ii ection

Many of the ballots which willbe castin this election will be marked within -the

upgrtgiuiisrmmgln There is precious little doubt about the wayin which these'

They' be marked for-

( Union in Canada; ` T _ ‘ A Party 'l‘ruce until after “the War; . ` i

the mal Hgeitiiezdyvitsrféarir %fll§oeIi)i;forcements for the ever-thinning ranks that hold

It is almost impossible to conceive of a soldier, standing in the freezing Flanders

mud with death whistling in the air and a pack of baying -hell-hounds in front of himhungry V to break _through_ upon the peaceful homes they have not already torn and ravished, showing _ any patience with the petty party _1S§u_e_s thatused to amuse him in Canada. They count far less with_ him today than the composition of his next ration o_r his chance for a few hours’ heal- ing respite. There is but one issue in__all the world.beforei1fus. and that is howjbcst to beat theBosches. ' T i _ r _ ' 1 ~

‘ ~ ‘ He is risking his life in the shambles-he'stands"ditily'0ver the rough grave that covers

or the reddemn%stretcher` that bears _his icomradey-he is fighting scientific wild beasts modgrn phesus. when-i1e_ehenees» to thiniscf Kelty names er my erica-_-the ntheoldsafe, hepgyldaysf bac Z _home--itfis onli); to reca.H_»theni~ along with the lacrosse chainpionships or foot all contests at which he was wont to cheer. _ That any one should turn asidefrom this tragic and terrible business of _damming back the ~ Teuton`_t1de of horror murder, brutalityand barbarism to waste a ballot or a moment on time mviaiitia wade sam ie uiariyriswmprehasibie. x c e

.iw . " *Vi _` * . _ _

will be_no party baIlots`r`narke_d inthe Ypres salient. They dare not do it

in the (presence of their dead. ~ The physicians-who slip out. of the moaning hospital wards behin the” lines to vote in these.electionsf,willcnot be thinking of Grit or Tory but _of -how most swiftly and surely to end thiahorrible slaughter and stop 'this unceasing carnival off pain. There_is not a case-hardened partizan in the Dominion of Canada today who could step from beside the hospital 'cot on which one Canadian lad lay moaning--in spite of his determination-_-from the tearing pain that the Germans had given and all the palliatives of medicine couldnot take away, and still cast his ballot for his beloved party and not solely for the speediest ending of the war. ` ' _ “

The only reason why there is a party election in Canada is because the voters in

this protected country are not compelled-tovote within sound of the guns. Some of us lack the imagination to realize whatfour boys are going through--that is the whole explanation. Who are the heartiest and most convinced Liberal Unionists, leaving their old party with regret but without hesitation? Are they not men like Rowell and Ralph_Connor and _ Stewart Lyon whohave the scarred battle-fields of France and Belgium, talked with the men living in- that inferno of danger, agony _and death, realized the menace to all civil- ization that" crouches 'behind the Hindenburg line, and had burned into their consciences the conviction that any man who -is anything at this crisis'but a Canadian, pure and simple,

without thought of self or party orlpredilection of any sort, is a TRAITOR, a BETRAYER OF THE MEN AT THE FRON , _a practical' ALLY _OF PRUSSIANISM. `

We want it to be perfectly understood that ‘this scoring of the partizan- is not directed

at themen of oneparty only._ It is meant _f_orfa_ny citizen of Canada who puts the fortunes of any party .before the fate of his couiitry;_ If it seems to fall upon one party' al0ne,_it is only because organized opposition to the'Un_i_o`n Government tocome from one party a one. 1- "o'f»r'=|» __

' ~ The _formation of the Union_Govern_1nent was an effort to bring together the entire

Canadiannationbehindthelinesonthewesternfront._ Thereis nosection of the Canadian people-except the_ Germans who were _disfranchised by the War-time_Frn_nchise Act-

which was not asked and even urged to Jom that Government. If any section is now outside I V

of it, it is its own deliberate and de_termine_d‘c_hoice.‘ No one was excluded. V _

' The overwhelming major-ity ofthe people--if their habitual leaders may be

assumed-'to for them'--.have_ r_'a.lli'ed to the Union_Governinent. Liberals and V Con- servatives ' e, the present Ministers have put in their pockets .all the`_old -issues which formerly divided them and are now ready to_co_nc_entr_ate on the one task of finishing the War wi`th'a'emashlng Victqfy, at the possible moment---if thecountry but give them the necessary 1`iiandateTtO'dQ_`§Q, 'fit is a ‘which should made imaniinous. If there _ uesticns_which'_znust still Bqffouiht out.-M151 them undoubtedly are~necas»a*““,§‘§‘°fthsisfer‘isi‘v»i>e‘rliifsrfieflegs* x “fbias ‘mme-'= 1°* Us St°r>ih° buwhervinihe_ _;versiit_°=1iise§%ibi>r@¢!;_l§Xv»dis 't _ _ _ sync bv_f°h¢rS.1'.' = ‘ ‘ 1 i ‘ r

V., ,_ _V ., ~v _“T _ `,_\ _ _,._`."; xi `?t`,i_.&.-, , l,`_” _ * __ - ,` _," __._, 8 __\A_ ‘ ,_ 1 ._ __ _ 1

sg9»iI1St;tliisf policy cf ‘.‘_carry_

on ” to ifote against it (this

_in a-" moment), we

this invitation. .`Perhaps‘we ,had ofthe Policy. ` 'L

war

YOUR

. les- _ nder Fire!

» . _

_fe_el`i!ii_a_/dequate to carrying on the job, they should be and usually are summarily dismissed or replaced. 'That is what has been done twice in London, many times in Paris and at least twicein Italy. It' has now been done once in Canada. That Sir Robert Borden himself voluntarily and even eagerly sought the substitution of a new and broader-based Govemment for his old Ministry, does not alter the fact that we have had our change of Government which is a tacit admission that the old Government had proven too limited

capacity forthe tremendous task. Having made this bald statement, details can be left _

the war is won.` A _ _ .1-3 One advantage, however, Sir Robert and atleast some of his late Ministers had;

They had been in close contact with the actual carrying on of the war; they had been out

oidcial representatives and so had been constantly trusted with inside informationby British Government which could`be shared with very, very few; they knew exactly how wfell_'we were doing under the voluntary system, and how far short we were falling; they knew the immediate future needs and our prospects of meeting them. And it was -their considered and certainly. unwilling opinion that we could only keep up our essential streainof reinforcements to our army in Europe by adopting the selective draft. There Was not; a man. of them who liked the idea. Some of them- hated it as thefBi°i_tish»i_iation has always the odious word :-“Co_nscript.” But, with their special and necessarily secret- informa- »~tiSs¢ti-liei Ssw'i1c‘0@h@r my fmt- -'SU f»h¢ffifSt»swn t11_<=i1_i»t9_<_:k.via‘» 'te_e°_°¢Pt the feevevslblliy. of their exclusive knowledge, 'and'to declare that the eoi`mti'y‘miist atlast 'accept the pohcy of military compulsion. “ _ ' _ .. _ f »i= >»¢ >|= . _ The first man asked to join them on that platform was Sir Wilfrid Laurier. He was asked to come and bring a number of Liberal colleagues with liim-in fact, he was offered a fifty-fifty division of the Cabinet, with the exception that Sir Robert Borden would naturally retain the Premiership. :We now know that a clear majority of the Liberal leaders wanted to accept --that offer and'loya_lly share the responsibility. The_best of them did finally acceptit and are now in the Government. But Sir Wilfrid and friends took another view. Theyflatly contradicted the official statement that compulsion had -become necessary. They still flatly contradict it, though they are ready to submit the decis- ion to a vote of the people. They will accept compulsion if the people say so. That is, they arenotopposed to it on any ground of principle. They merely argue that it is not expe- dient; and they set their opinion on this point-necessarily an outside opinion-»-against the informed official opinion, based on full and confidential knowledge, of the`Canadian Minis-_ ers who know the secrets of our War Office and enjoy the confidence of the British Wai'

cabinet. So on this point when the Canadian elector goes to the lgplls, he must decide be-_ tween accepting the guess _of an outsider and the positive' owledge-_'of an insider

That is the one point, we want to make in this article., Elsewherein this issueargu-_

ments be found on the ethics, the efficiency, the essential democracy andothervital factors in this great question of compulsory military service; It is nowthesettledpolicy of every great nation, including the American Republic. But the question before Canadians

is its application to Canada; and, however convincingly we may argue forit as an effect1ve_

and democratic system, we all knowthat our people would not accept .it~_today if they did not deem it grimly necessary. The Union Government declares it necessaryl _-The Laurier Opposition denies this. It talks of an appeal to the people a referendum; but_ everybody knows that that appeal will come in the pending elections._ If Laurier, wins, there will be no need' for- a referendum. The people will have voted against compulsion. So the situation is crystal clear-#if the- Union Government is beaten, compulsion will not _be applied; voluntarism will again be invoked, and", in the opinion of every manin a position to know, the stream of Canadian recruits will no longer equal the Canadian casualties, and the Cana-

' dian divisions at the front will raduall ` be wi ed out by the triumphant Germans. : Canada

. . _ S Y P _ __

will slinkifrom the field. Canada will tacitly sign a separate .

i . »u 4-' -uf ' _ _

2|*

' That' is why we' say that the Laurier Opposition are inviting Canadians not _to

i"‘Carry On.” Some 'of their speakers are suggesting' that we might recruit the cooks

.canipgand feed the real fighters. Others are urging that Canada has done enough, though we have done less relatively than any important nation inthe war with_the exception of the United? States which is just beginning-and beginning with conscription. Others, again say thstfwe should never have fought until the Germans landed in Canada. We refer these valiant gentlemen, and especially their women folk,_to the Bryce report and other blood- _curdling and authentic statements of atrocities contamed in this issue. -. _ fBi'it'we shall`_no"t.labor.the point.. .On the Laurier banner is written the motto- _“Tllisi-Way Out. ’ ' _If we want to quit, we shoiildvote for the _Laurier candidates. That is the way to do it. The consequences to Canada if we do this , and so produce that little breach in 'the'Allied line whichrhas proven so fatal in Galicia and in the Cari§’gSf‘i§i.lps, w1ll~b9 iiothirig‘sIiort`of colossal disaster. (If the Allies lose, there i_s_ not a safe inves is __t in the Dominion. Our lndustrles,_in common with other Allied mdustries be ki 14’ E.; _of the markets of the world by the German Jwk boot. It _is 'our solemn belief that “1;_r‘_;=,__=‘ Of time, Canada will become an overseas German possession--possibllyéltlie ,___ Statesiof-'the future. _ No paint can picture ,thi-'wrospect too' dar y' if we 'open in the defofices'of freedom and let throughthe flood. e shall dlshonor_onr.dead Oil? en1aren.ya;~.enb0m. we sinii imma- census as _ine eoyvard.‘_u_ar_ii;ir_qir_xiii; avqrldeths-

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