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_ - _ . whit It" proper or "up: uper in election i ' would like: but the time ttr commit: contests. F Such being the case, they ' when we wilt get a lam majority. had to deal with the evil as heat they 21 (Cheenm We will have it. We have could. He did not Mow.whv there confidence in the people; they have should have been such an Epidemic of Contidenee in us." . corruption as there seeme to have After a reference to Mr. Whitney 8 been in Canada for the last few years. comments on the hyphenated} Govarri- not only in Provincial but Dominion ment, Mr. Ross went on :--" ow 9 elections. There were; for example, the a Rose Government. and " is as strong corrupt practices resorted to in Win- as JI.f,f; \tt'hgtlaer the gentleman lac', nipeg, Brandon, Portage) la'Pritéa? sad, tt yp ena e overnmen or no. - other places 'in Manito a n ' t e ; will she him a Liberal Government. a ballot-stuffing in North Ontario and the l, good f'/e','r,',7/l'te'ltc' :etmlll 211831.33? irregularities in Soutlh grey, East no ma erw a ne e a es. '2 Northumberland and esew ere, a n icy "in be defended not only here. but connection with Dominion elections. everywhere. not by me alone, but by Whether the practices of the Conserva-e all thuge Spartans at my'back. (Gov- tive party in the House of Commons if/J",",,'?" cheers.) It will be defended for so many years had anything to do .by the Lihe.rul party of thit, country, with infecting the Liberal party was lwhohknow the traditions g','i',itte'."'t%v, more than he could say. There was inf t e hon. trent emen oppotr e, w o no doubt that "evil communications can trust them nowhere else except in ccrrupt good manners." and the com- . the cold shades of Opposition, except ' ' . municatlons in this instance were where they are powerless for mischief. t t.. . Peb . very evil indeed. It was under except where they are amenable to that . l .. ' such peculiar circumstances as he . public, opinion which will consign them l to the obscu , . had enumerated that the general ' r ty from which they have , ' l never yet been able to emerge and elections of 12508 were begun. He ad- 1 . ' mitted that corrupt practices on the , from which they will not emerge until 1 of the Co se ativea did not ex- ,the, crack of doom." (Loud Govern- W" " _ P. .rv ' .,/ . ment cheers l case Liberal wrong-doing, but in View f ' of the Government's determination to; i tdre,.t.hi" point the House rose for rhntntee the political atmosphere. of Cn-' . tario, the Opposition should sce to "t. Election Irregularitles. that no offences were committed on, . their own side. The Conservative party Referring to his ll hitby speech, Mr. could not be identified with any system-i a?" Cl',',"),":', the gm"? tlsat'th; Kt. atic or continuous efforts to prescrvel t'sC was ere ma e 0 t e np o nt- the purity of elections, but the Liberal ment of a commission to.!ynuire into tarty had always stood up for one- the West Elgin irregularities. That toral purity. Under these clrcnm- A. promise. he claimed. had been fulfilled stances it was unfair of Mr. Whitney ',to the very letter. In the same speecn to try to create the irnprceasion that l the statement was made that the Lib- the Liberals sought to countenance or . eral party at present in power in On- encourage political immorality. , tario had taken the first step through MF ' . i the constituted courts of the land to Tampering With Ballots. deal with election irregularities. In Tho purchase of a man's vote, at- ",1t (',toattC',Tilti Mr. Ross b',',',',',?,',',?,-',',':, mil though bad enough in itself, was not . . r S) a ng na persona sensea to no " ... all, but the reference was to the action: t'Lolu"/Jr"el't"/' tig,tnv1T,1t,rte')it/t1 an" Ir the Government as a Government: been cast. The ballot-box should c, I ttdrat. tho controverted elections act, .1. , - . ' ' . . the Preni -. t t h c, retrart ed as l. sac.e(l trust, but appal- Attorn ye,,"...,',?",' on I' say, t e AMEN e'ntly it was not so respected in West a .11 I" vita au'tho zed to proceed Elgin. There were other cases of hai- 3' .n' pet"sonN reported for corrupt lot irregularities in connection with the practices. and the Judges were author- Provincial elections of .1398. but the ized to issue summonses against per-l> only (ago of the character rcportcd " l son's shogvn during a trial to have been, the Judges was in West Elgin. Mr. gu ty o corrupt practices. Further-; Whitney by inference argued that more, it was the privilege of any citi- North Waterloo should also have been l zen to enter an action against any inquired into. The law, however, prom person reported for such wrongdoing. vided that no commission of inquiry' The Government promised to bring per- should issue except where no petition strips] '2"//12 for corrupt practices for had been presented against an election, r a . am a so to-issue a commission. or where a petition having been pre- In regard to the first matter, prosecu- Hunted. the proceedings had termiriat~ tions had been begun in the order in vd. NOW. the proceedings in the North width the cases were reported. begin- Waterloo case had not yet terminated. st ning with South Ontario. The rota and so the Government were debut-red l JudgH; who had to try the cases wurc' by statute from making inquiry into it. 10ccupiod alsqlwith other suits. hut they T2106 impression might exist in the, .'-"re proccel n as fast as the could. m n fl " some t at the c, vcrnmcnt l'l'lxc cl'fir'0,f,1,'dft had fulfilled "in 'll?,: should have issued a Ci,nrfr'l.l'srl'l', to mise to bring bribers to Justice as rlryiuir,e.l.ntor'ryrrupt practirms genvru'ls'. l irrernptly as wasdin their power, and _1s'/y.v/li,'si, "miter? fut")? in tillat regard? no 1ntrmoret'oul be donei tha n - y. . tnSS on in) n ct out that It cum- 'ncction, Mr. Ross declare: thattctlrie Emission of such sweeping scope would 1"y1rr)yyy,? of the political morality of 1haly ontailed the investigation of "WW" .5 1"uumunlty Was as important as thei 1vwjs?,ti'iif,ohr,tohj. of thc clcctions krill vi.'.', Preservation of any other form of mor- l t ' am another 'sletstion would havr- . ably. and he lamented the fact that been due before the Judges had got . . C half wav throu h th lr . 'k "will People. who would scorn to cheat I Had ti ts' IE ett " E" .' ' thcirnseurhbors of a sixpenny bit, some- ieyer 11;," meeded man" esfigam m , times had very loose opinions as to y l' ni', thtt woul .hate Pee" .. -.. 1...-.. _ _ . e . ' f