The  Hon.  Philippe  Landry  did  not  speak  at  length  in  the  Senate,
but  on  June  28  told  a  meeting  at  Verner,  Ont.,  that:  "The  fact  is
they  want  your  sons,  the  flower  of  your  youth,  to  fight  in  foreign
lands.  I  am  a  supporter  of  the  Militia  Act;  its  intention  is  to  pro-
vide for  the  defence  of  the  country,  but  in  the  country  and  not
across  the  seas."

Meanwhile,  what  of  the  press  of  Quebec?  As  a  whole  it  was
more  concerned  in  Quebec  matters,  in  the  issue  with  Ontario  over
Bi-lingualism,  in  the  "menace"  of  Conscription  or  Imperialism,  in
the  political  supremacy  of  Sir  W.  Laurier,  than  in  the  War,  its  con-
duct, its  Canadian  support  or  its  final  issue.  Le  Canada  of  Montreal
and  Le  Soliel  of  Quebec  led  the  Liberal  political  life  of  the  Province;
La  Presse  of  Montreal,  also  Liberal  in  politics  and  much  more  in-
fluential in  circulation  and  opinion,  led  in  the  fight  against  Ontario's
educational  policy  and  the  claim  that  Quebec  had  done  its  duty  in
recruiting — it  was  devoted  to  French-Canadian  and  Catholic  in-
terests; La  Patrie  of  Montreal  was  usually  Conservative  in  tone
and  a  supporter  of  recruiting  and  Conscription  but  ultimately  in
favour  of  a  Referendum;  L' Evenement  of  Quebec  was  the  only  French
journal  in  the  Province  which  steadily  supported  the  Borden  Gov-
ernment, recruiting.  Conscription  and  union;  L' Action  Catholique  of
Quebec,  and  La  Croix  of  Montreal,  were  much-quoted  Church  jour-
nals— the  latter  small  in  circulation  and  influence;  Le  Devoir  was
the  Nationalist  organ  with  a  considerable  and  persistent  power.
The  position  of  La  Presse  was  stated  by  Oswald  Mayrand  in  a  speech
before  the  Canadian  Press  Association,  Toronto,  (June  14)  which
the  Toronto  Star  thus  summarized:


490  THE  CANADIAN  ANNUAL  REVIEW.
