AFTER THE FRAY

Southland Times, Issue 20010, 26 October 1926, Page 2

AFTER THE FRAY

POLITICS IN CANADA. MACKENZIE KING’S SUCCESS. WHITE HEAT PERSONALITIES. Vancouver, September 23. Factionally described as the keenest, bitterest or most scurrilous campaign since Confederation, sixty years ago—according as one accepts the Liberal, Conservative, or Labour commentary—the general election of 1926 sees Mr Mackenzie King restored to power, with the certainty of being able to command a working majority. The public feeling was raised to-fever heat on the last day of the campaign by the announcement of six libel suits, instituted by the Prime Minister, Mr Mackenzie King, his first lieutenant, the Hon. Ernest Lapointe, and the late Minister of Customs, the Hon. H. H. Stevens, on whose revelations the investigation into smuggling and Customs irregularities was instituted. To such a pitch had matters come that Mr Stevens announced from a public platform that his mail, private and official, was being opened and prior to his receiving it. The Leader of the Labour Party, numbering three in a House of 245 members, says it is time for Labour to step in and clean up Canadian politics. QUIETUS TO

It is not surprising that the Liberals won the contest. It would not have been surprising had the Conservatives won it. There was no straight issue before the electors. It was a case of the Government being charged at the outset with lax administration in permitting smuggling. From that issue, the contest turned into personal channels, and raged at white heat. Finally, the issue uppermost was whether the 1925 Budget of the Mackenzie King Administration suited the country or not. Perhaps because it was admittedly a good Budget, and because it was the last dominating topic in the public mind, the Government that framed it met with success. The ill-fated speeches—yes and no, in English and French —of Mr Arthur Meighen, as to whether Canada should send troops to aid Great Britain, was kept before the people by the Liberal Press in the closing stages of the contest. These three factors—personalities, the Budget, and Mr Meighen’s tactical blunder in saying one thing before one racial division of the people and the opposite before the other-combined to give the quietus to the Conservatives* DEFEAT OF MINISTERS. Mr Meighen, Prime Minister, and five of his Ministers went down in the fray. This is the second time this fate has befallen Mr Meighen. There is nothing extraordinary about it, as it happened to Mr Mackenzie King last election, and that gentleman has courted the suffrages of the electors in five centres, extending from Saskatchewan to Nova Scotia. Under the Canadian constitution—unlike other dominions—Prime Ministers and Ministers must upon their appointment, immediately resign and go to a by-election, although they are only fresh from the hustlings and the ballot-box. With all the alliances and party undertakings assured him, Mr Mackenzie King will have a lease of power for five years at least. From French Quebec he will continue to get almost unanimous support. The Prairies, despite the formation of a new party there, will continue the support under which their Progressives established and maintained the balance of power in the last Parliament. The Liberals lost a seat each in Nova Scotia and British Columbia. The. latter province has voted Conservative since Confederation, and has now twelve Conservative members, with one Liberal and an Independent. It may be said that, in those centres where the British sentiment predominates, the Conservatives won; where the non-British sentiment ruled, the Liberals won. In the new House, the Conservatives will be alone, or expect to be alone, in the Opposition, while the Government Party will be made up of Liberals, Progressives, United Farmers, Labour and Independents. Now, as formerly, the Conservatives scorn any alliance. FUTILITY OF PERSONALITIES.

The fact that a party goes to the country from the Treasury Benches is generally in its favour. Hence the hand-to-hand struggle between Mr King and Mr Meighen for the reward of dissolution. Mr Meighen goes down while fighting from the Treasury benches. Had he fought from “outside,” it is claimed by the Liberals that they would have had a bigger majority. Certain it is that the election has proved that a campaign waged on personalities is profitless. The Liberals found that out in 1891, when they tried it on Sir John A. Macdonald. The Conservatives had a similar experience when these tactics were tried against Sir Wilfred Laurier. Last year, when they went to the country on a straight Issue of Protection, they did infinitely better, increasing their strength from 50 to 118 members. Those who used personalities most went into the discard.

The effect of the status of the dominions within the British Empire may be taken to be vastly different with Mr Mackenzie King in power than with Mr Meighen. The personnel of th 6 Conference has changed since it met in October, 1923. On the question of the dominions getting a bigger share of independence, Mr Mackenzie King holds strong views. On this question, it is considered likely here that Australia and New Zealand and Newfoundland may find themselves in one camp, opposite South Africa and Ireland. Canada’s weight in the scales wall assuredly be not light. It is known that Mr Mackenzie King will tilt the balance much further over than Mr Meighen would.