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(.!.«, Mrs. Mackenzie. ( Ft'om a Photuijraph by Toii/ii/, Ottawa, ISSS,) T- THb: HON. flLEHNDER MACKENZIE HIS LIFE AND TIMES BY WILLIAM BUCKINGHAM Private Secretary AND HON. GEO. W. ROSS, LL.D. Minister of Education, Ontario "The better I have become acquainted with you, the more I have learned to respect and honor the straightforward integrity of your character, and tiie unmistakable desire to do your dutj' faithfully by the Queen, the Empire and the Dominion In my opinion, neither in England nor in Canada has any public servant of the Crown administered the affairs c f the nation witii a purer patriotism, with a more indefatigable industry, or nobler aspirations than yourself.'' — Lord Dufferin. " It will be a bright page in the iiistory of Canada that tells that the first Reform Minister of this great Dominion was the noblest workingnmn in the land."— Hon. Georgk Brown. FIFTH EDITION. ROSE rUBLISHING COMPANY (Limited) C. R. Parish & Company 1.S92 ntiNTKn .AND norsD nv HCMKR, llosK & COMPANT TOBfi.NT'j 508U9 ^ Entered acconlu.g to tl.e Act of Parliament o7 Canada in fho ^~ t ^a„d ei,Ht ...ndred and ninety- two, ., t,^ w' I^ . LJTVr ^ PANV (Limited), at the Department of Agricult.ne. i TO THE WIDOW AND FAMILY OF Zbc Xate "^oon, IMcx- /lOacheuiic, THE FIRST LIREUAL PREMIER OP THE DOMINION, CxiNADAS STAINLESS STATESMAN, TUIS V0LUM8 3o IJeapcctfulU) Diuacflbcb. I INTRODUCTION. -»-♦-*- HE history of an individual is often the history of a nation. The domination of a sinf^le mind may determine for centuries the course of a nation's life. The mere statement of this proposition calls ^^ up such names as Cromwell, Chatham, Peel. The writer of biography is not, however, an historian. He has to do with the forces which make history rather than with history itself. He has to look from the effect to the cause — from the cleft sea to the wondrous rod in the leader's hand. The effect of social environment on the subject of his narrative, the influence upon him of education, of business, of wealth or of poverty, he is bound to consider ; but while doing so he is ever conscious of the fact that many millions of the race whose biographies, happily, have not been written, were similarly conditioned. He finds that thousands )f Ame- rican citizens toiled upon the farm and split rails as did Abra- ham Lincoln ; yet only one of these thousands became Presi- dent of the United States. Scotland had generations of pea- sant ploughmen ; yet only one was a Robert Burns. England produced many novelists and brilliant adventurers; yet only one ever became Premier. Why this discrimination is what constantly occurs to the biograplier. Is it owing to native 10 IXTRODUCTlOy. i talent ? If so, how did that talent first express itself ? How was it first discovered ? Or, was success owint^ to some adven- titious circumstance, which would be equally effective in secur- ing distinction for the many thousands whose names have passed into oblivion? The subject of this memoir was not presented to the world as an object of admiration, because of ancestral lineage or rank. No doubt his presence gladdened his Highland home, as such " sweet pledges of immortality " gladden other homes. At his father's fireside, or at the parish school, he was like other boys. It seems no one in early life smoothed down his flaxen curls, and whispered in his ear, prophetically, the story of his future greatness. Not even when toiling in the " bothy " with his fellow masons did any prescient comrade see in him the germs of statesmanship ; and yet there must have been at work even in thase early days that hidden growth of mind and character, which afterwards developed into a great leader of ]niblic opinion. How strange is destiny ! See in the humble stone- mason, shaping, with mallet and chisel, the rough granite of his native country into the stately column or the well-propor- tioned capital, a future Premier of Canada, shaping the policy of a great country, and giving it an enduring name among the nations of the world, and explain in advance, if you can, how it is to be brought aljout. Mr. Mackenzie's early days in Canada were as uneventful as his Scottish life. Like thousands of others, who clambered over the bulwarks of an emigrant ship to seek subsistence in the colonies, he came unheralded. His was no well-filled purse. He had no letters of introduction to men of wealth or influence. He bowed at no man's door for preferment. But thoufifh his wealth did not consist in current coin of the realm, yet he was net poor. He had a trade ; he had health ; I 4 I ■A 'I ^ I IXTIiODUCTlOy. 11 he had self-reliance ; he had energy ; he had character ; and with such possessions who would call him poor ? Without waiting for anybody to take him by the hand, he applied him- self to his tiude. What he thought of his new home at that time, no one can now tell. It may be he often longed for his native hills — for the dreamy twilight of the sunnner months — for a sight of his Scottish home — for his friends. Or it may be, that he saw the great possibilities of the land of his adoption, although still held by nature in its rugged grasp. Whatever may have been his thouglits, certain it is, he was no laggard. " Whatsoever his hand found to do, he did it Avitli his might," unobtrusively and unostentatiously. For nearly twenty years after liis arrival in this country, he was, in the strictest sense of the term, a working-man — all honour to him. But, while toiling with his hands, his mind was active. He combined with the dignity of labour, the thoughtfulness of the student. He felt he was a citizen, not an alien, and that as such his country had claims upon him. The questions engaging public attention were peculiarly congenial to a man of his temperament. Upper Canada, which contained the great bulk of the English-speaking population, had just been united to Lower Canada as a counterpoise to the influence of the French race. Responsible government, the great balance-wheel of the British constitution, was on its trial, and, in spite of partisan governors and cabinets, promised well. The commercial growth of the country sought freer channels with the United States in the Reciprocity Treaty of 1854. Reli- gious liberty and e(|uality were clamouring ior the seculariza- tion of the clergy reserves and the abolition of rectories. The advocates of a broader education were appealing for the estalilishment of free school.'. Great issues were before the country — issues which, to Mr. Mackenzie, were fraught with s 12 INTRODUCTION. ii (I momentous results, and which, no doubt, gave the direction to his political career. As a Nonconformist in Scotland, knowing and feeling the disabilities ander which Nonconformists laboured, not only in the United Kingdom, but in every colony of the Empire, he could, without reserve, take up the policy of the Liberal party on that question. His great leader, Mr. Brown, had said in 1851 : " By means " of Church Endowments, church has been set against church, "family against family, sectarian hatred has been fostered, " religion has been brought into contempt by the scramble for " public plunder, and infidelity has been in no small degree " promoted by the sight of men preaching one day the worth- " lessness of lucre, and battling on the next to clutch a little of " that same commodity, though gained by the grossest partiality " and injustice — and all this to serve the cause of religion." With these sentiments he heartily coincided. To light the battles of the Liberal party, then, was simply to express his own convictions. And every one who heard him speak in those days felt that he was not the mere champion of liberal- ism, but an embodiment of liberalism itself. Long before Mr. Mackenzie entered Parliament, his ability as a debater was recognized by all who knew him. His stun- ning blows and corrosive humour were felt and feared by every antagonist With a courage that never quailed, with a logic J18 inexorable as one of Euclid's demonstrations, and in lan- guage, simple, exact and forcible, none the less effective be- cause of its Scottish accent, he would tear into tatters the arguments of the enemy. The interruptions of his opponents but assisted in their discomfiture, for he was a master at repartee, and no one ever crossed swords with him without realizing that he had a foeman worthy of his steel. But these were only the training days of the young athlete; f IXTliODUCTlOX. 13 le its at »ut •> • he had not reached the maturity of his pcwer, although he entered Parliament in his thirty-ninth year. The great de- mand upon his time and pliysical strength by his vocation made it impossible for him to give much time to public matters. Hi", whole attention was now, however, at least for a considerable portion of the year, to be given to politics. He was brought face to face with men who directed the public opinion of the day. He had a parliamentary library at his elbow, and it remained to be seen whether tue platform champion of tlie rural school-house and the dimly-lighted town-hall would hold his own with the Ruperts ")f parliamentary debate. His friends had not long to wait. Modestly, but with an unaf- fected consciousness of power, he took part in the debates ; and parliament, with its traditional consideration for young members, heard him with respect. His advancement was unusually rapid. In 18G4, he was an active member of the party caucus. In 18G5, lie was asked by Sir John Macdonald to join his Government. In LSG7, he was the acknowledged leader of the Liberal party. And, in IS?.*], just eleven years after first subscribing to the roll as a member of parliament, he was Premier of Canada. Few men, even with the assistance of wealth and social posi- tion, can furnish such a record. Of him it may be truly said : " We build the ladder by wliich we rise From the lowlj' eartli to tlio vaulted skies, And we mount to the summit round by round." The writers of Mr. Mackenzie's l)iography have sought to show the public what manner of man he was, by simply stating how ho conducted himself in the various positions in which he was place])])osing it or how to lead two opposing fac- tions to believe that he .sj-mpathizeil with each and oppo.sed the other, was a political aeeomplishnu'nt which he nexer studied. It' he moved a resolution, it was so worded as to mean what it said ; and if In; made a speech, it was so ex- pressed as to be incapable of two intei'pretations. Had he brcn less straightforward, he might liave cocpietted with the Nova Scotians in LS70, or with Alanitoba in 1871, or with (^^uebec during the Riel agitation. 'I'o lKi\e maintained tlui contidence of the Liberal party as acting leader from 1807 to 1873. in the presence t)f many other distinguished men, was, in itself, a givat achievement. It may be fairly assumed that men like Holton and Dorion would not have followed any leader of inferior ability. Turning to him next, as Premier, there is nmch in his char- acter to admire. His transfer from one side of the Hou.se to the other made no change in his manner. The First JNIiin'ster jr 18 ixri:oi)UCTiox. of Canada directing the leo-islation of one of Eno-land's greatest colonies was quite as unpretentious as the man who yester- day was the leader of Her Majesty's loyal Opposition. In his new position hi.s I'esponsibilities were increased. Leadership now involved nuich more than managing and di- recting party warfare. He had not only to keep his party in hand, but he had to maintain tlie dignity iuid honor of par- liament. His voice was the most potent voice in British North America. How to use the power with which he was invested, to win the confidence and respect of the people of Canada, was the problem before him. The leader of a Government recjuires to be a man of great decision of cliaracter, firmness, resource, good temper, and above all, of patience. The latter ([uality was said by the younger Pitt to supersede, in importance, all other (jualities of a leader. To occupy the time of the House in protracted discussions, which could serve no useful purpose, was doubt- less annoying to a man, every moment of whose time was more than fully occupied. And yet, experience shows that to resist the disposition of members of parliament to continue a debate, prolongs ratlier than shortens it. An Opposition is apt to do the very thing that is distasteful to the Govern- ment. Though not open to the charge of impatience, Mr. Mac- kenzie sometimes failed in answering questions put to him by opponents in a conciliatory s]>irit. "J^lie soft answer which turns away wrath was not always at hand, and instead of it was used, sometimes to his own disadvantage, the sar- CJism which sears and scorches and provokes to enmity and retaliation. To badger atid banter a Government is the peculiar privilege of an Opposition. The Opposition who confronted Mr. Mac- IXTRODUCriON. 19 kenzio were possessed )l" lar^e powers in this direction. Their leader, Sir John Mucdonald, was an adept at parliamentary fence, and knowing, as he did, the position of every public question wiien the Government came into power, he was able from year to year, to catechize the Government fully as to the different phases which such questions assumed. There were other members of the Opposition who had made a study of the details of each department of the public service, and who were most irritating, and \QYy often unreasonable, in their criticisms. That human nature would occasionally resent such attacks, was not to l^e wondered at, and if Mr. Mackenzie threw liin)self with all his force upon some troublesome Opposition- ists, he might very well be excused. Notwithstanding these circumstances, Mr. Mackenzie's lead- ership was dignified and judicial. The views of the Govern- ment he always presented with frankness; and where the honor of parliament, or any great national interest, was at stake, his manner plainly indicated the noble instincts of his nature, fie never lowered the tone of the debate l)y act or speech; nor, so far as he could prevent it, did he allow j)urlia- ment to degenerate into a niob. Mr. Mackenzie strongly believed that it was greatly to the ailvantage of Canada to continue her present connection witli the Empire. iSo long as the colonial office did not wantonly interfere in our domestic atlairs, we had, in his opinion, all the advantages practically of self-government, and, in addi- tion, the prestige of sharing in the honor and dignity of the British Empire. Tlie independence of Canada, even in the remote future, was a possibility which he seems never to have entertained ; while annexation to the United States in- volved such considerations of national weakness and faint- heartedness OS to be unwortliy of a moment's consideration. 20 INTRODUCriOX. " The fierce li^ht that beats upon the throne " allows no dis- tinction to be drawn between the private life of a First Minister and his public presence under the arous eye of the Press. The duty of dispensinor hospitality, as became the First Minis- ter, was discharged with a liberality which left nothing to be desired. As a host, lie was entertaining and agreeable, and no one left his table without pleasant recollections of his cour- tesy and his attention. Mr. Mackenzie's biography, which is in perspective a his- tory of the Liberal party during the last thirty years, con- tains much to inspire and encourage the Young Liberals of Canada. Though not a Gladstone or a Pitt, or perliaj^s not in all respects equal to Mr. Brown, he was nevertheless a Can- adian who.se services to his country should not be forgotten. " To break his birth's invidious bar, and breast the blows of circumstance," and to advance step by step until by the favor of his countrymen he became First Minister of the State, represent qualities, in his case particularly, worthy of imita- tion. He who wears the white flower of a blameless life through all the vicissitudes of time and place, he who listens to the voice of conscience in the midst of temptations, and pursues the path of honor with heroic self-denial in the dis- charge of every public duty, is too valuable a representative of the better elements of Canadian politics to be allowed to pass from memory with the procession which bears him to his grave. THK AUTHORS. '% i August 3lKt, 1S!>2. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. PAGE 33 ALEXANDER ISIACKENZIE S YOUTH. Record of Mr. Mackenzie's Birth — His Paternal Ancestry — His Futlicr s Loss of Fortune — " Peregrinities " — Tlie Memorial Tablet — The Mother's Familj' — Tiie Parents' Emlowmeats — ^Ir. Mackenzie's Birtiiplace — His "Scliool- ing " — Tlie OKI Clockmaker Schoolmaster — His Hard Necessity — He Learns a 'i'rade. CHAPTER II. PAGE 51 HIS ARRIVAL IN CANADA. Aspirations not Realised — Hugh Miller's Case Exemplified — Journeyman Stonecutter Before the Age of Twenty — Works and Muses in the Land of Burns — Beginning of His Religious Life -Becomes Attaclied to Helen Neil — Emigration to Canada — His Deportment on the Voyage — Love for the Old Songs — Arrival in Kingston — A Scottish Scene of '43. CHAPTER III. PAGE Gl TWENTY YEARS OF EXCITEMENT. Political and Historical Sketch — From las arrival in 1842 to entering Parlia- ment in 18G1 — Tiie U. E. Loyalists— The Clergy Reserves— Louis J. Papin- eau and Wni. Lyon Mackenzie — Robert (Jourlay — Baiiiabas Bidvvell — The Rebellion — Baldwin, Draper, Morin, Lafontaine — Sir Ciiarles Metcalfe — Hazy Notions of Responsible Clovernment — Lord Elgin — The Rel)elliou Losses — Tlie Covcrnor-fJeneral Mobbed — Sacking and Burning of the Par- liament Buildings— tJeorge Brown^Dr. Rolph and Malcolm Cameron — Francis Hincks — John A. Maodonald— Tiio Seigniorial Tenure — Representa- tion by Popiihition — 'fhe Double Majority — Rapid (irowth of Upper Canada — " French Donunatioii." s ^ ili COXTEXTS. CHAPTER IV. LIFE IX AND ABOUT KIXGSi'OX. PAGE 84 Mr. Mackenzie's Contemporaries — Sketch of Mr. Ceo. Brown — His Relations to Mr. Mackenzie — Characteristics of Sir John A. Macdonald — Mr. Holton's Estimate of Sir Oliver Mowat — The Young Stonecutter meets his Match, but is not Overcome by it — His Letter from Kingston to Scotland — Plod- ding in tlie Forests of the Far West — " Home, Sweet Home" — Cheated out of his Wages — Goes on the Land — A Friend in Need— His Associates and Surroundings — His Brother Joins Him. CHAPTER V. SETTLES IX SARXIA. PAGE 99 Rises in his Position— Suffers for his Opinions— Goes to the Beauharnois Canal — An I''meute there— A Painful Accident — Removes to the Welland Canal — Returns to Kingston — Is Married there — Builds the Defences of Canada — Foreman on the Canal Basin, Montreal — Settles in 1847 in Sarnia — Joined in Sarnia by the other Brothers and their Mother — Death of his First Wife. CHAPTER VI. PAGE 107 THE WESTEUX DISTRICT. Politics and Men in the Western District in the Early Days — Clear Grits — (jeorge Brown to the Rescue — His Letters to Alexander Mackenzie — The " Brownies " — Ancient Sectarian Issues— The "Old Ladies" — Mr. Mackenzie as Editor — A Rival Paper — A Great Liljcl Suit— Valedictory — Fine Letter from Wm. Lyon Mackenzie — Growing Political Influence — Friends Once More — Meets "Leonidas." CPIAPTER VII. THE BROWX-DORION GOVERXMENT. p.\f;K \-l:\ The General Election of 1857— More Brown Letters — Hope Mackenzie — "Lamb- ton Bricks " — Alexander Mackenzie's Second Marriage— Where He Wor- shipped — The "Double Shulile" — George P)rown's Colleagues — Their Policy — Precedents for a Dissolution — Alex, ^lackenzie as an Essayist — Advocacy by the Liberals of a Federal Union. CHAPTER VIII. MR. MACKENZIE'S FIRST ELECTIOX. PAGE 138 Dissolution of Parliament and General Election — Return of Mr. Mackenzie for Lambton— Ministry Sustained — Defeat of tlie Hon. Geo. Brown— Mr. t CONTENTS. 28 Mackenzie's First Appearance in Parliament — Defeat of the Government on the Militia Bill. CHAPTER IX. PAGE 147 A LIBERAL GOVERNMENT. The Macdonald-Sicotte Administration — Debate on Representation by Popu- lation—The Separate School Law — Return of Mr. Brown for Oxford — Tlie Double Majority Principle — Reconstruction of the Cabinet — Hon. Oliver Mowat, Postmaster-General. CHAPTER X. PAGE 157 WEAKXES.S OF SANDFIELD MACDONALD S ADMINISTRATION, (icneral Election— Mr. VVallbridge, Speaker^Xarrow Majority of tlie Govern- ment — Losses in By-Elections — The Government Unable to Proceed — Re- signed Otllce 21st March, 1804 — Formation of the Tach^-Macdonald Adminis- tration — Promises of the New Government — Committee on Representation. CHAPTER XI. PAGE 1G5 POLITICAL DEAD-LOCK. Political Dead-Lock — Hon. Mr. Brown's otler of Assistance — Report of the Committee on the Federation of the Provinces— Formation of a Coalition — Mr. Mackenzie's Attitude on this Question — The Policy of the New Cabinet. CHAPTER XII. PAGE 173 CONFEDERATION IN SIGHT. Confederation of the Maritime Provinces to be Considered —Delegates Called to Meet at Ciuirlottetown, Prince Edward Island, in September — Representa- tives of the (iovcrnment in Attendtmco — Quebec Conference — Developniont of the .Scheme — Draft Agreed upon — Cabinet Ciianges — Mr. Mackenzie in Favor of Confederation. CHAPTER XIII. PAGE ISO THE CONFEDERATION DEBATES. '.10 r. Ses.siou of ISOi) — Discussion of the .Scheme of t'onfeileration — Opposition from Quebec — Mr. Mackenzie's .Share in the Discussion — Delegation to England — Sliort Session of Parliament — Final Adoption of the Quebec Resolution.s. 24 CONTEXTS. CHAPTER XIV. PAGE 190 JIU. BIIOWN RETIRES FR05I THE COAI.niOX. Death of Sir E. P. Tnch6 — Mr. Browirs Objections to Mr. Alacdonakl as Pre- mier — Last Parliament in Quebec — Report of the Delegates to England — reeling in the Maritime Pio%inoes — Mr. Brown's Retirement from the Gov- ernment — Abolition of the Reciprocity Treaty of '57 — The last Session of the old Parliament of Canada. CHAPTER XVI. PAGE "212 cox FEDERATION APPROVED BY THE HOUSE OF ( OM.MONS. Troubles in the Maritime Provinces — Delegation to England — Amendment to the Quebec Resolutions — The Education Clause — Additional Subsidies to Nova Scotia — The Royal Proclamation — The Father of Confederation — Claims of Mr. Brown to this Honor. CPIAPTER XVII. PAGE 218 THE NEW DOMINION. ;i Formation of tlie First Government— Another Coalition — Great Reform Con- vention in Toronto — MacDougalls and Hollands Defence — Speech i)y Mr. Mackenzie — Position of tlie Liberal Parly — Mr. Mackenzie's Campaign in Lambton — Contests with Mr. MacDougall — Results of the Election. CHAPTER XV III. PAGE 232 MEETING OF THE FIRST PARLIAMENT OF CANADA. Mr. Josepii Howe and Confederation — The North-West 'i'erritories — Intercol- onial Railway — Retirement of Mr. Gait — 'J'he Country to be Fortified — Assassinatic.n of Mr. McCice — Conservative Tendencies of the Government. CHAPTER XV. PAGE 201 MR. MACKENZIE OFFERED A SEAT IN THE GOVERNMENT. Mr. MacDc.ugaH's Trip to the Indies — Mr. Gait's Financial Policy — Constitu- tion of tlie Provinces — Retirement of Mr. Gait — Confidence Weakened in the Coalition. t COXTKXTS. 25 CHAPTER XIX. PAGE 244. POLICY OF THE LIBERALS ASSERTED. Independence of rarliament — (ioveruorGenerals S.ilary — Reciprocity with ihe United States — " Better Terms" witli Nova Scotia — Mr. Howe enters the Government — Changes in the Cabinet — Mr. Mackenzie as Leader. CHAPTER XX. PAGE 255 RE15ELLI0X IN THE XORTH-WEST. Customs Union^ — Commercial Treaties — Speech Ijy Mr. ^lacken/io— Reljellion in Manitoba — Ahmn of the Settlers— MacDoiigall Refused Admission — Kiel, President — Murder of Scott — Debates in Parliament — Expedition under Wolseley — Air. Archibald Appointed Lieutendut-Governor — Reward Ofleied by Ontario Government — Trial of Le[iinc — Discussion in the House of Com- mons — Amnesty Granted — Lord Dutl'erin's Action. CHAPTER XXI. PAGE 278 RELATIONS \\'ri'li THE I'NITED STATES. I'isliery Claims — Sir John Macdonald at Washington — Tl\e Washington Treaty — Concessions to the United States — The Fenian and .\labama Claims — The Manitoba Bill — British Columbia Ei.ters Confederation. CHAPTER XXII. PAGE 2S6 MR. .MACKENZIE AND PROVINCAL POLITICS. Mr. Mackenzie Elected for West Middlesex ^ — Defeat of the Sandfield Macdonald Administration^ — Mackenzie a Member of the New (iovernmcnt — His Position in Local Politics-Speech as Provincial Treasurer — Dual Representation Abolished— His Ciioice of tiie Comnuuis. CHAPTER XXIII. PAGE 80S THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY. v# Conditions for Constructing the Canadian IV.cific Railway — Debate in Parlia- ment— lUirdcns Involved — New Rruuswick .Sciiool IJill — Rights of tiie Min- ority — Mr. Mackenzie's Attitude — First (icrrynuuidcr. 20 CONTEXTS. CHAPTER XXIV. PAGE 319 DOWNFALL OF THE GOVERNMENT. General Election of 187'2 — Issues Before the Country — Sir John Meets Mac- kenzie at Sarnia — Appointment of a Leader — Selection of Mr. Mackenzie — Interesting Letter to his Brother — Irregular Elections — The Pacific Scandal — Huntington's Cliarges — Appointment of a Committee — Sir John Mac- donald's Evasions — The Oaths Bill — Prorogation Amidst Great Excitement — Meeting of Liberals in Railway Committee Room — Memorial to the Gover- nor-General — Appointment of a Commission — Meeting of Parliament — Speeches by the Opposition Leaders — Resignation of the Government. CHAPTER XXV. PAGE 353 THE NEW ADMINISTRATION. Tlie Xew Cabinet — Dissolution of the House — Address to the Electors of Lambton — Meeting of Parliament — Mr. Mackenzie's Dillicullies— Discontent of British Columbia — The Carnarvon Terms — Visit of Lord Dullerin — Brilliant Speech at Victoria — Irritation Allayed — Xew Reciprocity Treaty Considered — Honorable George Brown at \Vashington — Treaty Agreed upon Rejected by the Senate — Mr. Macken/ip's TiOvalty to Canada — Mi'. Cartwright'a First Budget Speech — New Taritl" IJill — Pacific Railway Bill — Mr. Mackenzie's Military Career — Military College — New Election Bill. CHAPTER XXVI. PAGE 38(3 THE SESSION OF 1875. Mr. Mackenzie's Plan for Preserving the Debates of the House— Tlie Supreme Co\iit Act — The Constitution of the Senate — Prohibition Discussed — Tiio Canada Temperance Act — Mr. Mackenzie visits the Eastern Provinces — Mr. iin)\\n declines tlie Liouteiiaiit-(iovornorship of Ontario — 'J'iie Office Accepted by Mr. D. A. Mat-donald. CHAl'TER XXVII. PAGE 403 VISIT TO SCOTLAND IN 1875. On a Holiday — A Guest at Windsor — Invitation to Perth — Impressions of England—" Hodge "' — The British Commons— Spurgeon — Farrar — Freedom of Duiulce — Address to tiie \\^)rkingmen — Freedom of Perth— Address at Dunkeld— Tiie "Home-Coming" atLogiera.lt — Freedom of Irvine — Aldrcsa at Greenock — Tlie Clyde— The Theology — Lord DuU'erin's Tribute to hia First Minister — George Brown's Letter on Taste. CONTENTS. 27 CH.\PTER XXVIII. PAGE 418 THE NATIONAL POLICY FIRST DISCUSSED. Questions of Trade Occupy the House — Industrial Depression — Committee Appointed for Investigation — jNlr. Cartwright" s Budget Sp^^ech — Dr. Tap- per's Reply — Tlie National Policy — Tiie Steel Rail Transaction — Election in Suulli Ontario. CHAPTER XXIX. page 4:U AN IRKSOME SESSION OK PARLIAMENT. Changes in the Cabinet Since 187;J — Their Effect Upon tlie Government — New Appointments Male — Mr. Brown on Laurier — Extradition — Mr. Blake's Bill — Opening of the House with Prayer — Budget Speech Again— Protection vtrms Free Trade — The Agricultural Interests of the Country — Tlie Pacific Raihvav — Fort Francis Locks — Mr. Mi c icnzie's Defence— (iodcrich Harbor' — The Independence of Parliament and Mr. Anglin — Mr. MilL-s at Washing- ton — Mr. Mackenzie's Sympathy — Two Interesting Letters, CHAPTER XXX. PAGE 4o!J ill- ;5 8(3 ■ni ••! me ■^1 "lie ^■Vi .s — S io;i LAST SESSION IN POWER. Bitlenicss of Parties — Sir John's Attack on Mr. Anglii; — T'jie Premier's Do- fence —Long and Acrimonious Debate on the Address — The Turning Point of Depression Reached — Mr. Mowat olTered a seat in the Government — The Figiiting (u-ound for tlic Elections Laid Out — The Protective Policy — The Auditor-General — Temperance Legislation — Another Stride Towards Self- Government, CHAPTER XXXI. ww.v. 474 GOVERNOR LETELLIERS COUP d'ETAT. Tlie Case Before Parliament — Motion to Declare His Action "Unwise" — How the Premier Met it — The Dominion Government nut Privy to the Pro- i.eediiig — Lord Lome Assailed — Gov. Letellier Dismissed— Address to Lord DuUerin -His Excellency's Sen.se of the I'remicr's Kindness— liids Parlia- ment Kiuewell— Government Policy on the Railway Legislation With- diawu— Release from a Turbulent Session. of om at resa Ilia CHAI'TEli XX.\II. DEPE.Vr OP THE GOVERNJIENT. PAGE 495 Royalty in Canada— Apprehensions Unfounded— Preparations for the Con- test— Misttake in the Time Selected — Shouhl have been June— The Phvsical CONTENTS. Strain — What tlie Government had to Fight Against— A Carnival of FraiuT and Misrepresentation — Defeat of the Government — The Protection Hum- bug Illustrated. CHAPTER XXXIII. PAGE 514 now HE BOUE DEFEAT. Letter to Lord DulTerin — Tlie Governor-General's Reply — His Excellency's Noble Letter to Mrs. Mackenzie — Letter from the late Chief Justice Rich- ards — Mr. Mackenzie Addresses Mr. Holton — Hatred of Intrigue and Crookedness — Would Rather go Down than Yield Principle — A Clean Re- cord — The Loss of (Jood and True Men— The Public Interest First and Always — "Living in Anotiier Man's House'' — Nothing Left save Honor — 8elf-Sacritice — Its Reward — Disciples of Cobden ^eader- 551 THE GREAT fiERRVMANDEI!. PiU'liamont Dissolved — Mr. Mackenzie Retires fiom Lanibton to Accept h'ast York — I'lie (Jan vass— During it He is Stricken Down — Redeems tiu' Riding — Anotlier Tarid' Change — Tiie (Jreat (ierrynumdei- — How the Measure was Designated in Parliament — Hiving of the Grits —The Process of Manufac- ture of Toi'v (/onstilucncies — Othcials Superseded as Rciuining Oilicers - Sir Joini A. Macdoiuild's Own Arguments Again-st the Measure —Is tiio Principle of Gerrymander Constitutional? — Power to Canada to Negotiate Her Own Treaties— "A Hritisli Subject I was Horn," etc. — Ringing S[>eech from Mr. Mackenzie m Reply— '{"he Flourish of liic Flag, and " The Flag of Common Sejiso ' — " Wasted Opportunities." CHAPTER XXXIX. PAGE (iOl Session It Pro- Chief line — Mac- ( )ffei' )():i in His "iiv— TO EUROI'E AGAIN. A Proposed Shelf in the Senate— Testimonial from the Lamhton Friends - Crosses tile Atlantic Once More in Search of Healtii— Fine Letter from Eiliu- burgh — (irapliic Historical Incidents- Knox and Calvin Poor t^ueen Mary —Glimpses of Venice and Milan — Speech at tlie Empire Club in London — Lord Dufferins Kslimate of it — Lord Lome — Lord Lansdowne— Lord Stanley. CHAPTEH XL PAtiE (JOS HE DEPICTS liLMSELl'V Goes to the North-West— Again in Search of Health Splendid Descriptive Letter to his Daughter— The Rockies Mount Slephou— Wheat Fields of ;?o COSTILWTS. over OiU! 'I'lioiisiiiid A'Tch 'I'lic Fii^lil u itii liia l)i,s(>ii8o -A i,aHt \\m\ In Scotliuitl IiittMcsting Sfiios of Lultcis 'I'lie Man Kcvculcd — His I'eii Tio- turua of lliiiisflf. CIlAI'TKi: \1J. pact: (J21 Ki\i:ii\«; Till; kkitkus. 'I'lio Sccoiwl RiHiiif,' in Mi« Noilli West,- Ill-'I'roatniciit, Causes Rclicllinii — "Old To-Moirow" — Sacrifioo of Lifi; and 'I'reaHure. — 'I'Ik; Kiaiu'liiHci lMi<]iiiLy — 'I'lio llcvising liarriHter Tlio Country Delivorod into Hin Hands— Mr. Maekeii/.ie on tlio Outrage — Tho Indian Vote— Tlio Tory Cricks from IS(i7 to ISDI. CIIAITKU WAV, PAGE 028 HIS LAST DAYS. Again Iti'tiinied for l-last Yoi'k --f!liai-IeH Maci<(!n/.ie in tlie Legislature -Death of Sir Jolin A. Maedonald — Mr. lilaUord Loriu!." — CoM.Ins. " Life and TniK!-! of the Kij^lii Hon. Sirdolin .\. Maedonald." Col. i, ins. "Canada Under tlu; Adiiiini.str.'U ion of the I'larl of Diill'ijrin. ' tJKidiiiii SrKWARI', .1 I'N. " Thi^ Dominion .Animal Ivej^fistor." .Morhv.n. D(d)ate.son ( lonfederation of the I'rovinecH. I'ai'liamentary (.'oinpanion. .loiirnalHof tlie, Houho '»f (Ji; (JoiuiuoiiH, 1S(!7 tL;islativ(! Assenddy ol Canada. .Statutes of ( 'anada. Dehatt's of iho lloiiso of Cinninon.s. 3SrOT£3. The aidhor.s acknowledge their iii(Ud)tufferin, Lord, <« <« n .... 000 •Mackenzie, Hon. A]<'\., " « t, ,,. _„. ,,,,,, ' 414. 531 Make, Hon. Kdward. " k tt 43 < -Macdonahl, Right Hon. Sir J. A " ,-- '* *i»)/ Letellier, Hon. L., «'('«« ' 430 Tapper, Hon. Sir Charles, u u ' ^.J ^ PAGE 3 . 37 , 43 , 69 . 79 113 , 166 , 591 , 287 . 305 324 505 539 645 649 649 653 657 THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE, HIS LIFE AND TIMES. CHAPTER I. ALEXAXKEU MACKENZIE'S YOUTH. Record of Mr. Mackenzie's Birth — His Paternal Ancestry — His Father's Loss of Fortune — " I'eregrinities " — The Memorial Tablet — The Mother's Family — The Parents' Fmlownients — ^Mr. Mackenzie's ]5irth{)lace — His "School- ing "— 'I'he Old Clockniaker Sohoolmaater — His Hard Necessity — He Learns a Trade. 90 127 130 235 274 365 |i'531 437 157 482 % ^^ LITTLE over seventy years ago there was born in a Scottish viUage, to parents in unpretentious #rkf Jk circumstances, a lad who, like Clive, was destined N^f Qy in after hfe to play an important part in a wide e5 :r ^^^^'^ ^^^ another hemisphere — whoso destiny it was to realise in his own person, and in our oa'u day, the t'airy-book romance of " Turn again Whittiugton, Lord Mayor of London." This lad was Alexander Mackenzie, Prime ^lin- ister of Canada. Hi- came to Canada, in 1S42, a working stonecutter; he returned from Canada, in 1875, at the head of its Government. In a letter descriptive of the voyage home "% 34 LIFE OF THE HOX. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. in the latter yoviV, he himself marks the strannre contrast in his position and fortune. " LeaviDg Quebec," he says, " we had a delightful sail down the St. Lawrence, that queen of rivers. My mind went back to the time when, as a nameless mason lad, I had saili^d up that same river, 33 years before, the country and future all urdcnown to me. Little did I think that I should ever return, as I did to-day, full of resjion- sibility, if not of honor." "His," says the Loudon Times, " was a remarkable career. He rose from toilino- in a stone- yard to rule the greatest territorj^- in the British Empire." "To-day," remarked he great French journalist, Paul de Cazes, when referring to Mr. Mackenzie's visit to the Queen, " the poor mechanic of the past is welcomed and feasted at the most aristocratic court in Europe, while, for the proud nobles who surround him in the sfilded salons of St. James, his lowlv origin is disguised under the imprint of ability stamped upon the Canadian statesman." He was the third son of Alexander Mackenzie and Mar}'" Stewart Fleming. As annalist of Ihe family, his father has methodically recorded in a small book the domestic events as they occurred. The book is now in posses.sion of the eldest son, and from it the following extract is taken : " 1822, at Logierait, Monday, 2.Sth da}' of January. Born to me at a quarter past twelve, Sunday ulght, n^y third son. Baptized on Friday, 8th of February. Named Alexander." There were ten children born to these parents — all sons. They were named Robert, Hope Fleming, Alexander, Thomas, Donald, John, Adam Stewart, James, Charles and Daniel. Thomas, Donald and Daniel died In infancy. The father died at Dunkeld in 183G, aged 52. Six years after his death, the son, Alexander, came to Canada ; he was followed one year subsequently by Hope, and four years after m A L EX A XDER M. 1 CK EXZI E 'S ¥0 U Til. 35 l.y tlio otlier lirothers an*! their inotlior. On Foliniary 10th, ISOl, at tht? aot; of G6, the iiiothei', wliose nuuy. When dining with ^Ir. Mackenzie iiome years \xgo in Ottawa, he said: "I have travelled all over ALI'JXAXDER MACKENZIE S YOUTH. 47 the world, and I know no place more lovely, or a drive more glorious, than that from Blair-Atliol to Pitloclny, through the Pass of Killiccrankie." In his tour of Scotland in LS83, T^.Ir. Mackenzie paintod out tlie old cherry tree at Logierait, from which when a boj'' he had fallen when striving to get its fruit, and for which he narrowly escaped a thrashing, not for the injury done to himself, but to his jacket. While residing at Pitlochry the three elder boys went to the parish school of ^loulin, distant a little over a mile. The schoolhouse was then, and is still, a small, quaint, uncomfort- able building. Writing from Ottawa, over fifty years after he had received his scuntv " schooling" here, to ;i friend in Dun- kcld, Ml'. Mackt'iizic paints a ])ic'tin'e ot* the surroundings, M'hich recalls ^Irs. ((uskell's description of the graveyard an, Mr. Mack(Mi/ie, pointing nut the old school-house on whose benches he hail sat as a little boy, said: "It still looks as old-fashiont'd and anti- i|uated as if it had stood there since the times of the Hood — a lit place for the education of Noah and his family." He also 48 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. related some interesting anecdotes of the old teacher wliose power in wielding the tawse and authority over his suhjects made him more terrible to them than the Czar of all the Russias. Robertson w^is the name of the Moulin dominie, and lie eked out his scanty pay in pedagogy by tinkering old clocks and watches, upon whose bodies he was accustomed to work, while driving the arts of reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic into the minds of the unwilling urchins, . It is to be appre- hended that Alexander got little under the ferule of the me- chanical old Robertson, or at either of the two or three other similar educational establishments which he attendetl within the brief compass of his so-called scholastic life. But what says a great master on this subject, his countryman, who, as the scholar of the family, had the advantages of a university education — though Ids father, too, was but a working mechan- ic — Scholar Tom ? "To him," speaking of John Sterling, "and to all of us, the expi-essly-appointed schoolmasters and school- ings we get are as nothing, compared with the unappointed, incidental, and continual ones, whose school hours are all the days and nights of our existence, and whose lessons, noticed or unnoticed, stream in ujion us with every breath we draw." Robert, the eldest brother, has told us that Alexander left school altogether when he was thirteen, and that from ten to thirteen he worked in sununer with the farmers, and went to school in the winter. Three winters' schooling at such insti- tutions as ancient Robertson's, the clock-mender, nuist have been a poor equipment for a lifetime, and if Thomas Carlyle himself had been compelled to put up with it, instead of hav- ing entered at the college at Edinburgh, we certainly wt)uld not have had " Sartor Resartus " or " Frederick the Great." How Mr. Mackenzie throughout his career felt the liam];ering influences of his early surroundings, a^jpears in a letter of .■^ ALEXAKUER MACKEXZIE'S YOUTH. 49 lament, written to his friend, Mr. George Brown, in 1872, A\ hen he had became a great parliamentary leader — a letter so full of pathos as to evoke sympathy from the strongest, for the inadequately furnished, if still powerful man: "I know too well my own deficiencies as a political leader to wonder at other people seeing them as well. The want of early advan- tages was but ill compensated for by an anxious-enough etibrt to acquire such in the midst of a laboi-ious life, deeply furrowed by domestic trials, and it has left me but ill-fitted to grapple with questions and circumstances constantly coming up in Parliament. I am quite aware of the advantages possessed by a leader of men, of high mental culture and having ample means, especially when these are joined to intellectual power and personal excellence. Therefore, I do not W'onder at, or complain of, those who see in others possessing such, greater fitness for the work required of them than myself." He had at that time, by his own unaided eftbrts, won a posi- tion which it is the good fortune of but one in millions to achieve, however gifted or well-trained he ma}'- happen to be. By these eftbrts Mr. Mackenzie's mind became one of continu- ous development, ever acquiring knowledge, and constantly expanding and growing upon what it fed. It will be curious and interesting to mark as we go along, from the outer rather than from the inner evidences, the progress he made, often by leaps and bounds, from the period of 1841, when he iitruck out for himself as journeyman stonecutter, until he reached, in 1873, the highest attainable altitude as chief ad\ iser of the Crown. But if it was hard for the boys to get a livelihood, much less an education, while the impoverished father was alive to struggle for them, it was harder still after his death. There Were seven of them, ranging from the age of two to seven- D 60 LIFE OF THE IIOX. ALEXAXDEIi MACKENZIE. teen, Aloxaiicler Loing fourteen. The three elder boys had already left school, for stern necessity had driven tlioiu to do something in the way of support for themselves. When he was but ten years of age, Alexander had been compelled to start forth in the battle of life by hiring himself out as a herd lad to various farmers in the neigliborhood, with the attend- ant duties of caring for their cows and sheep. Wlien he was sixteen he held the plough, and did at tiuit honorable em- ployment a man's full work, for he was very strong for his age, and full of pluck and resource. One who knew him as a lad has said of him : " He was remarkable for strength and energy ; always on the alert, and ever ready for fun or frolic." From his youth he was a born leader, and headed his companions in their every harndess mischief-making expedi- tion. But he was, from first to last, self-respecting, and there was never anything in him approaching in the slightest degree to badness. There was a boldness and aggressiveness, an in- dependence of character and thought about him, a habit of forming his own opinions and of sticking to them when formed, which all feared, and many liked him for. But whether they did the one or the other, he chalked out his own way and kept it. " Hew straight to the line, and the man's work is not only the better for it in itself, but is more commendable in the eyes of his fellow men." As the boys in turn grew to a proper age, each was appren- ticed to a trade. The eldest two, Robert and Hope, became carpenters and cabinetmakers, Alexander a stonecutter, John a tin and coppersmith, and Adam a druggist. The other two children were too young to learn trades in Scotland, but after their arrival in Canada James became associated with tiie two elder brothers in building and cabinetmaking, and Charles joined John in the hardware and tin and coppersmithing busi- ness. r^' CHAPTER II. HIS ARUIVAL IN CANADA. Aspirations not Ecalised— Hugh Miller's Case Exemplified— Journeyman Stonecutter Before the Age of Twenty — Works and Muses in the Land of Burns— Beginning of His Religious Life —Becomes Attached to Helen Neil— Emigration to Canada — His Deportment on the Voyage — Love for the Old Songs — Arrival in Kingston — A Scottish Scene of '43. '^^J^'^ ROUDE has told us that tliere is in most Scottish il^ families a desire that one of the sons shall receive I ^?' ,r^' a liberal education. It seems to have been so in W'S^J^^^^ the family of the Mackenzies. Alexander had ((f'K always felt a tliirst for knowledge. He was a greedy reader, and never tired of poring over his books. In this way, with his prodigious memory, he was con- stantly storing up funds of most valuable information. It was his own wish and that of his mother and the rest that he sliould obtain what is known as " advantages." But this wish was not to be realised. There were seven children and the mother to be provided for, and the brave, manly boy resolved to take his turn at wage-earning with the rest. So at about tlie age of IG, from his hard preparatory school of existence, he entered life's university by binding himself with a builder of the name of John Ireland, of Dunkeld, to learn the trade of a stonecutter. Who does not recall in these circumstances, with this chosen occupation, but with these desires and aspirations uni'ulfilled, the author of " My Schools and Schoolmasters," his 51 S2 LIFE OF THE JIOX. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. countiynian, Hurjli Miller ? Wore not tlu'ir cliar.'iciers and their tastes and followinffs almost identical ? One of the most vivid and Avidoly-read of Hugh Miller's cliaptcrs is that in which he tolls the stoiy of his choice of a calling-, its impelling motives, and his unsatisfied early ambition to gratify his tastes in otiier ways than that of shaping stone. Though the pas- sage is a little long, and pressed as we are for space in these croY chapters of events, it fits the case of Alexander Mackenzie so well, with the one exception of the reference to the misspent period of boyhood, as to tempt us to quote it, with but small abridgment. Says Hugh Miller: "Finlay was away, my friend of the Doocot Cave was away ; my other companions were all scat- tered abroad ; my mother, after a long widowhood of more than eleven years, had entered into a second marriage ; and I found myself standing face to face with a life of labor and restraint. The prospect appeared dreary in the extreme. The nee y of ever toiling from morning till night, and from one wev... nd to another, and for a little coarse food and homely raiment, seemed to be a dire one, and fain would I have avoided it, but there was no escape ; and so I determined on being a mason. ... I, however, did look, even at this time, notwithstanding the antecedents of a sadly misspent boyhood, to something higher, and daring to believe that literature and, mayhap, natural science, were, after all, my proper vocations, I resolved that nmcli of my leisure \inio should be given to careful observation, and the study of our best English authors. Fain would I have avoided going to school — that best and noblest of all schools, save the Christian one, in which Labor is the teacher — in which the ability of being useful is imparted, and the si)irit of independence comnui- nicated, and the habit of persevering ettbrt acquired, and whicii Ills ARRIVAL IX CAXADA. 53 is more moral than the schools in which philosophy is taught, and greatly more happy than the schools which prefer to teach only the art of enjoyment. Noble, upright, self-relying Toil, who that knows thy solid worth and value would be ashamed of thy hard hands and thy soiled vestments, and thy obscure tasks — thy humble cottage, and hard couch, and homely fare. Save for thee and thy lessons, man in society would every- where sink into a sad compound of the fiend and the wild beast, and this fallen world would be as certainly a moral as a natural wilderness. But I little thought of the excellency of thy character and of thy teachings when, with a heavy heart, I set out about this time, on a morning early in spring, to take my first lesson from thee in a sandstone quarry." The studious herdboy had certainly read Hugh Miller ; and the elder stonecutter's noble apostrophe to labor must have influenced him in following his precepts and his example. Young Mackenzie was a faithful and zealous apprentice ; he served his master well, acquired a complete knowledge of his trade, and turned himself out a most competent workman when he was even yet in the period of his teens. In the few years that he had passed from the days of mere childhood until now, the sagacious Scotch lad had learned by heart in a stern school the true lessons of life, the first of which is to win " the glorious privilege," that was now his own, " of being independent," and to acquire those talents of prudence, self- discipline, industry and sobriety without which it is given to no one to achieve the best results. He could not have been more than three j-ears or a little more under indentures, for he went to Mr. Ireland as appren- tice when he was about 16, and in 1841, before he had reached 20, he was working at Irvine as a journeyman stone- cutter. 54 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. On being loosed from his indentures the younf^ man he<:fan to look around him i'or employment ; for through all his days ne hated to be idle. In Dunkeld there was no scope, as there was little building there of any kind. But in the wes*-; of Scotland the Ayr and Glasgow railroad was being con- structed, and this involved the erection of bridges and culverts. And so the young lad, when barely nineteen, in the spring of 1841, left home and friends, and went to Irvine, where he at once got emploj'ment as a stonecutter on a bridge over the river. Before this time he had been an enthusiastic reader of Burns, and now it was his privilege to be in Burns' country, and to work in the very place associated with the name of Burns, who was a craftsman in the Masonic Lodge of Irvine. Shortly after entering upon work here, Mr. Mackenzie took an opportunity of visiting the home and haunts of the poet, examining with a curious eye the auld and new "Brigs of Ayr," AUoway Kirk, and "Ye banks and braes o' bonnie Doon;" filling his mind afresh with many a noble picture, and warming his heart with some of the richest effusions that ever welled forth from poet's soul, while working among the stouo and mortar during the day. Even at this early ti'as he had begun to take a deep interest in the political history of his country, and to discuss economic questions. He was a keen observer of the Chartist movement ; he attended some of the Chartist meetings, and even took part in the debates. He was well accjuainted with the celebrated "six points," some of which he approved, while he detected the fallacy of others. For though there was a good deal of the radical in his composition, he could perceive both the strong and the weak planks of the Chartist platform. He had no sympathj'' whatever with the extreme measures the followers of Ernest Jones were ready to adopt, and so he never asso- ciated himself with them. HIS ARRIVAL IN CANADA. 66 Up to this time we know nothing of his ivlif^ious life. He was always a moral, upright lad, reverential toward Divine things, and had great respect for all good men. But at this period of the history of the Church of Scotland there was not a little of cold formality in the place where he lived, and it is probable that during his apprenticeship he had met much of that open disregard to religion which characterised the operative mechanics in many parts of the country. All his life his moral nature craved for reality, and hated pretence ; he saw through hoUowness on any subject very readily. And now in Irvine he met some zealous Baptists of the Haldane school, and, attending their meetings, he came under the iniluence of their teaching. He attached himself to tlie Bap- tist communion, and continued in it ever after. In all things, however, save baptism, he remained warmly sympathetic with the Presbyterians, and of late years it was the subject of bap- tism only, and not the mode, that was the dividing line between him and his former church relations. Hence, as he often said, he had, in a measure, to make his religious home in both churches, his old associations and most of his pi.'rsonal friends being in the I'resbyterian Chui'ch. When in his former home in Sarnia he attended, both morning and evening, the Presby- terian church, and in other places often one of its two Sunday services. He was never charged with being a bigot. So far from that, ho was in religion, as in politics, a large-minded man, readily acknowledging good wheiever he saw it, and deeply interested in all social, moral, and religious movements. Ho was fond of (juoting, especially to those who thought much of forms and creeds, the remark of Robert Hall, the celebrated Er^^lisii Bajjtist divine, that he would do a good stronger as time passed on, and thereafter each entertained for the other a high measure of respect. Mr. Mackenzie's family tiiought it hiting that Dr. Oregg should be asked to conduct the services at the funeral in Saruia, and were much gratitied at his consenting to do so. In IS^;}, the year after the departure of Mr. Mackenzie for Canada, a scene of dramatic interest which is illustrative of the religious life of Scotland, took place in the old town of Dunkeld. Prior to that date the only church in Scotland was its National Church. But in 1843 the great Free Church movement, which was known as the disrui)tion, culminated. The much-hated matter of patronai^e was the cause, The m- * i^^ HIS ARRIVAL IN CANADA. 69 laiided proprietors had the church patronage, and appointed the pai'ish ministers. They were thus designated "intrusion- ists " — intruders within the sacred domain of religion and oi: conscience. The contest was a very bitter one, and was sliared in, not alone by the sires and matrons, but the young men and maidens, and the very children, whether they under- stood anything about the question or not. One of the old Kirk ministers to follow the lead of Dr. Chalmers in this struggle was the Rev. John Mackenzie, who had up to that time conducted his services in the parish church — in ancient days the Ro)uan Catholic cathedral church — of Dunkeld. He left church and manse and everything behind him for the sake of his cherished principles of religious freedom. Who of his former hearers in the old town were to take example from him and continue as his flock was now the question for these people to determine. As they were divided* a canvass was necessary. The younger children of the widow Mackenzie, who remained at home, well remembered the cir- cumstances of the interest excited by the good pastor coming down their street in Dunkeld, visiting in turn each of tho houses of the parishioners, the earnest reading of the Scrip- tures, the solemn prayer, and then the all-important question: " intrusion or non-intrusion ?" ami how, without having pre- viously given any intimation of her intentions, when their mother said " non-intrusion," they rushed into tho streets, tossed up their hats and gave the non-intrusionists there assembled, occasion for another hurrah! Such scenes can never be forgotten. ||l. •• From HCfiic's like tlicsc oM Scotia's j^raiulcnr apringa, 'liuiL Miiikoa her loved ut home, levined ubroad ; riincea uiul lords are hut the l)reath of kings, ' An honest man's tiie nol)k'st work of (Jou,' " ' ■ iu-'-ijimmmmmmm' 60 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MAGKEXZIE. We stop in our narrative at this point to give a very brief sketch of the state of parties and issues when Mr, Mackenzie came to this country, and what they were from the time of his coming to Canada in 1812 until he entered Parliament in 1861. CHAPTER III. TWENTY YEARS OF EXCITEMENT. Political and Histcrical Sketch — From his arrival in 184'2 lo entering Parlia- ment in 1801 — Tlie U. E. Loyalists — Ihe Clergy Reserves —Louia J. Papin- eau and Wm. Lyon Mackenzie — Robert Gourlay — Barnabas liidwell — The Rebellion — Baldwin, Draper, Morin, Lafontaine — Sir Charles Metcalfe — Hazy Notions of Responsible Government — Lord Elgin — The Rebellion Losses — The Governor-General Mobbed — Sacking and Burning of the Par- liament Buildings — George Brown — Dr. Rolph and Malcolm Cameron — Francis Hincks — John A. Macdonald — The Seigniorial Tcnui'o — Representa- tion by Population — The Double Majority — Rapid Growth of Upper Canada — " French Domination." ROM the signing of the Treaty of Paris, in 17G3, to the passing of the Quebec Act, in 1774, military rule prevailed in Canada. In the lal'-er j'car, under the Quebec Act, a Council was appointed by the Crown with the power to make all colonial laws or ordinances. By the Constitutional Act of 1791, the colony was divided into the Provinces of Upper and Lcnver Canada, each having its own Legislature of two Houses and its own Governor. In each the Legislative Assembly was made elective. The members of the Legislative Councils, however, were practically king-appointed, and held their seats lor life; and the Governors, wdio were also king-appointed, ruled with the help of king-ap])ointed Executive Councillors, who owed no responsibility to the elective chamber. The Governor, Legislative Councils, and Cabinet had therefore all the power — the people's house of parliament, on!}'" its shadow. Gl 62 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. It is surprising that cnliglitened statesmen like Pitt and Burke did not see in their measure creatincf tliese Provinces, on this model, the many evils it was destined to inflict upon the infant colonies, and the struggle for popular rights which would be certain to grow out of it. The dangers ahead were visible enough to the far-piercing eye of Fox. Says Watson, in his " Constitutional History of Canada : " " Almost evcry- tliing to which he took exception proved, in the after years of Canadian history, a source of heart-burninaldwin's Parliament, in 1S4'), Mr. Lafontaine, his colleaffue, introduced and carried, a^'.iinst much opposition, a measure to |)ay the balance of the cdiii- pensation claimed to be justly due foi- the loss of jiroperty by the rebellion in Lower Canada. This ^^'ive ris(; to intense ex- citement in Upper Canay 78 LirE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. the prcponfloratinfj votes of the Lower Canadian memliers. He rcsi^mod the seals of oftice, however, on tlie adverse vote of the Assembly diHa{)proving of the choice of Ottawa as the seat of government, only to resume his place a few days after by the grace of the "double shuffle" — a phrase which is more fully explained hereafter. In 1859 the great Reform Conven- tion was held in Toronto. As the result of its deliberations Mr. Brown proposed in the session of 18G0 resolutions pointing to the failure of the existing union of the two Provinces, and declaring that the true remedy for the existing evils would be the formation of two or more local governments, to which should be committed all matters of a sectional character, and the erection of " some joint authority " to dispose of the affairs common to all. In these resolutions the germ appears of the existing Confederation. But the concession of the principle of representation according to population was for the time being withheld. As early indeed as 1858, Mr, Brown, with true prescience, saw that the existing constitution could not continue. Writing to Mr. Hoi ton on the 29th of January of that year he sug- gested three changes: "A genuine legislative union, with representation by population, a federation, or a dissolution of the present union." He discusses each of the three plans, and rejects dissolution as ruinous and wrong. "A federal union, it appears to me, cannot be entertained for Canada alone, but when agitated must include all British America." He de- spaired at the time of the feasibility of so large a scheme, and predicted that " we will be past caring for politics when that matter is finally achieved." His powerful advocacy, however, of representation by population hastened the consummation of the project at a much earlier day than at that time to any one seemed at all possible. Alexander Mackenzie. (From a Photoijraph hij Xotmnn .t- /'Vrt-scr, 1S70.J N Pc. Ec Mi > €noi nuni tion 691,( 890,( -Caiia WJ be ha bet\v( wliile iive ; Mr. C that, ;; tish ot that ^ ■Brown wealth lie esti time c'l ■stitueiK TiyLN'JY YKAUS OF EXCITE MEXT. 81 u» t In 1801, the year in wliicli Alexand<.'r Mucken/io came into Parliament, his naniesake, Wilham Lyon Muckeny.ic, died. Sir E«hnund Head was succeeded as Governor-General bj' Lord JVIunck. The decennial census was taken, and showed an C<,^%^ >, '^^y^zL^%^ enormous advance in population in Upper Canada over the number of the people of the Province in 1851. The popula- tion of Upper Canada in 1841 ivas 405,000 — of Lower Canada, 091,000; in 1851 Upper Canada had 952,000— I ower Canada, 890,000; in 1801 Upper Canada numbered 1,390,000— Lower Canada, 1,111,000. When Mr. Brown moved in 1857 that representation should be based upon population, without refifard to a separating li*ne between Upper and Lower Canada, he was able to show that while Lower Canada doubled her popidation once in twenty- iive years, Upper Canada doubled hers once in ten years. ^Ir. Cartier met this statement by the celebrated argument that, against the disparity of numbers of the peo[)le, the cod- tish of Gaspe Basin should be counted. li" he meant by this that wealth should be an element in the calculation, Mr. Brown was able to answer him by pointing to the greater wealth of Upper Canada, whose contriljutions to the revenue he estimated to be as three to one. There were at the same time great inequalities in the population of the respective cou- -stituencies of L'pper Canada — greater even than exist under F 82 LIFE OF THE llOX. ALEXANDER MACKESZIE. the geriymniiilcr acts of recent times — and as interference witli any part of the structure would cndano-er the whole edifice, these glaring anomalies remained to give additional force to the contention. In Bruce there were 80,000 people without representation. Lower Canadians were all hut a unit in opposition to the principle, and they were joined by some of the members representing eastern constituencies in Upi^er Canada, where the growth of population was not nearly so great as it was in the western counties. The representative man among the members from the eastern constituencies of T"^pper Canada was Mr. John Sandfield Maedonald, whose constitutional rem- ody was the "double majority," which ^Ir. John A. Maedon- ald had been compellee qualities is a tridy democratic readiness of api)roach to any one having a grievance or request, and a patience and earnestness of attention to rejjresentations and appeals that lead insensibly to the conviction that he has made the cause of the suppliant his own. In the enjoyment of a close i)ersonal and political friendship with Sir ( Hi\er Mowat, for the thirty- one years, from the time he entered Parliament until his death. 90 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. -? -t /-f /:^^Z^:.'-t't^^ i^pL....-^ ^^^-z,,.;^^- .^.-/ci-^^^ ^?1..*__ ^'^^--._ (Facsimile of Hon. Lnt/icr IF. Ilolton's ha ix I -writing.) LIFE IX AND ABOUT KIXOSTOX. 01 Mv. IMackonzio, to whoso early fortunes \vc uni.st now agaiu revert, had o-ivat comfort and great profit. Before lea\ing Moutivjil, a builder had ofTei'ed the youthful stonecutter fair wages to engage with him, but judging that if wages w'ere so good near the sea, they would be still better inland, he resolved to push on up the country. But in this he was mistaken, for the times were dull in the Uniteil States, and many artizaus, thrown out of employment there, had come over to Kingston, so that tiie place was tilled with alien laborers. In this case, however, he found work. On the morning after his arrival in Kingston, he went out to seek em[)loyment, and was at once successful. But in the meantime he discovered that the tools he had brought from Scotland were too soft to cut the limestone, and not being in a position to incur the ad- ditional expense of getting a new kit of cast steel, he oU'ered himself as a builder on a house then being erected on Princess- street ; a change of em[)loyment from stonecutter to builder, which showed, as nuieh as anything else, the resources and adaptability of the young artl/.an. He had only worked six months in all at the building daring his apprenticeship, but, watchiuf the men on the wall, he thought he could do as well as they wore doing, and he ' ^W W %'>T^ '4^ V A SP MP S'r <$> ^ ^ \ 94 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. happy laml which is the promised inhorilance of all believers, and the anticipation of which is the greatest happiness given us on earth, " I will write Peter Ellis as soon as I can. When you get this, give him all the information it contains, and my com- pliments. I hope you will wnte and tell me what is going on at Lome, and send me a newspaper if you can get one [the Government stamp duty making newspapers at that time very expensive], and you will nuich oblige, "Your allt'ctionate brother, *' Alexander Mackenzie. "P.S. — You will find a newspaper along with this that Robert Urcjuhart sends you, and a curious epistle of his. Address to the care of Mr. Coombs, Baptist minister, Reur-street, Kingston, Upper Canada. "A. M." The contractor, under Avhom he worked the greater part of this summer — by the name of Schermerhorn — paid his men with goods out of a store owned by the proprietor of the house in which the contractor was himself financially interested, and as Mackenzie needed no store pay, and as money was not forthcoming, he was put off with fair promises. When the building was nearing completion, only three masons were re- tained on the job, of whom Mackenzie was one. The others received their store-pay and left. At this juncture, hearing that his employer was in difficulties, though he had previously been reputed to be well enough off, he waited upon him for a settlement, and got for himself and a companion a promissory note. This piece of worthless paper was all they ever received for their faithful summer's work. We saw that note only a short time ago. It had been preserved as a memorial of the earnings of former days, and was folded and kept with many LIFE IN AND ABOUT KINGSTON. 05 others of the same nature, representing moneys long past clue, but never paid. The loss of nearly all his tirst summer's wages, at a time when every dollar was of eonse(juence, was a severe blow to the young lad, which he deeply foit, and it made him cliary of irresponsible contractors for the rest of his days. This was the first tiuie Mr. ]\Iackenzie was deceived by relying on a false promise ; we often wished wu were able to say it was the last. He speaks in his first Kingston letter home of his intention to buy kind. Like most young Scotchmen coming to America, he had a desire to secure a place for hiniself, and so we next find him negotiating for the purchase of a farm. The transaction by which he was cheated out of his sum- mer's pay coming to the ears of Mr, Mowat, of Kingston, the father of the present Premier of Ontario, he kindly offered, on very easy terms, a farm in the township of Loughbor- ough, distant from Kingston about 22 miles, where, with the Neil family, he might tide o\er the winter. They were to pay for the land when their prospects brightened. Such was the occasion of the first introduction of Mr. Mackenzie and the elder Mr. Mowat, two names which, as stated, were destined to be closely associated in the history of our country for many years thereafter. The esteem young Mackenzie always cher- ished for the father w>ls iu after years given to the son with tenfold interest. The farm lay among dense woods, and was the only occu- pied piece of land in the concession. It was located behind the more settled parts of the township, and had on it a clearing of two acres and a log house, 18xlG, covered with boards, through which, Mr. Mackenzie has since said, he had a line op]")ortunity for studying astronomy on clear niglits. There was also a little back shanty, 12.\10, which leaned against the larger 9a LIFE OF THE IIOX. ALEXAXDER MACKEXZIE. *l buiklinf:^. Such was the future Premier's palatial residence ," but this SETTLES IN S A It XI A. 103 groom said nothing of tlio kind. Whether ho objected to the expression or the sentiment, we cannot tell ; hut he was obdurate, and neither the clci-oyman nor his brother Hope, who acted as liis " best num," could move liim ; and as a special dispensation in his case, the othciating minister mar- ried him with that vow omitted. Three children were born to them. On the reverse side of the marriage certiLoate are the followino- entries in Mr. Mac- kenzie's well-known handwriting : *' Mary, our eldest dfuiglitcr, was born June 25th, 18-10. " Mary, our second daughter, was born August 25th, 1848. "Our only son was born April 3rd, 1850. " Our eldest Mary died on the 29th of May, 1847. " Our boy died on the 29tli of August, 1850." Thus, of their three children only one grow up to woman- hood — Marj', their second daughter, the wife of Rev. Dr. Thompson, who has been the minister of the Presbyterian Church in Sarnia for over twentj'-six years. During a part of the sunmier of lM-i.5 the newly-married couple lived at Matilda, but on the close of the works there, they removed back to Kingston. Early in the year 184(5, when the erection of the martello towers commenced, he again secur- ed a foreman's place under ^Ir. ^latthews, the contractor, and here he worked once more at Fort Henry in building the ma- terial defences of his countr3^ In the early part of this sea- son, his wife, who had a severe ;utnek of fever and ague the previous sunnner, was again taken ill, and under the wrong treatment of a practitioner, who, liecause of drink, had not al- wavs the command of his faculties, her constitution was umlermined and ruined by excessive doses of calomel. Leaving his wife in her delicate state of health with her Kit i.iri'] or THE now a/j:\ ...''Jii Mackenzie. m rnotlior, lin wont down to Montn>al in tliosprinpf of 1.S47. His well-known nldlity wuh mow liilly rrconnisfd as un expert l>uil(lt'r, and ca])al)lo manaj^or of iiini, and so ho roadilyolitain- od a <^n)od position as rdrcniaii on the; canal-basin works that were hoin^'' construotod in that city. The provi(jus year, Mr. llopo Mackonzio and Mr. Steod went west in search ot" a now location. Stee was scnit home to Scotland to endeavor tohriny; toSarnia tin; rest of the I'amilv the desire of the youn^ men being that they should all settle down in (*anada tof^iither. Kobert at that timi; was workinu^ at Ivlinbnrgh. llop(> went to him to that place, and readily ^oi his consent to the under- takin<^. From tlusre Hope proceeded north to Diinkeld, and prevailed in the sanu; maimer Avith tht; rest of the family. A dithcnlty arose in regard to John, who Vv^as nearing 20, and was still sei-\in<^ his a,j)]»i'enticoship, nnder indentui'es, to the, tin and coppersmithini^ traarte(l except hy »leath. The Macken/ies lived in Sarnia prosperous lives, and lives of the best example to their fellow-nien. The brothers stood un- seltishly one by the other, sympathised with and came to each other's help, held mutual counsel and oave advice, and kept all family matters strictly to themsi'hes. 'J'heir loyalty one to anotlurgavo the family gi-eat iidluenee in the place where they resided, and this was soon felt and aeknow le»|o»'d in all the civic and political affairs of l)oth tin; town and county. A et)r- respondcnt says: "When 1 came to Sainia in 1804,1 found the influence of the Mackenzie family supicme. They wtre the leadinf^, fruiding S})irits of the place, and fiieir name was associated with the town in all her affairs." In some cases this iiii^ht prove a dangerous combination, but with theui it was most beneticial, for they were public-spirited and disinterested, and their influence was always wisely and conscientiously ex- ercised. Alexander Mackenzie eng'aged in considerable buildin^^ en- tei'prises in Sarnia and the Western district, including' the (Sandwich court-house and <;aol, and these records will remain, with the records of the ISlate, to hold his nami^ in honorable reiiifudirance. In the words of Carlyle, in speaking of the worknumshii) of A (s mason father: "No one that comes after him will say ' here was the finger of a hollow eye servant.' Let nie learn of him. Let nie writs were jihlfizo with political rcrvor uiid I'aneor. Hon. [(^ jJu^^sJf ^lak'olm (.'anieron wa.s in the zenith ol' his power ^HW *^ '^'^^^ inlhionco. In that i'ar-oti' region, access to which ^_^ was easiest by water, he was a sort ol" llohinson Crusoe — monarch of all lie surveyed, whoso right there was none to dispute. He was a man ol' great respectabilitj' ol' lil'e and character, enterprising und t'nergetic in business, an unself- ish helper of other less fortunate men, n strong advocate of temperance principles, an omniverous reader, and a ready man at quotation, though he was not accurate or literate with the ]ien. He may bo said to have lieeu the father of the infant Sarnia, which owed much of its growth to his public spirit and energy. Ho sat in the Legislative AssembI}' for the \uiited counties o( Kent and Jjambton. He had opposed, as an intense Liberal, the laini^ez venir poliey of the lialdwin-Lafon- taine Cioverument, particularly on the clergj' reserves question ; und, on the fall of tiiat Adnnnistration, took ollice with Dr. Koljih, under Mr. Hindis, in which, at the instigation of his 107 \ \ !■' t- L'- ,h ir is .^r CHAPTER VI THE WESTEltX DISTRICT. Politics and Men in the Western District in the Early Daj-a — Clear Hrits — (ieorgo lirown to the Rescue — His Letters to Alexander Mackenzie— The " Browni'^a — Ancient Sectarian Issues— The "Old Ladies'" — Mr. Mackenzie as Editor — A Rival Paper — A Great Libel Suit — Valedietorj' — Fine Letter from Wm. Lyon Mackenzie — CJrowing Political Intlueuce — Friends Oui^e More — Meets " Leonidus." 108 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDEIi MACKENZIE. Lower Canada colleagues, he had to adopt a similar course. At the elections of 1851 he had signified his intention of going from Kent and Lambton to Huron. But in the autumn of that year, a split having previously taken place in the Reform ranks, Mr. Brown resolved to beard the lion in his den by ac- cepting the nomination of the Dresden convention to contest the Kent and Lambton constituency. Mr. Brown, through the Globe, had been a supporter of the Bahlwiu Ministry at the time that Mr. Cameron withdrew his confidence from it, and "the Globe thereupon gave the Cameron men the appellation of " clear grits," a name which was afterwards extended to the entire Reform party, and which has stuck to that party to this day. Mr. Cameron brought out Mr. Arthur Rankin on the Liberal ticket to oppose Mr. Brown, but finding he did not take well, another Liberal candidate was induced to present himself, in order to divide the vote ; and four men, Brown, Rankin, Wilkes and Larwill, the latter a pronounced Tory, went in December to the polls. The Brown men, however, of the two counties, were too many for all the rest, and their forces carried the day. We have before us a handbill issued by Mr. Cameron, over date Nov. 21st, 18.51, in which he calls Mr. Brown some very unpleasant names. In this election, as secretary of the Reform Committee, Mr. Alexander Mackenzie took an active part. A warm intimacy was, through this relation, established l»etween him and Mr. Brown, which lasted for a period of over thirty years. The beginning of the intimacy and its nature we find disclosed in some hitherto unpublished letters from Mr. Brown to A[r. Mac- kenzie, which are too good to be kept longer buried. Tiu-y are exceedingly characteristic of Mr. Brown, who was thus early what he continueil to be through life, imniensely ener- getic, uncompromising in character, confident in the righteous- THE WESTERN DISTRICT. 109 ncss of his cause, exuberant of spirit, full of self-reliance, and sometimes wrong. He had, as we have seen, plumed his wino- for Pariiament in Haldimand, and had been defeated by Wil- liam Lyon Mackenzie. But his great speeches had drawn all eyes towards him, and the Liberals of Kent and Lambton wanted him as their member. Mr. Mackenzie wrote to Mr. Brown, and received the following answer, dated : •'Globe Office, Tokonto, " My Dear Sir, 23rd October, 1851. " I have just received your two letters. I hope you are not too confi- dent of success. There will be great opposition, and unless Lambton goes almost unanimously for me, it will be all up. Depend upon it, when I do come out, I will not let the grass grow under my feet. It is war to the knife. Can you stand all this ? You are " regular bricks " if you can put your faces to it. Look at it fairly, and if you say so, I am with you. " i'ours faithfully, "George Bro\v>." Mr. ^lackonzie seems to have satisfied the warring young- candidate with tlie knife that they were equal to the work, as a couple of weeks later Mr. Brown mad 3 answer: "I will run for Kent and Lambton. iScatcherd will run for Oxford, and we Jkvill, without a doubt, put out the Hyena." (Old politicians will readily understand that ho refers to Sir Francis Hincks.) " Put plenty of work on me. I can speak six or eight hours a day easily." He was elected, and was able to address the next letter we find in his writing from Quebec (where, under the perambulat- ing system. Parliament was then sitting) on August 23rd, 1852. Ho had previously written, in mistake, to Mr. Mackenzie's brother, Hope Mackenzie, on some matter of patronage ; " but," said he, " I have been turning over my election papers, and I see ijva are still the man of the peoi)le. However, 1 suppose no LIFl'J OF Till-: //OX. A/J:\A.\/)HII MA(:/ro\vn replies that nominations to oHie(! belong to the county nitiidicr, hut he is sure that the connnittee and himself will never disfigr<,'e, "both ha\ .ng con- sci(!nces, and always trying to find the right man." " I go dead for getting cNciy oWwc for l^'foi'iiici-s — especially Brownies. Hut W(i must not foigct the pul)lic inttn'est. Where another iii.'in is dcei(' ;ililc to vfiy Romo one to aasisfc mo. Mcuii- tiiiu; 1 do tli(j bt.'st f can. I attend to puhlic iiiattens tli'st ; my privjito attUirs second; and .s(j niufli C(nTespondcnceat"tei-\vai'Js iis T can overtake." On the Ifith Decemlier, IS,').'], Mr. Brown linds liiinself witli a "pile ol" letters unanswered h\\f enough to stuH' a reason- ably si/eil Kol'a," l)ut still Ik; steals the time to ^dve a cha- racteristic pai-a<^ra))h ahont his piirpetual torm-nt, William Lyon Mackenzie : "That little va^alxaid, Mackenzie, is goiiifr \i]) to op])ose me, at the insti^^^ation of the .Ministerialists, ami as tliei-(! is a f^ood deal ol" dou^h-faceism n|) tlierut this T can promisi; him, he will not f^et oH' with hoth eas(! ;in/." This e^liiiipHe ol" the inner thou;^dits of the then youn/^'ci' eliampiou ol" reform, in reeMfd to the old Liberal leader ol" Tamily compact tained an adjourn- ment for an hour. A caucus was then held, with the result that Mr. Leonard withdrew, and his supporters turning in for Mr. Cameron, that gentleman, thanks to Mr. Mackenzie, became the choice of tao convention, and won the seat. Mr. Cameron published a reply to Mr. Sym and Mr. Mackenzie expressive of his very warm thanks for the honor that had been done him ; and he continued friendly with Mr. Mackenzie to tiie end of his life. It is related by old residents in Sarnia tliat about the first time Alexander Mackenzie gave evidence there as a public lis 122 LIFB OF THE IIOX. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. speaker o? the stuff that was in him, was in a contest with the re(loiibta1)lc controversialist " Leonidas," Rev. Dr. Kyerson, Chief Superintendent of Education for Upper Canada. It was at a school convention for the County of Lambton, held in Sarnia, on Wednesday, 2nd Fel)ruary, 1853. Dr. Ryerson ad- dressed tlic convention at len<,^tli, in explanation and justifica- tion of his public scliool policy. While ho was spcakinf>', Mr. Mackenzie sat listening in the body of the hall. All at once he asked our informant, who sat beside him, for a piece of paper to enable him to take notes, which he jotted down with a pencil, the paper rcstiiif,^ on the back of a bench. When tlie doctor had concluded, Mr. Mackenzie entered upon so severe a criticism of his statements that he carried the mectin<^ with him. By request of the doctor, the chairman invited his doughty opponent to the platform, where the tuo foemen shook hands. From the time of this disputation onwards, Di\ Ryerson was very wary of his antagonist. Mr. Mackenzie also displayed a good deal of pluck and abilitj'' in his address from a Sarnia balcony to a crowded street audience, prior to Mr. Brown's electic^n for Lamltton and KiicUH " — Alexander Maciicnzio's Second Marriage — Where Ho Wor- shipped — The "Double Shuflle"— fieorgc Brown's Colleiigues — Their Policy — rrccedonts for a Dissolution — Alex. Mackenzie as an Essayist — Advocacy by the Lilturals of a Eederal Union. R J^)I10WN sat for Kent anrl LainLton until tlic elections of 1854, when the constituency haviiif^ been divided, lie was elected for Lanibton by a considerable majority over Mr. Malcolm Cameron, P^pif ^^''^o ^^^^ ^'^o^v the temerity to oppose liim in person. The Parliament to which he was elected was dissolved in 1857, and never did man displa}' greater power, encroryand capability for work, and more endurance, than did Mi. Browu in the campaign that ensued. He was is fact uljiquitous. On November 25th, he writes from the Globe otlice, Toronto, to Mr. Mackenzie, saying he is unable to give the time ho would like, exclusively, to Lambton, and is willing to retire. " Keep in mind," lie remarks, "that my services here for the next three weeks may save half a dozen counties — th^'re is literally no one else looking after the success of the whole — and that it is hard for a man to occupy a part he cannot feel conscientiously ho is filling satisfactorily. The prospect," lie adds, "is excell(Mit. I cannot see how wo can fail to beat them in Upper Canada. What they expect to gain by going to the 123 124 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. country I cannot conceive. Only think ! In a Cabinet of twelve, there are eleven lawyers and one auctioneer. Going! Going ! Gone ! " Notwithstanding, he confesses he has no heart for politics, " but, like a dog in the traces of his cart, must drag on." He had intended, he said, to retire from political life, but were he to leave at the time of the sudden dissolution, it would be destructive of the cause, and he was determined to go in. Four counties offered, but he preferred Lambton, if they de- sired it. In that event his address would be out at once ; " and then for a thorough fight," which nobody loved better than George Brown. The desire to win Toronto was so tempting to Mr. Bi-own that he decided on retiring from Lambton. He succeeded in the object of his ambition, beating Hon. J. H. Cameron, but, for fear of failure there, he was also returned for North Oxford. He elected to sit for 'J'oronto, and induced North Oxford, with some hesitation, to return for that riding Mr. William Mc- Dougall. Mr. Brown had advised that a constituency should be obtained for Mr. Hope Mackenzie, who was a gentle-hearted man of considerable capacity and great future promise, which an early death prevented from being realised. When, there- fore, Mr. Brown suddenly left Lambton, a liiberal gathering was hastily called at the house of Mr. Charles Taylor, in Sarnia, and Mr. Hope Mackenzie was their choice. He did not con- sent at first, the risk being thouglit by the brothers to be too great. However, he was persuaded against his own better judgment, and at once entered upon a vigorous canvass, in which he was materially aided by his brother Alexander, who went specially to Toronto for material for a broadsheet that ho got out, giving a vast amount of well-arranged information THE BRO WN-DOniON GO VERNMENT. 125 ,t for the electorate. A consi Jural )lo cfFeet was produced in the country, every polling place dechiring for him ; notwithstand- ing-, he Avas dci'eatcd by a small majority — his opponent, Hon. ^lalcohn Cameron, having secured a strong vote from the town of Sarnia, through the influence, it is alleged, of the bogus votes of men who were at that time building the railway. This was the general election in which, if the Tories were not actually beaten, they were so terribly shaken up that the stability of parties was gone, and the constitutional changes of a later day were the consequence. The Cabinet of the " eleven lawyers and one auctioneer " suffered by the defeat of Morrison, Ileceiver-General, in South Ontario; Spence, Tost- master-General, in Wentworth ; and Cayley, Inspector-General, in Huron and Bruce. Mr. Cayley seems to have adopted a dillerent system of bribery from its grosser forms of the pre- sent day. He cii'culated the Scriptures. Tiiis led D'Arcy McGee to say that, while the people up there accepted the Bible, they rejected the missionary. On the retirement of Hon. Malcolm Cameron from Lambton, in 18G0, to become a candidate for the St. Clair division in the Legislative Council, Mr. Hope ^Mackenzie was again nominated by the Liberals for the Laudjton seat. He was opposed by ^Ir. John Dobbyn, but was elected. Mr. lirown wrote to Alexander, expressing his pleasure at the result. " 1 camiot tell you how rejoiced I was at Hope's return. He will be in- valuable in the Lower House. I really ex[)eet from his prac' tical way that he will make a mark that few new men have ever done. Tell him he nuist take hold from the stai-t, or ho will lind it tenfold more ditlieidt afterwards. It is just like '(looking.'" — (A Scotticism for ducking or innuersion under water — literally, a cold plunge.) i I ' liiG LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. Ill The Lambton men of Mr. Brown's first love he loved yet. He still describes them by his old i'anii liar word — "bricks." " I have never seen any men like the Lambton bricks." Hope Mackenzie sat for Lambton until the general election of 18G1, when he declined renomination, and his brother Alexander was elected for that riding by a substantial majority over Mr. Alexander Vidal. Hope, however, was not permitted to remain long in retirement. In 18G3, a vacancy having oc- curred in North Oxford, he was unanimously nominated, on the strong recommendation of Mr. Brown. The resolution was communicated to him at Sarnia by telegraph. For personal reasons he declined, until the pressure brought upon him became so great that he had to give way, and, after a short contest, in a riding in which he had never before set foot, and where the people were unknown to him, he was elected by a majority of 291. He was re-elected at the ensuing general election. Had he lived, there is no doubt he might have continued to repre- sent North Oxford to the present time. He died at Sarnia, in June of 1866, aged 46, much beloved by all for his un- affected goodness of heart, and honored for his nobility of mind. He always spoke with affection of Hon. T. D. Mc- Gee, wdio nursed him tenderly in a sickness in Quebec, caused by exposure in crossing in the winter time, in an open boat, from Point Levis — a dreadful passage, which old Parliamen- tarians remember so well. Mr. ^Mackenzie married a second time, on I7th June, 1853, the second wife being Jane, eldest daugliter of Mr. Kobt. »Sym, one of the solid farmers of tiie county of Lambton, and a prominent man in nuuiicipal and political allairs. Mr. ^ym was a member of the Dresden convention in 1851, which secured Hon. Geoi-ge Brown for the representation of Kent and Lambton. THE BROWX-DOniON GOVERXMEXT. 127 At the time Mr. Mackenzie went to Sarnia, and for many /ears thereafter, there was no Baptist place of worship in that village, and on Sundays it was his habit, accompanied by a friend belonging to the same church, to walk out a distance of eight miles to attend a small place of worship, which liad been established by the members of the Baptist denomination ^U^t^^^ «/^l-M^ /S'-T^i^^^ ^ ■ « ■» in the township of Sarnia, near IVfr. Sym's residence. This hocially such as came from a distance. Mr. Mac- kenzie was one of the number who took part in the devotional i'll JIHII:; l!n9B|1 ! 128 LIFE OF THE llOS. ALEXAXDER MACKEXZIE. exercises, a custom Avliioli he continued after his removal to Toronto, and had entered into connnunion with the Jarvis- street Baptist church. Another bond of union lietweon ^Ir. "Mackenzie and Mr. Sym was that they both came from L'orthshire, Scothuid, where Mr. Sym had been enfrafred in farming. Mr. Sym came to Canada in 1821, and settled in the first instance in Bathurst township, county of Lanark, near tlie town of Perth. In 1837, the year of the rebellion, Mr. Sym left Perth for the western part of the province, with his friend, Mr. Malcolm Cameron, and they both settled in Lambton. ^^' ' lie in Perth, Mr. Sym's wife, Agnes Wylie, died, by which event, Jane, the eldest daughter, became the head of the household. Some years after Mr. Sym died, Mr. Mackenzie went with Mrs. Mackenzie to Lanark, and erected there a monument to ^Irs. Sym's memory. Mr. Sym's mother, Margaret Dick, was a cousin of Sir Robert Dick, the Baronet of that name, from Logierait, who fought under Lord Gough, in the war with the Sikhs. Sir Robert Dick was one of the widely-famed Black Watch, or 42nd Roj-al Highlanders. This regiment was at the battle of Quatre Bras, on the IGth of June, 1815, and v»'as under four commanding officers in the course of a few minutes. Col. Sir Robert Macara was killed early in the engagement, and with him also fell ]\Iajor Mcn- zics. The command then devolved upon Col. Robert H. Dick, but he soon was severely wounded. Major Davidson succeeded, who likewise had almost innncdiatcly to retire disabled. As often as he could make it convenient to do so, Mr. ^h\c- kenzie continued to worship in the little Sarnia township church, but after awhih; there was a church erected by the Baptist people in Sarnia town. This edifice was in course of construction when Lord Elgin made his well-remembered pro- gress of the Province, and in this building His Excellency was I ! [iship tho ■;o of pro- was I TinC BllOWX-UOIi'IOX GOVEliXMENT. 129 entertained during his short stay in Sarnia. The services in tlie Sarnia Baptist church were conducted every fortnight by Mr. Watson, and on alternate Sundays by Mr. I\Iackenzie and other lay friends. Mr. Watson, however, was not strong enough in bodily health to continue the duties, and as the interest could not be kept up, Mr. and Mrs. Mackenzie thence- forth regularly attended, so long as tlviy remained in Sarnia, the Presbyterian church of their son-in-law. Rev, Dr. Thomp- son. With his own voluminous papers, Mr. Mackenzie has pre- served many of these which came into his hands as Mr. Brown's biographer. Among them are some of the original communications on the historical subject of the "double shuf- fle," which was perpetrated on the defeat of the Government in the summer of 1858, including the messages sent to Mr. Brown by Sir Edmund Head, written and " signed b}'^ his own hand," as the parliamentary phrase goes. On a subsequent page of this book we print in facsimile, as a curiosit}^, the first portion of the celebrated letter which betra^-ed the plot, and presented a Governor-General of Canada in the position of " keeping the word of promise to the ear, but breaking it to the hope " of making his invitation to Mr. Brown to form a Government a mockery- and a snare. A brief description of the circumstances attending the "double-shuffle" is here given for the information of the gene- ration who liave come upon the political stage since that period ; to those wdio were contemporaries of Sir Edmund Head and Mr. John A. Macdonald it is uunecessaryi the events are indelibly fixed upon their minds. The Macdonald-Cartier ministr^^ suffered defeat on the selec- tion of Ottawa — since called, b}- Mr. Goldwin Smith, "an Arctic lumber village "—as the permanent seat of Govern- i i: , ! 130 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEX \NDE1! MACKENZIE. n>u ^ )M/<>vt <*c i I CAVU K^^' iOxZ^^^S^^ (Facsimile of Sir Edmund W(dk(!r Head's hand-writing.) m I THE BliOWX-DORlON (JOVERNMEN 131 erntncnt. They resi*o-nocl, and Mr. Brown was entrusted witli the task of forming a new Administration. Mr. Brown had full reason to know that he would not be sustained in the existing House, but he relied upon his undoubted right to dissolution. Mr. Macdonald was evidently aware that there would be a denial of this right. Although his Government had received an adverse vote on the question of the choice of the capital, on the test motion which immediately followed for the adjournment of the House they were sustained by their old-time majority. Mr. Collins, Sir John A. Macdonald's apologist and biographer, says that notwithstanding the vote in their favor on the question of adjournment, or of con- fidence, Mr. Macdonald resolved on resigning, in order to " strike a decisive blow at the Opposition," being " absolutely certain that he (Mr. Brown) would not be sustained in the House," and knowing, we may add, that as tJiere was no chance of a dissolution, he would be effectually " dished." " The resignation," says Mr. Collins, " was voluntary ; but we must be frank enough to admit that it was not done out of any deference to any principle or to the sense of the majority of the Upper Canada section of the Cabinet. It was simply done to lure Mr. Brown into a pitfall." " Frank enough," in- deed ! Of course Mr. Brown was defeated by the Macdonald- Cartier majority in the Assembly, and equally, of course, he was refused an appeal to the people. The programme for " luring him into the pitfall" was tlierefore only too faithfully' carried out. But there was yet another part of it to come. The path to real power which had been made so difficult for Mr. Brown was to be made easy for the return of Mr. Mac- donald and Mr. Carticr. A clause had been inserted in the Independence of Parlia- nicnt Act the previous year providing that where a member 132 LIFE OF THE UOX. ALEXAXDEll MACKENZIE. of an existiiif^ Governmont rcsinrncd ono office and accciited an- other, within a month alter «ueh resignation he should not be rc(juired to return to his constituents I'or re-election. This Act was now strained to enable Mr. Maciionald and his former colleagues to resume, and avoid going back to their constitu- ents, by being sworn into a double set of oflices — by swearing in one hour that they would administer one set of ministerial duties, which they had no intention of undertaking, and the next hour that they would perform others wholly ditlrrunt. The courts, on being appealed to, interpreted the clause very strictly, so as to bring the wholesale action of the double shufflers within its purview, but pultlic opinion Avas so strong- ly pronounced upon the trick that it was afterwards repealed. With this digression, we complete the narrative. Mr. Brown received His Excellency's commands to form a Gov- ernment on July 29th, 1858 On July 31st, which was Sat- urday, he acquainted the Governor-General with his accept- ance of the duty. At ten o'clock on Sunday night — having no doubt spent the sacred hours of the summer Sabbath day in its concoction — Sir Edmund Head disclosed to Mr. Brown the treachery which had previously been hatched, in a memo- randum denying to his new adviser his constitutional right of dissolving the notoriously adverse and partizan House of Assembly, knowing that without an appeal to the people, the "Commission conuinuiieated in the name of Royalty to the A^irst Minister was a farce, and that through its medium he had drawn Mi'. Brown into a snare. In view of the baseness of the Governor-Generurs conduct, well might Mr. l^rown have addressed Sir Edmund Head in the language of his prototype in enmity with all but those of his own faith, in the '■ Merchant of N'enicc " ; THE UR0WX-D0ia02; UOVEUSMENT. 183 day •own lemo- •inht Ise of I', the the lu he '11 OSS •own his |h, iu ''Shylork: Nay, take my life, pcanloii not that: You take my house when you do take the prop Tliat doth sustain my liouse ; you take my life When you do take the means whereby I live." The prop w.as taken from ^Ir. Brown's house ; the liouse became a liouse of cards; his ministerial life was but a breath; he died the death ordained for him from the first; and the "double shuffle" which ensued, with Sir Edmund Head as the puppet in the hands of the chief conspirator, Bible in hand, administering the oaths, will be remembered for generations, to the disgrace of all persons concerned therein. Put into clear type, the facsimile which we give of the first sheet of Sir Edmund's covering note is as follows : — " His Excellency the Governor-General forwards the en- closed memorandum to Mr. Brown to-night, because it may be convenient for him to have it iu his hand in good time to- morrow morning. " The part which i-elates to a dissolution is in substance a repetition of what His Excellency said yesterday." The man who, according to his biographer, conceived this outrage on the constitutional rights of the people, with a Governor-General as his tool, was he who fourteen years aftcrwai'ds inaugurated with the " tens of thousands " of Sir Hugh Allan's money the frightful system of debauchery which has sapped tlie institutions of the country. The Government formed by Mr. Brown possessed elements of great strength. From Upper Canada he had for his col- leagues such men as John Sandfield Macdonald, Oliver Mowafc and M. H. Foley, and from Lower Canada, A. A. Dorion, L. T. Drummond and L. H. Holton. Mr. Brown had always been nu't with the taunt that he was unable to form a Ministry, and r. 1 , , 1 ' 134 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. it was said there was literal truth in his playful dosio-nation of himself iii his earlier career of being " a governmental impos- sibility." The formation of this Administration was his answer. And it was not merely a combination of men without a purpose. In their discussions of the old dividing differences, tliey had succeeded in laying the ground work for a settlement. Representation by population was to be conceded, but witli adequate protection, cither in the shape of a " Canadian bill of rights, guaranteed by Imperial statute, or by the adoption of a federal union." The " seigniorial tenure " was to be ar- ranged by the purchase of the rights of the seigniors out of funds that were to be provided, without inflicting injustice to Upper Canada, Either by the introduction of some of the features of the Irish national scliool nystcm, or by the giving of religious instruction during certain hours of the day, the necessity for separate schools was to be obviated. Whether this programme would have worked out or not, the Liberal party were not to have the opportunity of trying. As Mr, Brown stated, at a great public meeting in Toronto, lie was exposed to the mockery of a hollow invitation to form a Government, and not in a hundred and fil'ty years of English history can a single case be found in which men in their position were refused a dissolution. Going back but half a dozen years in our own history, he gave all these cases in point: "Mr. Hincks went to the country in 1851 ; at the opening of his second session he was defeated, but the Governor-General came down suddenly and prorogued the House, and gave him one more chance for life. Tlie McNab Government followed in September, 18o-t ; in 1855 three members retired, and His Excellency consented to a reconstruction ; in 185G the Govern- ment was Ijcatcn twice, and twice resigned ; but His Excel- lency would not accept, and Ross, Drummond niid Cauchon, THE BliOWN-DORION GOVERNMENT. 135 nay, tlie Premier himself, were all driven out, but still a re- cunstruction was allowed, with Colonel Tach(^ at the head. In 1857, Lemieux, Terrill, Ross and the Premier were all driven away ; but another reconstruction was at once granted, with Mr. Macdonald as Prime Minister. Unable to fill up the vacant offices, suddenly and inconveniently, in the middle of the financial crisis, Mr. Macdonald demanded a general election, and at once he obtained it. And though three ministers were beaten in Upper Canada, still His Excellency permitted the thing to go on by the aid of irresponsible members of the Up- per House, and an oflSce left \'acant from pure inability to fill it up. He permitted a session of five months to be wasted by the utter incapacity of his advisers ; he submitted to all their departmental blundering and mismanngement ; but he refused to the Opposition the only favor they asked, a fair appeal to the people against the misdeeds of his late ministers. It' a designed intention had existed to get the leaders of the Opposition out ot the House, and then pass the numerous obnoxious bills before Parliament, no more direct way could have been taken than that followed by His Excellency." In the early days, Mr. I\Iaekenzie kept a scrap book, but, to his credit be it said, it was not with the design of exercising political terrorism on a much-suffering community. He pasted into the book such good things as struck his fancy in his course of reading, and such things as more particularly concerned himself. As ho grew into position, he no longer cared for these performances, and left the pasting in and posting up of liis sayings and doings to the scrap books of smaller men. The immediate cause of his starting this considerable volume of blank sheets of brown paper — this tabula rasa — was the do- livery of a lecture by him, under the auspices of tho Sarnia Mechanics' Institute, on tho " Anglo-Saxon race," in Ai)ril of 136 LIFE OF THE IIOK. ALEXANDEli MACKENZIE. \\ Wi 1858. The lecture achieved the dignity of print, and it was awarded the additional distinction oi" presentation in the first pages of the scrap book. Both honors it well deserved. The lecture is broad, comprelunisive, and catholic in ti'catment and tone, and it gives evidence of a very acute and observing mind, as well as more than onlinary literary skill in presenting and m^ir- shalling the facts of history ; it is followed by Mr. Mackenzie's own clear and acute deductions from tiiese facts, He considers our race under three main heads: — " T. Its Origin and Iiistor3\ II. Its Present Position. HI. Its Destiny." There is a good deal of research, and no small amount of learning manifes'Lod in the treatment of the lirst branch of the subject, which, how- ever, centres too narrowly within the anciem: I'ealm of Scot- land — in the strifes between the warlike Gael and the hated Saxon, In this department, also, Mr. Mackenzie shows his ac- quaintance, afterwards so well-known, with the Biblical re- cords. One of the most striking illustrations of the " present position" of the race, apart from its natural ;iad moral great- ness, is what it has achieved for the cause of human liberty. The war waged by Russia for empire was then just over, and in connection with tliat the lecturer starts oat to consider our world-wide "destiny." This gives scope I'oi u burst of patri- otic sentiment, and the predictioti of a reunion in heart and feeling of the English and American peo[)lL's, when "all lands willcontribute, consciously or unconsciously, to their power and glory." Speaking of the estrangement caused by the war of I'iUgland with the thirtt^en colonies, he says it is but natural that the harshness of tlie bigoted British statesmen and the king of those days sliould rankle for some time in the minds of American citizens, but he protests against their [lerpetuation by ignorant and sellish people. He justifies these feelings by what were his own as a boyisji studeii. of the history of Scot- TIIK BIIOWX-DORION GOVERXMEXT. 187 land : " I well recollect the feolin/3^^a ministration. Although the defeat of the prev- r^-^-*ri ious administration took place on the Militia Bill, Mf* the assaults upon their financial policy and particularly the discontent in Upper Canada with the action of the Government on the question of representation were the real cause of its weakness and ultimate defeat. On the great issue between the two parties — representation by population — Mr. Sandfield Macdonald had always supported the defunct Car- tier- Macdonald coalition. He was in no sense the leader of any party in the House, and had, therefore, no claims upon the notice of His Excellency. However, he accepted the responsi- bility of forming a new Government, and adroitly managed to secure the co-operation of leading Liberals both from Upper and Lower Canada. Mr. Foley, who had been formally ap- pointed leader of the Opposition, he made Postmaster-General ; Mr. Wm. MacDouoall, one of the most advanced Liberals of this Hou.se, he made Commissioner of Crown Lands ; Mr. Sic- otte, the candidate of the Liberals for the Speakership at the U7 148 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXAXDER MACKEXZIE. opening of the session, and the recognized leader of the party in Lower Canada, was appointed Attorney-General East. And Mr. D'Arcy McGee, whose attacks upon tiie coalition cost them many a vote, he made President of the Council. The Liberal party througliout the country was greatly disap- pointed at the turn matters had taken. Tiie coalition that had so long resisted their demand for representation by population had been ignominiously defeated, and a new Government estab- lished, composed of Liberals, it is true, but formed on the dis- tinct understanding that the great issue of the last election was to be t "t aside, and the old, worn-out pi'inciple, known as the " double majority," substituted. Although Mr. Sandfield Mac- donald had not supported the policy of the Liberal party in the Assembly, he was evidently deeply impressed with the in- justice done to Upper Canada by the coalition, which kept itself in power by the Lower Canadian contingent. To refuse, absolutely, any redress to the wrongs of the Up{)er Canadians, v,'as a position which he dare not take and, therefore, instead of advocating the bold and clear-cut policy, of which the Uon. Gro. Brown was the exponent, he adopted the double majority roniprouiisc, which simply wns, as previously explaineil, that no measure specially allecting one province should be forced upon it without the concurrence cf the majority of its repre- sentatives. The GloJte was unsparing in its criticism of the Liberals who joined Mr. Saiidtield Macdonald's Government, as only a year had cla])sed since they had pledged themselves to their constit- uents to insist upon the rights of Upi)er Canada; to join an administration that was pleilged not to disturb the equality ot" the existing representation during that parliament, was declared to bo a breach of ti-ust, ami unworthy of the profes sious they had made; and, although the minor nieasuriv^" 'M 1 A LIBERAL OOVEUNMENT. 149 i party East, jalitiou il. T disa[:- mt had )ulatiou t estab- tUe dis- ,ion was n as the ild Mac- party in h the in- ich kept 'o refuse, inadiaiis, , instead he Uou. najority led, that c forced s repre- i-als who a year eonstit- joiii au jiaUty ot* fit, was I' proi'cs icasures promised by the Government, such as retrenchment, an amend- ment to the mihtia law, a new insolvent law and a re-adjust- ment of the tariff, were all good enough in themselves, still, nothing would condone their breach of faith in the great issue of the previous election. Had these Liberals promised Mr. Sandtield Macdonald an outside support, instead of joining his Government, Mr. Brown would not have complained. He thought the opportunity had thus arisen for redressing the wrongs of Upper Canada, and the defaulting Liberals were to blame for the postponement of the desired relief. The weight of opinion among Liberals, and in this the GJohe shared, not- withstanding its denunciations of the individual members of the Government, was, that Sandlield Macdonald's administra- tion should receive a fair trial. An attack by Mr. John Hillyard Cameron upon the now Ministers while they were seeking re-election after accepting office, brought out an admirable reply from Mr. Mackenzie, which may be said to represent the views of the party. " Ho did not believe that the double majority principle was a remedy for the grievances of Upper Canada, though it might answer as a temporary expedient. And he felt deeply grieved when the new administration announced their formation on that principle. He thought the proper course was to adhere iirndy to the Liberal policy and try to force it on every Government formed. For his own part he could not, on any account, abamlon his advocacy of that policy, although he felt himself bound to defend those gentlemen who thought themselves justified in postponing active cllbrt for a time, for the accom- plishment of a present purpose. A change of Government having bt in. made, ho had to choose between the new men who asserted nd believed they had a remedy, and the old men who did not admit the existence of the evil." "MSr 150 LIFE OF THE HOX. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. Other leading Liberals, such as Mowat, Connor, McTvellar, Stirton, Eymal and Scatcherd, gave expression to similar sentiments, and generously awaited the re-election of Ministers and a fuller exposition of Mr. Sandfield Macdonald's policy, reserving to themselves the right to deal with the Government on the question of representation by population, as they might deem expedient. Mr. Sandfield Macdonald's position as Premier was beset with many embarrassments. He had no claim upon the Con- servative party for support, and could not look for help from that quarter. The Liberals in Upper and Lower Canada were lacking in enthusiasm, on account of his abandonment of the principal plank in the Liberal platform ; and in January, 18G3, Mr. A. A. Dorion, because of a disagreement with his chief regarding the Intercolonial Railway, resigned. Wlien Mr. Macdonald met the House, on the 12th of Febru- ary, it was with misgivings as to how his Government should fare. He had not long to wait for the first shock. On the 19th of February Mr. M. 0. Cameron moved an amendment to the address in reply, in precisely the same \vords as the amendment moved by Mr. MacDougall the year before, when the Curticr-Macdonald administration was in power. This amendment was defeated on a vote of 42 to 04. Mr. Macilou- I A LI BE HAL aOVEliSMEXT. i.>l Fcbni- slioiilcl 111 the id men t as tlic . when This Mcdon- ald's majority consisted principally of his Lower Canadian su[)porters. The members of the Cabinet from Upper Canada were, no doubt, greatly embarrassed at having to vote against a resolution which they had supported the previous session ; especially as the other Liberals in the House were united iu their vindication of the policy of the party. The debate, which was continued for several days, was a very spirited cno. The Ministerialists sheltered thems-jlvcs behind the policy of a double majoi'ity ; while the Opposi- tion endeavoured to show that the Upper Canada section of the Government was inconsistent in nbandoninu" the principle of representation by population. Mr. Mackenzie pointed out that iu addition to this great question there were other issues. He saiil ; "The (piestion of the tlay was the ejoction from power of the late corrupt, unprincipled (loverninent ; that accomplished, the question of representa- tion should be considered on broad grounds, free from all sec- tional spirit. It was to be dcseply regretted that mere national feeling should be allowed so to influence separate sections of the countiy as to create a desire to nuiintaiti a number ot semi-independent nations, while the nation was nominally ono. Ho desired and trusted to see Scotchmen, Englishmen, Irishmen and Frenchmen fus(>d into one harmoniou.s whole; that Canada might be in reality, as it was nominally, ono great nation, owning and inhabiting, without any distinction of race or creed, the whole countiy, from the slopes of tho K(x;ky Mountains to tho Atlantic. Although tho pririciplo of a doubiO majority was inadmissible, as it recognized ditlerent interests in localities divideil from each other by imaginary linos, he felt, liowever, that in order to secure tho blessing of good government and justice to the west, as far as practicable, it was their duty to support the present administration, m 152 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. reserving to themselves entire liberty to act with reference to constitutional changes as they thought proper." This patriotic speech from the new member for Lambton, during his second session, greatly pleased the Liberals from Upper Canada. His splendid powers as a debater were becom- ing apparent every day, while his broad views on every ques- tion which he discussed drew out the sympathies even of his political opponents. Mr. Brown, who, on account of ill health and the pressure of private engagements, had refused various constituencies, consented to run for Oxford ; and, to the delight of his old colleagues, was returned to parliament by a majority of 275. The great measure of 1863 was Mr. R. W. Scott's bill respect- ing Separate Schools. Mr. Scott liad introduced the bill several times, and had advanced it so far in the previous ses- sion as to reach a division on its second reading. The principle of Separate Schools was first introduced into Canada under an Act of 184<1, and was further enlarged by the Act of 1855. Mr. Scott proposed still further to extend the privileges of Roman Catholics with regard to Separate Schools. The main features of Mr. Scott's bill were, extending the facilities for establishing Separate Schools in rural districts ; permitting Roman Catholics to give notice of their intention to become Separate School supporters once for all, instead of annually as under the former Act ; relieving trustees from certifying the average attendance of pupils under oath ; providing for inspection of Separate Schools and their general administration through the Council of Public Instruction. In the session of 1862 the bill passed its second reading ; but owing to the defeat of the Government, it stood over. The bill pa.ssed very quickly through all its stages, and was approved by the A LIBERAL GOVERNMENT. 153 jrc of iicies, is old 275. spoct- e bill s ses- nciple uiuler 1855. GS of main s for tting como ly as tho for lation )n of to \ssocl tho House on the 13th March, the yeas bein<^ 74 and the nays 30. Wlien the second reading of the bill was under consideration, Mr. Burwell moved, seconded by Mr. Mackenzie, what is com- monly known as tlie six months' hoist. On that motion Mr. Mackenzie gave his views on tho question of religious instruc- tion. He opposed the bill on three grounds : First, he feared it would be injurious to the common school system of the Province ; secondly, he feared it would lead to a demand for Separate Schools from other denominations ; thirdly, the establishment of Separate Schools in certain localities would divide the resources of the people, already Aery limited, and thus lower the standard of education.. "He had no desire," he said, " to make tiiis a religious question, as he was not disposed to vote against anv bill, which even Catholic:! themselves deemed necessary to secure perfect freedom in tho exercise of their religious faith ; but as our school system was undenomina- tional, the bill under consideration was therefore unnecessary." The vote on this bill was the first substantial decision of the House to which the principle ol: double majority would apply, as 31 members from Upper Canada voted against it, while its supporters numbered only 22. Mr. John A. Macdonald rallied tlie Upper Canadian niimbcrs of the Government — MacDou- j;nll, Foley, Wilson and Sandtleld Macdonald — on their change of front on the question of Separate Schools, quoting from the journals how, in previous years, they had voted either against tlie principle of Separate Schools or for the repeal of tlie exist- ing Separate School Act; while now tiiey were practically responsible for a bill extentling the scope of Separate Schools. 1 lie Premier was also asked if the measure was to bo forced on Upper Canada in the face of tho opposition of a majority of its representatives. To this Mr. Sandtield Macdonald made uu rc'ply. ii;l 154 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. '! i ^Wi! The agitation wliicli arose in Upper Canada on account of the Separate Sciiuol policy of the Government greatly weakened them in public estimation. Although in their general policy they were generously supported by the Liberal party under the leadership of Mr. Brown, the feeling cxcrywhere prevailed that they were not a i-epresentative Libei-ul Government This feeling, together with the unfortu- nate condition of the finances of the country, so encouraged the Ojiposition that on the first of May Mr. John A. Mac- donald, seconded by Mr. Cartier, moved a direct vote of want of confidence on going into supply. On the Friday following the vote was reached, and the Government was defeated by a majority of five. On the 11th of May, Mr. Sandfield Mac- donald announced his intention of proroguing the House the following dav, and intimated that dissolution would imme- diately follow. In order to strengthen himself witli the Liberal party, several changes of an important character were made in the Government During the session ^L•. James Morris re- tired on account of ill-health, and was succeeded by Mr. Ferffusson-Blair as Receiver-General. Mr. Adam Wilson ceased to be Solicitor-General and accepted a seat on the Bench. His place was not filled for several months. Mr. Dorion displaced Mr. Sicotte as leader of the Lower Canada contingent, and associated with himself L. H. Holton as Minister of Finance, \. Thibaudcau as President of the Council, Lctellier De Saint-Just as Minister of Agriculture, L. S. Huntington as Solicitor-General East, and M. Laframboise as Conmiissioner of Public Works. The only change in Upper Canada was the displacement of M. H. Foley by Oliver Mowat as Postmas- ter-General. A LIBERAL GOVERXMEXT. 155 The effect upon the Liberal party of the temporisincj pol- icy adopted by Mr. Sandtield Macdonald forms one of the most interesting chapters in Canadian politics. What the result was likely to be, was clearly foreseen by Mr. Macken- zie. Opposed, as he was, to a coalition of political parties. ^^^<^3 accept the full responsibility of giving them a generous support." Mr. Mackenzie's career during his brief parliamentary term was not lost sight of by his constituents. Mr. Robert Rae, warden of the county, who had seconded his nomination two years previously, in proposing him as a candidate for a second term, spoke of him " as having exceeded the most sanguine ex- pectation of his friends, and as entitled to the confidence of all parties who were in favor of good government." So strong- ly had he impressed himself upon his constituents and the country, that all opposition was withdrawn, and the return- ing officer declared him elected by acclamation. This mark of public approval was very much appreciated. Throughout the whole of Canada, the contest was conducted with great energy on both sides, twenty-one members only being elected without opposition. Two of Mr. Sandfield Mac- donald's colleagues, Doriou and Hoi ton, were defeated, but ^^•^•^•fc**''^^ c^ ^^/^^^^t:^ti!:i^ found seats in other constituencies. Mr. Druramond, his Com- missioner of Public Works, who was defeated in two constitu- encies, resigned. In summing up the result of the election, it was claimed that 43 supporters of the Government were elected for Upper Canada, and 29 for Lower Canada. Eight of the elected members from Upper Canada were considered independent. It was claimed by the Liberals, however, that SAXDFIELD MACDOXALD'S ADMINISTRATION. 159 Com- istitu- ction, were Eight Idered that one-half of these, at least, would sup>port the Government; this would give Mr. Sandfield Macdonald a fair working majority. Parliament was summoned for the despatch of business on the 13th of August, and the Hon. Lewis Wallbridge was elect- ed Speaker on a vote of sixty-six to fifty-eight, several of the independent members supporting the Ministerial nominee. The first substantial test, however, of party strength took place on the address in reply on an amendment of Mi*. Sicottc, seconded by Mr. Foley, both members of the previous adminis- tration. After a debate, which continued until the 29th of August, the House divided, sixty members voting for the amendment, and sixty-three for the Government. This was not a very comfortable outlook for th'^ new administration. From the beginning of the session, it was quite evident that the Government would have no quarter. Mr. Sicotte, Mr. Mc- Gee and Mr. Foley were most bitter in their hostility, and lost no opportunity to attack them in every conceivable manner. The majority of the Government was so small as practically to tie their hands, and it was only by the greatest care and fore- thought, that any measure of a comprehensive character could be carried through the House. Although supported by a majority from Upper Canada, they were in the minority in Lower Canada, and of this the Oppo- sition was not slow to take advantage. A vote of want of confidence, moved by Mr. Gait, drew out a very caustic speech from Mr. Mackenzie, in which he charged certain opponents of the Government with the violation of their pledges to their constituents, and the Opposition, generally, with obstructing the business of the House. The Government was again sus- tained by the narrow majority of three. The only public measure of any moment which passed the House was the act respecting the militia. On the 15th of October the House was IGO LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. m prorogued. During the recess, Mr. N. A. Richards was ap- pointed to the vacant Solicitor-Generalship, but in appealing to his constituents, was defeated, and accordingly resigned. •On the IGth of February, 18G4, — a year long to be remem- bered in the political history of Canada, — Mr. Sandtield Mac- donald again met Parliament. During his brief term of office he had practised the most rigid retrenchment ; had conducted the Government with great energy and prudence, and had cer- tainly strong claims upon the confidence of the country. It was impossible, however, for any Government to exist on so narrow a majority, and as he could not again ask for an ap- peal to the country, the only alternative was to strengthen his position or resign, as the absence through illness or any other cause of two of his supporters meant defeat. Accordingly, on the 21st of March, he placed his resignation in the hands of the Governor-General, and Mr. Fergusson-Blair was called upon to form a new administration. Being unable to obtain the re- quired support, Mr. Cartier was next called upon. Mr. Cartier having failed, Sir E. P. Tachd was then sent for by His Ex- cellency. Sir E. P. Tachd made overtures to the Liberals, with a view to the formation of another coalition, but these were unanimously rejectdl, the experience of the Liberal party with the Cartier-Macdonald coalition havincr satisfied them as to the dangerous character of political alliances involving the tem- porary suspension, at least, of the policy of each party. After negotiations, which were not closed until the '31st of March, Sir E. P. Tachd succeeded at last in forming a Government, in which ^IcGee and Foley, members of Mr. Sandfield Macdon- ald's first administration, held seats. The Upper Canadian section of the Government consisted of J, A. Macdonald, Attor- ney-General West, Alex. Campbell, Commissioner of Crown Lands, M. H. Foley, Postmaster-General, Isaac Buchanan, Pre- SAXDFIELD MACDOXALD'S ADMIXISTBATIOX. IGl sideiit of the Council, John Simpson, Provincial Secretary, and Jas. Cockburn, Solicitor-General West. Mr. Foley's action in entering what was a purely Conserva- tive Government was a groat (lisappointniout to the Liberals of Upper Canada. Having been formerly leader of the Liber- al party, and an active supporter of the Sand Held Macdonald administration, his acceptance of an office in the Government of which Tachd and J. A. Macdonald were members, was looked upon with considerable disfavor. Two years before, he had cliarL^ed the Cartier-Macdonald administration with the most reckless, wanton extravagance, and with every other poli- tical otience unworthy of a Government ; now he was one of their warmest supporters. Mr. McGee had taken similar ground, and Mr. Cockburn had promised the electors to stand up for the principle of representation. The imlignation of the people in Mr. Foley's case resulted in his defeat at the polls by Mr. Isaac Bowman. To this defeat Mr. Mackenzie contributed no inconsiderable assistance, and met repeatedly not only Mr. Foley but Mr. McGee durini^- the contest, to the great discomfort of both gentlemen. On the 3rd of May the House re- assembled, and on the 4th J. A. Macdonald announced the policy of the new administra- tion. He declared that they were favorable to the renewal of the reciprocity treaty with the United States, departmental leform, retrenchment, the settlement of public lands, and early communication by railway with the Maritime Provinces. The question of Representation by Population was to remain in abeyance. On the 14)th of March, seventeen days before the resigna- tion of Mr. Sandfield Macdonald's Government, Mr. George Brown moved a resolution, based upon a despatcli to the Col- K i 162 LIFE OF THE IIOX. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. I onial Minister, signed by Cartier, Gait and Ross, members of the Government of the day, in whicli they declared " that great difficulties presented themselves in conducting the gov- ernment of Canada in such a manner as to show due regard to the wishes of its numerous population ; that the harmonious working of the constitutional system of Canada was in dan- ger, and that some mode of dealing with the difficulties, with a view to their removal, was desirable." The resolution closed with a request for the appointment of a select committee of twenty members, to report upon the best means of remedying the evils set forth in the said despatch, the committee to be composed of Messrs. Cameron, Cartier, Cockburn, Chapais, Dickson, Dorion, A. A., Dunkin, Mowat, Gait, Holton, Joly, Macdonald, John A., Mac- donald, John S., MacDougall, McGee, McKcllar, Scoble, Street and the mover. On the 19th of May, a decision on this motion was reached, and the appointment of a committee agreed to on a vote of .59 to 48, although opposed by the leader of the Government, John A. Macdonald, and his colleague from Lower Canada, Mr. Cartier. On the 14th of June, Mr. Brown reported " that the com- mittee had held eight sittings and had endeavored to find some solution for existing difficulties, likely to receive the assent of both sections of the Province. A strong feeling was found to exist among the nuMnbers of the committee iii favor ol changes in the direction of a federative system, applied eithoi' to Canada alone, or to the whole British North American Provinces ; and such progress had been made as to warrant tliL- connnittee iu rcconunending that the subject be again i-eferre«l to a committee at the next session of Parliament." The onl\' members of the committee who opposed the adoption of thj SANDFIELD MACDONALD'S ADMINISTRATION. 163 some ;seiit iiid oi ther 'ican thr •rod )iily report were John A. Macdonakl, John S. Macdonald and Scoble. On the same day the Government was defeated on a vote of censure proposed by Mr. Dorion, because of an advance of 100,000 dollars for the redemption of Montreal City bonds, without the authority of Parliament. Messrs. Dunkin and Rankin, who had usually voted with the Conservative party, voted with Mr. Dorion on this resolution, giving the Opposi- tion a majority of two against the Government. During the session, which closed on the 30bh day of June, Mr. Mackenzie applied himself to his Parliamentary duties with much diligence. As chairman of the joint committee of both Houses on printing, he exhibited decided capacity in the despatch of business, and fairness in dealing with all matters referred to him. In the House he displayed great aptitude in debate, and although his speeches did not attract as much attention as in the previous session, his observations on many of the questions that came before him impressed the members with the extent of his general information, his knowledge of the rules of the House and his ability, when called upon, to express himself intelligently on all public questions. Had he been less diffident he might have attracted more notice, but he regarded himself still as a young member, and in the presence uf the great leaders of the party he deemed it unnecessary to reiterate opinions that, as a rule, were fully expressed by those entitled to precedence in debate. In speaking of the career of the administration, the Glohe of Miucii 22nd contains the following: " The Macdonald-Dorion administration has not enjoyed a long existence, and a very lirilliant career was not, under the circumstances, within the scope of possibility. But, in the practical routine of adminis- tering public iillairs, it has earned the hearty gratitude of the mil- 1 III -^^^..ja^ 164 LIFE OF THE IIOX. ALEXANDER MACKEXZIE. public, and there has been a total absence of the jobbery and corruption that lias disgraced our country for many years. We had not infrequently to dissent from the policy of the Government that has just expired, but under all the circum- stances we cannot but feel that the country has deep cause to regret that it was not permitted to complete the measures of reform upon which it had euteied." W?^ CHAPTER XL rOMTIOAL DEAD-I.OCK. Political Di'ad-Lock— TTou. Mr. Ri'owii's ofTer of Assistance— Report of the Coiiiiiiittce oil tiie Federation of tlie Provinces — h^onntition of ji Coiilitiou — Mr. Mackenzie's attitude ou this Question —Tlic Policy of the New Cabinet. Rm'- //mvw^ '^■^ ^^^ "^^^' ontcrinnf one of the most interesting h'M'imfa/'-''' periods of Canadian history. The union of 1S41, ^.. -,^y>- , J whicli was intended to abolish the war of races ^fl^;j'lih>^ ill Canada, and introduce a political millennium, f'^ji' was on its linal ti-ial. That community of action be- tween the two Provinces, which it was expected to pro- iuiC(\ seemed to be as remote as e\t'r. Lower Canada, as already stated, elun^' to ils rights under the Union Act ; and Upper Canada was clamorous for the political inHuenco to which it was entitled on accoimt of its pojiulation and wealth. Ivich ijartv had held itself in power at times by alliances with Lower Canada, and where alliances on strictly political pi'in- ciplcs failed, both parties resortt>d to the vicious principle of iU'ouJition. Appeals to the I'uH'tors were made, at 1)rief inter- vals, bv a Liberal Uo\einment and by a Conser\a(i\(' fjov- iTument, but with no very satisfnetory I'esult, and thouofhtful men boofun to ask the (luestion what the end wiodd lie. To dissolve the union and to restore a puny provincialism was dis- tasteful to all. To continue a union, which fostereil faction rather than patriotism, and whose political lionor was at the mercy of any cabal that chose to plot aoauist it, was not a very 1()5 ■IIMH«MMH ^ 166 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. pleasant outlook. The double majority principle had been tried and proved a failure. What was to be done? There seemed to be but one way out of the difficulty, and that was on the lines of the report submitted by Mr. Brown. But Mr. John A. Maedonald had voted against the adoption of that report. He was the head of the Upper Canadian section of the Government, and the leading spirit in his party ; as opposed to him was Mr. Brown, the leader of the Opposition, with a strong majority from Upper Canada. Unless some compromise could be effected between the two parties, the question must be referred to the people ; and another general election within the year was not to be desired. The report of Mr. Brown's committee on constitutional diffi- culties, suggesting a federation either of the Canadas alone, or of the Bi'itish American Provinces, had just been laid on the table. Would this solve the question, is what occurred to many members of the House. Faction had long been at the helm of state, why not change the pilot ? The grave character of the situation was so deeply felt by both sides of the House, that the smallest hint suggesting relief was eagerly seized upon. Such a hint came from Mr. Brown himself. He had by a large majority secured the appointment of his committee. The committee after duly considering the situation had, by a vote of twelve to tliree, expressed a strong feeling in favor of federation. The Covcrnment had the authority of His Excel- lency to dissolve and appeal to the country. In case of such an appeal, the Liberal party had reason to believe they would be successful. Should they abandon the prospects of a party triumph at the polls, or should they settle now, if possible, their constitutional difficulties by generously offering the Govern- iiu'ut their assistance on the lines of the report of Mr. Brown's conuaitteo \ After consulting his political supporters, Mr. CCCi- =uch uld |o |arty heir [orn- Iwn's Mr. Hon, George Brown. ' n^v I i a c si POLITICAL DEAD-LOCK. loa Brown fiscertaincrl tliat the Lihernl party was prepared to ailupt the hitter course, and in order that the Government ini^lit be infmnned of his attitude, he couiinunicated this view to Messrs. Morris and Pope, who were supporters of the Gov- ernment, and an interview with Mr. Juhn. A. Macdonald and Mr. Gait was arranged. Mr. Brown felt great dilTiculty in npproacliing his political opponents, and at his first meeting with Messrs. Macdonald and Gait frankly confessed " that nothing but the extreme urgency of the present crisis, and the hope of settling the sectional troubles of the Province forever, could justify >iich a meeting, with a view to common political action." h\ this opinion Messrs. Macdonald ami Gait concurred and informed Mr. Brown that they were not meeting him simply as leading members of the Ministerial party, but as members of the Government, authorized by their colleagues to invite liis aid in settling the difficulties between Upper and Lower Canada. He expressed his inability, on personal grounds, to join the ad- ministration, and he even feared that, if he would enter a Cab- inet composed of men to whom lie was so long and .so strongly opposed, he would greatly shock the public mind. He added.' "If the administration would pledge themselves clearly and publicly to bring in a measure, next session, that would be ac- ceptable to U[)per Canada, the basis to be now settled and .111- nt)unced in Parliament, he would heartily co-operate with them and try to induce his friends (in ^^hich he Imped to be success- ful) to sustain them until they had an opportunity of present- ing their measure to the House." Mr. Macdonald ui'gcd that it was necessary that Mr. Brown should enter the Government as a guarantee of the bona-tjiles of the Opposition and the Gov- ernment. To this Mr. Brown objected for reason.s already .stated. After further ncg(jtiations, the following memorandum ^v5T 170 LIFE OF THE HOX. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. was approved by His Excellency in council with logard to the situation : " The Government are prepared to state that im- mediately after the prorogation they will address themselves, in the most earnest manner, to the negotiation for a confeder- ation of all the British North American Provinces. That failing a successful issue to such negotiations, they are pre- pared to pledge themselves to legislation during the next ses- sion of Parliament, for the purpose of remedying existing dif- ficulties, Ly i atroducing the federal principle for Canada alone, coupled with such provisions as will permit the Maritime Prov- inces and the Noi'th-West Territory to be hereafter incorpor- ated into the Canadian system. " That for the purpose of carrying on the negotiations and settling the details of the promised legislation, a Royal Com- mission shall be issued, composed of three members of the Government, and three members of the Opposit'^n, of whom Mr. Brown shall be one ; and the Government pledge them- selves to give all the influence of the administration to secure to the said Commission the means of advancing the great object in view. "That subject to the House permitting the Government to carry through the pnV)lic business, no dissolution of parliament shall take place, but the administration will again meet the present House." Having settled a basis for the suspension of party hostility with the leaders of the Government, Mr. Brown called a meet- ing of his friends to ascertain how far they were prepared to support him in the negotiations which he was then carrying on. At this meeting the feeling of the Liberal party was expressed in a motion made by Mr. Hope F. Mackenzie, ans ol' each Province deliberated a]»;irt and )-eport((l lluir decision, through their chairman, to till' runvciitiou. Till! ]»rinci[)h' of a frderal union, as o]ip(i^cil to a legislative niiitm, was aeecptetl after a very slmrt, discussion, it b(;ing (|uite apparent that Pi'ovinces so widely apart geographically, and aceustojned so long to goveiii themse'ves, woidd lind, in local assemblies to which local matters W(>idd be entrusted, simpler machinery for the 178 Line OF Till'] HON. ALh'XAXJJh'U MArK/J\/JM. adininistrdtion of local alTairs iluui couM lie suppliml undci- a lugisiativc! uninti. OwiiH' to llic war in ilid TTiiItfid States (ln'ii ''(»lMuly exercise with the con- sent of the central authority, wiaiM not havt; been .a fiiilcra- ti iscd III only l^lst »l)(»r a^ifroofl upon tlio report to bo inude to their respective} (.loverniucnts. Tlio (lelej^oites then iniule a tour of Upper Canada, outlinii\{T as far as tlujy werj at liberty to do ro, the constitution a<,M-eod ujjoii au the conference, and receiviiifr wherever they wont the most cordial approval of the vvoik to \vhicb they bad coiu- iailLn the I'Jth of .January. In ()i)ening the House tlie Governor-General alluded to tho resolutions approved by (he coid'eicnco at Quebec, to the ini- portajit bearing the adoption of such a scheme as was there 180 THE CONFEDEIiA TION BE DA TES. 181 outlined wouM have upon the future oE the British colonies, and observed "in commending to your attention this subject, the importance of which to yourselves and to your descen- dants it is impossible to exaggerate, I would claim for it your calm, earnest and impartial consideration. With the ])ublic mvn of British North America it now rests to decide whether the vast tract of country which they inhabit shall be consol- idated into a state, combining within its area all the elements of national greatness, providing for the security of its com- ponent parts and contributing to ae strength and stability of the empire; or whether the several provinces of which it is constituted shall remain in their present fragmentary and isolated condition, comparatively powerless for nnitual aid, and incapable of undertaking their proper share of imperial responsibility." The debate was opened on the 6th of February on a motion by Attorney-General Macdonald:" I'hat an humble address be presented to Her Majesty praying that she may be graciously pleased to cause a measure to be submitted to the Imperial Parliament for the purpose of uniting the colonies of Canada, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundlan(l, and Prince Edward Island in one Government, with provisions based on certain resolutions which were adopted at a conference of delegates from the said colonies held at the city of Quebec, on the 10th of October, ISG-i." Mr. Macdonald supported the resolution by a clear and comprehensive exposition of the constitutional bearings of the resolutions agreed upon at Quebec ; and while expressing his own preference for a legis- lative union, he was nevertheless conlident that the scheme hAovQ the House would rouiove the political complications which rendered the government of the country so dilli- cult, and, at the same time, give the colonies that importance l\ ■i^^- "^Mi I 182 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXAXDER MACKESZIE. as an intof^ral part of tlic Britisli Empire, of which they were deprived by their present isoUited condition. The financial and commercial aspects of the question were presented with j^reat ability by Mr. Geo. Brown and Mr. A. T. Gait, Mr. Brown's speech being specially characterized by its magnanimity towards his opponents and liis hopefulness as to the future of the country. The debate was, in the strictest sense of the term, historical. Members of Parliament felt themselves confronted with the greatest issue ever submitted to their consideration. It was not the time for squabbling over personal grievances or about the appropriation of money for local improvements. Those who took part in the debjite felt called upon to substantiate every position, not by the denun- ciation of their opponerts or the rounded periods of the rhetorician, but by arguments founded on reason, experience and fact. It was not until the 28rd of February tliat Mr. Mackenzie rose to take his place in the debate. Already many of the great leaders had spoken at considerable length, and where so much had been said to the purpose, it was no easy task to keep the attention of the House. Nevertheless Mr. Mac- kenzie's speech, on that occasion, was one of great merit, both for its conciseness, its breadth of view and its thouuhtfulness. In Ids opening remarks he defended his own course and the course of the Liberal party in Upper Canada against the at- tacks of their former Lower Canadian allies because of alleg- ed political inconsistency. What Upper Canaila wanted, in so many words, was Representation by Population ; what she wanted in fact was a remedy for her political grievances, lb- believed the scheme before the House provided this remedy ; why, then, quarrel over the form in which it came ? He sup- ported Mr. Saudfield Macdonuld's scheme of a double majority ; 4 i THE COXFEDERA TIOX DEB A TES. 183 III Hi (hat IkuI failed. Should we stand still and allow the union between Upper and Lower Canada to bo dissolved ? "That," ho said, " would be one of the greatest calamities which could befall these provinces. Mr. Alackenzie's industry is quite as apparent in his speech on Confederation as in his later speeches, when Premier ol Canada. Objection was taken to the Quebec resolutions be- cause the Upp^r House or Senate to be constituted was to be nominative and not elective. In dealing with this objection ^Ir. Mackenzie expressed his own opposition to an elective Senate and instanced the example of the other colonies of the Empire a»id nearly all the political divisions of Eui-ope, giving such details as show how fully he had mastered this part of the subject. In answer to the charge that the federal system was a weak one, ho pointed out that in the United States, not- withstanding the large influx of foreign population, the North was conducting, apparently to a successful issue,one of the great- est wars of modern times without a dollar of foreign capital. The federal system in Switzerland had worked most satisfac- torily. The union between England and Scotland had added to the prosperity and comfort of both kingdoms. In the course of the debate he greatly amused the House by quoting from a speech delivered by Lord Belhaven in the Scottish Parliament, when the proposed union with England was under discussion. His Lordship in depicting the dire calamity w meli he inuigined would befall Scotland by join- ing her fortunes to England, said : " My fiurd Chancellor — I think I see our leariied judges laying aside ihaiv 'pvacl'iqv.es and decisions, studying tho common luw of England, gravel- led with ccr^iojvtJ'tes, iitsi ^^riitscs, writs of error, verdicts in dovar, cjectione JiDnae, injunctions, denun\s, etc., and Ireighted with a|)peals and avocations, because of the new regulations 184 LIFE OP THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. m and rcctificatioiia tlicy may meet with. I iliink I see tlio valiant and gallant soldiery cither sent to learn the plantation trade abroad, or at home petitioning for a small subsistence as a reward ofc' their honorable exploits, while their old corps are broken, the common soldieiy left to beg and the youngest English corps left standing. I think I see the honest, indus- trious tradesman loaded with new taxes and impositions, dis- appointed of the e((uivalents, drinking water instead of ale, eating his snitless pottnge, petitioning for encouragement to liis manufact>irer ami answered by co made to the people lj(;i'Si'purate School Act of ISO.'} was passtMl durin;^' his liifuiiership, movcid fin amondmcnl, (sxpn-ssin;^ rc;^r(;t that the (.ulire control and dircctio.i of education in lljtjjer (panada was not entrusted to its own Local Fitj^islature. The vote on this atiieiKliueiit was yeas, 8 ; nays, f).'). AnotlK^r amendment hy .Mr. Ilourassji, "that the Itomaii < 'atholie minority of Upper Canada Ik; placed on the same footiii*^, as re^^'irds edu(;ation, as the l'i'(jte.stant minority of Lower- Canai la " was also lost on ii vote of 20 to S.";. TIk! i-esohit-ions were then Ji|(ree, ii,n\ork of the House, and was daily strengthening himself by liih r I MR. BROWN RETIRES FROM THE COALITION. 193 n leru 'ttle- i pro- L' con- Din the made ■ly ac- ajititude in debate, and his familiarity with every question submitted for the consideration of Parliament. When the House prorogued on the 18th of September, it was on the understanding that Parliament should next assemble in the new buildings at Ottawa. The Government, being now relieved of Parliament, at once gave its attention to the trade relations of Canada with the United States. It will be remembered that in 1854, under the administration of Lord Elgin, a Reciprocity Treaty of a very comprehensive character was made between Canada and the United States, valid for ten years, but revokable on notice by either party. The Americans had become dissatisfied with the treaty on the alleged ground that Canada benefited more by its continuance than the United States. They had passed through a great conflict ; their taxes had become burdensome particularly their inland revenue imposts, and the admission of certain Canadian products free into -the market of the United States, it was said, placed the American producer at a disadvantage. These were the commercial reasons which national courtesy considered the only ones expedient to put forth. There were behind these, however, the conviction tiiat a treaty was an advantage to Canada, and that its repeal would be a serious injury to Canadian trade. In the long and worthy struggle which they had made for the Union, they had come to the conclusion, rightly or wrongly, that Great Britain and her Colonies would rejoice to see the Union dismembered. The attem})ts made by blockade runners, such us the steamship Alabama, to furnish the South with supplies, the determined attitude of Great Britain in the Trent afi'air, and the raid of St. Albans in Canada intensified tlis feelino-. That it was unfounded, there can be no doubt. The British St atiinent that abolished tli<' sImnc trade sixty years before M iiMli ij|,|iii m 194 LIFE OF THE HOX. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. could have no sympathy with the establisliincnt of a con- federacy, the corner-stone of which, as declared by its Vice- President, was to be slavery. If, here and there, British trade suffered as notably, in Lancashire, because its supply of cotton from the South was cut off, and in this way a word of sym- pathy was dropped for the rebel States, such intermittent expressions of sympathy should not have been mistaken for the real public opinion of Britain. Indeed, it is well known that had it not been for the action of the British Govern- ment, France would have recognized the Southern Confeder- acy as a new nation, and what would have been the conse- quences of such a recognition, no one can tell. The sympathies of Canadians were strongly with the North. The Globe supplied its readers daily with the leading events of the war, and commented, editorially, from time to time on the various phases which it assumed, but always fav- orably to the North. Occasionally, in a Conservative news- paper, there would be found the suggestion that a Republican form of government was essentially weak, and that the strug- gle in which the North was engaged must necessarily be a failure. Whatever may have been the motive, and this will always be a matter of speculation, the Americans notified the Imper- ial Government that the Reciprocity Treaty of 1854 would terminate on the l7th day of March, 18G6. To Canadians, this notice was a source of considerable anxiety. The trade rela- tions which our merchants had established with the United States were to be practically brought to an end, and other markets had to be found for the surplus products of the country. The feeling then, was universal, that everything consistent with the dignity of Canada should be done for the renewal of the Treaty- iu some form or other. On the 15th PI II • \0-^- Ul MR. BROWN RETIRES FROM THE COALITION: 195 day of July, 1865, the Government decided to send two mem- bers of the cabinet to Washington to confer with Sir Fred- erick Bruce, the British Ambassador. By a despatch, dated the 22nd of July, the British Government suggested the for- mation of a Confederate Council, chosen by the different pro- vinces, and presided over by the Governor-General, for the purpose of expressing an opinion to Her Majesty's Govern- ment on the negotiation of Commercial Treaties. Acting on this suggestion, such a Council was formed at Quebec, early in September, and called the " Confederate Council on Commer- cial Treaties." The members of the Council from Canada were Messrs. Brown and Gait ; from Nova Scotia, Mr. Ritchie ; from New Brunswick, Mr. Wilmot ; from Prince Edward Is- land, Mr. Pope ; and from Newfoundland, Mr. Shea. Messrs. Macdonald and Cartier were by courtesy admitted on behalf of Canada to be present at the Council, and take part in the discussion. At a meeting of the Council on the 18th of September, 18G5, resolutions were passed approving of the renewal of the Reciprc *^^'' Treaty of 1854 ; reconnnending the British North Americai' Provinces to combine cordially on a common com- mercial • I x.cy in the event of the abolition of the old Treaty ; recommending communication to be opened with the West India Islands, Spain and her colonies, Brazil and Mexico, for new channels of trade ; and requesting Her Majesty's Govern- ment to autiiorize the members of the Council, or a committee appointed from amongst them, to proceed to Washington in the event of negotiations being opened up for the renewal of the Reciprocity Treaty, in order to confer with the British -Ministers there, with respect to the British North American Provinces. Shortly after the adjournment of the Council, ^Ir. MacDou<>-all went to the West Indies at the head of a com- 196 LIFE OF THE II OX. ALEXAXDER MACKEXZIE. I! ^:'ir iiiijiij mission in order to enquire into the facilities which they atibrded for trade with Canada, and Messrs, Gait and How- land went to Washington to discuss with the United States Government the difficulties in the Avay of the renewal of the old Reciprocity Treaty. On the 18th of December, Mr. Gait submitted to Council his report, in which he expressed his opinion that there was no reasonable probability that the Con- gress of the United States would adopt any proposal for the renewal of the Reciprocity Treaty of 1854, but believed from his conversations with the Secretary of the Treasu] y that the commercial relations with the United States anVfO parties, and may be said, in a certain sense, to have two heads, each responsible to its own party for its associates. If the head of one party retires, the leadership naturally falls to the next in command. It is the duty, therefore, of the next in command to see whether he has the confidence of the paity in discharging the duties from which his predecessor has re- tired. Should it appear that the withdrawal of his leadership destroys that confidence, then the coalition is destroyed, and he becomes identified with the party representing the majority of the Government. This was precisely the position occupied by Messrs. How- land and MacDougall. The leader under whom they entered the Government, and who was practically, though not theo- retically, their Premier, retired. They were authorized to act in a certain capacity by the mandate of their party, and although the mandate was not formally withdrawn until the great Reform convention of 18G7, it was quite evident that they remained in the Government without the approval of thfi Liberal party. CHAPTER XV. MR. MACKENZIE OFFERED A SEAT IN THE GOVERNMENT Mr. MacDougall's Trip to the Indies— Mr. Halt's Financial Policj- — Constitu- tion (f the Proviiicus — Ketii'oaient of Mr. (jalt — Contideuce Weakened in tlie Coalition. HE most conclusive evidence that can be I'urnisliod of the position Mr. Mackenzie had taken in the House, and of his standing in his own party, was his beinjr ofiered the seat in the Government va-^ c;:^ cated by Mr. Brown's retirement. This offer was made through Mr. Howland on behalf of his colleagues, and was fully considered at a confidential meeting of Liberals held in the town of Guelph, on the 25tli of December, 18G5. It does not appear that Mr. Mackenzie was at all anxious for office, although he might well feel flattered to bj chosen as the successor in the Cabinet of the great Liberal leader. Notwith- standing Mr. Howland's explanations of the reasons for IVFr. Brown's retirement, Mr, Mackenzie felt the step which he was asked to take was so important as to justify further en- quiry. He therefore reserved his decision until ho had con- sulted his leader. On the 27th of December, 18G5, having seen Mr. Brown in the meantime, he addressed the following letter to Mr. Howland : *• Saunia, December 27tli, 18G5. " Hon. W. p. Howland. " My Dear Sir, — Since our mooting at Ouclph, on the 2rjtli inat., when you wore good onougli to tender mo a soat in the Cabinet, us President of 201 ' P wjg ' n - .Hj ' .JWT ' g ^ r r ' . 'yT— m— — -g . ' g c- ' i (I !|fi' liljit N!i|pi!li 1 . 202 2.//^^^ 0/' THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. tlio Ccnmcil, T have seen Mr. Brown, and have received from liira a full statement of the causes wliioh led to his resignation. You will recoLect that I informed you of my desire to ascertain from himself how he regard- ed his present position. Mr. Brown at first declined giving me any infor- mation, on the ground that he was not authorized by His Excellency, the Administrator, to do so, and that such information should first be com- municated to Parliament. " On my informing him that I had already received from you a state- ment of the causes which led to his resignation, he consented to state minutely the causes which led to his withdrawal from the Government. Your statement of the reasons which you understood to actuate Mr. Brown in resigning his position in the Administration — as far as it went — is sub- stantially the same as that given by Mr. Brown himself. I find, however, that very nuich of what, in my opinion, was essential to a proper under- standing of Mr.- Brown's position was connnunicated at the meeting above referred to. I understood you to say that the issue between Mr. Brown and the other members of the Government was confined entirely to the sanction of the minutes of Council relating to the adoption of the Reci- procity Treaty, a copy of whicli you road to me, although personal feelings might have increased the dissatisfaction ho felt, and which caused him to resign. I also understood you to say that the Government of the United States had formally intimated to the Canadian Government their final de- cision, that commercial treaties (affecting the revenue) between the United States and foreign countries are unconstitutional, and consequently that any commercial arrangement between the British North American Pro- vinces and the United States must necessarily be provided by concurrent legislation in the two countries. Assuming these statements to be per- fectly correct and full, I could see no sufficieut reason for Mr. Brown leaving the Government, or that my entering the Government as his suc- cessor, would be distasteful to the party to whom I would look for sup- port as a member of the Government, or be in any way wrong in itself. I am now led to believe that the adoption of the minute of Council refer- red to was but the culminating act of a series of circumstances connected with the jicnding negotiations against which Mr. Brown j)rotested as im- proper and seriously prejudicial to our interests as a Province. *' Subsequent reflection also convinced me that there could hardly have been any formal declaration from the Government of the United St^vten OFFERED A SEAT IN THE GOVERXMEXT. 203 announcing that conrtnierclal treaties wore uncon- a wedge to split the Liberal party." In the debate in which Mr. Gait's financial policy was so fully criticised, Mr. Mackenzie took a leading part, protesting then, as he did in 1878, against a tariff' based upon protection ideas, and pointing out the utter futility of such a tariff' to aid permanently the industries of the country. His reply to Mr. MacDougall was pointed and vigorous, and elicited the hearty applause of the Liberal members of the House. Hitherto, tliough not a cordial ally of Mr. ALu'Dougall, he had supported him, as a representative of the Lib(M-al party, in the Adminis- tration. It was evident, from this debate, that their attitude I - I '^s tftKJLttia ^ suj^iJimMa i^j-wi • ■* ' < i» — »» 206 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXAXDER MACKEXZIE. lilliii' ifiiiiii towards each eather was fast undergoing a change ; and their many encounters in parliament and on the pubHc platform, during the next fourteen years, showed how strongly Mr. Mackenzie felt that Mr. MacDouo-all could not be trusted as an exponent of Liberal principles. Mr. Mackenzie insisted very strongly that Mr. MacDougall and his I^iberal allies in the Government had not kept faith with the Liberal party. The Liberals were not consulted with regard to the proposed change in the taritt". In re- arranging the representation of Upper Canada in the Legis- lative Assembly, new constituencies were formed without the knowledge or consent of the Liberal part3^ " It would have been an easy matter," Mr. Mackenzie said, " for Mr. MacDougall and his colleagues to consult the Liberals on all these points. He (MacDougall) was made a member of the Government in the first instance at the request of the Liberal party, and he should not presume to represent the Liberals until lie had ascertained their views. Many of the diflSculties and dissensions of the present session were owing to the appa- rent determination of the Liberal members of the Government to act independently of the party." The great measure of the session was the adoption by the House of the provincial constitutions, which were afterwards incorporated in the British North America Act. Resolu- tions providing for the local government and legislation of Lower and Upper Canada were introduced by Mr. John A. Macdonald on the 13th of July, and occupied the attention of the House for a considerable portion of the remainder of the session. Mi-. Dorion, on behalf of Lower Canada, asked for a Legislative Assembly with one Chamber, similar to that proposed for Upper Canada, on the ground of economy autl simplicity. This proposition was negatived on a vote of 31 ^^i*--'ii OFFEllED A SEA T IX THE GO VERNMENT. -'07 to 61). Mr. John Hillyard Cameron, seconded by Mr. Morris, asked that the Legislature ot" Upper Canada should consist of two Chambers, a Legislative Assembly and a Legislati\'e Council. This was negatived on a vote of 13 to 86. Mr. Dorion then asked that the members of the Legislative Coun- cil from Lower Canada be elected by the people; this also was refused by the House. The resolutions were Hnally passed, and an humble address to Her Majesty with respect to them agreed to on the 11th of August. Thus the second step, so far as Canada was concerned, was taken towards tlie great scheme of Confederation. By the Quebec resolutions, in favor of Confederation, what- ever legislation existed in each Province with regard to education at the time of Confederation was declared to be irrevocable, so far as the Local Legisla^-ures were concerned. There were two bills before the House with respect to separ- ate schools ; one in the hands of Mr. Langevin, Solicitor-Gen- eral East, and one in the hands of Mr. Bell, by which it was proposed to extend to the Roman Catholic minority in Upper Canada similar and equal privileges with those granted by the Legislature to the Protestant minority in Lower Canada. Mr. Gait supported Mr. Langevin's bill, although it was quite evi- dent that it was not acceptable to the majority of the Roman Catholics in Lower Canada. In the same way, Mr. Bell's bill respecting separate schools in Upper Canada was opposed by every member of the Government from Upper Canada except Mr. John A. Macdonald. Had these bills gone to a vote, both would probably have passed, and, as stated by the Attorney- General, " there would have been the unusual spectacle of a bill atlecting education in Upper Canada carried by a Lower Canadian majority, and a similar Bill for Lower Canada car- ried against the will of the majority of that section." The r?.'7rrr-"r".!^T" r^'w; 'sz:.fi> ■3P'-*-t=-:-; 1 1 I iiiiiii III mm J ill m 208 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXAXDEli MACKENZIE. GoveiTiment having decided to abandon both bills, Mr. Gait felt it to be his duty to re8i<^n. His plac(i was tilled by ^Ir. How'land, as Minister of Finance. Mr. Gait's retirement from the Government gave great satisfaction to the Liberal party. Under him the debt of the Province had largely increased. Deficits occurred with w'on- derful regularity, although the tariff had been several times advanced. His attempt to foist Legislative Keciprocity on the country, and to change our banking system, showed the tiangerous tendency of his legislation. With his retirement from oflice it was expected many of those evils would be corrected. On the 15th of August the House prorogued, and the last session of Parliament, under the Act for the union of the two Canadas, was brought to an end. During the tw^enty-five years that passed since Upper and Lower Canada were united under one Legislature, the country had been singularly pros- perous. Immigrants from the old world, some with consider- able means, others with little capital except a pair of strong arms, had cleared the forests of Upper Canada, and had made for themselves comfortable homes in spite of all the difficulties incident to new settlements. Although these immiorants were of mixed nationalities and creeds, they were, in the main, men and women of great physical vigor and force of character. The ownership of the soil w^as to them an extra- ordinary privilege, and added greatly to their attachment to their country. The disabilities under which they labored at home intensified their love of freedom, and with the right which they possessed, for the first time, of making their own laws, it was natural that they would resist the transfer to or the continuation of such disabilities in the land of their adoption. Under such circumstances, the enjoyment of thft OFF EH ED A SEAT IN THE GOVERNMENT. 209 fullest social and political liberty should have been the her- itage of every citizen of Canada. That it was not so may be taken as an evidence of the strange perversity and maladroit character of human nature. For instance, who would have thought that the people of Canada, who had escaped from a sj'stem of tithing and church rents in the old land, would have loaded themselves down with exactions of a similar character in their new home ? Or, who would have thou^-ht that to relieve the country of a statfj church, with its lav^e endowments and constantly increasing revenues, would have necessitated years of agitation, and would have aroused reli- oious animosities which the lapse of thirty years have not entirely abated ? What had Canada to do with a state church and rectories and sectarian privileges such as the medioevalisra ol" England had sanctioned and approved ? And yet there were many patriotic men who believed that only in this way could religion be fostered and infidelity restrained even in Canada. The claims for religious supremacy were, however, but the counterpart of that political pretentiousness which Toryism invariably asserts wherever it has the power. Within its favored circle only is to be found, so it believes, the capacity to o-overn and the rieht to rule. The more limited the area of this right, the more dignified the men who exercise it, and the more limited the privileges of the ruled, the more perfect the administration of the rulers. Why should Roman Catholics sit in Parliament ? said the Tories of Daniel O'Connell's time. Why should the rotten boroughs be abolished ? said the Tories of Lord John Eussoll's time. Wliy should the masses have free bread ? said the Tories of Robert Peel's time. Why should the franchise be extended to counties and to agricultural laborers ? said the Tories of more recent date. Why should N I Si; •Jil 210 LIFE OF THE HON. A LEX A XD EH MACKENZIE. the Irish Church be disestablished, or Ireland be permitted to manage its own local affairs ? say the Tories of to-day. Mu- tatis mutandis, Canadian Liberals had to answer all these questions ; and, although their answer was not recognized by Parliament till after many a long straggle, it came at last, marred in some instances by restrictions which weakened its effect, but substantial enough to relieve, even where it did not remove, the grievance complained of. The Family Compact was a Tory institution so firmly intrenched in office as to be removable only by rebellion. The control of Parliament by placemen and officers of the Government was a Tory manoeu- vre as indefensible as it was mischievous. The opposition to Upper Canada, in her demands for constitutional changes to which she was entitled, was in keeping with the traditions of Toryism from the beginning of the century. The Liberalism, of which Mr. Mackenzie was such an able exponent, was diametrically opposed to the Toryism of the day. He wanted no placeman in Parliament, as he believed it im- possible for Parliament to be a correct exponent of the public will so long as any of its members were dependent upon tlie Executive. The great council of the nation was, to his mind, a body invested witlithe gravest responsibilities, and that sen- sitiveness to the cj'.ll of duty wliich should pertain to its decisions, was utterly inconsistent with its organization on any other than the most independent lines. He had seen too much of the evils of the Family Compact in Canada, and of tlie rotten borough system in the old country, to acquiesce quietly in a Parliament where officials had the same standing as the accredited representatives of the people. Ecclesiastical influence in politics was equally repugnant to his mind. The sacerdotalism which too often preferred the fleece to the flock, inevitably followed the connection of church 9^' OFFERED A SEA T IN TUE GO VERNMENT. 211 and state, and the only way to preserve the one from domina- tion and the other from deterioration, was to insist upon their uhsohite divorce. In this way only, he contended, would the sovereignty of Parliament be impartially maintained, and un- less maintained in its integrity, representative institutions would degenerate into an oligarcliy ; and a self-interested majority would develop into a tyranny no less real than the autocracy of the Stuart period. It v/a3 this uncompromising character of his political con- victions that led him to oppose a coalition in every shape and f( rm, and, in later years, to resist connnercial combinations, which experience has shown to lo as dangerous to cur in- stitutions PS the ccc'esiasticiil oi- social privileges of thirty years ago. 41 w I lii ; i i CHAPTER XVI. CONFEDERATION APPROVED BY THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. Troubles in the Maritime Provinces — Delegation to England — Amendment to the Quebec Resolutions— The Education Clause— Additional Subsidies to Nova Scotia— The Royal Proclamation— The Father of Confederation - Claims of Mr. Brown to this Honor. T was already pointed out that New Brunswick, by an overwhelming vote, defeated the party that es- p^-^jj^ poused Confederation, and that a change of Gov- f^lJn\ " ernment had taken place. A second appeal to the ^^ " people, a year later, resulted in the reversal of the previous vote, and the acceptance of Confederation by the people at the polls. In Nova Scotia, there had been no appeal to the people. The Government stood manfully by the Quebec resolutions and, with New Brunswick, sent a deputa- tion to London to confer with the Imperial authorities respect- ing the completion of the scheme. Prince Edward Island had refused to take further part in the nogotiations, largely owing to the irresolute manner in which the delegates to Quebec dealt with the question in their own Legislature. After some delay, owing to the Fenian invasion in Canada, delegates from the four Provinces finally met in London, at the Westminster Palace hotel, on the 4th of December, to prepare draft bills for submission to the Imperial Parliament, which was then about to assemble. The delegates were : From Canada, Messrs. Mac- donald (John A.), Cartier, Gait, Rowland, MacDougall, and Langevin ; from Nova Scotia, Messrs. Tuoper, Henry, Archi- 212 coy FEDERATION APPROVED. 213 hakl, McCully, and Ritchie ; from New Bininswick, Me- srs, Tilley, Fisher, Mitchell, Johnson and Wihnot. It is not our purpose to discuss the necessarily limited au- thority which tliese delegates possessed in finally dealing with tlie Quebec resolutions. Thoy were sent to London not to legislate, but to advise the Imperial Government with regard to the provisions of an Act based upon the Quebec reso- lutions. Although devoid of kigislative power, they were not free, however, from responsibilitv neither were they beyond the pale of censure by their respective Provinces, provided the conclusions they reached were ill-advised. Of course, no one would object to any alteration in the Quebec resolutions that was immaterial in its effects, or that did not disturb the politi- cal or financial equipoise of the Constitution as accepted by the Provinces through their respective Legislatures, and though the final responsibility for legislation rested with the House of Commons, they, equally with the Imperial Parliament, may justly be held responsible for every clause in the British North America Act. Only two amendments of the Quebec resolutions gave rise afterwards to discussion : Fi :st, the provision.- of the forty- third resolution respecting education, affecting the rights and privileges of the Protestant and Catholic minorities in the two Canadas, were extended to the minorities in any Province having rights or privileges by law as to denominational schools, at the time when the Union wxnt into operation. An additional provision was made, allowing an appeal to the Governor-General in Council against any acts or decisions of the local authorities which may affect the rights or privileges of the Protestant or Catholic minority in the matter of educa- tion. The second amendment, wliich gave rise to much discus- I ! 214 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. I 1 sion, was the " better terms ** granted to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. By the original resolutions, each Province was to be allowed an annual grant of eighty cents per head of the population, according to the census of 1 SGI. By the terms agreed upon at London, a subsidy, in addition to the per capita allowance, was to be paid to the different Provinces as follows : Upper Canada, $80,000 ; Lower Canada, 870,000 ; Nova Scotia, SGO,000 ; New Brunswick, 650,000 ; and the capi- tation subsidy was extended, in t'le last two mentioned Pro- vinces, until the population reached 400,000. A bill based upon the Quebec resolutions, thus amended, was finally sub- mitted to the Imperial Parliament, and passed on the 29tli of March, 1867. The Royal Proclamation, declaring that the Act should come into force on the first of July, 1867, was issued at Win Isor on the 22nd of JMay. Now that Confederation had become a substantial fact, it is worth while to enquire through whose instrumentality was it specially brought about. Who was the real father of Con- federation ? There seems to be no doubt that George Wash- ington was the founder of Lhe United States ; that Prince Bismai'ck secured the unification of Germany ; that Count Cavour re-organized the kingdom of Italy ; thut William tlio Third gave a new meaning to Responsible Government in England. But who is the father of Confederation ? is a ques- tion still in dispute. With one accord, the Conservative party claim this honor for Sir John A. Macdonald. This claim is disputed by the LiberaL-. and for good reasons. At no period in the history of Canada, prior to the coalition of 1864, does it appear that Sir John A. Macdonald favored the Federal principle. lie intrigued agn'nst the Brown- Doriou Administration of 1858, which had pledged itself to the settlement of the constitutional difliculties between Upper agiU cox FED ERA TiON APPROVED. 215 and Lower Canada on the basis of Representation by Popula- tion. He ridiculed the conclusions arrived at by tiie Reform Convention of 1859, where a federation of the two Canadas on the principle of a joint authority over matters common to the two Provinces was suggested. Speaking of the joint au- thority at London, Mr. Macdonald said : " If we ask ourselves what this joint authority is, we shall see how crude the idea is. Is it a legislature, or is it a bench of bishops ? If it means anvthincf, it means that Canada is to be divided into two, that there are to be two separate legislatures with a central power. . . . . To such a consummation I am altogether opposed." On the question of Representation by Population, he said in the Legislative Assembly'', on the 19th of April, 1861, " to adopt the measure would be to take a retrograde stop." And he argued at very great length against the bill introduced by Mr. Ferguson, of South Simcoe, in favor of Representation by Population. On the 1st of April, 18G2, he voted against a resolution moved by Mr. MacDougall, in winch a protest was made against the inequality in the representation between Upper and Lower Canada. On the 29th of August, 18G3, he repeated tlie vote of the previous year. But more important than any of these was the motion introduced by Mr. Brown, on the 14th of March, 1804, for the appointment of a select con)mittee of twenty members to enquire into and report upon the constitutional difficulties between Upper and Lower Can- ada. Even this motion, Mr. Macdonald resisted, and when on the 14tli of Juno the committee reported that a strong feeling was found to exist among the members of the committee in favor of cbanges in the direction of a federative system, ap- plied either to Canada alone or to the who'.-; British North American Provinces, and recommended that the subject bo again referred to a connnittee at the next session of Parlia- -y-'i till Dill III i\m >■ IIIIMlJl 'Nifii LIFJS OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. ment, Mr. Macdonald voted with two others against the find- ing of the committee. Here we have the first expression of opinion in favor of Confederation, which met with the approval of a majority of the Assembly, and which became, a week later, the basis of the Coalition Government of which Mr. Brown was a mem- ber. To this we are indebted for Confederation. We have no desire to underrate Sir John A. Macdonald's usefulness in framing the constitution and in enlisting the sympathies of the Conservative party in its favor. But Sir John A. Macdon- ald never was a Federationist. It was the sharp shock of a defeat in the House, revealing to him the fact that his poU4cal existence depended upon the acceptance of auch a scheme, thflt changed his views on Federation. Besides, the conditions on which tlie coalition was formed were determined by Mr. Brown, not by Mr. Macdonald, and Sir John was an assenting party, we need not say from love of office or from any sordid motive. It is sufficient for the argument that the terms of the coalition were acquiesced in by him, not originated by hiui. It has been contended that because Mr. Brown left the coalition before Federation was actually completed, that he has forfeited all his claims to the distinction of beinrj its originator. Such an objection is absurd. The resolutions subsequently embodied in the British North America Act were approved by the Quebec Conference, of which Mr. Brown was the leading member. They were carried through the Legisla- tive Assembly of Canada while he was still President of the Council. From his resignation on the 18th of December, 1865, till the Royal Proclamaticn was issued in May, 1807 , which announced the birth of the Dominion, Mr. Brown never wavered in his loyalty to Confederation. His retirement from the Government, though ill-udviKcd as a i^olitical move CONFEDERA TION A PPJiO VED. 217 could not imperil a scheme which had been advanced as fa-** as the Canadian Parliament had power to advance it. To the man then who first sounded the bugle-call by which the best men of Canada and afterwards of the Maritime Provinces were summoned to lay aside their political animosities and unite together for the present and future prosperity of British North America, must be awarded the first place in the hearts of his countrymen as the founder of a new nation, and the records of Parliament show that that man was the Hon. Geo. Brown, the leader of the Liberal party. 1 f< '' \ ^ 1 |i CllMTHR XVll. THE NEW DOMINION. Formation of tl>c First GoveiniiioiiL—Aiiotlier (Joiilition — Great Reform Con- vontion in Toronto— MacDougiiU's and lIowlaiul'H Defence— Speech by Mr. Mackenzie — I'osition of tlie Iiil)eral Party— Mr. Mackenzie's (.'aiiij)aign in T^anil)ton — Contests witli Mr. MacDougall — Results of tlie Election. WONG some of the clian^cs brou^^ht about by Con- ledcratioii may bo mentioned the new nomenclature, li'iii (Quebec. The Dominion of Canada takes tiie place of British North America, and the Act of Confederation takes the place of the Union Act. The national horizon was certainly widened ; the political horizon, unfortunately, was still very larg.dy provincial. With the inau<^uration of the new Dominion came the foj*- niation of a new Government. Lord Monck, who was sworn in as Governor -General of the J)ominion of Canada, called upon Sir .John A. Macdonald, now kni^dited in reco^niition of Ids services in connection with (Jonfederation, to form a new Government. He was accordin;.,dy sworn in as i'remier, his colleagues from Ontario being Messrs. Jilair, ] lowland, Mac- Dougall and Cami)b(;ll; from Quelxic, Messrs. Cartier, Gait. Chapais and Lan^eviu ; from New Brunswick, Messrs. Tillcy 21M 77/ A' X/'JIV /)().][ IXJO.V. 21!) and Mitchell; IVoiii Nova Scotia, Messrs. Archibald and Koimy. In orffim/.'mrr his Govorninonfc, Sir John Macrotectionist theories which now prevailed in the United States, would, with the mass of the people, lose their force, 248 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. and that they would see that they were in reality; losing a good deal by that system by which they fancied they could enrich themselves ; and as that feeling gained ground, there would spring up a desire to renew trade relations that exist- ed for many years with mutual benefit between Canada and the United States. Under these circumstances he was not willing to place himself in the position of a supplicant. He declared himself against a retaliatory policy as one that would not commend itself to the mind of any statesman." The views expressed by Mr. Mackenzie commended tliem- selves to both sides of the House, for, in the division that took place, Mr. Dorion's motion was supported by only nineteen members in a tolerably full House. It must not be supposed that, though Mr. Mackenzie took Bucli an independent stand with respect to reciprocity, he undervalued the trade relations of Canada with the United States. He believed that in maintaining the dignity of the country, its position would be strengthened in dealing with the question whenever the opportunity arose ; that to under- rate our own standing as a people, or to appeal to Washington as supplicants, would not only be humiliating from a national standpoint, but would increase the demand which the United States would make for more than a quid pro quo. To be self-reliant, without bravado, in the presence of our neighbors, would win their respect, and the respect of the Mother Country, and if Canada was ever to be worthy of recognition as a political factor in the settlement of difficulties on this continent, it could only attain such a position by a manly con- fidence in its own resources. Statesmanship and subserviency were not, to his mind, convertible terms. The attitude of Nova Scotia towards Confederation has al- ready been referred to. At the general election in 18G7, Dr. POLICY OF THE LIBERALS ASS Eli TED. 249 Tupper was the only Unionist elected to the House of Com- jaons from that Province. The opposition to Confederation was directed, mainly, by Mr. Howe, whose influence with the people of his native Province was phenomenal. One is at a loss to understand how a man of Mr. Howe's breadth of view on all public questions failed to see the advantages to the British North American colonies in the union proposed by the Quebec resolutions. Mr. Howe's chief objections to Confeder- ation were that it was premature, and that in the present attitude of Great Britain towards the colonies, we were ex- tending our frontier under a new constitution, without any increase in our facilities for self-defence, but particularly that the measure had been passed by the Imperial Parliament with- out being submitted to the approval of the people whom it iifi'ected. It was quite evident that Mr. Howe's strength in Nova Scotia, as a leader, was a great obstacle to the consolida- tion of the union, and that to conciliate liim and his followers, if such were possible, in a constitutional way, was the duty of both sides of the House. As a matter of fact, the amendments made to the Quebec resolutions in London, after they had been approved by the Provinces, were largely in the interest of Nova Scotia, and their acquiescence in these changes that were made without their authority, shewed how anxious the other Provinces were not to imperil Confederation by any sectional cry. But Mr. Howe was not to be conciliated by sentimental roilHiMlS. During the Session of 18G7-8, on the floor of Parliament, and on the platform, he expressed the strongest hostility to Confederation, and even appealed to the Imperial Parliament to allow Nova Scotia to withdraw entirely from the union. It M-as suspected in some quarters that his personal hostility to Dr. Tupper was largely the basis of his opposition. This, 250 LIFE OF THE IlOy. A LEX AX DEI: MACKENZIE. however, coukl scarcely be considered a sufficicut motive for a man of Mr. Howe's political experience. In the autumn of 1868, Sir John Macdonald visited Halifax for the purpose of endeavoring to reconcile Mr. Howe to Con- federation ; and as a result of this visit, Mr. Howe took a seat in the Government as President of the Council, and also came to an understanding with Sir John that Nova Scotia should obtain " better terms " than were allowed her under the British North American Act. There could be no objection to the ac- ceptance by Mr. Howe of a seat in the Government, although his sudden change of front on a question which he deemed of such vital importance to his Piovince, was strangely abrupt. Even the " better terms," which he obtained, did not remove the main objection which he urged, namely, that Confederation was thrust upon the people of Nova Scotia without their con- sent. He was, therefore, open to the triple charge of accepting a seat in a Government which he declared had inflicted the great wrong upon Nova Scotia of having abandoned a vital principle in constitutional Government, and of having bartered away provincial rights, for a trilling financial consideration. No doubt the withdrawal of his active opposition weakened the anti-Unionist cause very greatly, while his acceptance of a seat in the Government destroyed forever his influence as a leader. No deserter in the hour of battle ever drew down upon himself the malediction and contempt of his conipanions more completely tlian did Mr. Howe, by his acceptance of the conditions offered him by the Dominion Government as the price of his support. On the 11th of June, on a motion by Mr. Blake, seconded by Mr. Mackenzie, the terms made by the Government with Nova Scotia were challenged in the House on the grounds, first, that the British North America Act settled the mutual rOLICY OF THE LIBERALS ASSERTED. 251 liabilities of Canada and of each Province in respect to the public debt ; second, that the British North America Act di<;l not empower the Parliament of Canada to change the basis of union; and third, that any change in such basis of union would imperil the interests of the several Provinces and im- pair the stability of the Constitution. In the discussion of these resolutions it was shown that injustice was done to the other Provinces by increasing the financial advantages of Xo\a Scotia under Confederation, while no change was made ill the terms of Confederation so far as they were concerned ; that the British North America Act was of the nature of a treaty between all the Provinces, and that if the Parli;iment of Canada could increase the subsidies, as was propofsed in the case of Nova Scotia, it could also reduce them, and that if it could deal with the subsidies it might deal with any other feature of the Act and practically destroy Confederation. Perhaps there was no debate of the session that excited more interest or illustrated better the speaking force of both ^ides of the House. The mover of the resolution, Mr. Blake, in an argument exceedingly clear and forcible, gave the con- stitutional view of the question, and was ably supported by Mr. Mackenzie. During a later stage of the discussion, Sir John Macdonald attacked the Liberal party, and particularly Mr. Mackenzie, for their opposition to the arrangement made with Mr. Howe. He charged them with disloyalty to Con- federation. " If this motion carried," he said, " there would be a jubilee among the avowed anti-Confederate rebels and annexationists of Nova Scotia, and a corresponding depression among those in that Province who desire the union to be suc- cessful. If honourable gentlemen repudiated this arrange- ment Avhich had been entered into with Nova Scotia they would give a death-blow to Confederation, and on them, not ill 262 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. on him, would rest the responsibility of so suicidal an act." Mr. Mackenzie was greatly incensed by Sir John's imputation, and replied with great vigor. He contended, "li Sir John Macdonald was able to set aside the Act of Union by the subserviency of a Parliament which he had at his command, the Act of Confederation was not worth the paper it was written on. . . . By tampering with the Imperial Act he did away with the only security we had for our rights. What was it that originated the difficulties they had in the old Province of Canada ? What but that honourable gentleman's recklessness and extravagance ? What raised those sectarian difficulties which compelled them to seek a new state of poli- tical existence ? Was it not the honourable gentleman's mis- conduct andl maladministration of public affiiirs ? The hon- ourable gentleman had no right to say that those who voted for the amendment before the House voted to break down the Dominion. The real enemies of the Dominion were those who disregarded the obligations of its Constitution, and thus outraged every sound principle of statesmanship and party government." Notwithstanding Mr, Mackenzie's earnest warning to the House, that to purchase the conciliation of Nova Scotia at the expense of the Constitution was a most dangerous precedent, the " better terms " were finally agreed upon, every member from Nova Scotia voting in favour of them. The political effect of Mr. Mackenzie's attitude upon the Liberal party in Nova Scotia was certainly unfavorable. He was no doubt aware at the time that every word said in Par- liament against " better terms " would be represented by his opponents as expressions of hostility to Nova Scotia, and that in future election contests the Liberal party would suffei* accordingly. It would have been easy for him, had he been "n POLICY OF THE LIBERALS ASSERTED. 263 ■II so inclined, to suggest even better terms than those proposed, or to promise, should he come into power, to deal with other grievances then unsettled, but, " to do so," to use his own language, " would be treason to Confederation." Besides, he was laying down the policy of a great party under a new order of things, and it was well that the Liberals should, through their leaders in Parliament, recognise the British North America Act as a compact too solenm to be set aside, varied or altered, except by the authority that gave it exist- ence, and then only with the concurrence of all parties originally concerned. The pending negotiations with the Imperial Government and the Hudson Bay Company were closed in 18G9, the Dominion Government agreeing to pay the sum of £300,000 sterling to the Hudson Bay Company, and also agreeing to certain reser- vations in the interests of the Company. The rights of the In- dians and half-breeds in the territories were to be respected. Provision was ma-.'c; lor the administration of this vast terri- tory by a Lieutenant-Governor, to be appointed by the Gover- nor-General, All laws in force in the territories, not inconsis- tent with the British North America Act, or terms of admis- sion, were to remain in force until amended or repealed. Lieutenant-Colonel Dennis was appointed to organise a system of public surveys of the new territory, and the Hon. William MacDougall, who was concerned in negotiating the ac(|uisition of the territory, was appointed Lieiitcnant-Governor. The changes made in the Government are worthy of note. Sir Francis Hiucks succeeded Sir John Rose, as Minister of Finance, Mr. Dunkin was appointed Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Alexander Morris, Minister of Inland llevenue, and Mr. J. C. Aikins, Secretary of State for Canada ; Mr. Howe was appointed Secretary of State for the Provinces. 1 m 254 LIFJi: OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. The session of 1SG9 emphasized, even more than the preced- ing session did, Mr. Mackenzie's usefulness as a member of Parliament. Even his opponents were obliged to recognise liis ability and fairness. The correspondent of the Montreal Gazette closed certain observations on the work of the session by referring to Mr. Mackenzie as follows : " We must regard the leader of the Opposition as a remarkable man — remark- able for his self-acquirements, his extensive reading, his large stock of information on all public matters, his power of reason, and his readiness of speech and strength in debate. As a leader of the Opposition, he has shewn himself, especially dur- ing the recent session, eminently fitted for the position." \mm CHAPTER XX. REBELLION IN THE NORTH WEST. Customs Uiifon— Commercial Treaties— Speech by Mr. Maclicnzic Pvcbcllior. iu Manitoba — Alarm of the Settlers— MaoDougall Refused Admission — Riel, President — Murder of Scott — Debates in I'arlianient — lOxpedition \uitler Wolselej' — Mr. Archibald Appointed Lieutenant-Governor — Rewa.-d Otlercd by Ontario Government — Trial of Lepine — Discussion iu the House of Com- mons — Amnesty Granted — Lord DutTerin's Action. n|p4^ HE first great debate of the session of 1870 took ' YVJI^i^ place on a motion by Mr. Huntington in favor of v^Jjj^l lleciproeity and a Customs Union with all coun- *^ tries trading with the Dominion, and demanding the right of making commercial treaties, subject to the approval of the Imperial Government, with all foreign States that might be disposed to negotiate such commercial treaties upon terms advantageous to Canada. Mr. Hunting- ton, in a speech of much eloquence, called upon Parliament to recognize the commercial standing of Canada, its great natural resources, and the necessity of providing an easy outlet for its manufactures. To be allowed to negotiate her own treaties would be a due recognition of her national standing, and so long as such treaties were subject to the approval of the Imperial Government there could be no danger of conflict with Imperial interests. With larger markets for our pro- duce, the enterprise of the people would have more scope. Foreign capital would be attracted, and employment ^^'ould be given to our people at home. 255 '^1 256 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. The Government olyected to Mr. Huntington's resolution on the ground, set forth in the amendment moved by Sir John Macdonald: " that in any attempt to enter into a treaty with any foreign power without the strong and direct sup- port of the Mother Country, the principal party must fail, and that a Customs Union with the United States, now so heavily taxed, would be unfair to the Empire and injurious to the Dominion, and would shatter the ties now so happily existing between them." In the debate which followed, Mr. Mackenzie took a loading part, expressing at the very outset his opposition to a Customs Union as proposed by Mr. Huntington. He then, as always, avowed himself in favor of the freest possible intercourse with all nations whose markets we seek, and claimed for Can- ada the right of making her own commercial treaties, as she understood her own wants better than any foreign diploma- tist. He pointed to the blunders of Lord Ashburton in 184G, by which we lost almost the whole of Minnesota, Michigan and the States lying to the west, and asserted that we owe many of our present disorders to the fact that we were not entrusted with any share in conducting the negotiations so essential to our own welfare. " I have heard it said that the United States and Great Britain would guarantee our inde- pendence, and then we would be quite safe. Sir, I do not want any guarantee of our independence. I want no guar- antee of any kind. We are now a part of the British Enipin;, and if we are to cut loose from it, I would scorn the po'.'- tion of a principality having its independence guaranteed by any country. Remember, however, 1 am not advocating the separation of Canada from the Mother Country. Canada was a British possession wlien I chose it for my future homo, and I shall regret the occurrence of anything that would tenvnts, with Louis iiicl as dictator. Tlic authority of the Dominion Gov- ermneit was defied, and tlie Hudson's Bay Company wseemod liel[)less to maintain order. Peaceful citizens were imprisoned il'n i! ill l|i -H 2C0 L/FL OF THE IIOX. ALFXASDER MACKENZIE. at the caprice oF tho leader of the reljel party, and the country was gi'eatly aoitatcd as to what tlie end would be. In order to repair, if possible, the evil effects of their blun- dering, the Government sent a commission to the !North-^\'est, consisting of Vicar-General Thibault, Col, de Sallaberry and Mr. Donald A. Smith, chief agent of the Hudson's Bay Com- pany at Montreal, " to en<}uire into the causes of the rebellion and to explain to the people the intentions of the Canadian Government." Bishop Tach(?, formerly a resident of the coun- try, but then at Rome, was telegraphed for. It was thought that his ecclesiastical position and his influence with the French half-breeds would be helpful in restoring tranquillity. Riel, who seemed to have cast off all restraint, discharged the duties of the presidency with the tyranny of an eastern Pasiia, Major Bolton, a Canadian officer of militia, whom he had cap- tured at the head of a little force of loyalists, was put under sentence of death, and were it not for the into'position (jf Mr. Smith, the sentence would have been carried out. Mr. Thos- Scott was not so fortunate. He had, in some way or other, incurred Kiel's displeasure, and in spite of remonstrances from several influential quartei'S, Scott was cruelly executed on the 4th of March, the circumstances attending his execu- tion being most distressing. At a meeting of a council of the settlers, Judge Black, Father Richot, and Mr. A. Scott, were appointed delegates to go to Ottawa to lay their grievances before the Govej'nment. The commissioners had made in the meantime a re[)ort as instructed, and the Government was ofllcially informed as to all the difliculties ol' the situation. Enquiries were made of the (Government at different times with regard to theii- intentions in dealing with the North-West troubles. The prevailing feeling of the House appeared to be itat IlEBELLIOX IX THE NORTH-WEST. 261 that the rebellion must be suppressed at once, and communica- tions ^vere opened with the Imperial Government to find out how far they were willing to assist in estal)lishiii<^' the su- premacy of British law in the Territurir's. Mr. MacDougall, who still held his seat in Parliament, was greatly embittered by the unjust treatment, as he supposed, to which he was sub- jecteil by the Government, and he lost no opportunity to attack Mr. Plowe for the sinister influence which he believed he ex- ert(.'d in fomenting opposition to his entrance into the Terri- tories. When the Manitoba Bill was under discussion, he went so far as to charo-e Mr. Howe with being a traitor to tho British Crown, and of doing all he could to destroy the cha- ractt.'r and authority of the Canadian Government in the lii.'d River settlement. On the 2nd May, 1870, Sir John Macdonald introduced a bill for the establishment of a Provincial Government in part of the territory, the new Province to be callcmmissi(jiu!i's and delegates would have been avoided, and that the distracting efl'ects which tin* North-West troubles produced upon the rmtlier settlement of the territory would not have occurred. Attention was .dso called to the limitetl character of the Province about to lie establislRnl. In area it ditl not exceed 11.000 S(iuare miles, and it was st» outlined as at first to exclude (he large English settlements at Portaire la Prairie, onl\- 00 miles from Winni- ■^mmmr li 'H 2G2 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. peg. This was, however, amended at a subsequent stage of the bill. The bill, tlioui^h a £^reat improvement on the oligarchy for which it was intended as a substitute, was not as liberal in its provisions as the circumstaxices of the case required. Mr. Mackenzie expressed his preference for temporary legislation respecting tlie territories, giving the people representation and the riglit to manage all local afl'airs until after the lapse of a few years the House became better informed with regard to their wants. But his amendment was rejected. He also proposed an amendment for the enlargement of the Province. This also was rejected, as was his amendment in favor of giving the settler the right to prempt a certain quantity of land free of charge. It was also proposed to eliminate from the bill the clause res}iecting education, which has given rise within the last few years to so much trouble. Before the bill passed its final stage, a motion by Mr. Masson, affirming the inexpedienc}'' of sending Canadian and Imperial troops to the North- West for suppressing the re- bellion, came up for discussion. Doubts were expressed by several members of the House as to the wisdom of sendinof an armed force into the country', as it might lead to the loss of many valuable lives, and the people, so overawed, would look with less favor hereafter upon the relations with the Dominion. Mr. Mackenzie strongly protested against any further dilly-dallying with rebels, and insisted that the Gov- ernment should at once take decisive action. " He would like to see if there was a majority in the House who would refuse to give protection to the loyal inhabitants of that country in face of the public opinion of the Dominion. He would like to see if therr^ were a dozen members in the House with such a want of manliness and lionesty as to allow rebels to drive REBELLION IX THE NORTH-WEST, 263 loyal men from the Territory, seize their property, endanger their sai'uty, and even take life where there was no excuse for it. The first thing to be done by any nation or country pre- tending to have any power or love of law and order was to enforce its authority and then, if any injustice or grievance should be found to exist, have the one removed and the other redressed. But there liad been not only a vioUition of law and order, but murders had been committed, and the mur- derers must be brouglit to justice if the arm of Britisli law could reach them. If we could not punish these men and restore authority, tlien it would be better to seek otlier political relations where there would be sufficient power to protect life and property and preserve order. He had but one view of the matter, either restore order there peremptorily, or cease to be a nation. If the force proposed to be sent wtts not sufficient, send more. They should send iive, ten, twenty thousand men if necessary, but order should be restoi'ed. He would, in that case, support tiie Government with all his power and force, though he felt humiliated at the position they had taken in passing the bill." On the day on wliich this speech was delivered, payment was made to the Hudson's Bay Company of the sum stipu- lated for the transfer of their interests, and the territories then formally passed to tiie possession of Canada. Whatever halting there may have been in the minds of the Government with regard to the propriety of putting down the rebellion with a strong hand, there can be no doubt that the public opinion of Ontario was in favor of decisive measures. The motion made in the House by Mr. Masson, already referred to, and the attitude of the French-Canadian press, created the impression that Kiel, even in those early days, had more sympathisers than his cause deserved, admitting that the sni II i! 264 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. discontent wliich his actions represented was not without foundation. It is due, however, to the French members ol" the House of Commons to state that the proposition to strike out of the Bill of Supply the sum of i?l ,400,000 for the Red River expedition, and for openiufj up the North- West Terri- tories, receivetl only thirteen votes. The House was prorogued on the 12th of May. On the fol- lowing day, the expedition, which was under prepamtion for some time, started by way of Collingwood and Thunder Bay for the Red River, under the command of Colonel Wolselcy, afterwards Lord Wolselcy. The coiuvse lay along the well- known Dawson route, and it was not until the 24th of Aug- ust, after a very fatiguing journey, that they reached Fort Garry. Riel and his companions took refuge in flight, and a rebellion which might have been avoided, as Mr. Macken- zie pointed out over and ( 'ver again, had the Government paid reasonable deference to the wislu's of the people, was at an end. On the 2nd of September, 1870, Mr. Adams G. Archi1)ald, the new Lieutenant-Governor, arrived in the TroNince and on the Gth entered upon his official duties, and by so doing Mani- toba was entitled to be recognized as a member of the Sister- hood of Canadian Provinces. The year following Mr. Archibald's a})pointment to the Lieutenant-Governovship of Manitoba, it was rumored that a considerable body of Fenians were gathering along the south- ern frontier and preparing to invade the country. The leader of this movement was one ODonoghue, who had been asso- ciated with Riel in the rebellion of 1809. It was feared that O'Donoghue was acting in concert with Riel and Lepine and in that case the loyalty of the French lialf-breeds could hardly be depended upon. Mr. Archibald had uo adetjuate REBELLION IN THE NOL'TII-WEST. 265 asso- earod .cpine couM nuato moans of defence, and was consequently thrown entirely upon jiis own resources. The people of the Province were of dif- ferent nationaliti'^s and different relio-ious faith, and as only a few months before they had arrayed themselves against the (^iiirens Government, it was very uncertain what they would do, should the standard of relidlion Ije hoisted a second time. Under those circumstances, it was but naturtd to suppose that the Lieut.-Governor should consider the defence of the Pro- vince and the safety of the population to be his first duty. If the French Metis and their leaders could be depended upon, all would be well ; if not, the events of IcSliO niiolit be repeat- eil, and probably with greater enormity. Governor Archibald therefore determined to place himself at once in communica- tion with Riel and Lepine, and, if possible, secure their good ortices for the defence of the country. Kiel and Le|)in(' im- mediately organized the inhabitants for defensive pur[)oses. The Liout.-Governor showed his confidence in their bona Jules, |iroiiiising them at least a temporary inununity from molesta- tion on account of the crime of which they were accused, shook hands with them and complimented them on the loy- alty tliey had shown, and the services they had rendered. In his (.'vidence before a committee ol" the House of Commons liL- stated, to use his own language, that " if the Dominion has at this moniiiit a Province to defend and not one to conquer, tiny owe it to the policy of forbearance. If I had driven the French half-breeds into the hands of the enemy, O'Don- ogJuK.' would have been joined i>y all the population between tlir Assiniljoine and the frontier. Fort Garry would have passed into the hands of an armed mob, and the English set- tlors to the north of the Assiniboine would iia\e suffered ImiTors it makes me shmlder to contenqjlate." We next hear of Riel and J.cpiiir on the flth o!' April, #' 's^F-- ->.*-;i«a m^ 266 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEKAXDER MACKENZIE. 1871, on a motion in the House of Commons by Mr. Rymal, expressing rc<;i"ut " that the Government had done notliin^ towards procuring punishment for the murderers of Thomas Scott, and that an humble address be presented to His Excel- lency tliat he Avould take such sti^ps as would be calculated to bring these men to justice." The indifierence which the Government manifested in this matter Avas made the occasion for a very indignant speech from one of its supporters, Mr. Bowell, who pointed out that many of those engaged in the rebellion, who were directly or indirectly concerned in the murder of Scott, had received recognition at the hands of tlie Government or their friends. Mr. Lepine, Kiel's Adjutant- Genci'al, was appointed scrutineer on behalf of a Minister- ial candidate. Mr. Bannatyne, who sj-mpathizod with the rebels and tampered with the letters of tlie loyalists, was also marked out for favor. Mr, O'Donnell, one of Riels council, was appointed to the Legislative Council of tlie Province, and Mr. Spencc was made clerk of the same. To allow Riel, and particularly Lepino, to run at large without any etr<.)rt to arrest them, or, if they took refuge in the United States, to make no eflbrt to secure their extradition, was declared to be a reproach to the administration of justice for which there was no excuse. Mr. Bymal's motion was, howev^er, voted down, and for a short time the rebellion in the North-west passed from the purview of the Dominion Parliament. The establishment of a Provincial Government in Manitoba, wdiich under tiic constitution had the right to administer jus- tice, was used as a means of creating greater uncertainty than ever with regard to the prosecution of the murderers of Sct)tt. ^Vhen the otlenec was conunitted on tiie 4th of March, liS70, the Red River settlement was under the control of the Hudson's Bay Cnmpany. From that time till Lord Wolseley lii! - RED/JLLIOX IX THE XOllTII-WEST. 207 arrived, on tlio 24fch of August, the provisional rfovernmont, of which Riel was president, had possession of the country. When Governor Archibald arrived ou the 2nd of Soptenibcr, the provincial constitution took effect and witii it rested the enforcement of law and order. When complaint was made arjainst the Dominion Government for its inaction, the plea was advanced that the Dominion Government had no jurisdic- tion, at least after the establishment of the Provincial G<)\ - ernment, and therefore could not be held responsible for the prosecution of Riel and his associates. This defence did not, however, satisfy the people of Ontario. The inaction of the Dominion Government was attributed to Quebec influence in the Cabinet. For, as it was put b}'' Loi"d Duticrin in one of his official dei3patclies : " Tiie French sec- tion of Her Majesty's suljects (althou^'h in Canada, most of them regret the death of Scott) are united to a man in tlie opinion that the part played by Riel in the North-West was that of a brave and spirited patriot; that it is principally to him and to those who acted with him that Manitoba owes her present privileges of self-government and lH,r parity of rank and standing with our sister Provinces." It was well known, iis we have already pointed out, that the Mentis of Manitoba were considered to have rights which were not dul}'' respected, and that Riel, in stirring up rebellion, was merely as.-jerting his political standing as a citi/^en of the Territories. On the other hand, in Ontario, Riel was looked upon us a rebel against constituted authority, who, in the assertion of his power, had cruelly and wantonly shed innocent blood, and that any Government that condoned or })alliated such an otfence was unworthy of public confidence. So strong was tlie feeling in Ontario, that the propo.sal to ofler a reward of 'ill! 'ill ^mm 208 LH'E OF rill': iioy. alexaxver Mackenzie. s">,()00 for the arrest of the murderers of Scott, received the uiuiniiiiou.s support of Loth sides of the House. In the iiitantiine, the general election of LS72 took place, and during the session of 1873 the North- West troubles were allowed to slumber. Owing to the death of ISir Geo. Cartier, who was elected in 1872 for Provencher, on liis defeat in Montreal, that constituency became vacant and Kiel was elected by acclamation. Although a warrant was out for ins arrest, he \\('nt to Ottawa and signed the roll as a member of Parliament. His election took place on the 11th of February, On the :30th of March, 1874, H. J. Clark, Attorney-Gen- eral of Manitoba, was examined at the bar of the House with regard to the action taken by jNljinitoba for the prose- cution of Riel and Lepine. Pie explained that the reason, so far as he knew, for tlie delay in arresting Kiel was that no information had been laid before a magistrate for his arrest at an earlier date, that it was not until September, 1873, that such information was laid, that in >soveniber of the same year a bench-warrant was issued from the Court of Queen's Bench to the Sheriff of Manitoba, connnanding him to bring Kiel before the saitl court to answer upon an indictment fouml against him for the murder of Thos. Scott, and that so far the Sherifi" had made no return to the bench-warrant. A warrant was also issued by the police magistrate of Ottawa for the apprehension of Kiel, when it became known that he had signed the members' roll, but to no avail. On the o 1st of March, Mr. Powell moved that' Mr. Kiel be ordered to attend in his place in the House on the following day, and as he did not appear he was, on the IGth of April, by a vote of 12-1 to C8, expelled from the liouse, and a new writ issued for the constituency wliich he represented. A special connnittee was, ut the same session, apj ointed to enquire into the causes of ni: HELLION IX THE XORTII-]Yi:ST. 2G9 the (lifUcuIties in the North- Woiit in 18G9-70. and to report 1 11 'HI tunc to time. The report of the committee was not suljniitted till the 22nd of May, and as the House was pro- roj^Micd on the 25th, it was impossible to take any action with re;,au-d to it that session. The battle royal, in which the whole of the North- West troubles were reviewed from bryinnin*;- to end, opened in the House of Connuons on the 1 1th of February, 1875, on a motion by Mr. Mackenzie to grant a full amnesty to all per- •sons concerned in the North- West troubles, excepting Riel, Lcpinr and (JDonoghue. In the case of Riel and Lepine, it was proposed to grant an amnesty, conditional upon five years' banishment from the Queen's dominions. /Vs O'Don- oghue had placed himself at the head of a Fenian invasion, it was not considered that he should come under the same conditions as Riel and Lepine. The question with which Mr. Macken/cie had to deal now was beset with many difficulties, and was one of the many legacies of maladministration which had come down to him from tlie previous Government. It was furtiier complicated b}' the fact that Lepine, who was eipially involved with Riel, had been arrested and convicted as a principal in the murder of Scott, and was lying in the Winnipeg gaol under sen- tence of death. Public opinion, too, had been greatly excited, and both creed and nationality were appealed to with con- siderable success. On behalf of Riel, it was claimed that he had been promised an amnesty without reservation, if he would withdraw his o[)position to Her Majesty's Government, and recognize the authority of the Dominion in the North- West. Per contra, it was urged that he was a murderer and a fugitive from justice, and that he should pay with his life the penalty of his crimes. 1 ,.. -aT 270 LIFE OF THE IIOX. ALEXANDER MACKEXZIE. From the evidence submitted to the special committoe, already referred to, the promise of an absolute amnesty was not, however, conchisivo, although the evidence bore strongly in that direction. It was shewn that Riel had rendered sub- stantial service in resisting the Fenian invasion under O'Don- ogliue, and that this circumstance should be taken into con- sideration in dealing with his case. It was on these grounds that Mr. Mackenzie took the middle course of recommen«Jing to the House the resolution already referred to. In the course of the debate, several interesting circumstances were alluded to. First, it was shewn that Sir John Macdonald acknowledged the insurrectionary party in Manitoba by the recognition of their delegates, Father Riehot, Mr. Black and Mr. Scott — a letter from Joseph Howe, Provincial Secretary, fixing the time and place at which they could meet Sir John Macdonald ami Sir George Cartier in confidence, being proof of this. It was also shewn, on the evidence of Archbishop Tache, that the authority of Riel, as Provisional President of the settlement, was recognized by Sir George Cartier, during the interval be- .tween the formation of the Provisional Government and the arrival of the Lieutenant-Governor. Both of these circum- stancx'S occurred after the murder of Scott. The main question, however, before the House was, did th<' evidence submitted warrant the conclusion that an amnesty had been promised by the previous Government, antl if so, was it binding on the pri;seiit House. In a very aljle state paper addressed to the Earl of Carnarvon, Lord Dufleriu discusses, very full}', this ijuestion. First, he states, tiiat in his opinion, no claim To- !, luiesty wouM lie on the [ilea that Archbishop Tache was empowervd by tiie Imperial and the Dominion Govt.aments to secure tiie tran(|iuillity of tlit- country by the issues of such ussurances of immunity to ■■■■rJ REBELLION IX THE XORTII-WEST. 271 those concerned in the recent disturbances as he should deem lit. Neither the written instructions he received from Lord Lisgar nor Sir John Macdouald gave him such authority. St'cond, in the interviews between Sir George Cartier and the delegates from the North- West, particularly Abbe Richot, the weight of testimony appears to be that when Sir George Cartier spoke of an amnesty, he intended that term to apply to political offenders, not to those concerned in the murder of Scott. To quote Lord Duttcrin's words : " The tenor of hit. language implied that if only matters were peaceably settled in Rei] River and tlie population quietly submitted to the new order oi things, a settlement would ultimately be arrived at, satisfactory to all parties." Third, to grant an amnesty on the ground that the Provisional Govo'nnient establisiied by Kiel was a lawfully constituted government, was out of the question. The execution of Scott could only be a judicial execution, when ordered by a legitimately constituted author- ity. The fourth plea for an iunnesty, namely, that Governor Archibald availed himself of th' services of Riel and Lcpine in repelling the Fenian in\;ision of 1871, his Lordsliip con- sidered wurthy of earcful consideration. His Lordshij) re- marks: 'The acceptance of such service might be held, 1 ini- ugino, to bar the prosecution of the offender, for, undesirable us it may be that a great criminal should go unpunished, it would l)e still more [)ernicious that the Goverinuent of the eouiitry siiould show a want of lidelity to its engagements, or exhiiiit a narrow spirit in its interpretati(jn of theni." In replying to Lord Dufferin's despatch, from which we have already quoted, Karl Carn.nNon recognises the claim on the clemency of tiie Crown wiiieh Kiel and JiCpine established for themselves iiecause o\ their serviees in |87l. Ht.* said: 272 IIFKOF Tin: HON. M.K\A}^DKn M ACK i:\/.l 11 " AlLliouoli ;i, iiiui' Tachd or hy ihf di-le- ^'ates i'roMi the Provisional (j(j\'ernnicnl , Tliut the imia'cssion was left upon theii- mind;, that a, full and unconditional ain- iH!sty wouhl he two years' imprisonment and the permanent forfeiture of his political rights. An amendment by Mr. Mousseau, proposing an unconditional amnesty to all concerned in tlio North- West troubles, received only 23 votes. Mr. Mackenzie's motion was linally carried on a vote of 12G to 50. It has ah'eady been mentioned that on the IGth of April, J 874, Riel was formally expelled from the House. On a new election being called, ho was re-elected in .Septend)er of the same year. On the 24th of February, 1875, Mr. Mackenzie cause read before the House theexempliiication of the Judgment roll of outlawi'Y pronounced in opcni court at Winni[i' g, by M 15. Wood, and tlieu moved that lliel be declared an outhiw, the jr--^ "^<^'<^ i^^j^ ^ effect of which wuuh.l l)e,(jf course, to vacate his scat. 0\ adoption of this motion, the Speaker was directed to issue hi 113 m REBELLIOX IX THE NO RT II- WEST. \v;irrant for a now election in Provenchcr. In the session of 1S7G, Ml*- Costigan moved that O'Donoghue be included in the amnesty granted to Riel and Lepine, Mr. Costigan renewed his motion in the session of 1877, but to no purpose. The later events in Kiel's career are dealt with in their proper place. Suffice it here to say tliat after fomenting a rebellion in 1885, and putting the country to an expense of nearly $10,000,000, and causing the loss of several valuable lives, he was arrested, tried anrl executed at Rogina on the Kith of ^ , ember, 1885. His execution was the occasion of a long debate in the House, and of many vapid appeals to i-aco and religious prejudices, JMr. Mackenzie voting that, in his opinion, the execution of this restless and adventurous spirit was justifiable. Now that he lias passed from the scene, and tliat liis con- duct and career have furnished so nnich political capital for party purposes in the Parliaments of two Provinces, as well as in the House of Coinmons, we might reasonably enquire what were the impelling motives in the agitation of which he was the central figure. So far as he was concerned himself, he was in the first instance but the embodiment of the feelinix of till' settlers of Red River which he represented, and al- though armed opposition to constitutional Authority is not recognized in modern times as the proper w;iy to remedy poli- tical grievances, yet the history of the world shews that it is by no means exceptional. More than once, even on this con- tinent, leaders of public opinion have become restless with the " law's delay," and liave adopted decisive remedies. More th.in out' gordian knot has been cut with a sword. When Riel organized against Mr. MacDougall's entrance into the I'rovincG, he had probably no intention of shedding blood ; but like the other setth; 's he felt that if a new LTOvernment 276 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. took possession of the country and Ijccame installed in power, their grievances might be treated with contempt. He and his followers were in possession, and before that possession was surrendered was the time to press their claims. Unfortunately for himself and for the peace of Canada, as in the case of many others, h*^ abused the power which the settlers gave him, and forfeited the Byni[)athy of all well-thinking men. The outrages which he committed took place under a Con- servative Government. To proceed boldly and fearlessly to punish him would Ije to condemn themselves. The sympathy existing between the French in Lower Canada and the French in Manitoba — for both were of the same stock — restrained Sir John Macdonald no doubt from acting with the prompti- tude which the case required, and particularly in dealing with the chief offenders as their crimes warranted. This hesi- tancy was at once seized upon by many in Ontario, and by none more sternly at first than by the Orange party, as a ground for attack upon the Government. To some, Kiel's offence was simply the murder of a Protestant Orangeman by a Roman Catholic. To others, the tardiness of justice was attributed to Sir John Macdonald's desire to conciliate the French, and the gauge of battle once formed on this line, a quasi war of race and creed was the inevitable result. Even in a very recent campaign in the Province of Quebec, the gal- lows on which Kiel was hung was as much a party cry as the "bloody shirt" in American politics fifteen years ago. But while this circumscribed view of the question was the prevailing one for a time, when the committee appointed by the House of Commons in 1874 presented their report to the; House a larger view of the question was presented. By redressing many of the grievances complained of, the Govern- ment admitted they were in the wrong. By using Kiel's REBELLION IN THE NORTII-WE^T. services in repelling a Fenian invasion, they admittod, murderer tliough he was, his power in the State. B}^ directing, in terms too diplomatic perhaps to be conclusive in a court of law, the men they employed to pacify the settlers, to promise an amnesty to all offenders, they admitted the necessity for con- ciliation. By securing Kiel's retirement in '72 from his can- didacy in Provencher in favor of Sir George Carticr, they admitted his political services to the Conservative party, and by providing and paying for his retirement from the country, they admitted the right of the authorities to arrest him so long as he remained in Manitoba. All these circumstances gave a factitious prominence toPiiel, whicli, ordinarily, he could not have obtained. It was not his fault, so much as the fault of the Government, that Canada was .so long politically vexed by his conduct and his presence. With the report of the connnittee before him, Mr. Mackenzie had but one course open to him, and that was to take the line Ijcst calculated to heal the national and political sores caused by his predecessors, and with strange ingratitude, it appears this course was not supported by the Conservative party. To pacify the whole Dominion, was the task to which Mr. Mackenzie addressed himself, and that he did it courageously and successfully, no one will deny. Following the precedent of the rebellion of 1837, in Upper and Lower Canada, and act- ing with that regard for the intentions, however vaguely ex- pressed, of the previous Government towards the rebels in the North-Wcst, he asked Parliament to interpose between those who were so ill-advised as to precipitate a rebellion, and who, in their recklessness, sacrificed human life. CIIArTER XXI. * » RELATIONS WITH THE UNITED STATES. Fishery Claims— Sir Jolin MacdoTiiild at Washiiif^ton— The Washington 'i'rcaty — Coiiccfisioiis to the United .States — Tlie l'\'iiian and Alabama Claima —The Manitoba Bill— British C'oliunbia Enters Coufederatiuu. HE first question of any importance that cnnaj:;'od the attention of the House in the session of 1871 was the settlement of tlic iisherics disputes be- tween Canada and the United States, i3y the termination of tiie Reciprocity Treaty in 1800, the privileges of the Americans to fish in Canadian waters ceased, and the treaty of 1818 was revived. In order to avoid irritation with the fishermen of the United States, and pcnd- inpf some settlement of other questions in dispute, it was a^ijreed between Canada and the Imperial authorities that Americans, on payment of a license fee of one dollar, should bo allowed to fish in Canadian waters. For a few years the license fee was paid, but was gradually discontinued, and the Canadian fisheries came to be used as freely by Amcricaus as by the people of Canada. While the fishery question was under the consideration of the Imperial authorities, attempts were also being made to settle with the Government at Washington for the depre- dations committed by the Alabama during the war which had closed a few years before ; and actinir on the snij^^fcs- tiou of the British Ambassador at Washington, the Imperial 278 im RKLATIOXS WITH THE UNITED STATES. 279 iperuil (unerniiicnt appointed a comuiission consisting of Earl de Givy, Sir Edward Thornton, Sir Staliord IS'oi-theotc, Pro- fessor Bernard and Sir John JMacdonald, to whom were re- I'erred the Ahibama chiiins and tlio lisherius disputes. The wliole question was brought before the House on tlie 24th of February, 1S71, on a motion of Mr. Gait allirming tlie import- ance of the Canadi'iu fislu-ries ^;cr st', and particularly their importance as a leverage in obtaining a moditication of tlie Ignited States commercial system in anv ne > <:*i 'V^ '» / o / /A ^ iV :\ \ <^ ^ V'^O^ r.V*^ ^ ^ ^^' <> r «?. i' H ■ i' '. II I! I i ll! ill! i!|| 282 LIF/.': OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. power which the British North Ainei'ica Act conferred upon the House of Coiinnons in the establishment of new provinces in tlio North-West Territories. When the Manitoba bill was before the House, the previous session, Mr. Mills expressed the view that a new provincial government could only be organised by Imperial Act.and therefore the bill establishing the Province of Manitoba Wixi^ultra vires of the Parliament of Canada. The question was considered by the Government during recess, and the conclusion reached that Mr. Mills was sound in his conten- tion. Accordingly, in the session of 1871, the House was asked to approve of a draft bill for Manitoba, preliminary to its submission to the Imperial Parliament, and further to amend the British North America Act so as to empower the Canadian Parliament to make such provisions for the organi- sation of other provinces thereafter, as they might deem expedient. Confederation is growing npacc. In 1870, Manitoba was carved out of the great Norlh-West Territories ; and now in 1871, Parliament is asked to consider a bill for the admission of Biitish Columbia into the union. To the Liberal party, the extonsion of Confederation was always a source of pleasure. They were, however, bound to sec that the enlargement of the Dominion was not accompanied by such conditions as would be unjust to the other provinces or involve linancial obligations burdensome to the treasury. The terms made with British Columbia were even more objectionable in many respects than the concessions of the Washington Treaty. Although the white population of the colony was estimated at only 10,000, they were to be allowed six representatives in the House of Connuons and three in the Senate. The Coveriunent of the Dominion was to commence within two years of the date of the union, and to complete within ten years of the same period, a RELATIOXS WITH Tilt: UNITED STATES. 283 raiiroatl from the Pacific coast to connect with the Canadinn system of raih'oads. Tlioy were to maintain an eflicicnt mail service fortnightly between Victoria and San Francisco. They Wire to pay $100,000 a year for hinds to be ceded to the Crc.vn in aid of the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway. And they were to guarantee the interest on £100,000 sterling, for ten years after its completion, for an efficient graving-dock at Escjuimalt, and also to provide pensions for such officers in the service of the British Columbia Govern- ment as might lose their positions on account of the Union. When the resolutions were submitted to the House it was pointed out with great force by Mr. Mackenzie that they imposed burden:- far beyond the resources of the Dominion, particularly the obligations assumed with respect to the con- struction of the Canadian Pacific Railway, lie proposed an aniLudment to the Government's scheme that so far as the lailway was concerned, " Canada should not bo pledged to do more than proceed at once with the necessary survey, and after the route is determined, to prosecute the work as rapidly as the state of the finances would justify." Various other amendments to the same effect were proposed, but to no avail. The scheme had to be accepted in its entirety or rejected ; and accepted it was, with all the tremundous obligations which it involved. In dealing with the admission of British Columbia to Con- federation, the Liberal party was placed in the same dilemma as when dealinu" with the " better terms" for Nova Scotia. On the one hand, they M^ero confronted with an agreement made by the Government, of a startling character — an agree- ment which has ailded nearly 8100,000,000 to the national debt ; or an animal outlay of interest alone of $4,000,000. Ou the other haml, it was all but certain that the sui^porteis FM «|iii III mm 284 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. of the Government would assume the responsibilities of the terms proposed with British Cohimbia if the opposite course would involve the defeat of the Government. To oppose the terms of admission would be construed by the British Columbians as opposition to themselves ; and they would therefore, as a matter of course, ally themselves with the party in power. It was in vain that Mr. Mackenzie avowed himself, both in the resolutions he moved and in the speeches he delivered, a supporter of the admission of British Col- umbia on reasonable terms. The sentimental appeal which the Ministerialists made to the House for the extension of the XJn'.on from the Atlantic to the Pacific was stroncjer than the voice of reason. To say that the Union would be imperilled by the weighty burdens which it was about to assume was construed into want of confidence in the Dominion ; although wheTi the Committee rose and reported the resolutions to the Speaker of the House, every one felt that a serious step had been taken, the consequences of which were not fully realised. The Liberal party made very strenuous efforts during the session of 1871 to reform thn election laws. The old practice of holding the elections first, in constituencies favorable to the party in power, with a view to infiuenco doubtful con- stituencies, was very objectionable. It was proposed that there should be one polling day for the whole Dominion, except in a few outlying districts ; but this was rejected. Then it was proposed that the elections should bo held on the same day in each of the provinces. This also was rejected. An effort to introduce vote by ballot was successfully resisted by the Government, as was also a proposition to try contested elections before the judges. Mr. Mackenzie's efforts on behalf of the Liberal party during the session of 1871 greatly increased the confidence of the " i RELA TIONS WITH THE UNITED STA TES. 285 country in his ability as a leader. His intimate knowledge of the extent of our trade with the United States and of the manner in which our trade relations would be affected by the Washington Treaty showed how thoroughly he had studied the whole question, while his determination not to sacrifice the rights of Canada for a mere temporary adjustment of our difficulties was a proof of those qualities of statesmanship which have made England strong in the Councils of Europe. The surest way, he contended, by which to establish permanent friendly relations with the United States, or with any people, was to insist firmly, but reasonably, on the rights of Canada. Any other course was an invitation to encroachment in the future, should any difficulties arise. The true spirit of nation- ality, he said, could never be developed by a craven sub- u3ission to injustice. CHAPTER XXII. MR. MACKEXZIt; AND PIIOVINCIAL POLITICS. Mr. IMackenzie Elected for West Middlesex.— Dcfrat of the Sandfield- Mauilonald Administration. — Mackenzie a Member of the New Government. — His Position in Local Politics. — Speech as Provin.lal Treasurer, — Dual Representation Abolished.— His Choice of the Commons, ^-^^N order to fjivc color to tlic " no-party " cry on which W(j Sir John MacJonald was appealinn- to the country' '^^l in 18G7, he secured i'or the Hon, John Sandfield ra^*^ Macdonald, a well-known Liberal, the appointment ^ of Premier of Ontario, it being well understood be- tween them that a coalition Government would be formed for the Province of Ontario, and that both should appeal for support on the same " no-party " cry. The object of this arrangement was to divide the Liberal party, Mr. Sandfield Macdonald expecting that with the aid of his Liberal colleagues. Wood and Richards, he would carry the Liberals of the Province ; while his Conservative colleagues, Carling and Cameron, would swing the Conservatives into line. This move which was to benefit himself, was also to be of service to Sir John Macdonald. For a time, the leadership of the Opposition was entrusted to Mr. Archibald McKellar, the sturdy member for Kent. But before the first session expired, it became quite evi- dent that Mr. Edward Blake, who represented West Durham in the House of Commons, and South Bruce in the Lesfislativo Assembly, was the foi-cmost member of the House on either 286 r 1 stcd evi- in in itivc thor L '^"'1^1 Hon. Edward Blake. ill MR. MACKENZIE AND PROVINCIAL POLITICS. 289 side, and entitled to the first place in the Liberal ranks. He was accordingly elected leader, and entered with great energy on the discharge of his duties. It is but fair to the Govern- ment to say that it was economical and progressive. Mr. Sandfield Macilonald was not a statesman, althou;Th a good administrator. He was a man of quick business habits, tenaci- ous and aggressive, and always repelled, with great vigor, the attacks of his opponents. By his economy, he accumulated a large surplus. How to invest this surplus in such a way as to meet the necessities of the people, and develop the resources of the Province, was, apparently, the worthy purpose to which he applied himself. With the character of these investments no fault can be found ; for instance, the establishment of the Agri- cultural College, the Institute for the Blind, the Institute for the Deaf and Dumb, the Central Prison, the erection of new asylums, aiid the granting of aid to railroads were all com- mendable, and in harmony with Liberal ideas. But, when it appeared that these institutions were distributed as rewards for political support, that his scheme for aiding railroads was likely to be used for a similar purpose, and when, above all, . Appeared that his influence as a Liberal was used to keep i ohn Macdonald in power, the revolt of the Liberal party dgainst his Government was complete. Although Mr. Sandfield Macdonald claimed to bo a Reform- er, except in one or two instances he conducted the Govern- ment of Ontario after the most approved Tory methods. "When it was pointed out that several members of Parliament held offices which necessarily attected their independence, he declined to make a change, and called upon his supporters to vote do"/n any resolution having that object in view. When Mr. Blake's resolutions respecting the " better terms " to Nova Scotia were before the Uouse, his tactics remind 9 I f '2dJ IJF/J OF THE IIOX. Al EX AX UK I! MACKENZIE. It one forcibly of Sir John MacdonaM's course with ref-aiv! to tlio report of Mr. Brown's committee recommendino- a fdtloration of the Provinces. The rcsohitions were thirteen in number. What is called in Parliamentary practice the six months' hoist was moved by the Government to c&cii of them. On coming to the thirteenth, the House re- fused to follow the leader of the Government, and the six months' hoist was voted down. The House then divided as to whether the resolutions should be adopted ; and Mr. Sandficld Macdonald and his Government, who a few moments before hail voted for the six months' hoist, supported this resolution, which was to the effect that, " in the opinion of this House, the interests of the country require such legislation as may remove all color for the assumption by the Parliament of Canada of the power to disturb the financial relations estab- lished by the Union Act as between Canada and the several Provinces." The murder of Scott which had occurred the year before was also made to do duty in the Local election. Mr. Thos. Scott was a citizen of Ontario. A year had passed since the sad event of his death, and little or nothing had been done to bring the offenders to justice. To ask a Legislature to express an opinion upon a question beyond its own constitutional lim- itation is, as a rule, inadvisable. The House of Conunons has (m several occasions volunteered its advice to the Imperial Parliament, notably on Home Ruh;, and on the Disestablish- ment of the Irish church ; but the tendering of such advice neither added to its intiuence with the Imperial Government nor to its usefulness as a delilierative body. Both parties in the House of Commons and Local Legislature have occasion- "ally indulged in similar kite-flying with very indifferent results, Mr. Blake's resolution with regard to the murder of Scott Mli MACKEXZIE AND PROVINCIAL POLITICS. 291 s Ifii'gely sentimental. lie asked the Iluuse .slinpi y to say that " the cold-blooded murder for his out-spoken loyalty to the Queen of Thos. Scott, lately a resident of tliis Province, and an emigrant thence to the North- West, has impressed this House with a deep feeling of sorro\y and indignation ; and in the opinion of this House, every etfort should be made to bring to trial the perpetrators of this great crime, who o,s yet yo unwhipped of justice ; and that an humble address be pre- sented to His Honor, the Lieutenant-Governor, embodying this resolution, and praying him to take such steps as may be best calculated to forward its viuws." The Government, in resisting Mr. Blake's resolution, took the ground, while ex- pressing their sympathy with the untimely fate of their countryman, " that it would be unwise and inexpedient to in- terfere with the prerogative v.'hich properly belongs to another Government, and to discuss a question over which this House has no control." This was the only ground which the Government could take. To accept Mr. Blake's motion would be to act contrary to the course of the Dominion Government ; and this Mr. Sandfield Macdonaldand his Tory allies could not conveniently do, as they were looking to Ottawa for support in the general election, then pending. How far Mr. Blake's reso- lution was helpful to the Liberal part}', it is hard to say. It is ])os^ible in some counties it secured for the Liberal candidate a few votes. But its effect over the v. hole held of Ontario politics is believed to have been tritiing. Objection was taken to Mr. Sandtield Macdonald's Govern- ment because it frequently asked Parliameat to place in its hands, unconditionally, the expenditure of public moneys. More than once the estimates contained a largo item for the erection of public buildings and asylums ; and when the House enquired where such buildings were to be located, the Govern- LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. iii:ii n ill 11 menfc invariably refused an ansv.'er. The Liberals saw in this attitude of the Government two very objectionable features — First, Parliament and not the ExecuMve should determine, finally, the location of public buildings. Secondly, trading in the location of public buildings for political purposes tended to the debasement of constituencies. This was clearly seen from Gome of Mr. Sandfield Macdonald's speeches, as well as from the speeches of some of his colleagues. Speaking in South Ontario, he said : " We promised them that the next session there would be the biggest fight they ever saw in this country when they came to expend $2,000,000 at the credit of the Government, and no doubt South Ontario would like to get some of that money." At Hamilton he suggested that if the people had any " axes to grind," they had better support the Government. Mr. M. C. Cameron, his Provincial Secretary, assured the people of Belleville that they obtained the Deaf and Dumb Institute as a reward for their political support. In the same way, counties were divided for registration purposes and new registry offices opened with a view to aid the Govern- ment candidates. The imitation of Ottawa methods was per- fect, as far as it went. Happily for the people of Ontario, as Mr. Mackenzie said in one of his speeches, " such miserable, pettifogging, peddling practices " were checked by the defeat of the Sandfield Macdonaid Government. The main issue of the election, however, turned on a resolu- tion, moved by Mr. Blake, with regard to the distribution of tne surplus and the mode of aiding railways. Under an Act of the old Legislative Assembly of Canada, municipalities were allowed to borrow money from a fund called the Municipal Loan Fund, set apart by the Government for public improve- ments, such as roads, bridges, harbors, and public buildings. The facility which this fund aliorded for obtaining money at MR. MACKENZIE AND PROVINCIAL POLITICS. 293 a lo-w rate of interest, and the influence used with the Govern- ment of the day to postpone the payment of principal or interest, in some cases involved many municipalities in debt far beyond their ability to repay the amount borrowed. The Liberal party contended that any scheme for the distribution of the surplus which did not consider the condition of the indebted municipalities, would not meet with the approval of the country. As will be seen, the resolution also struck a death-blow at the distribution of railway aid on the authority of the Executive, as to the railways proposed to be aided. The Liberal party called upon the country to vindicate the right of Parliament to be consulted with regard to the great public interests involved, and particularly to restrain the Government from using the tremendous influence which the granting of railway subsidies on its own authority would place In its hands for political purposes. When the Liberal policy was placed before the electors, and when it was shown that Mr. Sandfield Macdonald's Government was in practice, at all events, no longer a coalition, but a feeble imitation of its Ottawa prototype, the Liberals had no difficulty in deciding what course to take. And with Mr. Blake as leader, they entered upon the campaign with unbounded enthusiasm. The west I'iding of Middlesex is geographically, contiguous to Lambton, the county represented by Mr. Mackenzie in the House of Commons, and the electors of that riding were intimately acquainted with Mr. Mackenzie's parliamentary career. Many of them had heard him on the platform in his own county as he defended the policy of his party, or as he exposed the weaknesses of his opponents, and were deeply impressed with his courage, honesty and ability. When his name was mentioned, therefore, as a possible candidate, the iiili'illl 1^^ V III fP W^m 294 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. tTniTi II fjeneral enrjuiry was, would he accept the nomination^ To insure his doing so, a convention was called and a requisi- tion immediately circulated inviting him to take the field. In tlie course of a few days, 1,300 signatures were obtained to the requisition, and if he would only allow himself to be placed in the fieid, the Liberal party were assured of an easy victory. Although much gratified, as he said in his ad- dress, by their appreciation of his public services so amply sustained by such a large requisition, he was by no means anxious to Ito a candidate. The House of Commons was in session, and his duties as leader of the Opposition demanded all his time and strength. To the great delight, however, of the Liberal party in the west riding of M'-ldlesex, and under a deep sense of his duty to his country, he waived all personal considerations, and entered upon the contest with an energy which evoked the heartiest co-operation of his friends. In his address to the electors he said : " Having no personal object to gratify, I engage in this contest solely for public and political reasons, and to assist as far as my humble efforts can do a return to sound constitutional principles of government. The present Government of Ontario has been from the first the mei'e creature of the Dominion Govern- ment, existing by its sufferance and subject to its control. Formed on the same pretended " no-party " principle as thr Ottawa Government, it has established its right to be classed with it in its status of political morality. The Government openly avows its intention to locate public buildings and public works where it received the greatest amount of parliamentary support. Such pnietices and such avowals (ire, however, the natural result of a coalition of men in a Government holding tliHerent political opinions and iiaving no common object in view but their retention of ofiice. In MR. MACKENZIE AXD PliOVIXCIAL POLITICS. 295 my opinion, no more shameless admission could be made by any Government, and this alone should secure its con- demnation by the electors of the country. It shall be my earnest endeavor and desij-e to secure a return to a correct a huinistrative system and the supremacy of parliamentary purity and conlroL" Mr. Sandfieid Macdonald was determined that the country slioulil not be allowed much time in which to criticise the policy of his Administration ; and so without warning-, and contrary to expectation, tm House was dissolved and the general elec- tion fxed for the 21st day of March, 1871. Mr. Mackenzie accepted the nomination on the 5th of March, and the task of making himself known to his new constituents was limited to fifteen days. Under ordinary circumstances, to canvass >\ large constituency in two weeks is no easy matter. Owing to the early breaking up of winter and the unimproved comlition of many of the roads at that time, the task ^vas doubly diffi- cult. Nevertheless, mounted on horseback, with a trusty Liberal as his guide, he canvassed the riding from one end to the other, holding two meetings a day, organising the party and making havoc of his opponents v.herever he met them. Never was lie more vigorous, more buoyant or perhaps more successful. Ue was received evei'ywhere with the greatest enthusiasm. His straightforwardness, his wonderful grasp of evciy (pivstion discussed, his incisiveness and lucidity as a speakei', iiupressed the electors as they were never impressed liel'ore. In vain did his opponent, Mr. Currie, struggle to stem ll'.e tide "f excitcmi'nt. He called meetings iri onler to vin- dicate his course in Parliament; but his own meetings were tianod against him by Mr. Mackeii/ie, and many Tories " Who came to sooll remained to pray." llUil! : i! I 296 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. His victory was decisive, and was both a personal and a party triumph. To the party, it was a constituency wrested from the enemy. To Mr. Mackenzie, himself, it was an expression of confidence in the integrity of his career and his usefulness in the public service. The result of the general election was very satisfactory to the Liberal party. The estimate made by the Globe on the day following the election was as follo\ s : Ministerial members returned, 32. Opposition members, 41, Independents, 7, with Addiiigton and Alo^oma to hear from. Many of the leading Liberals were returned by large ma- jorities, and it was quite evident that the sentiment of the country was against the Administration. Parliament was called for the despatch of business on the 7th of December, 1871, Mr. R. W. Scott being elected Speaker. It was quite evident from the excitement in the lobbies and the anxiety depicted on the faces of the members of the ( lovernment, that a great political struggle was pending. On the 11th, the battle began on a motion by Mr. Blake, expressing regret at the action taken by the Legislative Assembly, during the previous session, under the guidance of the Government, with reference to the large powers given the Executive as to the disposition of the railway aid fund. This motion was resisted on the ground, as stated in the Govern- ment's amendment to Mr. Blake's motion, that one-tenth of the constituencies of tlie Province were unrepresented in the House, and that it was inexpedient to consider the question involved in Mr. Blake's motion until all the constituencies were duly represented in Parliament. To this plea of the Gov- ernment, the Opposition made answer that the House was called for the despatch of business, that the Government pro- t';.;v,;r' i t MR. MACKENZIE AND PliOVlNGIAL POLITICS. 297 posed to go on with business, as thoy a^ked the House to consider the Lieutenant-Governor's address, that if the House was competent to do business, at all, it was equally competent to sit in judgment on the Government ; and that the appeal for a postponement of its action was an acknowledgment of weakness whicli the House was not bound to respect. On a vote being taken, the Government was defeated by a majority of eight. Mr. Blake's resolution was then carried on a vote of 30 to 40. This was on the 14th of December. On the same day Mr. Mackenzie moved : " That we have no con- fidence in a Ministry which is attempting to carry out in reference to the railway fund of $1,500,000, an usurpation fraught with danger to public liberty and constitutional government." On this motion, Mr. Mackenzie delivered his first address " which both for the material it contained," said the Globe of the I'ol lowing day, " and the manner of its delivery, was a model of aggressive parliamentary warfare." He reviewed Mr. Sandfield Macdonald's policy in the old Parlia- ment of Canada, and contrasted his conduct as a Liberal then with his well-known Conservative tendencies now. He exposed his treachery to the Liberal party in combining with Sir John Macdonald for the defeat of the Liberals in 18G7, and rallied liim severely for his want of intlependence in not resigning when he saw clearly that the feeling of the House was against him. After a brief reply from Mr. Sandfield Macdonald, a vote was taken, and Mr. Mackenzie's resolution was carried by a majority of one. When the House re-assembled on the 18th, Mr. Blako determined to show the Government that he was master of the situation by moving a direct vote of want of confidence. AnionjT other thinos, he said " that the contiiuianco in office of the Government of the day is, under existing circumstances, wm i|:i"i| iMfi iliiii Hi'llniJi 298 LIFE OF TJE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. W^\ at variance with the spirit of tho constitution." The Gjvcn-n- meut met this rosohition by a motion to adjourn the House until the 9th of January, This was lost on a vote of 26 to 43 ; and Mr. Blake's resolution was carried on a vote of 44 to 25. With this vote, the Sandfield Mac lonald A provixcial politics. 3o;i He also advocated a vifjorous immigration policy, and tho Settlement of the dispute between Ontario and Quebec as to our Western boundaries. The promised legislation with regard to Dual Representation was brought down by Mr. Bluko, by which members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario were thereafter disqualified from sitting and vesting in the House of Conniions. The Railway Aid resolutions were also submitted to the House for approval, as promised by the Liberals when in Opposition, and amendments were made to the Registry Act providing for the distribution, among the municipalities, of certain portions of the income of registrars in excess of the sums mentioned in the Act. A sum of 85,000 was placed in the estimates as a reward for the apprehension of the murderers of Scott ; and on the 2nd of March, the House prorogued. The great services rendered the Province of Ontario by Mr. Mackenzie, as a member of the Local Legislature, should not be overlooked. Had he declined the nomination in the west riding of Middlesex, it is more than probable its former Tory lepresentativc would have been re-elected, and this, on a division, would have counted two votes for Mr. Sandtield Macdonald. Besides winning a seat for his party, his courage and devotion in entering tlie field against the Sandfield Mac- tlr.nald Administration stimulated the party to greater exertions all over the province. Success at the elections meant the fi)riTiation of a new Government, of which Mr. Mackenzie would necessarily be a member, and the hope oi this consoli- dated the party in many counties. In the struggle in the House, also, with the Administration, Mr. Mackenzie's counsel was of great value, as well as his pertinacity and destructive- acss as a tlebater. Had he reposed on his laurels as leader of 1^1- J .§am ll|ii|j|l l!ii|!t|^ii|| ilJ'l: aoi LIFE OF THE IIOX. ALEXAXDElt MACKEXZIE. the Opposition, at Ottawa, or had he been less devoted to liis party, he would never have assumed the additional burdens of a seat in tlie Legislative Assembly. What Ontario owes to him for the sacrifices he made, and to those who acted with him, is it not written in the Books of the Chronicles of the Liberal party during the last twenty years? When the members of the Local Legislature who held seats in the House of Commons were relieved from the discharcfe of their duties as provincial legislators, they were almost immediately called to meet at Ottawa ; and during the session of that year (1872) were told that they must resign their seats as members of the Local Legislature befoie they could be ■elected members of the Dominion Parliament. Both Mr. Mackenzie and Mr. Blake, the only two members concerned, ■chose the House of Connnons ; but before doing so, had agreed wisely and fortunately for the people of Ontario 'upon Mr. Oliver Mowat, as leader of the Government. Objection was taken to this appointment on account of Mr. Mowat's position AS vice-chancellor for the province ; and it was many years before the country was relieved from the pitiful reiteration of the Tory press, that in accepting the Premiership he descended from the bench regardless of his judicial ermine. That no mistake was made in his appointment is abundantly proven by his record as the Liberal leader for twenty years. Those ^vho were associated witli him in the old Parliament of Canada i-ecognised the great ability which he possessed ; and among the many letters of congratulation received by Mr. Mackenzie on account of this appointment, the one already quoted from the Hon. L. H. Holton may be taken as expressing the views of all his old associates in the Parliament of Canada. The following letter also from the same writer is worthy of note : ^J>P luonix int Sir Oliver Mowat. hv 01 Mn. MACKENZIE AND PROVINCIAL POLITICS. 307 "Montreal, .-'nn. 7th, 1872. " My Dear Mackexzie, "I need not say that I have followed your movements in Ontario with intense interest. Tlie vigor of the onset that brought the crisis, and the sound judgment with which the crisis itself was dealt with, were equally admirable. I confess, however, to some concern at finding both you and Blake yoked to the local car. Am I right in the inference that this is merely a temporary arrangement rendered necessary, or at least expedi- ent, by the newness of public life of some of your colleagues, and that after getting the machine in good running order, you and Blake will withdraw, and beyond i'roserving your seats in the Assembly confine yourselves to the Dominion service. This has been my theory from the start. The only debatable point in your proceedings is the ai)pointment of Scott, but that I am prepared not only to defend but to commend. Our great need as a party is a conviction in the public mind that we can govern, and to have formed a Provin^^ial Cabinet without an eastern man and without a Roman Catholic in it would have been nearly tantamount to a confession that you could not form what used to be 'a broad-bot- tomed administration," and any otiier must be ephemeral. Now Scott fulfils both these essential conditions, and is in all other respects, saving of course his Tory antecedents, which he necessarily abandons in joining you, not merely an unobjectionable, but a most desirable colleague with reference to the efficiency of your Provincial Administration. " Trul; yours, "L. H. HOLTON. " Hon. Alex Mackenzie, ♦'Torojito.' ^1 : %\ % mm 'mm II CHAPTER XXIII. THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY. Conditiona for constructing the Canadian Pacific Railway — Dnbate in Parlia- ment — Burdens involved — New Brunswick School Bill — Rights of the Min- ority — Mr. Mackenzie's Attitude— First Gerrymander. HE great event of the session of 1872 was the formal proposition of the Government for the construction of a trans-continental railway. As we have seen, by the terms of union with British Columbia, Parliament wad pledged to commence such a road within two years of the date of union, and complete it within ten years of the same date. The Eastern terminus of the road was to be some point on or near Lake Nipissing; the Western terminus, the shore of the Pacitic Ocean. The course and line of the road w as to be subject to the approval of the Governor in Council. The railway was to be constructed by a Company, to be approved by the Governor-in-Councii. The Company was to receive a grant of 50,000,000 acres of land in blocks of twenty miles in depth, on each side of the line, alternating with similar blocks reserved for the Govern- ment. In case the ')0;000,000 acres of land were not avail- able contiguous to the railway, the deficiency was to be made up out of other lands held by the Government. A subsidy, not exceeding $30,000,000 was to be paid the Company as the work progressed, and the Governor in Council was to be authorised to raise by loan this amount, 308 THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY. 309 if necessary. Provision was also made to construct a branch line from Manitoba to some point on the American frontier, and another branch line to some point on Lake Superior. The Opposition had, in a preneral way, expressed their opinion with regard to the construction of such a railway, when the terms for the admission of British Columbia were before the House; and ther 3 remained little to do except to formulate their objections. They first protested against investing the Governor- in-Council with the power of approving of the route along which the railway should be built, claiming that to place 50,000,000 acres of land and $30,000,000 of money at the disposition of the Government for a railway, wherever they might choose to locate it, was an abnegation of the functions of Parliament. The country had suffered severely from the unwise choice the Government had made with regard to the route of the Inter- colonial Railway, not more than one-fourth the length of the proposed Canadian Pacific Railway. If they were faithless in the shorter road, how could they be trusted in the larger one ? iSandtield Macdonald's Government, in Ontario, had suffered defeat largely because it had taken to itself the power of paying over $l,oOO,000 to railways without first submitting to Parliament the allocation of the roads to be so aided. The public opinion of Ontario was, therefore, against granting the Government the extraordinary powers asked for. Their second protest was against the power claimed by the resolution to charter a company without first submitting to Parliament for its approval the conditions on which such charter was to be granted. Their third protest was against the assumption by the Government of handing over 50,000,000 acres of land — equal in extent to six provinces of the size of Manitoba — without reference to Parliament Their fourth protest was H^ Eh t iiii'ii: ii' 310 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. against chartering a railway company of which any member of Parliament might be a shareholder. Never did a Government, in the history of any colony, under the British Crown, ask for such extraordinary power. No won- der, with the prospect of getting the authority which was asked for in the resolutions respecting this railway, that Sir George Cartier exclaimed, " The Governor-in-Council is a great insti- tution." When Mr. Mackenzie protested against the usurpa- tion of the authority of Parliament by the Executive, an appeal to the majfjrity of the House was almost the only answer made. No evidence was produced even that the case was urgent, that any public interest would suft'er by reasonable delay, or that public opinion was in favor of immediate action. Even so strong a supporter of the Government as Senator Macphcrson objected to the immediate construction of the whole line of railway. On April 3, 1871, when the British Columbia resolutions were before the Senate, he said : "I do not yield to any honorable gentleman in the desire to see an interoceanic railway through British territory ; but we should advance prudently, using the American lines to our South-Westein frontier ; then, build our railway westward through the prairie lands which are so attractive to settlers, and carefully explore the country between Fort Garry and Lake Nipissing before undertaking to build a railway through it. It is absurd to say that the exchequer of the Dominion is to be burdened with an expenditure of $100,000,000 for the proposed railway. No one can seriously believe that there is any such design in contemplation. Would any Govern- ment be insane enough to propose such a thing ? Would the country sanction such a policy ; or would it be possible to borrow such a sum of mcmey?" It is feared, however, that prospective contractors and others, whoso intluence with the THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY. 311 K, '!^' on^h thoro Vl'l'Il- I the ilo to tliat I tho Clovernment was so potent, had given assurances of substantial support of such a character as would enable the Governor in Council to act in defiance of public opinion ; and before the close of the year it was pretty well known that this was really the case. The futility of an appeal to a purchased jury is well known. For the first time since Confederation, the House was called upon to consider a question likely to arouse relifrious prejudices, and to lead to a misunderstandinnr between Catholics and Protestants as to the attitude of the two political parties with regard to the rights of minorities. In 1S71, the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick passed a new school act, with- drawing from Roman Catholics the privilege of establishing separate schools, and providing for the support of public schools by general taxation without distinction of persons or creeds. The Roman Catholics of New Brunswick strongly protested against the passage of the bill, demanding the same privileges as were conceded to the minority in Ontario and Quebec. Their views being rejected by the Legislative Assembly, the Roman Catholics petitioned the Governor-General to disallow the Act, urging that if the Act went into operation, they would be compelled to contribute to the support of a school system of which they conscientiously disapproved. They contended that under the 93rd clause of the British North America Act, they had a right to the educational privileges which they claimed and of which, in their opinion, they were unlawfully deprived It}' the Legislative Assembly. Their petition was referred to the Minister of Justice, Sir John Macdonald, who held that tho Legislative Assembly had not exceeded its power, and that therefore ho could not advise His E.^cellcncy to disallow tho Act to which objection was taken. On May 20th, Mr. Costigaii moved a resolution setting 11! 1 Wi^ 312 LIFJl! OF THE HON. ALEXANDEli MACKENZIE. forth the viows of the Roniiin Catliolics on this (jucstion ami asking His Excellency in conse([uence, "to disallow the New Brunswick school law " at the earliest possible period. The debate extended over several days. It was plainly seen thut both sides of the House were anxious not to interfere with the control of Local Legislatures over matters within their constitu- tional limitations, so Mr. Costigan's motion was lost, as were also several amendments. First, the amendment by Colonel Cray, aflirming that the law passed by the Local Legislature in New Brunswick respecting connnon schools was strictly within the limits of its constitutional powers. Second, the nmend- ment by Mr. Chauveau, proposing that the Imperial (Jovern- meut should amend the British North America Act of 18()7j so as to secure to every religious denomination in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia all such rights, advantages, and privileges with regard to their schools as they enjoyed at the time of the passage of the Jiritish North America Act Third, an amendment expressing regret that His Excellency had not been advised to disallow the New Brunswick School Act. A motion by Mr. Colby, expressing regret that the New Bruns- wick School Act was unsatisfactory to a portion of the inhabi- tants of that Province, and expressing the hope that the Legislature of New J^runswick, at its next session, w,)uld remove all just grounds of discontent, was carried, together with a motion moved by Mr. Mackenzie • "That the opinion of the law officers of the Crown and, if possible, the opinion of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council should be obtained as to the right of the New lirunswick Legislature to make such changes in the school law as deprived the Roman Catholics ot the privihiges they enjoyed at the time of the union, in respect of religious etlucation in the connnon schools, with the view o[ ascertaining' whether the case conies within tlie terms of the THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY. 313 93nl clause of the British Nortli America Act, 1SG7." On NovemLer 29, 1872, the law oHicers of the Crown concuucd in the opinion previously expressed by Sir John Macdonald ; nnniely, "that the New Brunswick School Bill was within the juristliction of the Legislative Assembly." The Judicial Com- mittee of the Privy Council declined to express any opinion on the question, on the j^'round tliat the power of allowing or disallowing provincial acts is vested by statute in the Governor- General of the Douunion of Canada, acting under the advice of his constitutional advisers. An attempt was made to bring the (juestion before the Privy Council on appeal from the Supreme Court of New !>runswick, in wliich it was decided that the Provincial Act wis valid ; but the law officers of the Crown determined that such an appeal should not be submitted, us they still adhered to the previous opinion. On the Gth of May, 1874, Mr. Costigan moved a resolution calling upon the Imperial Parliament to amend the Biitish North America Act in the direction desired by the Roman Catho- lics of New Brunswick, which, with the permission of the House, he afterwards withdi-evv. Again, in 1875, on the 8th of March, he renewed his demand for an amendment to the British North America Act by which the Roman Catholic inhabitants of New Hrunswick would Ik; set on the same footing as the Roman Catholic minority in Ontario or the Protestant minority in Quebec. Tiie proposal to amend the Constitution of the Dominion in order to allow the establishment of Separate schools in New Brunswick, contrary to the expressed wi.^hes of the people, was strongly deprecated by leading members of the House. ICven those who sympathised with the contention of the Ivomau Catholics believed that to vote for the resolution I II: 314 LIFE OF THE IIOX. ALEXANDER MACKEXZIE. before the House would be subversive of the principles upon which the Constitution was founded. To destroy the local independence of one province would practically be to destroj' tlie independence of all. If the Dominion Government began the practice of coercing one province, where v/as it to stop ? Might it not lead to the transfer of the subject of education from the Local Legislatures to the Parliament of Canada, or to the abolition of any or all the privileges enjoyed by the provinces under the British North America Act ? In speaking of Mr. Costigan's resolution, Mi-. Mackenzie said : " I believe in free schools and in the non-denominational system, and if I could persuade my fellow-countrymen in Ontario or Quebec or any other province to adopt that principle, it is the one I would give preference to above all others ; but I cannot shut my eyes to the fact that in all the provinces, there is a very considerable number of people — in the Province of Que- bec, indeed a large majority — who believe that the dogmas of religion should be taught in the public schools ; that it has an intimate relationship with the morality of the people, that it is essential to their welfare as a people, that the doctrines of their church should be taught and religious principle, according to their theoiy of i-eligious principle, bo instilled into the minds of their children at School. For many years after I held a seat in the Parliament of Canada 1 waged war against the principle of Separate schools. I hoped to be able — young and inexperienced as I was — to establish a system to which all would ultimately yield their assent. Sir, it was found to be impracticable in operation and impossible in political contingencies; and consequently wlien the Confed- eration Act was passed in 18G7, or rather when the Quebec resolutions were adopted in 1804-65, which embodied the principle that should be the law of the land, Confederation THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY. 315 took place under the compact then entered upon. I heartily assented to that proposition, and supported it by speech and vote in the Confederation debate. And, Sir, the same ground which led me on that occasion to give loyal assistance to the Confederation project, embracing as it did a scheme of having Separate Schools for Catholics in Ontario and Piotestants in Quebec, caused me to feel bound to extend, at all events, my sympathy, if I ccjuld not give my active assistance to those in other provinces who believed they were Itvboring under the same disability and suffering from the same grievances that the Catholics of Ontario complaiiicd of for many years. But, Sir, there is a higher principle still which we have to adhere to, and that is to preserve in their integrity the principles of the Constitution under which we live. If any personal act of mine, if anything I could do would assist to relieve those who believe they are living under a grievance in the Province of New Brunswick, that act would be gladly undertaken and zealously performed ; but I have no right, this House has no right, to interfere with the legislation of a Province when that legislation is secured by Imperial com- pact, to M'hich all the parties submitted in the Act of Con- federation. ^ f^ ^ ^ 1 may point this out to honorable gentlemen in this House and to the country that, if it were competent for this House directly or indirectly to set asido the Constitution as regards one of the smaller Provinces, it would be equally competent for this House to set it aside as regards the privileges which the Catholics enjoy at this moment in Ontario. It is not desirable that we should make the way open for such ])urpose, and it is not desirable that anvthing should be done which would excite religious discus- sions and pi-omoto religious animosities." Mr. Mackenzie closed his speech by proposing an amendment declaring that II ' ■ 316 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. legislation by the Imperial Parliament encroaehinr>- on any of the powers reserved to any of the provinces by the British North America Act would bo an infraction of the British Constitution and that it would be inexpedient and fraught with danger to each of the provinces for the House to invite such legislation." After considerable discussion, it was proposed to add to Mr. Mackenzie's motion an expression of regret that the New Brunswick Legislature had not modified the School Act of 1871 in such a way as to remove all just ground of dissatisfaction, and lat an humble address be presented to Her Majesty, praying her to use such influence with the Legislature of New Brunswick as would secure such modifications. The divisions in the House showed a very curiout dmnge of front on the part of the Conservatives. In 1872 they unanimously voted for a resolution expressing regret at the action of the Legis- lative Assembly of New Brunswick ; and Sir John Macdonald, who was then Premier, expressed, on behalf of the Government, his willingness to bear the expenses of appeal to the Privy Council. They also voted down, assisted by Mr. Mackenzie, Mr. Blake, and other leading Liberals, an amendment by Mr. Dorion, embodying the view that the bill should be disallowed. They then voted down another amendment proposed hy Mr. Chauveau, calling upon the Imperial Government for such a modification of the British North America Act as would meet the complaints of the Roman Catholics in New Brunswick ; while in 1875, they were unwilling to express regret at the action of the Legislature of New Brunswick in not repealing the obnoxious School Act, but were quite ready to ask the Imperial Parliament to amend the British North America Act, 18G7, as desired. Even such a doughty champion of Protest- antism as Mr. Bowell was prepared to amend the constitution ~; THE CANADIAN PACIFIC HAIL WAY. 317 of New Brunswick nolens volena on the lines advocated by Mr. Costigan. The action of the Liberal party on the New Brunswick School Bill is worthy of the highest praise. The real question at issue was not whether the Roman Catholics of New Bruns- wick should be granted Separate Schools or not ; the question was, should the Dominion Parliament override the Constitu- tion in order to redress a grievance which came within the province of the Local Legislature. No doubt many Roman Catholics in their conscientious zeal for Separate Schools, felt that in resisting the demand made by Mr. Costigan for the relief they desired, the Liberals were actuated by hostility to Separate Schools. They failed to see that the exercise of the power which would give them Separate Schools in New Brunswick might, in the hands of an unscrupulous leader, deprive them of Separate Schools in the Province of Ontario, or even in Quebec. The sections of the British North America Act which deal with education were specially intended for the protection of minorities. If the Parliament of Canada could so far forget itself as to ignore its own Constitution, then every safeguard provided for the protection of the minority in the Province of Ontario, would be swept away. The session of 1872 will also be remembered as the session in which the first Redistribution bill of a Conservative Gov- ernment was introduced containing the very objectionable features of the later measures of 1882 and 1892, for instance, the old borough of Niagara, witii a population of 3,9Go, and Cornwall town and township, with a p(»pulation of 7,1 1^, were each allowed a representative in Parliament or a member for .5,500 inhabitants, although the mean average was 18,315 persons per member. North Simcoe, South Bruce, Essex and Lanibton were only allowed one member each, or at tlie rate of ^ ^n y 11 ! I s I I i 318 LIFE OF THE IIOX. ALEXANDER MACKEXZIE. 32,485 persons per member. The electoral district of Monek was carved out as a Tory preserve, and the county of Huron was adjusted for the purpose of sacrificing its Liberal repre- sentative, Mr. M. C. Cameron. It was also provided that the cities of Ottawa and Hamilton should not be divided into elec- toral districts the same as Montreal and Toronto. The bill, as submitted by the Government, passed the House — the first of a series of wrongs of ^ similar kind adopted for the purpose of stifling the free expre'^ision of the public opinion of Canada at the polls. CHAPTER XXIV. DOWNFALL OF THE OOVEUXMEXT. General Election of 1872— Issues Before the Country— Sir John Meets Mac- kenzie at Sarnia — Appointment of a Leader — Selection of Mr. Maekin/ie — Interesting Letter to his IJiotlicr — Irreguhir Elections — The Pacific Scandal — Huntington's Charges — Appointment of a Committee — Sir John Mac- donald's Evasions — The Oaths IJitl — Prorogation Amidst Great Excitement —Meeting of Liberals in Railway Connnittee Room— Memorial to the Gover- nor-General — Appointment of a Commission — Meeting of Parliament- Speeches by the Opposition Leaders — Resignation of the Government. HE country had now fivo years' experience of " no- party " Governmcut under Sir John Macdonald, and tlic electors were called upon to consider how far he had fulfilled the promises made at the in- GJ^ ception of Confederation. Certainly it was impossible for him, from the complexion of his Cabinet, and from the character of the legislation of the past live years, to raise the " no-party " cry a second time. Mr. Howland and Mr. MacDougall, his Liberal allies from Ontario in 18G7, were no longer members of his Uovernment ; Mr. Fergusson-Blair had passed over to the majority ; and the men called to till their places from Ontario, whatever may have been their previous [tarty antecedents, were everywhere regarded by Liberals as his most devoted followers. Sir Francis Hincks, his Minister of Finance, had forfeited all claims upon the Liberal party many years ago, and neither Mr. Aikins nor Mr. Morris could boast of a Lil)eral fcjllowing. As, therefore, the " no-party " 319 ! I il 320 LIFE OF THE IIOS. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. cry could no longer be relied upon, a gigantic scheme for pur- chasing the election was inaugurated. Tlie questions to be considered by the electors were large enough for an empire, let alone a colony. Since 18G7, Canada had acquired the North- West Territories, had given a pro- vincial constitution to part of these Territories, and had placed the remainder under a Territorial Government. For the peo- ple of Canada to consider whether the project of " nation- building" on which they had now embarked was a wise one, and whether the constitution under which their borders were being extended was consistent with the interests of the other Provinces, were issues oi no ordinary magnitude. If the foundations were well ami truly laid, the prosperity of the country, as a whole, would be advanced. If, on the other hand, popular rights were disregarded, dangerous concessions made, or bad precedents estal)lished, then, like the union of Ireland with Great Britain under Pitt, the extension of her boundaries would have been elfected at the expense of the future comfort and well-being of the Dominion. Mr. Mackenzie and his Liberal allies found ainple material in the blundering of the Government in connection with tlie North- West Territories, and in the organisation of the Pro- vince of Manitoba, by which to censure the Government and to array public feeling against them, and so the whole train of circumstances — the expulsion of MacDougall in' 18G9, the murder or Scott in 1870, the uprising of the people, rendering Colonel Wolseley's expedition necessary, and the suspected truculence of the Administration to Sir George Cartier — were the subjects of discussion on every platform. It is to be feared that in the prominence given to details the larger ques- tions affecting the constitutional issues involved were lost sight of. I DOWNFALL OF THE GOVERNMENT. 321 The terms mnde with Britisli Cohnnhia were also before tlie electors. Were these terms just to the other Provinces ? Did they give British Cohiiiibia more influence in Parliament than she was fairly entitled to ? The covenant ^ > complete a line of railway, connecting her with the older Provinces, in twelve years, without an estimate of the cost of such an un- dertaking, was a lit subject for discussion. And here, too, it is possible that the rhapsodies of the Conservative stump- orator over the extension of our Dominion, from the Atlantic to the Pacitic, impressed the electors more than the risks they were taking in endorsing the policy of the Government. Then, there was the power taken by the Government to charter a company for the construction of the Canada Pacific Railway, and, of its own will and pleasure, to grant such a charter to whomsoever it pleased — capitalists, members of the Senate, members of the House of Counuons, contractors or speculators, all of whom might have a tinancial interest in see- ing the Government sustained. There was also the power of handing over to such a company 50,000,000 acres of land and S30,000,000 of hard cash. Would the country approve of such prodigality ? Could the country stand such a burden ? Were we not going too fast ? Was there any necessity for such an expenditure ? And here again every attempt to obtain a sober answer to these questions, or to get the deliberate judgment of the people on an undertaking so rast, was interrupted by ap- peals to the imagination. It was said : " If the union is to be complete, permanent, and strong, West and East must bo bound together by an iron band. The teeming millions of Europe must be invited to settle upon our fertile prairies, and the manufacturers of Ontario must be allowed an easy en- trance to the markets of the West. England will leml us all U i»i# ill 11:: 322 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. the money we want. Let us not be faint-hearted. T,et us borrow freely." The selection of the long route for the Intercolonial Railway regardless of the commercial interests of the whole Dominion ; the granting of " better terms " to Nova Scotia, without con- sidering the rights of the other Provinces to a readjustment at the same time of the financial basis on which they entered the union ; the abandonment of the Fenian claims under the Washington Treaty ; the surrender of Canadian rights on the St. Lawrence, had all to be pronounced upon by the electors of Canada. Seldom, indeed, have the people of any country been called upon to express an opinion upon greater questions constitutional, commercial, or financial. That such questions could arise in the government of a country, suggests the responsibility which representative institutions impose upon those who, in the last analysis, hold its destiny in their hands. The Liberal party entered upon the campaign of 1872 with great energy. They felt they had a strong case against the Government, and were determined to make the most of it, through the press and on the platform. Sir John Macdonald and his colleagues were equally active ; and Ontario, as usual, was the scene of many conflicts between leaders on each side. Mr. Mackenzie, who had charge of the campaign for the Liberal party, placed himself at the disposal ol his friends throughout the Province, and in addition to the burdens of his own election, did valiant service for the Liberal cause in many other constituencies. One of the most interesting episodes in the campaign was the visit paid by Sir Jolm Macdonald to the county of Lamb- ton, and his complete discomfiture by Mr. Mackenzie at a pub- lic meeting in the town of Sarnia. The Conservative party was veiy anxious that Sir John Macdonald should address WF^ DOWNFALL OF THE GOVERNMENT. 323 Is own many Ign was Lamb- , a pub- party (Idress the electors. Ir he could only be prevailed upon to give them but one meeting, Mr. Mackenzie's defeat was assured. As in the case of Rhoderick Dim, they believed " one blast upon his bugle horn were worth a thousand men." The Liberals were equally anxious for his appearance, as they believed their untitled champion was more than a match for the knighted chieftain of the Conservatives. Public ex- citement with regard to this great meeting, which was to take place at Sarnia on the 21st of August — the day fixed for the nomination of candidates — became more intense as the time approached. By special trains and vehicles of all descrip- tions, the people of the country gathered in thousands. Sir John arrived early in the day in a gun boat which had been chartered to bring him from Goderich, and at twelve o'clock the proceedings were opened by the returning officer calling for nominations. Mr. Mackenzie was in tlic best of form, and appeared to be determined not to be misunderstood from want of plainness in speech — Sir John's presence arousing his best energies. Ho first expressed his great pleasure at being confronted by the leader of the Conservative party, in his own riding, as it gave him the opportunity of saying in his presence, as fearlessly as ever he did in his absence, what he tliought of his policy and his party. During the course of Mr. Mackenzie's speech he was frequently interrupted by remarks from Sir John Macdonald. " I was going to call him my honorable friend," Mr. Mackenzie said, in alluding to Sir John, " but till he retracts a statement he made on the King- ston hustings I cannot call him that." Sill John — I certainly won't retract ib. Mil. Mackenzie— He says he won't retract it. I defy him to prove it. Until he does prove it, I shall trout him as a slanderer. 324 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. Later on, Mr. Mackenzie, referring to the desire expressed by 8ir John Macdonald that he (Mr. Mackenzie) should join his Government, said it was the okl story, " walk into my par- lour said the spider to the fly." The " honorable gentleman's parlour was a very dangerous place for an^'^one with a political character to enter, and no one ever came out of it clean." Sill John — How about Brown ? How about Brown ? Mr. Mackenzie — Mr. Bi-own never entered your parlour. Mr. Brown and you sat in the Cabinet on equal terms. Mr. Mackenzie then charged Sir John Macdonald's Govern- ment with deceit in dealing with the troubles in the North- West Territory, quoting froni a letter addressed by Mr. MacDouirall to Mr. Howe in LS70, as follows : " Enoucfh has transpired to satisfy every attenti\e observer that it nevei- was your policy or the policy of a majority of your colleagues to send any expedition whatever to the North- West. The in- dignant expression of public opinion, cliiefly from Ontario, and the bold and detenniiu'd attitude of the leaders of the Oppo- sition in Parliament compelled you to organize the force and put it in motion, and tiie same pul)lic opinion prevented you from recalling it after it had reached Thunder Bay. But you did the next best thing for the rebel president — Riel ; you de- prived the commander of the expedition of the power to arrest him or to in\oku the aid of any magistrate fur that purjioso." Speaking of the "better terms" granted to Nova Scotia, lie pointed out the dangerous eti'ect of the Government's course, and called upon Sir John Macdonald to say what he would do with reference to the " better terms" to New Brunswick. Sm John — What would you do ? » Mil. Mackenzie — Wait till my (Government is formed ; then I will tell you. i'-^' o O a « o s rt> w i'ii^ :i DOWNFALL OF THE GOVERNMENT. 827 Sir John — God help New Brunswick then. Mr. Mackenzie — I say, God help Sir John Macdonald then. Mr. Mackenzie closed his speech by a review of the finan- cial condition of the country, and expressed the hope, judging from the result of the elections thus far, that the Liberal party would not be much longer in opposition. Sir John Macdonald's reply to Mr. Mackenzie was a great disappointment to his friends, and, instead of helping, materially injured the prospects of the Conservative candidate, Mr.Vidal. A few of the contests of this election deserve special notice. Sir George Cartier, so long dictator in his own Province, was defeated in Montreal by an immense majority, and had to look elsewhere for a seat. As the elections in ivlanitoba had not then taken place, it was arranged that Attorney-General Clark and Riel, who were the candidates for Provencher, should re- tire in his favor. Sir Francis Hincks, Minister of Finance, who expected such an easy victory over Mr. Paterson in South Brant, was also defeated. A seat was found for him in Bri- tish Columbia. The Hon. William MacDougall again offered himself as a candidate in the North Riding of Lanark in the Conservative interest; but his criticism of the Government after his return from the North- West, and his letters to Joseph Howe, had so alienated the affections of his old constituents as to render his defeat a comparatively easy matter. Mr. Aquila Walsh, Commissioner on the Intercolonial Railway, was de- feated in North Norfolk, and Mr. A. P. Macdonald, a noted railway contractor, in W^est Middlesex. The elections of 1872 were a great triumph for the Liberal party, and for the policy advocated by Mr. Mackenzie, as leader. Had he been permitted to grapple with his opponents on equal terms, the Government would have certainly been defeated. ! 928 TAFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. The Conservatives from the beginning to the end of the campaign were put upon the defensive, and their defence of the mal-administration of the past five years was completely broken down by the crushing attacks of the Liberal leader. There were several circumstances, however, which operated to their advantage. First, as the elections were not held on one and the same day, they were able to manufacture a cer- tain amount of public opinion in their favor by first open- ing those constituencies in which they were most likely to be successful. Second, they used the power which it was always felt open voting gave to the Government of the day, and that not only in the ordinary sense understood by undue influence, but in a far more questionable sense. Third, as will be after- wards shewn through the influence of Sir Hugh Allan and others, they had at their disposal an election fund suffi- ciently largo to demoralize thousands of the electors; and there is no doubt that many constituencies were aflfected by the corrupt use made of this fund. Fourth, the position taken by the Liberal party with regard to the admission of British Columbia, and the " better terms " to Nova Scotia, was represented as one of hostility to these Provinces, gen- erally, and not as a defence of the Constitution, which it really was. In spite of all tliese circumstances, Sir John Maclonald's strength was considerably reduced, and in the Province of Ontario, particularly, the feeling was so decided as to leave him again largely in the minoi'ity. The Liberal party assembled at the opening of Parliament in 1873 in good spirits. Although not successful in the elec- tion, their ranks were greatly strengthened, and they were con- fident that even if the Government could not be overthrown at once, its tenure of office would be of short dvu-ation. uikl's of leave elcc- con- rown DOWNFALL OF THE GOVERNMENT. 329 The House was duly constituted by the election of Mr. Jas. Cockburn Speaker, after which His Excellency the Earl of Dufferin was pleased to make his first speech to both Houses of Parliament. For five years Mr. Mackenzie had acted as leader of the Liberal party, although not formally appointed to that posi- tion. The time had now come, in his opinion, for the formal election of a leader. The record of the steps taken to this end is fully contained in a letter to his brother Charles, written from Ottawa on Thursday, March Gth, the day after the House met. " We had a meeting of the Ontario members on Tuesday afternoon. I gave them my reasons for calling them together, and told them that Dorion had also called a meeting of the Quebec members, both meetings being with a view of forming a complete organization under one leader ; that I had hitlierto acted as leader, although not elected to that office ; that I was now resolved to retire from the position ; that we should have a friendly, open discussion on the subject, advising them to come to no decision until we could all meet together. I urged them to consider whether it would most advance the general interests of the party to make the choice from Quebec rather than from Ontario. I then said that my own impres- sion was that the preponderating power Ontario held, would probably induce members from all sections to select one of the members from that Province, and in that case I thought Mr. Blake should be chosen, as his splendid al)ilities and his standing in the country gave him many advantages, while his legal knowledge gave him additional power, placing liim ahead of all others in the House. Blake then spoke, agreeing in the general plans I suggested, but protesting against my conclusions. He spoke of my success during the last five p i t n P ilii) 430 LIFE OF THE JIOX. A LEX A XD Eli MACKENZIE. years, and said the local Government was defeated through my efforts, and the late elections were carried by my influ- ence and exertions, and consequently if an Ontario man were chosen, it must be me ; and at any rate he could not listen to any proposal. One or two expressed themselves in favor of Blake in preference to me, all the others avoided any com- parison, but discussed the matter fully. Finally it was dele- gated to a committee to consider. This committee was previ- ously appointed to confer with a committee from Quebec, respecting the speakership and other matters. Our commi :tee were Rymal, Young, Blake, Richards and myself, the others, Dorion, Holton, Letellier, Huntington and John Young. We had three long meetings, during which we arrived first at the conclusion that it was advisable to have the leader from Ontario, Blake and I agreeing that all Ontario would take Dorion freely if they considered that step advisable. They were unanimous against it. I then proposed to agree on Blake, each of us promising our utmost efforts to support him. He would not listen to it. I also declined. The gen- eral meeting was adjourned till 4 o'clock this afternoon. The committee met again at 10, and I was pressed to yield which I reluctantly did. Dorion reported the result of the general meeting. Holton moved and GeofFrion seconded th , motion to adopt the committee's report and declare me leader of the whole party. This was at once put by the chairman (John Young) and carried unanimously, seventy members being present. I was extremely unwilling to accept the post again, as I told you, but at last I saw no escape. Of course the honor is a great one, especially when accompanied by such speeches as Holton's, Dorion's and Blake's, and conferred with entire unanimity. I, however, feel oppressed with the work ahead and my inability to do such work as one in my DOWNFALL OF THE GOVERXMENT. 331 position should do. Political leadership should also exist where circumstances are easy. The absence ot" that condition caused mo to determine on refusing it, and even now I fear I liave made a mistake on that as well as on otlicr grounds." Nothing could show to better advantagtj the entire absence of selfishness in Mr. Mackenzie than the simple narrative above given. He could not be unconscious of his own strength, as he had already crossed swords with every Con- servative of any standing in the House. Neither could he be oblivious to the influence which he exerted as a public man upon the country, and the a]ipreciation with which his services were regarded by his party, and yet in the face of all those circumstances, he is more than willing to forego the honor of the leadership in favor of any person on whom the party may agree, and when there was no escape, he says, " I reluctantly accepted, perhaps I made a mistake." There is no elbowing of his way to the front, no supercilious disregard of others' claims, i:0 arrogant assertion of his own fitness for the position, but, on the contrar}', a humility and reticence worthy of the highest admiration. The first few days of the session of 1878 were occupied in dealing with fraudulent election returns. The Liberal candi- date for West Peterborough, Mr. John Bertram, received 745 votes at the general election. His opponent received 705 votes. Notwithstanding this, the returning officer declared the Conservative candidate duly elected. This irregularity was brought before the House on a motion by Mr. Blake, in which the gross invasion of the rights of Parliament and the flag- rant violation of duty by the returning officer were exposed in a scathing speech. Sir John Macd-jnald asked the House to refer the whole matter to the Committee on Privileges and Elections, instead of % I « j Tj i 1 1 'i'- \\ 332 LIFE OF THE IIOX. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. following the precedents of previous Parliaments, allowing the candidate having the majority of votes to take the seat. This was agreed to iu a vote of 79 to 95, or a Government majority of 16. In the election in Mnskoka, it appears that Mr. Cockburn, the Liberal candidate, had a majority of the votes cast, but that the Returning Officer declined to return Mr. Cockbuni on account of certain irregularities in the election, thus leaving Muskoka unrepresented. From their narrow majority in the previous vote, the Government declined a division on this case, although the grounds for reference to a committee were much stronger. Tlie Clerk of the Crown in Chancery was directed to amend the return, and Mr. Cockburn took the seat, of which he would have been deprived during the whole ses- sion, were it not for the bold step taken by the Opposition. There were disputes, also, with regard to other seats in On- tario and in the Maritime Provinces, and in each case the Government used its majority to strengthen itself in the House. After the disputes with regard to contested seats were dis- posed of, the House was called upon by Mr, Huntington to consider a motion, out of which grew the disclosures known as the Pacific Scandal, which, to the regret of every Canadian, has been a reproach to the country from that day till now. By the Act passed the preceding year respecting the Can- adian Pacific llaihvay, the Government, as before stated, was authorized to charter a company having a subscribed capital of at least 810,000,000, for the construction of this road. If more than one company should be formed, power was given for their amalgamation. Two other Acts were passed during the same session with regard to the same railway. One was an Act to incorporate the Inter-Oceanie Railway Company of :"v il DOW y FALL OF THE GOVEllNMEXT. 333 Canada, at the head of wliicli was tlie Hon. David MacPlier- son. Tlie other was an Act to incorporate the C. P. K Com- pany, at the head of which was Sir Hu<^h Alhin. Tliese three Acts completed the scheme for the buildinj^ of the road. The Government found cojisiderable difficulty in proceeding on account of the strength of the rival companies. Mr. IVFac- Pherson's company was composed largely of capitalists from Ontario ; Sir Hugh Allan's, of capitalists from Quebec. To amalgamate Uie two companies seemed to be impossible, as Mr. ilacpherson insisted upon the chairmanship of the com- panies, if amalgamated, and to this Sir Hugh objected. Sir John Macdonald, finding it impossible to effect a union of the two companies, announced the intention of the Gov- ernment to promote the formation of a new one out of the strongest men in tlie different Provinces, and a short tiuie be- fore the meeting of the House, in March, 1873, such an organi- zation was completed, of which Sir Hugh Allan was elected chairman. The large subsidy of land and money to be granted to the railway excited the cupidity of Sir Hugh Allan and his friends, and as during 1872 it rested with the Government to say wliich of the companies chartered should be allowed to construct the railway. Sir Hugh Allan proceeded at once to ingratiate himself with the Government by providing Sir John Macdonald liberally with funds for the elections. This becoming known, Mr. Huntington, on the 2ud of April, moved the following resolution : 334 LIFE OF THE IIOX. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. t|l| ! I "That Mr. Huntinprton, a member of the House, having stated in his place that he is credibly informed and believes that he can establish by satisfactory evidence ; " That, in anticipation of the legislation of last session, as to the Pacific Railway, an agreement was made between Sir Hugh Allan, acting for liiniself, and certain other Canadian promoters, and G. W. McMullen, acting for certain United States capitalists, whereby the latter agreed to furnish all the funds necessary for the construction of the contemplated rail- way, and to give the former a certain per cent, of interest, in consiilcration of their interest and position, the scheme agreed on being ostensibly that of a Canadian company with Sir Hugh Allan at its head ; " That the Government were aware that negotiations were pending between these parties; " That subsequently an understanding was come to between the Government and Sir Hugh Allan and Mr. Abbott, M.P., — that Sir Hugh Allan and his friends should advance a large sum of money for the purpose of aiding the elections of the Ministers and their supporters at the ensuing general election, and that he and his friends should receive the contract for the construction of the railway, " That accordingly Sir Hugh Allan did advance a large sum of money for the purpose mentioned, and at the solicitation, and under the pressing instances, of Ministers ; " That part of the moneys expended by Sir Hugh Allan in connection with the obtaining of the Act of incorporation and charter was paid to him by the said United States capitalists under the agreement with him. It is " Ordered, that a committee of seven members be appointed to enquire into all the circumstances connected with the nego- tiations for the construction of the Pacific Railway, with the nOnWFALL OF THE QOVEliXMEXT. 335 legislation of last session on the subject, and with the grant- ing of the charter to Sir Hugh Allan and others ; with power to send for persons, papers and records and with instructions to report in full the evidence taken before, and all proceedings of, said Committee." In moving, Mr. Huntington contented himself with saying that " He felt compelled by a deep sense of duty to place the motion he was about to make before the House at the earliest possible moment, in view of the very grave question raised. He had already stated in his place that he was credibly in- formed that arrangements had been made by Sir Hugh Allan and an American gentleman representing certain American capitalists for the construction of the Pacific Railway, in anti- cipation of the legislation of last session ; that the Government were aware of this, and that subsequently arrangements were made between the Government and Sir Hugh Allan, by which a large sum of money was to be paid to the Government for the purpose of influencing the recent elections, in return for which Sir Hugh Allan and his friends were free to receive the contract for the construction of the railway, and that this was done." This motion was regarded by the Government as a vote of want of confidence, which no doubt it was, and without reply or explanation, or even denial, a vote was taken and the Gov- ernment sustained by a majority of 31. On the next day. Sir John Macdonald gave notice that he would ask the House to appoint a special committee to incuire into, and report upon, the several matters contained and stated in Mr. Huntington's resolutions just voted down, the com- tnittec to consist of Messrs. Blanchet, Blake, A. A. Dorion, John Hillyard Cameron, and James Macdonald, of Pictou. Mr. Mackenzie suggested that a short Act should be passed, I 11 — ' [~tir i "itri fa rfy rrT; i irrr'-.n~ tfi '^m 330 LIFE OF THE IIOX. ALEXAXDEIl MACKENZIE. \ 1 I giving power to the coiumitteo to sit cluring recess and to t.-iko evidence under oath. To tliis, Sir Jolin Macdonald agreed, in- timating at the .same time that he had doubts as to the power of the House to i)ass such an Act. The committee met on the 17th ot April, appointed Joini Hillyard Cameron, chairman, and recommended, as their first report, that an Act be passed to enable them to examine wit- nesses on oath. A Bill for this purpose passed speedily through both Houses, but on account of the doubt raised by Sir John Macdonald, His Excellency referred it to the home authorities. On the 3rd of May, it was transmitted to Eng- land, and on the 27th of June the Earl of Kind)erley tele- graphed the Governor-General that the Act was disallowed. Immediately on the passing of the Oaths Bill, a meeting of the connnittee was called, apparently for the purpose of ex- amining Sir Francis Hincks, who had been summoned as a witness. At the same tune Sir John Macdonald appeared before the committee and stated that as Sir Hugh Allan and Ml'. Abbott were absent from the country the conuuittee had lietter ask the House for the privilege of adjourning to some day to be named on which these two gentlemen could be pre- sent. The committee concurred in Sir John's suggestion, and reported to the House accordingly-. Mr. Huntington and the other members of the Liberal party objected to the proposed adjournment. Mr. Huntington .said : " He had been prepared for days to proceed u[)on his own responsibility with the in- vestigation. He had given the connnittei; a list of his wit- nesses; that if the committee adjourned for two or threo months he might not be in the same position as he was now. as in the interval tliere might be a manipulation of the A'it- ncsses by whom the charges could bo proven. If the p djlio men of this c!»uiitry who were charged with this crim were DOWNFALL OF THE GOVERNMENT. 337 innocent, then, by all means, it was in the interests of the House and the country that their innocence shoulr. be estab- lished as early as possible. If, on the other hand, the charges were true, they had all a deep interest that the proof should be forthcoming and that they should wash their hands of this terrible corruption which had fastened itself upon a great enterprise likely to exercise immense influence in the coun- try. Sir John Macdonald replied to Mr. Huntington in a very vio- lent speech, charging him with taking undue advantage of the Government. He said : " The charge was a foul calumny. The Government denied in toto the charge. On behalf of the members of the Government, he told the honorable gentleman, Mr. Huntington, that he had been most woefully deceived, for neitlier by word, thought, deed nor action had the Govern- ment done anytliing of which they could or ought to be ashamed in the carrying out or the entering into, from the beginning to the ending of the charter." Mr. Mackenzie replied at considerable length to Sir John Macdonald, pointing out that in various ways the investigation which the committee was appointed to conduct had been de- layed, that the Government appeared to fear the proposed in- vtistigation, and that now the postponement of furtiier enquiry until the 2nd of July was trilling with the Hov.se. The postponement asked for, however, was granted in a vote of 107 yeas to 70 nays. In order that the conmiittce miglit take evidence during the recess, the House was not prorogued at the end of the session as is usual but simply adjourned till the ISth of August, at which time it was expected that the committee would be ready to make a report. On the 2nd of July, the coiumittee met in Montreal ; but as it was found tliey could 338 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXAXDEU MACKEXZIE. not examine witnesses under oath, they adjourned until the day fixcject to the direction and control of the accusetl. I believe that the acceptance of such a Counnission would be opposed to the sense of the House of Connnons, as manifested by its action last session, and v, ould, under present circumstances, be calcuhited to prejudice the enquiry orderoil by the House, and to inq)air the full and (>llicient exercise ul' its most ancient and important powers. The House of Com- mons does not, I think, expect that the Crown, or any one else, least of all the members of its own conunittee, will inter- pose between itself and the great enquiry which it has under- taken. Apart from these and other ditliculties, you have your- self interposed a barrier to my acceptance of your oiler. Dur- ing my absence from the House of Conunons last session, yon stated in your phu'o that I had done wrong in not declining to fullll the duty of Connnitteeman, which had been imposed on me by tlie House, that English statesmen in my position — which, however, you misstated — would have scorned to do as I had done, and that my speeches during tlu' session shewed that your Government could not expect fair play from me on the enquiry. I shall not condescend to re|)ly to these state- ments, but I have to say tliat altiiough I reluctantly came to the conclusion that 1 was not free to decline to serve the l^ no WX FALL OF THE OOVEnXMENT. 339 House, of wliich I am a member, I do not think It consistent with my self-respect to accept the commission here offered by a Minister who has chosen to characterize my conduct. I have sent a copy of this letter to Mr. Cameron for his information, as chairman of the committee," The country was <^reatly excited on account of the appar- ently studied efforts of the Government to burke an in- vestioation, and the evident desire of some members of the committee to encourage such delays. Whatever powers the connnittee had, they certainly ceased on the 13th of August. But public opinion had become so excited, that although the Government had got rid of tlie committee, they could not get rid of tlie investigation. His Excellency the Governor-General, who was sunnnering in the 3laritimc Provinces, considered the situation sutliciently grave to warrant his return to the capital and to insist that Parliament should be called in six »)r fight weeks, so that t'(>gnizance might be taken of the ciiarg'-s made by Mr. JIuntington. The Liberal party, having been deceived so often 1)\' one excuse after another for delay, determined to make a strong effort, when the Speaker took the chair to receive the usual suunnons to the Senate chaml»er to hear His ICxeellency's ])ro- logation speech, to place a resolution in the Sjieaker's hamls, and force the discussion of the jUestion at issue. Tlu-y feare^l that if the House was prorogued even the promised Connnis- sion would not be appointed ; but what they wei-e most anxious for was that the investigation should not be tak(!n out of the hands of Parliament. The government was, however, prepaivd for any action of this kind. The usher of the bhu'k i-od, whose duty it is, wif,h many bows and genullexions, to sum- mon the faithful Gonunons to the Senate chamber on such i tl i - i- . ' - ' .•!. ■■■ ^ """"^^ IT ni ! m»rt i t willing; to vote confidence in the Government — (Loud cheers from the Government side) — could he do so con- scientiously. (Opposition cheers and laughter.) It was witii very great regret that he felt ho could not do so. For the honor of the country, no Government should exist that has ;i shadow of suspicion of this kind resting on them, and for that reason lie could not support them." (Renewed opposition cheers.) Mr. Smitli's speech was delivered shortly before the ad- journment of the House, about one o'clock in the morning ol the 5tli of Nov., and with it the confidence of the ministerial party vanisluMl. Tliat al'ternoon, at tliree o'clock, on the reas- DO Wy FALL OF THE GOVERNMENT. 351 scmbling of the members, Sir John Macdonald announced that he had placed his resignation in His Excellency's hands and that Mr. Mackenzie was called upon to form a new adminis- tration. .^.. 7^^>^>^ €>0 'J'lie political corruption disclosed by the r.icific scandal was a great shock to the country. It was long suspected that Sir John Macdonald, either by himself or by his authorized agents, had frequently drawn upon Government contractors for election purposes. Never before, however, had it been known the extent to which such drafts wore made, and never before was it thouo-ht that ministers would become so cm- boldened in corruption as to ask over their own signatures for such largo amounts of money. The press of the country was loud in its denunciations of what liad taken |tlace, and tlie almost universal feelinix was that the honor of Canada was irreparably compromised. To those who looked upon the public morality of Canada as a matter of pride, the humiliation was great indeed. Com- parisons formerly made with politicians in the T"^nited States had now to be dropped. The Tannnany ring and boss Tweed Were duplicated on Canadian soil. With the defeat of the (lovernment, the jiowcr of Parlia- nicnt was to a certain extent vindiratcd. That Sir John 352 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. Macdonald ever regained the confidence which he had for- feited by the sale of the Pacific Railway charter to Sir Hugh Allan, is one of the most extraordinary circumstances in his career. To retain ofiice by a double shufile, in connivance with the Governor-General, was comparatively a small matter. To form a coalition with the Liberals, and then, by a series of cunning manipulations, to use it for his own party purposes, was but an illustration of the art of a clever, though unprinci- pled, tactician. But '^^o sell to a common stock-jobber, almost on the open market, a railway charter, in order to supply him- self with election funds, is an otlence which one would have thought the country would not soon forgive or forget, and yet a few days after his defeat in the House his friends elected him leader of the Conservative party, and five years later the country returned him at the head of an overwhelming majority. When the Government was on its trial, and when its defeat was all but certain, Mr. E. B. Wood expressed the universal opinion of the House when he said : " Before many days the Government will have fallen like Lucifer, never to rise again." Dr. Tupper interjected, "but we sliall rise." Mr. Wood re- plied : " Yes, but not till the resurrection morn, when the last trump shall sound." Mr. Wood's prophecies, unfortun- ately, were not fulfilled. The Government did arise long be- fore the time specified, to re])cat, we fear, on several occasions, the corrupt practices for which they were condemned in 1873, and to discredit in many ways the honor and dignity of Canada. CHAPTER XXV. THE NEW ADMINISTKAIION. Tlie hew Cabinet — Dissolution of tlie House — Address to tlic Electors of Lanibton — Meeting of Parliament — Mr. Mackenzie's Ditficulties— Discontent of British Columbia — The Carnarvon Terms — Visit of Lord Dufferin — Brilliant Speecli at Victoria— Irritation Allayed — Now Reciprocity Treaty Considered — Honoral)le George Brown at Washington — Treaty agreed upon — Rejected by the Senate — Mr. Mackenzie's Loyalty to Canada — Mr. Cartwright's First Budget Speecli— New Tariff Bill — Pacific Railway Bill- Mr. Mackenzie's Military Career — Military College — New Election Bill. N the resignation of Sir John Macdonald and his Government, His Excellency the Governor-Gen- eral called upon Mr. Mackenzie to form a new administration. The task assigned him was not an easy one, particularly as it was necehsary that the Government should not only represent the strongest men in the Liberal ranks, from a Dominion standpoint, but that it should also be composed of men most acceptable to the party. To make such a choice as would enable him to place at the head of the various departments of t^ate, men qualified for the special work assigned them and who would at the same time bring him the political strength in each pro- vince which he re(]uired, was the basis on which his choice had to be made. His own experience warranted him in taking the department of Public Works. To Mr. Cartwright was assigned the department of Finance. Mr David Christie, a member of the Senate, was made Secretary of State ; Mr. w 3.53 854 LIFE OF THE HOX. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. D. A. Mactlonald, Postmaster-General; and Mr, Blake and tlie Hon. R W. Scott were appointed members of the Executive without portfolio. Tiie Province of Quebec was represented by Mr. A. A. Dorion, Minister of Justice ; Letellier St. Just, as Minister of Agriculture ; and Telesphore Fournier, Minister of Inland Revenue. New Brunswick was repre- sented by Mr. A. J. Smith, as Minister of Marine and Fisheries, and Mr. Isaac Burpee, as Minister of Customs. Nova Scotia was represented by Mr. Thomas Coffin, as Eeceiver-General, and Mr. Wm. Ross, as Minister of Militia and Defence. Mr. David Laird represented the Province of Prince Edward Island, now a member of Confederation, as Minister of the Interior. The personnel of the new administration was, on the whole, satisfactoiy to tlie party. As between the House of Commons and the Senate the number of Ministers was eleven to three, and although Ontario held six seats in the Cabinet, two of thtm were without portfolio. Quebec held three, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick two each, and Prince Edward Iskmd one. In speaking of his Government to his constituents, Mr. Mackenzie said : " I may with feelings of pride refer to the standing of the members of the Cabinet. No one will deny it has a large amount of ability. No debater in public life in our day can take rank with Mr. Blake, formerly Premier oi Ontario. Mr. Smith and Mr. Laird were also respectively Premiers of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, and no man stood higher in his own province than Mr. Dorion, Minister of Justice. In the matter of religious faith, there arc five Catholics, three members of the Church of England, three Presbyterians, two Methodists, one Congregationalist and one Baptist." The electors of Lambton, were, as might be expected, greatly » Scotia 1 one. Mr. o the deny I'e in u;r of vcly iind orion, c arc three d one •re atly THE NEW A DMIXIST RATION. 355 delighted with the elevation of the man whom for so many years they had elected to Parliament, and on his return to his county for the constitutional approval which his accept- ance of a seat in the Government required, he was tendered a banquet by his old friends and admirers. The kind references to his public career, and to the great energy he had shown in overcoming obstacles which would 1/ave overwhelmed a weaker man, showed the esteem in which he was held bv his constit- uents, while the response on his part, " You made me what I am, I owe my position to the confidence of the people of Lambton," indicated his appreciation of the support they had given him since he entered public life. The Hon. ]\[r. Brown was unable to attend the banquet, but sent a ringing letter to the secretary. " In the midst of venality and corruption, Mr. Mackenzie's hands have never been defiled. It is such counties as Lambton that make such representatives as Alexander Mackenzie. It will be a bright l)age in the histoiy of Canada that tells that the first Reform Minister of this great Dominion was the noblest working-man in the land, and the representative of one of the truest con- stituencies that ever upheld a great cause." The Ministers having appealed to their constituencies and being constitutionally confirmed in their places, were now prepared to grapple with the political problems peculiar to the situation. Parliament was to be called for the transaction of business before many months, and the question very naturally suirixcsted itself to their minds : " Shall we trust ourselves to a Parliament elected under our predecessors largely by Sir Hugh Allan's gold and 810,000 drafts from Mr. Abbott ? Sir John Macdonald had resigned without dividing the House. How many members were prepared to condemn him was unknown. Even if his condenmation had been secured bv the registration '■ 1 ^^^^^■^ I- . .1. f. i IM; 3oG LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKEXZIF. of their names in the Votes and Proceedinffs, could men whose seats were purchased for thoui be depended upon ? Besides, was it not the duty of the new administration to give the people of Canalla an opportunity of expressing their disap- proval of Loth Minis*^ors and members connected with or implicated in the Pacific Scandal, and how could this be done except by dissolution ? So without any hesitation the Par- liament of 1873 was dissolved on the 2nd of January, 1874, and a new election ordered. The elections were held as nearly as possible on the same daj' ; although Mr. Mackenzie was not obliged by statute to deprive himself of the advantage of holding elections at such times as would best contribute to his political strength. The issues before the country were very clearly and ably put in the address by Mr. Mackenzie to the electois of Lamb- ton. " Tt was due," he said, " to the electors of Canada to give them the opportunity of pronouncing between ourselves and our opponents, and it was essential to a fair representation of the people and to the enactment of good laws that the House should be purged of members elected by the corrupt use of Sir Hugh Allen's money. Canada is asked to send to Ottawa a House of Commons free to do its duty to the State, chosen by the unbiased voice of the people, instead of men bound hand and foot to those to whom they owe their seats." " We shall strive," he said, " to elevate the standard of public morality which our opponents have done so much to debase, and to conduct public attUirs upon principles of which honest men can approve, and hy practices which will bear the light of dav." " We shall endeavor to remove those scctiDual jealousies and local prejudices which were aggravated by our predecessors and to etl'ect a genuine consolidation of the Union." ill TJIE NEW ADMIXISTUATIOX. 357 ios iinle, fell in the fray ; and Mr. Mac- kenzie could confidently say that the country had approved of his policy. Parliament was called for the despatch of business on March 2Gth, and was opened with great pomp and ceremony by Ilia m IT"'" '^ : ( 358 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. Excellency, Lord Dufferin, with Mr. T. W. Anglin as Speaker. Mr. Moss, afterwards Chief Justice "who was entrusted with moving the adilress in reply to Ilis E.Kcellency's speech, in adverting to the great ciianges made in the represent;! tion of the House by the recent elections, said : "A great national crisis had occurred. Popular feeling and sentiment wore keenly alive to the importance of the jiresent and the coming time, and he believed the people of Canada had made their choice wi.sely and well, and he ventured to assure the Ministry that if they did, as they would do, their very best to administer the affairs of the country with a single eye to the public welfare, and if they exhibited that sagacity and statesmanship which Canada had the right to expect from her foremost men, they would receive the earnest support, sympathy and co-operation of the House of Commons." Sir John Macdonald, in his place as leader of the Opposition, questioned the propriety of tho dissolution which had just taken place, and doubted very much if Mr. Mackenzie was supported in his course by English practice. He also expressed doubt with regard to the feasibility of readjusting the terms of union with British Columbia, and, after reiterating his objections to the ballot whicii the Govern- ment proposed, he informed the House that so far as he was concerned the address would be allowed to pass without amendment. The first difficulty which confronted Mr. Mackenzie was the troubles in the North-West and the appearance of Riel before the Clerk of the House to sign the roll as member for Pro- vencher. In order to ascertain the real causes of the griev- ances in the Nortii-West and tiie extent to which the previous Government had committed themselves either to redress those grievances or to grant an amnesty to the offenders, a special counnittee was appuiiited, composed of Mi'. Donald A. Smith, THE NEW ADMINISTRATION. 350 Jolin Hillynrd C.imcron, Mr. Bowell, Mr. J. J. C. Abbott, Mr. Blake, Mr. Moss, Mr. Geoffrion, Mr. Massun and Mr. Jones, of Halifax ; the result of their investigation has been fully con- sidered elsewhere. Riel was expelled from the House and a new election ordered in Provencher. Mr. Mackenzie's second difficulty grew out of the terms made with British Columbia at the time of her admission to the Union. Four years had already elapsed since the terms were settled and little substantial progress was made towards their fulfilment. It was agreed that the construction of the Pacific Railway, by which that Province was to be connected with the East, should be commenced in two vears from the date of Union and completed in ten. The Province was disappointed and indignant at the delay, and her representatives frequently called the attention of Parliament and the Government to their neglect of duty. On July 2G, 1873, an official complaint by the Lieutenant-Governor of the Province, Mr. Trutch, was addressed to the Hon. Mr. Aikins, then Secretary of State for Canadii, enclosing a minute of the Executive Council of the Province strongly prc^testing against the violation of the terms of Union. Owing, probably, to the difficulties in which the Government was involved by the Pacific scandal, no notice was taken of this remonstrance. The Lieutenant-Governor renewed his complaints, and on December 23, 1S73, he was assured by Mr. Mackenzie's Government " that their grievance was receiving their most earnest consideration, and that a scheme would be devised as soon as possible v/hicli it was hoped would be acceptable to British Columl»ia and to the whole Dominion." These assurances, however, did not allay the discontent, and early in 1874, Mr. Jas. D. Edgar was sent as the agent of the Dominion Government to Victoria " for the purpose of ascertaining the state of feeling in the Province t 3U0 LIFE OF THE IIOX. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. i I 1 with regard to certain clinnges which were deemed necessary in the mode and in the limit of time for the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and to bring about some such feasible arrangement as might meet the general approval of the Local Government and the people of British Columbia, in place of the original conditions respecting the connnence- ment and completion of the railway contained in the origi- nal terms of the Union." On June IGth, Mr. Edgar submitted an elaborate report showing the intense feeling existing in the Province on account of the delay which had already occurred and the want of energy apparently shewn in making the necessary surveys. So high did public feeling run that the Local Legislature of the Province adopted a resolution to the efi'ect " that no alteration in the terms of Union with Canada shall be permitted by the Government of this Province until the same has been submitted to the people for endorsation." In order to prepare the way for a settlement, Mr. Edgar, acting under instructions from the Government at Ottawa, sugijested the postponement of the construction of the road vuitil proper surveys were made, but that in the meantime a waggon-road should be constructed along the route of the railway in the Province and a telegraph line across the continent. In this way the interior of the country would be opened up and communication established with the Eastern Provinces. It was also proj)osed, as soon as the surveys were completed, to expend annually in construction proper the sum of $1,500,000. These alternative proposals were spurned by the British Columbians, and Mr. Edgar, finding himself unable to make further progress, returned to Ottawa. Having failed in coming to an understandinrj with the Dominion Government, the British Columbians authorized the Attorney-General of the Province, the Hon. Geo. A. Walkem, ad iu 11 nil I the the TIII'J XEW ADMIXISTEATIOX. 3C1 to proceed to England to lay the complaints of the Province before the Colonial Secretary. The Colonial Office apparently became alarmed at the ugLjressive action of the British Colum- bians, and immediately cijnunnnicated with the Donn'niou Government with regard to the matters in dispute. In his anxiety to bring about a reconciliation, Earl Carnar- \on ai (dressed a despatch to the Governor-General of Canada, in which he intimated his regret that any difficulty should exist between the Dominion and the Province, and proposed " that if both Governments should unite in desiriii'^ to refer to nu' any arbitration of the matters in con trovers}', l)inding them- selves to accept such decision as I may think fair and just, I would not decline to undertake the service.'' Mr. Mackenzie's Gm-ernment did nut ajiparently relish this interference of Downing »Street in a matter of colonial concern. Acconl- ingly, on the Stli of July, 1>S74, they replied to Earl Carnarvon's despatch in a long paper setting foi'th the wiujle case from the Dominion standpoint. It was pointeil out that the terms with P)ritish Cobimbia were agreed to by the House by the small mnjority of tt.'u, and that this majority was obtained on the condition " that the public aid to be given to secure the construction of theCaiKulian Pacitic Railway should consist of such liberal grants of land and such subsidy in money or other aid, unt incveasivg titc present rate of taxation, as the Parliament of Canada shall hereafter determine." It was also pointed out that the terms made witii Hritish Columbia were most extravagant and in excess of the terms originally demanded by the Province. A coach road across the llocky Mountains was all that was asked for in the lirst instance, with an expenditure of i?l ,000,000 after three years from the date of Union, on the railway ]n'oper. It was also pointed out that the company chartered under Sir Hugh Allan to proceed m ii^ J -^^ • M-i i 302 LIFL OF THE HON. ALEXAXDEli MACKENZIE. with the construction of the road had relinquished their charter, as tiiey were unable to obtain the necessary funds from Eng- lish capitalists. The Government had not been indifferent, it was alleged, to their obligations, as tliey had sent Mr. Edgar to British Columbia in order to ascertain if some relaxation of the terms of Union could not be arrived at which would be niutuully acceptable. They had shown their desire to help the people of British Columbia by advancing a ([uarter of a nnllion for the construction of the graving-dock at Es(juimalt, although not required by the terms of treaty to do more than pay five per cent, interest on the cost of construction for ten years after the work was completed, and also by their offer to build a railway from Esquimalt to Nanaimo, a distance of about sixty-ffve miles. To the Canadian case, Mr. Walkem, who for the time being remained in London, sent a very strong reply protesting against the proposed modifications of the treaty with British Columbia, and insisting on the interference of the Imperial authorities in behalf of the Province. On the receipt of Mr. Walkem's paper, Earl Carnarvon proceeded to give his final decision, which was afterwards known as tlic Carnarvon terms. These were as follows: (1), that the railway from Esquimalt to Nanaimo shall be commenced and completed as soon as possible ; (2), that the surveys on the main land shall be pushed with the utmost vigor ; (3), that the waggon road and telegniph lines eastward should be immediately con- structed ; (4), that two millions a year should be the minimum expenditure on railways within the Province from the date at which the surveys are sufficiently completed to enable that amount to be expended on construction ; (5), that the railway shall be completed on or before the 31st of December, 1890, at least so far as to connect with the American railways at the THE NEW ADMIXISTJIATIOX. 3G3 west end of Lnko Superior. By a minute of Council dated the 18tli of December, the Cui-narvon terms were formally accepted by the Dominion Government, and on the loth of March, 1875, Mr. Mackenzie introduced a bill into the House of Commons to provide for the construction of a line of railway from Esquimalt to Nanaimc; in British Columbia. The feeling in the House of Conunons was none too favor- able to this proposal. The Liberal pai'ty had from the very first regarded the terms with British Columbia as onerous in the extreme, and to be obliged now to implement an agreement made by their predecessors, and which they had opposed at the time with all their power, was certainly asking a great deal. They were, however, between two fires. On the one haul, was a treaty of a most solemn character entered into with a sister Province. The honour of the country was pledged to carry out the terms of this treaty, subject to this one reservation, that in carrying out these terms, the general taxation of Canada should not be increased On the other hand, was the Colonial Office, to which British Columbia had appealed, as it had a right, no doubt, against the laches of the Canadian Goverinnent. To repeal the terms of the Union, or so deal with British Columbia as to lead to its withdrawal from the Union, would, it was felt, discredit the Government in the eyes of all the people of Canada. To carry out the terms literally, or nearly so, as British Cohunbia insisted, would be to increase enormously the burdens of taxation. That the Liberal jiarty was disinclined to go further in its concessions to British Columbia was evident from the fact that Mr. Blake and several leailing Liberals voted against the proposal to construct the Esquimalt and Nanaimo railway for purpo.ses of conciliation, and when the Senate rejected the I mimmm 3Gi LIFE OF THE HON. ALFXAXDER MACKENZIE. bill cntiroly, it was also evident tliat parliamentary sanction to any concession to Uritish Coliunbia wa.s not easily obtain- abie. 1'lie irritation in Canaritish Cojumljia, and with re[)li(s from ( 'iuiad;i,. Hut no soluticju of the dilllculty seemed to be su^^'ested to wliich both parties Could aifiv(!. A pi'oposition that the (Jolumbiaus should be paid 1?7")0,0()() for the dehiy in be^innim; the I'oad was uneej-e- mmdously reji'cted by the Ivxeeutive. J)ij)lomacy havin;^' all hut exhausted itself, it occurred to FiOi-d Duflerin, (!ov(,'rnor( leiiei'al, that if he ]);ud a visit to the i'roviuee ;ind hail an o])portunity of conversini;' with its lead- ing citi/eii^, he would be in a better position, as mii Iui|)erial ollicer, to advise the Colonial Olliet! as to tlie true condition of allairs, niid he minht |)ossibly lie iiMe to say something-, without assumiuL,^ to acl in any .•imbassadwrial position, that wmild mollify the discontent so unha])[)ily existiui^. Mr .\backeii/ie, who was oreatly imi)ressed with I oi-d Dulierin's aHability and tact, concurieil in tli ■ pi'o]»osed visit. Ah)reover, he was anxious that His Kko ''ency, duiiue; his stay in (.\inada, shoidd ae([iiaint himseli' , Lh all jiarts of th<^ <2-*^ ^"^ V (F(ic-niiiiile of Ijoi'iI Jjiijfrriji's Ini iiil-u'i'ili luj.) fl if ■MCi Line OF Tin: iiox. alexandmu mackkxzii:. the vv1iortiiriity ol' viiitin;^ h tv t)S any oh^ny un-h-rtake a m<»re dillieult task Ol' one i'(;(juirin^ ;j;reater tact, ju<];jjment anV(!rnnient, }i(; wus i (!n iiil,j(Mliif;<(l iiit'» ilic l)oriiii»ion I'.ifliaiiKirit f'or i\u\ (','Hisl,rii(;tj!' tin; Lilnial Jjirty in tli<; House '/I' Coiii- 111'jns, and tliat it/s il! by the Sfjnatd witb. s' .leli^v r for the out ^va^ Counuis- of tll>' lirr tlK'ir )f tliat a anadiau Wuurican lis lifo fl- n having ^anailian. npossihle nco. He dians Inr the HL'od- Wh.-ii litlicultir-^ is arbitia- 77/ A' XEW ADMINISTliATlON. 373 mcnt as a judge, while willing to accept his friendly inter- ])nsiti()n to allay ii-ritatiou. In the Fish-Br(;wn Treaty of 1874, and in the Halifax award of 1(S77, he olitained the appointment of a Canadian Conunissionor of eipial status with his fellow coniuiissioners. When Sir John Maedonald, on one occasion, attempted to rally his followers by waving the old Ihvg, Mr. Mackenzie retorted, "It is an easy matter to raise the flag, but let us raise the flag of common sense for a little while, and consider not those high-Hown sentiments of extreme devotion ant I loyalty which the honorable genth-man dealt in so greatly to- night, but soberly and i-easonably, what is best f(;r Canada as Canada, and what is best fur Canada as ])art of the Jiritish Empire. I liave no doubt, whatever, our true i)oliey is to ohtain self-action in almost everything which relates to our own business. I, for one, give my cordial support to any- thing that will extend our liberty of action and make us entirely equal \n all respects to (jtlier legislatures and the Ministers of the mother country ilself." Again, in 1882, when Mr. Hlake made his motion to demand for Canada the right to deal with the United States or any utlur C(juntry in matters of commerce as an independent coun- trv lie was viy^orously seconded by Mr. Mackenzie. Mr. Mac- kenzie said, "that there was no man in Canada who would sooner liian he reject part}^ obligations rather than lift a hand or a linger, hy motion or otherwise, to disturb the i*e!ations that exist betvveen Britain and hi-r colonies. But he had livetl lon^• enough in Canada to kn(>w that it iias been the policy of ihe Tory party, almost from the beginning of our history, whenever a movement was made tending to expand the liberties of the people, to cry out i\n\vv, was danger of the connection with Croat Britain, and that he was surjirised and i 1 i 1 I 374 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. pained to find loading statesmen still rouorting to that paltry policy." Sir John Macdonald's speech, he said, had failed to convince him that there was " the slifjhtest dan^jer of what he pretended to fear. Everything that extends the liherties of Canadians, everything that accords to Canada and her states- men greater breadth of view in the management of their own affairs, is more likely to conduce to the management of Imper- ial interests and greatness than any curbing policy that keeps us down to the grindstone. It has been the policy of English statesmen who have had the management of our affairs from the first to consider colonists as inferior to themselves. I can recall the words even of such men as Lord Grey, Lord Russell and Lord Metcalfe, every one of whom had placed on record their belief that full self-government was not well suited to colonists, and I have read the despatches of Lord Russell and Lord Glenelg to the Governor-General frequently, warning them not to extend the principle of responsible government to Canadians further than so far as might be con- siytent with the maintenance of the colonial relation. I believe we are really as capable of managing our own political affairs as the House of Commons in England." In the session of 1874, Mr. Cartwright, Minister of Finance, delivered his first budget speech. He reviewed the financial obligations of the country, the falling off in the revenue and the necessity for additional taxation if the country was to meet the obligations imposed upon it by the previous administra- tion. It was somewhat unfortunate that in the first year of THE NEW ADMINISTIiA TIOX. 378 tlie Government's existence the necessity arose for this course. To convince the people that tlie increase of taxation was the natural consequence of the extravagance of their predecessors and not a covert attack upon the ratepayers in order to justify expenditures which they proposed to incur themselves, was one of the difficulties of the situation. The general character of the increases proposed by Mr. Cartwright was most reasonable. No attempt was made to holster up any industry at the expense of the consumei*. As far as possible, the necessaries of life were not burdened with any additional rate, the luxuries being made to supply, mainly, the necessary revenue. Sir Charles Tupper, who acted as tlie Opposition critic of the budget speech, inveighed strongly against the increased taxa- tion proposed by the Minister of Finance, and charged Mr. Mackenzie with infidelity to his free trade principles in the increase of the tariff from 15 to 17i per cent. The obligations incurred by the previous Government, he claimed, could be • liseharged without any difficulty, as the increased revenue from an increased population and from the development of tlu; Northwest Territories would more than meet the extra expenditure. The ^biritime Provinces entered Confederation with a very low tariff. What v.ould be their indignation, he asked, when they became aware of the policy of the Govern- ment. Mr. Mackenzie, in reply to Mr. Tupper, claimed that the Government had no option ; that the maidy and the honest way was to state to Parliament and to the country their true financial condition, and to provi^ /y / //a '/ « i.c>' iV «v \ \ '4'^" ^1} i ^ / i ■1 376 LIFE OF THE 110 X. ALEXANDEB MACEEXZIE. M\ business of the country : and while it was impossible to appl^' the principles of free trade, he did the next best thing — hu increased the tariff for revenue purposes only. Owino; to the faihire of Sir John Maclonald's scheme for the construction of the Canadian Pacific railway, it was neces- sarv in order to keep faith with British Columbia, that some other means sliould be adopted for tlie construction of this road. Mr. Mackenzie lost no time in submitting to tlie House a bill embodying the policy of the Government. He propo.sed, first, to divide the road into four sections two east of Winni- peg, and two west, with branches from Winnipeg to Pembina, and from Lake Nipissing to Georgian Bay, A line of telegraph was to be constructed along the whole extent of the railway' in advance of the construction of the road, and as soon as the route had been determined. Each sectiu.. was to be w^orked by the contractors who constructed the section, on terms to be settled by the Governor in Council. The bill provided for the construction of the road by private enterprise or as a Government work. In this respect it was different from Sir John Macdonald's bill, which provided for the construction of the road by private enterprise only. Instead of giving a sub.sidy of money and lands en blue to the company, Mr. Mackenzie proposed a subsidy of §10,000 per mile ami a land grant of 20,000 acres per mile, with a guaiantee of four per cent, for a given number of years on a sum to bo stated in the contract for each mile tendered for, all contracts for any portion of the main line to be submitted to Parliament for approval. The Government reserved to itself the right to assume possessitjn of the whole or any section of the railway on paynient of ten per cent, in adilition to the original cost, less the value of the laud and money subsidies received. No time was fixed by the bill absolutely, for the complet on of the road. The branch THE NEW ADMINISTliATION. 37: ■PWW" i! line at Fort Garry was to lie pushed forward as fast as would be necessary to connect with the American system of railways. Although this bill was not satisfactory to the British Columbians, particularly as it did not guarantee ti.c com- pletion of th(; road according to the exact terms of union with the Province, it was, nevertheless, an honest attempt to fulfil the obligations of the Government. Indeed, it contemplated more than Parliament had absolutely promised in the first instance, as the terms of union with British Columbia, so far as the Pacific Railway was concerned, required that the road should be constructed out of the revenues of the Dominion without increasing the rate of taxation. To those who had committed themselves to the construction of a trans-continental railway innne<]iately on Canadian territory, the bill was unsatisfactory, inasmuch as it designey which he could avoid adding to the burdens of the country demanded consideration. If he was obliged to adopt any measure of a teniporarj' character in order to tido over present financial difficulties, it was not his fault, but the fault of his pre- decessors by whom the country was placed under such heavy obligations to British Columbia. Whatever objection may be taken to the measure proposed by Mr. Mackenzie, no excep- tion can be taken to the sincerity of his efforts to carry jutthe intention of Parliament in agreeing to the construction of the raiUvay. Mr. Mackenzie's speech on the introduction of this bill was one of the most remarkable of the session, and in some respects one of the ablest speeches ever delivered in a Canadian Parlia- ment. It occupied between three and four hours in delivery and shewed the most intimate knowledge of the surveys of the road and of the enb7-, by issuing the writs in constitu>;ncies favorable to the Govurnment undue advantage was takt n of the Liberal party. For this state of atlairs, Mr. Mackenzie in Ins address to the electors of Lambton had promised a remedy when he assumed office ; and the Election Bill introduced by the Minister of Justice, Mr. Dorion, was the fulfilment of that promise ; for by clause two, it was provided that at every general election, the Governor-General should fix one and the same day for the nominations of candidates in all the electoral districts of the Dominion, with the exception of a few cases which the writs might possibly not reach in the usual time, between the diss.)- lution of the House and polling day, on account of the distance. The writs for an election were to be addressed to the sheritl' or to the registrar of the electoral district, and in the event of there being no ssheritt" or I'egistrar, to such p.!rsou as the Gov- ernment might appoint. The ba.is of the franchise was to be tliat used in the Provincial elections. Candidates were to be nominated by a written nomination paper, signed by twenty-five electors, and a deposit of fifty dollars was to be made with the returning officer as a guarantee of the bona fides of the nomination- THE NEW ADMINISTRATIOX. 38 1 The property qualification required of candidates was abolished and for the open system of voting was substituted the more modern system of vote by ballot. Very stringent provisions were adopted with respect to con-npt ])raetices ; and for the lirst time in the history of Canada, it may be said that an honest effort was made to obtain a pui-e election. Since Mr. Mackenzie retired from ofTice, several attempts have been made to neutralize its beneficial tendencies ; notably, by amending the clause which provided that the sheritt' or the registrar should be ex ojffir.io returning ofticer. The appointment of a returning of^cor who is the creature of the administration of the day, and who considers that he can best disclwirge his duties by promoting the election of the Government candi- date, or if the Govej-nmcnt candidate fails in getting the majority of the votes, by making such a return to the Clerk of the Crown in Chancery as will give him a right, for the time being, to a seat in Parliament, has of late years been a matter of frequent occurrence. No such abuse of party power was possible under IMr. Dorion's Election Uill, and that such an abuse has been tolerated by the majority in Parliament on several occasions, and encouraged, if not advised, by the leaders of the party, is very much to be deplored. Tiic application of the ballot to Dominion elections was strongly resisted by Sir John Macdonald, the leader of tho Opposition, and by many of his followers as well. Sir John Macdonald wanted the country to adhere to the good old system of open voting, as being the manlier form of declarinir one's political preference. The ballot was American, was un-British, would lead to fraud and deception, and should not be entertained. Following the same line, one of his supporters raively expressed his objection to the ballot in these terms: " Elections cannot bo carried without money. Under an opi?n 382 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. system of voting, you can readily ascertain whether the voter has deceived you. Under vote by ballot, an elector may take your money and vote as he likes, without detection." The adoption of the franchise, established by the different Provinces for their respective Legislatures, was another feature of the liberal character of the Election Bill, and is also an evidence of Mr. Mackenzie's confidence in the federal principle. To say that the Local Legislatures cannot be trusted in prepar- ing voters' lists which will fairly represent public opinion, is to x*eflect upon their loyalty to Confederation. To deny them this privilege, no doubt intended by the Union Act, is to dis- turb very materially the area of representation in the different Provinces. In addition to this there is the question of expense, the impartial character of the voters' lists, the simplicity of procedure, all of which are important in dealing with a question, somewhat complex, but of supreme importance to the country, To place the franchise of a constituency in the hands of a revising barrister, who is the nominee of the party in power, is like placing the deeds of your estate in the hands of a rival claimant. A Government which can thus tamper witli the free expression of the people stands self-condenmed. Either its course hus been unworthy of confidence and, there- fore, the jury must be packed, or the electors as a whole can- not be trusted, and as a consequence doubtful ones must be deprived of their power of expressing themselves. Such doctrines, either openly avowed or covertly carried out in the name of law, would destroy more governments in Britain than ever perished or are likely to perish by the Nemesis of Irish Home Rule. ^ CHAPTER XXVI. THE SESSION OF 1875. Mr. Mackenzie's Plan for Preserving the Debates of the House— The Supreme Court Act — The Constitution of the Senate — Prohibition Discussed — The Canada Temperance Act — Mr. Mackenzie visits the Eastern Provinces — 'Jr. Brown declines the Lieutenant-Govoruorship of Ontario — The Office Accepted by Mr. D. A. Macdonald. i^ OR the first time in the history of the Canadian y Parliament, arrangements were made for offi- ^ifTz: cially reporting the debates of the House. The "^ questions occupying the attention of tlie people's representatives were considered to be of such import- ance as to ju.stify the preservat'on of the debates for future reference. An attempt had been made during the last three years of the pr' "*nus Parliament to secure the same object by private enter}: 'se, but the speeches were reported with such partiality, r u^jr for the speaker or the party to which he belonged, as to make the volume valueless for future reference. To refer to files of a newspaper for the discus- sion of any question to which the House had given its con- sideration was becoming more and more difficult. A concise report by well-trained stenographers was therefore almost a necessity, if the debates were to be available for public pur- poses. Parliament is evidently satisfied with the policy which Mr. Mackenzie introduced in 1875, and it is doubtful if any 383 ill I". I :i8A LIFE OF TIfE IIOX. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. * deliberative Imdv in tlie world is furnislicd with a more satis- factory report of its debates than is the I'arlianient of (Januda. For many years, Sir John Macdonald liad been promising the country an act for the estaljlishnient of a general Court of Appeal for Canad.i, as provided by section 101 of the British North America Act. ^J'hat such an act was necessary on account of the union of Provinces wxxXx different svstems of legal procedure was self-e\'ident. The Supreme Court of the United States was established in order to preserve, particu- larly in constitutional questions, harmony of action iu the different States of the Union. Mr. Mackenzie saw that confusion would soon arise in the interpretation of the laws of the different Provinces, unless the intentions of the Union Act were carried out. He tliere- fore lost no time in bringing in a bill for the establishment of a court to Avhicii appeals could be niade from the judg- ments of the hiiiht'st court of final resort in anv Province v)f Canjida in all civil matters. In criminal matters, it was pro- posed to allow appeals within certain limitations in the ca«ie of any person convicted of treason, felony or misdemeanour, and also in cases of extradition. Authority was given the Governor in Council to refer to the Supreme Court, for hejiring or consideration, any matter whatsoever he niay think tit, and, under certain conditions, jurisdiction was given to the Supreme Court iu the case: (1), Of controversies between the Dominion of Canada and any Province. (2), Of controversies between Provinces. (8), When the validity of an act of the Parliamtjut of Canada was qut-stioned in the proceedings. (4), WIhu the \alidity of an act of one of the Provinces was questi(jned in the proceedings. The court was to be compo.sod of a chief justice and five puisne judges. The sittings (jf the court were to be held al THE SESSION OF 1875. 385 OttiiAva, and tlic ju to the Supreme Court .Act in .s>d)sequent years do not come within the scope of our nar- rative. Y 386 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. Mr. Mackenzie's action in constituting a Court of Appeal for Canada, and his impartiality in establishing it in the first instance, are in striking contrast to the vacillating policy of his predecessors. The influence of a powerful court in steadying legislation and in protecting the Constitution against the inroads of partisan majorities can hardly be over- estimated. The Supreme Court of thi United States has more than once overthrown the plans of unscrupulous leaders in Congress by its reasonable and well-sustained judgments. To know that there is an appeal from Philip drunk to Philip sober, from the knave who would make merchandise of the public interests for his own selfish purposes, to the calm judg- ment of disinterested men, is a substantial check upon those who are indifferent to the constitutional rights of their op- ponents. The cry raised by Sir John Macdonald that the restraint imposed by the Bill upon indiscriminate appeals to the Privy Council, on the ground that it would lead to the severance of Canada from the British Empire, was a sample of "jingoism" in a small way which has been the bane of Canadian politics, and which, happily for the country, had no influence with Parliament. To admit the doctrine that in the management of purely domestic affairs Canada is not free to exercise the powers of self-government conferred on her by the Imperial Parliament would be inimical to her independence and self- respect. Nothing is more subversive of either personal or national strength than the suppression of a spirit of self- reliance. To be in perpetual fear of treading on Imperial corns, or of being castigated by a Downing-street martinet, involves a degree of self-debasement incompatible with the most elementary principles of constitutional liberty. It is easy, however, to recall periods in Canadian history ip M THI-: SESSION OF 1875. 887 I: I'll! where the terrorism of the Colonial OflRce so overawed the people as to suppress the assertion of even the feeblest aspira- tion of a national spirit. When, forty years ago, it was proposed to establish municipal institutions under the old Parliament of Canada, the fetich of Imperialism was invoked, and the loyalty of all who advocated their establishment was impugned. " Place here and there (it was said) throughout the country, independent local boards for the construction of roads and bridges and the management of local affairs, and what are you doing ? You are creating so many sucking republics to be a menace to Imperial connection." Indeed, so jealous was Par- liament of its prerogative or so fearful that the power thus conferred would be abused, that the wardens of counties were originally appointed by the Crown, and all by-laws of local municipalities, with one or two trifling exceptions, were invalid until approved by the Lieutenant-Governor in Council. And so the proposal made during the present generation to adopt a decimal currency, or the system, of voting by ballot, or a union of the Provinces on tlie Federal principle, caused a paroxyism of affected loyalty which, if taken in all seriousness, would have checked irreparably the development of self- government. To accept, in the administration of Canadian affairs, any well-known principle or practice of the neighbor- ing states, was to endanger Imperial connection ; and to establish a Supreme Court in Canada, from which, under certain circumstances, there would be no appeal was, using the words of Sir John Macdonald, " to sever the last link that bound Canada to the British Empire." Vain fear ! The ties which bind Canada to the Empire happily do not depend upon Courts of Appeal, or upon the courtesies of a Colonial OfHce, or the presence of a Governor-General, or the pomp of a vice- regal court. Canada finds in that connection the prestige of f I i i 3S8 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. a constitution that has " broa. 394 LIFIC OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKEXZIE. \\ 1 ! active public opinion entitled to the greatest respect. The practical question, however, before the House, was: Could such a law, if passed, be enforced ? and many members wlio were supporters of the Temperance cause had grave doubts on this point. The Government felt, besides that they were \in- fairly treated by their opponents. Wliat was in its incep- tion and development a purely moral question, supported out- side the House irrespective of party line.s, was now turned into a political question, and if the motion made by Mr. Schultz prevailed, the Government would be obliged to take action, whether public opinion Avould warrant it or not. Mr. Mackenzie defended the attitude of the Government with a great deal of spirit. " He always held, although an advocate of prohibition for nearly thirty yeai's, that it ^^ as useless to give legislation on this or any other question until the public was ready for it. He quite admitted that pub.'ic men of standing and ability might lead the public mind lo a considerable extent. To legislate in advance of public opinion was merely to produce anarchy instead of maintaining law and order. He did not believe that public opinion was ripe for a prohibitory liquor law, even if the power was located. He believed a great advance had been made towards it. He quite admitted that ordinary political life, ordinary political affairs, and ordinary political qu'^stions were quite secondary to a condition of such vast importance as would be produced by a reform in the drinking habits of the country. But abundant evidence was furnished in the shape of the Inland Revenue returns, in the figures presented every year, that, while there had been more intelligent appreciation on the part of the public generally of the views of Temperance men, and a nearer approach to that state of public opinion which would justify a not very remote Legislature in enacting a somewhat ^^m THE SESSIOX OF 1875. 395 striiifjent measure in tliat direetic i, it was quite evident from these returns that the drinking habits of the people had not to any extent been afi'ected as to the quantity used, by the afjitation which had prevailed and had been useful in its way. There were more ardent spirits consumed this moment than ten 3'ears ago. It was quite true that there had been a dimi- nution in the amount last year. Whether this resulted from an improved public opinion, from the greater advance of tem- perance views with the people generally, or produced to some or to the entire extent by the inability to purchase, as com- pared with former years, he would not venture to say. He was bound to take a fair and reasonable view of the difficul- ties in the way, and believed at this moment if tlio Legis- lature had the power, and in the exercise of that power should enact a Prohibitory Liquor Law, it would be impossible, with the support which was to be obtained at present from public opinion, to carry it practically into eUcct. He believed that they would run great danger of vastly increasing the oppor- tunities for the illegal sale of intoxicating lit^uors, instead oi' having it controlled bj'' some sort of license system, as at present. Any backward step in this movement would be a fatal calamity to the prosperity of the Temperance cause and of the country generally." As a proof of Mr. Mackenzie's sincerity as a prohibitionist, in 1878 he gave to the country the Canada Temperance Act, which will be considered in connection with the legislation of that year. Mr. Mackenzie for a long time cherished the desire to make a personal inspection of the Intercolonial Railway in order to get further knowledge of its physical features, its equipment and its management. He wished, also, to inspect other public works in the Eastern Provinces. He gave effect to this desire I I n ml. m 396 LIFH OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. in the latter part of 1875, and although it was a hurried busi- ness visit, he could not decline the hospitalities so generously protl'ered him by his many friends in the Maritime Provinces. In the city of St. John, he was tendered a banc^uet to which the Hon. J. G. Blaine, then travelling in the Maritime Pro- vinces, was invited to meet him. Besides leading citizens of the town, there was present also the United States Consul, wlio, in addressing the guests, spoke of himself as an Ameri- can. Mr. Mackenzie, in reply to the toast of his health, re- ferred in a very felicitous manner to the claim made by the Consul of the United States to the title American : " The United States Consul — I call him the United States Consul because, claiming to be an American myself, I do not care to see one nation of this continent monopolise that name — spoke just now of the friendly feelings the people of Can- ada and the United States should entertain towards each other. I was an early friend to the union of the Provinces, because I regarded it as necessary to their proper growth and development ; and I believe that here we have the germ of a great and powerful nation, and that we can best serve the cause of libert}^ and of human progress by being faithful to our union, which I trust will last as long as freedom and pro- gress live on earth. I am also and always have been a fi'iend of the United States. During the ^v•ar I entertained a strong and warm feeling for the Northern cause, because I knew that it meant the destruction of slavery and the removal of the fetters of the oppressed. I hope the day will never come when any other than friendly feelings will prevjiil between the people of Canada and the United States. I believe the people of Canada and the United States, though forming two distinct nations, will in the future be so thoroughly united in Bentiment as to be able to carry the influence of the British THE SESSION OF 1875. 397 race and the principles of British liberty into all countries. The people of the United States have a great destiny before them, and although it is not, I believe, their manifest destiny to be any larger in territory than they are at present — I be- lieve my friend, Mr. Blaine, beside me, will agree with me tluit it is quite large enough now — thoy and we have a connnon task, more than the mere support of a particular Government, or the securing of ' a third term,' or the realisation of any of those small political issues which enter more or less into the domestic politics of nations. We have, of course, to give some attention to these questions, and to the keeping of certain machinery in running order ; but these are the secondary elements of statecraft, and are not comparable in point of importance to those higher principles which move nations, and on which Canada and the United States and Britain may occupy a common ground. The United States have pursued generally a policy of non-intervention in the affairs of other nations, and Great Britain of late years seems to have largely adopted this principle. No doubt, non-intervention is the proper policy in most cases, and perhaps it is in every case the easiest policy to pursue ; but it may sometimes be carried too far, and produce very disastrous results. I do not think that the doctrine of non-intervention should be pursued to such an extent as never to permit a nation to lift a hand on behalf of human liberty, or to grant aid and comfort to the struggling and oppressed. On some great occasions it may be necessary in the future for America and Britain to send more than a mere word to aid the efforts of the oppressed ; and should such a necessity occur, it would surely be a glorious sight to see these English-speaking nations banded together to aid less fortunate people to obtain that measure of huii:au liberty which we have had the happines.s to enjoy for so long a period tt"""^^ K 398 LIFE OF THE JIOX. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. ourselves. As a Canadian and a Briton, if I have had an ambition, it has been to have my country play a part in the liberation of nations from the fetters which ignorance and bad government have imposed upon them ; and while desirous always to see peace on earth and good-will towards men pre- vail, I know that these blessings can sometimes only be main- tained at the cannon's mouth. I hope that the people of the United States and of Great Britain will always remain true to those great principles on which their institutions are founded, and that their flags may wave together in beauty and harmony in many a distant land, the one bearing on it that emblem of the might of the Creator, the starry heavens, which express His infinite power, and the other emblazoned with the emblem of God's greatest work, tlic redemption of man." He dwelt upon the influence of Canada as a maritime power " with its broad-armed ports, where, laughing at the storm, proud navies ride," and as a complement to these ad- vantages, he referred to the agricultural resources of the North-West, " a land where boundless prairies stretch towards the setting sun, a land where millions of our race from be- yond the sea can find for themselves a peaceful habitation, a land to which we can apply the words of Whittier : ' I hear the tread of pioneers Of nations yet to be, The first low wasli of waves where soon Shall roll a human sea.' " There were also addresses at Carleton, Amherst, Halifax, Dorchester, Moncton and Riinouski. At the last named place Mr. Mackenzie took occasion to refer to the policy of his Administration in aflbrdiug protection to men employed on public works, by so giving etlect to contracts that those who THE SESSION OF 1875. 309 labored were not deprived of their hard-earned waf^es. The French Canadians were much pleased with other portions of his speech, and especially with those passages in which he referred to them as the first explorers of the country that had been given to all nationalities to inhabit in common. " I have myself travelled over the route traversed by Pere Marquette and his noble companions. Many of the Jesuit Fathers sought out the shores of Lake Superior and discovered the sources of the Mississippi long before any English foot had traversed these wilds, and I cordially acknowledge that we owe much to the hardy and patriotic French adventurers of Canada's early days, from Jacques Cartier down to the latest descendant of that highly distinguished traveller and dis- coverer." He made a felicitous allusion also to Rimouski as the county which had given Robert Baldwin, the great Liberal leader of Upper Canada, a sea^ when he was denied a con- stituency in his own Province, an enlightened and courteous privilege which Avas reciprocated by the election of the French Canadian Liberal leader, Mr. Lafontaine, Mr. Baldwin's col- league for the County of York. " And still more to the credit of Lower Canada be it said that before the union of the Provinces when there was no outside influence to produce such a result, the fine old French people, pervaded as they always have been by the feeling to do justly and liberally to all men, gave to the Jew those privileges in common with the rest of the community which he was unable till years after- wards of struggle and agitation to wring even from the Eng- lish people tliemselves." Governor Crawford's illness in the early sunnner of 1875, necessitated the appointment of an administrator. A com- mission was issued to Hon. David Christie, but he never exer- 400 LIFE or THE IIOX. ALEXAXDER MACKEXZIE. cised the function, Mr. Crawi'oi-d dvinrj before lie couM ont»'i' upon his duties, and the British North America Act nuikiuf^ provision merely for an administrator durin*;- the ahseuco or illness of the Lieutenant-Governor. The duty was then forced upon the Government of making an immediate appoint- ment, and Mr. Mackenzie ottered it to Mr. Brown M'ith the unanimous desire of the council that he should accept it: "I will forbear expressing- my own opinion of your acceptance of it, not being willing to say a word calculated to interfere in the least degree with your own good judgment. I will only say that I shall be glad if your decision is hi accordance with my views." After giving Mr. ^Mackenzie's otter a niglits very serious consideration, and looking at it from all points of view per- sonal, domestic and political, he came to the conclusion that he could better serve the country and his party by pursuing the line he had already chalked out for himself, than by accepting the great honor wdiich was so generously tendered him. The place was next ottered to Mr. D. A. MacdonaM, Postmaster General, Mr. ^lacdonald accepted, and entered upon his duties at once. By this appointment, Mr. Mackenzie lost an al)le colleague and a good councillor, and the Province of Ontario obtained a Licni tenant-Governor who, during a full tei'm, discharged the duties of his office with ability and impartiality, THE SESSION OF 1S75. 401 On St. Andrew's day Mr. Mackenzie delivered a speech at the annual bancjuet of the Caledonian Society of Ottawa, which, as mif,dit have been expected, was wortliy of the occa- sion. It was a noble appeal in favor of British connection and national union. " A few years ago," lie said, " a very insigni- ficant proportion of the people of Canada, and ho hoped as insignificant a pi'oportion of the people on the other side of the Atlantic, were looking to the severance of the ]\Iother Country from the colonies as a matter of course and only as matter of time. But within the last year or two there had been a great change of opinion in England upon that subject. He could scarcely call the extinction in Canada of the theory a groat change; there were so few who ever entertained it. They might now hope that no further doubt could exist as to the in- timacy of the relationship to be maintained between the Kng- lish-speaking people, now forming the British Empire, and the Crown and person of Her Majesty and Her successors to the end of time." He declared his conviction that it was " the proudest posi- tion Great Britain could occupy that the overshadowing prwer and influence which she has so long possessed in giving shape to the destinies and relations of nations are always exercised with a viev/ to the amelioration of the condition of mankind ; that she has tiie will as well as the power to maintiiin, in a great measure, the peace of the rest of the world, and that prosperity, peace and contentment have followed her flag all over the earth, upon whatever si^il it lias ever been planted. May its march of triumph never 1)0 interrupted, until it shall become the one absorbing and powerful instrumentality in the hands of Providence for the prevention of war, the extension of commerce, and the promotion of the arts of peace. To the full extent of their power. Her Majesty's Government in Can- z llf 402 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXAXDER MACKENZIE. a^a, of wliich lie was a member, avouUI contribute to the development ami maintenance of this sentiment. At the same time he wished his hearers always to remember that Canada is our home ; that while we think with 'gratitude of the land of our birth, while our hearts are filled with the warmest patriotism when its history and its heroes are recalled to mind, we should not foro-et tliat we have m'eat duties and re;jponsibi'.ities, not of a sectional, biit of a national character to discharge, and that we ought to devote ourselves faithfully and honestljT' to the task of creating and upholding a Can- adian spirit, Canadian sentiment and Canadian enthusiasm ; in a word, a spirit of nationality always British, but still Canadian. The patriotism of the British people and Govern- ment will ever be with us, and we in turn hope always to reside under the shadow of the j^rain] old llai-' of England, at once the symbol of power and of civilization. He knew these sentiments to be the expi'ession of the aspirations which animate the great body ; might he not say the whole of the Canadian people. He had had the pleasure oi. visiting his nati\e country during the year and of conversing personally with Her Majesty the Queen. It was with a fueling of rever- ence he enjoyed that privilege, for of ail the monarchs who have ever reigned over this or any other people, none had better deserved that loyalty and love so heartily manifested by all her subjects than our good Queen Victoria.'' For this speech Mr. Mackenzie recei\ed, through His Excel- lency the Governor-General, a very kind congratulatory note from Her Majesty. til IP t CHAPTER XXVTI. VISIT TO SCOTLAND IN 1875. On a Holiday — A Guest at Windsor — Invitation to Perth — Impressions of England — " Hodge " — The British Commons — Spurgeon — Farrar — Freedom of Dundee — Address to the Workingmen — Freedom of Perth — Address at Dunkeld — The "Home-Coming" at Logierait — Freedom of Irvine — Address at Greenock— The Clyde- The Theology—Lord Dufferiu'a Tribute to hia First Minister — George Brown's Letter on Taste. , TIE summer of 1875 was more of a holiday for the Premier than he had enjoyed for years before ; 3''efc, perhaps at no period of his life did he do bet- ter service for his country than by his speeches in June and July of that year in Scotland, whither he was accompanied by Mrs. Mackenzie. The " nameless mason lad " of 1842, had now returned to his native land to receive the highest honors, municipally, which it was in the power of the people of that country to bestow, and to receive the higher distinction still of being the guest of Her Majesty tir; Queen, at Windsor. Freedoms of boroughs were showered upon him, banquets were given for his entertainment, meet- ings were held for the purpose of hearing addresses from him, and he was sought out and feted everywhere. But who can doubt that the demonstration from which he derived the greatest pride and pleasure, next to his reception by his Sov- ereign, was that which awaited him in his native village of Logierait ? 403 4()1 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. The forecast of the Scottish welcome is contained in the fol- lowinij letter from the Lord Provost of Perth : " City Chambers, " Peutii, 30th Juno, 1875. *' To the Honurahle Alexander Mackenzie, Prime Minister of Canada. " Sir, — The T<)wn Council of the Royal Burgh of Perth, havnifj observed from the public prints that you are at present in this country, and will, in all probability, revisit your native county, are desirous of showing; the utmost respect to one Avho, by liis merits, has risen to such eminence as you have done, and I am to ask whether it will suit your pleasure to receive at the hands of the Council the freedom of the burgh. "I have the honor to be, etc., "Auch'd. McDonald, '' Lord Provost." Before, however, making what the London Times has fitly called this "involuntary triumphant progress through liis early haunts in Scotland," Mr. Mackenzie spent considerable time in England, chieily in London, in the discharge there of public duties. While in Great Britain, he addressed many in- teresting letters to his Secretary. We print here a portion of the first, written from the Westminster Palace Hotel, London, June 22nd : "I meant to have .vritton you by last mail, but I had so much other correspondence, and so nmch of my time was taken up seeing callers that I had none left. ** It seems we were singularly fortunate in our voyage, as the steamers before, and behind, and beside us wore in the ice and fog. Where the Zicksbui'g sunk on the 2nd wo were in clear water and a clear atmos- phere with gorgeous icebergs as a grand sight to admire. On the evening of the 1st I retired to bed half dressed, with everything in readiness fi;r ft quick start in case of a fog and a smash. I was in a ship once tli;it struck, and understood the danger. I am informed here by that the Sarmatian really did have a narrow escape. I told him their VISIT TO SCOTLAND IN lS7o. 405 danger and our safety were sufficiently accounted for by liis presence and mine in the respective shipi. " Well, we have seen little bits of London and Encjland. First, beauti- ful Wales ; then the horrible black country durinjif a rainy duy. It was like the envir )ns of the pit. Wolverhampton, Birmingham, and other towns there looked like dirty encampments, with red brick tents. No doubt they all hp.ve fine buildings, decent streets, and clean shirts some- whex-e— only we didn't see them. After passing this quarter we went through a charming country via Banbury (Inuis), Oxford and Reading. The profusion of trees, hedges and flowers made the country most pleas- ing. The humblest cottages seemed to have an abundance of choice flowers." I stayed three days at , wliere I heard a good sermon from an 8G-year-old vicar, and prayers read by a curate whom I judged by his conversation to have little knowledge of prayer in any other form. He told me frankly in the evening, when noticing my absence from the second service, that he would have been absent also if ho were not com- pelled to go, as * no fellow should go more than once a day.' "Rural England is pretty. 'Hodge' is degraded, however, and with 11 shillings to 13 shillings a week (where I was) how could he be other- wise ? " "Society here is ' classified'. Ministers even, of plebeian origin, bow lowly enough to the Dukes in the Cabinet. The rule is for everybody to know his station and keep it. At a dinner given yesterday, by a state dignitary, to the Duke of Cam1)ridge, none but the heads of ncjble fam- ilies were asked, exce[)t his own son. For my own [lart, I called on no ministers who had not previously called on mo. All the ministers have done that now, except the Duke of Richmond. " I spent some of my evenings in the Commons, and rather liked the ways of the House — not materially dillorent from oui'selves in Canada, except in minor matters, chiefly divisions. >iot only do they go into lobbies when sitting as a House, but all the divisions in committee are the same as when the Speaker is in the chair. One night acted Tom Ferguson and , He went to the utmost verge of endurance witli coarse language. I heard no better 8[)eaking than in our own House. I was in the Lords one evening, but heard nothing of consecjuencc. " I was deeply interested in visiting historic spots. I was bloody-minded enough to go first where the king was executed, and I wished tliat all ! i 1 ! 40G LIFE OF TUB I/OX. ALEXANDEIl MACKEXZIF. 1 i' 1 t: 1 i '^5 y ; the Stuarts had taken their proper and obvious lubsun from the dreadful scene on that memorable day. " Wo heard Spurgeon, and ti-ied to hear Doan Stanley on Sunday, but another (Archdeacon Farrar) preached for the dean. Spurgeon'a congrega- tion packed the edifice completely, and so did the dean's. I liked both the preachers very much. Mr. Farrar's sermon was fine in language and sentiment ; Spurgeon's also correct — nearly pure Saxon. Farrar's excelled in literary finish ; S2)urgeon's excelled as an appeal to tlie heart and as a sound statement of doctrine. Farrar's description of Saul in his last extremity, when uniting with the woman to call up Sanmel, and the prophet's appearance, or supposed appearance, was remarkably fine. Spurgeon's dissection of human nature was a com[)lete specimen of moral anatomy. ' The great cathedral vast and dim,' with the fine organ and the surpliced choir, and the towering monuments of the mighty dead all round, seemed, while the beautiful English service was being read, not of this earth. The ' tabernacle ' looked like business. There ai)[)cared to be nothing there but what was wanted, and not one idle or sui)erHuous word was said. " Next month the frccdoni of Dundee was conferred upon him by the Provost, in tlie midst of a great assembla;j,e of ladies and gentlemen. In making the presentation, the Pro- vost said the distinction was one which was conl'envd but rarely now, and was reserved for those who had rendercMJ im- portant political services, so that on the honorary burgess roll of Dundee were recorded the names of eminent statesmen, legislators and men of science. The casket containing tlu; burgess ticket was of solid silvei', with the arms of Dundee and Canada encircled in wreaths. Mr. Mackenzie spoke ably and feelingly in acknowledg- ment, referring to the greatness of Canada, as the country occupying the third rank in the world, after Great Britain, her mother, in shipping and in connnercial and mercantile enterprise, and possessing a revenue nearly twenty-fixc times the amount of the national revenue of Scotland innnediatelv VISIT TO SCOTLAND IN 1875. 407 iidful upon 'ro- bet'ore the union. He spoke of the vastness of her cultivable land ; of the value of her other great natural resources ; of the elasticity and freedom of her social life ; of her educa- tional advantages ; of the instincts of her people for constitu- tional government, but showed a warm side for " Scotland still." " While." he said, " I shall continue to reside for the remaining days of my life in Canada, I cannot, if I would, and would not, if I could, throw otl' all allegiance to my own proud nationality of Scotland. And, sir, it is not necessary that any one should do so. The children of Israel, when they were taken captive by the great Eastern monarch, were asked by their Babylonian captors to sing them a song of Zion. They replied : ' How can we sing the songs of Zion in a strange land ? May my right hand forget its cunning, if I forget thee, 0, Jerusalem ! ' We can, as Scotchmen, sing our national songs — songs of freedom or aHection, whether [Jaced in Canada or Australia; whether in the Arctic or Antarctic zones, and feel our national anthem to be as dear to us in one place as in another ; for the broad banner of British liberty floats alike over every country of the British Empire." The presentation was followed by a magnificent bamjuet, at which Mr. Mackenzie took occasion to advocate the free-trade principles of Richard Cobden, as the real principles of civili- zation the world over, and to rejoice — without a knowledge tiien of what should come after — that the days of class legis- lation and monojiolies were no more. Next evening, a large meeting was convened in Dundee, wlien an address was presented him by the working men. Passages from his speech in reply will ever live in the people's hearts. "Sir," ho sjiitl, "I was oxceoilingly pleased to hear the expressions of the two gentlemen who have spoken here to-night, and 1 have merely to 408 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. say Avith reference to that part of their speeches which alluded to the possibility, the practicability, the certainty of those who are diligent and energetic rising in the colonies to occupy political positions of distinction, that I think the workingnien in Britain, as well as in the colonies, do not do themselves justice when they believe that the highest political posi- tions are shut out from them by reason of social distinctions. For my own part, I never allude to the fact that I have been a workingman as a reason why I should be rejected, or why I should be accepted. I base my entire claim to public confidence upon the expression of the opinions which I hold, and which I believe command public confidence, and upon the worth of those principles of which I have been jin humble advocate for many years. I am quite sure when I address so enlightened a body of men as the workingmen of Dundee, who comprise the greater part of this meeting, I can do so believing that I shall find a full response in their hearts to the opinions I utter when I press upon them the necessity — the absolute necessity as a first measure, as the very foundation, in fact, of success in life — that they shall assume an erect position ; tliat they shall respect their own manhood ; knowing that if they possess self- respect, they will soon compel all other people to respect them. It is quite true that you have in this country a class who are elevated above the rest by reason of the favor of the Sovereign ; but do not from that imagine for a moment thn,t class distinctions are peculiar to this country. Go to the Republic of the United States of America, and you will find there, I venture to say, more class distinctions created by wealth tlian you will find in this countiy by titular distinctions founded on the landed property of the country. And it is a matter of moonshine to you and to mo whether the inlluence which separates the great body of the people from the few is, as in the United States of America, the possession of enormous wealth and the erection of peculiar social barriers which shut out all but a favored few, or whether it is, as in most other countries, the barriers erected by a long process of law, and by the exercise of the Sovereign's favor. In your case, you have in this country, as we have in Canada, and as there is in all other British colonies and in the Republic of the United States, the most ample field for the operation of your in- tellects and powers ; and it is the fault of the individual and not of the political system if ho fails to attain to some reasonable success in life, and some comfort in social existence. " 175/7' TO SCOTLAND IX 1S75. 40'J Again, in Perth, there was a (listinguishcd company when he entered the city hall, on July IGth, and received there the freedom of that city, at the hands of the Lord Provost, fof his services and in proof of Pertlishirc pride in him as a native of the county. The Lord Provost expressed the grati- fication he felt, and wliich the cheering showed was sIuuvmI hy all present, on recei\ing tlie first letter from Mr. ^Maelcnzie, to find that he had not discarded the Gaelic, as it had on the top the motto, "Cuidich au rigli," or "The King's People." Mr. Mackenzie's reply was very apposite and happy. The longing of many years was realise^' ^'2^_ jL.://c .^^^/^^^ mm [XoteHlik- these, written on the back of a foolscap envelope, or on any otlim- scrap of pa er icadiiv at hand, were all that Mr. Mackenzie usually prepared for his longest HpeechtM.J CA^o^-^ 4^ ^^^ 7^^ ^^t^ I ! 1 ) IT I !! i t 416 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. merged their politics, and all parties and classes united in expressions towards him of praise and good will. During Mr. Mackenzie's tour in Scotland, the Governor-Gen- eral was in England and Ireland. In a letter from His Excel- lency, July 26, 1875, inviting the Prime Minister to Clande- boye, the Earl of Dufferin paid a tribute to him for the ad- mirable a'idress he was then delivering. " You must have no misgivings about your speeches. They are really excellent — sober, spirited and practical, and full of earnestness and dig- nity. If you speak like tliat without preparation, it only shows how much you could do in that line if you could find time to do what I imagine all good speakers have found it necessary to do." Mr. Brown was in Scotland when Mr. Mackenzie was there. Writing to Mr. Mackenzie from Edinburgh, Mr. Brown made complaint of one of the speeches by which Mr. Mackenzie had been greeted, wherein reference was made to Mr. Macken- zie's early position. Mr. Brown asked, what ha\ more shame- lessly untrue accusation brought against a public man in this country. " And why do they not proceed to the proof if there is any thing wrong ? Why do they not take a committee and in- vestigate the matter ? I ofiered them a committee for two years in Parliament, so that they might call their witnesses and put them on oath, and so ascertain whau foundation tliere was for the story. The reason they do not do so, is because that would spoil their little game and stamp them as a set of calumniators. So, instead of coming forward boldly and making a charge in proper form, they go through the country saying to the people: ' Well things look bad ; he may not be guilty, but well, the thing has a bad look about it' " The following letter was written by Mr. Mackenzie to a friend at the time the charge respecting steel rails was made : •' Ottawa, Oct. 25th, 1875. " My Dear Sir,— I suppose you have read all about the steel rail con- spiracy. The scoundrels thought I was open to attack, and did not scruple to run the risk of making a charge, hoping it would acconijjlish the purpose before the lie could bo stopped. I resolved on a prompt denial over my own signature, which you no doubt saw. *• The facts as they came out have been copied into most of the papers, and nearly all the papers have denounced the slander in proper terms. I ■'''""" 430 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. has chosen to keep a dead silence notice, however, that the about the matter. *' As I never write to any newspaper, friendly or unfriendly, I have not written to this. I confess, however, I do think they might have said something in iny defence, unless indeed, which is incredible, they think I am blamabio. "I have been very scrupulous about the use of public moneys in small as well as great afliiirs, and I think this journal might have supported me when so unjustly assailed. " Yours faithfully, "A. Mackenzie." The gentleman to whom this communication was addressed in forwarding it for publication, remarks : " You know how deeply Mr. Mackenzie felt this base aspersion. I met Mr. Fairinau, of the firm of Cooper, Fairman & Co., at the Russell House, and I remember his complaint that Mr. Mackenzie — for what cause, he did not know — would not sec him : abso- lutely declined." The reason why the Minister refused to see Mi*. Fairman, we may say, was because it was his habit not to hold inter- course with contractors. His attitude was that of a judge who avoids personal contact with those upon whose cases he is required to decide. In a letter dated the 20th of October, 187C, to Mr. Charles Mackenzie, he wrote : " 1 have given up all hope of obtaining fair play from Opposition leaders and papers. I have often detonninod not to notice some coarse false- hood, but have shortly af(erward)j found it doing service in a remote re- gion, and have found also friends surprised that it was not contradicted. The Tories were always addicted to this villainous policy of shmdoring their opponents, and, r^o doubt, will continue to do so." In a letter of a later date he says: i THE NATIONAL POLICY FIRST DISCUSSED. 431 " I am waiting for a suitable chance to make a rlemancl on MacdnnaUl about his statements in his stump speeches. So far, they have all been [in Parliament] as silent as the grave on every one of the personal charges. I am having complete statements made up regarding contracts, in anticipation of a debate on this subject, which will show, I am sure, won- derfully well for me. * * * * John A. and his supporters are, how- ever, bent on a policy of detraction and slander, and it is amazing with how many an evil imi)ression will remain, if the lies are iillowed to run to any length unchecked, and yet I loatlie touching such a business This, and my natural disinclination to deal in personal charges or insinuations, almost sicken me of public life." Following up this policy of detraction, to w^hich Mr. Mac- kenzie here refers, certain newspapers charo-ed him with ])q- ing interested in lands at Fort William, which place was chosen as the Lake Superior terminus of the railway, and also with giving information to his brother's firm in advance in regard to the increase of the tariff on iron tubing. An action for libel, which he brought against the propagators of this slan- der, resulted in the amplest apology and the complete with- drawal ot the charges. Those who were concerned in the cks^tions of 1878 will re- member that the steel rail transaction, as it was called, was used by the Conservative party most dishonorably for the ]uu'posc of discrediting Mr. Mackenzie and the Government. \^Q was in duty bound as the head of his department to see that no delays occurred in the construction of the i-aihvay. Why should he not have on hand a quantity ul' rails in order that delay might be avoided ? To purchase in a falling market when steel rails had dropped fiom .S>SO to .'ir-jQ a Ion, itud while the best advices that could be obtained went to show that prices were more likely to ad\'ance than decline, was just what any business man W(»uld lia\e done. Had it been his litioal fiympatln'os. Dr. Tupper was then but little known in Ontario, lie had a yreat lepu- tation as a stump speaker in Nova Scotia. Ho Avas in the prime of life and vigiU'. He Iiad to meet the high expoctalions of a campaign moot- ing. Lie was inspired by tlie recollections of a partial triunii)h over Mr. Huntington at Oshawa on the ])reviou8 night. Whiitever opinidns one may entertain as to the merits of the Conservative progranuue, there can r: r THE NATIONAL POLICY FIRST DISCUSSED. 433 1)L' lU) question but that Sir John Mucclonald, Dr. Tupper and their asso- ciates did magnificent fighting against the Mackenzie Administration. On this occasion Mr. Mackenzie addressed a clear, powerful, argumenta- tive speech to the great meeting. He roused his supporters to a liigli pitch of enthusiasm, silenced eveiy symptom of hostile criticism among his opponents, and seemed to compel a unanimous verdict for his candi- date and his Government. Dr. Tiipjier followed, and by his sounding volume of words, pliysical vigor and intrepid assaults on the Liberal Premier's positions, seemed not leas completely to draw the meeting to his side, and to establish that dishonesty, unwisdom and reckless indill'erenco to the ])ublic well-being marked and marred every act and motive of the Mackenzie Administration. lie even charged, with grim humor, tliat the weevil and the potato bug had come in with the Liberals, and that the dry summer was -^.nn to Mr. Mackenzie's neglect. These were the days when the exaltjition of the exodus and the cry of hard times were the highest efforts of patriotism. Hardly had Dr. Tupper spoken his last word when Mr. Mackenzie stepped before the chairman, and with stern eyes faced the exultai ■ Conservativts and the downcast Liber- als. He stood calm and unsmiling while a whirlwind of Tory cheering swept through the building. The Liberals answered feebly at first, then with growing strength and confidence, and, as tlie Liberal leader dropped his oj)ening sentences, with a rising enthusiasm that soon grew into a volume of triumphant shouting. There was a swift, almost a fierce vigor in Mr. Mackenzie's words. There were teeth in every sentence. There was a blow in every utterance. He seemed to take Dr, Tupper's speech and rend it and throw the rags down to his triumphant folhnvers. Hundreds of Liberals in the great audience leaped from their seats in positive delight ; even many Consenatives, carried away by the thorough- ness of the performance, chuckled in a quiet way over tho terrible hog- ging administered to their representative, and a frenzy of chi oring marked the close of Mr. Mackenzie's wonderful fifteen minutes' work." BD CHAPTER XXIX. AN IRKSOME SESSION OF PARLIAMENT. Clianges in the Cabinet Since 1873 — Their Effect Upon the Government — New Appointments Made — Mr. IJrown on Laurier — Extradition — Mr. Blake's Bill — Opening of tlie House witii Prayer — Budget Speech Again — Protection versus Free Trade — Tlie Agricultural Interests of the Country — Tiie Pacific Railway — Port Francis Locks— Mr, Mackcn.iie's Defence — Godcrich Harbor — Tlio Independence of Parliament and Mr. Anglin — Mr. Mills at Washing- ton Mr. Mackenzie's Sympathy — Two Interesting Letters. ^% EFORE entering upon the consideration of the pro- ceedings of 1877, it may be well to notice some of the changes made in the Administration since its formation in November, 1873. In 1874, a vacancy having occurred in the Chief Justiceship of Quebec, it was necessary that an ap- pointment should be made at once. The qualification for such an office required the selection of a man of the higliest legal standing available, and in making the selection it was but natural that Mr. Mackenzie should first look among his friends for a person fitted to fill such an office. The Hon. A. A. Dorion, then Minister of Justice, was leader of the bar of his own province, and was, beyond doubt, one of the ablest lawyers in the comitry. Mr. Mackenzie at once concluded to offer Mr. Dorion the position. " Concerning Mr, Dorion," he said, in writing to a friend, "I felt bound to make him the ofi'er of the Chief Justiceship, when I found that the state of the courts rc(|uired nn inmiediate appointment, lie 434 f AX iuksome session of pahliamext. 435 had not contemplated leaving the Government, and mentioned a name to me for the vacancy. I then told him that I had in- tended offering it to him, and that, sorry as I was to part with him, I thought the time had come when he should act in his own interest." The removal of Mr. Dorion from the Government was a great loss to Mr. Mackenzie, and any leader less anxious to maintain the high standing of the court, before weakening his cabinet, as Mr. Mackenzie did in this case, would have found some other way of filling the vacancy. For twenty years, Mr. Dorion was regarded as the leader of tiie French Liberals. He had the fullest confidence of his own i'ollowers in Quebec, and was greatly admired and beloved as 'vseli, by the Liberals of Ontario. ^Ir. Brown chose him for a colleague when he organiseil his ill-fated Government in 1858, and from that day to his retirement from the Cabinet, Mr. Dorion never lost a friend or a follower. We have already referred to the appointment of Mr. D. A. Macdonald, Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, in 187o. Li Eastern Ontario, Mr. Macdonald was a tower of strength to his party. Among lloman Catholics, he was regarded as a leader. Among Liberals, he was roganled as the most uncom- promising oppuncnt of Tory misrule. So resolute was he in defence of his principles, that lu' frei^uently opposed his brother, John Sandfield Macdonald, in his efibrts to settle the political difierences t)f the country liy submitting to the dic- tation of the ConscrvatiN'e party. The appointment of Mr. David Laird, Lieutenant-Gover- nor of the North-West in J 87(5, was a loss to Mr. Mackeii/cio in the Maritime Provinces. Mr. Laird was a man of wide experience in public life, an aljle journalist and a successful politician. As Premier of Prince Edward Island, he imjiress- 436 LIFE OF THE IIOX. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. \ ed himself on that province, and as a platFonn speaker he was of great service to the party. In a letter addressed to Governor Laird at Battleford, four months after the defeat of his Government, Mr. Mackenzie gives the reason for making this appointment. " I was very sorry to lose you when you went to the North- West, but it was so essential to the public welfare to have a fast friend and an upright man in a position of such vast importance, that I felt m3^self compelled to submit to the sac- rifice." Mr. Laird replied: "I appreciate your assurance that you were sorry to lose me as a colleague. Well, the truth is I did not want to leave the Government at that time. My friends, too, on the Island, were opposed to my accepting the new post, and I was loth to desert those with whom I had fought so many hai'd battles. But you urged me to accept, and, like a loyal supporter, I yielded, supposing that }'0u, somehow, thought it would be in the interest of the country.' Another loss to his Government was the appointment of Mr. Letellier de St. Just, Lieut.-Governor of Quebec, in Decem- ber, ]87G. Mr. Letellier had been for many years the comrade- in-arms of Mr. Dorion. He was a Radical of the Radicals, courageous in the defence of his party, and, on account of his per.sonal magnetism, well calculated to be a leader of men. Mr. Fournier, who had served with ability as Minister of Justice and Postmaster-General, was appointed to the Supreme Court. His retirement from the Government was also a loss to the party. So far as the Province of Ontario was concerned, fewer changes had taken place in tlie personnel of the Government. Although Mr. Blake was sworn in as a nuMuber of the Privy Council in 1.S7M, he had not accepted a portfolio. But his lie L'th- I W- ^^-^c^^^-y^^-^-'-^-r^^ (Facsimile of Hon. Echvard BbiktH hand-ivriting.) 438 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. presence in the cabinet was regarded by his friends as a fitting tribute to his eminent abilities and his services to the party. His resignation in February, 1874, called forth expressions ol' regret from all parts of the Dominion. Had his health per- mitted him to accept office, and to discharge the full duties of a cabinet minister, tliere is no doubt he would have greatly lightened Mr. Mackenzie's cares in dealing with the many complicated questions that arose in the course of his Adminis- tration. Mr. Blake became Minister of Justice in 1875. His retirement in 1877 was greatly felt by Mr. Mackenzie. Speak- ing of this matter in the House, in reply to enquiries made by Sir John Macdonald with regard to ministerial changes, Mr. Mackenzie said : " I cannot but express my extreme regret that I should be compelled to part with a colleague with whom I have acted all my political life, under whom I once served wlien he acted as Premier of Ontario, and who acted so cordially with the present Administration, since its advent to office There was no ditference in an}- matter of policy between my honorable friend and his colleagues, and I am quite sure that the restoration of his wonted health will give pleasure to al- most every one in Canada ■who takes an interest in the re- tention of men of great ability and high personal character in the councils of the country." The appointment of Mr. Cauchon, Lieutenant-Governor of Manitoba, was a change in the Ciovernment regretted by few. ^Ir. Cauchon was no doubt a man of great ability and per- severance. He was a journalist of some distinction, and as a pamphleteer had rendered valuable servic . to the country in promoting Confederation among his French compatriots in Quebec. But his connection with the Beauport asylum had greatly weakened his inlluence, and had given the opponents AN IRKSOME SKSSIOX OF PAIiLIAAIENT. 439 of the Government an opportunity for indul;^in<^ in sunorations in the United States. The facility of transportation between the two countries is no doubt often counted upon by those wlio medi- tate the appropriation to thirl r own use of moneys coming into their possession by virtue of their ofiice. To allow such per- sons to escape the punishment they daserve by law, or per- haps, more cori-ectly speaking, by the absence of law, is to place a premium upon dishonesty. On motion by i\Ir. John Macdonidd, of Toronto, the House was asked to consider the propriety of opening its proceedings by prayer, as was done in the Senate, and for that purpo.se either to appoint a ch;i])lain or iri the absence of the chaplain that prayers should l»e read by the Clerk of the House. Mr. Macdonald pointed t)ut tiiat a form of ])rayer agreed upon iiy the Ivoman Cath(»lic bishop of (.Quebec and the Protestant rector was used in the oj)ening of the Council of that pro- House iccdiiigs I 111" pose i:i[)!iua '. -Mr. l[n)]\ liy )teste read by the Speaker of the House in the language most familiar to him, and that members should stand during sucli service. Out of deference to the Fj-ench-speaking meuiljers of the House, the practice has been established of reading the prayers in French and in English on alternate days. The budget speech, as in the session of 187G, was the signal for a lonir discussion of the linancial condition of the countrv, and ])articularly of the remedy which, in tlie opinion of the Conservative party, should be applied to the financial strin- gency which for several yeai's existed. To begin with, there was a deficit of $1,980,000, with very large obligations in connection with the ])ublic woi-ks, requiring innnediate atten- tion. The revenue was not showing much evidence of buoy- ancy, notwithstanding the increase in the duties, and the ()p- })osition made the most of tliese circumstances. Dr. Tup]»er, as in the previous stission, played the part of linancial critic, and in a speech nearly three hours in length dealt with the alleged extravagance of the Government and their inaitility loflnd a remedy for the connnercial depression of the country. Mr. Mackenzie replied to Ur. Tui)pei', defending the policy of the Government, and riugh the merits of our .'l.V IliKSOME SESSIOX OF rARLIAMENT. 45.-. S.-wiour. This, iifter uU, ia more than earthly honor, or long life, as our utmost length of days is too brief to be noticed in the light of eternity. "Yours very faithfully, A. Mackk.nzik." Tlie second letter, written ;i I'ew weeks al'terwards, is to the widow ot the Rev. Geo. M. MeDouo'all, the devoted Aletliodist mi.ssionary in the North- West. Mr. MeDougall was a man oL' great force ot" character, whose whole life was heroically consecrated to missionary work anionic tiie Indians, who oreatly loved and trusted him. He rendered valuable services to the Indian Treaty Conunissioners in their dealing- with the Indians in the North-West Territories in InT-I. Tlie manner of his death was peculiarly sad and aHeetini;'. He became separated from ids company, and missed his way on tlie prairie in a blinding snow storm. Subsecpiently he was foumlcalndy sleeping the sleep of death in the drifting snow. Mr. Mac- kenzie caused a gratuity of SoOO to be paid to his wiilow. The expressions of her acknowledgments ilrew from the Premier this beautiful reply : ^ "Ottawa, Feb. L'Otli, 1878. "Dear Madam, — Mr. Macdonald [the e.\-Senator of Toronto] has in- formed me of your letter to him of the 22nd inst., in which y(m convey to the Government your acknowletlgments for tlie payment of $500 on account of your late luisband's services. I will couunmiicate to my colleagues your message. " I assure you that nothing could be more gratefid to my own feelings than to have it in my power to do .something for the family of one who was so devoted to (Jod and liis country as your late Limented husband. The tragic story of Mr. McDougall's death, on Ids chosen tield of labor, where he had done so mucli to elevate the character of the uncivilized natives, is one of the saddest incidents coimocted with the history of our western possessions. It drew forth the syin[)athies of all true men to yourself under your deep alfliction. It is but little that outsiders can do under such circumstances, as the stricken heart prefers its own loneliness to the intrusive sympathy of strangers. You have, however, the conso- i i h. t - I 456 LIFE or THE I [OX. ALEXAX.ER MACKEXZIE. lation of knowing tli.it your late liusbaiul died nol>ly at iiis post after a laborious and self-denying life. I little thought when I had my last long interview with him concerning niir fur-off land, that in so short a time he would pass from that land to a still furiher off inheritance, where he would see the King in His beauty, whom in common with his earthly sovereign he had served so faithfully here. Permit me to add that I shall always take an interest in your welfare, though I iiave not the honor of your personal acquaintance. I am, dear madam, ** Yours faithfully, A. M.vckknzu:. "Mrs. McDougall, Thoinl)ury, Out." Kindnesses like these were continual witii Mr. Mackenzie, and they were like the gentle rain from heaven " which bles- seth liiui that gives, and hiin that takes." Writing to his dauo-hter when he was in the North-West Territories in Aumist of 1884, Mr. Mackenzie says : " I met a priest here to whom I once rendered some service, who was very grateful and very kind. A message was also sent me by the widow of the Re\'. George McDougall, a devoted Methodist Missionary, whom I had emplo3^ed on Indian work, who was lost in a storm. I called to see the old lady. It seems that I had written her after an event of so much sadness, especially to her, though I had forgotten it. She had the letter with her, and wept freely when she saw me. I was nuich touched by her unaflected and feeling words and manner in referring to the great sorrow of her life, and was glad to think that any poor words of mine might have alleviated her distress." Mr. Mackenzie had friends in pastors of all the churches. One of the good deeds brought to light for the first time when he died had reference to a minister of the Presbyterian Church, whose name has been given us, and wlio evidently him.self prints the statement. The minister, now a learned doctor, was driving to the station at Sarnia, when his horse ran away, and he was badly hurt. He was brought back to ^'%l'\^ % AN IRKSOME SESSION OF I'AL'/JAMENT. 437 /Tty 'Ax ^4^ /^^ /y" y^^l^C^ «^^ii^^^3^«^:^'i2^S2^,^ // i-z^ /l-:^^^- (Fac-simile of Sir John A. MacdonakVs hmul-writinr/.) 458 Liri-: or the rrox. Alexander mackexzie. Mr. Mackenzie's house, where he lay for some weeks, nursed with the tenderes^. care. During that time Mr. Mackenzie was appointed a minister in tlie Cabinet of Ontario. "One day," continues the narrator, " Mrs. Mackenzie was sitting by the sick bed, when a letter was handed to her. She read it in silence, while a quiet tear stole down her cheek. The patient askeil if there was any bad news. Without a wonl she handed him the ktter. It Avas from her husband, telling her of his appointment, recalling all the ways by which they had been led through life, and asking her to pray for him now, that he might be kept right amid the temptations and difficulties of his responsible position." This letter with many others, which Mrs. Mackenzie highly valued, it may be here mentioned, was destroyed by a fire in Ottawa during Mr. ^Mackenzie's administration. MM':^ ^'s.M^m\ >ii^U&:':. mmi " 1M CHAPTER LAST SESSION IN POWER. nittorncs-^ of Parlies—Sir John's Attack on Mr. Aiiglin—'riio Premier's De- fence—Long and Acrimonious Debate on the Address — The Turning Point of Depression Reached— Mr. Mowat olVcred a seat in tlie Cioverninent — The Fighting ({round for tlie Elections Liiid Out— Tiie rrotective i'olipy— The Auditor-General— Teniperauue Legislutiou— Another Stride Towards Self- Governnient. HE fiith session of Parliament, tlie last with Mi-. Mackenzie as Premier, commenced, continued, and endetl amidst feelin<;s of bitterness. Few parlia- mentary recoj'ds are more painful than the last six ^:^ }iaf)es of Kansard for the year 1878, when, even while Black Hod was knocking at the door to summon the meml '^rs of the House of Connnons to meet His Excellency in the Senate, a scene was beino- enacted such as those wlio witnessed it will ne\'er forget. 15ad as it apjx^ars on the face of the oilicial debates, it wsis far worse than the picture pre- sented there. Owing to the resignation of Mr. Aiiglin, as member for Gloucester, the Speakership which he held was vacated also, and ic became the first iluty of the House on the re-assembling of rarliament, on the 7th of February, to elect a Speakt-r. Mr. Anglin, for the previous four years, had prt-aided with marked ability and impartiality. By iiia long exponcnco in Parliament he had become familiar with the routine of the House, and by his study of parliamentary procedure he was 45! » I \ m 4U0 LIFE OF THE JIOX. ALEXANDEli MACKEXZIF:. '^ able, as a rule, to give decisions on points of order with great promptness. By placing him in the chair in the first instance, Mr. Mackenzie lost an able ally on tli^ floor of tlie House. But as Mr. Anglin had sustained so well the dignity of his [)Osition, and as his constituents had shown by their returning him to Parliament that, notwithstanding the attacks of his opponents, they still maintained their confidence in him, it was due both to his record as a member of the House and as Speaker, that he should be continued during the full Pai'lia- mentary term. Sir John A. Macdonald objected to Mr. Anglin's re-nomina- tion, chiefly on technical grounds. He said that the member for Gloucester was a new member, and, according to the ywac- tice of the English House of Commons, he could not be known to the House until introduced by two members, and not being introduced, he was not eligible as Speaker. Mr. Mackenzie quietl}' replied by asking the House to note that Sir John Macdonald himself had never been introduced. Tiiey had therefore been iistening to a speech of neai'ly an hour from a person who, according to his own showing, had no business there and was not a member, The same honorable gentleman rose in his place last session to excuse an honorable meudter who entered the House not only without being intro- duced, but without taking the oaths. Sir John A. Macdonald had appealed to the English |)ractice, but the rule in (Ir^at Britain required a member to be sworn before the Speiiker necessitating the appointment of a Speaker before he couM be sworn, while here he was sworn, as Mr. Anglin had been sworn, before the clei-k, upon producing his certiticate of election. In the British House of Connnons the Speaker is elected by the members before any of them takes the oath. Then the Speaker aione, " standing on the upper step of the chair, takes LAST SESSIOX IX POWER. 461 tlie oath of alleg-ianco and supremacy, and takes and sniiscribes the oath of abjuration, and also delivers to the clerk of tlie House a statement of his qualification, and makes and sub- scribes a declaration that he is duly qualified, in which cere- mony he is followed by the other members who are present." Here the practice was wholly different, and the rule of tlie Imperial House of Commons could not be made by any possi- bility to a]iply. There was no power to exclude a duly-elected member from this House, whatever might be the manner of his enirance into it. Sir John, however, pressed his objection, and unsuccessfully divided the House. The speech from the Throne was an excellent sumiihuy of the work of the past year, and contained an outline of .sutH- cient leo'islation for a session of ordinary l<'n<>tli. His Excel- lenc}' referred to the settlement of the fishery claims under the Washinnton Treaty, and the award of five and a half mil- lion dollars in favor of Canada and Newfoundland for the use of their fisheries duriny,- the treaty; to the exhibition of Can- adian manufactures in New Soutli \V;ile.s, as likely to open a wider market for the products of the countiy ; to treaties made with the Indiais, by which the whole of the territory froiii Luke Superior to the Rocky Mountains had been acipur- ractically .ste[i[)ed out into the political rin;,^ at Ottawa in mortal combat. Dr. Tupper h;el just been inilul;^dn;,f in etl'u- HJvo sell'-con^n'atulations on tJi(^ succ(>ss ol' the eloction.s that had tnken pkute durini^f tin? recess, atid particulai-ly ovei' the defeat ol' lion. W. \'>. \'ail, I'ormerly MiiMst(!r ol' Militia. Tie' Tate whii'h oveitook Mr. \'ail, was just the Tate, hi- said, which Mr. .lones deserved, I'oi" he was not loyal to tin; l'>m[)ire. ' "rtl' LASr .SAW.SVOA' JX row Eli. 4g;{ IVO COll- by ail'- lotsiil of ■•1 otlico. (•(■ii.surc. liC'V ex- )])<)l't('l'.S. , Iiut not isll I'.'K'C. \ S('Iio(j1 flUloli(:S. ific lliiil- t,('*l llpOIl ilvaiM-i'il, ■itill l.Mi- ent, am! tlic oars ipliasis. »Iaco be- tbi' most . TupptT Militia. ilatl'oi III ■II tbey ,ta\va in ill cli'il- oiis that jver tbi; ia. 'V\u' wbicli Mr. Jones rcpb'ftl \vitli Tnai-lr tbf House, and tlir ajtplausu with wliicb bis nniarks \v;to I'cccivjd nnist bavc convinciid l)f. 1"up[)or tbat to attack Mi". Joiirs was lujt tin; best way to im- prove bis position in the Ib^iise. It ina.y not be ^^-cniially known tliat wlien Mr. lilakc^ sent in bis resignation as Minister ressed with the great iasues, constitution.d and otherwise, for which ho was responsible as I'leuiicsr of the greatest I'rovince of the m 4G4 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. Dominion, such a pvoposal would have been immediately accepted. Mr. Mowat's refusal adds another to the many obli- gations under which he has placed his native province. •'Toronto, Jan. 15th, 1877. "Mv Deau Mackenzie, — I continue to think that I ^;hould nob consider the question of leaving the local House, until after our general election. Should you then propose it to me, it would be my duty to weigh well the considerations, political and personal, which might then bear on such a change, and either for it or against it. If a decision before our local elections should be necessary, my present impression is that I ought to remain where I am, in order to perform my part in securing for the pro- vince a good Reform majority for another term ; and I have not con- sidered the matter further. *' Tours ever, 0. Mowat." In his budget speech, the Minister of Finance pointed to a consideral)le reduction in the expenditures per capita, as con- trasted with the period before the Government took office, and to the probability that the dangers which at that time beset the country would soon be removed. Under these circum- stances he said ; " It appears to mo to bo our wisest policy, to adhere strictly to a revenue tarift", and to advance steadily but continuously with those im- portant ])ublic works which cannot be delayed without grave public injury ; also to fulfil, as far as we can, all the engagements we have entered into, witli this proviso, however, that tliose engagements must not be allowed to imperil our general position, or to endanger the future of the whole population of this country. I do not pretend to say that all risks are past, but I think I am justified in asserting that the risks, at any rate, have been considerably lessened. I do not look for any sudden expansion. I can hardly say that I desire any very sudden expansion ; but I do believe that wo may f.iirly count ou a steady and gradual pro- gress, such as we know by past exi)erienco has rarely failed to exist in Canada, oven under circumstances quite as disadvantageous as those with which we are now confronted." LAST SESSION IN POWED. 465 As leader of the Opposition, Sir John A. Macdonald pre- sented his annual resolution upon the policy ol* his party on the trade question. These resolutions have already been noticed in their proper place. The resolution of 1878 was, no doubt, expanded for election purposes, as in its enlarfijed form it covers several points not embraced in the previous resolu- tions. It was as follows : " This House is of the opinion that the welfare of Canada requires the adoption of a national [lolicy, which, by a judicious readjustment of the tariff, will Ijenefit and foster the agricultural, the mining, the manufactur- ing and other interests of the Dominion ; that such a policy will retain in Canada thousands of our fellow countrymen now obliged to expatriate themselves in search of the employ- ment denied them at home; will restore prosperity to the struggling industries, now so sadly (K.'[)ressed; will prevent Canada from being made a sacrifice market ; will encourage and develop an active interpro\'incial trade, and moving (as it ought to do) in the direction of a reciprocity of tariti's with our neighbors, so far as tlie varied interests of Canada may demand, will greatly tend to procure for this country, eventu- ally, a reciprocity of trade." It will be observed that in this resolution it is stated for the first time that a protective tariff would prevent Canadians from expatriating themselves in search of employment denied linjmat home, and that in addition to preventing Canada from being made a sacrifice market, a protective tai'ifi' would ulti- mately lead to reciprocity with the United States. Tlu' virtues of protection were evidently growing upon the imagination of the Conservatives the longer the question was discusst'il. A system that in 187G was calculated to foster the "struggling m.MUufactures and industries, as well as the agri- cultural products of the country," in 1877 would also benefit DJ) 46e LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. the mininrr interests of the Dominion, and, in 1878, would, in addition to all this, keep Canadians at home, furnish tiiem with abundant employment, increase inter-provincial trade, and eventually secure reciprocity with the United States. How much of what was then expected has been realised need not be here discussed. The last decennial census and the McKinley Bill may be consulted by those interested in further investigations. The debate, which commenced on the 22nd of February and lasted until the 12th of March, was, of course, the chief feature of the session, laying out, as it did, the fighting grou ml for the forthcominrj elections. Sir John A. MacdonaM's amendment was lost hy a majorit}' of 114 to 77. At other periods of the session, the agricultural interests and the coal interests of the country were discussed in spccitic resolutions, a.sking for the interference of the Government in their behalf, the vote in each case being nmch smaller than the vote on the general policy of protection. During this session, the House was so nnich occupied with the discussion of the trade (question as to be unable to give but little attention to legislation. Two or three of the must important measures may, however, be mentioned. In order to secure a more careful audit of the public ac- counts, and to provide for the expenditure of ])ublic moneys in strict compliance with the Supply Bill, it was thought necessary, following the practice of England, to provide lor the appointment of an Auditor-General, wlio should IkjM ollice during good behavior, but removalile by the Governor- General on an address by the Senate and the House of Com- mons. The Auditor-General is vested with a mitted to the Governor-General, and publicly announ- ced in the official Gazette of the province in which such county or city is situated, a vote by ballot is to be taken as to wliether on tlie day on which the Act takes effect, any person shfdl be allowed to sell intoxicating liquors as a beverage, so long as the Act continues in force. When the bill was before the House of Connnons, Mr. Mac- kenzie, who had it in charge, went very fully into a discussion of what he expected it would accomplish, and of the machin- ery which it provided for restraining the liquor traffic. " lie had always felt that wliile tho people had an absolute riyht to such legislation as would practically pruhiliit the sale and manufacture of in- toxicating licpiors, yet it was one of th(ise moral questions which must ultimately bo determined by tho general voi(;o of tho people, by the gen- eral sympathies of tho popuhition, and that however righteous such an Act !|l 468 LIFE OF THE If OX. ALEXAXDER MAGKEXZIE. miglit bo, however boiifficial in the general resiiUs to tlio n.-.iion, j'ot it was one that intcrferotl in a certain manner — in the opininn of some to a great extent— witli the liberties of the peo[)]e in reference to the trade in, and use of, intoxicating liiiuors of all kinds. But a \ery large i)roi)or- tion of the pe()[)le of this country — a large majority of them, indeed — be- lieved that the limitation of tliis traflic was almost essentially necessary for the prosiierity of tlie country. This bill had bfun luoposcd with a view of having an etVeotive pt-riiiissive measuiL' placed in the hands of the people of .all the provinces, with its m.achinery adapted to a «[uick and prompt response to public opinion, when it should declare itself by a ma- jority in favor of this uicasun^ It was a matter of serious import to this country, it was one of the greatest possible imjiortance in its social and political aspects, and iliere could be no doubt whatever, apart from ques- tions of taxation and other questions which arose, that it was one of the greatest possiltle importance to this country that we should be able in some way or otlier lo check the torrents of intoxication, which for many years had been increasing and pouring in, in an uidimitcd sti'cam over the land. No one, he thought, could doulit that, aiul iuiy one who Imd ob- served the course of 2>i't'ceedings at great public gatherings must have been satisfied that the temperance agitation had already resulted, even without the enactment of any law, in materiidly producing the desire to abstain from the excessive use of .stinudants in the shape of spirits. It was the duty of eveiy one who loved his country, and who wished well to our institutions and to our churches, to endeavor to aid those who had been devoting their voluntary etibi'ts to the accomplishment of this end, and he was sure this House, in connnon witli the other branch of the Legislature, would cordially respond to the invitation given by the intro- duction of this rill, in aiding to the extent of their power in repressing a tratlic which had produced so nuich disaster of every kind, and which threatened, if left uncontrolled, to exercise a still more disastrous and permanent evil influence on the destinies of this country. " But very little objection was taken to the bill in its passage through the House of Counuons. The Speaker, who, while the House 18 in Conunittee ol' the Whole, has the same privi- leges as any other member, objected to the measure as tyran- *-(ical. A prohibituiy law in the Province of New Brunswick LAST SESSION IN POWER. 4G9 n, yet it uinc tij !i trado in, ])ro[ii>i'- eecl — bo- leccssary (1 with a Ills of the [uick and by a nia- H't to this social and roiii ques- une of the )0 able in for many 11 (iver the (. had ob- iiuist have ilted, even ! desire to spirits. It lod well to u who had f this end, nch of the ^ the intro- epressing a and which istruus and ts passage while the me privi- as tyran- [>ruiis\vick from wlilch he came was repealen'tain clauses dealing with mutters which now conio viithin the proviiico of the I'rovincial Governments and are dealt with by LAST SESS/OX IX POWEIi. 471 local legislation, over which the (jovernor-Gencr.il and his advisers prac- tically exercise no control. "All such questions, it was wisely contended by Mr. Blake, should be left to be determined by he application to them, as they might arise, of the constitutional principles involved in the establishment in Canada of [)arliamentary government. The authority of the Crown in every colony is suitably and undeniably vested in the Governor. He possesses the full constitutional powers which Her Majesty, if she were ruling personally instead of through his agency, could exercise. The Governor-General has an undoubted right to refuse compliance with the advice of his INIinis- ters, whereupon the latter must either adopt and become res[)onsible for his views, or leave their places to be tilled by others prepiired to take that course. "Even in respect to questions which may involve Imperial as distinct from Canadian interests, it appeared to Mr. Blake iiiadvisabli;, if not im- possible, to formulate any rule of limitation for tlie conduct of the (iov- ernor-General. 'The truth is,' he observes, ' tliat Imperial interests are, under our present system of government, to be secured in matters of Canadian executive policy, not by any such clause in a Governor's in- structions (which would be practically inoperative, and if it can be sup- posed to be operative would be mischievoas), but by unitual good feeling and by projjer consideration on the part of Her Majesty's Canadian ad- visers, the Ci'own necessarily retaining all its constitutional rights and powers which would l)e exercisable in any emergency in which the indi- c acd securities nught be found U) fail.' He therefore suggested ilie omisoiou of all clauses in the Uoyal instructions to Governors of Canada wlii(.h were of this nature. 'I'he sections of the Uritish North Ann rica Act delining auci reguhuing the exercise of the powers which ai)pertain to the olhce of ( io\('nior-(ieneral in a system of government expressly declared by that statute to be ' similar in i)rinciple to that of the United Kingdom,' were, in Mr. I'dake's judgment, am])ly sutlioient to determine the constitutional status and authority of that otiicer, subject, of course, ' to any further instructions, special or general, which tlio Crown may carefully give, should circumslauco render that course desirable.' " The effect ol' tliosi; (,'hiinn;os is to reliovo Ciiuadii fniin tlio interrLToncu ol" tl»o Colonial Office on all matti'i-s imt |inro|y 472 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKE.\'/JE. m Tmporial in their character. As was said by the Earl of Carnar- vou : " When interests outside the Dominion are directly affect- ed there is no authority except the Imperial authority whicli is in a position to decide, and those are the only matters now remaining for the Colonial Office to direct." It is the habit of some who know little of Mr. Mackenzie's zeal for his country to depreciate his services during the five years of his Administration. Any person, however, who studies with a candid mind his Administration from his ac- ceptance of office in 1873 until his retirement in 1878, will find that he was not only an executive officer of great ability and force, but that he was a man of broader statesmanship than is usually recognised even by many of his friends. What Sir Oliver Mowat has done for Ontario in maintaining her constitution and her provincial rights, Mr. Mackenzie has done for the Dominion of Canada in her relations with the Colonial Office. In the troubles with British Columbia; in the commissi(m to negotiate a treaty at Washington in 1874 ; in the appoint- ment of a commissioner to determine the amount to be paid under the Washington Treaty in 1877 ; and in the relief from the interference of the Colonial Office, secured in the amended instructions to the Governor-General of Canada, Mr. Macken- zie proved himself a persistent and successful advocate of colonial rights. Had he given more of his time to the redis- tribution of constituencies, or to the preparation of Franchise Acts, by which things would be made comfortable for his friends ; or had he studied how to distribute custom houses, post offices, light houses and piers, so as to influence elections, or had he accepted contributions from contractors or rings of protected manufacturers in order to aid struggling candidates; or had he set aside a secret service fund on which he coidd LAST SESSIOX IN POWER. 473 draw on his own warrant, he might have been a greater statesman, as statesmanship is by some regarded, but he would not have been so true a Canadian nor so wortliy of that high place among the noblest of her sons which he now occupies. To have given her a larger measure of freedom in the manage- ment of her own affairs, to have forced upon the Colonial Office the recognition of her absolute independence, except when Imperial interests were concerned, are acts of statesmanship to which every student of history will refer with pleasure. CPTAPTER XXXI. GOVERNOR LETELLIER'S COUP d'ETAT. The Case Before Parliament — Motion to Declare His Action "Unwise" — How the Premier Met it — Tiie Dominion (Jovernment not Privy to tlie Pro- ceeding — Lord Lome Assailed- Gov. Lctelliei' Dismissed — Address to Lord Dufferin — His Excellency "s Sense of the Premier's Kindness — Bids Parlia- ment Farewell— Government I'olioy on the Railway — Legislation With- tlrawn — Release from a Turbulent ycssion. wswr r the bc<;"iiiiiiii^- of Mareli, 1S7.S, rnnailn was starHcl by an cxti'iiordinaiy act on the part of one of its mimic kings. On the 1st of that month, Mr. Le- tellior, the Liberal Lieutenant-Governor, performed the coup (Vetat of dismissing his corstitiitioiial ad- visers, the Conservative ]^e Boucherville Ciovernment, giving chiefly as his reason for so doing that his prerogatives had been slighted by the submission of measures to the Legis- lature without prior consultation with and sanction by him as the executive head. Other grounds of complaint were that the Attorney-General, tlirough misrepresentation, had placed him in an equivocal position by causing him to make the ap- pointment of a municipal councillor in Montmagny, under the pretext that there had been no election, when an election had actually been lield and a candidate returned, so that the (jues- tion to bo decided was one for the courts ; that his name had been appended to proclamations and other instruments of which ho had received no ])revious knowledgj ; and that the treatment of him genei'ally by his Ministers had been of a 474) nwise — ) llie Pro- s to Lord ,1s Tarlia- 011 Wilh- stavtlod le of its Mr. Le- jrformed ion ill ad- ermncnt, I'ogativea lie Lcgis- ly hiiu as vere that id plaeeJ e the ap- under the 'ction had tht' (juos- naiiic had nnents of .1 that the been of a GOVEIiXOR LETELLIEIi'S COUP DETAT. 475 most iinccremoniouR, not to say contumolious cliaracter. For all these reasons the Lieutenant-Governor expressed to the Premier the regret he felt in being no longer able to retain him and his colleagues in their positions, " contrary to the rights and prerogatives of the Crown." The Hon. Luc Letellier de St. Just was the descendant of a good French family. He was proud and high-spirited, but courteous in manner and stately of appearance and bearing. " Jealous in lionor, sudden and quick in quarrel," he was neither a meddlesome man nor a man to be meddled with. In Ml-. Sandflold Macdonnlil's Administration, as well as in Mr. Mackenzie's Government, he held the portfolio of Minister of Agriculture. Towards the close of the vear 1870, he was sent down to Spencer Wood to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Mr. Caron, as Lieutenant-Governor of Quebec. Shortly afterwards Mr. ^lacken/ie described him, in writing to a friend, as "always a, modei'ate man in the expression of very (Ircidcd views, and not personally objectionable to any one." lie was glad, he said, to find that the appointment had givGU very general satisfaction. The contracted, prejudiced, parochial character of the Que- bec Government was manifested in a manner that a village politician wouhl be aslianuMl of. One would senroh for a long time without timling a narrower spirit of intolerance than is ;|iPi 476 LIFE OF THE IIOX. ALEXANDER MACKEXZIE. depictofl in the following passage in a letter from Mr. Macken- zie to Mrs. Mackenzie, from Quebec, in the latter part of June, 1S7G: "Tlio pdblic dinner to tlic G'ovcrnnr rjnicriil was a grfiml affair ; mi the whole, the best I have seen in Canada. The Local Gcjvernnient, on the morning of the day, withdrew their acceptances, because tlie Federal Govennnent were to be represented tliere and toasted. I at once went to the Mayoi', and offered to remain away, but he refused his assent, and insisted that T .should go and speak, lie was backed up by the unani- mous voice of the committee, T(jry and Liberal. I then informed Lord Dufferin of wliat had happened. lie also insisted so "trongly on my going that I relinquished my intention of staying away. The littleness and bad taste of the Quebec Government in sliowing ill feeling to me had the effect of making my reception l)y the audience most entliusiastic. Prominent Conservatives were very much ashamed of tlieir leaders, and hastened to assure nie they had no sympathy with them. The Mayor behaved very handsomely, as indeed did every one else." When the Confvideration Act conferred upon the Central Government the power of appointing Lieutenant-Governors of the provinces, many were apprehensive of just such collisions between them and their advisers as we have since witnessed in the neighboring province. A governorship is too great a prize to be given by a Dominion Premier to men, however dis- tinguished, who have no political claims. Retired judges and persons of position and attainments in the purely intellectual sphere, who, because they have no politics, arc naturally the most fitted for holding evenly the balance of power between contending parties, are therefore passed over for others of pro- minence who are pronounced in their party views and strong in their party allegiance. Diverse elements are often thus brought into conflict, and if self-restraint is wanting on the part of either the Lieutenant-Governor or the Ministry, there is at all times a lurking danger lest serious difforcncos should T ! '%i GOVE UXOR LETELLIEKS COUP D'ETAT. AT lackeu- )i Junu, r ; on the it, on the ! Federal jncc went 3sent, and he unani- mcd Lord ly on my ! littleness ing to n\e tluisiastic. aders, and :he Mayor Central ernors of collisions kvitneLised )0 ecrcat a v'ever dis- iclgcs and tcUectual urully the between srs of pro- .nd stronf,^ )i"teu thus ng on the stry, there ces should \ arise between tliem. In tlie case under consideration, ancient political feuds were fanned and kept alive, and the Quebec Government, by their insulting and contemptuous treatment of their old adversary made the position of tlie too sensitive Lieutenant-Governor intolerable. ILul his Ministry treated him with common courtesy, he might have been content to follow the example of Lord Dutlerin, who said that the ordin- ar}^ duties of a Governor were merely to drop a little oil here and there, so as to relieve tlie friction of the governmental machinery. But he did not understand the modern theory of the function of a constitutional Governor to go quite so far as to lequ re him to deaden his nature to every feeling of resent- mojit of personal wrong, or to have no care for the dignity of his office. He had the high authority and calm judgment of Todd for the assurance that he was in a "most i-eal sense" the representative of the Sovereign, and consequently "no mere automaton or ornamental appendage t^^ the body politic, but a person whose consent is necessary to e\ ory act of state, and who possesses full discretionary powers to deliberate and de- termine upon every recommendation which is tendered for the Uoyal sanction by the Ministers of the Crown." So that when the Government tried to make a nullity of him and to bring upon him derision, he asserted his undoubted light of dismissal. Responsibility for the exercise of the })rerogativo was at once assumed by a new set of Ministers. There was thus an adherence to the strict letter of the Constitution and a full compliance with constitutional usage, even though the spirit of the unwritten law, as interpreted by some advocates of the sovereignty of parliament, would seem to require the retirement of an insulted Governor, instead of tlie dismissal of the men at whose hands the insult is received. If this doc- ti'ine be accepted, it follows that a Governor with a hostile 1 M !l i n 478 LIFE OF THE IIO:\\ ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. jW^^^ ! i Ministry must hold liis office on a precarious tenure. His Ministers have but to provoke him to the point oi" retaliation, and at once " liis usefulness is gone." This dictum, at any rate, was made to do service in the case of Mr. Letellicr. Sir John A. Macdonald brouo-ht the matter up in the House of Commons on Thursday, the 11th of April, 1878, by moving as an amendment to the motion for going into committee of supply : " That the recent dismissal by the Lieut.-Governor cif Quebec of his Ministers was, under the circumstances, unwise and subversive of the position accorded to the advisers of the Crown since the concession of the principle of responsible government to the British North American colonies." ]\[r. Mackenzie retorted that the mover was not tlie man to lecture the Liberals on this question, the Liberal party having had a long: strujjfjle with him and his friends in their fi^ht for the establishment in Canada of the principle of responsible government. He maintained that the Provincial Governments occupieje or unwise." £E h r III • li'' ' » r^H^Biji 482 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXAXDE/i MACKENZIE. (Facsimile.) -/ T^jfcZI*^^ ^Xl^* *=»^ ^f-*^^ -z^-^. £aJjL^A ^ *^* ^S. Y I I ■■ >i t • tf # ■ 1 I" c<«- Z >-«..-£<. ^^X '' .^-^l-*^ *^/*-«,*^, ^ *-^-* ^ w- ^^'C^'^^ 7' '^ ^^-»'. aOVERNOli LETELUEliS COUP D'ETAT. 483 y^^io *^ '2<— -^I-^S/J^ -z^ 4^<^<^-7^fei*>-^ ^^^C<:^g^z<. / ^ -'^^^^ '''*--2Z<_*..,^^ l-t-^^^ «2-^ /^tC~ «-/g^>>« ■> «..^ ■ "C-^C^J^ ^£>i^i^^^Z^ ^Jc^ /^^^^ <^^x^ <^''^i4^^^ ^ lU^, a^^ /^"^oi::^ T c.^ c^ /::^uu^ ^ 2i.^ ^..^^ ^.^^.^ a (T'T^ Z^' /C^i <:^-^ «^t-^ ^ ^<<<,--'^f<:i«^-^;* ^ ^^ €'%<^''€^ , ct.'k.'i^tl' -rs^ •^«-«-^ ^T ^-^/v^-v ^-^^^ y ^AA..*^ //t^i^ ^<^ ^^a^^/^^i^^'*^ ^"^^^^St-c-*^ Ilj! I 48^ LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE, Ml". Mackenzie's warning to Mr. LetelUer of the consequence of the estaWishment of a dangerous precedent was prophetic. A similar scene has recently been produced on the same boards and by many of the same actors. Mr. Joly's Government was returned bj' so slender a raa- joiity tliat they were unable for any long period to maintain themselves in power. On the ground of the weakness of Governor Lctellier's new advisers, as tested in the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Mackenzie was asked by a gentleman in Quebec to demand Mr. Letellier's resignation. Mr. Mackenzie gave the same answer that he had given throughout, that the Ottawa authorities had no right to interfere. As to the attitude of the Quebec House, he said : "On the merits of the exact question you raise, I do not think that the vote of the Assembly was conclusive in the condemnation of the Gov- ernor's action. There were 32 to 32, Mr, Price not voting. He cannot be counted on either side, but it is known he is a supporter of Mr. Joly. If he were not a supporter, he had only to vote on that occasion against him, and a resignation would have followed at once. Mr. Joly has more- over succeeded in getting his supplies voted so far very well, and there can be no surer test of the power of a Minister than this." On the defeat of his Administration, Mr. Mackenzie had prevision of wliat was likely to bo the Tory course of action. In a letter before us of the Slsi of January, 1879, he said he thought that Sir John A. Macdonald, when Parliament met, would put some one up to move a resolution so as to foment an agitation with the design of driving Mr. Letellier into resignation. He did not believe, however, that the Conserva- tives would proceed to the extremity of dismissal. True, the new House was very hostile to the Liberals, and the dominant party were flushed with their victory; buo the question had already been voted upon, and Sir John's motion liad been re- GOVERNOR LETELLIEWS COUP D'ETAT. 485 jccteJ. Moreover, the resolution did not deny tliat however high-handed, in fSir John's opinion, the proceeding of the Lieu- tenant-Governor might have been, Mr. Letellier was strictly within his rights ; nor did Sir John ever assert the contrary. It was likely enough that the Tories might not desire to have Mr. Letellier in office, thinking that they could better trust one of their own party. But their case in this respect was exactl}'' similar to that of Mr. Mackenzie, who, when he took office, found Conservatives Lieutenant-Governors of Provinces. The case of Mr. ^lorris, Lieutenant-Governor of Manitoba, a functionary with whom at that time it was essential in the public interest the central authorities should have frequent and intimate intercourse, was a very striking one. What did Mr. Mackenzie do in regard to him ? He tells us in these words : " No sooner did we take office, than I wrote to Mr. Morris telling him that I intended trusting him implicitly in the grave matters connected with that country', and that in my opinion the most cordial confidence was necessary while he and I held our respective positions. He at once nsponded in the same spirit. On one occasion I defended him from asper- sions in the House, and certain of his political friends as- sitmed that there was some reason for my so doing, and even acted in this spirit. I dare say this gentleman is now satisfied that Mr. Morris has abundantly vindicated his party proclivi- ties since he left the gubernatorial chair." Mr. Mackenzie had not long to wait for the fulfilment of his prediction in regard to the Tory policy ot agitation on the Letellier question ; tiiough it was made the pretext for action which he and other eminent constitutionalists never dreamt of. Certainly the Governor-General and the Colonial Secre- tary, who are far removed from the sphere of paity passion, did not, nor a mind so tinprejudiced and acute as that of Sir 4S6 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. Francis Hincks, Sir John's old political colleague, as we shall presently see. As anticipated by Mr. Mackenzie, early in the session of 1879, Sir John A. Macdonald's motion of the year before, in precisely the same language, came up again, but this time in the hands of Mr. Mousseau, and, in order to preclude amend- ment, Mr. Ouimet moved the previous question. Mr. Mac- kenzie severely criticised the Government for shirking their duty by putting up members froiu the back benches to do the work for them, and to do it in so cowardly a fashion. At the close of his speech he said : " I feel quite certain that every member of this House, when he considers the position of the Provinces relatively to each other and to the Dominion, must come to the conclusion that our federal system is a fraud, if this Parliament is to constantly exercise surveillance over the actions of the local Legislatures and local Governors, which are subject to the usual approval or disapproval of the people of such Province. We may as well at once revert to our former system of government, however inconvenient it may be. A legislative union with all its evils, in a country diversi- fied as ours is, would be infinitely preferable to a federal sys- tem which vests all the power in the federal authorities, where the federal authorities are disposed to use that power tyrannically towards the Provinces." After debate, the mo- tion was carried by 13G votes to 51. Shortly afterwards Sir Jolni A. Macdonald stated to the Houf-e that he had advised His Excellency that, in the opinion of the Govei'ument, Mr. Letellier's usefulness was gone, and that he should be removed from office. He went on to say : " His Excellency was thereupon pleased to state that, as the federal system introduced by the Constitutional Act of 1807 was, until then, unknown in Great Britain or her colonics, B^- :i!. ' GOVERXOR LETELLIER'S COUP D'ETAT, 487 shall tliere were no precedents to guide Mm to a deeiHiou in the present case, and as the decision in this case would settle for the future the relations between the Dominion and the Provin- cial Governments, so far as the office of th»^ Tjieutenant-Gover- nor was concerned, he therefore deemed it expedient to submit the advice offered him, and the whole case, and the attendant circumstances, to Her Majesty's Government for their con- sideration and instructions." On this " startling statement," as it was called a few hours afterwards, Mr. Ouimet exonerated the Government from blame, but furiously assailed the Governor-General for having thus trampled on the constitutional rights of the people. Sir John blandly replied that with his honorable friend he could not agree. There was nothing unconstitutional in the Gov- ernor-General's course. " He, the representative of the Sov- ereign, says that he will ask for specific instructions from his and our Sovereign." Nevertheless, Mr. Cockburn, of West Northumberland, " felt humiliated by the course" taken by the Governor-General in making this reference to England. Mr. Vallde said that His Excellency's course was unconstitu- tional and without precedent, and that he had heard of the refusal of the Governor-General to follow the advice of his Ministers " with sorrow and surprise." In regard to such con- duct, Mr. Desjardiiis " felt the bitterest grief," antl were such conduct repeated there would be no other alternative than to "provide for the appointment of a regency" — in fact to compel Lord Lome to abdicate. Mr. Mousseau "entirely repudiated " the doctrine that a Governor-General could disre- gard the advice of his responsible Ministers in Canada and seek the advice of the colonial office instead, and compared l^ord Lorno to Lord Metcalfe. In this painful ]iosition the Goverimient left the Governor-General to bear the attacks of f ' -J . i\ 1 , ft r X) f 1 1 1 i ' 1 i 1 Jhhi 1' ■■■ 1^1 1 \ III M^H 1 ' '1 ^1 'llll ll J I 1 Hi :||| 488 LIFE OF THE IIOX. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. their Tory supporters without a word ot" explanation or de- fence. The terp-iversation of Sir Jolm on tliis question, Mr. Mac- kenzie exposed in an able speech, on the 27th of April, 1S80. He recited the proceedings taken in the session of 1878, to censure Mr. Ltjtellier for his action in dismissing his Ministers. The motion then made was negatived by the House of Com- mons, but a resolution somewhat similar in terms was adopted by the Senate. His (Mr. Mackenzie's) Government declined to take action, for the reason that they held the matter to be one not coming within their purview. He was glad to know that such also was the opinion of the Governor-General and the Colonial Secretary. For, subsequently to the change of Gov- ernment, on the passing of a resolution in the House for Mr. Letellier's dismissal, Lord Lome told Sir John A. Macdonald that he could not agree with him in his policy, and Sir M. Hicks- Beach, in a despatch from London, asserted the constitutional right of Mr. Letellier to dismiss his Ministers, and pointed out that it was the spirit and intention of the British North Amer- ica Act that the high ofhce of the Lieutenant-Governor of a Province should, as a rule, endure for the term of years specifi- cally mentioned, and that the power of removal should never be exercised except for grave cause. Sir John A. Macdonald had been requested by Lord Lome to put his reasons in writing, the Governor-General undertak- ing to reply to them in the same way. Whether Sir Jolm did so or not, there was nothing to show. But a message was sub- sequently brought down to the House which was of a very serious character, for it led members on both sides to come to the conclusion that His Excellency had not only refused the advice of his Ministers, but contrary to their advice had de- termined to remit the matter to England, causing Mr. Ouimet, GOVEliXOIi IJ-rrELLIEirS COUP D'ETAT. 489 " \x. Mousseau and other prominent Government siip])orters, to di'nounc'i' His Excellency in strong terms as violating the lib- erties of the people, as trampling upon responsible govern- ment, ami as setting at iletiance the principles under which we are governed. All this denunciation of His Excellency by Government supporters was listened to by Sir John A. Macdon- ald and his colleagues, without a word to shew that the refer- ence to England was not, as in truth it was not, made at His Excellency's suggestion, but upon the suggestion of the Gov- ernment themselves. Even four davs afterwards, when it was pointed out by Sir John tiiat the fact of the Government con- tinuing to retain their offices, shewed that they held them- selves responsible for the Governor-Generals action, the im- pression was suffered still to icmain that this was a generous act on their part in order to shield His Excellency from blame. The whole thing was an entire deception. The Government had advised the reference, and had left His Excellency to bear the odium. Mr. Mackenzie's motion to place the responsibility upon the proper shoulders by recording the true facts upon the journals of the House, and by asserting it as the opinion of the House that the submission for review to England of advice given by the Privy Council here in a matter w^hich was purely of an administrative character, was subversive of the principles of responsible govenaneut, was rejected on a division by a vote of 119 to 49. The views held by Sir Francis Hincks on the constitutional aspect of the question we tind set forth by him in a letter to Mr. Mackenzie of the 24th of July, 1879 : " I have hftd rcaaon to think for some days that tlio decapitation of Mr. Letellier was agreed to, but there lias been a fight as to the suc- cessor — Robitaillo has triumphed. I imagine that he had Sir John's pro- iiiiM^Biiii I la mmmmmmm ■I 11 490 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. i|l|j|:E| f^kmm- \\mmm mise at the time of the formation of the Government, and I ivm inclined CO think that the last visit of his to Ottawa was to endeavor to get hini to give way, and that he refused. It may be that was the rival candidate. It was certainly some one of British origin. I had hoped that Lord Lome would have insisted on carrying out the spirit of the understanding arrived at and communicated to Parliament, which was that the Government had admitted that the question was a new one, and that there being no precedent, it was exi)edient to ask advice. This would have justified His ExcelleJicyin claiming that both parties should seek the advice of the Judicial C(Mnmittee of the Privy Council, which might have been obtained on the case, as presented by the complaint of the ex-Ministers, for having been dismissed, the reply, rejoinder, and surrejoinder : Was there a cause made out for dismissal within the mean- ing of the British North America Act ? I do not see how this could have been refused, especially as the Governor-General was master of the posi- tion after the elections. I had a postal card from Mr. Gladstone to the following effect : ' I agree with you in your main proposition, and think it plainly desirable that the controversy should be disposed of not as a political, but as a judicial issue.' " A disposition having been at last made of poor Mr. Letel- lier, who did not long survive the malignity of his pursuers, we turn for a brief moment to a more pleasant incident — about the only one that occurred in the turbulent session of 1878. In the midst of the jarring, warring elements in the House, there was a truce. It was called on the 11th of April, on the occasion of a motion by the First Minister for an ad- dress to His Excellency the Governor-General, expressing the deep feeling of regret of the people of Canada at his ap- proaching departure from the country, and assuring him of the high appreciation entertained of the service done to the Dominion by his visits to eacii of the Provinces and the Terri- tories, as well as by his able and eloquent speeches, and of the marked degree in which literature and art and the industrial pursuits had received encouragement from his otibrts and lib- GO VERA' OB LETELLIERS COUP D'ETAT. 491 .cliiied him to Le rival hoped of the ch was lie, and . This ! sliould I, which ilaint of ler, and le ineau- uld have the posi- le to the ud think not as a Letol- irsuers, lent — ssion of in the t' April, ail ad- sing the his ap- lim of le to the 16 Terri- d of the idustrial and lib- erality ; and further, " assuring His Excellency and his distin- guished consort that they would bear with tlieiii on leaving us our warmest wishes for their future welfare and happiness ; that we rejoice in the conviction that, though Canada may no longer possess the advantage of His Excellency's experience and knowledge of public affairs in so exclusive a degree as she has enjoyed them in the past, she will continue to have in His Excellency a friend and advocate ; and that it is our heartfelt wish that, for many years, the Empire at hirge may have the benefit of His Excellency s ripe wisdom, experience, and emin- ent abilities." Mr. Mackenzie moved the resolution in graceful language, and it was seconded in a fitting speech by Sir John A. Mac- donald, and supported by Mr. Laurier and Mr. Langevin. An address founded on the resolution was cordially adopted, the country parting with sincere regret with the ablest and most generous and hospitable of Viceroys, and his highly ac- complished and popular consort. Lord and Lady Dutferin will always be regarded by people of all ranks in Canada with a feeling of affection. On the day following the passing of the address, His Excel- lencv thus wrote his First Minister to thank him for his speech : ** Government House, "Ottawa, April 12, 1878. " My Dear Mackenzie, —I cannot help writing you a lino to express my very great sense of your kindness and courtesy in proposing the ad- dress to me in the House of Conunons yesterday, in such handsome terms. It is indeed stratifying to my feelings to leave Canada under such agree- able auspices, and the address will be a source of pride, not only to my- self, but to my descendants. " I was particularly touched at the pleasant way in which you alluded to our personal relations. For my own part, I can say that I liave derived nothing but unalloyed pleasure from them. The better I have 492 LIFE OF THE HOX. A LEX AX DEI! MACKENZIE. m become ncquainteil witli you, the more I Iiave learned to respect and honor the straiglitforward integrity of your character, and the unmistak- able desire to do your duty faithfully by the Queen, the Empire and the Dominion. " Yours faithfully, •' DUFFERIN." The Govornor-Goncnil took leave of the two Houses in his speech prorof^uing Ptirliainent, in the following words : " Nothing could have given me more gratification than the joint address with which you have honored me on the eve of my departure. " My interest in Canada shall not cease when my mission as Her Majesty's Viceroy shall have terminated, and I am glad to know that you have taken so favorable a view of my etlbrts to fittingly represent our most gracious Queen in this the most important of Her Majesty's colonial possessions. " I noAv bid you farewell, and earnestly trunt that you may find in the future the manifold blessings which I shall ever pray may continue to be showered upon you." Towai'ds the close of the session, on the question for going into Committee of Supply, the Premier took occasion, for the information of the House, to give a very interesting resii'nie oi the policy and action of the Government in respect of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The onerous obligation to con- struct the road was incurred in 1871 ; the work to be completed in 1881. But, at the time his own Government took power, two years and a half had elapsed without a mile of the line being located. The phin of his Government was to complete the surveys as rapidly as possible and construct initial portions of the railway so as to gain access to the prairie region. He gave an idea of the magnitude of the work of surveying, when he said that already the various parties sent out for that purpose had traversetl 47,000 miles of route, under circumstances of the greatest tlifiiculty and danger, involving the loss of about forty GOVERNOR LETELLIER'S COUP D'ETAT. 493 men. Some were surrounded by forest tires and burnt to death, others lost their lives in endeavoring to cross danf^erous rivers and in descending the tumultuous rapids to the Fraaer and other rivers but little known. In addition to the actual travellini^' of forty-seven thousand niilos of routes in search of the best way whereon to build the railway, there were actual instrumental surveys, laboriously me«isured, yard by yard, of not less tlian twelve thousand miles, or very nearly five times the length of the road when completed, from Lake Kipissing to the Pacific Ocean. In these surveys, to June 1st, 1877, the large sum of $3,411,895 was expended, or at the rate of Sl,300 per mile of road from Lake Nipissing to the seaboard. In the year 1877, there Avas a great deal of lawlessness in the city of Montreal, resulting mainly from sectarian feelings, and on the 12th of July, blood was shed. Mr. Blake, with a view to checking such crimes of violence, introduced a bill (May 1st, 1878), which was to be operative for a year, and which the Govertnnent adopted, at his request, as a measure of their own, rendering it unlawful, on proclamation applicable to any particular district, for any person, not being an officer of the peace, or a soldier or a sailor in Her Majesty s service, to have therein, elsewhere than in his own dwelling-honse, dangerous and deadly weapons, particularly the smaller de- scriptions of fire-arms. The wisdom of the measure was con- curred in by the entire House, and the leading members on both sides, deploring the necessity which had called it forth, united in their etibrts to render it as perfect as possible. Writing to his brother Charles, on the 12th of May, 1878, Mr. Mackenzie says ; "I got my release on Friday from the worst session I was ever in, either as private or oflicer. From first to hist it was a policy of deliberate obstruction in both Houses. The Senate was simply a Tory conunittee. m MHt! 494 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKEXZIE. " We were compelled to abandon half our legislation at last, and what we did get through was ruined in the Senate. I was, at the end, for the first time, completely used up, but I took care to let no one know it. I do not think I could have sat another week- "Well, it is all over. Five years of the Premiership have I een suc- cessfully accf^mplished under groat disadvantages. For many reasons I would be glad to stop there ; but I must try again, as there is now no escape, though I know the election will be keenly contested," Ainonj[r the bills that the (lOvernment was compelled to abandon was one of importance designed to facilitate the colonization of the Dominion lands in the North-West. It was introduced by the Hon. Mr. Mills. Any number of per- sons might form themselves into an association for the pur- pose of constructing railways between designated points, under agreements, and, subject to the approval of Parliament, receive public lands, or aid from the proceeds of the sale of lands lying alongside the line of railway, not exceeding in amount the sum of $10,000. There were many clauses for the protection of the public interest. The bill was read the second time on the 28th of March, but was withdrawn during the closing days of the session. Parliament was prorogued on the 10th of May. Next day, Mr. Mackenzie wrote about " the frightful scene," to which we have already made reference, that marked the close of the session. Having gone to the Senate to receive the Governor- General, he did not witness it, but the leaders of the Oppo- sition had been represented to him as " pictures of demoniac humanity." It was in this spirit of party hostility that members left Ottawa to enter upon the elections. CHAPTER XXXII. DEFEAT OF THE GOVERNMENT. Royalty in Camda— Apprehensions Unfounrled — Preparations for the Con- test — Mistake in the Time Selected — Should have been June— The Physical Strain — What the Government had to Figlit Against — A Carnival of Fraud and Misrepresentation— Defeat of the Government — The Protection Hiuabu'' Illustrate I. R. MACKENZIE was advised by a cable from Enc^land as early as July, 1878, of the nomination of the Marquis of Lome as Lord Durteriu's successor. He confessed himself as being surprised. He knew such a thing had been mooted, but never looked upon the appointment as possible. He feared very much about the effect. So far as the intentions of the Queen and the Imperial Government were concerned, he was on behalf of Canada very grateful ; still more grateful to Her Royal Highness for consenting to come here. He was, however, very doubtful about the wisdom of the step taken. He had no apprehension about getting along very well with Lord Lome, who understood the constitutional relations liL' would bear to his Ministers well enough. But what would be Her Royal Highness' relations towards the Canadian public ? Any attempt to keep up a Royal Court in Cai.ada would be absurd. Any attempt of the Governor-General's Royal Consort to form a limited exclusive circle, mostly com- posed of English attaches, would be unpopular. On the other 495 b 496 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. . I liand, no doubt Her Majesty would expect to see maintaiued by her daughter a kind of Court in Canada, which, as a Canadian, he knew would be impossible. The reading- of Theodore Mai-tin's Lifo (the Queen's Life) of the Prince Consort, had given Mr. Mackenzie an uneasy impression concerning the tendency of the Royal familj'- to manage their own and State affairs, instead of leaving this to Ministers. Any attempt of that kind in Canada would be, in his opinion, unfortun" to. It would speedily undo all that he, with many others of all shades of political opinion, had been doing for years to rivet and secure our position as a portion of the Empire. He would never, on any consideration, have per- mitted the surveillance of a Baron Stockmar. Nothing was more astonishing in recent history than the fact that proud, independent English Ministers submitted so long or at all, to the intolerable supervision of great State affairs by this pretentious, stuffy German doctoi', except the fact that it did not occasion more indiornation in Enirland vvhen it became known. Lord and Lady Dufferin managed to maintain the dignity of their position, and at i'.ie same time were the most accessible of all rulers. Her Royal Highness, he feared, would find it extremely difficult tc do this. Of course, every reasonable person would understand that it was by no means an easy task for her to to be a Royal Princess, after the manner of England, while acting the part of the consoi't of the Governor-General oJ Canada, and would V)e ready to make every allowance for her pusitiop At the same time, he feared that the great personages concerned had not fully consideicd the difficulties of the situation. The die was, however, cast, and we had to make the best of it. He wou^i himself use every possible effort to make it a success, with the sincere hope that it might be found to be so. If Lord Lome and the Princess understood DEFEAT OF THE GOVERNMENT. 497 the diiSculties, they would be the more easily surmounted. The political possibilities would have to be dealt with as they arose. The House of Argyle was well trained in constitutional usage, and he had great faith in Lord Lome's undoubted good sense. Everybody in Canada received the appointment as a marked compliment to the Dominion, and as specially indicat- ing the great personal interest taken by Her Majesty in this country. In October of 1878, Mr. Mackenzie wrote to a friend in Scotland : " There is a fear in Canada that there may be an attempt at playing Court here when the Princess arrives. I think, however, the Queen's daughter has more good sense than to do this. We have no landed aristocracy in Canada, and never will have. Titles do not suit our people. I made reeonimendationa for only two knighthoods while I was in olHce — to Sir A. A. Dorion and to Sir William 13. Richards, and they are both distinguished judges of the Superior Courts. I refused a title in my own case, and this made it easier for me to decline overtures in the case of other people. Canada will receive the Princess well, without doubt, but any attempt to put on the ceremonial of State usual to Royalty in Britain would be a failure here." Mr. Mackenzie's apprehensions were happily groundless. The good sense he had attributed to Lord Lome was justly merited, and was sliarcd in by the Princess Louise. The Governor-General and his Royal Consort understood the Canadian situation. There was less of ceremonial and State display during their regime than under that of Lord and Lady Dutterin. It is singular that while Mr Mackenzie, who held these views, was at the head of the Administration, there was a much greater degree of social brilliancy in Ottawa than ever dazzled the eyes and depleted the pockets of Canadians cither before or since that period. The summer of 1878 was not only metaphorically but liter- ally a season of heat and dust. Mr. Mackenzie's own desire J-'F !ii^ Itlii illii l> 498 LIFE OF THE IIOX. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. for the elections in Juno was not carried into effect. It liad been decided that they should be postponed until after harvest, and there were many months of hard work to be faced. The statements made after the defeat that the Pi'cmier had not informed himself of tlie vii^ilance of the enemy are not borne out by facts. His correspondenca for over a year prior to the event is indicative of a perfect knowledge on his part that he had to face an active opposition, and he made preparations accordingly. There is, however, no sign anywhere that he apprehended defeat, and no signals of alarm appear to ha\ e been either given or received. It is (piite true that he had not anticipated the result, but the defeat was caused by the unex- pected and unlooked-for conversion of the country to piotection. So early as October of 1877, he wrote many letters to various friends, urging the forwarding of arrangements and preparations for the fight. On the 2nd of February, 1878, he wrote the Reform Association in Toronto to say that he could not attend their annual meeting on the oth of that month, as Parliament was summoned to meet on the 7th, but he was impressed with the conviction that active measures should be at once taken to effectually organise the respective constituen- cies. He went on to say : '* We must not forget that we have unscrupulous foes iu the Opposition leadere and iu the Opposition press. It seems almost impossible to stem thu current of falsehood and misrepresentation wiili wliieh tlie country is flooded, and tiie object of which is but too apparent. It is to endeavor by any and every means to poison the minds of the people— with the knowledge tiiat tiio whole of them cannot be reached with the ample refutations that we iiive ut hand. As Liberals we cannot resort ti such dishonorable tactics, but we can adopt effective measures, if our friends are active enougli, to counteract, by pul)li,shed statomcnts of tlio facts and figures, tiie misrepresentation of our opponents iri tliis reganl. The late election at Ha'ifax furnished an illustra- tion of tii« system. It would be dillicult to name a moreupriglit, iiij/h-miuded DEFEAT OF THE GOVERNMENT. 499 man than Mr. Jones, the new Minister of Militia. It would be equally difficult to suppose anythina; more gross than the accusations that were brought against him to do duty at that election. '* The large majority obtained by the Liberals in 1874 represented not mei'ely the Liberal party proper, but many discontented Conservatives as well, who felt that their party chiefs had disgraced themselves and the country, and who in consequence withdrew from them their allegiance. It was uot therefore surprising, when the Tories concluded to re-elect the liero of the Pacific Scandal as their leader, and resolved to forget the past, that Liberals should lose some constituencies. At the same time, the great majority possessed by the Gov- ernment in the House of Commons gave a sense of strength and security to the party generally, which caused it to relax the efl'orts which might otherwise have been put forth at some of the special elections. " Many of tiie difficulties which the Reform Administration have encountered since their atlvent to power have been in consequence of the acts of the late Government in imposing weighty obligations upon the Dominion. The expen- diture upon great works has been objected to by our opponents; but the present Government liave not initiated a single public work involving heavy capital charges, while they have greatly limited some of the schemes of the late Administration. " The expenditure on tlio Pacific Railway has of course been caused wholly by the obligations entered into by the late Administration, and considerable as these expenditures liave been, tiie (iovernment liave failed to satisfy the people of British Columljia. The early construction of the works on that part of the Paciho Railway lying between L ike Superior and tiie prairie region was undertaken with a view to open up the vast fertile belt for immediate settle- ment, and thus to extend the trade of the Dominion and so facilitate the construction of the western portion of the line. " Altliougii the population has largely increased within the last four years, tXe expenditure has been materially reduced when tlie sums required for pay- liUMit of interest, the extinguisluncnt of the Indian titles, and tlie outlay of tiio Government in the North West and Prince Kdward Island are deducted. But details on this point are furnished so copiously by the Finance Miuister in his speeches, tliat it is needless to do more than to thus briefly refer to the fact. •' I have further to urge upon the members of the Association tiie necessity of looking closely after the voters' lists of this year, in order to prevent frauds ill the introduction of names whioli have no right to be recorded, and the omission of names which liy right should be on tliose lists. Tliisisiealiy one of tlic principal points of the battle to be closely attended to. tfilf'i m m fiOO LIFE OF THE IIOX. ALEXAXDER MACKENZIE. " The wicked attempts which have been made in various quarters to start religious strife and disunion, particularly in the Province of Quebec, have, I am glad to say, entirely failed. It is the duty of Reformers, while giving fair play to all, to frown down attempts to introduce religious strife in political contests. It has always been our policy to secure entire equality to all classes of Her Majesty's subjects, and if they now enjoy the rights which are inherently theirs, it is because of the zealous efforts of the Liberal party in their behalf.'* A serious mistake was made i'ct many is way. ! defeat me man delicate rness of :Tn with etingfs a el'l two avel all lent and I of his B face of s? The ) believe is goods, l)lo him- a 3 p o a ^ tw M |! 1"!il ■ li ^^^ 1 ii^j J| DEFEAT OF THE GOVERNMENT. 507 self: about responsible governmonfc nnd the independence of PcU-liament and purity of elections, if there was money to be made by voting the other way ? The larger manufacturer saw in a high tariff the oppor- tunity for a combine which would shut off the little trader aforementioned, whose vote he was obtaining under false pretences, and which would enable him to rank with the proprietors of iron works, sugar refineries, and cotton factories in the United States. That there were millions in it, provided he was on the ground floor, there was no doubt. He was therefore anxious to know what to do to help on the good cause, and so he went about preaching : " Let there be no slaughter market in this country for American goods, Canada for the Canadians." The asfriculturist was also unsettled in his mind. He had voted on the oM homestead on which his father and jxrand- father for fifty years had voted as Liberals. He believed the Liberal party was honest and worthy of confidence ; still thei-e was something, he thought, in this new doctrine. Americans taxed the produce of his farm if exported to their markets. There was no tax on the products of the American farm while crossins: the border to the Canadian markets. Was this fair ? he asked. If they tax us, should we not tax them ? If they keep us out of their markets, should we not keep them out of ours ? The Tory candidates said : " Certainly ; keep them out by all moans. If you only had your own markets, prices would be better, and a few cents a bushel for your grain, or a few dollars per head for your cattle would not come amiss at any time, particularly in such depressing times as the present." And so, forgetting that he was selling his birth- right for a mess of pottage, which he never got, he too voted for protection. I ' I > - m fi08 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKEN/AE. ijii The election of 1878 was a carnival of fraud and misrepre- sentation. Every industry in the country was to be benetited by a protection which could only be substantial by reducing the profits of some other industry ; yet thousands of electors went to the polls believing that the votes they were about to give were as good as a handsome dividend, payable so soon as the Conservative party came into power. Speaking broadly, as we have said, there was a contrast in the manner in which the two parties carried on the campaign. The Liberals trusted too much to the educative influences of public speaking, while the Conservatives were quietly and persuasively working upon the cupidity of the various in- terests. A reference to a speech delivered by Mr. Mackenzie at a meeting in Glengarry, in the latter part of August, enables one to see the general line of the Liberal argument. He describes the promulgation of protectionist principles by the Tory party in Canada, as a return to barbarism. What that policy really meant he illustrates by a citation from Sir John A. Mac lonald at Hamilton, where he was bidding for the vote of the manufacturers. When asked by a manufacturer what protection he was prepared to give, he said : " I cannot tell what protection you require, but let each manufacturer tell Ufj what he' wants, and we will try to give him what he needs." Mr. Mackenzie pointed out that while Sir John was makinix these shameless bids bv an avowal of ultra- protectionism in the west, he was deceiving the people in the Maritime Provinces, to whom even a mi'd form of protection was repugnant, by declaring that what was contemplated was not an increase but merely a readjustment of the taritl'. "Now," said the Premier to the Glengarry meJi, " Protection must make you pay more for the goods you use than you pay DEFEAT OF THE GOVERNMENT. 509 nisrepre- benetited reducing ; electors about to ! so soon ntrast in jampaign. uences of letly and irious in- jnzie at a jt, enables aent. He les by the Vhat that Sir John r the vote urer wliat anuot tell cturer tell what he Sir John of ultra- ople in the protection plated was the tarifV. Protection .n you pay now, or else it is no protection. Protection to manufacturers — protection to the 'struggling industries' — is protection against the laboring man and the farmer, the great producing men of the country." He went on to say that he did not mean to make war on the manufacturing classes. The tariff was for the purpose of raising a revenue. Manufacturers got some benefit incidentally from that, with which they ought to be satisfied ; if they were not, an 1 insisted on protection for protection sake, they would get large dividends first, and ruin afterwards. The nominations took place on Tuesday, the 10th of Septem- ber, in all the Provinces, with the exception of Manitoba and a few outlying constituencies elsewhere. Six candidates were elected by acclamation, four of whom were supporters of the Government, and two in Opposition, so that there was still no forewarning to the Liberals of the disastrous defeat of the week following. Writing, however, to his secretary two or three days before the election, Mr. Mackenzie mentioned, as a somewhat ominous sign, the fact that a Tory official of some little prominence had been heard to speak in abusive language of the Government, from which Mr. Mackenzie drew this inference : "It is clear he thinks we will be beaten." He adds : " I find the Tories every- where confident. Why, I cannot understand ; my meetings are everywhere successful — could hardly be more sa" As there is a natural curiosity in the case of great battles to know something of the surroundings of the generals, we may say further on this head that Mr. Mackenzie addressed a public meeting on the IGth of September in the West, and on the day of the polling, the work having now been done, he travelled by train from Toronto to Ottawa, reaehinsx his home in the evening. The first return was of good omen to the Liberals, for it brought III i Phi'' 510 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKEXZIE. the news of Sir John A. MacJonald's defeat in Kir ^on at the hands of Mr. Gunn, Pi'csently, however, a change earne over the spirit of the dream, telegrams coming in from all the other cities declaring the election of Tory candidates. Protection, it was seen, had too surely done its work in the manufacturing centres, but there was hope yet for the counties. The people in the urban constituencies had been fooled ; the farmers, never ! A few hours sufficed to remove this further delusion. The spread of the contagion had been gener.il, and there was disaster all along the lines. To adequately depict the scene, it is necessary again to quote the well-known words of Lord Bcaconsfield in a speech which described an cfpialiy sudden and unexpected breakdown of the Liberal party in England ; only a single word being changed : " It was like a convulsion of nature rather than any ordinary transaction of human life. I can only liken it to one of those earthquakes whicli take place in Calabria or Peru. 'J'heni was a rambling mur- mur, a groan, a shriek, a s :)und of distant thunder. There was a rent, a fissure in the ground, and then a village disap- peared ; then a tall tower toppled down ; and the whole of the Ministcria! benches became one great dissolving view of anarchy." The " old flag " waved triumphantly at the head of the columns of the Conser\ ative journals of the 18th of September, thouji'h there was a subdued tone in their references to the defeat of the Conservative chieftain and his lieutenants, Messrs. Langevin, T. N. Gibbs. Mitchell and Plumb. iUit against the.se the Tories could point to the downfall of three Ministers — Mr. Cartwright, in Lenno.x, Mr. Jone.s, in Halifax, and Mr. Coffin, in Shelburne, while Mr. iilak'; hamsclves Uiom of Mr. Bn)wn, ture of HU tliat timi! mservative, iiformed ot )Ugh not a Jie evident Mackouzic was likely to let the new men into power. Mr. Brown answered, " he presumed, almost immediately, in order that the new Ministers mif^ht be sworn in, so as at once to prepare their measure." " Prepare their measure ! " exclaimed the other, " why, it will take months and months — aye, a year and more to do it. Every interest in the country will have to be specially consulted, and the result of the whole must be judiciously worked up before it is submitted." " For the good of the country?" suggested Mr. Brown. "Certainly," replied the other. They looked at each other, laughed pleasantly, and went on their several ways. They understood each other per- fercetly. Great, indeed had been the effect upon the people of the power of humbug. OG ■'.I I CHAPTER XXXIII. now HE BORE DEFEAT. Letter to Lord DufFerin — The Governor-General's Reply — His Excellency's Noble Letter to Mrs. Mackenzie —I/ctter from the late Chief Justice Rich- ards—Mr. Mackenzie Addresses Mr. Helton — Hatred of Intrigiie and Crookedness— Would Rather go Down than Yield Principle — A Clean Re- cord — The Loss of Good and True Men— The Public Interest First and Always — "Living in Another Man's House" — Nothing Left save Honor — Self-Sacrifice — Its Reward — Disciples of Cobden do not Temporise — Answers to Letters of Reproach — Letter of Resignation and Defence of His Policy — How He felt the Dismissal of His Former Secretary — Fun Ahead with the Besom and the Stane. HERE is no better test of a man's character than the manner in which he bears defeat," wrote one who knew him well, shortly after Mr. Macken- zie's death. "Judged by that test, the Honorable Alexander Mackenzie stands on the top rung of the ladder. When his historj'- is written, its best chap- ter will begin immediately after the I7th of September, 1878." The best chapter it really is. And fortunately for his bio- graphers, he wrote (unconsciously, of course, for this purpose), the chapter himself, as if in anticipation and fulfilment of the prediction. After he had recovered from tlie shock of the de- feat, and his grief for the loss of so many faithful friends was somewhat assuaged, he penned his first letter. In honor and duty, it was to His Excolleucy the Governor-General : " Private. "OiTAWA, Sbi'T. 19, 1878. *' Deau Lord Duffkrin, — The elections aro mostly over, and sufficient- ly so to bo conclusive as tu tlie defeat of the Government. The proteo- 514 it: now HE BO HE DEFEAT. 515 ixcellency't istice Rich- itrigi^e and 9l Clean Re- t First and we Honor— 36— Answers His Policy— jad with the acter than wrote one r. Macken- Honorable ung of the best chap- iber, 1878." or his bio- is purpose), nent oi; the of the de- triends was honor and L*al : T. 19, 1878. and sufficienfc- The protec- tif>n fiillacy has taken deeper root than we had thought, especially with the farming coniniunity. I have nothing to regret in looking back at my course. Even had I known of the tendency of the public mind I would r.ot for the sake of oflice yield up my convictions on that or any other subject. I tried to keep Canada in line with England and in harmony with enliglitened modern thought on commercial subjects, and I have failed, as better men have failed before me. I will not advert to the extraordinary and dishonest system of electioneering resorted to, nor to the imi)ossibility of carrying into eflect the promised {)rotection, for the electors have accepted the one and believed in the other, and so far as I am concerned that ends the matter. " I shall endeavor to get my colleagues here as soon as possible to finish up what bu.siness we have in hand, after which I prop ae to wait upon Your Excellency at Quebec to tender you ni_ resignation, I shall not initiate any new business here, but I propose tilling a few vacancies which occurred within the last few weeks. I propose, also, dealing with several P^tiglish despatclies, which have been unattended to during the heat of the election contest, and were under discussion before. ******** "I have marked this letter private, though I have referred to some public matters, because I have given my views frankly, as I usually do, but I will, of course, address a formal letter to Your Excellency when I have a final interview, in which 1 will probably refer more fully to the condition of affairs. " In the meantime I have to express my deep gratitude to you for your unvarying kindness to me, and the constant anxiety you have shown to aid me in every way in carrying on the Government. This T shall never forget. I will only say for myself that I have endeavored to do what was right in the interests of the Crown and the people, and I can now look back with the jileasuro which a clear CDiiscience, political and personal, necessarily gives. I am, dear Lord Dufferin, "Yours very faithfully, "A. Mackenzie. "His Excellency the Earl of DuUorin, Gov.-Ceu." He was gratitied by the receipt of the following reply : 51G LIFE OF THE IIOX. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. ■i Hi i 1 ■ 1 Pvwatp "Quebec, Sept. 20th, 1878. " My Dear Mackenzie, — I have received your letter of Sept. 19tb, and have only time to acknowlege it, and to thank you for it. It is like yourself, and written entirely in the spirit in which I expected. " Whatever my personal convictions may be upon the general policy of your Government, it would not, I sujipose, be pi-opor ihat I should ex- px'css them, even in a private letter, but no consideration need preclude me from assuring you, that in my opinion, neither in England nor in Canada has any public servant of the Crown administered the affairs of the nation with a stricter integrity, with a jjurer patriotism, with a more indefatigable industry, or nobler aspirations than yourself, and though the chances of war have gone against you at the polls, you have the satis- faction of knowing that your single-minded simplicity of purpose, firm- ness, and upright conduct have won for you alike the respect and good- will of friends and foes. " As for myself, I can only say that I shall ever retain a feeling of warm friendship for you. I'rom first to last you have treated me not only with great kindness and consideration, but with a frankness, truthfulness, and openness of dealing for which I am grateful. You have still before you a long, useful, and honorable career, and I should not be surprised to hear that in some ways you were disposed to welcome the impending change. " Believe me, my dear Mackenzie. *' Yours sincerely, "Dufferin." This more than kind letter was written at the same time by His Excellency to Mrs. M.tckenzie : «' Quebec, Sept. 20th, 1878. " Dear Mr.s. Mackenzie, — T have written to your husband, but I can- not help wishing to let you have a little line as well. " Of course you must have been disapi)ointed at the result of the elec- tions, but no feeling of mortification need mingle with the surprise the result has occasioned, for there has been nothing in your husband's con- duct or character that has contributtid to the defeat of his party. It Ii.is simply been the consequence (jf the chances of war, and I am sure yuu ii|||l| now HE BO HE DEFEAT. 517 1878. apt. 10th, It is like i\ policy of should ex- id preclude laud nor in ;ie affairs of ,vith a more and though ve the satis- irpose, finii- ct and good- ilins of warm lot only with ifulness, and before you a )vised to hear iding change. Duri'EKiN. uue time by )lh, 1878. Lud, but I can- ult of the elec- he surprise the husband's con- party. It has 1 am sure yii will meet liio chanf,'e with the same equability of temper that character- ised your accession to power. " Though I lose Mr. Mackenzie as a Minister, I shall still have the happiness of keeping him as a valued and honored friend, and his career as leader of the Opposition will, I liave no doubt, prove as useful, and in- finitely more agreeable, and less injurious to his health, than his life as a Minister. " Ever yours sincerely, " DUFFERIN." Mr. Mackenzie's next lettei' was to his friend, Mr. Holton. From this some extracts are taken : "Ottawa, Sept. 21st, 1878. " My Dear Holtox, —I scarcely knovr how or what to write to you. The disaster in Ontario was by me totally unexpected. CJp to the day of polling I was quite satisfied we would hold our own. 1 wish now to get your view about the future. I propose so soon as our friends can be got together to resign my leadership and give them an opportunity of select- ing one who may be more Bucccssful. * * * * ♦ ** * " Our disaster was evidently the result of some deceit, under cover of the ballot, by prominent previous friends, but principally it was caused by the working classes going against us. With them there is often a de- sire for change, and it was dinned into their ears at this time that a change would bring good times. I was not able to discern signs of any serious defections while on my tour, and on Tuesday morning was as confident of success as ever I was. " I am glad to see your people were not very seriously inlluenced by your oppuueuts' appeal to class feelings. •' I am, my dear Holton, *' Yours very faithfully, '* A. Mackbnzie." Before rising from his desk he wrote as follows to the friend who, after he died, on tlie evidence of this letter and the knowledge he otherwise ])ossessed of Mr. Mackenzie's -lia. "^^mmrn !!l 518 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. character during a period of from thirty to forty years, penned the prediction which heads this chapter : 'Ottawa, Sept. 21st, 1878. " My Dear Sir, — T am exceedingly grateful for your kind letter. I have many such letters from all quarters. While I do not pretend to be insensible to the disaster which has overtaken the party and myself, I am delighted to know that I have the sympathy and supj)i)rt of so many good men. I also feel some pride in being aljle to say that I know of no kind of transaction by my Government that is indefensible. I may have made some mistakes of a minor kind, but I did devote myself to the adminis- tratiit I will have what I longed for, but saw no pros- pect of obtaining in office, some rest. " I am deeply indebted to you for your constant and zealous efforts to help me, and I regret much tliat 1 have no means of manifesting my feel- ings save by empty thanks." To a gontlGinan who, in Micawbcr fashion, had been wait- ing for something to turn up, in answer to another reminiler at this time, Mr. Mackenzie said he was sorry he could do nothing for him. He added : " I can quite understand you have considered me omnipotent in such matters. There could not be a greater mistake. It is all over now. I have no more power to make appointments." Like Wolsey, he might say: " My integrity to heaven is all I dare now call mine own." The twenty-two (lays which elapsed between the great overthrow and the resignation of the Ministry was a period to try the hearts and characters of men. The Reform jiart}- stood the ordeal of defeat nobly, and tinnly upheld their chief in his determination to do no act wluch should sull\' the record. Regarding the repi-oach of one that he had not been aufliciently self-sacrificing, he says : "1 need not tell you that HOW HE BORE DEFEAT. 627 ases were I literally worked day and night, and so far from being able to save any money while I was at the head of the Govern- ment, I find I have spent about S2,G00 per annum more than my entire ofiicial income. Yet these parties speak so. I am delighted, however, to be able to add that nothing could be more gratifying than the letters I have received from the great bulk of our friends from all quarters." This is the Premier's letter of resignation of himself and his colleagues, with the causes he gives for the defeat of his Government : "Ottawa, Oct. 9th, 1878. " Dear Lord Dufferin, — The elections for the House of Comiuona are not yet all concluded ; nor ia it at all certain what may be the final determination of many disputed returns, but enough is known to induce me to take decided action wi*^'i reference to the general result. In my proposed course my colleagues all concur, " It is unnecessary to discuss the various minor and unimportant mat- tors presented at the electoral contest against the Administration, as they had no appreciable eflfect in reaching the final result. The one broad issue between the ministerial and opposition parties was the question of a protectionist system as against a moderate revenue tarill, as maintained by the Government. " The Government felt that this was a question of such vast importance, tliA* nothing, not even the existence of a ministry, would justify a tem- porising policy regarding it. It seemed incredible that it could be neces- sary in Canada to fight tho battle over again in favor of sound CDmniercial legislation which hud bee fought in the motherland more than thirty years ago, and in which protectionist views had been annihilatud. "The commercial depression which had been felt for the last four years, though much less severely felt here than in the United States, which is under a protection system, had i)redisposod many minds to look to some change as a possible relief. Tiiis, added to tho selDsh eilorta of class interests, which h.'.d been aroused by the prospect of gain at the ex- pense of others, led to tho conclusion that was reached. " I believed that if, unfortunately, protectionist views should prevail, grave political dangers would arise, which might seriously aflect the ex- 'il H 628 LIFI:: OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. isting relations of Canada to the British Empire. It seemed inevitable that a serious departure from the accepted policy of the lEmpire, and the acceptance of the policy of the powerful and jealous Republic on our Bouthern border, would seriously disturb relations which otherwise would continue indefinitely. ' How shall two walk together unless they are agreed 1 ' " Hitherto Victoria alone, of all the British colonies, had deliberately adopted a protection system, and thereby marred the general harmony. The geographical position of Victoria, surrounded as she is by more en- lightened colonial states, renders the jar created by her action com- paratively harmless. Canada, on the contrary, is face to face on this con- tinent with an English colony politically severed from Great Britain, having a population ten times as numerous as her own, with a general political policy largely founded on the hostile feelings and prejudices engendered during the struggle for independence and the subsequent war ; while their commercial policy is of a narrow and restricted character, appealing to and upheld by the most odious cla-s interests. Attempts, more or less direct, have been frecjuently made in the United States to enlist the sympathy and co- operation of Canada in a policy which would soon extinguish British influence on this continent. Any action which will to any extent assimilate the commercial system of Can- ada to that of the United States, will, to that extent, weaken the ties which bind her to the Empire, and which it was the aim of my Adminis- tration to strengthen and perpetuate. We already find that the advocates of a customs union or zollverein in the United States (which system really means a political alliance with that country) are greatly encouraged by the result of the elections. " These views we endeavored to impress on the public mind during the electoral contest as earnestly as we did the serious injury to our general prosperity, which we believe to be the inevitable result of the adoption of the principle of protection. Two years of continuous agitation of the question had, it seems, produced in the public mind an impression that it was possible to enrich all classes by protection without impoverishing any. In other wold^, a certain number of the people believed in the possibility of making everybody rich, of increasing values by Act of Parliament. I do not, of course, propose hero to discuss the principles involved, but merely to deal with results. no W HE BORE DEFEA T. 5-20 "The protectionist principle undoubtedly obtained a victory at the polls. The knowledge of the wonderful success of Great Britain in de- veloping her trade and commerce under the opposite system, and the aai results of the attempt by the United States to carry out a protectionist policy, as exhibited in the ruinous state of their shipping and manufac- tures, and the growth of a communistic feeling, were alike disregarded. " Under these circumstances the proper course would probably be for the Government to meet Parliament at the earliest possible moment, in order that no time should be lost in giving etl'ect to a policy the country had approved of. We felt, however, that it would bo unpleasant to remain in oflice after asserting that there was no probability of the palicy of the Government being sustained by the new llouse. The other course would doubtless be the one in accordance with English practice, but there are two precedents of a recent date in favor of a resignation before the meet- ing of Parliament, these precedents being made by the leaders of both political parties in England. Feeling that we are justified in pursuing that course, I have resolved, with the concurrence of my colleagues, to close up all the business in the departments at the earliest possible mo- ment, with the view of enabling our successors to meet Parliament at an early day, with measures for carrying into ellect the policy to which they committed themselves at the election. " I have now, therefore, the honor of placing in your Excellency's hands my own resignation, and that of my colleagues of our ministerial oflioes. 1 have the honor to be, •* Your obedient sorvunfc, " A. Maokknzik. " His Excellency the Earl of Duflurin, Gov. G^n." Al'ter Mr. Mackenzie liad biddon Lord DulTcrIn good-l»yc. His Excellency sunt liiui the roUowiiiy kind note: "Montreal, Oct. 9th, 1878. "Mv DEAn Mackenzif,,— T assure you I felt a very bitter pang in sliaking you by the hand yesterday. " We have boon associated for so many years together in promoting the intorests of the Dominion, and I have such a sincere personal esteem for y HI, that it felt like parting with one of my oldest friends. Hll ' ^^rding to the rr^J^i^l---^ ic COITOS- n liil AOAIX ly OPPOSITION. Ml IKjivk'nt, on tlic death of her fatlior, illustrates tlio other phase oL' his character, of which his pen g'ivcs us ao many beautiful examples: " TouoNTO, June 20th, 1871». " My Dear Miss "Riooau,— The very greatness of your domestic cala- mity prevented ua hitherto intruding upon you, even with our sympathy. There are events with which a stranger should not intermeddle ; one of these is the death of a very near relative. I have myself felt on such occasions that I wanted to be let alone for a time. I am sure, however, that you will allow us to express our deep sympathy with you in so un- expected a calamity. At the time of your father's death wo were hoping; to see him, on his way home in restored health. We little dreamed when we saw him last we were never to meet him again in this life. He and 1 entered Parliament together eighteen years ago, and during all these years we were fast friends. Indeed no one could help being friends with James Biggar, unless he were a worthless mati, for he was a model ot personal kindness and courtesy, as he was also a pattern of the Christian gentleman. He was one of the few with whom I could always hold unre- strained converse in a social and religious sense. There are few left behiuci to whom I can speak as 1 couUl speak to him, and after middle life onvj does not make many new friends. Altogether 1 feel the blank his depar- iWTQ has caused very much, though there was no tie of kindred by bloix\ between us. I can easily imagine how much you mu«f, of all ihe family, feel the loss of your honored father. " Although no amount of sympathy can make up in any perceptible- degree for the great blank in your family circle, still it may and should be gratifying to know how universal was the respt'ct felt for him, ant\ how general is the feeling of sympathy with you. Tiie greatest conaolft- tion of all is, however, that ho has entered into vhe ' rest which remaineth for the people of God.' While we mourn his departure, he has ' seen thi^ King in Ilia beauty, and the land that is far oil".' We mourn, but he re- joices. I sometimes think, when such as ho departs, that their lot is nuich better than that of those who remain here to battle with the seltish- iiess, coldness and injustice of the world. We do not know what is escaped by an early departure. Besides, we always know that all ihings are ordered well, and for the best, by our Heavenly Father, who cannot Commit any mistaki*. Wo may not bo able to aee that there is a provi- m\m 542 LIFE OF THE IIOX. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. dence in such visitations, but we will understand all when we follow those who have gone before. We both send our kindest re<,'ards, "1 am, my dear Miss Bi>;gar, " Yours very sincerely, "A. Mackk-nzik." Parliament mot on IStli of February, 1879, and Mr. Mac- kenzie made a pleasant speech on the election of Mr. Blanchct as Speaker. He pla}' fully twitted the leader of the Gov- ernment on havinf^ departed frotn his own precedent in 1873, when he proposed the continuance, as the custom has been for tiity years in Enf]flaiid, of the Speaker of tJie previous Parlia- ment. But as Sir John hail taken a different course, Mr. Mac- kenzie said it would be difficult for any honorable <>-ontltnnan to be named on the Ministerial sitle who would ji-ive oreater Siitisfaction to the Opposition than Mr. Blanchet. He had no doubt Mr. Blanchet would tlischarnre the high and onerous duties devolving upon him with faitlifulness and conscienti- ousness, and he might rely upon the Opposition giving hiiu every support consistent with due regard for Parliamentary privileges. On the 14th of March, Mr. Tilley unfolded his budget, and with it camo the great Canadian cure-all, so widely advertised umler the name of " N. P." Mr. Mackenzie described it as "the elephant." Wi'iting the day after it appeared, to his for- mer secretary, he says : *' So the Elephant has come laden with * rings/ and covered with tie most dazzling of trappings, for which the poor Car aJian people will have sweetly to pay. Tilley has surrendered himself to every class of nianiifac- turora, and has given each class all they supposed they wanted, but wo find already that some of them fotl their toes trod upon by the indulgence he has bestowed on others. Let me illustrate. A tirm in Ilauiilton bmld bridges; they had before ITJ. per cent., and they paid 5 per cent, on iron bara. Now they get 'JO per cent., but they have to pay 17A per cent, on Wi AGAIN IN OPPOSITION. 543 irlicuncntary iron bars. In other words, they previously had 12i per cent, in their favor, now they have 2^ per cent. Another case is this : An electro>plate company in Toronto asked for protection, and they got 30 per cent. ; but the German silver, of which three pounds are required for one pound of the finished product, is put at 10 per cent. They write me that this kind of protection they really cannot understand. There is much excitement, and not a little fun, today over it all." The design was to give every manufacturer all he wanted ol' this panacea, but the chief difficulty was in carrying the design into effect. The Finance Minister's dilemma was well illustrated by Mr. Mackenzie in the foregoing letter, and was amplified by him a hundred times afterwards. It ]ay in the solution of the problem of giving protection to one man's finished product without doing injustice to the raw material of his neighbor. Agreement there might be in the resolution to spoil the enemy. The (piarrel arose as to the mode in which the spoils should be divided. The tarifi' provided a tax on things innumerable, and filled thirteen pages of Hansard. Mr. Tilley pn^fessed his desire to be as much as possible to substitute tlie specific for the ad valorem system of duties, and to make those duties so high as to give encouragement to Canadian manufacturers, while preventing the country from being made a " slaughter mar- ket " for United States products. Two millions additional revenue were required from customs, and he asserted that the duties were to be so imposed as to draw the chief part of that money from the imports of foreign countries, and not from those of England. lie also stated that countervailing duties wouM be imposed on foreign sugar, in order to protect our own refineries from the bounty systems of other countries. Sir Richard Cartwright likened the tariff' to the tai-ilf intro- duced into the United States in the early part of the century. Ji'Mi ^ Pfl iiiiii 5U LIFE OF TJJE 110 S. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. and which was largely instrumental in causing the civil war. That tariff was familiar to the students of American history as " the tariff" of abominations." "I do not know," he said, " that this rises to the dignity of the American tariff I have named, but the Canadian student may, perhaps, fairly describe it as a tariff ol cornel's. There is scarcely one single pro- posal in which men accustomed to deal with such questions will fail to see concessions to some particular clique, to some particular interest, to some prominent political partisan, or to some particular class whom it is desirable, for political rea- sons, to conciliate." There were privileges here, concessions there, and injustice everywhere. There was an attempt at what Carlyle declared to be the impossible problem, namely, out of the united action of a community of dishonest men to evolve an honest policy. The predominating principle had been : Get political influence — revenue, if you can, but politi- cal influence any how. It was another illustration of the Scripture doctrine: "To him that hath, shall be given, and from him that hath not, shall lie taken away even that which he hath." It was unjustly discriminative, taxing the articles consumed by the poor at a higher rate than those consumed by the rich — the proportion being on some goods as 80 per cent, is to G. Ivegarding the sugar duties, the people would be taxed one million of dollars per annum for the benefit uf half a dozen persons engaged in refining. Dr. Tujjper defended the protective policy, and maintained it was through protection that (Jreat Britain had reache<.l the position of prominence and distinction she occupies as a manufacturing country. Mr. Mackenzie said : " It is to me a most humiliating spec- tacle to (iiid a large majority ol" the representatives of the peo})le rejoicing at the prospect ol" an immediate and large wm^sr AGAIN IN OPPOSITION. 545 increase in the taxation of the country. It is a humiliating spectacle to find so large a body of intelligent gentlemen as are now assembled, representing Canada, taking up the cast- off clothing of older nations and wearing it, in adopting a policy that has ruined other nations, and rejecting a policy that has made the Mother Country great and prosperous be- yond all precedent. And, sir, it is amazing that such an exhi- bition could have been presented in an intelligent country in a position of observing, as we are in a position of observing, the results of protection in the neighboring country." Pro- tection was no cure for trade depression. Trade had often been stagnant. Witness the years from 1856 to 1859. What was the policy then of the Liberal party ? No one could point to a single speech of himself or any other Liberal mem- ber in that much severer crisis, charging the responsibility upon the Government. He said the tariff' was unjust in its operation, being a tariff' favoi'able to the higher classes as against the interests of the people. On the 17th of April he moved an amendment in that sense, and declaratory also of the tendency of the tariff to render " futile the costly and persistent efforts of tliis country to secure a share of the im- mense and growing carrying trade of this continent, and tend- ing to create an antagonism between the connnercial policy of tlie Empire and that of Canada that might lead to conse- quences deeply to be deplored." The amendment was nega- tived by a vote of 53 to 136, and after a long debate the tariff went into effect with but very little change. In his well-known letter, at the general election of 1891, when he took leave of his West Durham constituents, Mr. Blake drew this alarming but too truthful picture of the efi'ects produced upon the Dominion by the Conservative policy : IX ifi IP I £46 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. '* The Canadian Conservative policy has failed to accomplish the pre- dictions of its promoters. '* Its real tendency has been, as foretold twelve years ago, towards dis- integration and annexation, instead of consolidation and the maintenance of that British connection of which they claim to be the special guardians. " It has left us with a small population, a scanty immigration, and a North-West empty still ; with enormous additions to our public debt and yearly charges, an extravagant system of expenditure, and an unjust and oppressive tariff, with restricted markets for our needs, whether to buy or to sell, and all the host of evils (greatly intensified by our special condi- tions) thence arising ; with trade diverted from its natural into forced and therefore less profitable channels, and with unfriendly relations and frown- ing tariff walls, ever more and more estranging us from the mighty Eng- lish-speaking nation to the south, our neighbors and relations, with whom we ought to be, as it was promised we should be, living in generous amity and liberal intercourse. " Worse, far worse ! It has left us with lowered standards of public virtue and a d athlike apathy in public opinion ; with racial, religious and provincial animosities rather inflamed than soothed ; with a subser- vient Parliament, an autocratic Executive, debauched constituencies, ant? corrupted and corrupting classes ; with lessened self-reliance and increased dependence on the public chest and on legislative aids, and possessed withal by a boastful jingo spirit far enough removed from true manliness, loudly proclaiming unreal conditions and exaggerated sentiments, while actual facts and genuine opinions are suppressed. *' It has left us with our hands tied, our future compromised, and in such a plight tliat, whether wo stand or move, we must run some risks which we might have either declined or encountered with greater promise of success." But amid the glooir. here remains a ray of hglit: " Yet let us never despair of our country. It is a goodly land, endowed with great recuperative powers and vast resources as yet undeveloped ; inhabited by populations moral and religious, sober and industrious, vir- tuous and thrifty, capable and instructed — the descendants of a choice immigration, of men of mark and courage, energy and enterprise, in the breasts of whose children still glow the sparks of those ancestral tires. h tlie pre- )warda dia- aintenance guardians, ion, and a ic debt and unjust and ir to buy or ecial condi- ) forced and i and frown- lighty Eng- , with whom leroua amity da of public Lai, religioua th a Bubaer- .uenciea, and ,nd increased sessed withal iness, loudly while actual nised, and in ,n some risks eater prouiiso ;vnd, endowed undeveloped ; Instrioua, vir- 8 of a choice r prise, in the jatral tires. AGAIN IN OPPOSITION. 547 " Under such conditions all is not lost. * Though much be taken, much abides.' And if we do but awake from our delusive dreams, face the sharp facts in time, repair our errors and amend our ways, there may still re- main tor us, despite the irrevocable past, a future, if not so clear and bright as we might once have hoped, yet fair and honorable, dignified and secure." Sir Oliver Mowat also pointed, not long since, to the rain- bow of hope still to be seen in Canadian skies. He was pre- sent at the celebration, at Niar,axra-on-the-Lake, on the 16th of July, 1802, of the one-hundredth anniversary of the establish- ment of representative government in the Province of Upper Canada, when he made a patriotic appeal to the people to oppose annexation and cultivate a Canadian spirit. With a firm, though light and graceful touch, the Ontario Premier gave the true reason why we have fallen back in the race \\'\i\\ the United States during the past ten years. We quote tlio paragraph, and follow Sir Oliver Mowat's example, by leaving it as it stands : " It is pleasant to know that until the last ten years of its history Can- ada advanced faster in proportion than the States of the American Union as a whole, or than most of the individual States did. As to the causes of there not having been like progresa during the laat decade, we Reformers ascribe the falling off to the N. P., or so-called National Policy, and the high taxation. (Conservatives argue for other causes ; but this is not an nccasiun for discussing the question between us." Of the British connection of which Mr. Blake and Sir Oliver Mowat spoke, there was no more faithful guardian tiiroughout his life than Mr. Mackenzie. There are examples 'n all history of the fall of nations through the oppression of the people l>y l)arty for party purpos(^s, for if, as a great writer says, " Lib- erty and equality of civil rights are brave, spirit-stirring things," so the denial of those rights inevitably produces divi- sions, dissatisfaction, destruction. '■fii- 548 LIFIi: OF THE HOX. ALKXAXDKIi MACKEXXIE. When Parliament met, on the 13th of February, 1880, Mr. Mackenzie took occasion to speak of what the tariff had already done. He said he believed that but for the bountiful harvest in Canada last summer, and the serious deficiency in Great Britain and Ireland, the state of the Dominion this winter would have been the most deplorable ever known. The speech from the Throne asserted that the effect of the tariff of la.'^t session in the development of che varied indus- tries of the country had, on the whole, been very satisfac- tory. But so far from this beino- the case, Mr. Mackenzie was able to show that, notwithstandinf^ the o^ootl harvest here and the bad harvest in Great Britain, the failures in Canada, representing manufacturers as well as traders, showed liabili- ties durino- the year past of $29,347,000, as against S23,908,- 000 in 1878. The Finance Minister had not created wealth by protection, bat he had redistributed it by placing it in the hands of a few monopolists who had been built up by his policy ; the sugar monopolists alone having had a million of dollars given them at the expense of the whole country, while another effect of the same policy had been to palm off inferior articles at enhanced prices upon the consuming population. The House had continued to sit into the early hours of Wednesday, the 28th of April, 1880. We take the following from the " Debates " of an important occurrence immediately before the adiournment at two a.m. : " TiiK (JproHiTioN Leadkkskip. " Mr. Mackenzik . I desire to say a word or two with regard to my personal relatioua to the House. I, yesterday, determined to withdraw from the position as leader of the Opposition, and from this time forth 1 will speak and act for no person but myself. " SiK Jou.v A. Mac DONALD : Of course we, on this side of the House, have nothing to say to such a decision. But all I can say is that I hoie b\ AGAIN IN OPPOSITION. 549 1880, Mr. ;ariif had bountiful acicncy in inion i^iis er known, feet of the ried indus- ry satisfuc- Mackenzie avvest here in Canada, )wed liabili- ist S23,908,- ated wealth iiio- it in the up by his a miUion of untry, while oft" inferior )ulation. ly hours of le following- immediately regard to my 3d to withdraw ,hia time forth 1 lo of the Hoxisi', ly is that I hoi'e the hon. gentleman who takes the place of the hon. member for Lambton, and his party, will display the same ability, earnestness and zoal for what he thinks and believes to be for the good of the country as have been displayed by my hon. friend who has just taken his seat." • The inner life of Mr. Mackenzie, as revealed in these pages, proves that public care sat by no means as lightly upon him at any time in his career as his outward demeanor would seem to imjily. The leading positions he was placed in came to him unsought, and not in response to a desire on his own part, however slight, to obtain them ; much less to a craving for personal distinction, or for the satisfaction of personal ambi- tion. From these weaknesses of human nature he was freer than most other men. When, however, responsibility presented itself in the shape of duty, he did not shrink from its obliga- tions, and he strenuously strove to show himself equal to them. Whatever the strain, there was no sign to the world of a sinking beneath its pressure. As he said in the letter we have quoted from, to his brother, at the close of the harassing session of 1878, he " took care to let no one know of it." A way was now open to him to retire, and, he was " glad to stop." An influential journal voiced the public sentiment with ad- mirable perspicacity and knowledge when it said that Mr. Mackenzie served his party with zeal, fidelity, and courage, and led it with a clear head and ripe judgment. He did not enter its high places when all was pleasant with it, and retreat M'heu it looked gloomy. From the time when he became leader in 18G7, to the day of his retirement, he held the helm with unwavering constancy, and the Liberal party and the country were deeply his debtors. We condense from another of the many appreciative articles on Mr. Mackenzie, published at that time, the following : , ii! 550 LIFE OF THE IWy. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. " Mr, Mackenzie stands out among the men of his time a representative of a class of statesmen who are the glory of constitutional government, and who give character to the best thought of their times. Under his leadership the Liberal party rose from almost utter extinction at the time of Confederation to the highest power and greatness. Mr. Mackenzie has given proofs of wisdom and patriotism that will add lustre to the history of our time. Throughout a career remarkable for steadiness of purpose, he has never consulted the promptings of expediency in order to avoid a disagreeable duty. To this fact, perhaps, he owes the loss of some measure of personal popularity, while he haa gained in those ele- ments of character which strengthen a statesman for the highest if not the ultimate purposes of life. The Liberal party may now be said to be pass- ing through a period of tribulation almost unexampled. The lamented death of Mr. Holton, the prostration of Mr. Brown, and the resignation of Mr. Mackenzie, are events that must deeply afl'ect the position of par- ties and the men who compose them." On his retirement from the leadership a resolution was unanimously adopted by the Liberal party, assuring him of their respect, confidence and affection, and these feelings were as cordially shared outside the walls of Parliament as by the members of the two Houses who met to give them formal expression. Mr. Blake was elected Mr. Mackenzie's successor as leader of the Liberal party. J '^hj^^: CHAPTER XXXV. THE OFFERS OF A TITLE. Death of Mr. Holton and Mr. Brown— Mr. Brown's Biography — The Session ot 1880-1 —A Spice of Humor — The Canadiivn Kxodus — More About Pro- tection — Mr. Mackenzie on Canadian Honors — Bestowal of Titles on Chief Justices Ricliards and Dorion — Mr. Mackenzie and Mr. Blake Decline — Mr. Brown's Declinature in 1874— What Mr. Holton Thought — Mr. Mac- kenzie Declines a Second and Tliird Time — Letter from Lord Lome Offer- ing a Title— Lord Duffcrin on Canadian Distinctions. ^ wo great griefs came upon Mr. Mackenzie, close upon eacli other, in the death of Mr. Holton and Mr. Brf^wn. Mr. Holton died suddenly at Ottawa, about the middle of March, 1880. Mr. Mackenzie had scarcely begun to recover from this calamity when tliere was added to it the shock, a few days after- wards, of a still greater sorrow at the murder in Toronto of Mr. Brown. Writing to Mrs. Mackenzie on the 15th of March, he spoke of Mr. Holton's death as a terrible blow to himself. " Poor fellow," he says, " he was so solicitous about my own health, knowing it is by no means good, and was always trying to arrange some little plan to relieve me of some work. He was as cheery as ever on Saturday, when last seen by Pelletier, a little before midnight. Every morning came his inquiry : ' How are you to-day, Mackenzie ? ' We had a sad midnight procession to the station." Sir John A. Macdonald, on the day on which this letter was 551 552 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKEXZIE. written, moved the adjournment of the House as a mark of respect to tlie deceased member. Mr. Mackenzie, perhaps for the only time in his life, in attempting to second the resolu- tion, utterly broke down. He had addressed two sentences to his fellow-members, and was commencing a third, when he was overcome by an emotion which was more eloquent than words, and resumed his seat. Mr. Brown lingered for many weeks, and died in May. Later, Mr. Mackenzie, then himself in failing health, became his biographer, and made the work a loving and faithful tri- bute to the memory of his friend ; though to our mind, agree- ing, as we do with Thackeray in " Henry Esmond," that "history should be familiar, rather than heroic," it is a little too unbending. The Petrolia Reform Association, on the occasion of its first meeting after the change of the Liberal leadership, adopted an address, approving of Mr. Mackenzie's course while at the head of the Liberal party. In his reply on the 14th of July, 1880, Mr, Mackenzie referred to the calumnies by which he had been persistently assailed, and declared that he had, to the best of his judgment, done what was just and right. On the trade question, he wrote as follows : " Af*^or the election was lodt m 1878, some Liberals were found to express a regret that my Administration did not countenance the protec tive movement to such an extent as would, in their opinion, have secured us from dvjfeat. Protection, ab a ;K)litical principle, is either • Ijjjht or wrong. If wrong, it siiould bo resisted. We believed that it was wrong, and therefore "o !d not accei)t it, even if we had known that resistance would cost js .e loss of olhce. The euccess of that principle means the promotion of the interusta of a small class at the expense of the whole com.iunity. *■ majority of our people evidently thought otherwise in September, 1878, as they returned a majority of protectionist candidates. THE OFFERS OF A TITLE. 553 mark of •liaps for e resolu- ientences when he ent than in May. 1, became tht'ul tri- ad, agree- nd," that is a little of its first dopted an le at the !klackenzie rsistently idgment, stion, he 9 found to the proteo live secured er : li^ht or wiia wrong, t resistance 3 inmins the the whole tliorwise in candidutea. Two years* experience has satisfied the country of the truth of the aphf)risin. " The farmers, who constitute a large majority of our people, now know, whao they then refused to believe, that protection means an increase in price in all that they buy, and no increase in price for what they have to sell. The mechanic and laborer, by painful experience, now know that the cost of living is much higher than during previous years, and there has been no increase of wages. They earn no more money than before, and the money buys less of the goods necessary to life. " Some political writers affect to see some difference between the appli- cation of the laws of commerce in Canada and England, in order, apparently, to cover their own inconsistency. There may be local inequalities in both coun'ries, hut moral |)ri)"iples are not atl'ected by a higlier or lower latitude, and they have the same weight with all just men, whether they live east or west of Greenwich. "Conservative leaders and candidates promised an immediate return of prosperity, as the sure result of a defeat of the Liberal Government ; abundance of work and high wages were promised to the laborer and artisan ; the farmer was to receive higher prices for all the products of the farm ; an immediate 'iso in bank and other stocks was to take place as the fi'st sign of the- coming commercial millenium, and it was to be a sure indication of the confidence of the monied world in the new (iOctrines. What was the actual .osultf An ^npreceden^ed fall in all securities greeted the advent of Tory reactionaries. Such a scarcity of 'ork pre- vailed that a most alarming exodus of our people to the United States seemed to be the only relief, and this exodus continues until this hour. A deeper gloom settled down on the commercial classes, illustrated by the extraordinary rush to the Insolvent Courts, The price of farm produce went down lower than beforf, a temporary improvement being only reached because of our good harvest and the deplorable failuie of the har- vuBt in the motherland. An enormous increase in taxation has taken place, but heavy deficits in the revenue still continue, showing that tlie additiojifU taxes are for the benefit of individuals, not for the deliverance of the State." Thei ) was a vspice of humor in Mr. Mackenzie's remarks on tiie address on the 10th of December, KSiSO: "The lion. mil 054 LIFE OF TIU-J llOX. ALEXANDER MACKILX/AE. First Minister complains tluit a Ministerial paper printed some garbled extracts from the speech of the honorable member for Durham (Mr. Blake), and placed a portrait of tlie hon- orable member at the head of the speech to prevent emigrants from coming into the country. The First Minister should get out a counter fly-sheet, and put his portrait at the head of it, so as to attract emigrants into the country. That would be a just methoil uf retaliation, and no one who migiit sec the portraits side by side could hesitate for a moment." In the course of the same debate, Mr. Llake was able to point to some of the fruits of the Government policy. lu the five lean years, as they were called, of Mr. Mackenzie's Administration, the exodus to the United States numbered 120,000 persons ; but in oidy fifteen months since then, the exodus amounted to l.'}7,000. The)-e was a total emigration into the United States in the year 1879 of 450,000 people, and of that total, Canada contributed tive-ninths. The quality of the eniigratii)n from Canada was described by the First Minister (Sir John Macdonald) when, addressing a meeting of Manchester merchants, he said : •' The men who thus leave our country are of the brightest, wisest, ablest, most ingen- ious." This session, there was, of course, a further tinkering with the tarifi". It was operated on a lew weeks later, when Mr. Mackenzie again critici.sod the Government policy. In the course of his speech he said : " 1 believe no country having commorcial reliitions with tho world can avoid having a foreign tnule, because tho moment a country censes U\ have a foreign trade, it sinks in the scale of nations, goes behind the ago, and has no nio.ins in comiuoii with tho rest of tho world to e.\chaii,'i' commodities. Tlie idea of tho iuinorable gentlemen oppcmite seema to lio ViastHl upon the opinioti that every one who buys from them can bo matio to pay their own price, while they are able tu aeil at their own prices alsu. THE OFFERS OF A TITLE. 555 I believe, and all commercial authorities believe, that the true method of conducting trade is for every people to sell what tliey produce most easily to those who possess some other comrr.odity which such people require, but cannot easily produce. One of the most disastrous results of a protective policy is tliat it destroys the freedom of exchange, and tends to build up monopolies at the expense of the pe■ npn ■ < ! 7 1 ^u bijll H A u.jO LIl'E OF Tin-] //OX. ALl'JXAXDEI! MAlJKh'XZJ/'J. try those uri s toe rati c distinctions wliicli aro so liiifhly prized in Enjfland. It would surprise very many if they knew liow much ofc' Mr. Mackeiizio's time and enert.fy w(!re spent in ra- sistintj those wlio, without conspicuous merit, chimoured i'or such distinctions, and also in i-csistiriL; those in England who were only too anxious to bestow them. lie insisted that the Canadian Prime Minister was a l)etter judi^e of what was suitable for Canadians in matters of title, as well as Ujattcrs of trade, than the (Colonial Minister in London. He had usually ^ood rc^asons for whatever position l)e took, and his j^^eneral argument on this liead may be thus stated. He adnntted it to have been a loim-standiim custom for the Imperial Government of its own miM-i; motion to select such persons in the various colonies as appeared to it most suitable to be the recipients of honors, without any niferenci; to the Colonial Atlministration, and that it miLjht seem natural for the hotne authorities to follow that practice in (Canada at the present t'\uu\ lb; had, however, a strong conviction that a custom which possibly seemed to b*; convenient in snuill C(j1- onie.s, was wholly unsuital)le in Canada. Her Majesty's Caiuidian Government had functions to ])erform which no other Colonial Government was calhul upon to discharge. Our poj)ulati()n had now reached over foui* millions — more than that of Scotland, and almost as large as tlu; population of In^land. \V(! appointed the Tjieutenant-Ciovernors of the Pro- vinces, and KUpervis((d the legislation of the Pi-ovijicial Legis- latures. The (.anadian Goverrnnent alone cotdd \n) cognisant of the merits or demerits of the several classes (jf state; olll- cials connected with the Provincial (JoverrnnontH, such as Lieu- tenant-Governors and local Ministers, as well as of judges in the Provincial Courts. '/'///■; OFF I'] Its or A TiTLi:. 557 Regarded politically, Canada was a dillicult country to govci-n. While there were here no social class interests to consult, there we.e more complex interests alvva^'s crop])in;^- up in the forms of race and creed. It was dillieult to do anything for an Eni^lisii-speakini( Canadian without <^dvin!jf a coi'j'cs- ponding lienelit to a French Canadian. A preponderance; of Catholic or Protestant appointees to honoi's was instantly detected. Sectional interests were also very strong, and nnist be considered hy the Governnicut, no nuitti'i- how diisirahle it might be as a nuitter of p)-iii('ij)lc to avoid so doing. He yielded to no one in his anxiety to j)ri|)ctu;i,te the powers ;u)d prestige of JJritain on this ('(intincut, l)ut was sati-fiiMl these could best be maintaiu(;d — he might say could oiil ;i be maintained — liy C 'anatliaiis. It was (piite impossible foi- nn I'jiglish Minister to utuhn'- stand Canadian aliai' ^~ so well as to be able safely to undertake without Canadian advice to act in the bestowal of honois. Thn tlu; hands ol' (anadian Ministe^rs in Con Blake. " Hon. Alex. Mackenzie." Writinor Mr. Blake in Mav, 1877, IMr. Mackenzie said: "I suppose Col, Littleton convej'ed to you the otl'er of Lord Carnarvon 'i It is important as showing their good will in England." Mr. Blake replied: "I got Col. Littleton's note ir 660 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. about the K.C.M.G. Lord Carnarvon is very kind, but I am, as you may conceive, less disposed towards these trappiiii^s than ever." Ah-eady in 1874, as Mr. Mackenzie has publicly stated, Mr. Brown might have been knighted had he given his consent. He was actually gazetted as a knight commander in 1879, nnd an arranoement was made tor the formal investiture in Montreal. Mr. Mackenzie says Mr. Brown went to that city to meet His Excellency, but only to thank him in person and to give a formal declination in writing. Mr. Mackenzie dryly remarks that all the influences brought to bear upon Mr. Brown failed to convince hitn that the circumstances would justify him in accepting the title " which some men are so anxious to obtain and honor so little." What Mr. Holton thought about " the knighthood business " may be seen in the following extract from a letter written by him to Mr. Mac- kenzie in 1879 : " John A. has jockeyed us as usual in the knighthood business. I am delighted that Brown refused peremptorily. It was little short of an affront to make him the offer under the circumstances. He is undoubtedly the foremost ligore in public life in this country, and if he were to be offered any mark of distinction, it should not have been second to any other conferred on a Canadian. But a petty knighthood with a crowd of nobodies, or worse, at this time of day, would have been anything but a compliment. Besides, it would have been difficult to show that ho hud not accepted it from John A." Mr. Mackenzie was anxious not to be misunderstood either in declining on his own behalf, or in resisting backstairs influence used by and on behalf of others — mostly, as may well be supposed in such a matter as this, of those of the oppo.site political faith. Thus he writes : "I should not like it to be thought that I am narrow or small in the consideration of such things. My repeated recommendations of political I) 1 THE OFFEllS OF A TITLE. 561 lit I am, •apping« itud, Mr. consent. .879, and titure in that city srson and zie dryly upon Mr. ces would en are so Lr. Holton seen in the , Mr. Mac- iieaa. I am short of an undoubtedly [j were to be scond to any |h ft crowd of thing but a tliat ho had Itood cither backstairs lly, as may Use o£ the I not like it hnsideration of political opponents for Imperial missions, such as Col. Gzowski for British Columbia, Mr. Howland for the Bay Verte Connnission, Sir xVlexander Gait for the Fisheries Commission, and latterly Sir Francis Hincks for the Boundary Connnission, will, I have no doul relieve me from such a reproach." To c plete this part of the narrative, the following letter from His Excellency the Mar([uis of Lome, is given by per- mission. It shows that the honor of a title was pressed upoa Mr. Mackenzie a second and a third time : " (ioVKK.NMKNT lIulSH. OTTAWA, A[)lil 20, 1881. "My Deau Mr. Mackexzik, — On a former occasion 1 expressed the hope that you would allow mo to ask Her Majesty tu confer a mark of homir upon you, and you told me that there were circumstances of a privtite nature which induced you to decline my i)ruposni at that time. You will, I know, not take it ill that I wish to repeat my reijuest, and to men- tion the reasons why it is that I trust you will now consent. "A large private ft rtune is, in this country, pi>ssessed by, 1 may say, no public man, and any Title cannot in any sense be said to be 'supported' las the {(hrase runs in Euifland) by any iiualiticatiun other than the part which has been borne in public life by the bearer. The dit;nity here, being personal, and not hereditary, can only be the recognition by the Sovereign of the position occupied by a man amongst his fellow country- men, and is thus only a recognition by the First and abiding Representa- tive of the people, of that people's election, " I need not say, what all feel, that a proper regulation of honors ia better than the wholesale appropriation of tliein so cons|jicuously seen in the United States, the assumption of distinguishing titles there being the result of the impossibility uf a I'arty-Ilead, such as a President, becoming the imjiartial channel for the rendering on the part of the nation of honors where they are due to leaders of both political camps. "Our people have never broken with the custom that men should bo so honored, and 1 think you will agree that it is not to one political party alone that such appointments should bo made. I am desirous to have very few men designated fur titles in Canada, but that these should be indubitably men who have been raised by their party to foremost places. .1.; 502 LIFE or Till-: IIOX. ALIJXAXDh'i: MACKEX/AE. "Although j'ou may be disposed to take some exception to my pleadin*^ for this custom of our people, I am perfectly certairi that you alone of all men in Canada, no matter to what party they belong, will disagree with me if you would remove yourself from the number of those whom they would wish to see distim^uishod by the Sovereign. It is because I know it would be universally approved that 1 ask you to let me forward my request to Iter Majesty tiiat you become my brother in knighthood. "Besides the satisfaction your acciuiuscence would give to young members of the Order, 1 should like to remind you how gladly Lord Duflerin and older friends of youra in Scotland would hear that you had acce^tted an Honor from the Queen. " Believe me, yours sincerely,. " LOKNE. " The Hon. Alexander Mackenzie, M.P." Mr. Mucken/ie rejilied on the .SOtli that he i'elt deeply gratiHed for His E.xcellency's very kind expression regardin<^ his position in (Canada, and also for aliordinj^ him another opportunity of having his name submitted to Her Majesty for some mark of the Royal favor. Althoug'h when the letter reached him he had not changed his minw forward my ithoud. re to younsj; f,'ladly Lord that you had " LOKNE. lelt deeply m regardiuj? liiin another Her Majesty len the letter le subject, ho ain fully and and for tins After giving onvinced that tcring though Mackenzie, n\ erin, referring Id arrange for d with politics, icy. What \v eel in their lyle is very ) never was is * Jeivnuie ler, that he bh him, and [ids by play- And to-day But I always I force of his best, as wit- vs he did not ir.' item— always one's sweet- saw the Judg- nai, not to the d be improved of it 1— what Vcy. ,CKEKZIE." liowledged to oi his for- pide to a pic- les are to be in his French [aulay should tasted of the iives of Cole- a regret we lad, ot* course, lidely read as About the same time Mr. Mackenzie wrote : " I liave felt better this last week, but st;ll symptoms remain which I do not like. In consequence I have concluded to take a run to Europe, where there will be a complete change of air, and climate to suit by moving south or north. Mrs. Mackenzie goes with me. Won't you go too ? Our kind regards to you and all your family, and in case I do not see you again before we leave, I will also say good-bye." Accordingly, the next letter is from Paris, and bears the date of May 31, 1881 : " My Dear Bl'ckingiiam, — I know it will interest you to hear from us while we are in Europe, and I shall have much pleasure in writing to you from time to time. We had an exceptionally good voyage, and of course we reached London to find rain. Consequently we came to Paris to enjoy the sunny climate. We arrived here on the 20th, and leave to- morrow or the day after for Geneva. We will spend three days in Swit- zerland and two in Brussels, reaching London about lOtli June, and Edinburgh about 18th — and then for the heather for six good weeks ! . . . "France seems prosperous. The Republic, like the Empire, 'is peace,' but Gambetta is as much dictator as was Napoleon. The city and weather are alike deliglitful. I walk all I can, then ride — mcjstly on the top of the omnibuses, the best way to see the city. I vary my pleasures now and then by a row with a cabman. My French vocabulary is neither large nor select, but what I have I freely use. I know some powerful adjectives and nouns, but being in the minority, and therefore weak, I cannot always relieve my mind. When utterly perplexed, I sometimes try the Gaelic, especially as I can express myself in the original with greater force and freedom, and without offence. " The language of signs is very useful to those who can talk, as well as to those who are dumb. Ye.st-erday I had an intelligent cabby for two or three hours. He had not one word of English, but we kept up a most interesting converaation, nevertheless. He showeu me all the ob- jects of interest, and made me understand what they were. But we both stuck at the mint, until, at last, he took out of his pocket a coin, pointed to it, and then to the building. In turn, T went through the pantomime ^VH i ■■! 57G LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. of stamping money, and showed him my stock of gold, silver and copper. He shouted, ' oui, oui,' delighted to know that he had succeeded h\ ini parting useful information, "Mrs. Mackenzie joins me in sending you both all good wishes, ami trusting you are well, I am, " Ever faithfully yours, " A. Mackenzie." This is part of a letter from Mr. ^Mackenzie to his brother Robert, dated : " Inteklaki .N, June 3rd, 1881. '* 'Ve are here in the very centre of the Switzerland and the Bernese Alps, a position of inconceivable grandeur. Inlerlaken is a little like Dunkeld. If the latter had a hill at Murthly, and it, as well as Birnam, Craig- Vinean, and Craigie-y-Bams, were five times their present height, with the Ta-T as a lake twelve miles by three wide, it would resemble In- terlaken. We drove out to-day to Grindelwald, fifteen miles. The drive was exhi'arating for its grandeur. The lower hills were clad with wood, spruce mainly, but the tops were bare of woods of all kinds, with more or less snow. Now and then we got glimpses of the Jungfrau, Wetterhorn, Straushorn, Matterhorn, and other mountains, all clad with deep snow, glistening in the bright sunshine. The whole way out was st omingly by a grand pass made for a road. You can imagine Killiecrankie multiplied fifty times, and you would not exaggerate the proportions. One of the Free Church ministers we mot at Paris said he was six days at Geneva and Chamouny waiting to get a look at Mount Blanc, and never got it ; the surly beggar, he said, kept on his night- cap and great coat the whole time. We were more fortunate. We saw this monarch of mountains all the time we were in Geneva, and on our way to Lausanne, as well as his associates in that Alpin^, ^>iige." Here is a portion of another letter to Mr. Buckingham from London, June 14th, 1881 : " We have now got back to Loudon .vfter ii tour of Switzerland, Prussi.i, Bti'len and Belgium. I am cortiiiiily in a general sense better. True, my strength has not returned, as I had hoped, but I am, I dare say, a littiu impatient. (I wish aome one would confound this pen). We had ten days GOES TO EUROPE. IE. and copper, ieded 'n ini- . wishes, ami ACKENZIE. his brother 3 3rd, 1881. d the Bernese la a little like ?eU as Birnani, present height, Id resemble In- les. The drive :lad with wood, 18, with more or ,n, Wetterhorn, nth deep snow, 18 seemingly by mkie multiplied 13, One of the days at Geneva [id never got it ; t coat the whole of mountains all e, as well as his kiiigluuu froui tzerland, Prussia, better. True, my 677 dare say, a littk We hail ton days in Paris (this a better pen), two days in Geneva, the cradle of Calvinism, some hours in Berne, two days in Interlaken, viewing the mountains and glaciers, and one day, between the towns of Lucerne and Interlaken, crossing what is called the Briinig Puss. "Wo had a grand sight of many prominent points, ascending the mountain face, zig-zag ways, and looking into the valley below. Our fivo- horse team went up slowly and well, but the rascal who was driving dashed down an awfully unprotected road as if Satan were after him, as he probably was. I admit I was myself a little nervous at times, looking from my top seat down a per[)endicular rock or bank for many hundreds of feet. We went from Lucerne to see the sun rise on the mountain tops of theRigi. A railway ascends the hill, rising 1000 feet to the mile. I wanted, as time was sliort and the evening wet, to pass this, but Mrs. Mackenzie seemed strangely determined to go up — and up we went. Of course, we soon had a great view beneath our feet, and we passed along some really frightful places where a very little movement would have sent us head foremost into valleys and gorges seemingly without a bottom. Mrs. Mackenzie slept none that night, as she had to traverse the same road in the morning, and she informed mo she was more than satisfied ! Discom- fort added to our apprehensions, tlio tine Summit Hotel being extremely cold, as seven inches of snow had fallen during tiiis June night, and the morning en the mountains looked as if the sun would rise no more. " From there we went to Zurich, thence to Shaufhausen, Basle, Heidel- berg, Mayence, Cologne, and Brussels, and from there to Ostend and Dover, where we spent Sunday, and heard an English preacher speak of ' the sparrows that skim througli our h&vc ! ' I will tell you more of our tourist experience and reflections some night when you come to Toronto. We leave for Scotland on Friday. "I was in the House of Connnons last night, and witnessed some hours wasted in verbal criticism on the land bill — criticism so small that I won- dered a~j Mr. Gladstone's patience. The conduct of tlie obstructionists was scandalous in the oxtrome. We would never stand it at all in Ottawa. I tiilki^d with John Bri coveiing (lelinquGuts ipped up and I to them all. ,e to say that I, at the same U3 to decline "A. M." o£ scrupu- -ed; it was CHAPTER XXXVIII. THE (JREAT GEUUYMAXDER. rarliamcnt Dissolved — Mr. Mackenzie Retires from LiimUton to Accept East Yorii — The Canvass — During it lie is Stricken Down — lloiloeins tiie liiding — Another Taritl" Change — The (Jreat Gerrymander — How the Measure was Designated in Parliament — Hiving of the (Jrils — The Process of Manufac- ture of Tory Constituencies — Otiicials Superseded as Keturning Otlicers — Sir John A. Macdonald's Own Arguments Against the Measure — la the Principle of (ierrymander Constitutional? — Power to Canada to Xcgotiate Her Own Treaties — '' A British Sultject I was Horn,"' etc. — Ringing Si)cim1\ from Mr. Mackenzie in Reply — Tlie Flourish of tlie Flag, and " The Flag of Common Sense '" — " Wasted Opportunities. " V^l^ HE Hfe oi: the first ParHamcnt of Sir John A. Mae- ' ^^ doiiald, after his return to power, was shortened by a year for the ostensible purpose of reaffirming the principle of protection. The speech proro- c;,*^^ guin^^ Parliament on the I7th of May, 1882, was a pro- fession of congratulation on tlie alleged success of the X. P. during the previous four years, accompanied by the ex- pression of a belief that it wouM be yet more marked could assurance be given tluit the trade and fiscal policy was to re- main unchanged. In order to a confirmation of that policy, and to bring into operation the Representation Bill, which had been recently passed, prorogation was but the precursor of an early dissolution. The polling took place on the 20th of June, 1882. The resolution to dissolve did not take the country by sur- prise. It had been very generally reported for a considerable 587 W. : 08S LIFE OF THE HOX. ALEXAXDER MACKENZIE. timo previously that such was Sir John A. AFacflonald's in- tention. The poHtieal forces had therefore buckled ou then armour, and were prepared to take the field. Before Parliament assembled in 1882, an invitation had been given to Mr. Mackenzie to contest East York. A Reform convention was held at Union ville, on 1st December, 1881, and was the largest known in the ridino'. Mr. Mackenzie was the unanimous choice. He had not then been consulted. His permanent residence was in Toronto, and he naturally preferred, as his health was shattered, to sit for a constituency of which the city he lived in formed a part, to the distant county of Lambton, warmly as he was attached to it for its earlier home and for its unwavering and g'enerous fidelity. He therefore decided to accept the invitation from the friends in East York, who stood by him to the last with a loyalty which has never been surpassed in political warfare. On January 30th, the President of the East York Associa- tion received Mr. Mackenzie's acceptance, and thouofh the riding was among the constituencies that were sluimefully " gerrymandered " by the Dominion Act, passed in the session of that year, so as to secure Mr. Mackenzie's defeat, he won the seat. On the 19th of May he made his first appearance as a candidate in the riding. He was met at Woburn by the offi- cers of the association and a great array of his admirers, who formed a procession and, headed by two bands, marched to Malvern, where an overflow public meeting was held, the chair being taken by the late Mr. J. P. AVheler. In reply to an ad- dress of welcome, Mr. Mackenzie delivered a spirited speech, almost his last, as a few days afterwards he was stricken down at Gormley's Corners, while canvassing the riding, and never afterwards full}' recovered the use of his voice. He closed his Malvern speech by saying that this was the tenth campaign ii i! THE OliEAT GERIiYMANDER. 58!) UE. lonuM's in- jd oa tlicii on had Vjeen ickciizie was n consvdted. he naturally constituency ) the distant d to it for its J fidelity. He the friends in loyalty which ^ovk Associa- d though the •e shamefully in the session defeat, he won appearance as |urn by the offi- admirers, who ids, marched to Is held, the chair reply to an ail- spirited speech, |s stricken down lling, and never He closed his Itenth campaign sr in which he had been engaged. Heliad never lost an election, and he did not mean to lose this. And he did not. He defeated his opponent, Mr. Alfred Boultbee, by a majority of 108 votes. He retained the seat to the day of his death. Among his sup- porters were many of the better class of Conservatives, who admired him for his honesty and ability, and who rallied to his standard throughout. He highly appreciated these tokens of esteem and conlideuce, which he had won by his upright conduct. In the session of 1882 there was a still further change in the tariff, which gave occasion for a review once more of the protection policy of the Government. We refer to the mat- ter simply in order to make a quotation from the speech of Sir Richard Cartwrlght, illustrative of the position to which the country had already been brought. Speaking of the Gov- ernment, he said : " They are, from day to day, interfering with every liberty which we yet continue to possess. They talk of Canada still being a free country ! Why, sir, I tell them to-day that Canaroved al)ility, the lepre'-eutative of that constituency in Parliament. " It is, I think, a grand system that the people of Canada should have the opportunity of choosing for poli- tical promotion the men in whom they have the most confl- dence, and of whose abilities they are fully assured. All that great advantage is lost by cutting ott' a portion of two separate counties and adding them together for electoral purposes only. Those portions so cut oil' have no counnon interest ; they do !i \i 7AE. Opposition, rainst til en V v^otcs, and it he hands of ,e number of nciple of the self, when he 2. " The de- n to preserve s of counties lablo to make 5sired as much ,he county, so •io shall be re- it into ridings. I am about to constituencies, , think on the sful one." 11^' A young man elected by his eeve or deputy ; in due course, constituency in hat the people )osing for poU- the most conti- ured. All that of two separate ,1 purposes only. iterest ; they do THE GREAT OERRYMASDEU, 595 not meet together, and they have no common feeling except that once in five years they go to the polls in their own town- ship to vote for a man who may be known in one section and not in the other. This tends towards the introduction and de- velopment of the American .system of caucuses, by which wire- pullers take adventurers for their political ability only, and not for any personal respect for them. So that, as much as possil)le, from any point of view, it is advisable that counties .should refuse men whom they do not know, and when the re- presentation is increased, it should be by sub-dividing the coun- ties into ridings." The constitutionality of the manipulation of the constitu- encies by the process of gerrymander has recently been tested in some of the states of the neighboring union, where the practice had its origin, and the courts have decided against it. In the Supreme Court of Michigan the judges concurred in declaring that it was never contemplated to give an elector two or three times more influence in one district than an elector in another district, e(|uality in such matters lying at the base of the free governmental system. The case was ad- mirably put by Justice McGrath, when he said : " The pur- pose of th'j constitutional enactment is to secure as nearly as possible equality of representation. Any apportioinuent which defeats that purpose is vicious, contrary not only to the letter, but to the spirit of our institutions, and subversive of popular government. Power secured or perpetuated by un- constitutiond methods is power usurped, and usurpation of power is a menace to free institutions." By giving effect to the demand for the transference in Can- ada of the trial of election petitions from the committees of Parliament to the courts, we have already had acknowledg- ment of the fact that partisan majorities camiot be trusted to h 596 LIFE or THE llOX. ALEXAXDEU MACKENZIE. m\ do justice to minorities, and there is still greater cause for the rcnio\al IVoni the party arena of the decennial readjustments of the electoral districts. On April 21st, 1882, on a resolution for going into con nnittee of supply, Mr. Blake, in pursuance of a principle which had long been contended for by the Liberal party, and supported by some Conservatives, moved that it is expedient to obtain the necessary powers for Canada to make direct her commercial arrangements with any Britisli possessions or foreign state. He supported the contention in a splendid argument, illustrat- ing the continued growth and development of the constitu- tion in the direction of the popular principle of government, both as respects Great Britain herself and her colonies. Sir John A. Macdonald met the proposition by the ancient cry of danger to the constitution, and the repetition of his familiar formula : " A British subject I was born, and a British subject I will die." The super-loyalty gush was too much for Mr. Mackenzie. He was speedily on his feet with a ringing sjx'ech. " There is no man in Canada, Sir," said ho, "who holds party obliga- tions stronger than I do, and no man in Canada who would sooner reject party obligations than lift a hand or a finger, by motion or otherwise, to disturb the relations that exist between Britain and her colonies ; and al- though something very like threats may be used occasionally in order to compel an argument that is otherwise devoid of force to be presented tn some persons' minds in a forcible way, we must look at the facts in tlio case, and consider for ourselves whether the policy pi uj^ muled by luy honorable friend from Durham (Mr. Blake) is one that would have a ten- dency in the direction I have indicated. I have lived long enough, Sir, in Canada, to know that it has been the policy oi the Tory party, alinoHt from the beginning of our history, whenever a movement was made tuml- ing to expand the liberties of the people, to cry out that there was dangt r of the counaction with Groat Britain. I have found from the earliest THE GREAT GERRYAIAXDER. 597 period of our parliamentary history that this has been the case ; and I am surprised and pained to find that, at this advanced period of our history, leading statesmen in the country can still resort to that paltry policy. I listened, Sir, to-day, with the greatest possible care, to every word that fell from the hcnorable leader of the Government in his somewhat im- jietuous declamatory reply to the member for Durham. I can only say he failed entirely to convince me that there was the slightest danger of what he pretended to fear. The hon(n-able gentleman usually makes a much better appearance in argument than he did to-day. What jjosition are we in ? The Minister of Public Works (Sir Hector Langevin) spoke with great contempt of the number of our population, our paltry four or five millions, and asked, were they to bo compared with the interests of tliG Empire ? I believe, on the other hand, that everything that extends the liberties of Canadians, everything that accords to Canada and her statesmen greater breadth of view in the management of their own atl'airs, is more likely to conduce to the advancement of Imperial interests and greatness than any curbing policy that keeps us down to the grindstone. It has been the policy of English statesmen, who have the management (if our affairs, from the first, to consider colonists inferior to themselves. I can recall the words even of such men as Lin-d Grey, of Lord Russell, and of Lord Metcalfe, each one of whom has placed on record his Ijelief that full responsible government is not well suited to colonists, and I have read the despatches of Lord Russell and Loi'd Glenelg to the Gover- nor-(«eneral, frequently warning him not to extend the principle of respon- sible government to Canadians further than so far as might bo consistent with the maintenance of the colonial relation. I believe we are really as capable of managing our own political aitairs as the House of Commons in Enghmd." So late, said Mr. Mackenzie, as 1854 or 1855, Lord Derby bad expressed a fear that ii" a measure of domestic concern t> the Dominion — lie believed it was a change in the constitution of the Upper Chamber — became law, we might say farewell to British connection with Canada, and only six or seven j'ears ago Lord Kind^erley had sent the Earl of Duti'erin a despatch instructing him that it was not necessary to consult his miniv- WHHMI 59S LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. m I ■ i ^ ^ , ^H|IH 1 . 1 f* • Jiii ters except when it suited his purpose to do so. A spceiinon this of the inoderu Whig statesman. IJut Sir John A. Mac- donald hinisult" had made some progress on the road to direct intercourse by the appointment of Sir Alexander GaH as a quasi-ambassador to Europe. Sir Alexander Gait was an ad- vocate oP the principle to the full extent, and not being con- tent to sit in an outer room until his opinion might be requir- ed, or to go in at the back door while the other ambassador went in by the front, he was indisposed to submit longer to the humiliation, Mr. Mackenzie \ nt on to show how insin- cere was the pretence that the course proposed would weaken the connection, coming as it did from those who had struck a mortal blow at Great Britain by their policy of protection. He repudiated the doctrine enunciated by Sir John of recipro- cal legislation in the interchange of products, as lacking in the essential element of permanence of purpose, and, reverting again to the main issue, said he could not recall a single treaty with the United States, managed by British statesmen, in which Canada and British America were not worsted, and the only time when the Dominion got fair play was in tlie fishery arbi- tration at Halifax, which was managed by his own Govern- ment. Regarding the ilourish of the Hag, he said : " I have sat, I think, two sessions opposite the right honorable gentle- man, and I am sure that during tliat time I have often heard tlio same threat, and many a time I have seen gentlemen like the Honorable Min- ister of Public Works (Sir Hector Langevin) raising the British flag witli the greatest enthusiasm, in order to rally hia dispirited followers. It is an easy matter, Sir, to raise tlie Hag ; but let us raise the flag of common sense for a little while, and consider, not those high flown sentiments of extreme devotion and loyalty which the honorable gentleman dealt in 80 greatly to-night, but lot us consider soberly and reasonably what is beat for Canada us Canada, and what is best for Canada as part of tho THE GREAT OEliRYMAS hER. 599 British Empire. I have no doubt whatever our true policy is to obtain self-action in almost everything which relates to our own business." Ho laughed at the idea of a training school boing necessary for Canadian diplomats, riglitly contending that every re- quirement was met in the persons of statesmen with a know- ledge of commercial and business affairs. " I, for one," he said, in conclusion, " will give my cordial support to anything that will extend our liberty of action, and make us entirely equal in all respects to other Legislatures, and the Ministers of the mother country itself." On the division, Mr, Blake's proposition was negatived by 58 votes to 101, the usual Opposition vote being increased by an adherence of some of the Government supporters to the ))rinciple of allowing Canada to make her own connuercial treaties. During the summer of this year Mr. Mackenzie went to Poi'tland for the benefit of his health. \V'ritinut for Knox there would have been no Cromwell, and Britain would have been a hundred years behind, or more. In such ways does one man sometimes influence the destinies of nations. Luther was a great man- -so was Calvin ; but neither had the liberality of thought nor the practical ability of .lohn Knox. In Geneva I sat in Calvin's chair, and worshipped in his church. What a pity he did not save Servetus ! Still, he was a noble man and a good man; but in toleration he was behind Knox, lie was one of the grandest of good men for a' that. " Poor Queen Mary— we cross her steps everywhere in Edinburgh. Was she a bad woman ? is the (juefition that comes up for answer when looking on her frank, full eyes and lovely face. 1 fear she was not i)ure either as a sovereign or as a woman, but she was in a wretched school, with very inferior councillors, and was shockingly ill used. Naturally, she was amiable and kind, and up to that time she had all the bravery of her race. 1 confess to a lingering feeling of sympathy which makes me blame others more ihan her. " But I am afraid I have wearied you with my cognations of Scottish history, and therefore t|uit. I If 1} 606 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. " Wo send our kindest regards to your father, and particularly to yourself, and I remain, " My dear Miss Carmichael, yours sincerely, *' A. Mackenzie. •'Carrie Carmichaol, New GLasgow, N.S." Here, in a letter to his brother Charles, are bits of views of Venice and Milan : " The public buildings in Florence, Venice, and Milan, are wonderful in their extent, construction, and richness of decoration. It was an odd experience at Venice to go to the hotel by the catial in a gondola, and step from the boat on to the hotel door-step. The main avenues of the city are all canal ; the minor ones are dry, but there are no vehicles of any sort. Some of the streets of this class are about six feet wide ; none over eighteen feet ; yet they had good shops. The great square is prob- ably about 900 feet by 400 feet, with ohe thirteen-hundred-year-old cathedral filling one end, and the palace one side. Of course, we saw the Doge's palace also — and the prison ; standing where Childe Harold stood, on the Bridge of Sighs, which connects the two. Let me quote from Byron— it is a little hackneyed, but, as a greater bard than Byron says, ' 't will pass :' • I stood in Venice, on the Bridge of Sighs j A palace and a prison on each hand ; I saw from out the wave her structure rise As from a stroke of the enchanter's wand : A thousand years their cloudy wings expand Around me, and a dying Glory smiles O'er the far times when many a subject land Looked at the winged Lion's marble piles. Where Venice sate in state, throned on her hundred isles ! ' *• Milan is a splendid city, with many wide, handsome streets and a grand arcade, the finest in Europe. The great square is at o:.j side of the arcade. The glorious cathedral stands on this square. It is next to St. Paul's in size in Europe, and therefore, of course, third in size to St. Peter's. It is built wholly of white marble, and is a marvel of carviny «nd moulding in stone. Thero must be hundreds of human tigureti TO EUROPE AGAIN. ^07 carve^l into the buildin,. It is. in fact, poetry in «tone. The floor, like the door of the cathedral at Venice, is also very fine-much finer as to workmanship even than St. Peter's at Rome." When in London, Mr. Mackenzie was a c.„est at a banquet given by the Empire Club. The Earl of Dufferin. in a note to Mrs. Mackenzie, declared his to be the best speech delivere-i on that occasion : "28 Chapel St., Park St., London-, ,Tuly 19th, 1883. " My Dear Mrs. Mackenzik,-A8 I am sure your husband won't tell you, I think it is right to let you know that he made by far the best speech of any at the Empire Club-full of weight, good sense, force and effect. I was sitting next to a very able man, Lord Thurlow, who is a judge of such matters, and he wa^ very much struck by the power it displayed. •« Yours ever, " Dufferin." In tins .same year the Marquis of Lome and Princess Louise left Canada, after an administration which will ever be asso- ciated in the minds of the people of this country with pleasant recollections. The appointment fell upon Lord Lansdowne, and on his retirement, to follow the Marquis of Dutt'erin and Ava, as Viceroy of India, he was succeeded by the present Governor-General, Lord Stanley of Preston. ( ■ m CHAPTER XL. JIE DEPICTS HIMSELF. Goes to the North We*t — Again in Search of Health — Splendid Descriptive Letter to his Daughter — The Roclcies — Mount Stephen — Wheat Fields of over One Tiiousaiid Acres— Tlio Fight with his Disease — A Last Visit to Scotland — Interesting Series of Letters — The Man Revealed— His Pen Pic- tures of Himself. N the summer of 13 the river falls about 1,200 feet, the railway having nearly the same fall. About a mile below the high bridge a river joins the Kicking Horse from the north. The eye embraces both vjilkys. Tlie growth of spruce and tama.ind is so dense beluw that both rivers are hidden almost completely, and but one or two glimpses of the white, maddened streams are to be had. "The picture here, looking north, east, and south is most beautiful and sublime. Mount Stephen, 11,000 feet high, was at our back, and this glorious mountain valley in our front and right. "The water was clear as crystal, and exactly of the color of the Rlumo, as we saw it in Switzerland, with a continuous current of, say, ten miles an hour, .and broken by one fall. " From the place called the entrance to the pass, to the water shed, is about sixty miles. The Bow river, or one of its tributaries, flows nearly ;ill this distance, while tlie immense ranges of hills stand like a prodigious ivrmy, presenting arms and welcoming the visitor into the sublime vestibule. The pass is 5,297 feet above the sea, and a number of the mountains rise a little more than 5,000 above rail level. Everlasting snow covers them all, and from various points immense glaciers raise their glistening peaks. rhere are no finely-shaped cones, as shown by Mount Blanc, Mount Rosa, or the Jungfrau, but there is otherwise more rugged beauty and pictur- eaqueness than in the Alps. " The rocks are generally of the primitive classes ; therefore there is no regular stratification ; but some of the mountains seem to have been built l)y tremendous agencies, and show a castellated appearance very like a i!K)U8ter ruin. MM 610 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. " We are informed that snow avalanches often descend with tremendous weight and power, sweeping the hill face clear of timber and louse rocks, an^d smashing everything into a vast mixture of snow, wood and stone at the foot. We saw a large number of such places. They resembled exactly a large mow taken down with a scythe in the fields. If one of these avalanches should descend on the road, no protection man could find would prevent a complete wreck of road, bridge, or train. Only a few places are, however, so exposed. "When we reached the Bell farm, we saw two fields of wheat, one of 1,280 acres, and one of 1,000 acres, and a flax field of oOO acres. They have 25 reapers, 170 horses and other farm ' rolling stock ' in proportion. Late in the evening we got to our car again, after a very pleasant ten days' ride, part of which the heat spoiled, and part was rendered almost intolerable by a cloud of winged ants, which enveloped us and found a lodging in our clothes and down our necks. They sting exactly like a newly-kindled match applied to the skin. '* I have insensibly fallen into a narrative style, while I meant only to give a general view of our journey. To-day ' 1 add no more.* " There is little or no diflerence in my voice ; though yesterday I spoke better than I have done yet. I dread a meeting in Winnipeg on Tuesday, but the people insisted on it, and I will do my best. " 1 am, dear Mary, " Your afiectionate father, "A. Mackenzie." From tliis time onwarrl, there are few incidents in the life of Alexander Mackenzie to record. Hi.s henceforth was a con- stant battle with the disease that had taken too deep hold upon him to be shaken off". In 1886 he found alleviation, merely, in a visit he paid with IMrs. Mackenzie once more, and for the last time, to Scotland. How he felt at about this period, we find described by himself in a letter now before us, of June, 1885. It is one only of an interestintj series of letters to an intimate friend, runningf from 1869 to 1888. We have preferred to j^ive the series unbroken, with some abridgment, and have kept it for insertion here. HE DEPICTS HIMSELF. 611 With this friend, whose acquaintance was formed in the early days, the correspondence was frequent and without reserve. However reticent Mr. Mackenzie might appear to be to strang- ers, here was one congenial soul, at any rate, who received the outpourings of a full heart. In sunshine and shadow he found relief in telling how, at the moment, he was pleased or how perplexed and cast down : " Sarnia, Feb. 15th, 18G9. " Dear Charles, — I owe you a letter, and should have paid you long ago ; but now for it. What are you doing ? And how many are there now to ask for ? My memory fails me in the count of some of our own Mackenzie families here, and how can 1 be expected to remember much of others ? " 1 am beginning to be in terror of the coming session's work. How useless it all is ! 1 feel like one walking the weary circle of a horse-power machine, no end visible, and begin to wish 1 were well out of it for good. Nothing but an extreme dislike to do a cowardly thing prevents me resign- ing now. I recollect when first elected that I felt quite elated, and some- what proud, I suppose. That feeling is all gone now, as clean gone as the starch is from a muslin dress on a wet day. " We had grand rejoicings over Parker's victory in the old valley. Harry ran out when I opened the paper with the news, and told every- body on th(i streets, just as if they were all from Perthshire I We threw up our hats in the shop and found full vent for our joyful feelings. *' Yours faithfully, "A. Mackenzie." The realisation of the session's work was no better than the anticipation : •' Ottawa, May 10, 1869. " Dear Charles, — I purposed writing you soon after my arrival here, but was unable to give it eft'ect. I cannot command my own time, and consequently personal friends are only attended to by fits and starts, as I happen to be able to snatch the oppcjrtunity. Peop.le write me from all n able to eat and sleep well, though I am not as able to stand fatigue as I should be, and my walking is affected by the trouble in the head. For some years I drew on my reserve strength until it was used up, and now the treasure is gone. So much about myself. I don't often say so much about so insignificant a subject. " It is quite uncertain when we will get away from Ottawa. I am ^u ,,* I (318 LIFE OF THE BOX. ALEXAXDEIl MACKENZIE. really quite sick of it. The incapacity of the Government ia moat extra- orcliniiry. They are totally unable to grapple with the business, and not one-third of it is now done. " Yours faithfully, "A. Mackenzie." If Mr. Mackenzie had not himself told the sad story of his failing health, it was only too clearly visible in the change in his style of writing. The firm, straight, clean-cut characters, plain and neat as print, grow feel)le in the letter of 188'), and become feebler still in that which follows, written eleven months later : " Ottawa, May 18th, 1886. "Mv Dear Charlks, — T duly received your letter some weeks ago. I would have answered you sooner but for the difficulty I have in writing. " I note what you say about our political life. It has got very low, and 'like priests, like people.' Ihe Government have run a long career of corruption. Unhapi)ily the country has got used to it, and the people have become careless. As Jeremiah exclaimed under a similar state of circumstarifes, ' The people will have it so.' Unfortunately 1 am totally unable to speak, or I would try and contrast our way and theirs. I am continuing to hold my seat (only able to vote), in the hope that I may re- cover. Of that, however, there is little chance, 1 fear, at my age. "I need hardly say I am much obliged for your good opinion. I derive much satisfaction frora knowing that many of the best of our people approve of my course. •' Yours faithfully, •'A. Mackenzie." The last letter penned by himself to this friend is on a half sheet of small note, and is in a very crampetl and thin but per- fectly distinct and easily-read hand, almost microscopic though it is in its reduced si/e : " Ottawa, March 17th, 1888. •'My Dear Charles, — T must first explain that 1 have almost lost the power of writing, so that you will not conclude I am on the spree. " I got your letter al)out Willio, -ind a few days afterwards I saw our IE. most extra- as, and nob CKENZIE. ' ;oiy of his change in characters. 188'), and ten eleven LSth, 1886. reeks ago. I 5 in writing, ery low, and )ng career of id the people lilar state of 1 am totally heirs. I am lilt 1 may re- y age. )pinion. I of our people \nKRNZIE. s on a half ill but per- ipic though 7th, 1888. most lost tho sjjree. ds I saw our HE DEPICTS HIMSELF. 619 friend and spoke to him on the subject. Tliere is no engagement avail- able as yet. It is probable that I will see our friend again on his return. However, I have said all 1 could, and I gave him the addres.s. " My wife is in good health, and 1 am ' as well as could be expected.' I have to lean on her now ; however, it might be worse ; so 1 am thankful. ' ' Remember us both to your wife, and accept for yourself our kindest wishes. *' 1 am, yours faithfully, *' A. Mackenzie." Before this date was readied the once potent voice, the vehicle of words freighted with o-reat thouuhts — "jreat thoughts r> O OCT O which never left him — which was accustomed " the applause of listening senates to coninuiiid," — had sunk into a whispt-r. Ill the later days, to the extent of its more limited capacity, the pen had been used as the only means which remained to enable him to supply, as be^t it could, this, his greatest of all losses. Influence over the pen now, too, had gone. From this time forth the intellect was imprisoned, without power of deliverance, in the dome of thought, where it had its seat and still shone in undimmed lustre — where it still had full domin- ion. The impulses of one of the truest and gentlest hearts that ever breathed were now incapable of manifestation to any of his friends, except the lessening circle who came within the sphere of his personal influence, and to them rather by looks and signs than by word.s. What sadder thing than for the keen intellect, the sound judgment, the strong memory, to remain, when the power of expression had gone. In the pathetic words of Tiiackeray : " What preacher need moral iso on this sto"v ; what words save the simplest are re(|uisite to tell it ? Jo is too terrible for tears. The thouuht of such a calamity inites me down in submission before the Ruler of kings 1.1 A men, the Monarch Supreme over empires and republics, the inscrutable Dispenser of life, death, happiness, m I liL 6-20 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. victory." The words Macaulay quoted of Hallam under similar circumstances, when he was unable to walk and unable to write, but with the old intellect undimmed, Mr. Mackenzie must often have applied to himself : "Let me not live After my flame lacks oil, to bo the scoflf Of meaner spirits." We are sure he was never a scoff' to the meanest spirit, but a grand example to all mankind in his patience and fortitude under the saddest of human infirmities. He was a brave man still, whose work in this world's sphere was nearly done, for the time was approaching when he should be honorably released from his labors. It had not quite come yet. P^or some four years more it was his lot, with increasing feeblenes-s, to continue to drag his pained steps over the burning marie. And then at length — rest. CHAPTER XLI. IlIVETING THE B^ETTEIIS. The Second Rising in the North-West — Ill-Treatment Causes Rebellion — " Old To-Morrow" — Sacrifice of Life and Treasure — The Franchise Iniquity — The Revising Barrister — The Country Delivered into iris Hands — Mr. Mackenzie on the Outrage — The Indian Vote — The Tory Ciics from 18(37 to 1891. ;HILE, in 1885, Mr. Mackenzie was in a state of physical weakness, which prevented him from taking part in debate, a. double straggle was go- ing on at points so widely apart as the banks of the Saskatchewan and the city of Ottawa. In the North- West, Riel, Dumont, and their sympathisers were in revolt against the Government for a redress of grievances ; at Ottawa, the Liberal par^y were strenuous in resistance to the Franchise Act. Friendly journals were unable to justify the treatment of the Government towards the half-breed settlers in the North- West. The Mail, a Government paper at that time, com- plained that " scaly ward politicians from Eastern Canaci i," who were an offence to the Mentis, had been appointed to posi- tions of trust in that country, and that the Lieut.-Governor had " become interested in town sites and bonanza farms." It further said : " The vis inerticc of the doi)artment was immovable. Had they had votes, like white men, or if, like the Indians, they had been numerous enough to command re- spect and overcome the red tape, without doubt the wheels 621 l'|:' fH G22 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXAXDER MACKENZIE. of office would have revolved for thorn ; but being only ludf- breeds, they were put off with eternal promises, until patience ceased to be a virtue." Another, then Ministerial, paper, the Montreal Herald, said : " It is now as clear as daylight tliat this rising in the North- West, which lias cost so much in blood and money, was no sudden freak, and was not without warn- ing. On the contrary, it was the climax of a gradually grow- ing discontent. Every step was brought before the Govern- ment, reported upon by their officers, and told them, with damnable iteration, by bishops, priests, lieutenant-governors, surveyors, and apparently everyone who had a right to hold communication with them. Still, Mr. Blake has shown that the only thihg done by the Government to prevent the out- break was to bribe the rebel leaders, Dumont, Schmidt, Dumas, Isbister, and others, with Government offices." It is propcrito add that the Mail laid the blame at the doors of both parties ; but what the Liberal party, who went out in 1878, had to do with the rising of 1885, it is not easy to see. Petition after petition went to Ottawa, but they evoked no response. Deputations, the resolutions of public meetings; all were disregarded. Documents received at Ottawa, in 1879, were never noticed until the unhappy natives had risen in arms, in March, 1SS,5. It was the habit of putting things off which won for Sir John A. Macdonald his well-known Indian desiornation of " Old To-motTow." But there was a tremendous awakening when the news came of the slaughter at Duck Lake. This was followed by the calling out of the volunteers (who were hastily despatched to the scene of conflict), the Frog Lake massacre, the affair at Cut Knife Hill, the engagement at Fish Creek, and the fight at Batoche. While we must condemn the conduct of Kiel and his associates in again rising in rebellion, the Government can- lilVETINO THE FETI'ERS C-23 3\vn Indian not be ;i1 lowed to escape the severest censure for the loss of scores of precious lives, and the expenditure of many millions of treasure in supin-essing an outhreak which was so largely caused by their supercilious treatment of the half-breed and Indian claims. Towards the close of the session of 1885, Sir John A. Mac- donald completed tho political servitude of the people, who were already in bondage under the Gerrymander Act of 1882. What was then done was, at an estimated cost of half a million a 3'ear, to create some hundreds of new government of- ficials, called revising barristers, who were charged with the function of preparing the lists of voters for the House of Commons. The municipal officers throughout the country had hitherto discharged this important duty fairly, and with but few complaints from any source. The Govei-nment now placed it in the hanrls of their own partisans. The revising officers were not only to revise the lists ; they were also to make them. Upon every voter in tiie land was thereby thrown the burden of watching these privileged political foes, and of protecting his rights against their assaults. Again, under the previous system, not only was the making of the lists fair ; it was automatic. Names of those who had ceased to have a right to the franchise were dropped as a matter of course. Under the new plan, where the revising bar- risters were not strict in the performance of duty, such names were continually carried on, and kept on, unless moved against by prixnte persons, not specially charged with such duties, at enormous trout tie and tj.vpfnse. Every move- ment in the direction of a list, if it was to be reasonablv lair to Liberal candidates, was maile costly anf inflicting upon them great political injustice. The gerrymander act and the franchise act combined may be said to constitute politically " the sum of all the villainies." -e at last ex- icr allowed to qualification mcliise. The L-isters to tho ood, gave the names on antl (rcrrieved were ,ve way in re- were appealed tion. Accord- e vising barris- /lio appeal can ited until their >unal appealed pf the proceed- vastly greater strenuous tight provisions of evising barris- )peal, and then leni. This was ho white t'rec- al Indian who 3S, who has no of its evil fea- Ipite of the vast ]ncd the friends inllicting up"U [der act and the itute poHtically mVETINO THE FETTERS. C27 The manner in which the gerrymander and the franchise nvitB and the Indian vote operated, was illustrated by Sir Richard Cartwright in 1889. In Ontario twelve of the mani- pu'iited seats returned a collective Tory majority of 383 votes, against a collective Liberal majority of ten times the num- ber, existing in the three hived constituencies of Brant and North and South Oxford. Reverse these 383 votes, by putting back the municipalities whicli gave then), to where they be- longed, and the Government would be in the hands of the Liberals. How the Tories have won their elections since Confedera- tion m.ay be told in a few sentences : In 1867, by the cry of " union and progress, " tho luring of susceptible Reformers into the belief that political issues were dead, and afterwards unceremoniously setting them aside. In 1872, by Sir Hugh Allan's money. In 1878, by the N. P. fraud. In 1882, by tlie gerrymander of the constituencies. In 1885, by the cooking of the voters' lists through the franchise act. In 1891, by the combinations of monopolists, and the money contributed by them and contractors to the funds of the red parlor. till I r ! II ' Trii I CHAPTER XLII. Ills LAST DAYS. Again Tleturncd for East York — Charles Afackenzie in the Legislature — Death of Sir John A. Macdonald — Mr. iJlake'a Retirement — Member for South Longford, Ireland — Mr. Mackenzie's Last Manifesto — "I Repent It" — Vote on the Jesuit Bill — His Seventieth Birthday — A Fatal Fall— His Illness— His Death on Easter Day — The Nation's Sorrow — Touching Tributes — The Funeral Pageants in Toronto and Sarnia — The Orations. <^^3^ZiW LTHOUGH Mr. :Mackenzie was not able to take much part in the election of 1887, he was, by reason of his high character, and the exertions of his attaclicd supporters. Liberal and Conservative, again returned for East York against Mr. Boultbee, by a majority of IGO votes ; and in 1891, lie was suc- cessful once more, bi t by a reduced majority, being too ill to appear in the constituency. In 1887 Mr. Blake resigned the position of leader of the Opposition and was succeeded by the present leader, Mr. Lauricr. Mr. Mackenzie was gratified by the entrance of his y^ouiig- est brother Charles upon a promising political career at the by-election for the Ontario Legislature in West Lambtoii, in the autumn of 1889, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of the Commissioner of Ciown Lands, Hon. T. B. Pardee. On the meeting of the Legislature, a few months thereafter, Mr. Charles Mackenzie moved the Address in an able maiden speech, and it was felt that he was well fitted to maintain the 628 II HIS LAST DAYS. C29 Legisla ture— Death -JvIemVier for South I P.cpcnt It"— Vote Fall— His Illness- 2hing Tributes — I'lie ot able to take SS7, he was, by the exertions of nd Conservative, ist Mr. Boultbce, S91 , lie was suc- , being too ill to of leader of the sent leader, Mr. ice of his young- cal career at the *Vrst Lambton, in sod by the death .n. T. B. Pardee lunths thereafter, II an able maith'n d to maintain the family record. He was re-elected at the general election in the suiinner of 1890. Sir John A. Macdonald died the 0th of June, ISOl, at the age of seventy-six. On liis death, the position of First Min- ister was taken, and is still retained, by Senator Abliott, with Sir John Thompson as leader in the House of Commons. On the 5th of March, 1891, Mr. Blake, in a celebrated mani- festo, from which we have already quoted, to the members of the West Durham Reform Convention, bade farewell to his constituents, and retired from Parliament. At the general election in Great Britain, in the summer of the present year (1892), Mr. Blake responded to a call from ovei* the sea, and gave fresh impetus and a new inspiration to the cause of Home Rule in Ireland by enrolling himself as one of its champions — as he had already shown himself to be in Canada — umler the banner of its great advocate, Mr. Gladstone. Mr. Blake was elected for South Longford by almost an unanimous vote, with Mr. Justin McCarthy, the great historian and parliamentarian, and the able leader of the Nationalist pai ^y, as his colleague in North Longford. The position filled by Mr. Blake as a dis- tinguished colonist of Irish extraction, advocating in tb.e Bri- tish House of Commons those principles of government for the land of his ancestors which prevail in the land of his birth, is unique, and forms the opening of a career in Im])eiial poli- tics which will be followed by observing men everywhere with the deepest interest, and especially by Canadians, apart from their party proclivities. It has been remarked that the name of the Liberal ex-Pre- mier does not appear in the Parliamentary debates of 1890 or 1891, but this arose from his inal)ility to mak(» himself heard in that chamber. He spoke at consideral)le length to a depu- tation of the leadinir Relonners of his riilin-; who waited 630 LIFE OF THE IIO.V. ALEXAXDER MACKEXZIE. upon him in Toronto early in January, l.SOl, ^vitll a resolution of synipatliy and confidence. This may be said to he his dyin<^ manircsto to liis countrymen, and it woidil be well i'or tliem were th(>y to take his earnest worda of warning' and wisdom to heart. He said : " There never was a time when judicious speech and action were so much in demand. The country is passing through a crisis brought abcjut by an injudicious and unwise commercial policy. In 1878, I took some pains to show that no Government or Parliament can create wealth, but they may redistribute either wisely or unwisely. Promises of coming wealth on a change of policy were lavished freely, in order to defeat my Administration. These promises, we all knew, could not bo fulfilled, and now we are reaping the fruits of an unwise policy. Our wealth is all to be taken from the soil, the woods, and the mines. The farmers are ii great wealth-producing class, and any fiscal policy which presses hanl upon them ensures a commercial crisis sooner or later. Every effort should be made by us to avert such a crisis. The natural course to pur- sue would be to return to the policy of 1878, and in doing so the Liberals and Conservatives ought to accept any scheme which does not perpetrate further injustice. *' It has been said by some of the Ministerial papers that Great Britain would not consent to any extension of a 'rec trade policy. I can onl\ say that in the negotiations of 1874 at Washington, conducted by Mr. George Brown, the Government wore in active communication with the Colonial Oflice, and a list of the articles proposed to be embodied in thu new treaty was transmitted for consideration to Downing-strcet. The general spirit which pervaded these communications was simply tliat Canada anrds, "I lips, to 3ression H') had jrevious • iu this iuin[)hs. lance in ons that it a pair cception, his place ich-cher- irs with- ajjain in it to the ;all upon ct of the It estates. 1(1 stirred much by ^plication Q (Ad doc- r was one it federal Lutononiy. [uestion a :e anxious il a strnii;^ ut two ill tlie morning of the 29th of March. During the preceding evening, Mr. Trow, the chief Opposition whip, went to Mr. Mackenzie to ask him to go to the House and state in a few words how he would vote were the division to take place at a seasonable hour. Mr. Mackenzie said, " No ; that would look like acting," at which he was not good. But he was so strong in his desire to share the responsibility with his fellow mem- bers, that he did not wish to be paired, and he said that if the vote came on before midnight, he would try to keep up and go down. Two hours after midnight, when the division liells rang, Mr. Tr(jw found him still ready, and he accompanied the whip to the House and voted with the majority. Mr. ^lackenzie was during; the session of 1891, on the whole, better than he had been iV)r a long time previously, very much enjoying the summer drives in the neighborhood of the city, which he said to ^Irs. Mackenzie, his invariable companion, he had never known so much about until then, the earlier years of his life in Ottawa having been too closely oc- cupied in the serious affairs of his position. He looked re- markably well on his return to Toronto in September, and continued so until the middle of the winter. The 28th of Jan- uary, 1892, was his seventieth birthday, and they, to whom the now almost completed duty has fallen of writing this biogra- ph}', were together with him in his house, one as a visitor, the other as liis guest, and were surprised at his lively conversa- tional powers, his old flashes of intellect and humor, his faculty for recalling bygone events, with the never- failing exactitude of name, and place, and date. It was the last time they were to hold converse with him. Five days afterwards he fell in walking from his house to the coupe, which had come as usual to take him to the duties he continued to discharge in the city, lie was carried into the ■" G3i LII'E OF THE IIOX. ALEXAXDEIt MACKEXZIE. house, and remained from tliat hour in a helpless state, until Sunday, tlie 17th of April, when he died. Never was more conspicuously seen than then the deep hold he had taken on t-^o affections of the entire people. Most men when no longer able (to use the phrase of Disraeli) to " bustle about," are for- gotten. But it was not so with him. Throughout his many 3'ears of constantly growing paralysis of limbs and speech, the popular interest in him had continued with Ijut little abate- ment, and when the people learnt of his accident, their enquir- ies were constant about his varying condition, and they were not satisfied with the meagre accounts which the reticent fam- ily permitted to go forth with the stamp of authority. During all this time Mr. Mackenzie was attended by his de- voted wife and daughter, and his brother Charles, who scarcely ever left him, ami was constantly visited by his friend and physician. Dr. Thorburn. At first he was restless, frequently changing from liis sleep- ing room to the library, and never continuing for more than a little while in one place, or in one position — the restlessneso and weariness which presaged the end. The last three weeks were more painful yet to the anxious watchers, for then he lay still and motionless, beyond the r"ich of aid. For many days before the close, he took notliing; his lips were moisten- ed, but no nourishment whatever passed them. Ho was a week in the throes of death, whose hand was stayed only by the wonderful inherent strength of an iron constitution. His last words of assurance, before he sunk into final insen- sibility, were very beautiful : " Uh, take me home." On the calm and lovely Easter morning following, tiie wish was rea- lised; for, i-s the glad sunshine was about to visit the earth again on that delightful Sabbath day, he " fell on sleep." It was literally so. The mysterious change which was observed ins LAST DAYS. 635 to come over liiui, and wliich was felt t) be death, scarcely disturbed a feature of the face. The long slumber that could know no wakening was as the unconscious and tranquil sleep of a little child. Truly may be applied to tliat hallowed scene the tender words of Hood, Avhich ^Ir. Macksnzie himself made the setting of the picture of the dcath-chauibcr of his friend, George Brown : " Our very hopes belied our fears, Our fears, our hopes belied ; We thought him dying when he slept, And sleeping when he died." ffc died at ten minutes to one, and in a few houi's the sun shone through an unclouded sky to ki-^s the buds and blossoms that were beginning to open out to catch his gloiy, and to inspire the robins, whose songs the lost one had loved so Well, as they chanted their morning litany from the branches of the trees that surround the house. As was said by the two sisters who came over at the bid. tude and cheerfulness in assisting and sustaining her husband in his many year.s of sickness. ins LAST DAYS. C39 The arran;;^oments for the funeral were pL'iccd in the hands of Mr. Hubert Jaflray and Mr. T. C. Irving, warm friends and trusted advisers of the deceased statesman, and tliey were most a(hniraLly carried out. Services were ai'ranged for eaeli of two days — Wednesday, in Toronto, liis hiter home, and Thursday, in liis foi'mer liome, in Sarnia. It is said that a sugc^estion for a state funeral had been made by a leading man, who admired him for his virtues and shared in his greatness. But it was not so ordered. And, perhaps, on the whole, it was better that it was not to be, as more befitting the simplicity of the character of the deceased, and giving lai-ger scope for the spontaneous outburst of the nation's sorrow. " There are," said the Chancellor of the English Exchequer, on one occasion, " rare instances when the sympathy of a na- tion approaches those tenderer feelings which are generally supposed to be peculiar to the individual, and to be the happy privilege of private life ; and this is one." The words of the wise statesman point their own moral. There may be little of the pomp of history investing tiiese recent occurrences. They may not touch the heart of nations, but the faithful and afflict- ed servant of the state never appials in vain for sympatiiy to the domestic sentiment of mankind. The wasted form, but with the light on the coiintonanco " that never was on sea or land, " that was more than happi- ness — blessedness ; the blessedness of the home he had longed for and had now entered, rested in the drawing-room. To- liim who had battled so long and courageously most appropri- ately might be applied the words of Charles Kingsley : " His face bore a sweetness which had been ripened by storm as well as by sunshine : which this world had not given and could not take away." The room was heaped with lovely '' t ,( 640 LIFE OF THE 1 1 OX. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. flora! tributes in exquisite desififns, and bearing- touching mot- toes, tlie gifts of friends in Canada and in other lands ; among them being a wreath of calla lilies and roses from the Gov- ernor-General and Lady Stanley of Preston. The beautiful casket bore the simple inscription : ALEXANDER MACKENZIE, DIKD 17th Ai'uiL, 1892, Aged 70 Ykars. The weather on the day of the funeral was as delightful as on the day he died. "Bright sunshine, the liealtliful breath of spring, the singing of birds and the return of verdure led the onlooker almost imperceptibly to look upon the better side, and to remember that he in whose honor thousands were assembled had done a brave and noble life-work, rather than to grieve that at length he had passed down into the silence of death. And in all the services and exercises of the day there was almost as much a note of triumph over the noble career of the departed statesman as of sorrow^ over his death." On Wednesday, delegations from all parts of the country and other persons,! friends and admirers, clad in deep mourn- ing, and wnth the political line obliterated, poured into Toronto and filled the city. There were strong bodies alike from the Conservative and Liberal members of the House of Commons. The Dominion Cabinet was represented l)y Sir John Thomp- son, leader of the Government in the House of Commons ; Hon. J. C. Patterson, Secretary of State ; Hon. IVIackeiizie Bowell, Minister of Militia, and Hon. Frank Smith, Acting Minister of Public Works. Hoi;. Wilfrid Laurier, leader of the Opposition, and Hon. David ^lills, had l)een formally chosen to represent the Liberal party in Parliament. I'l' HIS LAST DAYS. 641 With the exception of Hon. C. F. Fraser, who was in the Southern States for his health, all the members of the Ontario Cabinet attended ; and there were few absentees from the en- tire body of the Legislature. There was a short service at the house, conducted by Rev. Dr. Thomas and Rev. James Grant. The funeral cortege was then formed for the services in the Jarvis-street Baptist Church, the route, which was crowded with sorrowing people, being by St. Albans and Wellesley-streets. After a poss^ of mounted police, came the first carriage, oc- cupied by Rev. Dr. Thomas, Rev. Professor McLaren, Rev. G. M. Milligan, and Rev. James Grant, officiating clergymen. Then followed a carriage containing Rev. Father Walsh, repre- senting the Archbishop of Toronto. And next three carriages with the pall-bearers, all close personal friends of Mr. Muckeu- zie, in the following order : Hon. Edward Blake, Hon. Oliver Mowat, Hon. G. W. Allan, Mr. Justice Burton, Hon. Sir Richard Cartwright, Hon. T. W. Anglin, Mr. Justice McLennan, Hon. G. W. Ross, Robert Jaffray, T. C. Irving, Major Oreig, J. L. Blaikie. Behind th(i pall-bearers' carriages was the funeral car drawn by four black horses, and accompanied by a carriage contain- ing the floral offerings. The chief mourners followed. In the first carriage were Mr. Charles ^lackenzie, M.P.P., brother; Rev. Dr. Thompson, son-in-law, and Mr. W. Macken- zie, nephew of the deceased. In the second were Mr. W. Buckingham, late Private Secre- tary ; Mr. Henry Beatty, Toronto ; Mr. Thomas Hodgins, Q.C., Master-in-Ordinary ; and Hon. A. McKellar, Sherili' of Went- worth. 00 642 LIFE OF THE HOy. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. Tlie carriages of Colonel Dawson, A.D.C, representing the Governor-General, and of Captain Greville Harston, A.D.C, representing the Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, came next. Then followed carriages bearing Sir John Thompson, Hon. Wilfrid Laurier, Hon. Mackenzie Bowell, Hon. J. C. Patterson, Hon. Frank Smith, Hon. L. H. Davies, Hon. David Mills, Hon. Speaker Ballantyne, Hon. A. S. Hardy, Hon. J. M. Gibson, Hon. R. Harcourt, and many other Liberal and Conservative leaders. The Parliamentary delegation proper formed the next sec- tion of the funeral cortege, some in carriages, including Hon. R. W. Scott and Sir Donald A. Smith; the rest, forming a largo contingent of tlie House of Commons, on foot, headed by Mr. D'Alton McCarthy. Other carriages contained : The Board of the North American Life, of which deceased was President. Tlie Mayor and City Council. East Yoi'k Liberal Association. E;',st York Conservative Association. The Toronto Reform Association. The Young Men's Liberal Club. The York County Coiuicil. Tlio Public Library Uoard. The St. Andrew's Society. The Caledonian Society. Citizens of Toronto and friends from a distance. The procession was large and imposing, and as it slowly passed along the streets, the people who filled them to the roadway stood with uncovered heads. The mounted police guarded the entrance to the church, which, except the scats reserved, was already crowded with citizens. Presently, Parliament may be said to have assem- bled within that fane, luider whose roof never before were jsenting the ton, A.D.C., , came next, npson, Hon. D. Patterson, . Mills, Hon. , M. Gibson, ^Conservative ihe next sec- jluding Hon. ■j, forming a foot, headed lined : was President. se. as it slowly them to the 3 the church, crowded with D have assem- ■ before were HIS LAST DA VS. g j^ gathered togetlier so many distinguished men. Tlie Dead March in Saul was played by Mr. Vogt, the organist, as the pall-bearers entered the church, and placed their precious bur- den, surrounded by flowers, in front of the choir rails. The pall-bearers filed oiT to the left, the central front seats were taken up by the cliicf mourners, the Parliamentary delegation occupying those immediately behind, the leaders of the Gov- ernment and of the Opposition in the House of Commons still sitting side by side. Rev. G. M. Milligan ottered the opening prayer; the hynni, "Jerusalem the GoMea." was sung to the swelling organ notes; Rev. Dr. Johnston read selected passages of -scripture ; Rev. Joshua Denovan engaged in r.rayor ; and after another hymn, "Asleep in Jesus," llev. Dr. Thomas delivered a n.ag.uttcent eulogy on the career and splendi.l services of the statesman they had come to mom-n. Pie compared him to the R(,n.an soldier sentinel who was forgotten, and was buried under the lava of Vesuvius i-ather than desert his post, and to Welling- ton, standing like a tower of strength, " four square, to all the winds that blow." Alexander Mackenzie's was tlu- higlu^st type of statesmanship, which was not so common, even here, but that it stirred the nation's veneration and enthusiasm' when a life like his was brought under review. He recited the leading incidents in that life, and, after telling oi the greatness he had achieved, said the best featun; in lis char- acter was that he was a sincere Christian. He thus concluded the panegyric : " How ine.slini.'il.lo i.s .•m honest man ! His price is above rubies. He IS the koyst.mo in the mighty superstnicturo of society. He is the strength of evcMy great financial institution. Society is a Iica[. of sand, and govornnuMit a gilded swindle without honusi men. Oh, how Alex- ander Mackenzie loved Canada : And if he could .speak to us to-day 644 I.IFK OF THE I/OX. ALEXAXDER MACKENZIE. with lips unsoalod, it woulil be to urge us to fidelity in ;vll that would tend to develop her resources and enhance her glory. Methinks I hear tlio grand old patriot sendiu'^ back a shout from the everlasting hills bearing the message ' Defeixl Canada from her enemies ; l)e true to her interests ; lay yourselves upon the altar of her service; preserve the fair heritage which God has given you ; rest not until her brow is wreathed with purity, her loins girded with righteousness, her feet unshackled, holding in her right hand the volume of eternal truth, and its laws written on her heart.' Thou grand old veteran of thy country's liberties, farewell." Professor McLaren, ol" Knox College, followed with an elo- qnent and touching tribute, dwelling upon the lo.ss the country had sustaine" hands — The Casket in St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Sarnia, St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Sarnia.' ihoio uy g h. lancimlld. "r !'|| HIS LAST DA YS. 651- until two o'clock, when the casket was closed and tiie services commenced. In the interval, people poured steadily past to take a last look at the lamiJiur features, so placid and pleasing in their expression. The galleries, with the pulpit, from which the son-in-law of the deceased Premier has ministered these twenty-six years, were heavily draped, The oi-ganist, Mi*. W. Philp, played i\\{: Dead March ; the hymn, "Rock of Ages," was sung; Rc\. Professor McLaren irad a. passage from Reve- lations; Rev. Professor Gregg ofi'ered prayer; another hymn was sung, " Neai-er My God to Thee ; " and Rev. Pro fe.'^sor Gregg delivered the oration, lie began with an ap[)i'opriate allusion to the likeness between the life-long friends, Alexander Mac- kenzie and George Brown, Lamltton's earlier representative. 11(3 ti'aced the march of events in wliicii they both took lead- ing [)arts. Jle pointed to the dauiiticss spirit, the upi'ight conduct, the loyalty to )»rinci])le of tlicir dccrascd friend, com- paring him to l^^diuiiiid llui"ke, to Samud, (hi; last but the best iuflirc of Israel. He said ho bore to the ui-uve a staiidess name, and his whole life, especially to tlui yoiiug, was a noble inspiration. The services ciosuii with the hyuni, "The Sands of Time are Sinking;" prayer, by Rev. Professor .McLnreii ; tlu; anthcMn, "Come unto Me all ye that Labor;" and an organ dii-ge; the remains meanwhile being bornci from the ehiireh. As the worshippers emerged from tin' edifice, the raiii-clonds dispei'sed, and the bright sunshin(; fell again upon the scene. The streets were lined l)y thousands, with boweil heads and sorrowful faces. Many of those who were ])resent at the obsecpiies in T(jronto weiv in the ])roeession, joined by multi- tudes who gatlu^-ed from (Ik; western di.-itrict. Lak»!view cemetery, the place f)f intei'meiit, is two mihs distant, and all the vehicles tli;it could be obtained wi re wholly ina,iia^^^^^^^;^^ CHAPTER XLTII. Tlill'.ri'KS TO Ills MKMOllV. Mrs. Mackenzie's Help to Him in Hi« Piil.liu Career-Fris Recognition of It- Her Devotion in His Long Hlne.ss -IVisonal an.l Public Tiibutes— Letter from Hon. A. (!. Jones— Hon. S. H. Blake's Oration— The Pulpit and the Press— All Unite to do Him Ho.ior. \'inm:%\\V. wcaltli of affection and (I.'votion hestowci hy the wife npon the sti-iekcn hnslianion, the lowliest in the laniest of mar- iI)of Illness to stances, you r own. My test adniira- no one ever I am IX )t e kind, and of wives- ■ ues was a a especial M-s of his Kcii able 1 1 existed rd Island, ot' it in and leal- V Albert Mrs. Mackenzie. I'l' IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) V // 1^ 1.0 I.I 1.25 '- PIM ,30 'l"l^ t 1^ IIM M 1.6 V] <^ /^ "c^l // ^i ^y' // v /^ ^ V c.'C^^ :\ \ o^ % v> ■^ <* t<9 % ^^ w- w. TRIBUTES TO II IS MEMORY. 659 Smith and Mr. Burpee, of New Brunswick, was equally great. Ho has carf'iully preserved the many valued letters he received from each of them. Sir Albert Smith and Mr. Burpee are no more; but Mr. Jones remains of his Maritime Ministers to hold him in affectionate remembrance. Of the numerous kind letters received by Mrs. Mackenzie since her husband's death, none has given her greater solace in her sorrow than a touch- ing letter from Mr. Jones. We can, however, Und space but for the one paragraph, which gives expression to his grateful acknowledgment of Mr. Mackenzie's ever-helpful assistance: " Perhaps no one had mere cause to speak well of him tlian I had. From the day I entered Pai'liament, in l8G7,to the time we resigned, in 1878, he was always my warmest friend and counselloi-, and 1 cannot hope to make anyone adequately un- derstand how much I owed to liim for any mcjisuro of success I may have had in public life." And this, too, whicli is but confirmatory of the universal testimony to his unwavering loyalty : "He was a man, of whom it may truly Ite .said, that when you had won his confidence, there were no more doid)ts to be cleared away." These sentiments find an echo in the hearts of all those who knew him best. At a meeting in East York, shortly after the funeral, Hon. S. H. Blake delivered an oration, which lie commenced by a touching allusion to the death of Mr. Mackenzie, a man v. lio, he said, stood out as a stalwart among men throughout the world, a man who struck for the right regardless of conse- (juences: "Consequences had to go to pieces before Alexander Mackenzie. God give us more such as he was, honest and true." He liked to think that he could follow him yet ; that the influence of Alexander Mackenzie still lived. "Men mav say what shadows we are, and what shadows we pursue ; bi'f, I," said Mr. Blake, inq)ressively, "like to say what a grand reality he was, and what a nobh,' man we may pursue." m uco LIFJ^ OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKEN/AE. The tributes paid to the revered statesman, both by pulpit and press, were generous and unstinted. They were not labored euh)gics, but heartfelt and spontaneous, foi-, as has been well said by the Sarnia Observer, neither orators nor writers had to pick their way anionf,^ the pages of his lit'c- work to separate the good he did from that which sliould be covered by the mantle of silence. Ho proved incorruptible when tried in the fire of temptation that surrounds a public man with vast patronage at his disposal, and no blemish mars the record he hands down to posterity. "Like Cicsar," said tlie Philadelphia llccord, " Avho twice refused a kingly crown, Hon. Alexander Mackenzie refused the honor of knight- hood three times ; but, unlike Ctesar, he owed liis political overthrow tu his incorruptible honesty and unswerving integrity." Remarked the Chrididu Gnardian, he was a diligent public servant, faithful to the trust reposed in him, of inexorable adherence to convic- tions of duty. Though great in point of intellectual endownierit, he was greater still in his recognition of the moral and religious principles which co!icern true statesmanship, and towards which its best endeavors aspire and tend. His name and fame will have a sure and honorable place in the history of his country. The New York Herald dwelt upon his great force of character, and pointed to his spotless reputation. It said that his was probably the only instance in the history of England or her colonies where a workingman had risen to the high oflice of its First Minister. Said the Presbi/tcria)!, Reoicw, the rise of Mr. Mackenzie from the humble position of a handicraftsman to bo the Premier of Canada, is a magniticent object lesson to the young men of this country. In his death we have lost a most faithful and upright public servant. Tlie St. John Tde(jraph said he was loved by the people, and his politi- cal opi)onents were compelled to respect him even above their own chosen leader. The verdict of history will bo that as a statesman he has had few eijuals in Canada. He has enriched Canadian annals, and set a shining example for years to come. His death is a national loss, which can only be retrieved by ai»plying in national affairs the lessons taught by his life. 'NyjE. TRIBUTES TO HIS MEMORY. GUI oth by pulpit ey were not =?, foi', as has r orators nor iS of his lifc- lich sliould b(; incorruptible unds a public blemish mars twice refused a lonor of knight- sal overthrow to public servant, rcnce to couvic- own»e»vt, he was principles which sndeavors aspire norable place in )f character, and robably the only •e a workingman konzie from the of Canada, is a ■y. In his death e, and his politi- their own chosen n ho has had few ind set a shining which can only lught by his life. The Toronto Mall observed that he was in his ideas a direcb antithesis of Sir John Macdcnald. lie declined the ribbon he might have worn, but as {)lain Alexander Mackenzie he was none the less resi)ected, and the country will long honor his memory as that of a man who ruled it conscientiously and gave it of his best. The Canadiioi rrcshyteriau said that few leaders of men were freer from demagogic arts than he. II is death is sincerely mourned by tlie Canadian people, and all who knew him will sympathise deeply with those near and dear to him who are left behind— those who saw in its complete- ness that beautiful, unselfish life which he lived for seventy years. His will be an honored place in the history of the Dominion of Canada, and his example will be an incentive to the younger generation to pursuo generous, unsellish aims. It is one of the very foremost architects of ilio Canadian nationality, said the Montreal Star, that we mourn. Few men will stand out so pro- minently as an example to the Canadian youth of probity, honesty, in- togrity and high honor. He began life as an artizan, with no advantages of birth or wealth behind him, and with his own toughened right hand won his way to the higliest office in the Dominion. In the dark days of '73, Canadians wore in a state of panic, distrustinu' the stability of their newly-built Dominion ; and no one can tell what woulil have happened had not the stalwart form of Alexander Mackenzie lifted itself abii\e the screaming, vociferating and denying mass of ])olitician3, and all Canada felt at once that there was a man who could be trusted. Said the Toronto GluJic, he was a mm who loved tlie people, and who, as h)ng as health and strength were vouchsafed to him, fouijjht for their rights against ])rivilege and monopoly in every fcjrm. As remarked by Ilev. Dr. Thomas, he was loyal to the Queen and to the institutions of the country, but, above all, hiyal to the manhood foi' which governments and institutions of whatever sort are made. Canailians nf all shades of political belief have long since come to the conclusion ;hat for live years Canada was ruled by an honest man ; honest not oidy in his lofty scorn of making prolit out of his high place, or allowing others to profit at the expense of the people, lait in the faithfulness with which ho devoted all his energy and talent to the service of the country. Said the Torimto Empire, during the recent years of his silent pnliti- nal service and the weeks of his fatal illness, the minds of men have turned 6G2 LIFt: OF T/IF HON. ALEXASDER MACKEXZIE. synipathoticiilly to the career and character of the old statesman, and the verdict hiis been almost unanimous that in Alexander Mackenzie the qualities of steadfast devotion to princij' ;, of shrewd judgment and prac- tical sense, of vigorous mental power, of sturdy national pride, were strongly and hap[)ily united. On one or two of the really great issues which have arisen since his retirement ho took a silent though, naturally, a significant stand, wliich heiglitencd the respect of a majority of his countrymen for his judgment and Iiis patriotism, and thus it comes aliout tliat to-day not a jarring note will be heard in the chorus of kindly tributes to his name and fame tliat wiJl arise all over Canada. We pre- fer to remember Mr. Mackenzie in tliese later years when he loyally stood by his party, even at inconvenience to himself, and showed that he could as faithfully and uiiseliisldy serve them in defeat as he could lead them in the days of victory. We prefer to remember that, when uidiappy re- bellion broke out in the land, Mr. Mackenzie stood firm, as became a man of worth and loyalty, for the cause of law and order, and how, even in tlie most recent discussions, wlien pliysically far from well, his strong and active mind grasped the hardest political problems, and took a sounder, shrewder view of Canadian interests than many younger, bolder, but less sagacious, men. Said the Markham Economist, lie watched and carefully studied the policies of enlightened nations in Euroj)o and America. He loved his adopted country, and gave it his life. He saw that its farming and lum- bering interests were what Kustained it, and that on their success de- pended the success of its merchantn and manufacturers. His policy was to give them tlio markets of the world to buy and sell in, with the least ^)ossiblo restrictions to their eflbrts. Said the CharUiltetown (P.E.I.), Fat riot, (Hon. D. Laird, editor), in all that constitutes the real man, the honest statesman, the true patriot, the warm friend, and the sincere Christian, he had feweipials. Possessed of a clear intellect, a retentive memory, and a ready command of ap[)ro- priato words, ho was one of tlie most logical and i)owerful speakers wo • have ever heard. But high as were his mental endowments, he was equally noted for his robustness of character. Ho frowned from his pro- Bonco the individual who would dare make dishcmorablo proposals to him, and no little of the o^jposltion from old supporters which ne encountered in the electoral campaign of 1878, arose from the sternness with wliich hi> i';iiE. TllinU'IES TO HIS MEMORY. 063 nnan, and the lackenzie the iient and pvac- 1 pride, were y great issues it^h, naturally, lajority of his t comes about )rua of kindly ida. We pre- e loyally stood that he could luld lead them I uuhappy re- bccamo a man how, even in his strong and )ok a sounder, older, but less y studied the He loved his nmg and lum- ir success de- His policy was with the least ird, editor), in le true patriot, lis. Possessed land of ap[)ro- ul speakers we nents, he was ;l from his pro- ;)posals to him, :ie encountered with which lii> had refused to use public funds for the private or party advantage of men who claimed to be friends of his Government. fe>aid Paul de Gazes in the Paris Monde, when describing him many years ago : "Dry, nervous, of a stature very little over the average, modest in his manners and simple in his attire, without carelessness, the Prime Minister has nothing about him that smacks of the parveiui. Not- withstanding his deep blue eye, his well-developed brow, and energetic mouth, the eiisemble of his physiognomy lacks, perhajts, sf)mcwhat of that undefinable air of distinction commonly attributed to Jiigh birth ; but, on the other hand, it bears the more to be apjireciated stamp which talent and intelligent and sustained labor occasionally place upon t.lie counten- ances of men of the most lowly origin. Cool, methodical, correct, the speeches of the leader of the Canadian Cabinet, free from all attempt at literary effect, nevertheless habitually impress the hearers by the [jower of their reasoning. It is not to the Hon. Prime Minister of Canada that we desire to pay homage, but to Mr. Alexander Mackenzie, the stone- mason cf twenty years ago, who, by perseverance and hard study, has raised himself to the highest round of the social ladder of his adopted country." Said the London Times: "Modest by disposition, he, nevertheless, enjoyed controversy, and was quite at home in the heat of debate either in the House or on the hustings. Better still— the untiring energy, the business-like accuracy, the keen perception and reliable judgment, and above all the hiflexible integrity which marked his private life, he carried without abatement of one jot into his public career. His name has been regarded as a symbol of honesty among friends and foes alike. " We must conclude these tributes, which iniolit be indeti- nitely <^Ktended, by the i'uw following lines at the close of a monograph in Gri^) : " He was a Christian of that old-time sort- Unfashionable now and growing rare — Who knew no sacred barr'd from secular, But worshipped God by doing honest work." Nobody now pretends to say that in Mr. Mackenzie's time there was no virtue in Dominion politics. It is certain that in 6C4 LIFE OF THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE. him, as Prime Minister, there was a high sense of personal honor which was very effectual in accomplishing what he promised in the way of raising the standard of public moral- ity. Since then, unfortunately, the standard has again been lowered ; there has been distinct debasement. And we see no reason to hope for substantial improvement — for a purif cation of the political atmosphere — so long as the hypocritical pre- tence exists, that, ex necessitate, as the convenient phrase goes, by way of attempted excuse for the toleration of evil of what- ever kind, whenever it is brought to light, " one party is as bad as the other." So long as proven dishonesty on the part of one man, or one set of men, is palliated and suffered to go unpunished, on the easy assumption that his or their oppon- ents are "just like them ; " so long as men of high character and truthfulness are measured by the same standard as those who are debased and are unfaithful to their trust ; so long, we say, as these views prevail, rectitude of life and action, on the part of Canatlian statesman, will not be potential as an agency in improving the morale. The country will be kept down to the' level of the conduct and behavior of the degenerate, in- stead of being raised to the higher altitude of those who are still capable, we are thankful to be able to believe, of carrying the exemplary principles of private life into the discharge of public duty. It will be a bad day for Canada when her sons, in order to save themselves from contamination, will have to abandon politics as an unclean and unholy thing. There is too much reason to fear that to this condition we have been drift- ing fur many years past, and that many professional teachers of morality, blinded by the exigencies of the party fray, have helped to sow the seeds of the nation's degradation. It happened to tlie writer of this notice, (says the Toronto Monefanj Tirnes), to bo made aware, about 1885, of an incident which shows the Z[B. TRIBUTES TO HIS MEMOHY. 6G5 of personal g what he iblic moral- af^ain been d we see no purif cation critical pre- phrase goes, ril of what- party is as on the part .ffered to cfo heir oppon- ;h character ird as those so long, we tion, on the s an agency 3pt down to generate, in- ose who are of carrying lischarofe of en her sons, kvill have to rhcre is too been drift- lal teachers ' fray, have nto Monetary uh shows the Jiigh view Mr. Mackenzie ontcrtainetl of his fuucticjiis as a Minister of tlie Crown, as well as the contempt in which he held the claims of mere self-seeking politicians when they ni'ght seem to interfere with a public trust. A manufacturer whose works were situated near the Intercolonial Railway, who was a supporter of Mr. Mackenzie's Government, and who had a very complacent notion of his own influence and importance, made a pilgrimage to Ottawa. His object was to get a spur of the railway built to his factory, and he obtained an interview with the Premier. He made a proposition which seemed ciuite legitimate as a business venture, but he proceeded to spoil his case by descanting upon the services he had ren- dered the party, and ho closed with something very like a demand upon the Government that his desire should be complied with as a reward of party fealty. He got an answer without delay. To use his own words : "The Premier of Canada stood up, and placing his hands behind his back, said, ' Sir, the Government declines to entertain your proposition,' and without another word turned his back upon me and left the room." During Mr. Mackenzie's Preniiersliip an incident occui-red which illustrates in a strikingly pleasiint way the stern hon- esty of the man and his kindliness of heart : " A minister, a Avarm, personal and political friend of his, broke down in health, and wished to go to the seaside. Funds were scarce, and, under the impression that ministers had special rates over the Intercolonial h& wrote to the department asking for information. Mr. Mackenzie replied through a friend in substance as follows : ' Tell Mr. that special rates cannot be made, but I shall gladly pay his fare out of my own pocket.'" A characteristic experience of Mr. :Mackenzie's stcrlino- determniation to avoid even the appearance of evil, thoui,di ifc might profit him, was related by Rev. Dr. Clark, in Zion taber- naele, lianiilton, at the time Mr. Mackenzie died : ♦• From 1865 to 1808, while stationed at Sarnia, I had the privilege of being intimately acquainted with the late ex-Premier. I remember on one occasion having charge of a missionary enterprise, and api)lying to Mr. Mackenzie for a donation. It lu4)pened to bo just prior to t)ie disso- 4)00 LIFE or TUB IJOX ALh'XAXDEIi MACKEXZIE. lution of Pai'liiiment, and Mr. Mackenzie's reply to my request was : * We are expecting an election before long, and it is a rule with nio never to give, or promise to give, for charitable or other purposes when we are near an election.' After the election was over we were surprised to re- ceive from Mr. Mackenzie a substivntial cheque for our missionary scheme. He was a man of broad sympathies. He was not connected with our denomination. In fact, no one branch of the Church of Jesus Christ has a ri'dit to claim the entire of such a man." As official a;.jcnt of the Liberal party in 1877-8, Mr. G. R. Tattulio su<,^een shown to a rival city, in which he sa3^s : " I am quite willing to go out of office to-morrow, or out of public life, for that matter, but I am not willing while here to form a judgment on questions coming to me on any but public grounds, and no abuse, pro- mises, or threats of any kind will ha\ e a feather's weight to shake my determination. If the Government were capable of yielding to influence from any particular place, members would not be fit for official life. I need not sny that the reprcjaches of your p^ojjle who have written me have wounded me deeply. The imputation