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by which they are left without direc- tion and without surety of proper pay this paper would like to see it -â€" as a curiosity . The County Constabulary plan has proven nothing more nor less than a hue. This is not by any means al- togfiher due to the fault of individual constables. but rather to the system a. copy of this resolution be for- warded to the Provincial Attor- ney-General at Toronto.” The delegates from the various Fairs and Exhibitions throughout Canada are well acquainted with rural condi- tions. and their resolution was alto- gether along right lines. The Free Press has repeatedly called attention to the utterly inadequate police pro- tection throughout the rural districts, and if there could be an} more ineffi- cient system devised than the present” At the meeting of the Ontario Asso- ciation of Fairs and Exhibitions held in Toronto this week, the following very timely resolution was passed: “Whereas crime in the rural dis- tricts. committed chiefly by vag- rants and the increased populat- ion. is inefficiently coped with by our system of counties constabu- lary, we respectfully advise the adaption of either a rural mounted ‘ police force for the Province of Ontario. or that the present system should be supplemented in such manner as may best attain better rural police protection; and that take 11;; _the cause and intelligently assist in stopping the robbery of the public. So far The Star has made out a case that has stood practically with- out contradiction, and if The Star could get the public to read and digest fully the mass of details that prove the combine prices and the com- bine tactics against public interest in a hundred and one lines, it would be doing indeed a very worthy public duty. To this good end The Free Press suggests that it gather its many articles on the combines, and publish them in book form. In such shape, not only would the public in general have the benefit of the facts so labor} iously gathered by The Star, but other honest public newspapers that have lesser opportunities might be able to a. fair share of earnest honesty and courage in the public interest, the benefit of any doubt may safely be given this Toronto journal. The Star’s conclusions as to free trade may be wrong, its suggestions as to the cause of combines may be far- fetched, but there is no question of the truth of its statements regarding combines and their robbery of the people, as hundreds of suffering mem- bers of the public could attest. In excuse of the Ontario press, it may be urged that The Star has drawn so many false conclusions of a politi- cal kind from its findings in the com- bine cases, as to suggest that it has ulterior motives in its agitation. Be- cause it shares human fallibility, The Star is sometimes right and sometimes wrong; but because it has more than A PROVINCIAL POLICE FORCE. That every other neWSpaper in the country has not taken up the fight for the peOple is simply another proof of the fact that the combine has its hand on journalism as well as other lines. In fact, it is not too much to say that the evil forces of improper capitalism are exerting in many in- stances a most shocking influence on the supposedly public press. The pub- lic expect, and have a right to expect, that the press shall take the lead in guarding their general interests, but when the owners of the newspapers] are politicians with political interests at stake, and manufacturers or flnan-l ciers with money to make, the jour nals are more likely to make a noise like the letter “U” left out of “honour” to distract attention while the public pocket is being robbed by their masters. l and supply seems to have fallen. The publicity given by The Star to the combines has shown what a surpriSo ingly large number of these robbery pests have fastened on the various channels of trade. For many months past The Toronto Star has been earnestly fighting a valiant battle for the people in its strenuous struggle against the com- bines, under whose control nearly every department of manufacturing THURSDAY, FEBRUARY ch, INS. The Weekly Free Press, 81 per year in advance; $1.25 if not so paid. Postage tn United Statesâ€"Daily or Weekly, 50c. The Daily Free Pressâ€"Delivered by carrier or by mail to town subscrib- ers, 25¢. per month. By mail to out- side points in Canada or the British Empire, $2 per year. for their services.- The average conn- THE LINDSAY ‘ t l a. trans aytokeep y constab e m yho _ w FREE PRESS out of the line of his duty, Hat lie-cer- WEEKLY EDITION- 'tainJy has no incentive to make him vtake an interest, except in rare cases. ,The average county constable does Publihsed in Lindsay, Ont., by The i . _ , .good semce m hls own small sphere, Free Press Printing Co., Limited. . , , Ibut the sphere 18 so hunted as to be J' V' ”CNAULTY’ President. 1' almost worthless to the Province at R- J- MOORE. BUS- Manager. : large. The bond between the city and G. A. MACDONALD, Editor. {town police and the county constabu- glary,and between the county consta- Ebles of two different counties is so . . outrageously lax as to be its own conâ€" Subscription Rates. , demnation. Telephone 271. THE WAR ON THE COMBINES. ’Gbe jfree [prees PAGE SIX. The Ontario Government can cer- tainly win a firm place in the affection of the press and else confer great pub- lic benefit, if it can so amend the law as to protect the public from maliciOus attack and injury by the press. and at the same time protect the press from the ingenious, blinkmafling lawyers. r' A ‘ If this all worked out to public bet- terment, the press might, perhaps, be willing to quietly bear the burden. The fact is, however, that any elem-.1 newspaper man who desires to do so, can easily transgress the spirit of the llibel law without placing himself lcounter to the Act itself. It is in petty items of news, often sent in b; telegram, without means of verifying and without reason to doubt their cor- rectness, that the newspaper gets into trouble. These items are published} ‘ without interest in, or knowledge of,‘ :those concerned, so the question of malice is at once removed. Yet every live newspaper knows that it is just such cases that cause them heavy costs if they refuse to settle outside 0! court, after the wishes of those refined blackmailers who make a specialty of conducting libel cases against the press. I Certainly there is much need for ' amendments so far as this Act relates to the newspapers of Ontario. Under the present law, honest newspapers : are perpetually harassed by libel cases engineered by lawyers who are looking for law costs and employment. In the usual libel case where the com- plainant is some worthless, fellow without sense, feeling or character to lose, but urged on by an impecunious I legal gentleman, the newspaper knows only too well that, win or lose, it is in for heavy casts if the case goes on. Consequently only the most coura~ geous members of the press ever allow these cases to come to court at all. The majority of journals simply buy loff the lawyers, and so escape. The lawyer gets, perhaps, $100, the victim of alleged slander gets, perhaps, $15, and the newspaper escapes a law court bill of perhaps $500 if it won the case, and $501.50 if it lost. No honest, public newspaper wishes to escape responsibility for what it publishes. The average newspaper is very ready to do justice to any honest errors it may make, but the present law places the live journal in such position, on account of. the apportion~ ing of costs and the security for same, that it is the prey of the designing! at every turn. It would surprise the public to know how often newspapers pay to close up petty cases because] they fear, not the awarding of a ver- I dict against them, but the saddling on them of costs whether they win or] lose. I A large deputation of newspaper men representing the Canadian Press Association waited on Hon. J. J. F037 and Hon. Dr. Reaume, of the Ontario Government, yesterday asking that certain changes be made in the Libel and Slander Act. i As a suggestion, this journal believes ‘that a force organized along the same lines as the world-famous Northwest Mounted Police. would earn its cost a dozen times each year in the addi- tional security to. ife and property, the facilities for the better enforce- mnt of the law, and the general con- venience and advantage given to the law-abiding people of the rural muni~ cipalities of the Province. That the province needs a thorough- ly organized provincial police force has been repeatedly pointed out by The Free Press. In one of the first is- sues of this paper. the question was referred to. and The Free Press sees no reason yet to dicontinue the agita- tion . Whether the province has any sort of Provincial police is a matter for doubt. The pay roll says there is a Provincial force, bat the work r011 denies the suggestion. At any rate the Provincial police, or detectives, or whatever else they may call themselvs, have not as yet justified their exist- ence same time, valid excuse in the fact that no funds are at their disposal, for any but local work that falls in their way, and no man, no matter how patriotic he may be, can be expected to continually risk his own safety and his own money in strictly outside pub- lic business. NEWSPAPERS AND THE LIBEL The fact is that, viewed from a pro- vincial standpoint, the rural police force is utterly inadequate at present, both for the protection of the country people and for the general co-opera- tion that is absolutely necessary for the handling of criminals who often escape the law altogether through the lack of combination of the country force. The county police have, at the ’so much better morally, spiritually, and socially, than the average man that no sane male would want to show up his own depravity by having wo- man any better and so making his own dark deeds and nasty nature the darker by the greater contrast. Let the followers of proverbs keep to the walnut tree and the deg in flea be». ings. The dog will bite in reply and nodoubtthetreewillbad. " r' V‘J. [says: “A learned judge in sentencing [a man to death for killing his wife pointed out that the law gives a man lno more right to strike his wife than to strike any other woman. If this is .really the law, and if it is to be en- ?forced, there may be appeals to the ‘unwritten law. Hasn’t custom and tradition always recognized the right of the man, nay, the duty of the man, as head of the house, to chastise the woman when she needs it? Hasn’t it passed into a proverb, that “A woman, a dog and a walnut tree, The more you beat them the better they be?” That’s fine reasoning, Mr. Humor- ous Man of the Sentinel-Review, but who wants woman any better than she Some steps should be taken, and taken at once, to guard the communitv from this real danger. No sympathy should be withheld from the unfor- tunate, and due provision should be made for their comfort, their care, and {if possible, their return to society ‘in a normal condition of health 01 imind and body. In the .xmeantime, statesmen might turn their attention to this question for the sake of their country and its good people and for the sake of humanity at large” If half the money, half the talent, and half thei energy that is now spent in the useless ‘ piling up of money and the catering to worldly and vain ambitions, were spent in fighting to right such wrong conditions as these, it would be sur-l prising how soon the general health,‘ physical, moral, mental and spiritual, would respond to the kindly efforts to betterment. tally and morally, the very fact that the workings of the deranged minds may lead to deeds of violence and acts that endanger the security and the peace of others makes the freedom of weak-minded men and women a danger to the life and welfare of the community. Recent outbreaks of sup- posedly “harmless” defectives have proven only too clearly the truth of this contention. I\"--F"1| Five thousand certainly seems an alarmingly large number of mentally deranged people enjoying their free dom in a province with the population of Ontario, yet the figure seems easy of belief when other known facts are considered. There are nearly 600 townships in Ontario, and what town- ship is there that does not have its “queer” characterâ€"a man or woman whose mind does not run in normal channels, whose actions are uncertain and whose mentality and morality are so vitally wrong as to class them , as defectives? In many townships there are several of these characters, though, generally, until some terrible happening suggests otherwise, they, are classed as “harmless”. There are, over 225 city, town and village muni- cipalities in Ontario, and no one of all these enjoys immunity from the mentally deranged. Let each munici- pality count up its own "harmless” insane class, and the result on com- parison would assuredly justiiy even stronger estimates than those given by the County Crown Attorney of ’Dufferin. That this large class of defectives is a menace to the health, the morals, {the safety and the very life of the community can hardly be gainsaid. Those whose philantropic spirit leads into rescue work, into Children’s Aid work, or into any other line that makes for human betterment, know only too well what a large factor the defective class is in the social prob- lems. The conditions might be bear- able, if the trouble stopped here, though even then the matter would be most serious. But the menace from the freedom of the mentally defective goes deeper than this. The very fact that this class is untrustworthy men- I I l The Woodstock Sentinel-Review Five thousand persons mentally de- ranged and a possible, nay probable, menace to the life and comert of the people of Ontario! Surely, this is an appalling thought; and recent events such as the Melancthon tragedy and the Moir case are proof conclusive that the danger is no idle theory. At first thought there may be a disposition to believe that Mr. McKay has over- drawn the case, but ' consideration only heightens the probability of the figures he has quoted being lower than the facts warrant. crown attorney of Dufierin County, there are about thirty persons in that County- who should not be at large on account of their mental condition. Mr. McKay says that his figures average about three persons to a township and that Dufierin County is not at all unlike other counties in this respect. In following out his line of argument Mr. McKay places the total number of people in the Province who are mentally deranged and a possible menace to the community at 3,000. “This” says Mr. McKay, “is a con- servative estimate; some place it as high as 5,000.” THE MENTALLY PERHAPS, BUT- '. L. McKay, heads, and the two Liberal patronage controllers are furthermore doubly against the pmposnl because 001. Sun. Hughea believe: it would be . proper the “size” of the alleged patronage controllers. The opposition is due. forsooth. to the fact that the sugges- tiondidnotoriginateintheirgifled they control the patronage of the Li- beral party in this riding. The real reason for this opposition is said to be so “small” as to do little credit to The Free Press is informed that the proposal to light this section of the Trent Valley Canal by electricity, is meeting with some opposition from two men who are of the opinion that himself open to the implication of more serious things. jury in any case, and every member of the Legislature who supports the suggested measure. slander: the in- telligence and sense of justice of the peOple in his constituency from whom juries are..chosen, as well as leaving LIGHTING THE CANAL. AND THE PATRONAGE SYSTEM. 'to impress with technicalities and other legal absurdities by which law- yers make their living and the people pay the shot. But juries, being com- mon peOple, are more imbued with ideas of justice than with schemes of law. Again. if there is “buying” to be done or ‘pressure’ to be brought to bear (either in the line of threats or promises) it is much easier and much cheaper to handle one man than thir- teen. And corporations are always looking for those cheap and easy ways No honest corporation need fear a It is not at all hard to understand the desire for the abolition of jur- ies in such cases. The judge, being a man of law himself, is easy oftentimes Everv honest member of the Legis- ' lature should forget about his partis- ship long enough to cast his vote in I the people’s interests and against this latest corporation proposal that may lead almost anywhere, except to the public and general good. I According. to despatches from Tor- onto. there is a probability of a very ‘exciting campaign when the Provin- ‘cial House opens, on the question of the'abelition of juries in actions for damages following accidents where street railway companies and similar corporations: are concerned. 0n be- half of the railways there is a great deal of campaigning and lobbying even now in progress, and it is a sign of the indifference of the times to note that there is not the same effort put forward on behalf of the people JURIES IN RAILWAY CASES. THE WEEKLY FREE PRESS. m amuumhmmdmmonhu¢mhuqumuwnm 00.”.be FREE doing a real service to the public of this district. In this connection, it may not be amiss to point out that a "possible" Liberal candidate in the past election. who, is also a “probable" one for the coming electionsâ€"a young {man of such popularityâ€"is in- isâ€" I in 1 us a be ad I’â€" mer resort. should be oble to support a good. npâ€"to-dnte daily. At least a town like Port Hom- shonld have a better journal than the apology for a daily now issued in thzt town. The existing daily. ”The Guide". in poorly primal. and the little new and views it contains seen badly worth even data. as to the probnble support the new daily would receive. To The Free Press. it seems theta live («on like Port Hope. with the fine farm country surrounding it and its progress in popnlnrity u e enm- tion and advertising contract blanks The Weekly Times. of Port Rape, is considering the advisability of issu- ing a daily edition. and to sound the feeling of the people in the matter. is sending out circulars with subscrip- PORT HOPE MAY HAVE ANOTHER DAILY PAPER. E If the Two Big Men of the Past un- ‘reasonably and without public war- ‘rant oppose the One Big Man of the Future. there will no doubt be troublesome times. and the cares and sorrows of ofiice will sit most grievous- ly hard upon the Liberal executive. For theixf own best interests, for the sake of their party, and above all for the benefit of the public of this dis- trict. the cure of the local Liberals would do well to assist, not to oppose. the proposal that the and be lighted by Mei”. A terested in a perfectly legiti- mate business way in the lighting of the canal by electricity. I The lighting of the canal by electri- ‘city is so necessary from a public standpoint and could be accomplished at such small expense ,as to make it a matter of wonder that something along this line was not done long ago. It is indeed a stretching of the most miserable form of the meanest kind of "patronage” policy to oppose a good to thmwhole community through small spite and jealousy. The Free Press trusts that the alleged patronage controllers will not waste their time hunting up vain objections, but rather { put their efiorts to find a method by which they can graciously assist in thing to do and is giving it support. DON’T MISS IT. BUT ORDER TD-DAY it Iho nu lwmum the uncut-Q. nor a One $1.000 policy One year’s subscription to the Dafly SAMPLE Free Press (out of town subscribers) $2.50 mum del1vered 1n town ~---»~»- $3.00 I. IILZ. homely. maxed hoe ' and form of flu: great America findsostrongaphoeinm ofthe whole Itmaybeoddthughflg.‘ built mnnd an M”! The average m can tell you little of Darwin, but the Henge man can .tell you :11 about Abe Lincoln - his honesty, his uteri“, his aunt. un- gainly form. his tough had: and txn. I fiirwin has but: lime $131“;st ‘ A large, tasty supper was sorm‘xi “‘f' of men. but Lincoln, the free: of the ter- the programme, after “1:19;; 1m- ““95: h“ 3 91100 in the hearts of gathering broke up in me \‘M‘ *5), hisfiellows. 'ours of the momin’. world richer for his 81‘th min :13 happiuj for his wholesome humor. To the few, Darwin 10-day is the man who helped science in its ad- vance and so assisted upward and on- ward the march of man. To the many, Lincoln is the lovable. uncouth figure of a man fighting a good life for right and liberty and brotherhood. and? making the whole Darwin’ 3 fame appeals to the few, but Lincoln’ 5 life touches the heart of all humanity. The other lad, by the power of a great heart and a. great will, found a more lasting monument in the heart a world, as Lincoln, the Great Bum- One boy in later years by sheer force of mighty brain became known to men the world over as Charles Darwin. the Great Scientist. A hundred years, on Feb. 12th, 1809. two boys were born â€" one in England, and the other far across the sea, amid poverty and . shiftlessness, in Ken- tacky. If the editor of The Port Hape Times can make as marked improve- ment in the daily field as his enter- prise, his energy and ability, have ac- complished in the weekly newspaper line in Port Hope, the lake town’s new daily would make its way by vir- tue of merit. The Port Hape Times would find that the people would support a live and honest daily journal just as earn- estly as they would give their patron- age to a superior weekly. of Lindsayâ€"“Nothing, badly printed.” Assuredly. Port Hope’s present daily is no credit to the town and can be of little help or assistance or interest to the citizens. HOPE FOR THE HOMELY. fl One $1,000 policy. One year’s subscription to The Weekly Free Press. All for the small expenditure of which appears each day, and covers during the year thousands of pages of inter- esting reading matter. This is an Opportunity 0! a Lifetime free of charge, an accident policy for $1000, fully paid for one year without dues or assessments of any kind. Herewith is an exact reproduction of the policy furnished. and may be obtained by subscribing z’or We have made arrangement with the Imperial Guarantee Accident Insurance Company .0!" TORONTO, CANADA ABBIDENT INSURANBE PULIBY HERE’S THE OFFER THE FREE PRESS THE FREE PRESS to furnish Suscribers of $1.50 READ SAME CAREFULLY CREDIT SALE. TUESDAY. FEB. 23.â€"-By Wm. Pur- ‘ t490118. auctioneer, valuable Farm 8m and Implements, the proper- ty 0f Wm. Johnson, lot 9, con. 13, Ila-avers. Sale at 1 o’clock allilrp, and without reserveâ€"“Q. THURSDAY. FEB 25. â€"â€" By mm 30m, auctioneer, great sale of Fun Stock and Implements,1h~ W! of Mr. Jos. Meehan, lot 24. m- 5‘. 09!. The live stock m- m 35 head of Cattle and Horses. Nadine Brazilian Driving Mare. 1116 Mines and implements ar'e n ‘h'flnt-cmg shape. Sale at 1 0- Mind without reaerve.â€"â€"w2. ., With R. J. McLaughlin in the dmér‘ the event opened about 8.30 mm many speeches from different 101:1" members. Candidates fmm rem w: F8118 Little Britain, Uxbridgc m Cannington received the 11mm dc- Also in attendance was 1). my Grand Master Senator Derbyshm-, oi Brockvflle, who throughout 11w ww- ins cue very interesting addmw Scott, A. J. Gould, J. L. Arnoili M. Hamilton, Dr. F. Aldous. ( Deyman, J. Penrose, J. Perrynmx Warren, of Fenelon Falls, and J A. C. Cummer and A. N. “1150:: Kinmount. Spent Monday avg. at the Imm‘zw ent Order of Oddfellows’ hall. :iwrc being in attendance visitors from Fenelon Falls. Little Britmh, H'- bridge and Cannington. Amati Hi” many were: Alf. Terrill, W. 'I‘. inm- son, W. Northey, M. Stillman. Vim-‘- Kelly, Foster Kelly, Rev. C. 5‘ Luzxi. Dr. H. B. Johnston. Wm. Barbie)" {deep seamed face; that love should gc ‘out to the odd, long figure of wauln. Yet. here is hope for those whom beauty has not dowered. The hart. .after all. is everything, and u,- who has the strength to do and “)0 Matt to help his fellows, need not [w an igh~ ed down by lack of personai mirac- tion. The ridiculous figurv, the laughter-suggesting face of Hmwst Abe, brings forth afiection ro-u‘ugc and not disdain. and in the world u .23» tri- butes now to his noble life numlimd has shown that after all 111" uorld does see below the surface. 112.; he who serves his day and gt'1:~'z:i3iGI} shall reap a. reward. A very enjoyable social evomrzz MP PLEASANT EVENING AT THE THURSDAY, FEBRUARY lath 501). O . I909. aheation (1i m will form {tomach if you 1 ; Mile Diapepsin You can eat 3: guns without f‘ Mon or Dyspc Dice by the 11m, b the statement 1 hrs. It will In- 1 fielder that Unis and even nm‘ ti Mead. Th: inhout one thou :M as large as borough . A. Kiers, M. 811 [melon Falls: J I. T. Stone. Bu! Black River: (‘1 chison. Wilbm-z C. Moore has ,..1 next to Mr. (m! Woolard, who ’ Hence film 111:.» considered '2" 1‘” â€"-In tour ~ â€" 'l Whore '1: LE his local 01" - linden Echo ‘11 “he city is ens ‘ 1 mded by 10t;.. ‘ “is would bring fl geographical ,. if is “emm 1y wflâ€"not 10 Hr I; “ woodpile 33H: Fâ€"The Churc ‘h new Catha “I‘d, Peterbm -â€"The fullov “fits at the 1’) Byron A. Bu“ Woodville, JU> C. P. King, A a E. Willis, 1 Main. The l me today. -Bobcaygeon Magma-1 that disposed of his 11 ”ween the Cflif In Mr. James 0‘ Capstick purpv-‘t‘ ? 90150:) or I limes Belching. E fullness after Mon (like a] 3h).Bi1iousms Pith. Pain in 51 'other sympto Headaches f 5‘91!“er unkn R Medy is Is In the wo 5-1! digests another u :3 now holds Mr. L. W “ducted the A a the past five a Mr. R. Neill, ‘ a! of Jacks 811' ”81957, and are k in}, section. 1 ,oison set out for the warm meat 01 M the wolves he, than hunte he past ten 3'08 .m. R. Neill, {it have 70!! will healthy, ch can’.t .111 the to thrgefil m awe me home ‘ 7'" FWorkS for ' be up-toâ€"da Pertin 11“ INDIGE your , which “bscript’ ration 0‘ , '5‘, Food scholar: the Can school I you' fer: fie of t! Nam killin