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

" repeat," replied Mr. Raney, "that this Government is asking power to legislate by Order-in-Couric cil. (Cries of 'Not. No.") How, then, are you going to get these questions across? And then there is, of course, the financial side. The Provincial Treasurer tells us there is going to bee. dtrtteit ot $5,000,000 next year. Where is the money to come from? The Provincial Treasurer tells us there are to be no new taxes. Other members on that side of the House let the eat out of the bug. The Bud.. get is to be balanced by revenue from the liquor trattle. That is to be the bait to lure the people of Ontario back to the fteshpots ot Egypt." f'The speaker must know that he is absolutely incorrect," interpolated the Premier. "I think he should ieont1ne himself to reasonable ae- icuracy" "I omitted to say the {Government was going to use this Hall] as a bait," replied Mr. Haney. , "nu- annbnn I Hanan-u..- oL:_ Leo: "And, in the second place, I de- nounce this bill as an attempt by the Prime Minister to usurp the powers and functions of this Legislature. " there is to be a. referendum, it ought to bee. real reerendum. The propagpg 'amendments to the O. T. A. ought fo be drafted and brought before this Legislature for approval anesthen ,WbWtE"? t9. the Depple. "Mr. Speaker, I denounce this bill, in the firtrt place, as a betrayal of the electors, and especially the tem- perance Conservatives of Ontario. by the Prime Minister, and as a be- trayal of this Legislature, and par- ticularly of the Conservative party, to the liquor interests, which, if this bill is passed. will dictate the mat- ters that are reserved by the bill for the determination ot the Gov- ornment. Here again the Premier took ex- ception to the remarks of the speaker. "I am sure," he said. "that the honorable member does not de- sire to make a statement not in ac- cordance with the facts. His state- ments which he has just made are entirely untue." -. - '_, "Then there comes from supporters of the Government the suggestion of a return to local option and the sub- mission of that question to the elec- tors than which nothing that could be suggested would be more satis- factory to the liquor trade. And this Legislature is asked, by this bill, to authorize this Government to legis- late on all these subjects. It is the negation of responsible government. It is government by Order-in-co- oil. It the Conservative members of the House lend themselves to it they will be false to the electors who sent them here to make the laws of the Province, not to delegate other men to make the laws." Premier Protests Again. Asks Pointed question. The Premier. said Mr. may. had made no announcement prior to the oomine into power of his Govern- ment of an intention to hold 9. refer- endum, but had announced that any aetion would b0 dictated by a mand- [lest desire of the people, to refuse whom would he automatic. " want now to ask the Premier if he thinks there has yet been a sufficiently manifested desire on the part of the people for a. change," Mr. Raney continued. "I would like him to answer me now." - "The answer is simple. Ministers and members on the opposite side o the House promised the liquor trade a referendum-not conditional upon a tsufficiently manifested desire for a. change. but conditional on the election of a Conservative Govern- ment, and the Conservative Govern- ment is here and the liquor trade won't wait. "tPhat," amid Mr. Raney. "is prob- bly what you have told Your fol- lowers. The Prime Minister has, I have no doubt, told his supporters that there may never be a. referen- dum under this bill, that there will not be a referendum unless there is a 'truNeiently manifested desire for o. change.' But, I tell them now that if this bill passes there will be a. ,tf1ttrendtuttt before the snow flies again, and that that matter has been gettled--'the riddle is almdy read.' If not, why this bill at all? Why not wait until there is a truftieRmtly manifested desire for a change, ate has always been done in the past in the cases of liquor referenda? Calted on by the Speaker. Pre- mien- mrgvuson gave the answer that the Government would decide when the time for decision came. 'ruclan, (jar Moreover. there ought to be only one referendum, not reterenda from time to time at the dictation of the liquor trade, and the Legislature should tix, approximately at least. the date of the submission of the questions. As it is, the Legislature is asked to give a Government head- ed by a Prime Minister, who is hos- tile to the Ontario Temperance Act, as I have shown by his utterances. an irrevocable power of attorney to do with the act what he pleases. "if the Legislature passes this hill, it will vote with its eyes shut, but with the eyes of the liquor trade and the Moderation League wide open. "The present bill runs counter to all precedents. I appeal to the tom- peranoe men in the Governrnent's following to stand by the Ontario Temperance Act of Sir William, Hearst and to demand of this Sity/cl ernment that this bin be withdswnl and that no other him be introduced'; in its place until the Government can Show to them aNn1fnttiently mani- fasted demand for a change in the law; and when that time comes. it over it does, I appeal to them to in- sist that the Govgrmnemt bring down a him by the terms of which both the Legislature and the electors will be taken mm the confidence of the Gov- ernment." Mr. McKoown Speaks. Charles McKeown, Conservative member tor Dufferin, declared that, although a dry himself, the former Attorney-General could not, and "never will," speak for the temper- ance Conservatives whom he repre- sented. Mr. Raney's eloquence, he said, had been directed toward mak- ing the people believe that the Con- servative party was today catering to the liquor element, whereas Mr. McKeown took no second place to any person in the House or Province on the liquor question. Defending the temperance record of the Conservative party, of Which he said he was extremely proud, he asked when legislation had ever fol- lowed' referenda put to the people by Liberal Governments. The Con- servative party had furthered the temperance cause by sane legislation which culminated in the act of 1916. When he entered the Legis- lature. he said, he was opposed to the three-fifths clause, but the late Sir James \Vhitney and the late Hon. W. J. Hanna had convinced him of the necessity for a substantial ma- Jority of public opinion in the en- forcement of such legislation. "When we start to make a man moral by act of Parliament. we should have at least a good body of opinion behind us, and if a good ma- Jority are not prepared to stand by the O.T.A., I will say let us get back to where we belong, and the late Attorney-General and I have got to educate them again and bring them up to our standard," he said. Hon. Manning Doherty, Progress- give Leader, said he was sadly disam- pointed in Attorney-General Ndcklve's failure to give any idea ot the policy of the Government in regard to the referendum or plebiscite. Moves Six-Months Holst. "It the Government feels," he said, "that there is sufficient demand from the people for a vote, I have nol objection. I a.m prepared at all times to trust the people. It the people are informed, ltcis better that they should have-their will, even if they brave wrong. But I would have liked to have Been the Government bring {in a. bill which set forth the questdons which are to come upon the ballots on the day of polling. The crux is the wording of the bal- lot. 'I'say that the ballot can be worded to get any result that may be desired. Because of the fact that the bill does not meet these require- ments, I must oppose it, and I move, seconded by Hon. Mr. Ravney, that this mu be not now read a second time, but. that id be read a second tiny gig: months hence." F. W. Wilson, Conservative mem- ber for Windsor, held that the Gov- ernment had a, clear mandate in the elections to plane a referendum on the \issue of the O. T. A. before the 10490919. Te. Ayelared himself to be. without qudbbling against the Ontaric Temperance Act's "vicious features." Mr. 1tanegr, he told the House, was not to be 4aken too seriously on the issue, because he had been thiacrxydlit. ed inst summer. and for a mom-aster? period had. acted ht a. paid capacity McKoown, Conservative ft "You've gaming curious," "new hated the Premier. H. Fisher, WC., Ottawa, did not think the act was Perfect. " am willing to admit," he said. "thal there are some people. who can drink liquor and come to no harm and I'd hike to have it so that the); could get it. In some respects I don't like the act. But, after ob- serving its omyration, I can come to no other conclusion than that it is an infinitely better law than we have ever had and a far better law than rules in any other mam." By the him which was under diss cusslo'n the Government had decided that it would not take the views of the members of the House, hut would leave decision entirely with the Cabinet, which meant, eftect'ive- 1y, entirely with Premier Ferguson. The people, he declared. should un- deratannd what an arrogant, insolent, arbitrary measure it was that. was being thrust on the House. "Some, one asked Premier Ferguson when the vote Would be taken." he con- tinued. TPhe Premier remains as mum as an oyster." humor. (Governnuiit- Good Word for Act. to uphold the local opal-onlawg. Con 'requerttgy, Mr. Wilson. said, he prob ably had a. biased viewpoint, eouplrye with an utter lack of a sense 0; humor. (Government applause.) T. A. Thompson (Lanark. North) pointed out that the bill was simply carrying out promises made on every Conservative platform during the recent election. - J. J. Lethbridge (Frost. East Middlesex) registered his opposition on the ground that the bill was too "wide oppn." __ . -- x. A. C. Garden (Com, Hamilton West) claimed the temperance is- sue had defeated three Governments. If prohibition prohibited, he would stand for it. The change to total prohibition was too great, and a better Province would arise under a wise, moderate beer lung - . E. P. Telller (Lib., Essex North) said he was opposed to the bill be- cause it w..s vague a.nd did not de- tine anything. __ --- D. J. Taylor (Progressive. North Grey) asked why there should be such a rusth to obtain such powers under the bill: If the Premier was surmis- ing the future sentlrnent, he was trot fully taking temperance members of Iris party into hh, confidence. The value of the vote would depend on the fotmt of M1001. All members of the House should have the oppor- tunity of a voice in its framing. J. W. Widdiffeld. Ontario \Veet. declared himself an out-and-out sup- porter of the O.T.A. He criticized the Premier and his Cabinet for taking upon themsMves the responsibility they sought of framing the pieblscitv questions. He wished that the ques- tion had not been submitted as a Government measure. What's the Rush? tlet.) pointed out that there were those whose temperance views were not blinded by personal prejudice who did not oppose a plebiscite. The measure before the House was simply a bill to enable the Premier to carry out a solemn promise made to the electorate before the last election. VA}. GGiiairiit" -tiGjrouse adjourned. Renard ( Northumberland