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rm_pw of certai \ the park our side « that pow tion be ? 'passed through the --gates,'the rent !of certain buildings which we--ownin the park, and the.lease of the power on 'our side of the Nlagara Falls. If we gave 'that power free what would our posi-- tion be ? The indebtedness of $800.000 would beja charge on the whole Pro-- vince, instead of, on' the power, lease and other concessions. Gambling for Support. 'What did my hon. friend offer * He wont down to Niagara Falls and offor-- ed to relieve the power:--company, some of them Americans, of that obligation, and so throw the whole obligation of $600,000 on the people of the Province. I want the people of Ontario to know this. I want them to know that ho was gambling for a constituenty, and the price was $£600,000 of the money of e prople of Ontario, reépresenting an | "i!:mual Income of $25,000 which we are | receiving. (Government applause.) He wanted the power to be free as air. It can only be free as --air at the sac-- rifice of $25,000 per year to the people of this country. I do not say that there was any corrupt intent ; I merely srate the fact. He went down, in cold hlood to a constituency in the Province: of © Ontario, in the year 1900, -- and . his words--I have them here in The To--| ronto Mail--constituted an offer to give | away a revenue of $25,000 per year, for | what ? For the supportof . the elec-- | tors of the Town 'of Niagara. --(Gov-- | _ernment applause.) \ Mr. Whitney--Read it, read it. ; Mr. Ross--I will : "He agreed with Mr. Ross that thetown should have | the power. But Mr. Ross had been careful to say that the power should not be free. Mr. Whitney declared | that it should befree, . and anything in'his power to make it free would be done, because in respect of every other |consideration it would be _ right." \*"*Would it be right?" asked Mr. Ross. '"The ostengible reason." he continned, "it--may <not. have been the only rea-- son, but in my heart:l helieve it was, was that he might favorably infuence the electors of the Town of~ Niagara Falis. (Governnient applause.) He poses as' a purist--(Government ap-- plause)--he asks if ever 'such crimes were committed as those in West El-- gin. Did he:ever know, or read, in the political history of this country, of a case where the leader of a great par-- ty, and the Conservative party is too great for some menwho s;eak for it, went to a constituency and ,in such plain language made such an offer?" 'History,-- Mr. Ross said, did not con-- tain-- any _ record of, such -- a thing betng done' in Canada. Of course the: money was .not" the money of '(the leader of the Opposition or of his friends. .If the hon. the.leader of the .Opposition and his' party were in power and had timber limitgs:and other concessions to dispose of there wauld be a great -- saturnalia. Concessions would be thrown at:the heads:<of their frignds: so long as they voted right. The offer, was a blot on the--career of the hon. gentieman. > Thethon. gentie-- man from East: Toronto had aiso en-- dorsed the proposition, and 'the, gentle-- 'A Bold <Bid. mian who had -- formeriy. represenied West York had cried ~"Me, too.". Yet thése were the: men , who@denounced Pritchett and Boyle and 'nad Mr. Bosg-- sard loaddd so that he'might--give evi-- dence to implicate Hon. Mr.;Duvl%'m others.-- .(Government applauge.) C nevéer was such a transparent bid, so improper'a bid, Mr. Rosgs contended, for th;e" purpose of swaying: an eléction .~He referred. to criticisms .made by Oppo-- sition members~in regard to his (Mr. Rioss') own speech at Madoc, and, dtiof I .L e us wb a c oerl a 4 : What: could a' member of 'a Govern-- mont say less than he had said upon that occasiom? -- Should »he say that At --they sent. a supporter of the Gov-- ernment it would do :them no good? Sir Robert Pecet had sooken as he, had spoken, so h&ad evety leader of the Im-- perial Parliament gifée--thebeginning of time, and so had said every leader of: the: House 'of 'Commons-- sinte Con-- federation.-- It was'the /Government's 1 business to see what.they could do for: the. people, and »the Government .that' failed to keep that.before, their mind would fail: in getting the-- confidence of the people. -- And' it: was because, the present party had 'geen'to it so care-- fuily, so honestly,that the people of the whole country had seen fit to do some-- thing for the Governméent -- and keep them in power. . (Ministerial cheers.) | 'Ihée people "belioved ~the Government and had responded to their ap'zeal for their support, and as a~ consequence they were in power to--day., -- (Renewed cheers.) 1:*) f f HQEB D hak i4 id t stzamtads +A e r OM eC L on ing the: words uséed there, said _ th they were quite within the bounds! propriety as coming from a Minister the Crown.' Ali w me 1 Mr. Ross then went on to speak of the agreement with the Algoma Cen-- tral Railway. Mr. Clergue, he suaid, was a very progressive man, and he wished we had twenty: Clérgues in this vountry. Mr. Cletgue had interviewed the Government before the House met, and treating the Government as hon-- orable men, who had made an agree-- ment subject to the ratification of the House, the Sault capitalist had gone on with some of. the: enterprises~ which were mentioned in the agreement subse-- quently signed. Mr. Clérgue ran the risk of having the agreement rejected by the House, but, on the other hand, the House now holds him down to do certain things which he would not oth-- erwise have been held .down to per-- form. Every proposition which the CGovernment bad made for old or new Ontario was one from whitch he believed some results would flow..' "Rather ,a thousand times fall in 'some of your measures than sit and hug your gold. as the miser does. afraid to move," Mr. Ross exclaimed. *"*That: is not the way this country was.built; that is not the 'way Mr. Clergue 'proceedéed, nor® the way the great rallways are proceeding That has been our position, and it is one which is defensible:any where." Pritchett's. Affidavits. Continuing, the Premier reférred to the Pritchett affidavits in the West Elgin case read last session by the legder of the Opposition. Pritchett was an old friend of the hon. gentle-- A Government's Business. who «» aenounced d 'nad Mr. Bog-- 'might give evi-- .. Mr.; Davis and ipplauge.) There isparent bid, so ;s contended, for ~an eléction .~He <his « Mr. and, quof said that bounds : of Minister of 93