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Mr. Lethbridge brought up the mat-- ter of Mr. Lyons's referencs to the Cun-- ningham campaign and a brewery cheque and his subsequent explanatory interviews in the newspapers before the nrders of the day were called. First, the Progressive Leader read newspaper reports of Mr. Lyons's statements in the Legislature and later his reported in-- terviews. He pointed out that in these 'interviews Mr. Lyons was quoted as naving admitted that in the House he had meant to refer to the 1919 elec-- tion and not the 1923 election at Sault 3te. --"And," he added, in derision of the Drogressives of the Province, "they've heen using those tools ever since." 1919, Not 1923, Election. Attacked in the Ontario Legislature »esterday afternoon by John G. Leth-- wridge, Progressive Leader, and Hon. Blarry C. Nixon, Progressive stalwart and former Drury Cabinet Minister, be-- eause of his statements about the cam-- weign funds of J. B. Cunningham, Hon. James Lyons, Conservative member for isault Ste. Maric, and former Fergu-- on Cabinet Minister, refused to back down on his declarations. Not only did he refuse to retract, but "e hurled further charges at the Progressive group. He told them that * was monsy from th> liquor intor-- »sts that had been the chief aid in «ssfeating Sir William Hearst in 1919, and he flayed them on the ground 'that, while they called themsolves simon--pure temperance people, they #gave no support to Hearst on his high plene of tempserance, but "were out on the back concessions with their little romahawks and pitchforks." | 3 PROGRESSIVE CHIEF MAKES HOT ATTACK Money From Liquor Inter-- ests Chief Aid in Defeat-- ing Hearst in 1919, He States -- R e i t e r a t e s Claim -- That -- Brewery Cheques in Campaign Funds ns > LYONS, UNDER FIRE, REFUSES TO RETRACT . HIS SAULT CHARGES "UY q AJYf -- In the 1919 election, declared the ,| Progressive Leader, 'Hon. E. C. Drury had not even been a candidate, nor was _ there any connection between the then "1.F.O. and Cunningham, who was a 2 L.abor candidate. So, declared Mr. Lethbridge, Mr. Lyons's statement in 5 the House had been one to mislead the raembers and the Province at large "and seeks to put the Progressives on a par 1 with the Conservatives so far as cam-- r paign funds are concerned." "I am sure," Mr. Lethbridge declared, "that the Conservative members will not condons or sanction such tactics on the part of a member." g i0oDE WIICIL, LICUCallills 100 DVOVCIIILIIUNY) LA ex?lained with "I meant to say." Mr. Lethbridge emphasized those words, "I meant to say." "And I want to say," the Progressive Leader continued, "that Mr. Cunningham is a perfect gentle-- man, a man who would not stoop to such tactics as were brought forward in the House on this occasion." He then vreferred to a press report from the Sault declaring that in it Mr. Cunning-- ham denied Mr. Lyons's charges. Should Retract in House. The Progressive Leader wanted to say something on behalf of Mr. Cunning-- ham, but before doing so he referred again to Mr. Lyons's statements in the KHouse and his later remarks to The Globe when, recalling his statements, he "I want to say to the honorable mem-- ber, Mr. Lethbridge went on in regard to Mr. Lyons, "that with all the facts and the partial retraction--and thanks again to the press who followed him up--if he has any retraction or revision, on the foor of the House is the place to make that revision. It is due to the honorable member that he retract that statement on the floor of the House when he admits that he meant Cun-- ningham, not Drury or the Progressive Party. It is due to the House that the member put himself right and make a complete retraction, so far as the Drury Government and the Progressive Party are concerned. So far as Mr. Cunningham is concerned, that is a matter between the honorable member and Mr. Cunningham." _ . _ Mr. Lethbridge concluded with this and sat down. All eyes were on Mr Faiday. Fe#. 222 [ Lyons. Then, amid applause from the | Conservative benches, he rose to reply. "I may say that, so far as Mr. Cun-- ningham's statement is concerned," he started off, "that there is not much to retract. According to his interview he says that the only possible way the money could have reached cam-- paign funds was through the purchase of tickets which were sold to raise cam-- paign funds. If the brewery bought a wagonload of tickets at a dollar a ticket and used that money to elect Mr. Cun-- ningham, I presume that would be cam-- vpaign funds. He doesn't deny that the brewery didn't buy tickets." "Getting Monotonous." '"We've lstened," he continued, "tc a bombardment of innuendoes and in sinuations against this Government on campaign funds from liqtor interests and it's getting to the point of be-- ing somewhat monotonous at least. After listening to the member from East Kent (Chris. Gardiner), I thought they would have ceased. but he continued his insinuations with regard to the Con-- sorvative Party. And I thought it time to bring matters to his attention. Whether Mr. Cunningham at that time intended to be a member of the Drury Government or not, I don't know., But the way the honorable member from West Middlesex extolled his fine qual-- itiecs, they didn't disown him when he got down here. He was recognized as a Drury man." "Not in 1919," said Mr. Lethbridge. "3ir William Hearst," Mr. Lyons went on, "tried to give the people of this Province the last word in pro-- hibition. And where were the Proegres-- sives in 19192 Supzorting Sir William Hearst with his possibly highest plan: of temperance imaginable? No: they were out on the back concessions with their little tomahawks and pitchforks. And they have been using those tools ever since,. Sir William Hearst was defeated largely by funds contributed by the liouor interests to defeat him in that campaign." Would Publish Photos. Mr. Lyons told the House that hi had on public platforms in 1926 made the charges against the Cunninghém campaign fund; that he had said if his charges were denied he would publisi photographs of the cheques. "For," he added, "there was more than on cheque. And they never denied it. "It is simply because of the attitud« of the Progressives who posed as 1h: simon--pure temperance party of the Province, that these things arise," he added. "Their whole policy was tem-- perance. but their policy in this Hous: was entirely different. There was no substantiation of the temperance policy in this House after they came into power." "Surely he can make such a revision in this House where he made the origi-- nal charge," declared Mr. Nixon. Mr. Lyons's explanation did not satis= fvy Hon. Harry Nixon (Progressive Brant County). Mr. Nixon declarec that Mr. Lyons had not touched on the point at issue. Paraphrasing an °X-- pression used in connection with the recent vote of censure on a newspaper, Mr. Nixon declareydl that in this case "we have the slarxer shouted and the apology whispered." Mr. Lyons, said Mr. Nixon, had in subsequent news-- paper interviews revised the statement made in the House by explaining the brewery cheques had not been paid to the candidate in the Sault election. but to his campaign manager, and that it had been the 1919 election and not the 1923 election he had meant to refer to. RBut Mr. Lyons would make no re-- traction of his statements about the Cunningham campaign. He would, however, correct an impression of whom he meant when he talked about "little tomahawks and pitchforks." He was not referring to the farmers of the Province generally, said he, but to members of the Progressive Ferty. The Progres-- sives, he declared again, were guilty of hypocrisy. d ons o ie oo dn uk _ _And this ended the episode in the House. h hk L. "One of the first things they did after they came into power," Mr. Lyons declared, "was to grant about fourteen export licenses in Ontario. Eight were in Kenora and three in the same con-- stituency. I say this to show that a little bit of campaign funds from liquor interests would tarnish that simon--pure temperance party. _"No, no," Progressives protested against this, || || . _ [A "As far as any retraction is con-- cerned." he then declared, "I have non to make. I have stated facts. I mad© those statements on the public plat-- form and I have no hesitation in mak-- ing them again." "Not Even Whispered."