^a^ %. ■:\ e> t'lr \. ^ ^^ V* v^^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) A // ^ A f/. 1.0 I.I *riM ilM !.8 1.25 1.4 1.6 -^ 6" — ► signifie "A SUIVRE ', le symbols V signifie "FIN". Maps, nla^.s, i.harts, eic, may be filmed at differeni i Juct TABLE OF CONTENTS ij- Jivnorali/e Eilirunl Hhikf at Mnulrcul — 0'"a>''*I'VTIO\) HiiiLjuot to Mr. JJIiike, J'.Hh Miiicli, IHSI 141 T/ir Ontario liuiiuilarij qinsthni — ilou^ie of Coiniuons, 4ih April, 1882 147 A ijmnfioii of autoitomi/— (The Lioenirt Act, 18S:{) IStli Miucli, 1884 159 I'arlidnnnl Life— ( Tkaxslation) Lecture at Montiettl, I'.ttli May, I8H4 171 Au'itlier question of Provincial Autonomy — (Thu Franchise bill) 17tli April, 188J 193 The wrontl llebellion in tlie Nurth- IKe.*< — House of Commons, 7 til -luly, 1^85 211 The Execntimi of Jlicl — House of Commons, IGth March, ISSti 251 Mr. Ldiirier at Toronto — Horticultural Pavilion, 1 0th December, 1 880 303 Home Rule for Ireland — House of Commons, 21st April, 1887 341 Mr. Laurier as leader of the Canadian Liberal Party — (Tiiansl.) Speech ut Somerset, 2ml August, 1887 353 Unlimited Commercial Reciprocity— House of Commons, r)th April, 1881 389 JJeath nf Jlonorahfe Thomas White — House of Commons, 23r(l April, 1888 439 Mr. Laurier before the people of Ontario — Speech at Oakville, 13th August, 1888 441 Thv Fisheries* Emliroijlio — Speed J at St. Thomas, (i)nt.) 27th August, 1888 463 The Fishery dispute — Jlouse.of Commons, 26th February, 1889 469 The Jesuits' Estates^ House of Commons, 2Sth March, 1889 493 f I , *i I TAnr.E OF CONTENTS /// '2ilh June, 1S«'J_(TraN.si,ation) National fiuiiqiiet at Quehec ^ori A\Mexmije <>/ I'cace-m. Speoch nt Toronto, 3()tli September, I.HS',) ryy^ The Dual Lnnijumjc qiiestii>n^ House of Commons, 17th February, 1^0(» ru\ Triumph of I'rocinnifif /^'//A/.i,— (Tim.vslatiox) Banijuet at Montreal, 2nil July IMIKJ ,i„9 Consulting index (qr) h I M 11/ 1H71-1SOO WILFRID LAURIER ON THE PLATFORM INTRODUCTION THE 3N.d:A.3sr WILFRID LAURIER Tall, thin and straight as an arrow, with the pale, sickly face of the student, hair chestnut, thick and inclined to curl : countenance mild, serious and ren- dered sympathetic liy an air of nielanclmly ; manners plain, delicate, reserved and res]tect-commanding; voice sweet and scmorous. Charact r lofty, peaceful. frank and independent ; a choice nature inclined to the lieautiful and the good, loving justice and truth. Mind u]tright. hroad and luminous ; judgment sound, calm and deej) ; inuigination sulllcicnt ; me- niorv excfllent. IV INTHnDUCTION The most remjvrkable I'iirliiimentiiry orator oftlio (lay possessed by Lower Canada. Others may liave iixjre brilliant eb)quenee, more captivating ima,cery ; he has neither the voice, the gesture, nor the fire of the tribune; his temperament like his nature does not lend itself to those impetuous movements, those energetic inspiratioii'^.fiir which certain men arc noted. Jfe is not gifted with the energy of Frechette, the fire of Chapleau or the nervous and flowery language of Chauveau, I)ut more than our distinguished orators has he the tone, the method, the loftiness of ideas, the ci»rrev.t reasoning, tlic purity of diction and the elegance of language which constitute the Parliamen- tary orator. Eloquence has often been compared to the torrent which hurls itself with thunder or to the rij)|>ling of tlie Itrook which tlowe* through Howery meadows. Mr. Laurier'a elole and draws therefrom a series of reasonings which are connected together like the links of a chain, of close arguments, whose dryness he tempers Avith noble thoughts and ca[>tivating reflexions. • INTRODrt'TIoN Always master dt' liis thoujilitn. lio novor says inuro thtan he wanti to any and lie i-ays it without ♦■irort nt' mind, voice c)r gesture and witiiout hesitation. His hvnguajje is so simple ami so natural, his delivery so easy and his thoujihtss so true as to give theimpres.sion that any one could do as muih. Tliis is i)rccisely the chiel' merit of the jjreat orators, of Mr. Tliier.s, tor instance, to seem to say just what every one helieves that he has already said or thought. This ])er feet ion is not attained witiiout study ; to Le aide to treat dillicult t|Uestions so as to make them intelligihle to every one. calls tor a lucidity, a pene- tration of mind, which few men possess, and great reasoning jtower. Mr. Laurier enjoys the ailvantage of l)eing a born orator, hut he lias the merit of having cultivated this sitlendid natural gift, of having respected it, and of having understoi-d that the oratoi must l»e an honest and a good man. Listen to him and it is at once seen that his language is the echo of conviction, of correctness (»f mind, and of ii noble heart. And the im{)ressiou which he creates upon his auditory constitutes the greatest and best part of his force and liis merit. .Mr. Laurier was born on tiie twentieth Novembei', 1S41, at St-Tiin a (juiet, modest parish, which little thought, especially then, of producing orators and statesmen. He is the son of Mr. Carolus Laurier, land surveyor. He entered the Assomi)tion cidlege in 1854 and gave early evidence of his literary and oratorical abilities. He was the i)opuhir speaker of the college and the fraiiicr of its addresses. Laurier was a good seholai, fcrious and kindly, VI 1!«tuoiu(;ti<»n esteomed by his teachers and his comrades and noted already for the j)oHtaMioss and delicacy which are his. characteristics at present, lie was as a general thing ohedieiit to tlic rules, but he incurred punishment several times for jioin^ without leave to hear the lawyers plead in the villajre court house or to listen to the popular orators. Mis vocation was asserting itself in spite of rules and rcjruhitions. Having linished his studies, he \\g t to .Montreal to study law witii Mr llodolphc Lnlhuniue, mernljer for .Ta(!quos C'artier. His student life was not stormy and dissipated like that of so many young incMi. who imagine that there remains notiiing for them to le.irn after they leave college. He was sidmitted to the I)iir in ISflland jtractised for two years in ^[ontreal. Tiiis was the time when every one was turning lawyer, when tjileiit alone was not enough to get on ra])idly. i.iurier naoreover soon l)egan to feel the first attacks of the disease which for a long time caused much fear to his friends. The»e reasons induced him to tpiit the city in ISfiG to esta- blish himself at .\rthabaska and take editorial charge of /.(' hi'frirlicnr in the [)lace of Mr. J. ]>. I*]ric Horion, '■ l.'Enfiml Trrriblr, " who had just then died. b' Ih'j'rirlu'nr ceased to ajtpear some months after- wards and Laurier had tiic happy thouglit to devote liims^If exclusively to his profession, inaUing himself Ml a short time a reputation as a lawyer which b: ought him money and acquiring a popularity which led to his election ia 1871 to tiie Fiocal Legislature l)y a majority of 10(MI votes over .Mr. llennuing. The efTuct whicii his elotjuence produced in Par- liament and the applause which it won even from his INTnODUlTIOX VII ' udver3arie.« will liercinciubored. The youthful orator's debut was greeted with flowers and the riaing star was sr.luted on all sides. At the last general elections lortheFedend Hougo, he ran against Mr Tesaier and succeeded in getting elected. Invited tosecond the address in reply to the Speech fr Jiii the Throne, he at once took his place in the foremost rank of theoratorsof the Federal I'nrliiinient. On that itccasinu, he yielded ton much, perliaps, to the desire to please the majority of the llou^e, hy giving exj)ressi. DAVID, (III the Ciiiirrii r ilf Miiitri'iif, of llth Od.iliir, I,S74.) ?fir IXTlKiDl* riox LAURIER IN PARLIAMENT It is not everyone who jileases who lan lie a dt'l)ater in the House of ("oiiini<»ns. To coniniund the attention of Parliament, it is not auHicient to have the eloiiuence whieii moves and swaya the masses, and the man, whose voice and action liave over and over Hjrain electrified the crowd and aroused frenzied Hplilause. will l)e hardly remarked hy the House How many men jrifted with remarkahle talents, skilled andcnnnin«i in discussion, have miserably failed when they have had to take part in a dehate heforetht House I To hea Parliamenlary orator, in the genuine sense of the words, one must hring to the dis- cussion not only an ajrreeahle voice and a chaste style, hutaraie faculty of organization, a very practical mind, and a great knowledge of facts. Mr l.aurier possesses these ((ualities and it is enough to once hear him to be no longer astonished at the fact that he has taken rank as the foremost debater of the Parliament. No one else knows so well how tt> express in correct and llexible language what he wants to say ; no one else speaks with so much authority. Partisans or adversaries admit that he speaks as a statesman, not fur efTcct, although his language is musical, but for a real result. With him, e^ich word is weigiied and corrc9i)onds to an inliexilile resolution. Does he state a])rinciple, an idea, which'it does not weary to return to, it should be seen with what ability and what re- sources he attains bis object. The hurmonious phrase, the solter and methodical gesture, all in L'lurier lieara the stamp of the originality of his character. IXTl!«)I>lXTI(i.\ IX LAURIER AxM) CHAPLKAU Nereis Cliaplcau ri?in«i to speak, ftniijilit almost be said thai lie is muvcliiii^; to tlio assault, there i3 so much movement in him. It is enough to see that Ma/.in;j: eye, that hr(»\v tVciglited witli jiassion. thai liead thr<»\vn hack, that hair whiih he take.=! a rangeinon, by means of the Kiel (juestion,liail arouseJ the invjinlices of the Protestant elemt^'nt against us. One of our liiends was ooncludmg his cijieecli, when an < trangeinun of the jilace sliouied out in a rage : "none of you have spoken of l{iel ami none of you will dare to do so ! '' Veils arose, vociferations broke out. in all directions. I.am-ier simply replieil : •• / will. " And, worming liim^flf into their sympathies by an appeal to ]?riti*h loyalty and by reminding them of the spirit of tolerance and jiistici^ nhioh should animate all the eiti/.ens of a mixed country, he related to them the details of the dark tragedy in the North West. We have been told that that hostile crowd liowed their heatoiitatiuri, hardly sugjrestivc of wealth, hut of only nniilerate means and simple comfDrt. A verandah runs across the i'ront of the house, to which a high flight of steps asionds. Vou enter intn a wi9 grounds are eight acres in extent. Thehouse is approached hy a winding drive through a grove oi' fine young trees. The grounds are 1)roken midway by an ahruitt elevation, and tlie plateau above is reached by a flight of steps or an invigorating climlj, ns may best suit the fancy of the visitor. The summit of ibis ridge and the face of the ascending hillside are thick with maples, and all the grounds form a line natural p' rk which has not been refined out of the rugged image of nature l>y over-decoration, nor marrer till! house socnis full of virites with tlio Liberal leader, and many of the eloquent sentences of John Hright's strong and simple oratory come readily to his lips. On the walls are portraits of the late lion. (Jeorge llrown, I-ouis* Joseph I'apineuu, (lladetone, Edward lUake and other of the great leaders of Lihe- ralism. On the lines of policy laid down by these great men .Mr. Laurier lays his faith and shapes his oareer, and in the sijuple, masterful English of Uright and Lincoln he reasons and persuades iind wins upon the peot)le. O.N THE l'I..\Tl-oliM For many years Mr. Laurier has been one of the most popular oratcrs of his luitive province. One of the greatest of his platform succespe.s was his famous address on Liberalism, delivered in the city of Quebec in the summer of 1877. That great speech was pro- nounced before one of the most cultured audiences that could be gathered in tiie Ancient Capital, and the orator's was an unequivocal triumph. One who was pre.?ont on tliat occasion told the writer that when Mr. Laurier rose to uddrcns the great audience before him ho was deathly pale. A momen- tary fear that he was ill passed upon his friends, a subduv • whisper passed from lip to liji. and then for several moments in absolute stillness the orator and XVI IXTUODITTION his jiudience looked into each other's factes. The ^|»c'al^<'r fU'oiiounccd his opening sentences with eahn and measured deliberation, but the trenaor in his voice was hardly concealed ; liis eyes were yet bravely scanning the bearing and his judgment deliberately searching the temper of his audience. Then as he saw the looU of mere curiosity pass from the faces before him and an awakening interest manifest its kindly presence, and the kindling of enthusiasm freshen i)n the more earnest faces, the tremor passed out of the speaker's voice, and the full courage of eontidence came to him, and wlien he had pronounced the elocjuent i)eroration of that magnificent address he was by common consent more than a politician, more than a brilliant campaigner, more than a mere platform debater. liy that noble address he proved himself a profound thinker, a ripe and cultured scholar, and a very master of pure, persuasive oratory. But that method of feeling tor the temper of his audience is still a favorite one with the Liberal leader. The iipening sentences of his speeches are always pro- nounced with great deliberateness, and even in his most eloquent and most impassioned passages he never loses iiis absolute self-mastery. Tie can fight a mob from the hustings with a (luiet, steady self- jiossession that knows no wavering. He never flinches in the teeth of the most hostile demonstration. He rarely fails to subdue the most turbulent audience to order and decorum. The most brutal partisans yield to his engaging persuasiveness and quiet, uncompro- mising firtnness. But .Mr. iiaurier is at his best in the House of Ctimmons. Tiiere his liest eloquence is spoken, his lofty patriotism is most effectively INTR(M)I'(."rinN- X VII revealed, and there he rises to his utmost supremacy U5 the master of men's mintls uiid emotions. By his patient ctmrtesy and kindly cnnsideratoness for friend and opponent, he commands the he^t attention and the best feeling of that assembly. Whatever estimate men of ditrering opinions may put uptm his abilities, few will deny that he is the mnst jtojjular party leader that Ikh ever sat in the Canadian Parliament. EI.HVATKI) TO TIIK l.IIiKRAI, LEAOEUSHIP. Perhaps few outside of the Liberal I'arliamentary party know how hardly Mr. I.aurinr fought the pro- posal to elevate him to the Liberal leadership. He is not a man greedy of honor. He has gone to no man seeking gift or place or preferment. He had the confidence of his associates, an honorable place in their council !, and a mode of living suited to his taste and his income. He would not entertain seriously the proposal that he shouhl change all this, advance beyond the limit of his ambition, give himself wlutlly to the business of i)olitics and take up the burden.9 and the responsil)ilities which had broken Alexander Mackenzie in the rii)e prime of a stalwart manhood, and had borne down the great frame and the peerless intellect of Edward lilake. One can well understand that Mr. Laurier, knowing a>< he did the service Mr. Mackenzie and Mr. iilake had given t(» Canada — for they had no more loyal follower — .standing in Mr. lilake's very presence, his magnificent voice still echoing through the Commons Chamber, enthusiasm for the great leader's marvellous resources as a Par- liamentary tactician still warm in the hearts of his XVIII IXTRnorcTIOX followers — for nowhere was ]Mr. Blake so miu'li a niabter of liis fellows as on the fluor of Parliament — knowinjr all this, and feeling all this, one can under- etand that Mr. Laurier put from him as unwortliy of one poor moment's consideration the nomination for the leadershii) hestend months, as T have just done, in association with a man's tlioughts, with- out becoming deeply imbued with them. Written eloiiuence, stripped of the magic of voice and gesture, is like a bird deprived of its wings xxir INTUODICTTON has lost the incessiuit moltility which charmed and dazzled the liearer, but which at the same time con- ceuled its finer shade*, as well as its defects. It is Iiencetbrward an anatomical subjoct laid on tho table for dissection and upon wliich the scalpel may work its will at leisure. Under these condititms, elociuenoe appeals only to reason and no longpr to tl)e senses. Still, tho.-ie cold, inatlimato pages, which Iliavc; iiad to read and re-read so 'luiny times, analyze, turn over in all directions, and, so to say, learn by heart, have excited in luc the same emotions wiiicli must have previously thrilled the numerous audiences of the orator. The attentive reader, wlio ])eruse3 this volume, will not escape frum this mysterious inliiicncc. lie will not have before him the inisc rii scene of the popular or parliamentnry giitherings, always so pre- disposing to Sdlenin thouglits. IFc will not see rising up above the thousand curious heads of the crowd or emerging from th(> horizontal line of the benches of the Commons that tall ligure, that pale and medi- tative countenance, and that large and well developed brow so indicative of strength of mind. His senses Avill miss tlie music of that singularly grave voice, of that sonorous accentuation, as classical as the accompanying gesture, never rising above a certain height, except in the great movements, learnedly prepared, and of which Mr. Laurier. unlike his rival in the Commons, Mr. Chaplcau, does not make an immoderate use. All these accessories are wanting here. And yet this lifeless stenography, often dull and incomplete, still emits powerful, irresistible gal- vanic shocks. And upon what does this depend ? On INTIiOnUCTION xxrii tlio fact that Mr. liaurier ia not a moro rlietorician, that his eh)4uence is not a marble statue, and that, stripped of the perishable heauty of exterior forms, it still possesses a much more beautiful soul, the soul of thought, true, cijnvinced and strong. The human mind is so complex that it is a com- plete study to try to discover the true secret of the talent of a superior man. The humble compiler of Mr. fjaurier's speeches believes that he has found it — perhaps without seeking to do so — through the force of circumstances. Tiu'.^e speeches were scattered through a hundred (lifforent collections and news- pai»ers, and between them there were gaps of time and ])lace, twenty years lietween the (irst and the last ; but. in bringing them together, I think I have united ihe thread of Ariadne which runs through them all. Mr. Laurier's style of discussion is a syntiiesis, just as that of other powerful orators is an analysis. Both he and ^'r. Mercier prove, by their extraordi- nary aHccn laacy over thnir contemporaries, that both modes are weapons of equal value in expert hands. Read calmly one of Mr. Laurier's dissertations and what strikes you at the first glance is the perfect clearness of the thought ! Listen to Mr. >rercief hand- ling the first aul)ject that suddenly comes up, deve- loping a thesis, relating a fact or rendering an account of an tidministrative act I tliere is in what he says something that confounds you — it is the lucidity, the prodigious ease of his languag-'". .Mr. .Mercier seizes XXIV INTRO or( TlOX Ins question from all sides at once Jind cxliausts liis fiul)joct; Mr. Liiurier iiilialc'? at lung draughts tlio o.sscnice. The one exeels in analyzing a theory ; tlie other in generalizing it. The first co-ordinate.-? and symmetrically arranges hi.s arguiueiits, disposes of each olijeetion in its turn and, according to the com- mon saying, does not overlook a pin's worth : once he lias treated a point, he passes on to another, to only revert to it at the conclusion, where the whole constitute 11 formidahle and nearly alway.s victorious line oi' battle. Tlie second attain.? effects equally as jKiwerful by devnting liiniselt' to tiie ileveloijiuent ol' a limited number of leading ]tropi)sitions, whose formula, Avhich he even doe.? not always take the trou})le to give, stands out triumphant and luminous irom Die 8j)eech in its entirety. Mr. Mercicr i)rid)es a question to the bottom ; Mr. I.aurier keeps at a distance from and a sullicicnt height above it to take it in at a single glance. IJoth. however, arrive at the same results by different methods ; they equally imi>ose silence and commanil attention and both enlist tlie admiration of adversaries as well as of friends. The most minute of the two never tires )iis audience, wliile tlie mn«t superficial supplies a com])lete whole, whicli leaves 110 room in the mind for Die slightest doubt or uncer- tainty. I presume that, before prejjaring a speech, Mr. Laurier says to himself : 1 lore are two or three consid- erations which, to my mind, cover the whole debiite ; they should suflice for me and beyond tliem T forbid myself to go. And it is within this magic circle that he shuts himself up with his thouglils T have used the words " before prei)aring his speeches, '' but INTIU)I)l\TIi)N' X X \' tlio fact is that Mr. Lanrier never write:^ liiis ppe eclies ; lie ela1)0rate.s, lie matures the grouiulwork, hut tlie l)rilliant imagery, the!?()nt)rou3 jieriocls. nri' imprd- visations. Few men have loss of the vanity ot the author than he has. T know something of this from having had to collect his sueeches Iiere and there, to the host of my knowledge. When I a.sked his permis- sion to i)ul)lish them, his first impulse was to try to dissuade me from tlie work, fearing tliat no one would purchase it and that T would be a loser, when T already had the certainty of a good sale ,and every one was wanting to suhscrihe. He nevertheless kindly jilaeed ins collection at my disposal, hut it amounted to very little. Not only does ho not keep a co]»y of his own works on the shelves of the lihrary vhere my colleague, Willison, admired such a fine collection of French and English works, the finest, ])erhai)3, he says, in the country ; hut Mr. fiaurier •was (juite astounded to discover, after the lapse of years, iiow ahominabiy he had been translated and hadly reported in the llttiisnrd. T presume that he has never read his own utterances and that, likciill otlier modest men, he judges himself toit severely to look backwards. * *■ The pursuit of a fixed idea absorbs his exii^tence. All statesmen have their fixed idea. Mr. Mercier has his in Provincial politics, as Mr.fiaurier has his in the Federal sphere. This is the imjn'ession which lias been left on my mind by a three months' intimacy ■with his thoughts. His eloquence is !iii endless vafi'iatiou on a single theme. His first puhlii' utter- XXVI IN'moDl'CTIOX nnces wore inspired I>y tho samo sentiiuout uliich still iiiDvus liiiii tit diiy when he ri«o.s to luMrfss his fellow citizens, eitlier from the pulilii' iilatforni or from his seat in Piirlianient, in those iulmirahle haran,i;ue-i whieli rinj; from one end of tho couulry to the other and even to Kuropo. \\U maiden ^speech in tho Fifigislativo Asi^embly in 1>>71 prodn<'ed an extraordinary iiujiresHion, precisely ))ccatise it went to (he heart of the ([Uestion which was heiii<; dis- cussJed. A re-perusal of that speech, in fact, shows that it was more in koepin;;- with tiie tone of the lloii country Ity repealing; his la;i:nuH words (»1'1S71 : •" U'e are told that we are rich... Sir, there are riches and riches. . TANiAi.r< was liini . He had always before him a table abundantly, sunij)- tuously spread. JJut the misl'ortune was tliat with all this ho was eternally dyin^' of bun^'cr'". Well, this is slill what he has not ceased to repeat in each of his speeches on tho economic condition of the country whenever he refers to the (luestion of com- mercial reciprocity. And it is always as true and as strikin;^- as it was twenty years ajro. His work, of which T have collected tojrether all tiiat I could in this liook, embraces the entire lield of our political, social and national contentions, and yet these six hundred ])agos of stcnograi)hy could be compressed into a handful of formulas,of parent idea", on which Mr f.aurier has already spoken vohnnee without wearyin;,' the attention of his admir(!rs, that is to say, of the entire population. He is above all Canadian in feelinfr ; above all Liberal by instinct and conviction; and aliove all lionest of soul. He has studied history and knows that the hnniiin race has been imj)roved by the crossinjj: of tln' race,-, "without loosing in any case the traces of their origins. H(! knows that nature.whieh is suporior to all other forces^ effects unaided this transfusion of blood, without jiain and without accident. Hi.s dream is to hcc tiie dos- :x.\viii lNTli""ili IK'N ceiidiintfl oftlienoltlcst .stocks ot'tlic nM world, Knuli.-h, French, Scolcli, Irisli, (l\vellin,u; tii;;otlu;r liiiniio- uiotHly ill tlii' country and luurcliini; tii;,rotlior in puiv-suit of tiial iiiitiouiil unity, I'Twhicli all the va- rieties of the human race, iVom the iiurcnt \vhit(^ to tlio (leepobt Muck. have ho hMppily Inuml an example in the AiuericiiM Iie|iul)lic;. I !<' hclievcv-' that this prohlox can only li(! solved here hy union and n )t hy alisorption. The lines which separate us iViUu eaeli other — lanjiuiige and reliuion — should not, in his opinion, divid(Mis. lie considers that lOn^lish is destined to become the lanjiua^je ol' the nnisses in America and French to remain, as in the rest of the world, the lan;,'Uage of the drawin;;-ro()ni and of letters. lie reeoinuiend.s the .study of the two as a (iomplenient, a luxury, of education, and he .sets the example hy Bpeakinjf both with inimitable perfection. As t'or reli;>ious ilisputes, he banishes them from })olitics. (Jallion, pro-consul of Achaia, replied to the Jews of (\)rinth, who wanted to submit tlieir contro- versies to him •• If some injustic*' or crime were in question, it would In- reasonable, Jews, that T should bear you ])aticntly. lUit if the (juestion is one of words, names, and of your law. it is for you to see to it. I do iu»t wish to bo a judge of these kinds of things. '" It is this liberty of the icligious and national groups, this honierule, this self-government w hich .Mr.LiiUrier desires. Tn a word, be believes that it is in the equal- ity of all and not in the subjection of one to anotlier that the solution of the national problem luust bo sought. lie adores liberty, but with reflexion Tt is to lior that he constantly addresses bis sublimest in- iNTr.oiiriTioN X X I X vociitlcins anil it was nf Inr tlmt Iif ^uvc soclcnrn df- linition in lii-» hM'tnn; 7T tli;it it will renmiii iIm' code III' (':iii:i(liaii i.ilit ralisin He cIuImis to lic'lonu: ti) the Kn^lisli fiilKTiil Sflionl. Wo iuimircs tlu! Uritisli constitution hecauso it (lo<>M not pr 'tend to li.ivo siiid the last word for lih- city, Ititt Iciivc^ the doi lid pen to rcl'oriufl.l l(> in in I'livor of fodcration.s.rcLiardiiiu' thcin an the hcst means to i-'ov- ern men i»f ditlerent oiiirinsand .scattered over a vast extent of country. 'Plie American system spem.s to him, in nu're tliaii one aspect, a model to t'ollow, herau?e thi! line of deniarcation is clearly drawn heiwecn the ])owcrs of the Icfiislatures and of the central }j;ovorn- ment and constitutional conllicts are left to the- de- cision of the judicial jtower. He sees the future from afar. Conl'ederation is not for him the linality of our (hvstinie.s, but a state of transition, and, when the change comes it will be to take a step forward and not backward. He is a homc-rulcr by conviction ; the autonomy of the provinces is for bim an iron rule, a funda- mental i)rinciple, from which it is never allowable to deviate, whatever may be the consequences. TFe is opposed to the Federal ''clo, {oheltcr Imns left to tbe caprice of <;overnments. in a word, to everytbinji which attacks liberty. He belitiveg in i)ublic virtue and practises it. Tn liis honor, lie is not only unassailuible, hut unassailed. Calumny has never dared to ris(! to his beitrht. The worst that malice could ever invent ajrainst him was on one occasion to style him a rhetorician without conviction and without energy. Nothinut this does not prevent his speeches from bristling with ])rilliant say- ings, repartees and startling apostrophes. On one occasion, he was handling Mr. IVIcKenzie Bowell, but he was doing it, so to say. gingerly ; when the Minister interrupted him with this sardonic re- mark : " Oh, dt)n't hesitate. I have none of those scruides! '' Mr Lanrier simply retorted : — " V\'ell, if you have no scruides, T have ! '' And the House burst into applause. I'arliament will never forget the hearty laugh pro- voked in 1S77 by his repl}' to the late Mr. .Mousseau, who had charged the .Ministers with fattening on the sweat of the people. Pointing with his finger to hia corpulent adversary, Mr.f./aurier exclaimed: " If any one here is fattening on tlie sweat of the people, which is it — he or T ? '" Nor w ill it e\ r forget tlie exclamation : " Too late! Too late! Too late ! "which he thrice used, after exposing tiie causes of the rebellion INTRODUCTION «XXI « »ost i.ur„,,rxi';''°'"''»"-v.co„j,;;™» "JiplitiKl liin, „., •, 1"™'i"iis anil tlm P,,,, , . 'Vmpathetic rrarJpr t *. • ^^"^gonthu,siast.s. '"' '^'^^'^ ^'^^^"^ tho cha4e "f ^'J^RIC BARTrrK. ^'''""^'''' '-'^ ^- A. JORDAN.) I :1 ^^^®#^,=^ MR. LAURIER'S FARLIAMEHTARY DEBDT SPEECH ON THE ADDllESS IN REI'LV TO THE SPEPXH FROM THE THPiONE DEI.TVEREI) <1N THE IOtH NOVEMRER, 1871 IN THE LEGlSnATlVK ASSEMBLY OF THE PROVINCE OF QUEBEC Mr. Laurier's Parliamentary career began in 1871. At the general elections ol'that year, which were the second after Conf'eileiation and wiiicli had resulted in maintaining the Chauveau Administration in otllco, he had been returned to lepresent the united counties oi'Drununond and Arthabaska in the Legislative Assembly ot'Quebec, defeating by a majority of 11)00 votes the Mini>terial candiilate, J]r. Hemming, who had held the seat during the lirst Parliament. Entering the House while such men of note as Carrier, C'auchon, Langevln, Jlolton, Fournier, Irvine, 'loly, Lyncli, lUancln't, Kortin. Hobi- tailie, C'assiily and Bachand still lignred on the Provincial scene, the young meml)er for Drnnuuond and Arthabaska. moilestly took his seat on the rear ' (pposition benches, but, his tirst Parliamentary speech, of whieh a translation i^i appendeil. at once lirought him into full piomlniMice: Mil Si'eakeu : The hoiioniblo members, wlio liave proito.-ed tlio adlre.is, liiiye tlrinvn ;i most attractive pieture of tlio situatinii of the country. They liave vied witli each utiier ill efforts to dazzle us witJi \vliat tliey liavehoon pleased to iiomimusly term our wealth, prosjierity 1 SPEEC[I If ' and liappinoss. Tf they are ti> I)e lielievcd, Canada is ii veal land of ('ocayiie. wlicre I'verytliing is lovely and there is nothing left for uh to do hut to return thaidss to I'rovidevci" and to the Ministry. I'ut doi'S this jiieture really ]joitray the trutli ? T, for one. cannot aeeej)! it in that liiilit. All, who hiive .studied tlie situation of the coun- try otherwise tlnin on paper and in the sochision of their nwn honien, who Imve hail the opportunity of ;.i nt'arcr view of our hankward system of agriculture, IV timid and vacillatinu- trade and our hlitrhted oi in dust rv ;n(iw full well that the brilliant imago evoked l>y the hnn. meniher.?, who |)ropo?ed tin; address, is mit the reality, hut a (h'ceptive mirage. Tftlio ])urely political and social aspect of tho situation were the only question. T Wduld accept wdhout reserve all that has heea said liy the h n. nu-mliers. T'lulouhtcflly. our situation, viewed from the n;ercly ])(.litical anil ,»ocial standpoint, is excellent, thanks to the fumhuncntal princii)Ic of our consti- tution — the prinei{)le of free and re])re«entativo government. It is due to this principle that the diverse elements, which comi)o-e our population, have heen enalihMl to unite and form a compact and homogeneous whole, yet leaving to each its character and its autonomy. Certainly, the I'act is one of which we can he justly proud that so many difTcrcnt racfs and so many opposite creeds should tind themselves concentrated on this little corner of earth and that our constitution should [irove hioad cniuigh tu leave them all plenty of ell)0w ro']:), v.itliout friction or danger of collision and v.ith tho fullest latitude to each to Sjieak its ov.n tnuguc, practise its own reli- gion, retain its own customs and enjoy its ei|Ualsliaro of lil>erty and of the light of the sun. r myself have the honor to represent a county in whicii are gioupcd all shades of race and creed and am happy to lie aide to hcisr testimony publicly to this state of things. O.N THK ADDUKsS IN 1.S71 l)Ut there is another Hide to tire situation ; llier( is tlie ECONOMIC f^IDE ami t do not licsitute to say that it seem- io lue dark, very «lavU. indeed. We have hi-en told that we are rich and prosperous. But is this tlie case? (Question all clas.*es of .«ociety, the merchant, the hanker, tiie shop-keeper, the mem- ber of the 1 heral professions, the farmer, the simple mechanic, and among all. without exception, you will lind tiie samr >tory of hard limes, of uneasiness, of sufTering and laii.uuor, denoting that there is some- thing wrong somewliere. It ndght lie almost said ihat this country is placed unchr an immense pneumatic macliine and that it is writiiing and struggling in vain to get to it.s lungs a few particles of an air which is hecoming more a nd 1 nore r'li efi C(l This is the tiutii I This is the true sitMation ! lie is Miml who does not see it, and he is guilty, who, in seeing, doos not admit it. Still, it is being constantly dinned into our cars that we havi' mines, timber, resources of all kinds — that we ar(^ rich, in fact. Sir, there are riches and riches. TAXT.\I.US WAS MCH. He had always an abundantly, a sumptuously served table siiread iicfoie him ; but tiie trouble wm that, in sight of all this abundance, he v. as eternally starving. Our position very mncii resembles tliat of Tan- talus. An i\ifcrnal Iiand seems to be always with drawing our ricli. s wiienever we strive to grasp, them. The man, who found a hag of gold du?t in the desert, con.-idored liimself rich. IhU .'^hoitly aftci- wards, when he was dying of hunger over his treasure, 81'EECir he no doubt uxcliiinied in l)itterness of9i)irit that a 8iiui)le piece of l)re;ul would have l)een pret'eruble, as it woiUd have saved him. We alsii are expiring over our treasures and year after yeav ihe tlood ofthosc who'are h'avinjz' our riches an;' g'»in,^ tn the United States to seek tlie morcel of l)read that will save them goes on steadily increasing. Once luoriN T say, this is the real situatinn. Ood lorliid ! that T should liold the Miinstry alone res- ponsible for it I Tts cause* arc inulti[)le and all of them an; nut under its control. Hut what T Idame the Ministry I'ni- is iiot seeing tlu' situation or, if they see it, for not In'.ving the 'ourage to face it. I was disir)>|)ointed yesterday on hearing the Spf^c'i from the Thr< Ministry had studied the situa- tion and that it would indicate both the source of the ill and the reaiedv. TME I'UINCIPAI. SOlRCE OV THE EVH. from which we suffer is that thus far that the])i'oductioa of this country is not e;iual to the consumption. Tiie Ministry miglit all the more easily have admitted this, seeing that it does not alone bear the lesponsiliility, "vvhich weighs upon the entire nation. U is a humiliating confession to make that, after tliree centuries of existence, tliis country is still unable to sup])ly its own wants and that it is still obliged to have recocrse to foreign markets, though nature has lavished upon it all the gifts necessary to render it a manufacturing countiy. ON TlIK AI)DHKS3 IN 1S71 5 It is now. Sir. u good many yciirs sineo the fjreiit ]iiitvi()t. wlioiii we recently lo.st, Honorable \j. J. I'ajii- neuii, casting ahout for a remedy for the ills of the time, summed up his policy on the sul)ject in this fiimple precept : •" We should huy nothing from the melroi)olis. '" My o))iniiin is that tliis policy is even more urgent tn-day than it \v;is when lirst f(»rmulated. It is a duty, especially for us Canadians of French origin, to create. A NATIONAI, 1MH>T1{Y We are surrounded liy a strong and vigorous race, who are endowed with a devouring activity and have taly such men and under such circuni' stances. SPEKCll ; HI;T TlIK Tl.MKS AHE ('IIAN(iKU and the hour lias struck to entor tlio lists with them. Our r«^8i»ective furel'iitliers wore enoniics aiul waged bh)t)(ly war against each other for centuries. ]>ut we, tlioir descemhints. united uncU'r the sanic! Hag. tiglit no other figiits l>ut tliose of a generous emuhition to excel each other in trade and industry, in the sciences and the arts of jjcace. T hav(; already stated that the (iovernnient of tlie Province of Quc.'Ixh' is not alone resjionsihle fi»r iha stagnation of our industry. It is sutlicient to sav that alone it -^iin neither create nor develoj) it, l)ut it can contribute ])Owerfully thereto. nv Till-: KIM> u|- IMMI(;UATION which it introduces into tlie country. Thus far it seems to nic that the (iovernmeiit has been moving in the wrong flirection. Tlie (Iovernnient has devoted itself to recruiting an exclusively agricultural immi- gration — its efforts will end in nothing. Tlie agricul- tural poitulation of this country will never he increas- ed fi'om outside. Our (;limate is too severe anil the divi'lopment of our hinds too costly and iliilicult. The ciiildren of the soil will not he deterred by these obstacles ; but the stranger will simply pass tjirough our territory and locate on tln^ rich prairies of the west. Moreover, wherever our 'igents set their foot, they find themselves forestalled by American agents, by American books and jiamphlets, and, above all, by American prestige. We ciui, however, introduce here with good results, T think. AN IN'OrslUlAi. IM.MUJRATION. 1 do not mean simple workmen, but master mechan- ics and small cajntalists such as are to l)e found in all the cities of EiU'ope. The induccnuMit. which ON TIIK ADDRESS IN 1871 Avould lead them to invt^t their lal)or iind their caiiital in our inidst 1:^ that wn cjiii pmduci! 2') pev vcni clieaiHT than iiny other part of tlio Anicrican conti- nent — what we need is the master-miners of Wales and the nitrth of Kn^land, the meehanles of Alsace, tlie Fiemls'i weavers and the (Jernian artisans of all kinds. Sncli an iminifi'rat'cn. it seems to me, would give an extraordinary impulse to our industry. Tn addition to this purely economic (|uestion, tliere are political rei'orms which we hoped to have seen announcect intervention ofthe ( ioverncmeni in tlie exercise of tlie i)oi)ular riuU'rage. At t he last elections, the ( lov- ernment was tlius enahletl to lirst issue the writs for .such of the counties as it con-idered sale, and af.er- wards. thanks to this tactic, to hiing all its strenglii to i]]o asistance of its friends whom it deemed in danger. Huch comluct is an ahnsc. Ifw(> are a iVce peoide, the jiopnlar suffrage must he I'reely (werc'.sed and tlie exact ex])re5sion o;'tho ()opular will niu-t liesccnred. 1 shall only refer iiu'identally to ihc (jnestion of Klin A Tn P.N, upon w liich wc have h(>en long an] are still waitinix for the I'remier's acti on. When the lion. I'reiiiiei- assumed the reins of power in lS(i7, he had hoenfor twelve ye:ir-i Supcrin- tcnd«'nt of Education and had just returned from a wmma 8 SPEFCir trip to l''uro|)0 uiulortakcn lor the ('Xprcss iiurpftHc of studying on tlio Hput the difrcrcnt ccluciitional sys- tems of tlie Old World. Ft was our hope that, on his return, he would hiive cndiodicd in loirishition tiio results of his oh.servations ami experience. I>ut for the last four years like twister Aiuie on the tower top, Ave have hcPii lookinji; I'nr si»inetliinj; to mnie. hut it Jijis not yet a]»peare(l. 1 have heard it saiJ elsuhero : " IJut wluit is tJie good of these reforms ? \\'\\[ they increase the puldic; Avealth ? Will they eiihunee in the slijfhtest dcirree the prosjierity oi' the country ? "' Hir, in a free state, every thinjr is connected and linked topetiier JruMslation. trade, industi'v, arts scii-nces and Icttcr.s, nil arc memher.s of a same hody, the ixxly social. A\'hen one of the menihers sufftrs, the entire hody is utfected ; when there is an abuse any wh(>re, the entire l.iod}' social is more or less paraly/ed ; when there is unywhere something left undone which should he done, the normal order is therehy disturhed. England has become great hccause nhe has thoroughly understood this itrineiole. No tiuestiou there luis ever been allowed to languish. Nit sooner lias an ahu.se lieen noted and a I'cform demanded, than the (iovernement ol'the day. whatever it niiirht be, ^\'hig or Tory, has at once given the subject atten- tion and taken the initiative, never droj)ping it until the aliu.se has been destroyed and the reform accom- plished. A\'e,on the contiary,only knowjhow to pander to unv own prejudices and our self-love; we never hav(? the courage to admit that we are not }ierfect or that there is anything we should do. 1 grant. Sir, that, underyling this conduct, there may be a tliought or rather an excess of patriotic iifTection. but this is I'ar from lieing a proper patrio- tism and it is certainly not mine. My patriotism consists r.'ither in telling my country hard truths, •whic]) will help to arouse it from its lethargy arid to direct it at last into the path of true progress and t lue l)rosperity. i of lis iio 'or 'P, it lio lie «', er ••» li. is ro i» )e IS n r ABOLITION OF DUAL REPRESENTATION Ml!. LAlinKKSSi'J'lKCil ON TIlAi' (iUKSTION 7)KI.IVKKKI> f'.N THK 2ItII NoVKM HKH, lS7l IN Til/': Li'jGfsLA'nii': assumuly of the PROVINCE OF (HJIiliFC 111 the oaily (lays ol' llio scs-ioii of 187 I, the evil ol dual lejire.seiitation. now i'ull>- rfco^jiii/cd and adiiiitti'd i^y hot ii parties, was a^aiii made tlie siil'jet't of attadi li\ the ( >i)i)Osi- lion in tlie (iueheo L<\i.'islatiii'e. lion, I', (r. Marchand, then and still nieiulx r lor St. .lolm's. hroujrht in a hill to aholi>h it, wliieh the < loviMnmi'iit ol the day onlv .sueeeedod in ,!.'inn hcin;; o4 to 2'.l. Mr. ham ier tool; part in this ineiiiorahle d(d)ate, once more winnin;.' tren'M.d adiuir.ition lor his uiaoeful elo- quence and conii'ihutiii.i.' in no sli<:ht dejiree liy liis elose and powerl'ul i<>asoiunv' to hasten the aholition, which took place not long afterwards, of a system fraught with the greatest danger to thehest intero.stsi of the Province. Even l.'Erax''- ■nnnl, then a, Con.iervativc organ, was forceil to ailniit iie.xt dav that Mr. l.anrier's elfort on this occ;isii)n was r emarKa >1. )tU m form and sidistanee and superior eviii to !iis ntte ranee on the Addi It b th!lt ;>eec h. of w reproduce a tr.iiislation iieli we now pro|)o.«e to Mk M'k.\m:i Thf line (ifciiiKhict adnptcd l>y (lie (ioveriuiicut oil tliis ([Ucstioii fully warnmts the reproadi I jidilros.s-cd til it imt long; .since, (d' hoing afriiid to ItU'O the sitttiitioii ol'tlie countr}- squarely 10 SPEEcir Tfto-diiy I roitiM'iito (liiit ifproiirli, it is not be- Civuse T 111)1 acluatfd I>y any liostih' Icrling (oward? tlio (lOVt'nmHMit. nor is it liecaiisc I wIhIi t<> oftt'i' it a gyatoinatif and unfair opposition ; l)ut liccauso I cannot \o form part of tli(! ]icopI(''s jury iind tiiat, on every (piestion tlmt comes up. it is my duty to render a consciencious verdict re:iiirdless of person or party. If to-day T reitprate that reproach, it is hecausc it U impossihh' for nie to he satisiicd uitli the (Jovern- nient's policy on this ociasiini, and I helieve that it is eijually inipossihle for all, who rise ahove party considerations, to he satislied witii a I'OMCV oi- UKTliKNi K AMi IM;ni |! Asl'INArtON i, I which evades and does n.)t solve tlu^ questions ol'the hour. \\'liat F expected ami iiad a rii;ht to i-xpcct from the (Jovcrnment, Sir. wa~ not that it .^houhl siiare my opinion hut that it shouhl hav<> an opinion of its own on this (pic-tipnintnients and daiijicrs, the entire l)tarin}^ of uhich has not been ealculate(l. It is undoub'edly commendable to;issert, to pro- elaim, to defend the rijihts and prero^Mtives ofthe p(>opl(! ; and, on this ])oint I yidd to no one, as there IS nobody in this Hous(( u Im has a ileeper rospeet than 1 have for the ri;.dits and prcro;^atives ol' tlie people or who reuards it more as a duly to jea]^ and pr(>ri St John's iudicute.-i (iN DCAT, i!i:riu:si:.\TATio.v lo as an abuse the eligiliility to thi^^ House of lueiiihers of tlie Federal T.egif-lature. He cnnteiuls that tliis riglit iii eligiliility i-j a ilagrant conlradictioii. AN ANOMALY, as regards tin great i)rineiple ol'our conHtitiitinii, the federative principle ; he contends that from this ano- maly, thi.s contradictioi), may spring grave eonipli- catioiis, real danger.s, whicii should lie preveiite'd, if Ave do not want to liave to suppress thoni later on. The Ministry, on the other hand, seems to make it a scru])!" to tiiuch. even hy a hair's hreadth. what it eom])laisaiitly terms the lilierty (d'tiie people. Th(! Ministry forgets thct tliere are ])rin- ciples of eternal and immutahle truth that a people can never he permitted to violate with impunity ; it forgets that it appertains to principles less striUing, less evident, perhaps, l)ut n< House sliould bo forbidden to memliers ol' the Federal Legislature I 14 SPEECH AS IT IS 'I'O TIIK ,III)i;ES. i 11 11 Tliis, Sir. is tlie (luestinn to lie clccidcd. It will nut do to ivnswor it liy dilator v t'Xcei)tioiis, as the (Joveriinient is dointr. Fi, tu-inorrow. a luoiulier were to rise and propo-c tliat the judges slioiild lie oligihle, whnt would the (iovornmeiil do? Would it say, as it is sayinji; to day : Wo do not wish to touch tho liherty of the peiiplf. I sliall carry the hvi)oth<'si3 further: There is to day in the Inited Slates a nund)er of puhlic writers who claitn for the lair sex what tliey term the privilrnrx uud what T siuillcail the hurthcns oftiie tlie well the ULcly sex ; who claim lor the iro))ir:i not oidy the I'i^ht to vote, tho right of eligihility, the right not only to send ni( mbers to Parliament. l>ut. to sit in it tiiemsdves. Sir, we are a colony of England anrl we are also neighliors of the United States ; it does not need so much to make it probable that sooner or later these theories of femi- nine emancii)ation will penetrate into our own nudst. If then some niemlier, inciteil l)y an excess of radi- calism or gallantry, (extremes meet), were to rise and move to throw ojx'n to women the doors of this House, T (U) not .'jican the doors of tho galleries but the doors of the (iuehec Letiishiture itself, what would the (iovernment do if it was still in power? Would it say as it says to day : we do not wish to touch the liberty of the jteople? Would it say: if the i)eo[il(.' choose to send us female colleagues, we accept them? The chivalrous feelings of the Ministry are well known to me. Sii-, but 1 also Unow their Conservative principles. Now. between their feelings and their principles, which would carry the day ? No answer is needed. The Ministry would not hesitate to limit on this point that liberty of the people for which it to- day professes to have siirh a tremendously hiich r>^spect. Well, the attitude which the .Ministry would take on that occasion, let them take it to-day. If the principle laid down in the bill is right, let them say So and accept it : if it is wrong, let them say so and reject it; but let thun not in tlie name of liberty ?l ON DtAI, llEPKESENTATION lo TliY TO KI.IKl': Till-; >-ni ATlnN I am a friend to lil>t'rt_v. l)Ut wiili me liln-'-tydoes not mean license. A free people \a not one without laws or clioeks ; a free people is one anioiii;- whom all the attributes, ail tlie rijjrlit:^ of the nieniliers of the State are clearly (le(ine(l and (hterininod and anionjf )on . I rii i.»,i. I'll * * an ilioni there is no encroachnicnt of one power iij other. That i.s the Irnr iihcrly. Once more, f ask. is the principle hiid down in the hill of the honorable nieinhfr for St John's ri le,i;ishiturc3 must be IXDKPKNOKNT oK EACH oriiKU not only in l;iw. but in fact: tin: Local Lcuisl.-ituro especially must be completely prntcctf^il aiiainst all control by the Federal LcLiislature. If. immediately or I'emotely, the Federal I/.',!.Mslatu;c exercises the slightest control over the Local fiCLi'isl.'nuii'. then yiui liavc no longer a federative u'lioii ; hut a legislative .4 pii ; 16 .S1'EE*1I iiniom under ;i fedovfitive lorni. Tl" you throw open tlio doors of this House, to the inomhors of the Federal f^c^islature you jidmit hy the very fact tlie contr(d oftliis House l)y the Federal Legislature and tlieri, as I have said, you destroy the federative iiiiicn. of wliich, it is (rue. you may retain the form, but have no lonirer the suhstance. The tliini,% more- over, is easily explained. l)y the very fact that we are an independent state, forming ])art of another independent state, we are hound to have business relations with that state. Such, Sir, is the condition of human things that, wherever there are business relations, theie are also conflicts and t;0.MI'l.|i:ATI0.NS OF I.NTEKKSTS. We cannot escape the common fate. A day will come w'hen these conflicts, these complications of in- terests, will .irisc between the CJovernment of Quebec and the Federal (lovernment. Naturally, the Federal Legislature will side with the Federal ( ii)vernment and the Local r^egislaturo with the Local (lovernment. If, under these circumstances, you open tiie doors (»f this House to the mend)er3 of the Federal I>egislature, will you not. hy this tact alone, introduce into this Hou-je an element necessarily hostile to the pro- vince and necessarily l)ound to take sides against it ? Do you think that, in entering this House, the Fe e- ral members will cease to be Federal members? Do you imagine that, on entering here. th(\v will leave behind them at the thresboUl their interests and their sentiments? Do you believe that after pleading Ottawa's case at Ottawa, they will plead Ciuebec's case at (Quebec? Do you tiiiidc that they will burn here what they adored at Ottawa and that they will adore here what they burned at Ottawa ? Mistake! mistake! the Federal members will remain Federal memlicrs, if it be true that no man cau serve two masters ; they will plead Ottawa's cause ox DVAI, REPRESENTATION 17 at Queltec iigainst Quebec .and tliey will support their iirguments with nil the weight of their intluence. Arxl then wluit will be Quebec's fate ? Quebec's late will be THE KATE OF THE EARTHEN I'OT which, one day, took it into its head to travel in (com- pany with the iron pot : (iuehec will be cru.«hed. What I have just stated, Sir, is not mere hyjjo- thesis. I support iny argument with the authority of the honorable member for Montmorency, member for I^fontmorency at Quebec and President of the Senate at Ottawa. No later than in the debate on the arl)itration, the honorable meml)er for Montmorency (Mr Cau- chon) — if I rememl)er his words rightly — said, in defending the conduct of the honorable Premier, that the same member may have certain duties at Quebec and others at Ottawa on the same question. These words, Sir, are striclj- true and, from this very moment, is not the question decided? What? Are we going to expose the same man to the necessity of speaking and acting in self-contradiction according as he sits AT QUEBEC OR AT OTTAWA? I will go further and, by this same question of the arbitration, show the disastrous results which the double mandate might produce. The debate on the arbitration has brought out this fact -that both sides of the Tfouse are agreed in looking upon the decision of the Provincial arbi- trators as a glaring iniquity and that we must at all costs extricate ourselves from the position in whidi tliat decisi(m involves us. Whore we differ is only upon the means to be taken to get out of that }>csition. Fortunately for us, the Federal (Jovornmont has sus- pended the execution of the sentence. T fancy. Sir, that it was not without diilicultv and without hesi- 2 , ' - I ♦', f Mi p 4 ! .11 ! 11 ;■ 18 SPEECH tatii'u lluit the Fedovjil (iovernment came to the cim- clu.siou ti) sidopt this line of conduct. I will .sui)i)i).se (which hy the way is alto^iiether iiiipossilile) that the Federal (loverniiient, either I'roiii I'efir ot" ])ntiing the ('onledevation in danm the iniquitous sentence. T am satis- lied that it would have immediately called the Legis- lature together to suhniit some pro])osal on the suhject. Sir, I see in the House two members of the Federal (iovernment. What would they have done then? Would they have repudiated Avhat they ha:l approved at Ottawa? Would they have said at Quehec : do not execute the sentence, after having Paid at Ottawa: execute it? Alas! it is certain that they could not have acted (itherwise than consis- tently with themselves; they could not have helped using the hame language here as at Ottawa and ^vhat they would have said to us here would have heen in .«uhstance and without amhiguity : Suhmit ! SrmilT TO THE l.Nlgl ITV ! and do you think that these words would have been empty. 6ir, each one can think oi'them as he pleases, but my firm conviction ic^ that their influence would have been all powerful and that Quebec's interests would have been sacrificed without pity to save the intevests of the Federal Ministers. I)Ut this is not all. The honorable inend>er for TiOtbinicre, (Mr. Joly) stated only a short time since, in the course of the deliate on the address, that if the legislative form was not adopted at the time of the \inion of the Th'itish colonies, it was on account of the particular situatinn and ON niAI. ni:i'IlK.--K\TATI()X 19 THE EXCEI'TluNAl, INTEUEST.S OK QIEI'.EC. Tlu'se vords wore not contradicted and they could not, ii8 it is .1 luHtorical I'act tliat the iVderativu form was only achipted to prchcrvc ibr (iuohee tlic cxceit- tional and iinitfuc ])osition which it occupied on tho Anu'vican continent. That position, Bir. T am anxious to maintain intact anil J say with tlie poet ;Mciti vriii' n'c'-it |>:is trr.iiul. mi.is jc Imis dims innii vrrre. (My tflas.> i> not Ijjl', Imt 1 drink lidiii my uhiss) Witli tlie siujile mandate, I have the guarantee that Quehec"s riglits and privileges will be preserved and resjiected and that its j)osition will l>e maintained ; ■while, with the double mandate, those rights and privileges seem to me to be in perpetual danger. ]>astly, ;■ ir, I shall speak my whole nund : with the single mandate, (Quebec is Quebec; with the double mandate, it only becomes an appendix to Ottawa. j,;i .'! :i III LOUIS BIEL IN THE COMMONS I'LKA AdAINST II IS KXITLSION FllOMTIIE llOl'SK ( ffOfJSE OF COMJIOXS) siTTLMi UK Till-: 15tii apuii,, 1 ^74 Rctiirnod for riovencher :n Oetoljer, IS73, Lnuis Riol had been re-elected for the siuue county at the .i;eiieral chH'tions 1)T whioli tlie Macken/ic Aeen promise I by the (ioveriior (ieiieral and by Sir Clinton Miu'doch in Her MasjestyV nami' ; whih^ on the iL'th .lulv Sir (ieoi'ge Htieniie ('artier wri,iti' to Mgr'l'aehe tocontirm the promise of an amnesty. In ls7(, ih,. jlou^e of Commons found Itself cniifionted with tliiec motions: one iiy Mr McKen/ie Bowell, demanding the inunediate expulsion of the uiemlier lor I'rovencher; tiie second, by tii<' late Mr Ifolton, proposing to defer any decision until the Conunittee hail ie]>orted on the existence of a promise of aiuiiesty, and the thiid by tlie late Mr ^Monsseau. giaiitiiiL' tle^ amnesty then and there. Mr Laurier declaved in favoi i>l the Iloltou amendment : 22 srF:K«ii l»i( ' ( i i i ^' i Mli SrKAKEtt Altlioujrli this debate lias l)oen )ir(il«infred beyond tbc limits of liuinan patienoo, I sbiill noveitbele.sw take tbe liberty ol"i)uttin<;tlM! indulgenfODrtlie IFouae to the test. At first, it was not n»y intention to take ]iart in tlii«» discussion, but it has taken such an unexjiec^ted turn that it seems to me tbat I would not properly do my duty towards myself and towards my eonstituents if T contented myself with givinji- a silent vote. 1 have listened, Sir, with the greatest attention to all the arguments which have lieen a no preilis])o::;iti (HI ihatevcr in his favor, Thavenevir spoken to him; I have never seen hini ; T have never had any relations with him either diri'ctly or imiirectly. He belongs to no puHtieal party and between him and me there is lio bond of sympathy : T am as impartial as if T was in the jury box. And we should all art as if we weri'jurors. iiecauso the functions we exercise at this moment are judicial fun<'tions. Tt is (juite true; that the object in view is to protect the lionor anil puiity of this House: l)ut it is cfjually true that the etVect might be to deprive 24 .si'EEcir li i «>iu> of our fellow citi/cns oi" wliat rijihtfuUy liolonps to liini, to .strip tlio niciiilier for I'rovondier of liis title aiul privileges us ii inemlier of tliis House, iuul to rob the county of I'roveiiclier of tlie services of the nmn whom it has ehoson aa its reprepeiitative. [ Jiiaintain that wc! are excereisinij; judicial funetions and, witliout goinu; forther, f base this opinion on the •words uttered l)y Fiord (irauville in tiie iCnglish House of I'onunonH in 1807. A aiinilar case to tliis one was in ([ueation. find tlie opinion referred to was later on quoted approvinj^ly by the Attorney (Jeneral for Ireland in tlie celebrated Saddlier affair alreaily ?o many times cited in the course of this debute. ilere is what lie said : AVe are now acting' in our judicial cupacity ami wo are consequently ol)ligo(l to base the Judjinicnt wn me uliout to render not on our desires or preposso^sionw, luit on spccilic laots allcfit'd and proved according to tiie ordinary rules f)f our pioecduie. This Opinion of Lord (Iranville's, ci>rroborated and a])proved as it was by the Attorney (ieneral for Ireland, in the Saddlier affair, gives us the true basis on which we should regulate our decisions and con- firms in a conclusive manner my contention that we are exercising judicial functions and that we should I'd low THE RULES OK .IfDICIAL I'KOOK. This point being established beyond all doubt, let us (examine the facta that have been alleged antl those that have been proven : The honorable member for North Hastings (Mr ]'>owell) has liased his motion on three facts. He as- serts : 1° That Louis Riel, member for Provcncber, Avas indicted before the Court of (Queen's Lench for ^Manitoba, in the month of November last, for the murder of Thomas Scott and that a //(^f b>lt was re- turned against him ; 2 ^ That thercuiion a warrant : i OS I.Ol'l.S KII'.I, KXl'n.MiiN 25 wan iPMued for liism-rest. Imt Hint, since tluit time, lio lina HysteMiifttic'iilly eluded justice iiinl lluit he is con- sequently contunnicious ; .'1 - Tliiit lie disolicyeil the order oi' this llnusc. ctMiiniiindiiig him to njiiiciir in his seat on the day lixed I ciintei^t the hoiiorahle nicnihijr for North llast- iuft's first assertion and I ;i:aintain that there is not a siiadow of piool' that an indictment was laid a;:r.inst the inendier for I'rovenelier and that a Iriir h'.il wiia returned a;4ainst him ; I mean to say that there does not exist tlie slightest judicial proof which would jus- tify tills House in taking action. There was only one way to |ifove this precise fact — it was hy producing the iiiilictinriit, hut nothing of the sort has been done. Singular to say, too — in the evidence given l)y the Attorney (ieneral of Manitoha, — there is not «ne word to prove that an iiidiclinnit was returned against the mcnd)cr for I'rovenelier. T will take the lil)erty of referring the liouseto the eviden((! of the Attorney (ieneral, at ])age 1(1 of the Votes and I'roceedings : (iiKsrni.N : — Did an indictment of l.ouis Kiel take place hefore the Court of Queen's iiench, in Mani- toba ? Answku: — At the cvlra teini of the Court of (iucf'n'fl J5eneh for Manitoha, in Novendjer last, Louis Kiel was indicted. And that's all. There is not a word to indicate that a 'rii/' bill was returned. If I make this remark, it is not because T attach any great iuj])ortance to tliis omission, for. from my point of view, the indictment could not lie proven except by the judduction of the document itself or of a certilicd copy of it. T have made this remark for the sole purpose of sbowiug how weak is tlie jiroof, even from the most ralde point ol view 3 regards the nioti on. ];ut ill be said, i»erha])s, tbat we have ample proof ; a /r?/r />/// Avas returned, in the warrant which - issucil against Mr. lliel and wliicli has been pro- uiiced. This argument cannot, he accciited. 1 will remind the House once more that we are exercising judicial functions and that we should bo fl 26 SPEECH '1 ' i J- ,1 guided entirely by the lules of judicial prouf. Is the rule admitted by Lord (iranville when the ques- tion was to deprive m. man of liis property not just enough that we should obscure it in the present case ? Wherefore I again insist on the necessity, tlie absolute necessity, of deciding this (luestion accor ding to the rules of judicial proof and not other- wise. The first of these rules is that, when the best proof can be furnished, secondary evidence 19 NEVEK AltMITTEf). Now, T note that this princii)le, which T luave just laid a 1o the bar of the House? f^imply, to get ollicial judicial proof regarding the ciiarges whicli he has laade against the member for r rove ncl WW It was noi t" liriiig any new facts to the know- ledge of the members of this House. We are acquain- ted with all the unfortunate event? that have occurred ill Manitoba before and since the entry of tluit prov- ince inti' tlie Cnnfederatii >n. i'A' erv one ot u. :ii(nv: tliose facts IS Wt! th as me Attonu'v (Icncral of Maiiitolwi himself and when he ap[i(',ire(l It tl' lar. uot a simcle ni(Mnl)er learned a Jiict thai \\(' liad nm [ircviotisly known. Why then did the lionorable menilier i'or North Hastings bring h(M'e tlie Attorney (ieneral of .Manito- ba and get liim to rei)e;).t what we already knew aa well as the witness ? It was because he admitted and rei'oguized the ])rii !!■ II e winch I am (lef(Mulniritis]i liberty. Thanks to these technical exin-es^iions, these le- gal snlitloties. no ])erson on l>riti>h soil can be arbi- trarily deprived ol what belongs to him. There was a time who the procedurr was niueli simpler than it is to-day, when the will alone of one man was sulli- cient to deprive anothiM' ni;in of liis liberty, bis j)ro- perty, his honor and all tliat makes life dear. J!ut. since tiie days of tiie (ireat Cliarter. never has it been '.-.ossible on lU'itish " soil " to rob a man of his liliertv. his ])roi)erty or his 1 lOUoi' except under the safeguard of what lias been termed in this de])ate technical exi>ressions and 1( gal subtleties. It will lie further ohjeeted. i>e"ha])s, tiiat the admission ')f tills jiriiiciph' will have the cfTivt of preventing this House from reaeliiiiga man ac; used of an abomiuiible crime. Tl lis ol)joetion simply > vailes t uestiim. for the point whicli remains to be deci(h'd is wliether it is true that sucli a cliarge exists against tlie memher for Proveneher. T maintain that, as long as we have not before us tiie literal proof, wo iiave no proof'. 28 spEFini Tt i8 i^erfectly true that in matters of this kind, ■\ve exercise A SOVKIUCffiX Al'TIIdlMTY. !! N o power can alter wliat we siiall (1»j, no matter ne ])0W unjust or .'irbitrnry it may be. We can. if like, take no account of the precedents (.'itcd for our guidance, pay no attention to the sacred laws estab- lished for tlie protection of the citizen, act upon in- complete cvideuce or upon none at all, but will wo do so ? We undoubledly have the power, l)ut have we the right to arbitrarily set aside tlie rules which con- stituts the security of society and of tlu^ citizen ? Tf the House forgets this f,o day, it may i)erhap3, obtain a temiiDniry satisfaction, but it will create a prece- dent which will l)e a perpetual danger for our con- stitution and which in the future will herve as a jirc- text for more crying acts of injustii <;. 1 sul)nut to the consideration ot the House that he who has to ajjply the law should not try to show himself wiser than the law. T submit that there is no practice more dangerous than to try to violate the law to ol)tain any result, no matter iiow desirable it nuvy be. I will be further told, perhaps, that these are lawyer's objection. This remark may have some force, Init what is still lu^rc forcible is tliat tlicse objeetiDUS command the respect of every man who respects the laws of his country. [ repeat that these objections are NOT MKIiK srr.TLICTIKS. While we have not the indictment here before as, we havti only an incomplete jiroof, a part of the proof. Tt we had had the indictment, we niiiiht havo cross([Ucsti()ned the Attorney General and then we would have succeeded in bringing out an important ox I.oris EIEI. 3 EXn I>]ON 29 fact, namely, that that indiclmen' was obtained by a conspiracy between the Attorney (ieneral and a packed jury In any case, wo coiihl have crossquestioned the Attorney CJeneral in regard to II IH STKANCiK CONDUCT. We would haue learned how it was that he, witii zeal enough to turn simple constal)le with a bench warrant in his ])ocket, did not seek bel'ore today to capture the man whom he calls a murderer ; how it was that to tliat man, whom he now calls a murderer, he for years applied the title of friend. Now, we cannot crosse:ited that we have no legal proof of an indictineiit ; it is true that we have before us that a bench warrant was issued by the Court of Queen's Hench in Manit()l)a against tiie member for Provencher and that so far that warrant has not bceft executed. This is all the proof befjre this House ia support ofthcmi)tion df the honorable memlter for North Hastings. V.'ell. T do not hesitate to say that, in law as \> ell as in justice and equity, it cannot l)e concluded from this simple fact that tlie member for Provencher can at this present hour be I I CONSIDEKKl) AS CONTrMACIolS. In point of fact, that warrant was issued at the term of November last. Now there is nothing very extraordinary in the fact that it could not be executed in time to bring the accused belbre the court before the close of the term ; the meml)er for Provencher might have been al)sent from Manitoba at that period. It '3 notorious that, since the unfortunate events of 1869-70, he has almost constantly resided abroad. Ft is very possible that the news of his indictment may not liave reached him until after the close of tiio term. But, it may b(! said, why did he not give him- self up tlien ? Simply because it was better tor him to remain iu lil»erty until the next term. Tfhehad given himself uji at once, he would have been oldiged to remain a prisoner for six or seven months, perhaps, awaiting his trial. Who can say, however, that he will not appear even to-morrow before the court, if it required his presence to-morrow? Who can say that he will not eagerly seize the occasion to stand his trial if that occasion lie given him ? But T hear it said : there as quite recently a term of the court and he did not give himself uj) to answer to the charge standing against him. Sir, this object is worthless, because if you pretend ON LOfIS lUKL S KXIMI.SION 31 tljiit tlie court lias sat. tlien where are the proceedings Avhich have l)een taken to e3tal)lish tliat he is a fugi- tive I'roiu justice? Where li' tlie report ol' tiie sheriff of tlie province attesting tliat lie tried to execute the warrant issued against the nieinher for Provenclier, hut tliat he could not succeed in doing so ? In the face of this proof or ratlier of this al)3ence of proof, where is the English suhject. with resi)ect for English law, who will dare to rise in this House and maintain that the meniher for I'rovenclicr is con- tumacious ? JJut there is more than all this. The niemher for Provenclier has always asserted that the old Adminia- tration had PKOMISKI) II I M AN AMNKSTY for all the acts in which lie had taken part in .Manitoba prior to the admission of that province into the Con- federation. Jle liaij reiterated this assertion twenty times, })erhaps. ITis friends have made tlie same assertion and the old Administration has never been ■willing to speak out on the subject. Called upon over and over again to declare what there was in this alleged promise of amnesty, to state simply yes or no, it has never been willing to say yes or no. I regard this obstinate silence of the old Adminis- tration as an absolute confirmation of the pretension of Mr Riel and his friends — it is a case of " silence giving consent." Well, if this be the case, if the member for i*ro- v(niclier was promised an amnesty for all the acts ■which he may have committed in Manitoba while at the head tif the provisional government, is it surpris- ing that he should not want to suluuit to those wlio now wish to drag him before the courts for those same acts? Is he not warranted in so acting? Is he not right in so (hnng in order that the promise of amnesty made to him, in the Queen's name, mav be carried out ? Who can say that, under the circumstances, he is a fugitive from justice, that he is contumacious ? 32 SPEECH No, Sir, as long as this question of tlie amnesty lias not been cleared up T, for one, shall never declare that this man is a fugitive from his country's justice. Moreover, this question will be soon elucidated, as no later than last week we named a committee to en(juire into it. This committee is sitting at this moment and the Ht)use, in my opinion, would do not only a culpable, 1)Ut an illogical and inconsistent act, if it came to any decision affecting this question from near or far, until it has received THE IlEPORT OK THE COMMITTEE. In addition, Sir, from the legal point of view alone, at the stage reached by the proceedings takea against tlie member for Provencher before the Court of Queen's Bench, in ^lanitolja, it is impossible to say that he is contumacious. T have already stated that I was ready, in all respects, to follow the rules laid down by the House of Commons in the Saddlier affair; now, the principal rule adopted in that affair is that a man cannot be declared guilty of contempt unless all the opportu- nities of standing his trial have been exhausted and that he has not sought to take advantage of them. Wlien the Saddlier affair came up for the first time before the House of Commons the motion for expulsion was rejected, because Saddlier could still come before the court to stand his trial and liecause it would have been premature to declare him contu- macious. The Att(n'ney CJeneral for Ireland said on tlie subject " ve of fair pUiy and of justice. Now, T aspert — and nohody can contradict me — that the mernher for Provencher has not on this occa- sion had either justice or fair play. The Mouse ii asked to come to an unjust and illegal decision ; hut, for my part. I shall never consent, in this instance or any other, to deprive a man of the smallest jiarticle of Iiis rights or jiroperty without firs-t having given him the henefit of all tlio legal I'onns to defend him- self. T therefore helicvc tliat, on this point as on the preceding ones, 1 can conclude in all safety that the allegations on whicli rests the motion of the honor- able memher for North Hastings are not supporte]c incinlicr lor ]>agtjt. in projiosing his nniendinrnt. is aleolutr ly tlie earno. Tliere socms to he .\.N INTIMATK AI.I.A.NCK l/('l\vt'cn tiic honovahlc nionil.or I'nr North Ilastinjrs and tlio homrahlf nicnilcr for l>a;f(il.( I'-xtrcnifH meet :) botli are on the war j.alh ar.d holh arc assailing n common enemy ; one directs liisi altncl; against the?, rigl^t Ihink and tlie otlier agiiinht tl>e lel't. and liolh hojx- tliat. it' Hie enemy ePctijKS licm the blows of llio one, he will fall under tliose of tlie other and that tliey will .Hiececd in eacli planting his Hag on the fur- trens to]>. Sir. r have not the honor to know (h(> lior.ora])]fl jnendier for North Jlastings. and 1 would not wish to susjjeet his motive;-; ; T do not Mr I'owell : — Oh! don't liesitate; T Lave no 8f knowing the honorable member for North Hastings. T do not want to sus- pect his motives : 1 would rather lielicvc in their .sin- cerity. ])Ut. as lor my honorable Iriend, the meiiiber ior I'agot. T kimw him too long and too well tt) not read his game clearly and 1 do not hesitate to s-ay thatlie isfar le.'s anxious lor the amnestying ofMr IJiel than Ik; is lor eoniprc misirg the Administration, if possible. 1 think that wlien the lionorable member for Pro- vencher learns what is b.appening here to-day he will txclaim : LolJli. SAAE MK KKOM MY I KIK.NOS ! As a matter of iV.ct, could tlie honorable mem- ON LOUIS UIKI.S EXIM'I.SION' .■^7 licr for I'iMuut soriiiusly li())w thut tlio IInuso uduld ivilopt his aiiiciKliiiiMii ? Wliv tlicu did lie itropo.'ae it? Tt WilS only l;|:^t \V('(>k fllMt tiu' I I nU-iC UHlini UK lUS- ]y iiiimed :i ('oimuitti'o to eii(|uii'o into the wIidIo (juo^tiou of the aiinio.sty. iind. at tins very liour, this coininitti'c i«< silting !iu(l M;^r 'Pacht' is giving his cvi- dcuci' Ucl'orL' it. Now, Sir, this {M)ninuttoc U useful m it. liecause. Sir. I tell tlie honorahle niemlter that from this day forward the province of (^uehec will know who are the pretended friends of Mr Iliel and what thev are aiming at in shouting so loudlv in his 88 SPKECII heliiilf. T iilso trust that Mr lliol will iiiuU-rstiUKl tluit lit* linw licc'ii iiiftdc till' tiMij til' !i low iiitrijiucrs. wlm. in the njiiiie y the hull, menilier I'or i^iiutii Ontario (Mr, Cameron), thai the Canadian Gtjvermment roreived the dele;j,'ate9 ol' Mr Kiel's gov- ernment and trcateii with liim as one power treat.s with another jiower. ir this reason exists in tact, the conclusion isinev- italde : the aimiesty must he.nranted. ^'csterday, the lion, mem Iter for .'^onth llfuce, (.Mr. Blake). re[)lying to the nuMnher i'or Sontli Ontario, seems to have admitted the lejiality ol'the proposition emitted by the latter, liecause he .u;ave lor stde answer that the proposition did not e.xist as a i|ue«tion ofract.that Mr Riel's/lelei^'atcs had ever lieen received hy tlieCanadi,"n (i'lvernment as dele;.iates ol .Mr. Jliel, hut asdelefxate.g of the jieople oi' Uecott's e.xe<'Ution, did nothing but give eifect to tho sentence of a court. However illegal may have been that court, how- ever iniipiitous nuiy have been the sentence rendered by that court, the; lact alonijthat it was rendered by a court and that that court existed iits nt H( il River in is<;o.7o ;i3 constituting a glorious page in our iiistory. if unfor- tunately tiiey liad n . state of liuaian nature and of all that is huni.m : (;oon .\Nn v.vii, are constantly inlerniingled ; the most glorious cause is not fr(,'e from inipurit}' and the vilest may lu've its noble side Yes, orce uh.re, T say that to ask for the amnesty now will simply render it more dillicult to obtain it eventually. Ik'fori' sitting down. T may be allowed to sum \ip in a single word : we have no proof of the facts on ■which the motion of expulsion rests and to adopt thai motion would lie not only to eonimi; an arbitrary act, but to e.^tablish a precedent which will lie a jterpe- tvial danger to our free iastitutior.-^. THE TARIFF QUESTION IN 187? PROTECTION vs A IIKVKMK TARIFF {HOUSE OF COMi\I().\^) SlTTINi. {)]•■ TlIK liL'.M) MAUCll. 1>77 It was iliiriiit: the session of 1^77 that Sir Jolm \. Macilo- niihl, lor •111- (i!>t tiiiii'. lai-^pil the laimnis ciy of •• a National Poliry.'' -Mr I.auiior took jiait in tlie debate after thohite hlv j\roiis>eaii. L'nibrtiuiatply there exists only a very ineomiilcto and poor version of his speeeli in the OtHcial IIuiis,tnl. -Mr. I. auric r ^aid lie would not nileiiipl tn i'ollnw the honoijililc ^oiitleiuan throujiii the whole raii.ue of his iirjrunuMit. Were it iieet\?f!ary. he could cap the (luotations cited hy suiievior and counter (luotatious. Every one must admit that the jiolicy of llie Admin- istration was at once i-.uiipreh.ensive, delinite and clearly mapped out. The Firil Minister had declared over a'ld over a.niiin that, thoujxh he v.as in iivinciple a iVce-trader. Jiic theory oi" frer-tral' till' linnorahle Uicmlicrs for ('eiilic W cl- m 42 tjrEECII liiijrton and Kingston ? The least that eouUl be said in this ii'hition was lliat it was loose, vague and very faintly ihilincateil. The riglit honor. tljle nictnhor lor Kiu.e remodelled so us tn Ulster tlie aii'rieultural, luinin;^ and ninnut'ai;ti!- ring interests ot tiie c-ountry. No one wioild say that these words did -lot sound well. lUit the eountry r(>i{uir('d soinethini:; more, ft required tt> know whether tiif means wliereby this ^reat result would be achieved were natural or nuigical. Tin; ri;^lit honurahle mem- h(M' cannot expected any of his colleagues to pledge him-clf against the policy of the (rovcrnnient unles.s it wa-^ kuowii WilAT Till-; Pol.li'V TO REI'l. MK IT WAS ro UK. ()i course, the result of the ro.-(.lutioii •■ was a lore- gone co;u'lu-ion — they would he rejected l>y a large majority. l'>ut, il'the result was at all douhtlul, or the Irilanco ol' [);u'ties was not us it was, there would only he a more I'orcible reason that theeountrj' should know il once the extent to which the ()pi)osition conuuitted themselves. lUit the resolution and the arguiuciit-s ol" houoral^le gentlemen opi).)site had no |)rinciple. The resolution of the rig'i*^ honorahh^ mem- lier I'or Kingston eoutained only one assertion, viz : '■ That the iinancial ])olicy suhinitled by thetiovern- ment in(M'(\i-a's the burthen of tax;it.ion on the people, without any compensating advantage to ('.imnlian industries."' lie (Mr. Laurier) took that asst;rlioii to he a fallacy and an orror. Ther^^ v.as no increase of taxation. The tariff uas adjusted, but the taxation was not increased. Tiiere wa.-^ an increase in .'ome respects, luit a decrease in other respects, and the tariff wa- not onerou- upon the people, llonm-ahlc gentleman opijosiie shv)uld not forget that some of till! Ciiau^res arost; out o\' their own action. They •sliould not forget that last year onpposition would have been ecpiaily hind in their reL;rets. And now, when the tariff was pnitly increased and partly decreased, the <)[tposition wtie. as ever, hu;d in their expressions of refxrel. TUK CIIIEl' ('Aroalut this was not the lan- guage \v!)ich the great l/dicral-l'onsei'vative party should u.-e. The l.ih'aal party ncvei' f-hrank honi declaring its }i(di', y, denouncing ahuses and sugges- ting renu'dics ; and it injt only suggested hut h)rced remedies down the throat of the (iovernment whii-h then t;xisted. I hit, perhaps, it was not fair to expect gentlemen opposite to give the House thc-ir p(diey. He thought they ha.d a very great icason why they should not. And that reason was that tiiey had no- thing detiu'te; they had no policy. They had a higli- sounding nanu'. which they called the " NaticiUal Po- licy. '" 11' the motion were to carry, and the (iovern- uient were defeated, ar.d the Opposition formed a new Administration, the ve y moment they attempted to cari'yout their National I'olicy. there would he a con- fusion worse than that at the Tower of lialiel. Kach intere t would sjicak a (liflVrent language. which wouhl not he understood l.j- the olliei'. l'>ven now they did not agr(>e. They had the name oi' a National I'oliey, hut not the substance. Tin; resolution of the liglit honorable member for Kingston proposed jirc (ectiou for three interests — the iruinuriictunng. agricultviral and nnning. The I'csolution of the honciraijie member for Hamilton (.Mr Wood) threw overboard theagiieul- tural and mining interests, and only advocated pro- tciliou to manulactures. ]!ut. thcmon.ent theamend- ment to his own motion wa^ made, ihe right honor- able member for Kingston ;;cjepted the modilication ii , 46 fPEECIt of hi< policy. Tlio lioiioraMc ineniber for Centre Wul- linjftoii (.Mr Ortoii) then threw ovorliourd tl-e niunu- facturing and mining- interests, and ni(jved in favor of ugri(!ullure alone, and tlii.s was at once accepted by tlie Opposition. He believed that, were a re-^olution presented in I'avonr of luiiiinii: alone, it would be suj)- ported by the gentlemen oppo.site. Tlie National Po- licy bad not yet been batcheil, and. if it bad any basis at all, it was tluit li-'.ii TIIK IIREAI) Ol' TIIK PEOPLK SlIOlLU JiK TAXTI), and this was tiu; remedy proi)i>sed for the evil.^ of the present (iovernment by the great Cnnservative party, ■which professed to lie the friend of the people. lie could not sjieak for any province Imt his own, but in Quebec the National Policy was held to be a mockery and a i'arce; it was an inhuman jxilicy, in that it would make fuel and food dearer. As to the charge of inconi^istency against the Liberal party of Quebec in this matter, Mr. Papineau was a prtitectionist not so much from reasons of political economy as political reasons. Our country was then struggling to obtain political lilierty and responsible government, and the French Liberal party prciposed tliat we should dose ourselv(;s within our own limits ami buy notiiing from England. i>ut now we were given most ample justice and tlie most comi)lete liberty, and the result ■was that, in all tliis vast empire over wliich the sun never sets. there were 110 peo))'.e more attached to Bri- tish institutions than French Canadians. He held, however, that there were some industries which could not beestal)lisbed without the aid of legislative action. He said this oinnh' and in the face of his own poli- tical friends. Thcr. it might lie asked why he favored the policy of the present (iovernmcnt '.^ His answer was that it was because there was ON TFIE TAKll'l' QTESTION IX 1877 47 NO NECESSITY FOlt MOliE I'lidTEi TldN tlian we had ; tlic party o]iii(t.-ito did r.ot .=0 imicli Avaiit iiu'voased protoctiim as to arouse tlif iirojudicfs oi" tlic masses apainsl tlic (lovcrnnieiil . It iviust nut 1)0 I'or.iiottoii tlint tlM'tarilf was adeiiuntc. We had a, tenipnrary del'u-it. it was tr;U'. hut tliat would he inot by increased econoiiiy. Tl'tlie uenlh'nicn opiKisite Avere in earnest they wduld point out the industries wliicli wanted protection, lint instead of tluit they did nctthintr hut f;;cnerali/,e. \\'hen they si^ike of pro- tection they said nothinjr unless they said everythinif absolutely definite. Free-tra«le was a ]irin(iple, hut protection was not a principle. When they asserted the doctrine of free-tratle they were at once understood. Tliey laid down the i)rinci[i]e that all the relations of trade must he rejiulatcd hy tlie same conditions. But protection could not l)e treated as a i)rinci])le, as it did not carry with it any definite idea. Tt simjily aflirnied that certain l)ran(Iics of industry nuudit to lie put beyond the ordinary rules of 1 radc. and that the enh;',nced price of the article would h(> more than cumpensated liy the addition to ihe lain ur of the country. He called upon the yeutlenien oi)i)osite to sliow that 17j jier cent, was not suflieient ])rotection. The country was somewhat jirospemus under the re- .iJliiueof the L'lntlenien i)])})osite.])Ut this fat t wasauainst the argument tiiey now use(h for the tariff then was lower than at present. But that was not all. Hi.s boiKirahle friends fVom Terrebonne and l>a,C!ro[)ose that the Canadian duty .should he increased from loc. to lOc. ? Instead of tiuit, they proposed that the loc. duty should he reduced l)y one half. That was how honorahle gentle- men opposite i)racti,HHl retaliation, while they de- clared tliat the (iovernment should ado]it a retalia- tory policy, yet in iiracticc. instead of asking thai the tariff on petrohmm should he increased to tliut of the Uniteil 8tate^, they asked that it should he decreased. If the prot(>i:tion duly of '_*•") per cent, on ijctroleum has destroye(l that industry, wliat would l»e the elFect of imposing a tarifron trade ni'4n, ."() of 1()() pei' cent.? The effect would lie that our industries would l)e complct'dy annihilated, lie could not unilerstand the conduct of h(moral»le gentlemen opposite when they liclieved the country would not see through such pler.s. lie supposed these honorahle gentlemen would some tlay return to power, and how would they allu'm the policy of retaliation ? lie asked them io point out how they would retaliate, would they reta- liate on everything, itetroleum included : would they exclude that article? It was (iuit(>d evident that the retaliatory policy was ON TAniir iin>riiiN i\ 'i I 4Q S\\\l'\.\ A CRY, poiuctliiii).' to Huit tlifir purpose fur tliu time, Imt wlifii tlic'v cDiiif li;u'l< to iiower it wmild never he liftiird of ;iL,Miu. Tiiiit rcliiliiitory jioliry rcniindcil liiiii ol' lilt; old loiu[)lc of .TiiniH. tlio doors of wliicli wcrfopcn duriii;:' wiir hut cloiJcd as soon as why was over. I r :;>ii:. m-ut Icmeu 0|iposilc canic oack to oH'icis tlio doors "I' tlie nstaliatory policy would lie cioscil. lii'vcr to t)pi'n laojo. Tlic theory of retaliation, called a ])olitieal ])oliey. was a theory of the lion, nicmher lor Terrchoniie (.Mr. Masson). as he .Liave it the other day in his speech. .Mr. Ma~son said it was not his policy, he frave it as the i)olicy of Sir Alexander ( lalt. .Mr. I.a'/r:er a"iit had used angua,ii;e winch, ir suhversive do.'tri lie was (luite equal to that used hy tliehon. nicmher for Terrehonne. Tile hon. nie.uhcr for Ua^ot (Mr. .Mousseau) had attacked the I!enc]i of his e()untry and had sjjoken of it in derisive and ciiluninious terms and aiii)lied to the Heiu'h a t(>rm not fouml in the i-'rench lanL;uaa,i;o( had ^onc .-til! I'aithcr and in tono^ of virtuous indii^iudion had even act used Ihf ( lovcrnmcnt and its iVifutlf with I'atlcnin^fun liu' sweat d'tlic iK'oplc. Fattening on thes-weatol' the jito- ])le IS a very liif^ word in the nioulli of the niend'cr I'oi' j'a^nt ! The cxiiressien is not a new one. hut it is soniethinK unexpected from the lii the hon mendier. During- the French llevtdution in the thiy.s ot" \'endendaire,( ieneriil I'lUonaparte had hecn ehartiCtl jiythe Directory with the duty of niaintainin;i order in I'aris. lie was traversinf,^ th(> theatre of the recput insurrection. wlien, i'roni ii threateninir proui). an enor- mously !-toul fishwoman stepjied out, and, with raised arm, siiouted : " I'liere is one of those who are fatten- injj on the sweat of the people ! '' The ficneral, who, .it that time was extremely thin, answered her : " Hut, my i' compared with that of the Tory jiarty when deprived of the spoils of oflice. POLITICAL LIBERALISM DKllNrTIoX OF TIIK IJIlKUAI. IDKA Mil. I.AIKlKl; AN AliMIUKl; ANH DISCIIMK oK TIIK KNt.I.IsII l.IllKUAI. ^fllOOl, Leviure delivered at flit' Aradtmy of Music. Q/i'/nr, on file invilatiott of the Cluh ('aiiudien, en (he 'l^Uli .//o/e, 1877. [■rr:ii.-iiiiiiiii.] ilr Presidcn/, Lailics ami (]inilrii,r]i, I cannot ronccal the tact that it was with a certiiin I'ct'ling ul' |>lca.>-ui'(' that T acccptfd the invita- tion to come hel'oie you tn exjjhiin what are tlie ^k are nu- merous and delicate, oii the other hand Tain ;'0 iuihucd with the inii)ortan( e for tl e Lilieral party of clearly deliniufr it? )Hi*ition, before the puiilic opinion of the ])rovince. thtitthis consideration was to my mind I'ar al)ove all tl;e ('thers. Ii iCl. \il not oeceive mv.'^cif with re^ald to the IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 'V. /, {/ .< c. / C/j '4<5 1.0 I.I 1.25 '" 1= IIIM 12.0 illU m 1.8 lA nil 1.6 VQ <^ /} % e. ■& & ^,>: o /,. X. / //a Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (7)6) 873-4503 a\ ^q\ ^^ \ \ ^. O^ %^ o:^€i, if C/j o^ 62 SPKECir i :i( position oftlio I.ilii r;il p;irty in the i»roviiiie df (Juo- 1»(',: and T iiavt' hd iif~ilalioii in inimcdiately ■^ayin'r tliat it oc('U|iics a false position \'y<>n tin; -^lanil|Miint of j»nlilic opinion. I know tliat. in the eyes of a laru<^ nunilMT lit" my tclinu luuntiynicn. the Lilicial party is apnrty compnsod of men oipowtTsc doctrines and dan;.MToUr; tcudi'iicic?!, pressing:- K-now ini^lv and clclii)- eratc'ly towards rcvtdution. 1 lf ionsly.lait fatally, tow ardsrovo- Intion. In line. 1 know 1 liat. in the eves o|' another. and not the lea-t coni-iileraMe ])ortioii.i)erliaps. ofour people. Liherali.'-ni is a uvw form oi' evil, a lieiepv earryin'j- with it it~ own eondeiiination. I know all this and it is liecanse I know it. that T liave aeeeptod the invitation to come here. I have iiot the presuniptit)n to lielieve that anything: I nn,Ldit say lurre to-ni;.dit will have the* tiVet ol'dis.aipatitiLiany iif tin' prejudii cs existinir at |ir<'sent a.u■ain^^t us: my only amliition is to lead the way in the liojie that it wili lie followed liy others and that the work thus fieiiun will he fully eariiedout; my iireten.«ion,s uo no tV.rtlier than tid.s. And let no one say that this manife.statiou isi use- less or untimely. It is neither U'^eless n(n- untimely to eomhat t]\<* prejudices which have Keen liy raised like a l)arrier everywhere hetwcen us and puldic opinion : it in neither useless nor untimidy to clearly deline our jiosition as it really is. It is (|uite true that we have Iteen already loni^ enouirh hffore public opinion to Liive it full opportu- nity to know and appreciate us. Ikit it is e(|ually true that. if we have had our enemies like every other [•olitieal jiarty. we have lieen more assailed than any- «)tiier political party. Of our eni^mies. the one liavf» systematically slandered us: the others iiavein irood faith calumniated us. jioth have reiiresented us a.s ON* I .MITIiAI, I.II'.F.IIAI.lSM »^ |>njtV\a3iiiL; iliii triiicH. \\\v cfrt'i l nl' w hicli. t'oro.ii'on tind calciihiti'il liy ^f'liic III' us. imt rnic^fccii l)y. liiit futai lor till' otlior?!. Willi 1(1 lie tin- nvi'i'tlirow ol' iiur sufit'ty, the ifvoluliiiii witli Jill its Imirors. Ti> ic'|ily to these ( li;ir;^('-i iUlll III (Iclcnd (lUr pnsilinn is (he oliji'Ct nl tiio di'iii'iiir^tratiou nt'tliis cvciiiiii: (Hgiiiii/cd hy the Chih Cmi'llir II. Tit iiiv mind, the iiri-;t flli 'acioiH, thi^ only way, in uk t. to lU'lcat thi-.-^c ( hai'iio.-i, to dclV-nd our idea.s and |irini'i|de.«. is to maUe ihcni ls place on the grountl of ])ur>' (pM'stion-i ol prineiph', when acts are judged iuii'rding 'o thetlior.Liht s Ly which they are inspired, when people v.ill hject, lu it is the most important point. All tlie charges made against, us all the objections to our doctrines, may lie crystnllized into the t'ollnwing ]n"op(. itions : I- fiilieralism is .a new form of error, a heresy jilrendy virtually con- demned by the head of the Church: 2- A ("atholic cannot be a Liberal. This is what our adversaries proclaim. .Mr. l*i'(!sident, all who honor nu; witli their att(Mitir)n at this moment wil I do me the justice of r(!cogui/ing that I put tlic (juestion as it is and that T exaggerate nothing. All will do me tlie justice of admitting that 1 reproduce faitlit'uily the re))roa.ciies wliicli are day after day east up to u=!. .Ml will acknowledge that it is well and truly tiie language <»!'the Conservative press. 1 know that ("atholic fiilieralisni has been con- demned by the bead of the Church. Hut T will bo i> kcd : what is Catholic Lilieralism? On thethreshold of this (luestion [ stop. This tpiestion does not come ■within the ))urview of my subject : moreovor, it is not ol' my competence. Hut T know and T say that Catho- lic laberaiism is not political Liberalism. If it were tiiictliat the ecclesiastical censures hurled against Catholic LilieraJism should also apjtly lO political ON I'dMTiCAr. mri:::am^>m ••>o Liliorali-'!!! thi-s t';ir't would constitute for u=i. French It^v oriLfin iinil Catholics liy relijfion ii state ol'tliinjis. t]»e f'on-e(in(M!i'0'S ofwiiicli wnuld In- as strange us tlioy wouM lio painful. In tact. we. French ("anadians, are a (Mni(|uorod race. Till-? i^ a nu'lauchuly truth to utter, init it is the tnUh. I'nt. it" we are a coniiuered rane. we liavri «l?o made a mniue-t: the c(iii(|ue,st of lilierty. We an; a tree people ; wo are a nunority. Init we have retained all our rights ami all our privilege-*. Now. what is the eause to which we owe this lilierty? It is the ciin.atitu;ion which was eoiKiuercd hy our tor'>- i'athers and whi<'h we enjoy to day. W'e have a eon- Htitution which ha'sos the gov(>rnnient on the .atiffragft of tlie citi/.ens and which was granted to us tor our own protection. We have not inon; rights or more ]»rivileges, hut we have as many rights and as many lirivilege-^ as the other elements, which go to make up the Cnnailian t'amily. Ihit it nui-^t not he {'(UMzotten that the other members nf the Canadian faiinly are divided into two parties, the jdlieral jiaity and the Conserv.ati vr [uirty . Xjw, if we. who are Catholics, are not to have the right to have oui' /'references, if we are not to have the right to Itelong to the Lilieral party, one of two things must hapjien. either we would lie ohliged to ah-tain eompletely t'roai taking auy share in the managenumt of theairairs of t!ie State and then, th,; cou-titiilion — that constitution which was granted to us for our own i>rotection — would he no longer in our Inmds only a deaart in the management of tlu^ afTiurs of the State vnider the direction and to the profit of the Conservative! party ;iii I then, our action heing no longer tree, the constitution wouhl again he in our liands a dead letter and w(> would in ay the other mem hers of the Camxdian t'amily composing the. Coiiscrva'iv(> party a-* too's and slaves. \h) i.ot these ao;^ur.l consequences, the strict aucu- 56 .si'Ei:( 11 Yiicy 'if wliicli noliody can (iiU'Stinii. cdncln-ivol y f]u)\\ how fiili^c i.j the ai^KortidU tliat a Catholii cannot lieloiiji to the liihcial party ? t^iiuc I'loviilcuce has uiiitfl together on tliis corner « 'I' (>;irth iiopulalions of dilTcrent oriLiinn aiul cret^drf, is it not inanile.st tliat tliedc |ioiiuhitioi;.* must luive tojrether conuiion ami i(U'ntioal inlfrc^t^ and that, ill all that atTccts tiicsc intcre^ln. each one is tree to I'ollow either tiie l.iheral party or the CoiiHer- vutive i)arty, according,' to the dictates of his cnn- dcienee ? For niy part, 1 lieloni: to tlie hihcrjl jiarty. Tl' it l)e \vrproaroudly with its hanners displayed, in the lull faceoftlu^ country! J^'fore all. Imwever, it is imjiortaut to ( ome to an understanding upon the meaninu'. value and hearing ot'the word " Fiiicral "' and that uthcr word "■ Coii.-ei- vative. " I niaintjiin that there is not one; tliinji' less under- stood iu thiscountry hy itsa.«sailaiits than 1-iheralisiu sind there are several reasons for this. Tt is only yesterday that we w('re iriitialed into representative institutions. The Kngli^h c^lcuHMit understand the working of these institution in some way hy instinct, as well as hy lo i^ I'Xpcrieiice. On the otiier hand, our jieople hardly understand them yet. Education is only heiiimiing to sjiread amonji^-t us and. in the ca«e of the educated, our l-'rench educa- tion leads us naturally to study the history of modern t,>N I'OI.M'I- AI. MIlKK \1.IS\I 67 lil)t'rtj', not in tlio -. And ilin«'. unl'ortiiiiiitclv. tin' lii^tniv of lilicrty lias liccn w littii most iiaiTou in<,' |iap< - u I >n h'ltcri iIiiimI on tl le liicli till' annuln of t lie liuniim race, iiorhaps. mtain. Tn all I'las-^ of oihicatoil socioty may 1)( i^ccn loyal .souls, who. iViiriitencd hy tlicsp mournful ))aj.;o.<. regard with tcrrtir the fpirit of lil'crty. inia^iiiiiiLf that it mu-l lu'oducc iioro th<'sani(! difiastcr.s and ihc :-anit' crinu'H as in the countries T havt'ju?l rcfeiTod !<>. In 1 ho eyes of such well meaning people, the very word " Lii>eralism " is fiaUL'ht with national calamity. Without lilaming altnjrether tho>e tears, liut without allow iiii: ourselves to hi' fri