Mr. W. A. WALSH (Mount Royal):

Mr. Speaker, it was my privilege and pleasure to receive a communication from the Reverend Clarence Halliday, chairman of the session, and Thomas McLaren, clerk of the session of the Montreal West United Church, enclosing a copy of a petition to be presented to parliament and to the government in connection with the placing of an embargo against shipments of war materials to Japan. I desire now to present this petition to the house.

Mr. A. G. SLAGHT (Parry Sound):

Mr. Speaker, I rise to a question of privilege. I desire to direct the attention of this house to an address purporting to have been delivered last evening in this capital city by a man named W. D. Herridge, and published in a newspaper known as the Ottawa Citizen, a paper to whose subversive activities it was necessary for this house to refer yesterday. I shall explain in a moment my question of privilege. Let me say, sir, that it affects the leader of the opposition (Mr. Manion) and his entire group, the Prime Minister of Can-' ada (Mr. Mackenzie King) and our entire group, the leaders of the other two groups opposite, and every one of the 245 members of the House of Commons.

This newspaper contains what purports to be a verbatim report of the speech, and among other things this gentleman said this:

The first thing that Canadians have to do is to give their country a free parliament. Because to-day the parliament of Canada is not free to serve the people.

The second vile slur he cast upon this parliament and every member thereof is contained in this language:

You must choose between the old parties and democracy. If the old parties are left in control of parliament, I believe they will unite. After the next election, or perhaps before-

That affects the members of this house.

-the Liberal and Conservative parties will become one party. Its government, in name, will be a national government. In fact, it will be a fascist government.

Those are ugly words in Canada to-day. Lest there should be any doubt as to his charge of conspiracy-

Mr. LANDERYOU:

How about McCullagh?

Mr. SLAGHT:

If my hon. friend will bear me out in this matter of grave importance, I believe he will agree with me in what I propose.

So that he might leave no doubt in the minds of the people of Canada that he was charging conspiracy of a criminal type and character, he used this further language:

When this conspiracy for national government is a little more advanced, the element of crisis will be introduced. There will be a good deal of imperial flag waving. Elder statesmen will be uncorked to take their part in it, little understanding that their venerable voices will be urging empire destroying practices.

That indicates to me, Mr. Speaker, that this gentleman, a new found Moses in his own eyes, a gentleman who is in my view a political mountebank, has charged every member of the House of Commons with being ready to conspire to form a fascist government. He has said that every member of the House of Commons is serving here not in a free parliament, and he abuses all parties and groups alike.

My friend who interrupted will find that he is taken care of in the course of the address. I quote further:

This is not the proper time to deal with that or refer to it.

This gentleman who joined the Conservative party in the year 1930 goes on to say that when he joined it he was sentimental about it, and then he rails at contributions for political purposes, and he rails at the evil of patronage. Let me ask this house whether there is a greater patronage monger in the Dominion of Canada than W. D. Herridge. He joined the Conservative party in 1930 for the first time, and he was a fast worker. He had been there but a few months when he received what is perhaps the greatest plum in the gift of Canada. I have taken the trouble to see what amount of patronage and public money he drew from our treasury. I find that from June 1, 1931, when he was appointed until October 23, 1935, when he resigned-

Mr. LANDERYOU:

What about Colonel Ralston, who received S200 a day and expenses?

Mr. McLEAN (Melfort):

You do not like your fascist friends being exposed do you?

Mr. SLAGHT:

I wonder if I had better suspect the hon. gentleman and say that there are 244. This gentleman who decries patronage in this country was appointed on June 1, 1931, and resigned on October 23,

Questio7is

1935, and if my arithmetic is correct-I have gone to the auditor general's report, which I have here for verification-he was in office in that important position, described in the Parliamentary Guide as His Majesty's Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Washington-

Mr. McINTOSH:

Extraordinary, all right.

Mr. SLAGHT:

And his views are extraordinary, if I may be permitted to say so. This gentleman, in the first ten months of his office, to March 31, drew salary amounting to $10,000,

Mr. MacINNIS:

On a point of order Mr. Speaker, I should like to know where is the question of privilege that the hon. gentleman is raising. There may have been a question of privilege at the beginning, but there is none now. I would ask, sir, for your ruling.

Mr. SLAGHT:

Altogether he drew over $100,000 from the public treasury.

Mr. SPEAKER:

Order. Do any other hon. members wish to speak to the point of order?

Mr. LANDERYOU:

Yes, Mr. Speaker. If it is right for a member to make reference to the salary that may have been paid to an individual, and if we are going to discuss these matters, we might as well give the salaries paid to all officials of the government and show the patronage given under the Liberal party.

Mr. SPEAKER:

I consider that there is no point of order.

Mr. SLAGHT:

I shall take only two or three minutes more.

Order.

Mr. MACKENZIE KING:

Perhaps my hon. friends did not hear the Speaker say that he does not consider there was any point of order.