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Sir Wilfrid Laurier's Answer - to the Dominion ~ Alllance. ¥. S. Spence, Secretary of the Domin- fon Alliance, has received from Sir Wil- frid Laurier the answer of the Govern- ment tothe request of the Alliance * that a prohibition measure be intreduc- edinto the Dominion Parliament fol- lowing. upon the plebiscite of last fall. fhe Premier announces that the ex- ression of public opinion recorded at he polls in favor of prohihition did not represent such a proportion of the electorate as would justify the intro- duction by the Government of a_ pro- hibitory measure. The Premier's com munication to Ald. Spence is ae fol- lows : ; "When the | delegation of the Dominion Alliance waited upon the Government last fall to ask'us a conse- quence of the plebiscite the introduc- tion of - prohibitory legislation, they based their demand upen the fact that on the total of the vote cast there was a majority in favor of the principle of peohibition. The exact figures of the ¥ tes recorded were not at that time a:curately known, but the official figures which we have now, show that on the question put to the electors 278.487 voted yea, and 264.571 voted nay. Afrer the official figures had been made public.it was contended by some of the opponents of prohibition that the margin of difference between the ma jority and mivority was so slight that it practically constituted a tie, and there was, therefore, no occasion for the Government to prononnce either one way or the other, The Government does not share that view. We are ol the opinion that the fairest way of ap- proaching the question is by the con- sideration of the total vote cast in favor of prohibition, leaving aside altogether the vote recorded again it. PERCENTAGE OF THE VOTE, "Iu that view ot the question the re- cord shows that the electorate of Can adv, to which the question was submit- ted, comprised 1,243,349 voters, and of that number less than 28 per cent., or a trifle over one-fifth, affirnved their con- viction in the principle of prohibition "If we remember that the object of the plebiscite was to give an oppor- tunity to those who have at heart the cause of prohibition, who betieyed that the people were with them, and that if the question were voted upon by itselt, without any other issue which might detract from its consideration, @ ma jority of the electorate would respond, aud thus show the Canadian people prepared and ready for its adoption, it must be admitted that the expectation was not justified by the event. On the other hand, it was argued before us by yourself and others that as the plebis cite cumpaign was carried out" by the friends of prohibition without any ex- penditure of money, and without the usual excitement of political agitation, the vote recorded in favor of it was comparatively a large one. This state ment | did not then controvert, nor do I coutrovert it bere and now. I would simply remark that the honesty of the vote did not suffer from the absence of those causes of excitement, and that even if the totalitv of the vote might have been somewhat increased by such eause its moral force would not have been made any stronger. A DECISIVE ANSWER. "I venture to submit for your con- sideration, and the consideration of the members of the Dominion . Alliance, who belieye in prohibition as the most efficient means of suppressing the evils of intemperance, that no.good purpose would be served by forcing upon the people a measure which 1s shown by the vote tohave the support of less than twenty-three r cent. of the electorate. either would it serve any good purpese to enter here into further controversy on the many incidental points discussed before us. My object is simply to convey to you theconclus- ion that in our judgment the expres sion of public opinion revorded at the polisin faver of prohibition did not represent such a proportion of the electorate as would: justify the iniro- duction by the Goyernment of @ pro- hibitory meastre. (Signed) WiLrrip LAavRIER. F.S. SPENCE'S REPLY. "It is decidedly unfair," says Mr. Spence,'to count the stay-at-home vote as unfavorable to prohibition. We have as good a right to count it as unfavor- able to the liquor traffic. If the pro- hibition vote is smallit must be re membered that there is ample evidence that in the Province' of Quebec extens- ive frauds were practiced, and that the honest vote polled against prohibition was much smaller than the official re- turns show. It wonld be very unfair to clnim that the views of a certain per- centage of anti prohibition electors should prevail and that the views of a larger percentage of prohibitionists should be ignored, "Take the English-speaking Province 'of the Dominion, They voted for pro- hibition by a majority of 107,948. Out of 148 constituencies the prohibitionists carried 120, Their. average majority was 1,42 The prohibitionists polled nearly 28 per cent, of the voters' list, while the opponents of prohibition poll- ed less than 16 per cent. Whatan ab- surdity it isto say that 28 per cent. of the votersis not sufficient to war- rant the enactment of prohibition, but that it is mght to withhold prohibition because 15 per cent. of the voters op- posed it, "~--* "I can only express an opinion. I have no right tospeak for anyone but mvself. My conviction, however, is strung that the prohibitionists of Can- nda will strongly resent the action of the Government. It must be borne in mind that the plebiscite was none of our seeking. We asked for prohibitory tvgishation. The Gueyerument proposed | to take » | timent a yote in on the question. No given that more value would be attach- ed to the votes: -- prohi- bition than to those polled im its favor. "No one would have-entertaihed the idea that the party polling the smallest amber of yotes should be considered winners in the contest, of that any ceftuin percentage of was necessary toa victory for either side. If the stay-at-homes are to cotint against the side that wins, then the Liberal party was beatenin the last Dominion election, "In Nova Scotia the probitfonists polled 87 per cent. of the voters' list,|f the liquor party poiled only 5 per cent. In New Brunswick the prohibitionists pulled 30 per cent. of the lists, the antis 10 1-2 per cent. In Prince Edward Island prohibitionists polled 88 per cent. the liquor party 4 percent. The Manitoba prohibitiouists had 25 per cent. of the list, theft opponents had oniy 6 per cent. In the Northwest Ter ritories the prohibition vote Was 27 per cent. of the list, and the anti vote was 12 per ceut. Ontario had 27 per cent. of the list for prohibition and 20 per cent. on the other side. "What an absardity tosay that the minority percentage is- warranted enongh for continuing the legaliza- tion of the liqnor traffic, and the karger percentage 1s not warrant for any leg: islation at all. "The Government's deetsion to do nothing seems, in view of these facts, unjust and unfair, atid will rouse the indignation of tens of thousands of people who voted for the Liberal party, believing that prohibition would be en- acted ff they obtained 'a maforityin the plebiscite. 'The temperance people were disappointed when the Provincial ple- bisclte resulted in nothing, 'They cid not: expect anything ftom the Royal Commission, but they had trusted. that this Government wowd honorably carry out'the mandate of the people." A Working Man Able to Keep His Place in Spite of Difficulties. He Writes About His Condition-- Wife and Children Helped. WALLACEBURG, ONT.--The follow- ing letter will prove of interest to work- ing men and others who may be in a con- dition similar to that of the writer: "For three years I was subject to poor spells. I always felt tired, could not sleep at night and the little I could eat did not do meany good. I have been working at the barber trade for about 20 years and for the last four years I have been very closely confined and have had my meals very irregularly. I was taken witha Very Severe Cough and the doctors said it was caused by my stomach troubles. I lost flesh and beeame so weak I was hardly able to stand up to the chair to work. One day I happened to be Iooking over some testimonial let- ters and I thought-I would try Hood's Sarsaparilla. Before I had taken two bot- tles 1] began to feel better and in ea short time é felt finely and had gained 21 pounds in weight. Ihave taken nearly five bottles and now I feel like a man again. Iam Stronger and Healthier than I haveever been iu my life. My wife and children have also take Hood's Sar- saparilla for a blood medicine and realized much benefit from it. As for myseif I cannot say too much forit. I firmly be- Heve that ff it had not been for Hood's Sarsaparilla I would not have been able to work af my trade any longer." JOHN W. CoucHuin. Get only HOOD'S. a are the best after-dinner Hood's Pills pits, aia digestion. 25e. Permanent Cure of Chronic Constipation. Perhaps you've suffered with constipa- fion for years, tried all the pills and purs gatives you ever heard or read of, without getting any more relief than the one dose of the medicine afforded. Then you were left worse than before, bowels bound harder than ever, the con- stipation aggravated instead of cured. Il the miseries of constipation--Head« ache, Sick Stomach, Biliousness, Pimplesy Eruptions, Blood Humors, Blotches, Piles and a thousand and one other ills crowd backon youagain ith ity Wouldn't you consider it a blessing to' be cured of your constipation so that it would stay cured? So that a repetition of all the suffering you have endured would never come again? Burdock Blood Bitters can cure you--cure so that the cure will be permanent. hat's where it differs from all other remedies. It makes a thorough renova- tion of the whole intestinal tract, tones the bowel wall, acts on the liver and stomach, and causes all the digestive and secretory organs to so work harmoniously and perform their functions properly and perfectly that constipation, with all its attendant sickness, suffering andill health, become a thing of the past. Miss Arabella Jolie, living at 99 Carriére' Street, Montreal, Que., Bears out all we Say in regard to the efficacy of Burdock Blood Bitters in curing constipation per- manently. This is her statement : Foe over a year I suffered a great deal from persistent constipation and could only get ig Gbcct relief from the various remedies I tried until I started using Burdock Blood Bitters. I am thank~ ful to say that this remedy has completely and per- rianently cured me and I have had no reiurn of the constipation. April 1. and is in good condition, having good buildings, fences and undef drains. Albert, the twenty month old child of Dr. and Mrs. W.N. Robertson, Strat- ford, died at an early hour Monday morning after an illness of three weeks fcountry. Rev. Andrew Canningham, pastor of the Methodist church af€ Kincardine, died Friday morning after a severe itz, ness, lasting seven months. He leaves a widow, daughter of the [ate Dr. Rice, superintendent of the Methodist Church of Canada, and sister of H. L. Rice, B. A., St. Marys; three sons and two daughters. For thirty-one years Mr. Cunningham had been actively en- gaged in the ministry, his first appoint- ment being at Newmarket, Since then he has filled some of the most import- ant stations in the province, including London; St. Marys, Hamilton, Strat- ford, Guelph, Galt, Orangeville, Mit- chef and Kineardine. In 1893 he was rhonored by being elected president of the Guelph Conference, and at the time of his death was chairman of the Kin- cardine district of the London Confer- efce. His age at death was 55 years. SEMANDRAKE. 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