The Ontario Scrapbook Hansard

Ontario Scrapbook Hansard, 17 Mar 1939, p. 2

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oo t snn (ak > $ °. f v C e ® N ® M ARC 4 '1 e / queseeenemenmcomememmemmmomenmermememeemumemerresicecen i r ' Drew Hurries Back. "All There Is to It." Mr. Macaulay at once protested. "The Premier importun DEFEATED RACE |__ "And you, Mr. Premier, will have to compellied them to m':\ke theed st::': |\ _ take that back, too. You will have ments," flared Colonel Drew. to accept my honorable leader's "I did nothing of the kind," the CHAR word, when he is here, that he 'Premier shot back. "Why, your or-- d'f',"t say it. ganizer prepared them," Colonel And how old were .1ho people Drew shouted. Brh.ol:;u:c {So;f afnda\-ns?_" p.u!'l'n The Premier, visibly angered, rose 4 t . Welsh, the Conservative to his feet--also demanding the * victor of the East Hastings scrap. right to speak on privilege. He read § l Some r.wf them were employees of| |the then Toronto Globe press re| All the bitterness of the },asl. 'h_P government, .annihflr Tory re-- |port of his Plainfield meeting. "It! Hastings by--election of 1936 flared | mil\nded the Premier. . is by Douglas R. Oliver," he said, in the Ontario Legislature ,\'e:ler-, tr. Habe! was.'ahr';ut to pick up |"and Mr. Oliver is in the gallery * 4 ¢ 4 the thread of his argument, when |now." The report in question said day as Joseph A. "flv'("l» Liberal,| Colonel Drew, flushed and almost |that when the Premier had asked North Cochrane; Opposition Leader running, eqlqred the Chamber from |his meeting if any one had heard : George A. Drew, Hon. Leopold Mac-- the 0pposmoq offices' door, and |Colonel Drew make the "defeated aulay and Premier Hepburn became rose to a question of privilege. race" utterance, eleven people had -- involved for half an hour in impas-- I had hoped," he said, "that this |stood up, and a man had pushed sioned dispute over the "defeated House would not be disgraced by |forward, saying: "Mr. Premier," t race" label which Colonel DW *Was repetition of a statement which I've |and had turned over three affi-- 'Tfi?{zcd by Mr. Habel with tagging | empha_ncally denied on many occa-- ldavits to him. "And while I am on on his French--Canadian race during sions in the past and which I em-- | my feet," the Premier said, "let me that hectic early--winter ballot battle. phatically deny in this House now.' point out that the Leader of the "We French are broadminded 1 repeal that it was noever made at | Opposition is given to making state-- enough to forgive," said Mr. Habel,| 4"" time, anywhere, by me, and the| | ments he afterward denies. Up at "but never will this be forgiven by co ntem ptible misrepresentation | Bayfield he accused me of going the French people of this province. ahnut.\\ hat I said was just what the | south on a holiday with all my ex-- It was too crude and was said to Premier wanted in that election." || penses paid by the province----" win an election." Mr. Hepburn, with the Speaker's ' "Surely," said Colonel Drew, Instantly the fat was in the fire, consent, repeated his recital of the jumping to his feet, "we don't have and before the subsequent sizzling Plainfield meeting incident. He had| | to discuss that at this time. I'm argument had died down under the taken the trouble also, he said, to prepared to discuss that matter and wise and firm direction of Speakeri eontact the Toronto Star reporter' any others the Premi_er may care James H. Clark Colonel Drew had| who reported Colonel Drew, and the to name some other time, but why | repeated to the House his many--| reporter had said that he was "sure add that to the issue before us?" ; timed outside denial of the now--| Colonel Drew had made the state-- '"Well, then," said Mr. Hepburn,| notorious alleged utterance; the! ment." _ | "let me repeat that as an honorable | Prime Minister, duty bound under | _ "I am glad," Colonel Drew retort--| member of this House I am com-- the rules, had accepted the denial;| ed, "that the Premier has seen fit | pelled '{) accept another honorable Mr. Habel had twice been put in' to give me the npportuni[y of deal--| ;members word. And I so accept his place by the Speaker for calling : ing with this matter. It has roused \ the _ honorable the _ Opposition the Opposition "the gang" that _ a great deal of ill feeling and preju-- .Lead'ors word _ln thli situation. would make for a disunited Canada; dice, which--IL -- repeat--was . just That's all there is to it. and blunt allegations had been made _ what the Premier desired. He talks from the Opposition that minors| about having spoken to the reporter had been "importuned and com-- for the Toronto Star. That is sig-- peljled" by Mr. Hepburn to furnish nificant in itself. There were six affidavits supporting the presumed _ reporters at my meeting, and not Drew--discrediting campaign in the one of the others reported that I election in question. had said anything derogatory to the The awkward situation developed French--Canadian race." in the House when Mr. Habel be-- The following night, or two gan to attack the temporarily ab nights later, Colonel Drew added, sent Opposition chieftain, and Mr. the Premier had also spoken in Macaulay took up cudgels in the Plainfield, and he had "produced latter's defense. three affidavits--." "Are you aware of the fact that: "I didn't produce any affidavits," my Leader has repeatedly denied the Premier interrupted. having ever made such statements?" "The Premier produced three affi-- he asked Mr. Habel. davits," Colonel Drew went on, "and "I know -- he escaped from the those three affidavits were signed House this afternoon,." retorted Mr. by boys, not of voting age--they Habel. were all minors, and they were chil-- "Well, you didn't scare him out," _ dren of men who were employed clicked Mr. Macaulay. "He'll deal during the election by the Liberal with you in time." riding association. Mr. Hepburn recalled that ac-- cording to the press reports of the East Hastings fight Colonel * Drew had made his "famous state-- > ment" at Plainfield, and that he, the .'" l T y ; Premier, the following night, had W " R spoken in the same place and hall. . ' enew He had asked his audience if any & c one had heard the utterance credit-- He I+h B " ed to Colonel Drew, and -- eleven a l people had stood up and had said Under an amendment to the Mar-- they had heard the Colonel refer to riage Act, which is to b€e introduced the French as a "defeated race, "'before the Ontario Legislature and three had produced affidavits to ' shortly by David A. Croll (Lib,, that effect. , Windsor--Walkerville) persons con-- "So," he added, "the Opposition templating marriage would be _ 4 leader may have denied saying it, forced to secure from a medical but I still think he said it. practitioner certificates that they were free from social diseases. Mr. Croll introduced virtually the same bill last year and with-- drew it after the ministry and the House asked for an opportunity to study the proposed legislation. Mr. Croll has intimated that this year 2 he would press for its adoption.

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