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Messrs. Sinclair and Nixon Challenge Bill at Second Reading--Dispute Arises as to Whether Mercer Decision Applies--Women to Take Up Discussion at Meeting and May Make Whole Problem Elec-- ticn Issue in West York Contest Legatee "Cheated," Say Liberal Women; Protest Planned Principle of the Henry Govern-- ment's legis.ation providing for con-- fiscation of the $520,000 fortune of the late Charles Millar, for use in the University of Toronto, was srenu< ocusly opposed in the Legislature yes-- terday by Liboral Leader William E. N. Sinclair and Hon. Harry C. Nixon, Progressive Leader, and, in securing second reading, Lad to run a ver.ta-- ble gauntlet of Opposition "No's,' '"'Terrible's" and remarks of an ex-- tremely Gdercgatory nature. id s SIX MONTHS' HOIST IS OPPOSITION PLAN A belated effort on the part of the Opposition to get a vote was preciuded by the Speaker's "Carried" and the voice of Premier Henry announcing the next item of business from the order paper. The vote question, The Globe understands, is ncot to be drop-- ped, hcwever, and, when the bill reaches committee stage, the Oppo-- sition will move and press for a six months' FLoist. There was atbtsolutely no need, M:. Sinclair argued, during second read-- ing, for the Government to put the bill through this session. Already, he said, public cpinion was. to his be-- lisf, mounting against the measure. The estate moneys were in the hants of trus; companies, and would be in just as good shaps a year from now as at the present time. Mcreover, by next session, he felt, questions of liti-- gation, now obtaining, would prosb-- ably be disposed of and out cf the way. All steps so far, said he, indi-- cated that Mr. Millar's will was a proper one, and tha't he was in a purely rational state of mind when he made it. Until it was shown that the will was illegal and void, the Govern-- ment should "hold its hand." | tion of the bill as "a most amazing y precedure." _ _ "Yos," said Colon>l Price, "the An-- drew Mercer estate." "I mean," said Mr. Nixon, "where an Attorney--General actually stepped in as you are doing now." as) 4 "Have we any precedents for such : action of the Government?" esked | Mr. Nixgn of Attorney--Gensral Wil--| liam H. Price, the bill's sponsor. | Locking at the matter from what he tormed "the point of view of the ordinary citizen--not any lawyer's'"-- Mr. Nixon condemned the introduc-- "Yes." said Colonel Prise. "We had a bill founding the Mercor Refooma-- Premier Henry heatedly interposed the explanation that the late Mr. Millar was a graduate of the Univer-- sity of Toronto, and that a former will of his had stipulated that the estate go to his alma mater. "Why," said he, "the courts haven't yet passed on the validity of the will, and still we have the Government stepping in to seize the monsy and turn it over to the University of To-- ronto. What could be more amazing and more disquieting? What guaran-- tee has any one got against similar action on the part of the Govern-- ment if this measure goes through? And may I ask if it is because To-- ronto is the Provincial university that the money is going to it? Why not Queen's or Western?" $» | corporated in it. f '__Colorel Price, in speaking to sec-- ' ond reading, reiterated much of the :explanatory argument he voiced when |the bill was first introduced, and, by | way of claim that Mr. Millar had 'intended to destroy the existing will 'with its peculiar bequests and give the bulk of the estate to the univer-- | sity, he read to the House the follow-- |ing letter of Walter H. Thomas, i'I'reasurer of the Ontario Gresters, Charter 50. Hotel Greeters of Amer'-- lca, which said, in part, under date ci | March 23: Both Mr. Sinclair and one of his following, Charles A. Robertson (North Huron). submitted strenuously that the Andrew Mercer cass pro-- vided no precedent for the Govern-- ment's action on the Millar estate. "There may have been a bill brought in as now," said Mr. Sinclair, "but there was no one to take the Mercer money. It was lying on the doorstep." And, he further argued, there had, as far as he knew, bsen no will left by Mercer. C. A. Seguin (Conservative, Rus-- sell) also expressed a measure of hos-- tility to the bill, and suggested additional public safeguards be in-- "Wish to state that, as Assistant Manager at Queen's Hotel, I had lunch with the late Charles Millar a half--hour or so before his death (Sun-- day, Oct. 31, 1926). Mr. Millar always sat at a table used by the offics staff and Mr. T. D. McGaw. '"He frequently made joking remarks in reference to his will and some per-- sonal matters which I have not seon printed. _ f "He had mentioned that he intend-- ed to destroy that will and give the bulk of his fortune to the university. But, death coming syuddenly, he had not time to carry it out. "Mr. T. D. McGaw, representing McGaw estate interests in hotel (41 Roxborough Drive), and Mr. W. M. Dalton, Manager Queen's Hotel (now at Lucerne--in--Quebec) will likely re-- member hearing Mr. Millar's remarks. "This may be of assistance to you." T. D. McGaw stated last night to The Globc that, while v:"'* acquainted with the late Charles Millar, he never saw the will executed by the barrister, nor did they ever discuss its pro-- visions. "I know nsthing at all about it," he declared. Mar. 2 i4 ; -- COMMENT IS ACRID AGAINST CABINET Lloyd Jaeger, President of the Ward 3 Libsral Association, has promised to give the matier prominerce at the mass mesting to be addressed at the Foresters' Hall, 22 Collegse Street, on March 31 b> Hon. P:ster Hsenan. It is understood that Mr. Heenan was A personal frirnd of the late Charles ! Millar. He is expected to have some ' pungent comment on the escheatment ! proceedings. :# j If the Henry Government succeeds in upsetting the Millar will, and gives to the university the $520,000 be-- queathed to the Toronto mother bear-- ing the most children between 1926 and 193§6, Liberal women of Toronto will launch a far--reaching campaign to redress what they consider an out-- rage. --"The term escheatment sounds fine," said Mrs. Zoe F. Stevens. "But, as a matter of fact, it is plain cheat-- ino " '"Nothing in my exporience," said Mr. Jacgsr, "has aroused so much in dignation among Liberal women. i understand that the ladies intend to ask Mr. Hepburn to promise to rec-- tify the Attorney--General's act when the Liberals come into power. The Government is not only flouting the wishes of the Ceceased--it is cheating the children of one or more Toronto women." Liberal women point out that nu-- merous beques's already have been paid under the will of the lats Charles Millar. "There was no complaint when numerous Protestant clergymen accepted their bequests Why should the most deserving mother be de-- prived of money legally bequeathed to her?" asked a prominent worker. Predictions were mz2de that the matter would loom large at the Hep-- burn rally. t> be held in about a month in Massey Hall, and during the West York by--clection. Escheatmeont Sensation. Unprecedented action proposed by the Ontario Government in a bill to escheat the half--million--dollar resi-- dus of the estate of the late Charles Millar, which was designated by his will for the mother of the greatest number of children born in Toronto ten years after his death in 1926, set the city and the Province by the ears yesterday. Lawyers discussed rights of the Province to enact such legislation. Parents of largs familiss intimated plans to fizsht for their rights under the will. Ordinary folk paused to question one anoth:r as to whether, if the Legislature is right in this in-- stance, it would not als> have the power. every time it needed a few ex-- tra dollars, to pass a law "eschsating" any or every estate left in the Prov-- ince. Porhaps the kindest thing said sbout the proposed legislation came from Mrs. Grace Bagnato, generally conc>ded to be in the forefront of the mothers of this city who might profit under the terms of the lats Charles Millar's will. When phoned by The Globe last night, Mrs. Bagnato ob-- sorved without a trace of discernible ironv: "We don't want any further vublicity in th> matter. Perhsns i# is better that the money should go to the university." May Fight Legislation. Mrs. Bagnato is the mother of eleven children, six of them born since the doath of Mr. Millar. Mrs. Henry Brown of 68 Uxbridge Avenue is mother of thirieen children, six of them born since the dsath of Mr. Mil-- lar. _ Mr. Brown emphatically de-- clared his opposition to the Govern-- ment's proposed action. On both sides, the family, he said. is Canadian for generations back. If possible, he de-- clared, his family, if it proved to be the largest within the period named by the terms of the Millar will, would ficht the Government for possession of the legacy. Lawyers Enter Discussion. While laymen were puzzling as to what the Government meant in de-- scribing a will--provision for the en-- couragement of parenthood as being against public policy, lawyers yester-- day discussed the legality of the pro-- posed bill. There wWas A distinet cleavage in legal circles as to the justice and soundness of the propond bill. Even though deploring the act-- tion of the Government in taking away a man's property simply because he had gone, one lawyer thought that, _as to in de-- he en-- being yester--