The Coming Election

The forthcoming election on October 20 is fraught with many possibilities, and it is of unprecedented importance to the voters of Ontario. We have had many interesting elections, but none gave greater promise of affecting the future Government of this Province more than the one to be staged next Monday. Past contests have usually featured two parties where politics was the main issue, and the “sovereign” voter was impressed with that fact. There is an awakening now. Farmers are not alone in demanding that worthy principles be endorsed by the prospective candidates and that progress rather than politics be the motto of the incoming Government. Partisanship dies hard, but the desire to return progressive, live men with high principles and a knowledge of provincial affairs characterizes the electors at this time as never before. As always, “The Farmer’s Advocate” is for good Government regardless of party, and if the best man wins in each riding we shall have as good a Government as is possible to build up from the timber available. We would like to see a large number of farmer candidates elected, but it would be rank partisanship on our part to endorse every U.F.O. man in the field. Those known to us personally are good men worthy of a place in the Legislature, but there are many we do not know. There is one thing, however, for which the U.F.O. movement must be given credit, and that is the number of good farmers running on party tickets. It has been a long time indeed since so many farmer were set up as candidates by the two parties in the majority of rural constituencies, and for this the U.F.O. is largely responsible. Whether the farmer’s party is large or small in the next Legislature they will have, at least, made sure the election of a considerable number of agriculturalists. In one riding, which, by the way, has 12,000 urban votes there are three farmers in the field, and they all belong to the same farmer’s club. This is only one of the many incidents peculiar to the election. Farmer voters should weigh the matter carefully in their minds and not allow complications, such as three-cornered fights, to confuse the issue so that in the end the farmer candidates will be counted down to defeat. We are entitled to a strong representation in the Legislature of Ontario, but we can only get it through the proper use of the ballot.