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pletv stuck tells more in , of descriptions. This only p this store presents to the we wish to give all our in person. m|tl mas m SH. “'1‘ h m ilver \\ .\l (N I,” Q4 The Hon. George W. Ross, Premier of Ontario: Honorable Sinâ€"You are appealing .to the people of Ontario tor their judgment upon your stewardship. I desire to express my opinion in ad- vance of the general verdict. What I have to say you should hear. Your position, and the occasion, make you a fair m k for criticism. My re- marks iawa‘ken you to a sense of your position and enable you to see yourself as your are; but, knowing you as I do, I have my doubts. While I have no personal end to me by this letter, I confess that I would like the public to see you, as I see you, for, as you appear to me, I verily believe you are. Little as you may think it, I have thought about you many times, and my .Views in this correspondence are'basâ€" ed upon a long acquaintance with the public afiairs of this country. My views are not mine alone, for I be- lieve they are entertained by thou- sands of others in this province. You may not heed my opinion, but I have decided that you shall at least hear them . ReV. D. C. Hossack, Mora! Deer bark Presbyterian Church, writes the following open letter to Premier Ross: ’ Known llm Twenty Years. More than twenty years ago I be- came acquainted with you as a pub- lic man. On that occasion you met Sir Leonard ’l‘illey, on the hustings, in the Town Hall in Cobourg, and as Sir Leonard had the reply you were 'badly worsted. You had at least the sympathy of a young lad who was there in company of his father, a Liberal of the old school, and who was determined to bring up his boy in the way he should go. I need not say that I was that lad. This incident occurred, as I have said, more than twenty years ago, and I have ever since watched your career. I voted for you and your colleagues and supported you until, with a narrow majority, you. began to live by your wits, and my con- science would not permit me to sup- port you any longer. Looking back I am of the opinion that when I began to watch your career I was prejudiced in your fav- or, and I suppose the eXplanation is that I was cradled in Liberalism; not the Liberalism of your Government, but the oldâ€"fashioned Liberalism of purity. I believed then that the Re- form party, in this country, had. its origin in purity. My literature was the Bible and The Globe. You Will perhaps remember what The Globe was then: I was taught that Baldwin and Lafontaine and the other great Liberals of that school were politic- ally the anointed of the Lord and that. George Brown, Alexander Macâ€" kenZie and Edward Blake were no- 'litically their lineal descendants. Lih~ eralism then stood for representaâ€" tion by population, purity in elec- tions; constitutional Government and equal rights to all. Ontario Liberalism. Liberalism in Ontario has under- gone a very radical change, and is not What it was a generation ago. It. no longer stands for purity, consti- tutional government and liberty. It no 'longer stands for the people against monopoly, but for monopoly against the people. In fact. the Lib- eralism 0! a generation ago has perished, and 1 am bound to say, and I do so with regret, that I know of no individual who is more respon- sible than yourself for the departure o! the old Liberalism of purity and the advent of the new Liberalism of political debauchery. b ngvfl.l10$3AOK’S / OPEN LET'YER _ Your friends are accustomed to make excuses for you. Let us ex- amine some of them. It. is said that you inherited all the evil of your regime as Premier, and that there- fore you are not. to be blamed for it. You have been in the Government for twenty-one years, and during that period you have been responsible for the deeds of the Government. No one holds you responsible for the record of the Government before you be- came a member of it in 1883, but. from that time to the present you cannot deny your responsibility or escape the record. In addition it may Your friends state that you are not responsible for the evil record of the Govet'mm-nt, that Messrs. Gibson. Davis and Stratton may deserve blame, and ought to retire fro111pul1- lic life. but that you are not only quite innocent, but do not even sus- pect corruption until you read the. daily papers. I need not say that if ever such a theory of responsibility should prevail, responsible Governâ€" ment would cease But you cannot be quite so innocent as your friends pretend. There were some shady transactions of which you had know- ledge. You knew that negotiations were on with Mr. Gamey, for you had in your possession his letter pro- mising you support. A short time before you received it. he seemed un. willing to surrender this letter with- out a consideration. After you re- ceived the letter he was able to ex- hibit the money. You knew that North Renfrew was disfranchised for a year and a hall, and the best proof that you were aware of your guilt was your feeble attempt. at Pembroke, to justify your course. You knew the Legislature was called to delay the trim of the election pro- tests. You knew you made a base upped to the electors of North But- im to elect your candidate, Lott, and. by the way. you never uttered a. truer word than when you said that Lott w- . "cutout Moi!” The blame for T0 PREMIER nos; worc po- in re- “Are you in favor of the immediate prohibition by law of the importa- tion, manufacture and sale of in- toxicating liquors as a beverage?” Shortly after this vote, a conven- tion was held, in Toronto, and a de- putation was appointed to wait up- on the Ontario Government. It was received by Sir Oliver Mowat and four of his colleagues. Among other things, Sir Oliver said: “The recent vote removes all difficulty in the way of prohibition being demanded by the people.” When he closed his speech, he read to the deputation the following statement: “If the decision of the Privy Council should be that, the province has the jurisdiction to pass a prohibitory liquor law as re. spects the sale of intoxicating liquor. I. will introduce such a bill in 7 the following session, if I am then at the head of the Government. charge. Years before I first heard you, on the hustings, you were ad- vocating prohibition; you have been gpeaking in fpvur of it ever since. “AL-.. 4.1.- nI-L:.--:4- “If the decision of the Privy Coun- cil is that the province has jurisdic- tion to pass only a partial prohibi- tory liquor law, I will introduce such a prohibitory bill as the decis- ion Will warrant, unless the partial prohibitory power is so limited as to be ineffective from a temperance standpoint.’ ’ â€"rvw-â€"â€" * G You will re’member the plebiscite of Jan. 4, 1894. There was a large majority 0! yeas upo‘ndthe- quesgop: The evening of the same day, a mass meeting was held in the Horti- cultural pavilion. To this meeting the deputation reported. You were present and delivered an address, a part of which The Globe reported as follows: “The result has exceeded his expectations. He expected a major- ity, but not such an overwhelming one.” “The verdict of the people has been accepted by the Government heartily and by me gladly.” He was glad the Government were able to ex- pI'CSS themselves in a way to satisfy the delegates. “It is what you hada right to expect. 1t iswhat it ought to do, and,” he added, “It is the only kind of a Government I would be a member of.” You will remember .the events which followed. Sir Oliver Mowat, in‘ May, 1894, announced, in London, that his policy was to go as far towards pro- hibition as the power to legislate would permit. A. S. Hardy, when Premier, declared to a deputation that his Government, and you were a member of .it, “had not receded from the position of their predeces- sors, that they considered themselves bound by the pledges of their prede- cessors.” On Feb. 13, 1901, you, as Premier, stated to a deputation, from the Dominion Alliance, that your Government had declared itSelf upon prohibition and would not re- cede from that position. On Nov. 22, 1901., the judicial com- mittee of the Privy Council gave judgment, upholding the Manitoba liquor law, and, declaring it to be within the limits of the power of the province. Then you became acquaint- ed with trouble and you have never been Without it since. Then began that long game of dodging the tem- perance issue. Not long ago the sincere advocates of the movement to close the bars were cheered by the news that you would reorganize your Cabinet. Their time had come. You had personally made such a strenuous fight against your rebellious followers that now, when you knew t mind of every one of them, you ‘ould bring into the Government the men who would give you the necessary support upon this great moral question. You wait- ed a long time; you made a most de- liberate selection. Mr. A. G. Mackay and Mr. George P. Graham were chosen. The great. convention met. the temperance question was intro- duced. Mr. A. G. Mackay and Mr. George P. Graham wrecked the tem- perance resolution while you looked placidly on. After all these years- of. solemn pledges and temperance speeches, when the crucial moment arrived you said not a word for the temperance resolution, but allowed it to be defeated. Under these cir- cumstances, one is led to ask the questions. Why did you have a change in the Cabinet? Was there design in bringing in Messrs. Mackay and Graham? for you knew their views on temperance, and since the conven- tion you have expressed your delight at the action which was taken. So nimble have you been that it may be difficult for one who does not know you well to decide where you now stand in regard to temperance. How- ever this may be. there can be no doubt about your sense of humor. 'Your speeChes have always been lighted by it, but your latest produc- tionâ€"your temperance manifestoâ€"in- dicates the greatest development of this.quality. “Time’s noblest of!- spring is the last." I doubt if your closest friends imagined that within you played such a fountain of humor as would enable you to solemnly declare to the temperance people that your sacred pledges had been fulfilled by the tricky device of the referendum . When one views your present posi- tion and then reads your speech de- livered in the Horticultural pavilion, he is inclined to do a deal of think- ing. He wonders What kind of expert political contortionist you are. You remember your speech. “The verdict of the people has been accepted by the Government, heartily, and by me gladly," and again, “It is the only kind of a Government I would be a member of.” The only kind of a Gov- ernment you would be a member of â€"a government pledged to prohibi- tiofi. Messrs. Mackay and Graham are with you. What kind of a.Gov- ernment are you _in now? When one views your solemn pledges, fervid speeChes, continued membership in temperance societies, your manifest dread of both the liquor vote and the power of moral sentiment, your long continued game of dodging, your whole tortuous course with its inglorious fiasco at the convention,‘ what is one to think of you? Notwithstanding all your brave speeches, your are no Horatio. Premier Delighted. Delays and Excuses. In No Box-0th“. pom precedent to precedent. I! the honest and observing elector ahoulu view your course, in regard to tem- perance, with charity, he will con- clude that you are at least too weak and vacillating to remain Premier of Ontario. “W" Corruption. It is sometimes said that you and your colleagues are not responsible for the corrupt acts of Liberal or- seminars and agents. Youhave, on several occasions, encouraged this theory by declaring that you were not in favor of corruption. and would stop it, if you could. I think the word you used was “deplore.” You deplored the corruption. Once at' least you exclaimed, “righteousness exalteth a nation." On other oc- casions you took high ground in re- gard to political purity and denoun- ced political rascality in the ab- stract. The sworn statement of Mr. Hale, your candidate in Renfrew. -would indicate. that an enormous sum. of money was promised for his elec- tion by one of your ministers. Of course, Mr. Stratton denies this, but Mr. Stratton denies nearly every- thing. There is no doubt that. Mr. Hale’s statement 18 correct; he has not found it necessary to make many denials. 'l‘he evidence in the Sault inquiry involved your Government The, evidence in the West Elgin case touched your Government. Ileside all this, when you “deplored" the scandals, one would think you would have tried to stop‘ them. It seems never to have occurred to You to re- fuse to retain oilieo by a majority obtained by corruption. It did not even occur to you to give. the courts time to (lett'l‘lllllle whether you held olliee by corruption or the will of the. people. If you “deplored" the evil 1 would hun- thought you would not. have hastened the meeting of the Legislature, but rather delayed it that the truth in regard to your elrc- tion might lw known. When you “deplored” the evil why did you not prosecute the culprits? You did not have the excuse of not knowing who they were; the judges named them. You and you alone controlled the machinery of the law. When a private individual tried to bring the villainy of the Government before the public, the courts were used to frustrate his efforts. At the Sault certain men were named for cerrupt practices. The Controverted Election Act says that “it shall be .the duty of the Crown Attorney to prosecute such persons.” The Crown Attorney at the Sault not only neg- lected to do his duty, but declined to enforce the law when appealed to by a private prosecutor. The ' Atâ€" torney-General, who holds office at your pleasure, far from, in 'sting on the Crown Attorney at t , Cault en- forcing the law, himself refuses aid, when appealed to by the private. pro- secutor. When the private preseaâ€" tor went to the courts he was op- posed by the recognized counsel of your Government. Why did you not have the Crown Attorney at the Sault dismissed when, notwithstand- ing his oath of oflice, he refused to do his duty? Why did you not ask the Attorney-General to resign and choose a successor who would do his duty if you were sincere when you “deplored" the evil and were of the opinion that “righteousness ‘exalteth a nation?” Protection to Culprits. Your protectfin of the culprits il strong evidence that they are work- ing for you, and that, in some way, they receive their pay from. you. Ifmler your administration the law refuses to punish the man who transgresses in order to keep you in power, but the same law will move with alacrity and ferocity, as in the Callaghan caSe, against. one who will dare to say anything against you or your Govm'mnent (,‘allag‘l'ian, in an ailidavit, made statements more or less damaging to your (lox'ernment. At once. he was prosecuted ()n a charge of theft whi(‘h . had no connection with the affidavit. ()i‘ intent to steal. in my opinion, and in the opinion of many com- petent to judge. he was not guilty. There are many judges who, if it had been their duty to try the case, would have so directed the jury. It. was a case in which the Crown might have taken a most lenient view. But the (frown had seventeen jurors chal- lenged in its effort to Convict this man. whose real offence was that his statements reflected upon your Gov- ernment. Such is the administration of justice under your Government. Such is the barbarism of Russia. It. has been your custom to pose as a patriot and reformer while you "de- plored" political corruption and ex- pressed your desire to stop it. You have used many apt quotations in your speeches: let- me suggest one for future use. It is this: “When Dr. Johnston defined the word patriot- ism as the last refuge of a scoundrel, he had not learned the infinite possi- bilities of the word reform." Keep Them in Favor. Not only have you not prosecuted the offenders who have. been named by the judges, but you have not repudiated them and have retained them as organizers and agents of the Liberal party. Why did you not drive out of the party theSullivans, the Boles, the Sutherlands, the Van- ces, the Gilligans, the Hewitts, the Pritchetts, the Cahills, the Lewises, the Palmers, the Wildfongs, the J ack- sons, and other agents who have been engaged in disreputable political work for the Government? You are now receiving the benefit of their labors and are holding oflice on ac- count of what they have done: You “deplore" the evil and declare you would like, to stop it, and, at the same time, you are very careful to retain an Attorney-General who will not move against the evil-doors. You make loud professions and con- tinue tohe e receivers! stolen goods, fllched from the liberties o! the people. by the worst m on political deeper-.1102. Vhleh has ever Guam courts. 1 have did opinion of yourself. A section of the Liberal press .‘ stout dart to lessyouwouldpreterthistest.'[\is§ waspartlytheobjectineaning the: Liberal Conventiok 'nie pee-s is ‘ calling tor a forward movement. and you have requested the people to target the ugly past. Forgetting seems to be a favorite occupation with your Cabinet. You have de‘ sired to seal the black record of your administration with‘ “seven scale." I presume you employ that phrase be- cause seven is a Bible number, and you like the phraseology oi Scrip- ture, or because the seven , members of the. Cabinet wish to have part in hiding and sealing the disgraceful re- cord. The public will not be mis- lead, however, and will judge you by your rd. What a record for a Liberal overnmcnt! It is said that when a man is about who drowned the events of his past life pass through his mind. You are now in very deep water and I would like to recall some of the events which will probably soon be flitting through, your mind, if the procession has not already started. The following me a few of them: the Maybee pamphlet: your speech at Madoc in favor of Lott: the West Elgin frauds: the burning of the ballots: the conceal- ment, by the Government, of the burning of the ballots: the Macnish iconlession: the appointment through the influence of lion. 1‘]. J. Davis of Cummings as deputy returning ofli- cer, and the subsequent naming by the judges of Cummings for fraud: the offer to buy Donald Sutherland, M.P;P.: the purchase of pvrjurt-(l evi- dence in the South Oxford trial: the offer of $10,ooo to Mr. ioyd of North Grey: 1110- olT-er of patronage to Mr. Gamay: The (Hohe llllt‘l‘\'l(‘\\' with Mr. (iamey, which the “on. Mr. Stratton prepared: Mr. Ganwy's let.- ter, promising support to your (lov- ernnumt, and found in your posmtsâ€" sion: Captain Sullivan's SHAH)“ timâ€" hm limit: the pmmtnt during the election of men at lht‘ Hault: the dis- tunnelwiisumnt ot .\oith Rt‘lltl‘t‘WZ the sn'orn testimony of Mr. llnlw, and tho immense. sum sent to North lit-nI'rt-w as an election fund; the. guilty ltlltt)l'~ Innu- 01' Mr. Strutton and Mr. Innis when in the witness box: the.- Huult Eduction and the Minnie .\l.: the re- tfusal ot‘ the Attornvy-t:wnwmI to jpiosteute otl‘entltrs; \our Illt'tlgc-S to [the tt-ml‘i'nmnce ptople, and how you ilx'l pt tilt in I think you would hold a higher place in Canadian history if you had never been Premier, or had been de- feated at. the last general election. It was an evil (jay for Liberalism, for Ontario, for public morality and for yourself, when you came into power. In the approaching contest you may have the support of the now, veteran machine, the personnel of which has not, greatly changed, and which moves from riding to riding, helping you with its nefarious work, while you publicly deplore its misdeeds and solemnly declare to a conlidingpub- lie that "Righteousness exalteth a nation; ” you may' have the aid of many people who have been deceived in the past, and. who will again tlmughtlessly vote for your Govern- ment, which is Liberal in name and the opposite in principle; but there are thousands of Liberals who will not support you and who now hang their heads in shame to see the flag of Liberalism trailed in the dust, that you and your colleagues may rc- tain power by chicanery and corrup- tion. Ninety per cent. of the Liber- al party are right at heart, and would like to do what is best for the Province, but they have too of- ten lost sight of the principles upon which their party was founded, and have been deceived by the men who hold otiice and call themselves Lib- eral leaders. You are a good speaker. You have a cheerful jaunty style, which is quite attractive. ()n the stump you are, I think, one of the most expert political conjurers of our time. I would rather hear you speak than read your speeches. While you are lacking in literary instinct you have a stock of standard quotations, and you use some of them and para- phrase others so that your Speeches sound well. Macaulay is a favorite of yours. How often have we heard you appeal to the brave days of old when none was for a party and all were for the state. With your stock of poetry you have Concealed many a weak point and bridged many a dan- gerous chasm in your argument. I have a quotation in mind which I will commend to you. It will be more appropriate in the coming con- test than “common rights and equal laws, the glorious dream of Harring- ton, and Sidney’s good old cause." It is this: “Nor florid prose, nu honied lies of rhyme Can blazon evil deeds, or consecrate a crime." I have personally no ill-will to- wards you. We have not often met, and, on these occasions, I have found you courteous. We have never had any intercourse, which could be the foundation for either a difference or an agreement. Were it not for your public career I would not have en- tered upon this correspondence. My occupation has made me more reti- cent upon public questions than per- haps I had a right to be, but there are, however, times and occasions when a man must not sacrifice his citizenship, when he must be true to his country, no matter what hap- pens to party, and when he must speak out, even at the risk of per- sonal loss. Such a time has arrived, and, therefore, do I write to you. I may be mistaken, but I think the hour has struck for your political de- parture. Looking back to the day when. as a boy, I heard you speak in the Town Hall in Cobourg, 'now more than twenty years ago. I am constrained to say. and I assure you it is with sincere narrow, that I lieve that your career has not I ll- od its early promise. fiat you . ve Evil Day tor Liberalism. The Hour Bus Struck. HERE are a few things which 3 will have to buy Friday or Saturd The prices which we are making on lines of Christmas Groceries 8110‘ ensure a large crowd of shoppers Friday and Saturday. All the 310 listed below are of the verylfinest quall #fifikfiikfli i Choice Walnuts, per lb, |5c 9;: Choice Almonds, per lb, 15c axe Choice Filberts. per lb, 15c :EChoice Turkish Layer Figs, per lb. l5C 33% The best Mixed Candy made. 3 lbs for 25C ”lb ‘\0‘ :3); Fine Chocolates, per lb, 15c ’14? 93% Choice Table Raisins, per lb, 20c ' ..-.., SKI. 3; Choice Holly and Mistletoe at lowest price 9:2 “It? \ We have one of the largest stocks of Christin. .Ul'y "Goods in town. Also the Largest m prettiest assortment of Handkerchiefs. 0 new Neckwear for ladies and gentlemen ohm many new things ‘in shapes and colors and F going rapidly. One of our nice DOWN COMFORTERS or IARBEILLU Q {will prone a very acceptable gift £0: the home. 7n NI, ’13? Q": '1‘? b5 vln.‘ :Highest Prices Paid for Fowl 09 AVeryMerry christm We want to we all our friends Christmu Eve III! V‘h‘ " Merry Christmas ” We _h§v« a {my CALEKDA‘F l Dress Goods and Suitings Ladies’ Skirts and Jackets Girl’s Ulsters and Reefers Ladies’ Fur Jackets Small Furs of all kinds Men’s Tweed and Worsted Suitings Ready-made Clothing Men’s and Boys’ Overcoats Men’s Fur Coats Wool Blanketsand Overshoes. Winter Good Lumbermon’o Snug Proof Rubbers u ........ '. 8‘2, 02.50, 82.75, 33, Heavy Rubbers u ........................... 31.25, $1.50. $1.76. Men’s Logging n .................. ‘ ............... 75c to 81.60. We hnve n lot. of nice Fancy Felt Slippers, very snitnbic for Christmu giving. Cnll and see themâ€"n11 sizes, prices 30c to .1. H.H.MOCK Hillinery. IHE CASH 3mm. :1. H. mama! We wish all our Customers and Friends - MEN’S HEAVY RUBBERSâ€"all sizes. FELT SLIPPERSâ€"for ev'erybody. Ncw Stock of Groceries {of Christina. We want lots of TURKEYS‘Q‘ ‘_G and mm pay bug prices for them 0 EFORE NEW YEARS $3000 wo'fl of goods must be moved trom 0! stock. That means large selling. als means Great Bargains in all ha of Winter Goods such as : The balance of our Winter Milling”: will be sold at Less Than flalfPl-lu, We Won’t have any left if cut pr“ will clear it out. GREAT SALE OF Eflrmmmrzfimurm thaw who did not receive one. Remember gkflkfikshfikfikfikafikflfii THE