^T. .# ^^^, IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (M.-3) >^ ;<^- >y ! [^- 1.0 I.I 1: ■;£ M zo 1.8 1.25 1.4 J:6_ -^ 6" — ► V] v "<^ 6^ ^^ % ^^ 'ib^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 872-4503 C^r CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques Tschnical and Bibliographic Notat/Notas tachniquas at bibliographiquas Tha tott Tha Instituta has attamptad to obtain tha bast originai copy avaiiabia for filming. Faaturas of this copy which may ba bibiiographlcally unlqua. which may altar any of tha imagas in tha raproduction, or which may significantly changa tha usual mathod of filming, ara chackad balow. □ n D D D D D Colourad covars/ Couvartura da coulaur I I Covars damagad/ Couvartura andommagAa Covars rastorad and/or laminatad/ Couvartura rastauria at/ou paliicui6a I I Covar titia missing/ La titra da couvartura manque I I Colourad maps/ Cartas gAographiquas an coulaur Colourad ink (i.a othar than blua or black)/ Encra da coulaur (i.e. autre que bleua ou noire) I I Colourad plates and/or illustrations/ Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur Bound with other material/ Reli6 avac d'autres documents Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin/ La reliure serrie peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distortion le long de la marge int6rieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certainas pages blanches ajout6es lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte, mais. lorsque cela 6tait possible, ces pages n'ont pas 6t6 fiimias. Additional comments:/ Commentaires suppl6mentalres: L'Institut a microfilm* la mailleur exemplaire qu'il lui a 6t* possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-Atru uniques du point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la mithoda normale de filmage sont indiquAs ci-dessous. □ Coloured pages/ Pages de couleur □ Pages damaged/ Pages endommagAas I — I Pages restored and/or laminated/ D D Pages restaurias et/ou pellicul4es Pages discoloured, stained or foxe( Pages dicoiories, tachet6es ou piquies Pages detached/ Pages d6tach6es Showthrough/ Transparence Quality of prir Quality in6gale de I'impression Includes supplementary materii Comprend du material supplAmentaire The posi of tl film Orig begl the sion othi first sion oril r~7| Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ I I Pages detached/ I I Showthrough/ I I Quality of print varies/ r~~| Includes supplementary material/ The shal TINI whi( Ma^ diffi anti begl righ reqi met Only edition available/ Seule Edition disponible Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been ref limed to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totalement ou partiellement obscurcies par un fauillet d'errata, une pelure, etc., ont M fiimifttf A nouveau de fapon A obtenir la meilleure image possible. This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked helow/ Ce document est filmA au tau.. da reduction indiquA ci-dessous. 10X ux 18X 22X 26X 30X 1 y 12X 16X 20X 24X 32X The copy filmed here has been reproduced thank* to the generosity of: University of British Columbia Library L'exemplaire fiim6 fut reproduit grflce A ia g6nArosit6 de: University of British Columbia Library The images appearing here are the best quaiity possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in keeping with the filming contract specifications. Les images suivantes ont 6t6 reproduites avec le plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et de la nettetA de I'exempiaire fiimi, et en conformity avec les conditions du contrat de filmage. Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the iast page with e printed or illustrated impres- sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All other original copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, and ending on the last page with a printed or illu.^trated impression. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol — -^^ (meaning "CON- TINUED"), or ths symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Les exemplaires orlginaux dont la couverture en papier est imprimis sont fiimds en commenpant par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la dernidre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration, soit par le second plat, salon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont filmds en commen^ant par la premiere page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la dernidre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suivants apparaTtra sur la dernidre image de chaque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole -^ signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols V signifie "FIN". Meps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre filmis A des taux de reduction diff6rents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clichi, il est film6 A partir de Tangle supdrieur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants iilustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 8 6 »*.: WW^r^ 44 SPEECH m-^\ Ot TOK HON, E. B. ^woojy, IH THB HOUSE OF COMMONS, OK THK PACIFIC SCANDAL. >^i. vii-v ^ Mr. WOOD sal'l thit his HeiitimenU might be (band exl^ressed exactly in titn lunguigo of a deipiitoli whicli he lield in his hand, tf the integritj" of those who have been cutrnsted by Canada with her interests shiiU be vindiu'ited, he wi^uld rejoice ; but if, ns he foiimd was the «aso, they wet? gailty, and this Hoase should nfase to pronounce the verdict, the jnat judg- niHut on thfl great crime, he ihomd indued despair, of the republic. "Be that as it . may, there is o:ie circumstance which wo can legkrd with unraitigatpd sitisfiiction. Tl«o aIE^imI revelations which have taken place yULvif prufanndly moved the whole population. Aput from the Koctiou of society " within politics," whose feeling Aay be stiinnlateJ by '^itfaer oon:jideratio3.i, every citizen in tlieconn- trr, no matter how indidcrent to public af> wnfi has betm dismayed .md huniilLitcd by the thnnglit tltat such things as arc alleged to have taken place hv Mr. McMuUen aud Mr. HdntingtOB should be pnaaible. This is a ro.- Msuring sign, and even should it be found, that the Goveminert has been unworthy of the trust oontided to il;, the itMlignation and theaeurohings ofheart that will ensue through- oat tlie land will go far to cleanse the public life of Canada for many a year to come. ' It VU in no light spirit tnut he rose to ad- dress the House on this momentous occasion. Ke should not, if he knew himself, and could aavern his fiielin^, follow the example of hon. ^nttemen opposite who had spoken in defence of ihe Oorernuietit. He did n it intend to °M|»rae the supporters of the Government as S whole clas,«, what^rcr might btt said of cer- tain individuals. Tie would not style them • band of "organizeii hvpoorisy," however niiich they might merit the appellation of a "well trained band of banditti, whose object WM public iiioil and plunder. He did not think that it wottld be charitable to do so, for eLaritj* coven a maltitude of sins I He had * Tary *tr«Mtg ojdaion on the tmbieot nuitter of . Ch^resoluHon ; nit it «oald ikH. be becoming • ifk him to glTe Ms individual opinions. It -^IM* hi»4u&, and luLwm charji^dirith thie '|lttte dnty uy the whole eountrjr, to discon this whole aucHtioa dispassionately, and if poasible, be tlie means of throwing some light oil this weighty charge agsuiist the QoTera» mcnt of the day. He might, if he f^* so dispoacd, retort upon the Minister of (Justoms. No honour* able gentlemen iu that House was so open to ob.Hurvatioii. He might use ^the same argu- ment, if argument unfounded'invectiveoojild be called, in 'respect of timt honourable gen- tleman, witich ho had so unscnipulously used a^iiinst the honourable member for LamhWn. Ho might repeat rumours— nay, more than i-uinpura, which he had heard, which, if vme, ought long since to have consigned the Kin- ister of Customs to that political infamy wHkh is, at leait, one of the just panishments of "high crimes and miaaemoanours.'' But, however grcbt the provocation ; however de- served the retribution, he had never in tlut House alluded to these but too well founded,, reports ; to the man^ circumotantixl pr^w'is bjr whloh they were alleged to be established ; nor did he intend to' do so now. He knew it wat easy to make accusations ; he equally well knew it was sometimes difficult to make the refutation. He (Mr. Wood) luight refer the Uinister of Customs to — " Hon. Mr. McNabb votes to-day for dia- " franchising Bill. Uan you guaiuntbo Peter " an otfioe if his father ia put right f" "Your telegram reeeived. Any thing Hill " engages to do I will carry out. To— The order in Council when be was tbo leader of the Government of Nora Sootia ia respect of coal miniug locations, under whiok it has been as.%erted tlie Minister of Churtonui imnroperly taking advantage bf his podtioa 03 leader of the Government, aeouhsd to hint^ self a large interest in the oslebrated " Spt^ Hill coal inina>." To— His allf^ oUndwtia^fo^^eetioR tdltil th9 contract mr the compbtion ol tlui milw!* from Truro to Picton-aj||ig,^ (Ifc. Woidi bad i4waya abstained.fria^HlpDa to ,'_ resting on no other (i»i9^Hitl^' **' 'A}^ ^m l^ -mil^ ■BIV»W1MI'.»IR" '"■.»», .1 i mon fame," and he should continue to act upon that principle. Neither wonld ho indnlge iii the spirit or adopt the style of that renfrablo and agod po- litical oinner, the honourable member for Van- couver, Sir Francis HinukH. That gcntloniim had allied himself bj' turns to every politicul party, to every fuetion. wliii'h luul R]iiun^ up or existed in Canada for the Inst forty yeais. He has been a radical, a reformer, a lil)eral, a conservative, a tory. Ho has been equally facile in nceomniodating his oninions to the change of situation. Conimcni'ing his politi- cal career as a ranting radical, ho denounced the conservatives and lories as foes to the liberties of the iwoplo. Joining the tories, he «tigroatize«l the reform and lineral party as rebels and annexationists, aiming at the des- truction of British connection, and the over- throw of British supremacy on this continent. Nor has Lo been less versatile in his political creed. At the head of a party of advanced liberal views ho vindicated responsible gov- ernment, and swept away a nominated ' Ixjgislative Council. As,sociated with the Conservative party he defended a nomi- nated Upjter House, and declared it to be essential to the maintenance and continu- ance of limited monarchii^al institutions in the British possessions in North America. A professed free tradei, ho hesitated not to stand up as the champion of protection, and was: the author of that absurd meiuure, since laughed to scorn, known ns "The great na- tioCal policy!" With great pretentions to financial ability, he, while Minister of Finance, in three years, ran uj) the ordinary expenditure of the country fromSl 4,00(»,000 tolJ20,000,000I L<)nd in his professions of otlicinl integrity, he availed himself of his jiosition as lir.st Minister of the Crown, along with Mr. 15ow.;.s, Mayor of Toronto, to pocket i'10,000, in negotiating the sale of Toronto Ixiuds. Animated, lUi ho claimed, by the loftiest patriotism, In- launched the scheme for the construction of the Grr.nd Trunk Haihviiy, ixnd mysteriously there appeared to his credit £5U,n00 of its paid-up stock, " without money and without price.' AVhile going about begging a recogni- tion for past services to the country, he is met at every turn with the dark shailows of that monument of waste, extravagance, blighted hopes, and disappointed expectations, the foundations of which were laid by himself in the origin of that great undertaking. To escupt^ the execrations of an outraged people, he took refuge in a Colonial Governorship, and having wearied out the Colonial oIKce with fomenting factions in t\io colonies over which ho presided, ho at last retired into inactivitj", and it is to be hoped, into ob- scurity. But his rcstlesd spirit could not tolerate repose. He returned to Canwla, and held himself open for any offer of any party, a' d was ready to launch himirlf on any wave of faction that might carry him into oftice and emolument. Boon after his arrival, and acceptance of ofSoe in this country, he is re- ported to have, said at Ingersoll, when he waS' singing tho uuckoo notes to the Refonnors of Uxford, tiiat his ' ympathies were with the Reform party; but, having been offered a Jiosition in a Con.servativo Oovernment, ho thought it his duty to lli'r Majesty to take it; lor, as he said, " ller Majesty's Uovornmont must be carried on !" Ho wooed the I,iberal iMirty, b\it it s])urned tho advances of the grey iiuaded political lecher. He then paitl his addres.seH to tho Conservative Jiarty, which received his embraces, and has ever since maiu< taiued the mereiricioi;s connection, and is re- garded as one of its great high priists. Ho hw di».sovered all sympathy, all conriijction with those who, in a generation now past, elevated him to position and power; and whom, with the characteristic ingratitude of the man, ho now designates as "a oand of hypocrites" — "an organi/ed hyprocrisy. " He stands ah)ne, tho fossil relict of a by -gone generation ; like "The last rose of summer, left blooming, alone; His eom|)anions arotmd him, all withered and gone." And there, sir, for the piescnt, he (Mr. Wood) intended to leave him, and to revert to tho nujtion before the House. But, as introduc- tory to the oli.servntions lie had to make on that motion, he munt make r, few remarks in answer to the animadvcisions of the Jliaister of Customs (Dr. Tupper) the honourable member for Pictou (Mr. McDoiiaM) and tho honcuralitc member for Vancouver (Sii hranci.s Hincks) nplai;e of confederation in the Doniiuiou of Canada. Contrast this undi^uiable ])oiition of the First Minister with that of the leader of tlie Op- Tiosition. Froni the birth-day of the idea of Confederation, down to that hour, no man in the Dominion had done so much, in the Hotuse, out of the House, on the public plat- form, in the public pres.s, at the social gath- ering, at the tire-side, to inculcate and enforce the principle of tloiifcdention in all its ful- ness, as the honourable member for Lambton. In season and out of season, through evil re- port and good rejiort, iu ]iolitical adversity and many jjarty disi'ouragement.s of the past, nnd now in the present, the hour of his tri- umph, he had adhered, and still adheres, t) the principle of C!onfedcratiou with moic than 4in eastern devotion ; with more than a Roman firmness. Not a proposition had been made, not a mciisure had been introduced into that lIon«e, not a resolution had been moved, tend- ing to cement more closely together the scat- tered Provinces, to establish a community of interests between them, to i)romote trade and •••ommi'i-ce, to develope their latent resources, to facilitate and stimulate their industrier., ■whether iu the factory, in the field, in the workshop, in the mine, in the forest, or on the lakes and the seas, which had not re(!eived his »ble and his most earnest siipport. It had been his high and lofty aim, subordinating all other considerations, to make Confederation a r«mplet« success, and build up on this conti- nent, on the foundations of the liritish North America Act, a great British power. If his contemporaries denied him this honour thf.n, the titne jpotild conu when posterity and his- toid would do him justice. There had not been so much diflference in jwlicy between the two great political parties AC tlierc had been in the means by which that policy should be carried out. H had biien and teas the policy of the OppoxUion to Itave an howst aiid upright (7ovemment in thii eoun- fry. That the (lovernment should rest its dainu/or support upon the merit of its policit and the wisdom and honesty of the mensures adopfed to carry it out, and not upon dollars and cents. On the other hand it hod been ■I and was the policy of the First Minister, not only since Confuderation, but for the last twenty years, ever since he had acted a con- spicuous part in the administration of publio affairs to purchase support by a systematin course of bribery annually, under the foriuA of law in the 8i)pronriation Acts ; by forced or V(duntary contributions from an army of contractors, by an unwarrantable increiue r.Hd multiplication of ollices, and by the uniform prostitution of the patronage of the Oown to political and pa 'ty pur- poses. We had no objection to any Oov« crumcnt legitimately using this patronage mnoiig their friends ; but the cardinal princi- lie should never for an instant be departed rora — "the public service, yicst ,• the reward for faithful political support, scconi ;" and in the appropriation of public moneys, the first gre.it question should be, " What does the '• public service require V What will pro- " mote in the highest degree the general in- " terests of the whole country V In no case, tinder no circumsttnoes, should any Govorn- ment be open to the charge or the suspicion that even the smallest ap]>ropriation was made with tho view of rewarding a partizan or of conciliating political supp>>rt. This has always been the doctrine of the Liberal party. It was the rule of action of tho Government of whioh he, Mr. Wood, was lor fo'ir years a member. All patriotic men must subscribe to this principle. A departure from it leadc inevitably to cvtravigance, and the rankest corruption ; it destroys the independei- stitutes seltishncss for pitriotism, cupidity for generoiity, vice for virtue, and in its final results, dries up every disinterested, noble, anl lofty sentiment of our nature, and saps the very found^ktions of tho franiL-work of .society. He (Mr. Wood), repeated tli.it bs- fore and since Confederation, . e first Minister had retained place and power hy an utter dis- regard of this principle, which with indivi- dual instances of direct bribery had done its work on the people of this country to an alarming extent We meet at every turn si'offs and sneers at the mere supposition that there wjia any such Ihitig an virtue, sincerity, truth, candor, or honesty in public men or m public life. Scepticism in the integrity of those occupying commanding positions of trust and power, and indifference to, and belief in the existence of vice in high places were gradually permeating all rt the Oovenmient, wo may well ask, caiuiiiyone any Imiger ri'frain from "des- pairing of tiie liepiiliiic f" Wlio can withhold the ejaeulatory pmyer, " God pity our land I" The Government through ita measures in locating uiid conKtructinK the Intercoloniul Rtiilway; in the establishment and organiza- tion of tlie Province of Manitiilm; in the ad- mission of Hritish Columbia; in the meiwures for the building of the Pacihe. ISailway ; in the mode of ]ireparation for the prosecution uf Tarious public works; i)i the stubborn refusal to give a good election law, and a low for the trial of electoral bribery and corruption, de- signedly leaving open the avenues for the direct use tf money with iminmity, of which in the elettions which followed it availed itself to the fullest extent, must stand con- ■ victcd of having ihrough a course of years de- liberately planned, and in so far as it could, executed one of the most astounding schemes for corrupting the whole body of the electors, and thereby to maintain and perpetuate its political power that was ever disclosed in the annnls of any civilized country in the world. For all this there was not the jioor excuse of political j.ressure. A large majority of the representatives of hoth parties at the cfini- mencenient of the first Parliament under Con- fetleration were willing to let " by-goncs be •'by-goncs ;" to forget the past and to hoy.e fertile future— generously to assist those who had licA I rominent in biirging about Confe- deration on paper, to establish and consolidate it in the niintis and hearts of tlio jieople, to lend a hand in rer.ring on the forniationthsirt of onr liberties, the fiupeihtructnre of cur new iiationiility, to eniiih a colnnm to adorn an entablature, iind to afisist in luising higher and higher in the sky tlie loCty dome of that editice which should stand the shock and wear of ages, and alTord a safe sh( Iter, a sure protection to tiie i eojile of a great country, and become the wonder end admiration of the nations of the world. 'Ihe mnjnrity at the command of the Ooveniment was ovenvhelm- ing. hoiioiualile genlleuien on both sides, in the simplicity of their hearts believed tl;e the old days of the corruptions so rife in old Canada, had passed away never to return, and that all things had become new. He (Mr. Wood) was one of those who entertained these vain hojies, tliese ralriolic aspirations. No one cported as he had mentioned, with a virgin constitutional chart in its hand, without a blot or a 8ta.o;;r excuse, if true, lur the com- mission of ' great crimes. Hut it is not true. It is most untrue. 'Where he (Mr. Wood) wimld ask, is the evidence of it ? Was it to be found in the pailiamentary speeches, in Ihs jmblic utterances of those wlio were tile leaders of the l niilw.iys in Ontario, in the railway schemes and undertakings fostered and aided by the (ioveniment there now being prosecuted, in the results of which might be seen the iron horse speeding hi.s way in all directions all over that Province, and the iron truck ramify, ing all jiarts of the country 1 W^ai it to be found in her muniticence in insane asylum accommodation; in institutions fur the deaf and dumb ami the blind, and the unfortunate inebriate; in her refonnatoiy prisons and her charitable and humane grants ; in the recla- mation of swamp lands; 'n her aids to drain- age, in the improveme'it of navigable rivers, and in lier other many and diversified publio works, all tending to jiroinoto the interest of the country 1 Had i:ot more been done in Ontario in this direction in the last four yean than in the ))receding twenty f Ha again asked, on what authority were thesejstate- mcnts made ? On what grounds did honoura- ble gentlemen base their conclusions when (Ivliberateljr >st adininu- if{ series of i)n; bribery need recap- liose diaulo- oiu over tlia I tlie niorul i)ut lie (Mr. I not been iital jar of if what was beou Roing L'h the Firat lis country.. iniinals of- II on charges larati os, if tliu trusts ut and gen- all hone ing infaniyj Ills anxiety of tliat evi- iion, stunipa iiiiHtcrs and and cornip- ekctions by liarly — that oliciices be- nd tlii'ir la- iit Jiarly of jf their rail- i thoy have thy avenues J bei'auHc to perhistontly lor the com- , is not true. (Mr. Wood) I Was it to speeches, in vihii were ? Was it bvention to ivay aclienios lided by the oseuuted, iu leeu tho iron liroctiuns all nick ramify, raj it to be sane asylum for the deaf unfortunate ins and her in the recta- ids to drain- gable rivers, sitied public e interest of been done in ist four years lie again these'state- did honoura- isions when they said they would MU|i|)ort tliu Government, though it niuy have bnen guilty of irn-gnlari- ties, becuuse It WHS in favour of ntiluayn and uanals; and that thoy would niuke great, ellbitn to maintain Iheui ill powci-, hiiliiiiit to many ■hort-coiiiiiigs because that Onvennnent wus ftmt and fonniost in all these tilings f Wlio hitd been first and foremost in tii.^ niattei- of the Improvement of our iiiland waters and Otinals, or in the building of i:ew ones ? W'Uo was it that at Confederation insisted that it •hould be solemnly declared in the Con^tilu- tional Act that so soon as the fiuaiices of tiie country would ])erniit, the canals should be enlarged f and urged upon the Uovrrnnieiit the fulfilment of that jiact in every session of Pailiament from that day to this ? Who was it that has urged tiie const lue.tion of the Sault Sie. Alarie Canal ? Who fa- voured the undertaking of the Ottawa ami Huron Canal 1 \t'lio tirst advocateil the ac- quisition of the Norlli-west Territories ? Who hrst urged ujion the Goveniineiit the immedi- ate coubtruction of a coach road from Luke Superior to Fort Carry, luid thence acioss the continent to the Pacilic Ocean, aiicl with all possible ('esfiatch a railway from Fort \\'illiiMii to Fort Garry, and thence across the valley of the Shskatchewan to Xew Westminster" in British Columbia ? Who, sir, but the hon- ourable meinticr lor Lainlitoii ? And yet tliey were, tol l>y the honoui.ililo member fur I'ic- tou that from tiie i onsideiation of the bcuring of the policy of the Government Ujion all these great interests, he would be content that libery anil coiiujitiun should go on forever ! Ho s.iyR.— "J,et the Coveriimeiit be brilur " and corrr.pter, 1 cue nut; to long as 1 up- " prove lif its i)olicy in regard to these gre.it "questions 1 will vole its continuiince in "jiower." Not only Would ho condone the oHences of the j'ast, but he would give u license for the future. Finm such a jiioposi- tion ho (Mr. Wood) tiirned with all the aver- sion of !>•.:. nature. He heard it aniiouiieed in that House with di.sinay. He would tell the honourable gentleman that the people of this House, though tainted, as some of its mem- bers unquestionably were, would never en- dorse such a sentiment. He was satisfied that the hoi-est inteiligence of the land would heiir it with iiulignation and honor; that it would declare with crushing emphasis that all the wisdom, all tho knowledge, all the forecast, all the excellency of judgment in the world iu a Government, could never conipen- ■ate the want of honesty, honour and ti-uth. But the honourable gentleman i.s driven to no ■Uch alternative. Let him not be deceived. Be (Mr. Wood) could show him as good and wi»e a policy, nay, more so, as had ever been propounded by the Government; (for to be qnite contidential with the honourable gentle- men, he (Mr. Wood) had never been able quite to understand what, at any given iieriod, was thepo.icy on any public question of the gen- tlemen on the Treasury benches). He could point out to him on his (Mr. Wood's) side of the lluuse, intelligence the most settled and jiiotound, patriotism the most exalted, judg- ni<-nt the most mature, iiiilustry the most in- (Uf.itigulile, iiiid eiieigy the mo^t untiling, and to all ihesi> (pi.ilitii's weio added honour, honesty, iind tiuth. Tho party 'o wlii 'h he (Mr. Wood) barty all religious denominational di!>tinction8 were swept away. The clergy it'serveti were taken from the churches and devoted to secu- lar purposes, and every religious denomination was thrown for support on the libendity and voluntary coiitribiilions of its adherents. All the allurements of ollice, all the attractions of paity tiiumiph, coiiid never induce it to abate ('lie jot or tittle in its advocacy of a just and fair repie.sentation of the people in Pailiimcut, although the success of- the jiiinciple seemed almo.st im]iohsible; and that party, as one mm, gave its uiiitid strength to thmionsum- Illation of Confederation; and since {Ninfedtra- tion it h.is watched with the greatest vigi- lance the sacred chaiter of our liberties, struggling with its whole eneig)' to hand down that iiistiumcnt in all its ctsentiul pro- visions' intact to posterity. He (.Mr. Wood) might bs ]terni't 3 fer, in one or two brief remarks, to one or two bide issues which had been rained. It had been stated that private letters and jiiivate documents had beeu stolen, and that these formed the evid( nee produced against the in- criminated Ministers. Well, what lias this House or this discussion to do with that ? If any one had committed theft the Courts were open— prosecute the criminal. The evidence was laid before the House by comiiuiiid of His Excellency. The question for the House is what does it prove, not how was it obtained. If in connection with any letters or documents the privileges of the House had been violated, let honourable gentlemen fonnulate their charges. Sometimes it did happen in the inystiTious ways v,!" rrovidence, that after the greatest care had beim taken to secure secrecy, something would intervene, something w ould come out, and that which wos supposed to be securely liiddeu in the heart of man,- Is mani- fested to the world ; and great crimes which, but for rrovidential intervention, would have remained wrapped in etenial secrecy, are exposed to the gaze of an astonished world. The detection and exjiosure of Ministers in the jiresent ease is an illustration of this Providential intervention. Hut why should Ministers complain f What harm has 'j^en done thorn I Letters or no letters, documents or no documents, you see, Mr. Speaker, Ministers insisted the evidence should be taken on oath, and as they presented them- selves and told their story, why it all cams Tn '^ out. Why, sir, how oould it ot othei-wise ' For iht'y would b same story if lo h ttors or tcle- ffranm hud ever been ]iroated iu the debate, no such objection Wius rai.wd. No doubt the i)roper course for Mr. Huntington would have )cen to have followed the iirecedent here given, and to liave made a full disclosure from his place in Parliament. It will lie recollected that after the committee had been appointed, on motion of the First Minister, Mr. Hunt- ington did, on his motion to impound certain papers, attempt to read and state to the House all the evidence in his possetsion, but was vio- lently interrupted by the First Minister, and on reference to you. Sir, was most wantonly and wrongfully stopped from jiroceeding with the statement with which he proposed to pre- cede his motion. That these documents wens not given to the House is not, therefore, the fault of Mr. Huntington, but of Ministers tlxemselves. The publication in the public press could not have prejudiced Ministers. T'hey had the same means of defence that Mr. Huntington had of attack ; and the lionour- able member for Vancouver did avail himself of that weapou of defence. Ministers had a ^ress at their command, ready to j)ublish any -explanations, any deniaU— do anything at the bidding of Ministers. It was ready to defend ft Minister or defame an opponent— to affirm there wm no truUi in the charges of corruption agaln'tt Ministers, and at the same time to charge the Reform party with olitaining money from J.iy Co')ku & Co. to carry the elec- tions against the Oovernmont — this same Jay I'ooke k Co. being partners of Sir Hugh Allan iu his Puc.ifi<^ Railway scheme, and thruugh whom Sir Hugh drew and paid away lor " prelimivari/ ixpi'im-Ji " Jt40,000 ! Why, Sir, even the Mini.strtr of Customs did not think it beneath him the other evening, with tho " tiirorn trnfimi»i;/" of the C!ominiasion be- fore him, with great vehemencj and pertina- city to make tliis sen.'ieless and meaninglnss accu.sation, without suggesting ouo tittle, one ftciutilhi of proof, all the time knowing, as he must, that it was utterly fibulous, absolutely false. He (Mr. Wood) i>ronounced this ohargfl a mo.st infamous defamation on the part of the honourable Minister^ of Customs, and he meant to say and would e all tho attention of the Minister of (!ustoms to the remark thathu had from his pUce in that House made a charge, against a great party, in support of which he nover had, and never will have, the ."-lightest jiroof whatever ; for the best of nil ri^asons, nothing of the kind ever occurred. As he (Mr. Wood) had said befoi-c, tho news|iapcr.s were open to Ministers and their supjiorter.s. Th'-y used them to slander their opiwnents. Why did they not use them to detend themselves 1 The evidence of the hon- ourable member for Vancouver before the Commission was a mere repetition of what lie had previously stated iu the jiublic press. He (Mr. Wood) found np fault at this. He merely alluded to it to show honourable gentlemen how Renselcss was the complaint of unfairness on tho part of Ministers. The First Minister could have made his defence in the same man- ner. He did not choose to do so ; .ind for his ( Mr. Wood's) part, he attached the sumo weight to his sworn statements before tho Commis- sion as he would, had it appeared without oath in tho public press — no more. The same might be said with regard to the other wit- nesses—the Minister of Marino, the Minister of the Interior, and the Minister of Public Works. A*ll might have made their state- ments in the public press, and they would iiave been received by the public with just as much confidence as if made on oath. Why, lie believed if they were incapable of stating the truth at all, they were just as able to state it without an oath as with it. These were the only Ministers who gaTe any evi- dence of importance ; and therefore no unfair advantage was taken. Tho country had waited long and patiently for an investigation of these charges, and the Oppo.sition had afforded every possible facility whereby an enquiry might be expedited ; and failing the enquiry they thought that the country was entitled to have the evidence laid before it, and he fully justified the act. Without further prolonging the discussion, he would now proceed more di- rectly to the motion. The motion said ' that the conduct of tho Government ' in respect to the prorogation of tM« V W-/ \/ . t ;; 'Houau on I'lo 13tli of Augiiiif, and thu '(WU (liwiloai'il ill tho I'vuleiice tiikcii be- ' foru thu liyyal CoiMiiiisHiuu sdnmld (icprivu 'thtjiii of tli, or '('X|w8n tlifiii to thu r.tiisiiro of this Ili.uiiO." }|o took it f»c uraiitid that if tin) rliavj^cs niiulis u^iin.tt the (invcrniiu'iit liy tin; Iiomoiii- ftbie mt'iiibiT for Shfltoi'd wero |)iov((l bcyoii.! all question, liowever ;iiii)ful it mi,i/ht bi' to thorn. honourable j^i'iitbuifii would hold deaii r. to thuiu their country tliiiii all iiersoiial ties He hopi'd that tlin Jlouhe would bo able to ruo up tti tlio occasion as a whole. Hut h(! wan no dictator. If, on the contrary, honourable gentlemen still believed, aftei' all that hacr b'll a/iprovM' of them. Now hi! was not prepare! to say by nny nieani that lie censured tho Government on this account alone. lie was not prepared to say that the hon. memlier for Vancouver, Sir Francis Hincks, wa.s censurable on this ac- count. The hon. gentleman was most sensi- tive on this point ; he had been most unjustly charged, no doubt, with havinj? dabbled in Toronto bond.s, and Grand Trunk stock, and therefore he seemed to feel very sore about tho matter. He (Mr. Wood) was bound to eay that he thought the conduct of Sir Franci.s Hinuks was, viewed from the stand-point of tliat gentleman, unobjectionable. Taking his atand point that it was desirable to embark AmericAU capital in this scheme, which might bo more easily .accomplished than obtaining money in other directions to carry out tlio great andortaking, he could see nothing ceu- ■iirable, in itself, in hia (Sir Francis,) connec- tion with tho matter so far aa Americans were •cncerued. But the hon. gentleman should have gfjne on and t dd them, if ho ever did I'hangu his opinion, why he did it. Thin was tno great nuestioM. It was a nuistion for tlio G<)vernmrnt. They h.i.l mule a provision for tin) coustiuedoii of this iai'iw;iy by the e.t- jiendiluic of a hirge amount of capital and etionnoua ce.ssion.s of lind. The work they h:td undei taken w.is one of va.si magnitude, outrirallin^ in itj pro[ortion< even the Mount ("enis Tunnel or the Smz Canal. It w:w i» great undi'rtaking, and would cost two or threo hundreil niillioiis of di>llars. (Crie.s of no ono hundred millions.) He (Mr. Wood) was not an engineer, and the only light he had to guide iiiin was that c f oxiK;rience, an"d the only way in which he could judge of the cost ol* the (onstructioii of railways was the cost of railways alre;uly built ; and by rcferenco to thu cost of railways already built in all coun- trie.>^ it would be foiiiid that hi.s estimate wiw not an over-estimate. The hon. member for Vaui-'ouver said that he gave the names of certain U, S. cipitali-sts to Sir Hugh in July, It^Tl. Now it api)iMred from the lividenco that the honourable gentleman must have had freiiueiit interviews witli Sir Hugh, and, in f»et, he did not deny it. lie could not, by the way, have had any interview.i with him from Au;;nst down to Sei)temlicr, whilo eiig.igeil in his ele<:tioii in .South Urant; but Sir Hugh stated that the hoiiouiable gentle- man nrj^ed liim in the sirougest manner to undertake the coMstrnction of the roail, saying that great profits and honour would comu from it, and that he should secure the assist- ance of American ca)(ital; and yet did honour- able members suppose that he did not teli all this to his colleagues? Well, then, they did know all about it. They did know that Jay Cooke, & Co. were early engaged in thi.4 matter; they did know that Jay Cooke, & ('o. were the brokers for tho Northern Pacifin I'aiiway; that they had their placanLs np in almost every public pUice all over the world, advertising tiie stock of the Northern Piinifn! Company for sale, and that tliey were trying to dispo.se of their .securities all over Kurope. They did know all this, and without tLeir dis- approval, at least, they knew that Sir Hugh was carrying on negotiations with Jay Cooke, & Co., this very firm who furnished tho money for the pu pose of obtaining n charter to form a body of japitalists, who should enter upon this great undertaking. Then, ho a.sked, how it couhl be contended that this brancii of the charge was not proven ? Of cou."80, Mr. Speaker, being yourself an eminent member of the profession, you know that law- yers are very careful about their statement of fact.s, particularly when they know that another was to follow, who would havo tho closing remarks. Now, he (Mr. Wood) ap- pealed to the hon. member for Vancou^ti, and to the hon. member for Pictou, if, in the statement of facts which he had made, in re- spect of tho negotiations between Sir Hugh and the Government and the Americans, was not borne out by the evidence. :;■ t m^rnmm^ ^P«P il |i Sir FRANCIS HINCKS-I nay no. Mr WOOD— Whit will oouviiice th« hon, gentleman thciif Tlio (•vicjoiioo would hiivo Io(l omi to Huniiusn that thiMo Amuriuaiui oaiiio hero ami h;hi1, " \Vu proiiosu to build th t Oaua'lian I'ai'irn'. Ilnilway. Do ynu jiroposii to lut iis'f" ami the U>>vurniiii'iit au-iwered no. But th« AiiK'iiiimis, on their lirit iiil«rvi«w, brou]{ht nUu\\i with tliuin a in-rtaia propusiliuii, algned liy ci'i'tain capitalist:*, beuauMO it wa.t froui thii doi'.umc^iit thu hi)n. uiem^Air i'or Vauoouvcf sworn in his evidDUco hu tojk thu naintts. And v^'t thit hon, tfi-utli-nmn said that hi! (Mr. W^ood) oviTj'atud the eviilmicc, when hi! xaid that tlio UovuiiiniiMit know that Sir Hugh was nugoti.itiiig with thu iVnutri- cans! Then, in C)c-.tol"or. thiMj nvn jamo down a;{aiM, iiiilut) book and look over it, he woulil liiid that thi.^ was trui'; tun mem- 'bers of the Oovcrnmi'nt wcro prenwnt. Well, what did those men do ? Why, they went into the Coiuu'il (jhainber, courteaiea were ox- changed, and they sat down, and then they lookedat the Mini.sterH, and the Ministers looked »t them, and at bust Hilcneu was broken ; Sir Hugh wa.s asked if ho was preparoil to make a proposition. Sir Hugh anawcred, " Aro you prepared to entertain it if 1 maku ond" The GiivornuKMit answered '"No." Tiien, said Sir Hugh, "lam not prepared to make any proposition. " That vnia the areount of tho interview given by the First Minister, flatly contradicted, as he (Mr. Wooil) would show, from the nature of thing) and tho sworn testimony of Sir Hugh. Did any one for a moment suppose no papers or doeumenta v-sro read, although ])roduued ; uo tilk about thu railway, its course or its branches ; nothing about land grants ; nothing about a money subsidy; nothing about that, t) talk over which, they had travelled thousanJ.i of miles. Sir FR.VN013 HI^GKS-Nothing what- ever was said. Mr. WOOD— Nothing was sai.l ! What on earth then did they meet for t Why was tho interview had ? How can the members of the GoTornmeut justify them.selvos in not speak- ing, in not tinding out all they could as to what those capitalists were prepared to do, and what were their views iu regard to this vast undertaking ; in short, in not getting all the information they could on thesabject? If the Account given is correct, the Government was ▼ery derelict of duty. If tho Government 'had any right to hold intercourse with thcso men at all, it neglected its duty in not ob- taining all the information possible in respect tof the ability of the parties to enter a))an tho «nterpriso, the nature of the undertaking and all other matters connected with it. He un- derstood the honourable member for Vancon- Ter to state in his evidence, that Ministers were lu >king about in all directions for infer- motion conoerning, and fur men of (apitnl to ODustruct, thu I'aciltc Railway. Tiie First Min- ister made the same statement. Ha w.ia most nn.xious ho sdd to learn all that could bo learned from nil ])erHon.'i and all sources — and to enlist in it capital a.id eapitalists wheruver they could be fo\ind, and that he was inviting those in this country to take an interest in it, airt thb.eby inspire conlidunee in the under- taking among capiUili.ls in the gnat money markets of the world. The First Minister and tho niemi>er for Vancouver met the American gentlemen lirst in thu month of July, 1871, Hs he (.Mr. Wood) hail mentioned, when th« member for VaiiL-ouver swears — " he hoard " what they had to say, and thoy produced a " dorument. signed by six, seven, or eight gon- "tlemen of stumiing in thu United Stat«i, "and of known wealth. I forget thi'ir names " now, but there was General Ca.ss, Mr. " Ogden w;i.s aiiotiier, and, I think, Mr. Scott '' of rhilailelphia, was another. Tho dat« " was July, 1871, probably about from the " tenth to thirteenth of July." • • • • • " I afterwanls saw Sir Hugh AUanin Montreal.' Ithought it " was only fair to gi/c him the list of name* " of tho.se wiio wore willing to engagn in the " building of tho racitie Hiiilway. Thatcon- " vor.sation with Sir Hugh Allan must, I " think, have taken plaru about thu beginning "of August." Sir Hugh Allan, in speaking of this inter- view with the member for Vancouver, then Minister of Finance, swears — "In theautumn " of 1871, 1 learned in conversation with Sir " Franeis Hinek.s, that eertnin American cap- " italists had proiiosed to the Govenvmtnt, " through Mr. Waddington, to organize a " company for the purpose of building tha " Canadian Pacific lUilway, but that no ac- " tion bad been taken upon their proposi- "tion." .Again, in an--wcr to the (]ueslion — " Can "you state particularly tho conversation which " p.'issed between you and Sir Francis Hinckt " at tho first interview, when it was suggested " to you to ai)[ily to American capitalists for " assistance ?^ Sir Hugh Allan swears — " At " this. distance of time 1 could not give any " definite statement of tho conversation, but " I cai: give the general term.<<. Sir Francis " Hincks camo to my ollice in Montreal, and " |K>inted out to mu the fact that owing to the " union with British Columbia, a railroad of " that kind would have to be built \ ' ■' hat " the Government had begun ti» oti ■ ir « ) t* " the means by which it coulu be i; i t, -^od " he himself was very onxions a'lont it \\ ij " were not prepared to do anytu.n^r, a^i* ••'wl " not made up their minds resp " b« ('aiiadiiiiiH. ilu tnlil inc of nil intcivicw " biiliiKl liatlwitli ^Ir. Wn o.in-ioil it out. llo iirgnj " ttiiit it Was It f^n'at I'litcrpri-if ; if tlio pi\)- " ni()tiir« nu(!i:e"ili>il tln-y would bii (:oiiri!irin,T[ " o KHMit bt!!iollt oil tlio count ly. I wa.s very " rcTm taiit to ^o into it nt (ill. I (Vlt tlmt it " Van too liir(;i' n, nuilti'r, luul too iinporliint, " for a iimii uitli ho laucli liu^inrss uii Ijiii " ham's iu myself to t'nj;as(i in ; Imt he was " ^ ry urgent, mid liniilly lie [H'r.suaduil v\o to ui;ive to cnt.'r into it. ' At t\\" wmie time I " wa.s vciry nsliiotaiit to do so. lit; tliMi wild " ttiat th« best thiiifj to ilo was to juit mym'lf " in comiimnication with tho/te imrtieg who "have a]ii)!iril tons; you (un make your " own arninc. mciit with them. You willliiul " those gcnlfenien at New York, and you will "find them more likely to take it up than " the people in En;,'laiid, because they have " alrcaily constructed two railways acroKs the " Continent, ami are about commencing a " third. They are much more likely to under- " tako it than our own peoide, who do not " khow anything about it, and who would be " afraid of ao large a sum." And again to the question — " Were yon in- duoed by that conveimition to enter into com- Aunication with your American associates ? ' Sir Hugh Allan answered, " I was." On the 7th Deeember, 1871, Sir Hugh Allan telegraphs to C. M. Smith, of Chicago, as fol- lows :-- " I do not think the Government will be " prepared to deal with us sooner than the " 18tn inst. Sir Frawis Iliiicks in hfr., "(mark date) and hints ut necessity of al- " vertisingfor tenders to uvoiil blame." On the 8th Decijinbcr, the next day, Sir Hugh Allan writes to the siuiie gentleman us follows : — " Sir Franrin IILiieks e tiled nt my ojfice this "day and sniil l/ial V'Iriff. he mis as inucinuK " OS ever to arrange with n.i about the Jiail- " road, IllB FRKMNO UK TIIK (lOVKUNMKNT " V...J that if they irlosed iiii agreeioeiit with " us without adverti.sliig for tenders, they " would be atticked about it in the House. I " think this may be true, and in view of it I *' see no use in your going to f )tlawa nt ini^s- " cnt. liut 1 think we should meet an(t ar- " range preliiniuariw, and dccidu on a course " of action. If, therefore, you couM come "here about the ITith inst., I would go to " New York with you on the 18th, and wo " could then put the alliiir iu shape. Plea.se " advise me if this suits you." On the 23rd of Deeeinber, 1S71, Kir Hush Allan outers into an ngrcenieiit with the Am- erieau capitalists, among them Jay Oooke A Uo., in which was stipuialud thu stock the Americana idiould hold, and the stock Sir Hugh should retain, nnd the fuiiiishing of fiiuiis by thH Aiii'Ti'MiH t> pay wliat Sir Hugh culU " pri'liiiiinnry expeiiscH." Tir.'Si'^sion of H7i! coiiim -iuhmI in April, and nided on the Hdi of June. r)uiin{» the Seiisi'>ii, some of tlie Aincricann were ' ■ '"tawa, and on.f'untiy iu iinJ out of the hoi Tlie Hill to incorporate the (.'aii.tdi i.'. IV iJailway ''onipaiiy jiri'inred at t!ie iiwtin eof the AimricaiH, wnH iiitroiluced and f,. ted lute in the Session. Sir Hugh A'l 1 Wii? '•(Hiuntly .il Ott.iwa, nnd «a'< . "'..vti to Im aoiii'Lj in concert with the Am- ericais. i.vei^'body else knew this, and it is injpoifcii ii' t() conceive th;it thu (Jovern- inent .vns not f iMy aware of the fact — es- jir.'iiuly after the evidence In- (Mr. Wood) had citel t;islation of "last session, as to the Pacific Railway, an " agreement was made between Sir Ifvyli "Allan, acting for himself, and certain other '•CRnadian promoters, an 1 (/. ^^'. McMiUhn, " acting for certain United States capitalists, " whereby the latter agreed to furnish all the "funds necessary for the construction of the "contctMplated railway, and to give the for- " nifr .. certain i)er centage of interest, in "consideration of their interest and position, "thi scheme agreed on being ostensibly that "of a Canadian Company with Sir Hugh " Allan at '\U head, — "That the Government was aware that '"■ nfgotiations were pending between those "ptrties." He had thought the fact of the existence of the agreement witli the Americans and Sir Hu^h Allan, and that the Government was awitfe, at least, that negotiations were pending betTcen the parties, vas so indisputable that n^ lonest man could deny it. Rut the honoura- ble member for Vancouver hal the temerity to do .so, H'i row has demonstrated before liin much more than was charged. On the '•sworn testimony" of himself and Sir Hugh Al^an, his own witness, it is established be- yond all reasonable doubt that not only did thi! Government know that "neg(^tiatiou3 wa-e pending, " J«< it was aware of the exis' tfwcc of the agreement with the Americans, although it had not seen it. All this the honourable gentleman has brought down on himself and the honourable gentlemen on the treasury benches by his recklessness and rashness. Before going to the second branch of the charge, he wished to refer to the very learned argument of the honourable member for Pic - tou. That gentleman had said it was per- fectly Impor.sible there should have been any agreement between Sir Hugh Allan and the Americans, as the parties had no charter at the time the agreement was made, — that, cir- lumstanccd as they were, no legal agreement could be made. Did the honourable gontle- man never hear of preliminary agreements among the promoters of an undertaking, in pursuance of which an Act of incorporation was sought and obtained, whereby such agreements, although not bindina at lirst, be- came valid, binding ami operative ? He (Mr. Woo*'^BnrFJ"!TT-«j 13 u tieman should be happy, and this House would know that tne Bchool master waa -•■'jroatl ! Mr. Speaker, let us now proceed to ^■'xanuno the eviilenco. He would lirst take tip that of the honourable member for Hoch- •olaga (Mr. Beuubien,) of which he had made a synopsis. He says in substance : — " I admit 1 got j^.OOO. It was to bo paid ^'^ out of the 885,000 contributed by Sir Hugh " Allan for the elpction in Montreal Kast. I "did not get it from that source. Some of ^' my friends got .some small sums from that " fund.' Some of my friends asked Sir Hngii to give me money to reimburse rao some of ' my election e.vpenses. Sir Hugh gave me S7,000, for which I gave a receipt as near as " I can recollect worded afi follows : — ' Ueceiv- II 'ed from Sir Hugh Allan, the sum of^g/.OOO, " 'which I agree to repay witiiin one year, if "'hftbenot sooner reimbursed along with 'other monids advanced by him in aid of ■" 'the elections.' I suppose Sir G';orf)e Car- " tier knew wtien I tjot thf. money. I suppose II Sir Hugh told hini. I had not tlie original receipt, only a copy. I gave tlie original " receipt to Sir Hugti. It was drawn up in II Mr. Abbott's office. l''or all 1 know that " document is now in Sir Hugh's possession. " I considered that receipt a note. I have no " means of knowing vrhence he expected to II be reimbursed. I had no idoa at all where the moiK'y was to come from, and luy opin- " ion is Sir Hugh himself did not know where " it was to come from. Many a time he said " he did not know tliat he would ever be rcim- " bursed. Sir Hugh told me all the money " he w.is giving in suiiport of the elections he " though^ would be a dead loss. / supposed " hf, uxis to be n.imbursed froui t'u- prnjiis of " the enterprise /" Now, he (Mr. Wood) asked his honourable friend from Pietou to draw a conclusion hom the statement of this witness. Here was a witness produced by tiu) accused, put into the box by themselves, examined in chief and cross-examined by themsclve.'!, with no one to check extravagant statement or straighten an evasive answer, and he closed up by saying he P"* i«7,000 from Sir Hugii through Sir George ., .J ..rtueof the Pacific IlHilway, and which was to be roimbui-sed to Sir Hugh as other moneys paiil by him on account of the elections, from the jiroHts of the Pacific Rail- way I What, again ho (Mr. AVood) asked, was the iuovital)lo inference ? Could it be anything ei.ic than that Sir Hugh i>aid that f /,000 along with all the other moneys paid by him in aid of camlidates at the elections, on account of some connection he was pro- mised or hoped to otjtain in resiiect of the Canada Pacific llaihviiy. Ho (Mr. AVood) paused for a reply. Honourable gentlemen nre silent, and well they may be. Ah, say, honourable gentlemen, this was a subscrip- tion. A subscription indeed ! The receipt given for it is very much like an election sub- «cription ! The bhara is too patent to merit an observation in reply to such a auggestion. AVas that the way voluntary subscriptions to elections were procured ? But., it is pleaded — grant that it cannot bo explained by saying it is a voluntary sub.scriptioh to an election fund; Sir Hugh expected to be reimbursed out of the profits from the Northern Colonization llailway between Montreal and Ottawa, from the railway which would carry it on to the Sault Ste. Mnrie, to the intersection of the Pacifii! at Mattawa, and from the railway projected from Ottawa to Toronto. AVhat had the elections to the Conunons of Canada to do with these projected railways ? What had the Government at Ottawa or the Parliament of Canada to do with these railways ? No- thing — absolutely nothing. The whole evi- dence showed that the only reason why Sir Hugh pretended to bo interested in these mi- nor enterprises was because in his opinion thej were a means to an end. They would enable him to control the Governmcit 'of the day. ^30,000,01)0 of money and 50 jOO,000 acres of land ! All this is now discli "cd. What was was once mysterious is now miiaifcst to the comprehension of the poorest understanding. Sir Hugh did not expect profits from theso local enterprises. Dealing with these was merely a game at tennis-ball, preparatory to the titanic play of rocks and moun- tains. The real truth came out when his correspondence with his American associates was published. AVhat was opaque then be- came transparent. The fogs, and clouds, and mists in which tiiis gre:it nabob of steamboats had hid himself rolled awaj', anf Lower Caniuiiaiis took great " interest, especially the Montrciders, and of "which Sir Hugh Allan was Prenident, and " that in fact they had got the impri'ssiou that "Sir George Cartier was thi^wing cold w.iter "on all tlioae enterprises^viiicli Sir Hugh "Allan liad entered uiwn, and this of course, " unless it were removed, would be fati\l to Sir " George Cartier, and in Lower Canada woulit " lose him Parliamentary support, and, of " course, lose the Government Puriiamentary "support. 'Ihe idea had been industriously " sptead abroad that Sir George, as being tho "Solicitor or Counsel of the Grand Tnink " liailway (^omjiany, was jMit anxious to pro- " mote any railway enterprise tiiat might oe ft " rival or competitor of that railway. This' " WHS .so much the case that a good deal of "f. cling had been creatcil respecting Sir " George Cartier's .supposed cour.se of action, " and tliata deputation wiiich has been already " spoken of, which I am aware had come to " Ottawa to press upon him so fir as they " could the necessity of taking nn active in- " terest in tin; Northern Colonization llnad, " and other railway.", extending the Not them ''Colonization west, including the Pacific " Railway, and that the -Montreal interest, as " reprtsentcd by Sir Hugh Allaii, should not " be ignored. 1 .>-eiit tlwt telegram on the " itith of July, and I was glad to receive a "communication from Montreal, 1 am not " sure whether it was from Sir G^'orge him- " self, or from Mr. Abbott, or Sir Hugh Allan, " but from one of the three, stating that Sir " George had expressed himself with respect " to all these enterprises in a manner which " satisfied the Montreal interest, including Sir " Hugh 'Allan and his political friends in " Montreal. And I may .say here, that it wftH "on hearing that, that any communication " uro.se respecting election funds. When Sir "George Cartier and I parted in Ottawa, he " to go to Montreal, antl 1 to go to Toronto, of " coui-se. as leadingmenibersof the Government, " we were anxious for the success of our Parlia- " mentary supporters at the election.s, and i " said to Sir George that the severest eonte.st " would be in Ontano, where we might expect " to receive all the opposition that the Ontario " Government could give to us and our friends, " at the polls. I said to him, you must try ' ' and raise such funds as you can to help us, as '• we are going to have the eliief battle there. " I mentioned the names of a few friends to " whom lie might apply, and Sir Hugh Allan " amongst the rest, and tliat he was intere8t0th July wa-s adhered to, that I "would go down to Montreal and discuss the " whole matter with them. I then received "two telegrams, one from Sir Hugh Allan, * ' and the other from Sir George Cartier, which " I fortunately kept, which I shall read. Tills "is dated 31st July. It is from Sir George "Cartier. It. eommem^es as follows; 'I " have .seen Sir Hugh Allan. He withdraws "the letter v/rilten to you, since you make of "objection to it, and relies for a ijasis 'arrangement on your telegram to ine, of " which I gave him a copy, &c.' " "MOXTREAL, 12th June, 1872. "G. W. MfMui.I.EN, Ksq., 'Uussfll House, Ottawa, '•Dkau Sru, — "1 have this day received a telegram from " you^ dated at New York, asking me to meet *' you in Ottawa to-morrow on iui|K)rtant bu.si- " ness. 1 am unable to go, and if the iuipor- " tant busijiew refers to the Pacific Riilroal '■ scheme, I do not think it necessary 1 should " go. / hdii'vr I have ijot the whole nviller ar- " ranged through inij French J rictulu Inj mein.rtant transaction or "pay any money. I want you to get a eor- " rect copy of the Government Hill and our "own lUU, because we have hrst to consider "how far they will suit our friends, and we "may have to go to New York to onsult '■ them. a "I will 1)3 in town tomorrow and Friday. " I will be absent on S iturday, but will re- " tnrn here on Monday and b ; here till Fri- '■ day. Yours, truly, (Signed), HUGH ALL AN." MosiRE.\i,, July 1st, 1872. "0. W. C^ARs, Ksq., "liiberty-slieet. New York. "My Dkau Sin,— The negotiations reg.ird- " Jng the Oana lian Pacific liailroad are now "appro.iching a termination, and I have no " reason to doubt they will be favourable to •" u, 1 have b^en giverf to under«tand hj " Mr. MoMuUen th:it he has regularly kept " you informed of the progress and position ot " alfairs; hence I have not communicated with, "you onthesubjectas often as lotherwige would " have done. No doubt he informed you that, "thinking as I had taken up the project, " th;U-e must be something very good in it — • " a very formidable o])position was organized " in Toronto, which, for want of better, took " as tlieir cry. 'No foreign inllnence,' — 'No "Yankee dictation,'— No Northern Pacific "to choke off our Canadiati Pacific," and "others equally sensible. "Sj much I'lfeet, however, was produced " both in and out of Parliament by these cries " and the agitation consequent on them, that "after I'onsulting Mr. McMullen I was forced "unwIU'ngly to dro]) ostensibly from onr or- " ganizatlon every American name, and to put "in reliable people on this side in place of "them. It will be apparent to you that at "this point Mr. McMullen and I di lib red a "little as to the means to be adopted to in- "(lucnce the Government itself. Two oppos- "ing companies desiring to builil the railroad, "were formed, the one from Ontario having "the greatest number of names, while that " from Quebec had the greatest political ' ' power, "J/r. McMuUin j/'ds desirous of securing " the inferior iif.mbrrs of the ftovcmmfM, and " entered into engagements of which ! did not " apju'ove, as 1 thought it only a waste of " powder and shot. On n calm review of the •' situation I satisfied myself that the v/hole " decision of the question nm.st ultimately be " in the hands of one man, f.nd that man we« " Sir George '<'',. Cartier, the leader and chief "of the French jmrly. This party has held "the Imlance of power between the other fac- " tions. It has sustained and kept in office " and existence the entire Government for the "last five years. It consists of 45 men " who have followed Cartier and voted in a "solid phalanx for all his measures. The " Government majority in Parliament being "generally less than 45, it follows that the "defection of one-half or two-thirds would at " any time jmt the Government out of oifiCe. " It was therefoio evident that some means " must he adopted to bring the inlluence of "this compact body of members to bear in '• our favour, and as I soon made up my mind " wdiat was the bast course to pursue, 1 did " not lose a moment in following it uj). "A railroid trom Montreal to Ottawa '• through the FrencJi country, north of the " Ottawa river, has long been desired by the ' French inhabitants, but Cartier, who is the "salaried solicitor of the Grand Trunk Rail- " road, to which this would be an ojiposition, " has always interpo.sed difiiculties, and by bis "inllnence prevented it being built.. The "same reason made him desirous of giving '• the contract for the Canadian Pacific inti " the hands of parties connected with the " Grand Trunk Railroad, and to this end he i m ■■ ii^^ 16 I j.'i ' fanned the flame of oppoBition to us. But ',', ? ■■* '" *^'''^ French Knilroacl scheme, and ' in the m-ar np]iroa(h of the general dec- " tions, when Oartiei' as well as others had to *go to their nonstituents for re-eleetion, a "sure nieiiTis oi attaining my object, cs]>e- "ciallyas I ]iroposed toeaiiv it, througli to t'lo "terminus of the I'atilic. The plans I yro- "poaeare in themselves the ImM I'ortlie inler- "estsoltlie l)oniinion, and in nrating tlu'Ui "on the jiublic I am really doing a most jia- "triotic action. But even in tliat view, "means must be used to inflnenre the )iublic, '' and I employed several yoiing Freiieh law- " yers to write it up for tluir own iifw."pap- " ers. I subsiiibcd a eoiitrolling iiillueiiee in "the stock, and jiroeceded to snbsidiiie the "newapajiirs tin inselvea, both editors and " proprieto' ■<. 1 went to the country throuph "which the road would pass and called on "many of the inhabitant). I visited the " priests and niaile friends of them, and I " employed agents to go amongst the princi- " pal people and talk it up. " I then began to hold public meetings and " attended to them myself, making frequent " gpeeches in French to them, showing them " where their true interests lay. The scheme "at once became popu'ar, and I formed a "committee to infiiience the members of the •' Legislature. " Tliis succeeded so well, that in a short "time I had 27 out of the 45 on whom I could " rely, and the electors of the ward in this " city which Cartier himself represents, noti- "fiedhim that unless the contract for the " Pacific Kailroad was given in the interests " of Lower C'anai'a he need not present him- "self for re-election, lie did not believe this, "but when he came here and met his con- " stituents he found to his surprise that their "determination was unchangeable. "He thenagreed to give the contract a,s re- "quired, in this way t^iut there would be 17 "Provisional Directors, of which Ontario " would have 8 and we 0, — thereby giving ns "the control. We at once jiroceeiied to or- "ganize the Company (our section) and they "named me the President,^!). Mclnues, of "Bamilton, Vice-Prebident; K. L. de Belle- "feuillo, S'turetary ; and the Honourable J. "J. C. Abbott, icgal Advi«er. "We have advertised that the fooks for "subscription of stock wdi be opened 15fh " July at the diflerent places named in the "Act, and we have notified the Govern- " ment that we are willing to take the con- "tract for building the Oanadian Pacitic " Kbilroad on the terms and cnn'litions pre- "scribed in the Act. The next thing to be "done is to subscribe the ttock, which "mast be done hy British subjects only, " and ten per cent, of the sub-criptions "must be pai I in caih, at the time of sub- " scribing. We have the riKht of subsorib- "ing nineseventeeuths (9-17) at present, " and of taking <-p whatever the other party "m»y not subiioribe at the end of on* " month. I have arranged in the meantimo " that if you will send a certinoate of the "equivalent of ijl, 000,000 gold having bteu " pi tcei by Jay Cooke & C'v to the cr*dao( " the Merchants' Hank ot Oaoada, Montrtal, " in thtir own Bank in New Yoik, it will " accept ihe cheques for the subscription, " but no money will pass till the cuutiaot i» " entered into, nud then ten per cent, on "the fcmonnt of stoch owardKl us will Jiave "to be paid in to the Heceiver-General Be 'pleased, therefore, to stnd me, hs early a« " possible, powers of atti>riiey to »uhHcril>6 " the sto di and Jay Cocke & (-'o's etr'iricate "above uienti.'ew York next week, " if you desire it. and commur.ieate with yon "pers nally. Ple»«e telegraph if you wish "to Hee me, and the day. As ytu may sup- "pose, the matter has not reached this " point without great expense, a large por- "tion of it only payable when the conlraot "is obtained, bat I think it wili reaih net " much short of ?3'JO,000. Yours faithfully, (Signed) HUGH ALLA.N, "I presume you desire that nnless we can " obtain and secure a majority of the stock "yon cf'uld not take any, hut on this point ' ' 1 wish to be instruoted. , H. A." The foregoing extract from the evidence'of .Sir John and the letters of Sir Hugh give^ a lively photograph of the situation. Then Sir (Jeorge Cartier saw, the leader of the Government saw. Sir Hugh Allan saw, too, that .something must be done in the Pro- vince of tjucbec to gain su]iportfor Sir George. Then Sir George was to go to Montreal and f.'e if these niatiers could not be reconciled. It was not 80 stated in the evidence, but no douVit, according to the letters of Sir Hugh Allan it was .so. He took it ior granted that Sir John Macdon:ild had an opjiortnnily to ex- amine Sir Hugh Allan on this ]'oint, when the latter was l)eiiig erossexaniined before the ( 'oiniids.sion — but he had not done so .-he wouki not .say that these letters of Sir Hugh were good evidence against the Premier, they might be good evidence ngidiist Sir Hugh Al- 1 in if he were jiut on his trial for corruption e^jain.st this Hoiise. They might not be moral evidence, but when they were liled and made j>art of his evidence at the instance of the Premier, he took it, they might be held as pro- per evidence against him, he having the op- portunity 'if cross examination, tin the 16th of July, or juiit about the time Sir John was distressed in view of what was going on in On- tario, Sir George was dLstressed at what was going on in Quebec, and Sir Hugh Allan whowas >:' 17 not distresBcd nt all, was the clironicler of the eventk trniiHpiriui; about liiin, and waa incoiu- munication with honoumlilemenin the United Btatu.s, and vian giving these AiaiTiciitiH un account of ilie jirogresa of events t'lmn iluy to- day. Theivl'oro lln-rc was tremendous I'oioe iu the letters unless Sir Hugh was usiti'd to con- tradict them. Well, tliey all iigrecil, und it Was said tliat Mr. AleMullen had trii'd to iu* fluenne inl'mior niciiiipcrs ol' tlie C.i\iine':. llo did not know w'liifh of the members of tlie Cabinet were tin; inferior, but he did not thinit Sir Iniuois llincic?' ".Viis meant. It was well known tiiat Sir Francis had Mated after his defeat in West Hrant, he wouhi have re- signed, but lieilid not feel justilied in (h>inggo uutil he h;ul l.uinelied the I'aeilie llailway ; SirFrancis knew a tiling ortwo about launching railway sclu-nies. lie it was who launclied the Grand Tmnk llaiUvny a quarter of a ci'iitiiry ago. The aged piitriarch buuHed the plunder alar off. Mr. McMuUeu was trying to iullu- oiice inferior nie:nbers of the Cabinet ; but the great commercial man, Sir Hugh, saw that by laying his hand on the leaders, by ee- cnring Sir George, and taking advantage of the cupidity of Kir Francis, and the necessi- ties of Sir John, he had the whole matter in hia Own hands ; then he began to operate on principle and to work systematically, and soon obtained control over twenty seven members, and then he shoi>k in Sir George's face defeat in his own Riding. They were all anxious. Sir Francis was anxious for an indetiuite loan, Sir John was anxious for money to be used iu Ontario elections. Sir George was anxious for his very political existence, and the Minister of Public Works with the |32,000 in his poc- ket was anxious for the Quebec interest, but still more anxious, as some say, to pocket the money. Sir Hugh was anxious, but his anx- iety was passing away for he had the Govern- ment of a great country in his power. And then Sir Hugh stated in his evidence that be- tween the ItJth and 31st of July, he had fre- quent interviews witli Sir George, and on the 3l8t of July he wrote that he had the whole tliine in his hands. It was said that Sir Hugh liad got a vi rbal ]iromise of payment for tlie money he had paid, Init was it to be sup- )iosed that a commercial man vould be satis- fied with a mere verbal declaration ? No. Sir Hugh said on the 29th of July Sir George sent. for him. Did any one contra- dict that ? He did have an interview with Sir George on the 29th, and tlie matter of Rgrcemeut was talked over. Sir George pro- bably talked a gri'at deal, and Sir Hugh a very little. Hoth had an olgtct to serve. On the 30t,h July what occurred ? Sir Hugh Allan, with Mr. Abbott, wa-s seen at Sir George's again; they went there in the morn- ing. He would hike the evidence of Mr. AblKitt and Sir Hugh Allan together on this point. He would be disposed to take that of til. Abbott's as the more accurate. Accord- ing to that ovideucc, they discussed the matter all the morning uutil about one o'clock, and they camu to un unden-itanding on the rauiUc liaihvay. Sir HuljIi said the railway letter was signed about one o'clock, but he woa in- clined to think he was mistaken; in fact, Mr. Abbott shewed he was. That letter waa not signed then, but a conclusion vns Ciime to by tlieui. Now, what did Sir Hugh Allan want the letter f 'r if In; was not going to occupy a better jiosition than anybody eise. With re- spect to the railway '■ Ihit they settled an- other matti-r. Just as Sir Hugh was going av.'ay. Sir Geor;;;e remembering Montrial East was requiring iLssistanc, and calling to uiiud what Sir Joiin had told him, by acoideut . ha])pened to say, notwithstanding he waa charged by the First Minist'ir to do so, " Oh ! are you not going to help us in our elections i" Now, Sir Hugli knew what was coming, and had expected it all the time, therelore it did not surprise liini; nor did it surprise the mem- ber for Argent'Uil. Hut it must be noted that Sir Hugh Allan, in his evidence, never u.sed the word subscribe, but the Commissioners were most studious in making use of that word. That word seemed to bo the whole defence in the case. The Government had not disclosed what their defence was; but, as he understood it, it W;i8 ou that word subscription. But was it to be believed that Sir Hugh Allan with all his wealth, with all his commercial greatness aud enterprise, would not have been astounded with the request for f 100,000, un- less he waa to get a good sound consideration ? But the request did not seem to shock either Sir Hugh Allan or the member for Argenteuil. Sir Hugh did not say where is your subscrip- tion list. No, for there was none. But what did he say! He said, make a memorandum of what you want; and then they began to talk how the request was to be put iu the memorandum. Air. Abbott then went away to Hx it in his own olhce. And when there, he lirst framed the Pacific Railway letter, and then sat down to draft the other letter for Sir George Cartier. Then he and Sir Hugh took the two to Sir George's oliice. Sir George found fault with the railway letter, and made some coructions; iiud when lie came to the other, it was all wrong, aud he undertook to write out what it should be; but as he did not write very readily, Mr. Abbott undertook to write it, but found it most dillicult to frame a letter which, if it c .me out, would be very uu- ]i!ea8ant for the parties. He (Air. Abbott) thought the whole thing .should be left to memory, it .should never be committed to writing. But it was finally settled, and read thus— - "Dkar Sik Huoii, — The friends of "the Government will expect to be " assisted with funds in the pending " elections, and any amount which you " or your Company Fhall advance for that " purpose shall be recoujiei to you." " QkOUOE E. (^ARTIEU.'' r^MMtCr*" <»*"1reference to Quebec in the matter of the Presidency, or in any other iiar- ticular. He says the (piestion about the I're- sidency should be left to the Board. Under these circumstauees, / authorize you to assurf- Allan that Die iiiJlMnce of the Goirrnment will he exercised to secure him the ponilion of Premlent. The whole terms to be as agreed on between !Mao,[)her8on and Abbott. The whole mailer to be k<}il quint until afkr the flections. Then tlu two gentlemen to meet the Privy Council at Ottawa, and settle the ternis of a provisional agreement This is the only practical solution of the dilliculty, and should be ace/'pl^d ai once by Allan. Answer. "John A. Macdonai.d." He asked the House what was the ^reat ur- gency at that time ? Why should Sir Ilugk Allan accei)t at tuce. ! Why did the first Min- ister telegraph down to Sir George in the midst of the excitomeut of the elections, that NOW the thing must be arranged ? How long after that telegraph was sent did the Pacific Hallway matter lie in abeyance I Oa the 2(ith of July there seemed to hare been great dilHculty. Hut why was that difficulty to be then settled ; why was it to be deter- mined then that Sir Hugh Allan was to be made President ? Could tlie Minister of 0«j- toms give auy other reason than that J162,- 000 was wanted for the elections ? It Was nonsense to ])retend there was any other rea- s )n. The country could not be trilled with in this way. The Railway letter was withdrawn, but Sir Ilugli Allan had obtained all he wanted, for he had got Sir George to agree to the proposition of the first Minister. He knew that he was to bo President, nn(i that the contract was secured to him. It is true, there was nothing to show that auy superior advantage was given to Sii Hugh ; but it was. not necessary that there should be. But there was, he must confess, .something in that ( hart(T that was never contemj>latod by this House. It was understood by the Hou^e and the country that the Company was to be bound to take alternate blocks extending back twenty miles on either fide of the Railway throughout its entire len;e in " ten days or so to liav(i tin; eontrnct signed, '' and wotihi like to leave iininodiately after " to go to Kngland to raise the money to build " tho lino. 1 have disbursed $:14:3,000 in " gohl, which 1 wint to get re|i!iiil. I have " still to pay §13,500, which will close cv- " erything olV. I will go to New York as " soon as the contract is signed, say about " 7tli October, arid would be glad to meet " yon there at that time." In the letter of the 6th Au},n8t. to Mr. MeMullen, Sir riugh said, " I have been hoping from day to day " that some conclusiou which I could com- " munieato t<< you would bo arrived at " respecting tJie Pacific Railroad negotiation, " but some obstacle to cause delay liivs always " intervened. The near approach of the elec- " tions, however, and the stand taken by my " French friends, that they wouhl lend no " help till I pronounced myself satislied, has " at length brouglit the matter to a crisis, " and I think the game I have been playing " is now likely to bo attended with success. " Yesterday "—(and by this Sir Hugh Allan and Sir John llacdonaM said that when he said yesterday he meant recently,) — "jester- " day we entered into an agreement by which " the Government bound itself to form a '•■ Company of Canadians according to my "wishes. That this company will make mo "President." (Look at the telegram, "You shall have th". I'lrsiilon't/.)" The letter con- tinued, "and that I and my friends will get " a majority of the stock, and that the con- " tract for building the road will be given to " this company in terms of the Act of Parlia- " meitt; Americans are to bo carefully ex- " clnded, in the fear that they will sell it to " the Northern PaciliCj^ But I fancy we can " get over that some way or other. " This position has not been attained with- " ont largo payments of money. 1 have " ahoudy paiil over $200,000. and I will have " at least $100,000 more to pay. ] must now " soon know what our New York friends are " going to do. Thev did not answer my laat "letter." This letter was directed to " Dear Mr. Me- Mullen." lie (Mr. Wood) did not know Mr. McMuUen, and he did not care to know him : but honourable gentlemen should recollect that every anathema that they huiled against llr. MeMullen did not stop short of falling with enual force on the Premier. As to the honour of the American gentlemen, Sir Hugh Allan swore they were highly honourable men ! Jn«t at this period Sir Hugh writes to General Ci 98. It tnist rvjC be forgotten that although Sir Hugh was cross-examined on these letttrs, no attempt was made to show them inaccurate. The following in the letter to Oeneral Cass : MoNTRBAi, 7tU Aug., 1873. " Deak Sir, — I wrote you on Ist July, "giving yoii a detailed ac.eonn t, up to that date, " of the events and my movements in connec- " lion with the (!unadiiin J'acilie lUulroad," itu. And further on, hi; said '■ lU is nr.ieces- " sary to detail the viuious jihasey hrough . " which it (that is, the negotiations,) passed, " but the result ia that we yesterday signed " an agreement by which, 'Jii certain uione- " tary conditions, ' kr. ilonetary conditions ! He (Mr. Wood) wanted to call the attention of the House to the fact that this was the most important piece of evideuce in tho whole bluu book. It being six o'clock, the House rose for recess. After recess, Mr. Wood resumed. He w: saying at the recess, that tho great point oi' this whole case centered about tho transactions that took place in Montreal be- tween the 16th and Slst of July. Ho had gone on to show that on the 30th of July ait understanding was come to between SirGeorgi; and Sir Hugh and Mr. Abbott, in respect of the Presidency of a Pacific Railway Company , and of the granting of the contract for th& construction of the Canadian Paeifiis Railway to that company. He had demonstratcil that from tliat time Sir George and Sir Hugh and the hon. member for Argenteuil acted harmon- iously together. He had remarked, also, that they must confine themselves in respect of this matter to arguments deducible from the evi- dence taken under oath, and the letters of Sir Hugh, put in as part of his sworn testimony just as tliey stand, except as explained or di- rectly contradicted by him. lie hail showii that from the evidence taken under oath, and especially from the depositions of the hon. member for Argentueil and Sir Hugh, who. were the only two living parties to the tran- .sactions with Sir (ieorge at Montreal, regarded in the light of Sir Hugh's explanations and declarations given at the tima in the sincerity and confidence of private correspondence, it " was apparent that Sir Hugh ultimately re- garded the telegram from Sir John A. Mac- donald of the 2tith of July, which had been concurred in by Sir George him.self, as "the. ba^is of an aijri'cmeiW or " as ati agreemeHi" between him.self and the Government, to tho ett'ect that he should be made president of a company to be formed under Royal charter,, either by the amalgamation of the two com- panies, the Canada Pacitic and the Inter- Oceanic, if possible, and ifimpossible. of acom- paiiy to be formed by the Government, to be composed as f;ir as practicable of membersof the two companies, and that this company should have the contract for the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway on the terms of the 30 Act of the Ukon laat sesHiou. Ho hod referred to two letters whiiih hud been written by Sir Hugh 8tmultam>ou.sIy with thfcseoucurrencealo two of hia Amoriuun OHsocintea, and had said it must be borno in mind that tiir Hugh hud sworn that t\n)ne persons were honourable! gen- tlemen ! All honouralile mnn I And that tlui Fir»t Minister having a profound internst in this controversy, altliou!{li prc-sent when Sir Hugh "swore his swe.ir " bufore thu Royal Commissioners, and tonk no exception to this tb8 of inaiii- " mr'iy, but I nni glad to nnticii by your letter "dated lltli inst., that you hive got safely " bftck. " Sini'o I sow you last, the Pncilio liailrond " (Canndii) Hchonie, hiut gou" throujih nmiiy " phiues, und its (iresent poxitioii iHclitiiiult to " descrilip. " Sir Oeorf^e Caitier hiis been in town for " doinoduys, and I have luul several interviewH " with him. lie now tells nie that he does not " now, nnd never did intend to deal with either " Mncjiheraoii's Conipany or ours, and that he " only allowed them to get ineorponitcd u8 u " matter of aiuuaemcnt. But he says he always " intended that the (iovernment would form " its own Company, who woidd furri/ on the " work UTuler the nrdrrn of the dovcmmfnl, " according to tlic views of the (Invcmvuint engi- " titers, and 'aUh movey furrtishtd by the Gov- " emnunt. He sny.i that he and Sir John A. " made uplhr.ir minds to this long ago, but did " not tdl any of their colleagurs. " A kind ol negotiation is going on with both " MacphersoK and myBelf, relative to the com- " position of this Government Company, but it " has not come to anything as yet. Meantime " the period of the elections is drawing near, " and unleHs the matter is arranged satisfae- " torily to Lower Canada, Sir Oeorge Cartier's " prospect of being returned ia very slim in- " deed. 1 cannot foresee with any certainty " tho ultimate result, but the decision Uduuot " be lone putotf. '* I will adviso you as soon as anything is '* positively known. " Yours truly, (Signed) "HUGH ALLAN.' (PrivaU. ) , "July -^Jth, 187-2. " Sir Gkor(;b CAnTiEi:, t')tbiwa : " Have seen Maopherson. He has no per- " Bonal ambition, but cannot, injustice toOn- " tario, concede any preference to Quebec m " the matter of the P., or in any other iwiticu- " lar. He says the question about the P. should " be left to the Board. Under these cinum- " stances I authorize you to assure Allan that " the power of the Government will be exercised " to secure him the position of P. The other " terras to be as iigreed on between Macpherson " and Abbott. The whole matter to i.o kept " quiet until after the elections ; then the " two gentlemen to meet tho Privy Council at " Ottawa, and settle the terms of a provisional " agreement. This is the only practicable " solution oP the ditficulty, and should be " accepted at once by Allan. Answer. (Signed), " John A. AlAcnoNALi). " " MoNTUKAL, 30th Juiy, 1872. ■" Dkak Sill HuoH,— I enclose you copies ■*' of telegrams received from Sir John A. Mac- " donald j and with reference to their cou- " t«nta I would say that in my opinion, tha " Governor in Council will upjirove of thn " amalgamation of your Company with the " Inter-Oceanic Company, under the name of " tho Canadian Pacific Railway Company ; the " i'rovisioual Board of the amalgamated Com- " pany to be composed of 'seventeen members, " of wlionk four shall lie named from tho " Province of tjuebec, by the Canada I'acifio " Uailway Company, lour from the Province " of Ontario by the Inter-Oceanic lUilway " Comjiany, and the remainder by tho OoT- " crnmi'nt ; tho amalgannited Conipany to " have til" power specilii-d in the lOlh section " of tho Act incoiporating the Canada I'a- " citic liailway Company, and the agreement " of amalganmtion to be executed between tho " comjianies within two months from this " date. " The Canada Pacific Company might tako " the initiative in procuring the anialgama- • " tioii, and if tho Inter-Uceanic Company " should not execute an agreement of amalga- " mation upon such teims, and within such " limited time, I think the contemjdated ar- " rangement ahonld be made with the Canada " Pacilic Company under its charter. " Upon tho subscription and payment oil " accouut of stock being made, asrciiuired br " the Act of la.'.t Session, respecting the " Canadian Pacilic liailway Company, I have " no doulit but that the Governor in Council " will agree with the Company for the con- " struction and working of the Canadian Pa- " cilic h.iilway, with su(;h branches as shall " be agreed upon, and will grant to the Com- " pany all such subsidies and assistance as " they are emiiowered to do by the Govem- " raent Act. 1 believe all tho .••/Ivantaftes " which the Government Act empowers tho "Government to confer upon any company, " will be required to enable the works con- " templ.itcd to be successfully carried through, " and 1 am convinced that they will bo ac- " corded to the Company to be formed by " amalgamation, or to "the Canada Pacifio " Company, as the case may be. " I would add, that as I approve of the " measures to which I have referred in thia " letter, I shall use my best endeavours t» " have them carried into effect. " Very truly yours. (Signed), " Gko. E. Cartibr." Private and Confidentiol. " MoxTKEAL, 30th July, 1872. " Dear Sir Huoh,— Tho friends of the " Government will expect to be a.'-sisted with "funds in the pending elections, and any " amount which you or your Cornpany shall " advance for that purpose shall bo recouped ' ' to you. " A memorandum of immediate require. " raonts is below. " Very truly yours. , (Signed), " Geo. E. Cartier." zi«r>yT»""»"iMi wii' 'ji I ''' *«iii'"?i»'y i i p pi i i i iiinri '»; ■J|ll*ll»W*Wf^« 22 NOW wANrrn. ••Sir John A. Mmvlonnltl, $25,000. " Ifmi. Mr. LnnK«'vi)i, 16,000. " Sir (i.orKr K. Cnrtier, •20,000. "Sir John A., (ft(l(litloiml\ 10,000. " Hon. Mr. Lnujifviii, 10,000. "8ir(J. E. C, (iulditional), :(0,000." " M0NTRE.\i., 24lli Aumist., 1872." " Dkau Sill, — III the abspiico of Sir lliij^li " Allan, I .shnll bo oWisoil liy yonr siipiilyini^ " tho (.'I'litriil C'oniiiiiltt'(( witli a furtlu'i' sniii " of $20,000 upon tlio sanir ooiiditioiis n« the "ainoijnt wiiltcn hy inc nt tliK foot of iny " letter to .Sir llii^h Allan, on the. 3llth ult. " GlCUlUiK K. I.'AKTIKU." " P. 8.— rieasrt also send Sir John Mae- " doualil $10,000 morn, on hnine ternia." " MuNTKKXi,, 31st July, 1872. " To Sin JtiHN A. M.^cukjn.m.i) : " Have seen Sir Hnj;li, ho withdraws kttor • " written you since )ou make oljection to it, " antl relies for basis of arrangement on your " telegram to me of which I gave liim copy. " Matters ro on well Iiere. Hope they are " same with you. Don't tiiink it is neees- " «ary for you to come down here Saturday. . " I want to be out of town on Sunday, but " will remain here if you specially desire to ".Bee me. Answer. "O. E, C.VRTIER." " MoNTUKAi, 31st July, 1872. " To Sir John A. Macbonald : " I have seen Sir Geo. Cartier to-day, you " may return my lettei or regard it os waste " paper, it was not intended as anything of- " ncial. Vour telegram to Sir Geo. i.s the " baftia of our agreement, which I have no " doubt you will approve of. He purjioses to " go out of town on Saturday afternoon, and " I am persuaded his liealth will be benefitted " thereby. " Hum Alla.v. " " MoN TKEAi,, August 6, 1872. " Dear Mit. McMi'li.kn, — 1 have been " hoping from day to day that some conclusion " which I could eomniunicate to you would "be arrived at respecting tlie Pacific Hailroiid " negotiation, but some obstacle to canse delay "always intervened. The near approach of " thii elections, however, iind the stand taken " by my French lrienlul. The strong b'reneh influence 1 suc- " ceeded in obtaining, has pi-oved suilicient to " control tho elections, and as soon as the " (iovernment realized this fact, which they " weru unwilling to admit, and slow to see, " they opened negotiations with me. "It is unneecsaary to detail the variou* "phases through which it passed, but tha " result is that we yesterday signed an agree> "ment by wUivh, on irria hi munetary condi' " tioiui, they agree to form the Company, of " which I am to be Pre!sident,tosuitiny viewi«, "to give me ami my friends a majority of " the stock, and to give the Company so form- " ed the contract to builil the road, on tho "terms of the Act of I'urlianient, which an '• $30,000,000 ill rash and .'iO miUimi acres of "land with all other advantages and privi- " leges which can oo given to us under tho "Act, and they agree to do everything in " their power to encourage and assist the " Company during the whole jieriod of con- " struction. The liual contmct is to be exe- " cutcd within si.t weeks from this date-r- " probably sooner. " Oui opponents arc to get the minority "of the fctock, and they regHrd us with "great je,alou.sy and dislike in consequence "of their defeat, and on that account the " Govermnenl is obliged to stipulate that no "foreigner into appear as a hliureholder, >>• "as to avoid the former ciy of selling our- " selves to the Noithern I'acilic, ami succumb- " ing to foreign inHucnce. Tin; shares taken " by you, and our other American friends, will " therefore have to stand in my name for sodk; " time. " We shall get $0,000,000 of tho stock out " of the whole capital of *10,000,000. " 1 again ask you if the parties are willing " to take the reduced amount of stock in the "same proportions a« the amounts signed for ' ' previounly. •''JT ^ m: 23 "Ah in my e puid up " and (leponitid in thu Immls ol' tlio (lov.'rn- "ment hs HHciinty, l)ut will lie mtnrnwi, I "think, (M NDon iiH llm work in fully lM'g\iii. " Thit(>xp«MiN(>K iiicurri'cl iu briii^iu^ tlic nmlttT "to tlilM ]ioiiit liavc lii'i'U vi'ry gri'iit. I have "alrra-ly pnid iiwiiy iilumt g'JOO.OOO, and will " liavp to ]my lit li'OHt $50,000 ninio Ulon- "till! iMiil of thin month. I don't Icnow tli.it "even that will (ininh it, Imt I Iiojk' so. "Of courso thi-i will nil Imvi- to conio from " the jiulisciihcis of tlii' |il,00(),000 slo( k. If "vou elect to ao on with llin suliHiTiption, "I will vi.sit New Vork ul> mt thi' end of "thill tnoiith to nettle the details with you. "PWse reply iia eurly iis eonvenient. " 1 am, yours fuithfully, (.Sifjned) " lliMiii Al.I,A!< " Spao^h of Sir Hu^'h at a pablio meeting in Montreal Raat ou !l.h Aug., 187*2, in tho preaenon of Sir Oeorgd Cirtior, a« reported in the Yloutrtal (la-rtt- . Sir HUGH ALLAN, who w« rocalvod with l.iud chejr«, aioonipauiid by ao^ne groanH, vaid : — Geotloomn, I am very glad o' thia oppor- tunity of appvariog bdfore you thii oveuitig, M 1 wiiih to thank you very siuctiroly f<)r the coatidenco you continue to rep i«e iu roe. I am proud of ttiat oouKdeucu, and I will bo careful not to do auylhim; thut might give you cauie to withilraw it from mu. I hope you will not l)eliuve auy tliia>( you m»y hear to my prejudicsu without giving me au opportunity of eottaig mygelf right with yuu, nnd you need not (ear my being able to do 80. (L'liecrj ) / pnmmir ijim are till iiiC'irr. that J lUiier iiilerfrre or take aiui aHivc jmrl in )>olUifJi. 'J'hi' posiliim I occupy in cimiu:c- tion ftilh the. liivn of stcitnushi/in, prcixi'.ts iiic frovi, becoming a /loli/icul porlisan; and while I, in common with uvi ry man in the l)o- uiniOB, have my owix opiuiouH on euoh mat- ters, I have never communicated them to the public. This reticence ia even more ne cessary iu my poaiciou as \ promotdr ot these great syitteJii of radroadg we are about to un- aertake. 1 need not tell yoa that even under the most r.tvourable ciroumBtaaoes great diiUcnlties hiive to b3 encountered, and wo willuf>ed tho good will, and, ])?rhapB, even the active aiB'st -nee of u'l parties in the Do- minion, to bring to a favourable torminatio theae gigantic unterpriBtiB. It would there- fore be very unwiaa in nie to net in Bucli a manner aa to excise tho bo4ti''ty of any party in the country. Un thi; -kuount I do not propose to make a political speech on tho present o'-oaaion, but will rather onfiue my observauoaa to the cousiieratiou' of the preB- «nt position of the great Bchemes coutem> plated. In a confederation of Provinces such M that in which we have ttie happiness to live, we must bear in miod that every Pro- ▼inoe hai its own rights, which cannot be d!irej[trdei! by the other* I do not mewa to C'lutend that the population alonn e.onfert theie rights. On the contrary, while that element hai an ira;M)rtitnt bearing on the (piuBtion, there are othrrs such aa pol be looared, while at the same time evo.y considwration is given to all tha oth;r Pravin>ies of the Doiiiinion. 1 think no time should be hist in getting the con- tract prepared aud s'gned aa sson ati theOov- ornmeut o«a meet. / have rrcry reason to be. satisfied with irhnt Sir (}eorge hits done, and I hr.licw, the results V'ill he ap/nwed by all. (Cheers) A speaker at one of the political in'=etiugs in this city last week ventured to insinuate, t^at in my uugotiatioua with your reuresentative I waa contending for the in- terests of the lines of stearasliips with v.hioh m connected, as much as for the railroad. This statemcat is ciitiroly void of truth. I assure you, gentlemen, that the subjeot of steamships or mail contracts never was al- luded to in any of our diBcussions directly or indireatly, and 1 appeal to Sir George ('artier himself ti cotdirin thp statement I now make, tbat 1 have made no attompt in any way to onue it the Sceamship Company or its veiieela with the aubjeuta disuuBsed. The railroad, an4 thati alone, has been undor consideration. 1 trutit these explanations wiU be satisfactory to yo «; a-id now, having arrived at thi) I oint, 1 vaui'- ask of yon to I- H «aenM!igM^piMp?M<«m 24 i oontinue yoar full cinfiflpnco in your fa'th- ful and loiu tried rerre'iecitit.ive. Sir Qeorne Eticnne ^ 'nrtit-r. 1 hop- jou will ule :t him by airulamation, and pruve It hmi that yo i will he iHitniiil f' Uiiii as hint; as he is f«ith- ful to >Kd §343,- " 000 in go'd which 1 want to get re-paid. I " liave still to pay $13 600 which will (dohe " everything otl'. 1 will go toI^ewYork as " soon as tiie contract is signed, say about the " 7th October, and would be glad to meet you " there at that time. " High Allan. " "G. W. McMuLLEN, 553 Washington Street, Chicago, Ill'.s. " The hon. gentleman then quoted from tlie evidence bearing uj on these letters, and the interviews between Sir Hugh Allan and Mr. Abbott .Tiid Sir George Cartier. lie then pro- ceeded — He had now read all the direct evi- dence and cross examination bearing upon these letters. He wished to call the attention of honourable members of this House and the members of the Goverunient who took the trouble to be present wlieu the discussion of this most irnjioitant question was going on, and jiartii^ularly the attention of the honour- able Aliiiister of Customs to page one hundred and fifty of the blue book, containing the cross-examination of Sir llugli, in which he explicitly states that the " monetary condi- tions letter" of Sir George, of the 30th July, aud the telegrams of the :iGth and 31st of July make the iigreement to which he refers in his letters of the titli and 7th of August. Ily an examination of the evidence of the Minister of Justice they would rind that he started out by Buying that from the very first, from the incorporation of tiie Ontaiio and (juelec Com- jianics as he called them, he saw that it would never do to niiike a loniract with either one or other id' them. It was stated by Ministers in the Mouse that it was inteniled that tliere fihould be competition ; but the Minister of Justice told them that he nevcriutonded to give the contract to either company. JU-lore the .".greemeut was made, which ihey weie then di.seii8fing. Sir (Jeorge made tlie stiine communieatioii to Sir iiugh Allan, as Sir Hugh states in liis letter of the Kith of July. S"!r Hugh under that date writes: — "Sir " George Cartier has been in town for soin« " days, and 1 have had several intorvicwa " with him. He now I' lis me that he does not "now. nor neverdid intend to deal witlieiiher " the Maepherson Company or onr.s, and that " he only allowed tliem to get inciiijiorated " as a matter of aniiisiiiienl, etc., etc. " Sir Joliu Miiediinald i^iiid that before he went to Toronto he d.d not intend to give the contract to either one comp.my or the other, iiecause it would create jealou.si.s, and would be dis- astrous to the (iovernnieiit. Sir George euter- t.iined the .same opinion; theMiidster of Jus- tice, aslie(Mf. \V()iv,l).saw, went to Toronto on tlie iiOth of July, and on the 2lith sen I the tel- cgiain in (lucslion from I\ingsto;i. Inteiviews weiehad hetween Sii (ieorge and Sir Hugh from the Kith down lo the 30th of July, when the two celebrated letters were written by Sir C;;:!"'".*. N«>'i» +t»" t\u\v ilHrfM-eirce bftwreii the railway letter of Sir George, and the telegram of Sir John wir I nigh said that he wrote down a tissue of falseliooda to gentlemen in the United .States— gentlemen as he said of position and honour— lor the purpose of de- ceiving them, and that he now <'ame into the augunt jiieseiiee of the Itoyal ('ommissioners, ami saiil that he had told lief- iu these things,, what a picture would he [iresent to the world I And if he were capable of dc'ng these things, would it not have been the 'luty of Ministere to have probed these matters to the very bot- tom, to let the world know that this gi'eat Sir Hngli, with Ilia high reputatioii, this prince- merehant, this owner of 8teauishij)s — had really been lor one or two years deliberately writing lies for the purpose el deceiving men who were ■ desirous of undertaking a great ■■■ 25 work in the Dominipn of Canadi. Tliey must all rucollect th*t Sir Hugh swore before ths Royal Conimiadioiiers that theao New York gentlomuii woi'o lionnaiabld men ; while th« satellited, the haiigora-oii, the placc-niou of a garty, had (lyn'niy.ceil ami viliiiod them. Who, e would ask, WiW right ? llu would not aiy this of the Govcrarneiit, boc.iuse musjh as lio suspjoted lliB Goveniiner.t, plainly as it ap- peared iu the face of higli hu.iveii tliat they tiad been guilty of corruption, even in spite of *H that, ho could scarcely think that the Gov- ernment approved of tli.; attacks tliat ha I Iwan made upon these Atncrlcan gentlemen. Then Sir Hugh was e.xananud and cross- examined as to all these lelter.s. He (Mr. iVood) had given them the substance of all the direct evidence anil the cross-examination, and he declared to that House and the world, thera ■wii iinh nun solif irv statement inanv of theji3 letters, or iu all the evideuce, wliich contro- verted the irresistible inferential fa.'t tiiat lor and iu consideration of a large aum of mout'y Sir llujh gjt the i'reiidency and the contract, or ihe promise of the Proiidency and the con- tract, whioh was in the month of J anuary last fully consummated. Tiiat wa.^ what ho gjt, and that was what he bargiined for. It uoLit liim a large sum of money. Nearly two hun- dred Ihoua.ind dollars given to tin Govern- ment, and nearly two hundred thousand dol- lars e;:pended in corruption in other direc- tions. Now, can it be possible all these pty- ments wcic m.tdo on account of the Pacihc ilailway ; on account of the getting of tho contract? He had better refer again to .the cividence. Sir Hu^jh .swears — mind, evi- dence on oath! — "1 am bound to .say " that these American gentlemen behaved " iu a most honourable and eonsistout mau- ■" utr. 1 arranged that the Americaus " wore to advauju money for the ueoess^try " 'prolimitiiry expenses,' and they paid '^ ill forty tUouaaad dollars, Ameneaa our- " reuuy, for this purpoie, a lirKo porciou of *' whioh was expended to their perfect ^asia- *" tMiiiOB, but owing to the change I thought "it butier to return them the money." When did Sir Hugh return the money ? Not till he was uompellod to do i'. a day or twj before he gave nis e-idonee before the Com- xnitsion. It wan charged that Sir dug'i made au arrangement by which he was to get money from the Americans, aud that thia wai used for the purpose uf assistimt She elriotiuu of Vlintiters aud choic friends. Ue dt.l got forli/ thousand dollars. VVaa uny AruO'io^u gold then used iu the >leotionn7 Whrtt would his honourable friends from I'rince tttlw^rd Iiliad say, if forty- thousand dollar* u( Ameriuan gold were lutrodueeil by ' aom-j 8ir Hugh, at the instance uf their Gov- ernment, aud spent in their l:'rovinoe (or the purposii ot pervertiuit the peo^jle, aa^d, he uronght those two leaders down to detiuite terms; and thii telegram of the 2l)t;h of July was the babis He ttealtonly with tae two ch ets, in whi>8e hands the other members of His Kxotlieucy's Cabinet were merely aaclay lu the hands of the pot- ter. 'I'he aitiou uf the utiier gentlemen shewed ihat Chey tonk no oirect interest m this matter,aud that they were perfect!) satis- Urd with anything that was >ione, so that th.0 elections wevn uarriud m tavoiir of tho Gov- erumeut Sir Hugh paid thu money, and the que.ntion was whether he would have done 80 it this pr.imise ha I nut been mado to htm. The evideuue did not enable him to say that Miuiir hands for the very purpose for which they used it. They muHt b^ar iu mind this tact that at each recurring session for years, hon. mcia- beta of the opposition had urged the pass- ing of a taw which would have etlbctually pre- Touted the use of money at elections ; aud that 'm^ mmsi mmm IMWI 2G [>i Eli ftji \ii rr li thiH same men sure was vehemently urgel at the Ression next bof..>re the eiectiona ; ho woald, therefore, ask tho right hon. gentle- man at tho head (.f the Goviinrnpat, how it was, knowing that a gonor^l ekcti ii was at han<'; knowing, as ho must havo known, that undue inHueuoes were brought to bear at elections ; how it was tbat ho dared, in ttie face ef these facfs, to rise in h's place as he did, in the session precedini^ the elections, and say that ho ha"! very grave doubts about tho advisability of u proper eleotion law — to Bay that in Ireland Judp Keough had made ■ome extra judicial obeeivations on an elec- tica trial, which excited the mob ; be asked him how he darod to do this, except that he well knew hw could only retain power by wholesale corruption. Was he (Mr, Wood) making a violent asBumption, when 1,- J II i.l.« II 1 *..-„ Al. - *. I- - 1. . Jieved that the whole of the Paciric Railway legislation of the pi-tvious session was part of a deliberate feoheine, for the accomplibhment of that which has bean done. The House and country hod a right to consider it a deliberate scheme, until the contrary was shown; an I when ho (S-r Joon) got this power into his hands, he oi.ly waited for tho opportunity of the elecHona to make uf.e cf it, and thereby obtained the mesns by which he might corrupt whole noLStitutrncies ; »nd it was most effectively accomplished ; there was r.o question about tint. Well, it was said in justilicat-on, "We admit that this " money was paid ; wo admit that it would "not have been paid bad it not been for tho "arrangement with Sir Hugh; but, never- "thelefs. wo yielded nothiug in return for "it ; vc show th»t we did notgive Sir Hugh "his own way in regard to the directors; "wo show that wo were as careful as wo " could bo iibout the terms ; that we did hI! " that we could to induce leading mea in ail " sectioDs, and in all situations of life in the " country, to take an interest in this en- "terprise; and that we yieldtd nothing in "granting to Si]' Hugh the contract." Ad- mitting all that i-.i asked, the argument would go for nothing. "Whether Sir Hugh lost or made anything, did not niter the na- ture of the transaction ; if Sir Hugh lost, it rather deepened the gnilt of Ministers, thoy were doubly diwhonest. It is ^aid there is a species of hononr among thieves. Ministers, according to their own showing, cannot claim to possess even that virtue. Sir Huch got something for his money or did not. If e received anything, the country lo*t it. ]f he received nothing. Ministers are still his debtors to the amount of $162,000, which they can only re-pay by robbing the country to tbat amount. What a position for any Government tc occupy I But, hon. gentle- men, say " you are entirely mistsken. This "was a subscription > Look at the evidence "of Judge Ooursoll, and Mr. Beandry, " and the other Mi ntreal gentlemen, they all " ipok.o of Sir Hugh's snbsoription I " It was a queer subfoiiption. It wis something lik© the Dutchman's subscription. He was asked to subscnbo towards a church. JRo did snb- sctibe, and put the subscription list in his own pocket and ketjt it. Sir HiKjli's sub- scriptions were the reoeip's which he kept in his pooket, under tho terms of t>io luttir of the liOth of July. Could any one be deceived by suoh transparent nonsense? But, Mr. Speaker, he (Mr. Wood) would not pursue the subject; fuither. It the evidence did not prove tho guilt of Ministers, no evidence could Jo it. If the House di»l not "a true verdict give, accoidinj? to the evidenco," Gml pity tho land. He (Mr. Wood) wonld now detain the House briefly on tho facts and circumstances attending the prorogation on the 13th Augu^it last. On th« Lst of April, the charge wa.s made- by Mr. Huntington, and it w«s voted down. ()a the 8t".j of April, a Committee was ap- pointed at thfi instiinco ot the Government, and it was suggetite J that tbo evidenco should !)•: tiiken on oath ; and accordingly the Oaths Bill was iiitroduco.i. Tho Bill passed this House rapidly but lingered in the Senate ; but was asson' . to on the 3id of Slay. The Committeo were ready to go on taking evi- dence ; but it was ot'jecled by tho (lovcrn- nient that ."^ir Hugh Allan, Sir George Garllcr and Jlr. Abbott were absent in Enuland, without whose presence uoihing should bo done. But immediati ly on ihu charge being mado, tho?e gpntlemcn should have been no- tified, and they should havo ci luo back as quickly as pos'iblo. Tut at the Instance of the (iovtrniiient nn '.idjournnient took plaeo to the 2'2nd of July, and tho IluiLse, as was stated by the First WiuiHter, would adjourn over till ihe Kith of August. -He would not stop there to make uiiy obgervatloiis about the prorogation, only lo remark, that it was contended that, prior to bi.^ making ihatstatc- ra'>nt to tho House, the I'rime Minister had consulted the Crown on {\te subject, and had obtained the sanction of the Crown to proro- gation on tbc i;Uh of Aiigual. No fuch sn- nouncement was made to the House when he was there ; but he heard what wuk said, and he must conf'oifs, in the face of much abler rarliamentarians than himself, tbat it did strike him as strange that prorogation should be unalterably fixed upon to take plaeo on the l.Hth of August, without any conditions. S\ippoi=c the evideiic: had disclosed, as the Commission did disclose, the guilt ot the Gov- ernment, would this Houte lie doing its duty to the country to let the House be prorogued to meet perhaps a year from that day ? It was absurd, and therefore such a decision could not be irrived at by the Cro-vn sn ad- vance, for the Crown could not forecast wdat the result of the investigation would be. The House saw the Oaths Act which it had passed disallowed on the 31sl of July. Who urged the disallowance of that Act ? Did anybody ? Did it take its naiural course? If it did, why was not the Senate Act disaU . *-, k:' rr w^ BjiafPlny.;, . m^i^. .jjiinptpiu 27 rr loweii ? Why were not otlior Acts disal- lowed ? It Wd8 possible, and pwrbaps the Hou3e waH boiiiul to anBumo, tlmt i;o pxtra- ordinary expedition was used iu Rotting tbe Act dicallowed. But tlit* only way to tost ttiat Act was to test it iti our Oom'la. He lioped the Miuialer of ilintice bad no' ome to that pass that ho was wi'liHK 'l:at the con- etitationtil law of this country pIiouM be at the becli of the 1 iw offlcers of flu' Grown iu Kngland. He had beard him t-ay that this rarliument bad absolute control orer iu laws. No purson had- been more emphatic thin the Mini.itT of Justice in dec'aring that in matters afTec ting the Dominion of Canala alone,and involving no Iniperialpolicy or inter- est, Ibe Parliament of Canada was ab(ri. iiii'juii 1 iw iiii'i'Loiiig Canada alone, decid'-d by la* oflieers of the (!rown in England? He bad more conti- denoe in the opiuion of the Miui-^ter of Jus- tice as a lawyer, were he in a position to judge independently in a matter ft that na'uve af- fecting Oatiada alone, than in the opinion of the iSo'.icitor or Attorney CJenoral of Eng- land, and more con^idenue in the opinior of the member for Card well in a question of constitutional law atftictin,; merely the do- mestic eoonomy of the House of Commons of Canada, than iu the opiuioa of both the Solicitor and A'.torney-General of England. We all know, said Mr. \V'ood, what was the well-coafidered, careful and deliberate opi- nion of the member fo'i* Card welt on this snb|ecl. It wts enough to say it wa^, and he (Vlr. Wood) believed it still was, directly at variance wi!ih that of the law oncers of the Crown in England. But he (Mr. Wood) Eup- posed that tliCiic gentlemen. largely iullueuced by the opinion of the First Minister, that it was tinconstitutional, and being refened by him only to the 18td clau.-io of the British North .American Act, reading — ""''The piivileges, immunities and powera "to be he'd, enjoyed and exerc'sed by the '•8enttte, and by the House of Commons, " and by the members thereof, respectively, "shall be 8aric.'.. '.Vender? '"'H nover cease. If the First Minister succeeds he will have I eriorraed liio greatest achievement ot the age. Well, Mr. Speaker, Parliament was pro- rogued. The I'arliHmcntai'y Committee had been munlHred. All diificulties wore now re- moved to the setting up (he favourite tribunal of the Governnieiit to try themselves -a court composed of Ro^ul Cominissioneis. Were lliey? lie (Mr. Wood) asserted that a Royal Commission might jus! as le;,'a'.ly and consti- tutionally have been is.-sued at one time us unotlier, wlii'e Purlininent was sitting or in vacation ; wiiile the coinnjifti.'e was living and ia lull vigour, as after it had ex. pircd. He (Mr. Woml) thought there was Burne ini-apprehen ion, s >ine confusion about this mittor in tho mind of the Crown and its ro8p(m»ible ad vistrs. The authority to insue Koyal Coinaiisf-iona on any and all subjects, rests in prerogative, not ou ft.'itu«e, it on authority, or power cJelegated to the Crown by Act of Pajliament. It is a right inherent iu the Crowu— a pure, simple, prerogative right. The oiily limita- t'on ttirown around the exercise of this pre- rogative, i» that of usage and custom within which it has been exercised, and which were said to form its confititutional limits, the transcending of which while it might be teghni'ally lei^al would yet be unconstitn- tional Jt has been supposed, and His Excellency g6 issue Commissions. Mr. W09C— It does no such thing. Lei him for onn moment refer to that utatute. Listen to the firht section. " VV henevcr the Governor in Council deems " it expedient to cause inquiry to be made " into auo concerning any matter connected " with the good Uovcrnoient of Canada, or mm ■MM ■iWl k iiestiou to loRition in ho Crown, least,, the Palmer) m Ihia Bub- lixcelleDcy qucslionar- ipiitch to illi the let- ■e becorao cftD any riretit any togution on MACDON- )0S8«s8 our- ovor cease. will have ment of the it was pro- ninittee had vcre now ro- irite tribunal res— a court nois. Were that a Royal f and consti- one time us sitlin;^ or in was living it bad ox. it tlicro was ifuslon about "rowu ani its ComaiUf>ioni 1 prerogative, ty, or power g if Failianrient. own— a i>ure, 3 oiily limitft' is of this pre- ustooa within d which vere A limits, the it mi^ht be B unconstitu- icd, and His ght that oar pijwer to the ions. That is t, nor dues it lind. CDONALD— utory right to. :h thing. Lei that statute. C(>unctl deema iry to be niade tter connected of Canad», or 29 " the conduct of any part of the public busi- "ness thproof, and suoh Inquiry i« not re^u- "latt'd by any special law; the Governor " win?/, hi; the Commission in the case, confir " upon the Comniisifiumrs or persous by whoia " muh inquiry is to he made, the poirvr of "fSitminoninrf hc/orc them witucises, and of re.- *' quiring Iheni to giee evidence on oath, d-c." Tue prerogative riglit to i«suo CommiBi-ionB is rei.oKniz'id by the statut.- as existing. It ueithi-r adds to nor t^tkes away that light. It leaves it precisily where it found it. Kut wherever a Koy.il (yommisbion, at the passing of the Act 7ai(jht ismc, and whenever, in virtue of that prerogative right, a'ter the parsing of the Act, a Jloyal Commission did iatue, the statute enabled the Crown to con- fer upon the Comniiasiuners the power to snmmoa witnesses, &c. in short, the Act einiply enables the •;rown to clothe its Cmn- missions, which it mightissi-eby virtuoof its perogative wit h compulsory powers, but in no way widened or narrowed the mhject, mat. tera upon which Comminsions mij^ht issue. Thesp were left precisely a3 they were before the Act WAS pashed. The declatatioa in the statute—" When- " over the (Governor in C nmcil deems it ex- "pedient to onuse iuqa'ry to be made into " and ccmceruiui; any matter connected with "tho good Government of Canada, or the " cmduct of any part of tiio publiu buMuei'S " thi>reof, 'giv'c.i no nnw power to the Crown to issue Commissions. On al) those sul)jflots, whatever ibey were, the Crown, by viitue of prer.igative, ulwaja had ttio ])0\ver of issuing Commi.moi.s. And the rcsl question resolves itself into thi'', doeH the couduct of Ministers of the C own, liaving seats in thy Ueu>e of CoiniTN^ns, in nspeot of their a(?mini»trati(in of the (ioverntiiHiit, according to tound po- licy, anrt -^4 to whether they individually or collectively have bein guil'y of corrnpt prac- ti(!eH, either iu the administration of public afliiirs, or iu their own elections or that of their supporters, come within the class of cases comprehended iu the declara- tion in the A et just read ? Or does the in- quiry into the conduct of Ministers of the Cro-wfl, in respect of the matters he had in- dicated, belong exclusively to the House of Commons ; forming, iu faut, one of its chief "immunities, powers, and privileges." It may be taben for grant-d, as admitting of no dispute, that it peculiarly belongs to tb* Uoase of Commous, as the trand inquest of th? nation constitutionally c >mpfcteut to inquire into all grievances, even upon "com- mon fame," and to examine into the conduut of aU public functional ies, and especially those who combine fiolitical with adminis- trative duties, to take the initiative in all Buuh invos'igatior.a ; and, by itself, < r by the course it shah point out, or the means it shall employ or direct, to prosecute the same to fiual ju(?gment. Therefore, there can be no doubt tbe House of Couimons had jurisdio* tion over the charges made by Mr. Honting. ton against Ministers. Had the Crown, through a iioynl Commii'sion, concurrent jurisdiction ? Tliis can only be deter- mined by the practice of Parliament and the C'owu t'iriiugh ai;;cB. i'ruOrtdent is the land mark of constitut'onal law ; and he (Mr. Wood) would defy tlie Minuster of Justice to cit« a solitary precedent in jastili- Oivtion of tbe issue of the Royal Conmiissi' n. It must be borne in mind that the Crown c-mnnt clothe its Commissioners by virtue of its prerogative with power to examine wit- nesaes on oath. In that resps'it, without tho statutory aid, the ('rown is powerless. Its Commissioners were, iu regard to ad minis- isteriiig an oath, as helpless as tho Parliamen- tary Committee. Often has the Crown pro- posed to interfere in matters peculiarly af- toi.finc| t.hfl tirivilegos of the House of Com- mons and its memners, or in matters pecu. liarly within its province, as affecting the members of tbe Administration or of tho Houce, but in every instance without one sin- gle cxciplion BUch proposed interference has been stern' and tiimly rejected, and he (Mr, Wool) again repeated that in no case has the Crown ei'er intervened in any of those mat- ters to the investigiition of which the House hal pledkjed itself l)y Koyal Commission, or otherwise, except at the special instance and Bolioitiition of tlie Commons. Tbe first case he /:ig long in suspi nse; there- fore would not have anything to hinder it. " 'But for the furtheraoce therrof, His Maj'.'sty wUl, if it be thouf^ht fit, grant a Commission, under the Great Seal of Kng. land, to exaiuineall upon oaththatcan fpeak of this business; the Comnifsionurs to be six of the Upper House, and twelve to be chosen in the Commons. " ' That His Majesty was sorry tho Chan, cellor should be so i^uestioned; he hopeth he mam mmt mmmt 30 'will be cleared; bat if not, ho a»ured the Uoase, he will punish it.' " Thereapyn a debate followed, and some Uieni'^ers having approved uf the Commis* sion, "Sir Edward CoH spoke, and cautioned the House to take heed this Commi3>ion ilid uot hinder the manner of their Hhrliamentary prooeedin)j!8 agaiant a groat delinquent.' "Sir Edward Siicufillfi reoooimtnded that, 'after seudinjj thuuks to the King for the message, that Mr. Secretary let the King know we dtsiro the same message to the Lords, and to have them uonseu', baftiro we give any answer to the point of the €om- inission. ' *' The meBsa^a was aojordingly aent as sug- "Afterwards Mr. Secr<out the Ooiimission, a^d receive thoir answer; that so they and this House may iiroceed with an unanimous assent, as hittierto they have done.'" In 18-12, Lord John Riis^oll introdiicod a Bill for the bettor discovciy and prevention of bribery at elections. It providt-ri for the ftppoiiitnient of a tribunal to condfrt of lut^m- ber^totboth Houses to be rjppaintcd by the Crown. I'utr this provision was struck (Uit of iho Hill in the (Jomraons, (ho House re- futing to dt'l"gate to theCrowii bo important a duty 113 nnming tbe pnrson.s (o com|)03e the tribunal. Hlihough it limited the Grown to incmberH of Parliament, & and (i V. c. lOJ. In 184;?, a Bill was introiliiced to iiutho'ize the issue of a C mmi.-iaion, and to delegate to the Crown the selection of Commissioiifra to mike enquiry into olectioQ frauds, bribery, and corruption in Suflbury. Whereupon the Right Ilou. G. W. Wynn (who Was one of the most eminent constitutional authorities that ever a »t in Parli tmeut) obi-erved — " that " he might bo thought to have too great a "constitutional jealousy of the Trown, but " be did not like in a case, where a gross breach "of the privileqes of that Iiouse, and of Par- " liamcnt was involved in the inquiri/ that the "Crown should select the Commissioners." The House refused to pass the Bill as it was ; but on motion of Sir James Graham the ob- noiious clause was struck out, and the Iiouse itself nani«'d the Gommissioners, and inserted their names in the \ct — 6 and 7 V. c. 97. In 1852, Lord John Russell introduced a general Bill for inquiry into corrnpr. praoticas at elections. It passed the Commons. It provid»'d that in any case when the Com- mons passed an address for the purpose, the Grown should appoint Commissioners, 'i'his provision was oppoiied 11 the Houso of Lords. Lord Derby H*ld — " FarliamHnt will *' not confer these powers in blind corldenoe, '• without knowing the itgents to whom the '• execution of them is to be entrusted, and '• we have always hithrovii>ioiis of t/ic Act of " 1802," to which he liad just referred. lie would name one more precedent having a strong bearing on the question under con- sideration. In 1871, Ministers suliinitted to the House of Commons a Bill lor the regulation oi' the army, the proiniuont feature in it being the abolition of the sale of army comniissionH. It P'.i.ssed the Commons. It wr.s sent up to the House of Lordt!. On its second reading the abolition clausi^ was struck out. The regu- lation and in fact tlio creation of the right of the sale of eouiini.s.sions rested on Royal pre- rogative, and not on Statute. All now admit that, lis a constitutional jjropositioD. While the 15111 was hung up, as he had stated, in the House of Lords, the Ministry obtained from the Queen a Royal warrant, clleoting pre- ci-iely what the Queen hud asked and invited the Paiiiainent to do in the Royal wpeech. It was held by all the great lights of the Con- Blitution, in both Houses, that thi.s wivs an un- constitutional act, because the question hav- ing been Hubmitted to Parliament by the Queen in the Royal speech, and Parliament having entered upon the consideration of the question while it was pending before Parlia- ment, the Crown by Royal prerogative had taken it out of the Linds of Parliami-iit and assumed to dispose ofitby Rojal prerogative. So in the present case the House of Com- mons had talfen the initiative in the prose- cution of an enquiry into the charges made against Ministers at the instance of Ministers themselves. It was acting energetically. It had appointed its Coramiitee of Enquiry. It was impatient af delay, and the Crown* inter- venes while the case is pending in the Commons, and as.sumes. the right to eflTeot that by the i^sue of a Royal Commission, the accomplishment of which Ministers had com- mitted to the Houso of Commons. The words " lawful " and "constitutional " in this connection must not be confounded. An act may be legal and yet not conslUutionai. In th3 caae ot tlie issue of tbe Royal warrant wummmm uppppppippp 31 Ihom the led, and I that the in the ted that liaert the lieir ad- , , ''"y "-^ M Chau- Jsbior.ei's |o Crown the Bill 16 V.f. J25, giv- (loverted lowerer, JTiiIly re- ipt prac- fisuea til Aciof •1. abolishing the sale of army commisaions, tlio act was no dotibt Ipgal and operalivo, but there is no quo^liun it wu» uuconHtitiilionul. It would bo legal for iho (iiu-en to withhold her consent to a Bill passed by both IIouhcs of Parliament; but it would imqiii-stionably be unconstituiional. It would b(( legal for llio Governov-(Joiiei'al to withhold the money voted for tho defence ol the country, but who would say that that would not bo an unconsti- tutional act? It would be Icgiil for the Crown to issue a Comtni.ssion to en(iuire into the fiiilt or innocence of any person charged with tlio commission of a criino while the case was pending for trial in a Court of law, but to do so would be unconstitutional. And so in tho present case, it was legal for the Governor- General to JKsiie a Royal Commission of En- quiry, whether the Parliamentary Committee wero living or dead, whether it was proceed- ing with the inquiry or nni;but as he (Mr. Wood) had shown, in wiiatever aspect it was viewed, in whatever way it was tested, whether by the light of reason, or by tho principles which have invariably gorerned this exercise of the Royal prerogative, or by» the precedents deducible from and established by long years of practice and usage, or by the doctrines anil maxims of the great "apostles and i)ropbets of the British Con- stitution," the act Wiis most unquestionably anconstitutional. Well, Sir, hononriildo gentlemen on the treasury bcncbos obtained this Commission at tlie expense of a strained, a wrenched, a violated oonstituliou; and nuich ^'ood it has done them. They have got more. They have a supporter in tho person of the hon. naMnber for I'ictou, who, irt face of the disclosuies of that Commis- sion in "evi/lcnce taken vnde.r oath'' — just the wy, you know, Mr. Speaker, they wanted it taken— is bold enough to propose in his amendment to the motion of the hon. member for Lambton, firit, to admit tho whole case aga'HSt Ministers ; secone well for tliar, aged political sinner i^he would, even at ihU late day, sofVn and prepare hi? heart for the re- ception of the Gos[ifl. That honourable gen- tleman seemed to think all men were to be bought and sold. His r-odo of mor.ils was that of the genilemen Avho flourinhed in tho reign of Charles the II. The member for Vancouver was out of temper becauce he had not succeeded in raising in Iho Canadian Pa- cific Railway a twin monument to that bo had reared for hiuiself in connection with the Grand Trunk. Before taking hi.s scat he (Mr. Wood) would refer to a calumDy of tho Mini.Uer of Customs (Dr. Topper). That gentleman in endeavouring to prejudice the gentlemen from the Island Province, had stated that the Opposition had opposed the introduction of that Province. The Minister of Customs must have noticed that he (Mr. Wood) at the timegaveitaflatcontradiction. Ile(Mr.Wood) would take this occasion publicly to repeat that denial. The charge was wholly false. So far from opposing the union of that Province, its introduction was warmly seconded by tho Opposition on every occasion when it was brought up in that House. In 18fi9, tho leader of the Opposition either moved or sec- onded resolutions coLferring on tho Govern- ■ -^TT^ ^'rp, ,,^ ^^^mri ^ ^-t^i^^^^ yr^^^ P2 ment anthoriljr to treat for the Molon, Md no on» hailed with groaters'itl'ftiotion ltd flnal admission thaailm ieailt^r of lh« (1pj»iisitiou, «ad all tlione aotlDi? with bira. Th« Oppoai. •tion had ffone farther than the G'lvornment in eflForta to induce Nowfonudland to come Into tho [Juioi). It proposeil to Ittave them their Crown lands. Tho Government refiiaed io do thU ; and, aa a consequence, tho tt^rmg of nnion wero rfjtictfd by people of Newlbnndland on this ground alone. But it was notliing unusual for the Minister of Customs to indulge in these misrepresenta- tions, fn his statement of facte, h« vas perfectly reoklesa. He was always charging the opposit^ion with sectionalism, while he himselt' was the greatest sectionalist in that UouBtt. In sectionalism, "hn lived, and moved, and hsd his being." By it he had elevated himself and attained t > a height from ■- — «•■ ..,r«k*va tt^Kf^ lAk^ itSkU AAI^W night. Sir JOHJI A. McPONAND— He wiU rise again. Mr. WOOD— Nob until the trumpet shall Bonnd at tije great day of judgmtut, and then only to the resurrection of darkness f Bat, Ut. i eaksr, ho (Mr, Wpod) J»tf«» alo«e. In hi* desire to dear up ma'ters, htf had formulated a few fticis, and ui»ta a fl>4r ootnments in regard to the motion now in Mr. Hptiaker's hands. To thoxe who took »n interest in Ibis matter, he n«ed not sag* gest tli!«t the oye< of the world we'e upon thut Home. Thu wai the hp- able of t«king its po»itiou am'>ug the friee nttions of the world This was the time fo* this Himse to show whether or not it was prepared to «tonp out anythini; like tsorrap- tion in high places in the Government of the land. He admitted that the i-t-mudy was attended with certain painful rMHeiiiJ'Xis. la every ease of dupirture frO'U the highway of piihlio morality, such were the coosMquea ea. Mttt should they I'luk at "onkwiuenous like these T No I Rather *■ JLet jastfon ho dou«^ t«uOUgh thoiitinvvun B'luuul iiftii f * »uu Mt^^dA U€>Me^t^t4i^ J^L.