THE FARMER IN POLITICS 147 



Mr. Bowman was returned with the com- 

 fortable majority of two hundred and forty. 

 Within a few months, in the by-election in 

 North Ontario, Mr. Widdifield, the farmer 

 candidate, was also victorious. 



Success in these two by-elections greatly 

 added to the confidence and self-respect of the 

 farmers. Speaking generally, the U.F.O. clubs 

 grew in numbers very rapidly, and from all parts 

 a desire to take active, concerted action in the 

 impending General Provincial Election was 

 expressed. To this demand, originating in and 

 emanating from the clubs, Head Office could do 

 none other than respond. 



The writs were issued for the Provincial elec- 

 tions to be held on October 20th, 1919, and in 

 the meantime only slight preparations had been 

 made by the general executive and officers for 

 assisting the clubs in the local ridings. Thus 

 a committee, consisting of E. C. Drury, W. C. 

 Good and Manning Doherty, was appointed to 

 place in collective form the scattered ideas em- 

 bodied in resolutions passed by delegates assem- 

 bled in the annual conventions, and out of these 

 to evolve a provisional platform. The result 

 of their labor was the following document, T 



"WHEREAS the rural population of Ontario 

 has been declining for many years, being now 

 139,000 less than it was in 1881, and this in 



