Graduate Students

Brown, Wayne - M.A

The Broadening Out Controversy: E.C. Drury, J.J. Morrison and the United Farmers of Ontario - Dr. Evans, advisor

         This thesis examines the difference of opinion over political procedure, or broadening out controversy, which developed in the United Farmers of Ontario following the election of Ernest C. Drury's Farmer-Labour government in 1919-1923. The dispute was the overriding reason for the decline of the U.F.O. as a political force. In ideological terms, the broadening out controversy was a fundamental split between those who insisted, along with U.F.O. Secretary-Treasurer james J. Morrison, upon retaining independent, agrarian class representation in the legislature, divorced from what was perceived as a corrupt party system, and those who backed Drury in demanding that the Ontario farmer's movement broaden its basis of support to include urban progressive friends in a new political party. The doctrine of 'group government', advocating the replacement of partyism with government through the cooperation of the elected representatives of occupational or economic class groups, conflicted with the Premier's attempt to form a provincial 'People's' or 'Progressive' party.