandered. Large sums of money have been granted for coloniza- tion roads, for schools, for ruining, &c., on the eve of election, in order that the people may be coerced to vote for the MowatGovernmentwhile squander- ingthe hard-earned money of the people. The death cries from the unmerci ful lash as it cracks in the hands of official de- mons are heard in the cities and towns of Ontario from those whom theGovern- ment are lashing into line. The Chris- tian statesman does not hesitate at anything. The school hook monopoly, which sucks the last cont out of the pockets of parents• --the majority of us are poor—is placing millions of dollars in the pockets of already wealthy monopolists. We must grin and hear all this unless THE PEOPLE rise up and pivrotest and mark their ballots AGAINST the Mowat party nn the 20th of June. e have faith the electors in the three ridings of Huron will not longer bow the knee to Baal. Weismiller is the num for South Huron. A German fou. lower of Meredith, even though he may he openly criticised as such, will prove the best man and in the very best interests of South Huron. The contest is getting warm in South Huron. D. Weismiller, the popular Conservative candidate, is meeting with unprecedented success. His sup- porters are rallying around their standard-bearer in a manner that augers Well for victory. 4a4I107‘ V1 `$1'4!0IY,ti 'X ',5. The attempts of the 1owatites to catch the Patrons of Industry have not been successful. Up to the present time we have information from forty constituencies in which. Patrons. have been nominated. In seventeen both Conservative and Reform canadidates are nominated as well ; in twelve the Patrons are opposing Reform nom- inees alone ; in six they are opposing Conservative candidates alone; and in five the Patron candidates are at pre- sent alone in the field. Of the ten in- dependent or P. P. A. candidates, nine are opposing,Reform canadidates, and one is opposing a Conservative. Of the five ministers who are in the flelcl, Sir Oliver Mowat is opposed by a Pat- ron ; Mr. Hardy is opposed by a P. P. A. ; Mr. Gibson is opposed by a P. P. A.; Mr. Ross is opposed by a Conser- vative and a Patron ; Mr. Harcourt is opposed by a Patrtn, and Mr. Dryden is opposed by a Conservative. It will be seen that the government stands to suffer from the Patrons, so far as nom- inations up to elate furnish any indica- tion. At a recent political debate in West Zorra, Oxford county, the first speaker, Mr. Robert Parker, had always been a Reformer and would vote for Sir Oliver Mowat. Mr. James Slater had "al- ways been a Reformer," and was not a Patron, but he was in sympathy with the principles of the Patrons and would support Mr. Horsman against Sir Oliver. Mr. McKay, of 1Voodstock, had always been at Reformer and would support Sir Oliver. Mr. William Stewart and Mr. George Murray held the same views. Mr. John Lindsay was a Patron and a sup- porter of Mr. Horsman. He did not say which party he had belonged to, but his remarks lead us to think ho had been a Reformer. Mr. George Manson had always been a Reformer, and was still. Mr. Forbes and Mr. Ball had always been Reformers, and were supporters of Sir Oliver. Thus it will be seen that the strongest oppon- ents of the Mowat government are men who=have been its supporters. To the last house Toronto sent two Conservatives and Sir Oliver Mowat sent one • Reformer by law. Now To- ronto will send four Conservatives. To that house Hamilton and Wentworth sent throe Reformers. It is as cep. aim as anything under the sun that they will now send four opponents of the present government. In the two cities and Wentworth, without looking far- ther, theover ment will lose four and the opposition will gain six. This destroys half the government's majority. Nowhere throughout the province can the government count on any new strength. Tho young men are against it. The Conservatives are firm and united. Even the P.P.A.areagainstthe Mowat party. The Patrons almost everywhere are against it. 'The peo- ple of Ontario have grown weary of the Mowat government. They have no further use for it. "WE ARE TOLD," YOU KNOW. The latest Grit charge against the Patrons is: "We are told that some of the Pat- rons hereabouts have been sending to Toronto recently for their goods. That is about how much they care for the towns and villages, and yet Mr. Connolly expects to get a certain amount of support from the towns" THE NEWS -RECORD has been assured by several business men of Clinton that the above in the New Era is a slander on the Patrons of Industry and that the insinuation is not true. "Some of the Patrons," even if the asser- tion was true, could not hold the whole body responsible any more than the Mayor of Clinton•could be heldrespon- sible because spine of ourcitizens send to Torontofor their goods. Such argument as "We are told that some," &c., and then qualify the supposition by saying "that is about how much they care for the towns and villages" is a style of criticism extremely unfair. The busi- ness men of Clinton and the electors generally will readily see through the "We are told election dodge. mommeeer A DECENT CAMPAIOlY. "Let us have a decent campaign," cries the Toronto Globe. "Let us have a decent campaign," echo.,the parrots of the party. Let us see what the Re- form idea of a decent campaign is : John Clark kept as respectable and orderly a hotel as any in the county of Wentworth. For some years he held his license by staying away front the polis, but at last his feelings got the better of him, and he openly expressed some Conservative sentiments. Im- mediately his license was taken from him. That is Reform decency. Poor old Grundy was summoned to give testimony before the public ac- counts committee of the legislature. Mr. Stratton advised him to say noth- ing to prejudice the Government. Mr. Harcourt censured him for telling the truth under oath. Then he was dis- missed from his position. That is Reform decency. Mr. 5. T. Ryckman, Mr. Jame Mil- ler, Mr. Charles Baird and other retail grocers in Hamilton had shop licenses. They dared to exercise the right of free- men : they voted for Conservative candidates. Their licenses were taken from them. That is Reform decency. The minister of education dismissed Miss Haggerty from her position as teacher because her relatives were all Conservatives. That is Reform decency. When Mr. Stinson was honestly and fairly elected, Mr. Gibson set his gang upon him, and had hirn unseated on the testimony of a paid wretch from Buffalo. That is Reforin decency. Mackenzie, the license inspector in Hamilton, canvassed license holders and intimated that if they knew on which side their bread was buttered they would support the party which had the power to grant orwithold their licenses. Those who voted for Censer - /dives had their licenses taken from them. That is Reform decency. Mr. Gibson himself was nominated by a convention in which CO license holders had seats under the eyes of Mr. James .Lottridge and License Com- missioner Zimmerman. That is Reform decency. When a man gets married the law of Ontario ree�,llires, hirxr to [za to a ROOMworker and prey $2 which goes into that partisans private 1)Q `ket and serves uo public good. That is Reforuh decency, ' This list alight be extended to fill every page of the Spectator. These are but eamplee of the 'decency" which the ?yIowat government, its members and its supporters deal out to the country. And the people whose ideas of decency aro expressed in such acts think it indecent on the part of Conservatives to refer to these things. —Spectator. OV TWO HORNS. The prospective retirement of Sir Oliver will leave the prohibition party in a funny predicament. It will be re- collected that he promised them that "(/' the court should declare that author- ity rested with the Provincial Govern- ment, :and >j' he should continue as Premier, lie would introduce a meas- ure." This would be an easy l.pt-out in case Sir Oliver should be beaten in ()x - ford, or that he should retire after the election, aceordine to the present pro- gratn ne. • The pledge did not extend to any other member of the Govern- ment. Should the reins be handed over to Mr. Moss, for example, he would have no obligation to z•ecoguize the undertaking thus conditionally given by Sir Oliver. Meanwhile the Premier counts on the support of the prohibition party along with tihatt of the licensed victuallers, to whom lib- eral favors have been extended pend - in issue i •o the r , ru al the conflict. Sir Oli- ver 9 )1 vet' is sly enough to endeavor to please both panties --with jpr•omises. PUIICILISIJ-O 1'llO:tf PARTY FRIENDS. Oneof the planks in The Toronto News Provincial platform declares that all supplies for public institutions should be bought by tender. A correspondent askes for the names of the institutions in which this princi- ple is not insisted upon now. The answer can be readily furnished—the aslyums for the insane are among the number. The manner in which supplies are purchased for these establishments was gone into very fully by the Public Accounts Committee, at the instance of Mr. Matter, in .1892, and the evidence then taken may be found in full in the Journals of the Assembly, vol. XXV. Inspector Christie testified that con- tracts were called for only in the sup- ply of butter, flour, coal, oatmeal and split peas. All other articles, groceries, dry goods, potatoes, etc., were bought in the open market. • The Inspector acknowledged still further that purch- ases were made from Conservatives only where Liberals were unable to furnish the goods required. He said plainly, in fact, see page 158, that "the bursars are instructed to go to. certain houses supposed to be in sympathy with the (Liberal) party." And the effect of this policy of buy- ing from party friends, at prices fixed by the latter, is shown by the evidence. of Frederick Macon, pages 220 to 231 inclusive. This gentleman swears that currants were bought by the Province at 7 1.2c when they were only worth 0 14c; that blacking cost $1.25 that should have been obtained at $1; that 9c was paid for codfish when 8e was the price; that pickles worth only $2.30 were bought at $2.50; that a cent a pound over current rates was paid for tapioca, and that anchovy sauce cost $3.75 when it could have been se- cured at $3.25. These are sample cases which prove that on some forty or fifty thousand dollars worth of supplies, bought for Toronto Asylum in 1892, the Province paid probably $10,000 more than would have been paid had tenders in all cases beep called for. And this same system is continued still and was actually de- fended by Trcatsurer Harcourt in his last budget speech. All supplies for public institutions to he bought by tender is a plank which every elector should insist on. The Meredith party, and the Patrons too, insist on this. SPEAK NOW. The Grand Orange Lodge of British America meets at Lindsay on the 29th of this month. No doubt the Grit can- didate for South Huron will feel in duty bound to read a lesson to the members as to what resolutions the Grand Lodge should or should not pass. Or it may be that ho will pull the brethren "over the coals" on various plat- forms anI denounce the whole body as an outrageous political machine. He did not hesitate to say so in the Exposi- tor before he was a candidate ; in fact declared that he did not seek or ask anything at the hands of the Orange Institution. We presume the Mowat candidate was sincere and that the Ex- positor is still ready to give the Order at black eye. WEIS UILLER THE MAN. Now that the elections are on there should be no halting between two opinions on the part of the electors of South Huron. Mr. McLean, on the one hand, is an extreme partisan who succeeded in ousting pioneer Bishop and resorted to shameful tactics in preventing a Eteforin Patron from be- ing placed in the contest. On the other hand Mr, Weisrniller is a broad- minded citizen and a man of the people. He has not attempted to' interfere with the will of the people. He could not conscientiously do so. He deserves the united support of all classes of citi- zens. If the Patrons of Industry of South Huron think anything of their Order, and we believe they do, they will rally to the support of the Meredith candidate and give him their solid vote. In almost every constitu- ency where P. of I. candidates arc in the field they have to fight the Mowat party and Sir Oliver himself and his friends are to -day denouncing the Patrons in the Premier's own Riding— North Oxford. Weisiniller is THE PEOPLE'S candidate for South Huron. The Patrons of Industry aro oppos- ing the Grit Candidate for East Huron, and still the Globe has the hypocrisy to declare that the Grit and Patron platforms are ono and the same, PAVRO,NS ST 7L72 ORM The Farmer's S un, the organ of the Patrons, says The Globe misrepresents our position. The Patron nominee in North Oxford is classified in its. columns as a P. P. A. and P. of L candidate. .51r. Horsnian %RS nominated by the Patrons, and so far as We know, has never been endors- ed by any other body; neither do we know that he is a member of the P. P. A. organization. If he is a member he was certainly not chosen its a Patron candidate because of that fact, any more than that Patron candidates else- where have been selected because they are Catholics. That is not the only clue in which the Globe has falsely stated that a Patron has been endorsed by the P. P. A. We know of auothor case, but are quite willing to allow the Globe's boom- erang to have its full flight. CURRENT TOPICS. The Toronto Globe will until the 20th of Juno lead the Calf with the Cough. Cut tacks in the old tariff were duitable at 2 cents por..1000. In the new tariff the duty is.reduced 25 %. The old tariff had 8 cents per pound on grated cocoanut, used in tho snaking of cakes, etc. by housewives. The new tariff puts it atA, 5 cents per pound. • Wire nails are dutiable now at 1 cent per pound. They were dutiable in the old tariff at 14 cents. A reduction of 33A The Meredith's policy is in line with that of the Patrons of Industry. Stich being the case, there should be no halting between two opinions. In the new tariff' canned vegetables, used tinting certain seasons in almost every house, are datiable at 14 cents per pound. This is a reduction of 25 per cent. on the old duties. In the old tariff starch, and prepar- ations of starch, had a duty of 2 and 4 cents per pound. The new tariff puts it at 14 cents—starch being an article of geucral consumption. Heavy snow storms and intensely cold weather prevailed in the midland counties of England on Monday of this week. "Cold Canada" is not in it with the mother country. There is to be an election in North Oxford, and Sir Oliver Mowat has just sent in a subscription of $200 to the Woodstock hospital. He is being opposed by a Patron of Industry. When the Globe says that the three Hurons will go Grit onthe 26th of June it talks arrant nonsense. The electort, will have their say before the matter is settled. And a majority of thein will pronounce against the Government of Sir Oliver Mowat. The Fee Commission ? Well, if you don't know, we'll tell you. It is a com- mission appointed by Sir Oliver Mowat to find out what he already knows about fees and tell him about it after the election is over. It will cost about as much as the fees will amount to in that time. The Toronto Mail says : "Regarding the tariff as a whole as it has emerged from the committee and stands to -day it is a moderate measure. If it does not go so far as some have wished, it is more radical than others have desired. There has been a lessening of the pro- tection enjoyed by favored interests:" Conking from the Mail this is compli- mentary to the Government. According to the Globe of last Fri- day there are 27 Patrons, formerly Re- formers, in the field against Sir Oliver Mowat, while the same paper gives 12 former Conservatives. This is strong evidence that the Grit and Patron policies are NOT the sarno by a long way. The Patrons are after the scalp of Sir Oliver. The Woodstock Times says:—Sir Oliver Mowat went up to North Bruce and told the fanners (Patrons) that they did not know what they wanted. Result—The Grit candidate was defeat- ed. Now Mr. Mowat's missionaries in Oxford are attacking the Patrons and their platforms,' even after the Premier has said the policy of the Grits is identical with that of the farmers. So nobody need he surprised if the verdict of North Bruce is repeated in this county. Mr. J. T. Garrow would like to have sworn American subjects elect mem- bers of the Ontario Parliament and make Ontario laws. Some lawyers place peculiar constrictions on law, butenerally to the advantage of the legal fraternity. We sincerely trust that the day is far distant when the people of Ontario will he unable to intelligently elect their own represen- tatives and make their own laws. The local member for West Huron has been so "independent" since elected that he has given his "solid" support to Sir Oliver Mowat and,nis followers. Mr. Carrow is not independent. His votes in the House and his nomination by a partisan convention, pledged to support the Grit party, are enough to "make a horse laugh" when he talks about being "independent." The elec- tors are after such independent gentle- men with a sharp stick and will do the striking on the 28tih of June. If the editor of our town cotem. would take a campaign holiday to North Oxford he could have the "ex- treme pleasure" of hearing Sir Oliver Mowat denouncing the Patrons of Industry and declaring,that the Ontar- io Government had no use for the Patrons. Such being the case, how could any sane person dream of the two policies being the same ? There can only be one honest or intelligent conclusion. The two policies are as distant as the arctic region and 'the sweltering sunny south—a very long way apart. ash Goods. wash Goon Almost every description of hot Weather Wash Goods at this Store. °hallies, Wool Delains, Japonica Cloths,`} us- fins, Pine Apple Tissue, Delainettes, Fine Ging$ hams, Light Ground rints, India Linens, Victoria Lawn. All the above are here with us and are Fast Colors and Good Washers. GILROY & WISEMAN. ®awry-•-----anenasmW FAST SELLERS. We nre offering this week the BEST 250, PERFUME ever brought into Clinton, and can give you the following odors in GLASS STOPPER- ED BOTTLES, each bottle a Gem : EASTER LILLIES, WIATE ROSE, IIELLITROPE, CLEOPATRA, ORANGE BLOSSOM, MARY STUART, FRESIA, C'3ERRY BLOSSOM, ROCOCO, STEPHcINOTIS. HIGHLAND BELLS, LILAC BLOSSOM, ROSE GERANIUM, WOODVIOLET, MARY ANDERSON, JOCKEY CLUB, VIOLETS, FRANGIPAN NI. Just to hand 3 74ARRELS ST. LEON WATER. Close Prices in 5 gallon lots or by the Barrel. J.. H. COMBE, CHEMIST AND DRUCCIST, PHYSICIANS' SUPPPIES, ETC., ETC. N. B.—We carry the Largest Stock in the County. Mr. J. T. Garrow's majority in West Huron over Mr. Roberts four years ago was only 112. The Grit candidate for South Huron as a "wire -puller" among the Grits has been successful in securing the conven- tion, but the loyal people of that Rid- ing, we are sure, will refuse to have the ring placed in their pose like dumb animals being led to the slaughter. The voice of THE PEOPLE must rule. It may be that the Patron platform "varies but little from that of the Liberal party,"but it is astonishing with what virulence the patron candidates "catch it" from the Ontario ministerial press when they dare to contest a rid- ing as against a straight machine can- didate. Hon:' C. F. Frazer was so ill that he had to retire from the Mowat Govern- ment, but not too sick a man to accept the double position of Inspector of Registry Offices and Clerk of Forestry. There..is. a good fat salary. attached to these positions and of course this will let at least the secret out in part. He also desired to make himself safe prior to the people raking a change of Govern- ment. The 20th of June will, we hope, see the Meredith party in power. Among those who may not vote at the coming elections in Ontario are clerks of the peace, county attorneys, registrars, sheriffs, deputy sheriffs, deputy clerks of the crown, postmas- ters in cities and towns, salaried magistrates, officers of customs and officers of inland revenue. There is in- cluded in the schedule a greater pro- portion of intelligent men probably than any other list of occapations can show. Perhaps this is one reason why a Liberal government does not permit thein to have any say in the decision of its fate. • The Globe advances the argument of Conservatives when it says:—"Toronto owners of real estate who feel the pinch of hard times will realize that their brothers of Buffalo are in a very much worse condition by securing a copy of the Buffalo Commercial of Tuesd:•iy. It contains sixteen pages of advertise- ments of land to. be sold by the Comptroller's Department for overdue taxes." And still the Globe is hypo- critical enough to advocate the placing of Canada on even a worse business foundation to that which exists in Buffalo. Occasonatlly the Globe is hound to speak the truth, even though by accident. Talking about independence, Mr. Garrow to be honest must now give his active support to Patron Candidate Connolly. Mr. Garrow accepted from a partisan Grit convention the nomina- tion. His proclaimed independence and love of freedom, if sincere, cannot now allow him to ego to the poll. If independence is desirable in polities— and we know that it is—then Mr. Garrow must step down and out. Mr. Connoly is thoroughly untrammeled in this respect, and should of course receive the support of even the Grit candidate. We cannot have too much of a good thing. The Stratford Herald well says that a strong current of opinion in favor of a change has been bred by the Mowat Government's corrupt handling of several public departments and its general coldness towards real reform. Mr. Meredith is now unquestionably the leading Reformer of this Province and is besides the noblest type of pub- lic man in Canadian politics to -day. When so pronounced a Liberal paper as the St. Thomas Journal admits "It is men of Mr. Meredith's high character who are needed. in the council halls of the nation in these degenerate days," the people at large need fear no mistake in extending to him their confidence. According to the Globe, the Mowat party is represented in the present con- test by canadiates of the best type of the citizens of Ontario. , It is not chid- ing behind any other organization nor marching in strange uniforms, nor under new banners." The Patrons of Industry will be much indebted to the Mowat organfor this covert attack upon their institution. The Globe reports that Mr. Horsman, the Patron opponent of Sir Oliver in North Oxford, is holding "private meetings," and insinuates that he dares not Meet the people openly. No doubt the Premier and his friends will do all that is possible, both openly and secretly, to defeat the candidate of the Patrons in that and every other i• k. constituency. The cry of the Opposition is that the manufacturers are being made rich by the National Policy. Even Mr. Mills; M. P., joins in that cry in the House of Commons. In view of the fact that he has recently done so it is interesting to read a speech delivered by Mr. Mills upon the 22nd February, 1891, just previous to the election of that year. i)iscussing the manufacturers he de- clares, "No man in his senses could seriously argue that the manufac- turers are as well off as they were twelve years ago. The truth is that the manufacturing establishments in Canada were in a healthful condition Tprior to the adoption of protection: he stock of cotton manufacturers are lower than they were twelve years ago." All this ought to make• spicy reading for James David Edgar, who spends hours in the House of Commons telling how the cotton manufacturers have been enriched by the National Policy. The Montreal Witnessusually loses no opportunity of giving the Dominion government a stab. In view of this fact any favorable opinion it may ex- press upon the new tariff may he taken as a pretty weighty one. Here is what it said after the new tariff had been introduced. "Reductions are numer- ous and considerable. Large additions are made to the freetllst. The farmers get the lion's share of the favors. Iron and sugar duties are lower. Large reductions have been made in the duties on agricultural implements, smaller reductions on woolens, cottons and furniture. Though the Govern- ment may protest loudly that it holds by protection it has reduced the pro- tection tariff nearly all round. Only a peculiarly favored industry here and there being allowed to retain its old privilege . unimpaired. The farmers have received as they badly needed special consideration in the re- duction of the tariff." The Liberal Party at Ottawa are growing sillier this session than ever before. The tariff having been so fair and advatageous to the farmer, these gentlemen are badly at a loss for some points upon which to flnd fault. How hard they are up for reasons to condemn the Government may be un- derstood when we say that on Thurs- day night last,, Mr. Mills objected to the duty which the Government has placed upon shell oysters. His ground was that shell oysters were one of the necessaries of life, and that the people should not be taxed for them. To no one in Canada are shell oysters "ane- cessary of life." To those who are resi- dent in cities and a few others they are of course a very palatable luxury. But if there ever was an article on which a tax for the public treasury should be raised, it seems to us it is on just such luxuries as this one. The Government may tax shell oysters if they like 500 per cent, and not one farmer in ten thousand, nor one labor- ing man in 10,000 would feel the burden of one -thousandth part of a mill. If the Opposition have nothing better to do than to talk such rubbish as this parliament might better be prorogued, i