A CANADIAN LETTER

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume XI, Issue 554, 4 January 1916, Page 7

A CANADIAN LETTER

: ■"■ • ■+ ; — At the present time all Canada is convulsed by the recent action of Mi- Armand Lavergne, Nationalist M.P. for Quebec, "who has declined the command of a regiment offered to him by Major-general Sir Samuel; Hughes, Minister of Militia. For some months . Mr- Lavergne has been preaching to French-Canadians that they should nob take part m tins war until the Government of the Province of Ontario give to their : French-Canadian population the •unrestricted right to teach their language, m -the. -Roman- Catholic separate schools, to the exclusion of the English language. Now he writes to the Minister refusing the command* and states that ho will -.only accept it when compelled to. The writer commences a long letter as follows It- • As- you already know, I am and have always been opposed. to the participation of Canada, m the wars of the Empire. I cannot assume the responsibility of asking Canadians to take part m a war which is not m the, defence of Canada. But if J .he (Government believe that Canada should participate, it is for them to 'recruit troops. If the number oi volunteers is insufficient, the military law furnislies . the means to fill the ..ranks.. Let , me. tell you that if I was of the opinion that. Canada should take part m this war 1 would not hesitate to favor conscription.' But I have always opposed, through the Press and on,, the . .HuEtines m the Provinces of Ontario, and Quebec, all participation by;Oanada m foreign war except for tho defence of our territory. Such a letter naturally brought^ fortli •wholesale denunciation) by the English Press and the majority of the French Press* m the . Dominion. Several newspapers are dubbing Lavergne a traitor 'and firebrand, and pointing out that he is stirring up ill-feeling and hatred between th« two chief races m Canada. Concerning this " question/- r Le Temps,' which is the leading French daily m Ottawa, says : "Of such friends wo have too many. Should -the Almighty rid us of them we could.' settle with our enemies, and 1 then ere long '^e would' have all the French we desire." ' . : * * ♦****■ As a tribute to ~M:ss Edith- Cayell, the; Britidi nura^: who was murdered m Belgiiun,' Sir Kicljard.M'Bride (Premier of the Province of British Columbia) bis suggested that Mount Rofceon, which is over laOCOft high' and "one of the highest of the peaks m. the Rocky Mountains, be called after the devoted nurse who died from Hun hands. All Canada is much incensed over her death. * * ■*""*■'* * * At last the United States is waking up to its unpreparedness. The- Utica ' Globe, 1 one of' the papers which circulates m Canada, says : " Now military men are waking up. Shall we dawdle along as England did and be caught unprepared? England thought it a, preposterous idea that she should feel m one day long, sharp bayonets. Within a few months it has become known to the most of us that our navy has fallen to the fourth place m the ■world, where it once was second. Within a year we have laeard the solemn warning that we have «only 30,000 troops ready for action to-morrow, and a paper strength of only llO.tyK) militia. But the watchman oh the. wall says: '<*et ready.' If the. watchmen are worth their salt their .-warning should be worth heeding." , '♦.'"#,*_"* # * * . • A sensation was caused at Winnipeg on November 13. by. -the sudden death at the Hotel Alexandra of the Hon. Dr Montague, ex-Minister of Public Works i^i the Roblin Administration, and who was, one of; -the principal actors m the alleged" "graft" conspiracy arising out of the-' letting of the contract for the new Government buildings; at Winnipeg. Death was due .to heart failure. ., Deceased was connected .with Canadian politics since 1883, when he tried, unsuccessfully to enter the Provincial Legislature of Ontario. He was returned to. the ,House of m 1887, but this, election was, nullified. He was again returned at the by-election m November of the same year, but the Supreme Court voided the election. In. January, 1889, he was rejected at another by-election, but this time, his successful opponent was unseated, and* the doctor gained the seat at the resultant by-elec-tion. Thence till 1908 he held the. seat against all-comers ) was sworn by the Privy Council, and 1 attained Cabinet rank, first as an honorary Minister m the Bowell Administration, and later as Minister of Agriculture.' -Removing to Winnipeg, he entered the Provincial Assembly of Manitoba and became Minister of Public Works m Sir A. Roblin's Administration. .Thomas Kelly, head of the ; contracting firm who are joined with three members of the Roblin Administration m the conspiracy charge, " skipped " across the border, but extradition proceedings against him were soon put m train, and he was arrested at Chicago. ■ , * ..# ~ # . .#■ # *. * v A peculiar and unusual case has been investigated by the medical faculty of Chicago.. . Eight months ago Mrs Elizabeth Hochberger had typhoid fever, from which she recovered, but did not feel herself for some time afterwards. Finally, it dawned upon, her m some dim way that # tiring the. delirium of fever she had swallowed v a table > knife. The doctors said that she was ip^/d, but she held resolutely to her theory. " s Oh November 22 6,he. ; was put under the,J£rrays, and, sure enough, the photograph showed a lOin knife lying m a diagonal pdsitiori m the lower part of the woman's stomach. Accordingly an operation to. remove the obstruction was performed. ■„-..# * # ♦■- -*• #■•■-♦ An ambulance fund has been started amongthe school children of Nova Scotia for? the purpose of purchasing a motor ambulance for presentation to the War Office. It is estimated to cost £450, and. the idea has caught the children's fancy so well that'the: nioney is alreadyMtt sight. * * * * * * * The Canadian troops for the front will be housed this winter m armories, drill halls, . exhibition palaces, ,an.d; similarly large structures throughout 'the country. This plan of concentration m populous centres is regarded- as - the most effective, method of wintering the men, for whose comforts complete arrangements have been mihde.' '■'■ ' " " - ' •*■'*;;' * * ;■-_#■ * # Booker T/ Washington, the famous colored' preacher, teacher, and orator, diet! afciTizskegee (A ; la.-) ; on; ; November 14. He ■was. ;4he; tack^owled^ed champion of the negro. race,.,. He was born a slave at Haley Ford, Virginia,' ahout; 1 18^8'. " He was thrice marriea,^nd''had*'twd sons and one daughter. He was educated at Hampton Ind%tyjal;'Jpßtijbute- . and at Wayland Seminary, Washington. He became instructor at Hampton Institute and teacher m West Virginia public schools. He won fame as a speaker and author, and became principal of the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute for colored students. He was a man of such ability and ■character that he won the friendship of

I many distinguished white men, whose association with the negro orator and author was much resented by those m whom racial prejudice survives. # * * * * # * Mr Smith and Mr D. Cuthbert, respectively superintendent at Fanning Island and Bamfield (Vancouver) cable stations, exchanged positions at the end of last month. Ottawa, November 10.