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Tous les autres exempialres originaux sont film6s en commenpant par la premidre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la dernidre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suivants apparattra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole — ►signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbole V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre filmds A des taux de reduction diffdrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clich6. il est film6 d partir de I'a.igle supdrieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas. on prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 32X 1 8 3 « S 6 vJ i 1 -«-' f- icM /fa c 77/A" 5/i' ^ 5 A I" It- ; OF i8gi. ii. \ ] .•• »*■ NICHOLAS M^0| DAVIN, M. R IN THE RlVilitA^lkN HALL, SATURDAY, BMCEJ^ BE H d, ISOl. t -r-i— THE LEAD ) 111^1^1? Y [limited.] s^'\-^ !) n*''' I I trw«wwwww« P«IVW 9*-.: THE SESSION OF i8gi. A SPEECH DELIVERED BY NICHOLAS FLOOD DAVIN, M. P. IN THE REGINA TOWN HALL, SATURDAY, DECEMBER o, 1891. Mr. Chairman, electors of West- em Assiniboia, after a long and laborious Session I come before you to give an •ccount of my stewardship. We all " feel good." You havo had a great harvest here, and 1 have not had a bad harvest at Ottawa. (Cheers.) You remember that when some — aye, many — doubted this country, I never doubted it. In the hours of darkness, my faith shune as clear as it does to day. We started tnit eight years ago to reuiove bad lawf, to fight administrative follies, and one by one they have fallen, and to-day there remains but one thing to do to complete the programme, and that is to get the second homestoad for those settlers who entered for land be- tween the 2nd June, 1884, and the 2nd June, 1886, You, who have watched what has gone forward, know that all this has been accomplished only by hard, persistent fighting. Repulsed, forming again for the charge and again repulsed, forming once again and (mce more repuls- ed, once more arming for the onslaught, until the <»i»j)03ition gave way, and the position was taken. (Cheers.) Our work hitherto has been icouoolastic breaking down admistrative idols. Now, all is clear for the constructive statesman when- ever he shall appear. \Miat may not be d(me here in the North- West, not only for the North-West, but for Canada — for nation-building — by statesmanship! Herj are millions of fruitful acres, stretching away up to the Peace River, swelling from the Red River to the bases of those ^"^^^ /^^im^llti--- -r, A^ •ts^^sfi^rf?. s siililiiiu> Iiills which m.-iy cninidi; isoii witli tins AIjik ; 1' clialklii^'e IhikIs for wluat: hinds i^mw inj; j^igaiitic lont criij)s; liiiiils ill whicli vi'^fi'tuhh'H tefiii ; l.iiids (if iiiirivfilk'd jiastiiuiLjo ; and over aciiif^s thi! Athmtic niilliuns of men and vvunioii cdwuiing nndtr tyranny, and cianipi'd in ovci- ciovtU-d states and ish's! Ti> liiing tliose millions and make free men of them in fric homes men w ho will love, and who^eehildri'n will love, theimmeasur- able Canaan where tley will hav(! found a hH]ipv and expansive refnye fiom (heir Egyptian bondage ; a land where we call no man master • v lord, and how our head to none hut (Jod. (Cheers). This is the prohleni for th- statesman I This is the jirohlem, that solved, will make Canada indepi-ndont, powerful, antl a Messing lo humanity. It is not in human nature but that durint^ those years there should have l)ee)i some fe 'lings not of the most calm- not of the sweetest, stined. But now, looking back on the great work done, would tliiit we could b.ithe our minds and heaits, so far iis they are charged with a drop of bitterness, in some ha]>|)y stream of forgetfulness, and with bofoms full of truth, courage ard charity, brace ourselves for whatever good work the future may offer I Standing here to- day as on a mount of vision, I look back and 1 see this hind a decade ago, a wilder ness. In the i)resent I see thriving towns gnjwing into cities; a worlddiighway with Hong Kong for one terminus and Liver- pool for another ; railways running north and south. In the future, a ticming, prosperous population ; with great cities ; with great marts ; trains bjaring our grain not only to Myntreal, but to Churchill and the steamers clearing Hudson Bay to make Liverpool in three or four days (cheers) ; stately halls and temples ; the tall chimneys that tell of industrial life .at its height ; the t nvered structures and domes of learning, of commerce, of art ; the North-West no place to be j)atronized, or sciueezed, or slighted, but making herself felt as the most potent factor in the great Dominion of Canada. (Cheers.) Now, I do not want to fight battles over again. That is barren' work. But I nuKst refer to the last electi<»n, men <»f .\ssiniboia, for you fought liere a battle that will be memorable in the history «)f Canada- which speaks in trumpet tones to all jioliticiai.H : " Do your sion, in every Session, I fought for your interijsts, no matter whom I otlended — utterly careless about ])ersonal ambition. It was n novel course to take in Canada. Peo])le said again and again that 1 had killed myself; that I should never be re-elected ; that all the resources of power would be used against me. But I will say this for the great man that is gone— my illustrious leader— my friend, side by side with whom I fought in '78, whose cjH)sition could be worked up with any hope of success," and he goes on with other remarks showing 1 had the entire conti- dence of Sir John Macdonald. But more wonderful to say, on the same day I received from Mr. Dewdney, to whom I had not written on the subject, two letters, one in autograph, the other official, both saying very much the same thing. The ofhcial letter of the Minister, to whom Sir John Macdonald had evidently said — "Dewdney, I wish you'd stop this nonsense on the p.irt of your friends stirring up strife against Davin. He m our candidate," or something to that effect, ran as follows (I cannot read it all to you as there are some private observa- tions in it): — "Ottawa, Feb. 7, 1891. " My Dear Davin — I have been wiring some friends in Regina advising that they should offer you no opposition, and to let y(m uo in l»y iu'clumutioii," uiid after u ?«w iimre Hent«;nce.s <>f u privuto iiHture, " Delic'vi' nil', Youth sincoroly, E. Dkwdnky." The Hutogmphh-'tter w.is almoHt idoiiticul : "Ful). 7, '01 *' Mv Dkak Davin - I Imvo luion using luy iiitliitMico to induct' our friends to give you no factious opposition and hope you miiy get, in by iiccliiuiation. " After one or two runmrks of a private nature ho con- cIuf such kindness '. (Jentlenien — Reformers, Conservatives— never. Can- iidians by birth, Canadians by adoption ; Scotch, Irish, English, and my noble (iennan friends, were all here. It was a great .source of strength to me to have been sup]iorted by lleformers as well as C'onservafives. 1 waa indebted to no one but my constituency. I was far stronger thin \\.A I* been elected by acclamation, and the i.isue .shows that it would often be well for a constituency to unite on a good man and place the interests of the coun- try above party. Never could I express my thanks — my gratitude — to the electors If I may (piote Schiller: !ifinin tcill Icli, all inchi Dtukcn la di n [.(the Mtillen Sf7'oni vci n( n/xcn ALer vicine Liebe nicltt. 'y.j blood may lose its hie, my brain its •■'i-,ver. and this frame perish even while (iiiKjuering pain ; but in the midst of the li-atitied, your goodness to me, would o;.:eige a distinct emotion amid supernal ji V (loud cheers). I wrote Sir John Macdonald, among other things, of the way Herchmer had l^eliaved to me, and he wrote back: " Kah.nscmfik, Ottawa, April 10, 1891. My Dkak Davin,— I will have a rigid entpury made into Herchmer's conduct during y(»ur election. — Always yours, John A. Machonalk. " I replied as follows: " Ukoina, N.W.T., April 2l8t, IHOl. My Deak Sir John,-- Your note re Herchmer arrived this morning. It will re(|uire no very rigid enquiry into his conduct iluring and subsetpient to elec- tions to show you that ho utterly disre- garded White's telegran: expressing your view that he should not interfer*. He seems to have telegraphed back that my tolei;ra])hed complaint that he was inter- fering was " untrue." White, in his let- ter, asks me, " VHio loaded me up the other way '( " He is, I am sure, compet- ent for his position, and by this time he must know how the Police were loaded up, imd how, to use the language of those who des])i.sed the tyrant, the " poor devils " who voted fov me have been loaded down. I have implied that I think a man at the head of a great organi- zation should, if he be comj)etent, know what is going (Jii within it.. I must re- tract this proposition, for I could not retain a shadow of respect for you, the leader of the Conservative j)arty, if I thought you knew all that went on during the late election in this ctmstituency. I hope and believe you did not know that tlie whole power of the (iovernment at Ottawa was, so far as this could be done without declaring open war with me, used against me. The one cry on the part of men who are the chosen friends of a Minister of the Crown, was, "Sir John does not want Davin," and when they came to tlivitle the meetings, the whole meeting went to the right for Davin. leaving these missionaries where the goats will go, on the left. Such a course was unjust to you in a constituency where no man in Canatla coultl run against me and make it necessary for me to ask for a vote, unless, intleed, that man were yourself; but it was doubly unjust to you, for without, I think, taking too seriously my fifteen years' service, I have done more for you than the whole pack, if mul- till t(t thil th.l odJ li 1 Ifi, 1891. liHvo II rigid iei'8 conduct '8 yours, L'KONALI). " Jlst, 1891. >ur note re "K- I^ will iry into his cnt to elec- tterly disro- russing your •rfer*. He ick tlmt niy o WIV8 inter- J, in his lot- nie uj) the TO, cotnpot- his time he •ere loiuled ige of those Hio " j)oor have been ied that I rcat organi- tent, know I must re- could not you, the irty, if I on during oncy, I ;now that unient at be done with nie, cry on chosen )\vii, was, vin," and inootings, right for es wliere Such a stituency II against ue to ask nan were t to you, seriously \'e done :, if mul- ti[ilii'd lifryfohl, coidd do. I was uiiabk! to addrcHH tlio people in the oast wliore this stattjuient was niadi*, but they gave their aiiHwt'r. 1 was not uwart! wlu-ii the tiglit opened of the ival niagi\itulices. Their schemes were circum- vented almost as soon as conceived. I am, my dear Sir .lohn, always sincerely yours, N. F. Davin. To the Right Honourable Sir John A Macdonald, (i.C.B., etc' THK .SESSION. went to Ottawa, to business and considef what should be the work of the sessicm. A week generally elapses with- out anything of a serious nature hapi)en- ing. Meanwhile 1 was maturing my plans and prepared resolution* which, after casting and re-casting them I hand- ed in on the 8th, to be placed on the paper on the 11th of May: (1) " May 11 — Mr. Davin - That, whereas in 1883 an Act was passed granting second homesteads to those settlers who had completed the conditions of the first Homeslead entry ; and, whereas, in 188(>, an Act was passed abolishing the policy of second Home- steads ; and, whereas, in 1887 an Act was passed which acknowledged the principal and right of those second Home- steads, it should now be enacted that all those settlers who came in between Ist Well, 1 got down and began soon to • liuie. IS.SM, and 'Jnd dune, IH8H, nhouM, on completing their improvemeniH. lie grunted a secony the (Jovernnient and inco'porated in a Hill : and wheieas, the clause fouiuled on such motion was eliminated in the Railway Coimuittee of the Senate and the Hill returned to this House too late to admit of its l>eijig re- inserted ; and whereas the nuisance souiiht to be remedied by such clause still exists, this House is of opinion that such an ainendnunt to the liailway Act is imperatively necessary, with prcjvision for an ade({uato penalty.' Meanwhile Dr. Brett and Mr. Betts, M.L.A''s, arrived to discuss the terms of the new constitution with the rjovern- ment I saw Dr. Brett and asked Mr. Dewdney to give us an interview. He wrote me across the Htjuse as follows : " House of CoMMOi\s, 14th May. My Dear Davin - We will be all at the Committee to-morrow ini.'rning. If I riwiHi' (i it i.s liki'ly ti> In- ii Ion;,' iiHM'tiiij,' ln-ttiT niiiku it MniKliy hh uh Siifurd ly wi- \vi^ CHiifcruinH; II a.m. <>ii Mondiiy whs uUHiiitiiMo lit'ciiusi' s'linc t'f tlir |»urtii's wuro Hway. Sumu Iiad tliiriiiL< tlm wct-k to uo to Torouto mil when tlu-y wt-r.* nil once more in tiie city I a.skcd Mr. Dewdiiey for an interview and received the followinu' reply : - '• Jfay 27, •!»! " Mv 1)i;au 1).\\in- I have airanged with Sir John T for 10 a.m. to-morrow. Mt et at my otlicf. llojie it will suit Vours sincerely, K. DKWhNEV.' I '^ave all the (iiirticH notice. We met ut iVIr. iK'wdney's oflice and woi t to Sir .John 'riioiiipson'.s, wlu-rcf we hail a lon<.^ discussion oil the character of the tiiture constitution. Towards the end of May our '.'leat leader was stricken. Hut he rallied, and fearini^ the sul)jects I was about to l)rinj< hefore I'arlianieiit, and about whiirh I had written and spoken to him, miyht disturb him, I wrote .sayinj^that if they -.jave him the least worry 1 would drop them, lie wrote (tiie of the few last letters he was over to sijfii. "E.VKNsrLII'l^K, Ottawa, 27tU Mi\, l.S!»l. " Mv Dkah D.vvin,--! hope to be able to be out tomorrow and to have a talk with you on the various subjects you have - written me a'oout, i.e., Ileivhmer, Court House at Ilegina, grants to military bod- ies and prairie tires. —Yours, faithfully, John A. Macdonald." N. F. Davin, Esq., M.P." Alas I That interview and that "talk" were never to take [dace. On Thutsday, the 28th, instead of talkinjj; with him on business, I went to Karns- cliffe i:o em^uire how he was. 1 had in- tended only eiuiuiring and leaving my card, but her lady.-hip had seen me coming and had directed Sir John's valet. '* lU-n," to tell me I was to go ill. I re- mained there the greater part of the after- noon talking «ith I.ady Macdonald, who hail stronu hopes that Sir lohn might recover. On tin- afti-rnoon of F''riday I was jtieparing to s|ieak on the attack on Sir ('harles 'I'upper, when Dalton Mc- Carthy came in and said to me, " l)on't speak: it's all up; Sir John has had a paralytic stroke.' " The grants to military bodies," men- tioned in Sir John's letter, meant grants to ritle asc.oeiations which Sir John had promised me; but though 1 showed Caion liis letter promisintr me these grants, I could not move that most stubln rn of men. But I brought him to time in the matter of scrip. (C^Iieers. ) When 1 had him to sign Mr. IMielan's certificate, which was the last, he said, "' \^y Jove, Davin, you had better come and run the Militia De- partment yourself." (Laughter ) .sen 11'. I need not go into the tight 1 havt> had for the scrip. You know how 1 fought for it every year. How, repulsed again and again, I still came I'p to the charge. Now we accomplished the scrip victory jiart- ly by agitating in the House, Imt especially by action in caucus, which last induced Sir .lohn Macdonald to give me a refer- ence. When Mr. Dewdney became Min- ister of the Interior, I wrote to him asking for his co-operation in getting the scrip. He wrote back to me chat the matter belonged to the Department of Militia. In the s[)ring of 18W> 1 again sought to get his active aid, and he wrote me, on F^-bruary 25th, 1H81), a letter in which he said: "Referring to your let- ter in regard to the claims of certain l)er.sons to receive military bounty scrij) as scouts, 1 understand from the Com- trollerof the North- West Mounted Police that you have had an interview with hnii, and that you are to see Sir John Macdon- ald and arrange for an interview on the subject with the Premier, the .Minister of Justice and the Minister of Militia." Well, we got the scrip. But you would not have g' t it, notwithstanding the leg- islation, had I not remained in Ottawa to take the Department of IMilitia by the throat. (Loud cheers.) i sec not N. Ml wh th: in lie Di sai till I uy ill I ru- F the iiffor- •niiM, who •liii inii^'ht Kriduy I lit tuck on iilt.m Mc- ••, " Don't luiH lliul H itu, " uion- iMt l)i rn of nil) in tlic I imd him which was )uvin, 3'on [ilitin De- ) hftvo had I fonj^ht Hod Hgain Hi char^o. •tiny part- es] tocially ■ induced t! a refer- uue M in- to liini tUiiij the rhat the tinont of > I again hu wrote letter in your let- certain nty scrip the Coui- jd Police k'ith huii, Macdon- w on the nister of |ia." >n would the leg- ttawa to by the SKCONI) llOMKsrK.VIM. On JiMie iHt my niotiim ri'siiccrtini; Huontl homeHteudH wuh called. 1 could not ^ul one of my coHcai^ueM from the North-\V»Ht to Hi'ciind it, I tliink it was Mr. Macdonalil from tiu; Lowt-r I'rovinces wlio came to my aid. I pointed out that, wo had Home Hcveiity new memlierH in the Hou-e sometliiiiLj like one third now Mood. I recalled iliat last year Mr. Dewdney, the Minister of the Interiu-, said : " I re their minds, obtiining second hoineste.idH, whih" UM'n who camo here with the vivid hope of obtaining a secontl homestiMd before them cainiot got the socond iiomo- stead. " I then lirought forwiinl every argument I could think of which might sway the (lovernment. The Minister of the IntiM'ior replied, d«>el,iring his well known views and cpioting those of Mr. White, his predeci'ssoi', as against second homo- steads. .Mr. Lainiei, the leader of the Opposition, came nobly to my aid -and though I am oppo-icd to him in politics I will say this tliat he is one of the finest and most chivalrous gen- tlemen that ever sat in a House of (.'ommons. (Cheers.) The thii' I tinu- I spoke in the House in 1887, he left his seat ;iud came t> nie and coMLjrat ul.ated me and told me that I had got the ear of the House. I said, " Do you think so '. " He said, " You have " Vou will ohserve that when I ask for justice for a few the fallacy is resorted to of .iMSMminL; th.it I am advocating a u'l'neral iiolicy and then the evil of that polii:y is |)ointed out. Mr Laurier puts it admirably: 'The House, in my opinion, should remember that till! ijrinciple which is invfihfd in this motion is not the principh' of h general ]»olicy. The lion, membe'- for .\ssiniboia (.Mr. D.ivin) does not pn'po.se that the Hoihc should at all re. This Parliament granted a second homestead obviously for the purpose of j 1 imlucing settlors to go in thoi'e, and it is to be ])rt!auinocl that when they canio in and settled, they expected they would liave a second homestead instead of having only one, as on the other side of the line. Now, for soiiie reason or other, which I do not (|uestion here, the law was altered in 188(5, and we came back to the pro- visions which obtained liefore, that settlers should be entitled only to one homestead ; and the hon. gentleman now asks, not for r.v.y d.jparture from the law as it now exists, but he submits that it would be only fair, just and ecpiitable that these settlers, who settled under the hiw of 188,'], aiul from that year up to 188rt, when the law was altered, should l)e treated exactly as they expected to be treated v.hen they went into the terri- tory." Now, the matter could not possibly be put more clearly or more cogently than in those simple but elorjuent words of the leader of the ()))positi(m They are the outcome of clear reasoning and an enlightened political conscience. Mr. Watson, of Manpiette, who on pre- vious occasions opposed m-', su])ported me now. My friend. Colonel Tisdale, then made a suggestion that I should withdraw my motion and wait for the Bill. Y"()u remember when the Bill came up —late in the Session, and late in the Session you can do nothing But T was not to be so caught. Mr. Macdowalh of Saskatchewan, op])osed me, but he, like others, attacked the principle of seccmd homesteading, not my position of justice, and which has nothing whatever to do with the ])olicy of second homesteading. Mr. Daly opposed my resolutum on a technicality and, of course, hoped that 1 would wait until the Bill was introduced. Sir John Thomp- son also wished I should wait for the Bill. I did jiretty well, as we shall see, when the Bill came up. 1 doubu very nuich if I should have done so well had I postponed the resolutum and not stuck to my guns. I will not deal here with the remarks of Sir John Thomi)Son. Mr. Mills of Bothwell followed, and he also supported me. Nothing could be clearer than the way Mr. Mills, a con- stitutional lawyer an erudite student, and an authority on a subject of this kind, puts it; "It seems to me that no better opl)ortunity can occur than this for the House to say what are its views on the subject before us, and if the hon. Minister of the Interior propo.ses to introduce legislation on the subject at a later i)eriod of the Session, he will have the (Ji)inion of the House to guide him in preparing the Bdl. 1 see no such objections to the reso- lution which the hon. gentleman has submitted as those [jresented by the hon. Minister of Justice. What are the de- mands of this resolution ''. The fact is that a number of settlers went into Mani- toba and the North-West Territories between ISH'i and 1886, and took up homesteads, with the assurance that up.m coujpleting their im|n'ovements and being entitled to their patents, they acquired a right, if they saw proper, to take up a second hon^estead. It seems to me that the moment these parties entered their names in the Dominion Lands ofHce for the iirst liomestead, they (jbtained the pledge of this House that upon the com- pletion of the improvements and residence on the hrst homestead for a certain length of time, they should be entitled to a second homestead." Cohmel O'Brien also supported me and said: " I have had some littln experience HI a matter analagous to this in the free lands district in Ontaru), and have more than once had the occasion to denounce what 1 thought was tha unjust conduct of the Provincial (iovernment in departing by subsequent legislation from the con- ditions uj)on which settlers had occupied their Innds, and under which they had ac(iuired rights ecjuivalent to those in the case under our consideraticm ; and I am not at all ])repared, by my vote in this House or elsewhere, to say that a different rule ought to be applied to pnjvincial leg- islation of a similar character to what ought to be applied to Dominion legisla- tion in the North-West, unless I am clearly convinced, which I am not so far by the remarks of the hon. Minister of Justice, that these j)eople, who entered on certain ccmditions, have fotfeited their right to the fulfilment of these conditions. BRran ■M iclenf, and ;his kind, n<» better lis for the ws on the 1. Minister introduce ter period jpinion of )aring the • the reso- Muuii has ' tlie hon. 'e the de- le fact is nto Mani- ^erritories took u{) that iii>;)n and being cquired a ake up a me that red their ofKce for ined the the c(jni- residence in length led to a 1 nie and X])erience the free iive more denounce Dnduct of departing the con- occupied they had ^se in the nd I am in this . different ncial leg- to what n legisla- 38 I am lot so far nister of entered ited their nditions. ' ({uostion paper, majority fourteen. T cannot avoid, therefore, voting for the resoluticm of the hon. member for A^sini- boia." There is not a more u^iright man 'n the House than Col. O'Brien. i We did not have his vote, for he hap- pened to be out of the House at the time. ' Quite a number of my brotlier Ccmserva- tive members were convinced I was right, : but they were afraid of bringing the (^ov- ' ernment majority to zero. | Mr. (lermaii, who said he had friends : in the Noith-West, sujiported me and \ then Sir Hector Langevin moved the ' adjournnuuit of the Plouse and ajtpoaled to me to consent. I refused unless my remained at the head of the The House divided and the for the (i. We had $200,000 placed in the estimates for immigration ])urpose3. For a few years the innnigration function of the Department of Agriculture was starved on a ])altry $^50,006, We have already in the Territories and Manitoba seen .some of the results of the new ])olicy then inaugurated. But T tell you our system of bringing inunigrants into this country needs to be revolutionized. We want more power to plan, greater insight, greater energy, more of that which is the gieatest of all things in human atfairs — more of the power of adapting means to ends. (Cheers.) I have, as you are aware, brought before Parliament the necessity of finding water in those ])arts of the countiy where it is difficult to get it. Now, I believe s])ending a little numey in finding water potent settlers agents. for settlers would give you a immigration foi'ce — for satisfied are the best immigration (Cheers). THE RAILWAY BILL. You will remeiuberl introduced arai' way bill thissession and theprevioussession. Sir John Macdonald and Sir John Thompson in .1800 agreed to accept my fire break clause. They carried out their iigreement and in the (Government Bill tlie clause duly ai)peated. It passed all the stages in the House of Commons and being in a Government measure I thought it was safe. What was my surprise to see that it was returned from the Senate without the clause ! I went and saw Mr. Abbott, now Premier and leader of the Senate, then leader of the Senate, and a member of the Cabinet without a jtortfolio, and I asked him how it happened that when the (Jovernment had accepted the section, it was thrown out in the Senate. Mr. Abbott's reply was: "It was your own men who did it." I asked who " our own men " were, and he told me Mr. s 11 We had ifites for a few 1 of the starved Iready in 3en some Perley and Mr. Lougheed, who had it thrown out in the Railway Connnittee. Mr. Lougheed had 1 think by this time gone home, but I went and saw Senator I'erley, who told me he moved the excision of the clause cympelling railways to plough tire breaks. VVliy ! He said he hnd been in corresjjondence with Mr. Van Home and that he had a much better scheme, which he intended to introduce this next -that is this last- session, and I am lioiuid to believe he thought his i)lan better than mind Mr. Lougheed assured me this sessi(m thar as regards him Mr. Abbott was mistaken. Well, I introduced a bill this last session providing that I'ailways should ))lough tii'o breaks ; that they should fence, and that they should have air breaks and automatic coui)lers on freight trains. [ wanted to save your crops from tire, your cattle from being killed on the track, and 1 wanted to liuiit the destruction of human life in the freight train railway service. I so far succeeded as to get the Bill read a second tinie, its principle being 'bus adopted and then, as in the case of all railway bills, it was referred to the Railway Committee. You have little idea of tln^ power of the railway interest in that House. I met Judge Clark several times ; and I uuist say he was singularly fair and just. Li the interest of his railway he did not want to have the re.sponsibilitj' f)f making the fire breaks thrown on thom, but was ready to agree to any fair ar- rangement, barring this. VVhen we went into the Railway Connnittee I saw that the whole power of theC. P.R. and the Grand Trunk was against me. I may here repeat that Van Home doe.snot (jb ject to pay his share, no matter how mucli it may be adjudged t(j be. What he objects to is to have the onus, the duty of initiating those tire breaks at their door. He is afraid of crops of actions and he fears, and not unreasonably I admit, that juries would always decide against the railway. I have reason to believe he admits the justice of having to fence through settled districts. But the Grand Trunk interest was very bitter against this clause and the cost of automatic ct)Ui)lers and air breaks was dwelt on, I think, V)y ;i member intereste(( in tlie Giand Trunk. Well, my bill was gar- rotted ; but a reconnnendatiou was made to the (iovernment to consider the whole (]uestion during the recess and Mr. liowell, the ^Acting Minister of Railways, promised it shduhl be considered. No man fnnn the North- West or Manitoba voted with me in that Coumiittee except Mr. Watson, the member for Marquette. Hut we have gained somethii g. The railwny has acknowledged thatit is morally bound to pay the greater ]tart for tlie tire breaks ; thar fences should be erected in settled districts of the Territories ; and T may tell you that in every case wliere cattle liave bee!i killed I have {)ut myself in coiumunicatitm with the railway authorities and have got for the owner witliin twenty per cent, of what he ('laimed, which is about as niudi as a jury wnvdd give ; and what is the railway doing to-day without any la,w, but in consecpience of my agitation ? Tt is ploughing tire breaks. (Cheers.) THE DOMINION [.A.NUS ACT. I also introduced a Bill amending the D(miinion Lands .Act, making import;r. t })rovisions, find early in the Session T got Sir .John Tliom])soii to promise he would accept my Bill and make it a Government measure. You saw how when Mr. Dewd- ney brought in his Bill he accepted all my clauses excejit the second himiestead clause, and in reganl t.) that Sir .John Thom[)S' n made an em|thatic .state- ment that it would be considered during the rece.ss. Mtvuiwhilo, things for which we had been contending even before I entered Parliament, such as second home- steading the jn'e-eiu))t ion and other reforms which could be eti'ected by order- in -council, were put through. All your departm('nt;il business I attended to ; answered 1365 letters, and wroteconcei'ning many of them tothe De[)artments. Whejithenoticea})out gra/.ing lands apjjeared, 1 at once went to the Department and had it withdrawn, and it is (mly fair to Mr. Dewdney to say he seems to have known nothing whatever about its publication, and the moment 12 his .'ittciition was called to it lie counter- manded it. The great reform which is in the futvu-e ia the resunij)tif>n liy the (Joverniiient of all the odd sections. I cannot dwell on this here, but next Session I will show it can he done on economic grounds which will connui'iid themselves to the (Jovern- ment and the C. P. R. si CAR ANO COAL OIL. T ])romised some of my friends I would try to have the duty on sugar hnvered. That disajipeared, not by reason of any action of mine, but because of the action of the United States. I could have wished we had adopted the same nohcy exactly as the United States ; but the technical part of the ((uestion is intricate, and when Mr. Paterson's motion canie on — it was, after all, a very sm.'ll matter — I voted witli the (Jovernment. With the diffusive use of the electric light in towns, the ])rice of coal oil is one that attects the farmer mainly and the very poor in the cities. I hojjc next Session the duty on coal oil will either be greatly reduced or wholly disa]»i)ear. The price of coal oil is extravagantly high. (Cheers. ) A( i K Id I.rr HA L M A( HIN KK Y. Four great hrms of imi)lemeiit makers have become one. It looks ominous, but they say they can sell cheaper and l)roduce a better article, and that is of course quite i)ossible. But I will watch their action closely and if the farmer suffers by this combine 1 will tight liard agahiit the duty on agricultural imjjle- ments. Up to the [)resent I am convinced the farmer has gahied by the develop- ment of our own manufactures. MAIL ('LEKKS. After the House rose I made a strong eSTort to get justice for the mail clerks. During the session I had seen Mr. Hag- gart on the subject of their special allowance and as he agreed with me and said it would be all right, and as I knew my brother members from the Red River to the Pacific were interesting themselves in it, I troubled myself no more. I was occupied with sev- eral important matters which required my whole time. I was amazed when I found he could not cany out his policy. The Auditor-Cieneral seems to be the Ethiopian in the woodpile, but a bill with a single clau.se would have settled it. I am afraid Mr. Foster, the Finance Minister, in this and other things throws his influence a little too much on the side of cheese-paring regardless of justice. It is a faultcmtherightside I grant. Thepolicy which seems to obtain — witness the way they want to pay the election eiunneratcjrs and the census enumeritors, on calculations grounded in utter ] ignorance of the North - West I -is cut down salaries, remuneraticm of I all kinds regardless of the right and ecpiity of the matter, of time and \Ance and this i i.s ]to(tr policy and })oor finance. Mr. Foster is a clever man and his financial statements have greatly improved, i but the only distinctive feature I seems to be "cut down" — cut down even the immigration vote, utterly regardless of the eti'ect on the country. This I consider mighty poor "finance." It is is not the finance of Pitt or Glad- stone. I need hardly tell you I am against R([uandi.'ring and boodling, but 1 do not believe there is any financial genius shown in mere cutting down. A financier like Gladstone would put a half a million into the estimates, and at the same time see that an ener,.etic immigration scheme was set on ioot, and would in five years bring for the $>2,000,000 spent four or five millions into the treasury. THE .SCANDALS. And now, electors of Western Assini- boia, one word as to that which ke])t us at Ottawa so long. Two great committees investigating scandals were at work for five long months —the Privilege and Elec- tions Committee and the Public Accounts Committee. A frightful state of things was slnnvn to have existed for years in the Public Works Department. Boodling had been reduced to a system of gigantic proportion and daring, but that did not show that other departments are corrupt. The Government led in that committee by Sir John Thompson, not only did not seek to shield 13 in no the guilty, but the moment Sir John Thompson s .w that there whs any founda- tion for Mr. Tatte's charges he told Mr. Osier to co-operate with that gentleman's counsel in bringing out everything. The Conservative party has no interest in shielding boodlers and Sir tfohn Thomp son's action and Mr. Abbott'.s language ir the Senate show that it will get quarter from them. YOUTH THE SOURCE OF POWER. I was enabled to visit Toronto and be present at the election of officers in the society I founded over fourteen years ago — theToronto Young Men'sLiberal-Conserva- tive Association, now numbering nearly 3,000. I was also at a dinner given by the new .President, Mr. Hopkins, at the Albany ; and again at the inauguration of the new President. On each occasion I spoke and was greatly interested in the no- ble enthusiasm of these young men. How I came to found this Society was on this wise. I saw that the defeat of 1873 had entirely crushed the energy of the older men. It was a terrible defeat and had taken all the power and go cnit of the elder politicians. T said: " We must get at the hope, the buoyancy, the en- thusiasm, the fresh energy of the young;" and so I founded this society, which became the mother of many, and in the contest of 1878 they did great service, as they have done in every contest since. I have referred to the way I have strug- gled and you know my methods You know I am not discouraged by first or second failures, but go right at it again. I saw at the battle of Gravelotte a (Ger- man regiment ordered to take a strong position, the slo])e up to which was honey- combed with rifle pits. At ^l.e word of command they dashed up, but before the belching out of fire and smoke and bullets they came reeling back. Again they were reformed and again sent up and again the blasts as from the seven-fold gates of hell sent them back. Once again they were reformed and again put to it. They made a gallant charge but before half-way up the slope they fell shattered back. Just then a fresh regiment came up. Both regiments were placed together, and Van Moltke himself appeared at their head and gave the word, riding with them to the base of the hill. The bugle rang. l"p they went with a shout and a line from Arndt's great song rose, their b;ittle hynni : Und brlnge die blutiKon Gaben. Up and over a fiery hail of bullets and in the face of outbursting death and terror and Hame, and took the position. That exemplifies tlie method dear to my (jwn heart, but you must have the pulse of youth somewhere for things like this. (Great cheering.) To age we look for counsel, wisdom ; to full blown manhood for balancad force ; to youth for power, pure and simple; and a wise statesman will always seek to com- bine in his party, in his government, these three forces. Where you have a government of old men, you have a gov- ernment hesitating, over cautions, wanting in initiative, a "rest-and-be-thankful" atti- tude, an administration based on the jtar- alysing principle of "to-morrow." When you have age, manhood, youth combined, you have caution, fcjrce, will, decision, promptness, etticiency. Burke says, "That which cannot stand with credit, cannot stand long," and we have come to a time in our history when the j)eople will insist on integrity and ability in high ])Iaces. My CJerman friends present will remember what a great German poet s;iys : " Blick umhcr, O Frcinid, mid siilic Sor(/s(iin wic dcr inist siclit. Jf 7/.S vcrf/i'lien muax rcvf/cfief JTcfi (xstc/icn kann licNfcficf, Wan (icHclichcn will t/csc/n'rht." That is, if I may venture to render it : Look around. O Fii<'nd, and see, Gricfless as tin; wise hohold, What must, ^o. di-suppcars. What can stand, inocU.s the ycaiN, What will happen will hap as of old. The line I wish to t>iiipli:isi/,e is — " What can stand, will stand," and, therefore, I hope and believe that we shall see a Governnient formed, strong in wisdom, in stato.sinanlike resource, in those tliews and siiu'ws of think- ing and expression without which under a [)arliamentary .system you cannot have an administration 14 iJ eciuiil to tliu tleiiiiiiicls and ditticulties (tf our democvHtio life. There is no use in governing unless you govern wisely ; there is no use in being wise as a govorinuent unless you can iuijiart your wisdom ; none in being able to devise fruitful schemes, unless you can persuade to their acceptance. When T was a little school boy I read that great contest between L'lysses an I Ajax for the armour of Achilles, and I never forgot the power (iod has given man in speech. It is a Divine attribute. Si)eech was the instrument of creation, and it was in conseipience of a brief sentence that the footsteps of light first glanced in the far pathless s|)aces of gloom. Our greatest thoughts are lost unless we can incarnate them in words. " Logos " — \V ord — was a choice and chosen name of the Saviour of mankind. We cannot hold council witliout speech, and from the most ancient times —long before a repre- sentative system was dreamed of — it was the great instrument of government. It has been, and is to-day, the great instrument of gfjvernment in England. When finely noted it can not only impart thought and mar- shal plans but can introduce into civic life a vibrating spiritual power ; can in.s))ire and raise man far above a mere obeyer of laws, and fill him witli a patriotic faith that will enable him to truly live and if necessary nobly die for his country. (Loud cheering.) \ ■'SW ^ Logos "— ti name f)f :iUlllnt lioJd from the 'e H repre- ined of — ument of is tcj-day, rnmeut in id it can ind mar- uce into 8i)iritual e man far lid till him liable him ibly die for