MANITOBA, PROVINCE OF. 



Including the amount paid to transportation com- 

 panies, $5,000,000 was expended by more than 

 50,000 visitors to the forests and lakes. The shore 

 and sea fisheries employ 20,000 persons and have 

 an invested capital of nearly $3,000,000. The 

 total value of the products, ready for market, is 

 about $6,000,000 annually. 



Trade. The State Board of Trade, at its semi- 

 annual meeting, reported unprecedented prosper- 

 ity. In the first two months of 1900 Maine ship- 

 yards launched 10,000 tons of new shipping, and 

 every trade and business was sharing in the re- 

 vival. 



Railroads. The Maine Central road had a 

 year of exceptional prosperity. Its total receipts 

 were $5,698,666.26, and its expenditures $3,753,- 

 971.. r >3. 



Political. The Democratic State Convention 

 was held in July. The platform accepted the 

 national platform adopted at Kansas City, and 

 pledged unqualified support to the candidates. 

 On State issues it opposed the proposed creation 

 of the office of State Auditor; favored abolition 

 of the fee system, revision of the system of taxa- 

 tion, and election of railroad commissioners by 

 popular vote; and declared that the prohibitory 

 liquor law was a failure. Samuel L. Lord was 

 nominated for Governor. 



The platform adopted by the Republican State 

 convention accepted the platform of the national 

 convention and praised the administration of 

 President McKinley. On State issues it favored 

 readjustment of the taxation system, the creation 

 of the office of State Auditor, and the construc- 

 tion of good roads; and it commended the public 

 services of Gov. Powers and the Maine delegation 

 in Congress. John F. Hill was nominated for 

 Governor. 



In the election the Republican ticket was suc- 

 cessful by a plurality of about 33,000. The Legis- 

 lature has 30 Republicans and 1 Democrat in the 

 Senate, and 132 Republicans and 19 Democrats 

 in the House. 



On presidential electors the vote was 65,435 for 

 McKinley, 36,822 for Bryan, 2,585 for Woolley, 

 and 878 for Debs. 



MANITOBA, PROVINCE OF. Govern- 

 ment and Politics. Toward the end of 1899 the 

 province was greatly stirred with the political 

 campaign. Mr. Greenway's government had been 

 in power since 1888, and the prospect of defeating 

 it appeared slight indeed. The Conservatives, 

 however, had induced the Hon. Hugh John Mac- 

 donald (son of the late Sir John Macdonald) to 

 accept the leadership in the contest. Mr. Green- 

 way had with him in the Cabinet Messrs. J. D. 

 Cameron, Robert Watson, C. J. Mickle, and D. H. 

 McMillan. He had all the support that the Lib- 

 eral Government at Ottawa could render. Op- 

 posed to Mr. Greemvay was the revolt of Mr. L. 

 R. Richardson, M. P., and the Winnipeg Tribune, 

 of which he was proprietor, and of other discon- 

 tented Liberals. Mr. Macdonald had the support 

 of Sir Charles Tupper and the Hon. G. E. Foster, 

 the Conservative Federal leaders, in a vigorous 

 speaking tour, and the influence of his own ex- 

 traordinary popularity. On Dec. 9, after the elec- 

 tions, the returns showed a new assembly of 22 

 Conservatives, 16 Liberals, and 2 elections to be 

 held which afterward gave one- to either party. 

 On Jan. 8, 1900, the Greenway Government re- 

 signed, Mr. Macdonald was called upon, and the 

 following ministry was formed: Premier and At- 

 torney-General, Hon. Hugh J. Macdonald; Pro- 

 vincial Treasurer and Minister of Agriculture, 

 Hon. J. A. Davidson ; Provincial Secretary and 

 Minister of Public \Vorks, Hon. D. H. McFa'dden; 



ministers without portfolio, Hon. C. H. Campbell, 

 and Hon. James Johnson. R. P. Roblin, formerly 

 leader of the party in the province, declined a 

 place in the new ministry. All the ministers, on 

 returning to their constituencies, were re-elected, 

 and when the Legislature met, on March 30, the 

 Government had a compact and enthusiastic ma- 

 jority behind it. William Hespeler was elected 

 Speaker, and the Hon. J. C. Patterson, Lieutenant 

 Governor, then read the speech from the throne, 

 in which he said: 



" Two contingents of Canadian troops have al- 

 ready reached the scene of action, and a third, 

 equipped at the expense of Lord Strathcona and 

 Mount Royal, is now on the ocean, on its w r ay 

 to South Africa. The first contingent, which left 

 our shores some months ago, has already received 

 its baptism of fire, and, I am proud to say, has 

 proved itself worthy to fight shoulder to shoulder 

 with the most celebrated regiments in the British 

 service. I deplore the death of Major Arnold, who 

 commanded the Western company of this contin- 

 gent, and of the many gallant men who fell with 

 him in the battles of Modder river ; but I recog- 

 nize that, while dead, they are not forgotten, and 

 that their memories will long be treasured by all 

 who hold loyalty, courage, and the honor of their 

 country dear. 



" Legislation will be asked with a view to re- 

 storing that equilibrium in the finances which, I 

 regret to say, has not been maintained in the past ; 

 and it will be of a character which will, I believe, 

 accomplish this difficult task. In pursuanpe of 

 this object a bill will be introduced reducing the 

 number of ministers receiving salaries to three. 

 I regret to say that the Government is under the 

 necessity of refusing to submit for your ratifica- 

 tion certain orders in Council granting aid to cer- 

 tain railways. You will be asked to repeal the 

 present costly and unsatisfactory election act, and 

 to enact in its stead one much simpler, more just, 

 and less expensive. The people of Manitoba hav- 

 ing on two occasions declared themselves, by their 

 votes, in favor of prohibiting the liquor traffic, my 

 Government has decided to give effect to their 

 views, in so far as the powers of the provincial 

 Legislature will permit them to do so, and a bill 

 dealing with this important subject will be sub- 

 mitted to you. My attention having been called. 

 by a regrettable accident in one of the laundries 

 in Winnipeg which resulted in the death of a 

 young girl, to the fact that in some of the factories 

 here the machinery is left unprotected, and that 

 thereby the lives and limbs of the employees are 

 endangered, a bill will be submitted for your con- 

 sideration dealing with the liability of employers 

 in such cases, and also one dealing with factories 

 and workshops, and providing adequate protection 

 for the men and women therein employed." 



The legislation that followed was mainly a 

 carrying out of pledges made by the new Premier. 

 On Feb. 14, referring to the much-discussed rail- 

 way matters, Mr. Macdonald had declared that 

 " as to the railway corporations, the Conservative 

 Government of Manitoba has no friends and no 

 enemies. It will deal with everything on its 

 merits from the standpoint of the people, and 

 with that alone in view." Between the time of 

 the new ministry's assuming office and the meet 

 ing of the Legislature various indications of mal- 

 administration on the part of the Greenway Gov- 

 ernment had come to light. Speaking at Emerson. 

 Mr. Macdonald declared that on entering oflii-e 

 they had made a discovery that almost took "his 

 breath away. Mr. Greenway, notwithstanding 

 statements and pledges repeated by his colleague* 

 and himself throughout the province, and boast- 



