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 I 
 
THE CONSOLIDATION OF CANADA 
 
 When the British North American provinces confederated in 1867 the 
 only thing they seemed to have in common was an attachment to British 
 institutions and British connection, and even that did not unite them very 
 closely, for, wedged in between the British provinces by the sea and the 
 British province on the Great Lakes, was the French Ouebcc. The central 
 provmces, Ontario and Quebec, then known as Upper^and Lower Canada 
 were connected by the Grand Trunk Railway which at that time had no 
 competitor, but the maritime provinces were separated from the rest of 
 the Dominion by an almost unexplored wilderness. To the north-west of 
 Ontario lay the great lone land called the Hudson Bay Territory, known 
 only to Indians and hunters, and generally supposed to be a land of eternal 
 ice and snow. West of that again, and separated from it by the Rocky 
 Mountains, was the province of British Columbia, with its head in the snow 
 of the mountains and its feet in the warm waters of the Pacific. 
 
 The confederation scheme was the outcome of a parliamentary dead- 
 lock between the provinces of Upper and Lower Canada, which, although 
 geographically as dependent upon one another as Siamese twins, were 
 separated by race hatred and differences of language and religion. It was 
 carried by a narrow majority in most of the provinces. In Nova Scotia the 
 majority of the people were opposed to it, and British Columbia was only 
 induced to join by the promise of a railway through Canadian territory 
 connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Before the American colonies 
 confederated they had fought together and grown enthusiastic in a common 
 cause. There was no war to weld the Canadian provinces together. 
 Linked to Britain but separated from one another they had no community 
 of interest, and nothing had been done to encourage trade between them. 
 The people of Ontario hated the habitants of Quebec, and the " Bluenoses " 
 down by the sea disliked all Canadians, whether they lived cuong the banks 
 of the St. Lawrence and talked a French patois, or on the shores of Ontario 
 and Erie speaking English like themselves. 
 
 Naturally, many citizens of the young Dominion had no faith in its 
 future. They predicted all kinds of disasters and declared that the con- 
 solidation of Canada could never be anything more than a name. There 
 were others, however, who argued that the natural resources of the Cana- 
 dian provinces were fully equal to those of the Northern States, that 
 

 JT 
 
 340 
 
 Till' CONSC)LIl)ATI(.)N OF CANADA 
 
 lyin^ in a direct linr between Europe and Asia nearer to both continents 
 than the United States and possessing the finest harbors on both the 
 Athmtic and Pacific coasts, with immense deposits of coal in close prox- 
 imity to them, they must, in time, control the commerce of the world, and 
 nothing but a century of disunion prevented them from making equal 
 progress with the United States. They j)ointcd out that ocean vessels 
 from Europe passing up the St. Lawrence to Montreal could go nearer to 
 the heart of the c(jnlinent than by any United States route, while Louis- 
 burg, Canada's most eastern port, with one of the grandest harbors in the 
 world and unlimited deposits of coal close at hand, was 750 nautical miles 
 nearer to England than New ^'ork. They showed that a line of railway 
 through Canadian territory connecting Montreal with the Pacific Ocean 
 would be the shortest possible route across the continent of North America, 
 and that Canada was especially favored by the Pacific Ocean, the Japan 
 current carrying all vessels bound from Asia to America toward British 
 Columbia, They declared that the internal water system of the Dominion 
 was far superior to that of the United States, the most important connect- 
 ing links between the Great Lakes being in Canada, and that by improving 
 these water-ways Canadians could secure a large share of the American 
 export trade. In short, the\' said that all that was necessary to the 
 making of a might)' nation was a national policy which would develop 
 interprovincial and international trade by constructing railways and 
 canals. 
 
 So the people formed themselves into two parties, the Dominionists 
 and Provincialists, the one having unbounded confidence in the future 
 of the enlarged Canada, and holding that where the interests of one of 
 the provinces conflicted in any matter with those of the country at large, 
 the province must give way to the Dominion ; the other taking a most 
 gloom}- view of the future of the confederation and insisting that the 
 autonomy of the provinces should be restored in part, at least. Most of 
 the Dominionists allied themselves with the Conservatives, while the Pro- 
 vincialists joined the Reform.ers, and thus, while the names Dominionist 
 and Provincialist have never been used to designate the two parties, 
 the distinguishing characteristic of the one is nationalism and that of the 
 other provincial-ism. No review of Canadian history since the confedera- 
 tion that ignores this distinction can satisfactorily explain the present 
 situation, and no forecast of the future is reliable unless it takes this into 
 account. 
 
 The Dominionists have been in power at Ottawa ever since confedera- 
 tion, with the exception of the five years between 1873 and 1878, and while 
 
THE CONSOMDATION OF CANADA 
 
 341 
 
 ito 
 
 all their hopes have not been realized much has been accompli ihcil, and 
 nothinj^ but a one-sided study of events could make an\' unprcjmliccd 
 person believe that the Dominion is underL^oint^r a prdcess of disintegration, 
 as Dr. Hendcr seeks to prove in the February number of this Magazine. 
 The political consolidation of the country is fast bringing about material 
 consolidation, and the growth of national sentiment is commensurate to 
 the pro<];ress that has been made. The maritime provinces have been con- 
 nected with central Canaila by the Intercolonial RaiKva\' ; British Colum- 
 bia has been brouj^ht into close communication w ith the sister provinces 
 by the Canadian Pacific Railway which has also opened up the North-west 
 to settlement; the great Welland Canal has been constructed ; other water- 
 ways have been improved, and the older provinces have been covered with 
 a net-work of railways. At the time of confederation Canada was almost 
 without railways. Now there are over ten thousand miles in operation, 
 and at least a thousand more will be open for traffic before next Dominion 
 Da\'. Following are railways now in operation, with the mileage of each: 
 Canadian Pacific with its branches, 3,678; Grantl Trunk, 2.694; Interco- 
 lonial, 830; New Brunswick, 397; Northern and North-western, 3S2 ; Canada 
 Southern, 376; Prince Edward Island, 196; Quebec Central. 14S; South- 
 eastern, 185; Windsor and Annapolis, 130; Canada Atlantic, 135: Mani- 
 toba and North-western, 1 30 ; Central Ontario, 104; Western Counties, 
 N. B.,67; Quebec and Lake St. John, 46; St. Martins and Upham, 
 N. B., 30; Kingston and Pembroke, 61 ; International of Quebec. 69; 
 Eastern Extension, 80; Grand Southern, N. B.. 82; Erie and Huron. 
 36: Cumberland, N. S., 32 ; Xapanee, Tamworth and Quebec, 28; Albert. 
 N. B., 45 ; Bay of Quinte Navigation, 15 ; Cobourg, Peterboro' and Mar- 
 mora, 15; Chatham, N. B., 9; Carillon and Grenville, 13; Elgin, Petit- 
 codiac and Havelock, 14. Of all these railways the Canadian Pacific is the 
 most necessary to the consolidation of Canada, and its construction has 
 been most strenuously opposed from the first by the Provincialists, who 
 declared that it would be far better to let British Columbia go than to 
 undertake such a stupendous work. When they found that the majority 
 of the people favored the construction of the railway thoy proposed to 
 compromise the matter by building the prairie section and making con- 
 nection with the American railways at the Manitoba boundary line. They 
 said that the section along the north shore of Lake Superior would never 
 pay expenses, that the cost of constructing it would be enormous, and that 
 it could not possibly be worked in winter. But the Dominionists argued 
 that not only was an all Canadian route necessary to the integrity of the 
 Dominion but the trade of the North-west would be lost to Eastern Canada 
 
/ 
 
 c 
 
 342 
 
 THE CONSOLIDATION OF CANADA 
 
 if the only means of communication was through the United States. 
 Well, the railway was built from Montreal to the Pacific Ocean, and has 
 been successfully operated throughout during the past winter. Passenger 
 and freight trains have run between Montreal and the Rocky Mountains 
 regularly and no difficulty has been experienced in operating the Lake 
 Superior section. 
 
 The growtli of interprovincial trade since confederation has kept pace 
 with the construction of railways. The wholesale trade o*" the maritime 
 provinces which once centered in Ii<^ston now largely centers in Montreal, 
 and the interests of the different provinces are growing more i lentical 
 every year. Many of the older men in the maritime provinces still cherish 
 their dislike to the Dominion, but most of the young men now call them- 
 selves Canadians, and are growing proud of the name. There are still 
 more anti-confederationists in Nova Scotia than in any other part of 
 Canada, and some of the Reform papers even advocate secession, but the 
 Conservative papers are all strongly Canadian in tone, and whatever 
 grumbling there may be between times in that province, the Dominionists 
 are always sustained when an election comes. In the North-west the 
 Hudson Bay Territory has been divided into the Province of Manitoba and 
 the Territories of Assiniboia, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Athabaska, 
 Manitoba already has quite a large population, and its capital, Winnipeg, 
 has about 30.000 inhabitants, while the territories are being rapidly 
 settled and thriving towns are springing up all over the country. Winni- 
 peg's population has not greatly increased during the last three years, but 
 its character has greatly changed. In 1883 it was almost the only town of 
 the North-west, being the head-quarters of the contractors, who were rapidly 
 pushing forwerd the construction of the prairie section of the Canadian 
 Pacific Railway. It was overrun with .speculators and land-grabbers, land 
 sold at enormous prices, and the value of everything was highly inflated. 
 Now the boom is over, but an era of quiet prosperity and steady progress 
 as the commercial metropolis of the Canadian North-west seems to have set 
 in, although some people predict that the great city will be farther west. 
 Immediately after the collapse of the boom there was some wild talk about 
 seceding from the confederation. People spoke of Canada and the North- 
 west as if they were separate countries, and the Provincialists in all the 
 provinces began to think that the long expected collapse of the confedera- 
 tion was to be brought about by the people of the North-west. But with 
 the completion of the railway came renewed prosperity, and there are to- 
 day no more enthusiastic Canadians than the people of Manitoba and the 
 North-west, although those in the Territories, of course, demand more rep- 
 
THE CONSOLIDATION OF CANAhA 
 
 343 
 
 3tatcs. 
 \d has 
 senior 
 intains 
 • Lake 
 
 )t pace 
 iiritime 
 mtroal, 
 Icntical 
 cherish 
 II th em- 
 are still 
 part o{ 
 but the 
 •hatever 
 inionists 
 ^'est the 
 :oba and 
 habaska. 
 ^niiipeg, 
 
 rapidly 
 
 Winni- 
 ears, but 
 r town of 
 •e rapidly 
 Canadian 
 aers, land 
 ' inflated. 
 
 progress 
 ) have set 
 her west, 
 talk about 
 le North- 
 in all the 
 :onfedera- 
 
 But with 
 ;re are to- 
 la and the 
 
 more rep- 
 
 resentation at Ottawa, just as Dakota is demanding ailmission as a State 
 of the Union. They will all be admittctl as regular i)rovintes of the 
 Dominion long before their jjopulation equals that of Dakota, and it is 
 expected that at the next session of rarlianient provision will be made for 
 the representation of the Territories by members who will have the right 
 to vote as well as speak, which will be in advance of the American system 
 of territorial representation. 
 
 The strength of Canadian national sentiment was evidenced by the 
 promptness with which the volunteers all over the country sprang to arms 
 at the time of the Riel rebellion, and the enthusiasm th.it greeted their 
 home-coming. They received ovations all along the line of railwa)-, the 
 townsmen crowding to the stations to cheer them, the ladies boarding the 
 trains with coffee, baskets of provisions and button-hole bouquets. All 
 Winnipeg was out-of-doors to welcome the bo)-s ; Montreal forgot that 
 its population was divided and showed that even if the people spoke two 
 languages they all cheered the same way ; and Toronto went crazy with 
 enthusiasm. There was never anything like it. A gentleman, who saw 
 the victorious German troops enter Berlin after the Franco-Prussian war, 
 informed me that the reception could not be compared with that given 
 by Toronto to its returning volunteers. It is true that much ill feeling 
 was afterward generated by the discussion of Kiel's punishment, but the 
 gravity of the situation is much exaggerated by Dr. Bender. In discuss- 
 ing the relations between the French and English-speaking citizens of 
 Canada, Dr. Bender always refers to the latter as British. This is a mis- 
 take. The majority of English-speaking Canadians arc not of English 
 descent. According to the Dominion census, which classes the people 
 according to their origin, the French rank first in numbers, Irish second, 
 English third, Scotch fourth, and German fifth ; but the English-speaking 
 population are now almost as mixed as the Americans. In taking this 
 census, descendants of United Empire Loyalists who emigrated from the 
 American colonies after the Revolutionary war, were nearly all ranked as 
 English, although they are generally of mixed race, and as like as can be 
 to descendants of old American families in the United States. The accent 
 of English-speaking Canadians is American, their appearance is more 
 Am.erican than English, and since confederation, British sentiment has 
 been, to a great extent, displaced by Canadian sentiment, especially in 
 Ontario and the North-west. The most intelligible terms are Canadians 
 and French-Canadians, for the French are the onlv section of the com- 
 munity that do not intermingle with the rest. The French-speaking 
 population of Canada has greatly increased since confederation, but it 
 
h 
 
 344 
 
 TIIK CONliULlDATION oK CANADA 
 
 cannot be said to have {^rown more Frcnchificcl. In Montreal nearly 
 all the I"'rench-Canadians can speak Mn^flisii, while comparatively few 
 C.maclians cati speak I'rench. ICn^lish is taught in all the French schools, 
 and while I*Vench is likely to be the lanj^'na^e of the home in (Juebec 
 province for generations, Kn^lish is certain to be the lan^ua^^e of com- 
 merce. If the chief cities of the province derived their importance from 
 local trade, the French lan^^uaj^e would umhndjtedly prevail in the end. 
 but the manuf.ictiirers and importers depend more upon the maritime 
 provinces, IJntario ami the North-west for trade, than on their own prov- 
 ince. The geograi)hical position of Quebec province is such that it can- 
 not become commercially isolated from the rest of the continent, and the 
 people trading; continually with Fnj,dish-speakin^ people must gradually 
 become Anjjjlicized. It may be said that so little has been accomplished 
 in that direction in the past that nothin^^ can be expected from the future, 
 but it must be remembered that the era of railroad construction in Canada 
 has just bcLjun, and that the whole railroad system of the country will 
 always be to a great extent tributary to the Grand Trunk and Canadian 
 Pacific Railways, which have their termini in this province. As the North- 
 west becomes populated with millions of Knglish-speaking people and 
 Ontario's population increases, the volume of trade pouring down the St. 
 Lawrence will be enormous, and having such close commercial relations 
 with the rest of the Dominion, the people of Queb(;c must in time become 
 assimilated. Socially the Canadians and F^rench-Canadians do not inter- 
 mingle as they should, but the lines are not as rigidly drawn as they were 
 at one time. In business no distinctions are made, as a rule, and those 
 Americans who imagine that a war of races is liable to break out at any 
 time in Canada, would be surprised at the amicable relations that really 
 exist between the French and English-speaking citizens of Montreal. 
 Undoubtedly it would be far better for Canada if the French-Canadians 
 would intermarry with the rest of the population and adopt the English 
 language, but there are no indications that the isolation of the French is 
 likely to bring about the disintegration of Canada. Some of the minor 
 FVench politicians and newspapers may declare that the French-Canadians 
 are more French than ever, but there is no doubt that English ideas have 
 made considerable headway. Moreover, they are not now confined to one 
 province, although the majority are in Quebec, and the influence of the 
 Roman Catholic clergy is always on the side of the Dominion government. 
 This generation certainly will not see a fusion of the two races, but there 
 is no reason to expect that the people will not live amicably side by side 
 in the future as they are doing at present and have done in the past, mu- 
 
 t 
 
 t 
 a| 
 
 (i 
 jj 
 \\| 
 
Tin: CnNXOi.n.ATloN (W CANADA 
 
 345 
 
 real nearly 
 iitivcly few 
 ich schools, 
 
 in (Jucbcc 
 t^c of com- 
 irtancc from 
 in the encU 
 le maritime 
 ir own prov- 
 that it can- 
 en t, and the 
 ist gradually 
 iccomplished 
 111 the future, 
 on in Canada 
 
 country will 
 md Canadian 
 /Ks the North- 
 T people and 
 down the St. 
 rcial relations 
 I time become 
 do not inter- 
 1 as they were 
 ulc, and those 
 ak out at any 
 »ns that really 
 
 of Montreal. 
 nch-Canadians 
 pt the English 
 
 the French is 
 : of the minor 
 jnch-Canadians 
 lish ideas have 
 confined to one 
 nfluencc of the 
 on government, 
 races, but there 
 bly side by side 
 
 n the past, mu- 
 
 tually dependent upon each other. There has been no a{)proach to a dead- 
 lock in Parliament since confeder.ition, ami while charj^es of I'rench aggres- 
 sion have been made in some quarter-;, no case has ever been instanced in 
 which the interests uf one race were sacrificed to satisfy the other by 
 Dominion legishition. It i-^ true, the l''rench-Canaili.ins have opposed the 
 incorporation of Orangemen, being supported in this by Mr. HI. ike, the 
 leailer of the Reform party, and many of his followers, but that was a 
 cpiestion of religion rather than race, and Irish members also votetl against 
 it. IMie only question that ever threatened trouble was the hanging ol 
 Kiel, and the excitement over that has almost entirely subsided, without 
 any evil effects. Indeed, the effects of the agitation are Iikel\- to be bene- 
 ficial. The I<*rench have been taught that tluy are only a part of the 
 C.matlian people, ami that the laws of the Dominion uill not be set aside 
 at the ilictation of mt)b orators; moreover, the)- are- likel)- to take more 
 interest in the management of North-west affairs in the future, and this 
 will be the means of lifting them out of their narrow, provincial rut. There 
 is nothing alarming in an occasional woril)- conflict between tiie two sec- 
 tions of the people. It shows that they are rubbing together instead of 
 drifting apart, and while neither may admit that the other is right, the 
 arguments advanced are Jiot without effect. 
 
 The Kiel agitation took much lafger tlimensions on paper than it ever 
 had in fact. The members of the l-'rench-Canadian wing of the Conserva- 
 tive party are known as Bleus and the I-'rench Reft)nners a-. Rouges. 
 While the rebellion was in progress a few Rouge politicians, hoping to 
 make party capital, held meetings in Montreal justifying the action of 
 the half-breeds, comparing them to the patriots of 1837. •^"<-' denouncing 
 tne government. Their meetings were poorly attended at lust, and were 
 laughed at by newspapers of the Bleu persuasion ; but after th.; rebellion 
 was suppressed and the lower classes of French-Canadians became excited 
 against the English-speaking people by the enforcement of compulsory 
 vaccination laws, to which they were opposed, the attendance at the meet- 
 ings greatly increased, and a number of Bleu i:)oliticians, growing alarmed 
 lest their constituents might be carried away by the eloquence of the 
 Rouges, joined them in demanding the commutation of Riel's sentence, 
 threatening to establish a new party and assist the Reformers in ousting 
 the Conservatives from power unless their demands were granted. It was 
 a crisis in the history of Canada. Had the government yielded to a 
 demand made in such a way, there would have been just grounds for Dr. 
 Bender's gloomy predictions. But the course of justice was not interfered 
 with ; Riel was justly punished, and the agitation has already subsided, 
 
F 
 
 ji 
 
 346 
 
 THE CONSOLIDATION OF CANADA 
 
 larjTcly owin^ to tl\i- vi^oiuus action of tlu- koin;m Catholic clcrfjy in 
 upholding' the action of the iJomitiion government and denouncing; rebell- 
 ion and sidition. Of the twenty I-'rench Conservative members of Par- 
 liament who joined tiie Rouges in forming the s<i-called National party, 
 all but seven are said to have returned to the support of the administra- 
 tion, and even should the twenty join the Reformers in a vote of want of 
 confidence, the government would still have a large majority. Much has 
 been said about the demonstrations in Montre.d against the government, 
 but the great body of I'rench-Canadians took no part in them. The eflfigy- 
 burninj; was mostly done by medical students of Victoria University, who 
 gladly seized the opportunity for a lark. They good-humoredly sang 
 songs i;s they marched through the streets, and the only occasion when 
 trouble was feared was the night that the medical students of Mc(jill 
 University turned out in a body, and being joined by a number of other 
 }'oung men, some of whom were members of the volunteer regiments in 
 civilian dress, paraded the west end of the city, threatening to attack the 
 Victoria students if they entered the English section. Mr. Beaugrana, 
 the energetic Mayor of Montreal, addressed both bodies of 'udents, 
 exacting from each a promise not to cross Rleury .Street, the dividing line 
 between .he English and French sections, and so a fight was avoided. On 
 the following Sunday afternoon ten or fifteen thousand people crowded 
 to Champ de Mars square and listened quietly to the speeches of the 
 French-Canadian orators. They had nothing to do after church in the 
 morning, the day being generally regarded as a holiday by the French, 
 and it was a pleasant way to pass the afternoon, for these French Canadian 
 politicians are all fine speakers. But the agitation was carried on most 
 hotly in the newspapers. The circulation of the French papers depends 
 upon the encouragement of French sentiment, and they kept the excite- 
 ment up as long as possible. That the French-Canadians in general were 
 not very greatly interested in the matter is shown by the fact, that not- 
 withstanding all the efforts to raise a Riel fund, before and since the exe- 
 cution of the rebel leader, only about $250 was collected, which was 
 recently sent to Madame Riel, 
 
 There never was anything more absurd than this Riel agitation in 
 Quebec province, and many French-Canadians are now ashamed of their 
 part in it. In the first place Riel had very little French blood in his veins. 
 He himself claimed that his Scandinavian ancestors, the Rielsons, emi- 
 grated to Ireland and intermarried with the Irish, that afterward, emigrat- 
 ing to Canada and dropping the termination " son," they intermarried 
 with the French and Indians. The French-Canadians are Roman Catho- 
 
 t 
 
 \ 
 
I 
 
 TIIK CONSOl.IDArioN OF CANADA 
 
 347 
 
 c clcrp;y in 
 cini; ri'bdl- 
 crs of Par- 
 onal party, 
 ailininistra- 
 of want of 
 Much has 
 jovcrnmcnt, 
 ' The cffi^y- 
 I'crsity, who 
 orcclly lan^j 
 :asion when 
 s of McGill 
 ber of other 
 regiments in 
 3 attack the 
 Beau^raad, 
 of 'utlenls, 
 divitlinjT line 
 ivoided. On 
 »plc crowded 
 eches of the 
 hurch in the 
 the French, 
 ich Canadian 
 -ied on most 
 pers depends 
 )t the excite- 
 general were 
 [ict, that not- 
 iince the exe- 
 , which was 
 
 agitation in 
 med of their 
 d in his veins, 
 lielsons, emi- 
 /ard, emigrat- 
 
 intermarried 
 Loman Catho- 
 
 lics, but Kiel's avf)\v«(i object was to establish a new Church. He de- 
 nounced the Komaii Catholic priesthood and the Pope, and treated the 
 |)riests in his power witli great indignity. Moreover, two l''riiKh-Cana- 
 dian priests were massacred by the Iiuiians wh«)m he incited. The French- 
 Canadians were well represented in the Dominion I'arlian)ent and the Do- 
 minion Cabinet, and had they interested tluinselves in the alleged griev- 
 ances of the half-breeds before the rebellion they coulil easily liave secured 
 the granting of the petitions. Kiel must have known this, for he was an 
 educated man and well ac(iuainted with man\' of the Quebec j)oliti- 
 cians. Hut he never appealed to them, the half-brei'ds never appealed to 
 them, and they did not take the slightest interest in the matter in or out of 
 Parliament until the first shot was fired by the rebels at Duck Lake. 
 There was nothing heroic in I' ccnduct of the rebellion to excite the 
 sympathies of the French-Canadians, and it was proven at the trial that 
 he offered to leave the c<>' .itry if the r vernment would pay him $3f;,ooo, 
 intimating that he was the half-breftl <picstion and that no further trouble 
 would occur if he was salist^cl. It is true that when he found death 
 inevitable he renounced his heresies and died bravely, but that did not 
 entitle him to be ranked as a hcio. A few (la\'s afterward there di».-(l on 
 the scaffold at London, ( >nt., u man wiio had brutalK- murderi't! his par- 
 amour because she refused to gi'.-c him ten cents to buy licjuor . he, too. 
 died bravely aiid calmly, making an earnest profession of religion. And 
 what were the grievances of the half-breeds? Hy the laws of Canada 
 a half-breed in the North-west Territories could class himself either as 
 an Indian or a white man, having all the privileges of either. As an 
 Indian he would be subject to Indian treaties, would have his share 
 in the Indian reserves, and receive Indian rations from the government. 
 As a white man he would have exactly the same privileges as any other 
 Canadian. He could locate a free claim of i6o acres and obtain a title to 
 it after performing settlement duties for three years, and he could pre- 
 empt i6o acres more, paying for it at the rate of two dollars and a half 
 per acre on time. But this did not satisfy the half-breeds ; they wished 
 to h.ave the privileges of both white men and Indians ; they demanded 
 that their farms be surveyed in long narrow strips instead of according 
 to the system, of both the American and Canadian governments; they in 
 sisted that they should be given scrip for 240 acres of land which they 
 could sell at once to speculators, instead of obtaining titles to their land 
 in the regular way by performing settlement duties; and asked to be 
 exempted from the restrictions regarding the cutting of timber, to which 
 white settlers were subject. After some delay the government agreed to 
 
F 
 
 348 
 
 THE CONSOLIDATION OF CANADA 
 
 survey the land according to their peculiar method, but refused to grant 
 them greater privileges than the whites in other respects. They continued 
 to agitate and, finally, wearied by their importunity, the government, 
 very injudiciously it seems to me, decided to grant scrip to all half-breeds 
 in the North-west Territories who had not already ieceived it in Manitoba, 
 and on the 4th of February, 1885, notification of the appointment of a 
 commission to settle the claims was forwarded to the half-breeds. There 
 was some delay in sending the commission, and the rebellion broke out in 
 the following March, the first shot being fired at Duck Lake on the 26th 
 of the month. An explanation of the origin of the demand for scrip is 
 necessary to an understanding of the matter. Prior to its annexation to 
 Canada the North-west was a British Territory under the jurisdiction of the 
 Hudson liay Company, which held its charter from the British Govern- 
 ment. Many people suppose that this company sold the lands of the 
 North-west to Canada. This is a mistake. The company never had any 
 title to the lantls of the North-west, and the charter by which it secured 
 jurisdiction over the country had expired when the territory was trans- 
 ferred to Canada by tlie British Government. The company had no legal 
 claim for compensation, but its influence in the North-west was great, and 
 to avoid trouble the Dominion Government agreed to give it £'ipo,ooo 
 and a large grant of land. The Indians were recognized to be the real 
 land-owners of the country, and the government negotiated directly with 
 the Indian tribes for the transfer of their title, excepting in the old Red 
 River settlement where the white employees of the Hudson Bay Company 
 had generally intermarried with the Indians, forming a half-breed popula- 
 tion. After the suppression of the first Riel rebellion this old district 
 was formed into the Province of Manitoba, and the Indian claim was 
 extinguished by granting to each half-breed scrip for 240 acres of land, 
 those who had settled on farms being also granted titles to them as reg- 
 ular settlers. Many of the half-breeds at once sold their scrip to specu- 
 lators, and some of them moved north to Prince Albert, in Saskatchewan 
 Territory, where, encouraged by wdiite speculators, they again demanded 
 scrip. The delay in settling the matter, after it w\as decided to grant scrip 
 to all half-breeds, was partly due to the difficulty expected in distinguish- 
 ing between those who had already received scrip in Manitoba and those 
 who were in the Territories at the time the Manitoba allotment was made. 
 That is the history of the half-breed question and the second Riel rebell- 
 ion. It is difficult to understand what excited the sympathies o^ the 
 French-Canadians in Riel's favor, and yet there is no doubt that the feel- 
 ings of many were so wrought upon by Rouge orators that for a time they 
 
 it 
 
 I 
 
I 
 
 THE CONSOLIDATION OF CANADA 
 
 349 
 
 sed to grant 
 ey continued 
 government, 
 11 half-breeds 
 in Manitoba, 
 intment of a 
 icds. There 
 broke out in 
 on the 26th 
 I for scrip is 
 .nnexation to 
 diction of the 
 itish Govcrn- 
 lands of the 
 ever had any 
 ch it secured 
 )ry was trans- 
 ■ had no legal 
 ^as great, and 
 ; it ;^ 300,000 
 o be the real 
 directly with 
 the old Red 
 5ay Company 
 areed popula- 
 old district 
 m claim was 
 cres of land, 
 them as reg- 
 rip to spccu- 
 askatchewan 
 in demanded 
 
 grant scrip 
 
 1 distinguish- 
 rd and those 
 
 nt was made. 
 
 d Riel rebell- 
 thies o'^ the 
 hat the feel- 
 
 r a time they 
 
 regarded him as a hero and a martyr who had been sacrificed to Orange 
 prejudice. Possibly an explanation may be found in the fact that Riel 
 put the Orangeman Scott to death during the first rebellion, and they 
 believed that the Orangemen were demanding his execution on thai 
 account, although there is no evidence that the Orangemen interfered in 
 the matter in any way. The Riel agitation was merely an ebullition of 
 feeling which was soon worked off by a little speech-making, a number 
 of hot editorials, and the burning of a few effigies. Everything is moving 
 smoothly now. 
 
 There is no reason to suppose that absorption of the French-Canadians 
 would follow annexation. Politically, Canada is more of a consolidation 
 than a federation, the prerogatives of the Provincial legislatures being much 
 more limited than those of the State legislatures, so that the powers of the 
 French majority in Quebec province would be greatly increased by annexa- 
 tion, although their influence in the P'ederal Congress might not be so great 
 as at Ottawa. In those New England towns where French-Canadians are 
 numerically strong they maintain the same policy of isolation as in Canada. 
 W'liere they are numerically weak they become Anglicized as readily in one 
 country as in the other. French-Canadians are absorbed as quickly in 
 Toronto as in Detroit or Buffalo. English, Scotch, Germans and Irish inter- 
 mix as freely in Canada as in the United States, and some of the most 
 enthusiastic Dominionists are Irish-Canadians. 
 
 Canada is not a paradise, nor will it ever be It has its peculiar troubles 
 as other countries have, but nowhere else are prosperity and liberty with- 
 out lirense more general, and in no country are the laws more wisely ad- 
 ministered. The standard of the judiciary is very high, lynch law is never 
 heard of, even in the new settlements, and divorces are almost unknown. 
 American sketches of Canadian life are almost always taken from the most 
 unprogressive towns of Quebec province, which are no more representative 
 of Canada than the smaller towns of Louisiania or Alabama are typical 
 of the United States. Quebec province, as a whole, is certainly behind the 
 age, but it occupies only a small space on the map of Canada. 
 
 Doctor Bender is altogether wrong in saying that " however sore the 
 feeling of any race minority, and however apprehensive as to possible 
 aggression or injustice, in future, by the majority, the kindred and sym- 
 pathizing majority of no other province can help it ; each province, which 
 means each majority, is entirely independent of all the rest in regard to 
 local and municipal affairs." The fact is, that every act passed by the 
 Provincial legislatures must be submitted to the Dominion ministry before 
 it becomes law, and may be vetoed at an>' time within a year of its pas- 
 
350 
 
 THE CONSOLIDATION OF CANADA 
 
 sage, so that if the minority in any province is treated with glaring injus- 
 tice, sympathizers in the other provinces, have a whole year in which to 
 agitate for the disallowance of the objectionable act, and as the Dominion 
 ministry is responsible to Parliament, which represents the people of all 
 the provinces, it is very susceptible to public opinion. No provision oi 
 the Canadian Constitution has given rise to so much public discussion as 
 this. It is intended not only for the protection of provincial minorities, 
 but also to prevent sectional legislation injurious to the Dominion at 
 large. Quite a number of provincial bills have been disallowed since con- 
 federation during both Conservative and Reform administrations, but of 
 late years the Reformers, or Provincialists, have advocated the abolition of 
 the veto power, declaring that it is an encroachment upon the rights of 
 the provinces, although their old leaders, Mr. George Brown, the founder 
 of the Toronto Globc^ and Mr. Alexander Mackenzie, strongly favored it. 
 It is hardly worth while to notice the clerical error in Doctor Bender's 
 article which makes the population of Ontario over 200,000 instead of over 
 2,000,000 ; but the statement that the value of real estate in Ontario fell 
 $30,000,000 last year, cannot be allowed to pass without challenge. 
 Neither the Dominion nor Provincial Government published any statistics 
 bearing on the value of real estate in Ontario last year. The last govern- 
 ment estimate showed a very great increase instead of a decrease. The 
 municipal assessments throughout the Province of Ontario last year 
 showed an increase. In Toronto, the capital of the province, over three 
 million dollars' worth of buildings were erected last year. The growth 
 of this city well illustrates the progress of the country. In 1861 the popu- 
 lation was 44,821 ; at the next census it was 56,092 ; in 1881 it had in- 
 creased to 86,415 ; and now it is about 123,000. 
 
 Sir Richard Cartwright's comparison between the cost of government 
 in the United States and Canada, quoted by Dr. Bender, is very mislead- 
 ing. It is true the debt of the Dominion has increased while that of the 
 United States has been reduced, but this debt has been incurred in the 
 construction of the most stupendous public works ever undertaken by any 
 country of equal population — works that are not only bringing about the 
 material consolidation of the country, but which must be the means of 
 doubling the population in a few years, and so greatly reduce the debt per 
 head as well as the rate of taxation, for it will cost very little more to ad- 
 minister the affairs of the country when the population is twice as large, 
 while the revenue will be greatly increased. The cost of maintaining 
 post-ofKices, custom-houses and other government ofifices is necessarily 
 much greater per head of population in a sparsely settled country than in 
 
 \ 
 
•I 
 
 I 
 
 THE CONSOLIDATION OF CANADA 
 
 th glaring injus- 
 ^ear in which to 
 s the Dominion 
 le people of all 
 ^o provision of 
 lie discussion as 
 icial minorities, 
 e Dominion at 
 owed since con- 
 itrations, but of 
 the abolition of 
 3n the rights of 
 ^vn, the founder 
 ngly favored it. 
 )octor Bender's 
 instead of over 
 in Ontario fell 
 out challenge, 
 d any statistics 
 he last govern- 
 iecrease. The 
 ario last year 
 nee, over three 
 The growth 
 1 86 1 the popu- 
 1881 it had in- 
 
 )f government 
 
 1 very mislead- 
 le that of the 
 ncurred in the 
 rtaken by any 
 ing about the 
 the means of 
 
 2 the debt per 
 e more to ad- 
 wice as large, 
 
 maintaining 
 is necessarily 
 untry than in 
 
 3|i 
 
 one that is densely populated, and increase of population makes little 
 difference in parliamentary expenses. But even at present Canada need 
 not fear comparison with the United States as regards taxation. Sir 
 Richard Cartwright and Dr. Bender overlook the fact that in Canada the 
 cost of provincial government is defrayed by annual subsidies from the 
 Dominion treasury, and that there is no direct taxation except for muni- 
 cipal purposes, the revenue being raised by customs and excise duties. 
 Before making a comparison between the two countries, the whole cost of 
 the various State administrations should be added to the Federal expendi- 
 ture of the United States. The customs tariff of Canada is much lower 
 than that of the United States, averaging about eighteen per cent., and 
 the only articles upon which excise duties are imposed are liquor, tobacco 
 and vinegar. The rate of taxation in the city of Toronto in 1883 was 
 15^ mills on the dollar; in 1884, 15^ mills; in 1885, 17 mills the increase 
 being due to a special tax for the establishment of a public library. If 
 Toronto were situated in an American State instead of in a Canadian 
 Province the State tax would be added to this direct tax, while the indi- 
 rect taxes, in the shape of customs and excise duties, would also be in- 
 creased. 
 
 The idea that Canadians generally are looking to Washington for relief 
 is purely imaginary. There are among the Provincialists of Canada many 
 who would like to see annexation brought about, but so sure are they that 
 the majority of the people arc strongly opposed to it that not a single 
 politician or newspaper can be found to openly advocate the change. 
 This aversion to annexation does not result from any dislike of Americans ; 
 it is the natural independence of a self-reliant, energetic people, who 
 believe that there is room for two great liberal nations on the North Amer- 
 ican continent. 
 
 Montreal, Canada, March 5.