The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

tm m ie " eerraaemi f r > ' Cl «> * '1'37 ' 24 # ';v""%' A4. '" Tikya C _ o ho i ika: * _ . dn °_ !fi fl' FER 'l lIlEmVBAI'\Es . P m P is ; | Hon. Mr. Lucas Does Not Admit | Evil Exists ' | i | Mr. Rowell Calls for Agreement Upon i Great Principle and Quotes Sir | George Foster--Atiorney--General's | Roeasons Against. l . The patronage system was attacked ' in the Legislature yesterday after-- noon by the Opposition, and a call was made for a non--partisan Civil Fervice -- Commission, appointments and promotions by merit, and that the purchase of supplies for the public service should be by tender in open | competition after due public notice. | f The Liberals who took part in the dis-- | | cussion were Messrs. N. W. Rowell, 8. Carter, J. H. Ham, T. Scott David-- | | son, Nelson Parliament, and Alfan 5 EStudholme, Labor, while those who }spoke on the Government side were] | Hon. I. B. Lucas, A. E. Donovan and | | ex--Speaker Hoyle. The Attorney--| 'Gencrul denied that there was any / |spoils system in 'Ontario, and re--| | marked on the absence of a practic-- | |able plan to improve existing condi-- | | tions.. The Liberal leader, on the | other hand, desired an approval of ! the principles embodied in the resolu-- | tion, and after that a united effort to reach a practicable solution. | | The Resolution. . | '"That in the opinion of this House the patronage system is inimical to the highest efficilency of the public service and to the best interests of the country ; ' that the public interests demand (1) | _ the creation of a non--partisan Civil service Commission, with ample powers, l and that all the appointments and pro-- motions in the public service should be | by merit ; and (2) that the purchase of | all, supplies form the public service should ' be by tender in open competition after _ due public notice." IPutronage is Fos of Liberty. Speaking to this motion, whichl |stood in his name, Mr. S. Carter| | (South Wellington) said he would | never attach himself to a party which | did not make it a fixed policy to re--| | move. root and branch, party patron-- [age. "I have reached the conclusion | in my own mind," he said, "tha.tl while we may prate about liberty andl the libex:ty that has been given us a.s' an Empire, no community, no naticn, and no Government can have real lib-' erty till we have reached this point. There can be no real liberty of the' subject : whils there is a patronage | system practised which insists that a man who gets any oflice must belong to the party in power before he can get it. So far as I can see, for the last twenty--five years the machine of about 100 men on each side in every riding, linked up with the liquor traf-- | fic, has dominated politics; the rest of / the people have not had the slightest | | show. When we get rid of the liquor | | traffic there is some prospect of real, | | solid government by the people and | | for the people. All men should stand' equal in the privilege of voting and serving the State." Mr. Carter stated the party in pow-- er went into battle with more than 25 ! per cent. advantage on account of the | patronage system than the party, on the other side. ' Attorney--General's Sarcasm. _--_--Hon,. Mr. Lucas, who followed the member for South Wellington. wa.sg sarcastic, making what Mr. Studholme | later termed '"a lawyer speech." The.: Attorney--General said that on paperi the motion looked well. As to the, abolition of the patronage system, if his honorable friend could show' how ' _. it could be done and be practically |