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Fcb\rumvs 7 CAU the Premier in South York and} CUS GIVES Welland -- by--elections, and they frankly expressed the view that : their leader had hurt the cause of e the Liberal Party. The Premier's re-- EPBURN VOTE ply to those views was that he was speaking not as Premier of Ontario br even as a member of the House, but as a Canadian citizen entitled to OF CONF'DENCE air his views on the conduct of the war, even as other members of the House were free to express thei: wuanmamennemeomemmomeememmnmatk | views, apart from all political con-- # * % siderations. EV"th'flq F"'IQ.' SOYS The Premier was grected with ap-- , i i plause when he entered the caucus ' PI'GMIQI' When Leavmg room a fow minutes after 8 pm. He Four-- Hour Conference addressed the gathering at the out-- set, declaring that he wished to clarify certain matters before the SOME C RIT l C l SM members discussed them. The Pre-- mier is reported o have reiterated views given publicly on numerous In a four--hour caucus--the long-- Oother occasions; that the war situ-- est held by a Government party in ation has reached such a grave state recent years--Liberal members of the that no person is entitled to place Legislature last night passed a vote mere political considerations before of confidence in Premier llepburn' the welfare of the country as a and his leadership, after rccci\'mgr whilo. an implied assurance that maty2rs | To those critics of his actions in concerning the Federal arena would | supporting Rt. Hon. Arthur Meighen * not be discussed in the House, | in South York, and opposing the W. L. Miller, member for Algoma--| King candidate in Welland, the Pre-- Manitoulin, was chairman of the' mier said he was guided wholly by caucus, and the only statement he | his desire to spur the covr'try to a would issue was that the momber:.! greater effort. had voted confidence in the Premicr. ; Premier Defended. Smiling broadly as he emerged from | Colonel F. Fraser Hunter, momber the caucus room, the Premier refer--| _ for Toronto--St. Patrick, who also red all questions to Mr. Miller, and | spoke on behalf of Mr. Meighen, refused to be drawn out on what | _ vigorously defended the Premier in had transpiret .. . . | the courso of an address in which E\ex}thnx}gs fine." said Mr. Hep.| ke warned the democracies face burn and that was all he would say. | even greater trials in the future. But it is understood that the | Frequent bursts of applause were causus resulted in (1), there will be heard during the four--hour session, no |c'solunon condemning the plebis-- and the hand--clapping was pro-- cite mtroduccd' :?t the curren.t ses»-- bonged when Mr. Hepburn wound :;:)cn i1 a GO;GI mment NPY@: (2), up the meeting with an address in question of a Provincial election which he summed up the position was left in the hands of the Premior. as he saw it the likel.ihood bqing that l'h(? life of The impression gained by the the present Legislature will be ex-- members, it was learned, was that tended, providing it is given the the Premier is prepared to let by-- unanimous endorsation of the House, gones be bygones, and that his fu-- and (3), a coalition Government is ture course of action with regard to not felt to be even a remote possi-- Federal affairs on the war effort | bility. _ o will be taken outside the Provin-- About. 3 or 6 per cent of the Lib-- ctal arena. 'erals criticized the recent actions of Hon. Robert Laurier, who resign-- 5 ed his mines portfolio in the Cabi-- net over the Premier's support of Mr,. Meighen, made a special trip from Ottawa to attend the caucus. He told newspaper mon he was re-- turning to Ottawa for medical treat-- # moent.