time to consider it as it should have been considered; we came to a verdict on insufficient evidence." At Macleod Mr. Borden, who had been very patient under the continuous bombardment of Grain Growers' addresses, which were more or less repetitions of one another, took exception to some remarks as being" in a lecturing tone which might well have been omitted." Lacombe and Red Deer were visited on June 27; Wetaskiwin and Edmonton on the 28th. At the Alberta capital the Conservative paper-The Journal-described the meeting as bigger than the one which Sir Wilfrid Laurier held in 1910 and added: " The signs that Mr. Borden is being accepted as the most practical and most honest statesman who has ever come to the West, are being witnessed everywhere he goes. The record of his Winnipeg meeting surprised all who heard it; he received at the very threshold to the West a welcome that the Prairie City had never before been known to give a statesman. At Brandon, Regina, and Medicine Hat he was welcomed in accordance with the utmost possibilities. At Calgary, at lowest computation, 5,000 people heard his message and he was hailed the next Premier of Canada. And, last night, Edmonton eclipsed all her former political receptions and filled her largest meeting place." Vegreville and Lloydminster were reached on the 29th and North and South Battleford on the 30th. Mr. Borden was at Prince Albert on July 1st-after a non-political reception at Lanigan-and was warmly welcomed. One of the mottoes at the meeting-where J. E. Bradshaw, M.L.A., presided-read as follows: "Reciprocity, Retrogression, Ruin." Here, as in several other cases, S. J. Donaldson, a Conservative member of the Legislature who had supported the Reciprocity Resolution, announced his change of mind and heart. At the Regina meeting A. B. Gillis, F. C. Tate and A. E. Whitmore had also sat with their Provincial leader (Mr. Haultain) on the platform. On July 3rd Mr. Borden spoke at Rosthern and Saskatoon-the Grain Growers of the latter place using 55 minutes in presenting their well-known views and leaving the visitor 5 minutes in which to respond before the public meeting in the Rink. Some of the phrases used in denouncing manufacturers were rhetorical and others were explicit: "Manufacturers have their hands bloody with the life-gore of the farmers. We regard Reciprocity as a measure of free trade and, therefore, endorse it. Soon we will not only have Reciprocity but also a large reduction of the tariff on manufactured articles. This will have to come. We deplore the action of Mr. Fielding in giving pledges to manufacturers that their products would not be touched." In his reply Mr. Borden showed obvious feeling as to the strong language used in some of the speeches. "I want you to understand that as far as the farmers of the West are concerned I have never spoken one word of a disparaging character against them. In the second place I do not doubt the perfect good faith with which you hold your views. But I want you to understand that my convictions are just as dear to me as yours are to you. And, let me say further, that I am absolutely opposed to the Reciprocity Agreement first, last and all the time. I want to tell you that if you had 60 per cent. of the votes of Canada in your right hand and offered to make me Prime Minister to-morrow I would not support it." Amid cheers from a minority he declared himself in favour of an Imperial preference and national autonomy. Meetings followed at Yorkton and Melville on July 4, at Birtle and Minnedosa on the 5th, at Grandview and Dauphin on the 6th, at Portage la Prairie and Gladstone on the 7th, Morden and Somerset on the 8th. The Melville meeting was marked by a Delegation asking for direct legislation, following a Referendum. On this matter Mr. Borden said he had an open mind. A practical application of it, however, was the desire of Conservatives that there should be a Reciprocity election. Reciprocity should not be put through a Parliament which was not elected on it. If the Referendum was a good thing he said he would expect the farmers to support the Conservative demand for an Election. In this he reiterated a statement made many times during his Western trip that Reciprocity should be postponed and proper representation given to the West before a general election. During this return visit to Manitoba Mr. Borden was explicit in several references to Canadian industries. At Grandview he said: "I propose to throw the trade of this country as far as it can possibly be done into British channels; but I would not destroy a factory in Canada to build a factory in Yorkshire. I stand for Reciprocity within the Empire, and within the Empire I stand for Canada first." At Dauphin he put it in this way: "I am pledged to the legitimate protection of our own interests but am anxious to place our trade as far as possible in British channels." At Somerset Mr. Borden gave the press a Message which expressed appreciation of the cordial reception everywhere given him and continued: The West is beginning fully to understand and realize the true meaning and import of the Reciprocity compact. When that realization or comprehension is complete the West will make short work of it. Since the commencement of our tour the tide of public opinion has commenced to run more and more strongly against the compact. Upon the questions of most vital moment to the West-the Hudson's Bay Railway, the terminal elevators and the chilled meat industry-the policy of the Conservative party met with enthusiastic approval at all our meetings. The same is true of our proposal to establish a division of the Railway Commission with headquarters west of the Great Lakes, which shall have special jurisdiction over railway matters in the far western Provinces. Of the three political tours of the West which I have made in the past nine years I consider this by far the most successful and the most satisfactory in every way. During this trip Mr. Borden had addressed 40 meetings and held 30 consultations, or meetings, with the Grain Growers Associations and United Farmers organization of Alberta; he had received 35 Civic addresses of welcome and a large number from political bodies; he had made a number of 5 minute speeches from the train and travelled 5,600 miles in the three weeks; he spoke to about 50,000 people altogether, while 25 subsidiary meetings were held in Manitoba. Everywhere the farmers were in evidence and the hostile feeling of the special organization represented was more or less obvious; everywhere the latter's advocacy of lower duties and reciprocal relations with the United States was strenuous and persistent. Almost everywhere the attention given to Mr. Borden's speeches was close and at least courteous. As to this tour an outside Conservative view of an interesting nature was given by the London (England) Standard on July 7th: "The Canadian Opposition Leader has triumphed over the greatest crisis in his political career. He has justified himself, he has revivified his party and, as we hope and believe, he has saved Canada both for herself and for the Empire. His speeches, indeed, are of the simplest texture. Running through all of them is the note of confident appeal to the great traditions of the men who confederated the Dominion and established the National Policy. In this simplicity lies their strength. The West is a new country, and in new countries men think little but feel strongly." Provincial Early in the Reciprocity discussion the Provinces commenced to take sides through their Governments, Action regard- Legislatures, and Party leaders. It was usually, but ing Reciprocity not always, along partisan lines. In Ontario the debate began on Feb. 2nd when Hon. A. J. Matheson, Provincial Treasurer, during his Budget speech expressed an obviously official view of the question. He referred to the Treaty of 1854-66, stated that Canadian imports and exports via the Ports of Montreal and Quebec had greatly decreased during that period, expected a similar and more extended process under the new arrangement-the Eastern Canadian ports to lose their NorthWest trade and urged Liberal members, especially, to consider the possible injury to Canada. "One of them speaking to their Government has ten times as much weight as a member of our party." Mr. D. J. McDougal (Lib.) took issue with this view: "I hope that the Liberal Government will keep on looking to the interests of the agricultural portion of the community. I hope the Reciprocity Treaty will be ratified and that a magnificent market of 90 million people will be opened up to the farmers. This will increase the value of their farms and produce." Mr. A. G. MacKay, the Leader of the Opposition, at a meeting in Dundas on Feb. 11th deprecated Legislative interference in such matters. 'As to little local interests they would have to adjust themselves." He scouted the idea put forth by some opponents 66 that reciprocal trade arrangements with the United States would lead to the disintegration of the British Empire. "How ridiculous, to think a man cannot ship an old horse over the line without shipping his nationality with it; or that if two men swap horses it will mean disintegration of both their families." On Feb. 15th Mr. MacKay presented in the Legislature a long Resolution, upon various matters, concluding as follows: "This House deplores the growing tendency on the part of members of their Government to introduce Federal issues into our debates and regrets the organized attempt of Ministers and their supporters to discredit the Agreement for better trade relations between Canada and the United States which, if consummated, will prove so beneficial to Canada and especially to the agriculturists." Sir James Whitney, the Premier, followed in a review of the question from the national and Imperial points of view-quoting Annexation utterances at Washington and indicating his idea of the current situation as follows: "The two Dominion Ministers went to Washington thinking to pacify the Western farmers, and, to their monumental surprise, they found Mr. Taft prepared to go much further than they had anticipated. And so they brought back the dynamite in their suit-cases. A little bird is whispering that Mr. Fielding and Mr. Paterson are shivering in their seats at Ottawa." The life of Canada, he concluded, had begun through the death of Reciprocity in 1866. The Opposition motion was lost by a vote of 80 to 16. To the London Daily Express on Feb. 21st, in reply to an inquiry, Sir James cabled this opinion: "President Taft struck the keynote on the Reciprocity question when he said 'Canada is at the parting of the ways.' The idea hidden under this expression indicates the view held for many years by all intelligent Americans, namely, that when the proper time comes Canada will drop away from the British Empire like ripe fruit from a tree. Champ Clark said nothing more than has been said from day to day by the best men in the United States." Reciprocity would mean the undoing of the work of years. In the Legislature on Mch. 9th the Premier moved a Resolution of which the important part was as follows: Canada's tide of prosperity and contentment is still rising and her position and influence as an essential part of a consolidated Empire are becoming more assured. No arrangement with a foreign state should be considered which might even jeopardize the continuance of her present satisfactory condition, much less this Agreement for Reciprocity with the United States of America, negotiated in secret and without any authority from her people, which, if made effective, would in the opinion of this House to a large extent reverse the policy which has brought Canada to her present enviable position, would cause widespread and revolutionary disturbance in her business, would curtail and hamper her freedom in developing her own resources in her own way, would cause serious injury to many industries and to Canada as a whole, would check the growth and development of trade between the various parts of Canada with each other and between Canada and the Empire, would result in Commercial Union with the United States, would weaken Canada's position and influence as a unit in the British Empire, would frustrate her hopes of nationhood within the Empire, and would lead to Political Union with the United States. Sir James quoted freely from the speech by President Taft as to parting of the ways" and from J. J. Hill's utterances and Champ Clark's speech. The aim of the United States was to gain control of Canada; Reciprocity was a means to that end; Canadians would have nothing to do with it. Amidst tremendous Conservative applause the Premier added: "Under a beneficent Providence, and while we are working out our political destiny, and pointing an object lesson to the other nations of the world; while we are working up to wonderful commercial prosperity, and when this wonderful prosperity has reached its zenith, a foreign potentate comes and says we are at the parting of the ways, and we must abandon the path our fathers trod and come into something entirely different before it is too late. The people of Canada will not respond to any such bidding." C. M. Bowman (Lib.) claimed that the Agreement would help the development of Canada and nothing else; R. R. Gamey (Cons.) declared that the United States would soon lower its duties anyway; J. McEwing (Lib.) claimed the opposition to Reciprocity to be a manufactured and unreal one at the back of it was the manufacturers' fear that lower duties on their products would come next; W. H. Hoyle (Cons.) declared that he would rather treat with any other nation in the world than with the United States if the upbuilding of Canada was the object; Valentine Stock (Lib.) followed at length. On Mch. 10 W. H. Hearst appealed to the House on the ground that Reciprocity would injure Northern Ontario. "We have the richest manufacturing centre on the continent-when the north country, in which we are going to have towns and cities, has its factories ready to utilize its raw materials and to furnish a market for the farmers of the Province of Ontario. Reciprocity will not benefit the farmer in Northern Ontario. Sault Ste. Marie, with its great factory population, is largely supplied from the farms of Grey, Bruce and Huron. These farmers will lose that market and the farmers of Michigan will gain it." The debate continued on Mch. 14th with W. Proudfoot, W. J. McCart, and T. R. Mayberry as the Liberal speakers and J. W. Johnson, A. H. Musgrove and T. S. T. Smellie as the Conservative speakers; on the 15th Dr. MacKay, Jacob Kohler, S. Clarke and A. Studholme spoke for Reciprocity while W. S. Brewster, Dr. Jamieson and Evan Fraser opposed it. On Mch. 17th the discussion was closed with an able and lengthy address from A. G. MacKay, the Opposition Leader. He claimed that Liberalism and the principles of progress demanded Reciprocity; that the only alternative "parting of the ways" was free trade within the |