turers and the closely allied transportation and
financial interests. Through the press and from a thousand platforms
these forces appealed to the dominant beliefs and feelings of the
people. Quite effective was the appeal founded on the doctrine of
protection. In twenty years Canada had become a city-dominated land,
and the average city-dweller had come to believe that his interests
were bound up with protection--a belief not unnatural in the {268}
absence for a decade of any radical discussion of the issue, and not to
be overcome at the eleventh hour. But the patriotic appeal was still
more effective. Here was a chance to express the accumulated
resentment of half a century against the unneighbourly policy of the
United States, now suddenly reversed. The chance could safely be
seized, for Canada was prosperous beyond all precedent. 'Let well
enough alone' was in itself a vote-compelling cry. In fact, 'Laurier
prosperity' proved its own Nemesis. Jeshurun Ontario, having waxed
fat, kicked. An American philosopher, Artemus Ward, has recorded that
his patriotism was so worked up during the Civil War that he consented
to send all his wife's relations to the front. Many an Ontario patriot
in 1911 was prepared to sacrifice the interests of his fellow-Canadians
to prove his independence of the United States. And in Quebec the
working arrangement between the Conservatives and Mr Henri Bourassa and
his party told heavily against the Government.

The result of the elections, which were held on the 21st of September,
was the overwhelming defeat of Sir Wilfrid Laurier's Ministry. In
Ontario the Liberals saved only thirteen seats out of eighty-six. In
the rest of the {269} country they had a majority, but not sufficient
to reduce substantially this adverse Ontario vote. The complete
returns gave 133 Conservatives to 88 Liberals. As usual, the popular
vote was more equally divided than the parliamentary seats, for the
Liberals secured 625,000 and the Conservatives 669,000 votes. The
Liberal majority of only 5000 in Quebec, 3000 in the maritime
provinces, and 20,000 in the prairie provinces was overcome by the
Conservative majority of 63,000 in Ontario and 9000 in British
Columbia. A fortnight later Sir Wilfrid Laurier tendered his
resignation to the governor-general and Mr Borden formed his Government.

{270}

CHAPTER XIII

NATION AND EMPIRE

Imperial preferential trade--Political relations--Defence