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1' m ~-,» yErse .m C* h mds m ""' mmomey -- Cl w pAY., MARCH & 49 . WEDNESDAY, _ MARCH 6, 1918. | Nemmes mppet invernicucamecani ces e t qi m ue penamme mm tmetmen mrvcto oo ' 5 U AT ", rrn" the.Prime Minister had accepted the :Q ~I !g!sg' proposah | . _ a 7 VILLIRUN ALIlG LV U L Lk _*"I submit that the term of the ex-- Mpteshsy i You s Te > ' tension must be definite, and that a J 110 M period: of one year is to--day a rea-- ' 3 1ME "i sonable exercise of the power, leav-- VJs ing. it to the Legislature from year| | o e VC c Yolr.s to --year to deal with the question,', """""""'. 3 § is \with the larger light and knowledge Opposes Exten8|0n of Leg|8'. of then existing conditions,'"' said the s * speaker. Nor is it, he said, good | lature for an Indefinite -- l legislation 'to--allow any Government i PeriOd 3 to get "out of hand" and "out of F * § touch"' with the expression of popu-- 'Whtienie ustt uen k eaticiicrn cce lar will. In these times of rapidly PREMIER REBUKES -- HIM changing conditions, when great new problems are arising, no one can see M e (vivhant the Legislature will have to In First Divi: e eal with even in the next two years. eet Diviston sof Mhk¢ Sussion ito For that reason it is only fair that is Defeated by Vote of the influence of public opinion should * 58 to 1 be felt, that conditions which will § arrive years hence wili not be dealt _ I 'wit'h to--day. . It is estm;.ttetcxl tgfir{. ;t 3 ; ; 8 may take two years, an e 3 ttha.racterizmg- the bill to extend onlgrr another way of saying that the : e life of the Legislature as a Government shall have another year| '"jug--handled scheme" which re-- in which "to put i"itgsel}'cfmtse 311 order stricts the people, but leaves the before submitting to the peo-- s le." 'Then, too, the personnel of Government free to spring an elec-- Ehe Government may change, and tion at any time when "the going an unendorsed Government,may be is good," Mr. Hartley Dewart, mem-- in power. bar for Southwest Toronto, vigorous-- A Jug.han&ucd scheme. !13 protested in the Legislature last | _"It is really the establishment of | night against an indefinite extension, an irresponsible oligarchy,'"' contin-- | on the ground that '"such a measure ued Mr. Dewart. "It is almost a lreally establishes an -- irresponsible ' f 5'13';')&"'"9" S.Cht'.'r?le'fl?: (ég\?:}n?nzi}li i .!" -- rovince is tied, oligarchy." He thought an exten-- ?:}eto have its hands free to dissolve sion for one year would be sufli-- P 3 2+ 4 avy '('ient but h p at any time that it may deem the t o s e was willing to exteni h. o s + ion oppor-- [ the Legislature from year to year, going good: and the OCCas PC if advisable, during the period of tune.' .Industnal forces and return-- - [Ermien it uie House snd, is lo gat The Liberal Leader, Mr. Proud-- \sented in the se, 10 'foot. declared that in making the \fair that they should be bound in-- extension offer to the Prime Minis-- : définitely by an agreement between lter he did so in the utmost sood: | the old llne. par.nes. One condition, faith, believing that he had the au-- if an extension is granted, shogld be Ithorit,\' of all the members of the that the patronage system will be . l()pposition, including that of Mr. € abolished in the Province. Dewart. Mr. Proudfoot repeated n 's speecth, | the opinion that it was in the in-- Mt. Proudtoo't.a P ,' § | terests of the people of Ontario that & The Opposition Leader said the 'the life of the Legislature should member for Southwest Toronto must be prolonged. have overlooked . certain _ events . y which took place, because he was Premier's Views. under the impression that he had | -- Sir William Hearst also thought 'the authority of all his followers, in-- ! the members of the House were cluding' that of the member for 'unanimous on the question at the [ Southwest Toronto, to make to the \time the offer was made and ac--| Prime Minister an offer for_the ex-- cepted, and if he did not think that tension of the life of the Legislature. public opinion throughout the Pro-- If the member, for Southwest To-- vince was overwhelmingly in favor ronto was going to object to the of the bill he would withdraw it, offer being made, there was a proper submit a soldiers' voting bill in its place and a proper time. "In. mak-- place, and bring on an election with-- 'ing the offer to the Prime 'Minister out delay. e 'I did so in the utmost good faith, s Mr. Sam. Clarke (West Northum-- Believing I had the authority of all berland) said the Opposition Leader | '\the members on this side of the § did not make the offer off his own House. If I had not so believed I | bat, "but it was discussed by the would not have made the offer. The j members of this side of the House Government did not ask for the ex--| _ | before the offer was made, and I tension. The offer came from me.,} ___| certainly was not aware that there The bill was not prepared hurriedly, $ was a dissenting voice." as the member for Southwest To-l §, The motion for the second read-- ronto suggests, nor was it drafted | ing of the bill was then put, by the Prime Minister and approved | and the only division of the session by me without changes being made' j showed that Mr. Dewart stood alone, in the bill at my suggestion. My ' the vote being 58 to 1. : hon. friend thinks the exter:;x;on ' should be from 'year to year. at $ © Mr. Doewart Surprised. question was fully considered, and f Mr. Dewart said that he was com-- +T came to the conclusion 'that it _--_|lpelled to dissent from the idea of an would be a very improper way to & indefinite extension of the life of the deal with tha subject. If the exten-- i Assembly by members who happen i'sion were only from year to Fear, ___|to constitute the House at any par-- 'there would be a feeling of indefin-- _ Mticular time. He contended that gfe-- iteness all the time and we would & finiteness was surely intended by the not know what we were going to do. _ luse of the words "for four years'" If the war should end this year and "and no longer.'" Any extraordinary the soldiers return, the time is even _ [power should be carefully exercised. more definite than the time suggest-- _ --]|Mr. Dewart said that the views ex-- ed by the hon. member for South-- _ |pressed by the Opposition Leader in west Toronto. But if the war con-- _ |offering the extension did not hind tinues there will be all the more _ _ |\Liberal members. He had been sur-- reason for extending the life of Par-- @_|prised at the promptness with which liament and a greater reason why I * we should not have an election in o the Province. > . > , "After the matter came up in the f House °I received congratulatory f messages from all parts of the Pro-- k vince, from men of both parties and 4 from women of both parties. They £ all toolk the stand that an election € was undesirable in war time. We § all know that the recent election dis-- ; arranged all patriotic work. View-- 288. ing the situation from the standpoint ie ofp what is best for the Province, I 0 t