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32X

CANADA'S PATRIOT STATESMAN.

THE LIFE A]S1X) CAREER

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

G.C.B., P.C, D.C.L., LL.D., &c

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ClAD/l'S P/1TRI9T ST/1TE8MAN.

The LiMi and Carrer

THH RIGHT HOXOURARLH

SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD,

G.C.B., I'.C, D.C.L., I.L.D., &i.

BASED ON THK WORK OF. EDMUND COLLINS. REVISED,
WITH ADDITIONS TO DATE,

G. MERCER ADAM,

AUTHOR OF "THE CANADIAN NOUTH-WKST," "CANADA FROM 8EA TO SEA » "TORONTO

OLD AND NEW," "OUTLIN. HIBTOHV OF CANADtAN UTERATURE," " PUBUO

SCHOOL HISTORY OF UNOLAND AND CANADA," ETC., ETa

McDERMID & LOGAN,
1891.

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Entered according to the Act of Parliament of Canada, in tl.e year one
thousand eight hundred and ninety-one, by Hunter, Rose & Go., at the
Department of Agriculture.

;}

"
",'.

PalNTSD AKD pi- - IT
TOaOITO

^cMcrttion.

THIS MEMOIR

Of ONE OP

CANADA'S (JRKATK.ST SONS,

BV ITS PL/BLISFIKRS. RKSPKCTFULLY DEDICATED

TO Tiir,

WHICH .IK ^RDKXTfA AV» ..ATR,„TICALLV UWED, ANI, THROCOIIODT
A r<0\(> I,IKK TIMK

LOYALLY AND FAITHFULLY SERVED,

SVITII A St.V.if.K KYK T.) ITS VIOOKOUS i;pnuiM>IKO, AS WBM. AS TO FPS
I'KRMANKNT COVSOMDATION ANI)

EVER-PRESENT WELL BEINCJ,

.X THK HOPK THAT T„. UKK UKRK COMMKMORATKD MAV PK TO A.. EANK.

ANU .OM.ITIONS OF THK PKOPLK AN ABIDINO INCENTIVK

ANI) A NOT INWOKTHV TRiniTTK TO A

1CA

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cS^

CANADA'S PATRIOT STATESMAN.

INTRODUCTION.

BY G. MERCER ADAM.

rnilE sense of loss which the country has sustained in the

de.-itli of Sir John MiicdonaUl will, for a while at least, not
he favourable to dispassionate estimates of the deceased's
C'liaracter anil life-work. At any time it requires an effort to
write of a public man with absolute truth and honest fearless-
ness. The ditticulty is greater when one attempts to weigh
actions and a{)praise a career in the presence of a nation's
sorrow at the passing away of the distniguished personage,
liinrr at the head of the Government of this counti'v, n-ho is
tho interesting theme of this book. Tlie task is somewhat
easier to one, however, who while in sympathy with his siib-
j('(.t IS at the same time honest with himself, who puts his
country first and always, and upon whom party ties sit not at
all, If the present wi'iter cannot rise to the pitch of en-
thusiasm to which Mr. Edmund Collins had attained when ho
wrote the bulk of the following pages, he is none the less con-
scious of the gifts and endowments of the suliject of Mr.
■Collins' lively panegyric, or in any way unwilling to do justice

'^o his theme. What he has alone stipulated for, in taking up
and carrying down to date that writer's work, is freedom to
present facts without doing vioU tice either to history or to the
dictum of a calm and impartial judgment, and always with

.tonsideration and courtesy towards the other great i'arty in the

XX't

INTRODUCTION

State. To this stipulation, the original author being out of
the country, the publishers have readily given assent, at the
same time authorising and approving the revision which the
book as a whole has received. With these few words of
explanation, let us at once address ourselves to our ua.sU.

The demise of Canada's foremost statesman, one who has
been for over a generation not only the leader of a Tarty, and
that Party most of the time in office, but the chief and revered
figure in the political arena of the country, is an event with
which biography may dare to deal, and with which history is
sure to deal. There is a pathos in the passing into the beyond
of even the humblest son of toil, when the shadows have .set
forever upon his work and he goes forth to the reward that
has been appointed for him. In the case of the chief of the
State when he passes hence, if the pathos is not greater,
pul)lic interest is more active and widespread and its sympathy
more intense. It is not always when the bell tolls and flags
are half-masted, however, that a nation mourns for its dead.
For Sir John A. Macdonald, the late Premier of the Dominion,
Canada really mourns, and the cause of this is not far to
seek. His was a peisonality so winning and magnetic that even
his enemies — and he had enemies — admired him, and in spite
of them.selves they not infrequently and ungrudgingly gave him
their heart. There have been few more remarkable instances
in the career of a public man, where, whatever have been tiie
methods by which success has been won, the (jualifications for
winning it have been more manifest that in hi.s. In late years,
when he had became the country's idol, it was easy to account
for the idolatry. Yet from the outset of his career it wa-
never difhcult to cast the horoscope and premise that sue-
ce.ss would certainly come to him. Few better than he knew
how to attract men — even tho.se politically oppo.sed to him — an'i
having won them to his side he knew how to retain and ust
them. In this respect, liis leadership in Parliament is not les-
notable than was the enthusiasm he extorted from his follow in.

foUowinc, because, tliou<di his nai

in try.

say

'■■'m

INTRODUCTION.

V.'l

being out of
issent, at the
on wliich the
few words of
IV uvsk.

one who has

: a Party, and

if end revered

,n event with

lich history is

to the beyond

lows have set

e reward that

le chief of the

not greater,

I its sympathy

tolls and flags

s for its dead.

ihe Dominion,

is not far to

etic that even

, and in spite

ngly gave him

able instances

lave been the

ifications for

In late years,

,sy to account

career it wa-

lise that sue-

than he knew

to him — ami

■etain and ust

ont is not les-

his follow in.

lugh his naiiit

was usually good to conjure with, he was /er without a party
Opposed to him, and by that party and its organs he was con-
stantly and bitterly assailed. The most impartial mind, it was
long ago remarked, can hardl}' avoid being biassed against Sir
John Macdonald by the language of his friends, and in his
favour by the language of his foes. His friends hailed him,
with ecstatic admiration, as the maker of Canada and the
honoured chieftain of his party ; his enemies saw in him only
a iiionster of political crime. By the henchmen of party he
was esteemed an ideal leader, and there is no doubt that he
possessed in a wonderful degree the gifts that attract and weld
together a party following. Of recent years he had become
the object of excessive party worship, a worship so idolatrous
as to close the eyes of his adherents to his shortcomings and
faults. This was specially manifest in the efiective campaign
cry of the last General Election, when " The Old Man, the OKI
Policy, and the Old Flag " was the enthusiasm-compelling
watchword of the J'ory party. By the ebb and How of party
fortune Sir John Macdonald has rarely been afi'ected : only
once has he sufiered conspicuously from the withdrawal of the
public favour, and even in that case public morality ma<le
haste to make amends for averting for a time its face. Teni-
poiary reverses, of course, he now and again met with,
and violent at times was the rancour of those opposed to him ;
but he rarely had to meet opposition from within, while dis-
|oit"ection and rivalry were almost unknown fa.;tors in his own
Iciuiip. To an extraordinary extent he could depend upon the
t^evotion and attachment of friends, and loyalty to him and
:|iis cause was almost a fetich among his worshippers.

It would be difficult in a word or two to say what were the

causes of Sir John Macdonald's success as a Canadian states-

tnan. Not a little of the interest that attaches to his career

arises from the long period over which his public life extends

^nd his hearty sympathy with the national aspiration-^. To

^Ihese may be added the entire and disinterested devotion,

jwluch he always evinced, to the material interests of the

.Country, and his long-time and complete identification with

! I

Till

INTRODUCTION.

its political history. Not a little is due also to his phenomenal
tact and adi-oitness as a party leader, to his intimate knowledge
of men and the world, to his faculty of winning to himself and
his cause those who were ever ready to help him in need and
stand by his fortunes, to that charm of manner which brought
even political opi)onents under his personal sway, and to those
arts and methods as a politician which did not scru^ole at times
to profit by the weakness of human nature.

In this latter respect, of trading at times on the weakness
of human nature, Sir John Macdonald but reflected the
type of politics of to-day. Political ambition, like ambition in
other walks of life, is right enough in its way, if the way bo that
of uprightness and honour. Unhai)pily, in these latter days,
politics though a science is not a system of ethics, but a
game ; and the game too often involves the sacrifice of every-
thing reputable for the lust of office, with its patronage and
gains. We do not say that Sir John Macdonald made any
such sacrifice for personal ends, or besmirched his character for
the sake of retaining power. His ideals, however, were not
always heavenly, and his contact with men hai'dly led them
to regard him as (juixotically rigid in his principles, or of
austere morals. He was not superhuman, only intensely
human. So far as he was personally concerned, his political
purity was unquestioned ; and unquestioned too, we be-
lieve, was the purity of his domestic life. Socially, he was
a delightful man to come in contact with, though perhaps a
greater restraint upon himself and more dignity of manner
would have become his position and honours. One thing can
be said of him, that there was little conscious guile in the man,
and hardly even a suspicion of cant. Irreverent at times ho
might be, but, on the other hand, he was never a sniveller; and
no one could be more ready and infectiousl}^ merry with a je.st
Always delightful, indeed, were his flashes of pleasantly,
whether in the House or out of it ; and to the.se, as much per-
ha[)S as to anything else, did he owe his great popularity. To
his genial manners, es])ecially to his amenities in Parliament,
when the game tried the tempers of everyone, he owed tlio

INTRODUCTION.

lenomenal

aiowledge
imsclf and
need and
;h brought
1(1 to those
le at times

weakness

lected the
mbition in
ay bo that
atter days,
ics, but a
3 of every-
onage and
made any
laracter for
, were not
Y led them
pies, or of
intensely
\is political
o, we be-
y, he was
perhaps a
of mannt'i'
thing can
in the man,
t times he
veller; and
with a jest,
pleasantly,
much per-
arity. To
'arliaraent,
owed tlio

frienilship and devotion of his followers. To the same qualities
he owed the "sneaky" attachment (to use the term in the
wooer's sense) of those who, on political grounds, could not
give liim their party allegiance. Nor did his cheerfulness, still
k'ss his courage, desert him in adversity. Even in the dark
days of the Pacific Railway Scandal, he never repined or suf-
fcrred his spirits to droop. With becoming contriteness he bowed
his head to the storm, and, when the storm passed, he confi-
dently resumed play at his winning game. In the game, as he
played it, he could always be trusted to score with his mirthful
heart.

As leader of his party he was dexterous and wary, and when
hotly pressed by an opponent he could hit hard and with
signal effect. But in the House he was not wont to be angry ;
on the contrary, his demeanour was as pleasant as his bearing
was jaunty. If anything annoyed him, it was but for the
moment, and seldom did the annoyance cause him to throw aside
his habitual urbanity. ]\lany were the occasions, though
sometimes frivolous the offence that brought upon him the
wrath of an opponent. At such times, his weapon of retort was
rarely anything more deadly than a delicious bit of raillery,
perhaps even a felicitous compliment, with, it maybe, a barbed
arrow concealed inside. He was unusually ready, and often ex
treinely clever, in repartee. Many and memorable are the sallies
that broke from him in the House when silencing a member
who had interrupted him in a speech or who ventured to ask
an embarrassing question. What wonder that qualities like
these endeared him to all and inspired an affectionate interest
in Ills fortunes ?

lu departmental work, Sir John Macdonald's gifts were those
fof iiu industrious, careful, and painstaking chief. In council,
he was sagacious, straightforward, and, in the main, ever mind-
ful of the public interest. But it was in Parliament, and be-
fore the country, that he was best known to the people. He
had great administrative ability, and in the management of the
pulilic business he was honest and eflicient. Perhaps his
special gifts were best seen in his direction and control of affairs

JNTBOnUCTION.

in the Commons. He was well versed in Constitutional Law,
and an almost infallible authority in Parliamentary procedure.
His instinct was unerring in the measures to be brought be-
fore the House. Seldom did he initiate legislation or bring
forward a Bill he could not carry without being submitted to
mutilation. He had a keen scent in detecting measures emana-
ting from the Opposition calculated to embarrass him, and
these he usually had little difficulty in opposing or throwing
over. He had a certain originative and constructive i.iculty ;
but in introducing new legislation, he preferred to follow rather
than to be in advance of the age. In the business of the House
he was always alert and sagacious, but rarely profound.

To know the best and the worst of any public man it is only
necessary to read the columns of his party newspaper and then
those of the organs politically opposed to him. Than Sir John
Macdonald, probably no man in Canada has been more the vic-
tim of journalistic comment, both of praise and of blame.
Alike extravagant have been the party organs on either side.
With one of the parties throughout his life he has been an-
athema ; and it is a surprise to-day that he has enough reputa-
tion left to make a shroud for his burial. With the other he
has long been an idol, and no incense was too overpowering to
waft in his face. Harm has unqi'estionably been done him by
worship so exti-avagant and intense. It has led dispassionate
minds to see in his life-work the service he was ren<iering to
his party, rather than the service ho was rendering to the
nation. This is unfortunate, for there can be no dcubt of his
entire and disinterested devotion to the interests of his country.
We frankly make this admission, though we as frankly withhold
our commendation of the questionable elements which entereil
into and debased his politics. It is little amends to say, that ele-
ments equally questionable discredit the politics of the Opposi-
tion. With the party system we shall have corruption and
methods of governing neither high-minded nor patriotic ; but in
politics, we hope, the reign of party is not forever to endure.
To the system, Sir John Macdonald's memory will owe a light
debt : as we have hinted, what he has done for party will cloud

INTRODUCTION.

onal Law,

procedure.

pought be-

or bring

amitted to

res emana-

him, and

■ throwing

e utculty ;

low rather

the House

ind.

1 it is only
r and then
[1 Sir John
ire the vic-
of blame,
jither side,
i been aa-
[gh reputa-
other he
wering to
)ne him by
passionate
to
to the
ubt of his
s country,
withhold
,ch entered
y, that ele-
le Opposi-
ption and
tic ; but in
to endure.
)we a light
will cloud

iilenng

what he has done for the nation. To its violence, in the journals
opposed to him, he owes not a little of whatever has detracted
or will detract from his fame. As time passes this will become
increasingly clear.

In Canada party and its evils may now be more honestly
and trenchantly reprobated, since, admittedly, there is little
here in the way of principles to justify the maintenance of the
system. Its perpetuation can only bring disaster upon the
State. Upon it sectionalism, both of race and creed, and the
other ills that affect the body politic, have long been nourished
and fed. Tiie passing away of the great Tory leailer, and the
disintegration of party likely to follow that event, will create
the opportunity for some measurable approach at least to na-
tional government. Only upon that neutral system can the
diverse and incongruous elements, of which Confederation is
composed, be honestly and efficiently governed. Upon that
system, and that system alone, can the country's banjue escape
the rocks and find her way to smooth water. No one can
fail to see, at all events, that partyism is not only a menace to
Confederation l»ut a strain upon the stability an<i cohesion of
the State.

But for party, it is probable that Sir John Macdonald would
not have enjoyed so long a tenure of office. This might have
V)een better for his reputation, however, as it would have given
him, in the ranks at least of his adversaries, a loss censured
name. Yet in its despite, he has achieved great things and
given a continuity to the national life not only essential to its
development, but helpful in laying broad the foundaticms upon
wliich it is to continue to be upreared. For this good service,
during the f(»rmative stage of the country, we have to thank
Party and the strength — we had almost said the tyraiuiy — of
Party. It is for this service that England has honoured the
now dead Chieftain in years that are gone, and for this, to-day
she pays the tribute of respect to his memory.

What fate lies before the country, now that the hand that
long guided it has dropped hold of the helm, who shall say ?
By the direction given to Canada in the past forty or fifty

;

INTRODUCTION

years by its once commanding figure, Sir John Macdonald may
not only have steered its course for tlie tinie being nationward,
but, for the future, may have baulked Destiny of its expectant
triumph. Tlio national problems may once more, and with
greater force and perplexity, confront us; but, after all that
has been wrought an<l suffered, craven would be he who now
lost faith in the future. The " old Parliamentary hand," it is
true, has lost its grip and now withers in the dust ; but what
that hand has shaped for the young nation, its sons surely will
noo think lightly of or heedlessly throw away.

Let us, however, look a little closer at the era upon which
we have now fallen, that we may see more clearly what has
been accomplished under the later rdgime of Sir John Mac-
donald and his Government. Almost a quarter of a century
has now gone by since the country entered upon Confedera-
tion, and for a time hushed to a lullaby the strife of jarring
interests and the din of faction. There are those, though we
are not of the number, who not only doubted the wisdom of
our politicians in committing the several Provinces to Confed-
eration without a direct appeal to the people, but who, after
these years, see no gain from the alliance, or at least counter-
balance the gain by a heavy loss. It is too late in the day to
re-open the first of these questions ; the second is a more
practical one here for consideration.

What the net results of Confederation are it is not difficult
to say. There are, of course, two sides to the balance-sheet ;
and though exception may be taken to many of the entries
on the debit side, and though the patriot heart may sink as it
scans not a few of the items, there are offsets on the credit
side which must be taken into equitable account before a true
and impartial balance can be arrived at. We do not shut our
eyes to the fact that Confederation has not assimilated, or is
likely soon to assimilate, the whole people. A nation is not born
in a day ; it may be said, indeed, that a thoroughly-fused nation-
ality can hardl}' l)e looked for on the status of a colony. But
has there been no gain, nevertheless 1 Let those who assert
this recall the position of things a score or more years ago, or

INTRODUCTION.

xiii

lald may
onward,
cpoctant
nd with
all that
vho now
id," it is
>ut what
rely will

»n which
what has
ihn Mac-
, century
)nfedera-
f jarring
ou<:h we
isdom of
) Confed-
rho, after
countcr-
le day to
a more

difficult
e-sheet ;
entries
ink as it
le credit
e a true
shut our
ted, or is
not born
d nation-
ny. But
ho assert
s ago, or

<To hack a generation to the eleinontal state of those British
Ainoiican Provinces l)efore the era of railways. True, Ropre-
sentativo Government was an aeiiieveinent of the times ; and
in the Union of the Provinces a beginning was made towards
effecting that larger union which was to be attained later on.
But the picture of the Canadas in ' the forties' is the picture
of a comparatively primitive community, awaking to the con-
sciousness of the houmlluss possibilities l)efore it, yet retard-
ed by the rudimentary conditions that surround its existence.
Since that era the whole face of the countiy has undergone
change. What, emphatically and universally, was a wilder-
ness, is now in a large measure a cultivated garden. Nature
has yielded up its tyranny, and civilization is everywhere
illuniirig the dark places with its cheer and light. Politically,
the contrast is no less sharp. The old system of irresponsible
rule has long since disappeared ; and through nmny a stirring
scene and angry tumult the power of the people has tiiumphed,
and has established itself, in the main, in justice and right.
The political rule of to-day, we shall of course be reminded, is
far from heavenly ; and faction notoriously has not gone off
in a sweet sleep. But though we have not reacheil the mil-
lennium, we have solved many ugly pioblems, and overcome or
averted many calamities that menaced the State.

In trade and commerce the national development also pre-
sents gratifying results. The industries of the country are be-
ginning to rival the operations of agriculture, and to furnish
increasing means of employment as well as to l)ecome a source
of wealth. This much mav be said without (luestioJiinfr the
soundness of the fiscal policy of the Dominion,orcomniitting one-
self on so delicate a matter as the pros^ and cons of the " National
Policy." The acquisition and opening up of our western
domains is another and an important feature in the progressivo
life of the nation, and a signal mark of national nlvancement.
Here again the other side of the picture obtrudes itself ; and
the advantages of extending the arms of the Dominion over a
continent are discounted by the burdens entailed in opening
the country for settlement. The obvious answer to this, how-

'm^

^ !

XIV

IyTJiOl)U<Tw^.

i 1"

) -

1,1

ever, is the one given hy bo'h political paities, in diawin;:; upott
the country's excheouer for the means to build the Pacific
Railway, for, as it has a thousand times been asked, " VV' t is
the territory worth if you can't get access to it ? "

Nor has the progress of the country Iteen confined to material
concerns. Its intellecual life has grown and expanded, and
more tnan a beginnin- has been made in develoj)ing a native
literature. Journalism flourishes, and the reading habit is
becoming general. Art and education have spread and are
spreading their refining influences, an<l, in the cities jiarticu-
larly, some mccasure of culture has been i cached. Intellectually,
as well as materially, (Canada has made cMjnsiderable progress,
and her social condition, it may safely be said, is not behind
that of any other people.

Kut there Is another side to the picture. Undoubted as is
the progress of the country, one need not be (querulous in
wondering why the progress has not been greater. Canada
Bomehow or other does not attract immigration; in this re-
spect she is far eclipsed by her southern neighbour. The
climate may have something to do in limiting the incoming of
settlers ; or the immigration system, possibly, may be in default
There is we know attraction in numbers and an etjually potent
attraction in success. Ti>e greater wealth and immense popu-
lation of the United States, together with the well-known
enterprise of her people, nmst give her some advantage in
drawing emigrants to her shores and in retaining them when
she has got them. But, relatively, Canada might expect her
share of inunigration, which, however, she fails to get. What
is there that prevents her obtaining this ? Is there anything
in the oft-mooted gift of citizeii.ship that explains the matter ?
We fear there is. Nationality, we know, is more a sentiment
than anything else, and in these day of levellmg democracy
predilections of .sentiment are bound to manifest themselves.
One tiling is clear, that a nation in all things has the advantage
of a colony. Why Canada remains in theory a colony while
she has all but the status of a nation is one of those puzzles
hard to make out. Confederation was a step, but not the

^ ■m

INTIiODUCTIoN.

ultiir.ate one, in the evolution of tTie nation. What prevents
Canada from taking the ultimate step (

The most manifest evil of the colonial state is the repression
of national sentiment; and the lack of it in Canada, with all
the indifferonee tliat marks its al>Henct', we hold to be one of
the anti-national phases of Confederation. There is plenty of
British sentiment, and in a section of the Dominion perha|)s
more Gallic sentiment than the countiy is well aware of: hut
of an ai'dent and wide-spread Canadian sentiment there is, we
fear, little. In its place we have an ever-active sectional leel-
ini,', and a ti;,'htening of provincial boundary lines, which if
over-stepped at all are over-stepped on the way to the Dom-
ini(;n treasury. Widely extended as are the provinces of the Do-
minion, and as yet but sparsely and poorly peopled, it is perhaps
to he expected that the connection of the extremities with the
heart of the country .shall be one that .seeks the .sources of life.
Nourishment for the enfeebled no one would withhold ; but let
us be sure that the dole of the treasury goes to the enfeebleil,
and not to the wantoh and the prodigal. Self-reliance will
come with self-sustenance , and with the lalttM-, doubtless, a
vigorous life and a more pronounced nationalism. Self-sus-
tenance, however, may breed self-sulHciency, and this again, if
our rulers are not careful, may bi'ing in its train disatiectior
and finally secession. If Confederation is to be proof against
this, it will be by the assiduous inculcation of national senti-
ment, and by the diti'usion of a spirit of patriotism, which can
only come of fervent nationality and a full-bodied national life.

Among other untowanl aspects of the present experiment in
government is the attitude we have hinted at, of certain
provinces looking now and again to the Federal treasury for
" better terms." If the only real union we are to have is one
that gathers round the oihce of the Minister of Finance and
plays snapdragon from the Federal chest, then Confederation
is confessed a failui'e, and the end is not far oft'. The exigen-
cies of party have made this game-phiving an expensive sport
to the country, and its most sinister aspects are seen in the
case of the sister province of Quebec, where burdensome grants

'' V

XVI

isTiiohiJcrioy.

H-

liavc lietiii made to its bankrupt exchofiuor on the plea of re-
couping it for railways built and afterwards sold to the Do-
minion, the money being wrung from the Federal treasury as
the price of the sectional party vote. Aggressive raids of this
kind, with the political immorality that brands them, are
bound to have a disastrous eti'oct upon Confederation. In the
case of (Quebec the evil is aggravated by raeial jealousy, by
religious cleavage, and by sectional hostility and isolation. The
unifying ])rocess can scarcely go on while these things are per-
mitted ; and the consolidation of tlie Dominion must yet be a
long way off Jf the recent movement among the national
societies of Quebec, in giving encouragement to the colonial
schemes of Old France, means anything more tlian the arrogance
and self-assertion of race, then more distant still must be the
uiiitication of the Dondnion.

To contend against the separating forces in Confederation,
we want, as we have said, the infusion of patriotic feeling and
the difl'usion of national sentiment. Through no intluence
more potent than literature and literary spirit can this nation-
alizing of the Dominion effectively operate. Nothing will bet-
ter contribute to the welding process, or bo more potent in
bringing about homogeneity and the consolidating influences
the countiy so urgently needs, than a liealthy native literature
and an ardent national sentiment, \Vith those, and due en-
couragement given to their exercise, we may see the various
provinces of the Don)iiuon knit more closely together in the
bonds of a common nationality, and sectionalism and disrup-
tive influences dis[)elled as things of alien growth. Some dif-
ficult questions, no doubt, will remain to be faced, and not a
few tendencies to be chocked tliat look in one quarter or an-
other to separation. But time and destiny are likely to work
in our favour, and tact and good judgment may be trusted to
do the rest. With an added million or two to our population,
if meantime we do not swanjp ourselves with debt, the national
outlook will be less grave and there will be more room for
hope.

a of rc-
lio 1)0-
.Hiiry as
i of tliis
01 n, are

In tho
usy, I'y
.n. Tho
are per-
yet be a
national

colonial
rrogance
it be the

deration,
jlin<^' antl
iiitluence
is nation-
rwillbet-
lotent in
niluences
literature
d due en-
le various
ler in the
disrup-
Souie dif-
ud not a
tur or an-
to work
rustt d to
:)pulation,
e national
I'oom fur

INTIiiUJUCTlON.

XVII

The devotion to duty and tlie single eye to the country's
interests, which ever actuated Sir Jolin Macdonald, ought at
least to he an insjtiration to us. His history is entwined with
(luit of tho State, lleniendiering thw, how poorly would
Canada's sons rcpa}' liim who has gone, did they fail to pro-
fit by Ids toil, or esteem lightly tho lieritage he was instru-
mental in either winning or making for them. Tlie disappear-
ance from tlie scene of one who, far above his fellows, was the
representative of the hopes and aspirations of the nation, comes
in the natural course of events. The country could ill afford
just now to lose him. liut it loses him, confident that lie will,
in time at least, be replaced. This is the note of assurance that
ought to find an echo in each patriot breast.

With the close of Sir John Mucdonald's life there closes
another era in the history of the possessions of Britain in the
New World. This is, in itself, no small tribute to t!io head
that long directed and the hand that skilfully shaped the des-
tinies of a vast dependency of the Empire. That he has made
the era of his ])olitical sway in Canada his own, and gained
for the country abroad that recognition of its status and future
j)romise which he was in large measure the means of creating,
are facts admitted on every hand. To repeat them is to mark
and emphasize tho wonderful union of gifts in the man by whom
these things were wrought. How marvellously he has led
Canada on in the path of progress and self-development, we
who are of the country full well know; while those who are
not of it bear this testimony, that once Canada was to them a
mere geographical ex{)ression ; now they know it not only as
a great Colony of the crown, but all, save in name, a nation.
This is the explanation of the esteem with which ho was re-
garded, and the pride manifested in his triumphs, in the loved
motherland. The Fates, it may be said, were propitious in
bringing Sir John ^lacdonald on the stage at an era ready for
the coming of one able to direct and fashion it. But what he
has accomplished has not been the work only of an opportun-
ist, however nimble and tactical. Neither has it been achieved
by mere adroitness in the methods of i)ersonally governing, still

'\l

ill

'M V

!ii

XVl.l

INTRODUCTION.

less by the wizardry, groat as it was, of his manner. Not one
gift, but many gifts, have gone to the making up of his record.
Of these, even the superficial observer will own as pre-eminent-
ly his — commanding ability, steadfast and disinterested pur-
pose, and a phenomenal faculty of not only winning men, but
of fusing heterogeneous elements, and that by an alchemy so
subtle as to seem to be his own secret and exclusive possession.
Great was his opportunity, but great, unquestionably also,
were his gifts. One other and universally admitted virtue was
his — he was pevsonully honest. Throughout his long public
life, if he was fond of power, he never used it to enrich him-
self. This not only is his glory, but it is the glory of the
country of which he was, in an especial degree, the benefactor
— the country that proudly owns and honours him as son.

As we write, the loss that has befallen the nation has for
the time hushed into an almost religious silence the strife of
Party and buried forever the enmities of a long, stirring, ai. ',
may we not say, beneficent life. Shf.,11 not the loss bring its
atoning and compensating gain ? May we not see, as its fruit,
our politics purified, our public life elevated and ennobled, our
patriotism broadened and increased, the people set free from
the enslavement and noxious influence of faction, and the
country made more closely and enduringly one ? When we
can point to these results, then the old loved " Chieftain " may
look down from another sphere, as in life he was wont to say
that he would, and the seers of that time shall discern on tht'
once thought-seamed but now serene and transfigured face tlk
smile of unalloyed triumph and content.

,00

; Not one
' his record,
re-eminent-
•rested pur-
ijT men, but
alchemy so
3 possession,
onably also,
id virtue was
long public
enrich him-
glovy of the
le benefactor
1 as son.
lation has for
} the strife of
stirring, au -,
loss bring its
ie, as its fruit,
ennobled, our
: set free from
bion, and the
? When we
ueftain " may
wont to say
liscern on the
[(rured face the

\^ If #^ ^

^^^Mm£'^ ^

^XP

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER T.

■Ei'- .T.<»« -V Mae.l.mald's T)iHtint.'iiislie(l Aiicvtry— A Clansman hy T.irth- Ar-
rivj wiv/i His Parents in Kingston- Sch.H.l Days -He Stmlios Law and
isCalleti to the Bar— Kntriisted with an Important Case— His Brilliant

J Dekrnce uV Vou Shoultz. .... -

I CHAPTER II.

'political Uiihi-.tvalB -Causes leading' to Political Discontent in Canaila— Glance
at l)i'vel<ii..«eiit of Pupular Freedom in Enffland — The Family Compaet —

i Struggle between J.ilieralism and Toryism — The Piehellion 'n Eowert 'anada
— Gallows >lill— Canadian Governors — Sir Francis Bond Head — Lords
Durham — .SyUenliam — Bagot — Metcalfe. - •

CHAPTER HI.

ijRrowth of Macdoiiald'g Popularity—" If I were oidy prep.areJ now I should
r, try for the Iiet^inlature'' — " Yes, yonder ou that stormy sky, I see my star
of Destiny" — Political Tumult — Metcalfe plays the Hindoo — Mae.'ouidd
elected to the Kiwjj'ston Council — Called out to oppose JLmalian —Address-
ing Violent Mobs— Sketch of the Time.

CHAPTER IV.

'rotn the Hnstings to tn« House —Macdonald's Early Toryism —The Character
of his Opponent — Blood and Whiskey flow at the Election— Thi; Fountain
of Honow a tainted Well, the Mirror of .Justice a Mira^fe — Mr. Macdonald's
First Appearance in the Legislature— Historical Sketch of the Time. - (52

CHAPTER V.

Iraughts frorb Tory FountaTns— ALacdonald's First Speech in the House, and
its Effect- I'ersonal .Sketches —His Appearance and Address— Supports
the Law ot Primogeniture— But for this Law Pitt and Fox would have
been " merw country squires" — Api)arem, inconsistencies — Explanation —
"A man is W)t born wise"— Zig-zag early careers of Disraeli and Gladbtone
— Metcalfe's Conscience begins to sting him— Caneer drags him to the
Grave— ^hlCl**lay'B Epitaph— Franklin sails away to his Doom in the
North. - 72

'■' '!^

• .

' ' ■ :

XX CONTENTS.

CHAPTER VI.

The Li^rhts of '44— William Henry Draper— Robert Baldwin— IioniM Hypolite
liafoiitaiiie— Siv Allim >racNab— Doiniiiirk Daly — Itubert Baldwin Sulli-
van— Mon. D. L. Vijfer — John Sandfield MaudouaJd. ....

CHAPTER VI r.

The Last Days of Toryism — Tlie Tractarian >r()veir>ent at Oxford— Keble and
Newman — The K^peal Movement in Ire'and — 'J"he (Ireat O'Connell — Itise
and Collapse of his Movement— The (iiaiit ()'< 'onnell totters and falls —
The Irish Famine— Innni<,'i'ation to (.'aiiada — The Orej,'on-bonndary Dis-
pute-- M.icdonald's Star C'limbinj,' — He "can afford to wait" — Toryism's
Last Appeal — Lord Elgin — MadlonaM enters the Cabinet. . . •

CHAPTER VIII.

PAGI

8(i

Killing in Storm-- Sketch of ll'-billion Lossfs Measure--Bill i)rovokes a Tory
How'— The Storm Bursts — Mob rises and burns Parliament Buildings —
Divers Figures seen through the Storm— Sketch of the Troubles — John A.
Macdonald seen through the Tumult — " Tlie ]>ritish North American
League" — " Children of the S'.;n" — I'.u Hatnent removed from MoutreaL • 114

CH AFTER IX.

Fall o( the "Great Ministry" — Causes producing the Catastroi)he- -Mac-
donald seen through the Situation — The Pope (:rerrymanders England —
Canadian Echo of Briti.-'h lia,'e — (Jeorge P>rown attempts to overthrow the
Papacy — He Fails — Brown and Uava/zi and the Globe — William Lyon
Mackenzie — Sketch of— Defeats Geo/ge Brown — Figure of John A. Mac-
donald at these Sessions— The Min■,^try Tumbles—'' The Weed had slain
Balder' —The Hincks-Mci-iu Mini.-lry. ...... -133

ciiAi'Ti:i: X.

Proposal for Stciilariziiig the Ciergy Jies^rves — History of Reserves— History
of Feudal 'i'enure in I^ower ('aujula — Agitation for Abolition of Tenure —
Francis Mimks - Augustiii Xorbert Morin— John Macdonald becomes con-
troversial — Charaiter of (Jeorge Brown's first Speech in Legislature -
General Sketch of the I'eriod. 150

CHAPTER XI.

Birth of Tiiberal-C'dnservatism -Knglnnd iletlares War against Russia — Con-
clusion of Reciprocity Treaty— II iucks-Morin Ministry becomes Honey-
combed—Mr. John A. Macdonald's Part in the Strife- "Steeped to the
very lips in Infamy'' — The " Bond of Commim Plunder'"— John Sandtield
Macd'nalil's Iteveiige on Mr. ll'ncks -George 14rown co(juets with Con-
servatives — lie is ignored nud tiies into violent hostility — MacNab-Morin
Ministry — Mr. John A. Macdonald becomes Attorney-General-West —
Exit Lord Elgin — Dies in tiie Hinialayas. ...... 1(51

Transition— '1

CONTENTS.

XXI

CHAPTER XII.

PAOI

tfirEdiiinnd W. Head -Tachd suct^oeds Moriu -Den<iiniiiatii>u;xl Schi.ils — l'i\s«
sage between George IJrowii aihl Hon. John A. Maitdoiialil — ^Tilt between
Mr. Jolni A. Alacdonald and Col. liankin — The Conservatives drop Sir
Allan MacXab — Hon. John A. ALacdonald sncceeds the Knight — Close of
the Crinieau War — General Historic Jlecord of tlie Time. ... 183

CHAPTER XIII.

Tlie D'Utble Shuffle — Brown's "Vatdtinjj Ambition overleap.s itself, and falls
on t'other side" — Mr. John A. Maedonald'.s part through the transaction —
Discretion matched again.st Impetuosity going Blindfold -Protection to
Home Industries —J Jeath of liobert Baldwin— General Event.i, • - 202

CHAPTER XIV^.

Transition — The Dark Hour preceding the Dawn — Causes at work produ'.ing
desiie for Confederation— Eiiibroilnie'it of Upper with liower Canaila
aneiit Kepresentation by Population — Bitter Party Strife, anil the chief
Actors — Mr. John A. Macdonald seen through the Tumult — Instability of
Ministers — " The Katal ]jalance of Parties" — Ccmdition of Things in Xova
Scotia and New Brunswick - Secession of So'itlier:. St.ites -General His-
toric Outline — Domestic Incidents. - i'H

CHAPTER XV.

Fruits of the American Civil War — Seiz\ire of the Southern ( i>tuiiiissioners —
Southern llefi'^'eos raid American Territory from Canadian Frontier —
Privateering — Cruise of the Alahama and her (Confreres— Public feeling in
Canada— The Fenian Raid — (Jeneial Historic Incidents -Domestic Events 257

CHAPTER XVI.

Tlje Coaliticm — Oil and Water Uuito — (!analian Deleifatos at the Charli>f.e-
town Conference — The Quebec Scheme — ('anadian Delegates in Euglauil —
History of the Confederation Movement from Deadlock to Union— Hon.
John A. Macdonald'8 Part through the Movement — Domestic and Foreign
Events. •• .-.

CHAPTER XVIT.

277

Pruminent Members of the F^irst Dominion Cabinet— George E. Cartier — A.
T. Galt-H. L. Langevin-S. L. Tilley-Peter Mitchell-W. P. Ilowlau I
— Alexander Campbell. 321

CHAPTER XVIII.

I'he New Ili^gime — Two Reformers Road otit of the Raidvs — M. Cauehon'a
" Rank " offence — Sketches of Thomas D'Arcy Mc(iee ; hi:< assassination. 338

CHAPTER XIX.

The Red River Rebellion — Causes of the Outbreak -Col Dennis and the Stir-
veyors — Hon. Win. McDougall on the Scene- -The Brutal Muuler of Scott

1 i!

XMl

CONTENTS.

! I

1;! !

— The Bishop cloaking the Murderer— Governor Archibald'^ Foul Com-
pact. .............. 353

CHAPTER XX.

Withflriiwal of British Soldiers — The Wrestle between Tujipor and Howe —
Sketch of Tnpper — The Reciprocity Treaty — Sir John ainony tlie Comtnis-
missioncrs ; \\U Defence— .7. H. Tameron's Dcf-^nci! of Sir John— The New
Brnnswick School Bill ; ami .lolin Co-^tiiran- -Sketch of Lord Diitferin— A
Bomb flung on the Floor of the House of Commons. 365

CHAPTER XXI.

The Pacific Pvailway— Companies formed for Construction of the Road— Sir
Hugh Allan and the (Jovorninont— The General Hlections— The Scamlal ;
history of same-Sir John and the Country tlnougii the Storm. • - 380

CHAPTER XXII.

Sir John's Attitude on the Moriow of the Pacific Railway Scandal— His De-
fence and I'esi'/iiatidu (if liis (lovernmcmt — Mr. Mai'kei'zie Forms an Ad-
niini.-tratio!) — Biitish Columbia in IVrnient- Mr. Macktiizie's Strn'^,;ie
for Dominion Tiii,dit<i — Fxtiadition— Constitutimial ^'rivileLto -Canadian
Treaty-makintt Power — Trade Sta;,'nation— The Ktform Administration
Courts Defeat~The General Election of 1878. 407

CHAPTER XXIII.

Sir John Ile<lidivus — New Pilicral-Conscvvative (Jovernment — The Powers of
a Speaker After tlie Demi-^e of Parliament — Mr. lilake Ousts Mr. Mac-
kenzie in the Leadership- Tiie Letellii-r Case— Queen's Birthday H(mours. Ail

(^HAP PER XXIV.

The Nation.il Policy — Its Popularity— Mr. Tilley's Financial Statement-
Lord Lome's re,'inie- The new Pacific Railway Syndicate -

4-14

CHAPTER XXV.

The Canadian Pacific Railway — The chief principle in Sir .John's Career —
Magnitude of the undertaking — Fxtraordinary rapidity of construction —
The work autliorized by Parliament and comiileted by the Company - 455

CHAPTER XXVI.

Closing Years — Readjustment of the Representation^Trade and the N. P. —
Cabinet Changes — The Ontaiio Boundary Question — Disallowance — Lord
Lansdowne Succeeds Lord Lome in the Governor-(}eneralship — Sir John
is Create.l a G. C. B.— The North-West Rebellion— The L.imp Goes Out-
Sii John's Work and Ciiaracter — Tributes in the Commons and the Senate
— Press Eulogies — Summing Up. 461

CHAPTER XXVII.

Last IllnesR— Public Sympathy at Home and Abroad— The Dov,tor'8 Bulletins
— Sir John's Amazing Vitality — On the Brink of the Grave— Legislation
Pauses in its Work — Messages from the Queen and the Princc'"-' Louise-
Life Waues-The End. 48.5

CONTENTS.

XXlll

CHAPTER XXVIII.

PATE

Sir John's Death Causes Universal Grief-- Preijarations for the Funeral — The
Body liV'iiV-? in State in tlie Senate— The Funeral at Ottawa and at Kin;;-
ston— Immense Deputations attend me ()l)se(|iiii's -The Last Kites. - 501

CHAPTER XXIX.

Sir John Macdonald's Lust Address to the Electors. ...... 512

CHAPTER XXX.

liast Appearance in the House- Dehiite on the High Commissinner's Conduct. 518

rUiAPlEi; XXXI.

His Fellow-Commoner's Tribute — Addresses in the House of Commons of the
Speaker, Sir Hector Langevin, and Mr. L'lurier. ..... 529

Anecdotes and Incidents.

CHAPTER XXXIL

CHAPTER XXXIII.

534

Sir John at Home — Earnscliffe, the Abode of the Domestic Graces— Lady Mac-
(lon-ald's Devotion — Her Letter to the Ministerialist Supporters of Sir
John 545

CHAPTER XXXIV.
English and other Estimates of the deceased Premier'^ Life- Work

5411

Vil f:

APPFNDIX.

SVEECH ON THE P.\CIFIO RAILW ' V SCANDAL.

3^-^

"^i..

.JH).

'^■^^.o'

567

1 1

Sir John A

Sir Joliii .\

SirJolin A

PJaiiisclifi'c,

Hull. Gooi'!

Hon. Olivu

Hon. Alexi]

Hon. Wilfr,

Hir Cliarles

Hon. J. J.

Ifii-h J. M

■Sir James A

I!. W. Pow.

H. P. AWigl

•Sir John Th

Tlie Senate <

Tlie Funeral

Tiio Hearse

St. All,au',s t

Interior of F

The Funeral

City Hall, Ki

The Funeral,

Sir Juhn A. I

Xist of illustrations.

PAGE

Sir John A. Maccloiiiiia Fmdispiece

Sir .Toliii A. Macdonakl's Early Home 24

Sir Jolin A. Macdonald. (From a.Painting in the City Hall, Kingston) 50

Earnsclifle, Ottawa, (Residence of the Late Sir John A. Macdonald) 9G

ill 111. George Brown 13G

ll,,n. Oliver Mowat 21(>

11. in. Aluxiuider Mackenzie .---.--- 408

11(111. Wilfrid Laurier '1-lS

.Sir Charles Tupiier, Dart., G.C.M.G. 4.S0

11,111. J.J. C. Abbott, D.C.L.,Q.C., P.C. 480

Ilu-h J. ]\racdonald, M.P. ^^^

.Sir.Tauies A. Grant, ]\I.D., Iv.O.M.C. - 488

It. \V. Powell, M.D. ^^^

II. P.^Vright, M.D. - - •I'^S

Sir Jiihn Thompson ■A'^G

The Senate Chamber— The Body Lying in State ... - ri(t4

Tlie Funeral— Parliament Hill, Ottawa - - . - • - 512

The Hearse ''•-'^

St. Albau's Church, Ottawa •'>28

Interior of Funcr.d Car '^28

The Funeral Train •">28

City JIall, Kingston, where the Body lay in State - - - - 530

The Funeral, Princess Street, Kingston '••'-'

Sir John A. Macdonald's Grave, Catara.iui Cemetery, King.st.m - 5<iO

■If

CANADA'S PATRIOT STATESMAN.

LIFE AK'D CAREER

THE RlGiyr HONOURABLE THE LATE

SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD, G.C.B.

CHAPTER L

EARLY YKARS.

r^tONTEMPORARY judgment of the several acts of even so
\j great a life as that of Jolin Alexander Macdonald may be
<ound. But the geneial tendency and broad effects of such a
life must be left to be estimated by posterity, for only in the
future will the results <at which the Statesman aimed be made
m.'inifest. It is the office and duty of the contemporary historian,
however, to record the facts as he finds them, together with
such comments as arc necessary to their due interpretation.
The great fact to be made known, either in so many words or
by wise compiling of the records, or both, is the estimation in
wliich the man whose history is being written is held by people
of his own time. Viewed from this point, the subject of this
nieiiioir takes rank among perhaps the smallest class known to
history. Carlyle remarks of Goethe, that if certain (jualities,

T/t-^'

LIFE OF SIB JOHN A. MACDONALD.

wliich he is alleged to possess, were really his, then Goethe
" must rank with Hon)er and Sliakes])eare as one of the only
three men of genius who ever lived." That genius which
enables him who possesses it to embody fictitious persons
before our imagination as clearly as those we meet are made
clear to our senses, may be, as ("ailyle suggests, the only genius
worthy of the name. But if the limit is to be extended in the
least, it mu»t be made to include the few who are born
leaders of men. Some are the leaders of a time, «ome lead only
a cla.ss, and the deeds they do are worthy of all praise and
emulation. But the born Icivlor of men shows his power, not
only through his works but in his peisonal contact with those
about him. Men have made or unmade empires, they have
commanded victorious armies or directed mighty movements,
and yet have remained themselves but little known to all, save
those whom they used as their means of communication with
the people at large. Their leadership is essentially the )»roduct
of circumstance, and some of the men who have api)arently
had the most to do with making his,tory are leaders of this
class. " No man is great to his valet," according to a saying
which has almost become a proverb. But it is not true ; the
man who is truly great will be recognized as such by his valei
as by others. John A. Macdonald carried on his life-work in
the limited sphere of a Colony even now far from populous,
and having a hi^torv little longer than his own life. But such
as his opportunities were, he made the most of them. He be-
came the greatest man in the community in which he lived;
he achieved, with the elements at his command, results which
those who knew not his powers declared to be impossible, anil,
through it all, he moved daily with the people, and not one of
the thousands with whom he came in contact but recognized
him as truly great.

John Alexander Macdonald was by birth a clansman, des-
cendant in direct line of J)onald, Lord of Kintyre and Islay,
a mighty man of valor in his day, who, in his old age, relinquish-
ing his claymore to his son, Angus. In devotion and in
benefactions to the church Lord Donald spent the closing days

EAliLY YHAhS.

of a life whicli had seen its " deare.st action in the tented field."
From An;,Mis descended a lino of chiefs who, ho Ion},' as force
opposed them, not only held tlu-ir own, but increased thoir
liordois and a-jtiially tipposud in arms the powi'r of all Scot-
land rallied about the king. But when James the First came
to the throne, craft and treachery were employed, and by
these the power of the warlike ciiiefs was broken. Invited by
the kiuLf to meet and discuss in brotherly fashion the dillcr-
cnees between them, Alexamler, Karl Macdonald, accoinpatiii'd
]iy his mother anil a few of his leadin<,j warriors and advisers,
left the security of his island fortress and went coniidingly to
Inverness — and to the dungeon. James treacherously seized
the man whom he had asked to parley with him and, though
sparing his life, deprived him of liberty. The effect upon the
clnnsmen was disastrous. Left without their chief and leader,
jealousy, distrust and apprehension played havoc with the
strciiifth which in the united clan Macdonakl had been uacon-
([iierable. Taking the cue from his perlidious lord, Alexander
vowed to the king a fealty which he had no intention of
observing, and, on being released in consequence of his vi>w, at
once sougiit his homo to prepare his men for such a war as
wMJuld teach tyranny and treachery a lesson. But the clan was
not as he had left it, united and contident, but torn with dis-
sensions, and the war resulted in disastrous defeat. On renew-
ing his vQW of fealty and undergoing banishment from his
own land, Alexander Mac<loiiald was again given liberty and
control of the family domain. The time came, liuwever,
when the Macdonalds were divided into smaller groups, and
t'lDin this fact arises the difference in the spelling of the name
i!i (litferent localities, for " Macdonnell " and " Macdonald," as
is suggested by their similarity, are in origin the same.

Mr. Hugh Macdonald of the parish of Dornoch, Sutherland-
sliire, was a true descendant ot the head and founder of the
clan. In early life he moved to Glasgow and there he married
Helen Shaw, of Hadenoch, Inverness. The children of these
two were live in number, the second son beini: John Alexander
Macdonald, the subject of this memoir, who was born on the

LIFE OF Sin JOHN A. M .{('DONALD.

I i|:

llth vi .lamiaiy, 1815. The other children were William,
James, Mar<;aret, Louisu. In the yeur l.siiO Mr. Muciluiiald
decided to remove with liis laiiiily to Canada. All tiio origi-
nal meinliers of his little liuiisi hold were then surviving,' e.Kcept
his eldest son William, a l)ri^dlt lad, who luui died a short time
heforo. All laiwled safely at Kingston, then the most impor-
tant point in Upper Canada, alter a voya;j:e which, in Lho
manner of those days, consumed many weeks' time.

This wa.s in 1H_'0, when the country was in its first rudo
Itej^innings. The original draft of United Kai[)ire Loyalists
who liad formed the hulk of the oiigin^il lUitisIi population of
Upper Canada, and especially of this central section, had
brought the wilderness into .suhjection in some [)laces, and
some towns had been founded, which promised well. Of these,
OS stated, one of the principal was Kingston, built near the
site of the old fort winch Do Courcelles had established only
to lo.se, and whi<-h the adventurous Frontenac, despite the in-
structions of his superiors, had rebuilt. When the little fannly
readied Kingston, ho who afterwards became tlie most di.s-
tinguishod man of this new country, was a child of live years,
notable for his big expressive eyes and his sunny disposition,
The father began business and worked hard and faithfully to
win a living for himself and his family. He laboured umler
considerable disailvantages, however, for the coimtry and its
ways were new to liim. lie had not got far in the road to
fortur*! in tlic iirst four^'ears of his life in Canada, and, hoping
for impritvement in his circumstances, he embraced an op[)oi-
tunity that offered to remove to Adolphustown, on the Uay of
Quints. The move was not a very distant one, even in tlios«
days of corduroy roads and lumbering stage-coaches, but it was
a very hard parting for one member of the family, young John
Alexandei-, who was to be left l)ehind to attend school. Hii^li
Macdonald had the true Scotsman's appreciation of learning, ami
had early determined to educate this bright and promising boy
of his for one of the learned profession.s. The advantages of
this cour.se, even aside from the desire to give the boy an cilu-
cation for its own sake, were obvious. The couniry wji,s hiuI

EAHLY VEAliS.

now, l)iit it was rapidly doveiopin}^. A few years' timo was
ccrtiiin to briu.,' a Lifreat demand for men of" education to till the
widciiin;^ raidvs of professional life, and those wiio were c^arly
ill tlie race and acijuitted themselves well were certain of jjuod
pay and (luick promotion. To cpialify liiin for tho career
from which his father expected s ) nuich — thnu^'h it is safe to
say t!ie fond parent's expectations of his son's futnre were far
short of what we of to-day know the reality to have been — the
lad was left in Kiii^'ston there to attend the Royal (irainniar
School, one of the best acade>nies of its time in the I'rovince.
At this period tho preceptor of tho little college was l)i'.Wilson,
a man of special ability, a graduate of Oxford and a good
teacher. The boy was a diligent student, being possessed of
keen perceptions ami a retentive memory. Though (piick in
everything, he showed a taste especially for mathematics. The
workin*' out of intricate problems deli-dited him. lie was
keen to see the principle involved and the methods to be used
in applying it, and there was a certain faculty of order in his
make up, which was .satisfied by the methodical following out
step by step of the plan best calculated to achieve the desired
result. He was fond of reading and study, and had in pleni-
tude that true faculty of tho scholar which enables him to
make what he reads his own. Though he spent less time than
many of his contemporaries in the study of the classics, he got
a firm grasp, especially of the Latin writers, as the public
speeches he has nmde will show. Duiing the course of his
tutelage in the Royal Grammar Sch )o! there was a change in
his preceptors, Dr. Wilson giving place to Mr. George Bax-
ter, who seems to have paid particular attention to his promis-
ing young pupil, and to have been very proud of him.

The lad spent his holidays at his new home in Adolphus-
town. To the summers thus spent is undoubtedly to be at-
tributed in part the magnificent strength of constitution which
was one of the many marvels of this marvellous man. Adol-
phustown, though still a small village without even railway
communication, is a place of importance (from a historical point
of view) unsurpassed in Canada. Here it was that the United

LIFE OF Sin JOHN A. MACDONALD.

i I

Empire Loyalists, those sturdy defenders o^ a chosen cause,
landed in Upper Canada. Under Captain Van Alstine, whose
name is one of the heritages of that district, they came up the
river in their Durham boats with the few worldly possessions
left to them in their exile, and their voyage came to an end at
that part of t'le densely \'ooded shore where afterwards grew
lip the village of Adol^Miustown. It is not of the historic as-
sociations of the place that we would speak, for these have
been dealt with over and over again by leading Canadian
writers. But the natural beauties of the locality, especially aa
they must have appealed to a boy coming home after the dull
nionotf ny ot a session at school, should be adverted to, even
though briefly. Th(! Bay of Quintd region of which Adolphus-
town was at this time one of the principal places, is one of the
most beautiful places in all th's beautiful Canada. In tho.se
early days it must have been especiall}'^ attractive, for there
were many leagues of forest wheie now is only meadow, these
forests protecting many streams, perfect in their beauty, which
since the removal of the forest have run dry. It was a perfect
empire for a boy to ramble over in summer, and in fishing and
boating, in tramping the woods and climbing the hills, there
was recica ion and health besides. In after years tlie gieat
statesman often spoke with enthusi;u>ni of the delightful ex-
periences he enjoyed about old Adolphustown.

In his charming book, " Random Recollections of Early
Days," Mr. Cannitt Haight speaks of the time when Mr.
Hugh ^lacdonald and his family lived at Adolphustown. He
says : " The father of Sir John A. Macdonald kept a store a
short distance to the east of the Quaker meeting-house, on
Hay Bay, on the third concession. It was a small elap-board-
ed buililing, painted red, and was standirj a few years ago."
In this connection ho tells a characteristic anecdote about John
A. Macdonald's appearance on the platform at Adolphustown
.some 3ears afterwards, when he was known as a rising younj;
Kingston law; er, just feeling his way into political life. He
began his speech in this fashion, " Yeomen of the county of
Lennox and Addington, I remember well when I ran about

EARLY YEARS.

this district a bare-footed boy." We can well believe it when
Mr. Haight says, " I recollect how lustily he was cheered by
the staunch old farmers on the occasion referred to."

But business did not flourish with Hugh Macdonald as he
had hoped ; Kingston was growing daily in size and importance,
and, after four years on the Bay of Quiutd, it was decided to
remove to the ci'y again. The experience he had gained en-
abled Mr. Macdonald to choose his place of occupation with
judgment, and though he did not grow rich, the removal to
Kingston proved a good step. He leased the Kingston Mills,
an establishment of some importance just outside the city, and,
to facilitate the sale of his goods, he kept a warehouse and shop
in the cit}'. The son, who.se history it is the purpose of this book
to relate, grew up a thorough Kingstonian. He loved the old
Limestone City, and was always proud to be known as one of
its citizens. The family became well known, and the lad was
marked by those who could judge character as one of the men
of the future. Of the pei'iod of his life wliich was begun by
the return of the family to Kingston, many are the reminiscen-
ces which are now related by old ladies who were accjuainted
with the mother or sisters, and old men, souie of whom were
.schoolmates (and who to-day feel proud to be able to claim that
distinction), of the curly-liaired boy who was destined to eclipse
all other British Americans in fame. The mother of the future
statesman is woU remembered by many. It has been said that
ill! great men have had the advantaifo of ijood mother-traininjr.
So it seems to have been in John A. Macdonald's ca.se. His
mother was proud of her boy and conHdent of liis future. Her
counsel gave him confidence in himself, her example taught
liim that iudouiitable courage and persevercance which were
among his greatest qualities. And he, on his part, seems to
have loved and honoured her, and to have grown up to desire
honour and fame not a little for her sake. There was in the
MacdonaKl family that inten.se family affection and loyalty
which is characteristic esjiccially of the Scottish people, who
seem to be imbued at their very birth with the notion of clan-
ship embodied in all the traditions of their country. It may

LIFE OF Sin JOHN A. MACDONALD.

•

be mentioned here that of the other members of the family
the youngest son James died shortly after the family retuiiicd
to Kinirston. Marirarct, the elilest dauuhter, married Professor
James Williamson, of Queen's University, but has been deail
for some years. Louisa, the younger sister, never married. She
lived out the allotted span of human life, and died not long ago
in Kingston, where nearly all her life had been spent.

Young Macdonald entered upon his seventeenth year can-y-
ing with him the love of mother, father and sisteis, a favourite
among a large circle of acquaintance's, and one of the brightest
scholars that had ever attended the school which was his alma
mater. He was to study for the bar ; that had been settled
long before. Instead of having him go tbrough college, Mr.
Macdonald articled his .son at once to a lawyer — choosing Mr.
George Mackenzie, in whom he had great confidence as a law-
yer and a man. The line of studies to be pursued was new to
the youth, but in his time at school he had learned the .stu-
dent's trade pretty thoroughly, and he had besides the will and
the determination to succeed. As he had won the praise of his
schoolmasters, .so young Macdonald succeeded in winning the
good- will and admiration of his principal in his chosen profu-
sion. Mr. Mackenzie commended him for his diligence and fcr
his ability as well. The result of his honest efforts to suc-
ceed was that he was (jualilied to be called to the bar pro-
fessionally before nature had done her .share of the Wurk, for
he was not then twenty-one, the oflicial age for barri.-.teis.
But the young man w.is too impatient to get to work at his
chosen profession to allow a matter of this kind to prevent him.
There was one person whoso word as to the young man's age
would be taken without (piestion — his father. The young man
made preliminary use of his knowledge of persuasive eloipience
tt) convince his father that he was actually twenty-one and ripe
for admission to the ranks of the profession. Jle won his case
too, for his father was quite convinced that his son had reached
his majority and so stated to those in authority. The result was
that a modest sign, " John A. Macdonald," was soon hung out
over the entrance to an oflice of which the future I'lemier wa.s

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EARLY YfJARS.

the occupant. The sign wan not put out in vain, for tlio young
liiwyer soon found himself witli a good practice and every prus-
poct of making it a great one. People had been watching his
career and had learned to respect him and to expect good things
of him. A remarkable feature about the new law ottice was
that it was made clear to the people that it was there for their
lionolit. In the scarcity of legal counsellors, for years before,
tli(! liuvyers of the time had had bred in them a certain feeling
of independence of their clients, so that one seeking legal ad-
vice put himself in the position of asking a favour, and, that
beinfT the case, he had to take what was mven him and as the
donor chose to bestow it. But so far as Kingston was con-
cerned, a new order of things was inaugurated when the law
oHice of John A. Macdonald was opened. The young man was
there for business, and he gave everybody who came to consult
him dearly to understand that fact. Instead of keeping would-
be clients waiting in an ante-room merely to suit his own con-
venience, he made a study of promptitude and business-like
methods. People soon found that there was one place where
" the law's delays," even if they were not altogether done away
with, were not aggravated by the lawyer's delaj's as well.
The young man had a downright genius for popularity.
Whether he knew at this time how his popularity was to be
usc<l even his friends of that early time do not seen^ to know.
But certain it is that he made few enemies but a host of friends,
and every person coming within the sphere of his personal in-
tluence felt drawn toward this brilliant young man who had
merit and perfect confidence in himself, but who had none of
the odensive assumption of superiority which is usually fouml
in one who has a good opi:ii(m of his own abilities. Perhaps,
without being fully conscious of it himself, the young man was
])repiuing himself for oppoitunity, and niagniticently did he
take advantage of it when it came. Speaking of a ditferent
kind of work, but essentially of the kind of man we are writ-
ing aliout, Kuskin saj's in his nol)le lecture on " The mystery
of Life and its Arts : " " Does a bird need to theorize about
"building its nest or boast of it when built? All good work

it L».

111!

L'G

LIFE OF Hlli JOHN A. MACDONALD.

1 I ■

" is essentially done that way — without hesitation, without
" difHculty, without boasting ; and in the doers of the best there
" is an inner and involuntary power which approximates liter-
" ally to the power of the animal — nay I am certiiin that in tlie
" most perfect human artists, reason does not supersede instinct,
" but is added to an instinct as much more divine than that of
" the lower animals fis the human body is more beautiful than
" theirs ; that a great singer sings not with less instinct than
" tlie nightingale, but with more — only more various, applic-
"aljle, and governable ; that a great architect does not build
" with less instinct than the beaver or the bee, but with more
" — with an innate cunning of proportion that embraces all
" beauty, and a divine ingenuity of skill that improvises all
" construction."

Such words apply with particular force to the opening car-
eer of John A. Maiidonald. He could not have foreseen exactly
how his chances of fame were to arise; he could not have known
exactly how the perfecting of himself in his profession, or the
ability to muke and keo[) friends was to benefit him, but he
went on without hesitation and without mistake, every step
being an advance toward his appointed goal.

His power of making friends was not that of the man who
seeks to gather about him a number of people who will hel})
him. He had the honest human love of his fellows, and thi.-i
caused him to deserve, as it enabled him to hold, the friendship
of many whom other frieuiis of his would not tolerate. Those
were stirring and uncomfortable times in Canada. The demand
was being made for Res])onsible Government both in the Upper
and in the Lower Provinces, In the latter, the leaders in the
movement were yoiuig men who, mistaking the effect for the
cause, held that Republican institutions alone were coinpatiblo
with freedom, and that separation from Britain alone would
enable the people to establish the Rei)ublic. Though not going
so far, the leading Reformers of Upper Canada — the Radicals
of their time — were honestly believed by their opponents to be
in i'avt)ur of the sepaiation of the colony from the Mother Coun-
try. The feeling that there were traitors in their very midst

liii

ill II

EARLY YEAllH.

led to personal estratigements between those who would other-
wise have been friends, and this feeling of personal bit-
terness grew as the strife became hotter, and the signs began to
multiply that bloodshed and perhaps anarchy would bo the
result. It was a titno of dreadful suspicion and suspense, a
time of rancour and ([uarrelling. But, through it all, young John
A. Macdonald, though known as a (>ousorvalive, had the friend-
ship and esteem of many Reformers, as well he might, for ho
dill all that lay in his power to deprive the situation of its ele-
ment of personal bitterness. The Rebellion of LS.'>7 broke out,
but was quickly suppiessed and its leaders imiirisoncd or scat-
tered, but new coiuplications arose to keep alive the bad
feeling among the people.

Many are now living who can remember distinctly the events
that followed the uidiai)py outbreak of In,']?, and all who have
read anvthing of Canadian historv must l)e more or less familial-
with the facts. The hatred of Britain engendered among the
people of the United States by the War of Independence
might have died out but for the complications arising out of
Napoleon's mad attempt to conciuer Europe and hold it in sub-
jection. This led to the war of ] 81 2-15, which fanned into
even fiercer ilame the ill-feeling of Americans against every-
thing British. The exigencies of American politics had caused
this feeling to bo kept alive by one side at least. When the in-
ternal troubles in Canada arose, thousands of Americans irood
ami bad believed that at last the northern Provinces had irrown
tired of what in their efflorescent oratory was called " the gall-
ing yoke of British tyranny," and they made ready to help the
"oppressed " on this side of the border. " Hunters' Loilges " as
they were called, were f'oiined all along the liorder, backed and
a.ssisted by the money of some men who simi)ly wished to hurt
Britain, and of others who believed that the sacred cause of
human freedom was to l)e fouglit out upon a new battle ground.
These '• Hunters' Lodges " were couijiosed of ".sympathizers"
who were ready to go over at a moment's notice to help the
people of Canada, who according to their theory were anxious-
ly looking for their coming. The Navy Island affair, the attack

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LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

upon AhmerHtburg, liill Jolinson's famous piratical rairl, and
othor aHJiirs of the kind followed, including the battle of the
Windmill, an event with which this history has more particu-
larly to deal.

The " Hunters " congregated in Oi;densburg early in Novem-
ber, 1838 ; and all along the St. Lawrence frontier, and ospeciall}'
at Prescott, which faces O'jrdonsburjx from the Canadian side of

' Oct

the river, there was misgiving which rapidly grew to dreadful
apprehension. The people had not long to wait, for on the
llth November upwards of 200 men fully armed crossed over
in small boats, and, landing, took up their position in the wind-
mill, a building strong enough to resist any ordinary assault.
This little band of "sympathizers" was under the leadorshi}!
of one Von Shoultz, a Pole, who had been impressed with the
stories told him about the oppression of (Canadians by the rep-
resentatives of l^ritain, and for the love of freedom's cause
alone, gave himself to the rescue. Von Shoultz expected to
be joined by immense numbers of Canadians anxious to over-
throw their oppressors. This was his own explanation of the
case subsecpiently, and indeiHl his action in coming over witli
so small a force, and then making a stand in the place he did,
is inexplicable upon any other theory. Of course he was dis-
appointed. Even those who sym})athized with the Rebellion
regarded the matter as a family quarrel, and resented the in-
terference of outsiders. As soon as the alarm was given, the
whole district sprang to arms. Volunteers poured into Prescott
from all quartei-s, and not a single man turned out to help the
deluded Pole and his followers. Too late Von Shoultz saw tliat
he had been entrapped. He could not venture to attack the
town, his force was too small; he could not retreat, for vessels
patrolled the river on the Canadian side, ready to sink his boats
and annihilate his band. There was nothing to do but to sur-
render or stand at bay and fight it out. He chose the latter
course. The little band of invaders fortified themselves as well
as they could within the windmill. On the 1.3th, two days
after they landed, a large force of Canadians under Col. Young,
advanced to the attack. The battle was a long one, for at first

EARLY YEARS.

only musketij were used, but afterwards the heaviest guns that
were available were brought down, and cannonading was bo-
gun. The 'avails of the mill, though strong and thick, could
not long resist this kind of thing. To remain was death to all,
hut by yielding the lives of some might be saved. Von Shoultz
and his remaining men — about half his fcrce had been killed
or made prisoners — yielded to the inevitable and gave up their
arms. The Canadians in this engagement escaped with the loss
of nine men. The fact that the lives of nine good and patriotic
iiiLMi had been saci'iliced by tliis mad and causele.ss inteifcrencc
with the afi'airs of a people well ablo to take care of tlifinselves,
however, caused intense feeling against Von Shoultz and his
men, and the demaiul was general that an example should bo
made of them winch would deter others from following the
same course. Von Siioultz and his accomplices were ai laigned
for trial by court martial sitting in Kingston. The unfortunate
men must needs be represented by a u)an able to plead their
case. The brilliant young lawyer, John A. iMacdnnald, was
chosen. His opportunity had come.

The trial of Von Shoultz excited tremendous interest. He
lui.l no .sympathizers and !ew friends, but of these even the most
hopofnl could not look forward to a favourable outcome of the
trial. John A. Macdonahl went to work upon the case con-
scientiously. But as he became acquainted with his client and
learned how completely the Pole had been deluded, how earnest-
ly he had believed that in this ill-starred expe<lition he was
following the example of his nuiny eomitatriots who had fought
ireeiloia's tii>;ht to the death, lie became interested anil even en-
thu.siastic in the preparation of his defence. In court he con-
ducted his case ably ; it is not too much to say that he did it
hiil iautly. The case was a desperate one, considering the ofi-
eiioe, the character of the court and the state of public feeling,
and it is not to be wondered at that the pitiless military law
was not rUercd from its course. Von Shoultz was condemned
to death and he was executed, according to one historian who
ought to be bet informed of the facts, on December Sth, ISJW.
Before his death he expressed himself as satislied with the

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LIFi: OF Silt JOHN A. MAVDONALD.

verdict — he had allowed himself to be misled to the terrible
injury of many innocent people, and it was but reasonable that
he shouhl sutler the penalty, lie even wrote letters from the
condemned cell to fiionds in the United State-t that the stories
lie had been told about the wrongs and suti'erings of the Cana-
dian people were wholly misleading, and that there was nothing
in the fact of his death that ought to cause his friends to think
of seeking vengeance or making reprisals. The etiect of the
trial was to aciiuaiiit the peophi at large with the character of
this romantic leader of a lost cause, and to excite in his case
a feeling which, by comparison with that with whicli other
sympathizcis were regarded, might almost be called sympathy.
.. Jf the people could not consent to the continuance of Von
Shoultz life, they could at least praise and honour the young
man of only twenty-three years who had shown himself so well
read, so clear-headed, and so able with his tongue in defence of
the unfortunate man. In speaking of the case, one of the
Montreal newsi)apers .said, editorially, that theyounj^- Kingston
lawyer who had defended Von Shoultz would soon be known as
one of the first men of the country. Propiiecies are not always
fulfilled, but this one was realizecl so much more completely
than even the >nan who made it could have expected, that ho
might be far astray in some of his other j)redictions and still
claim a very good average.

Soon after the trial a student was admitted to John A. Mac-
(lonald's office. He has since become known to fame as Sir
Alexander Campbell, with a long and honourable political re-
cord leading up to the Lieutenant-Governorship of Ontario,
which he now hoWs. But another student who was to become
even more famous entered the office soon after. He, like the
other two, was of Scottish stock ; he had turned out as one of
the defending volunteers when the ciy of alarm was raised in
1837, and in his school and college career he had shown him-
self painstaking and si)lendidly persevering. He graduat-Otl
from John A. Macdonald's law office to the political arena, jifter-
wards to the bench, and subsequently to the Premiership of On-
tario, which position he hokls to-day. To .say this is to tell the

EAULY YEARS.

a I

reader that tlie name of tliat >oung student was Oliver Mowat.
It would bo a eurious study for sotiu; one to unilertako, to learn
liow far the future of these men, whose training,', while he him-
self was but a youth, John A. Macdonald had in chari,'e, wivs
moulded by his influence. If it was merely a coineidence lliat
two great lawyers and statesmen 5,'raduated from the ofhee of
the (greatest lawyer and statesman the country has ever known,
surely no coincidence ever was more wonderful.

Business grew and flourished with John A. Macdonald.
Many private clients were attracted by his talents and his per-
sonal magnetism. The Conunereial Bank was founded by John
S. Cartwright, and John A. Macilonald was appointed its solici-
tor. The Tr\ist and Loan ('onipany, .since grown to one of the
greatest institutions of its kind, was estal)lished, and this also
placed its legal business in the hands of the rising young law-
yer.

He had established himself in business. His opportunity to
enlarge his sphere of action and usefulness was at hand.

cuM'ii'ni II.

)

i
1

POLITICAL UI'IIKAVAI.S.

1)ERTTAPS it wore well to pause hero and take a back-
ward glance at the causes which brought about tlie
troublous times referred to in the foregoing chapter. Half a
Cfntury before the Britisli Farlianient divided the Province (if
Oaniida into (Jauiida Upper and Lower, each division corres-
ponding with what 13 to-day (Quebec and Ontario. By tliii
partition it was hoped that each province would enj • consti-
tutional peace and bound forward in the paths ( ogress.
Burke, indeed, who had been caught and thing bui,.. «iO tlie
most abject toryism by the intiueuce of the Frencli Revolution,
saw a goMeii peace in tlie future for the Canadas now, and re-
garded as guarantees for the abiding pvinci[)le of the system
the restrictions upon poi)ularlil>crty ])lacodin the ronstitutidii,
Hut many statesmen shook their heads, and Fox predicted tliat
these vaunted safeguards of peace and an abiding constitution
woiUd prove the seeds of discord and disruption. And so it
proved; though the evil laid in the marrow of the system flia
not break out into an active sore for many years afterward-.
To each province was given a constitution su})posed to reflect
the virtues and the liberties of the constitution of the motlier
laud. There was an elective chamber where the sturdy yeo-
man and simple habitant clad in their homespun came to legis-
late upon their allotted questions. Tliere was an iipjHr
chamber, supposeil to l> • a retlex of t)\e House (jf Lords, tlie
men\bers of which were appointed by the Crown for life. To
these were given the prerogative of altering or rejecting lii'!-
which came up from the lower chamber. The couiicillui>

I'OUTICAL Vl'llEA VALS.

woro men of liij^li social standin;^' includiii!^ even prolatos and
jinU'OS. Tliun caniu tlie executive; a iiiiiiiie privy eouncil,
•oiiiposeil of men elected l/v the viceroy to advise with liiin
on all matters of pul»lic aihninistration. The members of this
hoily weie drawn from tlio Ici^islative conneil, or from tiio
iiDUse of assembly, were not ol»liL,^ed to have a seat in tlio
jio[iiilar branch, and were responsible only to the head of the
pA'ornment. The governor was u mimic king, and in those
(i;iy-; had all the ways of a sovereign. " I am aoccMnitabh; to
Lliiil (inly for my actions," said Charles the First, when picsented
with the Petition of llight. " I am acconntaltle to the King
only lor my actions "said th(! little Canadian mock-soveieivn,
when meekly reminded of what was due to the people.

These were not the da}s of darkness, neither wercj they
the days of light ; rather both kings and commons lived
in a sort of twilight where the libi ty of the presenr, seemed
to merge in the oppressio)i of the pa. Since before the time
when the barons wrung from John at 1> iiymeade, the Charter
of their liberties, everyone had talked about the " right of the
subject '" ari.l the " pi-erogatlve of the Crown ;" but none seemed
to know where the one began or the other ended. Under the
reign of the Prince of Orange, men who lemembereil the tyr-
anny of the profligate Stuarts, thought they lived in the noon-
(lav of constitutional libertv. But it remained yet for Ceorije
the Third to set up a tyrant who did not rival the author of
"Thorough," only because ho lacked ability for anything but
protligate intiigues, and the additional and self-sufficient rea.son
that Enfflishmeu having tasted of a liberty unknown in the
ijays of Charles, would not be driven again into abasement by
a cleverer tyrant than Stratlbi-d. Truly, for tyranny was the
spirit of 'hose Georges, willing, but the He.sh was weak. "I
will die rather than stoop to opposition," said George the Third ;
but opposition was better than revolution, and he stooped. For
years he retained ministers in defiance of tlie House of Com-
mons, resisted the entry of good men, of whom Fox was one,

4 1

I '

1
i'
i

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

ill ii

into the Cabinet, and maintained a system of wrong-lieadeJ
personal government that cost the country a hundred millions
of pounds, thirteen provinces, and the li* es of a thousand
subjects.

His son William the Fourth, though called "The People's
Friend," still dismissed or retained a minister " when he pleased,
and ' ecause he jdeaaed ;" but with him, we may well believe,
disappeared from the royal closet forever the last vestige of
personal government. A flutter, it is true, went through the
breasts of the jealous guardians of constitutional liberty not
r-.any years ago when the commons discussed the " Question de
jupons ;" when a minister of whom the nation had grown sick,
a man who dandled cushions and played with feathers while
momentous questions of the state were hanging, resigned the
seals and two days later crept back again to power behiiul
the petticoats of the ladies-in-waiting. But if anything were
needed to give assurance of constitutional rule, it surely must
have appeared, wlien, with girlisli frankness, the young Queen
told Peel, " I liked my old ministers very well, and am very
sorry to ])art with them ■ but I bow to constitutional usage."
It is not written in the constitution where the power of the
sovereign shall beoin or end in retainini; or dismissing: minis-
ters ; but he would be a bold ruler indeed who shoukl ever
again attempt personal rule in England. Should such aa
attempt be made, it were not necessary to fear for the people.
It would be only the worse for that sovereign.

But while the principles of liberty were growing broader
and deeper in England, the people of the colonies were chatitii,'
under a yoke as intolerable as that felt in England at any time
during the reign of the Stuarts. In the provinces of Cari:''la
the long heard cry of discontent had grown deeper and more
omirjus towards the close of the leign of William the Fouitli.
Wi.se men looked into the future then as they look ever, but
we wonder that they could not have foreseen the consequences

roUTICA L Uj 'HE a VA LS.

of sucli govcnimcnt as was now imposed upon the Canadian
people.

Each province, as we have seen, had its mimic kin^, and
tills creature generally ruled with the spirit of an autocrat. It
mattered little that the man was good when the .system by
which he governed was so very bad. There existed at this
time in every province a combination which bore the hateful
name of "Family Compact." This compact was composed of
men who were tories by profession, and who came, by virtue
of the preference they had so long held above their fellow
colonists, to regard their right to public oftice as prescrii)tive.
They filled the legislative council, which became the tool of
the Crown to thwart or strangle any objectionable measure
sent up from th;^ chamber of tlie people. They filled every
office of emolument from the Prime iMinister to the .serge<ant-
at-arins; from the chief justice down to the tip-staff*. "Nor
did Israel 'scape the infection," for they were found in the ,
church which in turn furnished mitred heads to the council.
They looked upon the large hulk of the colonists as inferiors,
and viewed with alarm the moveiuMit in favour of what
was called Popular Rights. Every point gained by the people
they regarded as something lost to the Crown ; and when a
governor came to the colony they generously sunendei-ed
themselves to his pleasure. If he were some haughty autocrat,
who looked upon the colonists as the owner of a plantation in
JiiiiKiica regarded his slaves, they seconded his o|)inions and
zealously assisted him to rule as he would. If he happened to
lo a generous man, and wa.^ disposed to listen to the de-
mands of the people, they poured poi.son into his ear, andgrad-
uiilly led him to regard the most wortliy popular tribunes who
iiskod for refo: in as dan^xerous demagogues. It seemed to be
the fite of every man who in these days came out to govern us
to turn tory the moment he set foot upon our soil. The whig.s,
who in England set themselves up as the redeemers of our
'lihorty, outdid their opponents when they came to Canada.

i U;

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i I nii

'1S

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD

': i)

When the tory came liere lie outdid hiinsol?. But the toryisni
wliich ground down the people of this country for so intmy
dark years was not the toryisni that was known in England.
Had it been, the history of our own times would have formed
a more turbulent chapter.

From this Family Compact the governor, whether whig or
tory, drew a circle of adviseis which he called "The Executive;"
but he did not feel himself bound to seek the advice of its
meml>ers, unless for courtesy, or when beyond his de}»th. But
where the couircil were of the same mind as the governor, re-
straints were not needful ; and in the executive for many a
year the viceroy found a willing tool to aid him in governing
according to his conviction or caprice. In Quebec the wheels
of government rolled on with an incessant jar which threatened
a disruption. It was hard for the French to forget that they
were a conquered people, even under the most liberal foreign
rule ; but the intolerable oppressions of the dominant clique
brought out all the race prejudices, and, not unnaturally, gave
an alarming magnitude, sometimes, to the smallest grievance.
But there was enough of weighty grievance. The home
government had fostered and kept up a British party, a little
cli([ue which threw themselves in with the governor and ruled
in defiance of the vast majority. The upper chamber was
filled with this clique, and they sat with eagle eyes watching,'
to destroy any measure opposed to their interests coming from
the lower chamber. It was a long and fierce wrestle, tliut,
between the two houses, but in every contest the habitant
went to the wail. From tlia ranks of this cli(pie, too, wa.s
filled the executive council, pup|»ets of an autocrat govenioi,
and the demoralizers of a man of fair play. Again and again
would the house of assembly declare it had no confidence in
a minister; but it was coolly recommended to mind its own
atlairs, and not to meddle with those which were only the
governor's. For nearly half a century the French had worn
this galling yoke, and now determined to cast it oflf. Finding

rOL I TIC A L U 1 'II EA VA LS.

how liollow a thing to them was responsible govoi-nniont, in
1,S.'}2 they suddenly stopped the supplies. Then came about
"tlie otHcials' famine," and for four years judges walked the
land in shabby ermine, while " every description of official be-
fjan to put his corporosity off." Tliis was a harsh kind of
revenge, but surely it was not unprovoked A people goaded
for half a century cannot be much blamed if they, as a last
resort, seize a weapon of resistance lawful and constitutional.
We know that some of those upon whom the heavy hand fell
wore not responsible ; but they were the servants of an atro-
cious .sy.stem. WTiile the world came to look full of ruin to
the official, Louis Joseph Papineau, a man of honourable char-
acter and much energy, offered a series of ninety-two resolu-
tions to the legislature to present to the imperial i)arlian)eiit.
These resolutions contained a formulary of grievances against
the home government and its agents in Lower Canada. The
counts set forth, in brief: " Arbitrary conduct on the part of the
Government ; intolerable composition of the legi.slative council
(which, they insisted, ought to be elective) ; illegal appropriation
(if tlie public moneys, an<l violent prorogation of the provincial
|wrliamcnt." They pointed out, likewise, that the French people
had been treated with contumely ; that they had l)een shut out
from office by the favoured British; that their habits, customs
and interests were disregarded, and they now <lemanded that
the doors of office and emolument be thrown open to all — or
they would rebel, the resolutions hinted between the lines.

The little British party, alarmed for their belovcal flesh-pots,
sent to the imperial parliament a set of counter resolutions.
The Commons perused both without much emotion, and .sent
out Lord Goslbrd and two commissioners to clear up affairs in
the confused colony. Lord Gosford came out with a large stock
of that material with which it is said the road to a certain place
is paved ; but he fell into the hands of the compact, and chose
to walk according to tradition rather than to the impulses of
right.

4 .WitrrT

.' % '.'Mf >

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

Meanwhile, Papineau had allowed magnificent visions of a
future republic along the banks of the St. Lawrence to lure
him awa}'^ from the path of sober, unambitious reform, in which
he had earlier trod. He had to deal with a people, too, who
have more than once in history become the slaves of a blind
enthusiasm ; and in those speeches at which the monster crowd.s
cheered the loudest could be heard the first breathings of re-
bellion. The two commissioners who had come out with Lord
Gosford presented their report to the impeiial parliament, and
the outcome of this was Lord John Russell's Ten Resolutions.
By one provision of these resolutions the Governor was author-
ized to take £142,000 out of the funds in the hands of the
Receiver-General to pay the arrearages of civil salaries. In
vain Lord Jolm was told that his resolutions would drive tlic
people into rebellion, and perhaps into the arms of the Republic ;
but that haughty little statesman did not anticipate any trouble
from the Republic, and as for the Canadians, they were very
lightly taxe<l, he said, and had really but little to grund)Ie
about.

As had been predicted, the resolutions brought the discontent
to a head. If. is hard now to believe that Papineau did not
really rejoice at the coercive spirit of those measures, for they
gave him an ample pretext for soaring off towards that new re-
public of which ho so fondly dreamed. The people became
enraged, and from hot reformers changed into Hauiing patriot^s.
They resolved to use no more goods that came through the
cu.stcMU house, and to smuggie rather than pay duties. Monster
meetings were held by Papineau, at which the habitants wea'
told to strike now for liberty. Men who knew anything, of mili-
tary tactics began to drill large bodies of the inhabitants, wliilo
every man provided himself with some weapon that would
kill. Then 'ne outl)reak came, and the; poor habitants, in wi'wl
enthusiasm, r".",lied upon the cold bayonets of Lortl Gosford.
It was only the l)istory of political tyranny the world over,
again — lashing the people into rebellion by bad laws and woi'so

POLITIC A L urn EA VA LS.

:li

aclministrators, and driving them b.ack again into allegiance
with cruel steel. We are told that the blood of a man who
falls by the violence of his fellow will cry to heaven for ven-
feance ; a heavy account, then, must be that of those men by
whose oppression these poor habitants were driven away froui
their humble toil to meet death at the hands of the soldiers.

The llame having burst forth in Lower Canada, it was soon
communicated to the ready material in the upper province.
There, too, did the Family Compact furnish an irresponsible
executive to an autocrat governor. The people dreamed of
constitutional freedom, for the light which now was shining
across the Atlantic was dawning here. Great men are usually
the oftspring of an important crisis; and now a party of superior
men, all of high character, and many of good social standing,
had grown up ; and they demanded that the government of the
province should be taken out of the liands of the favoured, ir-
responsible few, and handed over to the majority of the people
tlmjugh responsible ministers. This change would purge
away the long train of evils of which the people had so long
coiiiplainei.l. In those days there was no popular check upon bad
administration, or even upon corruption. Many a minister grew
rich upon his peculations, because the eye of the public could not
reach him. But some journalists now boldly intruded upon the
sacred privacy of the ministry, and revealed to the public many
instances of oHicial mismanagement and corruption. Then it
was that the history, in which we read of the disgraceful per-
secution of Wilkes by a tyrannical sovereign, was repeated in
l^l'per Canada, Then came prominently upon the stage the
ill-starred Lyon Mackenzie, a man whose name in his day
served to hush the babes of loyal mothers to sleep. We perse-
cuted him then in every conceivable way. We sent the most
loyal and respectable of our young men to scatter his types
and wreck his printing pi-esses. We five times expelled him
fiom the legislature, after he had been five times elected.
Finally we drove him into rebellion, and set a i»rice ot £1,000

■>< .:i

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I I

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hi 11
1 *h i

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itH

1: in fit

LIFE OF SIR JOIJN A. MACDOI^ALD.

I: i

upon his head. Now, we are about erecting a column to liis
memory.

It was galling enough to see a mimic king come over here
to govern us, as if God had made us only to be governed ; but
it was unbearable that the political adventurer, besides be-
ing an autocrat, should be also a blockhead. To quell the
fast-increasing tumult in Upper Canada, the British govern-
ment set about to select a man. They found one in a poor
comTnissioner's office in Kent, surrounded with prayers for
relief and heroic poems. This was an extraordinary man, and
had done things in his day which, in the eyes of the gov-
ernment, qualified him well to rule a colony. He had writ-
ten several pamphlets, extraordinary for their style, and in-
stinct with "fine frenzy." Twice he had dashed across the
South American pampas, from Buenos Ayrcs to the Andes, ou
the back of a mustang. Upon this man the home govern-
ment let the mantle of authority fall, and dispatched him tc*
Upper Canada. He came amongst us with the pomp oi' an
Alexander, .and the attitudes of a Garrick. The band of perse-
cuted men who had fought so long for popular rights be-
seeched him to redress their grievances, but after a few dramatic
revolutions on his own responsibility, poor Sir Francis Bond
Head fell into the fatal circles of the Compact niaelstioni,
Naturally, with a colony in the incipient throes of revolt, we
might have expected the home government to send a man with
some fitness, natural or acquii'cd, to govern and make smooth,
but at this day we are unable to see what special training in
this direction could have been conferred upon an enthusiastic
tragedy-reader by galloping about the pampas on a wild pony.
It is not necessary to add that the action of the new gov-
ernor drove the inqiatient seekers for reform towards the
brink of rebellion. In the house of assembly the Speaker
read a letter from Joseph Papineau, urging the Upper Can-
ada reformers in covert terms to rebel, and hinting that, in
Ciisf of need, republicans would come over and help them. Here

1 -i

rOLl TIC A L UrilEA I A LS.

was an opportunity for the dramatic governor, and he seized
it. "Ill the name of every militia rogimciit in Canada," he
cxc^umed, with a tremendous wave of his arms, as lie closed
the parliament, " I promulgate, let them come if they dare."
Thuro was then nothing for the reformers to expect from Sir
Francis. lie was threatened with rebellion, but treated the
threat with seeming scorn, and sent all the soldiers out of the
country. In an evil moment, and without taking counsel ot
prudence or philosophy, Mackenzie and his followers rushed
to arms. Then brother rose against brother, and after a con-
flict in which smoke predominated, the government demon-
strated its stren^jth, and the cause of the rebels ended in
panic*

Lord John Ru.wicll could not have hoard the news from Can-
atla with much astonishment, for he had been told that just
those things would happen, and he seemed coolly to court the
consequences. In the commons some made light of the rising,
and spoke of " a Mr. Mack(>nzie," concerned in the rebellion.
Mr. Ilnme replying, citerl tlie declarations of Clhathain on the
Stamp Act, instancing them as the .sayings of " a Mr. Pitt."
Tlicy had queer opinions in England then about colonies, and
equally odd notions about how the}' should be governed.
Some statesmen claimed that the executive should have the
coniidonce of the house of assembly, but Lord John Russell
and other whigs held that to make the executive responsible
to the popular bra.nch would be to reduce the governor to a
cipher, and to virtually proclaim the independence of the colo-
nies.

In this emergency Lord Durham was sent out to Canada
with extraordinary powers. He proclaimed his Ordinances
from Quebec, but had scarcely begun to carry out his [iro-

* All our liistiii'ies make the inexuusablH blumler nf st.atiri},' tliat ;i lui,'e iininlier
of persons were killed and woiitided at this buttle ; even Mr. Liudxey, snu iiibiv;
of Mr. >[,ickenzie, repeats the tietion in his book iiiiuiy ye.ar<? after tlie biitlli;. To
the Tuionto It ui\U the ijublio aie liidebte<l for fcnetiiij out che LluJidcr.

! '

" -.l • li 1

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^^s^U^^^^S

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACnONALD.

grainnio wlien many voices began to clamour for liis recall.
Undoubtedly there was a disposition to judge Lord Uurhaui
in England on the scantiest evidence. His emotional nature
was not unknown to the public. Men had not forgotten how
often he had territie<l his father-in-law, Karl Grey, and ap-
palled the council by his outbursts at their cabinet mefclliigs.
They had heard him in the Hcniseof Lords describe the speech
of the Bi-shop of Exeter, against the Reform Bill, as "coarse
and virulent invective, malignant and false insinuation, the
gro.ssest perversion of historical facts, decked out with all the
choicest Howers of paniphleteering slang." They did not be-
lieve that a man with a head .so hot was fitted to grapple with
such a problem as was now presented in Canada. But every
day added fresh rumours to those already current in England.
The famous Ordinances of the Earl seemed to astound every-
body. They were sweeping measures, to say the least, and in
England were regardeil as revolutionary. An amnesty wa.s
granted to all political oH'enders, Papineau, Mackenzie and tlie
other leadei's, excepted. These were banished to Bermuda,
from which they were not to return under pain of death. The
coloni.sts were cordially invited to aid in organizing a libe-
ral and eudiuing plan of government ; and, attended by his
suite, the High Commissioner nuide a progress through the
country with all the pomp and splendour of an Eastern king.
But Lord Durham was not allowed to put his Ordinances to a
trial. His course was assailed in England by a storm of hostile
criticism ; it was shown that in nearly every important respect
he hail transcended his coiistitutional powers ; that ho could
not transport to Bornmda, for the reason that he had no author-
ity over that islaml, anil that he had no power to order that
any one breaking his exile and returning to Canada should
stirter death. One of the most fierce of his critics wius Lord
Brougham, but the whole cause of his bitterness was not the
Quebec Onliiuxnces. Five years l)efore, at a dinner given hy
Earl Grey, he had imprudently provoked Lord Durham and

rOLITICAL Ul'JIKA VALS.

called down upon liis Iiead a torrent of wrath. The govern-
ment, who first stood like a weak man in a strong current
tV'olilv facinj^ the stream, suj)})()rted their Cumniis.sioner for a
time, then faltered and gave way. In an American newspaper
the Karl read for tlie first time timt tlie governnient had for-
saken him ; and he tendered his resignation. The resignation
and the disallowance of his Ordinances crossed each otlier on
tlie Atlantic, and a few days later tlie proud and great Lord
Duihaii) learnt that he was a disgraced man. With constitu-
tional impulsiveness lio issued a prochunation which was sim-
ply the justification that a lofty spirit, too noble and too sensi-
tive for the rude shocks of party strife, sought before the
country he had so earnestly .striven to serve. Humiliated
beyond the length that a mean mind can imagine, ho returned
to England, his proud spirit broken.

It has been said that he went beyond his constitutional
powers; but surely he did not do so unknowingly. No better
justitication of his conduct can be given than is afibrded in
his own words, when he asks witli just scorn : " What are the
constitutional principles remaining in force when the whole
constitution is suspended ? What principle of the British
Constitution holds good in a country where the people's money
is taken from them without tlie people's consent ; where rep-
resentative government is aunihilated; where martial law
has been the law of the land, and where trial by jury exists
only to defeat the ends of justice, and to provoke the rigliteous
scorn and indignation of th« community." But it remained
for posterity to do justice to Lord Durham. While he lay
gasping- away his last breath by the sea .shore at Cowes, came
the ti'lings, but all too late, that even his bitterest foes bore
tribute to the wisdom and broad statesmanship in his Ileuort.
This was the document that first set forth the scheme by which
our struggling provinces afterwards became united in one con-
federation ; which traced the causes of colonial discontent, and
pointed out the cure. Toward the close of July, 18-tO, the earl

^1 i|!

LIFE OF ,SII{ JOHN A. MACDONALD.

breatlied his last. Two days bofuro lu.' died lie said : " I would
fain hope that I have not lived altoL^ethor in vain. Whatever
the tories may say, the Canadians will one <lay do justico
to my memory." 'i'hey have done jiistici' to his memory ; and
one of the foremost names in their afiections and their history
is that (tf the j,'reat, the liigh-minded John George Lambton,
first Earl of Durham.

The Government were not satisfied, it appears, with what
they had done for Upper ( knada in sending over Sir Francis
B. Head, but on his being recalled, eoileavoured to do better,
and .sent out Sir George Arthur. lie was deemed to possos^i
the very acme of governing powers, for he had alivady riilr.]
two colonics. He governed 2(),()()() negroes and several whites
in Honduras, and when selected foi- Caiia<la had just returned
covered with glory from Van Diemen's Land. This latter was
a colony to which, about thirty years before, the lioui'
government liad begun t<j send the most violent and aiiaii-
doned characters. Armed with the experiences of Honduras
and Tasmania, Governor Arthur began to rule Upper Can-
ada. It to<^k a great deal to fill up his bill of duty. In tu-
mult he stamped every rebellion splutter out with the heel of
a Claverhouse ; in peace he w.as busy with the halter. It nigh
drove him mad when a reformer approached him to state a
grievance, or ask a mercy for the misguided men who had
fallen into his hands. Reform, he said, ha<I been too long the
cloak of treason — therefore he would talk only of .stern justice
now. And the governor chose a blood v iustice. He hanu^ed
Lount arul Matthews in Toronto, to the horror even of many
tories. It is due, however, to the goveinor's memory to say,
that he was not entirely guilty of the blood of these men; a>
it is understood that the deed was strongly recommended by
the ofiicials of the Family Compact. We know not to what
extent the governor would have used the rope, had not Lonl
Glenelg aroused himself from his languor to stay the fell work
of the hangman. •

I'OlJTfCAL rrilEA VMS.

III Lower Caiiai la, aHiiirs wtMc in clmoa. Tlio constitution
nail l>ooii Hii.spenJocl, and the atl'airs of the colony \ver« beiny
idiiiinistered by a special council. The British population,
will) now found thenisolves more than ever estninj^i'(l from
till' Kivnch, pvayd for union with Ui)por r'unada, for freedom
t'roiii French laws and French dominion ; ami beseeched idl the
loiMslatures of British North America to assist tliem in attain-
ln'4 those thin<;s. The French inhabitants had felt the yoke
uf a few British sit so heavily upon them that they regarded
with horror a proposal which they believed would utterly
a'ltsiul) them into the English system, with its uncongenial
customs and political oppressions.

In 1S;}9, Sir John Uolborne went home, and the British
Government, finding that tlie most unsuitable men did not
make the best governors, selected a plain merchant, Mr. Charles
I'ouli.'tt Thompson, who was known to have a clear, cool heail,
laiicli suavity and tact, and an enormous capacity for business.
The :,'reat drawback to him was that he pos.sessed no title, an
infeiiority keenly deplored by the tories ; but the government,
though partial to titled men themselves, overcame their scruples
aiul .>ont him out. His fiist duty was to act on a suggestion
ni.ile by Lord Durham, whom the tories had slandered and
the whigs deserted. That duty was to unite Upper and Lower
Canada.

The new governor-general promptly convened the s[)ecial
council of Lower Canada, and obtained its assent to a draft
bill providing for the L^nion. It was known that the French,
wlio comprised the great bulk of the poj)ulation, were hostile
to the scheme, and they were not consulted. The measure was
foreshadowed in the Speech opening the legislatui'e of Upper
Canada. Subsequently, a message "was sent down to the a.sseni-
hly, embodying, among other matters, the chief points of the
proposed Union Bill. This message gave some hope to the
ivt'orm politicians, but one of its most important statements
was a lie. " So far," said the governor-general, " as the feeling

"": I:

-*-;'t

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

ill

III

i ,!

of the inl»al)itant.s of Lowoi- Canada can bo olitained the niens-
ure of re-union niiMitH with apitrobution." The governor very
well knew that nothing coukl be more hateful to the Imlk ot
the inhabitants than this same measure ; antl Ibr this very
reason he had refused to consult them. The Bill was intro-
duced in <lue course and was opposed by the Family Compact,
But the governor-general was in earnest, and what was better,
he was master of the situation. They might pass the bill or
submit to worse. So they ate their leek with all the grace
they could command.

In July, the next year, a measure was introduced into the
impeiial parliament and j)assed with slight amendments. The
Union Bill provided that there should be one legislative
council and one assembly. Each province had ecpial represen-
tation in both branches. The legislative council consisted of
twenty members, who held their seats for life ; the Assembly
consisted of eighty-four members, who were to be electod
every tour years. The executive council was to consist of
eight members, and any of those who had a seat in the assem-
bly had to go back for re-election on taking otKce. A periiii
nent civil list of £7-5,000 was established, but the tontrol of
the revenues was vested in the assembly. In ISll the Act
went into force by proclamation. To the reformers the laco
was not yet, though the tone of Lord John Russell's desjiatchts
had favoured responsible government.

Mr. Thompson had all the qualities of an excellent rnler, b"'
he needed more light. Our historians, we belies ..•

overrated him. It is hard to doubt tha* '';« *
to the limit of his term, the crisis whic ae , M(

would have come under him. Though ti lirst n uistry after
the Union was a coalition, he stubbornly rofi I'd to admit
deserving French-Canadians to a share in the govenunoiit,
and though the reformers were in a majority in the \\o\x^%
only one of their number, Mr. Robert Baldwin, was called to
the executive. And the governor's subsequent refusal to do

roUTlCA L I I'J! F.A VA LS.

justice to the reform party forced Mr. lialdwin out of tlio
yoverniiient and into opposition.

On tlio death of Mr. Thomson, wlio, while dyinj,', learnt
tliiit he had heen created Huron Sydt-nham of Toronto, 8ir
Cliii'.les Ba<,'ot was ap'jiointed to the ;,'ovc'rnor.ship. Now, Sir
Charles was sent out by a tory government, and was a tory
irnriself. The leforiners turned V)lue when thoy heard of his
appointment, and lielieved that the evil days of the Heads and
the Arthurs had come a^'ain. But the tory proved himself niore
lilieral than the lilteral. He was the only governor, Durham
excepted, who really understood what was due to the colonist.H
miller constitutional government Lord Sydenlinm would not
tiaflic with pitch lest he might detile himself; hut the old tory
iiiKlerstanding that he came to carry on responsihle govern-
ment, invitetl leading memhers of the French party in Lower
Canada, and Mr. Ball 1 win and his followers in Upper Canada,
to form a ministry. " The Crusader has turned Turk," gasped
the Family in horror, as the " llepublieans crowded to the
cahinet."

Towards tlio close of the year Sir Charles's health began to
fail him, and he aske<l to be recalled. 'J'hen Sir Robert Peel
cast aViQut him to tind a man to send to Canada, and his choice
tVll 111)011 one Avhose name afterwards became hateful to all
lovers of constitutional liberty. Sir Charles Metcalfe, Peel's
liauet'ul choice, had begun life as a writer in the Indian civil
service. By the sheer force of his abilities he had scaled the
sleepy ways of fame, till in LSS-t he found himself acting
(jovernor-Ceneral of India. Sir Charles was both astute and
cunning;; and besides these (pialities liis bravery was with him
a point of honour. In his day the niilitiuy held in contempt
the sulillerly prowess of civil servants in Iniia, and Mr. Metcalfe,
lioniing that among the rest his intrej)idity was called in (pies-
ti 'I'solved to afhrin the valour that was in him. So when
' ritish troops were before Deeg, armed with a walking
, he headed an attacking party, rushed into the town, and

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONAI.D.

I ,

retrieved his reputiition. In IS"!*, he entered tlic inipo'ial
privy council, and sliortly after v/ards l)ecan\e governor uf
Jamaica. Here, it is said, lie won golden opinions, Imt wo are
told by his biographer, v/hose aim seems to have been to cover
him with gloiy, that ijiiring his rule there "some outbreaks
occurred, but tliey v/ere speedily crushed and their instigator,-;
punished, some capitally." This was not, it will be frankly
admitted, an indifferent training for a man who looked u];.)n
refractory reformers as he did upon rebellious negroes. A<ld<.'(l
to this, during his long contact with the wiles and treachery of
oriental craft, he had grown iiicunibly suspicious, and would
trust any man who differed from himself as he would "an adder
fanged." He came to Canada and to his amazement found a
system of responsible goverirment which did not need a gnv-
ernor, and, as some of the advisers of the Crown, men who had
given sympathy or aid to rebfdlion. He was disgusted, too,
with the numners of his councillors, who approached him with
a brusrpjcness and fauuliarity that was revolting to a rulei uf
nabobs. AVith the cunning of a Nana Sahib, he sent out lii.s
contidential secretary, who wormed out of the ministers ovur
their wine their opinions on the [)owers of the governor. Tlif
truth is. Sir Charles was like a captain who in a storm and
amidst the breakers sets himself down for the first time to
learn navigation. He knew nothing about tl;o uoverning of
a colony under responsible government: few governors in
those days did. It was not the men who had sat in cabinct.--
and .saw how p ^ple are ruled under constitutional forms, that
they sent out, but some one who had ridden mustangs nicat
distances, or coerced Hindoos or neii'roes with the strou'.;- aiir.
of the autocrat.

When Sir Charles learnt the opinion of ministers about lii>
prerogative, he became incensed. He saw that his prerogativi
Wiis in danger, and the point of prerogative to him was tlio
point of honour. And how high with him was the point
which he regarded the point of honour will appear fioui lii>

POLITICAL UrilEA VALS.

exploit with the walking stick. Then began the system of wily
ami treacherous diplomacy which he had learned in the East.
Willi utter disregard for constitutional decency, he outraged
the privacy of hi.s cabinet, and took the opponents of the
mini try into his confidence. Day after day he planned and
set snares for his own ministers. A close friend of his, who
knew his ways and wrote his biography, thus glories in the
governoi-'s shame: "He saw that the feet of the council were
on the wire, and he skilfully concealed the gun." Many an
aiipoiiitment was then made that the ministry knew nothing
aljiiut till they read it in the public pi'ints of their opponents.
It was gulling to be treatetl as ciphers by the head of the
i,'()Vornuient — to feel that the position of adviser was only a
iiiockory ; but it was unbeaiable to hear the sneers of opponents
who wei'e the real advisers of the governor. The ministry
iv>igMO(l, and one wonders how they could have lived down
cuntenipt so long. For nine months now there was no ministry
save Dominick Daly, the "per[)etual secretary," who as a poli-
tician had been all his life at once " evervthing and nothinj;."
This political merman assisted the Dictator till a pi'ovisional
ministry was formed, after which, in a whirlwind both parties
rushed to the polls.

It was at this crisis that Mr. John A. Macdonald, with his
j'ldgineut much ripened, einergod from his law ottice; and bo-
I i;au the stormy career of a politician.

(.'II AFTER III,

FROM THK ]?AR TO THE HUSTINGS.

^pHOSE who enjoyed the couridence of Mr. Macdoiiahl say

A that after his defence of Slioultz, his aim was to win a

still more prominent jihiee in his piofession. As we have

already seen, liis defenoe of the Pole gave him more than a local

rei)utati()n ; it was, as his friends used to say, " a feather in his

cap" of which a veteran member of the bar might have been

proud ; and persons coming to Kingston with dithcult cases

from distant points ithereaf ter inquired for " the young lawyer

who defended the Pole, Von Slioultz." These were the days

of exclusiveness and snobbery, when it was almost as difHciilt

to approach the august person of a Dodson or a Fogg as tlic

Sleeping Beauty overhung with alarum bells and guarded Iv

Hery dragons. There was a population of over half a million

and the inunigration tide poured constantly upon us from tli-

mother countries through the summer, but among this iiitiiix

came few educated persons, and but larely a member of the

learned professions ; so that the doctor and the lawyer wtiv

not in proportion to the population, were much sought after, aiii

hence garrisoned round with importance. But no client, lu'W-

ever poor, came out of Mr. Macdonald's office complaining ot

snobbery ; rather telling of the courteous and gentleniank

young lawyer, " quick as a flash," wlio understood his CcW

better than the client himself before he liad "half told it." k\

those days, more than at the present time, wliich produces la«- 1

yers and stump orators " not singly bi t in battalions," wheiiil

young man discovered brilliant tide-ts, or the ])ower, bylii-

eloquence, to carry his liearers, h;.s friends invariably saij

i 'ii

FHOM THE liAli TO THE HUSTINGS.

" We tnust send him to the House." We are told that in many
a case wliich Mr. Macdonakl pleaded, even strangers in the
Courts, not knowing the young lawyer, but observing liis*
f'nisp of principles, the ease with which he led up all his argu-
ments, and the power he had of compelling juries to take, by
sympathy as well as by reason, his view of the case, were
heard to exclaim, " the House is the place for him."

Standing by the ocean as the dark storm-clouds gather over

it and the tempest breaks, a man with poetry in his soul feels

his spirit exalted and impelled to sing as nature in no oilier

mood can move him: and so,too,louking ui»onthe jiolitieal storm-

clouils gather and darken the sky, if a man have a yearning

i'or llie ways of public life, it must be quickened as it tan be

at no other time. At the date c' which we write the air was

full of the sounds of political strife, and the clouds deepened

iind 'Mew more ominous. We cannot wonder if the situation

quickened the desires of the young barrister, or if we heard

him say, as he glanced through his office window out upon the

political scene, where men wrestled and many won prizes for

whose abilities he could have no feeling but contempt ;

" Yes, y(»nder in that stormy sky
I see my star of destiny."

But it was not known now, nor for some years afterwards, that

he looked to a political career. During the elections for the

first parliament under the Union the strife was high and

confusion general. One day, sitting among friends in his

office, Mr. Macdonald said, " If I were only prepared now I

[should try for the Legislature," and then added, '■ but it does

1110 harm to wait." The removal of the theatre of politics to

Ihis own city, in 1841, gave impulse to his yearnings for political

life; and thereafter he began to equip himself for the .sphere in

Kvhich he longed to move. But he did not, like too many emjity

>oung men of our own day, go noising through the country to

|,ttiiict the people's notice ; he did not, indeed, woo the con-

V H ■

>l i

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

t ( I

•I pi

iii

i'i«

yvtw

stituoncy at all, but decided to have the constituency woo
Jiiin. Durinjj the time Parliament sat at Kinffston lie made
the acquaintance of leading public men, and long before it was
known that his eye was turned to the paths which they them-
selves were treading, they prized the friendship and respected
the o|)inions of the young barrister, Macdonald. He attended
^nuch to the debates of the House, and many a keen and
ju licious piece in criticism those who sat with him in the gal-
lery heard f;dl from his lips. Though he devoted much time
to his profession, and was always to be found in his office ami
ready to take up a case, he was i)rofoundly engaged in prepar-
ing himself for his ideal sphere. While most of those who
knew him thoufjht his ambitions bent towards lei^al distinc-
tions only, he was accpiiring that knowledge of constitutional,
political and parliamentary history, which so early in his pub-
lic career gave weight to his opinions and standing to himself.

In 1843, in an evil hour, as we have already seen, came ovei
to Canada Sir Charles Metcalfe. The rebellion clouds had
rolled away, and the province set out once more, it was
hojied, in the ways of political peace ; but the new governoi-
general had no sooner begun to make " his growl heard at the
council board " than the political heavens began to grow
dark ajcain. Rumours of dissension between the <j:overnor aii'l
his council began to be whispered abroad, and it was iiDt
made a secret that Sir Charles despised and distrusted hi'
council, and had thrown himself into the arms of the Fainih
Compact. We can fancy the feeling among the tribes of ani-
mals known s the Seven Sleepers when the genial warmth of
spring visits them in their icy abodes : with some such tlirili
the tories, lying politically dormant, must have receivei
the news that Sir Charles had come io an open riiptiii'
with his "rebel advisers" and now sought the confideace,
and advice of " loyal men."

At this time Kingston was not enamored of lier late niem-
ber, and it was plain that an opportunity was arriving for I

si'/iie one \

^Ir. Harris

for Mr. Mi

newspaper,

hi.s son-in-;

wi'iing, and

the close of

for election

incorponited

f^nt hut Ma

the western |

election, and

a fierce one.

•irunk and iio

-^facdonald, ar

the town on J

'""J J happene
plotting with
I'ld prevent M
-'"PJ'oi'ters.
t-ye upon them
found everybo-
"■'""'•'i-^ul way
"as ovorwheli
'"■&''t"r purposes
year, after the
come, and the ,
""^^ e.vpectel
'''^"ald did not
'^ny P''cparing
^VeithtT did an
f'J'"e into the ti]
'' 'a^ived about,
''0 we else so cj

FIWM THE llAR TO THE HUSTINGS.

sdiiie one who had tlic respect and good-will of the constituency.
Mr. Ifarri.son, the representative then, wa.s only a niake-shii't
for Mr. Manahan, who had, in the word.s of an old Kin;;ston
iie\vsj)aper, " sold his constituency to the enemy for a billet for
his son-in-law." Young Macdonald now saw his opportunity
coining, and so did his friends, for they waited upon hiui towards
the close of the summer of 1843, and invited him to come out
for elcctioTi to the Kingston council. The city had been lately
incorporated, and the divisions differed from those of the pres-
ent, but Macdonald stood for that section which now forms
the western part of St. Lawrence Ward. An eye-witness of the
election, and a friend of Macdonald, .says: "The contest was
a fierce one. At every tavern you found crowds of persons
drinik and fighting. Capt. Jackson was the candidate against
Macdonald, and he had all the noisy and drunken Irishmen in
the town on his side. I was passing by one of the booths,
and 1 happened to hear a ruffian of a fellow, named Sullivan,
plotting with a large crowd of his own description to go in
and prevent Macdonald from speaking, and 'go through' his
siipjiorters. They knew me well, and I told them I had my
eye upon them. This prevented a gieat row. I went in, and
found everybody inside fairly orderly, for MacdonaM had a
wonderful way of casting oil on troubled waters." Jackson
was overwhelmingly beaten, and a portion of the field, for
higher purpose.s, was won to Macdonald. So in the following
year, after the rupture between Metcalfe and his council had
come, and the delegation waited upon him and told him they
now expecte I him to take the field against Manahan, Mac-
donald did not wonder at receiving the call, for he had been
long preparing hinjself for the occasion, and was n(jw ready.
Neither did anybody wonder when it was told that he had
come into the field, though he had not proclaimed his coming,
or talked about it at all, for it was known that there was
no one else so capable.

- 1 ■ 1

!
i

! ^:: \

i- f

LIFE OF Sin JOHN A. MACDONALD.

Tlie country was now fairly out of its liead, and perhaps it
was not btran^^e. A ministry liaving the confidence of a major-
ity of the people had quai'rolled with the governor-general
on constitutional questions of vital importance, and resigned.
It was a battle between prerogative and the power of tlio
people. In prerogative the tories saw the .stability of our
institutions, and the maintenance of our connection with tlie
enqtire. In the power of the people they saw a democracy
that to-day might ru,sh into republicanism and to-morrow into
chaos. In prerogative the reformers saw the most hateful
engine of political oppression, the evil which had convulsed
the province in rebellion and blood, a something which was
not even a prerogative, but a system by which a large majui-
ity of the peo[)le were ruled according to the interests of a
favoured and irresponsible few. In the power of the peopk-
they saw not a privilege but only a birthright, and went to
the polls defending that right. While the story of disson-
sions between the governor and his late ministry was the
property of everybody, few seemed to understand the real na-
ture of the issue between them. A large portion of the people
believed that Mr. Baldwin and his colleagues had been forciii''
measures upon the governor that would eventually lead to a
separation of Canada from the mother country, and that it
was in resisting these encroachments the discord arose. It was
told at public meetings, too, long before the elections, tliat
Messrs. Baldwin, Lafontaine and Hincks were aiming at Sepa-
ration ; and all these rumours were susceptible, more or less, of
confirmation. The liberal party, while including a vast body
of earnest men who aimed only at the establishnvent of consti-
tutional government, comprised all the blatant demagugiiej
and rebels of the time. Men who were in open hostility t)
British connection, and who loved anarchy better than onKr
tnen who were aforetime American citizens and now longei I
for annexation, were found upon the reform platforms, eacli
faction proclaimintj vehementlv its own set of doctrines.

FUOM TIIK liAIi TO TIIK HUSTINGS.

w, as we have said, at this time really uiKlerstood what
,ponsil)le goveriiinent was, or what had Vjeen the issue be-
tween the governor and his ministry. But new, as the elec-
tions (hew near, those before inclined to moderate reform came
to think about it, and remembered that some of the men in the
l;itt' ministry had come thither out of the rebels' camps. They
did not wonder that men who six years before were pitted
against the soldiers were pitted now against the governor.
And during the many months that the autocrat had ruled with-
out a government, ominous nuitterings were heard from large
lands of the more impatient and radical reformers. They
said anarchy liad come again, and professed their readiness to
take up arms and once more strike for a republic. All this
was remembered now, and was yet to be used with tremendous
i'fft;ct by the governor and his party. The question, there foie,
liy skilful tory an-angement, came to be, not one between
conservatives and reformers, as our histories have it, but be-
tween the reform party and the crown, — a i)aity who the
tories claimed had furnished rebels to the rebellion, who had
threatened of late to rebel again, who alarmed the governor
with measures which would be fatal to the constitution, and
who from their hustings even now were calling for separation.
The Crown, in the person of governor Metcalfe, had been out-
raged by the reformers, and all men who loved peace and
British rule were asked to rally round the representative of
the Queen.

In a country yet in a crude state of civilization, where the
reverential and emotional are the strongest sides to the
cliaiacter of men, we need not wonder how talismanic proved
the mention of the Crown. " Next to my God, my king," was
the rule of men for over a thousand years, when to touch the
lioia of the royal garment made the sutl'erer whole. Aye, and
"Mine than my God, my king," was often the maxim too,
auii it is avowed us by the statesman-prelate gasping his

■''!

•aiP

LIFE OF aiR JOHN A. MACDO^'ALD.

last in the Abbey of Leicester. It is liard to break the

bonds which

" The Queen of Slaves,
Tlie hood-winked angel of the blind, and dead,
Custom,'

lias durini,' a thousand years bound about us. The sword of Alex-
ander cannot cut that woof; but when the man stands up, full
of that better li;;'ht which is pur},'in(f the world, the thrall snaps
easily as the flaxen withes that bound Samson, Tlie blind
reverence of the province was aroused at this election; but Sir
Charles and the tories said it was the British Lion that was
abroad. We fancy they had the lion in the wrong place. The
emotional reverence of the people was abroad l)lindfold, and
not the lion which cowered in his covert. The British lion is
not a cruel monster that lives in the closet of a tyrannical king
or an autocrat governor, but he is the noble beast that goes
abroad and vindicates the rights and the manhood of the peo-
ple. He was heard at Runnymede, and his roar was louder
than the cry of Sti-aHbrd's butche

The fury was not alone the property of the hustings
dui'ing this campaign, but it blew a hurricane through the
prints as well. Every editor dippted his pen in gall ; every
column reeked with libel. Those who had no newspapers is-
sued handbills, that might have fired the fences upon which
they were posted. Had poor Mr. Potts been in Canada, in the
midst of this ink-cyclone, he would have sighed for the tame-
ness of his Eatonswill Gazette. But there was r. class of men
who considered the poster too low a medium, and the news-
paper not high enough foi- the formal conveyance of their
loyalty or the spread of their radicalism, and these flew to the
pamphlet. The most noted of the pamphleteers was Rev.
Egerton Ryerson, who did not add anything to his reputation
for usefulness or integrity by becoming the abject flatterer and
slavish defender of Sir Charles Metcalfe, It is pleasing to note,
however, one good featuic in this questionable transaction,

in.

SIR JOHN A MACDONALD

( Frnlll U pll'nif'lliij ni ill' ('ill/ Hull. /\ iinj-liili . J

\. ill

! \

HtW'

\ ,

Tlie goveriK

was ii.s.siire(

Tapper Canai

the governor

an excuse foi

Self-interest

Kyei-son waf

notice, save

Hon. A. Mac

it is not gooti

ever, as Mr. 5

doctor was ai

most of liis ni;

bombast. He

one or two po

was a crush ir

by the reveren

seeker, but a f<

poor." Never!

were as stronfr

senters,ac]ass(

hence, stoutly r

from a monster

oriental slaves,'

him, into a " be

censing round o

of" Legion," ap;

would have boej

About this til

some time reside

vassing for a 1

(Chronicle, belon

about amorio- the

ment to establish
natuial to him t(

FROM 'IlIK liAli TO THE HUSTINGS,

The governor was ;,Mati'ful, ami the foHowinj,' year the doctor
was assured the chief sui)erinteiulency of education for
Tapper Cana(hi. If in this, thougli, wo find no reparation by
the governor for his oppression of tlie people, we do find in it
an excuse for the divine in lending himself to tlie autocrat.
Sclf-iuterest is the strongest passion among mortals ; and Dr.
Ryorson was mortal. His pamphlets are not worth much
notice, save for their literary form, which is good, although
Hon. A. Mackenzie says in his "Life of George Brown" that
it is not good. This hardly amounts to a contradiction, how-
ever, as Mr. Mackenzie is not a judge of literary style. The
doctor was an accomplished writer, and generally made the
most of his material, though he had a passion for running into
Ijoinbast. He was not satisfied with defending his master on
one or two points, but led up his defences in battalion-^. It
was a crushing reply to the charge of autocracy to be told
by the reverend defender that Sir Charles was " not a fortune
seeker, but a fortune .spender," and tliat he was " good to the
poor." Nevertheless, in the governor's cause these pamphlets
were as strong as armies, for they were spread among the dis-
senters, a class outside the charmed circle of the aristocracy, and,
hence, stoutly given to reform. They transfigured the governor
from a monster "mounted on an elephant, the despotic ruler of
oriental slaves," as the fiery and terse Fi-ancis Hincks styled
him, into a "benevolent man," whose whole life was "an un-
ceasing round of good works." Mr. Sullivan, under the name
of "Legion," appeared on the other side with pamphlets whict
would have been uiore impressive had they been less fiippant.
About this time, Mr. George Brown, a young Scotchman fo;
some time resident in New York, came over to Canada, can-
vassing for a little weekly newspaper called the British
Chronicle, belonging to his father, Peter Brown. He went
about uniorig the politicians to see if he could get eucourage-
mont to establish a political newspaper. It would have been
natuial to him to have allied himself with the tories, as both

!!-'.

M!':

pii

111

Mil

'.',i

kj tn!'

A//-'/; (>/'• .S7/.' JOIIX A. }fACI)OXAfJ>.

lie and Iiis futlidr liiul iici-ii niont iiit(>ns('ly liritish and anti-
Amerif'un in Now York tluui Mctrallf liail bcun in Ciinadfi.
Tilt! torics, however, liiid |ilt'nty of oi^aiis, aiitl wiTf ncvfi-
over-anxious to sliaroeonlldenco with adventurers. J{ut yoiuiif
Brown wns uit^ro hicky anion'f tlie radicals, and the ultimate
')iite()iiif' was the ustalilishincnt of a new radical or<,'an, tiie
(rli>lw. This paper was launcljed on the eve of the contest, and
at once l"%'au the hatth' with much earnestness. Its style was
vigorous hut extreuudy uncouth, and would bo ratlier rough
reading in tlie li^dlt of our present newspaper culture. This,
however, was not a grievous fault then, for not a very largi;
hulk of its rea<lors enjoyed much more literary culture; than
the editor himself Its mi^o serious fault was the fre([ueiit
cru<le and urulig(!sted form of its thought whieli was the result
of a spontaneous outpouring of impatient and indiscreet entlin-
siasm. There was no mamuuvering in Mr, Bnnvn's advaJicos;
lie attacked always in charges. It was on seeing his impatienco
and imi)etucsity, his lack of tact and the inability " to wait for
the morrow till the morrow came," that men said, " Anotlii-r
William Lyon Mackenzie has come amongst us."

Once it is recorded in Holy Writ tliat in troublous times
fierce liorsenien were seen riding tlirou<di tlie clouds shakiiii;
their shielils and spears: to those who looked out upon tli'3
political sky as the summer of 1844 wore away, and autuinn
came, the spectacle could have been scarce less full of foro-
botling. Chaos virtually had come, for the governor had now
unlawfully ruled eight months without a constitutional govern-
ment. Mr. Draper had proved the friend and counsellor of tho
governor all along; but as August arrived, and yet no progress
in forming a ministry had been made, he one day waited i:pou
his excellency and told him he saw grave danger in furthei'
delay. Mi'. Draper was a tory of a dye almost prediistorie, yet
lie was a wise man and a patriot. The governor took his sliiirp
and, we may say, imperious advice with wonderful grace for an
autocrat, and .set himself to work to form a cabinet. Evidciitjlv'

y/.'o.v 77/ A' n.ih' TO Tin: nrsrisas.

Mr. Drapt'i-liiul fii^'litened liiiii, for lit> went liiistily atliis woik,
us if lie fancied a t('m[)est were shortly to hicak, and lie ffarf<|
'pcinLf cauLflit in tlio stoi in. In a few woeks it was known that
a cabinet had been patchetl up as follows :

J'.MKS Smitfi .... Attorneij-Genenil, h\if*f.

W'm. Duai'KH -
1)15. i'.vimnkait
William Mouius
M. VioKU

lloMINICK DAT-Y

Attorncij-General , Wesf.

Com. of Crown Lands.

- Receiver General.

President of the Council

Provinchd Seoretari/.

The capture of Mr. Papineau was the most iiuportant move
tlio jrovernor had made ; for he was a brotlier of the notorious
agitator and rebel, and his accession to the cabinet fell like a
wet blanket upon some of the more radical of the reformers.
M. Viijer was another French Canadian. IL^ had been a bo-
soiu friend of Joseph Papineau, had aided in the rebellion, and
Ihh'ii ituprisonoil for his treason. While lyini.^ in the ^aol a tory
paper had objecteil to his beint^ " fattened for the !.,'allows."
Till' saiui journal with other tory organs now pointcil to him
with [)ride as a leading representative Canadian, and an honour
and a strength to the government. But after all M. Viger was
not ii man of much consequence. He had not constancy enough
in his character to be much of anything. He was a weak rebel
and an indifierent patriot. He was on the market when ISfet-
ealfe biigan to play the despot, and was speedily bought up.
His al)S()r[)tion into the new cabinet had no eUcct upon any-
liixly but himself and those who profited by his salary and
lumors.

But those who knew the old man were moved to sorrow ra-
ther than to an<rer at his defection. " I assure vou that no oc-
ciirreiice in my political life," says Robert Baldwin, in a private
letter to a gentleman in Kingston, " has ever occasioned me a
t'.'ntli part of the personal pain than the position which our
veneral)le friend thought [)roper to assume, has inflict(Ml upon

If.

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDOSALD.

y q^

f::Hii

mo. ... I honourcil him as a patriot, I lovr-a him ;is a
man, and I revered him as a father. ... In fact his com so
is one of those enigmas tliat baiHc nie (juito in every attempt
to unravel it, and I can still really desij^nate it by no otlui
term than an liallucination."

The necessity of ^vppealing to the country went sorely against
the governor's grain, bu'j he >"as assured that there was no
liope for the ministry in the existing liouso. Wiieu he found
that a dissolution was inevitaljlc, he folded his sleeves for the
contest, and stooped to artiHccs and meanness in forwarding tho
cause of tht; tory party to which an average ward politician
would hardly descend. He felt however sure of victory. Cir-
cumstances stranger than the strength of parties were in his
favour; he lacked not the aid of friends who were iniluential
and unscrupulous, aiiii had the satisfaction, above all, to know-
that his opponents were alienating sympai,hy by their excesses.

The contest came on in November, in a very hurricane of
umult. At more than one hustings bloo<l was shed, and uiu-
tual massacro on a gi.'ueral scale only preve.ited by bodies '.if
soldiers and special constables. The worst tiend known to uian
Wiis loose in those days during the elections, tho demon of
whiskey. Near every booth were open houses, where the ex-
cited mobs dratdc intoxicants fuiiiished by the candidates till
they became mad. For days before polling, ill-favoured look-
ng persons poured into Montreal, some carrying dirks aii'l
slung-shots, and others pistols. Ilegiments of soldiers, aided by
hundreds of special constables, were on constant duty during
the elections in this riotous city, but could not prevent .some
of tho most brutal collisions, and even blooilshed. The suspi-
cious strangvu's with the dirks and pistols did not come into the
city for naught ; and in the riots gave many a bloody account
of themselves.

In Kitigstou the passions of tlie mob were scarce less brutal,
or party feeling less bitter. Recent sittings of the parliament
there had calldl the staid political principles of the people into

FliOM THE BAR TO THE HUiSTINGS.

activity, and now the crisis wliich lind come fanneil that ac-
tivity into a fierce tlame. S'onie were extreme radicals, who
declared at their gatherings that " th.c British system ought to
Ite pulled out by the roots," otliors were unconiproinising in
their toryism, and prayed tliat Jiletcalfe "might hold fast, and
tiijlit the good tight bravely t() the end ; " wliile, perhaps, a
party as large as the two extreme ones, took the middle ground,
and was neithrr so radical as the out-and-out reformer, nor so
conservative as the ultra tory. To the moderate conservative
|),uty John A Macdoiiald belc.ged, though when it was told
through the streets of Kingston that he was coming to oppose
Maiiahan, the extreme tories, as well as members of the great
iai<ldle party approved of the choice, and, with ringing cheers,
followed the young Alexander of politics to the hustings.

!!!■■■ ■ li

CHAPTER IV.

I ii

i ■:'

' w

FROM THK HUSTINGS TO Tilt: HOUSE.

A TORY, liowevcr, Mr. MacJonald was, and as a tory he
went to the polls. But what ho pi-ot'essed was not that
slavish toryisni which believed that the nation and the people
were made onlv for the sovereiij^n. Neither did ho no to the
hustings " talking prerogative, the alpha and omega of the
compact," but at once came to the political condition of the
peo])le. With prciogativc, indeed, he did not concern himself
at all, unless where it bore on the constitutional status of the
province. These were turbulent times in many parts of Upper
and Lower Canada, and for .several months i)receding the
elections monster meetings had been held by the party leadeis
at various parts of the province. It was not unusual to see
ju'oceeding to one of these gatherings, a lumdred teams, each
canying a dozen stalwart voters to stirring music, with Hags
tiying, and every man armed with a club. Violent collisions
often occurred, and the polling places were frequently the
scenes of the maddest and most Ijrutal party strife.

Of a similar character were the crowds that aathered at
Kintrston before the elections were held, .some cheeriuij for Mr.
Manahan, others for Mr. Maedonald. Manahan was an Irish-
man, and all the bullies of the city were on his side. Tlie
number of these was comparatively small, but they couM
terrorize over a much larger number of peacably disposed nun.
But the election had not proceeded far when the repute of
^[anahan had grown so odious that his followers began to drt)])
away in flocks. The man's past careci', the worthlessness of

his moral character and hii- mean abilities had much to do witli

FROM THE HUSTINGS TO THE HOUSE.

this ; but tlie chief reason was the hai>i)y aildress, the skill and
tuct of the young hiwyer, wlio opposed him, and who grew from
(lav to day in the good-will of the voters.

Macdonald addressed several meetings in the open air, meet-
ings composed of riotous men, inflamed with whiskey and the
worst passions of party. At one of these meetings he had
much (iitliculty in getting an opportunity to begin his speech,
as several fidherents of Manahan came there to obstruct him.
"Never," says an eye-witness, "did he lose temper, but good-
iiiituredly waited till there was a lull in the disturbance."
When silence was restored, he said he knew most of the elect-
ors, and they were all manly fellows — too manly, imleed, to
refuse another fair ])lay. They were op})osed to him, he said,
and they had p, riglit to be, and he would not give much for
them if they would not stand up for their own camlidate ;
liut if they had a right to their opinions — and he would be
^'lad to listen to them at another time — he had also a right to
iiis. lie only wishetl to present his side of the case, and if his
liearers did not aurree with him thev might afterwards vote
fur whom they chose.

Here was something more than soothing speech ; here, in-
(liicd, was the genius of a Mark Antony, that could by the
very force of subtle knowledge of ehuiacter, turn a hostile
mob into friends upon the spot. The stroke told, and ai
(.■very point which appealed to the manliness and fair play of
his opponents — for every man, however mean, respects both
those (pialities — the crowd cheered again and again, and the
cheers did not all come from his own friemls. It need hardly
he saiil that during his speech there were no more interru|>-
tions, and that he had completely conquered his opponents be-
sides charming his friends. A very intelligent Irishman, who
hiul jiut arrived in Canada, called at Macdonald's otiice the
noxt day, and .said to a student there that he- hud heard
Connell the year before making a speech in Kerry. " The
speech last night," he said. " was not as forcible as O'C/onnell's,

( \ %'■

• ■?

1 . -' ;',

WMi

i.i:;i

i
III!

LII-L' OF SI I! JOIIK A. MACDONALD.

but it was just as effective." Mr. MiicdonalJ's speeches, how-
ever, w(.'ie far fnjiu consisting of sweetness and suavity alone;
he had a tou;^ue that could .scour<fe, but it was rarely an unruly
tongue. Manahan received more than one castigation before
that memorable campaign ended ; but the ex-ministry and their
party came in for the lion's share. We have already shown
that the crisis was one when; party feeling was called into
lieice activity; that in many places the active tory became a
firebrand, and the moderate o\w a zealc^t — that hosts of re-
formers rallied around the governor, and ojily the most pro-
nounced of the party stood by their guns. We do not wonder
at Mr. Maedunald being loud in his crv against the ousted
ministry. He had been brought up a conservative, and the
young men with whom he HrsL mingled were of the same po-
litical school. So, indeeil, were nearly all, if not all, of his
close friends, up to his entry into public life ; and the first
chapter of political history he read, in equipping hiinselt
for his career, he saw through conservative glasses. It was
impossible that he could have been other than a tory, takint,'
into consiileration his birth, early training and associations.
In and about Kingston evervthing was on the side of conserv-
nlism; — the wealth, the intluence, in great measure the intel-
ligence, the social standing, and the prospects. Had Maedun-
ald been the son of a whig father, and grown up in Toronto,
instead of Kingston, he might have struck a ditierent chord
when he came u[ion his first platform. .But to condenm him
for being a tory, as circumstances were, would t)e to see " an
exain|ile and a shining light" in the hero in Piua/ore, who
" might have been a Uoosian, a French, or Turk, or Proosian,
or perhaps an Italian," but who "in spite of all temptations to
belong to other nations," became "an Englishman." Friendly
historians, commenting upon Mr. Macdonald's entry into pn''-
lic life, speak of his toryism, not as a set of irresistible o[)in-
ions, l)ut as if the young politician were troubled with Ltiiie
back or a club foot, for they considerately describe it as " his

social standing t
P'l atKiirs and m

■'■ii-^^-'oneraUy b.
and the executi
""fairness on tl
■•"id intolerable ;
^^ '''aiiie that tL
constitutional go

FROM THE HUSTINGS TO THE HOUSE.

misfortune rather than liis fault." The fact is, he ouglit, like
Richard the Third, to have come into the world a horrible pro-
djfjy, feet first, and bristling with teeth, and instead of crying,
as iiK>st babies do when first stranded upon this cold and ci'uel
world, begun with a rattling stump speech on Reform. It
mutters little liow John A. Macdonald set out. It is his career
in the trying path of public life in which \\v are interested.
If thoro he did his duty history will be satislied.

Macdonald did not lack material to incite, from his stand-
point, the most scathing speeches. While we all have sympa-
thies with the struggles of a just cause, with the excesses of
that cause we cannot have any .sympathy. Soine of the most
lirazen demagogues liad gone about tlie country for two years
before the election pluming themselves on their disloyalty and
the aid they had given to rebellion. They openly declared
that henceforth the government should consist of men who
had been either rebels in act. or in oi)en sympathy. Then many
close fiiends of the ex-government liad gone ranting about the
country declaring that the government intended to proclaim Can-
ada a republic, and that we had had enough of IJritish connexion.
Tlie ex-ministers had to bear the brunt of all this mischievous
noise ; indeed, they took no pains to repudiate the wild sayings
of their followers. Then, during €i\c. closing session of parlia-
uient, it is said tliat cabinet secrets were the property of every
knot of reform loafi r*5 who gathered in the bar-rooms of
Kingston. It is undoubted that there was a painful lack of
ministerial dignity, and that scores of persons of indifferent
social standing enjoyed the confidence of ministers upon coun-
cil atl'airs and government measures past and prospective. It
■ vas vrenerally believed, too, that tlie collision between Metcalfe
and the executive was less due to a spirit of constitutional
unfairness on the part of the governor than to the factious
and intolerable attitude of the council. They were, therefore,
to blame that the country had gone nine months without a
constitutional government, lier peace exposed to the gravest

LIFE OF Sin JOHN A. MACDONALD.

■i ■' '

dangers. There is no reason why Mr. Maodonald should have
believed differently i'roui the large niajority of conservatives,
and there was no shani .scorn, wo maybe sure, in his denuncia-
tions of the lack of ministerial dignity, and the repioaches
which he hurled upon the late government for the disloyalty
of themselve:i and their followers.

Taverns were open in Kingston as elsewhere during the
contest, and whiskey and blood from cut heads flowed as freely
as at Donoybrook Fair. It was impossible for two opposing
factions tu meet Avithout a collision, and the candidate wiio
escaped violence or gross insult was a man of more than ordin-
ary popularity. It was the custom, too, at some of the public
halls where meetings were held, for members of the opposiiig
faction to make a sudden •u.sh and extinguish the lights, when
the most indescribable confusion ensued, which ended in tlie
break-up of the meeting. Though this was done during tlii^
election at many an assemblage in Kingston, Mr. Macdonald
scarcely ever had a noisy interruption at his gatherings. His
tact and suavity disarmed hostility, and when he was dealing
some of his most effective blows to his opponent, he adminis-
tered them with such jjood nature that the listener was remind-
ed of the hero in the song, who " met with a friend and for
love knocked him down." Instead of provoking hostility his
aim was to disarm it, and this he accom])lished while making
many a crushing point against his oi)poneuts. Every day the
contest lasted saw his popularity grow and that of his o]>-
[jonent decrease, till, at length, a day before the polls closed,
the latter rushed out of the field in despair, while in the midst
of the wildest enthusiasm at the close Mi-. Macdonald was
carried through the city on a chair, the victor by an over-
whelming majority of votes.

There remains little more to be told of the story of po^r
Manahan. He diopped out of public life a broken man. From
stage to stage of the down road to ruin he went ; his
friends forsook him; his Chuich cursed him with candle, be!'

and book
^vretched
I'erhap.s h
'ittle unco
fiiit Manal
^'J^'o ]iis w.i
The coui
'I'J was staf
'jroadcast t
"1 liis shirt
^!'at the tor
the governo
\vere aJJ in, i
.Stanley, sett
government,
^"s represents
'■•'^ary Jield tli
o/KcialJy couni
•^'io\v a sweep!
f'^iigued in ju
^Patch, howev(
f'le home o-oy
1'Jie session op(
speaker. By a
^><'"cl] Jangnag
«'ith nearly hn

It was deemed

''^ t'ie chair «!,

^ere f)roposed~

^;''^' Jangua.e,s,

'^"^'»age but I

^^■as cJiosen by a

^^'•^'%'th of parti,

general will some

FROM THE HUSTINGS TO THE HOUSE.

and book, and after he liad died from cold and misery, a
wretched outcast, slie refused Christian sepulture to his remains.
Perhaps he restei.l after all, poor fellow, as comfortal>ly in hi*
little unconsocrated ])lot as in the shadow of the Roman fane.
P)Ut Manahan was not a good man. His ways were evil, and
like his ways his end.

The country was not proof against a miited Compact where
all was staked upon the issue ; against ptiblic money scattered
broadcast to debaucli constituencies, and a governor-general
in his shirt-sleeves pleading for the crown. The result was
that the tories were sustained by a majority of three, though
the governor-general, in a fit of jubilation, before the returns
were all in, wrote a despatch to the colonial secretary, Lord
Stanley, setting forth a different result. Forty-six for the
1,'overnmcnt, twenty-eight in opposition, and nine afloat, was
his representation. Both the governor ancf the colonial sec-
rt;tary held that drift-wood went with the current, and un-
otficially counted the nme m with the forty-eight. This would
show a sweeping victory for Sir Charles, and plead trumpet-
tongued in justification of his pre-election course. That de-
spatch, however, was false, but it was important. It deceived
the home government, and got a peerage for the governor.
The session opened with a wrangle over the appointment of a
speaker. By a clause of the Union Act, the official use of the
French language had been prohibited in the legislature, but
with nearly half the members in the house of French origin,
it was deemed well by all fair-minded men that the occupant
of the chair should know both languages. Two candidates
were proposed — Mr. Morin, an ex-Minister, who understood
both languages, and Sir Allan MacNab_. who understood no
language but English, and that not very well. The latter
was chosen by a majority of three votes, which showed the
strength of parties, and the reckless despatches that governors-
general will sometimes write to the colonial ullice.

m \

1 ' i\ \ \

'-Tpr

LIFE OF SIR JO JIN A. MACVOKALD.

{

■ 1

. 1

illSllii

The Rofonii party now liold a caucus, at which it was decided
that Mr. Lafontaine should intro(hice rosohitioiis later on in
the session, praying the home <,'()vernmcnt to remove tlie em-
bargo put upon the ofhcial use of" the French language. In
those tlays governor Metcalfe did not creep about in person tn
listen at his opponents' doors. lie would not be above doing this,
however, if the enterprise were a convenient one; but he main-
tained instead a pimp or a listener at every window and key-
hole when the reformers projecteil a movement which it was
his peculiar interest to thwart, in the proposed resolutions of
Mr. Lafontaine he saw danger to the French votes he had pur-
chased. Messrs. Viger and Papineau had been bought in the
2)olitical shambles, it is tiue, and could be purchased again, but
it would be too much even for them to face the stonn of ob-
loquy that would follow their support to a government whicli
as a body opposed the resolutions of Mr. Lafontaine. On the
other hand, did they and the government as a whole support
the resolutions, the French people would ask, Can justice come
to us only from opposition ? Thus Wiis there a dilemma, one
liorn not more inviting than the other. The governor, there-
fore, once again, decided to play the Hindoo. One day, as
reform members sat listlessly at their desks. Mi'. Papineau
arose and moved a set of resolutions praying for the relaxation
of restrictions upon an official use of the French language.
" Once more has the subtle Indian," whispered Mr. Baldwin to
the member who sat beside him, " delved a yard below our
mines." No one was astonished now when the cunning or the
meanness of the governor came to the surface. There Wiis
only the feeling of mortification that he should have been per-
mitted to delve below the mines.

Parliament had no sooner opened than petitions " thick as
leaves that strew the brooks at Vallambrosa," began to pour
into the house, some setting forth that one member had ob-
tained his seat by the hybrid sin of " bribery and corruption,'
others that peijured returning officers and partisan magistrate-'

'iiinister

otJiers sa

"laintain

consequei

jcots .■iiul

taininri- e(

dinatinf c

Ifonoris i

l''ea.sed to

'•ocognise j

''•■i-ed at t

men Jookec

fi'om that s

•ifi'l tliat tJ

\^'hich liad 1

'^ l^Ut too 11

tJie mirror al
Yet, witli
•Iiaseablene-
'•'fizy ship t
and gave pr
^iie old shi|
f^lie crew in
tiiC'irAvay thi
("iiptaiji or CGI
i-'Jutive couiic
among hi.s fol
i'l tJie baseuK
'""ch scanda
'iJty to his pa.
to walk back
0^' the Cana,
I'le con.servat

FJiOM THE HUSTINGS TO THE HOUSE.

had tuined iiiajijritie.s into minorities, and sent tlie defeated
candidate of the government to the legislature. Some of the
ministerial supporters atiected to disbelieve these eharges ;
others said they were intolerable if true, but not a few coolly
maintained that whether they were true or false was of little
consequence. The contest had been between rebellious sub-
jects and the authority of the Crown, they sairl, and in main-
taining connection with the glorious mother-land, and sulior-
dinating our colonial functions to the Jurisdiction of the Fo)})^
Ifunovis and Sppcultim Justilice what their opponents were
pleased to call corruption and bribery, they were proud to
recognise as loyalty and zeal. It is not, perhaps, to be won-
dered at that when the Fountain of Honour was spoken of,
men looked cynical, and wondered why a governor drinking
from that sacred source could do deeds so very dishonourable ;
and that the Mirror of Justice should reflect those atrocitie-^
which had been so long a .scourge upon the country. The fact
is but too many regarded tiie fountain as a tainted well, and
the mirror as a mirage.

Yet, with all the intriguing of the governor, and the pur-
i.'haseableness of some membei's, the government was like a
crazy ship that creaked under the pressure of every squall,
and gave promise of going to pieces in the first storm. And
the old ship's position was made worse by the helplessness of
the crew in the lower house, who seemed to be navigating
their way throtigh all the shoals that surrounded them without
captain or compass. The captain, Mr. Draper, was in the leg-
islative council, and could no more preserve unity and concord
aaiong his followers below than a mother could rule a family
in the basement while slit; kept to the attic. It would give
much scandal to the conservative of this day wdio prizes loy-
alty to his party as not among the least of the [lolitioal virtue.'=^
to walk back fifty years into the ages, and from the gallery
of the Canadian assembly see the discords and disloyalty of
liie conservative ])arty then. No day passed during wliich

:Hi

LIFE OF Sin JOHN A, MACDONALV.

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some prominent reformer did not ask a question wliicli set the
hearts of the headless party there palpitating. Sometimes the
(^ue.ition was answered parrot fasliion, or with that hesitation
with which an errand boy repeats over the message of the
sender. But the chief reply was that the government was
either considering, or would " consider the matter," though the
visible g^rvernment, it came soon to be understood, was
only a sort of Mr, Joikins, and the real government Mr.
Draper. Sometimes, indeed, a minister would burst " from
vtdgar bounds with brave disorder," and answer an un-
decided question upon his own responsibility. But woe speed-
ily overtook him, for he was snubbed before the house ere
he had well settled into his chair, by a brother councillor. If
he hail any retort in him, a scene generally ensued that scan-
dalized the party and set the opposition chuckling. The gov-
ernor's spies made notes df all these Indiscretions and duly
reported them. When the situation at length became intoler-
able it was decided that the head of the Family should come
down stairs. In the eaily part of February, therefore, Mr.
Draper published a card soliciting the suffrages of the people
of London, asking them to reiterate their intention now " to
support the government of Sir Charles Metcalfe." Fancy Sir
John A. Macdonald, at this day, going up to the Forest City
and asking the people to reiterate their intention to support
"the government of Lord Lome!" The impartiality of the
govsrnor's character, we fear, would scarcely be an offset to
the orteuce. And having s])oken in one breath of the govern-
ment of Sir Charles Metcalfe, in the next Mr. Draper uttered
this hnnbering sentence : " I am determined not to retain
office under responsible government under circumstances which
would cause a minister of the Crown in Great Britain to re-
sign." The Londoners swallowed Mr. Draper, contradictious
and all, and the government was saved for the time.

The faces of several prominent members of the old house
were missed from their places in the new. Mr. Francis Hincks

FROM TllK HUSTINGS TO THE HOUSE.

was Jeleated in Oxford, hut instead of i)layiii'4 Othello, ho at
uiice tinned his f^reat cneri,desand ahiiity to Ids new.spapor, tlie
/^7<'/, winch ho had ostalilishod a tew mouths boforo in Mon-
treal. The Pilot thorcat'tor till the downfall of the Govern-
ment was the greatest newspaper power in the land.

John S. Cartwright, too, an uiiconipronnsing Conservative,
who probably believed that the rain would refuse to fall and
the corn to spring in a reform countiy, and that east winds
and every description of bad weather were sent by Prwvidenco
ujKin the reformers, was also missing from his place. It is not
recorded, liowcver, that the earth ceased spinning, or the sun
to shine the day he stopped out of the political sphere.

The taces of many members destined to play a prominent
part in political life were seen there for the first time. Among
these were Mr. Ogle R. Gowan, the fiery Orangeman, Joscj)h
EJouard Cauclion, on whose political legis there yet appeared
no tarnish, and, above all the rest in ability and promise, the
member for Kingston, Mr. John A. Macdonald.

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CHAPTp:ri V.

DRAUGHTS FROM TORY FOUNTAINS.

HE session, as wc have seen, commenced with much wrangle,
and all the batteries of the opposition, who possessed the
heaviest guns, were opened upon the government. Nearly
every member wlio "could talk" took some part in assault or
defence; but AEr. IMacdonald sat unmoved atliisdesk while the
fray went on, " looking," says a gentleman who remembers
having seen him there, "half careless and half contemptuous.
Sometimes in the tliick of the ineMe, while Mr. Aylwin acted
like a merry-andrew, and Colonel Prince set his Bohemian lance
against members indiscrimiiiatel}^ Macdonald was busy in and
out of the parliamentary libi-ary. I scarce ever remember see-
ing him then about the house that he was not searching up
some case either then impending or to come up at a later date,
He was for a great part of Ins time, too, buried in a study of
political and constitutional lustory." With Mr. Macdonald we
have ah'cady seen the faculty to conciliate and harmonize con-
tending factions was born, as well as assiduously cultivated;
rnd we may be sure he had no little contempt for a ministry
which every day paraded the mutual jealousies and antagon-
isms of its members before their opponents and the iniblic.
This, indeed, was the very reason why lie abstained, with not
a little silent scorn, from engaging in the debates ; this is why
he chose rather to store his mind with knowledofe that would
endure, while otliers wrangled oi played the merry-andrew.

Some, who see a sinularity in life and charaetor from the ro-

semblance of two locks of hair, have employed theuiselves in

drawing parallels in these latei' years between the subject of

DRAUGHTS FROM TORY F'tlW TAINS.

this biograpliy and a young politician who hail now begun to at-
tract attention in another pailianient, that one reading the pour-
trayals could think of nothing but Martin and " the ether
Martin " in " The Two Dianas." At the time of which we
write, Mr. Disraeli had published books and got jito parlia-
ment, but had shone with an uncertain light which so much
rt'st'inbled a will-o'-the-wisp that no man wouKl have cared to
fullow it. With an ovevmastering love cf Oriental display, to
liini a suit of clothes was of more moment than a set of princi-
ples, while the i)articular cut of a myrtle-green vest transcended
ill importance the shape given to a bill of reform. "Clothes,''
he tells us by the mouth of Endymiou, when his race was
nearly . . • '• d'^ no*' make the man, but tliey have a great deal
to do with . But there was in the beginning, and indeed to
tlie end, little resembluice between the two, as we shall ste in
the progress of our stoiy.

The vounu' member who has the affliction of beini'
"smart" is generally as great a nuisance as the boy com-
ing home from high school, to whom all knowledge is a
novelty; but Mr. Macdonald was as reserved as *^he staidest
veteran in that whole house. He assumed no airs when ho
arose to speak, and never attempted dramatic or sentimental
flights, as did the man to wdiom he lias been likened, in tlie
outset of his career. He never spoke mei-ely for tlie purpose
of talking, but only when that which he had to say threw
more light upon the discussion, added force to an attack, or
strength to the defence. It is not uninteresting to note that
the beginning of his long executive career was his appointment
on the 12th of December, 184-t, to the standing orders com-
mittee. On the 21st of December there was nuich turmoil in
the assembly. During the elections held at Montreal, owing
to the corru[)ting facilities in the liands of tlie govern-
ment, Hon. Geo. Moffatt ami Mr. C S. De Bleury ha<l been
returned to the legislature. One Peter Dunn, and others, ac-
cordingly drew up a petition setting forth the irregularities

■' 1

74 LIFK OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

of the election, and Mr. Ayhvin, a reformer, and a gentleman
possessing a most flippant and annoying tongue, moved that
the election of tlie two meud)ers be declared void. The soli-
citor-general, Mr. Sherwood, held that the petition was insuf-
ficient, inasmuch as it was not competent to any person, not an
elector at the time of the election, to petition against a mem-
ber's return, and that the law in Lower Canada required that
ten of the persons signing such a petition should take an oath
declaring their right to vote under the Act. But this petition
omitted to show these vital points, for which reason it was not
a valid subject for lenrislative action. Mr. Avlwin, in a delui^e
of words, said the government was unnecessarily lied to techni-
calities, Mr. Baldwin, the leader of the reformers, said the
mere technical question with respect to (pialifieation was en-
titled to no weight. The question now was not whether the
acts alleged in Dunn's petition were true or false, but whether
the legal formalites had been observed which Lower Canada
required. " Will any one tell me," quoth Mr. Baldwin, " that
if I had only obtained my elective franchise yesterday, I am
not interested in the manner in which the town or C(;iintry
where I reside is represented ? " Then Mr. Baldwin folded his
coat and sat down. Up to this time the young Kingston mem-
ber had uttei'cd no word u\ the house save yea or nay. Many
members had heard of the clever Kingston lawyer who det'ond-
ed Shoultz, and overwhelmed Manahan, but he had sat there
so iniobtrusively at his desk that many thought, really, but
little about him, regarding him as a quiet, lawyer-like politi-
cian, v.'ho seemed veiy industrious — for he was always reaJinj,'
or searching books — and that was all. Now lui arose, cool and
collected, to put an old member right ; riot, imleed, some indif-
ferent member, but the renowned Mr. Baldwin, with whom
few, save the " know nothing, fear nothing," members of the
government would care to have measured swords. He glanced
tirst at the speaker, then at the leader of the opposition, hi
" reply to that gentleman's obser^^ations he would say that the

DRAUGIITH FROM TORY FOUXTAIXS.

hon. gentleman was mi.stakru in supposing that the hiw did
not ifiiuire parties petitioning to be resident at the place where
the flections took place, and that if they afterwards liecaniu
rcijiilents it would be sufticient. The hon. and learned member
for Quebec did not adopt that line of argument because he
saw tliat it was an unsound one. The whole of the argument upon
the .subject used by Sir William Follett, which had been referred
to, was sustained, and it was a principle not only of law, but of
coimnon sense, that parties not residing at the place of election
cannot be aggrieved by the return. It could not be contended
that they had sustained a wrong, and it would be out of their
power to make the athdavit, required by the statute. The Hrst
giound of objection was not answered in any way, because the
law of Lower Canada on this point was the same as the law of
Enirland, and the aj-gun:ents usfnl must apply with equal force
in the one case as in the other. The second ground of objection
\va> (-''lually unanswerable, It was true that the magistrate
had taken upon himself to state t.hat the oath which had been
taken was according to law, but the house was the only com-
petent judge as to whether the oath had been so administered.
It seemed to him, therefore, upon these grounds that the peti-
tion could not bo supported ; and to settle the precedent he
ffoiild move that the further consideration of the question be
deferred until the 11th day of January next."

A writer who draws an amusing picture of the phrcnixdike
iiiLiiiber for ilegantic, Mr. Daly, and a not tiattei-ing portrait
;f Mr. Sherwood, wa:j present in the house when Mr. Macdou-
M made his first speech. He tells us that " when Mr. Mac-
donoM stood up to reply to the contentions of the opposition.
lie aildrossed the house with as unich ease as if speaking
tli.ie were notliing new to him. He had an air of confidence,
ar..l was as truly master of his siibjeet as if he had been
liiunj minister. Every eye was upon the young mend>er a.s
lit' >puko, and a.s I saw the respectful attention that was paid
I to him, I felt proud of Kingston." This gives us an idea of the

I'i

1.1

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDOXALl).

manner of Mr. ^Facdunald on first addressing tlie house, but
the .s|teeeli itself tells us a much fuller story. It is not often
that the heginnev in fence coui'ts contlict with a ma-^ter of
the sword. It is not often that a young politician, staiKlin-T
up foi' the first time in parliament, courts issue with a vetfian,
the leader of a great i>arty, and a debater against whim nun-;
save the reckless wouM have cared to match himself. But
this weight in his opponent was the veiy incentive that hur-
ried Macdonald to the conflict. He had sat since the oiieninT
of the house silent, often with scorn upon his lips, while
a series of little tempests raged a'uout him, till now, he >a\v an
opportunity to worst the greatest opponent on the otlicr Ak,
to end a wrangle, and establish a precedent. It is n^t to i^:
wondered at that the austere reformer glanced darkly from
under his brows at this young man whom he had not seen till
yesterday, who now stood up coolly I'ebuking him an. I expos-
ing his errors, as if thu ox-minister were the novice, a u J the
novice the veteran. But the speaker spoke on indit!eiently.
For days he had heard the house wrangle about these Mon-
treal seats, and now he felt the time had come when the
brawling oun'ht to cease. He had looked for some member of
the government to en(l the turmoil, but had looked iu vaic
The spirit of confusion had taken the bit in its teeth, and the
government was completely at its mercy. What old heads liaj
failed to do, at last he did. He made a motion that at "iice
brought the barren strife to an end, and ostabli.sheil a prece-
dent. His motion ended the disordei-, and the house -et free,
proceeded with its work It is doubted by no one now that
l)oth Messrs. De Bleury and Motiatt won their seats throuifh
fraud and perjured instruments, but it was not Mr. MaC' hiiialJ^
aim or concern to shield them in their ill-got places. To reach
them was made impossible by a fatal informality iu Dunn's
petitions. His speech was a triumph for higher reasons— i
ditl'erent speech fi'oni the first fiight taken by the gaudy yoiiiL'
statesman in the Biitish connnons.

,1 - ..^i V S;l

DRAUGHT.^ FROM TORY FOUNTAINS.

1 1

From this time on to the first of February, we meet not his
n-ii'.i-' a::ain in the mass of verhiage tliat flowed from the
House. His silence during this period and tlie following ses-
sion lias been much commented on, but we have already seen
that during a great jtortion of his time, while the wrangling
went on, he sat witli bent head at his desk, poring over a book,
or was found searching, or making memoranda in the library.
But we suspect he was as deeply engaged in another direccion ;
that then began the system of personal influence upon political
associates which has been such an important factor in the se-
cret of his success as a party leader. With most men noise is
one of the necessary accompaniments of advancement, but with
him it was diflcrcnt then as it has been since. He did not
(rain tlie attention and admiration of the conservative party
liv sounding his trumpet ; and later on, when he entered the
cabinet, he went in, so to speak, in his stocking-feet. Neither
did ho accomplish this in the fashion of a Machiavelli, but
was sought after upcii meiits he had manifested without in-
trigue or ilisphiy, and through a .system of what we must re-
gard as something higher than mere tact, as indeed an art
born in him with his birth, and a phase of only the rarest

genuis.

Uu the first of Februarj'-, Mr. Roblin introduced a Bill pro-
viding for the proper distribution of intestate property in
Upper Canada. He set forth that the law of priuiogenittire
was an evil tree to set growing in our country ; and drew a
touching picture of an expiring fother dying intestate, whose
baby son wondered at all the faces gathered about his papa's
bed. Would the house believe, Mr. Robliji asked, that the
father was less anxious for the welfare of this infant son
thrown upon the cold world, than for the oldest son who might
have readied the years of numhood ? He therefore believed
that what Canada wanted was gavelkind. Such was the law
in Kent, and under it the children of the intestate inher-
ited in equal pro))ortions. Mr. Baldwin believed that the Bill

1 I

iiiJ

!i :1

IJFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDOKALI).

was very «l('f('C'tive, l»ut as tlio pfojile of Upper Canaila (le-irtvi
it, he won 111 vote for it.

Mr. Baldwin liad no sooner sat down, than the provokinijly
cool young lawyer from Kinirston rose attain ; once more lookeil
at tlie Speaker, and from the Speaker to the leader uf tlie
opposition ; then told " Mr. Speaker " that he " hoard with mu-
prise and regret the hon. member for the fourth riilinif of
York, after declaring that the system now attempted to l>e in-
troduced was open to great objections, state his intention u
support it. He had, indeed, always p(n'suaded himself that the
hon. gentleman's motto was ' Fiat jii.stltia ruat caium.' He
would vote for a measui-e which he knew to be defective mil
declared to be a liad one, simply because he had taken it
into his head that the people of Upper Canada required it.

. . . . How did he know they did require it ? T'nei ■
were but two legal and parliamentary ways of ascertainiii:,'
wliat were the opinions of the people, petitions and I'ublic
meetino-s, and there had been neither of these in its favour. . . .
It was folly to raise a monarchical structute upon a republican
foundation The measure ought not to be intro-
duced here for the very reason that it was adopted in the

United States It violated the laws of political

economy, and was calculated to make the poor poorer ; to
make that which was a comfoi'tnble farm-house in one genera-
tion a cottage in the second, anil a hovel in the tliird. They
had heard that primogeniture was a son of toryism, but surely
tliey would accept the dicta of Blackwood's Magazine, a jour-
nal not much tied to toryism, against the cutting and carving
up, ... It was the younger sons of England that hail
made her great in peace or war. What would have been the
younger Pitt and Fox if instead of being sent forth to seek
their fortunes, the estates of their fathers had been divided \
They would have been mere country squires. It was fortunate
for the Duke of Wellington and for his country that he wa*
left with his sword in his hand, and that sword all he had."

narrow bigot. Y(

DRAUGHT.^ I'UOM TORY FOUNTAINS.

711

Wo do not (jnote these extracts in atlniiration of all theii
ildctriiu's, but to show how deftly the young politician coulii
till II away the point of an opponent's argument, and that op[)o-
in'iit in the right ; and how he had yet to e.scape from his strong
tory shell. How ashamed of him his party would now l)e to
hoar him from his place in the Doininion parliament dt^fend
wliat CJibhon calls tlie '' insolent prei'ogative of jirimogeniture."
How ashamed of him his party and the country now would lie
to hear him oppose a measure here " for the very reason that it
was adopted in the United States." But these opinions, held
for some years later, were as the vapours that hang about the
face of the morning, but which are purged away as the strength
of the day advances.

We know that Mi'. Macdonald's public life has been described
as " a series of contradictions," but in what statesman do we
tind " the morning song and evening song always correspond V'
Mr. Gladstone, the very fountain of liberal virtues and great-
ness, for years after his tiist appearance in public life, bore
the nickname of " Pony Peel," and was regarded as an " Ox-
ford bigot," before tne better light began to dawn upon him.
Because his father owned slave plantations in Demerara, he
took ground upon negro emancipation that will not give
a halo to his picture ; he opposed Jewish emancipation, the
iffonn of the Iri.sh Church, the endowment of ifaynooth, and
several other just and liberal measures. He began his pub-
lic cixreer, in .short, not only as an obstructive tory, but as a
narrow bigot. Yet we see not ev^u the bitterest tory organ
in England describe his career as a series of contradictions,"
though it has been far more contradictory than John A. Mac-
'lunald's. Mr. Disraeli, during all the time he was prominently
before the public, was regarded at worst, as a sort of fantastic
■ory, yet strange and contradictory was his beginning. He
'•egan as a visionary radical, and formed one of the joints in
O'Connell's tail ; in his earlier books he evoked a clapping of
liands from reformers bv his advocacy of free trade ; but won

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LIFE OF SJli JOHN A. MACDONALI).

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party lfa(loi'slii|» l)y iMjcoininj,' the cliampion of protection. In
" Lotliair " ho sneered at the aristoci'acy, and then knelt before
its isliiine. He denounced it as a "Venetian olii,'archy," and
tlien desciihcd it as c()nipri.siii<r "the dignified pillars upon
whicli order and liberty rest." Yet in after years wlieu the nisn-
tic of rule descended upon him, even hi? opponents forgot these
things, for tliey had been done and said when there was nei-
ther rcsponsiljility nor experience.

A man is not born wise, but the way to wisdom lies open to
every mnn, and he is furnished with a light to guide him by
that way, and that light the understanding. If he falter by
the way or turn into the crooked bye-)«iths, then does he be-
come accountable to his fellow men and receive the judgment
of history. A man who tirst sets foot in the bewildering patli.'^
of public life is like unto one who has just begun to loarn a
trade. Experience is his school, and there must be many a de-
fective blow dealt, many a wrong step made before the appren-
tice conies out a master of his craft. We have no training
schools unfortunately where we can send candidates for public
life, but are obliged to accept the unfit and umeadj , and leave
them to learn their trade while they are doing our journeymen
work ! It is not surprising that the " botches " seen in our
c<'islative halls are so many and the handicraft often so very
bad. Neither, unfortunately, is it always the ablest and rnojt
suitable students in the political trade that we send at the poli-
tical journey-woi'k ; but often men of a low intellectual stamp,
who never read a suitable book in their lives, who know notli-
in<T and really care less about great political questions, and
whose passport to public favour is joviality in the bar-room
or at the billiard table, and the ability to talk blatant vulgarity
on the " stump " at election times. Few of the i-eally worthy
men, those who watch the trend of events, who read and think,
can be induced to enter into a field so degraded, but retire
away to their libraries; though probably, if one of these
men did come, he would find himself distanced far in the race

DRj.UGIITS FROM TORY FOUNTAINS.

by some denwigogue who excelled him in drinking beer, drhr-
ing fast horses, and "treating" friends in the saloons. We
have a legio I of reformers in this country, btit will sonio of
tliein not ccmo forward and begin to reform here? As well
may they wrangle with the winds as many of the questions
a''ain.st which they have set their lances. If the people, after
hearing both sides of a plain question, pat with clearness and
force, decide to have N. P. or N. C, let them have it. It
is tlioy alone who are concerned. But the question of the
intellt-Ctual and moral capacity of the candidate for legisla-
tive place touches the root of the whole political system.
If you elect to represent you a man with a low moral char-
acter, depend upon hia turning corruptif nist if he get the
chance ; and it is but too often the case, in all parts of
our Dominion, that a man who has no moral or social stand-
in:,', and who has failed at everything else — in commerce,
in law, in medicine, and not unfrequcntly in divinity — turns
politician, sells himself to the highest bidder, and ever after-
wards makes it the aim of his life to get all of the public
funds he can, welcoming the means, whatever their character,
to that end.

Wei!, Gladstone and Disraeli were not exceptions in being
" ott' with the old love." Peel, who began his career as a tory
of the tories, was not struck with the light till two years after
Mr. Macdonald had entered public life, and then suddenly an-
nounced to the house that he had changed his mind on the
whole subject of protection, on the policy that he had advo-
cateJ all his life, and was now converted to a belief in free
trade. Yet history relates the change without discredit to his
memory, althou«i:h it came when he was in his liftv-ei<Thth
year, the very meridian of his powers. Only a few tlays ago a
uolile lord, whose toryism had been pronounced, and who
•ijught side by side with Disraeli in many a pitched battle
1.,'ainst Gladstone, entered the great liberal's cabinet as colo-
nial secretary. And really the tories whom he deserted had

LltK OF tilli JO US A. MA DO X A LI).

less to say about the ilcfcction of tlie (listiii;;,'iii.sliod peer tlian
some of our critics about the uttoranoes of a stuilout pc'ld-
cian (k'livo:*!!! durinj:^ a lui^'n of political chaos, and iiitho twi-
Tight of opinion. We ate not apologizing for inconsistoi.cy
hero, but justifying a whok'sonioand honest clumge of opinion.
It would be an evil principle that required a legislator to
oppose the adoption of the locomotive because, before tha
introduction of the steam engine, he had favoured the stage
coach. No; tcmpora mutantar, et nos mutamur in illls.
For the remainder of the session, Mr. Macdonald sat uncon-
cernedly at his desk, save when he aro.se to make a motion or
introduce a measure. He had not grown less contemptwoii'
for his()2)ponents or wanner towards his friend.-j ; Ijut ,sut there
waiting, with cool pliilosophy, for that tide to come, which,
" taken at the tlood leads on co fortune." Once indeed, on the
2()th of February, he was arousi.'d from his iinlifforence K y a
wrangle which seened to be interminable. Mr. Aylwln huil
persisted in interrupting Mr. Moffatt till he was named from
the chair. But beyond the naming, no one on either sid>i
seemed to know hovf to proceed. Sir Allan was nonplu.sseJ,
ministers looked on bewiUlered, leading reform members arose
only to add to the confusion, while the merry-andr<;w who ha^l
raised the squall, bandied words deliantly with the Iiounu aiii
the chair, seeming to say in eti'ect, " I have been named ; here I
am; what are you going to do with me ?" While the house
sat puzzled and confounded, there was a movement at a quiet
desk, and the cool member for Kingston arose. lie lookeJ
around the confused house, and from the house to the chair,
" The member for Quebec has been named," he said ; "lie
might now explain the cause of his being called to order after
which he must withdraw." And he took his seat. The words
threw light upon the liouse but a formality was yet neede'L
Aylwin still kept the floor, hurled abuse indiscriminately, aui
defied the chair. Members looked from one to the otlier, anJ

DRAUGHTS FROM TORY FOUXTAIXS.

in!>nyoycs wcro turnoil to tho desk of tho int'iul^or for King-
ston. Again ho arose. " As tlic jneinber for Quebec chooses
to continue in tho same strain, I move tliat he withdraw."
This punctured the bubble, and Mr. Aylwin apologized. Tho
incident goes to show tho cool pronipitudc of the young politi-
cian, when others who must have understood tho formalities, in
the confusion, lia<l forgotten them.

It was hoped by Sir Charles that the appearance of Mr.
Dripor in tho lower chamber would .secure the harmony of
the members, but the tendency was to disruption instead of
cohesion. With a loud flourish Mr. Draper had stated in the
beginning of tho session that the government would stand or
fall with the University Bill ; with cynical faces the opposi-
tion .saw him bring tho measure down ; saw his supporters
shrink away ; saw him eat tho leek, withdraw the Bill upon
the second reading, do everything, in short, but keep his word
iiiul resign. They remembered, too, that only a few weeks
k'fore he had told tho people of London that he W(juld not
rdain office under circumstances that would oblige a British
minister to yield up the seals.

At this date, it appears, the conscience of Sir Charles Met-
calfe began to sting him, in proportion as his government
lost ground he exerted himself by art and wile to prop it up,
till, eventually, as his biographer tells us, he began to fear
that he had lowered his lionour, and appjeared to himself
somewliat of a trickster. But, though he had degraded his
liigh otiice, the home government considered he had done
Ills duty well, and wrote to him that he had been ennobled.
, Ii is not surprising that when an address was moved in
|t'.. legislature, felicitating him on his honours, many a
iiiieinber said that he could not congratulate either Baron
I .^letcalfe or the House of Lords ; and that nistead of being
Iwnoured with gauds and title he ought to have been re-
I called and tried for hiffh crimes and misdemeanors. If the

! \i' I

•■■Ifn^

LIFE OF SIR JO UN A. MACDONALD.

denunciation was extravagant, it was certainly not without
its excuse.

Shortly after the prorogation of parliament a destructive
fire broke out in Quebec, consuming 1,650 dwellings, two
churches, a ship-yard and several lumber yards. Neaily
2,000 persons were turned penniless and adrift upon public
charity. Assistance rapidly poured in from every quarter, and
the governor-general, who took active measures in soliciting
subscriptions, generously headed the list with $2,000.

The end of poor Metcalfe's mortal career was drawing close
to him now. His old malady, cancer in the face, had broken out
afresh, and was dragging him down remorselessly to the grave.
They sent out a physician from the colonial office with a
sovereign wash* for the disease, but the patient was beyond the
reach of human skill. During the early winter he crossed the At-
lantic to his seat at Basingstoke and died there. It is said that
in private life he was kind and courteous, and good to the poor;
and that many a tear was shed to his memory. His epitaph
was written by Macaulay, who makes the marble tell posterity
that, " In Canada, not yet recovered from ihe calamities of civil
war, he reconciled contending factions to each other and to the
mother country," and that " costly monuments in Asiatic and
American cities attest the gratitude of the nations he ruled,"
This, however, only lessens our faith in epitaphs. It proves,
too, that Byron was not all astray when he told us in the
" English Bards and Scotch Reviewers," not to

" Believe a woman or an epitaph,
Or any other thing that's false."

It was during the spring of this year that the gallant com-
mander Sir John Franklin sailed away with high hopes from
England to meet his death among the thunders of ice in the
dismal North. Thereafter it was that many a whaling crew

• Chloride of Zi!ic.

DliAVGHTS FROM TORY FOUNTAINS.

at night in Northern bays sang while the tempest howled and
iceberg ? rumbled the touching song,

In Bantling Bay while the whale blows,
The fate of Franklin no one knows ; ♦ ♦ ♦

and told, how, often in the wierd light of the aurora bore-
alis the brave commanlor and two of his company, clad in
white, were seen gliding swiftly by bound for the frozen pole.

-^^Sl^f^

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CHAPTER VL

THE LIGHTS OF '44.

WILLIAM HENRY DRAPER, whose commanding pres-
ence and sweet silvery voice would attract anybody
who visited the gallery of the legislature, was born in Lon-
don, England, in 1801. Ilis father was rector of a High Epis-
copal Church there, but the son yearning for adventure left
the parsonage when a mere lad and entered as a cadet on boaiil
an East Indiaman. Here he had plenty of the adventure that
falls to the middy's share, but tiring of the " floating palace,"
as Marryat describes the East Indinmen of those days, and
even the allurement of a tiger hunt in the jungle after the voy-
age, the young rover, in his twentieth year, reached Canada,
and settled down to the lass romantic employment of teaching
school in Port Hope. But this new occupation was only a
stepping-stone and did not detain him long. He studied law
and was called to the bar, taking up his residence in Toronto
or what was then known as Little York. In 183G Toronto
elected him to the legislature of Upper Canada, and the fol-
lowing year, at the invitation of Sir Francis Bond Head, he
took a seat in the executive without a portfolio. Durinj,'
the buttle of smoke at Gallows' Hill he was an aidi-
de-camp to the governor ; became solicitor-general in 1837,
and attorney-general in 1840, succeeding, to the latter office,
Hon. Christopher A. Hagerman. Mr. Draper was a tory. He
staunchly upheld the union of Church and State, but did not
consider that any church, sa\e his own, liad the right to an otfi-
eial existence. Dear to him, above every feature of government,

THE LIGHTS OF 'U-

was tlie prerogative of the Crown, wliicli he looked upon as a
constitutional safeguard, -ver indeed regarding it as a tyranni-
cal engine, even when it kept tlie majority under its heel
and deniitted the governing power to the minority. Yet, ac-
cording to the light ne had upon political liberty, he was a
"00(1 man, and loved his country well. The fact is, he regarded
"jnipular rights " as a doctrine so full of evil, that, it would,
if granied. undermine our stately systems and plunge the whole
goveriunental fabric into ruin. As all good and thoughtful men
to day regard the doctrines of communism, so did he regard
the principles of the reformers. During many a year he was
a brake upon the great-roLing wheel of progress, but in his
obstruction saw only the duty of the patriot. He possessed a
graceful form and a commanding presence; and whej he ad-
dressed a jury, in his earlier years, cr his fellow legislators in
late:- life, so rich a,nd courtly was his eloquence, so sweet and
insinuating weie the tones of his voice, that he won for him-
self tae name of " Sweet William." He hud a subtle know-
led'^e of human nature, an inexhaustible fund of tact when
Ijeset by difficulties to moilif^ opponents, and "make the worse
appear the better reason"; jet he never had a large personal
t'ollowing, and could not hold together the incongruous ele-
nitnts of the cabinets he led. It i.s not as a politician that he
■ndures in our memory now, but as tlie justice of the dignified
presence and silvery voice that for thirty years adorned the
lieneh with his high character and great judicial insight. Ho
■lied nu the 3rd of November, 1877, Ijcing then in his 77th
year, regretted for Ids lofty character and great abilities.

Kiibrrt Baldwin, the great Reformer, and son of Dr. William
Warren Baldwin, of Summer Hill, Cork, Ireland, was born at
Turoiiti) in ISO-t. In 1780 his father and n-randfather emim-ated
to this country and settled in the township of Clarke, Ontario,
but removed afterwards to Toronto, where young Dr. Baldwin
betook himself to the dual profession of law and medicine, prac-
tising both foi' a time, and the law exclusively in later years.

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LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD

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with marked success. About six months before his death,
which occurred in 1844, he was called to the legislative council
of Canada. In 1825 Robert, who was now twenty-one yeais,
entered upon the practice of law with his ftither, and the firm
was thereafter known as " Baldwin & Son." In 1829 a va-
cancy occurred in the representation of York, by the resignation
of Chief Justice Robinson, and Rcoert Baldwin was callei!
out by the liberals to oppose the candidate of the Faniily
Compact, Mr. Small. Young Baldwin, like his father, was op-
posed to the outrageous system of government which then pre-
vailed, and being of a singularly lofty and honourable chai-
acter, and of marked ability, his entry into the field of politics
created much attention. It was a time surely to fire any man
who had in him the love of fjiir play, and could rise above
personal or class interests. Of the twelve years from 1824 to
1836, the government was in a minority in the popular branch
for eight years, a fact which some of the tories declared at
the time to be " annoying, but not of much consequence." Mr
Baldwin was elected despite the array of government strength
he found in the field ; and on his entry into the house at once
began to assail the odiousness of the existing system. In ISJIG
he went to England, and while there sought an interview with
the colonial secretary, Lord Glenelg; but that languid gentleman,
who reminds one of Frederick Fairlie in the " Woman in White'
refused to see him, though he was good enough to intimate
that he would attend to communications in wi-iting upon the
subject. Mr. Baldwin's efforts availed little then, but the prin-
ciples for which he strove were soon to triumph. The report
of Lord Durham not long afterwards, which set the tory world
aghast, was a powerful auxiliary. In 1840 Mr. Baldwin be-
came solicitor-general under Mi\ Draper, with the approval of
the reform party, and the year following the union was ap-
pointed attorney-general for Canada West. This position he
retained till the meanness and tyranny of governor Metcalfe
forced himself and his party to resign office and make way foi

TUE LIGHTS OF 'U. 89

a froveintnent by tlie minority. Wo may as well anticipate
the remainder of his career. He remained in opposition till
18'1'S, when he again became leader of the government, which
position he retained till 18.51. At this period he bade farewell
tc public life, retiring full of honours, and surrounded by af-
fluence, to his seat at Spadina, Toronto. Here he died on
December 9th, 1838. Throngs of people from every surround-
iii'^ part streamed in to his funeral, to attest their love and
respect for thi.s good and noble-minded statesman.

Robert Baldwin married a si.ster of the late Hon. Edward
Sullivan, who bore liim several children. One of these enter-
ed the church, and another went to sea, while a daugh-
ter married Hon. John Ross. Mr. Baldwin was somewhat
above the middle stature, of stout build, and slightly stooped
at the shoulders. As a speaker he was not captivating, but he
was convincing, for every sentence seemed to come from a
deep well of conviction ; and though he hesitated as he sjioke,
and broke and marred his sentences, his aims were so noble
and so good that he always received the |)rofound attention
and respect of his auditors. In disposition ho was mild and
affable, but he could not woo popular favour by the smaller
arts which, in many men, are the passport to popularity.
Yet he was neither cold nor formal, and all who came to know
liim closely were captivated by the sweet sincerity of his
character. We have seen a private letter that he wrote to a
friend in Kingston, who had decided to enter po'itical life, and
from it we gather that he was not enamoured of the public
sphere. " I confess," he says, " was I to put public inter-
est out of the question, it would be more the part of a private
friend to wish that you might be disap[)ointed, for politics are
certainly a most thankless and profitless occupation. Do what
one will, sacrifice what one may, and his conduct is misrepre-
sented and his motives maligned, and the only consolation left
is the consciousness of having done one's duty." Well is it with
ihe statesman who, opening his heart, can say that he has done

LIFE OF Slli JOHN A. MACDONALD.

his duty. Well has it been with the hij^'a-minded, the Cfood
KobtJit Baldwin.

One of the nios:t remarkable men in appearance and ability
in the house \va.s Mr. Louis Hypolite Lafontaine. He Wii,s a
son of Antoine Menard Lafontaine, who had been a member of
the parliament of Lower Canada from 179G to ISO-t, and was
born at Boucherville, in October, 1807. He began life as a bar-
rister, and applied hiuLself diligently to ' is profession, accumu-
lating a handsome fortune. When the oppressions of the little
British clifjue became intolerable, he was found amcng the
daring young spirits at whose head was Papineau, wivi
met to discuss waj-s of throwing oft" the hateful yoke. Later
on he became the rival of Papiaeau, and put himself at the
head of la jeune France ;" and the priests shook their heads at
his orthodoxy." He wa.s on the searcii for liberty then and
often hinted at throwing oft' the " ecclesiastical fetters " as well
as the yoke of the Compact. In 1837 he lied the country from
a warrant for high treason, passed over to England, and thenco,
in some trepidation, silently slipped across the Channel to
France. There was no evidence against him, however, and an
ironical letter he had written to Mr. Girouard on the absurdity
of rebellion was taken literally, and went far towards removing
him even from suspicion. His little tour had a wonderful ef-
fect upon him, for he came back, not only a good loyalist, but
a pious Christian. He went to mass ostentatiously, frequented
the sacraments, and muttered his Ave Marias aloud. The priests
killed the fatted calf on his return, and he became a pet and ii
li'dit of Holy Church. In 1842 he reached the fjoal of his pu-
litical ambition, by being called to the cabinet as attorney-
general East, liut the next year, with his colleagues, fell a
victim to the snares of the governor-general, and resigned, hi
lb48, when the tory fabric tumbled down, he ag-ain came in as
attorney general East, which position he retained till 1851.
Two years later he was appointed Chief Justice to the Queen's
Bench of Lower Canada, and in 18.")4 was created a baronet ot

THE LIGHTS OF 'U.

tlie United Kingdom, He Avas married twice, first to Ad&le,
only daughter of A Berthelot, advocate, of Lower Canada, and
secondly to a widowed lady of Montreal. He left no issue.

Mr. Lafontaine was a man of a very commanding appearance.
Ho had a strikingly handsome face and a magnificent forehead
-.vhich was said to resemble strongly that of Napoleon th(j
First. " He Avas not," says the writer of Washington Sketc/teft,
"an eloquent speaker, his utterances being thick and guttural,
and his English, though good in structure, bad iu {)ronunciation."
He was a close and very decided reasoner, never losing his
temper ; but having formed many of his ideas arbitrarily from
books he was tied to theories and dogmatical. He frequently
showed a passion for the impracticable in politics, and was vain
of his knowledge of the British constitution, of which one keen
critic at least, said he knew nothing. He was an honourable
opponent, but his resentments were as undying as his attach-
ments, In his judicial capacity he excelled, and down to his
(leath added a lustre to the dignity and efficiency of the Bench.

The Speaker of the Assembly, the Hon. Sir Allan Napier
MacNab was born at Niagara, in 1798. While a lad at school
the Americans attacked Toronto, and he was " one of a number
if boys selected as. able to carry a musket."* The lad then
entered the shi[) of Sir James Yeo, Avhere he was rated as a
iiiiilsliipman, and accompanied the expedition to Sacket's Harbor
and other points. Promotion being slow on ship-board, he joined
the 100th Regiment in which he saw some service, and subse-
quently entered u[>on the study of law. In 182.5 he was called
to the bar, and some months afterwards began to practice his
profession in Hamilton. Up to this period he had been a victim
i>f iinpecuniosity, having been " compelled to restrict his peram-
hulations within the charmed circles of the blue posts which in
these times marked the boundary that must not be passed by a
bailed debtor."t

*M(irgan . " Biographies of CulebrateJ Canadians."
tDtnt'a "Last Forty Years."

Wi ' \

1 1 <

1 ;

LIFE OF SIR JOUN A. MACDOXALD.

I'i

In 1829 lie was elected to parliament for Wentwortli, hav-
ing created sympathy for himselt' among the torios. He wan
speaker of the last pailiament held in Upper Canada, and
when the rebellion broke out hastened from Hamilton to
Toronto with his men of Gore, and dispersed the deluded band
that Mackenzie had gathered about liim at Montgomery's
tavern. Later in the vear, he ordered the cutting out of
the Caroline, which was surrendered to Niagara Falls,
We have already seen that he was chosen by the tories as
speaker of the second parliament under the Union. We shall
meet his figure again, all important with its gauds of honour,
and shall not anticipate his career. He was not of much con-
sequence as a politician. He had a good presence and could
make a ready speech, but he lacked all the essentials of an or-
ator, and the tact that charms one's friends and mollifies his
enemies. Though his speech was jagged and often lumbering,
he was always drawn up in the order of battle, ready to level
a lance against any opponent, whether lie knew his mettle or
not, or to ru,sh into the most intricate question that he knew
nothing about. Sir Allan would have been a better man had
they not spoiled him with their gauds and knighthood. It is
not every man who is equal to the carrying of a ribbon or a
star, or a C. M, G. to liis name. Sir Allan was not. The mo-
ment that the title fell upon him, his usefulness departed ;
he seemed to feel that he had been absorbed by the Crown,
and drawn out of the coarser and unholy atmosphere of com-
mon life in whicli he had formerly lived. Henceforth his dutv
was to guard faithfully the interests of that Crown of which
he felt himself a part. Prosperity and honours are often con-
vincing tests of a man. They are what fire is to the metals.
From the ordeal only the gold issues unchanged. And,

Hearts tliat the world in vain have tried,

And sorrow but more closely tied;

That stood the storms wlien waves were rough,

Yet in a sunny hour, fell otl".

Like ships that have gone down at sea,

Wlien heaven was all tranquillity .

Doiuinick Daly, tbo .son of Doiniiiick Daly, by the sister of
the first Lord Wallscourt, was born in Gal way, Ireland, in 1708,
and married in his twentj' -eighth year the second daughter of
Colonel Ralph Gore, of Barrowniount, County Kilkenny. He
stu<licd law, was, in due time, called tc the bar ; but not
caiing for the legal profession, came out as secretary with
(Tovernor Burton to Quebec. Shortly after his arrival he
became provincial secretary for Lower Canada ; and on the
accomplishment of the Union became provincial secretary
for Canada, and a member of the board of works, with a seat
in the council. He retained the provincial secretaryship till
18+>S, when he was driven out of office by the reformers. He
sat in gloomy state three years longer for Megantic, and then
betook himself to England where he petitioned the govern-
ment for a substantial recognition of his tw'enty-five years*
I'iiitliful service in Canada. In answer to his prayer ne was
appointed successively to the governorship of Tobago, Prince
Edward Island, and Western Australia, and received a knight-
hood. If ever henchman deserved reward at 'he hands of the
Crown, Dominick Daly did. His idea of political duty was
to show unswerving fealty to the Crown, and sui)port every
government that came to power. He was a body upon which
the political sun never set When a government, of which he
was a member waxed strong, Dominick became full of party
sinew and vitality ; but as that party waned and the end
drew near, the colour faded out of him ; he became a
sort of political jelly-fish, and calmly awaited the change of
parti(,'s, when he developed new affections, a new frame, and
fresh mai'row and muscle. Like Mcjnour of the Rosy Cross,
be saw rulers come and go, and parties wax and wane, and
tall to pieces, and rally and grow great again ; but time nor
change affected him. In the best of nature he assisted the
successor of Burton and his clique to thwart and oppress
the French majority ; and he aided Durham in laying the
broad foundation of an enduring liberty. He strove with

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LIFE OF Slli JOHN A. MACDONALD.

Sydennam to found the liasis of an equitable political sys-
tem; and he aided Metcalfe in stra?"''in;^' popidar rights. He
was coui'teous and genial in private life, had strong pw.sonal
friendships, and was a pious adherent of the Catholic faith. He
believed that the king could do no wrong, and that the duty,
of the subject was to obey the sovereign or the vice-regont,
THiquestioningly, under every circumstance. He would be an
odd figure upon the scene now, and even in his day was a
curiosity. He was the amarantus of the cal>inet, its never-
fading flower; but his ciiouiies used harsher prose, and named
him the " Vicar of iJray." His preferment in after days to
high [)lacc an<l title, is an eloquent commentary on the wisdom
and discrimination of Downing Street.

Another noted man of this Parliauient was Robert Baldwin
Sullivan. He was born in Ireland, but emigrated to Little
York when only a lad, and studied law there in the office of
his uncle. Doctor Baldwin. While a student he was appointeil
legislative librarian, and, we are told, made the most of his
opportunity among the political records. He was admitted to
the bar about 1825, but not thinking himself qualified for
city practice, juoved to the county of Middlesex. But his snc-
cess in two cases, especially in the libel suit of the demagogiKi
Collins, attracted much attention, and he was invited to remove
to Toronto. He accepted the invitation, moving thither in
1828. In 1834) he entered public life, opposing William Lyon
Mackenzie for the mayoralty of the newly incorporated town
of Toronto. Up to this period, his liberalism in politics had not
been doubted. But it appears he now became disgusted witli
Mackenzie and his most zealous supporters, who, whatever tlieir
political virtues, were noisy and coarse, and could easily bu mis-
taken for demagogues. From this date an estrangement grew
up between him and the reform party, and when Sir Francis
Bond Head offered him a seat in the council, he readily threw
himself in with the Compact. He was a member of Sir George
Arthur's council, and lent his strength to putting the rebellion

THE LIGHTS CF '41

down ; was also in the cab'aets of Lord Sy<lcnhinn, Sir Clmrle.'-
Ba"ot, and Lord Metcallb. 8tran<,'ely enougli, under the gall-
h\<s; rule of the latter, he returned to his tirst love, retired from
oHice with his colleagues, and afterwards attacked Metcalfe in
a iiui'ihcr of slasliing letters signed " Legion." In the Baldwin
Lafoiitaine cabinet, under Lord Elgin, he was provincial
secretary for a time, and was elevated to the bench in Sep-
tember, 18 18. He died on the Uth April, 185.S.

Mr. Sullivan's public career would not be a good model tc
hold up to the aspiring politician. He wa.s a brilliant and
powerful speaker, but ho had no convictions, and upon the very
sidijocts, in discussing which, he lashed himself into the whitest
heats, he often felt the least. In every man is born a moral in-
stinct which reveals the ditlerence between right and wrong, and
points out those principles that are the great highways in the
moral field ; but not to all men is given that perception in the
same degice. In .some indeed the duty path is plain as the
lines tliat scar the brow, while to others so vague appears the
way that they are ever in doubt, and cro.ss and recross the laint-
traced patli unconsciously. Mr. Sullivan was one of this latter
class. He had warm and generous \nipulses that came from
his soul, but he would tell you after he had made a speech
upon some great principle, that thrilled, if not convinced, every
one who heard it, that he did not believe a word of what he
liad said himself, and that with as good or better reason he could
have made a superior speech upon the other side. Not un-
like Voltaire, when he said to the young intided, " You say I
have made it as clear to you as the sun in heaven, that there
is no God ? — then it is by no means so clear to myself !" In his
(lay Mr. Sullivan was the meteor of the political sky.

With M. D. B. Vigor, at one time a noble patriot, we need
not concern ourselves at any length. Lie was born in Lower
Canada, studied law, and at an early age took part in the
iiiuvi'inent for political freedom. In 1834 he proceeded to Eng-
land, and laid the grievances of the French people before the

i.il

'5H

Llt'i: OF sin JollS A. MACDONALD.

f^ovcmmt'nt ; ami in ls;i7, loso with Papinoau into rolH'lIioa
1 To was anrsttjil t'ni' tri-iison ami thrown into [nison; Imt on
l)(;inj^ releusod was roturncMl again to parliament hy a swoop-
ing majority. Ho was also ol(;cu;<l to the first parliament un-
der the Union, ami took his place prominently among the ro-
fornu'i's. .Mr. Vigcr was a mild and veneraljlc man, who no
doubt loved his countiy, hut it is hard to resist believing that
lie was somewhat jealous (as old men nearly alwayw are of
young rivals) of the young Freneh loa<ler. He did not forjrct
that this leader, M. Lafontaino, had been once a lad in ]ii<
oHice, and from his lips learned his first political lessi^ns
Now the people had forgotte-n the master anil rendered hoinai,''
only to the student. When the reforniei's were forced out
of the cabinet, Metcalfe, we need not doubt, had his eye upon
the venerable patriot, and, master of cunning that he w;b,
poured into the old man's ear a long talc of flattery, telling liiiu
that he was the father of the French people, and their rightful
leader; and that therefore it was he wished him to take a seat
in the council. Whatever the wily governor said or did not
say, the old man walked into the trap, and covered his lustroii-
age with no little ignominy. He lived to a very old age, ani!
was serene to the parting moment. The account of his last
hours is touching reading, and we linger by the bedside to sov
the glared eyes brighten for a moment, while the dying niaii
utters, with his parting breath, "J'alme mon D'leii, et faime
mon Pays."

Looking through the house among the opposition, we see
another figure deserving special notice. This was a man of
low stature, with a bright eye and an electric nioveiaent.
John Sandiield Macdonald was born at St. Ra[)hael, in tlio
County of Glengarry, Upper Canada. His grandfather, a
Scottish Highlander and Roman Catholic, had emigrate'l
thither from Scotland in 17M6. There was a good deal of
romance in the youthful ilays of this politician. He left tile
paternal roof at the age of eleven, we are told, resolved to d')

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for himself in the vvorhl. Discovered many miles from houie,
he was taken baclv against his will, but he soon took an oppor-
tunity to start oft' the second time. On this occasion, as he
was bargaining with an Indian at Cornwall to paddle him
across the river to the United States, tlio Indian demanding a
half a dollar, and the lad having only a quarter, his father
came up and again carried him home. He soon broke away a
third time, and hiicd with a -store-keeper for three years at a
sliiling scale of salary, £10 for the first yeai', £12 lOs. for the
hccond year, and £15 for the third year. He removed after
two years to a store in Cornwall, but abandoned the position
in a tew months, and entered upon a study of law with Dr. Urqu-
hart of the same town. The following occurrence, it is related,
tu'nod him from mercantile pursuits to the law : One day,
wliik- out in the streets, he was pelted with snow-balls by
urchins, who, at the same time, contemptuously called him
a " counter hopper." It was not for the snow-balls he cured,
kit he was stung with the thought that the calling he had
adoptofl could be flung reproachfully in his face.* In June,
1S40, he was called to the bar, having completed his studies in
the otHcc of Mr. Draper. He was first elected to parliament
after the Union, in March, ISrtl, and joined himself with the op-
po.>itioii, though he had no love for Sir Allan MacNab, the leader
of that party. Up to this time Mr. Macdonald had loose
notions about political principles — by the way, he always had
—but when Metcalfe developed into a political tyrant he
joined the ousted ministry; and it was because political treach-
ery was revolting to his mind that we find him now sitting
among the opposition benches. Though we shall meet him
again, we may as well anticipate some of the events in his
carct-r, Although a Roman Catholic, he opposed separate
schools ; and his clergy denounced him from their altars. But
h'j was very dear to the aftections of his brother Highlandmen,

• Morgan: " Bioijraphies of Celebrated Canadiana."

Vlill

LIFE OF Slli JOHN A. MACDOKALJJ.

whom he could adJress fluently in Gaelic ; and they voted for
him despite the dicta of the priests. At the election of 1844,
there were 18,000 inhabitants in his county, Cornwall, aiiil of
these nineteen-twentieths were of Scotcli descent; while of
Macdonalds alone there were not fewer than three thousand
two hundred, all of whom spoke Gaelic. Four years before
this date Mr. Macdonald married a lady from Louisiana, the
daughter ot a United States, senator ; nd owner of a large
plantation of negroes. His after career is not uninteresting,
and we shall see this nervous man, with the bright eyes, often,
l>efore our story closes.

Oxford, when the

Keble,"wlio has

liaste and M-ithoi

'iti'od from the

that, while the b(

itself in purple ai

tlie very gasj) of

'"■loved church sh(

and gathered arou

si'irits in England.

i the wind murmur

I HiiiToll Froude, Di

[inaugurated the m

puMieation of the si

for the Times." Be

h''e*e papers, startlir

tract after tract apj)e

^'■'Ted, and the bis

|«-^iild have been ea;

^Wiever within th(

Ipapai or episcopal, hi

a"thority, while the :

CHAPTETl YIT.

THE LAST DAYS OF TORYISM.

WHILE tho sti-iiggle for constitutional government was
going on in tins country, three great questions pro-
:riim(llv stirred the minds of men in the motlier land. One of
these began thirteen years before within the hallowed walls of
Oxford, when the conviction dawned upon the" sweet and saintly
Ivibk'," who has been likened to Goethe's star, a soul " without
li.'iste and without rest," that the Church of England had wan-
iored from the apostolic road into the world's by-ways, and
thai, while the body grew out into fair proportions and decked
Itself in purple and fine linen, the soul within it languished to
the very gasp of death. And Keble, sore in spirit that his
beloved church should see such i\n evil time, told his sorrows,
anil gathered around him some of the most sincere ami lofty
spirits in England. Within the college walls, one evening, as
the wind murmured thi'ough the classic trees, with Richard
HiuToll Froude, Dr. Pusey, John Henry Newman and others, he
inaugurated the movement that first became manifest by the
pulilication of the series of arguments contained in the " Tracts
for the Times." Bold and searching were the arjruments in
tlie-^e papers, startling, if not audacious, were their doctrines. As
I tractafter tract appeared, the thinking world became profoundly
>tiiTed, and the bishops turned uneasily in their chairs. It
hvould have been easy to hush the voice of the skeptic or the
I unbeliever within the walls of Oxford, and the church, whether
)al or episcopal, has never hesitated to enforce silence by
|a'thority, while the nerve remained to her arm; but here the

I !

' m

'Us
1r

lil -il

100

LIFE OF Sin JOHN A. MACDONALV.

bench of bishops was met by the thrilling appeal of some of
the most pure and lofty spirits in the realm, men who neither
doubted nor disbelieved, who aimed not to pull down tlie
church, but to build her up, to make her better and not
worse, and who had discovered but too many unpleasant
truths which th'^y dragged into the light by the aid of a
merciless and all-penetrating logic. So they calmly bowed
their heads before the stoi'm, though their mighty fabric rockei
and braved the rack till " No. i)0 " came rolling from the press
This was the most famous of the series, was written by New-
man, and was the climax to which the whole current of the
ai'gument had hitherto been tending. The bishops at once
took the alarm ; the vice-chancellor and the heads of house;
met ; they condemned the tract and jensured the writer. Th:
voice you may still by force, but opinion you cannot stidt
Newman had entered upon a vast field of speculation ; anJ
those who saw the trend of his thought, must have known tliai
only one church upon earth for him could be a staying-plafc
He still taught in the college and in the pulpit, and, in tk
words of Mr. Gladstone, was " all the while, without ostenta-
tion or ettbrt, but by simple excellence continually drawiii:
under-graduates more and more around him." He went to the |
continent, and wandered through classic cities like a man in.
dream. In these wanderings the whole world to him seeniri
dark, and he, himself, as an infant groping his way to finds
home. It was then his spirit breathed, and he wrote, that
sweetest of our English hynms, that, pealed now upon tet j
thousand organs through all Christendom :

" Lead, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom,
Lead Thou me on ;
The night is dark, and I am far from home ; —
Lead Thou me on."

He returned to England teaching with all the sweet earne!'.-
ness of his nature; and while he knew not where his haven hi) I
or whither his footsteps tended, the eyes of observant monsa'f

THE LAST DAYS OF TORYISM.

101

that lie was travelling fast to Rome. His secession staggered
the church of which he had been the most brilliant star; and
twenty-five years afterwards Mr. Disraeli describes his separa
tion as having "dealt a blow to the church of England, under
which she still reels." While we do not believe that the falling
iiway of any one man could, to this extent, injure a church
with a throne and government foiming two of its constant
bulwarks, we may suppose that the secession w^as a serious loss.
But Newman, in a simple surplice, preaching in a modest epis-
copal chapel, was a far greater menace to the episcopacy, than
Newman with a cardinal's hat, or thundering out of the chair
of Peter. When he went over to Rome the danger was past,
and the wildly agitated heart of the estaljlished church at-
tained its normal, sober beat.

While the divines saw with trepidation the movement in
the theological world, politicians were filled with interest in the
struggles of the giant O'Connell for a repeal of the union.
They had heard him say, and they knew the tremendous force
he would employ to keep his pledge, " The year 184.3 is, and
shall be, the repeal year." They saw the whole of Ireland
rise as a man at his call and stream from the mountains and
out of the cities in thousands, headed by their priests, with
the regularity of soldiers, to attend his monster open-air meet-
m'^%. The fame of the agitator and his movements were known
over the world, and distinguished strangers visited Ireland to
hear the man in whose word, and voice, and gesture thei'e was
some witching power, potent to move to tears or laughter, to
pity or indignation, the tens of thousands of his countrymen
wlio gathered in the fields at his call. When Lord Metcalfe
U'jran the play the tyrant in Canada, O'Connell was addre>sing
Muging crowds among the hills of Kerry, and apiiealing to
"yonder blue mountains where you and I were cradled." The
fame of O'Connell and the hopes of his followers were not un-
known in Canada ; and not a little of the zeal in the cause of
Metialfo and the Grown was kindled on the hustings by the

T-^,

■'If

102

LIFJ-: OF aiK JOHN A. maCDONALD.

reminder, from some wily tory, that tlio air was full of the
' spirit of this repeal," that they " wanted separation in Ire-
land, and less would not satisfy them in Canada." But the
^'reat fabric that O'Connell raised was destined to pass away a^
dissolves the picture in a troubled dream. And almost as suil-
den as the fall of the movement, was the fall of its originatur.
Now we stand spell-bound in the gallery of the connnons listen-
ing to " the thunder of his eloquence ;" Charles Dickens, while
a reporter in the gallery, is so moved by the pathos of one of
his speeches that he has to lay his pencil by; the disccrnini;
critic, Lord Jeffrey, regards all others whom he hears as " talk-
ing schoolboy " compared with the agitator. Yet a little, yea,
in three short years, and we see him making his last speech—
this giant who so took the fancy of Lord Lytton among hi>
native mountains, that he made him the subject of a poem-
tottering feebly by a table. " His api)earance was of great di.-
bility, and the tones of his voice were very still. His words,
indeed, reached only those who were immediately around him,
the ministers sitting on the other side of the green table,
and listening with that interest and I'espoctful attention which
became the occasion. * * It was a strange and touchiiii;
spectacle to those who remembered the form of colossal energy,
and the clear and thrilling tones that had once startled, disturbe'l
and controlled senates. * # * j^ yy.^g j^ performance in
dumb show ; a feeble old man muttering before a table."* Ht
longed now to get away to Rome, to soothe his spirit in the
shadow of her wing and there lie down to rest. He IiunieJ
away just as the shadows of famine began to gather over
liis beloved land, struggled to Genoa, on his way to the holy
city, and there died.

The most engrossing movement of the three, perhaps, wa-
that which stirred the whole commercial frame of Great
Britain — the question of a tax on corn. This movement had

THE LAST DAYS OF TORYISM.

103

been set on foot and carried out with u force and a sticcoss be-
fore niioiiualled, by those unique and .singubuly honest and able
politicians, Richard Cobden and Jolm Bri^lit. These were tho
two ^rifted men who could, in tlie words of Kinglake, "go
bravelv into the midst of angry opponents, show them their
fallacies one by one, destroy their favourite theories before their
very faces, and triumphantly argue them down." This de-
scription helps us to understand how a government chosen to
maintain the duty on corn should suddenly announce its con-
version to the doctrines of free trade ; and how Sir Robert Peel
could stand boldly up in the parliament four years after his
election to maintain the duty, and frankly tell tho house: "I
will not withhold the homage which is due to the progress of
reason and truth by denying that my opinion on the subject
of protection has undergone a change." The sudden revolution
in English opinion on this question created much surprise
and some excitement here, but though Peel fell in the moment
of victory, and a young rival seized the occasion to raise him-
self to eminence, no hand has since succeeded in renewing the
life of the corn laws. They are dead, and, we doubt not, will
sleep now till the sound of the last trumpet.

In the autumn of 1845 a period of chilling winds and wet
prevailed in Ireland, and the potato crop, tho mainstay of
the great majority of the working people, began to rot in the
ground. The extent of this calamity will be understood when
it is learnt that large numbers of the labouring class received
no wages, but tilled the fields of the land-owner on the " cot-
tier-tenant system" ; that is, giving their labour for the use of a
patch of land in which to plant potatoes. Generation.s, in many
districts in Ireland, had grown uj) and passed away, and never
tasted tlosh meat, unless fortune sent a rabbit, perhaps once in
the year, through the hedge, when it was stealthily dispatched
with a pitchfork, convoyed home under the mother's cloak,
and eaten in uneasy .silence. So when tho long-continued,
drizzling days set in, and the potatoes began to rot in the

iiii

■

1 1

i:'!
1 1

;i 1

. ■1 » ■ . V -

•p

. 1

104

LIFE OF SUi JOHN A. MACDONALD.

ground, a feeling of horror crept over the country. Not a
county escaped the d(!vastating hand, but the southern iintl
western districts fare<l the worst, and were soon plungeil into
all the hoi-rors of famine. Hundreds of persons, waiiilerini'
aimlessly along the roadside, searching in vain for food, fell down
and died. To add to the horror of the famine, an epidonnc,
known as " famina fever," set in, and with this a terrible form
of dysentery. Between these frightful scourges, and hunger,
thousands were carried away ; their dead bodies lay in the
ditches, and the town authorities refused any longer to bintheii
the living with expense in providing coffins for the dead. In
the early stages of the mortality coroners held inquests, ami
juries often brought in verdicts of wilful murder against Lonl
John Rus.sell or the lord lieutenant, either of whom, it was
believed, could have furnished relief to the starving poiuila-
tion. Crowds of girls and young women, tortured with hun-
ger_, came from the mountains and the villages, and .entering
the city, smashed the windows of shops, and committed every
possible act of destruction to property, in the hope of lining
sent to jail, where they could get food to eat.

The gloom of this reign of horror was somewhat enlivened
by the appearance upon the scene of a fashionable French
cook, M. Soyer, who appeared in silver buckles and shining
velvet, at the head of a .soup kitchen in Dublin under the
patronage of the lord lieutenant. The object of the cook's
appearance seemed to be less to relieve the hunger of the suf-
fer' ig throngs than to demonstrate a nice scientific point over
which he had long been brooding ; namely, that the extent to
which the inhabitants of the earth up to that time had eaten
was an excess and a folly, and that a strikingly sustaining
iwtcuje could be produced out of the thinnest and cheapest
articles of food. A character in one of Scott's novels had au olJ
mare upon wiiich he a|)plied the same principle, however, long
before the day of the dandy French cook. This individual
began by lessening the ration of hay to his i)Oor old beast from

niaining six

THE LJST DA VS OF TOllYIfiM.

106

(lav to <lay, niining to bring the daily food down to one straw ;
and lio would liavo been successful, wc may suppose, had not
the " puir naig " died tlie day before he made the final experi-
ment. Friiihtfiil though this famine was in all its cdnse-
(luences of deutli, and riot, and crime, we can scarce help regard-
ini,f it as Goldsnuth looked upon the French revolution — a
"blessing in disguise." From a popnlation of eight millions,
overcrowded in sties too filthy even for the brutes, the number
of Ireland's inhabitants fell to six millions. If that famine did
nothing but let in additional air and sunshine upon these re-
maining six millions it .surely cannot be called a scourge. But
it did lietter than this : it taught the peasant that there are
other lands besides his own dreary bogs and sterile mountain-
sides, lands wliere there is bread to be had for lionest toil, and
where rack-ronting and the misei-ies of an organized pau-
pordoni is not known. Thereafter, the inhabitants, with a new
hope, turned their faces to the setting sun, and there saw the
land of their deliverance. They poured into Canada during
the dark year following the famine, 70,000 in the one season
alone. On the Atlantic voyage, huddled together in worse
pliijht than the cattle we iiow ship to British mai'kets, in all the
tilth and misery of a load of negroes under a slaver's hatches,
they sickened of fever and dysentery and died like sheep.
Through the summer long they poured in upon Grosse Isle, till
the fever broke out with redoubled violence among the filthy
and pent-up hovels, and the very air that blew about the island
was loathsome, and instinct with death. " Army ai'ter army
of siek and suft'ering people," ^IcMullen tells us, " fieeing
from famine in their native land to be stricken down by death
in the Valley of the St. Lawrence, sto[)ped in rapid succession at
Gi'osse Isle, and then, leaving nundjers of their dead Vndiind
them, pushed upwards towards the lakes in overcrowded steam-
ers to burden the inhabitants of the western towns and villay-es."
The inhabitants, without regard for race, colour, or religion,
gave all the assistance in shelter, food and clothing to the suf-

i' \

106

LIF/-: OF sn,' JO JIN A. MACDOXALIK

forors that tlioy coiiM ; hut thcio was a hittor fculinj,' nlnDuiI as
sliips curriotl in car^^oos of Lord P.ihiieistoii's tniiiiits to aild tu
the others ahx'iuly living upon puhlic cliarity. Tliu pfoplu coiiM
have borne the load of sharini,' their own scanty store with
tlie siitlerers, but it arouseil their indignation to think that the
British Government should utilize Canada merely to get rid of
useless and burdensome subjects. No pen can describi; tlif
horrors among the miserable and filthy masses that swelterod
in their fever and poisonous dirt under the summer sun on
Grosse Isle, or the anguish of mothers separated from tlioii
babes and children in the wild lunly-burly on board the
ships and during debarkation. Scores of children who coiiM
not yet lisp their own names were thus thrown upon public
charity, and at least one of these, a weakly infant, alone in the
fumes of the plague, exposed to ilie, was taken in hy kindly
people, and ia now a leading mendjcr in one of our Provincial
Cabinets. Like the child of Zauoni that smiled through all
the tumultuous hori'ors of the French revolution, we see this
inf int deserted 'mid the pestilence of the river isle, and lieiir
the words, " See ! the orphan smiles. The fatherless are the
cai'e of God."

When Metcalfe left Canada to die, the old dispute about the
Oregon boundary took on an alarming face, and our people ex-
pected grievous trouble. As early as 1818, an attempt had
lieen made to harmonise the claims of the British and the
United States governments to a portion of the territory lyiii;,'
between the Rocky Moimtains and the Pacific coast, but the
negotiations failed, and the disputed regions were left to a joint
occupation. For many years the debatable land seems to have
escaped the attention of both countries, till the fertility of the
Pacific slope and the value of seine of the ports for naval sta-
tions came to be known, when the question suddenly assumed
a serious prominence. The joint occupation was continued
down to 1843, when the president of the United States peremp-
torily, if not insolently, called for a prompt settlement of tho

THE LAST ItAVii OF TOHYl^iM.

107

(iTiotion. Tlio Monro «loctriiio nnist have liL'on stroii;^^ in the
iiiiii'ls of the 4MaiT('lsoino |iiiity in the Unitt-d States tlien, iind
the call of the president in 1S4.*J does not seem uidike a suninions
to the British nation, to sliow cause why lier sul»jects should not
lie swept ort' the continent, and on what f^rounds at .-ill they
claimed a foothold tliere. The Canadians hail not learned then
as wtll as they know now, that it takes a good deal of Ameii-
(.an Muster to make one cannon sliot, and that a noisy presi-
dent or a party in warpaint docs not repicscnt the whole spirit
of the republic. Jjut the Canailians became alaruu'(l at the
uoisi', and looked to their nniskets. The iiritisli government
expected to see the ylove tlirown down every moment, and
appointed a military governor, who luid instructions to put tlie
frontieis in a state of defence, and make the country ready for
war. The governor chosen, Karl Cathcart, a biave soklier who
had seen tire in Holland and the Peninsula, and had three
horses sliot under liim at Waterloo, was an admirable selection
at such a crisis. But tlic threatening cloud Idewaway before it
broke ; the compromise of Lord Aberdeen, the foreign secretary,
was accepted, and the treaty of Oregon made. This provided,
among other things, that the dividing line along the disputed ter-
ritory should be " the forty-ninth degree of latitude from the
Rocky Mountains, west to the middle of tlie channel, separating
Vancouver's Ishuid from the mainland; thence southerly through
the middle of the chamiel, and of Fuea's Straits to the PaciM'' "
By this treaty Vancouver's Island remained to Great Britain,
as also the free navigation of the Columbia river. On this
basis the question rested for a time, to be disturbed again dur-
ing the framing of the treaty of Washington. Sluill war's
alarms having now sul)sided. Earl Cathcart was relieved of hin
civil responsibilities, and a new governor sent out.

The tlay the evil genius of the tory government left Canada to
ilio, the fate of the Family Compact was sealed. Removed from
the subtle charming of the governor's voice, poor old Vigor came
to seethe unlovely place he held, and, smitten with remorse, i-e-

1U8

1.1 FE OF Sin JOHN A. MACDONALD.

siffnt'd tlic prcHidoncv of tlic council, ami piftctically disappt-nivd
Irom the political scene for ovor. Mr. W. IJ, UoMiison, \vhi)lia4
resij^nied tlw; inspcctor-generalHliip a year before, liecaine coiiuuis-
sionorofpul (lie works, and Mr.John U illyavd Cameron, one of tho
most Itrilliant le<,'al stars in tho horizon, then in his thirtieth
year, became solicitor-general instead of Mr. Sherwood, who
earned removal by having shown contempt for the government,
and hostility to Mr.Draper. Nearly every day brought a chun^^e,
or the rumour of a change in the cabinet, and the gi.n-eni-
ment seemed not unlike the dying man, who, racked with pain,
now takes one end of his couch and now another in tho liupe
of bettering his condition. Weary of the turmoil of public
life, and disgusted with the bitter fruit it biings, Mr. Draper
yearned to sjjend the remainder of his life in the rest auii calm
of the bench ; but whenever he spoke of moving there was a
general rising at the cabinet seats, as if not one, but all, wouM
be the prtniier, and he was obliged to forego retirement till a
successor wittiout a rivid appeared.

It was duiiug this time that nuiny eyes were turned to the
member for Kingston, as a rising hope of the declining party,
but he seems not to have been anxious to "no on board
a ship that was foundering." Yet the impression went aliroad
and got into the jiublic prints, tliat the member for Kingston
was about to eater the cabinet. A Toronto paper, violently
opposed to the government, but an ailmirer, evidently, of Mr,
Macdonald, heard the rumour, and told its readers rather sadly:
" Mr. John A. Macdonald is marked for another victim : he too
will speedily be a Hightless bird." A Montreal journal, which
has not since ceased to support ^Ir. Macilonald, told its rea'lers
something difterent. " The appointment of Mr. Maclonald,"
it said, " if confirmed, will, we believe, give universal satisfac-
tion. A liberal, able, and clear-headed man, of sound conserv-
ative principles, and unpreten<ling demeanour, he will be an ac-
quisition to any ministry, and bring energj'^ and business habits
into a department of wnicn tnere have been for many \'.';ir.s,

TllK LAST 1>A VS OP TORYISM.

10', »

under the picsunt, iind still iiioii; under preceding nianage-
nionts, niiiny complaints." Jjiit this was a time when govern-
ment was sustained only Ibi- plunder, and some of those
wlin had worn the harness long in the tory cause — who had
voted tor the good and the had, and lent tliemselves to every
.scheme of their masters — threatened rebellion if any more
"recruits" were taken into otHce. Alacdonald took the dis-
ap|iointnient with philosophical coolness, told his frien<ls that
he did not suppose tlie world was coming to an end very soon,
that he could " afford t(j wait," and added : " The comlition of
our party must bo worse, before it is better." During the pre-
ceding session he liad sat, as usual, industriously at his desk;
but in one discussion wlii'jh came up he took a part wliich is
interesting to us now in view of an important act of legis-
lation of his later life.

On the tirst of May, Mr. (Jayley hail a resolution before the
house seeking to regulate a .scale of ditierential duties on im-
portations in leather manufactures, which was bitterly oppos-
ed by some of the reformers. Among those who warndy de-
fended the resolution was Mr. ^lacdonald, and what he said is
interesting, because we have heard that in adopting the " na-
tional policy," as in other matters, he was only " the creature
of expediency," and did not believe the principle of protection
to be good. But it will interest, if it will not discomfit, those
who say this, to learn that on the 1st day of May, lS4t), Mr.
Macdonald stood up in his place in the Canadian parliament
and told " hon. gentlemen that there was no reason in their
op[)osition to these resolutions;" that " had they studied the
question they must have supported them," that " the measure
of the hon. gentleman was really a protective one, and as such
deserved unanimous support;" for "it would prevent the
trade of Canada from being subject to the competition of Ame-
rican artisans, and not among the least to the artisans of Ame-
rican penitentiaries."

ilili

k' ''

110

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDOXALD.

And now drew on the las*^ da^ys of toi'visiu in Canaila. Its
sun was low in the sky, even wlien Metcalfe ymt his dignity
by and appealed to party in the name of the Queen. It lay
not in the power of man or any combination of men to bring
the life back again to its palsied limbs. Toryism is the policy
of staj^nation, the force that opjtoses change and progress. It
canr^u live where the will of the people is supreme. It was
put upon its trial in Canada, in the sunnner of 1848, and fell,
never again to raise its head. We know the term " tory" is
still applied to one of our great parties, and that we are toM
" toryism still lives;" but surely out informants are those wlio
are not acfjuainted with the liistory of public parties in ihe
past, or who understand the genius of political opinion in the
present. But after all, it matters reall}' little what we call our
parties now, since there is not necessarily a connection at any
time between the name and the nature of any thing. It is uot
so long ago since a profound and dogmatic thinker would be
styled a " duns," because he resembled the over-learned and
profound Scotus. Now, that name dunce we apply only to a
blockhead — and not more striking has the ditt'erence 1 etween
the Duns of six hundred years ago, and the dunce of now
become, than between the tory of 1840, and the tory of 1883.

In the autumn of 184G, Lord Elgin, the greatest of Canadian
govei'nors up to his day, Durham excepted, arrived in Canada.
He was a member of the tory school, and the reformers became
sore afraid when they heard of his coming; yet they had ahoady
learnt how really little there is in a governor's party name.
When Sir Francis B. Head came they posted proclamations up"n
the fences, but before the little boys tore down the placaids,
they began to learn how sorely they had been deceived.
When Metcalfe, " the great liberal," catne, they liad no letter
black enough in their type-cases to print their " Welcomes ; "
a day came upon them when ink was not dark enough to paint
his character. But when Bagot, " the tory," came, they hung
do\rn their heads in gloom ; and were wearing mourning faces

Hil % r

TUE LAST DAYS OF TORYISM.

wlK'n he failed their leaders to his caliinet. Lord Elgin was
a lutbleman in the ])eerages of Scotland and the United 1-ing-
doui, and was a Bruce of the illustrious liouse which liad for a
member the victor of Bannockburn. In 1842 he had been ap-
|i(iint('d governor of Jamaica; and upon the change of govern,
iin'iit in England in the summer of 1 840, and the establi.'ihment
uf peaceable relations between the imperial and United States
governments, was sent out to Canada. Sliortly before departing
for his seat of government he married his second wife, Lady
Mary Louisa, the eldest surviving daughter of the late Lord
Duiliain, but left his bride to follow him when the tempestuous
season jia'^sed. He arrived liere in the early winter, and at
once threw his whole energies into the work before him. It
was plain to those who watched his movements with an intel-
liijent eye that he had studied the political condition of Canada
before lie passed the Atlantic ; nay, more, he alarmed the apos-
tles of tlie Compact by telling the inhabitants of Montreal : " I
shall best maintain the prerogative of the Crown by manifest-
ing a due regard for the wishes and feelings of the people, and
by seeking the advice and assistance of those who enjoy their
contidence." He had .studied carefully the doctrines laid down
by his illustrious father-in-law and found they were good. He
boon mastered the condition of aflairs in Canada, and saw, so
his biographer* tells us, that in the ruling party " there was no
real political life ; only that pale and distorted reilectiou of ii.
which is apt to exist in a colony before it has learnt to look
within itself for the centre of power." He frankly and heartily
assisted the ett'ete and unrepresentative body he found in office,
but plaiidy told them that he sliould as cheerfully and not less
heartily assist their opponents. The governor was doubly tied
to his duty. Canada had long been looked upon as a stormy
sea, studded with breakers, where administrators were as likely
to meet with shipwreck as to win laurels ; and he was deter-

• Walrond.

112

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

i m

mined to avoid the rocks. Then, as dear to him as his own
success was the reputation of his father-in-law, Lord Durliam,
which still trembled in the balance, and must so remain till
the principles he laid down had been worked out for weal or
woe. He was here to win a reputation for himself in follow-
ing out the principles laid down by the father of his absent
bride : we may be sure most earnestly did he set himself to his
duty. His manly form was seen at several public meetings,
exposed to the fierce winds of our Canadian winters, ami he
had not appeared upon iriany jilatforms before it was learnt
tl:at he was the most eloquent speaker in Canada.

In the spring following his arrival the dying man Oi! the
tory cabinet shifted his place once again. Attorney-geueial
Smith resigned, and Hon. Wm. Badgley took his place. "Your
turn has come at last, Macdonald," said Mr. Draper, as ho wait-
ed on the Kingston member, and told him that the receiver-
generalship was at his disposal. Macdonald took the post, and
thenceforth the cabinet had the benefit of advice, which, il" pos-
sessed at an earlier day, might have .saved it from a doom thai
now no human hand could avert. Once again Mr. Draper
yearned to be rid of the turmoil of public life, and the cora-
panionshii) of faithless friends, and offered the premiei'^b.ip to
John Hillyard Cameron; but staid supporters of the dying
ministry said the young lawyer had not yet won his spurs;
and Mr. Sherwood, wdio now appears to have had a small fol-
lowing, threatened to secede. Cameron did not press hi.-< claims,
if it can be said that he had any claims, and Mr. Sherwood
saw the ruling aspiration of his life gratilied. In the speecli
opening the session, the governor announced the reliuipiish-
nient of post-otiice control by the imi)erial parliament, and the
repeal of ditferential duties, in favour of 'iritish manufacturers.
The old hull of the Compact ship, the vessel in which they had
sailed so long, and enjoyed the privilege of office with all its
spoils, was exposed to a merciless, we may say a murdcroii-.
fire from the opjiosition guns, and though division after Jivi-

^!ffiif1

THE LAST DAYS OF TORYISM.

113

sion showed that the government was in a sad minority in
the house, ministers said nnutfiit about resignation. The sun-
set of Mr. Draper's political life seemed to have given him
mystical lore, and the speech he made reviewing his own
career, and setting forth his opinion on tlie duties of ministries,
mi<'ht have been regarded as a valuable death-bed sermon.
Like Saul, the scales .seemed to have fallen from his eyes of a
sudden, and that whicli he had never seen before, though lie
must have heard it times without number, was instantly re-
vealed to his vision. He told, in no boastful spirit, that he
had always tried to serve his country to the full extent of his
powers, and dwelt ' ith no little feeling — indeed, shed tears as
he spoke — on the ingratitude of men at whose hands he had
deserved better things than conspiracy and calumny. He gave
no uncertain sound when he came to speak of responsible gov-
eiiinient. Thai, he said, was the only method by which che
country couhi 'be governed justly and well

After the close of the session another shuffle was made of
.seats in the doomed cabinet, and Mr. John Macdonald, whose
aiiininistrative ability commanded general attention, was re-
moved I'rom the receiver-generalship to the office of crown
lands, then the most important department in the public ser-
vice, and one that in the past had been most shamefully, if not
criminally, mismanaged, txre he established a new and better
order of things, reducing confusion and delay to order and
promptness, till, during the brief time his place was voucli-
safed to him, the report went abroad that if the government
were effete and incompetent they had, at least, among them
one master business head.

In DeceiDber a dissolution was granted, and for the last
time the cause of toryism appealed for support to the electo-
rate CI Canada.
H

CHAPTER VIII.

RULING IN STORM.

rpHE reformers entered the contest \vith cheerful faces, and
A the tories fought sullenly on the deck of their sinking
ship, A change had come over the country since the autumn
which saw the governor-general the leading spirit in one side
of a party contest. The public is sometimes an impulsive and
not too just arbiter between men or questions ; but it is possess-
ed of a broad generosity, and is certain to .show sympathy
eventually, for that one to whom it discovers, on reflection, it
has done injustice. And, as Carlyle expresses it, since it is al-
ways " revising its opini(jn," it is certain sooner or later to dis-
cover if it has pone wrong. A demagogue may sacceed for a
time in leading the public into extravagance, or gross error,
but sober, second thought, is sure to come and set its judgment
right. Percival Stockdale thought the public always wroni,',
because as often as he gave them his verses, so often did they
cast tl'.em aside, after u hasty glance ; the author going back to
the country comforting himself on " the verdict of posterity."
But Percival lives now only among " The Curiosities of Litera-
ture." Whenever you see a man who has had an oppoitiuiity
of stating his case, whatever it ma}' be, before the people, and
see them withhold their approbation, be assured that the pub-
lic is not stupid, or unjust, and that the man is another Perci-
val Stockdale.

By foul means, and through false cries, a veidict had been
wrenched from the public against Mr. Baldwin. He bore his
defeat with that proud patience which the gods love and men

114

P?!

RVLING IN STORM.

115

admire ; and now that he came before the people, the same
lofty and upiiyht character that they had always known him,
his principles unchanged by time, sincere and true, to ask of
dieiii, in their sober, second thought, for a verdict again, near-
ly all the wholesome sentiment in the country rallied around
him. He went to the polls with ringing cries, cries that at the
late election were called the voice of treason. Once again he told
his hearers, who were now in an impartial mood, tliat "h<^ was
not disloyal, nor were his followers rebels ; but this they con-
tended for, nothing more, and nothing less, that what the Queen
would not be permitted to do in England, we should not per-
mit the governor to do in Canada. Tories had proclaimed
from their hustings that responsible government, as sought by
the reformers, would be insufficient, and unworthy of Canada ;
but he had unbounded faith in its adeiiuacy." And some
writer used the apt figure that, as in the unfettered woiking of
the ocean, lay the secret of the purity of its waters, so ui the
untrammelled operation of colonial government lay the secret
of its justice and purity.

In Lower Canada, the people, the great bulk of whom were
iffonuers, were loudly jubilant and lit boiitires before the
opening of the polls, in anticipation of a swee|)ing victory.
The question that most agitated public gatherings there was
that of recompense to persons who had suffered losses, either by
the rebels or the soldiers, during the uprising of 1837. The re-
bellion of 1837-38 had no sooner been put down than resolu-
tions were introduced into the legislature of Upper Canada
providing for the appointment of commissioners to investigate
the claims .set forth by certain loyal inhabitants for damages
sustained during and by " the late unnatural rebellion." The
report of these commissioners was made the basis of further
legislation during the following session ; while the special
council of Lower Canada had provided by ordinance a recom-
pense for loyal persons in that province whose property had
been injured or destroyed diring the collision between Pajii-

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116

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

V. i

ii \

ueau's followers and tiic soldiers. But neither the act of the one
legislature, nor the ordinance of the other met the demands of
a large number who had suHeied by the rising. There came
from every quarter, demanding compensation, men whose pro-
perty had been injured or destroyed, not by the rebels, l>ut by
the agents of authority. Nor can we wonder at the nature or
the number of supplications, when we take into account tliL
loyalty of the soldiers. Their zeal, wc aic told in the records
of this unfortunate time, did not end when they had left the
poor habitant .soaking his coarse homespun with his heart's
blood on the field where he fell, but they directed their might
against property in tainted districts, firing outbuildings and
dwellings, slaughtering cattle, and, it is not hard to believe,
only ceasing, like Alexanders, in sorrow, because there wio
naught else to conquer. But in the most disaffected districts
there were some whose atlherence to authority had been uii-
liinching, who deplored the uprising, and gave no countcnaiiCi.
to the rebels ; and these came forward now asking rccompeiisv
for butchered cattle and demolished dwellingis.

Accordingly, shortly after the union, an act was passed ex-
tending compensation for losses sustained at the hands of persons
acting on behalf of Her Majesty in " the suppression of the sail
rebellion, and, for the prevention of further disturbances," but
the operation of the act curiously enough was coiiHncd t^
Upper Canada alone. Lower Canada, where the eontli'it hai
been the gi-eater and the more bloody, where the trained sul-
diery had been let loose, and scores of the innocent, with tht
guilty, felt the weight of the arm of authority, was not adniittii]
within the pale of the recompense law. Therefore it was, tlia:
in 1845 the assembly passed another address praying Sir Charles
Metcalfe for a measure which would " insure to the inhabitant
of that part of this province, formerly Lower Canada, indemnity
for just losses during the rebellion of 1837 and •1^3y." This
change of ministerial attitude is curious reading now, but the
wheel had gone round since 1842. Here and there among the

RULING IN STORM.

117

remnants of the ancient party was a man who saw the diift of
public opinion, and one of these was Mr. Draper. He saw that
his party was being every day pushed nearer the brink of the
precipice, that French votes and sympathies were on the other
side ■ and, as drowning men will clutch at straws, seized upon
the faint hopo of wining Lower Canadian support by authoris-
jn"' commissiopers to enquire into the " lo.sses sustained by
loysil subjects in Lower Canada during the rebellion, and the
losses arising and growing out of the said rebellion." The com-
missioners were instructed to distinguish between rebels and
loyal subjects, but they soon found that every claimant on his
own showing, had always been unswei'vingly obedient to the
law. Men who had fired at soldiers out of tlint muskets and
hacked at the law officers with scythes, came forward claiming
compensation for their losses as the reward of their loyalty.
The commissioners were non-plussed. They wrote- on the 11th
of Feburary, 184G, to the governor-in-council, P]arl Cathcart,
for instructions as to how they might draw a distinction be-
tween the loyal and those who had rebelled. The provincial
secretary replied that it was not the intention of his excellency
that the connnissioners should be guided by " any description
of evidence, other than that furnished by the evidence of the
courts of law." It was pointed out that the commissioners
were not to try cases, but merely to obtain a general estimate
of the rebellion losses, and that the particulars of the estimate
would form the subject of minute enquiry, subsequently, un-
der parliamentary authority. The commissioners presented
their report in the same year. This document set forth that
commissioners were entirely at the mercy of the claimants
where there was no court sentence before them ; and they ex-
hibited a list of 2,17G persons who claimed damages amount-
ing in the aggregate to £241,905. An opinion was expressed
that £100,000 would cover all meritorious claims, for it had
been ascertamed tliat damages for £25,503 were claimed by
persons who had actually been condemned by court-martial for

1 fm\ ji I u

118

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

III!

complicity ii» tlie rebollion. But the intention of the ministry
was not to close the question of tliese claims, but to tempoiizD
and keep it hanginj^. The report of the commissioneis was,
therefore, liiid by, Mr. Draper, like Micawber, hoping that some-
thing would " tuin up " by which he might be able to repudiato
the claims. Hence it was that another act was immediatt'ly
passed authorizing the payment of XD.DSG to Lower Canada
claimants, which sum had been recognised by parliament zi-
due the second session after the union. This £9,980 was not a
large amount, Mr. Draper reasoned, but it was a sop to the
French party, and a first step, while the larger instalment wa^
impending. But the premier outwitted himself. His Lnstiil-
luent was received with angei- and contempt, and the gulf be-
tween him and the support he sought became wider than ever.

From one end of Lower Canada to the other, durintr tliu
election of 1848, went up the cry demanding full compensation
for rebellion losses. The reform candidates came into the field
pledging themselves to satisfy all just claims. Thus it was
that Mr. Lafontaine and his party were returned in overwhelm-
ing majority.

In Upper Canada the popular tide likewise sot witli the re-
formers, though stubborn was the dying fight made l)y their
opponents. In Kingston John A. Macdonald, who was unspar-
ing in his attacks upon the reformers, and not full of eulogy for
his own party, whose tactics and al)ility he must have despised
at heart, was returned in triumph. The legislature met on
the 2oth of February, and the tories proposed Sir Allan Mac-
Nab for the speakership. The vote for the speakership is
usually a test of the strength of parties, and in this case it re-
vealed that fifty-four of those present wore in opposition, and
nineteen true to the government. Mr. Morin was then chosen
unanimously. Some happy exchanges had been made at tliB
polls. Not among the least of these was the return Oi Francis
Hincks for O.xford, and the lejection of the coarse and noisy Ogle
11. Gowan for Leeds. Amongf the new faces seen in the house

RULING IN STORM

IKt

were those of George Etieniie Cartier and Alexander Tillocli
Gait, both destined to play high and honourable parts in the
history of their country. For the first time, William Hume
Blake, one of the most remarkable men of his day, took his seat
in the house. He was born in 180J), at Kiltogan, County of
Wicklow, Ireland, where his father was a church of En<fland
i-'ictor. II'J received his education at Trinity College, Dublin,
and studied surgery under Sir Philip Crampton. Not caring for
sur;^ery,he began a course of theology, which sf*ems also to have
been imsuitod to him, and he subsecjucntly emigrated to Can-
ada, taking up his abode in the backwoods. But wilderness
life, separated from all the influences of civil izati(jn, was no
more fascinating to Mr. Blake and his family than to that class
geuerally, whoso liardsliips Mrs. Moodie has described with
such feeling and vividness, and he moved to Toronto, where he
entered the legal profession, becoming in a few years one of its
brightest ornaments, and eventually adding lustre to the bench
of his adopted province.

We shall see that as an orator he had no rival in that parlia-
ment, and that his eloquence was not of that icy, passionless
kind which comes from the trained intellect — never from the
heart — but was instinct with Celtic fire, now rising to a storm
of withering scorn and invective, now launching forth arrows
of piercing sarcasm, and again mellowing down to unsurpassed
depths of pathos and tenderness.

On the day following the vote on the s})eakersliip, the gov-
ernment resigned, and Lord Elgin called on M. Lafontaine to
form a cabinet. After a short delay, the new ministry was
announced as follows : —

FOR CANADA EAST.

Hoy. H. L. Lafontaine - - Attorney -General.
„ Jas. Leslie - - - Ptck. Executive Council.
„ R. E. Cauon - Speaker of the Legislative Council.

tfl

ti^'-:

r I

Ip4

»< < ! '■*'*

iiiU

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'1', I

fi 1

120

LIFE Oi SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

Hon. E. p. Tachk -
„ T. C. Aylwin

„ L. M. ViOER -

Chief Corn, of PuhUc Worl-c.

- SolicHor-Genernl.

Eeceiver-Oeneral.

FOR CANADA WKST.

Hon. Rohkut Bat.dwin ■
„ R. B. Sullivan -
„ Francis Hincks
„ J. H. Price
., Malcolm Cameron

- Attorney-General.

- Provincial Secretary.
' I nfi'pcctor- General.

- Com. of Crotvn Lanch.
Asst. Com. of Public Works.

The shade of Metcalfe could not liave been ixnmoved wlien
the new cabinet ministers came to draw comparisons between
Lord Elgin and another governor-general. Now were they
met by a gentleman who could no more stoop to an act of
meanness in diplomacy than to a similar offence in private life:
by one whose attitude towards them was that of a kind friend,
if not a father ; who kn )w the weakness inherent in party
ministers and the evils by which they are beset. He frankly
gave them his conlidence and told them he wanted theirs ; and
that in all things which tended to a just and intelligent ad-
ministration of affairs they should h,'\ve the best of his assist-
ance. Though he would scorn to lend his influence to further
the interests of any party, even it were the party of his choice,
he sat for hours advising ministers to be firm with their mea-
sures, telling them of the rocks they had to encounter in their
way, and pointing out that they ought to set up high aims
and not be turned from these by the pressure of any circum-
stance. The time was soon to come when both the ministry
and the governor would need all the firmness that comes from
a conviction of right doing and from philosophy.

On coming into jjower, the new ministry promptly intra
duced a series of resolutions into the assembly which was fol-
lowed by a bill " to provide for the indemnification of partiea
in Lower Canada, whose propertj'^ had been destroyed in the

RULING IN STOh'M.

V2\

veiirs 1837 and 1838." The only reservation made in the al-
It wanco of claims was in the Ctose of those who liad heen con-
victed of rebellion and either imprisoned or trans])ort^'d to
Rermtida. Five commissioners were njipoiiitcd to cany out the
i\ct, and a sum of £10(),()()0 was set apait to satisfy all claims.
Tli« introduction of the measure was the sif^oal for an ex-
Tilosinn. Like the bursting of a long pent-up storm, arose a
cry of indignation from the tory members and their j)ress. To
many it seemed that the day of doom had dawned upon our
monarchy. Two poor gentlemen shed tears over tlieir liquor,
when mentioning the name of the Queen. The fact is, this bill
was only the climax of a long series of outrages. The loyal
Family Compact liad been driven from power, and superseded
by "radicals, rebels and republicans," a trinity of bad blood, Init
apt alliteration. The head of the government was a French-
man, a former leader of the society La Jeuve France ; a man
who had been, at one time, an infidel, and at another, a rebel,
flying his country from the wratli of the laws. It was no
longer deemed dishonourable to have rebelled against Uie an-
tliority of the Queen; nay, more, a bill had been introduced,
not only to condone the rebellion, but to indemnify the rebels.
For of those who rebelled, it was held that not one in ten had
l)een convicted by the laws ; whereas everyone having a stile
broken down during the rising, who had not been imprisoned
or sent to Bermuda, came forward with claims which the gov-
ernment allowed. But the pi'oudest spirit that chafed under
this !,'alling ordinance, was the gallant knight of Hamilton. He
must have felt with Solomon, as he glanced back upon all the
history which he had made, that the brightest trail a man may
leave behind him for the admiiation of the world, is but a huge
vunity. T^. what purpose now had he marshalled his " gallant
men of Gore," levelling the taverns and dwellings of rebellious
owners, or on that dark December night, sent his soldiers to
seize the " piratical " Caroline, and give her to the cataract of
Niagara. Now that a premium had been put upon rebellion,

< tf ii ' i i r .r i r i i n ii » ii M-n i»i J ill I . I . ,. i .. ii i || n

122

LIFE OF SIU JOHN A. MACDONALD.

.11

! 'f

ho Haw a sort of derision in tliu very spurs upon his heels, for
t'ney had been given him in token of his loyalty. He re.solvod'
however, that the outrage.s should not he sanctioned, without a
struggle. He rallied his /ers in their htdgings ; ho told

them the crisis had loine, n .in rebellion was to be stanipod &•,
a crime or a virtue. In his loyal ears, A\e (hmbt not, as he troil
from alloy to jilloy through the darkne^is on Ids mi.ssion if re-
sistance, rang the words of tlie couplet :

'• TieiiaoM docs not i)r()3i)er ; whiit'.s tlic reason ?
Why, wlien it prospers noui; daro call it treason."

But ho would " daro call it treason," and, so, girt up hi.s loin>
for the tight.

His party, therefore, entered the contlict with a will. Thi'
kni.ght led the attack, and his invective was unsparing and in-
discriminate. He did uo* onder that a prenuuni was put
upon rebellion, now that : were rewarded for their own U[j-

risijigs ; for the government itself was a rebel government, and
the party by which it was maintained in power was a phalanx
of rebels. His lieutenants were scarce less unsparing and licro
in the attack. But the government boldly took up their posl-
tioTi. Mr. Biildwin, attorney-general-west, maintained that it
would be disgraceful to eiKiuire whether a man had been a
rebel or not after the passage of a general act of indenuiity,
Mr. Drummond,solicitor-goneral-east, took ground which plactil
the matter in the clearest liglit. The indemnity act hiid par-
doned those concerned in high treason. Technically speaking,
then, all who had been attainted stood in the same position a.s
before the rebellion. But the opposition were not in a mood
to reason. The two colonels. Prince and Gugy, talked a gnat
deal of fury. Thi* former once again renunded the house that
he was " a gentleman " ; the latter made it plain tiiat ha was a
blusterer, Mr. Sherwood was fierce and often trenchant ; whik
Sir Allan reiterated that the whole French -Canadian peopK
were traitors and aliens. At this date we are moved neithti

11 a

ity.

18 :i

her

RULING IX STOIiM.

193

CCM

■

ii^

■

DOil

■eat
liat

to aii'or nor contiitnpt at iwiilini,' mucIi nttorancc as those of
the kiiiu'lit'is, t""i' it would 1h; wroii^' to ir^^'anl tliciu as ulao tlian
intirmitios; and it is roj^ictalilo that l>y .sm;]» statenu^nts tlu'
one party shouM aUow itself to he doiiiiiuitod and the other
(liiveii to wrath, l^ut thron;4h all these volcanic speeches Sir
Allan WiU-s drit'tin;:; in the direction ot a niii,dity lash held in a
stroUi^ arm ; and when the blow descends we find little com-
jiassiiiu for the wri<j^';lin<^'s of the tortured kniglit. It was while
Sir Allan hail been bestriding; the parliament like a Colossus,
luoathiiiL; tire and brimstone ayainst evei-y opponent, and lling-
inj:; indiscrinnnately about him sueh epithets as " traitor" and
rebel," that Mr. Blake, solicitor-general-west, stung beyond
eialurance, sprang to his feet. " lie would remind them that
tliero was not only one kind of rebellion and one description of
rebel &nd traitor. He would tell them there was such a thing
a-s rebellion against the constitution as well as rebellion against
the crowi. A man could be a traitor to his country's rights
as well as traitor to the power of the crown." He instanceil
Philip of Sji '1 and James the Second when there was a struggle
between political freedom and royal tyranny. " These royal
tyrants found loyal men to do their l>idding, not only in tho
army but on the bench of justice. There was one such loyal
servant, he who shone above all the rest, the execrable Judgi'.
•b'tiVies, who sent, among the many other victims before their
Maker, the mild, amiable and great Lord Russell. Another
victim of these loyal servants was Algernon Sydney, whose
ortence was his loyalty to the people's rights and the constitu-
tion. He had no sympathy with the spurious loyalty of the
hon, (gentlemen opposite, which, while it tramplcil on the peo-
ple, was the slave of the court — a lovaltv which, from the dawn
of the history of the world down to the present day, had lashed
humanity into rebellion. He would not go to ancient history;
but he would tell the hon. gentlemen opj)osite of one groat ex-
hibition of this loyalty ; on an occasion when the people of a
distant Komau province contemplated the perpetration of the

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124

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

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foulest crime that the page of history records — a crime t'rora
which Nature in compassion hid her face ami strove to draw
a veil over ; but the '.eathen Roman lawgiver could not be in-
duced by perjured witnesses to place the great founder of our
religion upon the cross. ' I find no fault in him/ he said. But
these provincials, after endeavour'ng by every other moans to
effect their purpose, had recourse to this s{)urious loyalty — ' If
thou lettest this man go, thou art not Ciesar's friend,' Mark
the loyalty ; could they not see every feature of it ; could they
iK)t trace it in this act ; aye, and overcome by that mawkish,
spurious loyalty, the heathen Roman governor gave his sanc-
tion to a deed whose foul and impure stain eighteen centuries
of national humiliation and suffering have been unable to efface,
This spurious, slavish loyalty was not British stuff ; this spuri-
ous, bullying loyalty never grew in his native land. British
loyalty wrung on the field of Runnymede, from the tyrant king,
the great charter of English liberty. Aye, the barons of Eng-
land, Avith arms in their hands, demanded and receivinl the
great charter of their rights. British loyalty, during a period
of three centuries, wrung from tyrant kings thirty different
recognitions of that great charter. Aye, and at the gk)riou.s
era of the revolution, when the loyal Jeffries was ready, in lii.'^
extreme loyalty, to hand over England's freedom and riglits to
the hands of tyrants, the people of England established the
constitution which has maintained England till this day, a
great, free and powerful nation."

Again and ngain did Sir Allan, tortured by the merciless lash,
rise in his place, but still the long pent-up stream of manly
wrath and contempt poured forth. "The expression 'rebel '
continued the speaker, " has been applied by the gallant knight
opposite, to some gentlemen on this side of the house, but I c:in
tell gentlemen on the other side that their public, conduct has
proved that they are the rebels to the constitution and their
country." It required but one taunt more to bring on the cliuiax
— and that tau came. " And there sit the loyal men, " con-

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tinueil the avenging nieniber, pointing delibcratoly at the oppo-
sition benches, " there sit the loyal men who shed the blood of
the peo))le and trampled on their jnst rights. There sit the
rebeL-i." Choking with rage, Sir Allan aro^^e once again and
repiiiliatod the epithet rebel as applied to him, and asked Mr.
Blake to retnict. This the honourable gentleman tlrndy refused
to do, wheroujion a sudden uproar arose through the house,
which was followed by a turmoil in the galleries, where spec-
tator.s had joined in the discussion. Several breaches of the
peace were committed, and men grappled and struck at each
other admidst the terrified screams of ladies. Many of the
disturbers were arrestwl and the galleries cleared, the ladies
seeking refuge in the body of the house. For twenty minutes
the chamber was a scene of wild e(Mifusion, and remained with
closeil doors. The scrgeant-at-arms was soivly tried to prevent
a collision between Mr. Blako and Sir Allan.

As the discussion on the bill drew to a close, Mr. John A Mac-
doiiald, who had all along preserved a stolid sik-n. ,-, rose in his
place and told Mr. Speaker that this measure was not going to
pass witlu'ut his protest, and that while his j)hysical strength
endured he would offer it resistance. Mr. Macdonald was one of
the few members of the opposition against whom the charge of
inconsisteney for opposing the bill could not be brought, fVjrwhen
Ml'. Draper introduced the bill which Avas the parent of thepre-
sout measure, Mr. Macdonald had not yet entered the ministry,
and was only a passive, if not contemptuous, member of the
t*)iy side of the house. Now, however, he became active, and
if we can believe the newspaper reports, "fierce." He brought
in a petition from his constituents, praying that the moneys of
the people of Upper Canada be " withheld from the rebels of
Lower Canada." He entreated the government to move slowly
;md carefully with the bill, and when a minister remarked that
they were only waiting for him " to get done speaking to pjiss
it," he launched out fiercely against the promoters of the mea-
sure, charging them with utter disregard of f.he sense of tlio

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LIFE OF iilR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

country, and wanton discourtesy to members of the opposition.
He attirmed that the country was aroused against them, aiiil
that they were drawing down grave dangers, not alone upon
their own heads, hut upon the peace of the province. He de-
precated the surrender of the interests of Upper Canada inta
the liands of tlie members of Lower Canada for paity purposes,
and hurled no few epithets against Mr. Baldwin. But despite
this last effort to kill time, and his reading a lor.g roll of the
Mackenzie letters through the tedious night, the bill passed the
lower house by a vote of forty-seven to eighteen. The next day,
speaking of the debate, the Pilot, the leailing nunisterial organ,
said : " In vain the hojjeful ex-commissioner of crown lands, Mr.
J. A. Macdonald, ranted abvut Wiuiton and di.^graceful lack of
courtesy, and thundered at Mr. Baldwin, the charge of having
sold Upper Canada to Lower Canada. It was all to no purpose.
Three-fourths of the house were buried in refreshin;,' .slumbeis.
* * * He made a last faint effort to prolong the discussion
by reading some thirty papers of Mr. Afackenzie's published
letters — and then the whole house was silent."

There only remains the sequel of toiy consistency now to be
told to complete this chapter of disgrace. The bill had no sooner
])assed the house than petitions to the governor-general, praying
for its disallowance, poured in from every quarter. Lord Elgin
received petition after petition in his closet, read each one
carefully and thoughtfully pondered the whole (picstion over.
He plainly saw that the petitioners, who were tories, were en-
deavouring to force him into conflict with his ministry and to
act over again the part of Lord Metcalfe. And the longer the
governor pondered the deeper the impression grew that hi.'* duty
lay in assenting to the bill. His I'casons for this conclusion
were abundant and irresistible ; and since they were so, he
argued that it would be unworthy in him to shift upon the
shoulders of the sovereigti the onus of assent or disallow-
ance. In the Brst place dissolution appeared to him unwiee
and uncalled for. as the ministry had been elected but a

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RULING IN STORM.

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lew months before on writs issued at tlie request of their op-
ponents. Then th.e measure was carried in tiie popuhir branch
l)y a vote of more tlian two to one ; and an analysis of this voto
showed that of the tliirty-one representatives from Upper
Canada, seventeen voted for the measure and 14 against it; and
often membei's of British origin from Lower Canada six voted
for and only four against it. Such logic as this was irresistible,
and though the governor saw the dark storm-clouds gathering
above his head, he xu.-infully i-esolved to do the right and give
his assent to the bill.

On the afternoon of .^pril 25th, he drove into town at the
call of the ministi-y, to assent to a customs bill, which in con-
sequence of the opening of navigation, it wjis imperative should
ifo into instant effect. The rumour having gone abroad that
assent was to be given to the obnoxious "rebel bill " as it was
called, a number of persons opposed to the government, and all
of them "gentlemen," jiacked the galleries of the assembly.
They made no stir beyond taking suutf or shaking their cam-
bric pocket-korchiefs till the governor nodded Ids assent to the
rebellion bill, when they arose as one man, and with nuich
pounding of feet went out of the building. His excellency did
not heed the interruj)tion, and when his business was ended,
followed by his suite, passed out to liis eaiTiage. But he had
no sooner made his appearance outside than the body of loyal-
ist gentlemen who had left the buildhig sot up a storm uf
','ioans, hisses and oaths. Some of them likewise seized bricks,
>tonc's or pieces of bottles, while others took addled eggs out
of their jiuckets, and with these missiles an attack wjis begun
ini the guvernor antl his party. The vice-regal carriage got
away, however, before serious injury was done to anybody.
But this was only a small outburst of toiy loyalty. Upon the
Champ de Mars that evening gatiuucd a large and turbulent
crowd. The meeting liad been called by phvard and Mr. An-
j,'iistus Heward, nephew of the chief justice of Upper Canada,
and a society beau, was in the chair. This gentleman made an

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LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

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iadammatory speech, and was followed by Mr. Ersdale; M*
Ferres, a newspaper editor ; Mr. Mack and Mr. M ontgouieiie,
another journalist, all "gentlemen." The chief subject of the
harangue was, " Now is the time for action," while freciucntlv
above the din could be heard the cry, " To the parliament build-
ings." After the chairman had made the closing remarks he
shouted out, " Now boys, three cheers for the Queen ; thon h.t
us take a walk." The cheers were given and the walk wa.^
taken. Up to the parliament buildings surged the ciowd of
gentlemen loading the names of Lord Elgin and the n)iiiistiv
with blasphemous and obscene epithets. The win<lo\vs wtiu
attacked with stones, after which some hundreds of the inoli
rushed into the building. The assembly was sitting in com-
mittee when the visitors burst through the doors. The nicnihuii
ded in dismay, some taking refuge in the lobbies, and others he-
hind the speaker's chair. Then the rioters passed on to thbir
work. Some wrecked furniture, others wrenched the legs
off chairs, tables and desks, while some demolished the cliaii-
deliers, lamps and globes. One of the party, in the midst oi
xXxQmelee seated himself in the speaker's chair and cried out, ''Tlie
French parliament is dissolved." He was hurled from his plaw
and the chair thrown over and wrecked. The mace was torn
out of the hands of Mr. Chisholm, the sei'geant-at-arms, and sul;-
sequently left as a trophy of victory in the room of Sir Allan
MacNab at the Donegani hotel. In the midst of the riot ana

destruction there was a cry of " fire." Flames were then founa
in the balcony ; and almost simultaneously the legislative cuiiii-
cil chamber was ablaze. The party left the building which iji
a few minutes was doomed. There was little time to save any
of the contents, and out of 20,000 volumes not more than 200
were saved. A full length portrait of her majesty, which cost
£2,000 was rescued, but on being brought out of the Ijuiklin^'
one of the loyalists punched his stick through the cauva.'>'

• This piciure now hangs in the Senate Chamber, facing the throne.

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ItULING IN STORM.

129

Tlie fire companies promptly turned out on tlie first alarm, but
on tlieir way to the building fell into the hands of the gentlemen
eiifa^'ed in the incendiarism, who detained them till everything
hail been devoured by the flames.

Through some misunderstanding the military were not on
hand, and the mob only left after the most brilliant part of the
coiiflii"ration was over, flown with victory, and athirst for new
conquest. It was a direful night in Montreal. ^lany a blanched
face was seen in the gleam of the conflagration, and a deep
shutkler ran through the community at the simultaneous clang-
in" of the bells. While the fires of the burning building shone
in their windows the ministry held a cabinet and decided to
meet the following morning in the Bonsecours Market.

There are occasions when feelings lie too deep for words, and
the opening of the next day's session seemed one of these. Mr.
Ualdwin, who made a motion, spoke in a low voice, as if under
the induenco of some painful spell ; but the worthy Hamilton
knight to whom the mob had brought their choicest spoils w^as
in his primest talking condition. It is not worth Avhile to re-
cord here Avhat he said, but it is worth stating that i\Ir. Blake
took occasion to make one last comment upon the quality of
the loyalty with which the ears of the house had been so long as-
sailed — "a loyalty " he said, " which one day incited a mob to
ptlt the governor-general, and to destroy the halls of parlia-
ment and the public records, and on the next day sought to
tind excuses for anarchy." It is true indeed that some of the
tories had tried to condone the outraues ; but Mr. John
Wilson, Mr. Badgley and other conservatives denounced the
perpetrators with unmeasured indignity.

Mr. John A. Macdonald was one of those who deplored the
nieunenccs, but he censured the Gove: nment for lack of pre-
caution when they must have known that the outrages were
ciiuteni])lated ; and he attril»uted all the disgraceful proceedings
!i' the bill they had forced upon the people. In the midst of
tli-i general debate he rose and moved that Kingston be adopted

130

LIFE OF Silt JOHN A. MACDONALD.

henceforth as the scat of government, but his motion was lost
l)}'^ a vote of fifty-one ajjainst ten. And others as well as Mr.
Macdonald censured tlie government for not having adopteij
measures of protection against the lawlessness of the rioters.
Ministers, in a timid sort of a way, explained the absence of
the soldiers, but read now, and in the light of the mob'.s after
deeds, their explanations do not seem satisfactory. It is much
to be able to say as we look back upon this turbulent time,
that there was no shedding of blood, but we have no reason to
congratulate anybody that for nights the mob held po.ssossion
of a great city without being confronted by an available mili-
tary, whether bloodshed would or would not have been the re-
sult of the collision. When the mob will rise, take the bit in
their teeth and trample u|ion the supreme law of peace and or-
der they challenge the worst consec^juences, and have no right
to complain of whatever may follow. Forbearance is a virtue
we know, but i)ast a certain limit it becomes poltroonery. A
coward indeed Lord Elifin was called for submittinij twice to
the indignities of the rioters without employiiig the military,
but taking all the circumstances into account, whatever
"rounds there mijijht have been for such a charije a'^ainst the
government there was none whatever for the charge a^'ainst
the governor. His forbearance was dictated by the highest
and most worthy of motives.

During the day detachments of the mob appeared where the
house was in session uttering hoots and groans, and assaulting'
any member of the government party who exjjosed liiiiiself.
But when night fell over the city the stragglers came together
and began again the work of destruction. The hou.sos of Mr,
Hincks and of Mr. Holmes, and the lodgings of Di\ Price aiii
Mr. Baldwin were attacked and the windows demolisheil witli
stones. Then the mob turned to the beautiful residence of
M. Lafontaine, but recently purchased, hacking down fruit
trees and burning the outbuildings ; then entered the house
itself and demolished the furniture and library. Just as the

RULING IN STORM.

131

tordi was being applied to finish the work the cold hut tardy
steel of the soldiers was seen glittering in the moonlight and
the mob fell back with disappointed howls. Then the loyal-
ists headed off for Dr. Nelson's but were met there again by
the bayonets and shrunk back. This too was another night
of terror in Montreal, for small detachments of the mob prowled
the city through the darkness wreaking their vengeance upon
tlie windows of houses belonging to known supporters of the
rrovornnient.

In the morning placards addressed to " the friends of peace ''
were posted around the city calling a meeting at the Champ
(le Mars. The chief speakers at this meeting were Hon,
George Moffatt and Colonel Gugy. They counselled order and
]ia.ssed an address to the Queen to call Lord Elgin home.

On the Saturday following, an address was passed by the
house bearing testimony to the justice and impartiality which
had characteri/ed his excellency's administration, and express-
ing deep sorrow and indignation at the recent outrages. On
Monday, his lordship, accompanied by his suite, and escorted
by a troop of volunteers, drove in from Monklands to receive
this address. But they had no sooner entered the cit}' than
they were assailed with insults and pelted with brickbats and
rotten eggs. A stone weighing two pounds crashed through
the coach, while a continuous fusilade of eggs and blasphemy
was kept up. The address was to be read in "government
liouse," a building so called on Notre Dame Street ; and on ar-
riving here the governor found his carriage sujrounded by a
violent mob. A magistrate read the riot act and the soldiers
charged, but the mob gave way, cheering for the troops. They
were .anxious that their loyalty should not be misunderstood
On the address being read and replied to, the governor set out
on his return to Monklands, going by Sherbrooke Street in-
stead of Notre Dame, by which he had come. The mob were
outwitted, and set up a howl of baffled rage. They imme-
diately rallied, however, and, seizing cabs, caleches, and "every-

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132

LlFfJ OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

thing tliat would run," started off in pursuit. At Molson's
Corner they overtook the vice regal party, and at once began
the attack. The back of the coach was driven in with stones,
Col. Bruce, the governor's brother, was wounded in the baokot
the head, and Col. Erinatinger and Capt. Jones received bodilv
injuries. The governor himself escaped unhurt. The i).irty
eventually distanced the mob and entered the .sheltering gates
of Monklands.

Meanwhile the spirit of riot had elsewhere risen its heaii.
Tn several Upper Canada towns where the ultra loyalists were
found in strongest force, hooting mobs paraded and smashed
the heads and windows of obnoxious persons. In Toronto a
number of gentlemen gathered and lit bonfires with all tlie
zeal of religious executioners at Sniithfield, and there burnt
in efligy Messrs. Baldwin, Blake, and Mackenzie. The lodgings
of the latter, who had just returned from exile, were attacked
and battered, after which the rioters wreaked their vengeance
upon the windows of warehouses occupied by Dr. Rol[)h ;iud
George Brown. But this, after all, was only the bad blood of
the community. From all parts of Canada addresses poured
in upon the governor, commending the fearless attitude he bad
taken in defence of popular rights. Of all who prized polit-
ical freedom the govei-nor was now the darlinrj.

But while the masses rejoiced in the better constitutional
era which Lord Elgin had inaugurated, a British Ainerican
league, representing the tory discontent of the time, was
formed at Montreal, with branches in Kingston, Toronto and
elsewhere. There were many planks in the platform of the
new association, one of which was a scheme for the union of
the British North American provinces. Mr. Alexandor Mai-
kenzie, in his " Life of Hon. George Brown," thus drily refer-
to the organization : " Like King David's famous army at the
Cave of Adullam, every one that was in distress, and every one
that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gath-
ered themselves to the meeting of the league. * * They

RULING IN STORM.

133

were dubbed Children of the Sun, * * Tliey advocated ex-
treme toryism, extreme disloyalty, and tinally threatened to
drive the Frencii into the sea." Towards the end of July, a
convention from the league sat at Kingston for sevei'al days,
iind one of the speakers there was Mr. John A. Macdonald.
Confusion and discord reigned througli the gathering. Ogle R.
Gowan felt seriously disposed to have Lord Elgin impeached
before the house of lords ; some other speaker proposed that
tlie league declare for annexation ; another .said independence
would be better, and each had an instant followinj,'. Among
the many disgusted at the riot of proposals was Mr. John A.
Macdonald, who, at an mrly date, separated himself from the
babel. Other leading members followed suit, and the mam-
moth Family gathering fell to pieces. A few of the fragments
reor<Tanized themselves into associations whose obiects were
annexation and independence.

The news of the outrages created a sensation in England. Mr.
Disraeli declared the time to be " a moment of the deepest
public interest." Mr. Gladstone, who like the white knight at
tlie cross roads had looked at only one side of the shield, and
i,M it was silver as he set his lance in the rest, declared that
Lord Elgin should have disallowed the bill ; but Lord Joliu
Russell, Sir Robert Peel and others defended the action of his
L'xcellency, and ])aid warm tribute to the unflinching manliness
and broad statesmanship he had shown. In view however of
all that had happened, and while the approbation of the British
[liU'lian.ent was ringing in his ears, Lord Elgin felt it his duty
to signify that his ofl^ice was at the disposal of the colonial
secretary; but that official refused to accept the resignation,
and took occasion in warm and generous terras to endorse the
course of his excellency.

The 3()th of May was the day fixed for the prorogation of
pailiament, but Lord Elgin did not deem it well to expo.se
liiniself for the tliird time to the passions of the UK.di without
tiikin^' means of ample defence ; so the commander of the forces,

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LIFE OF SUi JOHN A. MACDONALD.

Major-Goneral Rowan came down, and the thunder of cannon
announced the close of the last parliament ever to sit in Mon-
treal.

The summer sped away and autumn came, but tumult still
lived in Montreal. In August the ringleaders in the sprin"
riots were rearrested and released again on bail, but the im b
flew to arms, and after nightfall gathered like fiends around il,
Lafontaine's dwelling. The inmates knew the fate in store for
them should they fall into the hands of that mob, and after due
warning tired, wounding several of the rioters. One of the
gang, William Mason, was shot in the thigh, and as he fell his
associates cried out, " The blood of a Saxon has been .shed liy a
Frenchman." Then, and, as it would seem, when the lioiisc
aiul its inmates were about being torn to pieces, the military
came and the mob went ofl', bearing with them the insensible
Ma.son who died next morning.

Since the burning of the parliament buildings, the question
of removing the seat of government from Montreal to some
other city had been under the governor's consideration. The
protracted and outrageous disposition of the mob, which ap-
peared ready to rise to deeds of destruction at any moment out
of cold blood, now decided his course. It was therefore tixeil
that the remaining two sessions of parliament should bo held
in Toronto, and that henceforth the sittings should bo held at
that city and Quebec, at each for four years alternately. Thus
was the parliament driven out of Montreal, and thus was the
reputation of the city once again, as but too often since, smirch-
ed by the lawlessness of her mobs.

wSi^

CHAPTKR TX.

THE GREAT .VINISTUY FALLS.

AFTP]R the wild paroxysm of loyalty had spent itself in
storm, many of the lories, who by their speeches had
stirroil tliclr followers up to the riot point, and afterwards
attemiited to find excuse for their excesses, begun to feel
ashamed of the part they had played and to be anxious about
tlie consequences. A conclave was held at which it was de-
cided to send Sir Allan MacNab and Mr. Cayley to England to
iivouch in Downing Street the loyalty of the party who had
burnt down the parliament builditigs, poked sticks through a
inctme of the queen, and attacked the representative of the
sovereign with addled eggs. No one to thi.s day knows what
reception these two got at Downing Street ; but as they have re-
mained >o reserved upon the subject, it would not be hazardous
til say that their silence was probaVtly judicious. Hot upon
their heels followed Mr. Francis Hincks, accredited by his
government to make known fully the causes of the disgraceful
outbreaks. We are not surprised that the colonial office
about this time took a good deal of our provincial business
into its own hands; for if two parties liere had a dispute
about a jack-knife they ran to Downiiig Street to have it
settled. Why was it necessary for Sir Allan and Mr. Cayley
tu hurry oft" to England to apologize to an indilierent official
in the colonial office for the riots in Canada ? — and why was
it necessary for Mr. Francis Hincks to follow them there ? We
comiJained then, and murmur still al)out Downing Street in-
terference ; yet it is we who have taught the ofiicials there how

135

136

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

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to interfere. Evc^n at this day, though we regard the authority
of the colonial o(Hce only a fiction, and lash ourselves iiitf) n
rage when it becomes a reality, we take soinetinjes the mos*
trivial cases iVoni our own supreme court and refer them ti tli-
judicial connnittee of the imperial privy council. The persons
who proclaim the loudest that Canadians ought to be suprenii'
in their own affairs, are among the very first, when a decision
contrary to their views is given in our higlicst courts, to hasten
away to the oracle at ])owning Street. If every disputtil
case, oiiginating in a magistrate's court about the paying of a
municipal ta.x or the right of prosecution under a Dominion act,
is to be submitted for a decision to the superior wisdom ainl
higher justice of a conclave of English law officers, why per-
petuate the costly mockery here of a " supreme " court ?

Mr. Hincks returned from England, elated (is a schoolboy who
had received the " well done" of his parents. During the autumn
the weather-cock iu the colonial office described a revolution,
and the govei-nor-general was raised to the peerage of the
United Kingdom for pursuing a course the precise opposite tu
that for which, five years before, fjoid Metcalfe had been en-
nobled. Though peih{4)S title conferred according to this
method of discrimination, does not fill our minds with awe
for the " belted knight, the duke and earl and a' that," tliat a
king can make, the honour was highly prized at the time by
Lord Elgin, and properly prized, for his conduct had been on
trial before the home government. He made an extencled
tour of the province it' jxy place was received with

evidence of .i'''ii! Ml' tude. As he drove through

Toronto a i w. ;mt iiurled a few eggs and some

bottles at hill mt the icll sLort of the mark. In Kingstoi
a few persons came d 'Wn to the wharf at which lay the vice-
regal steamer, and ga\ e some dismal howls, then slunk away
again. This trifling exhibition of tory ainers was dictated
by fear, however, rather than by hate, ' the rumour had got
abroad in Montreal that the seat of g ument was to be ve-

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-" 1-

THE GREAT MINISTRY FALLS.

137

inoved *, whereupon the instigators of the riots in that city
iiroinptly sent out emissaries whose duty it was to see that the
('overnor-general was insulted in any city tliat was lilccly to
lie chosen as the capital.

In November the seat of government was changed to Tor-
onto, and the offices established in the dreary pile along Front
Street, which does duty to the present day. The government
uict in all its strength, and he were a rash prophet who would
predict that it was not impregnable for many years to come.
But some shrewd eyes looking through the assemblage of re-
formers, saw in this semblance of strength irresistible evidence
of weakness. A large majority is to be coveted when parties
are divided by some well marked line, and each avows a set of
well understood opinions ; but the government whose party
doctrines are yet only in the formative process, is not to be
envied of the possession. One day a vote was taken in the
lower chamber which divided the house upon party issues; and
as the leformers stood up in all their appalling strength, John
A. Macdonald is credited with having observed to a member
who sat beside him, " That mighty fabric is soon to go to
pieces." His companion replied, " I suppose no government has
a perennial lease, but if numbers and apparent harmony count
for aught, I think their prospects are good." " Ah, yes," said
Macdonald, " app trent harmony ! But we shall see."

As has been stated already, the re'.'orm party comprised nof
only mod irate seekers for reform, but many who desired radical
changes, and not a few who thought we ought to fashion our
political system after the republican model. The advocates of
these innovations pressed their views upon the government, but
neither Mr. Baldwin nor Mr. Lafontaine seemed disposed to
move any further at once in the direction of reform, and inti-
inatt/ that the chanixe desired must come throuifh-'radual statues.
W:ien the attitudi; of the leaders became known, a number of
the most prominent of tho government followers met, laid down
a new political platform, and resolved to withdraw themselves

1. • ;:>

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138

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

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'im

from the iiiform party. The chief names in the new combina-
tion were David Christie, Dr. John Rolpli, James Leslie, and
Malcohn Cameron ; and among tlie concessions tliey demanded
were, abolition of judges' pensions, biennial parliaments, uni-
versal suffrage, and election of all public officers. The name
given to the new party was the " Clear Grits," a term which first
appeared in the Globe. The appellation appears to have orij,'!-
natcd during a conversation between George Brown and Chris-
tie, the latter remarking that they wanted in the new move-
ment " men who were cletir grit." The clear grits had no sooner
completed their oi'ganization in Upper Canada, than Louis
Papineau aroused himself and formed in Lower Canada "Z«
Parti Rouge" a combination less radical than revolutionary.
We can fancy that member to whom John Macdonald had made
the prediction turning aghast as he saw the great fabric wliich
he had regarded as indestructible already split into three parts.
And we might fancy the astute observer telling him to wonder
not, that the "greatest was behind."

This double defection set the <iOverinnent reelinfj ; but manv
of those who stood fast in their allegiance waited upon minis-
ters and informed them that the time had now arrived when
they e.xpected a settlement of the long-burning question of the
clergy reserves upon a new basis. Mr. Baldwin professed
him.self hostile to a unicm of Church and State, but gave little
assui-ance of meeting the wishes of his supporters ; while Mr.
Lafontaine did not conceal his hostility to what he called a
"disturbance of vested rights." "When sorrows come they
come not single spies but in battalions " that luckless govern-
ment might have exclaimed. From every quarter evil seemed
to come upon them now ; every breeze that blew brought them
dark tidings. One of the staunchest ministerial organs hitherto
had been the Toronto Glohe,h\\i it now assumed such an atti-
tude that ministers felt themselves obliged to repuillate responsi-
bility for its course. In short, the Globe was endeavouring to
wipe popery off the face of the earth.

Tllh ailKAT MINISTRY FALLS.

139

In tiie year 1850, as many a nervous Englishman had cause
to remember, the conviction entered tlie breast of the Holy
Father that the Episcopal Communion of England were pre-
paring to follow Newman over to Rome. So he set about to
parcel oti" the land of protestant Englishmen into ecclesiastical
districts, and created Cardinal Wiseman Archbishop of West-
minster. The ordinances declaring the distri(*ts were written
in Rome after the manner of the time when a sovereign pon-
tifl"set an English king scourging himself before the tomb of a
"rebellious priest," shut up the churches and absolved subjects
of tlicir allegiance. " Datum apud Romce sub anulo piscato-
ris," wrote the rash papa in the palace of the Peteis; " " Given
at Rome under the tishernian's ring ! " echoed the people of
Eiiglanl, some in scorn and many in dismay. They had
less experience of " paper towns " in England then than
has fallen to our share in Canada since the inauguration
of the "boom," or they might have regarded the employment
of the pope in setting districts ofi' on .sheets of vellum, as of no
very serious consequence. Yet, alarmed thousands of very-
valiant Englishmen became, and we have it on excellent
authority that the "British Lion" stalked through the land.
L(;nl Truro called forth ajiplause that nigh shook down the
biiiMing when he quoted, at the Lord Mayor's dinner, the
wonJs from the play, " Under my feet I'll stamp thy cardinal's
hut in spite of pope or dignities of church ; " and thun-
ders of applause were evoked by Kean the tragedia*), when in
the theatre, he quoted the words from King John, "No Italian
priest shall tithe or toll in our dominion." In good season,
however, the tumult died, and when the hurly-burly was done,
it was found that the " country of protestant Englishmen "
had sustained no serious damage.

After Englishmen had become heartily ashamed of their ex-
hibition of fear, the cai-ilinal, the pope and the unfortunate
[liipacy lell into the hands of a wild protestant Canadian. This
person was consumed v/ith the idea that the papacy ought to

140

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

8,1

be rooted out of this country, and witliout calculating whe-
ther the object was a jiossible one, began the crusade in the
columns of his newspaper, the Glohe. He published the
pronunciaincnto of Wiseman, replying in his editorial columns
in language as rough and intemperate .as it was intolerant and
illogical. Cardinals may be right or thoy may be wrong, but
it is not in writers of George Brown's stamp that tliey find
(tonfuters. Having begun the discussion, Mr. Brown usei!
every means to lash ]>ublic feeling into tumult. He pictun.!',
the Roman hier.irchy in Canada as an odious system that
menaced the well-being of our social and political institutions,
and the public were informed that it was their duty to rosiest
the common enemy. This indiscreet onslauglit u))on an un-
offending portion of the comnumity was made with as inucli
noise and fervour as " temperance reformers " to-day employ
against the vice of drunkenncjs. But this was the manner of
Mr. Brown. He never moved without noise ; and whether it
was his entry into the legislature, or that he addresM-d a
meeting in a school-house ; introiluced a bill, or presented a
medal to a .school girl, the fact was announced by a clatter of
kettle-drums and a bray of bugles. It has always seemed to us
that the prominence he so suddenly attained, from being a
mere adventuring raw youth, to the adviser and hustler of
the reform party, was more than Mr. Brown could staml. He
was ambitious, and had a great deal of honest, worthy ambition
too, we may be sure, but under his brusqueness, which was the
result of a lack of refined atmosphere during the foi-mative
period of his character and n\anners, he was inordinately vain
of his powers and his position. Eaily in the year 18.') I .some
newspaper writer declared he was seeking the wardonship of the
Kingston penitentiary ; but he announced, not bluntly but
vainly, in his own paper that he was "seeking higher game
than that." Yet he had not the foresight to see that his
senseless and unchaiitable crusade against a law-abidini,' and
inoffensive Christian denomination must prove a barrier be-

THE GREAT MINISTRY FALLS.

141

tween him and the " higher game" he sought. And he did not
injure his own prospects alone, but drove the ah'eady shattered
(Tovernment to the alternative of bearing the responsibility of
the Globes fatally reckless course, or repudiating it, and thus
alienating its support and following.

Every age and country has produced its partisans, and we
see in a book lying before us now, Hon. Alexander Mac-
kenzie, with bru.sh in hand, brightening the dark spots in
this portion of George Brown's career. Mr. Mackenzie, who,
we fear, has not over well informed himself about a period
of which he writes, admits that hai'sh things were said in
this discussion by Mr. Brown, but adds that " no article
ever appeared (in the Globe) which bore the character of
intolerance." " Unsci'upulous politicians./' he says, " of little or
no standing as public men, for j'ears filled their scrap-books
with garbled extracts, torn from their context, and used then\
as .'lectioneering weapons." Through all this whitewash the
iiiercik'ss types in the Globe, itself will tell the facts. We have
made a few " extracts," not " garbled," and not all " torn from
their context," and the whitewash cannot hide their intoler-
ance. Is it tolerance, whether it be the truth or not, which is
not the question we are discussing, to be told that " the ad-
vance of education has been the death-knell of popery through-
out the world ; " that " its mummeries have failed to stand the
ti;.st of free institutions ; " that " civil despotism and the papal
delusion hang together ? " — or will it make the statements less
irtensive to Roman Catholics to join them with the context ?
Will the printing of the context make it less offensive to say
that "popery binds all men in the most debasing thraldom;"
that "this religion robs man of his noblest privilege, direct
coiunuinion with God. . . . and debases him to the very level
of pa-^faniMu " ? Or to ask with a note of admiration, " What
a fiijjlittiil weapon of tyranny the confessional is !" Perhaps
we have misunderstood what Mr. Brown's biographer means
hy intolerance. George Brown was never the imperial dictator

142

Llt'E OF am JOHN A. MACDOXALD.

M.r

of Canada, holdiiij,' the life and liberty (■ dtject in his

hand. It ma^' be going too far, tlien, to was not intol-

erant, because he did not banish the Ron,.. ( 'atholics out of
the country. But the spirit was willing if the llesh was wejik.

A powerful auxiliary of Mr. Brown was Padre Gavazzi, who
had broken out of his Roman cage, and w.'is now abroad
through Christendom breathing fire and smoke against the pa-
pacy. His mission, he said — jv^ reported in the newspapers-
was " not to pi'otest against Rome ; — it is to destn)y, to do.iUoy.
It is not protestantism at all, my dear brethren," said the in-
flamed padre, " it is destruction ; the destruction of pope and
popeiy. My mission is to destroy, to armihilate in my Italy
the pope and popery. I am no protestant. Call me destructor,
for that is my name." It is hardly too venturesome to say,
that, had Mr. Brown not been "settled down" at this time to
politics, the laudable purpose of the Italian priest might have
lured him away into missionary work. Mr. Brown was a
warm admirer of Gavazzi, for the Globe of June iUth, IS53, de-
scribed hiui as " the distinguished defender of the Protectant
faith." It is seldom two such distinguished defenders of any
t'aith get together and some harm does not come of it. It is
hardly necessary to add that the papacy withstood the shock
(jf the cleric and the journalist. Indeed, both the editor and
the ex-priest are dead, and Rome still lives, or did, at lea.vt,
" up to the liour of going to press." It takes more than a
great newspaper and a small padre to destroy an institution
that may flourish when the traveller from New Zealand stands
upon the ruined arch of London Bridge.

The session of 1850 produced a number of important meas-
ures, and the most prominent of these referred to an extension
of the canal system, which gave to inland shipping an uninter-
rupted course of navigation from lakes Erie and Ontario Iv
the St. Lawrence to the ocean ; the control of post offices and
postal revenues by the Canadian government; and a measure

s s.

THE GREAT MINISTRY FALLS.

143

for tlie estaltlishnient of free trade between the proviucos of
British North America.

Notwithstanding the plenitude of important h'gislation
acliieved by the government and the lattor's apparent iuipreg-
nableness, it was a house divided against itself, as we liavo
aheady seen, and soon must fall Opinion was in a nebulous
state among reformers, and just as in the formation of our
stellar systems — as some scientists believe — masses of insubor-
dinate matter become detached from the main bulk and roll
away, each forming a sphere in itself ; so the great refoi'm
body was dissevered, one portion becoming rouge, anotlier clear
grit, still another independent, the balance remaining true to
its original conditions. One might suppose that a party made
up of so many independent sovereignties as this would be a
helpless mass before the skilful attack of the enemy ; but the
conservative party, which was then in its chrysalis state —
between a dead and efiete toryism, and the coming con e-'va-
tisin— was led by the indiscreet and offensive Sir Allan Mac-
Nab, who did not injure his opponents by his bad temper and
worse tactics and only disgusted his friends. So coarse and
so insolent were his attacks on Mr. Lafontaine, and even on
Lord Elgin, that Colonel Gugy, who had been an uncom[)ro-
mising tory, arose in liis place and disclaimed approval of his
loader's course. He said he had borne the reproach of such
leadership too long, and announced his separation from the
jiarty.

Several consultations were held among the conservatives,
and when the government first began to show e^/idences of
division within its ranks, Mr. Macdonald proposed a course of
action, but Sir Allan broke so repeatedly beyond the lines
which had been laid down, that Macdonald despaired of suc-
cess by attack. He summoned i)hilosoi)hy however ; and at a
caucus in Toronto, held by his party to adopt " ways and
means," after it was decided that no ways or means could be
adopted her emarked, " We need not despair ; their sands of life

u i

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LIFl'J OF Slli JOHN A. MACDONALD.

it I

„■ i'' n 1

1)1!

are rapidly runniiif,' tlioinsclvt-.s out; they will die in due time if
we but let tlicni alone." As early a? this date there were seve-
ral conservatives of the libt-ral school who whispered anions'
themselves that so long as Sir Allan was the leader there was
little hope for a vigorous conservative party. " MacNab and
Sherwood were a pair of weights upon Macdonald's wings"
a conservative of that day tells us, " and some of our party, 1
for one, felt that there was no hope till we got a chavge oj
idea at the head of our party." It is ti'ue MacNab had begun
to trim his sails to tlie popular breeze, so far as he could see
the direction in which blew that wind, but he belonged to a
past century, and was too old and too stubborn to bend to the
demands of the time.

During the spring of the following year, a vacancy occurred
in the representation of Haldimand, and a number of candi-
dates, among whom were Gleorge Brown and William Lyon
Mackenzie, offered themselves for the seat. We have already
introduced Brown, but have made only slight mention of Mac-
kenzie. William Lyon Mackenzie, whose figure seen down
the galleries of the past, seems in these latter years to tin/
careless student of Canadian history to be suff"used with glory.
was born at Dundee, Scotland, about the year 1795. In 1824
he established a newspaper at Queenston, Upper Canada, and
at once began a galling attack upon the Family Compact.
Though he was possessed of a sturdy, independent spirit, and
might under any circumstances have brought him.self into ool-
lision with the powers of the time, in declaring war against tlie
Compact, he had everything to gain and nothing to lose. Aftir
a .short journalistic career in Queenston, during which his de-
cisive and uncompromising way of dealing with offences against
freedom and public morality brought him to some notice, he
removed to York and began to issue flaming denunciations in
the very sha<low of the enemy's camp. The oligarchs became
enraged at his attacks, and bitterly com[)lained before some ol
the young gentlemen of their own set, like Henry when pro-

THE GREA''' MINlSTh'V FALLS.

145

vokod by Bocket, that tliey had no (tnc to ri<l them of " this
fellow's annoyance." The <,'enteel youn;,' men consulted about
the matter, and one June day in 182G, with canes and kid
glovL'.s called at Mackenzie's office ; broke open the doors, bat-
tered the face otf some of the types, and bore away a
(luantity which they threw in the bay. The persecution only
made a martyr of tlic bitter journalist, who thereafter became
a sorer thorn than ever in the sideoftlu; Family. Two years
later the county of York sent liim to the assembly, but here he
violated privilege by publishing lengthy reports of the legis-
lative debates ; and was expelled. But after the expulsion he
was again elected, and again expelled; and the ftirce was con-
tiiuiod till he had been four times elected and as often expelled.
In ISo^ he was chosen for the .second riding of York, and took
his seat without molestation. Two years subsetpiently, parlia-
ment was dissolved, and Sir Francis Bond Head and his coun-
cil adopted corrupt and unmanly ways to keeptluir opponents
out of the assembly. One of the victims was Markenzie; and
exasperated beyond all endurance, he turned his thoughts to
tebellion. The stoiy of the farce on Gallows Hill has already
i)eon told and need not be repeated. Mackenzie fled away
through the wintry woods and found an asylum in the re-
public foi- a time, but was afterwards arrested there and thrown
into prison. When a pardon was granted to the rebels he
made his way back to Canada, and living in the remembrance
of the people as a brave man, wlio with all his indiscretion and
impatience, had risked the all he had for popular liberty, he
was welcomed to the hustings of Ilaldimand with vociferous
cheers from a thousand lusty throats. But although he seemed
to be remembered gratefully by some of the {leople, he was re-
ceived coldly enough by Mr. Bald\vin and other members of
government. The following extract from an impubli-shed letter,
written by him in 1850, to Air. Aug. Thiboilo, of Kingston.will
explain his relations to the government, and show also, we
believe, why he put himself at the head of a refractory party,

lliiil

t !

14(5

LIFl-J OF .s7/i' 7oy/A' ^ MACDONALIK

after his entry into the le^fislaturc. "Mi-. I'aldwin an<l his
friends steadily strive to keep mo down here in menus ami
influence. 1 applied for three years assembly waj^'es due—
refused. Ai)plied for a year's wages due on the Welland Canal
— refused. Also for the money due llandal's estate, j£5UU—
refused. In every j)ossible way they have striven to reuder
my residence hero burthensonie to mo. Why i.s this? Are
the reformers of '37 the torics of '50 ? Or does otiice and the
fear of losing it convert manly oppositionists into timid aivl
crouching placemen ? If so I trust I'll never be 'led into temp-
tation.' " The anti-papacy articles of Brown rose befort- their
author in the Haldimand election like the ghost of BaiKiUo,
and Mackenzie was elected by a fair majority. Brown weiu
back to his newspaper to print more indiscreet artichjs, and
Mackenzie went to the legislature where, for the remainder of
his public career, he was at best a hasty critic with a narrow
view and limited conception of public measures. Another new
face was seen at this last session of the third parliament under
the union, a man who, could he have cast the horoscope, would
have seen, down the years, j)olitical degradation — let us not say
dishonour — whether his star showed he deserved that fate or
not. Perhaps it is needless to say that the new meml>er intro-
duced to the house was M. Luc Letellier do St. Just.

Parliament met in Toronto in the early spring. The chief
measure of legislation was a bill making provision iw the
construction of railways to supplement the canal system, and
put Canada in a position to compete with the carriers of the
United States, where railroad building had recently become a
mania. A measure introduced during the session by Mr. Hineks
authorized the governor-in-council to take steps in concert
with the governments of the maritime provinces towards the
construction of a railway from Hamilton to Quebec, to make
connection there with another line to run aloni- the St. Law-
rence and through New Brunswick to Nova Scotia, terniiuatiug
at Halifax. A meeting of delegates was held in Toronto, and

THE an HAT MlXlsrnV FALLS.

147

measures woro adopted towardH tlio construction of tlie lines.
But wlicii tho (k'lf^Mtt's, Mr. IlincUs from (^'anaila and Mr.
('hiiiulK'r from Now Urunswick, wont t-t Knj^iand to ask iuipo-
lial aid, thoy wore astonished to find that Joseph Howe had
fitlicr lii'(!ii i^iiilty of duplicity in loadinn' tliem to hope that
lii.l|) would hi) given, or that Karl CJrey had deceived Mr.
Howe; for Sir John Pakington informed them that imperial
assistance could not he promiseil. Hut out of these projects
eventually grew the Intercolonial and Grand Truidc railways,
Another important measure of the sessii)n was the abolition of
the law of primogenituie, in defence of which Mr. Macdouald
liiul aired his early eloipienee ; hut he had grown wiser now,
and sat with supreme unconcern while the politicians swept
llie ideal law of hisyouth off the statute books.

Macdonald's attitude during the session was not more demon-
■itrative, and less scornful, than it was on his first ap[)ear-
ance in the house. On July l!)th lie brought in a bill relating
to the medical profession in Upper Canatla, introducing it to
tho House in a few terse sentences. The measure met with some
opposition, and the chief hostility, though for what reason it
is hard to tell, came from the Solicitor-GiMU'ral, John Sandtield
Macdonalil. Tho argunients used by this opponent were very
paltry, and as some other members took up the same strain,
John A. Macdouald at last became annoyed. " Mr. Speaker,"
ho said, " if the Solicitor-General is to be logical and consistent,
after lie has opposed my bill, in view of what it aims to do —
and its scope and aims are not denied — he ought to introduce a
bill to legalize murder." How apt, not to say how crushing,
was this thrust must ho apparent to those who will now try to
conceive of our great body of medical practitioners without ob-
ligations, organization, or protection.

When the simple brother in one of Matthew Arnold's poems
plucked the tiny plant to fling at Balder, the gods laughed at
his luuiiour, but presently they saw the Father against whom
they had hurled their javelins in vain fall, pieiced by the fragile

■ mm

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.Si

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148

LIFE OF aili JOHN A. MACJJOKALD.

weed. The country had .seen Mr. Baldwin stand luavely
tInou<^li the clangor of the fire bells, and in the glare of the
burning halls of parliament ; saw him supremo wlien Sir Al-
lan MacNab tried once again to coax abroad the spurit^is Bii-
tish Lion ; uow they see him, on a measure brought in l)v
William Lyon Mackenzie to abolish the court of Chaucerv,
stand up and declare that he will resign Ids place in the
government. The weed had slain Balder. The house rojoctiij
Mackenzie's measure, but a majoiity of tlie Upper Canada mom-
bers voted for it; and though Mr. Baldwin was no advocate
for "double majorities" he was cut beyond endurance at thi-.
rebuke to his ideal court. His lofty .spirit could not bend, h
was a time of wonders ; for almost immediately afterwards M.
Lafontaine arose at his desk and announced his intention uf
retiring at an early day. " The two masts arc overboard,'
Macdonald remarked in an undertone to Mr. Sherwood; "a
helpless hulk there is left now!"

In October, M. Lafontaine withdrew and the other ministers
followed him. Lord Elgin, who was now at his lovely resi-
dence, Spencer Wood, upon the clifl's of Sillery, sent for Mr.
Hincks to form a government. Perhaps Mr. Ilineks could not
see through the blank wall of the future; perhaps he did get
a glimpse through it, but made up his mind to follow the path
he had traced out. At any rate he did not send for Geor^'e
Brown, who was burning to get into office, but made up his
government as follows :

FROM CANADA WEST.

Hon. Francis Hincks Premier andlnsp'r-Gcneml

" W. B. KiCHARDS Attorney-General West.

" Malcolm Cameron President of the Council.

" Dr. John RoLPH Conir of Croivn La)uls.

" James Morris Postmaster-General.

THE aHEAT MINISTRY FALLS. I4»

FROM CANAPA EAST

Hos. A. N. Mdrin Provincial Secretary.

" L. T. DuuMMONi) AUornei/-General Knxt.

" JoH.v YoUNO Com'r of PiibHc Works.

" R. E. Cauon Speaker of Legislative Council.

" K. P. Taciik Receiver-General.

But there was more than one jealous member when Jlr. Ilincks
inaile out his programme. Mr, Jolin Sarnllicld Mac<lonald, who
aiined to be attorney-general, was offered the coiumissioner-
sliip of frown lands, but refused, and went away muttering
' curses not loud but deep." Mr. Brown, as was rather his
wont, found vent for his vexation and disappointment in noise,
iiul tuluiinated more indiscreetly than ever through the Globe.
Ife liad little denunciation for the tories — indeed, the tone of
Ills paper was complimentary to John A. ^^acdonald and many
other candidates of the party, — but ho was unsparing of the
Govennnent, he who had lashed the clear grits such a brief
time before for their treachery in putting themselves in oppo-
sition to the "redeemers of the country." But this all happened
liefore he got into the legislature, and, more than all, bet'oro he
was ignored in the making up of Ilincks' cabinet.
Once again Canada was in the throes of a general election.

1 t •

'I :.i

CHAPTER X.

ii.

ml iiiii

"BUJtNING" QUESTIONS.

THE new rrovcr"vnciit was pledged to tl.e public to pro\-ide
measures for an elective legislative council, for iniTcased
parliamentary representation, the abolition of seigniorial tenure,
and the secularization of the clergy reserves. Of all the (lues-
tions which had agitated the public mind, this latter was the
most prominent, the most galling and unjiist. Among the other
evils planted in the constitutional aet of 17!>1, were the provi-
sions for granting a seventh of the crown lands in the jtrovincc!
of Canada, for the su}ip(nt of " ti'c Protestant clergy," and the.
establishment of rectories in every townshij) or parish, " accord-
ing to the establishment of tlie Church of England." In the
early history of Upper Canada, the effect of Lhesc grants was
not felt, but as the population began to s[)iead over the public
domain, and iL was found that the sanctiHeil hand of the church
had aggregated her resei'ves in large blocks, to aid in the spread
of the gospel according to her way of teaching, a general cry of
disGatisfaction was raised. Well might the dissenters have cried
\v'ith Cassius, " Now is it Rome indeed, and Rome cnoiigli." It
was Rome witliout the ceremonies and canonical panoply, but
jt was Rome monopolized. The heads of other protestant deno-
ininations met to protest against the injustice. The words " a
protestant clergy" excluded the dissenters, whom all itnperial
statutes ignored; but the presbyterians stood boldly up and
proved that they came within the moaning of the words. The
law officers of the Crown, on pondering the question said
rlie Presbj'terians were correct in tlieir view, and that the

1 50

1 "i

' ' B UliNING " Q UfJSTIOXS.

151

henofii of the act should extend to " those persons, so long as
there wore any of them in the country." The language of the
ortiecrs might be taken to refer to moose or bears, but it really
(lid point to " the presbytcrians." The sturdiest advocate for
the maintenance of the reserves was Dr., afterwards Bishop,
Strachan, one of the ablest men that has ever appeared in
('ana'la, and an uncompromising champion of the church of his
<t'^ond love, xle resisted tliu claims of dissenting bodies — " pre-
tensions " he called these claims — and hurried away to Eng-
land to fortify the colonial office against the importunities of
the outraged denominations. In 183(5, Sir John Col borne was
recalled to England, but before liis departure endowed forty-
lour rectories to the unspeakable amazement and indignation
of tilt.' province. To each such rectory was allotted about three
hundred and eighty-six .acres of land. The law officers in Eng-
iand promptly declared the endowment to be invalid, but Dr.
Strachan got together a bundle of documents which he packed
iff to England ; whereupon the oracles reversed tlieir decision.
It must certainly have been annoying to officials of the Bri-
tish Government ♦^o be pestered about every little colonial mat-
;or, but they brought the trouble upon themselves by rirro-
1,'antly, not to say, impertinently, undertaking to deal with
matters which rightly belonged to the jurisdiction of the colo-
nial legislatures, in framing our constitutional acts. Nor had
they growti • ore wise, perhaps we should .say less meddlesome,
in 1840. '. .0 Union Act pro\ided that no further reservations
were to be miide — as if the Canadian government were not the
hest judge whether more reservations ought to be made or not —
and that, of previous sales of reserves, one-third should go to the
presbyterian body antl two-thirds to the church of England ;
and tl ,it of the future proceeds of sales, one-third should go to
the episcopalians, one-sixtl; to presbyters,and the remainder "for
piunoserf 0' public worship or religious instruction in Canada."
Tlii:) latter citation was an insinuation in favour of the di.ssent-
eis, for the framers of the act could not be expected to name

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152

LIFE OF iUR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

Ill f

the Baptists, Wesleyans, Unitarians, et c.X'tera. But this settle-
ment of the question, projiosed doubtless by the spiritual peers,
was made without any ret^i^-d for tlie census, and at once causod
a cry of anger and dissatisfaction tlwough the country. We
know not by what light went the ])eers when making the ap-
propriation. It is their custom when choosing a bishop, we
know, to pray to be guided in the choice they are about to make,
and then to appoint the person named by the prime min-
ister. It is not certain that in apportioning the reserve
proceeds among the Canadian religious bodies they gave much
time to thought or prayer, simply setting down double as much
to the episcojialians, whether they numbered ten or ten thou-
sand, as to any other denomination. Four years afterward';,
discontent at the settlement had reached such a head that a
complete secularization of the reserves was demanded by the
reform party. The tpiestion was discussed on the hustings
and in the legislature with much passion, and Mr. Henry Price,
a congregationalist, at his place in the house, described the
reserves, with not less justice tlian force, as "one of the great-
est curses that could have been inflicted upon the land." But
the tories showed no inclination to disturb the arrangement,
On the contrary, to them, like to the f ramers of the act of 1791.
establishment was one of the dearest features of om- govern-
ment. When the reformers came into ofHce in 1S4N, the
champions of secularization were filled with hope ; but as wf
have seen, Mr. Baldwin, although opposed to the union d
church and state, or rather of God and Mannnon, had enough
of high church prejudice to be content to let the settlement hv
the union act abide. In Lower Canada the question was never
of any conseciuence, and for this reason M. Lafontaine was op
posed to opening up the matter again. We shall discuss, in its
proper place, the influence it had upon parties, how it split
governments, begot coalition.s, and changed the whole current
of our political history.

" n UENING " Q UESTIOXS.

153

But if tlie lower province was not concerned about tlie clergy
reserves, it had a grievance scarce less exasperating. In the
seventeenth century the feudal system still existed in France,
and was transferred, thougli not in all its i-igoiu's, to Canada.
Laiffe blocks of land were granted liy the West India Company
to families of the crown, anuy otticers and religious bodies, who
huld theuj en f^eijneurie. This condition endiraced the pay-
ment of fealty and homage to the king. On the day set apart
for doing homage, came the seigneur, or holder of the granted
lands, to the castle of St. Louis in Quebec, and kneeling before
the representative of the king, he there, in token of submission,
delivered up his sword; which v/as graciously returned. Nearly
all the fertile lauds, stretching, for three hundred nules, along
the banks of the St. Lawrence were granted to the seigneurs.
The latter cnjoA'ed many rights and privileges, but they also
had their d\ities. ^^lchin their domaii-s they had jurisdiction
over all offences against the laws save treason and murder.
When the seigncurie or any portion of it was sold, a fifth of
what it brought, called a quint, was paid to the crown. Being
unable to cultivate his extensive grant, the seigneur divided it
into lots having a frontage of three acres on the St. Lawrence,
I'Xtendiiig backward eighty acres. The holders of these lots
which were granted en rotiire, were called censitaires. Several
annoying conditions were imposed upon the censitaire. Ho
was uliliged* "to m'ind his crnun at the seimieur's mill, bake his
bread in the seigneur's oven, work for him one or more days
in the year, and give him one fish in every eleven for the priv-
ilege of fishing in the river before his farm." He was alho
obliged to pay a .small yearly rental, to do military service, to
open up and repair roads, and build bridges. If he sold his lot
he was obliged to hand over luds et ventex, that is, the twelfth
part of the receipts, to the seigneuj-. The holding descended
t<jthe censitaire 's heir, whoiee relations to the seigneur rujuain-

' Francin I'arknuui : "The OIJ Iti't'iiue in Canaila."

■yi l ' " ? "Vy "*^'*

[■^ilii

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I. 14

i7/7; OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

ed the same as during the orighial occupation. Sonic years
after tlie conquest the censitaires became restive under the in-
creased obligations put upon them by the seigneurs, wlio, in
consequence of the system of dividing the seigncurie among all
members of the famil}'-, were driven to sore straits to maintain
a living suitable to their rank. At the time reformers in
Upper Canada were demanding a secularization of the clergy
reserves, the v/retchcd censitaire was praying to be released
from the yoke of his master. Accounts are given of the most
dishonest and harassing measures adopted towards the ignor-
;tnt habitant, who was not aware that he was being cheated—
(mly knowing tliat he was being oppressed — by the seigneurs.
Some hot-headed Frenchmen, without any instinct of justice,
advocated the total^sweepingaway of seigniorial claims without
compensation ; others advocated a joint commutation of wliat
was called the cens et rentes by the state and the censitaires;
and the legislature in IS-iO passed an act providing for optional
commutation. This measure, however, did not satisfy the
habitant, who demanded that the system should be abolished
branch and root. Thus the legislature had upon its hands at
the period to wdiich our narrative has reached, two important,
or, to use the phrase of the time, two " burning " questions.

Mr. Francis Hincks, the leader of the government asked to
gra])ple with these questions, wa.s the youngest son of Dr.
Hincks, of Breckenborough, Yorkshire, England, and could trace
his ancestry far backward, finding a Hincks as alderman of
Chester in l']41. Dr. Hincks obtained a fellowship in Trinity
College, Dublin, and subsequently became rector of Killyleagh.
He was the author of a number of pa[)ers on the transactions of
the Royal Irish Academy, and on Assyrian, Persian, and Egyi'-
tian arclu\3ology. Some of his discoveries proved valuahh'
additions to the knowledge of Ea.-itern lore, and chief atnonir
these may be mentioned his determination of the value and
form.? of the Assyrian numerals. Alter .spending some year.s
at college, his son Francis entered a large business house, and

' ' ]! UL'Kiy 0" QUES Tl ONS.

155

suliscqiiently sailed as supercai'go to the West Indies, visitiiii;
Jamaica, Trinidad, Demarara, and Barbadoes. In tlic latter
city he mot a Canadian gentleman with whom he visited Can-
ada, for the pui'pose of studying her conmierce. He went back
to Ireland, well pleased with the new country, mariied the
second daughter of Alexander Stewart, a merchant of Belfast,
and soon after returned to Canada, taking up hh residence in
Toronto. He rapi<lly rose in the estimation of all with whom
hu caine in contact for his groat abilities and integrity ; and
after the arrival of Lord Durham to Canada, established the
Exarn'vacr newspaper. As a journalist he was seen to possess
abilitii-'S of the highest order, and while he fearlessly sifted
every question to the bottom, his style of writing always main-
tained the due dignity of the press. In 1841 he was "called
out" for Oxford, and defeated his opponent by a majority of
thirty-one votes ; and was re-elected on going back to his
constituency after having accepted the inspector-generalship.
Three years later he was def( ited by a son-in-law of Admiral
Vansittart for the same constituency, but in 1848 was again
fleeted by a n)ajority of three hundred and thirty-five over his
old opponent Carroll. Again he entered the government of
his first friend in Canada, taking the same ofHce he had held
liefore. In the autumn of 1851, as we have seen, on the
retirement of Robert Baldwin, he was called to form a govern-
ment. He ia to be an interesting figure for some years to
come, and we must i. jt anticipate his career.

M. Augustin Norbert Morin, his " other half," as the second
^'overniiient head used to l»e called in those days, was born at
St. Michel, district of Quebec, in 1803. He studied law in the
"ffice of D. B. Vigor, and was called to the bar at Montreal, in
lS2b. In ins twenty-eighth year he was returned to parlia-
ment, and was so brilliant as to fill his friends with great hopes
for hi> future. He entered the Baldwin-Lafontaine nunistry
as C'tiumissioner of crown lands, in October, 1842, retaining
office until Decendjer the following yeai', when, with his col-

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150

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDOKALD.

leagues ho was forced out of office by the treachery of the
governor. lu 1848 lie was again returned to parliament, and
elected to the speakersliip. On the resignation of M. Lafon-
taine, three years later, Mr. Hinck's choice fell upon hiui astlu;
only suitable successor to the retiring statesman. Kaye, wliose
j)ortraits are not always above suspicion, pays honest tribute
to the character of M. Morin. His administrative abilities, he
tells us, were of the highest class. He had vast powers of appli-
cation, rare conscientiousness, and a noble self-devotion, wliich
in old times would have carried him cheerfully to the stake.
His patriotism was of the purest water, and he was utterly
without seltishness and guile. And he was of so sensitive a
nature and .so confiding a disposition, that it was said of him
he was as tender-hearted as a woman, and as simple as a chilil.
A prominent figure in the new cabinet, a man who as vet
had no clear notion of what his party leanings were, was
Etienne P. Taciie, receiver-general. He was the descendant of
an anciei t and distinguished Fi'ench family, and was Ijorn at
St. Thomas, Lower Canada, in 171)5. When the war broke
out in 1812, young Tachd entered the militia of Lower C'lnadii
as an ensign iu the 5th battalion, and dashed bravelv to the
front in defence of his country. After the war had cb ised, he
studied medicine and achieved much success in his profession.
He was elected to the first parliament under the union, and six
years later was appointed deputy-adjutant-general, which po-
sition he retained iov two vears, when he entered the Lafon-
taine-Baldwiii ministry as commissioner of public works. On
the resignation of L. M. Viger the following year, he I'eeamc
receiver-general, and was allotted to the same ofiice on the for-
mation of the Hincks' ministry. Henceforth ALr. Tache began
to evince preferences for the conservative party, and was dur-
ing his term of otlice in the reform government a professed
admirer of Mr. John A. Macdonald. We shall see that he soon
boldly goes to the party whither his .sympathies had been

' ' n UKAIXG " Q UESTIONS.

157

lejuliii'' liiin, and stands at the lioad of a government with the
iiieinljor whom it was his wont so warmly to admire.

The election was held in the early winter, and resulted in a
rettu'n of all the new ministers. The position of parties was
little changed, save indeed that the only member of the once
mighty compact who took his place in the new house was Sir
Julian MacNab, and he only won his seat by repudiating many
of tlu! principles which he had been in the habit of defending
with much fury. One of the surprises of the election was the
rejection of the honoured ex-leader of the reform party by the
electors of North Yoi'k for a candidate who up to the time
had been unknown to the electorate. The fact is that the
public mind had been excited during the sunmier about the
question of secularization, and the suspicion got abroad that
Mr. Baldwin looked upon the disturbance of the existing set-
tlement with no friendly eye. And so when he ajipeared at the
hustings a throng of his friends waited upon him, and bluntly
requested him to pledge himself to support seculariziition. It
is not strange that Robert Baldwin should receive a request
like this with scorn. He calmly told his supporters that he
came before them with no claim upon their regards save what
a record of his public career had given him ; that he had always
acted unfettered by pledges, free to do what he believed was
n^ht; that he would not fetter himself now, and if they sent
him to the legislature he would go there free of pledges. They
rejected him, and took the unknown.

John A. ^hlcdonald, whose })opularity had Hagged not since
his first election, was returned again for Kingston, but took
his seat not in that listless manner which was his wont, but
>at up at his desk, his eye upon every movement that was
made. Mr. John Sandrield Macdonald, who was burning for
an opportunity to be avenged on Mr. Hincks, was elected
speaker. The Speech made reference to the proposed intro-
duction of decimal cunoncy, to railways, the attitude of the
imperial government towards secularization of the clergy re-

111

158

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACl)OXAlA\

I «

liiii

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serves, and the expc3(liency of settliiiL,' the grievance of soignorial
tenure.

Some life was introduced into the debate on the address by
George Brown, wlio made Ids niai<len spcocli — a slasldng and
etf'cctive etlbrt, and perhaps as forcible an array of raw niateiial
as had ever been presented to that parliament. In after years
Mr. Brown's style of parliamentary speaking improved, but not
very much. This first speech of his revealed all his streiii^'th,
and not a few of his defects. He had a prodigious capacity for
getting facts together, and these he flung with a tremendous
force in the face of his audience. Only the one qualification
of an orator had he, however, and that was this force, a quality
which was perhaps made better by having to it a nervous side.
It was homely, blunt speech, strongly made, and that was
all. It lacked all the accomplishments and many of the gifts
which are essential to oratory. It was devoid of imagination,
of sarcasm, of humour, of irony, of pathos, of scorn. We know
that facts can be honestly and effectually told without these
gifts and graces, but we are merely pointing out that it is a
delusion to suppose that Mr. Brown was an orator. He wa.s a
man of much honest purpose, of rugged, strong intellect ; so
rugged as to give roorA forthe supposition that his muscle may
have been turned into brain without having underijone anv
particular change. The true orator understands human nature,
the sympathies of audiences, and as he speaks keeps his hand
upon the pulse of his hearers. Mark Antony subdued and
turned into zealous friends upon the spot a mob of turbulent
Romans, drunk with tumult, by appealing to all the better
instincts of their humanity. That oration of his, hidden away
in the play, is, in our poor judgment, the greatest speech, the
most effective piece of oratory that lives in any language,
though he who utters it declares (but in the disclaimer piovei
the contrary), " I am no orator as Brutus is, but, as you know
me all, a plain, blunt man that loves his friends." George
Brown was a decidedly [)lain, blunt man, but it is doubtful if

• • B UL'SJNG " Q UESTIOX.^.

159

ho aUv.ays loved his friends; ami if lie did he surely had not
iilways tiict eiKUij^-h to toll tlu'in so. He plungetl straight on,
wifcliout art or grace, believing it to be his duty to drive instead
uf to lead.

Papineau made an erratic attack upon the government, and
declared that he wanted annexation and an elective legislative
council. Mr. John A. Macdonald, who had informed some of
his friends that " at last he was ready for the f ra}'," adminis-
tered a long scourging to the government. He atlirmod that
the ministry had outlived its principles, and that its only bond
of union now was that of office. Frec[uent meetings of the
conservatives were held at which it was agreed that the party
should act in accord with Brown's stalwarts wlien any blow
was aimed to overthrow the government.

During the summer Mr. Hincks had visited England, and
wiiile there made every possible effort to induce the imperial
government to introduce such legislation as would give the
Canadian parliament authority to deal with the question of
Secularization. Notwithstanding theae facts, George Brown
charged him with having " sold himself to the enemy," and
upon tlus asseveration grounded his opposition to the govern-
ment. The truth is, Mr. Hincks' real offence was that he had
i^j'nored Brown in forming his cabinet, and now stood in the
path of a man who had told the public with a flourish but a
few months before that he was " aiming for high game." If
this is not the true interpretation, then it remains to be
explained why Brown had no censure for Messrs. Baldwin and
Lafuntaine, one of whom, at least, was known to be hostile to
secularization; why he scourged the clear grits in his news-
[laper for jeopardizing the interests of the party, and saw
nothing censurable in the conduct of the government till he
found he had not been remembered in the formation of Mr.
Hincks' cabinet. The interests nf the reform party were
always dear to Mr. Brown, but not ^.o dear as his own ambi-
tion. In the whole course of his public career, he never hesi-

Hi!

100

LIFE OF Sin JOHN A. MAVUONALI).

m i'

tated to crusli any man wlio crossed his path. If the interests
of his party happened to be identical with the interests of his
rival, then so much the worse for the i)arty. It was not
that he loved his party less, hut that he loved George Brdwii
more.

OwiiiLf to till,' [irevalence of cholera in Quebec, the lofisLi-
ture v/asadjournetl froni November till February. A few duvs
before prorogation, news reached Canada that a measiu'c rela-
ting to secularization had passed the imperial parliament. The
act authorized the Canadian legislature to repeal or airiond the
act of 1840 as was deemed desirable, but prohibited inteifcr-
ence with the annual stipends already allowed to clergymen.
Evidently, up to this date, the impression had not got out ol
the heads of some of the law-makers that our legislature here
was largely composed of the barbarian element. They could
not trust the few clei'gymcn interested in this legislation t^
our hands for justice !

During the summer, the celebrated Alessaudro Gavazzi, of
whom we have already made mention, arrived in Canada foi
the ])ui'i)ose of destroying the j»a[»acy. Ho lectured in Quebec,
but a number of lawless rutKans, defenders of the Catholic
faith we suppose they styli}d themselves, broke up the meeting.
Thence Gavazzi passed to Montreal, and while addressing an
audience in Zion Church there one evening, a mob of Roman
Catholic Irishmen, also on the defence of religion, endeavoured
to force its way into the building. This was prevented by a
force of police outside, but as the mob was drawing back, ouf
of them fired a pistol. This rioter was promptly shot down
by a protestant. The lecture was hurriedly brought to a close,
but during the progress of the audience through the street it
was assaulted by the mob, which was largely composed of
nmrderous and half-drunken navvies. Two women were struck
to the ground and trampled over ; and a child of nin^ yeai')
had its arm broken. Mayor Wilson now appeared from behind
the scenes and ordered the military to fire. The order wa?

" n CliMy G " QUESTIONS.

Ifll

obeyed, but the balls wont only among the i)rocoHaion whoso
ofl'enco had been that they attendctl Gavazzi's lecture. Five
men dropped dead from the volley, and a largo number were
wouiiili'U. In the excitement the mayor evidently lost his
head, though his action in ordering the soldiers to tire seems
like an a})palliiig murder. Unl'ortunately for Mr. Ilincks
he was on terms of great intimacy with Wilson, who was a
Catholic.'. The government was tardy in investigating the
occunence, and its enemies told it on their trumpets through-
out Upper Canada that Mr. Hincks was in the hands of the
Catholics. The accusation seemed so much like the truth that
it contributed in no small degree to the premier's downfall.

Daring the session Mr. John A. Macdonald was the most
prominent figure in the debates. Upon the bill to increase the
number of representatives, he took strong grounds, contending
that the measure was a sacrilegious laying of hands upon the
CDiistitution, without the sanction or desire of the people.*
A'^faiiist the University Bill, he took a firm stand, but a
perusal of his s[)eech shows that his objections are well taken,
ami that much of his hostility to the measure was due to a
conviction that Dr. Rolph was personally interested in the
;,'overntnent bill. During the discussion on a measure to res-
train the .sale of intoxicating liquors, he took the position that
the government could no moi'e Icfjislate a man to be sober than
it could to make him religious. The law against duelling, he
pointed out did not prevent " meetings," and the practice of the
duel existed till the moral force of the community frowned it out
of existence. The bill for indemnity to seigneurs he attacked
with tierce scorn, not that ho believed compensation should not
lie made for the confiscation of seigneuries, but that as the
moa-sure was one of local interest only, the burthen of indem-
nity ought not to be borne by the people of Upper Canada. "It

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(716) 872-4503

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169

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDOKALD.

was as much as saying," he pithily observed, " that Upper
Canada should be bribed with her own money." The premier
seems to have been tl.e chief object of his care during the
session. Scarce a day passed that there was not a passn^^'e of
arms between the two. One afternoon Mr. Hincks was asked
to distribute copies of the bill creating a bureau of agricul-
ture, among members, but curtly refused to do so. Macdonald
rose in his place: "Mr. Speaker, the inspector-general, in an-
swer to a proper request from this house, says ' we win't.'
Sir, it is absolutely indecent." Mr. IlincKs who was rather
surprised at seeing Macdonald show any trace of peevish-
ness, arose and said that there was surely nothing inducent
in saying, "we won't." "Ah, yes," said Mr. Badgley, "but
it is the manner." " The manner," returned Macdonald, con-
temptuously ; " he has no manners." " Why, is it possible ! "
said several members at once, " that Macdonald has lost his
temper." " Nonsense," he replied, " I was never cooler in my
life." He seemed to be in his element glancing along the benches
of the doomed ministry and taunting its members. From being
silent and nonchalant, he had become active and provoking.
No joint in the enemy's harness escaped his eye ; the memo-
randum books were thrown aside, and he sat there another
Attila. Attorney -general Drummond, in defending the charita-
ble societies bill, had wandered away from his text, and indulg-
ed in some jubilation at the strength of the government. ' Ah,
yes ; " Macdonald said, when Drummond sat down, " they had
much reason to be joyful about their majoi'ity. You have a ma-
jority of six votes," he went on ; " and you have at least eigiit
ministers. So deduct the votes of these eight gentlemen for
themselves, and there is a majority of two against them!'
There was a time, he admitted, when he had some respect for
them, " but I have none no .v. The iion. member for Kent
(George Brown), has ungritted you. You are now an unfortu-
nate incoherent mass at the mercy of everybody and every-
thing." We find the Kingston member attending a meetin^^ lield

B URNING •' Q UESTIONi^.

163

at Montreal during the summer, by the protestant citizens, in
relation to the Gavazzi riots, and observe in his conduct there
the caution that has always been part of his character. He
was called upon to speak, but said a few words only, assur-
in" the meeting of his sympathy with their object, but declin-
ini; to say anything further, as " the matter was to be brought
up '.n parliament."

On the eighteenth of June, in this summer, the Globe winds
up a dreary article with the earnest prayer, that " the country
may be saved from the darknes.-i of Romanism." Mr. Mackenzie
has, liowever, said in his book that '' no article ever appeared
in the Globe, that bore the character of intolerance."

i'' '(

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CHAPTER XI.

BIRTH OF "LIBERAL-CONSERVATISM."

F Russia should decline to restrict withiii purely diploiua-
tic limits the discussion in which she has for some time
past been engaged with the Sublime Porte, and does not by
the return of the messenger, who is the bearer of my present
letter, announce her intention of causing the Russian troo[vs
under Prince Gortschakoff to commence their maich with a
view to recross the Pruth, so that the provinces of Moldavia
and Wallachia siiall be completely evacuated on April 30, next,
the British goverimient nnjst consider the refusal or the silence
of the cabinet of St. Petersburg as equivalent to a declaration
of war, and will take its measures accordingly," Such was
England's ultimatum to Russia despatched on the 27th April,
1854. The messenger was informed by Count Nesselrode, four
days after he delivered his errand, that the Em|)eror did not
think it becoming in him to give any reply to the letter. A
few days afterwards, a large assemblage of excited persons cca-
gregated about the Royal Exchange to witness the most inter-
esting ceremony known in any country. The sergcaut-at-
arms, accompanied by several city ofhccrs, ascended the steps
of the Exchange, and therefrom read Her Majesty's declaration
of war against Russia. Foreign capitals which had so often
said with a sneer that " England had joined the peace society
and would never be seen in battle any more," stood aghast
now listening to the clangor of her arms. But that sentiine.it
aung by our first of Canadian singers, Mr. Roberts, still lived &a

164

BIRTH OF ''LIBERAL-CONSERVATISM.''

166

the swords wliicli had lain idly in their scabbards were buckled
on, and the great ships were warped out from their mooriLgs :

" But let a great wrong cry to heaven,

Let a giant necessity come ;
Aud now of old she can strike,

She will strike, and strike home."

The Canadian government had been growing weaker day by
day, and while the great nations grappled with each other in
their murderous conflict at the Crimea, a violent newspaper
war was being waged throughout our province. It was in
vain that the ministry asked to be judged by their works, and
pointed out the valuable legislation they had called into ex-
istence. During the previous summer the Grand Trunk rail-
way had been opened to Portland, the Gre.it Western from
Sus},"nHion bridge to Windsor, and the Ontario, Simcoe and
Huion, now known as the Northern, from Toronto to Barrie.
With the declaration of war the prices for Canadian products
reached a fever point, labour was in brisk demand, and com-
mercial prosperity at the Hood-tide. The fly in ./Esop's fable
imagined that it was he who raised the dust-cloud, and not
unnaturally ministers believed that their policy was in .some
measure the author of the extraordinary activity in trade ; but
it was not.

For some time past Lord Elgin and his government had been
conducting negotiations towards a treaty of reciprocity be-
tween Canada and the United States. In May, the governor
and Mr. Hincks went to Washington to conclude the terms,
but congress was busy with questions of greater moment, and
our representatives were lost sight of for some weeks in the
bustle. 0|)ponents of the government ridiculed their mission,
and prophesied the return of " our diplomats," as they contem-
tuously termed them, " with their tails between their legs."
It created no little surprise among the prophets, and rejoic-
ing Ihrough the commercial community, to lenrn that, on the

166

LIFE 01 SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

5th of June, the treaty had been signed by Lord Elgin on be-
half of Great Britain, and W. L. Marcy, secretary of state for
the United States, on behalf of the republic.

By the provisions of the treaty, citizens of the United States
■were permitted to take fish of any kind except shell-fish on
the sea-coasts and shores, and in the bays, harbours and creeks
of British provinces in North America, at any distance from
the shore; and to land upon the shores to dry their iidts
and cure tlieir fish. In return for these privileges Britisli
subiects were allowed the same concessions in all the waters
and upon the land of the eastern sea-coasts and shores of the
United States, north of the 3(Jth parallel of north latitude.
Grain, tlour, breadstuft's, animals, meats, poultry, fish, lumber,
hides, hemp, ores of metals, manufactured tobacco, and some
other articles were admitted into each country duty froj.
The navigation of the St. Lawrence and the Canadian canals
was permitted to American citizens on the same conditions as
to British subjects; and the latter were given similar rights
on lake Michigan. No export duty was to be levied on any
lumber cut in districts in Maine, watered by tributaries of
the St. John river, and iloatcd down the latter to the bay of
Fundy for shi[)ment to the United States. The treaty was
not to go into effect till it liad received the sanction of the
imperial and provincial parliaments on the one hand, and
of the congress of the United States on the other. It was to
continue in force ten years from the date of ratification, and
one year after either party had signified a desire to terminate
it. In Canada the treaty was received with a good deal of
favour, but the people of the maritiuie provinces perused its
terms with disap{)ointmeut and anger. They charged Lonl
Elgin with hurrying away to Washington without understand-
ing what were their most vital interests, and flippantly sign-
ing these away. * The objections raised to the treaty were,

* Archer ; " A History of Canada."

[• :'i ■

!!.!;

""' "Vit

MHHHHMiliM

BIRTH OF '' Lilt Eli AL-CONSFJtVATlSM."

167

that though tht United States had nothing to exchange coni-
paiablo in value to the priceless fisheries of British North
America, and though tlieir shi|)s were placed on an equalit
with the ships of Groat Britain, they still peremptorily declin-
ed to concede the only equivalent they could offer, the admis-
sion of colonial vessels to registry in their ports and to their
coasting trade. The treaty, it may be addo i, ran for thirteen
years ; and during this time the value of the aggregate of
conunodities interchanged between the two countries rose from
an annual average of $14,230,7GS, in the eight years previous
to the treaty, to S5(),339,77(). in its thirteenth year.

Failianient was called together on the 13th of June, the
last day to which convocation could be postponed. It was
impossible that the meeting could have been summoned for an
earlier date, as the governor and the premier had been detained
in Washington till the fifth of the month. But the opposition
did not care about impossil)ilities, and declared that ministers
were afi'.id to meet the house, and had put off the evil day
to the utmost moment.

Political felling was once again at fever heat in Canada.

Tho opposition press had carried on a llannng crusade against

the ministry, charging it T»ith treachery to tho public, and

hostility to secularization of the reserves and the confiscation

(if seigneuries. The Globe, and all tho journals that followed

its leail contended that it was the government's duty at the

impending session to grapple with these questions; and Mr

Blown wound up a very ranq^ant editt)rial in support of this

viow l)y saying that Mr. llincks " must secularize or go out."

What the ministry's intention was had not transpired ; and

when the governor sat upon the throne to road the address,

the house listened in breathless silence to hear what measures

were promised. But it indicated only two ; and neither

of these referred to the reserves or seigniorial tomtre. The

house was merely informed that a bill wotdd be prepared to

give eftect to the Reciprocity treaty, and another to regulate

»i

1 '

1 i

168

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

the franchise and amend tlie election act, passed the preceding
session. We are unable to see at this day what other measures
the ministry could have promised in the speech. During the
precedin(;f session provision liad been made for an increase in
the number of parliumentary representatives from 84 to 1.30.
Cleaily, then, I'roni the moment parliament had declared for an
increase in the number of representatives, the existing Icis-
lature was not fairly representative, and for a body, so de-
ficient, to enact legislation affecting the interests of the pnl)-
lic would have been a violation of the principle of respon-
sible government. Mr. Hincks defended the action of tlie
ministry on these grounds, and might have cited the prece-
dent set by the imperial pa'diament in 1832 after the passage
of the reform bill. We are unable to recall any instance
worth noting of a departure from tliis doctrine in any country
under responsible government. It is only a few months ago
since Sir John Macdona)d dissolved parliament after its fourth
session, because the census had shown that its representation
was not equitable. Histoi-y by-and-by, when the party feel-
ing of the hou/ shall have pa.ssed away, will not fail to approve
nis act ; yet had the country rustic who stood aghast at the
denunciation of Fox by a scurrilous hireling of the court ar-
rived in Canada after Sir John Macdonald had announced this
dissolution, he would have asked, as he asked in England,
" ' As 'e stole a sheep ? " Even Mr. Edward Blake so far forgot
the constitutional usage as to indite an extraordinary epistle
to his constituents, in which he told them that the government
having been beaten in a fair fight had resorted to " foul play,"
Now that Mr. Blake's little fit of excitement has blown over,
he must bear to be told that it was no more correct to call a
desirable and constitutional act " foul play," than to say tliat
the government, against whom he issued his manifesto, had
been "beaten " in any fight, fair or foul.

It was plain to the house that the intention of the ministry
was to hurry through its measures and end the session .speed-

BIR TU OF ' ' LIB ERA L- CONSER VA TISM.

109

ily. But the conservatives, led by Sir Allan MacNab, and in-
spired by John A. Mac<lonal(l, joined themselves with the clear
fffits who followed George Brown, and the rouges who were a
set of political Miunelukes. Tlie address was stubbornly op-
posed inch by inch, an<l Mr. Ilincks liad the mortification of
seeing men who stood fast to tlieir allegiance all along now
desert him on the ground that he liad been unfaithful to his
pledge. The man who goes through pul)lic life without some
reproach clinging to his name, is as strange a spectacle as the
Helirew children who passed scathless through the fiery fur-
nace. Humour had a good many scandals upon her lips now,
and the conduct of Mr. Hincks in certain transactions were
said to be not above reproach. Ministers were therefore
charged with infidelity and corruption ; and the explanations
they made were not sufficient before the house or the country.
Beyond any comparison their most powerful opponent was
Mr. John A. Macdonald. His hostility was not shown to the
constitutional ground the government had tfiken, but to theii-
hesitancy in dealing with the (]uestions which liad set tlie
country aflame. He did not take a stand either for or against
the secularization of reserves and the abolition of tenure, but
contended that the duty of the government was to have said
yes or no to the public, and to stand or fall by their action.
Apart from the shilly-shallying of the ministry, lie formulated
against them a number of grave charges of wrong-doing. As
he proceeded with his speech he grew warm, and at last lost
his temper. It was a strange sight to see him who never be-
fore had been stirred by discussion grow white with feeling,
and gesticulate wildly with his arms. Tlu government he
-aid was now a re})roach to the country. They had the con-
timpt not alone of the party by which they had always been
ippost'd, but by their own friends. "It was well known," he
continued, " that the system pursued by the present govern-
ineiit had been one of rampant corruption, appealing to the
most sordid and the basest motives of men * ♦ » »

170

LIFE OF SIR JOJ/X A. MACDONALD.

Even the postinaster-Q'cncral had said at Perth, in reforonce to
the purchase of governinoiit property by inL'nilier.s of the
government, that there liarl been a job perpetrated by his col-
leagues, with whom ho continued to sit. Now, a government
should be free from suspicion and feel a stain on their escut-
cheon like a wound on tlicir person. Es|)ecially should tliey
keep their hands clean of any speculation in the govermnent
property.* " All honour, he said, had departed from them,
and the only bond by which they were kept together now was
" the bond of connnon plunder." Nor were these short-com-
ings either confined to one, or two, or three odious transac-
tions ; " they were steeped to the very lips in infamy;" were
" tainted with corruption, collectively and individually, both m
their public and private characters." During the delivery of
this speed*, the wildest excitement prevailed in the house, and
ministers " shivered at their benches." The attack was all the
more effective coming from a man whose balance of temper the
house never before had seen destroyed, and at an hour when
the staunchest .supporters of the ministry were droi)ping off,
Fastidious critics censure Mr. Macdonald's " violent laii''U!ii'e "
in his early career, but our impression is that outbuists liko
these have not been uncommon in debate among the staidest
of parliamentarians. The very year before. Air. Disraeli had
suffered his temper to get the mastery, when, in a dis-^u.'ision
with Mr. Gladstone, he informed Sir Charles Wood (Lord
Halifax) that petulance was not sarcasm, nor insolence invec-
tive ; and said that he "viewed Sir James Graham with regard,
but not with respect." Some years before, at a public meet-
ing, he denounced O'Connell as " a bloody traitor;" and the
latter retaliated bv characterizing Disraeli as the " true heir-at-
law to the blasphemous thief that died impenitent upon the
cross.

Among the amendments to the address were two by Me.ssrs.
Cauchon and Sicotte — in the drawing of which it is said Mr.

•See Appendix "E."

HI h' Til OF '' LUIEUAL-COSSERVATISM."

171

Maoilonald had a hand. Mr. Cauchon's amendment expressed
n>i.Tet that t]\e government had not taken steps for the dis-
ivwil of the seigniorial tenure qaestion dfring the se.ssion, and
Mr. Sicotte's very adroitly added, " or one for the ijnmediate
.tetilement of the clergy reserves." Inar-nuch as " settlement "
mifht mean a continuation of the status quo, or an agreement
to the demands of the clear grits and roiujcs, these amend-
ments were supported by the two latter parties, and by the con-
servatives ; and the government found itself beaten by a vote
of 42 to 29. The vote being really one of non-confidence, Mr,
Hincks promptly adjourned the house for two days, and the
iniii'.stry hurried together to discu.ss a way out of the dilemma.
The con.servatives and clear grits each held its separate caucus
the following day, and at the latter's George Brown was jubilant
as he saw the "higher game" nowalmost within his reach. At the
other meeting was no exultation; but there .sat the cool, shrevvd-
l.iiiiled Macdonald, pointing out that now since the crisis had
come, their party should move with more prudence and cau-
tion than ever. It was clear to him, he said, that no ministry
couhJ be formed, even after an appeal to the people, without
•lie coiilition of .some two of the parties. Sir Allan MacNab,
IS was his wont, became excited and talked extravagantly, but
Macdonald reminded him, that they could "allbrdnow to sit
anil see them flounder in the net." " There is no way for them
lit of it," he assured his colleagues. Meanwhile no one outs'de
of tlio.se who sat at the ministerial conclave knew what the
.'•virnment would do on Thursday next. When the day came
'.he house met at the stated hour, and members, some with
iiixious, others with curious, and not a few with gratified
laces took their seats at tlieir desks. But the .speaker had
!!iirdly taken his place when the house was startled by the
wiling of cannon ; and the conviction flashed upon unin-
lonned members that the governor was on his way to prorogue
parliament. Sir Allan MacNab jumped to his feet and
a^^ked the ministry if it was possible that the government had

\ ,'i " I

I i

:«i

172

LIFE OF Sin JOUN A. MACDONALP.

(lecidod on an imincdiato prorcf^ation. Mr. Morin said yes, liy
a siirvplo inclination of liis head. ' Tlion," leplicd the kiiiirht
ticinhlin^ with e.xciteinent, "I jnotost in the name of the op-
position a<,'ainst our beinj,' broken up in tliis niaunei . I decliuv,
on Ix'lialf of myself and niy friends, that we are quite prt'iiared
to make a respectful reply to liis excellency's speech, that \vi
arc ready to pa.s3 a bill bringing the new franchise act into op-
eration, aTul to grant the necessary supplies for the current
year." Sir Allan had no sooner sat down tlian WiUiain Lvoti
Mackenzie, almost speechless with rage, aro.se and li'ijan
an attack upon the ministry. After pouring ov.t his wrath
upon tlie government he asked permi.ssion to intrudiioe a bill
on the clergy reserves; but while insisting on having his mo-
tion put the knocking of black-ud was heard at the door,
and the sergeant-at-arms appeared before the bar coininu-
nicating the fact to Mr. Speaker. Then arose a general con-
fusion, a dozen members endeavoured to make th'uiselves
heard at once. Some members could be understood tiirough
the din to say, that black-rod must wait at the door till
the house was prepared to send him his answer. Mr. Mac-
kenzie, who hail maintained his place on the floor the while,
now sat down, and Mr. Macdonald aros>, and began to speak
with great vehemence. He declared, that of all the disgrace-
ful acts of which the government had been guilty, this last
was the worst. It was, he aflirmed, an unlawful and indecent
use of the power in their hands to prevent the public from
investigating their corrupt actions before the election. While
he was yet speaking, Mr, Mackenzie, taking the motion lie had
written, from Iub desk, walked with it to the speaker's chair.
Mr. Sherwood arose to a question of order. The messenger,
he sai(', had been admitted without the consent of the house.
Ml icdonald, who still remained standing said he stood
thei ^ to protect the liberties of the people of Canada. Here
the uproar, in the words of the newspapers of the day, became
tremendous ; Macdonald speaking at the top of his voice, but

lilli Til OF "LtJiKItA L CONSEli VA TISM."

173

bcinff quite inaudible, and the speaker stainliii^' up also as if
tosi'onk. The sense of the house, however, I icgan to return
to it, ami the " faithful commons" eventually proceeded to the
court-liouso where the legislative council held session and the
iiovornor was waiting.

Willie reading the incidents of thismcmorahlc morning many

willa.sk. But how could a dissolution be declared, since the pass-

a.'O of at least one bill through both branches of the legislatuio

was necessary to constitute a session? So queried, too, the

jpoiikcr in whose eyes now shone the light of triumpli as he

nervously lingered a slip of paper he carried in his hand. He

had sat in the chair passionless and impartial since his election,

Inittliere always burnt in his breast the desire to be revenged

on Mr. Hincks for Iiaving refused to him the attorney-gcneral-

-hip. As fc'peaker it was his duty to call attention to any

iiitrini,'enient of constitutional usage by the goveinment or the

house, and he now saw the time at hand when he could take

avenge on the premier. The governor ,",at on the vice-regal

vliair awaiting the appearance of the commons, and when the

Sjioaker reached the bar put out his hand to the secretary for

his speech. But lie hesitated and a look of astonishment came

over his face, for the Speaker had unfolded the paper with which

ills tinj:;ers had been nervously toying as ho walked over to

the court house, and in a bold tone in which one could catch the

t'.olingof subdued triumph, read: " May it please your Excel-

LtSCY, — It has been the immemorial custom of the Speaker of

thoconunons house of parliament to comnmnicate to the tlirwrie

the general result of the deliberations of the assembly upon the

principal subjects which have employed the attention of j)arlia-

nient during the period of their labours. It is not now part of

My duty to address your excellency, inasmuch as there has been

no act passed or judgment of paidiament obtained. The passage

of an act through its several stages, according to the law or

custom of parliament solemnly declared applicable to ]iarliamen-

tary proceeeings by a decision of the legislative assembly of

\%i

'1^

'til 1

174

LlFh. OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

»i|

IS-tl, is liold to lie necessary in ovJer to constitute a RCHsion of
pai'liament. Tliis we luive lieen unable to accomplish, owiiv
to tlio connnand which your excellency has laid upon mo to
meet j'ou this day for the purpose of proi-ogation ; and at tli.
siune time I feel called upon to assure your excellency, on the
jtart of Jier majesty's faithful commons, that it is not froiaanv
want of I'espect to yourself oi' to the august personage whom
yon re[)resent in these pivDvinces, that no answer has been
returned by the legislative assembly to your gracious speech
from the throne."

This address was also read in the French language, and Mr.
Fennings Taylor teHs us that as his excellency listened to whiit
he regarded as an act of censure up(m his ministers and a
reprimand to himself,his countenance displayed deep displeiisuie
and annoyance. He recovered his calm, cool aspect very .suui,
howevej-, and read a brief speech announcing an immediate (.ii<-
solution of parliament.

Political affairs had now reached a puzzling state. Thoi'.
were three parties in the held, the ministerialists, led by Mr.
Hincks, the conservatives, by Sir Allan MacNab, and the clcai
grits, by Geoige Brown. No one of tliese parties could liopr
to be returned in sutHcient strength to form a govermiieiit; so
that to close observers the oidy way out of the difficulty wa«
in coalition. The choice of the con.servatives was between
joining their forces with the mijiisterialists, whom tliev werv
now savagely assailing on the liustings and through the news-
papers for corruption and incompetency, and the clear grits. To
the government no choice presented itself: they could not seek
coalition with men who ha<l told upon trumpets that they were
"' steeped to the very lips in infamy," nor could they on theothir
hand submit themselves to the intolerable tyranny which Mr.
Brown had set up in his newspaper ; so they went to the polls in
a sort of sullen despair. The most jubilant politician at that
election was George Brown, for he believed that the hourot
office was at hand. He was led away by the delusion that

BIRTH OF " LIBERAL. CONSERVATISM."

176

either one of the otlier two parties in the fiekl would readily
join its forces with his own ; but he did not see himself as
others saw hiin. At the very time tliat he went about among his
lollott'ors in a storm of jubilation, telling them that their day was
coMiini,', both of the partios, cither of whom he thought would
coalesce with him on the hint, were pondering liow they could
jet into oihce wirhout making such a compact. Faimy Squeers
mipposed Nicholas Nickleby smitten of her because he talked with.
licr ovei- the tea; and she went abroad to announce an "engage-
ment," foi'getting that it takes two parties to a contract. Much
like Fiinny Squeers was George Brown at this election. He
was doubtful whether ^Ir. Hincks ccald be bullied or libelled
into submission to his will, and so concluded to ally himself with
the coaservatives. To the astonishment of the latter party and
everybody else he began to coquet ■ss'ith Ids ancient enemies
liiivately,and to support them in the Globe. Like Fanny Squeers,
he did not deem two parties to the engagement necessary.
Because he was willing to form a compact witli the conserva-
'.ives he believed they M'ere ready to coalesce with him. Mr.
brown may have been anxious to see a secularization of the re-
serves — no doubt he was — but above all other things he desired
to get into power. Socager was he for office, and so little did
the hereditary evils of toryism count compared with the capture
yf his own " higher game," that he gave warm supjiortiii the
Qlohe and on the platform to no less conservatives than MacNab,
Macdonald and Cayley, opposing the ministerial candidates.
This portion of Mr. Brown's career Mr. Mackonzio finds the most
litlicult of all to wdutewash over. But it needs only a few
extracts from the biographer's book to show how effectually it
resisted his treatment. " That Mr. Brown ever expressed an
unqualiHed wish foi- the .success of the tories," he says on page
32, "is not oidy without foundation but so palpably absurd as
to require no contradiction." On page ')2, a contradiction comes,
and it is made by himself. He says: "Mr. Brown gave hia
support in certain cases to candidates of the conservative type

iiiUf

Ifll

11m

176

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

on the ground that thei-e was nothing to be hoped from the
ministry." We have made the italics in the last quoted i)a>ssarre,
It would not have accorded with the opinions so strongly put
foiwai'd by Mr. Mackenzie, to have it stated that Mr. Brown
supported such conservatives as Macdonald.MacNab andCayloy,
so by a suggestio falsi the writer tries to leave the iniiire.ssion
that support was given only to some indifferent politicians wlw
really might, — and this was a generous admission on the part of
the writer ! — be regarded of the " conservative type." Keep still
in mind who were the " candidates of the conservative type,"
and then turn to the next page of Mr. Mackenzie's book : " The
new government was savagely assailed by the Globe. No one
could expect that a government in which the names of J. A-
Macdunald, Sir Allan MacNab and Mr. Cayley appoan.'d, couM
be other than hostile to the determined demands of the Uppir
Canadian people ! " We are not dealing with Mr. Mackenzie as
an historical writer now : that is out of the question ; but we
are merely showing how unskilled he is, after all his attempts,
in the use of whitewash. Were we to show the value of his
statements as an impartial historian, we would merely quote
from the page preceding that containing the extract just given;
" Mr. Hincks was entitled to the discredit of forming a new
combination with the tories." In view of Mr. Brown's attempt
and failure to form " a new combination with the tories," the
discredit of having succeeded in doing so fell to Francis Hincks?
That is it we suppose. Mr. Mackenzie also forgets that Mr.
Hincks waived his personal claims, and that Robert Baldwin
wrote from his quiet retreat at Spadina strongly endorsing
the coalition and the course of Mr. Hincks.

Parliament was summoned for the oth of September. For
days before the opening intense excitement in political circle.?
pravailed at the capital ; and sevei-al caucuses were held, some
by each party alone, and others by the consei'vatives and ckiir
grits together. The plan agreed on by the latter was, that liotli
should unite to defeat the government. For the speakersliip

—rp. 1

," the

hcks !

it Mr.

Idwin

jrsmg

For
kirctfes

both

BIUTII OF ''LIIIERAL.CONSERVATISM."

177

there were three candiJatos, George E. Cartier, put forward by
the ministry; John Saiidfielu Macilonald, by the clear grits, and
Mr. Sicotte, by the Lower Canada position. When the gover-
nor-general had withdrawn, after saluting the new parliament,
the clerk of the Assembly took the chair. The three candidates
were then named, and after soiiie hot discussion on the merits
and claims of each, the clerk put the question, Shall Mr. Cartier
he speaker ? In reply, G2 said nay, and 59 yea. Mr. Sicotte
was proposed next, when the clerk told the yeas to rise ; but
only a comparative few stood up. Jt was plain to the house
that the speakership was to fall to John Sandfield Macdonald.
But there sat on a ministerial bench a member who, with all his
tire and feeling knew how to be cool, and he resolved that the
man who had read the rebuke to the government at the close of
the last parliament should not grace the Speaker's chair. The
lierk counted Mr. Sicotte's sui)porters, and was about to call
for the nays, Avhen Mr. Hincks, with flashing eye, sprang to
his feet. "Put me with the yeas," he said, and immediately
tlie entire body of his followers also stood up. Mr. Sicotte
was declared elected. When the buzz wtvs over, Mr. Macdonald.
the defeated candidate, half hissed a " thank you " acro.ss the
house to the premier, and the latter answered, him with an
ironical bow.

The vote showed that the ministry did not possess the con-
tiilence of the house, yet, Mr. Hincks argued, as tl 3 vote had
not been taken ou a question of non-confidence, he need not
mvm till some other sign had been made. On the following:
ilay the governor-general came down and delivered his speech
from the throne. Seveial impoitant measures were promised,
hut nothing that ink and pen could put on paper would have
laved the ministry. The latter now saw that there was noth-
Ji;,' to be gained by postponing the evil day, and on Friday,
the 8th instant, resigned. From the mass of political tin)ber
now atloat, the governor-general set about to select some one
to form a ministry, and his choice fell upon Sir Allan MacNab.

178

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

f.^

III.

%'y

But John A. Macdonalil's was the head that planned the course
to be pursued. Mr. Brown and one or two of liis Heutonants
were ahnost bursting with anxiety fur several hours after it
was learnt that the governor had called upon MacXab, ex-
pecting to be " waited on " and invited to enter the cabinet.
But Mr. Brown was soon to find, like P^anny Squeers, that be-
tween himself and the conservatives there was no " etiL'afre-
ment." A caucus of IMacNab's party was held, at wliich John
A. Macdonald was the most prominent figure. He pointed out
that the sentiments of the old tory party liad been now out-
grown by the province, and that the true course was tlie
medium Hue between cHete toryism and the doctrine of tlie
radicals. Alliance, he said, with the clear grits — which num-
bered about forty strong — was not to be dreamt of. Their
policy was one of impetuosity and indiscretion, and their
leader would tyrannize with liis newspaper if he could not
rule in +he cabinet. With the liberal party, which had beeome
detached from the extravagant members of the reform side, he
said, the conservatives could, without any sacrifice of princi-
ple, and with much profit to the country, unite. The secular-
ization of the clergy reserves, and the abolition of seigniorial
tenure were questions, he added, upon which the country hail
expressed itself unmistakably; and it was the duty of the
government to give eft'ect to the popular wish.

While the discussions went on, and messages passed between
Sir Allan and some of the ex-ministers, Mr. Brown's excite-
ment had grown to a very high pitch, and every one who ap-
proached him, he fancied, brought a letter from MacNab. At
last, to his utter consternation, he learnt that the conservatives
were in communication with some of the ex-ministers, and
later on, that a government had been formed, as follows

FOR CANADA WEST.

Hon. Sir Allan M.\.cNai5, President of Council and Minister

of Afjricidtwre.

lURTII OF ''LIBEliAL-COMiKliVATlSM."

17!)

Hon. John A. Macdonai.d
" Wm. Cavley

" lloHKUT SpENCE -

" JoiiN Ross

- Attorney-General.

Insppctor-Gencrid,

- Postrndstcr-Gencrul,

- Speaker Legldative Council.

FOR CANADA EAST.

Hon. a. N. Mouin -
" l. t. duummond
" p. J. 0. Chavveau
" K. p. Taciib
" J. Chabot -

Commissioner ofCroivn Lands.

Attorney-General.

Provincial Secretary.

Receiver-General.

Commissioner of Public Work's.

Tliis was the fauious MacNab-Moiin govorniuent, the tii.st
liberal-conservative ministry formed in Canada, the combina-
tion in which were fused the staid and respectable liberal senti-
ment of tlie province, and the liberalized and broadened form
of conservative opinion. With this coalition disappeared from
the bi ge the historic reform party^ the apostate reformei-s or
{frits, only remaining. Strictly speaking we have no "reformers"
now ; and those Avho call themselves such are the descendants
of the baffled grits who set up a cry of rage when liln;ral and
conservative sank a few imaginaiy differences, and blen<led into
a party liberal enough to keep abreast of public opinion and
conservative enough not to run into excess.

Meanwhile George Brown's excitement had passed away, and
its we have it on the authority of Mr. Mackenzie that he was
now anxious to see the reserves secularized, it is nattn-al to
suppose that he held his peace till he learnt what the policy of
the new <'overnment was. But he did no such thinj;. In the
words of Mr. Mackenzie himself, " the new ministry was sav-
a^'ely assailed by the Globe." After parliament had met Mr. Mac-
donahl promptly introduced a measure dealing with the clergy
reserves. This act abolished all distinctions between religious
ilenoininations by providing that the proceeds arising from all
land-sales, after the deduction of ex[)en.ses, be handed over

llili

p
I
I

'h I

180

LIFE OF SiJ! JO'lX A. MACDONALD.

,., ,1

to the municipalities in proportion to population, the amount
to be applicable for ordinary municipal purposes. Another
bill was introduced abolishing feudal rights and duties in Lower
Canada, and allowing compensation to seigneurs in cases whwi
vested rights had grown up under the tenure. Since the object
of George Brown, according to the Globe and Mr. Mackenzie,
was to have a settlement of the clergy reserves made, and
since it was because of alleged dilatoriness on Mr. Hincks' part
iin settling this question that Mr. Brown seceded from the
"ministerialists, his support to a government whicl swept state-
churchism away ought to follow as a matter of course. But it diil
riot. On the contrary, the new ministry Avas still " savagely
assailed by the Globe." It was not, after all, state-churchisni
HO much that Mr. Brown cared about, though Mr. Mackenzie
does not tell us so, but his failure to capture the " higher game."
There was som"^ astonishment among the fossil torios at the
stand taken by the new ministry ; and John Hillyard Cameron,
John W. Gamble and Edmund Turner were utterly scandalized
and withdrew their august support. Some of the newspapers
of the conservative side expressed regret, and others wonder.
The Belleville Intellic/encer said : " Who would have fancied
that the knight of Dundurn and the Hon. Mr. Cayley would
ever have surrendered their principles on the clergy reservr
([uestion. That the Hon. John A. Macdonald should have done
so, does not astonish us, because we have long known his views
upon this question, and that they had undergone considerable
change, so far as its settlement would tend to allay the un-
natural excitement which has so long agitated the country,
Well, these men are to compose the ministry, with the French
members, who were part and parcel of the Hincks' administra-
tion. So that the changes are confined to the upper part of the
province, exclusively."

In the legislature the new ministry were subjected to some
scathinrj criticism, and some of those who had not learnt to
appreciate the force of the Duke of Wellington's maxim, that

BIliTlI OF ''LIRERAL-CONSERVATISM:'

181

"tlie Queen's government must go on," loaded conservativo
ministers with reproach for sitting in the same cabinet witli
men whom they had so hitely denounced. Mr. Macdonald, of
Glonyariy, said, among otlier tilings, in a very long and windy
<[uH'cli : " Well, the house met after an adjournment of a year,
and amendments to the address hostile to the a<lministration
were adopted. Charges of a very serious nature were brought
against the administration. The honourable member for King-
ston (Mr. Macdonald), who had now gone over to the other side,
ami was to be the administration leader, stood up in liis place
in this house and declared that the administration then in
power were 'steeped in infamy to their very lips,' and that they
were ' tainted with corruption collectively and individually,
liotli in their public and private characters.' And yet within
tiiree months after, they found the gentleman who made use of
that language, almost unparalleled in the aimals of parliament,
amalgamating with the administration which he had thus de-
nounced ! Could anything have happened which would have
taken the people more by surprise ? "

The Globe in a calm mood made an estimate of the new min-
istry, and said of Mr. John A. MacdonaUl : "Then we have
-Mr. attorney -general Macdonald, the only man of any working
qualities in the government, the only one who can make a set
fpeech in the house, the man who must be the leader in the
assembly. Has Mr. Macdonald ever shown any tendency to
reform principles ? Was he not one of the most active mem-
bers of the Metcalfe cabinet, the opponent of responsible
government ? Is he not known to hold the highest conserva-
tive views ? "

This was the same " Mr. Macdonald " whom the Gloht had
supported when it saw hopes of a coalition with the tories. It
is needless also to say, that the inference we ought to dj'aw
from this statotnent, namely, that Mr. Macdonald was one of
.Metcalfe's ministers, is, like many other things published

182

LIFE OF SIR JOIIX A. MACDONAI.D.

and spoken by Mr, Brown, incorrect. Mr. Macilonald did not
enter the caljinet till after Metcalt'e had left the country.

In December, Lord Elgin, who liad lived to see the syBtcu'.
of government advocated by his father-in-law in his masterly
report* tried and proved successful, .sailed for England. His
after career was worthy of the man who so ably and foarlt3.s.sly
performed his duty in Canada in a time of perplexity and
turmoil. After performing important services in China and
Japan, and sitting for a time in Puhnerston's cabinet as post-
master-general, he was appointed to the vice-royalty of India.
While making a progress through the north-western provinces,
he was attacked with serious disease of the heart, and died
under the shallow of the Himalayas, where, at his request,
and in a spot selected by Lady Elgin, his remains were jjiid.
His successor to the governorship of Canada was Sir Edmund
Walker Head.

^t<^

Mir

CHAPTER XII.

TACIIK-MACDONALD.

niR p]I)MUND W. HEAD, was bom, in ISO,-), noar Maid-
stDiie, Kent, Eiiglaiid. Ho caino of a distinguislied and very
aneiint family wliicli liad for an ancestor Richard Head, baro-
net, in 1G7G. Ednnind was educated at Oriel college, Oxford,
where lie took a tirst-class in classics, subse(|nently obtaining
a fellowship in Mereton. Hero ho was appointed university
examiiior, and examined Lord Elgin, whom he was afterwards
to succeed as governor-general of C^anada, for a Mereton fellow-
ship. An article of his published by the Foreign Quarterly
Review, brought him to the notice of the manpiis of Lands-
ilowne — who had the honour of " bringing out" Macaulay under
almost similar circumstances — and this nobleman prevailed
upon him to study ecclesiastical law. He found, however, tliat
theology was not his proper vocation, and, like his giddy-headed
kinsman Sir Francis, entered a poor-law office as assistant-com-
iuissionor. In this department he acquitted himself with such
excellent discrimination and high abilit\', that on a change of
iiiiaistry, though the in-conung party were not of his school of
politics, he was appointed chief-connnissioner. The poor-law,
however, grew into bad odour, though the conduct of the com-
missioner was beyond reproach, and the ministiy was obliged
to reconstruct it. It was felt by the government tliat a man of
Sir Edmund's ability and high character ought to have employ-
ment; and in 1848 they appointed him to the governorship
of New Brunswick. This position he retained till 18,54, when
he was appointed governor-general of Canada. As will bo

183

n M

■ l

184

LIFE OF Slli JOHN A. MACDOJSALIK

seen by the record of Sir Ednuind's Canadian ndniinistratidn,
ho was a man of a discerning mind and wide expenonce, wlio
could not \>ii coaxed or (h'iven from tlin patli of duty. Ahovo
all his senso of honour was so keen that no consideration couM
bring liim to follow any course that was not in keeping witli
the dignity and impartiality of the position he held. We shall
see him, as we proceed, in trying places, and hear him loadtd
with repn ach for doing his duty. But the snake may crawl
upon the spotless stone and cover it with slime, still the pnritv
of the marble will outlive the defilement. Through all tliu
slander and malignant abuse heaped upon Sir Francis durini,'
the years immediately to follow, the character of the man
assailed stands forth to-day untarnished by any improper act
duiing his administration.

The health of Mr. Morin now began to fail him and he lonrreil
to be out of the hurly-burly of political life and got upon
the bench, a haven where all harassed statesmen believe " the
wicked cease from troubling and the weary are at rest." Mi.
Morin's resignation disturbed the Lower Canada portion of the
cabinet. Col. Tachd took the place of the retiring leader, Mr.
Drummond retained his old post, Francis Lemieux became com-
missioner of public works, Mr. Gauchon assumed charge of the
department of crown lands, and, a man destined to play a
prominent part in our history, George Etienne Cartier, wa.s
chosen provincial secretary. For some time past it appears Mr.
Macdouald had strongly admired Mr. Cartier, while the latter
was drawn with an irresistible force towards the attorney-gen-
eral-west. It was then began that friendship, unique in the
history of Canadian public men, between these two distinguished
statesmen; a friendship that survived through the trial and the
battle, but which, at least on the side of one, was shattered when
both stood in the noonday of their fame, and after their great-
est victories had been won.

Parliament met in February following in Quebec. In fancy
then could be heard through Canada the ringing of sabres and the

TA CHK-MA CDONA LD.

185

liooniirif,' of cannon in the Crimoa, and every "noise increased the
boat of the heij^ditcncd puMic pulse. It was annonnced, too, tliat
Grout Britain would need every available sojdiei-, and that a
portion of the troops was to be withdrawn from Canada. The
instinct of self-defence at once arose and found expression in
the g(tvernnient'.s militia bill. This measure can only be justified
intlio light of a time when 'Jie air was full of the soujids of war.
It provided for the formation of two great militia bodies, one to
be called the sedentary, the other the active. The former was
to include all the male inhabitants (jf the province between the
af'es of eighteen and sixty ; the latter all those under forty
vears. They were to muster once a year for drill ; and the
cheeks of those who drew the bill Hushed as they thought what
a force this would be to hurl against an invader. Not unreason-
ably the opposition inveighed against the measure, charging
the ministry with endeavouring to establi-sh a standing army
which they described as one of the greatest curses of a free
country. The bill passed, however, and remained in force for
about eight years. It may be called the parent of our pre.sent
militia system. The government were fiercely opi»osed by the
L'lear grits, and notably by George Brown and his lieutenants,
Williaiii Lyon Mackenzie and John Sandfield Macdonald. Mr.
Hincks rendered loyal support to his party, a lesson which
some of the grit statesmen who have been so ready in their
books to criticise the career of that gentleman would do well to
kar in mind. Mr. Hincks had been superseded not more by
conservatives than by his own party, but this did not prevent
l:is cordial support of the coalition. It is not a hundred years
ago since a certain party in Canada changed their leader, as wo
Hippose they had a perfect right to do, whereupon a personal
liostility grew up between the discarded and the newly cho,sen
head; and they have since been barely able to niaintaiu decent
appearances. If the writers of some of our Canadian books
would try to follow Mr. Hincks' example during the time undei-
Jinnission, instead of criticising where tliere is nothing to cen-

IihI'

P'HWvl'

ISO

I.IFH or Slh' JnltS A. MACUitSALD.

sure, tlify woiiM aji|i('jir tlnMiisolves, wlien tlusir ciufcrs nre
over, Ijii^'litcr ti;^iirt'.s to sufC'ot'ilin<^ book-writiTs. At'lcr tlio
session clo.scd Mr. Hiiicks went to Kn^'land, and wliilt- tlii'ii-
was appoiiitt'il to tlu' Ljovcinor.sllip of I'aihailocs ami tin- Wirnl-
ward Islani'.s.

JJinin;f the sunmuT the ((ucstiou of denominational schools
was discussed on the platfoini and througli the press witli a
jL^reat deal of vehemence. Mr. Hrown rode the protestant horse
with much ilouri.sh through the country. The greater portion
of Upper Canada was in favour of non-sectarian schools, while
the people of the lower province would not hear of " hanishiiii,'
God from the class-rooms," and insisted on separate control.
The gDvernmcnt decided on maintaining the existing systcni :
and theii- opponents .said they were bondsmen to Rome. While
every other ([uestion, after a too long bi'uiting, lost its potoncv
to stir the multitude up to tunndt, the pope and Rome never
once failed in its object. The mention of Rome was, at the
time of wbieh wcare writing, to demagogues of George Brown's
stripe — and George Brown, however many Stirling qualities lu;
may have possessed, was the ai'ch type of a demagogue — what
dynamite is now to the Russian nihilist and a wing of the Irisli
agitators.

Parliament opened at Toronto in February. During the
debate on the address Mr. Brown made a slashing assault upon
the government, charging ministers wth infidelity to pledges,
and disregard for tliB will of the people. On the night of Tues-
day the 2Gth of February, some ministerialists remarked tliat
the criticism of Mr. Brown might be correct and proper, but
they doubted the judiciousness of such censorship by one who
had coquetted with conservatives and supported their loaders
at the late election, witii a view to forming a coalition with
their forces. John A. Macdonald, upon whom Mr. Brown hal
showered some indiscreet speech, sat at his desk smiling, and
when an opportunity occurred arose to add his testimony to
the remarks of the preceding speakers. In a half i)hi}ful, yet

y\rm

!i:ij:'>i

TACIlt:-M.*Cl)OSALl).

187

lialf hittoi- way, lio called attention to tho diflerenco between
(leur;,'u Blown hopeful and (it'oiifi; Hiown disapiHiintiMl, But
iKitwitli.stamlii.i,' tliat Mr. Brown had at first suppoited th(3 ro-
t(irint;rs and then dcsurtt'd them; ami that \u\ ridiculed the clear
,'iitH i'urforsakinjL,' their party, and afterwards Itecanie the leader
lit" the cleai- <,'rits himself; and though he tried to ally himself
with the conservatives, and savagely attacked the reformers for
^llcceL'dirlg where he had failed ; yea, though ho had, as wo have
already stated, supported MacNah, Mardonald and Cayley
lieforo the election, and ferociously assailed them aftisr the elec-
tion, beoauso they would not eoalesee with him, and after they
hail aliolished state churchism — the thing for which he said Ikj
lia4 been chiefly contending — notwithstanding, we say, all this,
jf all the sins in the political calendar tho most hatefid in his
eyes Wiis inconsistency. He rcse treud)ling with excitement, and
poured out a stream of invective on the government, taunting
ihem with corruption, incompetency and dishonour; and with
infidelity to their pledges and the people's trust. Onro again
temper got the better of the cool attorney-general west. Ho
was observed to tremble and grow white at his seat, while Mr.
Brown went on ; and as the latter gentleman took his seat liko
asul)si(led volcano, Mr. Macdonald jumped up. It was some
time before he could articuhvte distinctly, but when his voico
.'!• w clear and his nerves steady, there was no effort needed
to catch his meaning. He accused Mr. Brown of having, while
acting as secretary to a commission ii[»pointed some years be-
t'oie to investigate abuses said to exist in tho management of
the provincial penitentiary at Kingston, falsified testimony,
^iiboined convict witnesses, and obtained the paiJon of niur-
lerors in order to induce them to give false evidence. Such
appalling charges coming from a minister of the government
Wwildered several members of the house, but others remem-
tiered that Mr. Macdonald hail made similar charges years
before, and believed that he had strong warrant for reiterating
ti:em now. In making these charges Mr. Macdonald is open to

111

t >

5 ;,i;

188

LIFE OF iSIIi JOHN A. MACJJONALD.

censure, not indeed for having, as Mr. Mackenzie nieanl}. alloi'es
in his book, preferred thein knowing the same to be false, and
under the belief that a certain document which alone coulij
exonerate Mr. Brown, liad been burnt at the Montreal tjre; but
in allowing an opponent to provoke him into gravely making
charges that had been sut)stantiated only by rumour. From
all that can be gathered he did not assert the wrong-doing a,s
having come within his personal knowledge, but repeated the
charges in language of burning passion, and in the words
employed by the lips of rumour. After Mr. Macdonidd had
taken his seat, Mv. Brown arose shivering with rage. Ho re-
pelled the charge in fierce words, said he had taken down tli;,'
attorney -general's statements, and would hold him responsiblu
for them. The house was too much e.Kcited to proceed with
othijr work, and the scene in the legislature was the topic for
knots of persons in the street after adjournment. On the
following day, Mr. Brown moved for a committee of enquiry
and during the discussion Mr, Maedonald expressed his regret
at the occurrence of the previous day, but niaiiAiiined that he
had stroma reasons then, and still, for believinj' that the charia's
he had preferred against the honourable member for Lanibtoii
were not wdthout foundation ; though, ho repeated, he liad not
spoken from personal knowledge. The committee bronght in
a report which neither convicted nor exonerated Mr. Brown,
and the house passed a motion setting forth that : "Attorney-
general Maedonald api)ears to have acted under a firm convic-
tion of the truth of the charges made against Mr. Brown, and
to have been justified in doing so by all the evidence within his
reach." Mr. Mackenzie displays a great deal of malice in writing
about this event, and endeavours to show that not only Mr,
Brown's followers, but leading members of the government,
reprobated the conduct of Mr. Maedonald. " It was remark-
able " he says, " that one of Mr. Macdonald's colleagues, attorney-
general Driunmond, was candid enough to declare that there was
no evidence criminatinij Mr. Brown. Sir Allan MaoNab and

TA CHE-MA CD ON A LD.

18U

other conservatives took similar ground and boldly stated their
views." The truth of the matter is, both Sir Allan MacNab
anil Mr. Drummond were at this time hostile to Mr. Macdonald,
and would lose no plausible opportunity to discredit him before
the house. Sir Allan knew that the de.sire of all the cabinet
members, save one or two, was to sec Macdonald occupy tho
ttieinier's seat ; while Mr. Drummond had ambitions of his own,
but saw that Macdonald was preferred before himself. Some
time afterwards, when MacNab was forced out, and Col. Tach(j
tailed in his place, the question of leadership in tho assembly
arose between Macdonald and Drummond, and because the
former was chosen the latter withdrew from the cabinet in high
dudgeon.

Another of Mr. Macdonald's quarrels during this session is
worth recording. On a motion regarding the seat of govern-
ment,Col. Rankin, who possu.ssed an exas[)erating tongue, seemed
Jisjiosed to create some tumult. About this time, stories of
(ILsseutions in the cabinet were on everybody's lip, and it was
'.veil understood that the government was sick of Sir Allan,
and trying to be rid of him. As Col. Rankin proceeded with
his speech it was evident that he was inspired by public rumour,
and endeavouring to make his remarks as oflfensive as possible.
He could not understand the course the government had pur-
sued in the seat of government matter, he said. " If there was
any point on which they ought to agree, he tliought this ought
to be one, and their not being able to take any decided course
showed that they were unfit to hold ofhce any longer. He was
well aware that the tone of the remarks he was now makinsf
was not consistent with the manner in which he had spoken of
the ministry on some former occasions, but it would be remem-
bered that he had always maintained an independent position,
and had never allowed himself to be described as a follower of
t...3 government; and though he had supported some of their
measures, he never regarded them as men of a high order of
talent: while anything of a complimentary nature whicdi he

,i,it-, „ ,

190

LIFE OF SIK JO JIN A. MACDOKALD.

had said about thom was well known to have been saiil in irony,
He would still supj)ort.such measures as he approved of rerrard-
less of the quarter whence they emanated. In lookin'f at the
conduct of the government lately, he could not hefi^ thiiikin"
of a certain exhibition in Trafalgar Square, called the ' liappv
family,' which consisted of a collection of animals naturally
the most hostile to each other, but which had Ijcen taught to
appear before the public as the most harmonious in the world.
But one could not help feeli ig that when the public eve wa.-
otFthem they would indulge in scratches and bi s ; and \v;
thought the ministry were somewhat in the same )sition;for
notwithstanding their professions of perfect harmony, no great
question come up on which they had not some differencij of
opinion ; and he had no doubt that in private, like the happv
family, they indulged in some of those contests of which tlic
liouse sometimes saw the symi)toms." He was proceeding with
some general reflections in the same tone, on the conduct of
ministers, when he was called to order by the speaker. He then
said that a more fitting opportunity would probably occur before
long, to discuss the merits of the ministry, and of that he would
not fail to avail himself. He "^lien moved that Toronto is a
most desirable place at which to establish the permanent seat
of government in Canada.

When Col. Rankin ceased, Mr. John A. Madonald arose. He
lidiculed the remai'ks of the colonel who, he said, had been des-
cribing hapiw families and like exhibitions, with such wit and
gusto as would lead people to imagine that he must have been
a showman himself; but he had not said anything of various
other exhibitions that had been seen in Loudon, such as Ojib-
beway Indians." He confessed, also, that he had gone so iara-^
to compliment the government; but that had only been done in
irony, and probably the motion he had just made was in irony
too. He could not believe, however, that the hon. member was
cjuite so bad as he had represented himself to be, and he thought
that the remark must have been an after- thought, for the hon.

TA CHE-MA CDOXA LD.

I'JJ

(Teiitlcman could never have been so insincer as to have voteu

on many occasions with the majority of the house contrary to his
own convictions. These and other remarks wliich the newspaper
reporters did not catch exasperated the colonel, and on attorney-
jeneral Macdonald taking his seat the former arose again and
said ho understood the attorney-general-west to allude to the
exhibition of Ojibbeway Indians ; but that was a respectable
i'.ffair compared with the exhibition of ravenous animals to
wliich he had compared the ministry ; for it was well known
tliat they were all plotting and counter-ph»tting against each
other. He had previously believed the ministry to bo possessed
of the feelings of men of honour, but he found that there was
among that ministry one person whom he could never regard
with any fooling but that of unmitigated contempt. lie never
could regard with any other feeling any person who was guilty
of a violation of truth. There was a person in the ministry
wliose cf)nduct he could not describe in any language that
would not be unparliamentary. The individual to v/lioiu he
alluded was the attorney-general-west.

When the speaker had proceeded thus far an uproar arose
tlnough the chamber, and the cries of order ! order ! alone
wtie distinguished above the din. In the midst of the tumult
the clock struck six and the house arose, \f\n\Q the personal
friends of the belligerent members surrounded each to prevent
a collision. After the spe^aker taking his place at nearly eight
o'clock, he rose and said he thought it to be his duty to call the
attention of the house to the possibility of a collision taking
place between the two hon. members who were engaged in
controversy when he left the chair ; and he thought, in order
to prevent anything unpleasant taking place, that both gentle-
men should be put under the custody of the sergeant-at-arms.

Mr, Cliisholm said, if the language used by the hon. member
f)r Essex, before the house adjourned, was to be permitted 'bn
the floor of that house, collisions would take place frequently,
and he thought it right to call upon the hon. member ofionding

192

LIFE OF t<II! JOHN A. MACDONALD.

to retract tliose words; else they ought to be taken down
Neither of the hon. moiiiber.s whs now present, and it Wanw
the house to vindicate its own privilege, and to send for the
belhgerents and place tliem in the custody of the sergoant-at-
arins. The interval which had elapsed between the adjourn-
ment and now, should have led the hon. member for Essex to
have retracted.

Mr. Murney deemed it riglit for any hon. member in the
opposition to state what he pleased, in a political way, to the
hon. gentleman on the other side, and to do as the hon. member
for Essex (Rankin) had fairly done. How had that hon. mem-
ber been met? Why in a spirit of ridicule, and with the deter-
mination of insvilting him.

The Speaker said it was not right to increase the pain of the
house by such remarks. He himsidf had not acted very promptly
ill calling the attorney-general to order when he addressed the
house, because he thought that tlie hon. gentleman did not go
beyond wliat he (the speaker) thought was parliamentary Ian-
fuaf^e. To prevent further dilficulty he must bo^ of the hon.
member for Essex to retrai-t the words he used.

Mr. Murney thought it to have ]»een the desire of the attorney-
"•eneral to insult the hon. member for Essex personally. He
had listened with great pain to the speech of the hon. attorney-
general- west, but he claimed for himself the right to say in tliat
house all he wished with respect to the hon. gentlemen oppo-
site, as to their political acts, and he dared their right to oppose
this.

The Speaker said, if the house were to go on with this con-
troversy, more trouble would ensue. He would propose a plan
which would impute the fault to neither of the hon. gentlemen.
namely, that they should both bo placed under the custody of
tho sergoant-at-arms — (hear, hear, and sensation) — when, prob-
ably, the house would be in a better position to judge of their
conduct, and it could adjudicate upon it. That would be the
better way, without now discussing which was in the riglit iin 1

TA CIIE-MA CDOKALD.

103

wliicli was in the wron;,'. Mr. Macilonald cainc into the house
after tlie discussion had been some time in i)ro;:fress, and very
coolly otTered arlvice to the Speaker as to what lie ouglit to do
witli respect to the " two hon. gentlemen." Many members
shook their heads and said that it would not pass away so quietly
as this, antl believed *^liat the affair would end in a rencontre
at ten pacos. But in the words of Bui-ke, " the age of chivalry
hail gone ; that of sophisters, economists, and cahnilatoi-s had
succeeded," and Messrs. Rankin and Macdonald fired no sholvS
and had no " meeting."

It was now generally known that the rumours which Col.
Rankin had repeated in the house, in such an oflensive manner,
were not without some foundation. Members of the cabinet
did not try to conceal their desire to be riil of Sir Allan Mac-
Xab and to have a " younger and more capable member " of
the council in his place. The younger and more capable mem-
1 i;r, we need not say, was John A. Macdonald, and though
the conspiracy formed for the overthrow of Sir Allan was the
spontaneous action of the greater number of ministers, we need
not doubt that Mr. Macdonald himself had ambition to become
the leader. He had sat cahnly in the house through several
sessions while the conservative party gradually went to pieces
through lack of capable leadership, and seldom made a sign of
iiiiliatiencc. He sat unbowed while the reform party towered
above their opponents in numbers and prestige; saw that party
pass away like the pageant in the Tempest isle ; saw the conser-
vatives come again to power, and, now, th^'ough inferior leader-
ship, show a tendency to a second fall. He met the recalcitrant
ministers at one of their " conspiracy gatherings," as Sir Allan
[ia>>iuiiately described the meetings. He was informed that
his colleagues desired that he should become their leader, that
doom awaited the government if Sir Allan remained at its head,
and that the duty of the party's well-wishers was now to get
rid of the i)remier, Kr. Macdonald is understood to have placed
Uu.self in the hands of his colleagues and to promise to assist

■' ,1 f.

104

LIFE OF Sin JOHN A. MACVONALD.

in doing whatever tlioy lielieved to ]>o for the welfare of the
government. Sir Allan at this time was a victim to gout, and
was fre(juently unahle to attend tlie meetings of council. It
came to his ears that the ministry liad resolved at a caucus to
])ut Mr. Macdonald in hi.s place, and his anger knew no bounds.
"When the jtaroxysm of his disease was over, he reviewed the
condition of affairs, and found, with some exultfition, that he was
master of the situation. He was premier he told his friunds,
indeed hlurted it out publicly, not by the suffrage of hU con-
spirator colleagues,but of that of the governor. He even fancied
that he might be able to dispense with the cal)al altogether,
and rally around him other men who woidd have sutHcient fol-
lowing in the house to sustain the ministry. Presently the
newspapers began to o])en fire upon him, telling him that he
was a log in the path of progress, that he had been a gooil man
in his time, but that his day was past ; and urging him not to
sully a fiiirly respectable career by becoming a nuisance at the
end of his life. Aicainst such a defection as this the old man
was not proof, and he shed bitter tears as he resolved to otiera
compromise. It was sutKcient humiliation he felt to be forced
out of the leadership, but it was intolerable that the man he
regarded as the arch conspirator should succeed to his place,
He met the ministers and informed them that he had made up
his mind to resign; but on the condition that Mr, John Hillyard
Cameron should succeed him. Mr. Cameron was an inditl'tHeiit
figure compared with the gentleman of the cabinet's choice, but
he was not at all conscious of inferiority, and pressed himself
forward with much earnestness. Althoui^h the ministry was
now in a critical condition and sta^f'ered under the assaults of
the opposition, its meml)ers resolved not to accept Sir Allan'.^
offer. They could a fiord to wait till a change came, they said,
which would not be long. It came sooner than they expected,
On the l7th day of October, the previous year, Bobert Cor-
rigan, a protestant, while attending a cattle show in the parish
of St. Sylvestre, Quebec, had been attacked and brutally mur-

TA CHE-MA CDONA LD.

195

(leietl by aj^ang of Roman Catholic Irislimen. In tlie following
spring suvuii of the assailants were trieil for the nnirdor iu •
(^tucliLC; but in spite of the ])lainest and most oveiwholniing
testiuiony, they were declared " not guilty," When the verdict
became known a cry of indignation was raised through the
piotostant community of Canada; and it did not tend to allay
the feeling when it was learnt that the jury trying Kelly andi
his fellow murderers was virtually packed, being composed;'
exclusively of Roman Catholics, and that judge Duval, who
presided, was also a Roman Catholic. When any great public
wrong has been done, it eventually cries out from the parlia-
ment for redress. On Friday, the 7th of March, Mr. John
llillyard Cameron, who since his rtgection by the anti-Mac-
Xab ministers was not particular whether he embarrassed the
government or not, moved an address to the governor for the
production of a copy of judge Duval's charge to the jury. This
address the motion affirmed, — and coming from a criminal
lawver of Mr. Cameron's standin<' the asseveration startled the
house — " contained statements which could hardly have been
made by any man who had anything like a fair accjuaintauce
with the manner in which the criminal law ought to be ad-
ministered." The government was in a sore pliglit. They dared
not commit themselves to any measure that cast an im[)utation
on judge Duval's character, for the French Canadians made
the judge's cause their own ; while upon the other hand nearly
every Upi)er-Canada member in the assembly demanded that
the matter should be sifted to the bottom. On the night of the
lUth, after three days' stormy debate, tlie motion was put and
c.n'ried against the government by a vote of forty-eight to forty.
Attorney-general Drummond hurriedly arose ami moved an
iiJjourument of the house.

On the following day ministers asked permission for a further
adjournment of two days, and meanwhile endeavoured to bring
together their sundered forces. During the term of grace they
decided to present the adilress to the govei'nor. and to subse-

jiit

196

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

ikil'l

«i( ;

il!

.. . I

Il . i..:ii.

quently have a fiiiiully member move a want of confidence in
the ministry. Though conservatives as well as refoi-moi-s would
have the disgraceful miscarriage of justice in Quebec investi-
gated at mueh puhlic sacrifice, they were not willing that the
liberal-conservative ministry shoultl give place to clear-gritism
and newspaper tyranny ; and when the motion of non-couti-
dence was put they sustained the govei-nment. It is scarcely
jiecessary to add that the governor did not produce judije
Duval's address, for the good reason that it was not in his pos-
eession, and could not even be assumed to exist; while, if it
did exist, he had not the power to compel its production.

The government, howevei", was shattered by the adverse vote
on the Corrigan matter; and while yet engaged in healing the
breaches, hon. John Ross resigned the speakership of the legi>.
lative council. This action was dictated by the attitude of tl»;
reform members in the cabinet, who pointed out to him that
since the secularization of the clergy reserves had been accom-
plished the purposes of the coalition no longer existed, and that
they were not willing to form a permanent concordat with a
party at whose head was Sir Allan JMacNab. Colonel Tache
took Mr. Ross's place, and Mr. J. C. Morrison, through tlie
influence of Mr. JMacdonald, was admitted into the cabinet.
At a later day the enem}'^ would say the sweet tongued siren
lured Mr. Morrison thither. It was hoped that this accession
would restore the equilibrium between the reform and conser-
vative elements of the ministry. The step was endorsed by
Mr. Morrison's constituents in Niagara, but was regarded by nu
small portion of his party for years afterwards as a betrayal of
trust. The accession, however, added little strength to the
cabinet. It h .d no effect indeed save to discredit the new coun-
cillor before his party, and to satisfy a friendship.

Some days later, Mr. John Sandfieid Macdonald, who when
a storm was to be raised, was always ready to take the part of
Ariel, brought in a motion respecting the scat of government,
and providing for the abolition of the perambulating system.

TA CHE-MA CD NA LD.

t97^

" Out of evil Providence sonetimes brings good," attorncy-
ceiieral Miicdonald said wlien "Jolin Sandtield " brought in hi.s
motion. Quebec was tlien chosen as tlie peruianent capital, and
the house was aslced to grant a sum of £.")(),000 to erect legisla-
tive buildings there. To this latter proposal George Brown and
liis grits oHered fierce opposition, but the amendments they
oribred were declared out of onler by the chair. " Make a
direct non-confidenee vote " said attorney-general Jlacdonald,
"if you are debarred by the rules of the house from getting
the sense of parliament." He would be a superficial man who
supposed that a fit of generosity to Brown and his followers
dictated this advice. The suggestion was adopted, ^Ir. Ilolton
moving that the course of the ministry on the seat of govern-
ment and other important questions disappointed the expecta-
tions of a majority of the people. The motion was defeated
by a vote of .seventy to forty-seven ; but an analysis showed
thirty-three Upper Canada members to be among the minority,
and only twenty -seven with the majority. For the first time
the " double majority " principle was now adopted. It was
contended that on a question affecting each division so dis-
tinctly as did this, the Upper Canada section of the ministry
would be faithless to their trust did they retain office while
supported only by a minority of members from their own part
of the province. So the Upper Canada division of the gov-
ernment, despite the pi'Otestations of Sir Allan, who was " tor-
tured at every joint," decided to resign. It now seemed as
if Providence were about to brinjj ffood to the government out
of the evil. While the albatross hung about the nock of the
Ancient Mariner, there was naught but woe for the unfor-
tunate man, but when the disastrous bird drop[)ed off the curse
departed. Sir Allan had long been the albatross about the
1,'overnment's neck, and " worked 'em woe," but on the 21st of
May he informed the governor-general from the midst of his
dannels, that while " not recognising a sectional majority as a
sufficient reason |^for a change of government," no alternative

108

UFK OF bin JOHN A. MACVONA/J).

but resij^nation was opon to liiniself and his colloii^iics fiom
Upper Canada. Thus thi; all>atro.ss dropped ofl", and tlir ifov-
ennnent was saveil. A dariii^^ way to seek ruhhincn of un
inculius; but the nwin who phmneil it saw his conrsc far iM't'oic
him, and was not mistaken. Men are soiiietiiiics masters ni
their lato Cassius tolls Brutus, and Mr. Maedonald liad steadilv
clindjed the ladiler, never failinjj; in Ids purpose, till, at last, wt;
lind luni upon tlie round whither lie had as|)ired. We do not
believe the superstitiou.s dame who tells us that this one who
has attained fame and that one fortune are " lucky;" the fault i,s
never with our stars but with ourselves that wo do not succued;
and that " chance," throut:!! which tliey tell us .some ;j;iun ,i,dury
iind others power, is not chance at all, but "direction which we
cannot see." Tho -overnor-general called upon colonel Taclid,
president of the legislative council, he being the senior mcin-
ber of the government, to lead the ministry, but Mr. MacdtjuaM
took the reins in the assembly and was virtually tho ruling
spirit in every department. ^Mr. Drummond, attorney-geneial-
cast, tlie gontloman whom Mr. Mackenzie brings in judgiiieiit
against ]\lacdonald, had ambition to load in the assembly anil
pressed his claims with much persistency ; but the cabinet was
not likely to turn from indiscreet impetuosity to respoctable
mediocrity, and therefore did not entertain Mr. Di'ummoiid's
proposals at all. "Well, then, I shall not sit in the cabinet,"
he said. " And you may go," they replietl. He did go, believ-
ing that the fabric would fall wdien such a pillar as he had
withdrawn its suppoit. Mr. Cartier, the late provincial secre-
tary, became attornoy-goneial-east in the place of Mr. Uruiii-
mond ; Mr. Philip Vankoughnet, one of the most thiiviiig
lawyers at the bar, and a close personal friend of Air. J(jhn A.
Macdonald's, took Sir Allan MacNa})'s place as president of the
council, and Mr. Timothy Lee Tenill succeeded Mr. Cartier as
provincial seci'otary.

Two days after tlie lesignation Sir Allan ^vas borne into the
house, swathed in flannel, by two .serving men. The rumour

TA Oil f: MA CD NA L D.

109

liavinif gone al)roa<l that tho kni;^lit'.s ire against Mr. John A.
Manluniild WW very strong, curiosity was on tij)-too, and
iiicinlicrs wlio appreciate "scenes" looked anxiously for tho
arrival of Mr. Macilonald and his colleagues, in whoso absence
thev did not suppose tho explanations proper to tho ooeasion,
with the iinticipati'd extra, would be made. Hut the attorney-
1,'uiieral-west and his colleiigu(!s judiciously remained away
1111(1 Sir Allan, mutlled in ilannels, and seated in his invalid
chair, addressed the house. As his colleagues had chosen to
absent themselves, ho did not deem it proper to make the ex-
lijanations he had to ofi'er. Tho .state of his health, he .said, had
prevented him from discharging his duty as he would wish,
(luring the .session. " I have boon a member of this house " ho
went on, "twenty-six years, and during all that period I have
not been so long absent as during this session. I think tho
people of this country will receive that from a man of my ago
as sufficient excuse." He would be ready, he assured the house
to meet the ministers on the following Monday to make eer-
taiu becoming statements, and he would appeal to tho people
for a verdict on the course he had taken. " If I am supported
by their voice," he atlded with much emotion, " I shall feel that
I am right. If condcnuied, I am ready to retire into pi'ivato
life, — and perhaps I am now fit for little else." There is some-
thing touehingin the spectacle of an old man bowed with time
and pain, telling those gathei-ed around him, some full (.)f high
hopes as he once had boon, that the autumn of his days has
come, and that he looks now to the falling of the leaf. At .s'.'ch
a moment with the grave dimly seen in the background, we can
afford to drop the party questions that divide us during our
brief sojourn upon the mtu'tal sta;;e and moralize on the in-
stability of human things. There was many a moist eye as
this old man, who, with all his defects of character, was frank
and generous to a fault, told the assenibbjd monikers that ho
hail been thrown aside — let us add in the niurderous strugijlo
for the survival of the fittest — by younger men, and. that, per-

I Ti

2(K)

LIFK OF SJIi JOHN A. MACDONALU.

liaps, he was no I<)iij.;or useful and only Ht to dio. It is not, how-
<!vor, that wo buliuvo a catastiopho hiul conic upon Sir Allan
which was not meet and just ; indeed we can allow our tears to
tluw as Maclieth, the tiend and victim of a inorliid anddtion, paces
the stage and wo liear him wail, " I have lived hmg fnoiifh
my way of life has fallen into the sear and yellow leaf." Tiiere
was genuine sorrow as Sir Allan hade a long farewell to the
men among wliom for so many years he had heen a proiniiicnt
tigure. But turning aside from the humanity that liids us weep
when the tree in the fulness of time falls, and the petal drops
that is never to bloom again, we find ourselves in a worM
where tears and sentiment will not satisfy the demands of duty;
where tlie fittest survives, and justly so, and the incompetent
gives way to the capable.

One of the most important acts of the session was the
measure respecting the legislative eouncil. It was pnnided
that councillors already apj)ointed should hold their seats for
life (it is piobable their positions were regarded as vested
rights, though should a merchant or a railway "boss" believe
his staff too large he would not allow scruples about " vested
lights " to trouble his conscience when discharging such assist-
ance as he did not need) ; but that every future member should
be elected by the people, and for a term of eight years. The
province, for the purposes of the act, was divided into forty-
eight electoral divisions ; and the elections were to lie hekl
biennially, twelve members to be chosen at each contest.

Two months before a joyful thrill had run through the civi-
lized world as it was learnt that a treaty of i)eace had been
signed at Paris by the powers. With all the fame and vict(jry-
trophies of the war, it had an appalling summing up. Not le&s
than twenty thousand Englishmen who went out to meet the
enemy, returned no more. About a sixth of these fell in battle
or died of their wounds. Cholera and other diseases enijeiulorod
by a climate against which the British soldier was not proof.reii-
dered a grim return of the rest. En-dand and France thou'^ht

HI ..J : .iji ll :!

TA CIIE-MA CnoXA LD.

801

not of the loss of sixty thou.snnJ IIvoh, \n\i \n.\v^ with tlio tanio
of tlif alliotl aiinics. Instances of horoi.sin had Iteen shown )iy
British tnjops that ;^favo tho actors a place Vicsido tho heroes in
iiiicient le^a-nd whoso valour had tilled the worlil with wonder
for more than two thousand years. Many a CVnadian tiushed
with pride as he heard of the hrilliaiit and successful darinj; of
our troops at Alum; many a one compared the untlinchin^'
bravery of Fenwick Williams at Kars, the nohle if fatal courage
of tho six hundred horsemen who "rode into the valley of
'loath," to the deeds of the Spartan at Thermopyhe, and of
Horatius at the bridge. The ti'eaty of peace was sij^iied on the
30th of March. One of the articles provided as follows : " The
Black Sea is neutralized ; its waters and its ports, thrown open
to the mercantile marine of every nation, aie fcn-mally and in
perpetuity interdicted to tho llaj^ of war either of the powers
possessing its coast or any other power." There was an excep-
tion by which each power reserved the right of maintaining a
force of small armed vessels in the Black Sea to do the duty of
a maritime police, and protect the coasts. The navigation of
the Danube was thrown open, ami the rule was confirmed pro-
hibiting ships of war from i)assing the straits while the Porte
was at peace, during which the Sultan undertook to refuse
>ucli vessels admission into the Uospliorus or tho Dardanelles.
Hiich were among the most important stipulations of the treaty.
Some hopeful statesmen believed that the settlement would
long endure, and the olive brancli flourish perhaps for centuries
to come. Lord Aberdeen, who had no heart in the war, pre-
dicted that the results would maintain peace in Eastern Eu-
rope for "probably twenty-five years." It was not a liad fore-
cast. Just twenty-two years later the clangor of arms was
heard there again.

■i^

CHAPTER Xril.

TIJE UOUIJLE SHUFFLE.

AS immigrntion poured into Canada in an ever-increasing
stream some public men began to speculate about a time
when population would have spread to the limits of Canada, and
the pioneer would venture forth into the vast regions held by
the Hudson Bay Company. Some began to dream of a day, not
far in the future, when a proud nation would be reared between
the rejnxblic and the Arctic Ocean ; but there lay as a bar to
the realization of the vision the gigantic monopoly by which a
private company held vast stretches of British territory in the
great, unknown North-west. Several wise newspapers and
pulilic speakers ridiculed the ardour shown about "desolate
regions of snow and muskeg, inhabited by the fox and prairie-
wolf, a few bands of Indians, and a handful of furriers and half-
breeds." The territory was said to be a dismal expanse, set
apart by providence for wild beasts, composed of sterile
wastes, and of such a climate that grain would not grow there;
while its sunnner, — a season attiicted with frosts — was too short
to mature even a small potato or a cabbage. The government,
howevei', were fully alive to the importance of getting possess-
ion of the company's territor}^, and to this end, at the sugges-
tion of attorney-general Macdonald, negotiations were opened
with the British government and the company; and chief justice
Draper went to England to represent the interests of Canada.
The house met in February. . Geoi-gc Brown and his grits
were drawn up in lii^e, refusing to be comforted by any man-
ner of legislation emanating from the ministerial mind. In this

'202

THE DOUBLE SHUFFLE.

203

state 'A feeling, hostility may be predicated of tlir-in to all
inoajures whatsoever not originating on their side <>f the house,
and we need not retail special incidents. One question, how-
ever, had grown up of late, a not engrossing question it is true
wliL'ii tir.^t discussed, yet like the little cloud, that, in the begin-
niiii::; appears upon the horizon, in regulation size, but which
grailually spreads across the heavens, breaking in storm and
wracking thunders. This question had now sulfused the public
mind and promised a harvest of trouble in the near future to
the iiiii.istry. Representation by Population was the cry thus
agitating the popular breast. It was deliated on the hustings,
and discussed with much warmth and bitterness through the
press. On the 27th of April, George Brown, who revelled in
public tumult as the petrol does in the storm, arose at his desk
holding a piece of paper in his hands from which lie read the
following motion : *' That, in the opinion of this house, the
representation of the people in parliament should be based on
population without regard to a separating line between Upper
and Lower Canada."

The motion after a hot debate was lost, but the opinion ex-
pressed during the discussion taught that the time was drawing
near when such a concession coi'^d not be refused. Mr. Brown
warmly advocated the measure in his newspaper as well as in
the house, though he was not the originator of the question,
and his impetuosity now was due i-ather to a desire to embar-
rass tlie government than to a belief that the country had yet
jutl'ered anything from the state of its repiesentation. Had
ho been a member of the coalition, as he aimed to bo, or had
hitherto given it support, we may be sure he would have been
able to maintain silence about " Rep. by Pop." as he was about
the clergy reserves till his own interests and tho.se of the gov-
ernment diverged. This, peihaps, is as proper a place as any-
where else to say that the i)rovince was no more indebted, if it
was as much, to Mr. Brown for a secularization of the reserves,
than to any one of a numljer of his contempoiaries. He con-

204

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

wi m

tinueil his alliance with a government which he knew was not
disposed to settle the question when the time was ripe for its
settlement ; when that government reconstructed, and i'morej
tiim, he went to the hustings declaring that above all thiii's
lie wanted secularization, and would form any alliance, ur sup-
port any candidate, to effect that object ; but when the election
was done, because his overtures *'or alliance were rejected, he
thwarted in every possible way the aihninistratlon which ac-
complished the legislation for which he had been crying out, a
ministry which at a bound placed itself abreast of public opi-
nion.

The government saw the danger to its own existence in ontei-
baining Brown's latest proposition, but attorney-general Mac-
ilonald did not hesitate to inform Col. Tach(i that the time was
Fast coming when it would bo the duty of his Upper Cana-
dian colleagues to take up the question of representation. Mi',
Macdonald did not believe the interests of the province tlius far
had suffered anything, or was likely for some time to be pre-
judiced by maintaining the representation scale fixed by the
union ; but he was resolved when " the time was ripe "—an
ex|)ression he was fond of using — to grapple with the question
let his party stand or fall. This waiting for che time to ripen
the ready critic may deem a vulnerable spot, but it can only
be so on the assumption that it is the duty of the statesman to
lead public sentiinent, instead of to give expression to it in
legislation. A fatal mistake surely. We do not send the
statesman to the cabinet to do his will, but to do ours : we do
not depend ujjon his talent to devise out of his own conscious-
ness legislation which has not appeared to us a^i needful ; but
to give the right and effectual form to that which we ivganlas
for the gt'ueral good. Nor do we believe it to be the function
of the newspaper to mould, or to lead, pulilic opinion. There
seems to us to be no special need for thiidving macliinerv in a
man if the " we " in the editorial column, which i-ay rejuvsent
a needy law-student or a feather-headed Bohemian, is to think

' i

TUE DOUBLE SHUFFLE.

205

for him on every subject from killing potato-bugs to voting on
the Nati(jnal Policy. With the spread of the liabit of indo-
pcndtiit thinking, and the ceaseless activity of the printing
press, bringing from the four winds of heaven knowledge of the
revelations and products of every day, the reign of dogma has
msscd. In the middle ages, when a small tallow candle had to
shed light for tens of thousands, \vhen the priest thought for
the flock on all important matters, cleric and lay, just as one
luau now grinds grain for another — at such a time as this, we
say, when the mind and conscience of the benighted being were
always in the pocket of some one else, the dictum of the editorial
column would have been a beneficent aid to the race. Now,
luiwevcr, the little editor who became a cen.sor of human action
and intelligence because he failed as a schoolmaster or a vet-
erinary surgeon, is seen endeavouring to coerce the public
with a lead pencil : every day engaged in the experiment
of leading the high-spirited horse to the well — seldom indu-
cing; him to drink. If the statesman have his dutv, so we
liclieve has the journalist. That duty is to give the public
tacts, not to give them inferences ; to keep a record of the
liirths of Inisy time, not to fill his pages with distortions.
Give the people the facts ; trust to their having suHicient
ahility to come to proper conclusions. If the Hon. Edward
Blake gave forty dollars to the Muskoka sufierers, and David
Mills gave them thirty dollai's, depend upon the public conclud-
ing that the joint donation reached just seventy dollars. There
is no use in the tory editor saying that the " miserable contri-
bution of the two reached a trific over 820." Give the public
the rein, and have no misgivings. If they have an upset they
;ue entitled to it.

The upper house having thrown out the item providing for
the erection of legislative buildings, the question was again in
the status quo and attorney -general i\lactlonald suggested to
his culleagues a reference of the matter to the Queen for arbi-
tration. The jlear grits raised a howl against submitting " a

i'if

200

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD,

question of purely local concern to the decision of her majesty,"
and contended that such an act " outraged the spirit of respon-
sible government." Mr. Brown and his grits evidently knew
little of propriety or precedents. We believe the custom of
submitting questions, great or small, to disinterested parties for
arbitration still survives, and that notable cases are on record,
such, for example, as the reference of the dis])ute about the
New Brunswick boundary to the king of the Netherlamls.

The ministry was now, as ministries always are and always
will be, held responsible for the reaction in trade cau^td by
lavish expenditure during the period of unwholesome business
activity attending the war, and the failure of the crops through-
out the country. Some of the ministers began to grow uneasy,
but the hand of Macdonald was at the helm, though Mr. Tachd
was the nominal conmiander, and he steered the ship steadily
through the reefs. Late in the autumn of 1857 Mr. Terril re-
signed to give his attention to private affairs, and his jdace was
filled by M. Jacques Loranger. On the 25th of Nuveuiber
Col. Tachd, who had grown tired of the worries of state-ciau,
also resigned, and the governor-general at once applied to
attorney-general Macdonald to form a government. At last
he found himself on "fortune's crowning sloi)e," invested with
the semblance as well as the substance of power. The Upper
Canada members resumed cheir places ; Mr. George Etienne
Cartier took the leadership of the Lower Canada section, still
retaining the portfolio of attorney-general-east. On the day
following Col. Tach(5's resignation, the Macdonald-Cartier gov-
ernment took the reins. Two days later parliament was dis-
solved, and the parties went to the hustings, the cleai- grits with
two shibboleths, " Non-sectarian Schools," and " Rei)resent;ition
by Population." The ministry took ground that these ques-
tions were not then expedient, and as a result lost in the con-
test Messrs. Cayley, Spence and Morrison. But the L/wer
Canada electors who regarded George Brown as an enamv to
their race, institutions and religion — and it is ditiieult to see

TUK DOUBLE SUUFFLE.

207

how tliey could have regarded him in any other light — and who
were opposed to non-sectarian schools, and somewhat to repre-
sentation by poi)ulation, though not so zealously as some of our
historians state, returned an overwhelming body of minister-
ialists.

Among the new mcmhers elected to parliament, the most
conspicuous were Thomas D'Arcy McGee, Hector Louis Laug-
evin, John Rose, William P. Howland, Oliver Mowat and John
Carling. The new parliament assembled in February. The
opposition was in a more tumultuous state than ever, and this
condition was due to the announcement that, on the recommen-
dation of hon. John A. Macdonald and his colleagues, Ottawa, —
which in these later years has been styled by Bi/stander,
"an Arctic lumber village " — was chosen as the capital. In this
selection the government had evidently defeated their oppon-
ents, though the result was not to bo seen for some time to
come, and ended a perpetual source of discontent, by the aid of
geography. Several amendments to the address were moved
by the opposition, by which it was seen, that, while the min-
istry was sui)ported by a con.siderable majority of the house,
it was in a minority in the Upper Canada section. I\Ir. Joseph
Thiliaudeau, member for Portneuf, brought in a motion affirm-
ing the principle of double majorities, but it was met by the
almost entire force of the ministerialists, who were supported
by George Brown, Oliver Mowat and many other grit members.
Strange to say among those who supported Thibaudeau's mo-
tion was Hector Langevin, tlie member for Dorchester. We
say this is strange in view of the great statesmanship Mr. Lang-
evin has always displayed through the brilliant and masteily
career which has ever since been his.

After the ministry had got this troublesome question off its
hands, a resolution and several amendments, disapproving of
her majesty's choice of Ottawa as a capital, were moved by
Messrs. Brown, Thibaudeau, Dunkin, Pich^ and others. After
iin animated discussicm, Mr. Pich(;'s amendment, setting forth

208

LIFE OF .Sin JOHN A. MACDONALD.

IS ;■

% i

that, " It is tlic opinion of tliis house that the city of Ot-
tawa ouglit not to hu the permanent seat of governinout for
the i)rovince," was carried by a vote of sixty-foui- to fifty.
Before the word " carried " had left tlie speaker'.s lips, Geon^e
Brown's enthusiasm had passed bounds, and he jumped to lii*;
feet. Tlie occasion helps us to ^et the measure of the man.
" The house " he said, as soon as the cheering ceased, " cun have
no doubt that the motion just carried expressed an emphatic
disapproval of the government policy ; and in order to prove
that it mciins just this, I now move an adjournment of the
house." The premier arose jierfectly cool, and infoimod mem-
bers that he was glad to accept the challenge of the leader of
the opposition. " Let the vote on adjournment" he said, with a
slightly ironical tone, " test whether or not the ministry possesses
tlie confidence of the house." Mr. Macdonald knew that while
a majority in the assembly was opposed to fixing the seat of
government at Ottawa, there was by no means a majority
disposed to transfer the reins into the hands of George Brown.
When the speaker put the motion to adjourn it was clearly
understood that the fate of the ministry hung on the issue.
Macdonald was not mistaken. Sixty-one said "nay," and only
fifty " yea." An analysis of the vote, however, showed that a
large majority of the Ui^per Canada section voted with the
yeas. After the house adjourned Mr. Macdonald conferred
with his colleagues on the situation. " Brown," he said, "has
been really doing our work ; and by his indiscreet motion
shows what our duty to ourselves now is." It was then agreed
that the government could strike a decisive blow at the oppo-
sition by resigning. The motion carried by the grits was
equivalent to a censure on her majesty, and the ministry felt
that by resigning they would identify themselves with the
cause of their sovereign. Mr. Macdonald never believed that
Mr. Brown would have a ghost of a chance to form an endur-
ing ministry, though some of his colleagues were timid, and
feared that he would soon gather a number of the " loose fiih "

THE DOUBLE SHUFFLE.

209

aronntl him. " My mind is perfectly easy on tiie j)oint." said
Macili'iiald, "I am absolutely certain tluit he will not be sus-
taiiioil in the house." Now, one would suppose that Mr. Brown,
kiiowiii;^ that a majority was opposed to him, would have
liesitated before grasping at glory which could only turn to
disaster. The apologists of Mr. Brown tell u.s that he foresaw
his reception in parliament but had faith in the governor
f'iantin<^ a dissolution. We believe he expected nothing of
the kind. The " higher game " for which he had been so long
humin" he saw within h-s grasp, and with the same indiscreet
impetuosity with which he allowed himself to call for a test
vote after the passage of Pichd's resolution, he would now thrust
out his hand for the office within his reach. The fact is Mr.
Brown was somewhat incapable of forecast or restraint where
poisonal interest and ambition were behind urging him on.
But let us see what happened.

The Macdonald-Cartier government resigned, and Sir Ed-
niimd Head wrote to George Brown ; * * « jjis excellency
feels it right to have recourse to you as the most prominent
niembur of the opposition, and he hereby offers you a seat in
the council as the leader of a new administration." Mr. Brown
was too jubilant to pause long before replying to this note.
' Buy me the captain's commission, mother," said the son in the
heleagured city. " The soldiers will be over the wall to-mor-
rt'v, my son, and your glory will be short-lived." " I don't care
mother, I want to be a captain." And George Brown was
not concerned that the enemy would to-morrow break over the
wall. He did not see that he was in a miserable minority in the
house. He wanted to be a prime minister, to gntsp the " high
:,'anie/' so he wrote : " Mr. Brown has the hon»ur to inform his
e.Kcellency that he accepts the duty proposed to him in his ex-
cellency's connnunication, and undertakes the formation of a
new ministry." Had Macdonald been by when Brown sealed
•.his letter he must have muttered with Antony :

-»

210 LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MAVDONALD.

" Now let it work ; mischief, thou art ufoot,
Take thou wluit course thou wilt."

On the following day, Sunday, in the afternoon, an aide-ie-
carap waited on Mr. Brown and delivered to him a nieinoran-
durn, which the governoi'-genoral desired him to submit to his
proposed colleagues. This memorandum stated that his excel-
lency gave "no pledge or promise, expre,ss or implied, witli refer-
ence to the dissolving of j)arliament," a condition fur which Mr.
Brown strongly pressed the governor at a previous interview, re-
ceiving the same answer. The memorandum went on to show
that his excellency was willing to consent to a prorogation with
the understanding that parliament should meet again, " say in
November or December ; " but an intimation was given that a
prorogation would not be granted till " the bill for the reij-
istration of voters, and that containing the prohii)iti(jn of
iraudulent assignments and gifts by traders " had become law.
" Besides this," his excellency wrote, " any item of supply ab-
solutely necessary should be provided for by a vote of credit,
and the money for the repairs of canals, which cannot be post-
poned, should be voted. * * If jiarl lament merely adjourns
until after the re-election of the members of the government
the case is different and the responsibility is on the house it-
self." Mr. Brown, as we have seen, had been requested by his
excellency to lay the memorandum before his pro])Osed col-
leagues, but the grit cliicftain did nothing of the sort. That
was not his way. Being dictator, if he |)leased himself, why
need he to trouble about the wishes of his colleagues. So with
hot haste he despatched a note on Monday morning informing
the governor that he had selected the members of his proposed
ministry, and that the lattisr could not be in a position to discuss
any measures or questions of public policy with his excellency till
they had "assumed the fujictions of constitutional advisers
of the crown." Partizan writers like ^li'. Mackenzie have com-
plained of his excellency's lack of courtesy and frankness to
Mr. Brown, but the discourtesy and lack of frankness, as the

TlIK IJOVllLE aUVFFLK.

211

extract last nintle evinces, were begun by Mr. Brown himself.
His it'fusal to discuss certain questions with his excellency at
the latter's request, was not alone discourteous, but insulting to
the governor-general. Jt implied that Sir ?]ilmun(l either did
not know the bounds and dignities of his position, or that he was,
wliile putting the latter under foot, trying to entrap the in-
coming ministr}' into his confidence for some sinister purpose.
Mr. lirown may not have recognized tht; thity of one gentloman
towards another; but history is bound to take notice of the facts.
Ml'. Mackenzie describes what we deem the discourtesy of
Mr. Urown on this occasion in language .somewhat diticront
fioni ours. He calls it a " digiiilied relxike to the trovcinor."
About half-past ten in the forenoon of the same da}-, Mr.
]!ro\vn waited on his excellency, and submitted the names of
his colleagues. The latter were sworn in at noon, and were jus
follows : —

FOR CANAD.V WKST.

Hon. Georok Bhown - - Premier andlnsp. General.
" J. S. Macdonald ----- Aitoi'iiey-General.
" Jas. MoRiiis - - - Speaker Le(jislative Coimcil.
" Olivkr Mowat - - - Provincial Secretary

" M. H. Foley Postmaster-General.

" S. Connor Sulicitor-General.

FOR CANADA EAST.

Hon. a. a. Dorion - - Commissioner of Crayon Lan(U\

" L. T. Drummond Attorney-General.

" J. E. TniBAUDEAU - - - - P res. of the Council.
'• L. IT. HoLTON - - Commissioner Public Woi'h's.

" F. Lemieux Receiver-General.

" C. J. Laeehge Solicitor-General.

Mr. Patrick rose in the house in the afternoon announcing the
names of the new ministers, and likewise stating that he had
tieen instructed to say that it was the wish of the government

212

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

that parliament should be prorogued at an early day. Expla-
nations as to the policy of the government ho hoped to be al)io to
make on the morrow, — but ho was indulging in a false hope, if
ho was not pretending, for the new cabinet was a mass of con-
trarieties, and there was not the shadow of a possibility that the
administration could evolve a policy within a day, or a week,
or a month. The hou.so was not pleased that it should have
been asked to vote for the new ministry blindfold. A state-
ment of policy in the most general way would have induced it
to extend the ordinarv courtesies. When Mr. Patrick sat down.
Ml'. Bureau rose and moved the issue of a writ for the election
of a member in Montreal, to replace Mr. Dorion. But on the
motion being put, Mr. H. L. Langevin moved the following,'
ameixdment : " That this house, while ordering the said writ,
must, at the same time, state that the administration, the for-
mation of which has created this vacancy, does not j)Osscss the
confidence of this house and of the country." This auiond-
ment wiis seconded by Mr. John Beverley Kobinson, son of the
chief justice of Upper Canada. A fierce debate began and con-
tinued till midnight, when the ministry was defeated by a majo-
rity of forty votes. Thuswas the fairfruit which the reckless pre-
nuer plucked in the morning, turned to ashes in his hand before
the beating of the midnight bell. Mr. Langevin and those who
supported his amendment have been accused of violating parlia-
mentary courtesy in condemning a ministry without knowing
its policy ; — but because it did not disclose its policy was one of
the reasons why it was hurled from the eminence upon which
'^ had rashly seated itself. We admit much is due to the cus-
tom.s and courtesies of parliament, but Mr. Brown and his
following who had worried and thwarted the government
through the session in a manner not quite courteous, deserved
everything at the hands of the house that could be done
within the letter of the constitution. The vote showed that
the assembly was disposed to rebuke Mr. Brown for his con-
duct no less than for his indiscreet haste in rushing into oifive

THE DOUJiLE SHUFFLE.

918

when he know his opponents had a lai'j^e majority in tlie
house. " But it reveals a trick," sa}' his defenders. " The
tiap was .set for Mr. Brown." We answer, if Mr. Brown, or
any other man who sets him.selfup as the censor and leader
(if men, cannot keep out of traps, it is a pity that ho .should not
no into them. Mr. Macdonald had the right, witli tl>e attendant
risks, of resigning, us any prime minister has at any time, for
what<n'er reason to him seems sufficient; but it did not follow
tliat Mr. Brown .should sacrifice himself to his own unforeseeing
and impetuous ambition. Mr. Macdonald saw ho wanted to be
in ofHco, and that his ambition had become a dominant power
with him. He resigned, and let him go in. The parliament
made haste to turn him out again. We presume, without dis-
cu,s.sing oUsolete courtesies, they had the right to do so.

An analysis of the vote showed that the callow ministry
had been defeated by a majoi-ity of votes in both .sections of the
province. In the upper lious» also a no-conlideiice resolution
was introduced by Mr. Paton, and after a hot discussion in
which Ml'. Vankoughnet and Col. Prince assailed the ministry
in very able S{)eeches, the motion was cariied by a vote of two
to one.

On the following day Mr. Brown waited upon his excellency
and urged an immediate prorogation with a view to dissolution.
Once again the governor told him, as he had done twice before,
that he could not, from his present light upon the subject, give
any hopes of a dissolution. It was now the governor's turn to
1)0 cautious ; and to guard against misrepresentation he request-
ed Mr. Brown to put in writing the grounds upon which he
ba,st'd his request. One can fancy a certain kind of document
prosented by a newly-fledged county-councillor to the reeve of
his municipality, or a protest made to the chair by a spinstei
iU a meeting held to put ilown the use of tobacco ; but this
document .sent to Sir Edmund Head by Mr. Brown is uni-
que, we venture to say, in constitutional literature. One of

K 1-

\ ■

I? 'i

1^ n

214

LIFK OF SIR JOUX A. MACVONALD.

8 M !

itn strong reasons for askinj^ a dissoltitioH was this: "The
house they [the ministry] heliovo does not possess the contidcncu
of the country ; ami the juihlic dissatisfaction lias heen greatly
increased by the niinuM'ons and glaiing acts of corruption and
fraud l)y which niany seats wtn-e ol)tained at the last general
election," Not satisfied with this th "'linet gives another
reason. As it would be a pity not tc .0(iuce it, Iumv! it is:
" For some years |)ast strong sectional feelings have arisen in
the country, which, especially during the present session, liavn
seriously impeded the carrying on of the administrative and
legislative functions of the government. TJic late administra-
tion made no attempt to meet these dillicultiea or to suggest a
remedy for them, and th.erehy the evil has heen greatly aggra-
vated. His excellency's present advisers have entered the
government with the fixed d(!termination to propose constitu-
tional measures for the establishment of that harmony between
Upper and Lower Canada which is essential to the prosperity
of the province. They respectfully si '^mit that they have a
right to claim all the support which hi 'iUency can constitu-
tionally extend to them in the prose^-w .i of this all inipuit-
ant object." One might have supposed that these two reasons
were overwhelmitig, but the main shot still remained in the
locker, an appeal to the pity of the governor. It was as fol-
lows : "The unprecedented and unparliamentary course pur-
sued by the house of assembly — which, immediately after
having by their vote compelled the late ministry to retire, pro-
ceeded to pass a vote of want of confidence in the present
administration, without notice, within a few hours of their
ap[iointment, in their absence from the house, and before their
policy had been announced — afibrds the most convincing proof
that the affairs of the country cannot be etticiently coiiducted
under the control of the house as now constituted." There is
more even than absurdity in this ; there is inaccuracy. It was
not true that the assembly haa " by their vote compelled the
late ministry to retire." The resignation was voluntary ; but

ft! I!

THE DOUliLE SHUFFLE.

215

we must 1)0 frank enouf,'li to a<1iirit that it was not done out of
(Icft'iencc to any piineii)!' or to the stinse of i\w majority of
tilt' IJppor (.*anaila scc-tion of the cabinet. It was simply done
to lure .Mr. Brown into a pitfall; and into the pitfuU ho wont,
evis and mouth wide open.

However, let us see if Sir Edmund's feolin^'.s can bo wrou<;ht
u|iou like the lady-president of the anti-tobacco club. Before
touchinf,' the grounds on vhieh the dis.s( .Hon is urged, his
excellency, among others, gives the following replies : " His
t'xcelloncy is no <l(Mibt bound to deal fairly with all political
ri;irtie.s ; but he has a duty to perforin to the Queen and the
iRMjple of Canada paramount to that which he owes to any
Olio party, or to all parties whatsoever. The question for his
fxcellency to decide is ntjt, ' what Is advantageous or fair for a
|iiirticular party?' but what upon the whole, is the most ad-
vimtageous and fair for the people of the province. The resig-
nation of the late government was tendered in consequence of
a veto of the house which did not assert directly any want of
c'liiitidence in t]i"m." His excellency then points out that a
want of contideU' ' in the government had been emphatically
votiil by both bra. hes of th ; legislature, and adds that ho is
asked to dissolve pai .lament by a ministry " who possesses the
cdntidoncc of neither branch of the legislature." We do not
[iivtend to have so subtle a knowledge of constitutional mystery
as ib'. Mackens^ie, but we have no hesitation in saying that we
think the simple fact last stated was, alone, sufficient ground
on which to refuse a dis.solution. This is how the governor an-
s\V"" 'd the wail made about the legislature voting the want of
confidence, an answer all the more effective, because made in re-
ply to a man who boasteil of being the advocate of the supre-
macy of the people through their legislatures, and who had in
his iuomoraudum virtually appealed to the governor against the
house of parliament. " It is not the duty of the governor-gen-
eral to decide whether the action of the two houses on Monday
night was or was not in accordance with the usual courtesy of

If I ■■

! t

216

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

parliament towardi an incoming administration. Tlie two
houses are the judges of the propriety of their own procc'edin<r.s.
His excellency has to do with the conclusions at which they
arrive, providing only that the forms observed are such as to
give legal and constitutional force to their votes." A sttikinc
lecture we repeat from a viceroy to a man who had made so
much newspaper thunder against the iniquity of governoi-s
thwarting, or meddling with, legislatures. Some of the reasons
put forward by Sir Edmund a<.ainst grantiiig a dissolution are
as follows: "An election took place only last winter. This fact
is not conclusive against a second election now, but the costs
and inconvenience of such a proceeding are so great, that tliey
ouglit not to be incurred a second time without very stron"
grounds.

"The business before parliament is not yet finished. It is
perhaps true that very little which is absolutely essential for
the country remains to be done. A portion, however, of the
estimates, and two bills, at least, of great importaiico, are stil!
before the legislative assembly, irrespective of the private bus-
iness.

" In addition to this, the resolutions respecting the Hudson
Bay territory have not been considered, and no answer on that
subject can be given to the British government.

"The time of year and state of affairs would make a general
election at this moment peculiarly inconvenient and burthen-
some, inasmuch as the harvest is now going on in a large por-
tion of the country, and the pressure of the late money crisis
has not passed away."

These, however, were reasons outside of those in answer to
Brown's memorandum. The governor's reply to the points in
the ministerial paper are worth leproducing. We consider
them overwhelming; biit Mr. Mackenzie says they were only
" carping criticism."

" The following considerations are strongly pressed by his
excellency's present advisers as reasons why he should autlioi •

HON. OLIVER MOA'AT.

III

■^'' 1

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in itself dc(

THE DO VBL E SJI UFFLE.

917

ize an appeal to the people, and thereb}' retain their services
in tlio council.

"(1.) The corruption and l)riV)ery alleged to have been prac-
tised at the last election, and the Uiint which on that account
is said to attach to the present legislative assembly.

"(2.) The existence of a bitter sectional feeling between Up-
per and Lower Canada, and the ultimate danger to the union as
at present constituted, which is likely to arise from such feel-
ing.

" If the first of these points be assumed .as true, it must be
asked what assurance can his excellency have that a new elec-
tion, under j)recisely the same laws, held witiiin six or eight
months of the last, will differ in its character from that wliich
then took place ? If the facts are as they are stated to be,
they might be urged as a reason why a general election should
be avoided as long as possible ; at any rate until the laws are
made more stringent, and the precautions against such evils
shall have been increased by the wisdom of pai-liament. Until
this is done, the speedy recurrentre of the o}iportunity of prac-
tising such abuses would be likely to aggravate their character,
and confirm the habit of resorting to them.

"The second consideration, as to the feeling between Upper
and Lower Canada, and the ultimate danger of such feelings to
the union, is one of a very grave kind. It would furnish to his
ixcclloncy the strongest possible motive for a dissolution of
imrlianient, and for the retention of the present government at
all hazards, if the two points were only conclusively established,
that is to say, if it could be shown that the measures likely
to he adopted by Mr. Brown and his colleagues were a specific,
and the only specific for these evils, and that the members
of the present council were the only men to allay the jealousies
-0 unhappily existing. It ma}' be that both these propositions
are true, but, unless they are established to his excellency's
complete satisfaction, the mere existence of the mischief is not
in itself decisive as to the propriet}' of resorting to a general

'hI

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Hi'
lift

\ St

m: ■

"\\'M%'

: i

i s

318

LIFE OF SIR JO UN A. MACDONALD.

election at the present moment. The certainty, or at any rate
the groat probability, of the cure by the course proposed, and
by that alone, would requii-e to be also proved. Without this,
a groat present evil would be voluntarily incurred for the
chance of a remote good." In conclusion, his excellency de-
clined to grant a dissolution.

Wo need not refer to the plea recapitulated under "(1.)" as
the governor thoroughly illustrates its absurdity; but the con-
tention of "(2.)," in which dissolution is urged on the ground
that " bitter sectional feeling exists between Upper and Lower
Canada," and that George Brown should be given an oppor-
tunity to establish peace and unity there, can scarcely be re-
garded in a serious light, when we remember that the broiieh
between the two sections was in a great measure the work of
Brown himself, and that his great aim through his newspaper
and in the legislature seemed to be to create discord between
the French and English. And as proof of how strong a sense
of his nefarious course rankled in the minds of the French
Canadian members, on the non-couHdence resolution he received
but four Lower Canada votes. There w^as now only one course
open to Mr. Blown. He resigned.

Those who understand the purpose and drift of Mr. Macken-
zie's book need not be told that the character of Sir Edmund

Head, in its pages, appears as black as ink and partisanship
can make it. Mr. Mackenzie's style is usually clear and
incisive — it now and again suggests the tiling of a saw— yet it
is hard in the pages he devotes to this question to ascertain whiit
he means, other than to say unpleasant things of Sir Ednunid
and to cover his ido) with glory — perhaps we ought to say
with rose-water. Where page after page bristles with tiiis
tile-cutting censure of the governor, the reader who does not pre-
suppose malice naturally looks for a plain statement of some
scandalous and unconstitutional act of the viceroy. But he will
tind no such thing. The honour of a chief justice, who in pri-
vate life could no more stoop to the baseness with which he is

char::e(
pollen t,
the l;(i\
clever m
whole cl
must rii

't!

TIJE IXJl'llLE SHUFFLE.

219

chai'ijeil, than a partisan could say a generous word for an op-
ponent, or do him justice, is aspersed ; while the conduct of
the i^'oveinor, upon the testimony of irresponsible juinor and
cluvor surmises, is pictured to he that of a conspiratoi', and his
whole character sought to be covered with obloquy. But we
must rule out of court Mr. Mackenzie's unsupported opinion
;iii(l address ourselves to tiie facts. The governor, he says —
ami tins is one of his strongest grounds — " was bound as a ruler
iiiul as an honest man. to see that no impediment should be
tlu'DWii in the way of his new advisers getting fair play in sub-
mitting their policy to the country through the medium of a
new election." The "impediment," which we have italicized,
meant the non-confidence vote passed by the house. But what
would Mr. Mackenzie have the governor do about this vote ?
lie tells us it was his excellency's duty " to see that no impedi-
ment" should be thrown in the way. Would he have the go-
vernor go down like the tyrant Charles, to muzzle the legisla-
ture ? If the language does not mean this, it moans nothing.
His other point, and these are the only two he ofters, out-
Mile of the slanders he scatters through his pages, is that tlu'
i^overnor should have granted a dissolution to Brown because
iie had given the latter " to understand, as plainly as if he had
jiiid it in so many words, that whatever he (Mr. Brown) fouml
it iiecossary to do he should have his support." We suppose the
leailer is now able to judge of Mr. Mackenzie's tactics. He
Wilieratelv itjuores the interview heM before Jirown formed
liis government, in which the latter was informed by his excel-
idicy that he was not to count on a dissolution ; and the distinct
>tatouiont in the memorandum, before the ministry was sworn
in, or the governor had any knowledge of Brown's choice, that

the governor-general gives no pledge or promise express or im-
pli-.il, with reference to dissolving jmrliament ; " atid chaiges
Sir Edmund with having deceived Mr. I^rown. He shuts his
fills to the governor's distinct and repeated words a id elicits a

'"iitrary language from his lu-tions. Mr. Brown, however,

220

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDOSALD.

I !

understood the governor's language plainly enough, but too
elated with the offer of office " rushed to glory " reckless of con-
sequences. As a party driver he may have depended on hU power
of over-awing the governor, though we cannot give him the
credit of such forecast. He fared little better than tho e.\cit«il
son in the ' ^leagured city, who wanted to be a captain. He
wore the honours for four days, and then was out of office, and
out of parliament. As to the governor's conduct throucrliont
tlie afTair, no impartial man will say ihat it was not beyond
reproach, while we cannot doubt with Bjis^tander, that "hatwl.
of what might be deemed incendiarism, and a sense of the peril
wfiich it was bringing on the country, may very likely liave
prejudiced Sir Edmund against Mr. Brown," though this wcul-i
not, and did not, influence the act of his excellency.

The governor-general next applied to Mr. C.ilt, a member nf
marked abilities and liigh parliamentary standing, but tkt
gentlemanhad occupied solitary ground, allying himself to neither
party, and was without a following. He declined the frover-
nor's proposal, — something that George Brown would not have
done — and recommended to his excellency Mr. George E. Car-
tier the late leader of the Lower Canada section of the cabinet.
Sir E<lmund took the advice, and called Mr. Cartier, uho
promptly undertook the task of forming a new ministry. The
incoming administration was the same as the Macdonald-C'ar-
tier government, the only exceptioji being that Messrs. Caylev
and Loranger were left out and Messrs. Gait and Sherwoad
taken in their places. The Cartier-Macdonald ministry resumed
office eight days after the resignation of the MaedonaUl-Cartier
government. Though Mr. Macdonald had changed places, and,
as some who did not like the transjiosition at the time jihrasol
it, " the car had been put before the horse," Macdonakl's was
the ruling spirit in the ttibinet, although Mr. Cartier was one
of the ablest men in Ca:iada. Now during the session of IS"",
an act relating to the independence of parliament had beoa
passed, and the seventh section provided that, " whenever any

,i ^

THK DOUBLE SHUFFLE.

221

person holiling the office of receiver-general, inspector-general,
secretarv of the province, coiuniissioner of crown lands, attor-
iiey-gonoral, solicitor-general, commissioner of public works,
siuvikt'i' of the legislative council, president of committees of
the executive council, minister of agriculture or postniaster-
reneral, and being at the same time a member of the legislative
assoniMy, or an elected member of the legislative council, shall
losiijn his office, and within one month after his resignation
accept any other of the said offices, he shall not thereby vacate
his seat in the said assembly or council." A meeting of pro-
[losed ministers was held after the personnel of the cabinet had
been decided upon, and it was then mooted, that, under the sec-
tion just quoted, the incoming ministers, by coni])Iying with
certain legal formalities, need not go back to their constituencies
for re-election, but simply take their seats. The teclmicality
of the law was complied with by M. Cartier, on the 0th instant,
ieeoniing inspector-general ; Mr. Macdonald, postmaster-gene-
lal; Mr. AUeyn, provincial-secretary; Mr. Sicotte, commis-
Moner of public works ; Mr. Rose, receiver-general ; Mr. Sidney
Smith, president of the council and minister of agriculture.
On the following day another change was made and the new
cabinet >tood as follows : —

FOR CANADA WEST.

Hon. Johx A. Macdoxald
" P. M. Vankoughnet
" John Ross - - - -
" Sidney Smith - -
■ Geouce Sheiiwood -

- - Atforney-Gcneral.

■ - Com. Crown Lamh.

Pri'sldent of the Council.

- Postmaster-General.

- - Receiver-General.

FOR CANADA EAST.

Hon. George E. Cartier - Premier and Attorney General.

" A. T. Galt Inspector-General

" L. V. SicoiTE - - - - Minister Public Works.
" N. F. Belleau - - Speaker Legislative Council.
" Charles Alleyn - - - - Provincial Secretary.

11 :■ M

!i.;-,r i

222

LIFE OF Sin JOIIX A. MACDONALD.

Thus it will be seen that the new ministry evaded the re-
sponsibility of •,foin«,' back for election by acceptin<; within a
month other offices than those held at the time of resi^'iuition
This was the expedient that has been since known as the
" double shuttle." The laws of tlie land with their tochnitali-
ties, are for cabinet ministers we presume, as well as fur sliabliy
clients in inferior courts; and we are unable to see why a plea
which would be respected and irresistible in a court of justice
should be regarded as a disgraceful trick in a council rliiunber.
Once more, technicalities may be the excrescences of law, hut
if tlie writer of " The Last Forty Years " sued his friend to re-
cover a loaned i)air of boots and won the same on a technicalitv,
would he have the moral generosity to say to tlie defendant,
" Here are the boots ; I recovered them by the mere lettfr of
the law, and not according to its spirit." We do not believe ho
would. But he is shocked as he writes about ministers retaining;
their scats by virtue of a technicality, and, after due condenina-
tion, utters a sigh, and "dismisses the subject from his pages " If
we are not mistaken two cases, almost similar to this, occuireil
not so very long ago in England. In 18.*?!) Lord Melbourne intro-
iluced his Jamaica Bill, but being only able to carry it with a
majority of five, resigned. The Queen at once sent for Peel,
the leader of the refurbi.shed tory party, and invited liim to
form a ministry ; but as every one remembers the " question iif
the petticoats " stood in his way — he could not rule with Lady
Nornumby — and he had to fall back into private n^embei-ship,
Her Majesty at the advice of Lord John Russell called on Mel-
bourne again, who, with the rest of the cabinet, resumed thoii
offices, without, if we remember aright, appealing to the peoplo.
Another ca;;e in point happened inLS7<} when the liberal govern-
ment suddeidy found themselves defeated on their Irish Uni-
versity Bill. Mr. Gladstone I'esigned, and, by his advice, the
Queen invited Mr. Disraeli to form a ministry. Mr. Disraeli,
who did not resemble George Brown, thought the situation over,
and concluded not to try his luck in the commons as consti-

Till: DOUBLE SHUFFLE.

223

tuted ; whereupon Her Majesty a^ain sent for Mr. niadstone,

who, with the other ministers, quietly resumed tlieir ]»laces.

There was no election, if we are not mistaken, in tliis case

either ; yet there is nothing on I'econl in England about single

or double shuffles. The casr here differed somewhat, but not

so as to change the constitutional principle involved in the

lyi<,'li.sh cases. There was a slight legal bariier in the way

ill Canada, and it was avoided by taking advantage of tlie

letter of the law. But we have to repeat that the client who

would, in one of our courts, take advantage of a tecliniealitN' to

'i\in his suit, is ineligible to cast a stone at the actors in the

louble shuffle, unless it bo assumed that politicians have more

lumour, or ought to have, than other men; a contention which

we denv.

The new government was supported by a good majority,
and during the session passed a number of important meas-
ures. Since a quietus had been given to the question of double
majorities, a desire for representation by population had taken
<leep root in Upper Canada. The question of " Protection to
Home Industries," as a direct issue, came up for the tlrst time
hu'ing the session of 18.58, being introduced by Mr. Cay ley,
though, as we have already seen, it had been discussed before
in connection with certain tariff changes. During this year
science accomplished one of its wonders, in connecting Europe
and America by the Atlantic cable. During the year, likewise,
the lOOth regiment was organized, and that highmindcd politi-
cian of stainless name, Hubert Baldwin, passed to his ix'.stw

I ' ;

Wsp-^

I''

CHAPTER XIV.

;• .!

..I

, TRANSITION.

W TITLE Canada was stiug^'liii^ for rosponsiMo govorninent,
reformers were enga^'ed in a similar cooHict in the inari-
tinio provinces. There, it i.s true, the question of races, wliioli lay
at the liottom of most of tlie tumult in Canada, did not cxi.-it ;
but both in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick the will of tlio
people was threatened by the domination of a Faxnily (/oiiip.ict.
The chief cause of discontent in New 13runswiek was the con-
trol of crown lands and timber by a commissioner responsible
-inly to the imperial government. This otiicial receiveil a hand-
some salary, sold the lands according to his capriie, retained
fees and perquisites, and defied the house of assen>li|y. Diirini,'
the session of IHlVl the latter body presented an addi'ss tothu
governor praying that ho would cause to l)e laid before the
liouse, annually, a detailed statement of the receipts of the crown
lands department. In their zeal for the welfare of the province
the menibers went too far, however ; for the governor li?.ugli-
tily refused to grant the demand, and left the impression that
both hinxself and the executive, especially the connuissionar of
crown lands, regarded the lecpiest as an insult. Messrs. CliaMes
Simonds and E. B. Chandler were then deputed to go to Kinj-
land and press upon the colonial secretary the necessity au4
justice of handing over the crown lands to the control of tin
legislature. As a result of the mission, Lord Stanley, the fol-
lowing year, proposed terms which satisfied the assembly
but there was a hidden hand at work, and the irrcsponsi))le
commissioner went on selling lands at choice terms to friends

224

TItANSITION.

22.')

bml v/ealthy speculators, witliout making the dosircd return
ot' receipts. In 183G tlic blood of tlie house of assembly again
bo"aii to rise. An address was presented once more asking
for detailed accounts of the sales of crown lands and tini-
\m', Init the governor presented a mere general statement, again
liatiling enquiry. An address to tlie king was then passed
Iiiayiiig for redress, and Messrs. Crane and L. A. Wilmot were
.li'piitt'il to lay it at the foot of the throne. King William ap
Iirovod of the i)rayer, and the outcome was that the net amount
tif ca-sual and territorial revenue was placed at the disposal of
the as.senibly, the latter undertaking to prov'ide a i)ermancnt
civil li.st of £14,500, annually, for the payment of ])ublic ofii-
cials. The decision of the home government went sorely
against the grain of the governor. Sir Archibald Campbell, and
lie despatched Hon. George F. Street to the colonial office to
riideavour to " undo the mischief" The fact is the governor
was sincere in believing that public money.s .should not be
trusted to legislatures for expenditure ; that they were oidy safe
ill the hands of some man like tlie commissioner who was be-
yond popular control. The governor was a soldier, and his
wiiole being was pervaded by the military instinct. He re-
,'aiJed the people much as he looked upon the troops under
his command. The duty of the commander was to give orders ;
that of the soldier to obey. What could the troops know of
txpenditure, and the order or economies of campaigns. What
lid the i)eople or their house of assembly know of how govern-
iiii.'Ut should be administered or public moneys expended. The
truth is Sir Archibald was like some extinct animal restored,
wliieh had Iwoken loose and wandered out of past ages down
into a time when a higher order of creatures moved upon the
planet — when the dawn-light of liberty had burst upon the
world in all its virgin freshness.

lu the summer of 18 18, as we have seen, toryism made its
last iippeal to Canada, and then fell never again to raise its

head. Its fall was not without an iniluence on other provinces
o

'V'

2L'»)

LU'K OF .S7/.' ./0//A .1. MACVOyALl).

than Caiiaila. Lord Falklund, tlie governor of Nova Scotia
found a coalition on Ids arrival in that province in 184.0
sindlar to that estahlislu'd the f(»ll()\ving year in Cunailn
under the niuon ; but as his term of oHico advanced he learruid
from Metcalfe, the Canadian scourge, tho plan of niakiiii; ;i]i.
pointments, and conunitting the government to certain acts ot
jiolicy, without the consent of the reform members of his
cabinet. The result was that Joseph Howe, the chief reformer
of the adnunistration, and his liberal colleagues, resigticd, as
Messrs. Baldwin and Lafontaine liad done in Canaila. After
Falkland had succeeded in distracting the province, and several
witty, if not scurrilous, reformers had loaded him with abuse
and ridicule in prose and rhyme, he was recalled, and Sir Joliii
Harvey, the " political pacificator," removed from Nowfouni-
land, and .appointed in his place. The new governor at once
tried to construct a ministry out of the timber of both parties,
bub Howe was sick of coalitions, and said that as it was now
the eve of a general election he would wait for " a better pro-
position than that." The election came in 1818. As Howe had
foreseen, the Compact were routed, to use the newspaper phrase
of the time, " horse, foot and artillery." They laid down their
arms, and Howe's patience, if not patriotism, was rewarded by
being called on to form an admirustration. In the same year
the question of responsible government was i)ut to a test in
New Brunswick. Mr. Charles Fisher, the member for York,
framed a resolution affirming that the terms of Earl Grey's
despatch of 1847 were as applicable to New Brunswick as to
Nova Scotia. The most important point laid down in this
despatch was that no ministry could hold its place unless it
commanded a majority of the house .|" a nbly. The resolu-
tion was debated with much ^ '' when the ministry
saw that it was certa'' 'o '" ,•. . lichard, they turned
suddenly around and md i. surj. its. The surprise at
this change of attitutl. was i\< h greater, however, than that
occasioned by the entry into tl ' tory cabinet, a few days later,

Th'AXSlTKhy.

897

of C'liailt'M FislKM-and Lomut!! Wilinot. Had tliesp two <;;ontlo«
men jiosaessed tho patience, or tho patriotism, of Jo.sepli IIowo,
they inij^ht have reaped tho same rewards with a full nioasuro
of honour at no distant day, as the province was prepared, whcu
the o|tp()rtunity came, to cast aside the remnant of what liad
hien so lon^' a {^allinj^ yoke. But Fish'U" and Wihnot wero
tiotli weak and vain men. The lure of ofhce, even iinder
circumstances tliat compromised their political honour, was
more than they could resist. Tho next question of importance
that stirred tho maritime provinces was tho scheme of con-
federation.

l)urin;jf the session of tho Canadian piuliamont which mot
early in IS.jf), the decision of her majesty in selecting Ottawa
as the capital, or rather the compromise', of Upper and Lower
Canada, was brought before the house, and ratitied after a
stormy debate by a majority of five. One of the mo.st impor-
tant measures of tho session was the adoption of a " national
liolicy." Mr. Gait, tho inspector-general, introduced tho reso-
lution, the most important feature of which was an increase
of from fifteen to twenty per cent, on non-enumerated imports.
The duty was so laid on jus to give protection to certain
cksses of Canadian manufactin-os, and the author of tho
uieasure was Mr. Isaac Buchanan, of Hamilton, who had given
life-long attention to trade rpiestions, and believed that it
lay in the power of legislatures to make or mar commerce.
In this same session the term inspector-general was abolished,
and "Finance Minister," which, under our budding nationality,
has become such an important name, adopted in its stead. The
tirst minister of finance in this country, the reader will hardly
wonder at being told, was Mr. (now Sir) Alexander Tilloch Gait-
The most important measure the session brought forth wa^ tho
address which both houses passed, pi'aying that her majesty,
accompanied by the prince consort, and such other members jf
lier royal household as she might select would graciously "deign
to be present at the opening," in the following year, of the

228

LIFE OF SIB JOHN A. MAC VOX A ID.

Victoria Bridge across the St. Lawrence river at Montreal.
Bridge-building was not so common in Canada then as it is
now, or the house would not have thought of routing out tlie
whole royal family to come over here on the occasion in
question. They sent the speaker of the f^ssembly, Mr. Henry
Smith, over with the address and to receive her majesty's reply.
We may as well state here the result. Her majesty could not
leave the seat of empire, much as it would have pleased her
to be present at the opening of a bridge in Canada, but she
geiierously resolved* to send her son, Albert Edward, tlion in
his nineteenth year, and up to this time having a good charac-
ter — so far as the public knew — to be present at the event.
It is true it was a sacrifice, greater than any reader of this book-
can imagine, for the prince to undertake a journey out to this
rough country, but so great was the regard for the welfare of
the colonies that he shut liis ej^es to the hardships and came.
We shall tell in a paragraph in its proper place all that it is
necessai'y for the reader to know about the visit. After the
close of the session, which took place in May, the ofhees of
government, after a strong protest against the expense, hy a
number of Upper Canada members, were removed to Quebec,
where they remained till they were finally established at
Ottawa, six years later.

During the summer following pi'orogation the feeling rapidly
gi'ew in Upper Canada, that, since the abandonment of the
double-majority principle, representation by population could
alone save the upper province, now making rapid strides for-
ward in progress and spread of population, from French dom
ination, Durinj; the late autumn a monster reform convention

* Ilev, Charles Pet!!«y, who wrote a " History of Xewfounilhind," d\v«llrt riptiir
ously on the " sentiment of reverent ainl grateful h)yalty," shown hy th ■ Cdlunisti
" towards the royal lady who liad entrusted her son to the hospitality of the distant
subjects of her reahn " (j). 448). The same excellent liiKtorian re^'ards the visit nf
the prince to St. John's, N. F., as an occurrence of greater niotnent than the layinif
of the Atlantic cable, which had been accomplished two years before the date of th»
royal visitaticm.

TliANSITION.

229

.•omposed of delegates fioiu all parts of the upper province, \va.s
held in Toronto to " consider the relations between Upper and
Lower Canada, and the financial and political evils that had
losulto'l therefrom, and to devise constitutional changes fitted
to remedy the said abuses and to secure good government for
the province." A number of speeches aflame with denuncia-
tion of the government were made, and before the gathering
dispersed a " constitutional reform association " was organized
to press forward a scheme for a repeal of the union, and the
establishment of two or more local governments, with a joint
authority having control of matters common to both sections
of the province. A scheme for a confederation of all the British
North American colonies was proposed at the conference, but
the general opinion was that such a measure was so beset with
(lifticulties that it could not be accomplished within several
vears, if at all, and, that, meanwhile, crying evils in U[)per Can-
ada demanded an immediate remedy. Some minor reformers
<nifred upon the breeze a faint taint of treason, and opposed
the resolutions of the convention ; while John Sandfiehl Mac-
donald withdrew, expressing his decided disaj»proval of aiiy
measures that aimed to make inroads upon the constitution.
In Montreal Messrs. Drummond, McGee, Dorion, and others set
in foot a similar movement, but the ardour of the scheme was
damped by the undying feeling of hostility which existed
towards George Brown, who was the hustler of the movement
in the upper province.

An event of the new >ear, and one fruitful ot evil and an-
noyance to the government, was the appointment of Mv. Joseph
Curran Morrison to the ofticc of solicitor-general-west, which
position ho retained from February, 18G0, to March, 18(32,
though in the meantime he had no seat in either bianch of th<)
loirislature. There were men at the time, having the parlia-
mentiiry qualifications, equally as capable to fill the otHce as
Mr. Morrison, but the personal friendship of Mr. John A. Mac-
donald overcame all obstacles, and the censure of the opposi-

ii. '

2:;o

LIFE OF Sin JOHN A. MACDONALD.

tion press, We cannot but admire the man who for the sake
of satisfying friendship would brave obloquy, and challenge
serious dangers ; but we have not much admiration for the man
wlio would accept favours at such a risk to a chivalrous frieml.
If Macdoiial<l owed a duty to friendship, so too did Morrison;
and the duty of the latter was not to enter the cabinet, or,
liaving entered it, to have resigned wlien the enemy began to
sound a censure upon their trumpets.

The next session opened at Quebec, in February The
"abundant harvest," such as was tlie custom in the beginuiiii',
IS now, and ever shall be, was touched upon, and in such a
manner tl»at the allusion, like at this day in the documents
planned by Mr. Mowat, and by the subject of this biography,
road like an insinuation, that, while providence was to l)o
thanked for the said bountiful harvest, the ministry was also
entitled to a .share of the credit. The government was siis-
taine<.l by majcjrities obtained from the Lower Canada mem-
bers, and the enemv declared that Macdonald was bound neck
and heel to the French. No one in the house more deprecated
the necessity of resorting to French-Canadian majorities on all
(questions which touched the existence of the government thiin
tlie attornoy-general-west, but he believed that a change was
coming. The tyranny of George Brown was so galling, that
all the niondiers of the grit party who had any spirit were
looking for other leadership. Several liberals of standiutj re-
fused any longer to follow Ih-own's lead ; others became dis-
gusted and grew lukewarm about the fate of parties. Ono day
while mnjor Thomas Campbell, the member for Rouville, and
a liberal of high standing and much ability, was makinif a
speech, he called upon George Brown to " relinquish the leader-
hhip of a party with which French-Cuiadians could never unite
so long as he was at its head." Tbe friendship of Ceori;fe
Brown had p,roven to many Lower Canada members what ih;
upas is to him who rests in its shade. Yet it was George
Brown, if our readers remember, who put forward as one of

TRAXSITJOX.

231

his strong grounds for niging a dissolution upon Sir Edmund
[[(■iul, tliat discord existed between the English and French,
ainl that his government had a specitic to heal the sores. But
iiUliough Mr. Brown saw that his followers Avere dropping off
anil liiukii>g for another leader, he bent himself vigorously to
work. He prepared and moved two resolutions, setting forth
that the union was a failure, and that the true remedy lay in
the establishment of two or more governments having jurisdic-
tidii over local affairs, and a supreme joint authority, " charged
with such matters as are necessarily common to both sections
of the province." Resolutions were introduced with the ablest
bpt?t?ches, it is said, that Mr. Brown ever delivered, but were
defeated, one, by a vote of GG to 27, and the other by 74 to 32.
As this was a black-letter year in Canadian annals, the
famous ISGO, during which a prince of the leigning house, and
the heir apparent to the British throne and dominions, was to
visit Canada, the legislature prorogued in May, with the under-
staiiiling that it was to meet again in the sunnner to give a
suitable welcome to the royal visitor. When the chariot of
Zeus was seen in the clouds by the armies hurling their might
UL;aiiist Troy, a flutter went through warriors wlio showed no
enuition before the ruinous spear of the foe; for now a " god
was coMiing." Harsh thunder, too, grated across the heavens,
ami tlie hills shivered at the approach of this great deity.
When it Nvas known that the prinee of Wales was actually
atluat in the Hero bound for Canada, the hearts of colonists
legun to bound, and a feeling of awe came over them like that
which passed through the serried ranks of the Greeks, when
Jupiter's wheels w^ere seen in the thunder-smoke. Some of
our people could not convince themselves that the visit was a
realit}- and not a myth. Was it possible, they mentally asked,
that the })rinee, in actual flesh and blood, the heir of a king-
dom, was actually to be in our cities, to put his foot on oiu"
streets, to eat our bread an<l drink our milk, like an ordinary
human being. To do justice to the Greeks, they had an excuse

232

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

for their perturbation, for he who filled them with awe was
not some frail, earthly creature like themselves, whose corjise
would one day make a banquet for the wor.ns, but a god dis-
encumbered of flesh, and fj-amed of spirit and ether, who held
the winds and the lightnings in his hands, and who in battle
plucked up the hills by their wooded crowns and hurled them
at the foe. Theie was no similarity in 18G0 between Zeus
and Albert Edward, nor has any appeared since — unless it he
in their morals. In July the Hero, bearing the prince and his
suite, and followed by a fleet of war vessels, arrived oft" those
grim clirts of Newfoundland, that rise like cold, haughty Titans
out of the never-resting sea. The cormorant, and the guillemot.
and tlie ticklace, and the sea-mew, and all the feathered broods
that rear their young on the rocky cliff-shelves in the summer
time, twisted themselves upon their terraces as the great pro-
cession, bearing the body, passed, but gave no other sign. The
convoy sail sheer for the steep when, suddenly, the adamant
cliff opens, and the ships steal in between two plumb rock-walls
that tower several hundreds of feet into the blue. These rise
from the base, clean cut as if from the chisels of the gods, and
you hear the waters, as deep at the foot of the clilf as in the
channel's centre, lapping against the rock as the ships move in.
Cannon look down into the vessels' decks from the forts on tlie
hiJl-tops, and a chain stretches across the narrow water-patii—
a path so narrow that you listen, as each ship passes in, to hear
the grim rocks gride her sides. This was a more glorious ."i^dit
for the prince, if he was able to appreciate it, than all the
arche.s green bu.shes could make, all the mottoes that conunit-
tees could devise, all the addresses that mayors and corporations
could gi'ind out upon pink-bordered vellum. We are not aware,
however, that the great Architect of the universe fashioned the
f-' John's Narrows merely to give a pleasant surprise to the
prince of Wales in 18G0. From Newfoundland the young gen-
tleman sailed for Halifax, and thence proceeded to St. John ;;nd
Fredericton, N. B., in all of which cities he was honoured to

TRANSITION.

233

the fullest extent of the people's ingenuity. From Fredericton
the party proceeded to the little, Hat meadow-province, with
the coy motto, " Parva sub ingente " ; and from its capital set
out for Canada. At Gaspd, famous lobster-fishing grounds,
they were met by the governor-generiil and the members of
his ministry. A grand reception took place on the 18th of
Au'nist at Quebec, and, on the 2lst, both branches of the legis-
lat\u-e presented addresses to his royal highness: expressing
their loyalty and devotion to the throne and person of his
iiiotlier. Before the prince came out they created him vice-
king of all the British North American colonies, so that he
had the power of turning any inhabitant he chose into a knight
oncoming here. Messrs. N.F.Bel lean and Henry Smitli, speakers
of both houses of parliament, had the dignity of knighthood
conferred upon them — and felt more comfortable for the rest
of their lives. On the 25th of the month the prince accom-
plislied the task for which he came over here. He laid the
keystone of the arch of Victoria Bridge, and fastened the last
of a million rivets. Some mothers had babes afHicteil with
king's evil, which they were going to carry to the prince
that he might lay his hand upon and cure them ; but some of
tlie fathers and grandmothers said it would be no use, as he
was not yet a king ; that only the king or the queen had the
" virtue in the hand." A week after the prince had finished
Victoria Bridge he laid the foundation stone of the proposed
parliament buildings at Ottawa. He did not, we must say to
Ills credit, ridicule the day's operations to his guardian when
they were both alone in the evening, like a near ancestor oi
liis, who, having performed a similar task, said contemptu-
ously to some of his suite that he was " tired of this ditch dig-
ging." The prince then made a progi-oss through the western
portion of the province, visiting the chief towns and cities in
the route. The populace was giddy with excitement, and each
city tried to outdo its neighbour in rearing arolies and flaunt-
ing welcome-legends. The Orangemen of Kingston, Belleville,

i'ii^ilii

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11 j j

Ji'l

11 11'

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1 '

■>:'A

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

and Toronto exlniinod the cerements of the Orange kinfr, and
hung tlieni on arches, but, in the latter city, the regal party
turned their horses' heads and proceeded by anotlior street.
The Duke of Newcastle declared that he would loi im-

tenanco to displays of party that were not condi o tlie

public peace and g0(;d-\vill. The Orangemen < bitter

revenge on the duke, for they burnt himself and the o,,vernor-
general that night on Col borne street. The fuel, however, was
only efhgies. Before setting out for Canada the hospitalities
of the republic were offered the Queen for her son by President
Buchanan, should he choo.se to pay a visit to the United
States. After the Canadian visit had ended, the prince and liis
suite accepted the president's invitation, and the reception met
everywhere in the republic was so cordial that the Duke of
Newcastle declared that the visit did more to cement a hearty
feeling between the two countries than half a century of dip-
lomacy. But the duke was not a seer, and could not forecast
some threatening clouds soon to cover the face of the brij.dit
sky. The calculation of the diplomatist after all is a science as
inexact as that of the weather prophet.

During the autumn Sir Allan MacNab, like the ghost of
Hamlet, appeared again upon the scene, and was elected to tlie
upper house. In 1856 we dropped some tears over the old
man as we saw him, swathed in Hannel and racked with pain,
bidding a long farewell to his companions in the assenii)!}'.
Shortly after the scene was ended a baronetcy was conferred
upon the deposed leader, whereupon he mastered his gout for
the nonce, and turned his face toward England, where, near
his sovereign, he resolved to spend the remainder of his days.
He had not been well settled in England, when, bethinking
him of his career and honours, and how dear he must be to the
heart of the empire, he persuadetl himself that he could defeat
Admiral Pijchel, who was a i)arliamentary candidate for the
town of Brighton. But the triumph of the admiral helped the
poor baronet somewhat to I'ealizo that he ha<l probably over-

TNANSITIOX.

'2'Xi

YnUA liis stcandinfi^ with the empire; an<l he returno<l to Can-
ailii, to be elt'cted, as wo liave seen, in 18G0, to the legislative
(■oiiiicil.

The session of 18G1 was interesting to those who had begun
to look with alarm upon the ever-increasing strength of the
lefunii party. It is related by those who were intimate friends
of Mr. Jolin A. Macdonald, at this time, that he was not less
•'hu.sy holding his own party together, than keeping his oppo-
nents in hot water among themselves." It is not known in
what way he succeeded in promoting discord in the ranks of
his opponents, but he remarked one day quite early in the ses-
sion, while some ministers sat smoking in the council chamber:
■'John SandHeld is at last in our service ; he is now on Brown's
track." It must not be understood that there was any collu-
sion between the two Macdonalds, nor is it above question that
ti>e attorney -general- west was responsible for some of the dis-
cords among the reformers attiibuted to his " machinations."
His readiness in penetrating the situation of iiis opponents,
and his accuracy in forcasting their movements, often led less
powt'iful observers to believe tliat he had originated the discords
he foretold. Notwithstan<Jing the tact and finesse of Mr. Cartier,
several of his j)rominent followers began to break away frou)
restraint, and range themselves in opposition. For the past
two sessions one man alone maintained the Dovernment in
power, and that man was George Brown. "If anything should
happen to Brown," Macdonald used freciuently to say jocosely,
though the joke w-as pregnant of truth, "the go vermnent would
he (lone for." The movement to which we have already re-
ferre<l, in the reform ranks, and which John A.. Macd(jnald had
preilioted, now became apparent to the public. John SandHeld
Macdonald and George Brown could no longer disguise their
hostility for each other; and the public saw that there was a
struggle between the two men for the mantle of leadership.
But so long as the rivals stood in the same parliament, which
ever succeeded, the government had nothing to liar. Yet Mr,

•2'M

UFK OF Sin JOHN A. MACltONALh.

Cartier clianjijod colour when ho learnt that Messieurs Sicotte
and Loranjj;er had forsaken him and leaj^ucd tlieinselvcs with
Mr. J. S Macdonald. Mr. Dorion, to whom the Iricndsliip
of Ml'. Brown was not always Itonclicent, was removoii fiom
the leadership of the Lower Canada opposition on no other
grounds than that ho had boon on terms of puJitical intiiiuuv
with the man who was an enemy " to the religion, the institu-
tions, and the very existence of tlie French people." Yet Mr.
Brown wiinted to heal "Sectional durcrencos " between the two
provinces ; and Alexander Mackenzie .says Sir F^]dinun(l llt-ail
was guilty of treachery^ in not giving Mr. Brown an oppor-
tunity to do what he intended. A few weeks before the open-
ing of the session, a census had been taken, which slunved that
the population of Upper Canada was 300.000 in excess of that
of Lower Canada, though twenty years before, at theforiuatimi
of the union, the population of the lower province exceeded that
of the upper by 200,000. The logic of these figures, in the
contest for representation by population, was irresistible, thou<,'h
Mr. Cartier resisted the measure with a fervour that seemed
like ferocity, and vowed that ho would never consent to a
change which aimed to .sacrifice the interests of his section of
the province. Mr. Cartier has been censured for takiiii; this
attitude by several writers, who view the question from tJieir
own peculiar ground and the present time ; and one of these
tolls us in referring to Mr. Cartier, that " on this particular
question .... the lawyer and the sectionalist
were seen everywhere, the statesman and the Canadian no-
where." * The writer of this assertion ought to have remem-
bered that union was not granted to Lower Canada, but forced
upon her ; and that by the terms of union she was allotted
onl}' as many members as Upper Canada, though her population
exceeded the latter's by 200,000, at a time, when, to all obser-
vers, the possibilities of increase in the upper province were no

• Dent : " Portrait aallery."

TliANSITION.

237

(rmitcr than those of the lowor. But while this might have
served as a justifiable excuse for the ground taken by Lower-
Canada statesmen in opposing the demand for increased re|)-
iL'se Illation for the upper province, because the po|)ulati(m of
tlie latter exceeded that of her partner by 300,000, there was a
reason overshadowing this why no alteration should be made,
a reason that also absolves Mr. John A. Macdonald and his
Upper Canada colleagues from the imputation of disloyalty to
their own section by supporting the position of Mr. Cartier.
The very virtue of the union consisted in the e(juulity of poli-
tical power held by each section of the united province ; wheie-
as, the moment tliat balance was destroyed, a larger represen-
tation given to one portion of the province than to the other,
the virtue departed, and one section became bound neck and
heel to the will of the greater forever, Tiiei'e were two ways
liy which justice could be done to one and both : these were
union on terms of equality, or separation. There was one otlier
alternative, but it lay far in the back ground, and that the
plan of giving to cacli .section a [larliament to deal with its local
affairs, and the establishment of a supreme legislature, with
jurisdiction over such measures as were common to both, liut
so long as the union was maintained, and the wisdom of the
connection under the circumstances no one is blind enougli to
believe, it was the duty of Mr. Cartier and of John A. Mac-
doniild, and of every man to whom justice was dearer than any
interest, even the interest of their own section, to resist the
scheme for the adju.stment of representation by pojjulation,
though the inhabitants of Ontario exceeded those of Quel)ec
by two to one. Yet the people of the upper province whose
minds were excited by demagogues, were not in a mood to do
justice; and on the eve of the elections, which took place in the
suunner, it was evident that the ministry would have difficulty
in breasting the current. Among several other charifes brought
against the administration on trial before the constituencies,
was that of having kept Mr. Joseph Morrison in the council

i' I ii

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ill

LIFE OF am JOHN A. MAVDONALD.

fl(!splto tlio fierco romonstrancos of tlie house, and tlio hittor
liiit reasonable, censure of the reform press. The action of iU'.
Macdonald in rctainin;,' Mr. Morrison in the ministry, for wo
believe the action to have been his, passes our understamliii.r
and seems like the infatuation that has sometimes led sove-
reigns to retain favourite minist(n-s against the will of the
nation, though, through their obstinacy, their thrones have
trembled.

-Meanwhile the country was in a gale of excitomont an«nt
the " election campaign." Several stalwart warriors feli in the
battle. Mr. John ("rawford, a prominent politician in his
cla}-, van(iuished Ceorge l)iown in east 'J'oronto ;. while the
whilom friendship of the lleform leader proved fatal to the
lortunes of Messieurs Dorion, Thibaudeau and Lemicux iu
Lower Canada. For the fii-st time when the new parliament
met the sharp, matter-of-fact face of Mr, Alexander Mackenzie
was seen at one of the desks. The figures of Henri Gustave
Joly and Henry Elezear Taschereau were likewise seen there iov
the iirst time. Mackenzie represented Lam})ton. In 1842, be-
ing then in his twentieth year, lie came from Perth.shire, Scot-
land, to Canada, and settled at Kingston ; l)ut removed thenci'
five years later, to the neighbourhood of Sarnia where he plied
the trade of a stone mason, and engaged in large building ope-
rations. It soon became apparent that he was a man of su-
perior ability — though self-made — of untiring industry, and
that he possessed a character of the highest integrity. He
was a pronounced reformer from the time of his settlement in
Canada, and seemed to be drawn towards George Bi-own, who
was like himself of humble origin, and a Scotchman. For a
time Mr. Mackenzie edited a reform newspaper in Samia, and
in 18G1, when his brother, Mr, Hope F. Mackenzie decided nob
to again become a candidate for Lambton, which he lately re-
presented, Alexander appeared, and, as we have seen, was suc-
cessful. We shall find a good deal more to say of Mr. Macken-
zie, who is not our ideal of a statesman — (but who certainly

T HANS IT ION.

23»

makes a better statesman than a historian) as our stoiy pro-
gresses, and shall not anticipate.

In October Sir Edmund Head set out for Encfland, his terra
of iiihiiinistration liavin;^' expired. A wrecked ambition never
lacks bitterness towards the lock on which it tiiids disaster.
It was no wonder then that the Gluhc pelted the depaitiiiy; vice-
roy with every missile at its hand. l>iit tin jui,'h all the tur-
moil of party strife, the jijovcrnor, if wo liave rea<l the records
ari'rlit, did his duty with resolute and di'^iiticd juiiirment ;
iiltliou;,'h he refused to do an act which was iiiexiiodii-nt, un-
timely and impropoi', merely because it would foiwurd Mr.
brown's ambition. There may have been bettei- governors in
Canada than Sir Edmund Head, but we are unable to discern
any errors of judi^ment in his administration; or the trace of
any act that shows he did not strive to the fullest of liis powers
to do his duty. J)espite the violence of the Glohr, and the
animus of Mr. Alexander Mackenzie, he appears to all im-
partial reader.s of Canadian history as an honest man. Sir
Edmund'3 successor to the governorship was Lord Monok, who
reached Quebec, in October, 18GI. The new governor, tlie
fourth viscount of Monck, was born at Templemore, in the
County of Tipperary, Ireland, in 1811). He was a descendant
oftheLe Moynes, an ancient and honourable Norman family.
He was called to the Irish bar and sat in the commons for some
years as a representative for the English constituency of Ports-
mouth. Under the Pabncrston administration he was ap-
pointed lord of the treasury, and was a respectable, though
not a brilliant, figure in the government. In 18.57 he failed to
secure reelection, and dropped out of public life till his appoint-
ment to the governorship of Canada. The new governor
reached us at a time when there were foi'ebodings, on the Am-
erican continent, of the miglitiest civil war that the world has
ever .seen. The presidential contest in the United States dur-
ing the preceding year had been attended with public excite-
ment strained to the highest pitch, and had resulted in the

I'^^iiiiiii

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t.i :■,

240

JJFI-: OF Slli JO US A. MACUOKALD.

election of Altniliam Lincoln, a nottMl republican and an un«
coniproiiii«in<j enemy to Hlavoiy. The cuusivs of hostility be-
tween the north and south were the questions of slavery and
of tifule. The ^'it'at hulk ofsoutheni wealth consisted of larae
])lantati(jiis tilled hy negro slaves, who wore driven and
whipped like beasts. Upon these plantations grew cotton, to-
baceo and rice, whieh the [)lanters sent to the north, or exported
to the great markets of Euroj)e. The abolition of slavery
would deprive the plantation owner of the cheap labour of the
blavcs, while the establishment of a i)rotective policy would
bring a tax-burthen without any benelit, as the conunerce of the
South consisted in the products of the plantations, whieh were
exported raw, while manufaeturing formed but a small factor
of trade. On the 20th of JJeeember, 18U1, a day well reniem-
bered in American annals, the legislature of South Carolimi
passed an ordinance of secession. The people of this .state
had for many years maintained that each state in the confed-
eracy was .sovereign and independent, and had the right tu
separate itself from the union whenever it chose. Fired by the
example of South Carolina ten other states, Mississi[)pi, Alabama,
Florida, Georgia, Louisiaua.Texas, Tennessee, North Carolina,
Arkansas, and Eastern Virginia, also seceded, and constituted
themselves into a separate republic under the presidency of Jeff-
erson Davis. The population of the union before the secession
was about 31,000,000; the |)Opulation of the Southern Confed-
eracy was 9,000,000 of which 3,()0(),000 were slaves. Within
the Southern Confederacy was Fort Sumter, a garrison held by
Northern troops, and against this the cannon of Charleston
hurled its rebellious thunder. Seeing the whole country around
hira under hostile arms, the commandant laid down hi>
sword. The North made no delay, but sprang to anus to
maintain the integrity of the republic. The booming of the
guns beft>re Fort Sumter must have sounded loud in the ears
of Great Britain, for a month after the surrender of the fort a
royal proclamation was issued calling upon British subjeets

evory'whoro to m ' * •

"S 'l«t one ,„||„,, , 1^ "" ""' ««'""o„ ,|,,,,,i„„ ">•

o-n c„„fo,|„,.,„3,. T ""^'ory a„,l .sto,,;,,,^ f„_, ^ 1 " of

' ■ W-ato i„,,„t, „„, ^ ,f * .^";';"-' State, «ovo,™„e„t a"
«™t .tato t,„o to tho ,„^-ort„ „ r ""' ^""■■"'noailcl upc^

«*«» ports. Tho,v„/,,a,"' '«'•""-' » '""»''"<'« of ^
«"-. apparent tl.at the d" "° 'I''''''"""'' '"'yf'^ -'.™

^<>r the south • whil« '^''''•>' '^^ "^« "ortl, an.lT , ^''''

7 ""»' of the mothe,-l„„7 W ''"'"'"■>'• '-&l'oi he

'» "hat co,Io ivont Gr,.n, r T "^ ^ '»" 't is haivl ,

"™- "^ " "ojy of It f::;t ^" --«. ae the ,1?
;™S" state, in „,„„„,.„, ,;^" " ■■08;U,Ii„g „it«o„, „, j^P^"'

'"to the Liffov „„ I , "'""■"• '""■" 'o Hi„„ th„ , '° r°'- " a

'% "i>on the w";;:" t' ""'■'■">"'• - 0^ 'tr'""'""

IVi , , ^'"'^ '■"™" «' ">« British e""' '■"""'■■•■ "".'

f-- r„::rt"'""°" ™-'a;^u '^'h''' ''>"'"™'^

242

LIFE 01' Snt JOHN A. MACDONALD.

t f.

again. Notwithstainling, we say, tl.at tlic prince of Walvs hi\il
visited the United States a year before, a feeling of hostility
was aroused in the north against ti e Biitisli nation for her in-
discreet synipatliy with the rebedion. Hot-headed republicans
stood for a moment upon their own hotly-fouglit fields, and
turned their eyes towai'ds Canadian territory, muttering that
thither lay their duty next ; turned again and faced the rebel.
On the 8th of No-"ember, ISGl, the British mail-steamer, Ti'unf,
was pursuing lier ivay in the Bahama channel, one morning, with
mails and passer .gers, when an American sliip of war, San
Jacinto, cannon scowling through her port-lioles, bore down,
fired a shot across the steam3i"'s bows, antl putting out Itoats
swarming with blue jackets, armed to the teeth, took forcible
possession of two passengers, Mason and Sliddel, southern com-
missioners, on their way to England. This act of national piiacy
was hailed with enthusiasm by the northern states, and Wilkes,
the captain of the piratical man-ot-\\ar, became the hero el: the
liour. When the mail .stean.er reached England and made
known the story of the outrage, the government at once de-
manded that the commissioners be rendered up, and intimated
ihat a refusal would be regarded as a declaration of war.
While we are among those who glory in British valour, we are
;!ot one of those whose blood comes tingling to their c'ioek a.i
.hey read of how jiromptly the Briti.sh lion arose to his feet
A'hen the captiiin of the Trent told his story The northern
states were alr;.ady locked in a struggle with the south, and a
small foreign force could give a disastrous turn to the scale.
That was the secret of the promptitude. While British troops
were yet upon the ocean, bound for American territory, Presi-
dent Lincoln quietly surrendered the commissioners, wlui >ailed
froia Boston to England on the fiist day of the new vear,
When the Guards and Rifles arrived in St. John, New Bruns-
Avick, the cloud had blown over, though an intense feeling of
hastility existed in the northern states towards Canada. In-
vasion had been preilicted by the timid ones among us, and at

TnAXSITION.

243

once our volunteers looked to their arms. Measures for the
organization of militia companies were put on foot; every Can-
adian youtli old enough to carry a rifle t 'hibited an enthusiasm
for drill. To the impartial reader, now, it seemed as if we were
anxious in Canada for a little war, just for exercise or recrea-
tion. While we were preparing to resist an invasion, we were
nurturing a cause for invasion. While our schotjl boys and
their fathers were asking fo'- rifles, to defend the homes of
tiiL'ir sisters and vives, we were giving harbourage and hospi-
tality to southern rebels, who harasst'd American settlements
and the government troops from our border territory.

The first parliament under Lord Monck met in March, 18G2.
In the s{)eech from the throne it was stated that Her Alujesty
recognised the loyalty of her subjects in their conduct through
the Trent embroglio, but it is not unlikely that self-preserva-
tion rather than extreme solicitation about a sovereign two
thousand miles beyond the i-each of American bullets, dictated
tlie attitude of Canadians. Once for all, let us say, that should
au ent'iiiy, be he ever so insignificant or ever so great, threaten
our homes and our country, we shall be ready to do all that we
can to repel him for our ouni sakes; and after o'lr selfish duty
has been done, if there is a " man with soul so ilead " as to
say that it was a " selfish " duty, we shall not consider ourselves
e.itiHed to eulogiumt; for loyalty to a throne and a person that
we weie not thii.king about when fighting the foe, and which
were two thousand miles out of harm's way.

To satisfy the feeling of uneasiness abroad, the speech recom-
iiii.nded the reorg; . /ition of the Canadian Militia, and attor-
ney-general Macdonr Id set himself to work to frame a bill. He
counted on the support of a majority from his own section of
the province, and relied on M. Cartier for the rest. Of late he
stood higher in the affections of Upper (Janaila, than ever Ix-fore ;
for during several years he had been believed, by the larger
jiortion of the people, to have had little regard for the interests
of liis own section, and to have maintaineil a league with the

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244

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

French for the s<ake of office. But previous to the late general
election, the conviction came upon a great many of his harsh
judges, that there might be another side to the stories told by
the Globe, and its followers ; that he may have been wrongfully
accused, and the victim of an unscrupulous and disappointed
ambition. And so deep grew this impres"ioii that the traduced
attorney -general was invited cordially, nay entreated, to visit
their towns and cities. He consented, and made what may be
called, without exaggeration, a triumphal tour through Toronto,
Hamilton, London, Simcoe, Brantford, Dunnville, St. Thomas,
Guelph, St. Catharines, Belleville, and a number of other lessor
towns, at each of which he addressed large assemblages. All
were captivated by the address of the man, and won over by
liis defence of himself and the government ; yea, those who had
been taught to believe him the ally of the French, and the
enemy of his own, cheered him to the echo. Everywhere he
was received with cordial and spontaneous welcome, and his
tour placed the government in a favourable light before the
province. Nor had his uncompromising and manly attitude of
resistance to the agitation for representation by population, the
eftect of lessening him in tlie esteem of the people of Upper
Canada ; rather, it won for him their hearty respect.

One of the ablest speeches he has ever delivered was made
in defence of the ministry's attitude in resisting the question
of representation by population. We wJio dream of the day wlieii
the reproach of colonialism .shall bo a thing of the i)ast, and
Canada be ranked among the independent nations, read with
pleasure an outburst of eloquence touching this fond hope of
ours, and uring, while restraining, our ambition. It is impossible
iiot to believe that if the nian who uttered the following words
were not a minister of the crown, we .should have had the hopes
without the limitations. Said Mr. Macdonald : " I trust that
for ages, for ever, Canada may remain united with the mother
country. But we are fast ceasing to be a dependency, and as-
Buming the position of an ally of Great Britain. England will

TRANSITION.

245

be tho centre, surrounded and sustained by an alliance not only
with Canada, but Australia, and all her other possessions ; and
there will thus be formed an immense confederation of free-
men, the greatest confederacy of civilized and intelligent men
that ever has had an existence on the face of the globe." To
the greatness predicted of our future in this thrilling picture,
only, however, can we subscribe ; for we cannot conceive of that
" alliance," which means equality, on which the speaker in the
fervour of the moment dwells, and the connexion which makes
us subject and inferior as being the same thing ; or, of being
sister to imperial greatness, when our highest distinction is to
be ruled by a subject.

Early in the session some changes were made in the cabinet.
Mr. Ross resigned the ])residency of the council, and retired
from the government ; Mr. Slierwood assumed the commission-
ership of crown lands, and John Carling succeeded him in the
receiver-generalship. Mr. John Beverley Robinson, a lawyer
with a clear and well-balanced head, took the pix-sidency of the
council; and James Patton, whose lucky star was John A. Mac-
(lonald's friendship, became solicitor-general. These new mem-
lieis of the ministry were favourable to representation by popu-
lation, but the question was left an open one in the cabinet.
Mr. Robinson was re-elected for Toronto West, and Mr. Oarling
for London, but Mr. Paton who represented the Saugeen divi-
sion in the legi.slative council was rejected by his constituents.
He nevertheless retained his portfolio, as Joseph Morrison, who
by this time had escaped to the bench, hail done before him ;
for ilr. Macdonald, in this case, too, was stronger than the con-
stitution.

Brown out of the legislature, the opposition was no longer a
mere butt for reproach, but a dangerous ainl rapidly-increasing
combination. It resisted the address with stubborn pluck, ami
fought not as had been its wont under the somewhat t^ran-
nous leader.ship of George Brown, in detached eddies, but, pow-
erfully, as a unit. A vote was taken on a resolution virtually

im.

24 C

UFL' OF ;SiL' JO JIN A. MACVONALD.

atHnaing want of confidence, but it was defeated by a niajoiity
of 17, and the ministry breathed easy. Nevei'theloss causes
were at work undermining public confidence in tlie adminis-
tration. On the parliament-buildings question a dangerous
discussion arose. It was shown that .SOOO.OOO, appropi-iated for
the construction of the buildings, had been all expended, besides
several large amounts- Jiot authorized by parliament, and yet
the structure was not half completed. Afljiirs in the depart-
ment of public works, at the head of which Avas Mr. Rose, woio
in a scandalous plight, and the minister Avas chaiged witli
incompetency — which was glaring — and corruption. In the
letting of contracts, large sums had been lost to the ])ublic by
dishonest means, or an incomiietency that, so far as it relateil
to the country's interests, was as criminal as corruption. Of tlie
two, the dishonest and the incapable minister, we believe the
former is the preferable, his competency granted. For a capabl
minister can be watched into doing the right, be he ever so c(jr-
rupt in intention; but hope in an incapable minister may be a
will-o'-the-wisp to lead to disaster. The ministry, though not
lesponsible, was held accountable for the shortcomings of Mi'.
Rose, and it soon became knowm that its tenui'c (>f life was
maintained by a slim thread.

While afiairs wcie in this state, Mr. John A. Macdonald in-
troduced his Militia bill, a measure that made ample provision
to resist invasio4i, but which wouhl have required an expendi-
ture beyond the convenient ability of the province to meet.
Mr. Macilonald cotdd, usually, at a glance, see the dangers in his
course, but on this occasion the future was inexorable. Ho
introiluced his bill. It was supportei' warmly by a consideraljle
majority from tlie Upper Canada section, but Mr. Cartier's fol-
lowers, in the houv of trial, pretending to be alarmed at the
burthen threatened in the bill, proved faithless, and the meas.iio
w^as rejected by a vote of 01 to 54. On the following day the
government resigned.

Th'ANSITIOK.

247

In the cinerg;enc'y the governor had rocour.se to John Sand-
fiold !Macdoiiald, \vhose eyes lit up when the aide-de-camp
handed him a note from the liead of the governuient; and on
the 2ith of May, while cannon was thundering its rejoicings
proper to tlie Queen's natal day, the Maedonald-Sicotte nunis
try was sworn into office. Wo give the personnel of the new
(■•overnnient, and glancing down the names one is reminded of
the " Who ? Who ? " administration in England whose member-
.ship so sorely puzzled the Duke of Wellington. There were

FUR CANADA WKST :

Hon. Johx Sandfield Macdonald Premier and Att-Gen.

W. P. HOWLAXD

M. H. Foley -
Adam Wilson -
James Morris
W. McDougall -

Minister of Finance,

- Vodtiui.ntcr-General.

- Sulicitor-General.

Receiver-General.

Commissioner of Crown Lornds.

i:l J

■: S':

■H'

FOR caxaua east :

H(i\. V. SiCOTTE -

" A. A. DoRiON -

" J. J. C. Abbott

" T. D'Arcy AIcGee

" X. J. Tkssier

Attorney-General.

Provincial Secretary.

Solicitor-General.

President of the Council.

Commissioner of Pitblic Worts.

FitANCdis Kvaxtuuel

Mini.stcr of Agricultare.

Twii days later, ^Ir. Wallhridge announced the riiiUHto<'ial
progriunme in the house of assembly. The doulde-majority
principle, so far as related to ^nu-ely local questions, was adnnt-
tod, and a measure was promised that woidd provide "a more
ciputable adjustment of the ]>arliamentary representation."
The new government wa.: deteruuned to carry out its every act
of policy according to that high standard of purity, efficiency,
and proper economy that always guides the actions of incoming
administrations. A thorough cleansing was to be given to the

TTT

/ '. \-

248

LIFE OF Sill JOHN A. MA CD ON A LI).

\:'ii

Augean stables, a complete system of " retrenchment," — that
word which has covered more extravagance since the establish-
ment of legislatures than any other expression known to our
English tongue — was to be inaugurated ; a most searcliino' in-
vestigation of affairs in that " pent-house of corruption," as one
young legislator — who had not yet been afforded an opportunity
of soiling his own hands by corrupt transactions — called the
Board of Works office, was to be made ; and the government
pledged itself to abide by the decision of Iler Majesty with re-
ference to the seat of government, though the greater portion
of the new ministry's timber had signalized themselves particu-
larly by opposition to the choice of Ottawa by the soveroiyn,
and had made the question the basis of non-confidence motions
against the late administration. To all who understood that,
while the union was maintained, a scheme for representation by
])opulation was incompatible with justice to one section or the
other of the province, the decision of the new ministry, to allow
the question to stand, was lean \t without surprise. John A.
Macdonald said to his colleagues: "We shall have Brown with
us again ; not that he cares so much for Rep. by Pop., but he
wants to be at John Sandfield ; " and while he was yet sjteak-
ing, it is related, a copy of the Globe came in, with every battery
opened upon the new ministry. After a fierce article had been
read aloud, Macdonald asked Cartier : ''In what way woukl
Brown have been able to carry off his feelings against John
Sandfield had they not providentially repudiated Rep. by Pop ?'
At the formation of the Brown-Dorion administration, a cold-
ness had appeared between John Sandfield and George Brown,
which grew in course of time into active hostility. Both men
were ambitious, the former wanting to live himself, but wil-
ling that others also should exist ; the latter determined that
no one but himself should live, and ready, with the engine with
which he destroyed character, to crtish any one who crossed the
path of his ambition. He .sorely felt that during the two last
Bcssions of parliament his party had repudiated his leadership

and clw
pointui
repudi;
usurpe(
himself
first bn
not a tr
him the
ex-niini.'
cat the ] »
The d
jectured
practical
ral previ
pennitte(
which wf
who decl
ers, withe
iiion to tl
governme
them to tl
neither sti
we had w{
turned pu
Majesty's j
ing them t
it now rest
or to '•disc
in Montrea
iiient, pref(
and an uni
plain to ev(
admirable
scheme aga
«'t true, th

TRANSITION.

249

and c'lwscn Macdonald in his ste.ad ; now in his rai^e and disap-
Itointuient he ahnost forgot that liis constituents had likewise
repudiated hiin, and looked upon the new premier as havinij;
usurped a place belonging to himself. John Sandtield solaced
himself by saying, " Let the heathen rage " when he received the
first broadside of the Globe's " afilicting thunder ; " but it was
not a trivial matter for a prime minister to have arrayed against
him the most powerful newspaper of his pai'ty. Meanwhile the
ex-ministers offered no obstruction to the new administration
at the polls, or in finishing the programme of legislation.

The defeat of Mr. John A. Macdonald's militia 1 all, as he con-
jectured himself, was regarded in England as a measure of the
practical loyalty of Canadians. The Times which had, on seve-
ral previous occasions, displayed its coloniphobia, if we may be
permitted to coin that word, led off by a rebuke to Canadians,
which was taken up by a multitude of the minor newsi^apers,
who declared that we were an assemblage of greedy self-seek-
ers, without gratitude or loyalty, or even the instinct, com-
mon to the animal, of self-defence. One organ urged the Briti.di
government to " shake off the unprofitable colonies " and leave
them to the mercy of the first comer ; another said we brought
neither strength nor profit to the empire, and that any loyalty
we had was in our breeches' pocket. Lord Palmerstou's face
turned purple as he told in his place in the commons that Her
Majesty's government had done all for the Canadians in assist-
ing them to procure defences that they intended to do, and that
it now rested with the colonists to do the remainder themselves,
or to " disgrace the stock from which they sprang." At a dinner
in Montreal, Lord Monck feelily reechoed the imperial senti-
ment, preferring to trust the impressions of the home ministiy
and an uninformed press to the facts of the case which were
plain to every Canadian. Mr. John A. Macdonald's bill was an
admirable measure, but the house weighed the cost of the
scheme against the dangcn- of invasion, and rejected it. It was
Q )t true, though Lord Palmerston anil the Biitisli press seem to

ii ■

mrw

250

LIFK OF SlJi' JO JIN A. MACDONALD.

have been differontU' infuniied, that the Canadians were rel} in-;
upon imperial .soldiers to tight for them in the day of tiouljle:
though they rejected a measure which, wliether riglitly or
wrongly, they regarded unwarranted by the expediency of tlio
time, they never once thought of shirking the defence of their
country and homes should the occasion come. As we liave,
liowever, seen, the loss of the measure was due to the defection
of the French-Canadian members among whom a throat of inva-
sion created no serious [)anic, and who, if the truth could lie
known, cared very little, since their destiny was that of a coii-
(jucred people, whether their masters were republican English
or monarchical Engli.sh. But in Mr. Macdonald's mca.sure all
the British .spirit, all the loyalty to Canadian welfare found ex-
pression, as was shown by the considerable majority from the
upper province by which the bill was supported.* There was no
invasion ; but this facL was not any more foreknown to thoise
who rejected tlie attorney-geiieral's means for defence, than it
was brought about by disarming resistance at such a critical
time. " All's w^ell that ends well," is the maxim of the fatalist,
and the prophet; for the one is the bondsman of the event and
the other foresees it : on occasions where stupidity or reckless-
ness fail to provoke disaster, it often becomes triumphant jus-
tification.

The war in the republic was a liarvcst-time for Canada. The
army raised by President Lincoln to subdue the South had been
in a large measure, taken away from the field, and the work-
shop. Canada was overrun by persons from the United States
who bought up eveiy thing that we had to sell. For our stajile
articles of food, for cattle, poultry, eggs and grain they pai'l al-
most fabulous prices. Government agents ran over the country
with pockets full of gold purchasing horses for the northoiii
cavalry ; and many a farmer, tempted by a pouch of shining

• The bill was suiiimrtod by u iiiujurity of seveu of tlio Ui>i>ur Canada ivinesfii-
tatives.

eagles. «•:
suits of
iminity In
jirudencc.
During
SirAHan
which gn
whence in
lative con
a popular
soon, stud
JJin A. M
ner-ship wi
ParliauK
now, to Us
"lived loni
and South
Brown. Id
iiiid at one
donah], for
and represe
of Liberals
tlioniselvcs
tor assaultO'
wmier tool
vhcn a hirgc
liisschoj] m
.^. .Uacdonal
a want of co
conservative;
till further d
ox-;tttorney-;
a majority, a
delay. Two
non-confidoiu

TliANSITIOX.

251

HU'

ca^^Ics. sold his best team from tlio pl()ii;fli. Warned by the re-
sults of over speculation during the Crimean war, the coui-
iminity launched out into no extravagant enterprises, but, with
iirinlcnco, made the most of their neighljours' misfortune.

During the sunnner the gout accomplished its victory over
Sir Allan MaoNalj, and the gallant knight, loaded with honours
which give little joy to a dying man, passed to that bourne
whence no traveller retui-ns. His place, as speaker of the legis-
lative council, was iilled by Mr., now Sir Alexander, Campbell,
a popular and clear-heatled Kingston lawyer, who, as we have
seen, studiotl law many years previou.-^ly in the oiHce of Mr.
John A. Macdonald, and had subscipiently been in a legal part-
no'.sliip with that gentleman.

Parliament met on the 12th of February. The government
now, to use the phrase of the ex-attoiney-general-west, had
"lived long eiu)ugh." Enemies began to arise in every quarter^
and South Oxford had just sent a thorn in the person of George
Brown. He was full of the accumulated energy of two years,
and at once bitterly as.sailed his rival, John .Sandtield Mac-
donald, for infidelity to the principles of non-sectarian .schools,
and representation by population. A small but l)ellicose band
of Liberals rallied around their imperious chief, and threw
themselves in with the liberal-conservatives whenever the lat-
ter assaulted the ministry. It will be remembered that the
>remier took office atlirming the double majority pi'inciple, yet,
vhcn a largo majority of the Upper Canada .section voted against
his school moasui'e, he refused to resign. Early in May, John
X. Macdonald informed his party that he had decided to move
a want of confidence in the ministry. vSomo prominent liberal-
conservatives did not approve of the step, but counselled delay
till further defection took place in the ministerial side ; but the
ex-attornov-;,^eneral-west assureil them that he was certain of
a majority, and pointed out that there was no object in further
ilelay. Two days later he rose in his place and moved a direct
non-confidence motion. John Sandfield's eves twinkled ner-

^■k'

^^H

'. :

,:[

■ i

252

LIFK OF Silt JOHN A. MACDUNALD.

vously, but he aHsumed a bold air, and sat upright at his desk.
He knew his government had received the grave censure of
those from whom it ought to have looked for support, l>ut lu.
did not believe that the majority was willing that he shuuM be
hurled from power. John Sandficld's glance was quick, aiul, as
far as it wont, took an accurate survey of things ; but in this
case, as in many others, he argued upon sentiment, while his
more astute rival concluded from fact. The ministry was de-
feated by a majority of five votes. The premier hastened to the
governor and asked for a prorogation with a view to dissolution,
which was granted. The dissolution followed immediately, and
the election writs were made returnable in July. In Upper
Canada, the result of the election .showed some important gains
to the ministry, but this was balanced by fully as many losse^
in the lower province. After nmch shuflling in the cabinet, and
the total foundering of the Lower Canada section, on the 12th
of August, a new administration was formed as follows ;—

FOU CANADA EAST.

Hon. a. a. Dorion
" Isidore Tiiibaudeau
" L. H. HoLTox
" L. Letellier de St. Just -

" L. S. HUNTlN(iTON

" Maurice Laframp.oise

Attorncy-Gcncml.

Presdt. Council.

- Afinister of Finance.

Mln. of Agricidture.

Solicitor -Gcnumi

Comr. Fablic Works.

FOR CANADA WEST.

Hon. J. S. Macdonald

" W. MCDOUGALL -

" a. J. Fergusson-Blair
" W. p. How LAND
" Oliver Mowat -

Premier and Att-t.fen.

- Com. Crown Lands.

Provincial-Secreta nj.

Receiver-General

Postmaster-General.

It was a favourite practice with John Sandfield Macdonald,
whenever the ship 1 ocainc 'MVimrn-cnblc, to pitch some nf his

TRANSITION,

253

crew overboard ; but like the malignant Schiiften in Manyatt's
book, they never failed to appear for vengeance at an unex-
nc'Cti-d moment. It was not wise, surely, to throw over such
mull as Thomas D'Arcy McGee, M. Sicotte, and the late post-
master-general, M. H. Foley. Office being more to these poli-
ticians, at least at this time, than principles, they joined the
opposition into whose ranks they were warmly welcomed by
John A. Macdonald, and assailed their former chief in unmea-
sured language. They charged him with betraying his trust
as a leading minister of the crown, and with having descended
to acts of personal meanness and treachery to prop up his party.
Tile premier's eyes glowed like live coals as he hurled back the
charges of baseness and political perlidy on the heads of his
accusers; and where he received only censure from friendly
members, he so lashed the critics as to turn them into enemies
upon the spot. One of the premier's faults, and a grave failing
hi a party leader, was, that, under the stress of feeling, he could
not keep a bridle upon his tongue, should the outburst put his
;;o\\rnnient in jeopardy. The fruitless session came to an end
in October. The premier was hopeful, but his opponent and
namesake assured him, on the day of prorogation, in the smok-
ing-room, that he was " ncaring the end of his tether." Towards
the close of the year — 18G3 — Mr. Albert Norton Richards was
:i|'puinted to the vacant solicitor-generalship for Ui)per Canada,
;mJ returned for re-election to his constituency. South Leeds.
But before the new minister reached the hustings, he learned,
to his dismay, that Messrs. John A. Macdonald and Thomas
D'Avcy McGee were abroad in his constituency. What was
ivorse, the two clever oppositionists shadowed him wherever he
appearetl, and, whenever they believed he had made a telling
point, afterwards addressed the audience, and turned the gov-
ernment and its new minister into contempt. The clot e of the
p' 11 revealed that the member who, a few months before, had
been returned by 135 votes more than his opponent, was now
beaten by a majority of 75. If, during the summer of 1883, a

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254

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

similar event shoukl occur, we are suret'uata certain new^^paper
would adirm that Mr. Richards "lost his seat through the cornii.c-
ing influences in the hands of Sir John MacdonalJ," aiul that
puhlic money " was lavishly and uublusiiingly employed." The
defeated solicitor-general resigned his office, but John Saudtield,
who ignored logic and indications, would not take the hint, but
threw himself upon fate. With an evil star lowering up.,.) tlie
ministry's fortunes, the house met on the 19th of February.
The " governoi''s speech," as it is called, by its silence upon any
discussion-provoking policy, revealed the fears of the govern-
ment. The opposition ignored this languid ministerial ducu-
ment.but made a violent onslaught upon the Avietched ministry.
It v/as api)arent that, if legislation was the business of the house,
it had met in the winter of 18G4 to no purpose: up ( '^^
21st of March no important work had been done. On tliat Ju,'*
disgusted with the ungenerousness of fate, the premier aud Im
ministry resigned. The governor was perplexed, and began to
grow apprehensive for the w^ell-being of the constitution. The
peculiar position of parties produced a hopeless dilemma, and
without faith that any member of the legislature could form an
administration that would endure. Lord Monck entrusted the
formation of a ministry to the ex-provincial-secretary, Mr. Fer-
gusson-Blair. That gentleman's exertions failed; and ^[r. Curtier
was next called on and made the attem])t, but with a similar
result. His excellency then requested Sir Etienne, formerly
known as Colonel, Tachd to address himself to the task ; ami that
gentleman, who enjoj^ed the respect and good-will of his com-
patriots, though anxious to be rid of the turmoil of administra-
tion, in obedience to the duty he owed his country, consented,
and at once put himself in communication with John A. Mac-
donald, who undertook the formation of the Upper Canada sec-
tion of the cabinet. Several days were occupied in making
the arrangemsnts, and, in view of the fact that the late ministry
had resigned while having a small majority in the house, no one
believed that any ingenuity or skill could fashion an adminis-

■■i '!

TJiA KSITION.

•^i)o

tration that would survive. The virtue seemed to have sone
out of the tlieoiy of responsible government, and the device of
piuty appeared powerless to produce majority and minority. On
the 30th of the month it was announced, however, that a min-
istry had been formed ; and for the second time a Tachd-Mac-
iloiiald government came into existence, and was as follows : —

FOR CANADA EAST.

Hon. Sir E. P. Taciie Premier and Receiver-General

CJko. E. Cartier
H. L. Lanokvin -
A. T. Galt -
T. D'Arcy McGee
J. C. Chapais

Attorney-General.

- Solicitor-General.

Min. of Finance.

Mln. of Agriculture.

Cora' r of Public Works.

for CANADA WF ,1.

Hon. John A. Macdonat,d
" John Simpson
" Isaac Buchanan
" Alexander Campbell -
" M. H. Foley -
" James Cockburn -

- Attorney-General.

- Provincial Secretary.
- President of the Council.

- Com'r Crown Lands.
Postmaster-General.

Solicitor-General.

M, Cauchon, in French, and John Hilly ard Cameron, in Eng-
lish, explained to the house the policy of the administration,
wliich, in the most important respects was a determination to
pay strict attention to the i)rovincial defences, to organize the
militia on an efficient basis, to endeavour to maintain and ex-
tend the reciprocity treaty and to establish more intimate com-
mercial relations with the maritime provinces. It goes with-
out saying that to " departmental reform " and " retrenchment,"
—but one wonders, with every incoming party effecting depart-
mentid reform and retrenching, how anything could remain to
be reformed, or how a <lollar could exist to be retrenched—
above all things, the new government pledge<l itself, wliile tho

256

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

question of representation l*y population was alioweil to remain
open. On the following day the house adjourned to meet ai;ain
on the 3rd of May. No one who penetrated the situation, jind
saw that the same causes which, of late, had overthrown minis-
tries formed from every side, and of every combination, still
remained, believed that the new administration could exist.
There was only one other chance, and that was existence by
the sufferance of the opposition; but John Sandfield Macdonuld,
though it were to save the constitution from ruin, was not like-
ly to extend mercy to the men who had so rudely thrown liim-
self from power. Meanwhile, public sentiment was, unconsci-
ously and by the force of circumstances, being gradually pro-
pared to accomplish an event which was to triumph over turmoil,
io set the wheels of government rolling afresh, and to give a
new and fuller impulse to our political existence, and a lasting
direction to the current of our history. While tho greatest
crisis in our Canadian annals was approaching, Herr von Bis-
marck, who had hitherto been regarded by the world as a
" fanatical reactionary, a coarse sort of ^Letternich, a combina-
tion of bully and buffoon," suddenly revealed a genius as daring,
as craftj^ and as competent as (favour, with a wider field and
greater powers for action than the Italian statesman ; at this
time, too, came Garibaldi in state to London, whose workshops
and stately West-End dwellings sent out their throngs of en-
thusiastic artizans, and peers and countesses, to do homage to
the soldier of fortune ; at this time it was that England's grand
old statesman, in his eightieth year, in the growing morning, re-
viewed, as one glances his eye along some panorama, the his-
tory of his political administration, made his last great speech
before ste{)ping out of the conmions and entering the portal
which guards the entrance to that realm from which no travel-
ler comes back.

CHAPTER XV.

FRUITS OF THK AMKIUCAN CIVIL WAR.

"QCVLLAis passed; Charybdis ;i[)i)0!irs," The Tveniy?LX\-
U ishes; i\\Q Alabama is m siglit. On the morning that
the San Jacinto brouglit her prisoners into port, the citizens
of the north set up a loud hurrah, and cried lustily for the
daring commander, wh.om they would have borne on a chair
tl.roiigli their cities. Some of the cooler heads, however, be-
gan to consider the situation, and derived little comfort from
tlioir roHoctions. This valiant deed of the San Jacinto's com-
nianiler, they now saw, was a repetition of the outrage com-
mitted by England against the United St;iti ■ in 1807 During
the year named, while several British men-ot -war were lying at
anchor in Chesapeake Bay, a number of blue-jackets deserted,
ami enlisted on board the United States frigate, Chesapeake.
A few weeks after the occurrence, some British officers were
on shore in Norfolk, Virginia, and saw the deserters parade
the stioets, protected by the American Hag, and under the es-
cort of a recruiting officer. They at once asked for the sur-
render of the men, and their demand was seconded by the
British consul ; but the officer refused to render them up. No-
tiiiiig more was said at the time, and there was some chuckling
(in board the American shi})s of war over the occurrence. The
following day, however, a long-boat from the British tiag-ship,
admiral Berkley, visited each English war-ship in port, leaving a
si'aled despatch. Each captain was instructed by the adnnral to
keep a sharp look-out for the American frigate C/testt/icu/ce, when
at sea, out of the limits of the United States, and to search the
Q 257

il: i! ^J

258

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

said vessel for the deserted seamen; and enjoined that, sliouUl
any American war-ship insist on searching a British vessel
for a similar purpose, no resistance should be ofleretl. On the
morning of the 22nd of June, His Majesty's ship Leopwd,
captain Humphreys, put out to sea, and about fourteen miles
from land met the Chesapeake, commodore Barren. He haiied,
and said he had despatches for the commodore from the com-
mander-in-chief. The Chesapeake hove to, and was boardod
by an officer from the Leopard, Avho bore Berkley's orders,
and a letter from cajitain Humphreys expressing the wish
that he might be able to carry out the admiral's order in au
amicable manner. The commodore was surprised, but firm.
He said he couid not think of agreeing to the request, that his
orders from government forbidding any foreigner to muster his
ship's company were most peremptory ; that he had no deserters
on board, and, finally, that he must refuse, once for all, to allow
his .ship to 1)0 searched On receiving this answer, the Leojnird
edged down towards the Chesa.peaJce, captain Humphreys again
hailing, and stating that " Commodore Barren must be awaro
that the orders of the British commander-in-chief must be
obeyed." To this the answer given from the American shiii
was, " I do not understand you ;" whereupon there was a quiet
movement, with the regularity of clock-work, on board the
frigate, who promptly fired a shot across the bows of the Ghes-
<(peake. After a minute another shot was tired; then there
was a pause of two minutes; and, tho American ship giving no
answer, a broadside was poured into her. The Chesapeake
stood, like a stripling of fifteen, with folded arms, before a burly
')ully who has already delivered liis insignificant adversary a
stunnintr blow, and did not return the fire. But after a few
moments' pause, and in that awful silence when the only sound
to be heard was the beating of the seamen's hearts, commodore
Barren hailed, and said he wished to send a boat on board ; but
the Leopard believing that the Chesapeake was preparing co
return the fire, regarded the request as only a ruse, and poured

WW.

FRUITS OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.

259

in two more iiiuiderous broadsides. Barren then struck his
colours, and two lieutenants with several midshipmen entered
his sliip to make search for the deserters. They captured, after
a three hours' search, four of the delin([uents ; two others were
ideiititied among the slain, and one jumped overboard, and
perished. Six of the Chesapeake's crew were killed, twenty-
four were wounded, and conunodore Barren, who acted through-
out with the utmost coolness, was wounded from a Hying
splinter. The search having been accomplisheil, Barren wrote
a note to Humphreys, saying that he considered the CJu'sapeakc
wiis Jxow the Knglishman's prize, and that he was ready to de-
liver her up ; but the latter replied that he had executed the
orders of the commander-in-chief, that lie was merely to obtain
the deserters, was now to rejoin his squadron, and lamented
sincerely the necessity which had compelled him to resort to
violent measures. When the Chesapeake reached port, battered
and blood- stained, a cry of indignation was raised throughout
the union ; the attack by the Le^jpanl was felt to be an out-
rage upon the honour of the nation, and an msult that could
only be wiped out by war. Promptly Prtjsident Jetierson is-
sued a proclamation requiring all armed vessels bearing com-
missions under the government of Great Britain, then within
the harbours or waters of the United States, immediately to
depart therefrom, and interdicting the entrance of any British
ship armed or mercantile to American ports or waters. The
act of the Leopard was disowned by the British government ;
captain Humphreys was recalled, and admiral Berkley super-
seded ; but all this could not atone for the outrage, and five
years later the dreary wrangle culminated in a declaration of
war bv the United States auainst Great Britain.

If then, American statesmen reasoned, the outrage perpetra-
ted by the Leopard was held to be a casus belli by this coun-
try, why should not the act of the San Jacinto be similarly
regarded by the British government now ? President Lincoln
promptly made up his mind that the act of captain Wilkes

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

could not be sustained, and that V.w southern connnissionerH
should be given up. " This," said \w., " is the very thing the Bri-
tish captains used to do. They claimed the riglit of searching
American ships, and carrying men out of tliom. That was the
cause of the war of 1812. Now, wo cannot abandon our prin-
ciples. We shall have to give these men up and apologize fur
what we have done." In answer, therefore, to one of Lord
John Russell's usually long and sonorous dispatches, deniaudiiiy
the surrender of the commissioners taken from the Trent, Mr.
Seward, who also delighted in -writing lengthy and pompous
state-documents, went on to declare that his government could
not tind a justification for the proceeding of captain Wilki's,
and that the only excuse at all that could be offored for his
act was that he was 5-trictly following British precedents. "It
will be seen," ho added, " that this government cannot deny
the justice of the claim presented to us, in this respect, upon
its merits. We are asked to do to the British nation what we
have always insisted all nations ought to do unto us." There-
fore, as we have already seen, the prisoners were on the Istdiiy
of January, 18(j2, "cheerfully liberated." Thus ended the
affair of the Trent ; and now began the dispute about the
Alabama.

On the outbreak of the war between the South and the
North, Mr. Lincoln proclaimed a blockade of the Southern
ports. English authorities point out that this was a breach of
constitutional usage. The law, it is true, on the subject of
blockades is plain. A government may proclaim a blockade
of the ports of an enemy, but it can only, for the general pur-
poses of war, order a closure of its own ports. The declaration
of President Lincoln was therefore regarded by foreign govern-
ments as a recognition, by the North, of the Southern confed-
eracy as a belligerent power ; and upon this ground Lord Pal-
merston's ministry sought to defend its imprudent and hasty
proclamation. The Northern government might have ordered
the closure of its ports, but such a decree would be binding ouly

FhUJTS OF THE AMKh'JCAN CIVIL iVAIi.

261

.iitlor municipal law, and every port would be at the mercy of
iidvonturous bluckade-runners, wlio need only escape the har-
bour deleiices, as they could not be dealt with by United states
war-vessels beyond American waters. The American govern-
ment chose the blockade as the most expedient course, regard-
less of the technical standing it would give to tlie rebellious
st'itcs ; and it is difficult to understand how the adoption of a
new form of war etiquette could change the character of a body
of citizens in revolt against the supreme authority of the state.
The truth of the matter is that whoever drew up the interna-
tional clause relating to blockades, like the framers of nuany
otlicr laws, failed to foresee all the cases that might arise to V>e
aftcctcd by the ordinance. The cases sought to be met were
those where war is declared between separate nations, no in-
spiration-gleam being shed from the future to show that a day
uu^ht come when thirty-one millions of people, scattered over
half the New World, would separate into two mighty bodies
and rise in a fratricidal war.

But the attitude of the imperial ministry in issuing its pro-
clamation, commanding all British subjects to maintain a neu-
trality during the " war" between the United States and her
rebellious citizens, was not the only afiVont at which the re])ub-
licans took oH'ence. Open sympathy was manifested for the
South throughout Great Britain, and when news of the defeat
of the raw levies by the discipline of the rebel soldiers at Bull
Hun reached England, there was much jubilation; and Loi'd
Paimerston so far forgot his dignity and his duty as to make
sneering allusions, during a public speech, to the " unfortunate
rapid move) jnts " of northern soldiers during that battle. This
contemptuous phrase, coming from the head of the British min-
istry, embittered public feeling in the republic, towards Eng-
land and all that belonged to her. Not many months elapsed
before there arose a cause to intensify that feeling, and lead
Great Britain and the United States to the verice of war.

2G2

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

i:;;i

mm
I 111

One June morning, in 1861, tl c Savannah, a swift-sailing arnl
audacious little vessel, escaped from Charleston, and began to
scour the seas in search of northern merchant-vessels. Many
a sliip deep-laden with merchandise, pursuing her way from
port to port, was met by this little scourge, plundered, and
given to destruction. Fired by the example and the successes
of the Savannah, other daring s})irits in the South rigged out
fleet-sailing vessels, armed them with guns, and took up the
privateering trade. Among these were the Samter, coninuuulcfl
by Captain Semmes, whose exploits at a later time made him
famous ; the Nashville and the Petrel, the latter skimniin"
like the bird whence she took her name, over the sea, and
sweeping down upon her victim. But these were small vessels
of light armament, and took flight the moment a ship of war
was .sighted by the sailor in the cross-trees. The first of the
privateers that became really formida\)le was the Ovcto, after-
wards known as the Florida. She had not been long upon tliu
seas when a shudder went through the northern mercliant
marine at the mention of her name. oho was a swift sailer,
and swooped down like an eagle upon her prey. Before .she
had been three months cruising, she captured fifteen vessels,
thirteen of which she burned ; and many a vessel sailing in
northern waters or ci'ossing the Atlantic, shuddered as she saw
at night a tower of flame rising from the sea.

The Florida was a sturdy ship, heavily armed, and was not
so fleet a sailer as some of her smaller sisters. She was built
at Birkenhead, England, nominally for the Italian govcnuueiit;
but the American minister resident at London, learned her
destiny, and requested the British government to prevent lier
putting to sea. While the cabinet was giving " due considera-
tion " to the request, the Florida passed out the Mersey upon
her career. From the time this vessel departed, England was
declared by American writers to be the " naval base of tlio
confederacy."

FRUITS OF Tin: AMKIiKJAN CIVIL WAR.

2C3

i Raw

\oiit ;
1 her

her
ilcia-
liipon

was
tae

But the most noted of all the privateers, tho vessel which
became tlie occasion of a new code of laws between nations,
ami brought the States and Great Britain to the verge of war,
tlie reader need not be told, was the Alabama. This craft was
built in Birkenhead by tho Messrs. Laird, one of the most pro-
lu'iiont building firms in the country. When on the stocks
tlic vessel was called the " 2!)0," and crowds thronged to the
dock-yard to see tho ship destined for some strange mi-ssion.
Long before she was built, tho mystery was dissipated : tho
newspapers declared that she was intended as a southern
cruiser, that she would sweep northern commerce from the seas,
ami be so armed as to be able to hold her own against even tho
heaviest ships of war. Mr. Adams, a descendant of a brilliant
family, distinguished for their superior statcsmanshi[)and high
sense of honour, was then the American representative in Lon-
don. Promptly he sat down, on hearing of the character of
this new ship, and wrote to Lord John Russell, urging him to
institute en(juiiies into tho allegations concerning the proposed
mission of the vessel, and maintaining that it was the duty of
tlie iJi itish government, on being satisfied that tho craft was to
be employed as a southern cruiser, to prevent her departure
from England. Lord John Russell, in whom more than any
other modern English statesman of note, much littleness was
mingled with not a little g)'eatness, sought to parry Adams'
contentions by asking for proof of the allegations offered in
one breath, and in the next expressing a doubt whether the
government could fly in tho face of a domestic law. Mr. Adams
a<,'ain pressed his request. He only desired that the govern-
ment should satisfy itself as to the mission for which " 290 "
was intended. If tho mission were ascertained to be that
which he had alleged, then he contended, under the " Foreign
Enlistment Act," the vessel ought to be detained. Lengthy cov-
respondence passed between the two ministers, in which Mr.
Adams always maintained a calm dignity and an overwhelming
logic, while Lord John Russell Uiore than once gave way to

264

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

i ..•'■[

petulance, and souf^lit to dofoiid his position by fecdilo an<i tri-
flinj,^ analogies whicli lie afFt'ctcd to lind in American diplniiiacv.
Meanwliilo Mr. Laird went on building the ship, and a.s the
time of her departure approached, Mr. A<lamH press"d Loid
Ilu.ssell with much earnestness to interpo,se his authority. At
last Lord John was prevailed upon to ask the Queen's ad vopatc*
for advice ; but when the request was made that oflkial was
sick, and could not return an answer. At last the answer rnme,
expressing the opinion that the vessel ought to be detained.
But while the nunisters were waiting for the advocate's reply,
" 290 " though unfinished, was made ready for sea, and, under
pretence of a trial trip, sailed down the Mersey to Moidfra Hay
where the work remaining was hastily completed. On the 3Lst
of July, orders came from the British ministry to seize the ves-
sel, but on the same day the prospective privateer, atuid the
ringing cheers of her crew, sailed away from the coast of Eng-
land. Thence she proceeded to Terceira, one of the Western
Islands, where she tarried till the arrival of the A(jrip))i)ia
Iron' London, with her guns and stores, and tlie liithama with
captain Seinmes, late commander of the Surni^r, his officers
and crew. On the 2'Uh of August, the privateer was equipped
and ready for her career of destruction. She was a screw stoani
sloop of 1,040 tons, built of wood, and for speed rather than
strength. She was barque-rigged, had a crew of eighty men,
and carried eight 32-pounders. When ready for sea, captain
^'emmes appeared on deck in Confederate uniform, and read his
commission to the men. Henceforth he told them they woiihl
know their ship by the name of the Alabama; after which ho
delivered a speech predicting that their good fortune in escaping
iVom England was an omen of their success among the shipping
)f the north. Then under pressure of steam and canvas, the
-aucy pi'ivatcer steered for the scene of her future labours. On
tho 5th of September, when four days at sea, she sighted a

• Sir Jolin Harditit'.

i'l

FliVITS OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.

2on

bni,'antine under full canvas, li()\vlin<jr ."Innj^', bound for a north-
( rn port. " Uivo liini the Hritisli Ituntinj,'," said captain Seiuinos,
mid tho Union-Jack was flung out from tlitj main-top. The
liii^o'intine tanied till the pompous stranijer came up, and was
niiikinj,' ready to hail, when a deluj^e of grape-shot came whist-
ling across his bows ; and looking, he saw the stranger flaunt-
ing the Soutliern flag. An hour later, the stately brig was a
mass of flame through the twilight of the autumn sea. For the
next eleven day.s, the Alahaina lingered about where she met
licr first victim, and in that time captuied and burnt property
the value of wliieh exceeded her own cost. Several fast-sailing
(•ruiser.s, henvily armed, put out from Noi-fhern ports searcliing
for " the pirate Semnies," but when a .speck appeared upon tlie
horizon that the look-out declared to be foimidable, the priva-
teer alterod her course, and skimmed fleetly over the sea, leav-
ing her pursuers far behind. A few months la*^er, she hovered
along the track of comnieice between Aspinwall and New York,
and after patient watching, one njorning, captured the AHel
mail .stenmer, with 140 marines, a number of United States
ofHcers, and about 500 ]iassengers. These the captain of the
privateer decided to put on .sliore at Kingston, Jamaica, liut the
city was a pent-house of yellow fever. On board his own ship
there was not room for their accommodation; so with much re-
gret he let the steaTucr go, taking a bond for a large sum, pay-
able when the war was entlcd. Some days later tho look-out saw
an American gun-boat, which afterwards proved to be the Hat-
teras, bearing down. Senunes smiled grimly as he ordered the
liecks to be cleared for action, and saw the war-ship approach-
ing, eager for the fray. It was a shoi-t co>itlict. After a law
liroadsides the JIatteras went down, and the privateer, issuing
unscathed from the encounter, pursued lier way. TJie naiDe of
the Alabama now became one of terror and hate, and few vessels
ventured from their ports while it was known that .she was
near their track. The American government equipped a num-
lier of heavily-armed and speedy cruisers, which scoured the

III *s'n

ppp., ,,,,.

111

266

LIFE OF Slli JOHN A. MAVDONALD.

HGius in search of the marauder ; and several narrow escapes
told Semuies that Northern waters were no longer safe. So he
set sail for the Cape of Good Hope, and preyed upon all the
Northern merchant vessels (which were not many) that he
met there; but soon finding that the merchant shipping of
the enemy was beginning to forsake the seas, he sailed for
Europe, and put into Cherbourg to repair his vessel, now mucli
battered, and no longer unrivalled for her speed. Bitter re-
proaches followed the captain of the privateer, and he wa.s
burning for an opportunity to distinguish himself by some
valorous deed. During his career he had captui-ed sixty-five
vessels, and destroyed proj^erty valued at over four millions of
doilors ; 3'et his repute was that of a buccaneer that preyed
upon defenceless vessels, but who fled on being confronted
with a strength equal to his own. The Jlatteras, which lie
had met and sunk with a half-dozen broadsides, was repre"
sented as a crazy old hulk not fit to be at sea, and that must
have foundered from the concussion of her own guns. But
Semmes was a daring and brilliant sailor, who knew not fear,
as he was soon but to })rove too plainly. He writlicd under
the abuse heaped upon him, and was stung by the palpable
truth, that, whether he were coward or coura;^eous, his warfare
had been upon defenceless counnerce, and that however much
he may have harassed his foes, no glory waited on his caiecr.
While the Alabama lay in Cherbourg, the American war-vessel
Keavsage arrived off the coast of France, and, learning where
the privateer lay, made several demonstrations in the offing,
which the Alabama regarded as a challenge to battle. Half
reckless and half hopeful, Semmes made up his mind to accept
the challenge of tiie haughty man-of-war, and notified the
United States consul of his intention. He made ready his ship,
and, on a fine Sunday moining, 19th of June, 18G4, steamed out
of the harbour, to engage in the murderous confiict. The in-
habitants of the city crowded upon every height to witness tl.e
battle. To the inexperienced eye the two ships, now qui<;tly

wmf

FliUITS OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.

267

noariiig each other, were of about e([ual .stiength, and even
captain Sennnes, thougli at one time one of the uost experi-
ciicod ofhcers of the Northern naval service, was deceived. Ho
did not know that the ship advancing for the fray was in all
lospocts superior to the Alabama. It was only when it was
all ended he learnt that her armament was superior to his own,
her crew larger, and that she was iron-clad amidships. The bat-
tle was begun without delay, and soon was over. The Kearsage
possessing greater speed than her adversary, was able to keep
lip a distance of about 500 yards, at which range she was little
artectod by the Alabama s shot; while the latter was suffering
terribly. The issue was decided in less than an hour. Captain
Semmes, finding his vessel sinking, struck his flag ; but before
the enemy could come to the rescue, the noted privateer went
down. Some of the crew were picked up by the Kearsage's
ioats, and captain Semmes and others were rescued by an
English 3'acht, the Dccrhound. There was a deej) feeling of
relief through the merchant marine of the North when the end
of the Alabama was known ; and captain Winslow, Avith supe-
rior guns and armoured sides, was the lion of the hour.

Before the destruction of the privateer, there was much
diplomatic turmoil between the British and United States gov-
ernments, the latter hoMing the former responsible for the
damages done by the Alabama. Once again Lord John Russell
fancied he had terminated a difficulty by becoming pcremjjtory ;
but his successor to the colonial office, Lord Stanley — now Lord
Derly — frutdcly conceded the grounds taken by Mr. Adams in
the discussion witli Lord John, to which wc have already re-
voitei]. The outcome was renewed nejjotiations, a jjood deal
of diplomatic fire, which, as is usual in such controversy, was
continod to the glow of anthracite coal. The United Stater^
declared, that, while the British government had not ordered
and sanctioned England's making war on American commerce,
it had permitted the out"age, and was, now, in honour, and by
all the rules of national etiquette, bound to make reparation.

268

LIFE OF SIR JOUN A. MACDONALD.

At length, when correspondence failed to procure satisfaction
an arbitration was proposed, which consisted of representatives
of England, the United States, the president of the Swiss Con-
fo<leration, and the emperor of Brazil. This tribunal met in
Geneva, and on the loth of September, 1872, delivered its final
award. For the wrong-headedtiess of Lord Russell and tlie
ministry it was decreed that England should pay a sum of
.£3,229,160 13s. 4d. The only regret that one can feel on
reading this record of retributive justice, is, that the statesmen,
who, by their obstinate prejudice, instead of the public who
were the victims, were not obliged to pay the fine. Some
Englishmen, among whom were many of those who clapped
their hands and threw .slippers laden with rice after the Ala-
bama, as she slipped down the Mersey, on her career of pillage,
muttered "curses not loud but deep" when they were obliged
to pay 815,000,000 for their Southern sympathy. Severrd
leading Englishmen, and Sir Alexander Cockburn, an eminent
judge — if eminence can afTord to ignore such codes as national
obligation and national honour — affirmed that the Geneva deci-
sion was unjust, and advised its repmliation. But the amount
was paid, and the British taxpayer has had an opportunity to
realize how dangerous a possession national synipathy niay
sometimes be, and to lay to heart this costly lesson which Mr.
Kingsley ought to have had an opportunity of stating by the
mouth of Mrs. Bedonebyasyoudid.

It has been already seen that Canada dutifully retiected the
Southern sympathy of her nif»ther, and aggravated the feeling
of hostility against the British empire in the republic. Sou-
thern refugees were received here with open arms, were some-
times publicly feted, and all the while given to undorstasu] that
they were regarded as the noble sufferers in a gloricus cause.
During the summer of 18(!4 a body of the refugees decided to
turn Canadian sympathy to account, and, in Septemboi', sallied
forth from their colonial as3'!um and captured and phuuTered
two American vessels plying on Lakes Erie and Ontario. Ela-

FEU ITS OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.

209

ill

ted by tlioir success, the filibusters, a few weeks later, headed
bv an ex-Confederate soldier named Young, burst into St.
Albiin's, a little town in Vermont, and situated near the fron-
tier, .ore they plundered three of the local banks, shot one
of the cashiers, bearing away to Canada $283,000 worth of
booty. The Canadian government now aroused itself and dis-
tnbuted volunteers along our frontier, to i)revent any further
broach of the neutrality law. The filibusters were arrested at
the instance of the United States government, who demanded
thoir extradition. Tho}' were tried in Montreal, but discharged
by Judge Cour^iol, before whom they were examined, on a tech-
nical ground. A sum of $!)(),000 was found on the raiders
when arresied, but on their discharge the monev was refunded
tliein. The act fed our prejudice for the time, but, in due sea-
son, we had to repay the amount to the American government.
Theie is no one who will say that this did not serve us right.

On the 15ih of April, 18G5, in theevening, president Abraham
Lincoln, who had two years before proclaimed the freedom ol
slaves in the rebel States, while sitting in his box at the theatre,
was .'-hot dead by the hand of an assassin. The civilized world
stootl aghast at the intelligence of the deed, and Canada showed
a lioarL.^elt sympathy for the untimely end of this great friend
of liberty. Meetings were held in the cities, at which resolu-
tions were passed expressing the sorrow of our people ; flags
tloated at half-mast, and bells tolled from a hundred steeples.

The minds of the timorous were distui'bed in Canada, during
the same year^ by the rumours, ever on the wing, of a contem-
plated invasion by some of the turbulent spirits who had been
tau>fht the trade of war during the American rebellion. Some-
where near Union Square, in New York, a band of men known
as the " Fenian Brotherhood" met to discuss measures for the
liberation of Ireland. The name Fenian had an historic ring,
and fired the hearts of those who longed to see the green flag
float again on the hill of Tara. The Fenians, it came to be re-
uiembered, were an old-time Irish militia, burly kerns who

270

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACJJONALD.

went in bare arms, and " would daro death and the devil."
Money and recruits poured in to the " head-centre " at Now
York ; a thoioug;h organization was efiected, and the brother-
hood held meetings at which, in grim earnest, they discussed
the plan of " liberating Ireland." Amongst this deluded band
were many noble and patriotic spirits,* whatever unjust and
intemperate writers may affirm, and .some again of che nio.st
worthless and mischievous adventurers that ever disgiaeod so-
ciety. Demagogues who had never figured in any more hen^ic
movement than a tjunken row ih some bar-room in the Sixth
Ward, vapoured against " the bloody Saxon," and thrilled tho
deluded crowds of their fellow Irishmen by recounting the
means they would pursue to overthrow British rule, and set
" darlin' ould Ireland free agin." Some of the most useless and
viciouA loafers found in the agitation a golden trade, and pushed
themselves to the front as leadei's. " The contributions driven
by H(jme Irish hack-drivers and servant girls, in the sinecre
belief that they were helping to man the ranks of an Irish army
of independence, enabled sonie of the self-appoi:.^ed leaders to
wear fine clothes and order expensive dinners." The organi-
zation grew, and gigantic projects were developed. One of these
was a conquest of Canada as a first step " before takin' Ireland."
Early in the year 18Gt5, it was resolved, at a meeting of the
brotherhood, to celebrate St. Patrick's Day by seiziiig New
Brunswick; and sure enough when that festival came, with it
appeared, on the boundary of the coveted province, a band of
Hibernians, armed in grotes(jue fashion, and bedecked with
shannocks, looking more like a detachment bound for Doiiey-
brook fair than invaders thirsty for conquest. The visitors
were met by Colonel Cole and a body of volunteers, and speed-
ily took to flight, v/inding up the day after they had got be-

• Any virtue that may havo existed in this organization in the beginning has long
since departed. The only achievements of th«- association now are cold-bKmJi'il
murders; the instruments by wliich it works terror, the dagger and dynamite.

FRVITS OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.

271

yonJ the reach of Canadian bullets, with a whisky feast.* On
the night of May 31st, following, a bolder attempt was made.
An advance guard consisting of about 900 of the brotherhood,
unilcr the connnand of one O'Neil, in the night, crossed Nia-
ijara river, and landed about a mile below the village of Fort
p]iio. They advanced with much spirit into the village, where
they <lemanded rations, and vainly sought the co-operation
of the inhabitants. Then they tore up a piece of the Grand
Trunk railway-track, cut the telegraph wires, set fire to some
bridges, and, in all other ways of destruction, endeavoured to
deport themselves in the manner of invading warriors. During
the forenoon of the following day, the American gun-boat

• In cdiinec'tion with tlie Fenian att('ni()t on New Brunswick, ^Ir. Edward Jack,
.if Fredericton, Xew Brunswick, furnishes the writer with the following facts : —
"Sir A. J. Smith, prior to the Fenian invasion, interviewed Andrew Johnson, pre-
M(lent of theUnited States, who i>roinised liini, that sd soon as the Fenians commit-
ted an overt act ho would attend to thorn. When the niaurauders made their
apiwarance at Kastport, in the Slate of Maine, the United States government des-
patcLed several vessels of war to prevent their making a demonstration on New
Brunswick. Not far from Kiistport nii,L,'ht be seen one of the fleetest war-vessels in
the United States service, lying at anchor with steam up, while not far distant a
British frigate in provincial waters was ready for the fray. The Fenians spent their
motley freely at Eastport in licpior and cigars, and did no h.arm beyond l)urning a
Imilding on Indian Island, opposite Eastport. A party of the Fenians ascended the
Ste. Croix to Calais, where some of the number, who put up at the Frqntice hotel,
stole all the soap, and other things they coidd lay their hands on in the rooms, on
tluir departure. The arrival of the adventurers at Calais was followed promptly
liy that of a body of German artillerymen, in the pay of the United States. These
were intended to be a check on the Fenian operations on the American side. These
irtillery-raen used to visit the British side, and indulge so freely in beer, that the
ljrovii!oia'"sts, who feared an attack from the Irish myrmidons, placed them in
ilrays aiid had them carted across the river to the American side. .Some of the best
liecjple of St. Stephen, were so alarmed at the appearance of the Fenians, that they
si'iit their plate to the Calais bank for safe keeping. From the quiet little town of
Saint Andrew's, situated at the mouth of the Ste. Croix, not far from the island
where De JI(mts and Cliamplain spe»it their first winter in America, the Fenians
iniild he seen drilling to the number of a dozen or two. Fort Tipperary, which over-
1'MpIcs the town, was promptly garrisoned, and the old honeycombed guns which the
rutttn carriages could hardly BU[)port, were placed in position. He would have
been a bold man who fired them ! In the midst of the trepidation a British frigate
steamed up to Joe's Point, at the northern end of the town, where he quietly cast
ancUer. The commanding oHicer came ashore, and consoled the inhabitants by
telling them not to fear. ' If the Fenians get in here,' he said, ' clear away as fast
iwyuu can, for wo shall shell the city and burn it over the rnKcals' heads.' "

272

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

I 1. I :iimv

'W\

1;^' it'll

!!«',

M'ukigan began to patrol the river to prevent any breaches of
the neutnility laws ; and sliut her eyes whenever a boat with
reinforcement or stores for O'Neil happened to bo crossing from
the American shore. When news of the invasion, by this rab-
ble, reached the public, there was a general feeling of indltrnn-
tion. There was some chagrin felt that the military dehoiccs
of the country were in a disordered condition, but not a niomui't
was lost in taking all }>ossible measures to hurl back the in-
truders. T! regulars in the Hamilton and Toronto districts
were at once ordered by Major-General Napier to the Niagaia
peninsula. Orders w ere given to call out the volunteers, wliu
seemed enthusiastic to enter the fray. Lieutenant-Colonel
Dennis mustered six hundred of the Toronto force, Avlr>:h
number was, in a large measure, supplied by Major Gillmor of
the Queen's Own. These, with the 13th Battalion, of Ilauiil-
ton, and other volunteer companies, uiider the command of
Lieutenant-Colonel Booker, were despatched to Port Colbornu
to protect the Welland Canal. Colonel George Peacocke, of tlie
lUth regiment, counuantled the entire expedition, and accom-
panied the regulars to Chippewa, where he was joined by the
Governor-General's body guard and other forces. Arrived at
Chippewa Colonel Peacocke dispatched Captain Akers with in-
structions to the officer commanding at Port Colborne to cHect
a junction of his troops with those of Peacocke's, the following
forenoon, about ten or eleven o'clock, at Stevensville, a village
a short distance to the north-west of Fort Erie. Peacocke was
a brave and capable officer, but he was criminally ignorant of
the frontier topography, and, under such circumstances, shouhl
not have been given (or rather taken) command. Had he
put himself entii-ely in the hands of such of his suboi'dinatcs
as were accpiainted with the campaign ground, he might have
earned excuse ; but his conduct seems to have been a mixture
of self-reliance and dependence, of confessed ignorance, and
unbending arrogance. He was not able to instruct Akers, who
was " as much in tho woods " as himself, as to what route of

FRUITS OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.

273

inarch the volunteers ought to take, and left Booker to decide

th;it for himself. Akers reached Port Colborne, at 2 o'clock in

tlk- iiiurning, and delivered his orders. Meanwhile information

liail lieen received at Port Colborne, which, the volunteer officers,

tlieie, believed, altered the complexion of the whole case, and

jiisiitied a departure from Poacocke's plan. It was learnt that

the Fenian force at Fort Erie was niucli smaller than was at

first supposed, that the marauders were in a state of wretclied

discipline, had done nought but carouse since landing, and

could be expelled by the prompt movements of a moderate

fmco. It was therefore agreed that Booker with his troops

should start by rail in time to reach Fort Erie by eight o'clock

ill the morning, and that Lieutenant-Colonel Dennis and Akers

should embark with a company of artillery, at Port Colborne,

aiul proceed to reconnoitre along Niagara river, returning to

co-o})erate with Booker at eight o'clock. If Peacocke should

agree to this plan, he was informed that he might march by

the river road from Chippewa, making a combined attack with

Colonel Booker at some point " between Fort Erie and Black

Cn.H'k, cutting oft" the enemy's retreat by the river — the tug to

he eniplo3'ed in cruising up and down the river, cutting off any

hoats that might atioiriptto escape, and communicating between

the forces advancing from Chippewa and from Fort Erie."

lieuiiis and Akers did not wait for Peacocke's reply, but started

at four o'clock in the morning on the tug Robh, taking with

them the Welland Garrison Battery, and a portion of the

lUiuuville Naval Brigade. Shortly after the departure of the

tug-, came a telegram, as might have been expected, from

Colonel Peacocke, saying he disapproved of the modifications

proposed and would adhere to his original ])lan. The cjuestion

was no longer one of expediency but of etiquette, and Booker

leoulvcd to fulfil, as far as po.s&ible, the instructions cf the

heniifhted commaTider. So about an hour after the departure

of the Itohb he put his men on board the train and proceeded as

fur as Ridgeway, whence the troops left the cars and marched

rfKfPi

;.:!

.\m

3h i

274

LIFE OF -S7A' JOIIN A. MACDONALD.

towards Stevensville. 'J hiit same morning O'Neil had begun
a movement westward, with the intention of destroying the
locks of the Welland Canal, and C-olonel Booker, about two
uiilos from llidgeway, came up with the marauders' out-posts.
Not expecting such a meeting he held a hurried consulta-
tion witli Major Gillmor, of the Queen's Own, when an attack
was resolved on, both officers believing Colonel Peacocke and
his regulars could not be far away. When the wojd was
given, the volunteers advanced with much spirit, and fairly
turned back, for some distance, the enemy's lines; and on-
lookers must have believed, for a time, that the day was to be
with these raw levies, composed mostly of clerks and col-
legiates. While the brave J'oung volunteers were grappling
with O'Neil's Fenians, an orderly came up and put in Booker's
hand a message from Colonel Peacocke. A shade passed over
the face of the officer as he read the note. It was directed to
him at Port Colborne, instructing him to delay his departure
from that point tvro hours beyond the hour previously specified,
as Colonel Peacocke could not be ready to start with his regu-
lars from Chippewa as early as had been expected. Booker, it
has been seen, had reall}^ dcijarted an hour before the prescrib-
ed time, which would chunije Peacocke's calculations bv three
hours ; so that lie now saw there was no assistance for
the young fellows so far outnumbered by the bvawny-armed
followers of O'Neil. While the volunteers struggled with
the outnumbering enemy, a report reached Booker that a
body of Fenian cavalry was advancing, and was close at hand.
At once, and by Booker's orders, Gillmor formed his men in
square to receive the onset ; but the report proved to be a ruse.
The manoeuvre was a fatal one for the devoted volunteers, who.
in consequence, became a conspicuous mark for the Fenians'
bullets. When Gillmor saw the error, he at once endeavoured
to extend his men, but the fire was so severe that the rear com-
panies fell back and could not be reformed ; and the order was
given to retire. In a few minutes the volunteers, who, against

HtVITS OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.

275

oviiwholining odds, had " fought so well," were in full retreat,
ONeil's wild myrmidons in mad pursuit. Tlie Iohs of th«
Canadians was one officer and eight men killed, and six officers
and twenty-six men wounded. What was the loss of the
Fenians has not .■^ince been known, though it is helieved not to
have been less than ours. The campaign so far had been a
series of blunders. Akcr and Dennis should not have gone
upon the reconnoitering tour without having he;ird the reply of
the commanding officer ; Peacocke, should, in the first instance,
have seen his way clear to be able to start at the hour he fixed
for departure before communicating the time to his brother of-
ficers ; and secondly, should not have trusted the fate of the
expedition to the chance of an orderly overtaking Jjooker be-
fore leaving Port Colborne ; while it may be that he was the
most culpable of all in taking a command for which he was not
competent, through ignorance of the ground upon which his
forces were to operate, or, feeling this deficiency, in refusing to
take counsel of those, who, if they knew less than himself of
tactics, knew more of geograjdiy. We hope, should it ever be
dur lot again to see hostile steel in our Dominion, that we shall
not be found putting our trust in officers who know nothing
iibout our frontier, and who will learn nothing till the lives of
anuiiiber of our sons shall have been sacrificed to their ignor-
ance. These eight brave young fellows and their officer who
fell, and the tarnish of defeat on their surviving comrades, were
a tribute to official etiquette — the price we paid to military
incapacity.

The remainder may as well be told. Dennis and Akers
landed at the appointed time at Fort Erie, and picked up about
sixty stragglers, comprising" Liberators" and camp followers.
O'Neil hearing that the regulars were on the march from Chip-
pewa, retreated on Fort Erie, reconquering the village ; and
when night fell, silently made his way across the river for the
sheltering American shore. Before he could disembark he was
arrested, with his followers, by United States authorities. On

are

LIFh OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

Sunday morning, eager for war, Peacocke and liis troops arrived
at Fort Erie, but nought of the enemy remained save tlie em-
bers of their camp fires, and a number of broken whiskey bot-
tles. A few stragglers wlio had been carousing around tlie
neighbourliood wliilo their comrades were emltarking, were
afterwards captured by the regulars with much alacrity, put on
board a tug, taken to Toronto, and lodged in jail. They wcic
subsequently tried under a statute passed during the Cana-
dian rebellion. Some were discharged for want of evidence,
others were found guilty and sentenced to death, but the pun-
ishment was commuted to imprisonment in the penitentiary.

Several other demonstrations of invasion were made, some
weeks later, by the brotherhood. A large body gathered at
Ogdensburg, their eyes turned to the Dominion capital, but the
nmssing of troops on the Canadian side, and the patrolling of
«ne St. Lawrence by a British gun-boat, damped their ambition.
Another hoi'de gathered opposite Cornwall, but dispersed before
the display of a volunteer force. Still another body of the
liberators, 1,800 strong, made a dash across the border from St.
Alban's, Vermont, but were driven back in hot haste by our
troops. On reaching Vermont again the ringleaders of the
filibusters were arrested for a breach of the neutrality laws,
and thrown into prison ; and the president issued a proclama-
tion ordering government officials to use every means to re-
jtress further attacks on Canada from American territory.
When the excitement was ended, the people of Canada did not
forget to pay tribute to the memory of those who fell in resist-
ing the invaders. In the Queen's Park, Toronto, a monument
was raised which tells the story of the brave young hearts whu
died in defending their homes.

CHAPTER XVr.

THE DOMINION OF CANADA.

ri^IIE fatal balance of parties had at last been voaclicd, an<l
1 Mr. Macdonald who had always before, in emergency,
relied on his brains, now "trusted to luck." He was like a
captain who, in the pitchy darkness, and in the midst of the
storm, turns his face from the compass and allows his barque to
take her own way through the unknown sea. The house met
on May 3rd, LSG4. The new ministry had found stunly o)tpo-
sition in the constituencies, and Mr. Foley had fallen in the
conflict. Some of Mr. John A. Macdonald's colleagues cheered
themselves by the hope that John Sandfield would not offer
serious resistance to the government ; as, they said, the consti-
tution was on its trial, and they could n')t believe he would
sacrifice the institutions of the country to his ambition. The
attorney-general-west, however, leaned upon no such reed as
thin. " If a disruption of the whole fabric," he assured his
friends, " is to be the price of John Sandfield's opposition, then
woe to the constitution. We showed him no mercy; at his
hands I do not think we now deserve mercy." Meanwhile the
ex-premier was brooding over his revenge. Some of his col-
leagues assured him that it was now a question between duty
to his party and duty to his country ; that, to overthrow the
new administration might lead to a disruption of the whole
governmental system. " Did they spare us," retorted John
Sandfield with flashing eye, " when our overthrow was an equal
menace to the constitution ? No ; I shall oppose them now as
I have never done before ; it is useless to talk to me of for-

hwirance."

277

278

LIFH OF .SJJi JOHN A. MACDONALD.

i' V : -'I

A ft'W (lays after the openiiijLf of the scsHion a no-confidonoe
motion was introduced, and thou^di tlie ministry strained every
ncrvo in the cojjilict, it was sustained by a nuijority of only two
votes. With sucli a su|)i)()rt tlie i^'overnment were powerless to
ett'ect any important l(';.,Mslation, yet, under tlie circumstancos,
they resolved to maintain their places till actually voted out,
Not long were they obli<,'ed to wait, for the ending came on
the 14th of June. It hail come to light, that, in 185!), Mr.
A. T. Cjialt, the finance minister that year in the C'artier-Mac-
donald government, had advanced a sum of 8100,000 from the
puljlic funds to re<leem certain bonds given by the city of Mon-
treal to the Atlantic and 8t. Lawrence R.nl way Company. Tlu'
bomls were subseipiently made redeemable by the Grand Trunk
which com[»any thus became actually the recipient of the ad-
vance. The loan liad been made quietly in the finance minis-
ter's office, and the fact had not transpired, till a member, dis-
tended with importance, ro.se at his desk, and in the low.
feigned-sorrowful tones which an honourable member always
assumes when digging a grave for his live opponent, announced
that he had a painful task to perform, but that, nevertheless
" imperative duty to the country demanded that it should be
•lone;" and then exposed the S100,()()() transaction. Mr. A. A.
Dorion following, moved, in amendment to the motion to go into
conniiittee of supply, a resolution censurijig the advance of the
amount without the knowledge of parliament. The resolution
though aimed apparently at Mr. Gait, comprehended a censure
of the ministry which it was averred was a mere rehabilitation
of the Cartier-M'icdonald government. This was an unconsti-
tutional view, but ministers at once waived the qu.'stion of
propriety, and assumed for the cabinet the full responsibility
of Mr. Gait's act. The latter gentleman was not bowed down,
but defended himsi If in a speech that was everything a mere
outpour of plausibility could pcssibly be. But, tottering from
the moment of its birth, the ministvry could not withstand this
last shock. It had to deal not less with the imcompromisinc;

Up' II

77//; DO Ml XI ox OF CAXADA.

fofinaii, whose oyos .sj)arklo(l with tlio very fire of liostility,
tiiiiii with ovt'i'-sonsitive coiiscieiicos. It is not likely that the
ri'iiiler has failed to remark, as well as the writer, that an
" hoiiouraMe " jLfentleman, who, while his party is oii the flood-
tide uf prosperity, can swallow a eaiuel without a grimace, will
strain at a gnat when the same party is found on the ebb-tide,
Hurrounded by reefs and ruin. Perhaps it is only one more of
tlin many wise provisions of the Great Intelligence wliose
"hand holds the reins of all things," that ruling parties should
soiiK'times grow weak, else such men as th'jse would never find
an ()])poitunity to reveal that they are possessed of consciences.
It would lie extremely unwise and unprofitable for a man sud-
denly to let virtue get the better of him while his party still
hidd a majority of fifty men ; but the case is reversed when the
honesty-impulse can be exh-' 'ted while the party ship lies
Hoggy in the water, and goes down with tb.e defeetiou of two
or three of the virtue-stricken crew. Messrs. Dunkin and
Rankin belonged to this not uncommon class of politicians.
They had for years judged the morality of the liberal-conser-
vative party by the standard of its success — while it was
stanneh, their faith in its virtue was strong; when it grew
weak it lieeame a moral Lazarus in their eyes, full of sores,
and not fit to live. They voted with the grits on Mr. Dorion's
resolution, and the ministry fell.

Yet, it may be seen, as our story progresses, that these two
men were instruments in facilitating the birth of the greatest
event in our political history. The movements of several years
past which we have endeavoured to pourti'ay, were the causes,
tliough ineilicient, producing the scheme for a union of the
provinces ; henceforth we lose sight of the causes, and watch
the manner in which was born the confederation itself.

When the defeat came, ministers were in no wise perturbed :
they had expected the result for many weeks, and did not re-
sign, Two courses there renuiined open to them : to attempt a
reeoiistruction, or to ask for a dissolution. Neither project at

280

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

! I

first left room to hope that the second condition would be bet-
ter than the first, either for the party or the constitution.
Within a little more than two years four different governiiifuts
had been formed, and party feeling had grown so bitter that
the ministry felt there was little hope that the general result
could be changed by " trying their fortune in the lottery of a
general election." Yet though the virtue had apparently gont-
out of the expedients of our constitutional system, responsible
government was still supreme, and Messrs. Macdonald and
Tachd could not continue in office while in a minority in the
assembly. The opposition held their breath after the minis-
terial defeat, and spake not during the hours that miiiisters,
still holding the reins, deliberated over their position ; but the
silence was like that which falls upon wood and dale before
the storm breaks. Happily for the public peace, the figure on
tills occasion held not good. There was no storm after the
death-like stillness; for, after duly considering the situation,
Mr. Macdonald reached the conclusion that of the ways open
dissolution was the best ; ana with this view the ministers
waited on the governor-general. His excellency, after careful
deliberation, granted the request of his advisers. If the writer
were one of those who subscribed to predestination, he would
affirm here with rigid religious conviction, that " there's a
divinity that shapes our ends, rough-hew them how we will;"
for with such surprise as one feels who sees a thunderbolt
flame out of a clear sky, the public saw a figure stalk upon the
scene to end the confusion between parties, and assist in the
adoption of a new and wholesome course of public policy. We
can hardly tear ourselves away from figures, the apparition
forces itself so strongly upon our imagination. It was as it
the pope had left Rome, appeared suddenly upon one of our
platforms, and begun to read a lecture in favour of the right
of private judgment in spiritual things ; as if King John had
headed a movement that was seeking for popular liberty. The
man who came upon the scene, was no other than Geor^i

rHE nOMISlON OF CANADA.

281

Brown. Wo have not laid ourselves open to the charge, so far,
of iint'ue admiration for this politician, but have endeavoured,
as we shall strive now, to do him simple, naked justice. It
might be open to us, were we disposed merely to censure the
public career of Mr. Brown, instead of to endeavour to paint
his record, the good and the bad, so far as it is concerned with
the main thread of our narrative, just as it is, to say that the
course he proposed in the political emergency which had come
was not begotten of a well-spring of devotion to the country's
interests, and not that he hated John A. Macdonald and his
party less, but that he hated John Sandfield Macdonald more.
What he did do, we shall, instead, endeavour to regard as a
bright spot in a career of noisy and unscrupulous aml>ition,
and peace-disturbing demagogism.

On the day after the ministerial defeat Mr. Brown fell into
conversation with Messrs. J. H. Pope and Alexander Morris,
supporters of the ministry, and members respectively for Comp-
ton and South Lanark. He gave it as his opinion that a crisis
had arrived which could not be overcome by an appeal to the
people, and that the time was a fitting one to settle " for ever
the constitutional difficulties between Upper and Lower Can-
ada." He further expressed his willingness to cooperate
with the existing or any other ministry that would deal
promptly and firndy with the matter. The two ministerialists,
one of whom had been a staunch advocate of federation, lis-
tened to Mr. Brown with a good deal of satisfaction, and before
parting from him asked if they might repeat the conversation
to the conservative leaders. He readily consented, and the re-
sult was that on Friday, the 17th, Messrs. John A. Macdonald
and A. T. Gait waited on Mr. Brown at his rooms in the St.
Louis Hotel, stating that they were authorized by the minis-
try to invite the cooperation of the liberal leader, with a view
to the settlement of differences existing between Tipper and
Lower Canada. Wlien this proposal had been made, Mr. Brown
replied that nothing but the extreme urgency of the present

I'll]

■■■■: Mill'' ^, ■; 1

I S it

}■ r ■ ill

JmiTIsP-

282

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

crisis could justify this meeting — witli which observation Mr.
Macdonald agreed in a tone of bland irony. The grit chief
then intimated that " it was quite impossible that he could Ijo
a member of any administration at present, and that even had
this been otherwise, he would have conceived it highly objec-
tionable that parties who had been so long and so strongly op-
posed to each other, as he and some members of the adminis-
tration had been, should enter the same cabinet. He thought
the public mind would be shocked by such an arrangement,
but he felt very strongly that the present crisis presented an
opportunity of dealing with this question that might never oc-
cur again. Both political parties had tried in turn to govern
the country, but without success ; and repeated elections on!y
arrayed sectional majoiities against each other more strongly
than before. Another general election at this moment present-
ed little hope of a much altered result ; and he believed that
both parties were far better prepared than they had ever been
before to look the true cause of all the difficulties firmly in the
face, and endeavour to settle the representation question on an
equitable and permanent basis."

In reply, Mr. Macdonald said he considered it essential that
Mr. Brown should be a member of the cabinet, to give gua-
rantees to the opposition and the country of the earnestness of
the government. To do justice to Mr. Brown, he did not show
any hopeless opposition to the proposal that he should enter
the ministry, but suggested that all questions of a personal na-
ture, and the necessary guarantees, might be waived for the
present, " and the discussion conducted with a view of ascer-
taining if a satisfactory solution of the sectional difficulty
could be agreed upon." He then requested to know what steps
the government proposed towards settling sectional troubles.
Promptly, Messrs. Macdonald and Gait informed him that
their remedy was "a federal union of all the British North-
American provinces " — a project, while not in some details the
same as that afterwards adopted, all along very dear to Mr.

THE DOMINION OF CANADA.

283

Macdonald, though he did not approve of the methods recently
proposed to carry out the object, and had voted against the plan
siiffrested — " local matters being committed to loail bodies, and
matters common to all to a general legislature, constituted on
the well-understood principles of federal government." With
this plan Mr. Brown expressed himself dissatisfied, his desire
not being to see a confederation of the provinces, a contin-
<fency which he regarded as impracticable then and remote, but
rather to have accomplished a measure to provide more equit-
able parliamentary representation for Upper Canada. As there
is an impression among several wiiters thcvt Mr. Bi'own was
the parent of confederation, and entered the coalition for the
purpose of forwarding the scheme, it may be as well to dispel
the illusion. The testimony of Mr. Mackenzie, Mr. Brown's
biogiapher, on this point, is conclusive. After Messrs. Mac-
donald and Gait had stated what their i-emedy was, " Mr,
Brown," Mr. Mackenzie tells us, at psige 89 of his book, " ob-
jected that this was uncertain and remote (the confederation
scheme), as there were so many bodies to be consulted ; and
stated that the measure acceptable to Upper Canada would be
parliamentary reform based on population, without regard to
a separating line between Upper an ' Lower Canada." Messrs.
Macdonald and Gait assured Mr. Brown that his proposal in-
vdlved an impossibility, and after some discusi^ion the latter
gentleman was persuaded to accei:)t a compromise in the adop-
tion of the federal principle for all the [)rovinces as the larger
'luestion, or for Canada alone, with })rovision for the admis-
sion of the maritime provinces and the North-West territory.
The ground having been thus cleared, Mr. Brown stated that
he was ready to cooperate with the new government. The
utmost credit then to which Mr. Brown is entitled is, not that
he brought the union into life, but that he permitted its birth.
(^uite a ditterent paient had the scheme. To use Bystander's
i]it epigram, " The father of confederation was dead-lock."

284

LIFJ^ OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

I \

On the 30th of the month, business having been hurried
through, parliament was prorogued. On the same da\- tjio
ministerial announcements were made. George Brown entered
the government as president of the council, Oliver Mowat as
postmaster-general, and Wrn.McDougall as provincial-secretary.
The ordinary affairs of legislation had little charm now for the
coalition ministry, so absorbed were they by the scheme wliich
overshadowed every other question. The tongues of ini})liii;-
able party foemen for the time were stilled, the questions tliat
had kept the two sections of the province so long in an atti-
tude of hostility towards each other, passed for the time from
the public memory, and one and all began to dream over this
new nationality that was to be given to them. But as one hears,
in the stilly moments before the rush of the storm, the croak-
ing note of the raven on the turret or the tree-top, so, in the
midst of the expectancy which held the people mute, here ami
there was heard the voice of a politician croaking some evil
})ropht'cy. Messrs. Dorion and Holton raised their voices and
said in effect that we were jducking green fruit, that the union
scheme required yet many years to ripen, and predicted a new
brood of discord under the expected regime. Mr. Dunkin
croaked an unmistakable note of ruin ; solemnly declaring that
we would have under " this confederation " a swarm of trou-
bles and h(!art-burnings far more grievous than the discords
we aimed to exorcise. A number of the grits who had followed
Mr. Brown all along, while approving of the federation princi-
ple, declared that he had sold himself to the liberal-conserva-
tive party, and, that, what was worse than the sale, he had
gone over " too cheap." They pointed out that while the oppo-
sition had a majority of two votes in the legislature they were
given only three seats ; but it afterwards became clear that
Mr. Brown brought all possible pressure to bear for the admis-
sion of a greater number of his friends, and that the govern-
ment had decided to stop at this point.

THE DOMINION OF CANADA.

28S

The most energetic spirit in the federation niovonient now
wa.s Mr. John A. Macdonald. It was his hand that made
smooth many of the rough ways in the negotiations ; and he in-
spirod his colleagues with the same faith and entliusiasm in the
achievement of the union as he felt himself. His interest in
the scheme, after the coalition had been acc;omplished,hiis been
.sneered at by some prejudiced and superficial writers, while
others who affect an anxiety to be friendly, say that he de-
serves credit for having bent so readily to the wishes of the
legislature and the public. The truth i.s, from, the moment that
a fe<leration of the provinces had been first discussed, the scheme
hail been Mr. Macdonald's fondest dream. Efforts, wrongly
riiade, by politicians who were zealous for the union, he had
seen and disapproved; believing, and affirming his belief, that
it was not proper to jeopardize a project of such overshadowing
nioaient, by affixing to it the stigma of that defeat which
was sure to come upon the test of its popularity, at a time when
the public mind was not prepared to comprehend its import-
ance. But through all those years that the Upper Canada re-
formers cried out for representation by population, and charged
him with lending himself to the French Canadians for the sake
of otHce, he dreamt of the time, when through some such sy.stem
a.s was afterwards atlopted, the turmoil would be brought to an
end, and that which the majority of the people in liis own sec-
tion sought be granted, without working injustice to the other
p.irtion of the province ; and when the census revealed that
tliere were 300,000 persons more in the upper than in the lower
division, he promptly told Mr. Cartier that the day of settle-
ment was close at hand. We have .seen that while the miion
was maintained, such settlement never could be repre-sentation
l>y population ; that Mr. Macdonald had made some of his most
powerful speeches in afiirming this position : it is not necessary
tlien to say that the expedient in which he saw a cure was
this plan for a confederation. Later on, when, among other
delegates, he visited Halifax, he stated that this scheme of

286

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

union had been his ideal dream, and tliat since he saw a p(;ssi-
bility of its accomplishment he felt that a higher future had
been opened for us, and a field worthy the ambition of Die
Canadian statesman. Yet not alone in his attitude towards
this great question, but to many other important political
events, the birth of his time, in which he has felt the deep-
est interest, has he been regarded hostile. " He will not con-
sent to be hurried," says one writer, " but no one can say that
on any given question his finality of to-day may not be his
starting-point at some future time." * The truth is, Mr. Mac-
donald had not pretended to be wiser than his time, or sought
to move faster tlian the people. He showed then, as ever
since, that he regards it to be his duty in the governing place,
not to create, but to obey piiblic opinion. Many a time when
pressed to move this way or that has he assured impulsive col-
leagues, " The fruit is green and not fit to pluck," and that the
harmless thunder of an unpopular orator, or a newspaper awry,
is not public opinion, any more than one swallow is a summer.
He mightwrite in living letters in his political arms as his motto,
Carpe diem. Unlike the unthinking plodder who launches his
skift'when the tide sets against him, Mr. (let us say Sir John, for
we are anticipating) Macdonald only puts out when the current
is with him, and the " furrow follows free." Some men are for
ever wrestling with the winds and the tides of public opinion,
because they have not been given the gift to see in what direc-
tion the currents flow ; but after they have been driven by the
adverse elements, which are stronger than they are, and which
have always coiK|uered, and will always overcome whoso is
reckless enough to battle with them, and see their opponents
progressing with flowing sail, they sneer and cry, " He has
waited for the wind and the tide. He is only a creature of
expedient. We have not regarded the tempest or the waves,
but have bufl['eted them " — and, let us add, had shipwreck.

' Charles Lindsey, in Dent's " Pdrtrail Gallerv."

TUB DOMINION OF CANADA.

287

" We do not wait till public opinion is in our favour, but set
boldly out, wrestle with it," — and, let us add for them again,
get ashore. This has been Mr. John A. Macdonald's pre-emin-
ence: and if standing patiently by, and waiting till public
opinion is ready for him to secularize clergy reserves, or con-
summate a union of the straggling provinces, is to be a creature
of expediency, then such a creature, in the superlative degree,
is he. Brown's propo.sal of a coalition Macdonald saw was
the fsivourable turn to the tide which had up to that hour set
adversely. Because his efforts for union before would only
have been energy wasted, and a defeat-tarnish on the i)roject
he had, up to this hour, held aloof ; because his exertions now
could be turned to triumph, he not alone joined hands with the
unionists, but with heart and head became the leader of the
movement, halting not, or flagging not, as we shall see, till his
ideal victoiy had been won.

Let us now, briefly as we may, give the story of the various
steps, from the first to the last, of the confederation move-
ment. The idea of a federation of the colonies was not a new
one, and had been mooted many times before. Indeed so early
as the time when the New England colonies separated from the
empire, an article was introduced into the constitution of the
new confederacy authorizing the admission of Canada to the
union, should the latter seek such alliance. In 1810 an enter-
prising colonist put forward the federation scheme, but politi-
ail opinion was in a crude state, and nothing more was heard
of the proposition till four years later, when chief-justice Se-
well, of Quebec, submitted a plan of confederation to the Duke
of Kent. The Duke agreed, in a veiy cordial note, with the
Buggestions of " my dear Sewell," and then pointed out that the
chief-justice was mistaken as to the number of legislatures in
the British North American possessions. Although the justice
had " quite overlooked " one province, he was satisfied that his
scheme was a masterpiece of grasp and detail. In 1827 the
legislative council of Upper Canada originated resolutions aim-

28<S

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

ing at a union of the two Canadian provinces, suggesting like-
wise a " union of tlie whole four provinces of North America
under a vice-royalty, with a/ac siviile of that great and glori-
ous fabric, the best monument of human wisdom, the British
constitution." This movement exploded in rhetorical thunder,
and nothing more was heard of the scheme in public places till
Lord Durham had been disgraced, and had presented his report.
From that hour the question engrossed, more or less, the public
mind, and in 1849 the North American League, a body wliioh
bore a somewhat similar i-elation to the British North American
provinces, as those three Tooloy-street tailors did to the city of
London, met in Toronto and discussed the question, though the
immediate object of the gathering was an a[)plication of the
federal principle to the two provinces of Canada. In 1854 the
lesfislature of Nova Scotia adopted resolutions recoramendiii" a
closer union of the Brit/ish North- American colonies. From
this period the imperial government seem to have set their
liearts upon a federation of the provinces. Leading statesmen
warmly recommended the measure in the house of commons,
and the foremost newspapers took up a similar tone. But the
plan approved by the Nova Scotia legislature was not for a
federation of all the provinces, but a maritime union, compre-
hending under one government. Nova Scotia, New Brunswick
and Prince Edward Island. In 18G4, the legislatures of these
provinces passed resolutions authorizing the appointment of
delegates to meet during the autumn, to discuss the project of
maritime union. At once it occurred to Mr. Macdonald that
the meeting could be turned to account by the government of
Canada in promoting the general confederation scheme. The
maritime-province delegates were to meet, in September, at
Charlottetown, and thither repaired eight members of the
Canadian administration. The delegates at this conference
were as follows : —

From Nova Scotia — The Hon. Charles Tupper, M.P.P., pro-
vincial secretary; the Hon. Wm. A. Henry, M.P.P., attorney-

THE DOMINION OF CANADA.

general ; the Hon. Roboit Bairy Dickio, M.L.C. ; the Hon.
J(jiiathan MeCully, M.L.C. ; the Hon. Adams G. Archibald,

M.P.P.

From New Brunswick— The Hon. S. L. Tillcy, M.P.P., pro-
vincial secretary ; the Hon. John M. Johnston, M.P.P., attor-
ney-general ; the Hon. John Hamilton Gray, M.P.P. ; the Hon.
Edward B. Chandler, M.L.C. ; the Hon. W. H. Stceves, M.L.C.

From Canada — The Hon. John A. Macdonuld, M.P.P., at-
torney-general, Upper Canada ; the Hon. George Brown, M.P.P.,
president of executive council ; the Hon. Alexander T. Gait,
M.P.P., minister of tinance ; the Hon. George E. Cartier, M.P.P.,
attorney-general. Lower Canada ; the Hon. Hector L. Lange-
vin, M.P.P., solicitor-general of Lower Canada ; the Hon,
William McDougall, in'ovincial secretary ; the Hon. Thomas
D'Arcy ^IcGee, M.P.P., minister of agriculture.

Prince Edward Island was represented by the Hon. Col.
Gray, M.P.P., jn-esident of the executive council ; the Hon, Ed-
ward Palmer, M.L.C, attorney-general; the Hon. W. H. Pope,
M.P.P., colonial secretary ; the Hon. George Coles, M.P.P. ; the
Hon. A. A. Macdonald, M.L.C.

The Canadian ministers not having been appointed to cbn-
t'er respecting legislative union, had no official standing at the
l:~Iand conference, but they were invited to join in the discus-
sion, of which courtesy they vigorously availed themselves.
• The Canadians descended upon us," said one of the Islanders
aftei'wards ; " and before they were three days among us we
forgot our own scheme and thought only about theirs." No
longer did any one speak of maritime union ; all were absorbed
by the greater project of a general federation, guaranteeing
local and joint control. " This scheme of ours," the attorney-
general for Canada West observed to some of his colleagues
ius they walked home to their hotel after the discussion had
been a short time in progress, " like Aaron's serpent, has swal-
lowed all the rest." The objections that still exist to maritime
union, existed then ; the impossibility of fixing the capital in

Ii i^ i

LIFE OF SIJi J (JUS A. MACDOSALD.

one provinco without provukiuf,' the animosity of the otlers.
There was a way by whicli tliis fatal bar might liave Iweu set
aside, and that the adoption of the itinerant plan. When
the free school system was introduced through the provinces,
one of the most formidable obstacles to its operation ul'teu
proved to be the problem, Where is the teacher to board ?
and many a district, rather than see one family nionujiolizo
the honours of the " master's " board and lodging would cun-
demn itself to the privation of having no school at all. But as
a way was found out of this dilemma by the teacher '" liuanl-
ing around the deestrict," a possibility of legislative union
for our maritime brethren is suggested by the idea that the
government might board around the union, spending say, four
years at Fredericton, as many sessions at Halifax, and a like
term in Charlottetown, But, putting levity aside, we believe
that the day is coming when the three i)rovinces named, and
Quebec with them, must unite in a maritime union, if they,
one and all, would not be overshadowed, in the coming years,
by the provinces develo[)ing with such rapid strides iu the
west.

So completely did the general confederation scheme absorb
the maritime idea that the convention closed oidy to reassem-
ble at Quebec again, on a date to be ti.\ed by the governor-
general of Canada. On a bright September morning, full of
high hopes of a future great Canadian nation, in which, doubt-
less, each member of the convention on board the steatuer
Vidoria as she ploughed along Northumberland Strait, was
fashioning out for himself a high place, the party sailed away
for Halifax. Here they were received with enthusiastic wel-
come, the city being literally en fete during their stay. A
sumptuous banquet was prepared in the dining-room of the
Halifax hotel, at which Dr. Tupper, provincial secretary for
Nova Scotia, and the second ablest public man in the province,
piesided. ilaking due allowance for after-dinner exagger-
ation, which is as the bubble on the champagne which gives it

TUK DUMIMON OF CAXAIKi.

otVors.
3en set
When
)viuces,
x often
board ?
loiiolize
ikl con-
But as
" lioai'il-
union
:liat the
^ay, tour
il a like
J believe
:iied, iukI
if they,

U'j' years,

O 1

S 111

the

le absorb
r<'assem-
[overnor-
lir, full of
;i, doubt-
steamer
iait, was
[d away
;tic wel-
itay. A
li o£ the
jtary for
iroviiK'e,
Ixafiier-
1 oives it

lilrlli, these speeches showed a careful mastery of the situation ;
iiianyof tlie predictions made have already been fultilled, wliile
the consuniination of others is assured to us by fair promise.
M. Caitier, wlio was the only member that dipjied into Virgil
for allusion and jewels, glanc('(l into the inextMable future and
there saw a great British-American nation with the fair pro-
vinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick as the arms of the
national body to embrace the wealtli whicli tlie Atlantic's
coinnun'ce would bring, with Prince Edward Island as the
regal liead, and for a body the provinces of Canaila stretching
from the sea in the east to the shadow of the Rocky Moun-
tains in the west. It was reserved to later years to complete
this national giant, when, to extend M. Cartier's figure, British
Columbia became the national legs, legs that a cynic might say,
hut that we shall take the pains here to foi'cstall hin), may
some day, as they liave lately threatened, walk away from the
trunk to a destiny of their own. Mr. John A. Macdonald
made a telling speech.* While he took a hopeful view of what
the confederation would bring, he nowhere allowed his imagin-
ation to take flight with his judgment. He calmly, though
hopefully, examined the prospect, and declared that the cou-
stuiunation of the union had been for many years liis fondest
dream. From Halifax the delegates passed over to New
Biunswick, visiting the pretty little capital Fredericton, where
a conference was held with Lieutenant-Governor Gordon. St.
John extended its hospitalities to the " confederates," as the
visitors were called, and the delegates departed for their homes,
the Canadians above all jubilant over the success that had
attended their visitation. Mr. John A. Macdonald, curiously
enough, is reported to have said, after the Halifax bancpiet, to
one of his colleagues, " I admire this Tupper very much ; it
seems to me if you get him interested in any movemei\t, he is
not likely to falter, or to be hindered by small obstacles." Of

• See Appendix " F.'* ,,

I,' ■")

:«! :\

202

LIFE OF SIR JO JIN A. MACDONALD.

tlio New Ihniiswick dclcj^'atos, Mi\ Macdonald and liis col-
loaj^ues talked iimcli, and lie and they seemed taken with Mr.
S. L. Tilley, tlie provincial secretary, for the clear ileeisivoncss
of his view, and the sincerity of his manners. There is no
reason to suppose that, during; the many years since that
political ^ood fortune has thrown Mr. Macdonald in such close
contact with those two distinguished niaritinie-province men,
he has changed his mind.

On the 10th of October, the day named by the governor-
general for the meeting of tho conference in Quebec, the dolo-
gates had assembled in that quaint city, looking so antique
that it might be regarded as having come to birth at a day
as far in the past as saw Oie origin of those grand old clifts
that sentinel the leisurely flood of the St. Lawrence, which,
apparently, is here at pause on its way to tho great sea. The
number of delegates had been increased by the presence of
Hon. (now Sir) Frederick B. T. Cartef, speaker of the New-
foundland house of assembly, Hon. Ambrose Shea, leader of the
opposition in the same chamber, and Sir Etienne P. Tachd, A.
Campbell, Oliver Mowat, James Cockburn, and J. C. Chapais,
from the Canadian cabinet. The conference was organized
by the election of Sir E. P. Tachd to the chair. Tlie provincial
secretaries of the several provinces were appointed honorary
seci'etaries to the conference, and Major Hewitt Bernard was
chosen executive secretary. Then the doors of the conference-
chamber were closed, and the momentous discussion went on,
Avithout any one raising his voice to say nay. When the con-
clave was ended, though no word had gone abroad to the piiMic
of what had been done, it was surmised that a plan of federal
union had been adopted, and would in due time be submitted
to the imperial government. A round of hospitalities was in-
augurated, and at a sumptuous dinner, given by the Quebec
Board of Trade, some members, under the influence of enthu-
siasm and champagne, were sore pressed to retain their porten-
tous secrets. Dr. Tupper spoke there, dilating, in his own

\A.

THE DOMINION OF CANADA.

293

roliustiou.s and impnssioncid way, on tho advantngcs the pm-
posed confederation must derive from union witli liis little
|icninsular province. Hon. S. L. Tilley followed in a speech
less forcible, tliou;:,h cfpially a.s c'onviiicin<,'. lie did not come
there, he assured his hearers, as a suppliant prayin*,' for
recognition of a pauper province, but as the representative
of what would provo one of the richest and most desirable
possessions of the confederation. Hon. Mr. Carter, of New-
foundland, spoke in his usual terse and telling style some good
words for hi.s little colony — the most aneient of them »"ii--
standing like a .solitary virgin out in those cold Atlantic waters,
fringed in tlio summer time with fogs, and buffeted by the
nide storms of winter. Mr. Carter was an ab exponent of
his country's itnport;ince, but he was mistaken ^\ i lie stated
tliat his brother Newfoundlanders would aeooun "loss to

1)0 left out of the union." Perhaps tho very ablest .speech wn<;
that made at the public banquet in ^{uebec some days later by
the brilliant and level-headed i.sland politician, Hon. Ambrose
Shea. He assured his hearers that in the event of his colony
entering the union compact, the islanders would not be the
only gainers. He dwelt at some length on the riches of the
seas around his island province, and spoke with just pride of
tlie hardy character of the thirty thousand seamen who reaped
tlie harvest from the waters, and of those Ijrave fellows who
ranged the ice-fields for the seal treasures. It was a time when
nulitiiiy aspects influenced .statesmen. The mightiest civil
war the world had ever known had convulsed the continent,
and while the delegates were yet in Quebec, rumours of threat-
ened invasion were on everybody's lips. Mr. Shea brought
forward a telling military consideration, in recommending his
colony to the union, which elicited ringing cheers from the
au(litor,s. " In considering a union of the provinces," he said,
" it becomes necessary to take into account the position of
the proposed confederation with regard to the safety and
defence. In this view, the position of Newfoundland becomes

lit. -I

201

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

w -

one of iiuuked significance. Our island, as you know, stretches
across the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connnaudinf^ both })assai'e.s
liy which the vast trade of the Gulf region and the St. Law-
rence river finds its way to the ocean. Now, were this coloiiv
in the liands of a hostile power in war time, the trade of
Canada would be hermetically sealed as if perpetual winter
reigned here." Mr. Sliea, whose flowing and impressive style
of oratory at once captivated his hearers, and caused at least
one shrewd delegate to say, " He will be an acquisition to the
Canadian parliament," was not so sanguine of the reception
the union scheme would meet with the colonists; and frankly
stated that the question had not yet been discussed in the
Island press, and that liimself and Mr. Carter had spoken only
for themselves. And it so happened that while the two
talented Islanders were in Quebec, a colonial " ])oet," always
burthened with the weight of the people's woes, sat at home
brooding much over the union schenie, and finally broke forth
into verses, some of the mure brilliant of which, as presented
some months later on the husting.s, were injunctions to the
colonists to —

*' Eeinimber the day
Tliat l.'arter anil Slioa
Crossed tlie say
I'o barter away
The rights <if Tirra Nova."

When the two delegates reached the island they found that
many of the inhabitants had taken the alarm. Several ora-
tors whose speech revealed their relationship to that land
whence a certain saint expelled the frogs and snakes, went
noising around the coast, denouncing the " shkeemers " who
had been in " Canady tryin' to sell their counthry." The in-
habitants of Irish birth or extraction showed the greatest hos-
tility to the scheme, because the demagogues had led them to
believe that it would involve all the hardships and wrongs of
the union between England and Ireland. It is not strant^o
that the more rampant " antis " were the thousands who could

THE DOMINION OF CANADA.

295

neither read nor write, and wlio lived huddled away in the
little nooks around tlie coast, fishing for cod in sunnner, slioot-
in"' game, and hauling firewood with dogs, in the winter. How-
ever, we are somewhat anticipating, and must toll in the proper
place how this cold virgin resented the projjosal for political
wedlock.

Bctbre the delegates dispersed, they paid a visit to the capi-
tal of this New Dominion, of which, it might be said, they were
uou- wildly dreauung. They set out on their journey by train,
accompanied by lady niondjoj's of their family ; but, lured by
the beauty wliich lights and transfigures our scenery in the
autumn, they took steamer and.jouineyed by the Ottawa river.
Some of the fair passengers declared they had seen grander
scenery, but never anything more lovely. They had, walling
their own provinces in, mighty clifis, at whose feet they heard
the ocean thunder in storm, and sing songs unspeakably sad
and sweet in the calm. They had bold, airy mountains of their
(iwn, sombre forests and rushnig rivers, but never, they said, had
they seen anything so lovely as those groups of mellow islands,
robed in the autunm's glory, which at every bend of the river
wcie re\ ealcd to view. The sun set before the passage of the
river was made, and as the soft twilight came stealing over
wood and dale, mingling its gloom with the darkling hues of
the hills, the scene became enrapturing. The party sat upon
the deck till the shadows deepened into night, and the moon
cliiiibed over the hills, listening to the murmur of the river
tihallows, and the hoarse, warning roar of the rapids, one fair
lady looking with rapt glance upon the dim hills and shining
river li(3oded in silvery glory, the while gently munnuring, as
only a sweet-voiced woman can, who loves nature and svveei
verse for its sake,

" Blow, breezes, blow, the stream runs fast,
The Kapids are near, and ilio dayliglit'a past."

The party was met at the little wiUlerness-city by a torch-
light procession, and e.'*cort-nd to Russell's hotel, around which

w — r

II .

I' ■ !!

I /'■

296

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

an enthusiastic assemMage had gatliorod. The pet of the uuil-
titude was Mr. John A. Macdonald, wlio was called for lustily
by hundreds of voices. After some time he ai)peared at one of
the windows of tlie hotel, thanking the assemblage, in a few
happy sentences, for their welcome, and expressing the hope
that at a day not far distant, Ottawa might be the capital city
of a great British-American confederation. The citizens were
politic enough not to let their visitors depart without se(.'ing the
natural beauties which abounded in their ueighbouihi.od
Through the bright, cold November monnng, one of Mi-. Dick-
inson's trim little steamers took the party three miles <lowuthe
river, and then turning, ran up, further than ever boat had gone
before, into the boiling cauldron at the foot of Chaudiere Falls.
Leaving Ottawa, which had extended her fullest courtesies,
the party proceeded westwai-d through the province, receiving
cordial welcome and lavish hospitality at Kingston, Toronto,
Hamilton and oUier cities on the route. The delegates then
returned to their respective homes, eager to get befoie the
legislatures, and propose the scheme which had filled them with
such high hope. We bid good-bye to our visitor.^ at Quebec,
and turn to watch the fate of the union in Canada.

Before parliament met, Mr. Mowat had grown weary of [loliti-
cal life, and accepted a vice-chancellorship on the judicial bench
of Upper Canada. It is needless, almost, to tell the reader,
that in time the chancellor grew weary of the bench, and en-
tered public life again. We must take the liberty of statini;
that we regard the exchange of the judicial seat for party place
a decensiis uvcrni, and an act bearing a close analogy to a
bishop leaving the episcopal chair, and turning railway direc-
tor. Mr. Mowat's ca>se is not an exception in Ontario, but a
plurality of examples only makes the matter worse. The man
who is taken from among his fellows, and elevated to the chair
of justice, bears, in the public eye, a solemn stamp and seal,
which removes him fronx the influences and interests which
sway other men. He is as one who renounces the woild's ways

THE DOMINION OF CANADA.

20:

and, entering the sanctuary, devotes liiniself to tlic exclusive
work of religion. He consecrates himself to justice, is regarded
in a different light from other men ; is assume<l to have no
party prejudices, and to be an unmoved spectator of the strug-
(de between individuals and parties, and all things whatsoever
that ai'e begotten of diffmence of opinion. Ihit when this man,
so consecrate to justice, stands up before the public, lays by
his saci'cd robes, and, ste])iiing down from the judgment seat,
enters the world, and plunges into the mire of politics, a shock
is given to our honest faith in the sanctity of the bench ; the
solemn judge, in ermine and judicial insignia, expounding and
pronouncing, does not awe us any longer; for we dream of a
(lay yet to come when we may find him figuring at some de-
grading political intrigue in a city ward, or endeavouring to
bribe an archbishop. Mr. W. P. Howland, who Avas a gentle-
man of ability and integrity, became postmaster- general in Mi.
Mowat's place.

Parliament met on the 19th of Feliruary, and, in the minis-
try's opening speech, which the governor read, the confedera-
tion scheme w^as warmly recommended to the house. The
union question absorbed the almost exclusive attention of par-
liament. Some of the ablest speeches ever delivered in a
Canadian legislature were heard durinir the session. On the
mmisteiial side, Messrs. (John A.) Macdonald, Brown, Cartier
and McGee, supported the question with marked ability, Mhile
with scarcely less skill and power Messrs. (John Sandfield)
Macdonald, Huntington, Dorion, Holton and Dunkin opposed
it. All that cai'eful research and skilful manipulation of fact
and figures could urge against the scheme, was put forward
with impassioned force by these gentlemen. An eastern writer
tells a .story of a dervish who had the power in form, ftice and
voice, of personating wdiomsoever he willed. The wizard had
a taste for political intrigue, anil one day, as grand vizier,
learnt momentous s 'crets from the pasha, and again in the form
of some favoured sheik discovered intrigues, wiiich, in league

llilt:

IB' jSiM

1 .1 .n^

1 ■

'Ib^^^^H

i^^^H

iP'P!'

Bht

• 1 1

-Li

! i^^J^

■208

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACUONALD.

vvitli a daring and ambitious accomplice, lio turned to liis own
advantage. He could, indeed, the story goes, take the sliapo of
the loveliest occupant of the harem, and once, in the guise of
a beautiful houri, with eyes like night, and heait-entangliii;;;
hair, made the amorous prince lay bare every wile and secret of
liis heart. The story, we believe, to be an allegory repi-csenting
dramatic power. The dramatic quality in the possession of a
politician is not less dangerous than the metamorphosing power
of the dervish, for in a stupid, if not in a vicious, cause, the
public may become a victim to horror, virtue and awful in-
dignation counterfeited. It appears that, Mr. Dunkin, at the
hand of blind, indiscriminate nature, was the possessor in some
measure of the dramatic instinct. It is hardly worth while to
talk so much about his powers, or what ho did, or to go to East-
ern lore for illustration, but nevertheless it may be said that he
counterfeited, in a very clever fashion, a vast amount of horror
and dread of the confederation scluMno. ** All that a well-reail
})uMic man," says Hon. John H. Gray, in his work on " Con-
federation," " all that a thorough sophist, a dexterous logician,
a timid patriot, or a prophet of evil could array against the
project, was brought up and pressed against the scheme." It
almost appears from reading Mr. Dunkins utterances, that he
was opposed to the union, for at times he breaks away from his
art and becomes as impassioned as Cassandra, who sees the
swallow's nest fall from the wall of Troy, while the Avooden
horse of the Greeks seeks admission at the gates. On Fri-
day the 10th of March the discussion had ended, and attorney-
general Macdonald, -ising, offered the following motion, " That
an humble address bo presented to her Majesty, praying that
she may be graciously pleased to cause a measure to be sub-
mitted to the imperial parliament for the purpose of uniting
the colonies of Canada, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince
Edv.-ard Island and Newfoundland in one government, with
provisions based on certain resolutions, which were adopted at
a conference of delegates from the said colonies, held at the citv

Jii

TUE DOMINION OF CANADA.

29!)

of Quftlioc, on tlie 10th of October, 18G5." This resolution,
after some discussion, was carried by a vote of 01 to 33. Of
the minority, four were from the upper province, and of the
majority lifty-four. The question niigh.tnot have fared so well
in the lower province, but that M. Cartier was an enthusiastic
champion of union, and was sup[)orted by the priests almost to
a man. A motion similar to that carried in the house of com-
mons had been introduced in the legislative council by the
premier, Sir E. P. Tachd, and carried by a vote of three to one.
Parliament prorogued on the ISth of March, and during the
montli following Messrs. (J. A.) Macdonuld, Gait, Brown and
Cartier, proceeded to England, to confer with the imperial
goveinnient, and promote the sciicme of confederation. Tho
most active member in forwarding the measure was Mr. Mac-
donald, who assured hi.s colleagues that it would be impo.ssible
to go back again to the old and troublous order. Up to this
point, ami for some years later, it may Vie .stated, the attorney-
sencral-west difl'ered from his colleagues as to the details of
the cniifederation plan. Ho believed that the true system was
one parliament having su|)remc control, and a system of muni-
cipal institutions in each province witn enlarged functions. To
this view his colleagues were determinedly hostile, expressing
their preference for provincial legislatures, and a controlling
joint authoi'ity. " I prefer that system too," argued Mr. Mac-
donald, " but what I fear is that it may be found impracticable.
I fea there will wise a collision of authority between the pro-
vincial legislatures and the general parliament, which would
be an evil worse than that which we seek now to remedy."
His colleagues were of the opinioii that this danger could be
averted by assigning to each parliament, at the outset, its spe-
cial functions, giving it as M. Cartier expressed it, its "chart
of jurisdiction," whence no difficulty could arise. Histoxy has
vindicated the correctness of Mr. Macdonald's surmises, and
'.veighty opinion does now assert that we ought to have had the
system he advocated then, and that we are too much governed.

;k!'j

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACVU^'ALD.

" At piesont we have," says the greatest livin!:,^ English writer*
" for a po[)iilatioii of four millions, eight kings, one central and
seven provincial, as many parliaments, and sixty-five ministers
of the crown; while England is content with a single king, a
single parliament—the members of which are not paid — and a
single cabinet, seldom containing so many memliers as the
cabinet at Ottawa. We have also judges and chief-justices as
the stars of heaven in number." Leading Canadian minds have
begun to ponder these figures. Is such a plenitude of governiiient
needful they ask themselves ; if not, then why should it aldde?
Meanwhile the inhabitants of New Brunswick had taken
alarm, and a very gale of opposition to the confedfration
movement swept over the province. Before heavy guns are
put to the ordeal of battle, they are tested by tremendous
charges; and boilers used for generating steam are subjected
to enormous pressure, to guard against ruinous explosion in
the day of trial. When the delegates shut themselves up in
their .%ocret chamber at Quebec, a sacred silence wa.'^ imposeil
upon each one present till the result of the delibeiations
should be made known in the proper way through the legisla-
tures. There was no means of testing the secret-beai ing capa-
city of members, else some explosions might have edified the
early stages of the proceedings. Nothing in the way of casu-
aHty occurred, however, during the tour through the western
province, though some of the delegates did look the while so
important with their cargo of mystery as to remind one of a
heavy August cloud, full of lightning and thunder, that may at
any moment burst. But when one of the number reached his
home in Prince Edward Island, the secret had grown so oppres-
sive that he felt it would be impossible for him to contain
himself. When the pi'essure became intolerable, he went, in
a sort of reckless despair, and unburthened to a nowsfiaper
editor. Within three hours the terms of the Quebec ?>cheme

Prof. GoUlwin Smith, in " 1'he Uystantler " for Marcli, 1880.

,'«(! i

TUK DOMIMOX OF CANADA.

301

were tlai'lied from end to end of British North America. The
New Brunswickers took instant alarm. Trifling di.screpiincies
won.' uiagniticd into frightful ])roportions. Tlie demagogue
cried out against " taxation," and the conservative against a
"saciilegious meddling with the constitution." In March, 1865,
a general election was held, and so bitter was the feeling against
union, that not one of the Quebec delegates was elected. An
anti-confederate ministry was formed by Hon. (now Sir) A. J.
Smith, and George L. Hatheway. The result of the election
in New Brunswick told heavily on the fate of the question else-
where. The union enthusiasm of Nova Scotia was instantly
cliilled ; the legislature seemed disposed to hold aloof from
the general federation plan, and nas-wd vasolutions favouring
alone a union of the maritime provinces. Prince Edward Is-
land su(ldenly developed a turbulent little temper of her own ;
spiritedly refused to have anything to do with confederation,
and repudiated the action of her delegates at the Quebec con-
fererico. Newfoundland took no steps, and the ministiy waited
till the other provinces had set the example of entering the
union before .submitting the question to the polls.

The Canadian delegates, while in England, had several
lengthy conferences with the imperial ministers on the proposed
constitutional changes, on treaties and legislation, the defences
of Canada, the settlement of the north-west territories, the
Hudson Bay company's claim, and other subjects. The con-
federation scheme having attiacted much favourable attention
in England, our emissaries were received with marked cordiality
by the ministry as well as by the Queen and royal family.
Hon. John A. Macdonald pressed upon the home government
the expediency of making known to the recalcitrant colonics
that the imperial authorities desii-ed to see a union consunnna- '
ted ; for one of the weapons used against the project in Nova
Scotia and New Brunswick, was that the aim of the confedera-
tion was separation fi'om the empire, and the assumption of
independent nati(.)nality. Such an intention at that day was

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302

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDOKALD.

iv<,'anl(;(l as a puhlic ortonee. If it is an ortl-iu-e for tlie son,
approaching tlio years and the strength of manhood, to turn
his tiioughts to separation fi'oni the homestead under wliose
jurisdiction and shelter lie has lived during his infancy and
boyhood, to sketch out a manly and independent career of Ins
own, plan to build his own house, conduct his own business,
and carve out his own fortune, then was it an offence for those
Canadians, if there were at that time any such, who on the eve
of union dreamt of nationality, of a time when Canada wouid
have passed the years of boyhood, and be brave and stronfj
enougli to stand forth among the independent nations.

After the despatches of the colonial secretaiy liad reached
the provincial government, some of those wlio had opposed
union on the ground of loyalty, now began with nnich consist-
ency to inveigh against the alleged '' undue pressure " of the
imperial government; while many declared that "an atrocious
system for the coercion of the colonies into the hateful liond"
had been inaugurated in the home office. The truth is tlieie
was neither pressure nor coercion exercised from tht* colonial
otHce, since no proceeding could have been more fatal to the
prospects of the confederation. The home ministry had grown
to be enthusiastic supporters of the " new-dominion " scheme,
and stated their views at much leiigtli in their <lespatche3 to
the colonial governors, whom the}'' wished to give to the project
cs'ery possible proper support at their command ; but that was
all. On the one hand Mr. John Macdonald and his colleagues
avouched the loyalty of the provinces to the crown, and de-
clared that the colonists would spend their only dollar, and shed
the last drop of their blood, in maintaining connexion with the
mother-land. The parent was much moved at these earnest and
• lavish protestations of the child, and in token of her apprecia-
tion and gratitude guaranteed a loan for the consti'uction of an
Intercolonial railway ; admitted her obligation to defend the
colonies with all the resources at her command ; and consented
to strengthen the fortifications at Quebec, and provide anna-

THE DOMISION OF CANADA.

303

ineiits. Tlie Quebec scheme was amply and caii fully discussed,
and our colonial ministi'is were fairly matclits for tbeir impe-
rial brethren in diplomacy — notably so was Mi-. John A. Mac-
(lonald, whose astuteness and statesnumliUo views were the
subject of much favourable comment. Among other things,
the home government undertook to ascertain what were the
ri"lits of the Hudson Bay company, with a view to the cession
of the north-west ten-itory to the Dominion.

A meeting of the Canadian parliament, to discuss the report
of the delegates, was called lor the 8th of August. On the oOth
of July, some excitement was caused in political circles by the
death ot the premier, Sir Etienne P. Tai-hd, and as the meeting
of the legislature wa.s to take place in a few days, it became
imperative that his successor .should be aj)pointed as speedily
as jtossible. The senior member of the cabinet, and beyond any
comparison, its most able and eligible member, was the attor-
ney-general-west, and for this gentleman the governor-general
promptly .sent, re(piesting him to assume ilw place of the de-
ceased leader. Mi: Macdonald ottered no objections, but, on the
contrary, believed that he was entitled b}' I'cason of his seniority
in the cabinet, to the vacant premiership. He waiteil on
George Brown to whom he stated what had passed between
himself and Lord Monck, but the grit chieftain refused to con-
sent to the arrangement, giving as his leason that the govern-
ment hitherto had been a coalition of three political parties,
each represented by an active party leader, but all acting under
one chief, who had ceased to be moved by sti'ong party feelings
or personal ambition. Mr. Macdonald, M. Cartier and himself
on the contrary, he maintained, were regarded as party lea(]ers,
with party feelings and aspirations ; and to place any one (^f
the.se in an attitude of superiority over the others, with the ad-
vantage of the premiei'ship, would, in the public mind, lessen
ihe .security of good faith, and seriously endanger the existence
"f the coalition. He refused, therefore, to accept Mr. ^lacdon-
ald as premier, and suggested the appointment of some gentle

304

LIFK OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

uuiii of good standing in tlie legislative counnl. The grit
leader's motives, the reader can see n.s well as ourselves, were
piirtly patriotic, but above all they were selfish. It was natural
that he should be jealous of the ascendancy of Mr. Macflonald,
but it would have been more creditable had ho frankly said
so, instead of trying to hide his real motive behind the tliln
screen of argument, that Sir Etienne Tachd was a coloink'ss
politician, Avithout strong party feeling. Air. JMacdonald, very
calmly and clearly, pointed out, in reply to Mr. IJrown's oiijoc-
tion, that at the time the coalition was effected, in 1SG4, Sir
Etienne Tacli6 held the position of premier, with himself as
leader in the lower liouse, and of the Upper Canada section of
the government ; that Sir Etienne was not selected at the time
of the coalition to the leadership as a part of the agreement
for the coalition, but that he had been previously, as then, the
head of the conservative government, and was accepted by all
his Lower-Canada colleagues without change. This it will be
seen cut away tlic ground completely from under Brown's con-
tention; after wliich Mr. Alacdonald stated that he had not much
personal feeling in the matter, and that if he had he thought it
to be his duty to overcome such feeling for the sake of carrying
out the great scheme, so happily connnenced, to a successful
issue. He would, therefore, readily stand aside, and waive his
[a'ctensions to the premiership; and then suggested the name
of M. Cartier for the vacancy. Mr. Brown said he could not
decide on this proposal without seeing his friends ; and went
away to consult Messrs. McDougall and liowland. The result
of the conference was that M. Cartier was not acceptable
either, after which Mr. Macdonald informed Mr. Brown that he
and M. Cartier had decided on oflering the premiership to Sir
Narcisse Belleau. To this Brown replied that he was still un-
satisfied, that his party would not have chosen Sir Narcisse;
but he added : " Since we are equally with you desirous of pre-
venting the scheme for the confederation of British America
receiving injury from the appearance of disunion among us, we

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TIIK DOMINION OF CANADA.

305

shall ofTor no objection to his appointment." Sir Narcisso wan
tliorofore installed, accepting the original policy of the coalition
ifovernnient.

The last session of the Canadian parliament, liuld in Quebec,
was opened on the 8th of August. Tlie chief work of the ses-
sion was a consideration of the repoi't of the delegates to Kng-
land. The government carried its measures by overwhehning
majorities, and there seemed no disposition to tolerate the ob-
struction of the small band of opposition. During the .session,
the result of the labours of the cojnmission, appointed in lHii7,
to frame a civil code for Lower Canada, wjis presented to the
legislature, and M. Cartier introiluccd a bill to cany the same
into effect. The late Mr. S. J. Watson, a peculiarly vigorous
writer, in referring to the speech delivered by M. Cartier on
this occasion, remarks: " He spoke with the feeling of a man
who is conscious that he is placing the crowning stone on an
edifice which has cost him years of labour and an.xiety to
build." The code went into operation on the 1st of August in
the following year. The house rose after a six-weeks session ;
and in the autumn the public offices were removed to the
new capital in tlio wilderness, some one hundred and twenty
miles up the Ottawa river. During the summer, for the sake
of convenience, the cabinet meetings were held in Montreal.

Meanwhile, it was faring ill with George Brown in the
cabinet. " The giant of the platform," says Bystander, " is
apt to shrink into less imposing dimensions when |)laced at the
council board and pitted mind to mind against shrewd and able
men who are not to be swayed by rhetorical thunder. It was
always said that the southern slave-owner never was half so
happy at Washington, even in the hour of his political ascen-
diuicy, as on his own plantation where he was absolutely lord
and master of all around him. Mr. Brown's position, it may be
easily believed, was more pleasant in the sphere where, instead
of finding his supremacy always contested, he ruled with des-
potic sway, and could visit dissent from his opinion with the

':.

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'•■nr.v' i r i\ \^ ■ ^ * ^

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300

LIFE OF SJli JOHN A. MACDONALD.

lash." His position li('<,'an to ^tow so lntoleral)le, that tlic vir-
tue which i)ronij)to«l him to enter tl»e goveriunent, ami yivehis
pledj^e to support tlie ministry till the confederation scheme
was beyond danger, began to fade out of him, and he only soui'ht
a pretext ^ '"signation. It appears, and it is not greatly to
be wondci .», that Sir Narcisse Belleau was only the ti;,'are-
liead of the administration, and that attorney-general Macdon-
ald's was the ruling mind. Of Mr. Brown's personal unfriend-
line.ss, we might say his hatred, towards Mr. MacdonaM, we
have already heard, as shown in his refu-sal to ratify the luttcr
gentleman's appointment to the premiership; and now that his
enemy, despite this protest, was the virtual premier, the mind
which inspired, and the hand that shaped the policy of the ad-
ministration, was a thorn too stinging for him to bear. One
writer says that Mr. Brown should have foreseen all these things
before entering the administration, but as we have already
shown, Mr. Brown was frequently, when apparently moving
according te dictates of calm calculation, the victim of im-

pulse, anu rty.s incapable of forecastnig probabilities or con-
sequences. Duty to some men is as the fixed star that the
mariner, sailing over the unknown main, follows with unfalter-
ing faith till it leads him to his haven ; but it is clear in the
record that with all the robust honesty and sense of right whicli
Mr. Brown possessed, this higher, and finer moral duty was not
to him a constant star. Strong and clear appeared his duty
when he came to conservative ministers and proposed a coali-
tion ; promptly did he follow then what he deemed his duty
was ; and that, so far, he did honouiably, we might say nobly,
is by nothing so strongly proven as in the protests entered by
that school of politicians, to which, by his own newspaper, he
had given life. But not far did he travel on his way when he
lost faith in the virtue of the star, faltered, dropped off, and
covered an honourable beginning with an ignominious ending.
Let us not anticipate, however, but see exactly what he did.

THE DOMINION OF C As ADA.

no:

The termination of the reciprocity treaty, as those wlio havo
bonie tlie dates in mind remember, was now at hand, and the
commercial interests of the provinces demanded that the gov-
ernment should employ all possible means towards securing
renewal. Overtures which had been made, were treated with
contempt at Washin^fton, so, at the suggestion of the imperial
|rovernment, a "Confederate Council on Commercial Tieaties,"
Mid comprising representatives from all the British North
(Vinerican provinces, was held during the autumn of lN(i.'), at
Quebec. This council, among whose members was Mr. George
Brown, reconnnended that a deputation should be sent, to Wash-
ington, to endeavour to effect a renewal. While Mr. Brown
was absent from Ottawa on public business, Mr. How land arxl
Mr. Gait were .sent to Washington to negotiate theie with the
conmiittee of ways and means. Inasnnich as Mr. llowlund had
not been a member of the confederate council, and Mr. Blown
had, the latter gentleman regarded the preference of the other
fts a personal slight, and a sufHcient excuse for withdrawing
himself from the cabinet. It will be seen that a vciv filmy
f' lud obscured Mr. Brown's .star of duty. A principle that can-
not withstand a personal slight, and one of such a nature as this,
is surely not worth the having. But in view of Mi\ Brown's
subsequent attitude towards the treaty questi(jn, it will be ob-
served that Mr. Macdonald acted with his usual discretion in
refusing to send to negotiate a treaty a man who was hostile to
the very proceedings which it would be his duty to carry ont.
On learning that Howland had been sent to Washington, Brown
at once resigned his seat in the ministry, and could not be in-
duced by any pressure to alter his decision. It ap|)eurs that
the affront received was not Mr. Brown's only ground of com-
plaint against the government. Of the ministerial jiolicy with
respect to the Washington treaty, he strongl}- disa[)pioved. He
did not believe that we ought to go to Washington as suitors, but
that Washington ought to come to us. In other words he was
not willing that Mahomet .should go np to the mountain, bnt

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303

LIFE OF SIR JOIiy A. MACDONALD.

contended tliat the mountain ought to come down to Mahomet.
That this excellent view had taken possession of him is clear
tVom the following extract of a speech which he delivered dur-
ing the next session of parliament. " I was," he said, " aa much
in la our of a renewal of leciprocity as any memher of this
house, but I wanted a fair treaty ; and we should not overlook
the fact while admitting its benefits, that the treaty was at-
tended with sonn disadvantages to us. I contend that we
should not have gone to Washington Jis suitors, for any tonus
they were pleased to give us. We were satisfied with the treaty,
and the American government should have come to us with a
proposition since they, not us, desired a change." Of course
nobody believes that Mr. John A. Macdonald sent delegates to
Washington begging for " any terms they were pleased to givo
us. ' In a little while Mr. Brown passed from the transition
state, and was pouring red-hot broadsides into the government.
Has political history ever told of sueh another man ? No
impartial writer liesitates to think if there may be found an}
excuse for the man's course ; one might almost have fancieil
Alexander Mackenzie shrinking with his brush. Says Colonel
Gray: " Either he (Mr. Brown) ought not to have joined the
government or he ought not to have left it at that time. The
people sustained him in the first ; they condennied him in the
hitter. The reason he gave no one accepteil as the real reason,
and his opponents did not hesitate to say that he left the go-
vernment because he was not permitted to belts master." One
balm only now could have healed the wounds of Mr. Brown,
and that the loyalty of his reform colleagues. But in the
dark hour these deserted him. Mr. llowland openly disap-
proved of his leader's course, and when Mr. McDougall returneil
to Canada, from which he had been absent on a mission of trade,
he endorsed the course of Mr. Howland. It may be said here
that the mission to Washington was a failure, and that no
further attempt to secure reciprocity was made till several
years after confederation.

'^- 'iff!

TJIh' JJOMJMoy or CAyADA.

;?oo

The last session of the provincial parliament met at Ottawa
on the 8th of June. The ministry's speech ex]iressed the ho])f
that the union scheme would soon be un /< lit accompli, and that
the next })arliament would embrace an assemblage not only of
the federate representatives of Canada, but of eveiy colony in
British North America. A shiver had run through the public
Avith the tidings of the invasion by O'Neil's ruftlans, and on the
assembling of the legislatiu'e an act suspending the Habeas
Corpus for one year was lunriedly passed ; also a measure pro-
viding for the protection of Lower Canada against invasion.
There was brisk discussion upon some of the government
measures, but the opposition found themselves in compari-
son with their opponents as " that small infantry warred
on Vy cranes;" and hence, as the session wore ori, learned not
to offer opposition where nothing was to be gained but a crown
of ridicule. A .series of resolutions defining the constitution of
Upper and Lower Canada under the proposed confederation,
and which subsequently were, in great measin-e, incoi-poiated
in the imperial act, were passed, and likewise a tariff jiio-
vision for the admission of such commodities as lioots .-ind
shoes, ready-ma<le clothing, saddlery and harness, which had
hitherto, by virtue of the act of 1850, paid a duty of twenty-
five per cent., at a duty of fifteen per cent. ; while, to stimulate
native manufacture, a number of raw materials were put upon
the free list. To meet the deficiency which must result in
the revenue, an increased impost was placed upon whiske}'.
Befoi'e the house arose a difference, suppressed for some time,
between the finance minister, Mr. A. T. Gait, and Mi'. H. L.
Langevin, on the subject of education in Lower Canada came
to a head, and resulted in the resiijnation of the former ijentle-
man, who, however, loyally supported the government in its
general ])olicy, while feeling obliged to so far dilfer from it
Oh a particular question. Mr. llowland took Mr. Gait's port-
folio, and Mr. solicitor-general Langevin became postmaster-
general in the place of the new finance minister.

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LIFE OF i<iJi J any a. macdonaij).

f(F * if

Meanwhile, reason liad resumed her sway in New Brunswick
and Nova Scotia. In New Bi'unswick, shortly after the blind
goddess had scored her victory, opinion began too revolt against
the counsel by which it had hitherto been guided respecting
the great question at issue, and which, in its anti-progressive
and dark-age press had appealed to the condition of Ireland
under union for witness against the wisdom of the confederation
scheme. The public in a calm and sensible mood pondered the
(question over, and remembered among other things the story
of the bundle of rods, which when fastened together could not
be broken, while each rod, tested singly, proved to be a frail
and unresisting thing. But they thought beyond the confines
of figure and allegory, and were eager for an opportunity to dis-
card the progress-brakes which had assumed the government
of the province. In 186(5, the legislature of New Brunswick
met under exciting circumstances. The province had boon
threatened with invasion by the Fenians, and, not unnaturally,
the ]>ublic mind exaggerated small danger into great propor-
tions. There was some reason to suppose, and strong supposi-
tion, that the ministry which had assumed power by virtue of
opposition to the union, was not composed entirely of members
deadl}- foemen to the ruffians threatening the province. Gover-
nor Gordon, in the speech opening the legislature, announced
that it was the earnest wish of the Queen that the provinces
should unite in one confederacy, and strongly urged the ques-
tion upon the legislature. The Smith-Hatheway administra-
tion was willing to meet the royal wish half way, provided that
New Brunswick obtained better terms in the compact than
those offered in the Quebec scheme. But the pul)lic were
not disposed to abide by the half-way marches of the ministry,
or even to tolerate its existence. The legislative council, strange
to say, proved that on occasion it may be useful, by pa,ssing an
address exi^rcssing the desire that the imperial government
uught unite New Brunswick and the other provinces in a fed-
erative union. The nunistry were obliged to resign, and the

THE DOMINION OF CANADA.

311

governor called on Mr. (now Sir) Leonard Tilley to form an
administration. A dissolution followed, and to the same length
which the province had before gone in opposing confeileration.
it now went in supporting the scheme. This election had a
marked influence on the fortunes of confederation in other
({Uiirters. " The destiny of British North America," indeed, says
Mr. Archer, " was decided in New Brunswick." Nova Scotia
shook off her torpor, and appointed delegates to proceed to
London, to perfect a measure of union. Meanwhile the little
province in the Gulf remained refractory, while her more rugged
bister out on the edge of the Atlantic was listless, save for the
harrowing " poetry " of her fisherman-bards, and the metaphys-
ical flux of a Hebrew scholar. The little meadow-province
afterwards fell before the wooer, but the " ancient colony " cht)se
perpetual celibacy. Little Tom the sea baby once found in the
middle of the Northern Sea a solitary gair-fowl sitting bolt up-
right upon the AUalonestone, and singing at morn and eve,
singing ever,

" And so the poor stone was left all alone,
With a fal-lal-la-lady."

She was an ancient dame, having no wings, and despising
birds who had ; was supremely content with her isolation, and
disgusted with the progress of modern times. It seems to us
that Newfoundland has attempted to enmlatc the gair-fowl,
preferring that " the poor stone " should l)e " left all alone," to
casting in her lot with a young nationality in the spring-bloom
of its strength. For the colonists — we are anticipating by a
few years — showed their hostility to union, by some unmis-
takable signs. When Hon. Ambrose Shea, who had been
the island delegate to Quebec, paid a visit to Placentia, the
chief place in his constituency, he wa.s met at the landing by a
number of the inhabitants, some bearing pots of hot pitch, and
others bags of feathers with which to l)edeck " de shkeemer "
who tried to " sell his counthry. " The writer Just remembeis the

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812

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

scene, and never will it leave his memory. In addition to the
zealous" antis " with the tar and feathers, were about fifty iiitli-
viduals who sounded melancholy insult to the candidate through
these large conchs which the fishermen get upon their " bull-
tow" trains in summer, and another band of about thirty, who
blew reproaches and derision through cows-horns. They heaped
every possible insult upon the visitor, raved up and down tlie
landings threatening his life should he attempt to come on
shore, till, at last, ])ained and disgusted, tliis man who had been
so often their benefactor when famine darkened their homes, who
was a statesman of whom any country might have been proud,
turned away and never visited the ungrateful spot again. Mr,
Shea, however, we may add here, did not drop out of public
life, but still, with his brother, the colonial secretary, maintains
a leading place in the counsels of his colony, whose interests in
liim have an able and zealous advocate.

In November, 18GG, the Canadian delegation, consisting' of
Messrs. John A. Macdonald, (Jeorge E. Cartier, A. T. Gait, W.
P. Rowland, Wm. McDougall and H. L. Langevin, proceeded
to England, where they were to meet the Nova Scotia and
New Brunswick delegates, to discuss the confederation plan.
The Nova Scotia delegates were Messrs. Tupper, Arclubald,
Henry, McCully and Ritchie ; those of New Brunswick were
Messrs, Tilley, Mitchell, Fisher, Johnson and Robert Duncan
Wilmot, the last named gentleman being the ])resent lieu-
tenant-governor of the province. The delegates assembled
at Westminster palace on the 4th of December, and, by pre-
eminence, the cha'r was given to Hon. John A. Macdonald
during the conference. Lord Monck, who liad left Canada on
a holiday tour, and who was a zealous advocate of union, ren-
dered what assistance he could to the delegates and to the im-
perial government. The conference sat till the 24th of Decem-
ber, after which the assemblage were in a position to proceed
with the structure of a constitution. Though some of the ablest
men our colonies have ever produced were instrumental in

THE DOMINION OF CANADA.

313

framing the new constitutional charter, Mr. Macdoiiald, it was
readily admitted, was the master-head. Many a time during
the progress of the negotiations, conflicting interests arose,
which, but for careful handling, might have wiecked the
scheme ; and here the matchless tact of the attorney-general
of Canada West pre-eminently asserted itself. During the
conference several modifications were made in the Quebec
draft. Several concessions were made to the maritime pro-
vinces, and a more uniform and equitable feature given to
the whole. The Nova Scotia delegates were confronted by the
colossal figuie of Joseph Howe, who poured out a stream of
fiery elocpience against the confedeiation ; but those who w ere
present say that Dr. Tupper turned the great orator's argu-
ments back with such force and clearness that the mind of the
imperial government never for a moment wavered in coticluding
what its duty to Nova Scotia was. After the conclusion of
the discussion on the general scheme, the confeienci', in con-
junction with the imperial law officers, prepared certain diaft
bills, which were afterwards fused into a harmonioiis whole,
and submitted to the imperial parliament on the oth of Feb-
ruary following. On the 29th of Maich the amalgamated bill
received the royal assent; and on the 12th of April another
imperial act was passed authorizing the commissioners of the
treasury to guarantee interest on a loan not to exceed £3,000,-
000 sterling, which sum was to be appropriated to the construc-
tion of an Intercolonial railway between Halifax and the St.
Lawrence. The union was not considered perfected by the consti-
tutional ceremony ; and needed a firmer liidcing by the bonds of
iron. On the 22nd of May a royal proclamation was issued from
Windsor Castle, giving eflcct to " The British North America
Act," and appointing the first day of July following as the date
oil which it should come in force. Briefly, the act provided
that the provinces of Cana<la, New Brunswick, ami Nova Sco-
tia shouhl be one T)osnT/rK)n, under the name of Canada. This
Dominion was divided into four provinces, named Ontario,

ff^

l-M

'ni*

314

LIFE OF SIB JOHN A. MACDONALD.

Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia; the boundaries of
the former two to be the same as those of the old provinces of
Upper and Lower Canada ; the boundaries of the two maiitinie
provinces remainin<f unchanged. The executive authority, and
the command of the naval and military forces, were vested in
the imperial sov .'reign, represented by a governor-general or
other executive of.icer for the time being. The city of Ottawa
was declared the seat of government during the sovereign's
]>leasuro. The legislative machinery was to consist of a viceroy
or his deputy, and a ministerial council, to be styled the Queen's
privy council for Canada, the members of which body were to
be chosen by the governor-general, and to hold office during
his pleasure. The legislative power was vested in a parliament,
to consist of the Queeii, the senate and the house of commons.
It was provided that a parliament should be held at least once
in each year, so that not more than a twelvemonth might elapse
between session and session. The ridiculous system of election
to the political dead-house was abolished, — though the gigantic
thing itself was maintained — and it was provided instead that
the senate should consist of seventy-two life members, twenty-
four for Ontario, twenty-four for Quebec — an apportionment
which, in view of the disparity of population and the outlook
of increased inequality, would have been a rank injustice, but
that the members so distributed are but the shadows in an in-
stitution which in jn-actiee is a myth — and twelve for each of
the maritime provinces, the members to possess certain pro-
perty (puilitications, to be apj)ointed by the Crown, and to re-
tain their seats for life, unless guilty of gross misbehaviour.
Becoming swinishly intoxicated, and w^hile in that state vom-
iting over Turkey carpets at vice-regal banquets were not fore-
seen in framing the constitution, so that senators offending in
that way may retain their seats. Provision was made for in-
creasing the membership of the body, but the number (as finally
arranged) was not to exceed eighty-two, or to reach that limit
unless upon the entry of Newfoundland into the confederation.

THE DOMINION OF PANADA.

315

Tho principle of representation 1>y population was cstaMished
for the hou.se of coiDmons, the basis adopted for the original
adjustment being the census of 1801. It was declared, how-
ever, that an adjustment should take ]>lace eve>y ten years,
upon a census of population being obtained. The representa-
tion of Quebec was permanently lixcd at sixty-five members,
wliile that of each of the other provinces was to bear the same
relation to the population thereof that sixty-live should from
time to time bear to the population of Quebec. The repre-
■seutation for the whole union was lixod at 181 members:
eighty-two for Ontario, sixty-five for Quebec, nineteen for
Nova Scotia, and fifteen for New Brunswick.

The duration of the house of commons was not to exceed
live years. Constitutions were likewise given to the four pro-
vinces embraced in the union. Each comprised a lieutenant-
governor who was to be appointed by the governor-general,
paid out of the general treasury, and to hold office for five years ;
an executive council which was to be appointed by the lieu-
tenant-governor, who had the power of dismissal; a legislative
council to be nominated by the lieutenant-governor and to hold
their seats for life* ; and the house of assembly. Such legisla-
ture was to have conti'ol over local affairs, all questions of a cha-
lacter affecting the dominion at large falling within the juris-
tliction of the general government. It is hardly necessary to
siiy that the jurisdiction of the federal and the provincial par-
liaments in man}' cases remind one of those colours on the can-
vas which meet and to the eye seem to soften and l)lend, so
that it passes the keenest skill to say where the one begins or
the other ends; and that, therefore, it was impossible by the
terms of any constitution to so define respective jurisdiction as
to avoid collision of authority in the future. One notable case,
as our readers will readily remember, has of late years arisen,
aamely, the question whether the power to pass certain laws

* Oiitiirio ha<l tho good sense to dispense with an upper chamber, .ind her legis-
tion has never been the worse in consequence.

316

LIFE OF Sin JOHN A. MACDONALD.

regulating the liquor traffic resides in the general or tlto
provincial parliaments, the learned and clear-hoaded ehiof
justice of New Brunswick aftinning that the jurisdiction lius
in the province, not in the dominion ; the distinguished chief
justice of Canada maintaining, on the other hand, that the
authority is not in the province, but in the dominion ; while
other eminent jurists contend that the power resides nut
according to the terms of the act bearing upon such cases,
either in the one legislature or the other. Provision was made,
likewise, in the British North America Act, for the admission
into the confederation, of any colony that had so far refused to
be a party to the compact. The royal jiroclamation announced
the names of seventy-two senators, thirty-six of whom were
conservatives and thirty-six reformers ; so that when the date
which was to witness the birth of the Dominion came round,
the machinery was in readiness to set in motion. When the
delegates returned from England, Lord Monck, who had been
a zealous worker in promoting union, turned Ids thought to
the choice of an administiation to be called to the government
of the federated provinces. As to who the leader should be,
he doubted not a moment. Many warm and able advocates
had had the scheme of union among those who sat at the
Westminster Conference, as well as amcmg numbers of others
in the parliament and the press ; but above all these towered the
tigure of Hon. John A. Macdonald. We have seen that he dif-
fered at the outset from his colleagues as to the form some
details of the scheme ought to take ; but that a union of the
scattered colonies was the only solution to the troubles dis-
tracting the provinces, he never doubted. From the moment
the coalition was formed, his was the head that planned, the
hand that shaped, the negotiations. It is not going too far
to say, in glancing at his exertions, and the obstacles which
were presented at every stage of the proceedings, that hal
it not been for Mr. John A. Macdonald we might not at
this day have a confederation. George Biown sought rop-

THE DOMINION OF CANADA.

317

resontation by jtopiilation, and entertained the proposal of con-
federation only as a means to that end ; Lower Canada was
ajuithotic, and rather interested in resisting Brown's niove-
nient than anxious to enter a combination which would not
increase her pi-estigc. Mr. Macdonald, a])pcaring upon the
scene at this o'itical time, thus on the one hand appealed
to Mr. Brown : You will througli federation get lepresen-
tation by population, and, turning to the French party : The
time has now come when you mufjt recede from the ground on
which I have so long sustained you ; you must now choose
between a subserviency to a majority in all things, or a mea-
sure that will make you supreme in your domestic concerns,
and give you the authority to which your number entitles you
on questions of national importance. Mr, Mackenzie naturally
enough, j)orhaps, considering our poor fallen nature, is jealous of
the position Mr. Macdonald takes after the accomplishment
of the union. " Having," says Mr. Mackenzie, " no great work
of his own to boast about, he bravely plucks the laurel from
the brows of the actual combatants, and real victors, and
fastens it on his own head." Who, pray, Mr. Mackenzie, were
the " actual combatants ? " Who were " the real victors ? "
We know not and we write from the record, seeking not to
put laurels on brows that have not won them. Surely the
question is a question of fact, not one of malice.

Lord Monck, as we have said, who had watched the course
of Mr. Macdonald, who remembered how that statesman had
turned the Prince Edward Island conference to account, the
attitude he had assumed after the conference, and his position at
the Westminster meeting, had no difficulty in concluding that
far beyond all others was his place in accomplishing the great
event, and that for this reason, and by virtue of his first-class
abilities as a statesman, to him belonged the honour of leading
the first Canadian administi'ation. He wrote a note asking if
Mr. Macdonald would come and see him, and then told the at-
torney-general-west what his intentions were. Mr. Macdonald

ill

'!( A

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"iniRf;;

" 'if.ti;

if)

318

LIFE OF SIR JOUN A. MACDONALD.

■■'■ ':!
i;^ if

expressed his obligations, and liis wil!in<fness to take any duty
that his excelluncy assigned to him. Upon the recommendation
of the [)riine minister, lUniost entirely, it was that the members of
the ministry were chosen. Like the " heretic " who, on rcceivini?
baptism and entering the fold of tlie Roman church, finds all !iis
past bio Lted out as if it had never been — thoughliis sinshadlir.ii
red as scarlet — and begins life denovo, so was the past of partv
in Canada obliterated, Mr. Macdonald and Lord RIonck argued
— though of course not precisely in our figure — and the new
ministiy, drawn from every province, and all parties, would
begin its career without a political stain. With confederation
arose new problems, new interests, new aspirations; old que.s-
tions were brushed off the stage, and nought remained but
hollow names. Lord Monck indeed believed that in the ap-
pointment of a compound ministry, a death-blow would be
struck at party ; but Mi'. Macdonald assured him that ])artv
would survive the discarded institutions, and resist all the ex-
pedients that ever entered the brain of man. But while regaid-
ing this evil of responsil^le govertnnent irrepressible he advised,
as we shall see, the formation of a ministry from among all
parties in the colonies. " The confederation," he said, later on,
" is the work of the peo[)le of these provinces, irrespective of
old-time party opinion. I do not want it to be felt by any
section of the country, that they have no representation in tlie
cabinet, and no inlluence in the government. And as then are
now no issues to divide parties, and as all that is required i ; to
have in the government the men who are best adapted to put
the new machinery in motion, I desire to ask those to join me
who have the confidence of, and represent the majorities in, the
various sections, of those who were in favour of the adoption
of this system of government and who wish to see it satisfac-
torily carried out." In due time the members of the new cabinet
were announced, as follows :

Hon. John A. Macdoxald Premier and Min. of Justice.
" A. T. Galt - - - M inister of Finance,

TIIR DOMINION OF CANADA.

319

Hon. Alfxandkk Cam

" A. J. Fi;i{(iUssoN-

" W. P. Howl AND

" GkougkE. Cautii-

" Wm. McDoiuiAi.L

" S. L. TiLLKY

" PeT1;U MlTCIFKLL

" H. L. Lan'(3evin

" J. C. Ohai'ais -

" A. G. AucimtALD

" Edward Kknny

I'liKLL - - Po.-<fmaster-G<:neral.

Bi.Aiu rres'idcaf of the Council.

Mill. Inland lii'vcnuc.

A\ - Mill. MUUia mid 1 >('/(■ tice.

- Mi iiIkIi'i' I'abrw Worlis.

- M 1)1. of Customs.

Min. Marine and Fisherie.-i.

S('i\ of State for Canada.

Min. of Atjricidtun:

- Sec. of State for Provinces.

- Receiver-General.

Lord Monck was sworn into odice as f^overnor-yencral of
the Now Dominion by Chief Justice Draper, attt'r whicli he
announced that Her Majestv liad instructed him, through the
fJolonial Secretary, to confer tlie order of i\niglitli(K)d upon
Hon. John A. Macdonuld, and the distinction of Ojmpauion-
ship of the 13ath on Messrs. Tilley, Tupper, Cartiei-, Gnlt, Me-
Dougall and Howland. Messrs. Caitier and (!alt I'efused tlie
iavour, and it soon became known that the former gentleman
was wounded to the quick that, in granting tlie higher honour
of knighthood, he liad been ignored. But wliat he felt wor.se
than all, with that impidse that rushes .sometimes into the
lushest consequences with its eyes shut, was that the man with
whom he had borne the biamt of so many liar<lly fought battles
should be faithless tu tlie friendship that had so long bound tlio
two together as " with hoops of steel." lie believed, in short,
that the slight was due to Mr. Macdonalds soltish ambition
which coveted the croAvning honour for itself alone. The truth
all the time was, that never lived a loyaler friend than Hon.
John A. Macdonald ; that the knighthood was not obtained at
his solicitation or even with his knowledge, but tlie work of
Lord Monck, who conceived the honour to be a fitting one to
the first statesman called to lead the government of the new
nation. That M. Cartier liad borne a noble part in the move-
ment for the federation was undoubted, but so had many others

' 'm

320

LIFK OF SIR JOHN A. MACVONALD.

who were visited with no higher token of imperial re<,'aril than
the worthy leader of the French Canadians, With the un-
bounded chivalry of his nature the premier sot to v/ork to
redeem what, in view of ^M. Cartier's fe<'lin;j;,s, was a diplomatic
blunder; and a year later it was announced that the French
leader had been created a baronet of the United Kingdoiii, a
liigher dignity than had been conferred upon the piime niinis-
tcr himself M. Cartier was somewhat mollified, but the oritri-
nal luirt rankled in the very marrow, and to use the phrase of
one of our writers, the golden b(»wl once shivered could not l)e
restored again. Such, then, is the history of the confederation
movement — from the beginning to the triumphant ending —
which, like the river that takes its rise in obscure ground l)egiiis
its journey with feeble motion, winding on with seeming hesi-
tation, through various bends and turns, sometimes entering
the dark forest that the thoughtless spectator believes will hide
the stream forever, but emerging again with greater speed and
sturdier purpose, sweeping on, halting never, and flowing round
the mountain that rises to bar its way, till, " at last the loiigod-
for dash of waves is heard," and it joins the broad, bright sua,
Though glancing backward, we tind that the years have begun
to invest events once standing out in such distinctness, with
vague outline and .shadow.s, still so long as endures the story
of the creation of the ])ominion of Canada, one clear form
will appear abo\c all the rest, and that the figure of the liiailT
Hun. Siu Joun Alexander Maudonald.

|!f|:

CHArTKIl XVIL

TUB FIKST DOMINKIN CAIIINET.

ii EOROE ETIENNE CARTIKll was born at St. Antoinc, in
'X tho County of Verchtirc.s, on the Gth of Septeuiber, 1814.
Tradition, perhaps liazanling a guess, connects him witli the
nrroat Jacriues of the same name, so pionrmcnt a figure in
tlu; early history <if ( 'atiada. After finishing his educatioit in
llie College of St. Sulpiee, Montreal, M. Cartier studied law in
the office of M. Edouard Hodier ; and, in 185^5, began praetico
lit Montreal. Two year.s later the provinct; was in a tlaiue of
ruhellion, and likonio.st of his spirited compatriots at tlie time,
the yoinig barrister shouted his vivdfi for Papineau and La f,i-
Im'U. He fought with much braveiy under Dr. Nelson at St.
Denis, and when the bloody drama waseivded fled to the United
States, where he remained till the clouds of revolt at home had
iDJled away. While still under the ban of the law he returned
Ity .steallh to Montreal, and .shut himself up in his rooms duiing
the day. In the evening he quietly left his confinement, seek-
ing the suburbs for exercise and fresh air, and as he glided
along the lonely roads in the gloaming, he often related after-
wards, he fancied that mysterious footsteps dogged him, and
that every bush concealed an officer. At last, semi-ofticial in-
t'»iniation reached him that if he conducted himself with dis-
cretion, the law would wink at the past. M. Cartier, we may
1)1) sure was as patriotic as most of his countrymen, but the
phantom of a hangman dangling a halter had hauntcil his pil-
low so long that the patriotisiu which had once put on the wings
of revolution, was ever afterwards, in his breast, frozen at the

F - 321 1^

Ill,
iii

■II

4 i.' ? ■■

1 -H :

322

LIFE OF SIB JOHN A. MACDOKALD.

source. For ten years tlie young lawyer diligently fpplied
liiniself to his profession, shrinking from notoriety, but never
losing intei'est in political questions ; and all the while yoiu-riint'
for the political sphere. In IS-tS, he saw his ambition gratifled
in being elected for A^crchSres, which constituency he repre-
sented till 18G1, when he overthrew the rouge Goliath, A. A.
Dorion, in ^lontreal, dealing a blow to Lower Canada gritisra
from which, it may be said without exaggeration, it has never
since recovered. We have seen that, early in 18-50, htj was
chosen provincial-secretary in the MacNab-Tachd administra-
tion, and that four months later he became attorney-general in
the Tachd-Macdonald ministry, in the room of Mr. Druiuiiioiiil,
who had gone out of the cabinet in dudgeon, because Mr. Mac-
donald, instead of himself, was chosen to the leadership in the
assembly. The following year the Macdonald-Cartier govern-
ment came into existence, but after a few months the wheel
went round, and the Cartier-lMacdonald ministry appeaieil
upon the scene. Weighed against even matiy of his coutein-
poraries, M. Cartier would be light in the scale, unless we con-
found his success with his merit. He had a keen perception of
evcr}^ question, but his view was narrow; and while he prizuil
the interests of his countr}'-, party was to him before patriotism,
and self before party. A dark picture you draw us surely, says
some one at our elbow, who has seen the French leader upon
the wall so long enveloped in a blaze of glory. Yes ; it is a
black picture, but we, to whom the tasks falls, however unwor-
thy we be, to sum up the work and paint the i)ortrait, nmst nut
falter in our duty, though our naked sketch reveal an iinpei-
fect man. M. Cartier had many faults. For some of these he
was not responsible, as they were inheritances of his birth, it
would bo unfair to blame him that his understanding was not
broad, and tiiat his judgment frecpiently was unsound ; or
that when he spoke to an audience his voice was harsh and un-
sympathetic, and seldom captivated hearts. It is just that we
blame him for being selfi.sh, for giving bridle to his temper un-

THE Flllar DOMINION CABINET.

823

dor small provocation, and for holding, not unficqucntly, in con-
teiript men the latcliet of whose shoes he was not wortliy to
Idoso. Yet we have seen that he was successful. He had an
uiiliounded ambition, a profusion of nervous force, an unflagging
perseverance, an activity as restless as the winds of heaven ;
ami, to crown these invincible tools in the hands of a man who
sets excelsior for his motto, he had an aggressiveness that
pushed aside obstacles and all opposing pretensions, and a ca-
pacity for organization that always astonished and sometimes
bewildered those who are not given to analysis, but who are
channod by flash. No political leailer could ignore >r. Cartier,
for he would prefer being matched against half a dozen strong
men, to feeling that he had arrayed against him a tireless
energy that never slept, never paused, that drilled on, and would
work its way through iron walls till it reached its ends.

Alexander Tilloch Gait, the chief of finance in the new min-
istry, the son of John Gait, a writer of some note, and the
friend and biographer of Lord Byron ; was born at Chelsea,
London, on the Gth of September, 1817. Fired by the suc-
cesses of his father, he .showed an early taste for literature, and
when in his fourteenth year contributed to Frasevs Magazine.
A writer in tha Illustrated London N a tos refers, with much
approval, to this early contiibution ; but we can only .shed
L'omjtassion backward through the years upon the editor of
Frmer's Magazine. It is a sore task enough for a magazine
editor to have to read, and reject the tomes of manuscript
produced by adults, but it is horror opening her flood-gates
upon his head when he is not safe from boys of fourteen.
Tlierefore, we must not be regarded as considering that either
the spirit which prompted Mr. Gait to write at f.mrteen, or the
matter he wrote, was good ; we do not approve of the parent
who permitted him to write ; neither does the judgment of the
editor commend itself to us, who published the lad's effusion.
Literature after a .short stay with young Gait waved her wing ;
and the young man fixed his eye upon some other star. The

r r

$•

324

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALl).

Gait family emigrated to Canada, in 1824', and when Alexander
had attained his sixteenth year, he entered the service of the
British American Land Company, in the eastern townsliipH, as
a, junior clerk. His marked abilities brought him to notice, and
hi.s rise through the various stages of the department was rapid,
till he reached the post of commissioiiership. " During liis
twelve yGixva management," says a reliable authority, "the com-
pany was changed from one of almost hopeless insolvency, to
that of a valuable and remunerative undertaking." Mr. Gait
first entered parliament when the country was atlame over the
robellion losses bill, but at this period he seemetl to be loss use-
ful as a politician than as a business man. PIo endeavoured to
distinguish himself as a shining pi'otestant by opposition to
catholicity, though the true way for him to prove the superior-
ity of his protestantism, was to worship God in his church in a
simple earnest spirit, and when he left the temple to do unt^
others as he would have others do unto him. Uncharitableness
and intolerance are not any more true protestantism, than
Catholicism is the drunken zeal of those brutal mobs that stood
up in defence of tho "church," when Gavazzi lectured iu Qiiu-
hee and Montreal. In the lapse of time, Mr. Gait outgrew weak
prejudice, and he was for many years regarded as being "too
judicial " for the warped ways of the politician. He was a
valuable member when measures were sui)ported or opposed
merely for party's sake, and sat as one alone in the house, now
warmly supporting a view of the government, and again ap-
pearing tho most censorious among the opposition. From the
drat his opinion on all questions of trade and finance commanded
tho close attention of the house. Upon the collapse of the
Brown-Dorion ministry, he was requested to form an adniiiiis-
tration, but having practically alienated himself from party, he
had no following in tho house, and not being possessed of the
lofty ambition of George Brown, Avisely refused to attempt a
task which must have ended in failure. We have already iiottid
other events in his career, and sliall see him again before we

THE FIRST DOMINION CABINET.

326

close. Mr. Gait, though not born in Canada, is a Canadian,
ami even with his eccentricities is a credit to his country. His
)iulitical compass as our readers are aware, has freiiuontly taken
tits of wide variation ; to intensify the Hgm-e a little his opinion
has gone round the compass. He has shown decided leanings
ti) the policy of the reformers ; and at times has sounded notes
with the true ring of the conservative. This perliaps Mr. Gait
liiins-clf would call the swinging of the pendulum, denoting a
wcU-lialanced non-party man ; but unfortunately the time CJime
when the pendulum, reaching one side, remained there. For
example, Mr. Gait was a zealous champion of confederation,
and we wiite it down, with a hearty feeling, to his credit. At
another period of his life he wjis something quite dift'erent. A
band of men gathered together in Canada shortly after the tory
mob had bvu'nt the parliament buildings in Montreal, and cir-
culated a manifesto recommending "a friendly and peaceful
separation from Britisli connexion, and a union upon equitable
terms with the great North American confederacy of sovereign
states," A nundjer of gentlemen of good standing in Canada,
supported the scheme, and one of these wjis Mr. A. T. Gait.
There would be nothing striking in this historical morsel but
that, a few months ago, while trying to restrain her laugh tei',
Canada stood watching the same Mr. A. T. Gait, as Cana-
dian high commissioner to England, endeavouring to set flying
no less a kite than a scheme for the federation of the empire.
The idea, unfortunately for the fame of Mr. ({alt, is not original,
and even in the way of second-hand is oidy a h;ilf-way measure.
For, in Locksley Hall. Tenny.son has a much better propo.sal,
as we leai'n when he sinjjs of the time

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" When the war drum throbs no longer, and the battle-flags are furled
In the parliament of man, the fedenition of the world."

But as the Canadians are not far enough advanced yet to appre-
ciate such an admirable scheme as this, Mr. Gait sliould have
broujj;ht the project out in a story-book rather than in a ])rac-

■ i

326

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MaCDONALD.

tical way. Had Jules Verne proposed all those elaborate ideas
of his to the French government, he might not have succeeded
either, hut he wisely instead put them forth in his " Ten Thou-
sand Leagues under the Sea," his voyage througli the heavens,
and other unusual excursions. Should it ever occur to Mr. Gait
that his federation plan might be extended so as to take in
the moon, we beseech of him not to make the pi'oposal in the
formal wa}' either to the British or the Canadian government —
as so surely as he does they will not take kindly to the scheme
— but sim[)ly bring it out in a novel. If we except this one
marvellous idea, so far as relates to Mr. Gait's public career, his
influence upon political life in Canada has been for the better,
and he deserves well of his countrymen. As his mission at the
court of St. James has, by his own desire, been brought to a
clo.se, and he is again to become a resident of Canada, we only
express the wish, that must be general, that the country may
for many years to come have the benefit of his experience, pru-
dence and great ability in public mattoi's. We beseech of him,
from our own feeling, and on behalf of Canadians, however, to
purge his mind of this federation phantasm.

Perhaps one of the most prominent men in the new ministry
was M. Hector L. Langevin, secretary of state for Canada.
}\. Langevin is a son of the late Jean Langevin, who was as-
sistant civil secretary under Lords Gosford and Sydenham.
He was born in the city of Quebec on the 25th of August, 182G.
P^ducated in the city of his birth he began the study of
law in the otHce of Hon. A. N. Morin, concluding his course
with the late Sir George E. Cartier. He was called to the bar
in 1850. Early in life M. Langevin gave evidence of the first-
rate abilities which were to be employed in the service of his
country in later j'cars. In connexion with the practice of his
profession he was at various peiiods the editor of three differ-
ent newspapers, of the Melanges lielUjieux, and the Journal
d'Ayricullitre, in Montreal ; and of the Conrrier du Canada, in
Quebec. He had the desire common to so nmny aspiring young

THE FIJiST DOMINION CAlUNF/f.

827

men in this country to enter political life, and began his public
career in the capacity of mayor of Quebec, to which office he
was .several times elected. In 1855, he took the first of three
prizes for an essay on Canada, written for cireuhition in Paris,
in which paper as in his other contributions he gave promise of
rt-aching high literary eminence, though, .somewhat unfortu-
nately for letters, the public charmer, with har siren tongue,
won liim for her own. He made his first appearance in parlia-
ment, the reader remembers, in 1857, when he was elected for
Dorchester. Thiough the many years that followed till deatii
removed M. Cartier from the scenes, M. Langeviii acted the part
of a loyal, and skilful second, in his party, though the eye of
Lower Canada lit not with enthusiasm save when it fell upon
the imposing figure of the principal. Yet to us, M. Langevin
in the role of second to M. Cartier, seems like the sun acting
satellite to the moon. As a statesman, to M. Cartier we can
only accord a second place ; to M. Langevin we give a first.
If no tempest come, it is impoHsible for one to " ride the whin-
wind ai'.d direct the storm." Yet, we may from observing the
man in the calm judge of his capacity in the hour of tumult.
M. Langevin has bean described by some cri' ics as a narrow
bigot, caring only for the welfare of his own race, and grudging
aai opposing the progress of his English brethren. We are
glad to say that theio aie the accusations of persons who know
not M. Langevin, and who perhaps cared not to know him
since their object was only to blacken. Most assuredly is the
Fierch leader loyal to the race whence he has sprung: there
has never arisen in his province a man to whom the best
interests of French Canadians is more dear, or who in advanc-
ing- those intcests has ever displayed more earnestness, wisdom
and ability. But, above all thing.s, we believe he is a Cana-
dian. Indeed, what we want in our public men is patriotism,
to keep our political system from the mire into which it
shows a tendency to fall. When the Ac.adians of New Bruns-
wick sent a dele<fation to him reverting to the time that

328

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

their ancestoi's were expelled from their hapjjy homes in the
Easin of Minas and to all the dark years that since have fal-
len upon the outcast descendant, M. Langevin pointed out to
them that the past was now i sealed book, that the duty of the
Acadian as well as of the Freiicli Canadian was not to k^ep
alive the remembrance of tliesn dark hours, but to feel that one
and both, while doing well not to forget the language of their
fathers, were above all things Canadians, enjoying ecpial privi-
leges with other nationalities in the provmces. Of this nature
has been his advice times without number to the people of liis
own province, and it is only just to say that, owing to his ex-
ertions, a more liberal spirit, a feeling of broader citizenshi]),
has grown up among his people. We do not wish here to be
understood as thinking that the province of Quebec has held
a monopoly of uncharitableness ; for a large portion of the
people of Ontario, through the teaching of a press forced into
perfidious work by the needs of jiarty, regard Quebec with a feel-
ing at once narrow and unworthy. Unfortunately, the Globe
newspaper has been foremost in promoting the bad work of es-
trangement, though some do now hope, and we are of the num-
ber, that the worst of that great journal's work is done ; that,
to use the words of Bystander, " the black flag has been hauled
down." Under these circumstances, the duty of Sir Hector
Langevin to his province is resistance, but with more than
judicious resistance, and a patriotic assertion of his people's
rights, he is not to be charged. M. Langevin's ability as a
statesman is, as we have said already, of the highest order. To
a comprehensive undei'standing he brings a calm and unwaq)ed
judgment, while so ready is his grasp, and so accurate his view
that he has more than once astonished delegations having com-
plex propositions before government, by his readiness in un-
ravelling and making plain the difficult sides of the question.
To all who meet him in his [)ublic capacity he is piiinstaking
and affable, and in every walk of life comports himself with
that courtesy which he has acquired from his distinguished an-

THE FIRST LO MIS ION CAB! SET.

325»

eestors. In this respect we do wish some of his Clustering,
pompous colleagues, who endeavour to supj)ly by airs what they
lack in escutcheon, would try to emulate him. No one has
ever yet proved that he is a gentleman, or " of good family "
by the assumption of swagger ; on the contrary, he thereby
shows as plainly as if he had it written upon his front, that he
is low born, and not a gentleman. Men have control over most
of the events in their lives, but they have not the remotest in-
fluence upon their own birth; so that it would be unjust to
think the worse of a man in exaltcil place that he is not high-
liom. A large number of our public men have s[)rung from
lunable parentage, and these we can readily forgive, when high
upon fortune's steep, for endeavouring to appear as gentlemen;
for they must take their wives and their daughters to Ottawa,
and go to couit, and give and receive calls, and hold a place in
.social life proper to their rank in the public sphere ; and when
such men deport themselves with that grace, courtesy and toler-
ance belonging to those who are to the manner born, they de-
serve to be I'anked among those whoso liouse has never been
seen in the bud but always in the tree. But the person who,
plebeian born, wraps himself in conceit and vulgar pomp, or in
that brusque bonhomie which sits ,veli upon some imperial
colonel, and that the pcirvena counterfeits only to travesty, is
])lebeian still ; all the waters of the St. Lawrence will not make
Iilni whiter than the " great unwashed " of whom he is, but
whom he despises. In 1881, with the approval of those who
set no store on gauds or title, save as badges of merit, and of
duty, in whatever line, well and faithfully done, her Majesty
conferred upon M. Langevin the order of knighthood, which
distinction is now his.

One of the most remarkable men in the council, was the
minister of customs, Mr. S. L. Tilley. For many years he had
been the foremost politician in New Brunswick, and, in the
capacity of leader, exhibited talents of more than a common
order. Unfortunately, the profession of politics to the popular

\\\: iii!

■Mm

ik. >i

LIFE OF SIB JOHN A. MACDONALV.

rninil. when placed in the moral scale, has little specific tjravity;
and the person who enters public life is regarded as having
taken a step downward. But through all the years that Hon.
Leonard Tilley had given to public duty, the most unscrupu-
lous o|)ponent never even sought to put any tarnish upon his
name. So upright were all his acts, so deep and sincere his
moral convictions, so able his adminisdation of affairs, and,
withal, so zealous was he in the service of his country, that his
n:une was a very tower of strength to his party. Once indeed
in the hubbub of political strife, the popular mind lost its
balance and rejected the favourite, but when reason retiu'ned
the people repaired their error, and placed him again in power.
He was, as we have seen, a warm advocate of union, and it
is not improbable that the confederation might not to this day
have comprclicuded the maritime provinces, but for his firm
and decided course at the critical time when New Brunswick
was the pivot ground of the scheme. Mi\ Tilley brought to the
enlarged sphere of politics at Ottawa, a mind stored with the
fruits of observation and experience, a penetrating and well-
contained intellect, and an unerring judgment. As minister of
customs, he was prompt and decisive, but he displayed such
clearness of grasp and excellence of judgment upon every ques-
tion of trade or finance which came up, that it was appirontbe
was capable of much higher work than playing the role of
chief custom-house officer. An impoitant occa.sion was soon to
arise when the people of Canada demanded a reorgani/.atioaof
the laws bearing upon trade and commerce; and in Hon. Leo-
nard Tilley was found a man equal to the emergency. We need
not here do more than refer to the National Policy, and to tiio
laurels that have fallen to Mr. Tilley 's share through the suc-
cess of that measure, which is indebted in so great a degree to
his financial skill and keen insinlit. Among modern statesmen
we need not say the place of Hon. (now Sir) Leonard Tilley is
among the first; and to this qualilication he adds the other dis-
tinction of being an honest man. There are, perhaps, in the

THE FIRST DOMINION CABINET.

881

Canadian parliament more forcible speakors <^luin Sir Leonard
Tilh-'y, but there is certainly not one more convincing ; and
the way to judge of tlie merit of a speech is by looking at the
results. " The distinguishing cliaracteiistic of Sir Leonard Til-
ley," says Mr. Nicholas Flood Davin, in his sparkling and capi-
tal pa[ier, "Great Siieeches," in the Cawtdkiti Monthly, " is sin-
cerity. No man could appear more lost in his subject. This
is a great element in persuasiveness. The earnestness is en-
liunced by a style of pure Saxon and unatlected simplicity.
His ease of expression would at once mark him out in the
English liouse of commons, and the (lacforltas with which ho
speaks, gives him weight and secures a following. He has the
lare power of making a budget speech interesting, a power
which no chancellor of the exchequer I ever heard in the Eng-
lish house of commons had, Mr. Gladstone, of course, always ex-
cepted." In listening to Sir Leonard Tilley, we hear a man
who makes no statement that has not received thorough exam-
ination from every view, no opinion that does not bear the
stamp of deep conviction ; few, if any, propositions that those
who follow will be able to disprove. The critic who admires
sound and fury would bo disappointed in Sir Leonard Tilley,
for he would find a man discussing his question with calm,
earnest dignity, never allowing passion to hurry him into ex-
tiavagance, but finnly maintaining himself upon the ground of
common sense. Through such simple, irresistible I'orce, Mr.
Cobden, whom Sir Leonard as a statesman and as a speaker
strongly resembles, was in his day one of the leading orators
in Great Britain, and one of the foremost of her public men.
Sir Leonard Tilley 's public career is one that some of our
young politicians might study with profit. To no principle
in private or political life to which he has pledged himself has
he ever been known to prove faithless ; and in, at least, one no-
table instance * the sincerity of his character is shown in strong

* Once uiiiin a time a Cfrtaiii Christian who told from the steeple-top— we .are not
HUitgesting tlie Pharisee in the temple, tliiiugli we cannot (inarrel with tlie reader if

■IM!

332

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

contrast with that of another public man, a "shining lighL," a
"vessel of election," and we know not what else, to one of our
leading Christian churches. Sir Leonard is gracious and affable
to all with whom his duty brings him in contact, and it wduIJ
certainly be taxing to the patience of Job himself to have to
listen to, expostulate with, and resist the shoals of delega-
tions that visit Ottawa representing this, that and tlie otlior
" interest," and with whom Sir Leonard, by virtue of his posi-
tion as adjuster of the tariff law, is brouglit into contact. Oni e
or twice he has hinted at withdrawal from public life, but his
province, and Canada at large, will not willingly let retire from
her service, so long as health remains, a son to whom one and
both owe so much, and who has been, since his tir.>it appear-
ance on the political scenes, down to this hour a credit to ilie
country that has given him birth. A further popularity is
added to Sir Leonard in the social sphere, by the grace and
charming manners of his accomj)lished wife, Lady Tilley.

A member whose presence would be felt in any cabinet, was
Hon. I'eter Mitchell, minister of marine and fisheries, who had
also been appointed to the senate. Mr. Mitchell had had a pro-
minent political career in his native province, New Brunswick.
He was a keen-eyed critic and a powerful assailant out of
office, and an Armstrong gun in a ministry. Mr. George Stew-
art, jr., in some of his life-like portraits in "Canada under Dvf-

lie see a resembliince — how deep were hia religious feelings, and who regarded the
person that partook of intoxicauts as unfit for society, was appointed to the gover-
norship of New Brunswick, bvit the shock of the elevation upon his moral nature
was so great that he fairly held wassail, though not caring for spirits himself, dur-
ing hia reign in government house. The case is altered now, he said, and I must
bow to the custom of keeping spirits at my table and on my sideboard. Hon. Leo-
nard Tilley succeeded this jierson as governor. He had never declared that mode-
rate drinkers were outside the pale of society, but in an earnest, dignified manner
had always striven to promote the cause of total abstinence. The provincials
expected that he would surely follow the examide of the more demonstrative teeto-
taler and Christian who had been his predecessor; but froc; the day he entered
government house till his leaving, intoxicating spirits formed no part of his hospi-
talities. We may be pardoned for relating this fact, since the " enterprising jour-
nalist " has preceded us.

led the

t,'i)ver-

iKiture

, <hir-

must

iiKiile-
launer
inciala
teeto-
itered
liuspi-
j<)ur-

TIIK FlIiST DOMlSIUy CAlilSKT.

?:m

ferlii " lias this telling bit of (lesciiptiuii with lefereiicfc to Mr.
Mitchell. "Ill popularity he almost rivalled Sir John himself.
He wa.s a hard worker, a redoubtable foe and an unforgiving
enemy. He was keen in debate, quick to perceive weakness in
an opponent, and ready on the ifistant to strike him down. He
aUay.s spoke eloi[uently and well. He was bold but did not
always show the more subtle element of tact which ho un-
doubtedly po.sae.ssed. He was vindictive and never neglected
to puitiue an enemy with relentless fury. In executive j)ower
he had few equals. With great skill he mastered the minutiju
of his office, and his department rapidly became one of the most
important in the cabinet." Politicians matching themselves
against Mr. Mitchell, had usually come to grief. When a cleai-
liiNuied man is able to outwit an opjioneiit by calmly ponder-
ing the situation over, as the careful chess-player looks many
moves into the future of his game, he is not unfrcquently
tormed a trickster ; and Mr. Mitchell who had been guilty of
no offence save possessing tho ability to delve a yard below
the mines of some of those pitted against him, received the
soiiriquet of " Bismarck." For a brief season many were per-
suaded that the clever politician dealt in naught but " trea-
sons, stratagems and spoils ; " and they heard without won-
'Ur that an invertebrate lieutenant-governor and a guileless
uunistry had fallen a victim to his wiles. As this is not a
question of morals, we have only to say that if a ministry can
not resist the arts and a governor the blandishments of one
man, it were a pity the one should not fail and the other be
perverted. There is in the record, even taking the distortions
of the outwitted ones, little to bring a blu.sh to Mr. j\[itchell,
and less that the historian needs to condemn or excuse. It need
hardly be said that the departmeiit given to the charge of Mr.
Mitchell was at this time the most important in the public ser-
vice. With the energy and ability which are his in such a
marked degree, he vigorously set to work to frame laws for the
protection of the various fisheries, a task requiring a vast deal

JiPs

I'M Fi

'< -Ml

S a E : ■»*' £.<

■ I

■i ' .'

Mi 'j

•Mi

LIFE OF SJIi JOHN A. MACDONALl).

of consideration, pnuk-nco and skill ; and ho likewise construct-
ed a system of regulations, which, with a few nioditicationa
only, has existed to the present day. Many of the liarbout
improvements begun, the erection of a large number of light-
houses, and the adoption of a host of other measures in the in-
terest of the Bailor and the fislierman were likewise the work
of his hands. It is not uncomplimentary to succeeding officers,
or even to the present cliar-licaded and thoroughly able incum-
bent to say that since Hon. Peter Mitchell left the department
of marine and iisheries, it has not had such another energetic
and capable head. Like most other distinguished public men,
though the pot and pride of their constituents, who sometimes
become the victim of reason run wrong, Mr. Mitchell was
once rejected on appealing to his constituents in Northumber-
land, New Brunswick, being defeated V)y one of the local millers
of that place. His tireless tigure has ]-eturned again to the
commons, however, and he is now, as always, witli sleeves rolled
np, battling for the interests of the constituents who have the
good fortune to call him their representative. The country is
still to hear a good deal from Mr. Mitchell ; and it would, it
will bo readily admitted, bo a loss to the dominion to have such
a splendid ability out of harness. ,'

The minister of Inland Revenue, Mr. (now Sir) W. P. How-
land, whom we have already seen on several occasions, and
whoso figure is one the reader of Canadian history will not
hesitate to admire, was one of the " commercial magnates " of
Toronto when he entered public life. He was born in New
York State, but removing to Toronto in his youth, he never
knew sympathy for any other country than the Canada to
w^hom he has since been as much indebted, as she has been to
him. We have already seen that Mr. Howland entered public
life in 1857, when he was elected, in the reform interest, for
the west-i'iding of York. The good judgment, caution and
foresight which had made him foremost among men of busi-
ness, soon elevated him to the ranks of the i)rominent raembeis

THE FIRST DOM IS ION CAIiINh:T.

3»3

of the lc'<,'islature, and, as lias been rocortled already, though ho
wiw never unfaithful to his principles, he hud true patriotism
enough sometimes to shut his ears to the narrow dictates of
party, and lend himself heart and hand to lus country. That
we do not overestimate the patriotism of Mr. 1 lowland, is
proven, if in nothing else, with abundant force by the assatdts
to which he was from time to time subjected by the Globe. But
Mr. Howland's sense of duty was always stionyoi- than his
dread of newspajiers, and ho never hesitated to face the thun-
der at the call of his country's interests. At a meoting held in
Toronto after the formation of the first dominion ministry, Mr.
Howland and lion. Wra. McDougall, both of whom mnde an
able defence of their course in entering Uie coahtion, were
read out of the reform party. At this meeting the grit tyrant
was the swaying spirit. A perusal of the .speeches .shows that
both Messrs. Howland and McDougall ably defended them-
selves ; but they had to reckon not alone with a question of
right or wrong, or of duty to jiarty, but with an all-powerful
chief burning with revenge towards the two men who had re-
fused to follow him from the coalition cabinet, and an ambition,
that, like a high-blooded horse, which becomes the more un-
manageable the longer it is kept confined, had now passed res-
traint, and could not be appeased by anything short of ofiiee,
and the destruction of all that had crossed its path. Mr. How-
land received the dicta of excommunication with somewhat of
indifference, but when the time arrived that set him free to
show his par ^y preferences, he hesitated not in returning to his
first love. In July, 18G8, he was appointed lieutenant-governor
of Ontario j and in later years received the dignity of knight-
hood, an honour, which, if a badge of recog^iition to merit, he
had undoubtedly won.

Already have we had occasional glimpses of the postmaster-
general. We first met him as a student in the law office of Mr.
John A. Macdonald, and afterwards, in 1858, as a representa-
tive for Kingston in the legislative council. Four years after

rlHiii

33C

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDOXAl.D.

this date gout created a placo fur the talented young lawyer,
by cariyinLj oft* Sir Allan MacNab, speaker of the upper
chamber. He became a member of the executive council and
connnissioner of crown lands in ISG^, which position he re-
tained till the union, when he became postmaster general. Mr.
(.'ampbell entered public life a.s a liberal-consiavative, and ha.s
always remained true to his faith. He led the governinent in
the Icgi.slative council of old Canada from I80S until 1807, and
in the .senate from the latter period till 1873. But in the last-
named year the government of the country fell into the hands
of Mr, ilackenzie and his party, and Mr. Campbell thereafter,
till the return of Sir John A. Macdonald to power, led tlie op-
position in the upper house. Under the restored Macdonald
ministry he has heVl different portfolios, and is at present min-
ister of ju.stice and leader of the government in the senate.
He was created a knight C M. G. by h'ir JMajesty on the 24tli
of Moy, 1870. It is perhaps /ather unfortunate for those who
sue striving for the abolition of the senate, that such men as Sir
Alexander Campbell should be fomul among the memliensliip
of that body ; for it defeats tho argument that the institution
is entirely useless, since its supporters will readily point to some
of its able men, and to the legislation which they have accom-
plished. Yet there is a way of looking at the (piestion which
proves that this contention is hollow. A certain firm erects
a huge bakery in which it employs the best skill and labour
that can be obtained, having abuiuli-nce of fuel and unliuiitcd
tiers of ovens ; but not content with the unbounded capacity
for work in this establishment, it builds another equally iis im-
posing and costly, and employs a large staff of heavily-paid
workmen. A traveller passing the way stands bewildered
before the new pile and asks, Wby this grand structure? and
tlje firm answers him, they no<v and again bake a loaf in
tliat building. But, still queries the nigh dumbfounded stran-
ger,couldyou not do all your baking in the other establishment?
Yes, Then why did you build, and why do you maintain

THE FIRST DOMINION CABINET.

337

this second bakery ? That stranger has stood since by the im-
posing pile, and received no answer, save that which echo, ever
ringing, gives. There are, it is true, other and weightier rea-
sons offei'ed for maintaining the "old feudal estate,"* but a
very rude attempt at illustrating the same by figure shows
that they are as untenable as the fallacy just pointed out. In
such an institution a man with the wide understanding and
the calm judicial character of Sir Alexander Campbell is as
much out of place as would be admiral Drakt at sea on «
waterlogged barge, without sail or oar.

■ Ttid u "Byitaiiucr'a" term for the Upp^r Huuse.

■I. ;■(

lit?

^ii

'^--sr

CHAPTER XVIIT.

THE NEW RK(;iME.

BUT now the storm was over and the ship of state nhich had
been tossed by so many tempests, rode safely at her moor-
ings. The country looked hopefully into the future for politi-
cal peace, and believed that such would be the fruit of this
wider brotherhood, knitted together by the bonds of political
and commercial interest. But Mr. George Brown and his lieu-
tenants were not happy, and the untamable chief set himself to
work, once more, to foment party discord. A few days before
Mr. John A. Macdonald's new ministry was announced, a con-
vention of reformers was held at Toronto, at which the proposed
coalition was denounced in no charitable languafje. Messrs.
McDougall and Howland happened to be in Toronto at the time
of the meeting, and were considerately invited to attend, on the
principle of the magistrate who, though (juite clear as to the
punishment he is about to inflict, generously resolves to hear
what the culprit before the bar " has io say for himself." The
two reform sinners appeared without much trepidation before
Mr. Brown and his following. Mr. Howland said a new era
was to be inaugurated ; that the past had been wiped out as if it
had never existed ; that it was not the duty now of one party,
but of all, to lend its support to the governing body under the
new regime. Mr. McDougall's defence was still more telling
than that of his fellow culprit, and those who watched the ef-
fect of the address upon " the meeting," saw that the underlings
had begun to look at the coalition in a different light. But as
we have elsewhere said the question was not one between these

338

THE NEW REGIME.

339

two reformers and public duty, or party duty, but between
themselves and a thwarted ambition. They could not hope for
mercy though the satr.aps had shown unmistakable signs of
softening ; and they got none. The ireful reform chief sought
not the aid of ruses or obscure phrase to cloak his feelings. He
simply read the two contaminated ones out of the party. It
may be said that since that day Mr. McDougall, though deserv-
in;,f a better fate, has been unfortunate as a politician ; though
Mr. Rowland, in due time — when the period arrived that his
Becossion was not a violation of the original compact — returned
to his first love.

The general election for the house of commons was held dur-
ing the summer and early autumn. Quebec and Ontario em-
phasized their approval of union and coalition by returning
overwhelming majorities of ministerialists ; and George Brown
wfis defeated in South Ontario. Coercion is a wholesome policy
when dealing with the dagger and dynamite, but it is not a
hai)py expedient in Canadian i)olitics ; as George Brown ascer-
tained, but, as we might have supposed, without reaping any
protit from the lesson. Though the dark-age organs, and the
" anti " politicians of Now Brunswick had waged bitter war
,i<rainst all who had favoured union, the ministiy there carried
twelve of the fifteen seats. Nova Scotia had been caught by
a counter breeze and driven back from her late position. Dr.
Tup[)er had worsted Joseph Howe beft)i'e the imperial minis-
ters, but the latter had the 2'f>*'^ mortem victory before the
[uovince. For once the sturdy doctor found that neither his
Itintrs nor his courage were sutheient against the stream of
Imniing elocpience that flowed fro4ii the " Great Anti." The
battle for the confederates was another Flodden, one man
only, and he, Dr. Tupper, reaching Ottawa with a Uittered flag.
Eighteen sturdy antis were sent up from the distant peninsula
to the first dominion parliament. Probably Me.ssi-s. Howe and
Aiuiand had led the people to think that a majority of anti-
unnio men at Ottawa might be able to unseal the fate of the

340

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

I i

province : but, confiding people, they were soon to see that
they might as wt.'ll have supposed them capable of eH'octing
the quartering of the moon. Yet it was a triumph for Joseph
Howe, a sort of local treatment for a very sore wound. No
one doubts tliat the great Nova Scotia orator was a sincere
patriot, but, like some other clever men he possessed in no
little degree a sense cf self-importance which sometimes
dimmed or distorted his vision. The question of confedera-
tion to him may have, in the beginning, presented itself as
a ])olitical problem to be worked out in its bearings on the
public weal, but there can be little doubt that when Dr. Tujiper
assumed the lead and the great orator found himself in the
place of second, the question became an argumeittum adhomi-
nem. It became, it is haidly unfair to the man's illustrious
memory to say, a question not between the good and the bad
side of union, but between the champions of confederation and
Joseph Howe : like some of those persons who take the field
in the interests of a moral question such as temperance, from
the dictates of philanthropy and duty, but who, as the woik
goes on and they meet 'ebuffs, gradually become embittered,
hating those whom they oppose and from whom they differ,
breathing unchoritablenoss instead of good- will, losing sight of
the original motives and making personal what was at the out-
set only a question of love for their fellowmen.

Meanwhile it was necessary to provide each province with
a little government of its own. Hon. P. J. 0. Chauveau became
premier of Quebec, and, through the friendship of Sir John,
Hon. John Sandfield Macdouald secured the leadership in On-
tario, and formed a coalition which had a usc^ful career for the
four years succeeding. The two premiers were also elected to
the federal parlianient, as were many other prominent politi-
cians from the same parliaments ; but following the example
of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, which had passed nets
making dual representation impossible, the anomaly was after a
time abolished. During the lull between the election and the

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THE NEW REGIME.

341

meeting of parliament, the chief morsel supplied to gossip was
the resignation, by Mr. A. T. Gait, of tiie portfolio of finance.
The true cause of the step was the inharmonious relations
wliich existed l>et\veen the retiring minister and some of his
colleagues, and the diversity between his opinions and theirs on
certain public questions. While these relations wore their
worst feature, the policy of the finance minister was condemn-
ed in unmeasured terms by the opposition press, which declared
that Mr. Gait, by his Currency Act, had deliberately favoured
the bank of Montreal at the expense of other financial institu-
tions, that the unfavourable turn which connnerce had taken,
and the failure of the Conmiercial Bank was due to his dis-
honest and unwise course. Finding little sym|)athy and
support among his colleagues, and a storm of censure from the
enemy, Mr. Gait resigned. The necessity of attending to his
private affairs, he stated, induced him to take the step. We
su})pose he had the right to make whatever explanation he
[iloased. There are some things which are just as well kept
from the coarse gaze of the people. The appointment of lion.
J. E. Cauchon to the speakership of the senate was a subject
that helped to keep the public from going to sleep. M. Cau-
clion was a Frenchman with a bitter toiiifue, who had said
many stinging things, and wounded a battalion of public men
in his time ; but he had also written a pamphlet L' union des
Provinces de I'Amcr'tque Britanique da Kurd, which proved
an important factor in moulding opinion favourably to the
unicm, lending the force of his unruly tongue also to the same
t"i(l ; and Sir John and his French colleagues believed that he
was entitled, for these and other reasons, to the promotion
mentioned. M. Cauchon proved himself an admirable speaker,
bringing ability of a high order, and a becoming dignity, to the
chair.

The new parliament met at Ottawa on the 7th of November,
To i\v\ Canadiati spectator a large number of the faces in the
commons were new, the entire thirv-four representatives from

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342

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MA CD ON A LD.

ri, !!'''■

the maritime provinces being strangers. Among the latter
•were Joseph Howe, one of the greatest orators of his day, a
man who couhl carry liis audience by his passionate elo(pience
as the sweeping wind sways the tiees of the forest, and who,
besides a distinguished public career, liad made some creditable
contributions to the literature of hisprovince, and written some
florid poetry, which however will not add many cubits to his
stature ; Dr. Tupper, his opponent, and of whom we shall have
something to say in another place; Hon. Albert J. Smith, a
competent lawyer with a strong tendency, under provocation,
to lose his temper, talk rubbish, and forget his dignity, yet beinj^
capable of making a slashing speech at times, and administer-
ing a good deal of judicious annoyance to an opponent; Charles
J'isher, who was an awkward but able lawyer, a comparatively
mediocre politician when in office, but a very battering-ram,
torpedo-ltoat, and many other things com])ounded when assail-
ing r ministry ; Timothy Warren Anglin, who was to the
])olitics of his time what the stage-coach is in a railway age,
and the carrier-i)igeon in the days of electricity — a man with a
strong and stubboi-n intellect, capable of a vast grasp, and en-
dowed with an extraordinary memory — a forcible but diff'use
speaker, who made long excursions in the by-ways of his argu-
ment, seldom delivering a speech within bounds suitable to tlie
time of those whose temporal span is fixed at three score and ten,
and whose patience is only good. The most important " new
face " from Ontario was that of Mr. Edward Blake, of whom,
in another place, we shall have just a word or two to say.

Hon. James Cockburn was elected to the speakership of the
conunons. The ministerial speech contained the usual con-
gratulations and foreshadowed the sessional programme. On
the address there was some hot discussion, and when the Demos-
thenes from down by the sea rose to state why his province
was dissatisfied with the compact, every whisper wjis stilled-
every member sat with head thrust forward. Whether it was
that expectation had looked for too much, or that the speaker

THE NEW RKUIME.

34S

failed to attain his usual height, there was no little disappoint-
ment, and Dr. Tupper following, fairly liddled the argument of
the great orator hy pointing out several inconsistencies in his
speech, and proving that the union i.ssuo had not been fairly
presented to the people of Nova Scotia. The address was car-
ried without a division, and Howe sitting at his desk, the em-
lioiliment of giim dissatisfaction, reminded the on-lookerof a
volcano at rest, after a violent eruption. The chief business
of the new parliament was an act reducing the rates of postage
and organizing the post office savings bank system ; and a
measure providing for the construction of the Intercolonial
Railway, the route to be determined by the imperial govern-
UKMit in accordance with the terms when obtaining the imperial
loan.

An attempt was made to place the telegraph .system under
government control as had been done in Great Britain, but
.some of the grits .said, Why not at once j)ut the newspapers,
and the writing of private letters, and our ledgers, and our
man-servants, and our maid-.servants, and oui- oxen, and our
asi5es, and everything that is ours under the control of the gov-
ernment ? and for once, the giits took, probably, a very whole-
Konie and correct view of the matter. It is not the duty of
government to take charge of railways, and telegraph lines,
and steamers, in order that these may be run and managed
properly ; but it is their duty to use the powers in their hands
to have them so conducted. If two mail-coach drivers get
into the habit of running into each other as they pa.ss on dark
nights, Ijroaking the bones of passengers and destroying pro-
perty, it is not the dut}'' of government to mount the box and
drive the coaches ; but it is their duty to see that one and
both carry lights; that each takes his own side of the road ; that
ill certain places he must not drive at greater speed than may
be prescribed ; and that, failing to observe these conditioas, he
pay a fine or suffer other punishment at the hands of the law .
It is not the function of government, let us repeat to manage

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344

LIFE OF Silt JOHN A. MACDONALD.

railways — unless under some exceptional condition — but it is
its duty to protect the public against railway monopolies hy so
framing its legislation as to maintain competition and make
aggregation and monopoly impossible. The tendency in this
ago of gigantic public enterprise, like in England under the
heptarchy, is for the greater to absorb or swallow the lessor,
and half a glance shows us that this centralization is going on
in monster corporate afTiiirs, the weaker day by day vanisliiiig
from the scene, falling a victim to the coercion or the bribe of
the stronger. Watching the Grand Trunk and the Canada Pa-
cific railways in this country reminds one of nothing so much
as a pair of whales devouring all the smaller fish that come in
their way, and halting on occasion, trying to bolt one another.
Coi"poration is rapiilly becoming kiiig in Canada as in the re-
public, and the duty of our government is to thwart him.*

Hon. John Rose assumed charge of the department of finance,
vacated by Mr. Gait, and applied himself with diligent zeal to
the duties of his office. The reform press said he was only
a " baby in finance," but censure being the platform of oppo-
sition, the statement did not overwhelm the new oflicial, who
made a verv efficient and clear-sighted administrator. On the
4th of December, Hoi.. Wm. McDougall moved a series of reso-
lutions based on the 14Gth section of the British North Ame-
rica Act providing for the incorporation of Rupert's Land and
the North-West territory into the Dominion of Canada. After
a week's discussion the resolutions were adopted, and an
address embodying the same was forwarded to the Queen's
government, On the 21st of December, parliament adjourned
till the £Oth of March, the object of the long interim being to
give the local legislatures an opportunity to complete their ses-
sions. The close of the year was marked by the death of Mr.
Fergusson-Blair, president of the legislative council, a man of

•The writer must not be considered as Iiaving any feeling but detestation for
the doctrine of the Socialists, one of \vL ise expounders unfortunately i:i the 6n9
ability of Mr. Henry George looking sadly awry.

TEE NEW REGIME.

816

moderate views — with preferences for the liberal party — and
genuinely devoted to his country's interests.

Durinj,' the recess, Howe again led the forlorn hope in Nova
Scotia, and in full harness thundered around his little province,
(lecluring that the " tie must be broken." The local legislature
mot on the 3()th of January, 1808, and an address was passed
))raying for the repeal of so much of " the act for the union of
Canada and Nova Scotia and New Brunswick as related to
Nova Scoiia." Four provincial delegates, with Howe at their
head, were deputed to lay the address at the foot of the tlirone,
but the ambassadors of disintegration were confronted at the
home office by Dr. Tupper, who once again carried away the
laurelp. When the Dominion parliament met, the opposition
censured the government for having sent Dr. Tupper to London,
but in a little grew ashamed of this contention, and said no more
about it. And now, while the commons was i:i the midst of its
duties, an event happened which sent a th ill of horror through
the country and brought legislation to a stand-still. One of the
ablest members in the house, and perhaps its most brilliant
orator, was Thomas D'Arcy McGce. A short sketch of his
career must be interesting to all so familiar with his name and
the circumstances of his untimely end. He was born of humble
parents in the County of Louth, Ireland, in 1825. The advan-
tages of higher education, winch were open only to the rich
man's son, were denied to young McGee ; yet, young eagle that
lie was, he aimed to soar, and no circumstance could trammel
the yearning spirit within his breast. He had the flashing
eloquence of his nation, that gift which no Iiishnmn ever
acquires by putting pebbles in his mouth or going down by the
sliore to declaim above the thunders of the surf; for the kind
fairy who still lingers about the green springs in the wild
valleys, or visits the cabin at night, when the peasant sleeps,
gives him this grace for naught ; and he appears upon his first
platform an orator, though untaught, as the duckling swims
who has had no lesson. When young McLlee reached his

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346

LIFE OF tUR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

. . .. si

Bevcntccnth year, lie turned his face to the new world, whore
his ardent fancy painted him a nanie and high j)ositioM ; ami
on reaching New York, plunged like a red-hot cannon-.shot
into journalism. McGeo has been described by those who
enjoyed nothing in connuon with him save the Caucasian
relationship as being an impidsivc liberator of the loud-
mouth description, only somewhat brilliant, and ambitious
to help the cause of Ireland. Some of this is true as far as
it goes, but it does not penetrate beyond the husk of that splen-
<lid but rudderless ability. Mr. McGee was an ardent patriot
but his i)atriotism was not a cause but a consequence, the out-
come indeed of a wild poetic sentiment, which delighted in no-
thing so much as weaving impossible schemes in impracticable
spheres. He was more poet than patriot or politician, yet is
his verse third-rate and disorderly as his early careor, giving
proof that their owner mistook the merchandi.se of the nmse
for a sentiment that it was the duty of its possessor to stifle,
but which here and there, and manifestly against the author's
will, displayed true notes which indicated the " soul of song,"
like the jets which, bursting up, tell of the subterranean waters.
This young man, on the New York press, pouring out brilliant
and reckless writing to a class that devoured sis they wondered,
was like a blood colt, unbroken and full of fire, that some ad-
mirer deliberately harnesses into regulation work. It is not
necessary to chronicle casualities, for they will bo predicated
of such a procedure. But young McCJee became famous, and
after his name had grown familiiir through Ireland, he re-
turned to his native country, in 184'5, and becanie editor of
the Dublin Freeman's Journal. But to this young eagle the
Journal was an old coach, too slow for the time and his ambi-
tion ; and he cast in his lot with Charles Gavan Dufiy and
.several other firebrands, who could see everything and every-
where under the sun except before them, and became one of
the writers on the Nation. Setting off mere harndess fire-
works soon lost its charm for him ; eventually he was lured

TIIK NEW ItLGJME.

847

into tho Smith O'Jirit'n cliiiiieni — and tied from Ireland dis-
^'uised as a priest. Ho had gone up like a rocket and como
down )iky a burnt stick. He then established i\\c New York
Nation, a weekly journal containing, is.sue after issue, im-
prudence and fire ; and with this minister of his mad spirits he
succeeded in convulsing the Iri.sh population of New York till
Bishop Hughes interfiled, and (piietly put his foot on tho pub-
lication. Out of tho ashes of this doail brand arose The Amer-
ican Celt, which was established in liostun. About this time,
through what means no one can tell, McGee suddenly paused
and asked him.self: Have 1 been on the riglit road? Have 1
\ised tho talent I possess iti tho proper way ? Have I any hope
of achieving that for which I aim, by following out tiio course
1 have po long pursued ? To ali these queries his mind i eturned,
and his career returned, negations. And, struck like Saul with
sudden conviction, he was from that hour a changed num.
Henceforth ho resolved not alone to pursue a new way, but to
endeavour to make amends for the past. Ho removed to Buf-
falo, and there for four years issued the Gelt, nt) longer a fiery
dragon, but the bearer of messages of peace and good- will. The
fame of the editor spread over the continent, and he made
several visits to Canada lecturing in the chief towns. At length,
in 1857, at the earnest request of a large number of Irish
Catholics, he removed to Montreal, whei-e he established The
New Era, in which, with masterly eloquence, and strong and
searching argument, he advocated a federation of the British
North American colonics. He liad now, once admitted into
political fellow.ship with British colonists, grown an ardent
supporter of imperial institutions; — and bloodshot eyes in the
lodges of the Fenian Brothei-hood began to lower (Miiinously
upon him. We have already introduced him to tho reader on
his entry into parliament for Montreal, and pass onto tho period
of tho election after the union. Time and residence aniotig
British colonists had surely wrought .strange changes in thi.s
man. He was now an impassioned devotee of the Queen, and

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348

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

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regarded the invasion of this country by tlie Fenians with no
feeling sliort of liorror. The Irish in Montreal, in proportion as
the man expressed regret for the past, began to fall off from
him, and he narrowly escaped defeat at the general election
after the union. He was then stricken down by sickness from
which he rallied slowly, but eventually took his place in the
commons again. He had received many letters making threats
upon his life from memliers of the same bloody brotherhood
who are now busy with dynamite ; and the shadow of impend-
ing d(Joni fell across his path. He who had been once so jovial
at the festive board, so lightsome and brilliant in speech, had
grown thoughtfvil and melancholy, and seldom was seen to
smile, (^n the evening of the Cth of April, he delivered one of
his most masterly and statesman-like speeches in the commons,
coun.seliing the adoption of pacific measures towards Nova
Scotia. The house adjourned about two o'clock in the morn-
ing, and the members departed for their homes. McGee accom-
panied by several others, who parted with him at the corner of
Sparks and Metcalfe streets, proceeded towards his own lodg-
ing-house on Sparks street. As he was engaged inserting his
key in the latch, a figure which had been crouched by the door
awaiting his coming rose and fired a pistol. The ball crashed
through McGee's brain, and he fell dead across the threshold.
In a fevr moments a crowd was about the spot, but no trace of
the assassin could be found. When the wires flashed the news
abroad, the country was paralyzed with horror. On the follow-
ing day, in a voice inarticulate with emotion and sorrow, Sir
John Macdonald rose and moved the adjournment of the house,
paying tribute in well chosen words to the eminent qualities
of the deceased, the loss the country had sustained, and ex-
pressing his sympathy with the bereaved family of the illus-
trious dead. A pension of £'300 per annum was spontaneously
voted to the widow, and provision was male for the education
of the children. Laige rewards were offered for th.e appr'^hon-
sion of the murderer, and before long a Fenian named Whelan

THE NEW REGIME.

349

was arrested, tried and found guilty. He was hanged in Ottawa
on the 11th of B^ebruary, 18G9.

Parliament re-assembled on the 14th of April, 18G8, con-
tinuing the sitting till the 22nd of May. The most important
work of the session wtvs the passage of the new customs and
Miilitia acts, and a measure to secure the independence of par-
liament. This latter act provided that any person holding an
otticc of profit or emolument under government is ineligible for
a seat in parliament, an-l any person sitting or voting under
such circumstances was made liable to a line of 82,000 jtcr day.
The act has been the means, to a great extent, of keeping the
parliament pure, though a few years later it was ascertained
that a member of the house, while sitting as speaker of the
house o" irmons, was the recipient of a large printing con-
tract froni ^ ' lunerit. This, unhappily, is not the only breach
of the act on record.

In July two lieutenant-governors were appointed, Hon. W.
P. Howland for Ontario, and Hon. A. L. Wilmot, who both in
politics and jurisprudence had been brilliant, but in neither
l)rofGund, for New Brunswick. Meanwhile the feeling of
hostility to union in Nova Scotia had not decreased, but rather,
owing to the clever writing and address of those irrepressible
antis, the Annands and others of equal note, had become so
intensified Ihat Sir John Macdonald sufTfjested to his colleagues
the propriety of some members of the cabinet attending the
conference to be held in Halifax, in August. Accordingly,
thither jnoceeded Sir John and several other mendiers of the
government. They reasoned, expostulated, offered to investi-
gate any grievance, and as far as possible to remedy the same ;
but the antis were not to be comforted, and the Canadian
delegates returned home, the premier not without the hope
however, that the seed had not ft" "en entirely on stony ground.
Still he did not rest content with hope which he knew very
well toils too many flattering tales, but offered to revise the con-
ditions of Nova Scotia's connexion with the confederation, and

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350

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

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invited Joseph Howe to a seat in the ministry. Mr. Howe
carefully reviewed tlie situation, and seeing that his refusal
of Sir John's terms would only be the prolongation of a
hopeless struggle that could only bring bitter fruit, gave way,
and, in Januar}' of the new year, 18G9, entered the government
as president of the council. At a cabinet meeting the de-
tails of the " Better Terms " sought for Nova Scoti.i were
determined : Canada undertook to assume $9,18G,75G of the
provincial debt instead of 88,000,000 as originiilly fixed, and
to grant an annual subsidy of S82,G!)8 for ten years.

Lord Monck having taken such an able and zealous part in
forwarding confederation, his term of ofHce had been extended
two years, thai, the new government might be inaugurated un-
der his auspices. The extended period had expired on the
14th of November, and the govei'nor, with some emotion, bade
farewell to the country in which he had taken so deep an in-
terest. For his services in Canada lie wis created a peer of
the United Kingdom with the title of Baron Monck, of Bally-
trammon, in the County of Wexford. His successor was Sir
John Young, better Icnown to us as Lord Lisgar, the eldest son
of an Irish baronet, a conservative in pohtics and the repre-
sentative of Cavan in the imperial pailiament. He had been
governor of the Ionian Islands and of New South Wales, and
wlien he reached Canada was in his sixty-second year.

Tlie second session of the first parliauicnt of New Canada
met on the 15th of April. Mr. Howe introduced a series of
resolutions embodying the stipulations of the order-in-council ;
but Mr. Blake contended that the measure was ultra vires, in-
jismuoh as the imperial parliament having settled the basis
of union the Canadian gdvernment could not change it. Mr.
Mackenzie in a speech less eloquent and powerful than Mr.
Blake's, but one charged with facts and dissolving argument,
supported the contentions of the latter; but Mr. John Hillyanl
Cameron, Dr. Tupper and others, supported the resolutions
with much power and an array of possible and improbable

THE NEW REGIME.

3:.i

cases tlafc altered, to tlie view of tlio house, the curnplexion
which had been given to the case by tlie speeches of Messrs.
Blake and Mackenzie. There is nothing in the spliere of poli-
tics stronger than eloquence, except numbers ; an<l Howe's
resolutions were carried by a large majority.

In August, Prince Arthur, one of the Queen's suns, visited
Canada, and was received with profuse hospitality. A month
or two later in the season Mr. Rose resigned his portfolio and
went to London, England, as a member of the well-known
banking firm there. Mr. Francis Hiticks having returned to
Canada, though not as Mr. Francis, but as Sir Francis, from
the government of Barbadoes and the Windward Islands, was
offered by Sir John, and accepted, the vacant portfolio of fin-
ance. The countiy had the fullest confidence in his financial
skill, remembering his splendid record as inspector-general,
and he was retvrned to the house of commons for ^orth Ren-
frew. Several other changes were also made in the cabinet,
Mr. J. C. Aikens becoming secretary of state and registrar-
general ; Mr. Dunkin, minister of agriculture; Mr. Alexander
Morris, minister of inland revenue, and Mr. Howe, secretary
of state for the provinces. Mr. ^IcDougall, whom we are to
see again, was appointed governor of the North-West terri-
tories, and I'esigning his seat in the ministry, proceeded with
his family to that distant wilderness, where, blind to the
bitter disaj^pointment the future held m store, a reasonable
ambition whispered in his ear, a vast range of opportunity
would be opened to his energy and talents, and he would ailti
'■p.nown to his name.

:ii

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CHAPTER XIX.

THE HALF-BUEED.

rilHE Hudson Bay Company agreed to surrender their rights
1 in the North-Wcst tenitory for £3()0,()00, to be paid by
the Dominion government; but all the existing rights of the
company, with certain reservations, should first revert to the
imperial government. The reserv^ations included some 500,000
acres of land adjacent to the ti-ading posts of the company, one
twentieth of the land in the fertile tract lying to the south of
the north branch of the Saskatchewan, with the stipulation
that the rights of the Indians and half-breeds should be re-
spected. Within a month after the reversion, the territory was
to be ceded to the Dominion ; and the Canadian government
passed a measure providing for tlie government of the newly
acquired territory. P»y this act provision was made for the
appointment of a lieutenant-governor, and a council to carry
on the adminstration, and the rights of the Indians and half-
breeds, it was expi'essly declared, were to be respected ; while
all laws in foice in the territories not clashing with tlie British
North-America act or the terms of admission were to be hold
as valid until repealed. For many years Hon. Win. McDGU^ail,
on the platform and in the press, had advocated the acquisition
of this territory, and at a time when most men regarded the
distant wilderness as a dreary region of muskeg and eternal
frosts, afibrding harbouj-nge only to wild beasts, he declared
that it would prove a source of untold wealth, and could
support millions upon millions of people. It was felt now,
when the territory was to be added to Canada, that nou;

TIIK IlALF-niiHED.

35S

other there was so worthy tlio lionour of fii'st rroverning tJiis
extensive terra incor/nita as Mr. MfDongall, ami so on the
announcement being made that the coinjiany had surrendered
the tcr'itory to the British government, this gentleman was
appointed to the governorship, though the proclamation was
not to take effect till the region had passed into the hands of
the Dominion. l']arly in September, therefore, and without
waiting till the month had elapsed, ^Ir. McDougall, with his
family, set out from Ottawa on the long and tiresome journey
to Fort Garry, the seat of his future government.

Meanwhile a party of s'.n'veyors, under Lieutenant-Colonel
Dennis, a gentleman swayed largely by the warlike instinct,
had been at Fort Garry and the districts .suirouiiding, laying
oft" lots and townahip.s. The ignorant half-breeds, naturally,
looked upon the new-comers, with their tai)es and chains, with
.some alarm ; and they soon became seized with the fear that
the land which they and their ancestors had held at the hands
of the company, for generations, was now to be wrested from
them l)y the government, and that for this very purpose the
•strangers were here measuring off the territory. The inhabit-
ants of the count-y consisted of French-Canadian half-breeds,
descendants of the voj/agetirs and coureurs des hois who had
for several generat'ons trapped, and tradinl for furs, throughout
those wild regions. They were all members of the catholic
cliureli, servile in their obedience to the priests, but steeped
in ignorance and ready to follo\v any clever demagogue who
could work upon their fear or prejudice. They had been in-
formed that Deiuiis and his surveyors wei-e to visit their terri-
tory to seize their ancestral lands, and they promptly and
without any show of gi-ace demanded of the strangers, busy
with their chains and levels, to know if what they had been
tuld was true. For, if it is, they said, wo shall resist the aggres-
sion, and prevent anybody else from settling upon the territory
of which you are about to rob us. One might have supposed
that Dennis' staff would explain to these deluded people that
w

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354

X7F^ 0-F 5//e JOHN A. MACVONALD.

their rights would be respected, and what the oliject of the
survey was; but they took a ditlereiit course : they told the
poor half-breed that the less l)e had to say about opposing
settlers, and thwarting government the better ; that there waa
plenty of soldiers in Canada to enforce obedience. To make
the matter worse the English inhabitants scattered throuL'h
the territory, who owed no love to their half barbarous neigh-
bours, indulged in much injudicious exidtation over the pro-
posed change. All these causes combined produced pernicious
fruit. The half-breods became mad with excitement, and only
waited for some one to lead them to mischief. Not lonir were
the leaders wanted. In hot haste rose John Bruce, Louis Riel,
and Ambrose Lepine ; and with their appearance the country-
burst into rebellion. Colonel Dennis, who had been on the
spot and at first treated the idea of conciliation and explanation
with due military contempt, now began to grow alarmed, and
wrote to Mr. McDougall that things had taken on an ugly face.
Meanwhile the rebels had formed a pi'ovisional government
with John Bruce at its head ; but the ruling spirit was Louis
Riel, a daring, young French-Canadian, wily as a savage, liril-
liaut and energetic. He appealed to the prejudices and the
fear of the half-breeds, and in a few days had four hundred
men at his back.

The new governor, in the meantime, unconscious of what vvas
going on, had been travelling with all possible speed to the
seat of government. While on the way from St. Paul, he hoard
that the half-breed.s were in arms ; but undaunted by the intel-
ligence he pushed on. At Pembina, however, he was served
by a half-breed with a notice from the " National Connnittee "
forbidding him to enter the territory; but still heedless of
warnings he proceeded with his councillors to the Hudson
Bay Company's post, about two miles beyond the frontier.
Here ho was apprised by Colonel Dennis of the true state
of affairs, and learned that lai'go parties of armed men had
been despatched by Riel to various points between Fort Garry

THE IIALFniiEEl).

355

and Pembina, to oppose liis pro^ro.^s. Not havinf^ a ^utH-
cient foice to fight hi.s way to Fort Gaiiy, Mr. McDoii^'aH
had no alternative but to call a halt. He wrote a despatch to
Ottawa setting forth the state of matters, and also despatched
a messentjer to Governor McTavish, at the Fort ; but his mes-
senger was captured by a party of armed men, and sent back
under escort, with the warning not to attempt a similar enter-
prise .again. Some time after this occurrence a party of four-
teen armed horsemen diew up before Mr. McDougall's halting-
place and demanded an interview. They notified the gover-
ncr that he must leave the tenitory before nine o'clock on the
following day ; but afie." some expostulation they rode away
" considering the matter," returning, howevei', on the follow-
ing morning, showing a desire to use violence. Air. AlclJougall
and his partj'^ retired promjjtly across the border, and took up
lodgings at the house (jf a friendly Irishman, in Pembina, where
they remained till the return to Ontario.

Since we have last seen the conspirators, amazing success has
waited on their fortunes. Only the few Canadian settlers
among them had shown hostility to the rising. The otHcers of
the Hudson Bay Company sat with folded arms when a
decisive step would have stamped the rebellion out ; for they
no more than the half-breeds relished the prospect of .a new
regime, having come, from their long possession in these wilds,
to regard themselves as the rightful lords and masters of the
territory. But the highest authority in the country was the
catholic church, one of whose priests, in the field, would have
been as powerful as Colonel Dennis and fifty cannon. Un-
fortunately the resident bisho]), th Right Reverend Alexandre
Antoine Tach^, was at the time in Rome, and the pious ])riest
in charge of the diocese, during the bishop's aV)sence, was too
conscientious to interfere in the interests of peace, and to pre-
vent bloodshed, though his catechism had told him, — and he
might have read it in the scriptures — that " ho that resisteth
the power resisteth the ordinance of God, and they that resist

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356

LIFK OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

llWi

shall purchase to tlioinsoives (himnation." The good priest and
his ignorant flock, however, wore not so iiuicli awed hy the
threat of "damnation" as dazzled by the successes of the im-
pulsive and shortsighted Riel. On tlio 24th of Novemlier
the insurgents, under Riel, took possession of Fort (Jarry, set
the authority of Governor McTavish, who was now stricken
down with mortal illness, at defiance; and fell to feasting on
the stores of the conipany. The Canad'an settlers having taken
the alarm, gathered together to the nundier of about fifty and
took refuge in the house of Dr. Shultz, but the dwelling was
besieged ; the inmates were captured, and marched off to Fort
Garry where they were put in confinement.

The proclamation appointing Mi-. McDougall to the governor-
ship of the territory, and annexing the latter to the dominion
was not to go into effect till the 1st of December, but for weeks
previous to that date the intended governor had been perform-
ing the functions of a regular ruler. In tliis he was guilty of
a grave error, and when tidings of his course reached Ottawa
the government felt the gravest alarm. But Mr. McDougall
was not a solitary blunderer upon the scene. When the first
day of December arrived he issued a proclamation command-
ing the insurgents peacably to disperse to their homes under
pain of the rigours of the law. He likewise authorized Colonel
Dennis to raise a force to put down the insurrection ; and a
tew days later that worthy soldier was found among the lodges
of the Sioux Indians tiying to array the chiefs into hostility
against the insurgents. Whatever some writers, who, when
passing judgment, were in a quiet room, in the midst of a
peaceful city, may affirm to the contrary, we are unable to see
any great lack of judgment in the governor of a territory in re-
volt against the supreme authority raising a force to establish
order. But it appears that the Canadian government, unwil-
ling to accept a province seething with tumult, did not bind
itself to the time fixed in its own proclamation, so that the
ordinances of Mr. McDougall, who was ignorant of what had

I It

TIIK IIALF-BREED.

357

l>on done, were invnlid; and he was hold responsible for the
blunders of the ministry. Meanwhile Colonel Dennis set hini-
self to woik to raise a force, but Riel and his followers only
Inuglietl at the chief of the surveyors, who, disgusted and cha-
grined, left the territory; whiK- Mr. MiDoiigall, finding he had
nia<le a false step, for which ho was only in part to blanie, that
public opinion was against him, ami tliat the government had,
without understanding his dilliculties, and dealing with deci-
sion themselves, censured his prtx.eedings, leturned disheart-
ened and disgusted to Ontario, where he published a series
of letters atlirndng, and with such proof as lent but too much
probability to his story, that the Hudson Bay Company and
the Roman (\atholic clergy of Red River had to some ex-
tent fomented the reljellion, and that his own late colleague,
Hon. JosejOi Ifowe, seci'ctar}^ of slate, who had visited the re-
gion a short time before was, not to a small extent, responsible
for the uprising. On Mr. McUougaH's way home, he met up(Mi
the plains three emissaries, Vicar-general Tliibault, Colonel l)e
Salaberry and Donald A. Smith, each bearing, from the Cana-
dian government, to the insurgents, a copy of a ])roclamation
issued by Lord Lisgar, containing, in conclusion, the following
paragraph: — "And I do lastly inform you that in case of your
immediate and peaceable obedience and dispersion, I shall order
that no legal proceedings be taken against any parties implica-
ted in these unfortunate breaches of the law." Mr. McDougall
pursued hi.s way home, and he was not much to be blamed if
he offered no ])rayer for the success of Commissioner Salaberry.
The emissaries proceeded on their way, but had no sowier
reached Fort Garry than they were pounced upon, and de-
prived of their papers without being given an opportunity to
offer a word of explanation. Riel's head ha<l failed him in the
trying moment of prosperity, and he was now fairly delirious
with success. He came to believe himself lord and master of
the territory; he confiscated property, overthrew every barrier
to his will, and lianished from the country such as had aroused

■'I

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3S8

LIFK or SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

hix fear or iro. It is ditKcult to toll what [)unisl!iiu;nt ho lia'l
in stoio for Dr. Shult/ ami tho hniid of (Jaiiadiiins now hxikod
in tlio fort ; but one night, throe woolvs after the incarceration,
the doctor made his escape, and rallyinj,' a number of settl -rs
arouml liiia doniandod the surrender of the prisonei'.s. The
sturdy ficnt of Shtilt/and his followers, and the entreaties of
several prominent lesidents induced Kiel to yield to the re-
quest, but he opeidy slatotl that lie would recapture Shultz,
wdio mij^ht dtipcnd upon a sore reckoning. The threatouoil
man silently loft the territory, and remained in Ontario till
better days. U}»on one other person, too, had the insuigont
cast a nuu'derous eye. On the night of the loth of February,
there was a rising at the Portage, and about a hundred sturdy
settlers, who were loyal to the Canadian government, placed
themselves at the disposal cf ^lajor Ijoulton, a Canadian olHcor
of militia. This force marched to Kildonan, where they wore
joined by three hundred and fifty olhois, tlie most of whom
wore English half-broods, wretchedly armed, undisciplined, and
without fuod enough for a single meal. The result of such a
rising can be readily piedicted. Major Boultcn, a brave olii-
cer, though loading for want of better such a helpless a.ssem-
blage, was, with forty others captured, thiown into ]-ri.son, and
sentenced by court martial to be shot. Through the earnest
entreaties, however, of Mr. Smith, the Bishop of Rupert's LanJ,
Archdeacon McLean, the Catliolic clergy and other influential
citizen-;, he was released ; though it went .sorely against the
will of Riel to <leliver him up. The latter was now dictatur
and "president" of the "provisional government" formed l)y
the insurgents ; and each day that he enjoyed this power ho
grew more overbearing and dangerous to those who resented
his w"'

Bu .loVn worst offence so far was rebellion, and a high-
handed use of his unlawful powers ; he was yet to enact the
foulest crime that stains tin page of Canadian history. It ap-
pears that among the besieged at Dr. Shultz's house was one

THE JlALF-'UtEKD.

ar.fl

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riioiiuis Soott, a sturdy iind .spiritfil yonn;,' follow, who h'l.i
nioveil to tlu! territory fiom Oiitiuio. He did not HtiiTender
with the main hody of (,'aimdian .setthMs, hut was arrested tlie
sam ' evoniriL,' and coMtined in iho Fort, Scott was a fiery
youth Joyal to the govornnjent, but indiscreet enough to make
speochos which brought upon his head the wrath of the dicta-
tor. There is now no doulit that for Scott Kiel had conceived
H personal hatred. Twice hud he rist-n in arms ugainst the
insurgents, and even under the lock and key of the presiileiit
uiade no etibrt to suppress his turbulent spirit. One morning
the story wa« told that the prisoners had heaped gross insult
upon their half-breed guanls, th. the example had been set
bv Scott, and that the latter's conduct was no longer toleiable.
Wlietlier the .story was true or not it served tlie bloodthirsty
purpose of Kiel, who, with nuirdcr in hi.s eye, on the evening of
the 3rd of Marfih, within the walls of the fort, improvised a
lourt martial, consisting of the " council of .seven," to try Scott.
The crimes for which he was to be tried were resistance to the
provi.sional government, and assauli upon one of his keepers.
Kiel appeared in the character of prosecutor, witness and judge,
and refused to allow Scott to be present at the trial, or to make
any defence. After a brief consultation, the seven senttinced
the victim to be shot on the following morning at ten o'clock.
When news of the unheard-of proceedings, and the barbarous
sentence got abroad, there was even in that rebellious fort
general excitement, and much sympathy was expressed for the
condemned man. Rev. Mr. Young, a Methodist minister, Peru
Lestang, Mr. Smith and othei's, besought with tearful earnest-
ness that the sentence might be conniiuted, but the president
was thirsting for Scott's blood, and, Avith his barbarous ally
Lopine, peremptorily refused to listen to any plea for mercy.
Poor Scott, as may be supposed, could scarcely realize his posi-
tion ; and did not at first believe that the bloody sentence
would be carried out. But a few minutes past noon on the
following day, the executioners, a band of lialf-in-eads, partially

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300

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

intoxicated, came into liis cell, and led him out blinil-t'uld
throii<,di the chief entrance to th(! fort to a spot a few yards
distant from the wall. "My God, my God," he could only say,
in a tremulous voice, " this is cold-blooded murder." Hiscorfin,
covered with white cotton, was carried before him, and laid
ilown at the spot planned for execution, where the firing party
of six half-breeds luider " Adjutant-general" Ambrose Lepine,
now drew up. Scott then, his arms pinioned, knelt on the
gi'ound, said farewell, and fell back pierced by three bullets.
The victim it was observed was not dead, and one of the tiring
party stepping over to where he lay bleeding upon the snow,
drew a revolver which he dischaiged into his head. The body
was then thrust into the coffin, and there are those that wit-
nessed the bloody deed who assert that the cry of the dying
man could be heai'd after the lid had been fastened down.
What was afterwards the fate of tlie corpse, no one save those
engaged in its disposal knows. It was leported that the body
had been burned in the fort, but the box, which was alleged
to have contained the remains was found to contain naught
but stones. The general opinion is that the corpse was thrust
below the ice in Red River.

At the first tidings of the outbreak it occurred to Sir John
Macdonald that Bishop Tach(i's presence would do more to
quell the disturbances than any other means at the disposal
of the government. His lordship, however, as we have seen,
was at the time in Rome, attending a session of the famous
(Jicumenical council, but the ministeis considered the case ur-
gent enough to invite the bishoj) to return and use his endea-
vours towards restoring peace. The prelate, at no little sacri-
fice, tore himself away from Rome and proceeded to Canada.
On arriving at Ottawa, he received special instructions for the
guidance of his mission. But unfortunately for the ends of
justice, the bi.sho]) set out with the mistake of regarding him-
self a plenipotentiary with formal powers, whereas his mission
was exactly in the charactei' of that of Colonel de Salabery,

»fei-..

THE HALF-nnEED.

361

/)onald A. Smitli, and the vicav-general. Dr. Ta( liti was
clio.senbecau.se it was but too apparent that some of the priests
in liis diocese sympathized largely with tlie rebels, and that the
iiisuigents, abnost to a man, were members of his flock. So,
as in the dispatching of the three emis.saries named, his lord-
.sliip was given a copy of the proclamation, and also some pri-
vate letters for his guidance. For example, among other
things, Sir John Macdonald wrote : " Sliould the question
arise as to the consumption of the stores or goods belonging to
the Hudson Bay com|)any by the insurgents, you are authoi*-
ized to inform the leaders that if the company's government is
I'cstored, not only will ther ' be a general anuiesty granted, but
in case the company .should claim payment for such stores, that
the Canadian government will stand between the insingenta
and all liarm." His lordshi[) had also private conversations
with Sir John and Hon. Joseph Howe, and a letter from the
governor-general. But no member of the government looked
upon the bi.shop's position as other tlian that of a peacemakei*,
bearing assurances from the government on specitic points.
Had he been a plenipotentiary he would have been given a
formal commission with autJKjrity to deal, in tlie name of the
government, with all i)ast and possible offences. As a mere
informal emis.sary and jieacemaker, the bounds of his author-
ity extended no further than the specifications in the letters of
the ministers ; and it might even bt, aigued that the juivate
ietter of Sir John Macdonald, oi of Mr. Ifowt', or even of Sir
John Young, was not a valid authority, and was not so in-
tended, and that ministers only wislied to have the insurgents
made aware of the disposition of the government. That the
government did blunder in a.ssuming that the mere uprising of
the French Metis and the consumption of the Hudson Bay
company's stores were the limit of Kiel's offences, no one can
deny ; but this was not a justification, though it was the occa-
sion, of the bishop's view of the question. It is not necessary

3G2

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

to say that wlien his lordship set out from Ottawa, the minis-
try was ignorant of the murder of Scott.

On the 9th of March, five days after the death of Scott, the
bishop bearing his credentials arrived at Red River. He pre-
sented his papers, remonstrated with the rebels, and in the
name of the government of Canada made certain promises if
they would lay down their arms. Among these, was that of a
general amneyty to all implicated in the insurrection ; as like-
wise to those concerned in the shooting of Scott. It is almost
incredulous that the worthy bishop should have so far mis-
taken his powers as to include in the amnesty, upon his own
responsibility, the perpetrators of this foul murder ; yet such
was lus view, an opinion which he maintained stoutly to the
end. He wrote, stating what he had done, to the secretary of
state, Mr. Howe, but that gentleman promptly informed him
that the government was not in a position to interfere with the
free action of her majesty in the exercise of the royal clemency,
though he requested his lordship to perse v'ero in his endeavours
to bring the population to peace and order, acknowledging, as
was proper and due to the prelate, the value of his services so
far to the cause of peace. For years afterwards the question of
amnesty was a subject of discussion, the government afHrming
that they had never committed themselves to a pledge of pai-
don beyond what appeared in their published letters. The
news of the murder of Scott filled the great bulk of the Cana-
dian public with horror and indignation, and in a few days it
was learnt with much satisfaction that General Sir Garnet
Wolselcy, who ha.; since distinguished himself in Ashantee,
Egypt and elsewhere, was to be sent to Red River with an
ample military force. The news reached Fort Garry, and the
murderer Riel and his colleague Lepine lost their bravado and
shivered for fear. With the same secrecy of movement that
the commander of the troops observed in his sortie upon the
forces of Arabi Pasha, he was within rifle shot of Fort Garry
ere anyone in the murderer's lair knew of the approach. Rid

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TUE HALF-BREED.

36S

and Lcpine took instant fliglit out of harm's way, and with
lusty British cheers, and amid the thurder of a royal salute,
the Union- Jack was hois ' above the fort.

Hon. Adams George Arcliibald had been, in the meantime,
appointed to the governorship of the Tenitory, and on the 2nd
of November assumed his official functions. In tlie foUowinc:
May — 1871 — he heard with alarm that a body of Fenians un-
der the leadership of one O'Donoghue, who had been an ally of
Kiel, threatf^ned an irrupt'on. The govei-nor was alone, sur-
rounded by difficulties and unprovided with a defensive force ;
and being cut otf by distance from communication with the
central authoj ities, was thrown upon his own resources. It was
an hour of grave peril, and to save the new province from the
conse(piences of a conquest by such a fililjuster as O'Donoghue
and the band of ruffians in his following, Mr. Archibald leagued
himself with the two murderers Riel and Lepine, who were
still at large, though warrants v.'ere out for tlieir apprehension,
to resist the invaders. Promptly these two peisons rallieil, once
again, the subsided Metis, whom they placed at the disi»o.sal of
Mr. Archibald. The governor, it appears, liad little nusgivings
in entering into this foul a^id revolting compact. He reviewed
the murderers' troops, accepted their servic3s, promised Lepine
and Riel at least temporary inununity from molestation for their
crime, shook hands with them, received a letter signed by them,
and through his secretary addressed a written rep'y after the
retreat of the brigand O'Donoghue, complimenting them en the
loyalty they had shown and the assistance they had rendered.
Indeed, the governor was of the impression that Riel and his
followers offered their services in a spirit of genuine loyalty,
" though," says Lord Duflerin, in a des])atch to the secretary
of state, " Sir John Macdonald a|)peai's to have had misgivings
on this head." The sti'ongest point by the lieutenant-gover-
nor, in justification of this sickening alliance, is made when he
says: "If I had driven the French half-breeds into the hands
of the enemy O'Donoghue, they would have been joined by ail

is • it

LIFE OF SIR JOUN A. MACDOKALI).

the population between the Assiniboineand the frontier; Fort
Garry would have passed into the hands of an armed mob,
and the English settlers to the north of the Assiniboine would
have ^jffered horrors that it makes me shudder to contemplate.
At this period an all-pervading sense of etiquette had taken
possession of archbishoj) * Tache, who maintained with a zeal
worthy of a noble cause, that, by virtue of his commission
from the Canadian government, and his declaration of an am-
nesty, Riel and Lepine had been placed oej'ond the molestation
of the law. It is not necessary to detail incidents of this un-
seemly squabble between the bishop and the ministers. The
question was submitted to the imperial government, and after
much correspondence between Lord Dufferin and the colonial
secretary, the latter left the subject in the hands of the gover-
nor-general. Lepine had been captured, and lav' in the Winni-
peg gaol under sentence of death, but this Lord Dufferin com-
muted to two years' imprisonment and a permanent forfeiture
of civil rights. This was surely a triumph for murder and the
archbishop. Riel, whose punishment would have been the
same as Lepine's, for the time escaped the law — because the
law shut its eyes — but, as we shall see, he afterwards paid the
penalty of this and a later crime on the fell scaffold.

* Ills lordship about this time was created au archbishop.

-c^j:>

CHAPTER XX.

THROUGH STORMS TO THE REEF.

IT is necessary now to take a few paces backward. On the
2nd of May, and while tlie territory was at the feet of the
insuigents, Sir John Macdonald introduced an net to establisli
and provide for the government of the province of Manitoba,
as this tumultuous region >vas to be henceforth called. Local
atfaii's were placed under the control of a lieutenant-gover-
nor, who was aided by an executive council, the legislative
machinery to comprise a house of assembly, and an upper
chamber. Even in this wilderness province, so remote from
the inthiences of the aristocracy, it was considered necessary to
season the constitution with a pinch of feudalism, by creating
a house of prairie-lords. The province having no public debt
of which the Dominion should have borne a part, interest at
five per cent per annum on $472,090 was guaranteed ; a yearly
fcubsidy of SCO.OOO, and the usual gencial allowance of 80 cents
per head, the population being estimated at 17,000. Ungrantcd
territory was vested in the crown for purposes of the federal
government ; and to effect an extinction of the Indian title,
1,400,000 acrt\s of land were set apart for the benelic of resident
half-breed families. It was provided that the new province
should become a partner in the federation on such date as the
Queen in cormcil should fix for the admission of Rupert's Land
and the North-west territory into the union. Another impor-
tant measure of this session was the banking act of Sir Francis
Hincks, which found instant and settled favour with banking
institutions and the commercial public. Not so successful was

365

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306

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

the honourable knight's tariff act, which bore on its face the
semblance of protection, but in reality was a declaratlDii of
commercial war against the United States, with which recipro-
city was desirable but impossible. From the first the ministry
seemed to have lit'le heart in launching this measure. Sir
John called it "foicing public opinion," which was not at tliat
stage ready for a system of protection, much less a measure
that promised '.,he burthens, witlu 't the benefits, of such a
jiolicy. Nevertheless, something was needed and Sir Francis
came forward with his measure with the timid-coura"e of a
boy, pole in hand, venturing out on the first ice of the season.
Unfortunately for the ministry, long pressure of public bu.si-
ness had told severely on the health of Sir John. He was
frecpiently UL^able to attend parliament or cabinet meetings ;
and as the session drew to a close he became completely |)ius-
trated. Sir Francis and his colleagues battled bravely against
the opposition and the defection in their own ranks, but the
nerve had gone for the time from the hand tliat could alone
make the rough smooth, and bring harmony out of disorder ;
and the measure passed after a severe battering, with a feelde
majority. Among the able oppositioiiists might be counted
Messrs. JMcDougall and Gait, for though they were lalielled
" Independent," on ti'ying occasions they were found voting
with the government. Mr. McDougall regarded himself, as he
certainly was, a victim of the government's unenviable North-
west policy, and was not in opjiosition in the public interest,
but for the sake of revenge ; wliile Mr. A. T. Gait also tinned
a personal grievance into a ground of public ])olicy.

The Fenians had their hearts set on capturing a piece of
British territory, and when the rebellion broke out in the Nortli-
west, O'Neil, whose acquaintance we have already made, nim-
bly reassembled his ragged brigade, and on the 25th of May,
made a dash across the Missisquoi frontier ; but was driven
back, helter-.skelter, by a handful of Canadian volunteers. Two
days later, another band, made heroic with whiskey, swaggtned

THROUGH UTOPiMS TO THE REEF.

307

across the border in Huntington county, Itut on being confront-
ed by a few of our militiamen took wild tliglit again into shel-
tering territory. Even here they were not beyond harm, as
their leaders were arrested by United States officials, and their
aims, whiskey and other possessions confiscated. In the early
autumn the announcement that the imperial government was
about to withdraw the troops, called forth an eainust, if a not
very manly, i)rotest from several (juarters. In reply, we were
informed from the colonial office, that Great Britain felt that
she now ought to be relieved of the burthen of our defence ;
that wo had entered upon an era of peace, and that while the
mother considered herself bound to defend us from foreii:n a<!f-
gression, that she expected us, henceforth, to provide protec-
tion in our domestic atlairs. We somewhat pitiably retorted
that we had always furnished force to do our police duty, and
did not need assistance now for that purpose ; but the colonial
otfice was inexorable, and said that what had been ordered
could not be revoked. The forces were consetpiently called
home from all the stations save Halifax, whose society, tavern-
keepers and immorality are at least the gainers, if no boon
is conferred upon the country. The only anomaly in the
proceeding was the withdrawal of the troops from Newfound-
land, which was then, and is to-day, not in the union. The
imperial view was surely not less than rational and politic ;
though some of those who had talked after the union with so
much sound about our magnitude and our future, were aunmof
the first to cry out, '' O don't take away the soldiers." To boast
of nationality in one breath, and to cry for protection in ano-
ther, is at once impertinent and unmanly ; and resembles no-
thing so much as a hale young man of twenty-one under the
^guardianship of a dry nurse. Our duty is to rely upon our-
selves in the day of trouble, and we have sjtirit, and brain, and
patriotism enough in this country, were the attenuated leading
string of British connexion cut to-mori'ow, to resist all-comers
as effectually as we could under our present system — v' 'ch

368

LIFE OF Slli JOHN A. MACDONALD.

■«}■

daini'cns national ardour, and undoiininos self-contidence—
aided by imperial soldiers. The duty to home and kin is
a strong incentive, if the duty can always be made to assume
that personal form, but patriotism can bo only predicated of
those who possess a country, not of those who inhabit an in-
stalment of territory belonging to somebody else, and who hav-
ing fought the bat.lo and overwhelmed the foe, are reniiudud
that they arc serfs by profuse thanks for the loyalty and cour-
age they showed not to themselves, not to the country whose
fields they till, and whose seas they sad, but to a foreign ruler
whom they have never seen, and who lives beyond a dissever-
ing ocean. This opinion is not for those enlightened, loyal
Canadians, who think that the sovereign can cure their babies
of king's evil; but for the nianly, intelligent young fellow with
the light of the ago in his eyes, who loves his country, and
takes wisdom for his guide ; who believes that all men came
into this world equal, as they must leave it equal, that gold,
and place, and spurs belong alone to those who in honest strife
can win them, that the custom which fixes perpetual authority
in any family among the race of men, and declares that all
others shall be subject and infericr, is one of the few relics of
a barbarous age, a butt for the future historian, and an institu-
tion that he will take to represent the darkness of the century.
During the summer an important acquisition to the Do-
minion cabinet appears in the appointment of Hon. Charles
Tupper, wlxose robust ability and unfaltering parpose, had all
along favourably impressed Sir John, to the presidency of the
council, in the room of the Hon. Edward Kenny, who had been
appointed to the governorship of Nova Scotia. We have met
Dr. Tupper already measuring his strength with Joseph Howe,
and seen him rotui'n from England twice with the laurels; but
this was no test of his prowess, since Howe was Tjitted not alone
against his brother Nova Scotian, but against the imperial cabi-
net, which was zealous for union. Where the field was fair and
there was no favour, it fared better with the giant, and we

TIIROUGII STORMS TO THE REEF.

369

found Dr. Tupper, like Randolph Murray, returning to Ottawa,
out of the fight, alone. But of Sir Charles' abilities, we might
say of his genius, there can be no question. He began life, we
believe, as a medical practitioner ; and while enjoying an ex-
cellent prospect of eminent success in that profession, entered
politics, in which sphere, by the sheer force of his abilities and
the possession of a power that lite. ally battered down every
obstacle, had succeeded in forcing his way, as we have seen, to
one of the most prominent places in his country. But the Dr.
Tupper of that day, was not the Sir Charles of our present ac-
quaintance. Never could anybody deny that great eneigy of
character, and almost superhuman force; but for many years
after his entry into public life. Dr. Tupper was almost insuf-
ferably verbose, and often bombastical. Language literally
poured from the man ; but his s})eeche3 were not remark-
able for the closer and more incisive reasoning which runs
through his public utterances now. Time has chastened and
disciplined that ardent spirit, reduced the blaze to a sober
glow, while not robbing the fire of its heat; yet without being
disposed to unkind criticism, his speeches still — speeches that
may always be called verbal tornadoes — on occasion may be
described as savage, though in no instance we can remember
of has the provocation not been ample. Of the question of
dignity, and what is due to his position as a leading minister
of the crown. Sir Charles Tupper is the best judge ; though he
umst bear the writer to challenge the propriety of a member of
the Canadian government descending to a personal attack, how-
ever well merited, on one who had degraded the press by making
a newspaper the vehicle of vulgar .spleen. Mr. Nicholas Flood
Davin in his paper " Great S|)eeches " in the Canadian Month-
ly, from which we have already extracted, has this telling de-
scription of Sir Charles as an orator. " Sir Charles Tupper's
most distinfjuishincr characteristic .... is force. Though he
has not the scholarship nor finish of Mr. Gladstone, it is with
Mr. Gladstone — were I searching for a comparison — I should
X

r ^[

. M tl

IfW

370

LiFK OF .S7/.: J any a. maujonald.

■; ■ ■!

>i„

compare him. Yet they arc ilissitnilar in so many ways that
the choice I loos not seoni liappy. Thoy are alike however in
tlii.s: 'Atraonlinary capacity for work, power of ^'oin;,' from
place to [)laco, and making; great .spLM'cho.s Avith little or no time
for rest or study. Different in kind, his command of expres-
Bion is as ready and effective as Mr. Gladstone's. He has the
faculty of growth ; the sure mark of a superior mind when
found in a man over forty." The same writer goes on to say,
and had he omitted saying it, we .should not have thought so
much of his paper: "I am sure that both he and Mr, Blake
speak too long. If they could take off" about thirty per cent.
in time without impairing the texture of thought; if they coiiM
pack closer ; how much nioic effective both would be. Sir
Charles Tupper is not content while a single wall of the ene-
my's defences remains standing." Some of Sir Charles Tapper's
most important work is too fresh in the mind of the i-eaderto
detail it here. For many years he has been an important fig-
ure in Canadian politics. Still in the prime of his manhooJ,
though with health somewhat shattered, by a too-long over-
wrought brain, he now retired from office to fill a place of im-
portance in the mother-country as high commissioner. May
wo not cherish the hope that many days may yet remain to
him, after his mission in the new sphere is ended, and his health
restored, in the performance of public duty in Canada.

The Ileciprocity Treaty having expired, as we have seen, and
the overtures of the Canadian government for renewal having
proven fruitless, a state of affairs had arisen which provoked a
strong feeling of hostility among our people towards the United
States. With the expiry of the treaty, of course, all rights
and privileges to both parties lapsed, yet American fishermen
continued to fish in our coast-waters within prohibited limits.
The Canadian government remonstrat >d with the Washington
authorities, and the president of the United States issued «

ISSUOU •»

'I'liiioiun uTOiiMs TO THE iii:i:t\

(troclaiuation tbrbiiUlinj^ AnuM-ieau citizens to furtlier infrin<,'e
upon thu law. American schooners still aj)poaie(i witliin tho
thrce-niilo limit aroini'l our coast, puttiii;,' out nots and spilliard
trains ; and even became so brazen in tlicir disre;(ard for author--
ity, as to engage in taking lish during Sunday ; — for wliicli, in
one instance, they paid the penalty by the inhabitants of a cove
in Fortune Bay, Newfoundlf.nd, taking tho law in their own
iiands, destroying the fishing gear of the intruders, and driving-
the violators of the sabbath and the civil laws from the sliorcr
The imperial and Canadian governments sent armed vessel*
along the coasts to prevent this inttvnational poaching, and
several crafts caught in their unlawful work were seized and con-
fiscated. Whereupcm our American friends grow wrathful, and
tlieir high-pent feeling vented i'se^f in an unstatesmanlike and
intemperate message from President Grant during the autumn.
A number of irritating questions had now accumulated be-
tween the United States and Great Britain, and early in tho
year, 1871, it became known that these would be submitted for
settlement to a joint comn-.ission appointed by both govern-
ments. The chief subjects for the adjudication of the commis-
sion were the fisheries (juostion, to which we have alluded; the
Alabama cX'Aima, the navigation of the St. Lawrence, and of the
Canadian canals, and the boundary line between the United
States and British Columbia. Owing to some of tho hazy defi-
nitions in the Oregon treaty, the ownership of the island of
San Juan, in the strait of Juan de Fuca, which for the past
twelve years had been occupied jointly by British and United
States officials, had been open to dispute ; and a settlement of
this question was also referred to the commission. On the
10th of February, the United States government appointed as
its representatives, the Hon. Robert C. Schenck, United States
minister to the court of St. James ; the Hon. Hamilton Fish,
secretary of state ; the Hon. Samuel Nelson, of the supreme
coui't ; the Hon. George H. Williams, of Oregon, and the Hon,
Ebcnezer R. Hoar, of Massachusetts. On the sixteenth of the

. : 1

' F V 7 ITS z j

' - L

HIT

372

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDOKALD.

I',

flame montli, tlio imperial government appointed as its five
^eprcsentatives the Karl Do Gray an<l Itipon, Sir E<1wh;(1
Thornton, Sir Stafford Northcoto, Sir John Macdonald and
"Montague liernard, professor of intt-rnational law in the univer-
sity of Oxford. The appointment of a colonist on a coinniission
to conserve imperial interests was an unusual course, but tiie
eminent ahilitiea of Sir John, and the vast Canadiaii interests
at stake, induced the selection. It is an error, however, to
.suppo.se that, in any sense. Sir John was a Dominion represen-
tative ; he was merely the interpreter of Canadian interests.
On this commi.ssion, as events afterwards .showed, our premeir
found him-self between the devil and the deep sea, between
his duty as an imperial representative on the one hand, whoso
mission was to support any plan that would forward the
interests of the empire as a whole, even though such measure
should bear harshly upon his own province, and his duty to the
interests of the Dominion on the other. The first meetinjr of
the commission was held at Washington, on the 27th of Feb-
ruary ; and the sittings were continued at irregular intervals
till the 8th of May. On this date the Washington treaty wa.s
signed, and the commissioners set out for their homes. In
brief the treaty — which was ratified by the United States on
the 24th of May, and by the impeiial parliament on the 17th of
June — provided for the settlement of i\\Q Alahama claims by an
arbitration board to meet in Switzerland, and to which refer-
ence has already been made ; the San Juan boundary dispute
was referred for adjudication to the emperor of Germany, who
gave the disputed island to the United States ; while, with res-
pect to the fisheries, our waters were thrown open to the Ame-
rican fishermen for a period of ten years, the compensation to
the Canadian government, in lieu of this privilege, to be decided
by a special commission.* It was provided that fish and oil
should be admitted into the United States and Canada, from each

* The commission met in Halif.i': in 1877, and awarded to Canada $5,500,000,
which w.aa paid, but with not a little groaning.

TIIIIOVH STOliMS TO THE REEF.

373

country, duty frco (luriu{» a like peiioil ; free navi^^ation of the
St. Lawrence and the Canadian canals was guaranteed to Anier-
can uitizons, a similar privile<,'e being accorded to Jiritish suh-
jects on Lake Michigan, As an oflset to the claim lor damagCH
l)y the Confederate cruisers sailing from British ports, Sir Jolin
contended that the Dominion was, in a like nieasure, entitled to
ii'compensc for the ravages of Fenian marauders from American
territory. Against an attitude which so much a.s refused to
discuss this question, and with the tepid support of his hrothor
commisHioners, to whom imperial questions threw all others in
tlie shade, Sir John was powerless ; and, as in some other points,
lie was obliged to yield. Some of his opponents afterwards
maintained tliat in the face of this opposition it was his duty to
liavo resigned, but that would have been for the premier to con-
fess that he regarded himself as a colonial, and not an imperial
representative ; that he had consented to enter the commission
under false pretences ; for, as we have already stated, it was by
the accident of his qualifications and the esteem in whii!h ho
was held — and in any case only as an interpreter of Canadian
interests — that he was appoitited among the representatives ;
and had he resigned the imperial will would nevertheless have
liecn carried out, and perhaps without the dam[)cning presence
of another colonist. But that Sir John did do all that was
cotisistent with honour and duty as a representative of impe-
rial interest, became abundantly clear, and is, if by no other
evidence, amply proven in the fact, that, up to a late period — if
indeed down to this time — he had not been forgiven by imperial
statesmen, for what, between themselves, they had been pleased
to call his "colonialism " on the commission; not a colonialism
implying anything beyond what they regarded as too much
zeal in Canadian interests, which clashed with those of the em-
pire. It is not going too far to assume that, when we hear the
])rcmier's Canadian opponents denounce him for having done
too little for Canada, and hear imperial earls and knights who
weie with him whisper behind the door that he did too much,

' i

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374

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

wtm

«■ -m-i

ho (lid his onerous and difficult duty, honourably, cnnscieiiti-
ousl}', and well. For a year the treaty was niisrepresenteil
throughout the country, and tlio premier and the ministry were
loaded with ahuse. The assailants were sorely mortified tliut
they could elicit no official response, a silence maintained at the
rctjuest of Sir John, who said that it would be time enoiigh to
explain when the politic period arrived and in the proper place.
We shall skip a year to see the issue. In May, 1872, the storm
br(»ke, and Sir John was ready. His defence is given us in one
of the ablest — perhaps the most effective — speeches of his life.
We need not here attempt an outline of this address, which we
give in full elsewhere,* or of the telling speeches by Sir Francis
llincks, Hon. Wm. McDougall, Hon. Charles Tupper, Hon. S.
L. Tilley, Sir George Cartier, Hon. J. H. Cameron and others.
All the speakers, understanding the painfull}' difHcult position
Sir John had held, and appreciating the highmindedness and
ability with which he conducted himself, came forward in de-
fence of their chief. Mr. John Hillyard Cameron said that " be-
fore entering into discussion on the various points of the treaty,
he might be allowed to say a few words about one upon whom
the eyes of all Canada were fixed, in whom the country had the
deepest interest, and in whom, he ventured to say, the great
mass of the people had the most implicit reliance. He refer-
red to the gentleman who was entrusted, not only as a nego-
tiator but as a representative of the empire, and of Canada, as
a part of it ; he whom so many had been accustomed to ad-
mire, and whom he (Mr. Cameron) had been permitted to follow,
as his leader, for so many years. Probably there was no mem-
ber of the house better entitled to speak of that gentleman than
he. Thoy had been friends for more than half the term of life
allotted to man; they had been at school together, and had
been in the government of Canada in the freshness of their
youth, more than a quarter of a century ago; and from that

13— n^..— T.. -■;.-■«■ .

i.^— ^W^VT--. -^ . ■ ._ ,

THIWVGU STOliMS TO THE REEF.

375

year to this, although their positions liad been very different,
he had been always his political follower, and had endeavoured
to be his faithful fiiend ; and he believed there were very few
among those who liad been his friends, and followers during
that long period of years who were not his staunch supporters
now. There could hardly be a higher compliment paid to an}'
man than that he siiould have continued to hold tiie position
he had held during the many years past ; and he felt compelled
to say this, because heartless attacks had been made upon his
character and honour. Tliey all knew, every one of them, and
he (Mr. Cameron) recollected well, the time when he tiist came
so prominently before the public. They might have looked
through their own party, in and out of politics, and could not
liave found a single man his superior, and in the opi)osition
party tliey could not find a man either his superior or his ecpial.
During all those years he had carried out those measures which
he considered were for the country's good. In many he (Mr.
Cameron) did not concui", but in many had agreed ; and of all
men conijietent to deal with the affairs of the people, he had
always considered that there was no one so competent as he,
vSir John Macdonald. He (Mr. Can?cron) had seen his skill and
ability at all times and under all circumstances, and there was
no one among them who had not had an 0})portunity over and
over again of forming a judgment upon them. He would ask
them to recollect how, when circumstances had withdrawn him,
when debates and discussions were going on, they hail felt that
the chords were jangled and the instrument out of tune, and
when he returned again how his master hand evoked a harmony
that no other hand was able to produce. They had all known
it. They had .seen him in his position there using his talents
and groat ability for the benefit of the country. Had he turned
those talents and that ability to his ])rofession, he would have
won both wealth and fame. Whilst other politicians were mak-
ing their fortunes, no one ever felt otherwise than that that man
was poor, because ^^e never alhnved his political or parliamen-

I ;

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376

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACVONALD.

m .;!'

'il;

tary influence to be used in order that he might in the slightest
degree make pecuniary capital of his position. Did not tliey all
feel that one reason why his honourable friends opposite had
raged so furiously against him, had been because of what his
Hon. friend from Lambton had said the other night that his
(Sir John's) path was marked by the graves of dead politicians.
He (the member for Lambton) had boasted of the purity of
reform piinciples, and of the strength and power of reformeis ;
and yet he had seen their foremost men, one by one — even the
great Anak himself — become the willing cajitives of his bow
and spear, and march to their political death under the eye of
their conqueror ; while they contended that what their oppo-
nents termed " political death " was really political regenera-
tion. That was their |)osition ; and their support of his hon.
friend had been not merely in reference to his great political
ability, but it had been in regard to what he had been to all
of them. He had always been generous and easy of access,
ever mingling courtesy with kindness. No man ever had more
devoted friends and followers. He had grappled them to his
heart with hoops of steel, and had kept them there. Over and
over again he had carried them forward with him to victory,
and he believed that now, as ever, his latest and crowning vic-
tory would be the response which the parliament of Canada
would make to the appeal that they should ratify the treaty.
His party were indignant that the charge of treason and the
name of " Judas " should be used against him. Notwithstand-
ing the taunts and the violence of the opposition — notwith-
standing the accusations they made — they would find that, in
the opinions not only of a large majority of the members of the
house but of an equally large majority of the people of the
country, there was no man under whose banner they would
more gladly advance, either to victory or defeat, than that of
the hon. member who led them." At the conclusion the house
showed its loyalty to Sir John, and its confidence in his ability
and integrity by ratifying so much of the treaty as referred to

\ u

TIIROUGU iSTORMS TO THE REEF.

377

Canada
treaty,
iiul the
stand-
otwith-
jliat, in
; of the
of the
would
that of
e house

Canada by a vote of 121 to 55. From Ontario tliere was a
majority of 10; from Quebec, 29 ; from Nova Scotia, 11 ; from
New Brunswick, 7 ; from Manitoba, 3, and from British Col-
umbia, 6. V

It is necessary now to retrace our steps a short way, to take
up the thread of our general narrative. Parliament opened on
the 15th of Febrvai'y, 1871. Sir Francis was in hii,di spirits :
commerce felt a fuller ufe in her veins, the outlook was still
more cheering, and the ministers had S200,()()0 to spare after
meeting all current expenditure. Several measures of import-
ance were introduced during the session, chief among these
being acts providing for the assimilation of the currency, the
readjustment of the tariff, for the management of savings
banks, and the establishment of a new banking system. It
was during this sessioix that the act was introduced provid-
ing for the admission of our distant relative, British Columbia,
into the united family. The Pacific province was not enthu-
siastic for the compact, but like the maiden who marries for
money instead of for love, made her union conditional upon the
construction of a railroad ; and as marriages contracted with
such motives do not always " turn out well," it is not surpris-
ing that before the Pacific spouse had ceased to be a ride, she
was in the courts for divorce. The Canadian parliament rose on
the 14th of April; and on the 16th of May, an imperial order-in-
council wsvs passed authorising the admission of British Colum-
bia into the Canadian federation. Tlie provisions of the British
North America Act were extended to the new province; an an-
nual subsidy of §35,000 was set apart, and 80 cents granted to
each head of the population, which then was estimated at 00,000.
The most important stipulation in the terms of union with the
new province was the obligation on the part of the Dominion
to secure the commencement simultaneously, "within two years
after the date of the union, of the construction of a railway
from the Pacific towards the Kocky Mountains, and from such
point as should be selected east of the Rocky Mountains towards

h J

373

LIFE OF SIR JO UN A. MACDONALD.

'■• i

the Pacific, to connect the seaboard of British Cohinibia witli
the railway system of Canada ; and further to secure tlie com-
pletion of such railway within ten years from the date of the
union." This line, Ave need scarce say, is not built yet, though
it has had a prodigious catastrophe, resulting in the wreck of a
great party, as shall be told further on. The Hon. William
Josepli Trutch was appointed lieutenant-governor of the newly
acquired province. The jjrosperity of Ontario was now devel-
oping in bounds, and Hon John Sandfield Macdonald, with the
strange daring that had more than once led him upon the rocks,
a[)propriated a large sum of the public funds for railway pur-
poses without the consent of the legislature. A storm arose,
and the premier could not withstand it. His enemies thundered
their censure, and his friends dropped off. He resigned in
December, and the governor asked Mr. Edward Blake to take
his place. One of the iirst acts of the new provincial govern-
ment was the offering of $5,000 reward for the apprehension of
the murderers Riel and Lepine, one of whom at least has since
met his deserts. Sii Georgo Cartier ha<l made common cause
with Monseigneui Tachd in shielding Riel, who was for the
time, but not till he had sought oarliamentary honours, induced
to leave the country.

The last session of the first Dominion parliament opened on
the 11th of April, 1<872. The most important question was the
clause of the Washington treaty to which we have reverted,
Mr. Blake excelling himself in clever argument, sarcasm, and
special pleading in his attack upon the measure. A question
of much interest was the New Brunswick " School Bill," which
had passed the legislature of that jjrovince, in May, of the pre-
vious year. The New Brunswick Act, in brief, provided for the
establishment of free non-sectarian schools, which were to be
taken out of the hand of the Jacks-of-all-trades, administered
under government supervision, and supported by municipal tax-
ati(m and a grant from the provincial legislature. A wise
measure, however, was marred liy blemishes affixed by a bigo-

TIIROVGn STOIiMS TO THE REEF.

370

try that made a triumph of reason an engine of injustice, gross
and contemptible. The question, Ihrougli tlie local constituen-
cies, became not one between the old and barbarous plan of edu-
cation, and the new system, but between protesfcant and catho-
lic. The catholic priesthood became alai'med, and saw the hand
of Satan guiding the new movement. The free-school people
affected to see something neaily as bad on the other side, the
Pope resisting the spread of education and thought. The priest
was over fearful, the free-school champion was over zealous.
The most with which the former is to be charged is extrava-
gant dread, and a profusion of evil prophecy that he came for-
ward himself, in time, to falsify ; but against the latter there is
a much less creditable count. They studded the new law with
provisions, called by some one " millinery regulations," deliber-
ately intended to insult and harass the Roman catholics, while
one politician,* who is now, thanks to the unfortunate system
of party which rules everything in this country from the bench
to the buck-.saw, a judge in New Brunswick, carried his un-
manly bigotry .so far as to declare on the hustings, that he
had no feeling in common with Roman catholics, and did not
want their votes. Such a spirit was odious enough in the cam-
paign, but it was carried into the bill, and provided that no
teacher should wear crosses, badges or garbs pertaining to any
exclusive order; the object being to exclude religious of the
Roman church from the work of teaching. It was while the
i,iw remained in this intolerable state, that the two proi>iinent
Roman catholics from New Brunswick in the Canailian legis-
lature sought to have the obnoxious measure set aside. In May,
therefore, Mr. Costigan moved a .set of resolutions praying for
the disallowance of the act, in which he was strongly seconded
by Mr. Timothy Anglin. The following session he movedi
" that the government should advise his excellency to disallow
the acts passed by the New Brunswick legislature," which was

• Hon. (now Jud^e) John J. Fraaer*

I.
%

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-y

380

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

i.U.

carried ; thougli the question remained open for several years
afterwards. Tlie next year again he moved for " an address to
her Majesty praying her to cause an act to be passed amending
the British North America Act, 18(i7, hy providing that every
religious denomination in New Brunswick shall continue to
possess and enjoy all such rights with legard to their schools
as they possessed and enjoyed at the time of the passage of the
said Act." This resolution was withdiawn, though Mr. Costi-
gan was unceasing in his exe "tions from session to session, till
his desires were viitually accomplished by the amendments to
the New Brunswick act which expunged the obnoxious regula-
tions. In the early stages of the agitation, as we have seen,
Sir John was in office, and during this time Mr. Costigan hod
the heartiest support from Mr. Anglin ; but he stood alone in the
struggle when the reformers came to power, when Mr. Anglin
wjis elevated to the Chair, and agitation on the measure men-
aced his salary and penpiisitcs. The New Brunswick legisla-
ture very properly resisted the a- temptj at Ottawa to set aside
legislation which it felt it was compe'ent to enact; and Hon.
(now Judge) William Wedderburn, one of the most powerful
and brilliant speakers in Canada, moved a series of resolutions
in defence of the law, asserting iho exclusive authoiity of the
provincial legislature over the question, and resolving that its
jurisdiction or powers should not be inq)aired or abridged with-
out an appeal to the electors at the polls ; and that without the
consent of the local body the imperial parliament or the par-
liament of Canada ought not to interfere. Meanwhile the
priests had refused to permit Catholic children to be taught in
the "godless" institutions, and the parents were burthened
with the double expense of paying the municipal tax to main-
tain the public schools, from which they derived no benefit, and
of supporting the separate schools to which no contribution was
made from the provincial funds. The bishops and their clergy
found themselves obliged by conscience to refuse paying the
public school-tax ; but the officer seized a horse and carriage, ur

main-
|efit, and
pion was
|r clergy
ring the
t'lage, vT

THROUGH STORMS TO THE REEF.

881

any \jhattel that he could hiy hands upon, and went his way.
It is related that the cow of a certain priest was seized five
times for the tax, some pious parishioner as often " bidding in "
the animal, and thus satisfying the law and the clerical con-
science. But this state of affairs could not continue. The
catholics began to groan at the double burthen put upon their
shoulders. Then tlie p"iests had now and again paid a visit to
the govcriiment school?, and found no pictures of Satan hang-
ing upon the wall, nor heard any boy say that the name of our
first parent was ProtopJas'.n. The legislature, too, hud .shown
a disposition to fair play by purging the school statute of in-
sult and intolerance. Still the clergy remained aloof; but on
their behalf leading citizens opened negotiations with the free-
school authorities. Through the inlluence of Mr. (now Sena-
tor) Boyd and other proininent citizens in St. John, Bishop
Sweeney capitulated, and m Fredericton, the capital, aniaiga-
mation was accomplished through the tireless exertions of Mr.
Patrick McPeake, the leading Roman catholic in the city. Now
while we have denounced the stain that bigotry put upon the
school law as at first established, and admired the manly, able
and uncompromising way in which Mr. Costigan battled for
justice to his co-religionists, we must not be regarded as hav-
ing the remotest sympathy with those who opposed non-secta-
rian schools upon principle. Ten years ago he who visited a
parish school, from which God had not been banished, .saw an
institution seething with disorder, which was ever pouring a
stream of youth upon the country, many of whom were more
vulgar and vicious than if they had never seen the inside of
the school walls. But it is different now ; and the svstem of
education enjoyed by the people of New Brunswick, would be
a boon and a credit to any countiy. We could wish that of the
system in this noble province we could say as much ; though
this is more than we dare to hope so long as it uiaintains the
political taint.

ill:

i ■'?

t.i

382

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

11 .

^mm

Parliament prorogued on the l+th of June, and eight days
afterwards the governor-general bade good bye to Canada.
During his administration he had been raised to the peerage
of the united kingdom with the title of Baron Lisgar, of Lisgar
and Bailicborough, in tlie county of Cavan. Wliile amongst us
he won our good opinion and respect, though he neitlicr flat-
tered the people nor courted popularity, doing his duty with a
courteous quiet dignity that phased without effort. " His hospi-
tality," says Professor Goldwiu Smith, " was simply that of ao
Engli.sh nobleman; it had no ulterior object, and as an example
could do nothing but good." His successor was Frederick Tem-
ple Hamilton Blackwood, Earl of Dufferin, eldest son of Captain
Price Blackwood, afterwards fourth Baron Dufl'crin and Clan-
deboye, in the peerage of Ireland. The new governor was a
man of some distinction in diplomacy and literature when he
came amongst us. He had been under-secretary of state for
war, and in the same capacity at the Indian office. He went
to Syria as commissioner of the crown, whore he ended the
turmoil between the Christians and the natives. " He sac-
ceeded," says Mr. Stewart, "in mastering the details of this deli-
cate mission; and not only satisfactorily arranged the Turkish
troubles, but also compromised matters between the French
and the warlike Druses. He gave a constitution to Lebanon,
and we have here the first evidence of his ability as a states-
man and diplomatist." If by letters in his own riglit he was
not famous, he was distinguished through his ancestry. His
mother was the author of " The Irish Emigrant," and other
ballads, which, if not showing a deep poetical vein, contained a
wealth of feeling, and many passages of tender, melancholy
pathos. For an aunt, he had that pretty song-bird, the Hon.
Mrs. Caroline Norton, whose sweet verse and bright eyes, scandal
said, lured Lord Melbourne so often away from the cares of state.
And through this siren he was connected with a name of still
greater note, of whom a great poet has said:

" * * * Nature formed but one such man,
And broke the die in moulding Sheridan."

TinWUGH STONMS TO TJIK liKEF.

38»

Lord Duflferin was ecUicated at Eton and Oxford, and in 1S')0
was created an English baron. He was not long amongst us
when it was found that the proverbial gift of his countrymen
sat upon his tongue. In making speeches he could outdo our
most confirmed orators; and in this respect his example was
not good. If a governor-general could only, by his example,
help to curtail the platform trade, he might well feel that his
vice-regal mission had not been fruitless, and tliat he had not
been born in vain. But it is not encouraging in a political
country like this, where the teniloncy is to an epidemic of
speech, to have a viceroy appear among us with tliis run-
ning at the mouth. Perhaps, but for this ncver-failing
eloquence on every sul)ject from a hot-water tankard to the
constitution, it might be said that Karl Duflerin's administra-
tion was delightful. He ])ossessed a warm sympathetic heart,
and took a genuine interest in the welfare and aspii'ations of
our people ; and in return, there sprang up among us for him, a
deeper and kindlier feeling of regard, than had ever before been
enocrtained for a Canadian governor. Everywhere the viceroy
and his great-hearted wife, the countess, went, they stirred the
feelings of all by the genuine and hearty way in which they
sympathized with, and entered into the feelings and aspirations
of, those they visited. When they departed from our sh<n'es a
void was left in the hearts of our people that it would be hard
to fill.

The first parliament of Canada, having lived out the full
term of its constitutional life, was dissolved on the loth of July.
The elections came off through the summer and early autunm,
and the government found itself confronted by staunch opposi-
tion. The ghost of poor Scott, murdered in the North- West,
rose against it; the W^ashington treaty "was .shaken in the face
of the country;" the gigantic railway-building, a duty to which
the country had been pledged, was declared by the opposition
to be a mad and impossible scheme ; and the refoi ni party in
Ontario was made sturdy by the strength of Mr. Blake and the

\\\w

LlFh OF Sin JOHN A. MACDONALD.

iJilr

•I*

\)rovincial inini.stiy. Tlio government came shattered, tho\ifrh
iiot defeated, out of the contest. Sir Francis Hincks wjus
worsted in Soutli Brant, but Vancouver, British Columbia,
offered the worthy kiiight her seat, which he accepted. Sir
George Cartier was put to flight in Montreal east, but was wel-
comed to the arms of Provencher, Manitoba. Ontario declared
hers- If hostile chiefly because the government had failed to
punish Scott's murderers ; Quebec refused her usual support
because a full amnesty had not l>2en granted. The dignity of
the archbishop was at stake — though resting upon an absurdity
and a misunderstanding — and that was of more importance
than the cruel and wicked shedding of a fellow creature's blood.
There once w?'s a commandment — but it was under the Jewish
<lispensation! — though written upon stone l)y the finger of God,
which said, " Thou shalt not kill"; but Sir George ('artier, and
his French supporters, and Bishoii Taelid, and his priests and tlio
faithful, blotted out that old edict, and put in its stead, "Thou
shalt not dishonour the promise of a bishop." Notwithstanding
the defections, a count of forces after the contest was ended
satisfied Sir John that his government had an ample working
nmjority. In October, the Ontario legislature passed a resolution
prohibiting dual representation ; so that Messi's. Blake and Mac-
kenzie were compelled to choose between the provincial and
general parliaments. Naturally, their ambition, patriotism, cu-
pidity, arid any other quality they may have possessed, found
stronger attraction in the wider sphere and larger tlesh-pots.
Their choice necessitated a reconstruction of the provincial
government, and Mr. Blake suggested to the lieutenant-governor
that Mr. Mowat ought to be invited to lead the ministry. The
lure was too strong for the judge, and he left the bench. What-
ever of })ubli(i immorality there was in this proceeding, Mr. Blake,
at all events, was the seducer. From that day to this, Mr. Mowat
has held the leadership of the Ontario government, and thouL;li
his administration has not been brilliant, it has in many im-
portant respects been efficient and honest; if the adjective can

thou},'h
ks Wius
iluinbia,
cd. Sir
ff&a wel-
declarod
failed to
support
igiiity of
ibsurdity
iportance
e's blood,
lie Jewish
er of God,
ivticr, and
ts and tlie
id. "Thou
hstandinj,'
ivas ended
} working
esolution
and Mac-
ncial and
otism, cu-
ed, found
[icsh-pots.
rovincial
l-governor
5try. The
|h. W hat-
Mr. Blake,
Kr. Mowat
Id th(ni;j;h
Inany ini-
tctive can

TIIROUGU STORMS TO THE REEF.

:w5

ho applied to a .sy.stem somewhat sub.servietit to the emls of
party. Towards the close of the year M. Joly, leader of the
opposition in the Quebec legislature, moved for a coininiiisidn
of inquiry into certain charges made against M. Caiuihon, tho
local member for Montmorency, and whom we have also met
in the Canadian parliament. The incpiiry revealeil that this
member had, while occupying a seat in the local house, been a
secret contractor wi^h the provincial government in connexion
with the Beauport lunatic asylum. To avoiil expulsion M.
Cauchon resigned; but the same moial sentiment that had so
zealously shielded murder, now coidoned corruj)tion ; and he
was straightway elected again. Ea.ly in the following year,
.several important chiingcs took ph'ci! in the Canadian ministry,
the most prominent of these being the acce])tance of the port-
folio of finance by the Hon. S. L. Tilley in place of Sir Francis
Hineks, who had grown tired of official woriy, and longed for
the calm of private life. Dr. Tupper succeeded to the office of
Mr. Tilley as head of the department of Customs. The new par-
liament ojjened on the 5th of March, 1873. Pnnce Edward
Island had got over her little tiff, had reasoned out the ques-
tion of union, gro\\n sorry over her s' ubbornness, and a,sked to
be admitted into the federation. A measure was promptly pie-
pared to give effect to the wish, and was forwarded to the im-
perial parent, who, of course, held the right of giving the daugh-
ter away. The debt of the little island was placed at S4,701,-
050; and interest at 5 per cent, per annum was oo be paid from
time to time on the difference between that sum and the ac-
tual amount of the provincial debt. An annual subsidy of
S.')0,000 was granted, and the eighty cents for each head of the
population which the census of 1871 .showed to be 94,021.
In the midst of the routine labouis of the house, one day, a
member arose, with face j)ale, and flung a bomb upon the
floor which convulsed the parliament and the country.

*<v

t ,(

"^D^Mi^'pm^

vN."';^5>V

Q^^

CHAPTER XXI.

THE GOVKRNMENT AND SIR HUGH AU.AN.

IT will be remoniltered that one of the terms under which
British ColuniViia consented to enter confederation waH
that the central government should construct, within ten years,
a railroad fmm the Atlantic to the Pacific. Two wealthy com-
panies composed of superior business-men were formed, the one
the Inter- Oceanic, i\i the head of which was Mr. J). L. Mao-
pherson, the other the Canada Pacific, the president of which
was Sir Hugh Allan. As the .session of 1872 drew near, the air
was full of rumours concerning these two organizations, oppo-
nents of the government athrming that Sir Hugh Allan was
to get the contract, that his company was largely composed of
Americans, that the road would be made tributary to American
commerce, that all this was an outrage upon the country, and
that he motto should be " Canada for the Canadians." Parlia-
ment met and the legislature granted a charter to both ccjuipa-
nies, authoiizing the government to enter into contract with
either, or with an amalgamation of the two, or, if they should
see fit, to grant a royal charter to a new and distinct company.
We need not repeat that to the construction of the railroad the
country was by honour and by stipulation bound ; and for this
purpose the legislature had agreed to grant 50,000,000 acres of
land and $30,000,000 to any company that would build tlie
line. The project was not alone one of national importance,
but was the most gigantic undertaking up to that time, or
since, known to Canada. The grant made by parliament
appeared enormous and was, therefore, tempting to the aye of

38U

THE GOVEItSMENT AND SIR IIVGn A LEAK.

those wlio may liavc lm«l l»ut little conception of the vast
task of binliliiij^ a roatl aeross tlie riiggcil breast of a con-
tinent ; so that it became the (bity of government to give ear
only to persons upon wliose wisdom, experience and integrity
tliey could rely, and whose commercial standing was such that
tl'cy would be able to obtain the erdn'i' into tlie money mark-
ets of tlie world lor the prosecution of the work. On the 14th
of June the session closed. Parliament was dissolved on tho
8th of July, and from the 15th of the same month till tlie
12th of October the country was plunged into an election
contest. An engrossing topic with the ministry was the rail-
wjiy, which it was felt sliouM be begun as early as possible, as
skilful engineers hinted that every day of the term allowed
woidd be recpiired to link ocean with ocean. The cry against
"Sir Hugh and his Amcicans" had waxed louder in the
meantinu', but Sir John, from the first, expressed himself hos-
tile to outside aid in building the line. Sir (Jeorge drtier,
who frequently examined gi-eat questions through the eyes of
somebody else, followed the lead of his chief and confirmed his
opposition to " Yankees" witli an oath. It was Sir John's
desire now to get the two compa I'es amalgamated, and to this
end negotiations were opened ; but the ambitions of the two
presidents were irreeoncilalie, Sir Hugh claiming that his inter-
ests were of such magnitude that it was proper he should liave
the presidency, Mr. Macpherson holding that the (piestion in
dispute ought to be settled by the shandiolders. Union having
Iieen found impossible. Sir John announced that the govern-
uicnt would avail itself of the legislation of the past session and
endeavoiu' to form a new company. Sir Hugh now dropped his
American associates and leagued himself with a number of
Canadian gentlemen of high standing, and large means and
experience. On this organization the government looked with
favour in consideration of the high integrity, the financial abi-
lity, and the credit possessed by its members. The lead in g
rnember was Sir Hugh Allan, the owner of the proud fleet of

'i.
I

^■^ttq

' I II

>y-'

388

LIFE OF aiR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

ft J i ,■"

11.

ocean steamers which be.ns his name, a gentleman of vast
euei'gy and enterprise, and po.>iPcssii.g advantages, by the extent
of his capital and his credit in the European nioney-ma ket, not
held by any other person that ottered to undertake the woik.
The duty of the government was to c^ose the contract at the
earliest moment, to treat w'th those who were best qualified
to do the work ; and &o, af er some consideration, issued the
charter, appointing Sir Hugh pies'dent.

Parliament met in due course. Ministers announced that a
new and powerful company was now leady to commence the
great work, and that all needed was the sanction of the legisla-
ture. So gigantic had seemed the task to which the Dominion
had connnitted itself, that the la 'ge bulk of the house, now
learning that there was a body of respon.?ible men actually
ready to go on with the work, regarded the fact a.s a brilliant
triumph for the goveinment. Ministers began to rejoice in the
work of their hands, and some of their opponents admitted
with grudging grace that, untler the circumstances, perhaps as
good an agreement had been made as war. possible. But then
came out of the political sky a whisper that set the heart of
opposition bounding, that brought light to its eye. This
" small voice " said : " Doom is lianging over the ministry ; soon
the bolt shall fall." The work of the session went on, the
ministers, with buoyant hearts and sunny faces, dreaming of
no evil to come. Their opiionents made no unusual sign, save,
perhaps, that of late they had appeared less factious and more
reserved than usual. Sometimes, indeed, one spectator has re-
corded, a prominent reformer would steal an ominous glance
across to the treasury b^Miches, and then resume his work in a
preoccupied way, as if " there was something in the wind." At
last arrived the 2nd day of April. A sort of calm had seemed
to have fallen upon the house. Some members were writing at
their desks, others lounged in their chairs, or lead the news-
papers. The treasury benches were full ; the speaker sat in the
chair, and pages flitted across the Hoor with notes. Sir John

[iting at
le news-
It in the

tir John

THE GOVERNMENT AND SIR HIGH ALLAN.

«8!i

Macdonakl was sitting at his own desk, one leg across the other,
and leaning his head a,;ainst his hand. He gave a " barely
perceptible " .start — Mr. Lucius Seth Huntington, with palo
face, was standing at his place, and had begun to read from
a paper the following motion : —

"That he, the said Lucius Seth Huntington, is credibly in-
formed and believes that he can est"blish by satisfactory evi-
dence, that in anticipation of the legislation of last .session, a.s
to the Pacific Railway, an ar^i-eement was made between Sir
Hugh Allan, acting for hiinsu'f, and certain other Canadian
promoters, and G. W. McMullen, acting Ibr certain United
States capitalists, whc-eby the latter agreed to furnish all the
funds necessary for the construction of the contemplated rail-
way, and to give the former a cerf ain percentage of interest, in
consideration of their interest and position, the scheme agreed
upon being ostensibly that of a Canadian company with Sir
Hugh Allan at its head, —

"That the government were aware that these negotiations
were pending between the iaiJ parties, —

" That, subsequently, an understanding was come to between
the government, Sir Hugh Allan and Mr. Abbott, one of the
membei's of the honourable house of commons of Canaila, that
Sir Hugh Allan, and his friends should advance a large sum of
money for the purpose of aiding the elections of ministers and
their supporters at the ensuing general election, and that he
and his friends should receive the contract for the constiuction
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 the ministers, —

" That part of the moneys expended by Sir Hugh Allan in
connection with the obtaining of the act of incorporation and
charter were paid to him by the United States capitalists un-
der the agreement with him, —

l|!

300

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

I'j.:, .

" That a committee of seven members be appointed to enquire
into all the circumstances conneeted with the negotiations for
the construction of the Pacific Railway, with the legislation of
last session on the subject, and with the granting 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 proceeilings of, said committee."

Sometimes, as he read, he paused and cast his eye about him
to note the effect of his disclosures. Some sat with heads
thrust forward, eagerly drinking every word ; others with a
stolid air, and a look of stony indifference. Not a few there
were with the light of triumph in their eye ; and some felt, or
assumed to fed, the most unbounded horror. But as the mem-
ber's eye rested upon one figure, he became abashed, and his
voice grew timid. This was the pi ime minister who sat with a
face as inscrutable as the Sphynx, betrrying no sign of fear cr
any show of anger Once Mr. Huntington caught his eye, ami
saw there the blaze of scorn ; and contempt vvas upun his lip.
Having read his motion ho sat down, amid a ''silence deep as
death ; and the boldest held his breath for a time." It would
have given relief to this agony of silence had the acjusin^
member made any explanation, or spoken any word ; or had
any other member of the house asked a question or offered
comment. The accuser was not as one who had j)erformcd
some deed of wondrous valour. " He had spoken," says Mr.
Stewart, " with some feeling, but it was the feeling of fear.
It was as if he had chalked ' No Po|)cry ' on the wall and had
then fled." There is now no doubt that when Mr. Huntington
made his charges, his authority was vague rumour; that he had
not in his possession, nor had seen, the telegrams and docu-
ments which afterwards came to light ; and that his motion was
thrown out as a feeler, with the hope of bringing some member
of the government to his feet, and making statements which
might serve as a clue to the supposed wrong-doing, or lend
colour to the allegations. Every eye was now turned upon the

tiquire
ins for
tion of
charter
lersons,
AiU the
nittee."
)ub him
1 heads
with a
w there
; felt, or
le nieni-
aud his
it with a
)t' fear or
eye, and
n his lip.
> deep a3
t would
ic'^usiny
or had
offered
I formed
says Mr.
of fear,
and had
ntiiigton
at he had
nd docu-
tiou was
member
Ills which

lend

upon

THE GOVERNMENT AND SIR HUGH ALLAN.

391

prime minister, but he sat at his desk as if he had been a figure
of stone; he uttered no word, and made no sign. The motion
was seconded without comment, was put to the house, and, out
of tliat sickening stillness, came one hundred and seven " nays,"
and seventy-six " yeas." A long breath of relief was drawn ;
the silence found its tongue, and a continuous buzz-buzz pre-
vailed for many minutea. Then adjournment.

A meeting of the cabinet was hastily ca'led, Sir John in-
forming his colleagues that the slander must be promptly and
boldly met. Next night, we may be sure, there was little
sleep for the premier. He was aware that certain transaction.s
between members of the ministry and Sir Hugh Allan were
susceptible of being distorted into a form corresponding with
the charges made by Mr. Huntington, and that the govenmient
would liave a serious task to put the case in Its true light be-
fore the country; but he was resolved to face the charge
firmly and challenge the accusers, knowing that he had less
to fear from a thorough expose than from the insinuations
of opponents barely seasoned with distorted fact. Looking
more wearied and an.Kious than he had ever appeared in that
house before, he took his place the foliO'>ving day and, rising,
ottered the following resolution, which was carried : — " On mo-
tion of the Right Honourable Sir John A. Macdonald, that a
select connnittee of five members (of which committee the
mover sliall not be one) be appoin*^ed by this hou.se to enquire
into and rf;port upon the several matters contained and stated
in a le^illution moved on Wednesday, the 2nd of April, in-
stant, by the Hon. Mr. Huntington, member for the county of
Shettbrd, relating to the Canadian Pacific Railway, with power
to send for persons, papers and records ; to report from time to
time, and to report the evidence from time to time, and, if need
be, to sit after the prorogation of Parliament."

The members named for the committee were Hon. Messrs.
Blake, Blauchet, Dorion, Macdonald (Pictou), and Cameron
(Cardwell).

! !•• ;

392

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

£«:

To guard against the adiniss'on of unreliable testimony, it
was provided that the conuuission be authorized to examine
witnesses upon oath ; but as the committee, as such, had no
power to so examine, a measvire called the Oaths Bill was
pronjptly introduced and passed, conferring upon the commis-
sioners that authority. In this, however, parliament tran-
scended its powers, and the act was disallowed by her majesty
on the advice of the law officers of th^ crown. While the fate
of the bill was unknown the commission met, and on the 5th
of May decided, in view of the absence of Sir George Cartier,
and the Hon J. J. C Abbott, and the impossibility of the inves-
tigation being carried on in a proper manner without oppor-
tunity being all'orded these gentlemen of being present and
hearing the testimony adduced, that it was advisable that the
committee adjourn until Wednesday, the 2nd of July, if parlia-
ment should be, on such date, in session. According to the
customs of Lynch law, nothing is so absurd as the plea that
the accused should be present at his own trial to otter his de-
fence ; and the opposition grew wroth at the decision to stay
proceedings till the impugned members returned and had an
opportunity of defending themselves. Some time after this,
Sir John waited on the governor-general, and advised adjourn-
ment, with a view to meeting and prorogation, on the 13th of
August. Lord Dufferin saw that the suggestion was good; the
spring had well advanced, and it was to the interest of mem-
bers to be at their homes ; the business of the session had been
ended; the presence of the legislature could not promote the
work of the commission which miHit <jo on takinji the evi-
dence ; and he decided to accei)t the prime minister's advice.
Upon this understanding, Sir John proceeded to the house, and
from his place announced in distinct terms, that parliament
would be proi'ogued on the I3th of August, " that the reassem-
bling would bep/'o/or'7/wi, that no business would be done beyond
receiving the report of the committee, which could then be
printed with the evidence, and go before the countr\' ; that the

f *yyr-Vi*^^-'**-^^-'^^**^^^-^'«"-*^ -^ ^ ^-'^ •»■

>ny, it

amine

lad no

11 wtis

immis-

, tran-

lajosty

he fate

ihe 5tli

Z!artier,

i inves-

oppor-

«nt anil

ihat the

t parlia-

' to tlie
>

lea that
r his de-
i to stay
had an
ter this,
[idjouni-
l.'Hhof
lod; the
f mem-
ad been
[lote the
he cvi-
advice.
|use, and
lianient
-assem-
beyond
Ithen be
that the

THE aOVKKNMENT AND STJt HUGH ALL AX.

393

incmbei's would not be required to return, and that only the
Speakers of the two houses would need to be in tlieir places."
All this the house .seemed to clearly understand, and no op-
position was ottered to the arrangement. Mr. Blake expressed
the opinion that the commission might go on taking evidence
fr()m the rising of the house till the meetini; of the reirnlar
session in February, f( rgetting tb.at the powers of a parlia-
mentary comnussion expire with prorogation. Mr. Holton
said he believed a quoi'um would be necessary to receive the
report; and muttered between his teeth that he and a ([uorum
would be there. Sir John, in reply, observed that if a ([uorum
were considered necessary, a suflicient number of membeis for
that purpose couM be found in the neighbourhood of the cap-
ital. On a distinct undei.sUnding of th'2 facts as above related,
the house was adjou:n5d; after which irxMubers returned to
their homes, and the o[)position abandoned themselves to false-
hood and conspiracy. Instead of a (juiet miicting with the two
speakers, only, present, or a quorum, with the 13th of August
appi^ared the op|)osition in full strength, intrigue in their
hearts, falsehood upon their tongues. And when asked for
what purpose they had mustered en masse, they answered :
" We diiln't understand that the meeting was to be pro forma ;
we thought a full attendance was desirable." The intention
was — since the ministry, abiding by the terms of adjourimient,
\vi\H at a serious disadvantage in having but a few of its sup-
porters at the capital— to overthrow the government by the
force of numbers. And, certainly tnilike men of honour, they
chuckled at the trap into which they believed the government
had fallen.

During the period between adjournment and the l.'kli of
Auirust, tlie irovernor-iieneral was making a tour of the mari-
time provinces, and tilling public halls and school-houses with
his infinite clocjuence. During that summer recess many strange
tidings fell upon the public ear. First came the announcement
that the Oaths Bill had been disailowed. and that the work of

:f:;

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3»4

X/Z'J? OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

"Mi

!i3

the commission was afc a standstill. It is not to be wondered
at that some of the oppn ition screamed out that tliis was thu
doinifs of Sir John ; had (Jod sent a bolt from heaven and smit-
ten the five commissionera, their inclinations for the moment
would have been to believe that the premier was in some mea-
sure responsible for the taking off. On receiving notice of the
disallowance, the governor put himself in correspondence with
the prime minister. The commission would meet in a few
days, and it was desirable that the public mind should be sat-
isfied as to the truth or falsity of the heinous charges. Sir
John said there was one way that the end sought could be at-
tained, and that was by issuing a royal commission to the com-
mitter', which could then go on as had been originally arranged,
placing the evidence before parliament which might take
whatever steps it chose upon receiving the same. This is the
only practical way lying open now, wrote the prime minister,
to probe the facts of the case. Lord Dufierin grasped at the
suggestion, and acted upon it without delay " No one can
doubt," he said, " that for the purpose for which the committee
was originally constituted, its conversion into a commission can
make ui) practical dift'erence. As a commission it will take
evidence ; and as a committee it will report upon that evidenca
to the house." Armed with the ofovernor-general's authoritv.
Sir John wrote to each of the five members stating that, as
the oaths' bill had been disallowed, it was his intention to
issue to the committee a royal conunission. The acceptance
of the conunission, he pointed out, would accomplish the object
originally in view, and hasten the work. But Messrs. Blake
and Doi'ion, the two reform members, refused to act, on the
ground that they would be under the control of the accused
partios. This view, in a constitutional sense, was undoubtedly
correct, though it was subsequently afiirmed in the house that
the crown, not the ministry, had issued the commission, and
had control of the enquiry. But this ground at once becomes
untenable whoc wa reflect that the viceroy is bound to tako

THE ooi Kh'AMhM' AND ,S77.' JlCaJI ALLAN.

595

the advice of his council, an<l tl^at duiiiig the sitting of tho
coaunission some of tlie impeached ministers were the trusty
advisers of the crown, which refused to consider them guilty,
or unworthy of confidence, till their guilt had been proven.
This objection then might well have been reganled as fatal,
were the commission possessed of judicial and final powers ;
hut its functions were only inquisitorial ; it was merely to
collect evidence and report to the house, which might accept,
reject, or ignore the same, as it saw fit. There was, unfortu-
nately, no other way, owing to tho unwise tying up of our
powers by the act of the foreign state, by which the matter
could bo probed; and under such circumstances the duty of
Mr. Blake was to have come out of the clouds and surrendeiod
to the real and tlie practicable.

On the 4tk of July, certain information contained in the
Montreal Herald fell upon the publio ear like a clap of thun-
der. This information comprised a nuuiber of letters and tele-
grams sent to one C. M. Smith, (jf Chicago, a banker, and one
Ceo. McMullen, of Picton, who seemed at first to bo a specula-
tor or the representative of American capitalists, but who sub-
sequently appeared as a blackleg. In this corresi)cndence tho
history of Sir Hugh Allan's exertions towards obtaining the
railway charter is .set forth, the expenses he had incurred in
pushing his scheme, — expenses which he declared exceeded
$300,000 in gold — and certain relations with Sir John Mac-
donald and Sir George Cartier. At once tho hostile and the
hasty swallowed the statements, and concluded that the enor-
mous sum which Sir Hugh alleged he had paid away had gone
into the hands of the ministers for corrupting tho constituencies
at the late elections. On the following day, an afiidavit deal-
ing with these charges, made by Sir Hugh, appeared in the
Montreal Gazette. It was a wet blanket Hung upon the pre-
vious days' story, and depressed, sadly enough, the spirits of tho
opposition. We need not here go into the details of this state-
ment. The deponent admitted that there were many iiiaccu-

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390

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

racies in his hastily-written businoss-lettors; but the statement
with which we are concerned, and wliich at once vindicateil the
innocence of ministers of the crimes inferrecl fi-om the allei'a-
tions in the letters, was as follows. "... In these and similar
ways I expended sums of money a|)proacliin},' in amount those
mentioned in the letters, as I conceive I had a perfect right to
do ; but I did not state in those letters, nor is it thefaet, that any
portions of those sums of money were imid to the members of
the govern luent, or were received by them or on their behalf,
directly or indirectly, as a consideration, in any form, for any
advantage to me in connection xuith the Pacific railway con-
tract." So far then, the accusations against the ministry had
fallen to the ground, and Mr. Huntington's allegations wore re-
garded by a large bulk of the people a8 reckless slanders. And
so the opinion would have .stood had not the blackmailer, Mc-
Mullen, come forwaril with what purported to be a concise and
circumstantial statement of the corrupt relations of the gov-
ernment witli Sir Hugh Allan, in >«hlch he put foiward in-
ferences as facts, and assumptions as transactions happening
jnder his own ej'cs, bringing his disclosures to an end with a
number of stolen telegrams, containing requests from Sir John
Macdouald and Sir George Cartier, to Sir Hugh, for certain
sums of money. There v/as no indication as to the objects for
which the money was intended, or upon what conditions it had
been received; but once more the hostile and the rash were
assured that it had boen obtained from Sir Hugh in considera-
tion of the sale of the Pacific railway charter to him and his
American friends ; and that Mr. Huntington had alleged tl-.e
whole truth and nothing but the truth. And we must leave
one and both to nurse their charitable opinion till we reach the
stage in our narrative for another explanation.

The governor-general had reached Prince Edward Island
when newspapers containing the McMullen narrative came to
hand. He was considerably startled, Mr. Stewart tells u.-., at
reading the correspondence, and at once sent for Messrs. Tilley

THE GOVEUyMlLST AND SUi lIVGi: A I, LAN.

397

and Tuj>per who were at the time on the I,slan«i on otHciiii
business ; but both these gentlemen assured him that satisfac-
tory explanations would be made in due course ; and his lord-
ship accepted the declaration as a confirmation of his hopes.
He hail before setting out upon his tour provided for pro-
rogation on the 13th of August, by commission, but now felt
that the case had assumed such a shape as to demand other
arrangements. On the morning of the 18th, his excellency
was in the capital, and within a few hours after his arrival was
waited upon by the premier, who, on behalf of the ministry,
tendered the advice that parliament should be prorogued as ori-
ginally agieed upon. His lordship went over the grounds put
forth by Sir John, and found they were good ; and since he still
had confidence in the prime minister and his colleagues, nothing
remained for him but to be guided by their counsel, as he cheer-
fully was. He consented to the arrangement, but upon the
condition that parliament should meet again as soon as was
consistent with the reasonable convenience of members, after
say six or eight weeks ; to which proposal Sir John gave his
hearty consent. In the meantime the opposition, or the " party
of punishment," as they were not unwilling to be styled, had
resolved on a course of their own. While his excellency was in
the maritime provinces, they had adopted the manly and hon-
ourable course of endeavouring, by stealth, to prejudice and
poison his mind against his ministers. A member who ap-
parently was not in the habit of allowing dignity or a sense
of manly pride to stand in the way of his inclinations, collected
a number of newspapers, containing the charges against the
ministry, which he enclosed and directed to his excellency ; but
they were returned to him unopened. On the morning of pro-
rogation, the governor learnt that a large body of members of
parliament was awaiting an audience ; and he was at no little
loss to guess what could be their mission. His speculation was
soon put at an end by Mr. (now Sir) Richard J. Cartwright,
who introduced the delegation, and then presented a memorial

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LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

siijfnoil by ninety-two menilieis p^ayinf:^ that his excellency
might not proroj^aie parliament until the house of connnons had
had an opportunity " of taking such steps as it may deem ne-
cessary with reference to this import mt matter." Of cou.se
this request was an assumption that the governor either did
not know, or was unwilling to perform, his duty; but gross
though this inference was, his excellency answered the dele-
gation with his usual courtesy, refusing promptl}' and linn-
ly, however, to grant their request. This was an utter coll!i])se
for the opposition hope. They had nursed their plot through
the hot summer, and now that the hour had come when it was
to be put to account, the figure of the governor must rise
and thwart them. Only thirty-five ministerialists were at the
capital, but the reformers, as we have ston, were there in force,
" an eager, expectant and exultant throng. Their faces showed
iletermination, but no mercy ; their actions convinced the min-
istry that they would give no (piarter. For weeks they had
waited for this moment ; and now the hour had arrived." *

They set up a cry of disappointment and rage ; and their
newspapers loaded the governor-general and the prime minister
with libel. Among those flying with the stoi-m, regardless of
their dignity, was seen the figure of Mr. Edward Blake. He had
sat apart for many weeks feeding his mind on solitary medita-
tion, and when he met his brethren at Ottawa assured them
that he had discovered at least two courses by which parlia-
ment could confer the power, upon a committee of its own
members, to administer oaths. One of these ways the Earl of
Ivimberly afterwards stated, " would be beyond the powers of
the parliament of the Dominion ; " the other, also, was proved
to b3 unconstitutional. Sir John pointing out that Mr. Blake
had misread the case occurring durinf' the administration of
William Pitt, Avhich he had taken as an analogy. Meanwhile,
the opposition party, through the ministrations of its oratois

* Geofije Stewart, Jr, iu Canada under the Administration of the Earl of Diiferin.

ellency

ons hail
.'em nc-
coui se
her (lid
ut gross
lit" <1i>l.'-
1(1 linn-
collapse
tlirou>,'h
ill it Avas
iiust rise
ii-e at the
! in force,
!S showed
the inin-
they had
'ed." •
and their
3 minister
ardless of
He had
medita-
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pavlla-
its own
le Earl of
cowers of
as proved
^Ir. Blake
tration of
eanwhile,
,s orators

I of Dtiferin.

THE GOVKliNMENT AND SIR HUGH ALLAN.

309

;ind press, continued to sound the charges against the ministry
up and down the land.

Reformers having refused to sit as royal commissioners, Sir
John suggested to the governor the expediency of issuing a
commission to three or mure judges of the land, whose posi-
tion would remove them from the suspicion of partiality in
conducting tlie en(iuiry ; and acting on the advice, which he
lielievcd to he good, his exceUcncy chose the hoinnirahle judges
Day, Polette, and Cowan, who promptly began the woik as-
sigued them. It would be too much to expect that any ndn-
isterial arrangement coxdd satisfy the ojjposition ; and it is
liardly to be wondered at that before the new conuuission
met at all it was loaded with slander by the reform press
and its members, and characterized as the creature of the
]irime minister. An atmosphere, more poisonous than that
wind which "breathed in the face" of Sennacherib's army,
now floated over the province: the aroma from a corrupt min-
istry, and from tainted ermine. Mr. Mackenzie, wlio some-
times himself, does not hesitate at exaggeration, at least when
writing political biographies, did not believe that either party
would knowingly utter falsehood upon examination, and, there-
fore, regarded the terrors of the oath unnecessary ; but even
Mr. Bi'ike shuddered, inwaidly, as he thought of such men
as McMullen coming into the box and testifying upon their
"honoui," Yet he, no more than any of his brethren, was
satisfied with the judges upon the new commission, though it
was impossible for him to condescend to the allegation that
these gentlemen would falter in their duty^ But his choice
lay betw'een smirching the honour of the commissioners, and
accepting their appointment as good, mdess, indeed, he was
more anxious that formality should be observed, than that the
charges against the government should be thoroughly investi-
gated. Yes, answers Mr. Blake, that is very well, but what if
the ministry tied up the hands of the judges, and thwarted en-
quiry in fatal directions? And our answer is this : The com-

400

LIFE OF Sm JOHN A. MACDONALU.

mission was hoM in tlio ii<,'ht of flay; seats were jtrovidod for
tlic ropoitors ; Mr. Huntington was ic'(|Uostecl to furnLsli a list
of his witnesses', and invited to come forwaid and que.stioii
tliose as lie would ; advertisements were pnt in the papers
calling upon any persons who kncv '""i(,fht of the case to como
forward ; a large array of witnesses nd against the ministry

was present; ^hey were submitted lo the most searching cross-
examination by mcnibers of both political parties, and ques-
tions were asked by the reform side, an<l answers given, whif.h
would not have been f'Oeratod in any court oZ law, without
cliallonge. In what way, tl-.en, pray, Mr. Blake, were the hiinds of
the judges tied ? Whence, pray, ivformers of lesser dignity, came
the taint on the ermine ? But had the judges been base as
Jeffreys himself, the terms of the commission were fatal to i)ar-
tiality. Lord Dufferin distinctly, at the beginning, traced out
the chart by which the judges were to be guided. " Your duty is
not judicial, but in(piisitorial," were his instructions ; they were
not to pi'onounce, to condemn, oj «^xeulpate, but to collect
evidence and report the same to th .aons without comment ;

to the commons that might accept or reject that testimony ;»s
it chose. . A.nd as instructed, so they did. They furnished tlu'
evidence without comment, though they stated, as they had
the right to do, that anybody who cared to learn their private
opinion, might have it. Many sought that opinion ; it wtis that
there u'as little in the evidence to corroborate the chanjcs
prefirrcd by Mr. Huntington. Now it might have been sup-
posed that in the interests of pure government, the gentleman
who made the grave charges against the administration in his
place in the house, would have been found among the host of
witnesses called ; but he came not — though he furnished the
the names of witnesses to the commission. And it mi^hthave
been supposed that McMullen, who had levied blackmail on Sir
Hugh Allan, rifled cabinets, stolen telegrams, and steeped him-
self to the lips in dishonour for the sake, also, of pure govern-
ment would have come to judgment, but he appeared not ;

THE GOVHliNMKNT AM> SlU III Gil ALLAN.

40;

,li a list
question

papers
to coiiio
ministry
iitr cross-
id qucs-
n, whifli

without,

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lity.caiiif
1 biisu as
tal to l»ar-
jvaced out
»ur duly is
tlicy were
■j to collect
coiniaent;
itiinony as
iiished tlic
tliey l»a<l
eir private
t was tliiit
he chartJCH
been sup-
irentletnan
tion in his
:,he host of
lished the
lni"ht have
|u»ail on Sir
■eped hini-
Ire govcrn-
sared not ;

neither came the Clicaifn hanker, C M. Siiiitli, wlioui it had
been alloj,'ed Sir Hugli Allan had " tieeced " to buy up tJie
ministry, and seduce tho constituencies. These gentlemen re-
mained away, and listened from behin<l the doors to the evi-
dence, tossing their caps in glee when any testimony was a<l-
duccd that they believed lent colour to their alleMation. Jiut
it is sickening work to wadi' througli this page of history, and
we pass on.

The conuuission finished its work, and as the "iSnl of Octo-
ber drew near, the political combatants girded on their swords.
Sir Hugh Allan returned from England; but before the meet-
ing of the session had resigned the charter. On the 27th of
October the memorable debate began. Mr. Mackenzie made,
as he always does, a speech that one who hears is likely to re-
member. Mr. Mackenzie is a large <lealer in facts, which some
may call "dry," but which we designate as "hard;" and to
these ho has the faculty of giving a bias which it is frecpiently
impossible to detect. His speech against Sir John and the
ministry w; perhaps the ablest, in its way, that he has ever
delivered, '/lie argument was strong and was i)oured out like
some stini-iny, . issolvinL! acid. In amendment to the second
paragraph of the ndnisterial siieech, he moved : — " And wo have
to acquaint his excellency that, by their course in reference to
the investigation of the charges preferred by Mr. Huntington,
in his place in this house, and under the facts disclosed in the
evidence laid before us, his excellency's advisers have merited
the severe censure of this house."

Mr, (now Judge) James Macdonald, of Pietou, followed in a
speech of great power, moving as a second amendment : — " And
we desire to assure his excellency, that, after consideration of
the statements made in the evidence before us, and while we
regret the outlay of money by all political parties at parlia-
mentary elections, and desire the most stringent measures to
jnit an entl to the practice, v/e at the same time beg ieavo to

ill

u I

Uhiih

A03

LIFE OF .SlJi JOHN A. MACVONALD.

express our continue"] cuntidence in his excellency's advisors,
and in their administration of public affairs."

As the debate progressed, the premier sat indifferently at his
desk, sometimes smiling, now ,vith the light of scorn in his
eye ; but as the days wore on, and he knew the tempter ha<l
been among his followers, and that some had fallen, a shade
of anxiety was seen in his face ; never fenr. It was not that
he regretted the loss of power, but it wrung him to the heart's
core that any of his own friends should doubt his honour
Yet like a brave man, who in the hour of such sore trial, turns
to his conscience, the premier bore with calm fortitude a con-
demnation which he knew came not fi'om conviction but fiom
interest, and soothed himself with the assurance that time
heals all sores, and that the day would come when his coun-
try would commute its sentence, and acknowledge the injustice
it had done him now. It was now necessary that he should
be sacrificed, his honour assoiled, his name smirched, that his
opponents might triumph. Woe to the man whose honour is
cast in the scale against the interest of a political party, raven-
ous for power ! On the sixth day of the debate, and alter
the commons had expended most of its oratorical strength,
Sir John arose, amidst the deafening cheers of those who hav-
ing known him honourable, honest, manly and true, through
the dark day, and in the sunshine, believed in him still. The
anxiety upon his cheek was replaced for the moment by some-
thing like a gleam of hope, as the house rang with the plaudits
of his followers ; but the old expression soon returned, though
the language seemed trustful, and he seemed as one who ad-
dressed a court while standing upon his own funeral pyre.
Yet as the reader will see, who peruses the s))eech,* there was
a manifest hopefulness of tone as point after point in the alle-
gations was met and overthrown. We need not refer to the
speech in detail, contenting ourselves with a word as to ho

* See appendix I.

TIJE GOVERNMEXT AND SIR HUGH ALLAN.

403

charge that the ffovernment had sold the Pacific rnilwav charter
to Sir Hugh Allan, in consideration of certain sums of money
to Le used in the elections. On this point let us heai- Sir John
himself. "The govorntnent never gave Sir Hugh Allan any
contract that I am aware of. We never gave him a contract in
which he had a controlling influence. We formed a committeo
of thirteen men, chosen carefully and painfully foi- the pur-
pose of preventing Sir Hugh Allan from having any undue in-
fluence. We provided that no one on the board should hold
more than one hundred thousand dollars of the stock. . . .
Now, Mr. Speaker, I have only one more thing to say on this

point : I put it to your own minds. There were thirteen gen-
tlemen. Sir Hugh Allan and others, incorporated by that char-
ter. That charter — study it, take it home with you. Is there
any single power, privilege or advantage given to Sir Hugh
Allan with that contract that has not been given ecpially to the
jther twelve ? It is not pretended that any of the other twelve
paid money for their positions. You cannot name a man of
'hese thirteen that has got any advantage over the other, ex-
cept that Sir Hugh Allan has his name down first on the paper.
Can any one believe that the government is guilty of the
charges made against them." This needs no amplification at
our hands. But let us recall the charge — that Sir Hugh Allan
had disbursed over 8300,000 in gold in buying his way to the
charter. That Sir Hugh s[»ent enormous sums at the early
stages of the proceeding we have no doubt ; that he paid
French lawyers and orators to go through the country, subsi-
dized newspapers, and scattered money broadcast where intlu-
ence was to be secured is almost certain ; but that the govern-
ment cared not for this, and was in no wise concerned, is proven
by the fact that after all this lavish expenditure Sir John tele-
graphed to Sir George Cartier, that Sir Hugh Allan's terms,
the terms to ivhick he had been hwjimj his way, could not be
granted. The whole scheme came to an end ; Sir Hugh's " pow-
der and shot " had been wasted on the air ; and the govern-

1^1^ 'i'

ii : 'f:

404

L/f'/J 0/' iS7i? JOHN A. MACnONALD.

ment formed a new and distinct company of its own. And how
far from serving the interests of Sir Hugh in the newcompiuiy
was Sir Jolm or the ministry, we learn from Mr. Tille^-'s
statement, to the effect that when he was seeking for directors
for the company from the lower provinces, Sir John's injunc-
tion was, " But take care that those you select be not men who
will fall under the influence of Allan." Every step in the
negotiation was made with a view to circumscribing the
powers of Sir Hugh, as the government knew his ability in
manipulation, and the power he held by reason of his influ-
ence in the money markets. If Sir Hugh chose to fling away
his hundreds of thousands in buying intluence through the
province of Queliec that was no affair of the government.
Money is the greatest power known to man, and those wlio
have it use it to accomplish their ends. It is oidy a few days
ago since a " railway magnate " passed through our province
scattering gold ; and in his progress bought up, it is estimated,
over fifty newspapers. But we need not waste time. This much
is as clear as day. If the government had been under obliga-
tion to Sir Hugh, if they had taken his money in lieu of their
support in the railway schemo, he would have been the favour-
ed one in the charter ; but instead of this wo find he is one
man of thirteen, given the same amount of stock (§100,000),
as each of the other tliirteen receives, getting no j)references,
save the presidency, which he would have obtained from the
company itself, and that he is hedged in at eveiy point by
government restrictions. Madness itself could not suppose a
bargain or an understanding in light of such facts, uidess on
the assumption that Sir Hugh Allan was an idiot; and with
Sir Hugh alone, of the company, was the government charged
with trafficking. One point, only, remains now to be disposed
of. To what did the stolen telegrams, in which Sir John and
other members of the government ask Sir Hugh Allan for cer-
tain sums of money, refer ? Let us hear Sir John. He makes
no attem}it to deny that money was spent at the election. It

THE GOVERNMENT AND SIR HUGH ALLAN.

40ri

was needed, and it was logitimately spout, as money is necdeil
and spent at every election known to man vuider responsible
government. " Wo were simply subscribing as gentlemen, while
they were stealing as burglars," atlirms Sir John. He found
the Ontario govermnent with its purse and its promises in the
field against him, and he had to light fire with fire ; but never
he says, was a dollar spent corruptly. This local government
force was sprung upon him; he found the enemy strong at
every point, ami had to meet its strength with like strength
Sir Hugh Allan came forward and said that if the government
had not had suflicient time among their friends to get what
money they needed, he could advance them a certain sum.
Promptly we may be sure was the offer accepted, with the
understanding that friends of the government would do as
they have always, whether properly or improperly, lieen asked
to do, make up the amount of the loans, and other expenses.
But this did not tie the government to Sir Hugh; aheady
they had refused his overtures, and ended his hopes of the
scheme for which he had disbursed his 8'5<)(),000 in gold ; in
their succeeding relations they treatcil him as they did his
twelve associates. Here then was the feature which the gov-
ernment's opponents called "bad:" accepting loans from a
contractor in a public work. But we have shown that the
act did not influence the course of the government in dealing
with the lender in his relation to the contract ; hence the
charge of impro])ri(.'ty goes to the wall. Perhaps some will
suggest " indiscietion " for impropriety. We .shall not (piarrel
with whomsoever does so. One more point remains. Was it
proper that the government should .scatter all this money
through the electorate? Is not that deltauching the piddic
mind? It is, we sinswer without hesitation, but the .sin rests
on the shoulders of the .system which prevails in every country
under responsible, and party government. Sir John simply
did as his neighbours, no more, and nothing wor.se. At every
electi(jn there are expenses, some light, and some vast, and

m i

106

LIFK OF am JOHN A. MACDONALD.

those have to be borne by ministers and their friends. The
spectacle may be pitiable, and it is pitiable, but it is true,
and is a part of onr system as much as the ballot itself. At
the last general election, if the newspaper reporter, who at-
tends to keyholes, is to be believed, Sir John gathered the
manufacturers about him, and levied an election tax. Probab-
ly he did ; and his reform friends were not behind him. Tlic
refoi-mer as well as the tory, has his " fund " at election time,
and he does not use it to make the electors purer and more in-
dependent. Once, indeed, he did move in this direction, when he
levied a large sum to " put down corruption." The only difi'er-
ence between the conservative and his neighbour in this respect
is that the latter sometimes goes in debt to bribe and corrupt,
as we see by the post-election scandals with which men not
over honest now and again regale the public nostril. We
need not do more than say in conclusion, that every judge in
the land, every impartial observer who has studied the stoiy
of the connection between the prime-minister and Sir Hugh,
is forced to admit, that, while the accidental relations between
the giver and the receiver of the railway charter, assumed, at
the fii'st, an aspect strongly suggestive of wrong-doing, that
there remains little to prove that the conduct ol' Sir John, so
far as he may be said to have personally profited by the affaii',
showed aught than fidelity to his public trust, or was other
than that of a man of honour. This, too, is the verdict of the
people who have repented of their harsh judgment and taken
him back to favour. And it will be the verdict of history.

Cw^

W^^

•^l&-

CHAPTER XXII.

MR. Mackenzie's ADMiNisritATioN.

SIR JOHN MACDONALirS attitude oii the morrow of
these disclosures, and in presence of the adverse jud^jment
of the House and tlie country, was ty[)ical of the man. It was
the expression of a stalwart coura;,'e, whif;h blenched not in face
of calumny and o})position, as well as of an unshaken confidence
in himself and his government. This attitude he then and
always afterwards maintained, despite what his enemies had
charged him with, and whatever colour had been given to the
circumstances brouixht to light in the relations between the
heads of the Administration and Sir Hugh Allan. His speech
in defence of his conduct is full of force and fire. Nor is it
lacking in dignity, or in that moral tone, which gave no little
efiect to his words, of injured innocence. Here is the perora-
tion of his address, after insisting that Sir Hugh Allan had
contributed of his own volition to the election fund of the
party, and that there was nothing in the Pacific Railway char-
ter, conceding an undue privilege to that gentleman or to those
in alliance with him, that might bo construed as a corrupt
bargain between the government and the projected construc-
tion company. "Mr. Speaker," said Sir John Mac<lonald, "I
commit myself, the government commits it.'^elf, to the hands
of this House, and far beyond tlio House, it c(jmiiiits itself to
the country at large. We have faithfully done our duty. We
have fought the battle of Confederation. We have fouirht the
battle of Union. We have had party stiife setting ])i'ovince
against province, and, more tliaii all, we have had in the great-
est province, the preponderating province (jf the Dominion,
every prt-judico and sectioiial Ict.lin^ that could be arrayed

against us. I have been the vicUm of that conduct to a great

407

1, ■■

\ ]

408

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MA< 'DONALD.

extent ; but I have fought the battle of Confederation, the
battle of Union, the liattle of the Dominion of Canada. I
throw myself upon this House ; I throw myself upon tliis
cijuntry ; I throw myself upon posterity , and I believe I know,
that, notwithstanding the many failings in my life, I shall have
the voice of this country and of this House rallying round uio.
And, sir, if I am mistaken in that, I can confidently ajijical to
a higher court — to the coiu't of my own conscience, and to the
court of posterity. I leave it with this House with every confid-
ence. I am equal to cither fortune. I can see past the deci-
sion of this House, either for or against me. I know — and it is
no vain boast for me to say so, for even my enemies will admit
that I am no boaster — that there does not exist in Canada a
man who has given more of his time, more of his heart, more
of his means, or more of his intellect and power, such as they
may be, for the good of this Dominion of Canada." Vain, how-
ever, was this appeal, and finding the struggle a wrestle with
the inevitable, Sir Jolin ]Macdonald, on the morning of the oth
of November, (1S73), i)laced his resignation and that of his
Ministry in the hands of the Governor-General. Later in the
same day, he rose in his place in the House and announced that
the Government had resigned, and that His Excellenc}' had
called upon Mr. Alexander Mackenzie to form a ministry. Then
the great cloud of change rolls in, shutting from our sight the
figure upon whom our e^'o so long had rested with admiration
and pride ; and a new crew appear upon the deck of the ship
of State. Two days after Sir John's resignation, the new
premier was able to announce his ministry as follows : —

Hon. Alexander Mackenzie Premier and Min. Pub, Works.
" A. A. DomoN - - - Minister of Justice.
" Alijert J. Smith - - Min. Marine and Fisheries,
" Luc Letellier de St. Just - Min, of Ayric allure.
" Richard J. Caihwiucht - - Min. of Finance,
" Da VJD Laird . . . - Min. of the Interior.*

• This department had been recently created in lieu of tliat of secretary of state
for the provinces, which, bein;^ at once useless and a travesty on the imperial oilice,
was aboli.'Tihed.

^ ft

^ij

t^i-/r-.o>

HON ALEX MACKENZIE.

;

i',

ri'

U I

B7n

i 4:1

Mli. MACK i:\XI i:S ADMIMSTlriTliiX.

4))<>

Hon. Isaac JJuri'EE

" David Chuistik

" TkLKSI'HORK FoUllNIKIl

" Donald A. Ma('D<)NAI.d

" TuoMAs Coffin

" William Ross -

" Edward Blake

" Richard W. Scott

Mln. of Cusioms.
Secrrtdi'i/ of St'ili'.

- M'ni. Inbmd Rer,
- Post i>i(ister-(j(! nera'.

- Receiver-Genemi
- Mln. Militia and Defence.

- (wit/iout portfolio),
(without portfolio).

Mr. Mackenzie was (letevmined on a thorouLrli cleansiiinr ,)t
wliat the Opposition doubtless deemed tlie Auj^'oaii -stable, and
asked for a dissolution, which was Ljranted. If the leforni
newspapers were to be relitjd upon, a largo number of nienibers
had bought their way to the legislature with Sir Hugh Allan s
money ; so by a new election, candidates woidd have an op-
portunity of judicious bribing with purer cuin of the realm.
There was not a superfluity of brotherly love in the new cabi-
net, for Mr. Blake could not hide, or probably did not care to
hide, his dislike of Mr. ^Mackenzie ; while Sir ilicliard Cart-
wright, who looked with no enamoured eye on responsil)le gov-
ernment, was rather out of his element among radical statesmen
grown up from the trades. The lack of cordial lelations be-
tween Mr. Mackenzie ami Mr. Blake, then as now, were due, we
infer, to the leadership, which passed the latter because he
could not bend to negotiation. If ^Ir. Blake has ever had a
political intrigue, which we do not believe, then surely must it
have been dillerent from that of other men. We can imagine
this singularly icy statesman treading the long winding-stair of
a solitary tower, and, having reached the top which looks out
into the star-lit night, carrying on an intrigue with his own
half-mystical ambition. Never can our imagination picture
him courting his colleagues, still less courting the people, for
their preferences.

On the 2nd of July, the old pail lament ceased to exist, and
the two parties went to the i)olls. The ref(jrmers had no rigidly-
detined policy to propound, their chief mission bring t(j pm-ify
the country. They pledged themselves to keej) faith with

I-

Lll'i: OF SI I! .ions A. M.\<'I)I)S.\Uk

iiritisli Coluiiilda, l)ut ^avc warning that they considered the
construction of tlie Pacific Railway within tlie time si)ecilied
impossible, and that they would not hind themselves to that
portion of the contract. The other measures in the |)ro<friinniie
wi.'ie not of Hrst-rate importance. They included, however, the
following useful measures : a readjustment of the fuinchise.and
the taking of votes by ballot; a revision of the militia and
insolvent laws; the qualification of membeis for the legislature;
the creation of a Court of Ap])cal for the Dominion; the pro-
motion of immigration ; an improvement of the canal system,
and the developn»ent of unoccupied territory. As well might
one, standing ujjon the shore, expect to reason with the ocean,
tliat has been lashed into fury by the storm, as expect Sir John
to succeed in getting Canada, disturbed and startled by the
alarming scandal which the reformers liad unearthed, to listen
to reason and give heed to liis dufencc. She stopped her ears
and turned away. The reformers swejit the country, and Mr.
Mackenzie, in the new parliament, found a majority of eighty
at his back. We differ from Mr. ilackcnzie in oui- view of
many public questions, and have no great admiration for him
as n writer, nuich less as a biograj^her painting a portrait under
the coercion of party prejudice , nevertheless we do not hesi-
tate to nay that his influence upon the political life of Canada)
has been good ; that lie was faithful to his trust ; and above all
according to his lights, strove to do his duty. We would like
to be able to say that he was a popular administrator ; but we
cannot. He was out of synipathy with the si)irit of our time ;
and the robust judgment of the young country, then at least,
was against him. Cast-iron theories always hedged him in,
and .set bounds to his every impulse and plan ; at last they
grew so narrow as U) become his cofHn. A man who follows a
doctrine has little of pliancy or compromi.se, and less of tho
dittjiosition to be iuHnenced by public opinion. His attitude
reminds one of the captain on the lee shore who scorned the
advice of his officers, went by the "Navigator's Guide," and
put his vessel upon the rocks. But it is only ignorance or pre-
judice that would deny to Mr. Mackenzie a place amongst the

Mli. MACKI'LXXHJS A JKMIXlsrilA TIOX.

tu.

foremost statesmen of liis time. In ami out of ollice ho ex.
liiliitetl a tiiclcsfs industry in i-xaminini,' and ma-.tfrinf( every
subject belon^'ing to the public wphcro ; and tliosu who have
seen liis inner life declare that while he held power he never
liveil an i<llc day. Of his policy of stubborn resistiinco
to the popular will, he ci-rtainly was the hv'w rather than the
arbiter; and if he ever desired to be free from the yoke of
that power which dominated almost every im[)ortant action of
his administration, his escape from the Nemesis that haunted
him was made after his o])portunity had been lost, and when
he never ati^ain could breathe the l>reath of conlidence hxU) the
people. In later years his head rolled on the block to propitiate
the policy of his master's making,'. Nor had the de[iosed lea<ler
any .su])erabundant loyalty for the hand that cut off his liead
he rej)aid his lucky rival with a support as frigid as the latter
gave to him when he became prime-minister. Too often the
community is the measure of the man, the "village Hampden"
.seMom attaining to the stature of the giant ; and if oin- colonial
statesmen develop smaller mindcdness in the political sphere
than do British .statesmen, the fault is perhaps rather the
country's than their own. This much, however, is certain :
From 1S4G to ]<S.')2, Lord John Kussell was prime-minister of
England, with Palmeiston as foreign secretary; but in IS.').')
the latter became premier, his former lea<ler taking the colonial
secretaryship ; and the most amicable relations existed between
the two statesmen. In 1835, the Duke of Wellington accepted
the foreign secretary ship, under IVel, with cordial loyalty, bend-
ing to the wishes of his part}' ; though the bluff old statesman
was not without the opinion that his prowess in the council
was only e(]ualled by his skill in canipaigns. liritish history
abounds with similar instances, the leader of to-day becoming
thesubordinateof to-morrow, not regai ding the change as a per-
sonal injury by the luckier rival, but as one of the fortunes
of political war. One of Mr. Mackenzie's faults seems to have
been a rather hard and unyielding manner, which he could,
perhaps, no more control tlian if it had been dyspepsia; but
many a one who had claims upon his courtesy came out of hi.s

412

i.irr: or sjj; .mux .1. MM'hoSM.n.

t (•

jjit'scncc nioro or less ndvoiscly iiiflut'iiceii by it. Sucli slii^lu
faults, however, lielp sosiietiines to make up a Mil of iissassina-
tion. But the cliange of heads did not iiiaUothe reform atinos-
]ihero warmer. 'J'lie party lost a leader whoso blood was coitl,
and ;^'ot somethinif eolder.

When Jlr. Mackenzie assembled his forces at the Capital he
found ofHce a boisterous sea, where without a skilled liuhiisman
the vessel of State is sure to find shi])wreck. Mr. Mackenzie
diflrretl very much from Sir John Macdonald in his mode of
aihainisteriiij; atliiirs. He was dispo.^ed to promise little, his
manner was formal and cold, and, as we have said, ho rarely
cultivated those little amenities which go far to make a cabi-
net minister j)opular. It was an irksome task with him to
j^ive a pi'onnse which he could not fuIHl or to undertake any-
thing he thought he could not cairy out. It seemed a part of
his policy to say very little, btit to try and do a great deal.
Sir John, on the other hand, had pursued a line of conduct
quite the reverse of this. " With him nothing was impossible.
He laid his finger on the map of Ijritish Columbia one day, and
finding that it rested immediately on the spot marked Van-
couver Island, he said, let that be the terminus of the Pacilic
Kailway. What were mountain ranges or seas of mountains
to him ? Jt was an easy matter to promise. It was easy to
send a thousand engineers into the field ! It was easy to lill
the mountains with theodolites and suiveyors' chains .' It
suited him for the nionient to make a promise, and a promise
was accordingly made."*

Three problems awaited Mr. Mackenzie on entering office,
the discontent of British Columbia on the inevitable violation
of the compact under which she entered the Union ; the New
Brunswick school imbroglia, and tb" ami' ty to Louis Riel, the
murderer of Scott. On the y, 1H71, as we have

seen, British Columliri t-i.lt She had been in-

duced to do so upon .J ide oiling that a railroad

stretching across the ist oft continent and connecting the
newly-acquired province wit) the East would be completed

•Stewart's Canada under the Administi.iii'U of the Earl of Duffeiin, jip- o'y>, 354.

Mli. MAi'Ki:SZli:s ADMIX [STli.lTfo l.

within ten years. Our Caimdian Mtato^nicn know little of the
(litliculLies of Ljreat ruilwny constructiDii then, and Sir J(jhn
gave evidence of this, wlien laying liis linger cnsually upon tlie
mail, ^^ '^^"'^^ " ^^^ t^'^t ''^' ^^^'^ toriiiinus of the Pacilic llailway."
Even, it appears, eminent engineers themselves, with wliom
ministers consulted, W(;re \\'<i awan; how stupendous the unilur-
taking was. But though the gigantic character of the enter-
prise was manifest to fSir John and his colleagues when tliey
were entering the compact, it would be a mistake to suppose
that they were likely on such an account to stay the act of com-
mitment. They desired the ac(|uisiti()n of Ihitish Cohnnljiaand
knew that once in ollice, whether they fullillcd their |)ledge
promptly or not, or even not at all, she must remain in
her political wedlock. Some of them, however, were induced
to seek the construction of the road actuated hy a national en-
thusiasm, highly inflated. But there was some ditierence between
that jingoism which set itself to l)uilding up scientific frontiers
and plunging suffering mechanics into revolt ; and in the over-
haste of Canadian statesmen, to undertake, though at inest-
imable, cost a work which they believed would confer commer-
cial greatness upon their country and knit the sundered mem-
bers into an abiding brotherhood. As for the sjieeches that
were made about the possible military advantages of the road,
those who write history are not supposcil to take any more
account of them than of the ignominious out-going of the
training-ship Ch.(irijbdis* Let us trust that in future, dis-

* This vessel was brouh'lit to C<vii:ula with ii j,'reat tl nirish of t^llIUl)et^, ami min-
isters and their .su|)i)orters pointed out with enthusiasm in the House of Commons,
tlie u'enerosity of tiie Imperial (iovernnient in milciii^' the donation, (^ne honor-
al'lc -'cntleman, the ni-niber for Yaniiiska, said: "This gift tliat the country
accepts with the greatest gratitude is destined to supjily a want lonj,' felt in the
organization of the forces of the country. * * * Xovertlieless we are waiUin;,'
in marines. Tiiis training-ship is calculated to create this new calling, and our
young men will be able to defend the country on the high seas with as much skill
ami valor as on the laud." But when the people saw the unsi^-htly old hulk mak
iiig her way into the h.arbnur of St. John they set up a laugh, nor did the mockery
or the banter cease till the government which had made such an ado about her
coming were obliged to send the soggy oM concern back .again. In 188;{ Mr. Blake
poked a good deal of fun itt the ministry and at inliatiouists of the tyiie of the
Yamaska member. Iveferring to all that the wonderful ship was to do f(jr us, he

' ; ;<i

s .

; :

1^1

414

LIFE OF Sin JOHN A. MACDOyAU).

cu.ssions on those affairs which are purely commercial or political,
we have heard the last of "military considerations."

Three yeais having elapsed and the first sod of the road
being yet unturned, British Columbia, trembling for the fate
of the compact, began to importune the government. Accord-
ing to terms, work should have been commenced within two
years, but that date had elapsed by nearly a year. Some de-
clared that British Columbia acted with " indecent haste " in
pressing on progress in the work before means for the fulfil-
ment of the same were obtained, before methods of operation
were known, and before the route itself had been determined.
But with these things the peoj)le in the distant province had
nothing whatever to do. The Dominion Government solemnly un-
dertook to perform a part: it was the affair then of that Govern-
ment to achieve it. The people were clamorous and unappeas-
able. Hundreds of shop-keepers, trades-jieople and others, had
been looking forward to the influx of construction money, and
had turned their attention away from other affairs. Many of
them, indeed, had made direct and heavy outlays in pre}>ara-
tion for t;ie anticipated increase in trade. To make matters
worse, just about this time Mr. Mackenzie went to Sarnia and
there made a long, and, as we conceive, a foolishly frank speech
concerning the Pacific Railway. He condemned, and very justly
condemned, the act of his predecessors in tying the country up
to the completion of so stupendous an enterprise in a period so
short, but declared that while the government would honor-
ably carry out every portion of the compact that was practic-
able, it would not bind itself to finish the work in ten years, or
in any specified number of years. Listening through a lon[,'
season for the click of the pick-axe, and failing to hear it, it was
no wonder that the Britisli Columbians took the alarm when
they received these tidings from the lips of the premier. The
complaints from the people were so loud, and the solicitations of

asked in answering the speech iu reply to the address : "But where i< she now?
Wliy, sir, you cjiniiot find her even in the speech from the Tlirone. If no (;ue else
will, let me be permitted to jiay my respects to the departed Chariih'lis." The
whole affair of this old war-ship was very ridiculous from beginning to euil ; the
action of setting her up as a training-ship was only worthy of a lot of school boys.

MR. MACKEX/JES ADMINISTRATION.

415

the provincial ministry so persistent, that Mr. Mackenzie at last
lesolvecl to send a plenipotentiary, in the person of Mr. James
i). Edgar, to propose terms for a new arrangement between the
respective governments, and to ascertain the general condition
of the people of the then little-known colony.

On the 9th of March, 1874, theDominion agent reached British
Columbia. He was promptly called upon by Mr. Walkem, the
Premier, to whom he made known his mission and exhibited his
credentials. The Colonial Premier did not seem to have any
hesitation at this point in accepting Mr. Edgar as the properly
accredited agent, and, regarding him in the latter light, intro-
duced him to his colleagues. Mr. Edgar was not long in the
country before he found that a considerable number of the
persons who made the most grievous outcry were those who
had no roots in the soil ; that swarms of adventurers and
speculators, counting upon the extraordinary circulation of
monej^ had come in and, so to speak, pitched their tents in
order fo gather while the harvest was going on. Land-grabbers
had gone along the proposed line of road, and for small amounts
purchased extensive tracts of land, which they believed would
bring enormous gains when the trains ran through them.

Mr. Edgar had gone across armed with authority to propose
a definite scheme for building the road, but his foot was no
sooner in the province than he found the determination upon
every face to have what was guaranteed by the Union or
nothing at all. The legislation had another year to run, and
a week before his arrival it passed this resolution : " That
in view of the importance of the Railway Clause of the terms
of Union between Canada and British Columbia being faith-
fully carried out by Canada, this House is of opinion that no
alteration in the said clause should bo permitted by the Gov-
ernment of this Province until the same has been submitted
to the people for indorsation." This resolution was in itself a
bar to progress in the negotiations which Mr. Edgar came to
press. The agent met the Provincial Cabinet scveial times,
and the difficulty was discussed in all its bearings. Mr. Edgar
[jointed out that the obstacles to construction were titanic ;

t: 5

^iw'

416

LIFH OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

that enf]jineers had only the most imperfect idea of the diffieul-
ties, but that with such knowledge as they possessed they
declared that the time remaining was utterly inadequate, with
the expenditure of anything like rational annual sums, for the
completion of the work. The Canadian Government was pre-
pared, he informed them, to bind itself to a scheme which
would guarantee a railway at once from Esquimault to Nana-
imo, which road would be vigorously pushed and finished as
expeditiously as possible ; to make surveys on the mainland
and begin them immediately , and he pointed out that to this
end a generous grant had been made, and that a large staff of
engineers was alreadv under orders. He further showed that
while it was impossible for Govei'nment to begin the construc-
tion of the railroad proper before surveys had been finished
and the line laid out, that a post-road would at once be opened
up, and telegraph lines be carried across the continent. The
ministry further bound itself to expend the minimum sum of a
million and a half dollars each year in the Province, after the
surveys had been completed, till the termination of the work.
Shortly alter the above conditions were submitted to the
Provincial Government, on behalf of the Canadian Ministry,
Mr. Edgar received a letter from Mi'. Walkem, setting forth
that the Provincial Government did not recognize in him an
Agent-general of the Dominion, but merely a person investoil
with powers to discuss the question under dispute ; and he
demanded the official authority that conferred any highc
function before entering into negotiations of so grave a charactei
Mr. Edgar sent a dispatch to the Government representing tht
turn affairs had taken, and asking for a confirmation ot
authority ; but for eight days i\Ir. ^fackenzie kept silent, after
which Lieutenant-Governor Trutch received the following dis-
patch : " I refer ministry to my letter by Mr. Edgar, which
sufficiently indicateil his mission, and which they recognized.
He is now recalled, and I await his return and report." Thi-
was exactly in Mr. Mackenzie's maimer. It is not certain that
Mr. Walkem would have agreed to the proposal ; but it is (piito
certain that the undii)lomatic and possibly evasive Premier

MB. MACKENZIE'S ADMINISTRATION.

417

did not give him an opportunity of doing so. The anxiety of
the Local Government was natural enough ; they were asked
to release the Canadian Government from a contract that was
the core of the conditions of Union ; and they wished
to know if this gentleman with whom they had been holding
converse ^as a mere reporter or go-between for the Govern-
ment, or a person acting by a code of instructions, whose doings
would be binding upon those who sent him. At any rate, it
was not excellent statesmanship to waste so much time over
a lot of useless negotiation, and when the only part of the
whole proceeding that was of any consequence was reached, to
suddenly get huffed and break off the negotiations.

The Province was now left to make some move for it- elf.
Accordingly it was decided to send Mr. Walkem to England to
argue the case before the Secretary of State for the Colonies.
His Lordship (the Earl of Carnarvon) was loth to interfere
otHcially ii what he regarded as a domestic di.s[)ute, but con-
sented to act as arbitrator between both parties. This proposition
was readily and cheerfully accepted, and the Canadian Govern-
ment made the following proposals :

(1.) To commence at once, and finish as soon as possible, a
railway from Esquimault to Nanaimo.

(2.) To spare no expense in settling as speedily as possible
the line to be taken by the railway on the mainland.

(3.) To make at once a waggon road and lino of telegraph
along the whole length of the railway in British Columbia, and
to continue the telegraph across the continent.

(4.) The moment the surveys and roads on the mainland
are completed, to spend a minimum amount of 81,500,000
annually upon the construction of the railway within the
Province.

Taking up each point seriatim the British Columbians re-
plied: (1.) That nothiniif is being done by the Dominion Govern-
ment towards commencing and pushin.,' on a railway from
Esquimault to Nanaimo.

(2.) That the surveying parties in the mainland are numer-
ically very weak ; and that there is no expectation in British

if]'

',■ I

418

LIFE OF Sill JOHN A. MACDONALD.

Columbia, or guarantee given on the part of the Dominion,
that the surveys will be proceeded with speedily.

(3.) That the people of British Columbia do not desire the
waggon road offered by the Dominion Government, as it
would be useless to them ; and that even the telegraph pro-
posed to be constructed along the line of the railway cannot
be made until the route to be taken by the I'ailway is settled.

(4j That " the moment the surveys are completed," is not
only an altogether uncertain but, at the present rate of pro-
ceeding, a very remote period of time, and that an expenditure
of Sl,50(),()00 a year on the railway within the Province will
not carr}' the line to the boundary of British Columbia before
a very distant date.

The Earl recommended :

"(1.) That the section of the railway from Esquimault to
Nanaimo should be begun at once.

" (2.) That the Dominion Government should greatly increase
the strength of the surveying parties on the mainland, and that
they should undertake to expend on the surveys, if necessary,
for the speedy completion of the work, if not an equal share to
that which they would expend on the railway itself, if it were
in actual course of construction, at all events some definite
minimum amount.

" (3.) Inasmuch as the proposed waggon road does not seem
to be desired by British Columbia, the Canadian Government
and Parliament may be fairly relieved of the expense and labour
involved in their offer ; and desirable, as in my opinion, the
construction of the telegraph across the continent will be, it
perhaps is a question whether it may not be postponed till the
line to be taken by the railway is definitely settled.

" (4.) The offer made by the Dominion Govei'nment to spend
a minimum amount of $1,500,000 annually on the railway
within British Columbia, as soon as the surveys and waggon
road are completed, appears to me to be hardly as definite as
the large interests involved on both sides seem to reipiire. 1
think that some short and fixed time should be assiirned with-
in which the surveys should be completed ; failing which, some

MR. MACKENZIE'S A DM IN 1ST II AT WX.

41»

compensation should become due to British Columbia for the
delay."

After a little diplomatic wrangling, the " Carnarvon terms "
were laid before the Dominion Government, which provided
(1) that the railway from Es(|uimault to Nanaimo, on Van-
couver Island, should be begun and finished with all des-
patch ; (2) that the surveys on the mainland should l)e
pushed on with all possible vigour ; (3) that the waggon road
and telegraph line should be immediately constructed ; (4) that
$2,000,000 yearly, not $1,500,000, should be the sum expended
on construction, and (5) that on or before the 31st of Decem-
ber, 1890, the road should be open foi- traffic from the Pacific
seaboard to a point on the western end of Lake Superior.
Thus was the matter settled for the time ; but, during the
following session, dissatisfaction once more broke out in British
Columbia and its people began to threaten secession. It now
only remained for the Dominion authorities to devise the
methods by which the road was to be constructed — whether
by the Government itself or by private capital. It is certain
that each member of the Government took tlie gloomiest view
of the situation, and many of its number held the conviction
that when the line was constructed it must create a deficit,
each year, of two or three millions in travelling expenses.
Various acts of legislation were introduced to carry the
" Carnarvon terms " into effect ; but these were either o|)posed
or miscarried, and it was left to a succeeding ministry to
remove the railroad from the arena of Parliamentary debate
and set it down on the prairie and the mountain.

The history of the New Brunswick school dilliciilty has been
elsewhere dealt with in these pages, as has also the luiid story
of Kiel. We cannot, in the space now remaining to us, follow
Mr. Mackenzie through every detail of his administration, but
must content ourselves with a hasty glance at his most impoi-
tant work. During the year LS7(i, the United States demanded
of Great Britiiin the extradition of certain fugitives from
justice, under the terms of the tenth clause of the Asliburton

LIFE OF Stn JOHK A. MACDONALD.

treaty, 1 ut the English Government refused to grant the
request, unless upon tho condition that the offenders should
not be tried for any offence other than that for which their
surrender had been demanded. To this reasonable s; . pulation
the United States Government would not agree, and the
•operation of the clause named was for the time suspended.
Canadian criminals fled across the boundary, finding protection
under the American flag, and forgers, murderers and escaped
convicts came trooping from the republic into our cities, where
they laughed at the laws they had outraged. Such a state of
•affairs, though happily altered now, was, of course, intolerable ;
but the British Government receded from its position and the
'suspended clause assumed its former virtue. A joint extradi-
tioli act has since been agreed to by the Governments of the
Tluited States and Canada, and the scandal has now ceaseil
to outrage morality. In 1874 the general election law
providing for vote by ballot, simultaneous elections and the
abolition of property qualifications for members was passed.
In 1875 was established the Supreme Court of Canada, having
civil and criminal jurisdiction throughout the Dominion, and
taking away — though only in name — the right of appeal to
England, except where imperial interests were involved; in
the same session were passed the Canada temperance, the
homestead exemption, the petition of right, the militia, the
maritime court and the public accounts audit acts. By the
latter it was provided that the auditor-general should, in a
sense, be a detective, his functions being to keep his eyes open
for ministerial dishonesty ; and his office was put beyond
cabinet conti'ol. As the assumption of the act was that
governments are given to steal, and that auditors are not
incorruptible, persons as suspicious as the framers of the
measure must be in a state of perpetual alarm, lest dishonest
ministers may some day league themselves with the temptahle
auditor for the purpose of plunder. Besides these important
measures, it is to the credit of Mr. Mackenzie that he has left
to us, though in leges non scriptae, a wider range of constitu-
tional privilege. The authorities ot the colonial office, during

MB. MACKENZIE'S AmiINISTRATION.

421

the early years of Lord Dufferin's re'ylme, had through the
usual plural pronoun of the first estate, issued tliese instruc-
tions to the Governor-General. " If, in any case, } ou see
sufficient cause to dissent from the opitiion of the major part,
or the whole of our privy council for our Dominion, it shall
be competent for you to exercise the powers and authorities
vested in you by our commission, and by these our instruc-
tions, in opposition to such their opinion." These, of couise,
are the words of a scribe, and the sentiments of a sovereign,
innocent of the trend of modern history, and of the nature of
Canadian spirit. Mr. Mackenzie, to his credit be it said,
challenged this dictum of Downing-street, that opened corres-
pondence with the colonial office, and contended that the
Governor-General, his council and the parliament of Canada,
should bear the same relation to the people of the Dominion,
with regard to all acts of domestic policy, as the Queen, her
privy council, and the imperial parliament bear to Great
Britain. To this firm contention, the home oHice, after
some resistance, with a complacent shrug, at last consented.
A good deal has been written by light writers and by heavy
writers, concerning the functions of a Governor-General, or his
lieutenant, under responsible government ; and we have long
seen "Constitutional heirophants" [licking their feeble Wi.v
through a waste of constitutional tomes by the light of a tallow
dip. Some assert that the duty of the Governor-General is now
merely to sign documents ; while others maintain that he is
tiie agent of the state that appoints him, and holds in his hand
a power greater than the people. With the latter view, we
may say, we are in accord. To talk of the supremacy of the
people in a subordinate state, is to utter a i)aradox, even
thouffh the shadow of foreijjn domination fell across our coun-
try but once in a generation. Practically (though theie is at
least one important exception) we do now govern ourselves ;
hut we sometimes forget that we do so only by courtesy,
though no doubt courtesy is not likely at this late day to be
exchanged for anything bearing a lu-rder name. The type of
a perfect legislative and governing system is the municipal

ill
! h

■■*'')

111

1';

if If

422

LIFE OF Sin JOHN A. MACDONALD.

institution. The warden (or reeve, as he is sometimes called),
is not himself the authority, but the executor of the council's
will ; the receptacle wherein resides the authority of the assem-
blage. Authority is indivisible, and is resident only in unity;
and in the municipal institution is begotten of the council —
which is an embodiment of the people's will — and is expressed
through the person presiding. The warden has no power save
that which he derives from those over whom he presides ; but
he is at once the executor and the representative of the will of
that body. This is, then, the true type of government by the
people. In the Canadian cabinet, the authority of ministers is
resident in, and administered by, the president of the council ;
but that authorit}'^ is paraded before the nominal authority of
the foreign power, as vested in the agent of the latter, and may
be accepted or set aside. In our Provincial Governments the
case is the same in form, though differing greatly in nature,
the Canadian ministry filling in a large degree the place of the
foreign power with respect to the higher cabinet. Our friends
in the republic glory in sounding upon their trumpets that
they have government by the people ; but in the veto, which
is an assumption that one man is wiser than many millions,
there is more than the phantom of a king. The Governor-Gen-
eral may be a " wooden horse," but like that of the Grreeks
before the gates of 'J'roy, he has within him a power though
now fallen into desuetude. We have been fortunate in the mild
sway of such agents as the Dufierins and the Lornes, and the
Lansdownes ; but we may get another Metcalf before we arc
all gray, and then we shall probably have — Independence.

In 1877, it became known to Mr. Mackenzie that the Impe-
rial Goveinment were about appointing, as the Canadian repre-
sentative at the Halifax fishery commission, an English diplo-
matist. The Premier at once offered a firm protest, and main-
tained that it would be impolitic if the Dominion were to bo
without a local representative in view of the magnitude of her
interests at slake. The Imperial Government, however, did
not consider that we were entitled to a domestic commissioner,
contending, among themselves, that it was an affair of the em-

■^

MR. MACKI'JXXIIJS ADMlXISTIiATIOX.

423

pire — though the interests of Canada alone were at stake.
Yielding, however, to the uncomproniising attitude of Mr. Mac.
kenzie and the ministry, and " to satisfy the colonists, ' Sir A.
T. Gait was noniinated. In addition to the higher grounds of
manhood, equality and liberty, wliich make the scheme of Ca-
nadian Independence so dear to all those wL) dislike the idea
of continuing to be subjects of a distinct European state when
they may be citizens of their own, are several ([uestions bear-
ing upon the trade and welfare of our people, by which we
suffer from being held in leading-strings. It is surely more
than an imaginary grievance that we are not permitted to make
our own commercial treaties, but must be content to accept the
agreements entered into on our behalf by the distant and old
world government. In a speech of uncommon power^ during
the session of 1882, Mr. Blake contended that the right of
makincj Canadian treaties should be vested in the Dominion jrov-
ernment. Some time afterwards, certain writers in the news-
papers declared that Mr. Blake was a staunch friend of Can-
adian Independence ; whereupon, at a public gathering in
Montreal a few months later, he repudiated his utterances at
the late i^ession of parliament, by declaring that we now, prac-
tically, had self-government in Canada. Where Mr. Blake now
stands on national questions, we are not any the more clear
since his recent utterance on the morrow succeeding the last
general election. In that manifesto he certainly does not stand
where he stood at Aurora, though, it is true, time has marched
on with the couR<"ry since then. Mr. Blake's great speeches,
unfortunately, but too often resemble railway trains running
in different directions, eventually meeting in disastrous col-
lision.

After the defeat of Sir John at the polls, the conservative party
were crestfallen, and were many dreary weeks before they had
spirit to raise their heads. Two or three members at a caucus,
which at last made a desperate effort for life and organi/ition,
were of the opinion that Sir John had seen his time and done
his work ; but such counsel only stiri-ed the deap-seated loyalty
of the party to the chief who had led them so often to victory,

, L

,'if

"-^il

424

LIFE OF SIR JonX A. MACDONALD.

to a new activity. Once again the well-beloved leader sat at
the head of his erstwhile scattered followers, and began to
wliispor in their ear words of hope. He had been studying the
political inituation, and .saw that decay had laid its hand upon
the ruling party. The country had fallen into a state of com-
mercial atrophy, and year after year, during the administra-
tion of Mr. Mackenzie, saw the situation grow worse. Enter-
prise was without heart, capital shrank timidly away, and con-
fidence had fairly gone out of the country. Each session of
parliament showed a large deficiency in receipts in comparison
with the expenditure. For some time previous to 1874, the cus-
toms duties on unenumerated imports had been 15 percent., but
in the session of the last-named year, to meet the threatened de-
ficit, Mr. (now Sir) R. J. Cartwright, minister of finance, intro-
duced a measure providing fur an increase to 17i per cent. Mr.
Cartwright, like all other statesmen, had no hesitation in ad-
mitting that taxation was bad ; but he preferred taxation, pure
and simple, to taxation with a .saving clause. His increase fell
into the gaping jaws of deficit, which still hungered for more.
Year after year the balance was on the wrong side of the book,
till at last trade was lanijuishing so low that it would have died
liad that been po.ssible ; commercial houses and financial insti-
tutions which had been regarded firm as the hills came toppling
down ; our people were fleeing the country in thousands look-
ing for work, wliile the solicitations of the idle for employment
and of the hungry for bread, were heard in every Canadian city.
The government cannot manipulate the State as it manages a
department; nevertheless crises do sometimes arise, when a ju-
dicious touch of the hand may give a new direction and a life
to motionless commercial forces. The people, whether unrea-
sonably or not, believed that it lay within the power of legisla-
tion to better their condition, and they waited upon Mr. Cart-
wright in hundred.s, telling their woes and asking his help.
But that statesman assured them that in such an emergency as
this, and face to face with these problems of trade, govern-
ment was only a fly on the wheel ; and, turning gloomily away,
the suflerers heard it whispered abroad that the cure the tin-

unrea-
egisla-

(Jart-

help.

mcy a»

;overn-

away,
,he tin-

Mli. MACKES/.IKS A hMlSlSTUA TloX.

425

ance minister had for this deploraMe state of things was direct
taxation.

" Our opportunity has come," said SirJulin, MacdonaM to his
colleagues, at a caucus held about this time ; " want has ovor-
come the prejudice of a theory, and we will propound a policy
that will better this woful state of affairs and carry us back to
olKce." From that day forth the conservative chief began to
organize and marshal his forces, to "get his hiin<l u|)ou the
pulse of the country," and to breathe into his own followers the
Bame hope and ardour that filled himself. Sir Richard Cart-
wright jeered at the " new-fangled doctrines," and his chief
losing a momentary restraint npon his vernacular, afKrmed in
broad Scotch, " that the scheme was the corn laws again with a
new face." The question presented to the ministry was one
between commercial misery and a favoured theory, "but, in
deference to the formula, thoy chose to be stiff-necked, and
kicked complaining industry into the camp of their opponents."*

In the House of Commons on the 10th of March, LS70, Sir
John boldly laid down the broad " national policy " of his
party, in a speech of much vigour and point. His contention
was that there should be a thorouMi reorg.inizntion of the
tariff, which ought to be constructed in such a manner that it
would, while producing sufficient revenue for the current ex-
penses of the country, also atford a stimulus and a protection
to home industry, entice capital to the country, and keep our
own artisans at home at the employment which must arise
under the fostering legislation. Once again the cry went
abroad, and at this time at the dictation of the conservative
chief, "Canada for the Canadians!" The heralds appeared
through the country giving the shibboleth a liberal translation,
assuring the clamorous workmen it meant that when they
came to the Liberal Conservative ministry for bread, they would
not be offered a stone in the form of direct taxation ; that
henceforth our raw material would not be sent out of the
country to give employment to the artisans of foreign cities ;
and that no lonjrer would the American "drummer " be found

* Prof. Goldwin Smith, in The Bystander.

:■

I f'T

l:.:l: \

hi^u

TTT

420

LIFE OF Sin JOHN A. MACDOXALD.

.sellinjj liis goods upon tho thresliokl of our cruinljling ami idlo
factories. On tho 17th of Septembor, IH7M, tho two parties
appeared at tho polls, Sir Richard Cartwright and the nunistry
l)()iind nock and heel to their idol ; Sir John with the Iif,d»t of
hope in his eye, and "Canada for the Canadians" upon his lips.
The change which he predicted had come. It swept tho coun-
try in a whirlwind, and tho ministry foil, and their god fell
with them :

" Like the luavea of the furext when the xumiuer in green,
That hotit with their ImiincrH at xiinHet were Been ;
Like the leavtH of the forest when atitninn hath blown,
'i'hat host ou the morrow lay withered and strown."

§^<f^

J-^-Oy

CHAPTER XXIII.

SIR JOHN KKDIDIVUS.

^PHE defeat of the Mackiiiizie atlininistnition, thonirh Hi<rii:il
1 and uniiuHtakable, was, it must honestly be said, no dis-
credit to its chief. Ho and his government luid fallen upon
evil times, and the times were not bettered by stubborn
adherence to an inflexible, thouj]fh \v<'ll-in(ianin^' policy. Up
to almost the end, it was even doulitlul whether Mr. Mac-
kenzie and his cabinet realized the true state of public
opinion. It is the fashion to call public opinion fickle, buf, on
that as on many other similar occasions, there was justification
for the fickleness, in the desire for a chan<,'e in the fiscal policy
of the country, and this we say without endorsinj,' the policy
substituted for it, or deeming it, then or now, in the best and
lasting interest of the Dominion. In the meantime a change
was sought ; only by a change, seemingly, in the administration
could the country rally from its night of depression. So off
rolled the clouds iigain which had temporarily ol)scured the
hero of our story and we find him once more at the iielm of
affairs, ])otent still for groat endeavour and full of resource in
leading the van of national enterprise. In coming again to
the front. Sir John Macdonald ha(' his usual good luck, a luck
which has followed him throughout life, and which, since
1878, the period we have now reached, has been many times
exemplified. "The repeated return of Sir John Macdonald to
power," said a writer, the other day, when the great Chieftain
had closed forever his career, " is little short of miraculou.s. It
has few parallels in history. It is, in reality, as creditable to
the people as to the Minister, and this may be said without
any reference to the peculi.'ir measures which he carried."

427

? - J

B.. i>i

life 11

428

LIF£ OF SIE JOHN A. MACDOXALD.

After the verdict of the polls, Mr. Mackenzie did not wait till
the assembling of Parliament, but, with the demeanour of an
honest man, who had tried to do his duty, he and his cabinet
relinquished ofHce. On the 10th of October, 187^, the out-
goini,' ministry tendered Lord I)uflerin their resignations, and
His Excellency then called in Sir John Macdonald to form an
administration. The new cabinet was as follows : —

The Rioht Hon. Sir Jokn A. Macj)()Nald - Premier and

Minister of the Interior.

Hon. fe. L. T.li.ky

" Chaulks Tuppkii -

" Alkxandku Campuell

" H. L. Lax(U-:vix

" J. C. AlKlNS

" J. H. PUPK

" jAMts Macdonald

" Mi^.nvKNZIK BOWELL

" J. C. POPK -

" L. F. G. BA15Y -

" L. F. R. Masson -

" JoiiNf O'Connor

^' R. D. WiLMOT

Min. of Finance.

- Min. of Public Works.

Receiver -General.

Post master- General.

Secrdarij of State,

Min,. of Agriculture.

• Min. of Justice.

Min. <)) Customs

Min. Marine and Fisheries.

- Min. Inland Revenue^
- 31 in. Milii'ai and Defence.

Pres. of Council.
Speaker of Senate (loithuut portfolio).

There was now universal rejoicing from end to end ox Tory-
dom. It is hardly an exaggeration to say that about one fitih
of the adult male Conseivatives in the country effected an
office of some kind, and that ninety per cent, of the remainder
anticipated profit of some pecuniary sort by the change;
in addition to this, there was unbounded faith in the promises
made on the hustings that the clouds of depression would roll
away and the sun of i)rosperity shine. There was some fear
expressed even in Conservative (luarters that the new ministers
were about to introduce the pernicious American system of ro-
tation of otHce ; for it was well known that almost immediately
after the new party came into power several etlicient ofticei-s
were removed on no presumable grounds save that they were
loyal to their political convictions, and were not afraid to give

SIR JOHN llEDIDirUS.

429

voice to them. The smallei- the community the more bitter
and more deplorable, evidently, is the tussle for party spoils.
Each such little community, in a political sense, is in the
hands of half a dozen noisy and demagogic politicians, and the
member who seven times in the day bows down before Votes
finds himself soon in the same hands. To him when he gets
into parliament, fierce must be the importunities, galling the
threats, of these masters of his fate. A certain member is
entrenched in a riding or county, an<'. an election drawing
near, it is decided to rout him. A clique is formed which at
once finds a candidate. The first duty of the candiilate is to
begin to promise. There is nothing within the range of
ordinary necessity that he does not pledge himself to obtain
for his jieople ; he is nearly always certain to have made up
his mind to get a railway fo?- them as their claims are " excep-
tional," and would long ago have been granted iiad the man
representing them now been " any good,'' " ca the right side,"
or something of that sort ; he never can see any possible bar
that could arise to his obtaining a breakwater, a canal, a
special telegraph line, or it may be a meteorological station or
a military training school. If, as we have said, the community
be very small his word is always pledged to turn out
every politically obnoxious official. These j)ledges, given in
haste, he soon finds to be i)lagues lodged in his bosom to prick
and sting him. Installed in his seat, he forgets much that he
said in the turmoil of the election ; but the little clique that
holds its meeting in Lhe bar-room, that chews its tobacco or
drives fast Iiorses does not forget ; — and if he hearken not to
their demands he must expect to have his back brokeii across
the wheel and Ko see another man take his pluce.

Findinjr himself at the head of a lari^e, able and loval follow-
ing the light of other days acemed to shine in the Premier's
eye, anil many declared when they saw him walking about
the corridor saying a friendly word to this member, and laying
his hand upon the shoulder cf the other, that the old elasticity
had returned to his step. His po.sition certainly was one of
which anyone might be proud. It was in public life in the

^ m

430

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDOXALD.

iM.

nature of a miracle, a resuiToctioii from the dead. Five yoars
he had laid in the tomb with a load of infamy upon him as
deep as the mound of clay that the Indian heaps upon the
corse of the departed chief. Some of his enemies began to
diaw consolation from his very triumph and shouted from
newspaper to newspaper that his following was too large ; that
when a following is too large it is always in danger of splitting ;
and that the Premier would be far better off if he had a snug,,
sound, working majority

" Yes," said Sir John, " that reminds me of the story of the
Indian woman ; some one said to her ' squaw, you have been
taking too much liquor; ' and she replied, 'No ; little too much
is just enough.'" It v/as about the same with his followers.

A curious question arose on the assembling of the new
House concerning the powers of a Speaker after the demise of
Parliament. During the preceding summer, it appears, two
members of the Civil Service had resigned their offices in order
to become candidates for Parliament. Subsequently to the
elections it was rtq)resented to the ex-Speakers that it was
desirable to have the vacancies tilled up as speedily as possible,
and Mr. Anglin accordingly mo.de the appointments. The new
officials had no sooner entered on their duties than Sir John
wrote to the Clerk of the House directing him to recognize no
appointment that had l)een made since the dissolution of Par-
liament. The clerk at once dismissed the appointees ; where-
upon Mr. Anglin wrote protesting against the interference of
the Executive in a matter that came properly within his juris-
diction. The Clerk of Piivate JjIIIs in the meantime died, and
Mr. Anglin, taking no warning from the letter of the Prime -
Minister, reorganized the department by making a distribution
of offices. Sir J(jhn would not stoop to wrangle, but contented
himself with his letters of instructions to the Clerk of the
House. When the new Parliament assembled, Mr. Anglin
thereupon rose in his place in the House and stated his case and
his grievance, though he disclaimed any desire to raise the
question as a party issue. His opinion was that until the ap-
pointment of the present incumbent, he, Mr. Anglin, was the

SIR JOHN liEDlDIVUa.

4::i

de facto speaker, and entitled to exercise all the functions i)er-
taining to the office. Our own Internal Economy Act spccitic-
ally conferred upon the Speaker the power of appointinj,' an
accountant. Whatever powers he could properly exercise in
the interim between the sittings of Parlijunent, must, he con-
tended, pertain to him after Parliament was dissolved and until
the assembling of the new House. He believed, he said, that
his interpretation of the law was correct, and he was anxious
now to get a candid expression of opinion before the House.
Sir John, in reply, agreed that there was no (juestion of politics
involved in this matter, that it was one solely of law ; and he
denied emphatically that there was any disposition on the part
of the Crown to encroach on the powers of the Sp(!aker or the
privileges of the House of Commons. He took issue, however,
with Mr. Anglin in his interpretation of the Internal Economy
Act, and the rules and practices of the Canadian Parliament.
In Canada there was really no Parliament and no Speaker in
the interval between the dissolution and the assembling of the
new House, and the act of 186S c.il}' gave the Speaker rights
for the special purposes of the Act set out in the Act itself.
One of these rights, and the only one, was the appointment of
an accountant. It did not follow, and it was absurd to claim,
that the power of dismissal involved the power of appoint-
ment. Indeed, the very reverne of that proposition was true,
namely, that the power to appoint involved the power to dis-
miss. The honorable gentleman had no power to make the
appoint:nents in question, and as a matter of expediency, since
he had practically ceased to be responsible for the administra-
tion of the affairs of the House, it was not desiral)le that he
should have such power. It was unwise of the honorable gen-
tlemen, and amounted to an attempt at usurpation, to make
appointments to office after all essentia! responsibility on his
part had ceased, and it would have been in better taste to have
left it to the present Speaker, upon whom the responsibility of
administration devolved, to till up the vacancies. Sir John,
however, admitted the provisions of the existing Aet io be in-
adequate, at the same time declaring it as his conviction that

'Is ^

um '

iiL,

VMMl

~ 432

LIFE OF SIE JOHN A. MAGDONALD.

when the House came to deal with the subject the amend-
ments would certainly not be in the direction of confirming
Mr. Anglin's views.

It certainly seems strange liow a person of the ex-Speaker's
acknowledged abilities should have calmly, and after proper
consideration, adhered to the view which he propounded in the
Houpe, We, ourselves, favour the view expressed elsewhere on
the subject* : " The Speaker is the president and executive
orticer of the House, and certain authority is conferred upon
him by virtue of his office. But it is only as a member of
Parliament that he has these jiowers ; when the body from
which his jurisdiction emanates is dissolved, then his functions
cease. For him to affirm that his authority remained after the
decease of Parliament, a portion of whose machinery he was,
seems like the human hand assuming vitality and direction
after the rest of the body is dead. Suppose that at the elec-
tion Mr. Anglin had been defeated, he would, upon his own
theory, still have assumed the duties of " First Commoner,"
while he was only a common individual ; but who would
make the appointments had he died the day after Parliament
was dissolved ? There must surely, in such case, be some re-
serve authority ; and whatever that authority is it would
come into force on the day of the Speaker's political decease,
no less than on the day of his bodily deatli." Notwithstand-
ing Mr. Anglin's assurance that he did not desire to make the
question a party one, a party one it speedily became, — reform-
ers championing the ex-Speaker, conservatives rallying around
their Chief

One of the first acts of the Opposition after it had come
to thoroughly realize its downfall was to dethrone Mr, Mac-
kenzie from the leadership and put Ah\ Blake in his place, -f

*" Canada u' der the AdniiniHtration of Lord Lome," p. 110.
+ X()tlnnj,' suocei'Js like success ; but woe to the man who leadn the faring cauiie.
Nut alone will thunder and the winds prevail i>),'ainst him, hut he must bear t'le
sins of the lightniu!,' and the tempest. Sometimes the man brings disaster ou the
cause, aometimes the cause brings ruin upon itself ; it is the victim only that U
certain. But yesterday the word of Caesar stood against the worhl ; to-day he liis
there, none so poor as to do him reverence. We have not any Ciesara in Canada,

I ■ .■

amend-
infirming

Speaker's
sr proper
ed in the
swhere on
executive
red upon
lember of
ody from
functions
I after the
^ he was,
direction
t the elec-
n his own
tmmoner,"
ho would
Parliament
} some re-
it would
il decease,
kvithstand-
make the
j, — refonu-
Inff around

I had como
Mr. M«-c-
place. ■}*

IfalMng caune.
liiust bear t'le
Isaster on the
Il only that is
|to-day ho lit s
rs in (Janailu,

SIR Jons i;i:i)ii>jrus.

433

U was during this Session that a conclusion was reached in
tliC famous "Letellicr (.'ase." In 1S7G, j\I. Luc Letellier de St.
Just, rt Senator of the Douunion, and a member of Mr. Mac-
kenzie's Administration, was appointed Lieutenant-CJovornor
of the Province of Quebec. M. Letellier was a muscular and
zealous partisan, and it was too much to hope that his appoint-
ment would make him a convert to neutrality. He came into
the council chamber of his advisers as comes an emissary
from the camp of an implacable foe. The leader of the (Jov-
(.rnment wa,> M. De Boucherville, a gentleman of very little
force of character, and evidently little tact ; but the real di-
rection was given to affairs by M. Augers, who sat in the
legislative council. Both of these gentlemen disliked and
mistrusted the new governor; they saw in liiiii, thrust into
tlieii' councils by opponents, among whom he was a leader and
a favourite, an arch-enemy. The (Jovernor rcgard(!d his ad-
visers as a band of political opponents, conspiring to carry out
the ends of their party alone. Neither side, probably, was
wrong in its e-tiinate. " From the first, there was a semblance
of harmony between M. Jjetellier and the Cabinet, and a genu-
ine cordiality between himself and some of its members. But
after a time the conviction forced itself upon the Governor
tliat his advisers were treating him as a mere figure-head, a
something that had a voice but not a head, a ' yes,' but not a
* no.' This was, perhaps, also an extreme view, though it wis
in a great measure justified by the attitude of the Council.

niir any sujiremely f^ieat causes, Imt we have cases that sonictiuies su;,'ge8t coni-
)iarison witli things conveying hij,'hei' morals. While Mr. .Mexunder Mackenzie
was in office there were r.ot wanting ni.iny ti> bear testimony to his honesty, hia
inuilencf, hi.s clear insi^'ht. and capacity for aduiinistration ; but the san had not yone
down after it wa.s known mat he had been defeated before tin sanie men came to
utter maleilictions, and to lay at his door resjiousibility, for tlie disaster to their
cause, 'i'hen the disaffected onen began to iilot the overthrow of their leader, and
Ihey cast about for a man to take his place. At this time Mr. Kdward lilake w;w
not a member of Pari.ament, b>it in October, lS7tl, he was elected for Durham,
whereupon several liefonn politicians waited upon him, and made known their
desire that he should assume the leadership of the party. It is not neces.sary to
lecord here, if it were worth white, thut Mr. lUake eitiier ntfered op|io.aition or felt
exulted by the offer ; he had for years shown a welllired and politic dislike of Mr.
Mackenzie, and felt (.unvinccd that the leitder-ship belonged to himsdf. Various

r.ii

'^^'i

■

w^.' "sitn

■""It

y '
J

434

LiFH OF sii; .mux a. ma^'duxald.

It liad I)oen wliisporod al)n)ii(l. tliat M. Lotellier did not see
thiiij^s as MM. do Bouchcrvillo and An;^'ers saw them, but tliis
was declared to lie a matter oi" little moment, as the Governoi'
was a mere Ministerial tool who was not to do what he wished,
but what lu^ was told." On the other hand, tlie CJovernor
beliuvtid that his function was one of sh rvciUxnce rather
tlian of consultation ; that his chief duty was to watch
his advisers and resist their acts, rather than be guided by
their counsels. But he for<jfot that they were responsible
to the people, not to him, for their misdeeds; perhaj)S he
was ignorant oi" this responsibility but deenuid their inten-
tions and their policy dishonest, and such as the Province
would not have .sanctioned could it see the inwaiil motives of
the ministry's policy. However, it was the rupture that from
the first was inevitable that .soon came. An announcement
in the Provincial (7ac'7/6, over the name of His Honour, where-
as His Honour had, up to tiie tinu; of publication, never so much
as heard of the notification. " If they put my nam ) to this
announcement without my cognizance," thought thellovernor,
'presently they will in like maimer commit me to .something
of graver moment." In addition to this "slight" to Ills
Honom's prerogative, a Bill providing for the levy of new
taxes had been projiosed to the Legislature without liavlng
been submitted to him. On the strength of these acts of dis-
legavd for tlie prerogative and rights of the Crown, and an
implied lack of confidence in the prudejice, capacity and probity

nunmirs were afloat (liiriiiL,' tin' early p.irt of the session, respt'cting the alleged ill-
fftliii^' and rivalry lu-tween Messrs. Mackenzie and Blake, and for many week?* it
was inidtTstood that the former t,'t'iitlfiiian would not re-^ign the mantle. utdes>
i'oni|ielli'd to do so by a vote of the maj' rity of his sii])iiorterH. The followers of
Mr. lUake, it w.is a^i'ortained, sii>;^,'i>steil that a caucus of Liberals should beheld
and the nuestion scjuarely subndtted ; but Mr. Mai'keii/.ie's admirers saw in this
humiliation for their leader, and. it is said, ailvisfd resi:;nfttion. It U by ni-
means certain that, had thu recalcitrant Ivef ornicrs ixjcn less obtruiive in dc-
mandin^r the leadershi|> for Mr. HIake, Mr. M.vckenzie, .somewhat broken in spirit
by defeat, and shattered in health by a ttio cbue attention to the duties of a doulli'
department, would not have thrown olf the galling liarness. It is certain, how-
ever, that the most delicHte methods to effect the removal were not ad)|>ted, aU''.
that the exl'remier felt the act more bitterly than his defeat at the polls, or any
other cross in hiij public career- ( )n the 2rth of Ai)ril, looking very calm, and

I- !l

not see
l)Ut this
iovernoi-
! wisheil,
lovernor
fi nitlier

watch
iiidoi I'y
sponsible
rliaps he
\v hiten-
Provinco
lotives of
hat from
mceiUc'Ut
w where-
r so much

1 ; to this
iovernor,
omething
" to His
rv of new

having
ts of dis-
and an
probity

ulle^'ed ill-
uiy weeks it
itle. unles.t
followers of
lie held
r<aw in thi^
It is by nil
i-^ive ill d<?-
■II in spirit
of a dout-'li'
ertain. h'.w-
dijited. au.l
)11h, or any
•y calm, ai'-d

,s7/.' Joiix i;i:i>iin\TS.

43.*

of his ailvisors, M. Lotoilicr dismissod the Caliinct. The note
of" dismissal is about <>ti<' of tlic most (furious pieces of statt^-
ciaft. iiteratuKi onslnincd ii> coiistitiitiDrud history. 'I'he fol-
lowing are tlie conchiding Wi-rds ot' the note : " l^'or ail tlitse
causes the Lieutenant-( iovernor cannot conclude tliis memo-
randum without expressing to the I'rcmier the regret he feels
at being no longer aiile to contiinie to retain liim in his posi-
tion, contrarif to (lif r'ujltif* <rn<l iircroijulivcx of fitc, Cnnvn,"
Here it will be seen th.-it the peg for hanging the dismissal
upon is a violation of " the rights and prerogatives ol' the
('rown," yet His ilonour had ahvaily with his own hand writ-
ten an absoivement of the Ministry from tliat charge in thes'3
words: "There was no intention on the part <>f the Premier to
disregard the ])rerogatives of tlie ( 'rown." And fuithei': "It
was only an eri'or in good faith." Prol)itli|y affairs were
in a bad way in the Province of (^luebec at that tinn — doubt-
less they wen; ; it is beyond question that the Ministry were
resorting to all sorts of questionaltlt; means to raise revenue
!ind forward theii' own interests ; it may even be made abun-
dantly plain that M. Letellier liad just and suflicient grounds
for dismissing his advisers, but most assuredly he fails to set
down in his memoiaTidum valid riiasons for his action.

The ciriip <l'etat plunged the Province into a .scene of the
wildest confusion. M. Joly, au upright and clear-lieaded man,
wiis called upon to form an Administration, 'i'liis accomplished,
tliere was an appeal to the people, whieh r<.'sulted iii a bare
niaioritv for the newlv-chosen leader

ftiowing no trace of the Inimiliatjon that Hiust have been burning witliin liiui, he
rose from liis |i1ace, and .simply said . " 1 desire to ^iiy a wor>l or two with ri.',Mrd
to uiy jiersonal rcliiti'iiis t.i til'' llou-^i-. 1 yesterday dfteniiiiied t. \\illidr:t«' frmn
tile position as le:iiler of the (>|!iiiMitioii, and from tlii-i time f irth I will f|ieak and
act for no jierson bnt niy-ilf." \\'ith (■haraeteristic '.eneri lity. Sir Julin
Alacdonald promjitly aiose and replied : "Of course we, on this -ide of the lIoiHe
have iiothin;,' to say to snch a deci.Mun ; but I I'aii say that 1 hop.; tl.e honor-
able gentleman who takes th'' i>i;ie'.' of the lionuranl.; nienibt r for Ijimbt'.n and his
party, will display the .«ainc ai'ilitv, earnest;ie-s and zeal for wnat he thinks and
believes to be for the good of the country, as have been displaj'eil by my honor.ibb-
friend who has junt taken his seat." Two days later, a caucuH of Kefnrm member-
was held, and Mr. IJIake was chosen leader. (_)ti the 7th of M ly. Parliament was
proro;,'»icd by the Marquis of Lome.—" Canada under lite Adiiuni.ilrattuii o/ Lord
Lome'"

4:]()

i/i-'Ji' OF SJi; .loflX A. MAl'DoXALh.

On tlie 11th of April, the question camo up in tlic House of
Coninions, on a motion by Sir Joliii Macdonald, in aniendniunt
to the motion for Committee of Supply, "That Mr. Speaker
'lo not now leave the Chair, but that it be resolved tliat the
roi'ont dismissal by the Ijieutcnant-Goveiiior of 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 lo the
British North American Colonies " Sir John supported this
motion in a speech of three hours, in which he dealt with the
subject mainly from a constitutional stand|ioint. Settini^ out
b}' justifying,' his })roceeiliny in this way instead of by a sub-
stantive resolution, he dwell ujton the importance, at this stage
of the country's history, of avoiding the establishment of evil
precedents. It was a strange thing that having gained lies-
ponsible (Joverninent for Canada, almost at the point of the
bayonet, we should be called upon at this day to defend its lir.it
jtrinciples. There was a great ditlerencc between prerogative
power and constitutional right. An Act which might be sus-
tained by the (ijurts as the legal j)rerogative of the Crown
might V)e exercised in the most unconstitutional way. Con-
stitutional usage was now pretty well delined. Setting aside
tiie legal view with regard to the Quebec <'itiiculty, he con-
tended that the Ministry should have governed, and should
have been free to govern, so long as they possessed the conHd-
ence of the Legislature. If there was any exception to thi-;
doctrine, it was when the Crown had reason to believe that
the Parliament did not represent the country, llcfening par-
ticulaily lo the Quebec matter, lie .said that the Lieutenant-
Governor when appointed found a Government in ottice sus-
tained b}' largo majorities in both branches of the Legislature.
Not a single reason given for their dismissal would hold. He
quoted the several cases in England where the Sovereign had
exei'cised the preiogativc of dismissal, and said that the only
one refei-red to by the defenders oi' tiie Lieutenant-Governoi'
of Quebec which was worth noticing was that of tltc Mel-
bourne Government ; and Groville, whose account had been

sin JolfX liKDIDIVUS.

437

oonlirnied by Biuon Stockinar, showed that the fnihiie of
liurd iMelbounio to sustain the \Vhi<f character of his CJovevn-
iiic'iit aH'orded William I V^ a reason for the dismissal which
was not iLjonorally understood. The excuse had considerable
force, yet by entire concensus of piactical statesmen and theo-
letical writers it lias been a(hnitted tliat the kinu' was wronir.
The case which corresponded most closely to that of Quebec
was the Soutli African Case, wliere Sir Bartle F)'ere dismissed
liis Ministry. IJut he acted in tlie face of a f,'reat danger, in
which the Local Government declined to use tlie burgher fwrce
for the maintenance of Imperial interests, anJ Sir Bartle Frere
took the course which hediil to support those interests which
he was appointetl peculiarly to maintain. Moreover, liis action
was defended by the P(i.U Mall Gasrlfe and the Saturdct}/ lie-
i-ieiu as being justifiable on grounds similar in principle to
those which would justif}' the suspension of the llahms Cor-
pus Act — that is to say, the imminence of a rebellion or
threatened war. The course of Sir George Bowen, Governot
of South Australia, who had insisted upon sustaining his
Ministry — in the face of an adverse Upper House, and in the
face of circumstances which tended to excite the suspicion that
they had in contemplation the disarrangement of the whole
machinery of government — simply because they hail a majority
in the representative chamber and therefore presumably com-
manded the confidence of the people, had been ably and pro-
perly sustaineil by the Liberal press in Lngland. The Biitish
Constitution must be judged of as it is now, and not as it was
fifty 01' .seventy-five years ago. He then (pioted the following
passages from Mr. W. Bagehot's papers in the Fortnijlitbi
Rcvievj : —

" Experience shows that the power of (lismissinj,' a (J-ovcrnment with which I'ar.
liainent ia satisfied, and of dissolving; that Piirlianicnt upon an aiipealto tlu; i)e>iile,
is not a power which a coinnmn liereditary nmnarcli will in the h)n;,' run Iv alne
beneficially to exercise. Acci>nlin;,'ly this power has almost, if nut ipiite, iir .piifl
out of the reality of our Constitution. Nothing, perhaps, would more surpiise
the Kufilish people than if the (jueen, liy cou/i il'dat and on a sudden, dc^trMved .■*
Ministry firm in the all. 'fiance and secure of a majority in Parliament. That
l)ower indisputivl.ly, in theory, belongs to her ; but it has passed so far awav from
the minds of men, that it woidd tenify them if she \i«ed it, like a volcanic erup-

438

Liri: or Sfli JOHN A. MA('l)(tNAIJ>.

tidii from Piiiui-fii'i! Hill. " * Tlio t^uefii can hai illy now ivfimo u tli-featoJ
Ministei' lln'cliiinco of a dinHoliiticni any more than wiie am ili-itulvn in tlie time of
an luiil-'fcatcil cin*', ami witliont Ills consent. * *

'' Ancl U'l monarch .-.honlil dlssolvi; I'ailiaint'nt a^'uinnt tlio will and the interent of
tlif Ministry whitih is m power. No doiil, the Kinj,' can dismiss snch a Ministry
•ind replact.' it hy another Adininistriitiun whosi' advice to dissolve Parliament he
lonld take ; tint even with this piccantion, to act tlins towards a Ministry, which
had a stionuc niiijority in I'arlianunt, wntdil lie to stiiku a Mow which it i-i almost
iniiio-silde to >uii|iohi'. Wo do not hclicvc that (^uccn \'ictoria herself, in spite of
the popidarity and respect with which she Is surrounded, to a j,'roater extent per-
haps than any of her predecessors, would ever have recourse to such a meisure. * *
In practice, in Kn^daiid the Soverei,'n considers him>elf ol)li^,'ed to follow the advice
of th" Mini-try which the House of ('(Uiinions desires to maintain in power. All
priTo^'al i ves at variance with this principle have fallen into disuse, hut the Sover-
eifju may acconl to the people a majority which is denied it in the Hou^e of Com-
mons , but to strike from liehind, >o to fpeak, ami stran;,'le, by means of an appeal
to the country, a Ministry, sustained liy Parliament, would 1)B an event which no
lon;,'er enters into the calculation, althoush, in former times, instances of this oc-
curred in tuir annals."

Freeman on the " (Jrowtli i)f tlio English Constitution," the
speech of Loid Dutierin at Halifax in the summer of 187o, and
the instructions of Lord Giey (Colonial Secretary) to Lord KItjin
in IS47, wore also (juoteil in sujipoit of the .same view In the
Quebec case every objection taken by the Lieutenant-Governor
to his late Ministry, except one, had reference, not to their
administration, but to their leirislation. There was a distinct
difference between acts of administration and acts of legislation,
and while the Crown was nominally a branch of the legislative
power, it had really ceased to bu so. Any member of the Quebec
Legislatujc could have introduced of his own niotion and with-
out consulting anybody, the measure for the introduction of
which the Lieutenant-Governor had tlismissed his adviser,s; if
the l^.ouse chose to cany it, the Ministry would have been
obliged to yield ; and it would have been a contempt of the
privileges of the Legislature for any one to justify resistance
to the will (if the m.ijority by ([noting or suggesting what were
the opinions of the representative of the Crown on the subject.
He hud been a member of the Administration under live Gov-
ernor.s-General, and he ventured to assert that the Ministn^-y
never submitted a bill to the lepresentative of the Sovereign,
and only had his general assent at the commenceiiient of a ses-
sion to its tinancial measures. Only recently the Stamp Act

<//; JiiiLX HKiUDirrs.

■i:in

i stance
it were
subject,
e (lov-
inistfi'y
•ereign,
f a, ses-
np Act

ol" the Minister of Iiilaiul Rovenuo had been so chjiiii,'t;il tlwit its
introducer couM not reco;,'iii/,e Ids production when the House
got through with it. Iteoukl not be said that the Governor-
General had any responsibility for that l»ill, either in its incep-
tion or after it had been virtually destroyed. According to
Bageliot, " the .Sovereign has, uti<ler a constitutional monarchy
such as ours, three rights— the riglit to bj consulted, the right
to encourage, the right to warn; an<l a king of great sense and
sagacity would want no otheis." " The Queen," .says the .sanio
authority, "has no veto. She nuist sign her own death wai-
rant if the Houses unanimously send it up to her." The Licuteu-
ant-< iuvernor of (Quebec alhnved legislation to proceed without
a suggestion or warning, and at the last hours of the session
unceremoniously dismissed his Ministers. His conduct was a
coup d'etat. It was unwise and an outrage upon the Constitu-
tion. It could hardly be douliti^d, at all events it was liroadly
alleged, that the course of the Lieutenant Governor was dictated
by his desire to seize upon power for his friends in view of a
general election for the Dominion. No man fully aware of his
responsibilities would have taken sucli a step. It remained to
be seen whether the Premier, upon whom the mantle of liald-
win had fallen, would turn his back upon the principles he had
so long professed, and which had been the chief credit and the
chief honour of hi.s party.

The Reformer.s promptly came to the Lieutenant-Governor's
assistance. By way of defending Provincial autonomy, Mr.
Mackenzie declared that the proposed interference was ex-
ceedingly unwi.se, and subversive of the first {irinciples of re-
sponsible government. The motion was lost in the House of
Commons, but it carried in the Senate.

Tiie next session .saw Sir John in powei', and tlie <[uestion
still kept the country on fire. The French CJonservatives, to
whom M. Letellier was particularly ol)noxious, began to fear
that Sir John would not in otHce consumnuite the act for
which he had striven when in Opposition. Consc(iuently, at
an early day after the opening of Parliament, M. Mou.s.seau, a
prominent French Conservative, moved a resolution, adopting

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440

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDOXALD.

ij I

til

in it precisely tbe same words as those employed by Sir John
in the previous session. This was a stroke of diplotuiiey
worthy of the I'rinie Minister himself, and left no course
open to the members but to grapple with the (juesLiun. By a
vote of 1*1(! to ol the resolution was carried. The Lieutenant-
Governor, havin;^- now been condonnied by the liighest tribunal
in the laud, expectation sat open-mouched waitiny for the
dismissal. But many a day passed, and yet the dismissal did
not come. On the 3rd of April however, Sir John rose in his
place and made the following statement : — " That a few days
after the passing of Mr. Mousseau's resohition he waited on
His Excellency the Governor-General, representing to him
that after the resolution of the Senate in the last session of
Parliainent, and the resohition of the House of Commons just
referred to, it was tlie opinion of His Excellency's advisers
tliat the usefuhiess of M. Letellier as Lieutenant-Governor of
Quebec was gone, and tliey advised that in the public interest
it was expedient that he should be removed from ottice. His
Excellency was thereupon pleased to state that as the Federal
system, introduced by the British North America Act of
1SG7, was until then unknown in Great Britain or her Colon-
ies, there were no precedents to guide u:^, that the decision in
the present case would settle for the future the relations be-
tween the Domiiuon and the Provincial Governments, so far
as the ottiee of Lieutenant-Governor is concerned, and that His
Excellency therefore deemed it expedient to submit the ad-
vice tendered to him and the whole case with all the atten-
dant circumstances to Her Majesty's Government for their con-
sideration and instructions."

Some of the moi'e excitable and unreasonable of the French
Canadian members lashed themselves into a rage over this
announcement, and M. Ouimet characterized the course of
Lord Lome in refusing to dismiss upon the advice of his Min-
isters as "unconstitutional and an infringement of the priu'M-
ples of Constitutional Government given to this country." In
reply Sir John said that he "could not agree with the state-
ment that the Constitution had been infringed by the Ciovernor-

.Sir John
iplomucy
10 course
)n. By a
eutenant-
t tribunal
g for the
lissal did
).se in his
few days
vaited on
to hin»
lession of
nons just
; adviseis
tvcrnor of
c interest
fice. His
e Federal
L Act of
er Colon-
ecision in
itions be-
lts, so far
1 that His
t the ad-
Lhe atten-
their oon-

le French
over this
course of
• his Min-
he prinoi-
itry;' In
the ,'itate-
LfOvernor-

,s7/.' joiix nKDfnnrs.

441

General. Ho would have been pleased if His Excellency had
at once accepted the advice tendered him, for the Govern-
ment were unanimously of the opinion on which 't was liased ;
but the advice had not been rejected. The representative of
the Queen had simply said that he would like to submit the
matter to the Sovereign. There was nothino- unconstitutional
in such a i)rocecding, for C'anaila was as safe in the hand.> of
Her Majesty .is in the hands of her representative, and we
might be well assured that the liberty and practice of seU-j,fOV-
ernment granted to us years ago would not be interfered with.
Her Majesty's ofticers in England wore thoroughly conversant
with our rights and privileges, and might be relied upon to
"v^e advice in consonance therewith, and consistently with our
, ' . on as a self-governing people. '

It is now pretty well understood that the Governor-Gen-
eral's .sympathies were with M. Letellier, and that he believe<l
the Lieutenant-Governor had not travelled beyond the bounds
of his juiisdiction. He was. however, well aware that naught
that he could do or wish might avail his doomed Lieu-
tenant, since the ruling party cried out for his blood ; but
he .seeined desirous of letting the deed of taking off fall into
other hands. The Home OtHce did not take long to con-
sider the matter, but handed the i^ucstion back to the Gover-
nor-General with this signiiicant declaration: " Her Majesty's
Government do not find anything in the circumstances which
would justify him (the Governor-General) in departing, in
this instance, from the general rule, and declining to follow
the decided and sustained opinion of his JMinistors, who are
responsible for the peace and good government of the Domin-
ion to the Parliament to which, according to the .')!lth section
of the statute, the cause assigned for the removal of a Lieu-
tenant-Governor must be communicated." It was suggested,
however, now that mucli of the passion that had arisen on
the question had cuolctl down, it would In) well to give caieful
consideration to the whole matter and ascertain if the otieiid-
ing of the Lieutenant-(iovernor merited so serious a punish-
ment as dismissal. But there had been no heat in the Cabi-

; V I

)lt

.FT

It' '

442

LIFl': OF STl! JOHN A. MA('lK>SAIJ>.

■I'-
ll

net where the dismissal had been advised, in the first instatiee,
in investigatini,' the ([uestion. Therefore, no second judj^uieiit
Avas passed, and the Prime Minister pointed out to His Kxcol-
Icncv that he and his colleagues still advised disinissal, an
now awaited his pleasure. Nothing remained for Lord Lome
but to write his signature, and poor Letellier's head rolled u[)-
on the block. We would repeat here wbat has elsewhere ap-
])eared, that M. Letellier's punishment was Iqss a legitimate
scfjuonee than an accident ; and tlic fact remains that he is an
instance now, as Lord Metcalf was in his day, which proves that
the Governor, in whatever sphere, is not a cipher. Had Mr.
Mackenzie remanied in power, a lesser reason for the dismissal
of the ministers than that put forward would have justified the
Governor and given a precedent to our Constitution As it was,
M. Letellier's mistake was a :srid one. He th ught he was in
the fullest sense what they had labelled him, a llcidciUDd-rjor-
crnor ; but he found he was only in reality the lieutenant-
bugle upon which ministers may sound their will.

It only remains to say that in justifying or condemi\ing the
dismissal, all men had to face this (question : " Was it constitu-
tional or wise to dismiss a Ministry having the confidence of the
House of As;end)ly?" The majority said that it was not.
The minoritv atfirmcd that it was constitutioiuil and that it
was wise, nay more, that it was expedient to dismiss them
because they were corrupt ; they pointed to the fact that in
the appeal to the people the decision of the Lieutjnant-Gover-
nor was sustained. It remains but to be added that the blow
of dismissal broke M. Letellier's .spirit, for he died in the fol-
lowing year.

On the 24th of May, the anniversary of Queen Victoria's
birth, a military review was held in Montreal and on the occa-
sion the Governor-General conferred the dignity of knighthood
of the order of St. Michael and St. George on Mr. Leonard
Tilley, minister of finance. Dr. Tupper, minister of railways and
canals, Senator Alexander Campbell, postmaster-general, M.-.
Richard Cartwright, M.V., ex-minister of finance, and Mr. W.

SIR JOHN iii:i>ii>irrs.

443

p. Howlaml, Lieutenant-Governor ot Ontario. 1^ should also
be chronicled that on the 26th of July Sii John A. Macdonald
sailed for England, and that on the l-4th of the following month
ho was sworn in at Osborne House, Isle of Wight, as a mem-
ber of Her Majesty's Imperial Privy Council. Alter the cere-
mony, he was introduced to the Queen and the leading mem-
bers of the Cabinet who were in attendance, by Sir Michael
Hicks-Beach, Secretary of State for the Colonies ; and subse-
([uently dined with Her Majesty. Sir John Macdonald is the
tirst and, we believe, the only colonial statesman upon whou)
such a distinction has been conferred.

^^a

.-*>

•■) V

^BH

y?-

---^^ '

CHAPTER XXIV.

THE NATIONAL PdI.ICY.

'^I^O look back on the initiation of tlie National Policy, aftor
1 we have had twelve years' expeiienco of it, will mani-
festly make no draft upon our {)rophetic powers. Wiiat we
have to say on this once vexed and variedly estimated topic
has the advantage of being written, not when the jiolioj' was
launched, but when we have seen, or nearly seen, its close.
While we sjiy this, we are not indifferent to the good it has
accomplished. The fair-minded chronicler will admit that,
withiii certain limits, it has been beneficial to the country
and given a desirable impetus to native trade. This may be
afHrmed without doing violence to the convictiiiu that a
country cannot be made rich by taxation, or that a iieavy in-
crease in the tariti, in the interest of a few, can be advantage-
ous to the interest of the many. Neither need it traverse the
belief that Restriction is not better than Free Trade, or that a
policy is unsound that excludes Canada fiom the markets and
other connnereial advantages of her own Continent. In all the
controversy on this subject there has been too great a disposition
to pi'efer the interests of the manufacturer to thosu of the peo-
ple. This, if we mistake not, the electorate are now beginning
to see, and, unless some measure of Reciprocity can be secured
with our neighbours and free tr;.ile with the world, a change
is likely to be foithcc)ndng. If our country is large, our num-
bers are .small, j.nd in certain industiies oveiproduction is soon
reached. But wliat has n.ost told in bringing abmit a chang'j
of public opinion with legard to the " N.P." is this, thai Pro-
tection is not only inordinate but insatiable in its demand^.aiid

TIIK XATIoXAL I'OLU'Y

415

that wliili.' tlie few may have i,'ro\\'ii lich uintler it the many
liave become poor. Nor do the people forget tliat wlien the
National I'olicy was formulated it was not so much Protection
as E]uali>;ation and Re-adjustment that was sought in the
tariti'. The violation of the pledge, then given, that the rais-
ing of the duties was hnt to halauce expenditure with revenue,
lias onlv increased the indictment a<jainst the N. P., while it
has been most cruel to the manufacturers themselves, whom it
set out to serve, by inducing them to increase their invest-
ments as the tariff was periodically advanced in their interest.
No one tjuai-relled, or would nuairel, with adjusting the tarifl
.so as to give reasonable aid to the native industries that were
lt?gitiniate and not foiced or exotic; but the case is ditfi'rent
when taxation has mounted to a rate that bears hard upon the
people, and when industries are called into existence and
artitioially sustained that have no claim to being. In tlie
launcliing, however, of tlie National Policy, or as it came
to be known, — p rhaps less for brevity's sake than for tlu'
opportunity it gave the ()p[)osition uf making a cockshy of it,
as the " N. P." — the new Administration .sought and obtained
for it political support. Not only was it of use to tlieni as a
popular ciy, but it enableil them, to increase the revenue, and
to raliy to their support an ijitluential class with a stake in
the community. In .so fai', it was a politic move ; besides this,
the tiniL's, as we have .seen, were hard, and money was wanteil
to meet Dominion indebtedness in England, and prospectively,
to give effect to .some plan by which the trans-continental
railway might be built. Already, on the new ministers assum-
ing office. Dominion lialiilities to tlie extent of .'?1.'),()0(),00(),
were about maturing in London ; and to meet them, Mr. Tilley,
the Finance Minister, was despatched to Englatid, where he
succeeded in rai.^ing a loan of .s;:],()00,()00. The negotiation of
the loan, for the time, tided over a crisis : it was, however, not
all smootli sailing witli the Ministry. The Pieform Press now
began to taunt the Ailministration with having gained ofhee
through promises which they <lid not intend to fulfil. Day after
day, they derisively besought .Mr. Tilley to flick his wand and

•I

8 '■■ i i

r4j

44G

LIFE OF S[lt JOHN A. MACDONALD.

iiif

call down upon the people l)etter times. Depression was every-
where and coumierce was in a woful plight. Each morning's
paper brought tidings of a new batdvruptcy or of the exodus of
a liundred workmen to tlie factories of the New England
States. Meanwliile, as we shall see, tlie new Ministry was
(|uietly but steadily })ursuing its course. Gathering about him
a nundjer of a1>le experts, and gleaning the opinions of intelli-
gent representatives of the leading Canadian industries, Mr.
Tilley set to work to construct a new fiscal policy, ditfering
radically from the old. The object of all preceding tarifts in
( !ana(Ui had been to raise revenue ; the new expedient, as we
have shown, had for its object, besides the needs of the reve-
luje, the encouiagenient of native industry Some supporters
and even some members of the Govei'nment were so carried
away l>v the jiro.spects of the new depaiture, and the boon it
would lie to the manufacturer, that they refused to give
pledges that a sutiiciency of revenue was to be the measure of
tlie aid given to Protection.

" On the 14th of March, Mr. Tilley submitted his tinancial
statement and Ins tariff resolutions to the House of Commons.
In the opening portion of his speech, he compared the position
of tlie finances and of the commerce of tlie country with the
position when he made his statement in 1873. Tlien, he con-
tended, there was a steaily and increasing revenue, a stea-ly
and increasing surplus, and a steady decrease in taxation, in
con.sequence of which he was able with confidence to estimate
the expenditure for the succeeding ten years, and to point to
the probability of the Pacific Kailway being constructed and in
running order for a total money grant of S')(),000,00() and a land
subsidy of oO.OOO.OOO acres. Then, too, the counti-y was pros-
perous ; the banks increasing their capital and paying large
tlividends ; various manufacturing industries througliout the
country in operation, giving employment to many thousands of
men and remunerative investment for capital ; the farmers were
contented and making money ; tlie tea and West Indian trades
growing and flourishing; and eveiything in tliat condition
which gave hope aqd satisfaction to all classes of the people.

was every -
morning's
,' exodus of
r England
ustr_\- was
about him
of intelli-
stries, Mr.
, di tiering
g taritis in
lent, as we
the reve-
^upporters
so cai'ried
lie boon it
I to give
iieasure of

> financial
Commons.
B position
with the
I, he con-
a steady
cation, in
estimate
point to
ed and in
iid a land
vas pros-
ng large
liout the
isands of
lers were
in trades
ondition
' people.

TlW

THE yATlnXAL POLTrY.

447

Hut a (.hange of Oovernment liad taken phice, and a change of
policy, and ruin and disaster had overtaken every industry and
every hraiieli of trade in Canada. It was to remedy the de-
plorable^ condition of aliairs which had prevailed for the i)ast
tour yeais that the National Policy, suggested by the I'onsei'-
vative Opposition in Parliament and resisted by the Liberal
(jovernmenr, had been so unanimously demanded by the people ;
and he expressed the hope an<l belief that the ))rop()sitions he
was about to make would fairly justify the anticipations of the
electors. Arri'-ing from England, he had set himself to the
work of framing the new taritl'. Referring to the past and
prospective .state of the finances, lie said the estimate of expendi-
ture for the year 1878-70 made by his predecessor (Mr. Cart-
wright), and provided for by the House of Commons in the ses-
sion of bS78, was in round numbers .Si3,(iO'H)0() — slightly less
than the estimated income. The actual expenditure amounted, as
a matter of fact, to S'24,0()0,()00, or a discrepancy of about half a
luiilion. The revenue during the past three or four weeks had,
in consequence of the excitement in regard to the anticipated
tariti' changes, been very large ; but such increase of revenue
ought to be credited to next j'car's receipts, and if allowance
wei'e made for that purpose from the income of this year, the
deficit would be increased to 32,400,000 ; or crediting the
abnormal revenue to this year's account, there still would be a
deficit of §1,(500,000. In order to be able to meet the expendi-
ture requisite for 187U-80, the (Jovernment would have to get
autliority from Parliament to receive an increased revenue from
customs of $2,000,000; and, in arranging for the levying of the
additional duties, he would ask the House to consider how it
miglit be imposed so as to give protection to our home indus-
tries. The volume jf imports into Canada had not been
materially reduced by the commercial depression, which he re-
gretted. Indeed, he regarded the large balance of trade against
us ever since Confederation as one of the main causes of our
difliculties. He knew that there were those in the House —
especially hon. gentlemen of the ()[)position — who held vievv.s
different from his upon this (juestion; but regarding the enor-

i'. , :• ■ «

4|4)

448

LIFJC 1)1' SJI! JnllX A. MMDOXALl).

inuiH ext'css ot" iiiiixjits as an L!\il, ho proposod in the policy he
was about to submit to the House to correct it. Mucli dis-
turbance and mischief had been caused to our trade by the
manufacturers of the United States making' a shiughter market
of Canada. Our tariff since 187') had favouied their ellorts in
this direction, while tlieir protective duties hail sliut our farmers
and manufacturers out of their nuirkets. It was the opinion
of some that tlie condition of a country could not be improved
or its pros|terity increased by legislation. From this view the
GovernnK-nt dissented. He would have been glad had he been
relieved from the necessity of imposing additional taxation,
but luiving to impose it, the tariH'had been so Iramed that he
had the utmost confidence in stating that the larger proportion
of the extra two millions for which he required to provide
would be levied upon the products of foreign countries, and
would not l)e diawn from the great country — England — of
which we f(jiin a part. With regard to tlie United States, the
Government intende(l to impose duties on agreat many articles
imported from tliere which had been left on the free list since
1SG5, in the vain hope of inducing our neighbours to renew the
Reciprocity Treaty which they had then abrogated. The
Government believed in reciprocity, but not in a onc-sided
tariff. They regarded it as important to encourage the expor-
tation of our own manufactures to foreign countries, and the
extension of our markets generally. In explaining the leading
items of the preceding tariff, the Finance Minister stated that
the policy of the Government was to select for a higher rate of
duty those articles which arc manufactuied, or can be manu-
factured, in the country, and to leave those that are neither
made nor are likely to be made in Jie coantry at a lower
rate."

The Reformers fell upon Mi-. Tilley as if he were a mad dog.
The new policy was loaded with objurgation and ridicule. Mr,
Mackenzie, Sir Richard Gaitwright, and other leading Liberals
declaied the new policy to be a return to the barbarous and
unwise traditions o^ the past. Mr. Cartwright made an exhaus-
tive and clever review of the financial situation in his bitterest

policy l>o
Inch (lis-
.0 \>y the
21- market
L'llorts ill
ir fanners
[i opinion
improved
1 view the
ul he been
[ taxation,
!(! that he
proportion
to provide
\trie.s, and
I'dand — ot
States, the
my articles
! list since
) renew the
ted. The
one-sided
the expor-
,5, and the
e leading
;tated that
ler rate of
lie manu-
,re neither
it a lower

11 niad doy.
cule. Mr.
^'■ Liberals
arous and
n exhaus-
s bitterest

•f

HON. WILFRID LAURIER

1 t

n I V

•

Tin: XATKiNAL V<HA*'Y.

44.t

manner. As for the tariff, ho tlet'lait'd that it woulil neither
Ktinuilate home inchistry nor raise a revenue ; hut wouhl cripple
commercial enterprise without swelling,' the cotlers. When the
Oracles at Delphi prophesied they usually ditl so in eni{,'mas,
ca))ablo of two interpretations, so that wliether the hattle was
lost or won their explanation as seers was never doubted. But
Mr. Cartwright, inltii^terand unconi|»roniisinj,' Kn;,'lish set upon
inexorable record the prediction that in bot'i ways this new
policy would fail. A suliiiicnt trial proved that in the be;;et-
tii:g of revenue it did not fail ; and that if it has not signally
stimulated native enterprise it certainly has not crippled it.
Indeed, it has not only raised revenue, but produced a surplus,
and has been coincidf^nt with, if it has not in some measure
occasioned, the appearance of an era of prosperity hitherto un-
equalled in Canada. We know that the weevil or the drought
is stronger than ministries, and that statutes are powerless to
make the corn to spring or the sun to shine ; but we do not
hesitate to record our conviction that Sir John Macilunald's
ministry came upon the scene at an important era, that its cry
upon the hustings, bcfoie it put a line upon the statute book,
roused the spirits of the country, brought public confidence to
its feet, and drew capital out of its hiding-place. By its legis-
lation it has done, and it is but fair to admit it, an appreciable
amount of good ; it has brought into the country's lap millions
of dollars of foreign cajiital, and added immen.sely to the sum
of the national wealth. There are portions of the Uominion,
it is true, notably in the North-West, where the people derive
little or no benefit from, and perhaps are harshly burdened by,
the direct operation of the policy ; but they are in a substan-
tial measure repaid for this by the fuller throb in their veins of
the general prosperity which it has given to the country. For
the time, we say at least, the " N. P." has been of service to
Canada. Now, as we have hinted, however, there are indica-
tions that the time has come when a change of fiscal policy is
desirable, and an extension made in the area of unrestricted
trade.

?«

) t

I
\

\ ^B :>

■ r. ■'

C(J

v.'

Ill'

I )

t y.:. ■

T ■. '*r-..,^\'

450

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

During the inontli that witnessed tlie reappearance (.)£ Sir
John upon the ministerial scene, Lonl Duff'erin took his de-
parture from Canada ; and on November fuUowing a new
Governor-General, Lord Lome, accompanied by his consort the
Princess Louise, arrived at Halifax.

" There was no lingeiin;^ of politicians at the ca|)ital after
adjournment, each hied him to his constituency, where, with
the skill of Ariel, he set himself to raise a storm. The tem-
pest, if fierce, was short, and the ministry came out of it
neither demolished nor shattered. Mr. Blake had put en his
lieavy armour and visited Toronto, London, and Hamilton,
speaking against the contract in those magnificent sentences of
his that are always so distinctly uttered, so strong, so clear and
BO cold ; but Sir Charles Tupper followed him round, deliver-
ing address for address, and though his speeches contained
much that was only declamation, and not a little that was
absurd, or mere unsupported assertion, he told the best story,
because his subject had the best side ; and beyond inllaiuitig,
and in some instances intoxicating, a few score of excitable and
not very astute Refoimers, there was little gained by the
Opposition during the recess."

On returning to their seats, there was an ominous silence
that betokened the early bursting of a storm. Within a
day or so certain vague rumors floated through the lobbies
conceining a "strong Opposition card." The chief rumour
was that as the Pacific Railroad had once broken Sir John's
back, it would even do so the second time ; that a combin-
ation of capitalists unexampled in this country for their re-
sources, their experience and their standing, had been formed,
who were prepared to construct the road at a figure far
less than that named by the Syndicate, and they would ask
none of those restrictions wliich would keep enterprise and
settlement so long in shackles in the North-West. This com-
pany would come forward, the rumour said, and make its offer,
when one of two courses was open to the Government. They
must, this confident and awing whisp.,i' ^aid, 'either reject the
offer or accept it.' They dare not reject '.t, for even their own

, ^

nil: x.irioxAL roucy.

451

ii.nd following would not lend themselves to the supporc of
such an iniciuity : if they accept it, then, since the scheme be-
longs purely to the Opposition, there should ite no deci-iU
course open to the Ministry but to resign. All this took place
while Sir John was, apparently, the least exercised of any in
the House. " He assured his followers that it was only
natural to expect a ' card ' of some kind, but that they would
he hardly warranted in looking for a very 'strong' one,"
Presently the scheme was revealed in detail. The new Syndi-
cate ofiered to build the road in consideration of a laniiev sub-
sidy of .*?2-2,()()0,00() and a land subsidy of -Jl'.OOO.OOO "acres ■
and they asked for no exemption from duty on articles im})orted
for construction from municipal or Dominion taxation, or for
any special privileges or monopolies with regard to the con-
struction of branch lines. Witii regard to the duty of
the Government in dealing with this otler we can
only reiterate what has been said elsewhere. " For thj
Ministry to have entertained the new proposition would
not have been either wise or just. It would not have
been wise, because the new eomj)any had no means of obtain-
ing an estimate of costs, and were obliged to make their offer
at random ; it would not have been just, because the govern-
ment had given ample time for capitalists to make combina-
tions and [)resent their otters ; because they had received and
carefully considered several propositions ; and after a sufficiency
of time to allow the coming in of all possible tenders had
elapsed, they closed with a combination of men wliose financial
standing and jjcrsonal character were the highest, and who.se
proposition in all i* spects promised more advantage to the
country than any other that liad been made to them."

On Monday, the 17th of January, Sir Charles Tupper pre-
sented the offer of the new syndicate to the House. There was
an air half of jubilation and half of curiouji wonderment upi.n
the faces oi many Oj)position members ; and one could fancy the
whole number finding voice and saying : " Well, Sir John, you
are pretty cunning, and have got out of many close places in
your life, but you are now in about as tight a box as you have

Vr I

452

LIFE OF Sin JOHN A. MACDONALD.

ever been in ; we are a little curious just to see you get out of
it." But to the surprise and discomfiture of these gentlemen,
instea<l of being alarmed b}' the proposal of the " second Syndi-
cate," Sir John, who took the floor, regarded the proceeding a^
a piece of impudence, and characterized the proposal as a bogus
tender. " This whole scheme," he said, " which was ostensibly
to assume the responsibility of buiiiling and running the line
from Lake Nipissing to the Pacific Ocean, is simply an im-
pudent offer to build the prairie section, nnd to do it by means
of political friends who, when they get in power, will grant
them all they want and allow them to confine their exertions,
their responsibilities, all the liabilities for the future co build-
ing an ';asy road across the prairies, and so connecting with
the American system of railways, and carrying away the trade
of the North-Wcst by one or more American channels, to the
utter ruin of the great policy under which the Dominion of
Canada has been created, to the blighting of our hopes of being
a great nation, and to the ruin of our prospect of getting pos-
session of the Pacific trade, and connecting Asia with Eng-
land by a railway passing through the domin'ons of England.
It is as easy "as rolling ofia lo,;" to run a railway across the
prairies and work it, but this is an endeavour to deprive this
country, to deprive Ontario, to deprive Quebec, to deprive the
Maritime Provinces of all connection by railway with the
North- West." Comparing the rival projects, he said : — " I
appeal to the members of this House as men who are patriots,
as men who have the destinies of their country in their hands
not to be hoodwinked, not to be led away by a disingenuous
and discreditable trick. I know we can appeal to the patriot-
ism of the people of Canada. We can tell them that we want
a line that will connect Halifax with the Pacific Ocean. We
can tell them, even from the mouth of our enemies, that out of
our lands we can pay ofi every single farthing taken out of the
pockets of the people, twenty-fold, and we will have a great
Pacific Railway. This is what we will have. Let me draw a
contrast! You are asked to have a railway running from the
United States and to the United States. You are asked tu

TJlJi NATIONAL POLICY,

453

get out of
gentlemen,
)nd Syndi-
ceeding a>.
as a bogus
ostensibly
[ig the line
ply an im-
b by niean^
will grant

exertions,
5 CO build-
;cting with
y the trade
nels, to the
ominiou of
)es of being
fctting pes-

with Eng-
)f England.

across the
eprive this
leprivc the
/ with the

said :— " I
re patriots,
,heir hand^
isiiigenuous
,he patriot-
at we want
)cean. We

that out of
n out of the
ivc a great

me draw a
12 from the
e asked to

have a line by which the trade from the East will rnn into the
States, and by which the legitimate profits of the Lake
Superior road will be destroyed. You are asked to have a line
by which th '"ade from the West will run into the States.
Mr. Speaker, the whole thing is an attempt to destroy the
Pacific Railway. I can trust to the intelligence of this House,
and the patriotism of this country, I can trust not only to the
patriotism but to the common sense of the nation to cany
out an arrangement which will give us all we want, which will
satisfy the loyal legitimate aspiration.s, give us a great, an united,
a rich, an improving, a developing, Canada, instead of making
us tributary to American laws, to American railroads, to
American bondage, to American tolls, to American freights, to
all the little tricks and big tricks that American railways are
fiddicted to for the purpose of destroying our road. Look on
this picture and then on that, and I know which choice will be
made by the people of ( 'auada. And, Sir, I believe
before the general elections in 1883, the honorable gentle-
men opposite will try to make the people forget, will try
to make the people di.sremember, to use a Western phrase, this
publican plot, and will eat their own words before the people
as they are trying to do now with regard to the National
Policy — and in doing so they will lose the respect of the people
of Canada."

Mr. Blake followed the Premier and characterized the second
syndicate a.s "the strongest combination ever witnessed of
Canadian capitalists." The discussion was for the greater part
furious, and there was not a little of personal bitterness exhib-
ited by some of the gladiator.s. But the feai's and the wrath
of the Opposition were without avail. Even the thunder of
Mr. Blake's undeniable eloquence deterred no man, and liushed
itself, harmlessly, in the leaves of Ilansanl. The oiler of the
second .syndicate was rejected, and that of the first accepted by
a vote of 136 to 51. Although the biographer finds it his duty
to set down the consummation of this great work to the credit
of Sir John Macdonald, yet it would be less than ju.stice to
ignore the force, the ability, the tirelessness and the zeal dis-

ioi

w I

h ■

LIFE OF Sin JOHN A. MACDONALD.

played by Sir Charles Tupper, minister of railways and canals,
upon whose shoulders fell the heavy stress of the battle.

The following is an analysis of the votes cast by provinces :

For

Amend-

naenc

Ortario | 23

Quebec 1.5

Nova Scotia ; 3

New Brunhwick i 10

British Co" V r

Prince Edward Island ; 1

Manitoba '

Again**;

Did not

Death

Amend-

Vote.

• Vacan-

ment.

cies.

(!1

4(;

140

ToUl
Vote of
Province.

0.5

208

It is to be added to this imperfect chronicle of the incidents
connected with this great national undertaking, that in the
ses.sion of 1884 Parliament .sanctioned a further subvention to
the Pacific Railway of thirty millions of dollars. Since that
date, it has still further come to the company's assistance, and
showed its generous appreciation of the great work done by
the sym.Ucate in the interest alike of Canada and the Empire.

nd canals,
itle.
provinces :

Totol
Vote of
Province.

88
05
21
16

20«

incidents
lat in the
'ention to
Since that
bance, and
k done by
le Empire.

CHAPTER XXV.

THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY.

K now coine to the chief triumph in the career of Sir John
Macdonald, the negotiation witli a syndicate of capitalists,
which resulted in the construction, within an astonishingly
brief period, of the great iron highway across the wide, Im-
perial domain of Canada to the PaoiHo. Tliat this huge national
undertaking is to-day not only an accomplished fact, but, as
an engineering feat, one of the marvels of our time, is due in
large measure to the practical skill and shrewd administrative
ability, coupled with the tireless energy anil fervent patriotism,
of Sir John Macdonald. In saying this we do not wish to take
a leaf from the laurel crowns of Sir George Stephen and Sir
Donald Smith, the chief j)romoters of the enterprise, or to de-
tract from the well-won honours of those who were associated
with them in the great achievement of the Company. To those
gentlemen, and the enterprising railway corporation under
them, Canada owes a debt which it has not been niggard in ack-
nowleilgiug, for it has subjected itself to heavy financial burdens
and been lavish in the grants of public land it has given the
Company, to eviable the enterprise to succeed and to facilitate
its speedy construction. While we fairly, as wo think, take
this credit to the country, we at the same time pay our tribute
to tlic great railway corporation for its unexampled lal)Ours on
behalf of Canada and the Empire. What these labours mean,
those know who are familiar with the engineering difficulties
overcome in the construction of the road, and not alone in the
" sea of mountains " on the Pacific, but over the desolate wastes
on the north shore of Lake Superior. Not only has the road
opened u)) to commerce and settlement the vast regions of the
Nurth-West, and linked to:;ether the ilistant and long-strung-

455

'i^il i!

N If

I T
f

i^-

456

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

out Provinces of the Dominion, but in its military aspect it has
been and will be of hii,'h service to the Imperial Goveriuuent
in providing a new and expeditions higiiway to the Far East.

The expedition with which the road has been l)uilt is not
the least striking feature in the story. Work was commenced
upon it by the Soephen-Suiith Syndicate in 188 1, and ten
years were given the company to complete it. Notwithstand-
ing the gigantic character of the undertaking, and the appar-
ently insurmountable ditii. ulties in raising the necessary
capital, the company was able, as we no\v, to finish the road
and open it for trathc in the sunnner of 183G ! The road, from
Montreal to Vancouver, is 2,900 miles long, and trains make
the journey between these once far-separated points in a little
more than a hundred hours. The equipment and comfort —
even luxury — of travel by the road are the theme of every
traveller's praise. Its connections, extending eastward from
Montreal to the Atlantic, are further instances of the enter-
prise of the company and of the facilities which this national
undertakincr affords. To enable the reader unfomiliar with
the facts to form something like an adequate conception of this
gigantic work, which is the crowning feature in Sir John
Macdonald's public career, let us quote briefly from the railway
authorities themselves. The quotation may serve, further, to
indicate the conscientious thorouglniess with which the com-
pany has carried out its bargain with the country : —

" The energies of the company have not been confined to the
mere fulfilment of its contract with the Government. Much
more was done in order that the railway might fully serve its
purpose as a commercial enterprise. Independent connections
with the Atlantic seaboard were secured by the purchase of
lines leading eastward to Montreal and Quebec ; branch lines
to the chief centres of trade in Eastern Canada were provideil
by purchase and construction, to collect and distribute the
traffic of the main line ; and other branch lines were built in
the North- West for the development of the great prairies.

"The close of 1885 found the company, not yet five years
old, in possession of no less than 4,J}15 miles of railway, includ-

ii'

ispect it ha.s
jrovi-rmuent
le Far East,
built is not

commenced
81, and ten
)t\vithstand-
l the appar-
D necessary
lish the road
le road, from
trains make
ts in a little
1 comfort —
ne of every
itward from
f the enter-
:his national
imiliar with
ption of this
n Sir John

the railway
!, further, to
;]i the com-

itined to the
lent. Much
lly serve its
connections
purchase of
jranch lines
re provided
tribute the
ere built in
rairies.
)t five years
vav, inchul-

rJfJ': CANADIAN rACIFir H.lIIAV.tV.

437

mq; the longest continuous line in the world, extending from
(Quebec and Montreal all the way across the continent to the
Pacific Ocean, a distance of .3,0')0 miles; and by the mid-
summer of 1S80 all this vast system was fully ecpiipped and
fairly working tliroughout. \'illages and towns and even
cities followed close upon the heels of the line-builders; the
forests were cleareil away, the prairie's soil was turned over,
mines were opened, and even before the last rail was in place
the completed sections were carrying a large and profitaVilo
tiaHic. The touch of the young giant of the North was felt
upon the world's commerce almost before his existence was
known; and, not content with the trade of the golden shores
of the Pacific, from California to Alaska, his arms have already
stretched out across that broad ocean and grasped the teas and
silks of China and Japan to exchange them for the fabrics of
Europe.

It is time, however, to fall liack on our narrative and pick
up the threads of the history in connection with this great
enterprise. After the collapse of Sir Hugh Allan's overtures
for the construction of the railway, not a few })olilicians shook
their heads ominously and said that the ( 'anaciiaii Pacitic road
would never be built. Session after session had been frittered
away in Parliament in the attempt to get one body or another
of capitalists to assume the task and so get it off the hands of
the country. Mr. Mackenzie had spent large sums in making
the necessary survey's, which, of course, had to precede con-
struction, and in so far were a legitimate expense : not so le-
gitimate, however, at least not so protitable, was the money
spent in advertising for construction companies to undertake
the work, none of whom wei'e competent to do so. One of his
olfers was a proposal by a company to grapple with the project
at a cost to the country of $10,000 and iO.OOO acres of land
for every mile constructed ; but when engineers lookcil at the
magnitude of the task in the Rocky Mountain section, the
capitalists put their hands in their pockets and walked away.
Notwithstandinir the failure to iret rid of the burden, Mr. Mac-
kenzie, however, did what was possible, but the possible of

t 3

(

. i

* ■

'! .-.

II!. il

458

JJFJ'J or SI I; JOllX A. yiM'hitSALI).

gun 1-1.4.

that day was a inca^iu little in coiniiaiisoii with the achieve-
ment which has now to he <ietaileil.

On the 2!)t!i uf June, iNSl, a political pic-nie was hold at
Bath, Ontario, at which Sir John Macdonald, Sir l^'onard Til-
ley, and other public men of lesser note attended. At this
mid-summer festival an important announcement was made,
which — we say it with all reverence — reminds us that it is
often to the hundjle and lowly that ijreat tidings first come.
To the simple folk gathered about the ( 'hieftain at this pic-nic,
Sir John Macdonald made the announcement that there was at
that moment in Ottawa a numbei- of capitalists who were ne-
gotiating with the Government, of which he was the head, for
the construction of the Canadian Pacific liailway. The Prime
Minister's weighty statement was innnediatcly Hashed over the
country. For a brief season it produi.-ed much de[)ression in
Reform circles, and in the Conservative camp there was no end
of jubilation. Soon it was announced that negotiations had
reached a stage justifying a visit of Ministers to England.
Thither Sir John and some of his colleagues went, conferred
with a number of capitalists in the moon, and, with consider-
able importance and an air of deep mystery, yet with manife.st
triumph, returned to Canada. The newspapers are irrepressible.
Despite the silence of Ministers, tliese useful gatherers of infor-
mation one morninLi: announced that a. syndicate or combination
of capitalists, of abundant resources, and the highest financial
repute, had been formed to undertake the construction of the
road, and that for such work the Government liad pledged
itself to give $2.3,000,000 in money and 2.'i,000,000 acres of
land. The journals of the country were not misinformed ; such
indeed were the facts, (^f course, those who a few months be-
fore had shaken their heads and declared that the road wouM
never be built, that no company could be induced to undertake
the work, unless for a sum which would nsean ruin to the
country, that the lands in the North-West, except for a fertile
stretch along the valley of the Saskatchewan, were of little
value, being visited I>y destructive frosts in summer and by de-
vastating storms of snow in winter, were now the first — ak-*.»

• 1 1
\ I

T/II-: cAXAhfAx r.iriric /m/zjimt.

4r.o

he achiove-

as helil at
ioonanl Til-
a. At this
■j was inaile,
s that it is
s first cotue.
tills pic-nic,
there was at
lo were ne-
,he head, for
The Prime
hed over the
epression in
1 was no end
Llations had
to England,
lit, conferred
th consider-
|ith manifest
repressible.
ers of infor-
^ombination
est financial
iction of the
ad pledged
000 acres of
rmed ; such
months be-
road won hi
undertake
uin to the
"or a fertile
ere of little
and by de-

iirsl-

-U^'- *»

before they knew the actual terms of the cotitruct — to scream
out that the Oovernment had made an ignominious .sur-
render to the Company, that they had given a sum of
money fabulously large, and made over lands that W(Mdd
turn railway magnates into toii'itorial kings; in short, that
the financial future of Canada and the commercial future
of the North-West were bound hand anil foot and uiven
over to the Syndicate. It i> true, the money .sul)vontion
to the Compjiny was largo, and lai-ge, too, the land grant by
which it was supplemented JJut huge — vast, itnleed, — was at
the same time the undertaking ; and tlioughthe countryhas since
generously e.\tende<l the aid given to the Company, and in all
respects been considerate to it, the Government were (piitc jus-
tified in their liberal dealings with the road. At times ther«
has been fear of undue influence on the part of the Company,
in extorting concessions from the Administration not always in
the country's interest. In the future there may lie mote fear
still of this: but it will be the duty of the Opposition to .sec
that these demands and all undue pressure of whatever sort
are not carried too far; and if the Opposition fail in their duty,
there will still I»e a check applied, we hope, by the watchful
voice of public opinion.

But the contiaer luid to be submitted to Parliament and b}'
proxy lie ratified by the country. A Session of the Hou.se was
called early in December, about two months before the usual
time of meeting, and great was the excitement occasioned by
the summons. Sir John Uict the assembled wisdom of the
country with his usual confiilonce, though it has since leaked
out that he had some misgi'* ing, for the proposed money-grant
was large^ and the fears of the country had been actively ex-
cited by their opponents. Between factiousness and funk there
was indeed .some occasion for apprehension. Mr. Blake led off
bv declarins: that an undcrtakint: so inodiijious as this and so
full of moment to the country should be approached with cool-
ness and deliberation. This was true ; but it was hardly the
way to secure a judicial verdict on the matter by first exciting
the 1 eople from the hustings and by creating a prejudice against

ii'

J J 1.

if i

400

/.//•'/•; of sill .Ions .1. M.u'Dus iuj.

the enterprise. Parliament, at all events, was now to deal witli
the Syndii'jito, anil it was coitainly more fit to ileal with it,
and with the wliolc (|uostion, tliiin the body of the people,
stirreil up l>y partisnnship and lar^'ely nusinformeil of the actual
facts from the hustings. Parliament, however, was not then to
decide; it heard an inkling of the Ministerial policy, and Sir
John Macdonald was too wise to attempt to hurry the issue;
back therefore the matter went to the people. The (Jhristmas
holidays intervened, and the House took a recess from the 23rd
of December till the 4th of January.

What took place later on, wlien the House assembled again,
we have already Aeon in tlie preceding chapter. The Parlia-
ment ratified the l>argain with the (Canadian Pacific Railway
Company, and the great enterprise was speedily put under
way. Its completion so early as the summer of iSiSii, is one
of the marvels of enterprise in connection with the public
works of this or of any other country.

iwtodoal with
to deal w ith it,
of the people,
ill of the actual
.vas not then to
policy, ami Sir
my the issue;
rho Christmas
from the 23r(i

■iembled again,
, The Parlia-
acific Railway
ily put undei'
t' IbtS'i, is one
th the public

CHAPTKll XXVI.

CLOSING YEARS— TUE LAMP GOES OUT.

BRIEF must bo our summary of the events in the closing
years of Sir John Macdonald's career. Nor is there need,
ivhile our space rapidly contracts, to take up time with the re-
cital of matters of political history with which most readers
are familiar. Contemporary themes, moreover, are of less in-
terest to the nation than to the individual. The chief topics
yet to be discussed are the General Election of 1887 and that
of the present year, the readjustment of representation in the
Commons, the Ontario Boundary Question, the North-West
Rebellion, and the diplomatic correspondence with the Home
Government concerninif Canada's relations with the United
States. Before coming to these topics, let us clear the sheet
of those, minor though they bo, that claim some attention.

During the session of ISS2, Sir Jolm Macdonald brought in
a Bill providing for a readjustuiont of representation in the
House of Commons. By the British North America Act it is pro-
vided that a census shall be taken every ten years ; that QuoIjoc
shall have the fixed number of sixty-tive members ; that there
.shall be a.ssigned to each of the other provinces such a number
of members as will bear the same proportion to the number of
its population, ascertained at each census, as the number of
sixty-tive bears to the number of the population of Quebi'c, so
ascertained. The census of 1881 showed that Quebec contain-
ed a population of 1,350,027, which divided by sixty-five gave
20,908 as the limit of representation, Ontario which was
found to contain 1,923,228 souls was, therefore, entitled to
ninety-two members. By virtue of an expected rather than

461

4(i2

/,//•■/•; OF SI I! ./ollX .1. MACDOSAI.I).

ail actual jiopnlation it was dccitleil to give one ntlditionul
n'[in'st'ntativo to Manitoba.*

It was thercf'oro iiocossary, accordin;^ to law, to rocoiistiuct
ami iL'distrilaitu a niiniljcr ol elective ridiii<fs in Ontario, Init
months before the bill was bronyht in, reform si)eakers and
writers declared that Sir John, in view of the pendinj; general
election, would carve the constituencies in such a way as to
strengthen his own iiands. Tiiey even avei red that he hail
declareil to several of Ids f i lends that he wa^ ,1,'oing to " hive the
(Jrits." So when the measure was brought in. the opposition
set up a shout of dissent. They declared that every principle
which shoidd have guidi'd in readjustuient had baon ignore 1 ;
that in taking away frou» one riding and adding to another, to-
pographical and niuiMcipal considerations were utterly disre-
garde<l, the only plain aim kept in view being the strengthen-
ing of doubtful constituencies, the adding of strongly reform
.sections to other districts where the liberal vote con.spicuously
predominated, thus agglomerating or "hiving" their opponents,
while, wherever practicable, a sure majority — according to the
election returns — was left to the Conservative riding. Mr.
Blake believed that Sir John had dishonestly taken advantage
of his position to recast, in his own favour, the whole political
geograpliy of the province, so that it was with a pardonable
indignation that he charactei'ised the action of the Ministry as
"high-handed, arbitrary and unjust." -Mr. Blake moved, in
amendment to the Bill, the following, but the motion wa,s lost
by a vote of 111 to 51 : —

"That the principle of observing, as far as possible, the limits of the
municipal counties in adjusting the Parliamentary representation ia sound

• In Ontario the Rinall electoral divisions of Niayara and Cornwall were merged
respectively in the counties of Lincoln and Stormont, their names bein^ retained in
the desigii.itions, " Lincoln and Niagara" and "Cornwall and Stormont." In the
folio .vinff manner were the six new constituencies created : Essex was divided into
two, Lambton into two, Bruce instead of two divisieos was triven three ; Middlesex
instead of three wa.s given four ; Sinicoe and Ontario, whicli liad previously been
divided into two, were now, cacli divided into three. The greater number of the
other constituencies were readjusted ; or " carved" as the Reformers described it.
In Manitoba the old constituencies were slightly rearranged ; and the added n.eml:er
was given to Winni)\-g

adtiitiotiiil

•oconstnict

iitario, liut

L'nkc'r.-< ami

iiit; general

, way as to

lat lie hail

" hive the

opposition

y principle

n igaorel ;

mother, to-

terly di.sre-

strengthen-

<rly lefornv

tispicuously

■ opponents,

(ling to the

idint;. Mr.

advantage

•!e political

lardonable

ilinistry a«

moved, in

II was lost

Imita of the
ItioD is sound

1 were mergeil

retaiaed in

Init." In the

divided into

; Middlesex

Ivioiisly been

imber of the

Idescribei) it.

Ided a.eml:er

vj.i>.-i.\<i yi:.ii;s.

403

tt^xi sIk iild lio fullowod ill tli(> niiid liill tor the ruaBou ^ivun oy Sir •hAm
A. Miiodoiiiild (ill H recited speech on the Biibject in IST'J), and approved
by Parliament ; and ulsu becuuso it all'ords some safeguard aijainst the
ftbiiBo of power by the party in otiico l<> adjust the representation unfairly
towards their opponents. Thit the said I'.ill is framed in ntter violation
and total disroj^ard of the said [irinoiple, since it takes away territory from
the municipal counties for electoral purposes, and conjoins for electoral
purposes territories having no municipal county relations with each other
in a very lar;;o proportion of the constiliienties of Ontario ; while, at the
Hame time, it does not elloct the proposed object of equalising the popu-
lation of the electoral districts."

It has to he admitted that the ministerial reply to Mr. Blake's*
powerful review of the (|iiestio!» was somewhat unsatisfactory.
Sir John's chief dct'i'iice was this : — " The iiieasiire is a fair one ;
it is a Hill which e(iualizes the population, which acknowledges
the principle (representation by population"^ which wa.s jiressed
to a .successful completion by the liberal party — the old reform
party of Canada — and which since that time ha.s been adopted
by all parties, having the true principle, the real basis of repre-
sentative institutions." Opponents of govtjrnment exhibited
maps showing the newly- con.structed ridings, and they much
more resembled the work of nature thttn of man. Some sup-
porters of government tiffected to see nothing unfair or irre-
gular in this political map-making, but declared the Act, which
came to be called the " (Jerrymander," a " blunder as well as a
crime."

Although one year of the usual Parliamentary term was yet
unexpired, Sir John resolved to make an appeal to the country.
The Opposition declared that his fortunes having touched the
meridian were now sadly on the decline, and that he feared to
encounter the likelihood of <lefeat by waiting another year. But
the Prime Minister was reatly with two reasons for the pro-
ceeding, contained in the closing panigraph of the speech from
the throne : " I heartily congratulate you on the rapid and
successful development of our manufacturing, agricultural and
other industries. I am, however, advised that their progress
would have been still greater were it not that capitalists hesi-
tate to embark their means in undertakings which would be

4Gi

LIFE OF N7/.' JOHN A. MACDONALD.

injured, it' not destroyed, by a change in the trade and fiscal
policy adopted by you in 1870 In order, thereforo, to give
the people, without further delay, anopportunityf o expressing
their deliberate opiidon on this policy, and at the same time to
bring into o))eration the measure for the readjustment of the
representation in the House of Commons, it is my intention to
cause this parliament to be dissolved at an early day."

All through the summer we find the old (Jhief potent, as of
yore, through the constituencies. H^ was not at this period as
vigorous physically as he used to be, but his intellectual force,
his tact, his fertility of expedients, and his power to compel
zeal in his cause have in nowise forsaken him. " There he is in
the thick of the fray with the light of other days in his eyes,
still wielding that subtle and irresistible fascination over the
crowds who have gathered to hear him. Always clear-voiced,
always turning, always watching ; he pours out that succession
of argument, of wit, of joke and of story, many of them old, of
flashes of thought, many of them new and bright, of political
reminiscence and political fact, rambling yet not unconnected,
and always bearing straight on the point, all of whicii have, for
many a long year past, among Canadian populace or in Canadian
legislature, been more powerful than the voice of other living
man." Though the ideal politician of the majority, yet the old
chief's welcome was far from being as warm, the crowds that
gathered around him were far from being as large oi as enthu
siastic as in 1878. But the reason was plai; . In 1878 depres.sion
had touched everything, and the crowds who gathered to liear
Sir John were often largely composed of men who wanted
bread, and who could only find employment by expatriation.
They did not want work or bread now, and if, for a moment,
they forgot the past, the unforgetful chief did not chose to
permit them to disremember. "The last time I addressed you,
he said, you cried out for work. I told you that better times
would come, if legislation could bring them, if you would elect
us. You did elect us. The better times have come, whatever
brought them. I recognize before me the faces of my old
friends ; but you have better coats on, better hats on, better

CLOSIXa YEA US.

4G5

c and fiscal
ovp, to give
. expressing
line time to
uent of the
intention to

ay.

potent, as of
his period as
iectual force,
ei' to compel
here he is in
s in his eyes,
ion over the
clear -voiced,
at succession
; them old, of
t, of political
unconnected,
hicii have, for
)r in Ca!iadian

boots on than when you assembled to hear mo last." Conserva-
tive speakers everywhere stood fast upon the good ship National
Policy which had before carried them on the wave*s-top to of-
fice.

In the party led by Mr. Blake there was lacking loyalty
to one another, there was discord upon the question of National
Policy, some declaring their preference for the fiscal system of
the Government. " Mr. Blake went out to Durham and told
the people that ' free trade is for us impossible.' Mr. Macken-
zie raised his voice in I'jast York and assured the electors that
any doctrine but that of free trade was pernicious, retrogres-
sive, and a relic of connnercial barbarism. And so, an era of
Reform speech-collisions began all over the country, and the
enemy made the most of the clashing declarations. Thus it
came to pass that the leader of the Opposition could scarcely
make utterance on any question that a counter statement made
somewhere else by Mr. Mackenzie, by Mr. Mills, or the Toronto
(j'iohe, did not rise like the ghost of Banquo to confront hjm ;
and vice versa. Each party jiressed into service everything
that could do duty as a conjurer of religious or provincial pre-
judice; the Reformers carried through the land a huge Jileu
Frenchman, who, they said, was at once the master of the
ministry and the ministry itself , and this Bete Bleu, they af-
firmed, to be jealous of the growth of Ontario, and bent on
preventing her further develo})ment. It was at his dictation,
they declared, that the ministry refused to ratify the boundary
award, and they called upon the '" men of Ontario " to come
to the polls and defend their Province from the jealousy of
' these domineering Frenchmen.' Another important Opposi
tion cry was the alleged tendency of the Premier to a centrali-
zation of all important political power at Ottawa ; and proof
of this allegation, they averred, was found in the disallowance
by the federal parliament of certain provincial acts of purely
local importance. It was pointed out, too, that Sir John, at a
meeting of Conservatives heM in Toronto, had spoken with
marked Co^teri'pt of the functions of local legislatures, and de-
scribed Mr. Mowat, the Premier of the most imi'ortant Pro-

mil

IV '' I ' 1

4CG

LIFE OF Silt JOHN A. MACDONALD.

vince in the Confederation as beintf enfja^ed in ' whittlinjj at
little provincial bills,' and had threatened to strij) him of some
of the authority with which he then was clothed. These were
two strong cries against the government in Ontario; yet, owing
to a more zealous and coherent party loyalty, to superior oi'gani-
zation, and a more marked unanimity of opinion than that of
their opponents,added to the advantages always possessed by the
party who holds the reins, the Conservatives were re-chosen
by a majority of about seventy over their opponents. The
only provinces that did not send conspicuous majorities to sup-
port the Governn)ent were Manitoba and Prince Edward Island."'

Several important changes were made in the Cabinet after
the general election. Mr. John Calling, of London, became post-
master-general in the room of the Hon. John O'Connor, who
retired from public life ; Mr. John Costigan of Victoria, New
Brunswick, became Minister of Inland Revenue in the stead of
the Hon. J. C. Aikens, who was appointed to the Lieutenant-
Governorship of Manitoba, and Mr. A. W. McLellan assumed
the charge of the depaitment of ilarine and Fisheries, made
vacant by the protracted illness of the Hon. J. C. Pope.

A frecpient visitor upon the floor of the House of Commons
during the next few years was the question of the Northern
and Western boundary of Ontario. In 1878 by mutual con-
sent the Governments of the Dominion and of Ontario ap-
pointed three gentlemen, Sir Francis Hincks, Chief Justice
Harrison, and Sir Edward Thornton, who were authorized
to collect all available evidence, and from this ascertain where
lay the Northern and Western boundary of Ontario. All
possible evidence was collected and considered, after which
the arbitration submitted its finding, or its award, as so many
of the controversialists insisted upon terming it. J t is as well
at the outset to understand that the function of the arbitration
was only to collect evidence, and from its interpretation thoreut"
to ascertain the boundary. That it was to(/ec/a)'<?, absurdity it-
self only could suppose, since it was merely an agent of Govern-
ment. But Mr. ]\lackenzie makes the {)osition of Government
clear upon the point when in e.\press terms he reserves th:-

CLOSIiSG YI-JA US.

40'

hittling at
im of some
These weve
yet, owing
;rior oi's^ani-
lian that of
essed by the
re re-chosen
nents. The
rities to sup-
vaicl Islantl."
Cabinet after
became post-
Connov, who
'ictoria, New
1 the stead of
a Lieutenant-
jUan assumed
sheries, made
1 Pope,
of Commons
the Northern
mutual con-
Ontario ap-
IChief Justice
•e authorized
;ertain where
ntario. All
after whicb.
.1, as so many
Jt is as well
e arbitration
ation thereof
absurdity it-
nt of Govern-
Government
reserves tU'-

right to withhold ratification for sullicient reasons. The award
reached the Privy Council shortly after the resurrected minis-
try had taken their seats ; but tlie following session passed, an-
other came and went, still another and another, yet Govern-
ment made no sign of giving validity to the binding of the
arbitration Meanwhile afi'airs in the larfre tract of dc;bat;ible
territory were in serious confusion ; the inhabitants knew not
whether they belonged to Ontario or Manitoba, or to which
they should msike prayer for relief from nuniicipal disabilities
— to whom they should look for the Iniilding of roads and
bridges, and the establishment of schools. ;Ontario, whose in-
terests had momentous connection with the ratification of the
finding, began to cry out that Sir John was delaying justice to
her, and solicited him to bring the question before Parliament
and settle it there. Her legislature, as if to set an example,
favourably passed a measure ratifying the declaration of
the arbitratoj>. ; still the Premier made no move. He
took the ground that the fin«ling of the arbitrators was in
no way binding upon parliament, but that the duty of these
"•entlomen was rather to declare a conventional line than to
give an authoritative decision upon a quest'on that was a
matter of law ; that in advance of parliament ry sanction, it
was not oidy highly inexpedient, but transcended the powers
of the government of the day, to refer to arbitration the ques-
tion of the extent of the North-west territories acquired by the
Dominion by purchase from the Hudson's Bay Company ; that
the duty of the Government was to seek for a disposal of the
matter as a question of law ; and that his Government was pre-
pared to submit the question for decision to the Superior Court
of Canada, a tribunal whose 7'aison d'etre was to deal with
disputed inter-provincial (juestions ; or, this proposal failing, to
meet the wishes of his opponents by handing the case to the
Judicial Committee of the Imperial Privy Council. The Re-
formers replied that this was only a shift to evade ratification
of a valid declaration made by a com[)etent tribunal, and they
refused the First Minister's i)roposals. On the 2 1st of Novem-
ber, 1881, Sir John Macdonald visited Mr. Movvat, the Premier

III

4G8

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALI).

of Ontario, in the hitter's office, and there in presence of the
Minister of Justice proposed that " the Government of the
Dominion and that of Ontario, should unite in soliciting the
good offices of some eminent English law-functionary for the
purpose of determining the true boundary line" ;* and — such
proposal not being acceptable — to submit the question either
to the Supreme Court of Canada or to the Judicial Committee
of the Imperial Privy Council.

The Prime Minister was now charged with being under the
Bleu influence of his Cabinet, of being afraid to forfeit their
support by doing justice to Ontario. But Sir John saw, not-
withstanding delays, that justice would eventually be done,
and to this end he proposed a transfer of the case to a
disinterested tribunal whose declaration he would bind him-
self to accept. It probably was true that Ministers from Que-
bec looked with extreme disfavour upon a finding that would
give to Ontario increased possibilities of still further overshad-
owing their own Province, but they were powerless to obstruct
the case once in the hands of the Privy Council, or even in our
own Supreme Court of law. It would have been better, no doubt,
and saved much turmoil and hardship had Sir John found
himself able at once to give validity to the finding of the ar-
bitration, but again and again he declared that he did not be-
lieve the method urged upon him to be the constitutional way.
Ascertaining his opinions and his attitude it was clearly then
the duty of Mr. Mowat to have at once accepted the proi)osal
of a reference to the Privy Council. This impartiality and the
ability of this tribunal being above any question, there was no
ground to apprehend either a denial or a delay of justice
During the summer of 1884, however, a modus vifcudi was
reached between the Premiers of Ontario and Manitoba, and
it was agreed to take the advice Sir John had given so often
and refer the case to the Privy Council. After careful consid-
eration the binding of the arbitrators was ratified and this dis-
turbing question was set at rest.

• Vide a despatch from the Secretary of State to the Lieutenaut-Goveruor oi
Ontario, January. 27th, 1882.

f 'LOSING YEA lis.

409

aaiit-Governor oi

On the 23rd of May, in the session of 1883, Sir John Mac-
(lonald moved an address to His Excellency Lord Lome ex-
pressive of the achiiiration and <jood-vvill of parliament for His
Lordship, whose term of ottice had then nearly expired, 'the
address received the cordial and unanimous support of both
Houses of Parliament ; after which it was presented to His
Excellency by Sir John, accompanied by other members of the
Cabinet. In his last speech, closing parliament, His Lordship
.said, and the words came not from his lips but from his heart:
"The severance of my ofticial connection with Canada does not
lessen the ties of affection which will ever make me desire to
serve this country." In saying this His Excellency was only
speaking the modest truth. On moie than one occasion, since
leaving us, he has by pen and tongue shov/n that he has a deep
love for Canada and a sincere regard for her welfare.

The establishment of tlie Royal Academy of Arts will re-
main a testimony to the interest in art taken by their Excel-
lencies; but the founding of the lioyal Society of Literature
is, we fear, not likely to testify to its founder's ])ractical
sagacity.

The Marquis of Lome was succeeded in the Governm'-Gen-
eralship by the Alartjuis of Lansdowne, who had won for him-
self an honorable if not a conspicuous place in public life in
England. Like his predecessor, the new Covernor was a
nobleman who came to Canada desirous of doing his duty.
" The manly, unstilted and appealing chai-acter of his utter-
ances in the chief cities of the Dominion where he appeared ;
his frank, unpretentious address, and the spirit and vivacity
with which he entered into his new calling, ami so'.ight to
familiarize himself with all events, jiolitical and social, won for
liim universal approbation, kind feeling, and estee.n." Lord
Lansdowne possessed in an eminent degi-ee the high traditional
qualities of an English gentleman. While in Canada he did
honour to the otiice he tilled and left behind him a gracious
memory. In appointing him to the Governor-Cencralship of
India, the Crown fittingly rewarded ' a good and faithful ser-
vant.'

1-^

III

470

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDOXALD.

>f'

In speaking of the events, in these closing years of Sir Joliu
Macdonald'is administration, it is to be noted that in the year
1884 the most able minister of the Cabinet, next to the
Premier, retired from Canadian public life to devote him-
self to the duties of the office of Canadqan High Com-
missioner at the Court of St James, To this latter otHoe
Sir Charles Tu))per was appointed on the first of June, 1883,
a vacancy liaving been created by the recall, at his own
request, of Sir Alexander T. Gait. It is fitting here also to
record the compliment that was paid Sir John .Maodonald, in
the banquet given under the auspices of the Junior Conserva-
tive Club of Montreal, early in the year 1885. The demonstra-
tion marked tvvo important events in the Premier's long and
distinguished career — one, the attaining of his seventieth birth-
day ; the other, the commemoration of the fortieth anniversarj'
of the great Parliamentarian's entrance into jmblic life. The
bancpiet was attended, we are told, by the largest number of
political notabilities ever assembled at a social gathering in
Canada. Its occurrence was a gratifying and spontaneous
manifestation of popular regard, and well was it deserved.
Eipially well deserved was the honour which his Imperial
Mistress paid him a little while before the banquet took place.
In the autumn of the previous year Sir John was in England,
and there the crowning honour of his life was conferred on
him — the Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath. The distinc-
tion was conferi-ed by Her Majesty, herself, "in acknowledg-
ment of long and distinguished services." At the banquet,
Sir John made the statement that the first intimation he had
had of intention to confer the honour was by a communication
received from the then Premier, Mr. Gladstone. The intimation,
coining from this source, was most gratifying to the Canadian
statesman, for, as he put it, "he (Mr. Gladstone) knew that I
was a Conservative, and he was a Liberal. He knew that I
was a suppoiter of the National Policy, and he was a Free
Ti'ader." Alas ! that only for some six years after this was
the gratified rccii)ient of the G. C.B. to enjoy the honour
of it.

Sm 1 d i| i'i

CLOSIMJ YEA US.

471

The ycai' ISS.) |)ut a j,'rcat and severe strain njjon the
resources and tlie integrity of the Canadian JJoniinion. The
cause of tins was tlie outlireak of the r. hellion in the North-
West, which, hut for its proinpt and heroic suppression In' the
Canadian Militia, might have entailed far more serious conse-
(juences than befell the country. Serious, however, tlie con-
sequences were, both in blood and treasure. Calamitous was
the loss of life which it occasioned, and millions of money were
required to suppress it.

The disturbance was the unhappy sequel of a lawless aml)i-
tion ungratitietl, further })layed upon by race jealousies, and by
impatience at the neglect of a distant, and, in this special case,
not over-considerate government. In the chapter on "The
Half-Breed," Louis lliel, the leader of this new insurrectionary
movement, has been introduced to the reader. This firobiand,
having unluckily been relieved of the consc(piences of his des-
potic usurpation in the Ited River Settlen\ent in l8G'J-70, had
for a number of years resided in exile, in Montana. There,
however, he had not purged himself of either the taint of
treason or of the infection that led him still to coquet with it.
He not only maintained communication with his old rebel
Ibllowing, now removed to new holdings on the Saskatchewan,
but nursed the illusion that the gods had again destined him
to play the role of the iirophet-deliverer. His mission was to
tree his half-breed kinsmen from Anglo-Saxon and Protestant
ascendancy and possible domination in the jirairies of the
North-West. From the period of the acquisition of the Terri-
tories by the Dominion, the French half-breed had always
deemed himself aggrieved at the oj)enitig oi the region to
colonization and settlement. He wanted the country conserved
as the happy hunting-ground of his race. The settler he
lookdd upon with jealous eye, and with more than jealous eye
he looked upon the surveyor. The latter indeed was his bele-
noir: he not only resented his intrusion, but clamoured to have
him withdrawn. Giving free scope to his prejudices, he re-
sisted the new laying-out of his lands, and in irate mood
he individually and collectively appealed to Ottawa. Ottawa

■ ■ i

mu:.

W '

m ■

, ^

5 <

■172

LIFU OF SIR JOHN A. MAC DON AID,

unfortunately disregarded the appeal. The Department con
tinuing deaf to the call for the redress of his grievances, the
Spirit of Evil got hold of him, and, oringing Kiel ou the scene,
he and his took to revolt. This occurred in the spring of 1S8.'),
while the snow was yet on the ground, and before the rich soil
of the prairies had thrown up anew its sweet-scented life.

Very startling to the people of the East was the news that
rebellion had broken out on the Saskatchewan, and, at Duck
Lake, had ventured upon its first overt act. This was on the
iOth of March, 1885. The events that followed this Indian and
Half-breed defiance of constituted authority in the North-
West are too familiar to the reader to need going into. Fioni
the outset the emeute was serious. It r 'ant not only lawles>-
ness and looting, but wide-spread disaffection and murder.
What had occurred was appalling enough ; but no one know
how far the rising would spread : there was a fear that it
might extend to the Indians. Thanks to the militia organiza-
tion, the public mind was in a measure relieved by the ready
response to the Government's call for the service of the troop;*.
In an incredibly short time .SOOO of the militia of the country
were under arms and dispatched to the scene of the disturbance.
The facilities of transport were furnished by the ( 'anadian
Pacific Railwa}' Company, then nearing the completion of its
great highway to the Far West. For three months, as we
know, the eyes of all Canada were centeied on the divisions in
the field of General Middleton's expeditionary force. How
great was the mind-tension of the country throughout tho
campaign, is recalled to us in the memories of Fish Creek, Cut
Knife Hill, and Batoche. With the fall of the rebel strong-
hold, on the 12th of May, harrowing anxiety was over, though
the public mind did not experience relief until the return of
the troops. What followed was to give Riel and his accom-
plices in rebellion a fair but speedy trial, and that and a meri-
ted fate were the award of swift-footed justice. The jirotract-
ed political excitement in the French Province, occasioned by
the execution of Riel, needs hardly to be dwelt upon, save to
chronicle its occurrence. It was long an embarrassment to the

CLOSIMt V/v.l/.W.

473

Government, and is still, unliapjiily to-day, a br;uul in the
hand of party. Fortunati-ly fur the Adinini>tration, tliis is all
it has had to contend with. It. suflered nothing from the iiuiuiry
in Parliament into the matter of responsibility for the out-
break. In the prosecution of the inquiry, Party overreached
itself, and there was nothing to do but to foot the bill and wii)o
remembrance of the affair from the pulilic slate.

The year LS8(J was without marked adventure in the annals
of the Doniinion. J>ut for the action of the Opposition in
Parliament, in moving ineffective votes of censure upon the
Government for the maladministration of ailaiis in the North-
West and the execution of Kiel, history would have a placid
record to .show, in sharp contrast to the state of a|>[)rchensiuu
and disquiet of the previous year. In 18^7, Canadian loyalty
fervently joined the Motherlan'i and the wide circle of the
Empire in celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of Her Majesty's
beneficent reign. It can hardly be said, however, tliat the
Dominion Logislaturi! gave the keynote of entluisiasm for the
Queen's Jubilee, for in the previous year it passed a Resolution
enjoining the Imperial Parliament to grant self-goveniuient to
Ireland, which, were Home Rule to be conceded, would strike a
blow at the integrity and honour of the United Kingdom. The
action of the Commons in this matter was warranted neitlier by
the reception given to the Douiiniou Resolutions of LSM', nor,
as it turns out, by the trend of events and the drift of public
opinion in England since. The liesolutious, it is to be feared,
only served to mark the dithculty of bringing about unanimity
of action and feeling in matters relating to Imperial adminis-
tration, and the unlikelihood of England .submitting to dicta-
tion or being benefited by the counsels of her widely-separated
colonies.

On t^ie 15th cf January, 18S7, the liftli Parliament of the
Dominion was dissolved, and in the general election that ensued
Sir John Macdonald and his Liberal-Conservative Government
were once more sustained at the polls. Sir John very naturally
plumed himself upon this new endorsation by the people, and
inferred fiom it that the National Policy, however much it

:*!f'

llili^l

• i

474

Lll'li OF SIR JOHN A. MACDuNAIA).

J.i) u

X 'j1,

il*:iii-:il

might be objected to, was in tlie main in acconl with the de-
sires of the cuuntry. Tliis may in part be admitted, though
in estimatinji results something' has to bo conceded to the
strength of a Government in power, with tlic patronage and
otlier agencies, actual and potential, of oHice at its disposal.
The times, it is also to be said, had picked up since the N. P.
was inaugurated, and business interests liad been formed round
it which were averse from a policy that would liave unsettled
them. The I'acitic llailway, moreover, was getting on its
feet, and though in the North-West the rule of the Company
was for a time inimical to the interests of the region,
the stringency of monopoly was wisely relaxed anfl more
liberal viuws prevaileil. The economical situation, however,
was not, on the whole, good. Protection had not been favour-
able to connnercial relations with the United States, while
irritating questions of interv.ational diplomacy had vexed the
air, both at Ottawa and at Washington. Nor were matters in
this lespect improved when the Gleneral Election of 1891 was
brought on. The N. P. in restricting trade with our
natural iwarkets had done nothing to make good the loss else-
where ; nor, recij»rocity being the condition of extended trade,
could it well do so What inter- Provincial commerce could be
secured has of course been taken advantage of and fostered,
but to this there have been obvious limits. Unrestricted Piecip-
rocity with our neighbours was a policy alien to the N. P., and
Party has stepped in to make it more alien to the Ottawa ad-
ministration. This, it is believed, however, is the growing
want of the country, and it was emphaticall}' urged at an
inter-Provincial Conference, of a notable character, held at
Quebec in the autumn of 1SS7. It has been urged still more
generally since. Nor, if properly viewed, would unrestricted
reciprocity be disadvantageous to the manufactures that have
been legitimately fostered in the country. Such a change as
this would involve, in the fiscal policy of Canada, as our readers
know, has not been entertained by the Go\'erniincnt. It hrs
contented itself with making a nominal offer of reeijnocity to
the United States, but on conditions which the Washington

Ui the (le-
>(l, thou<;h
led to tlio
onaj^o anil
is disposal,
the N. P.
i-incd round
'c unsettled
\\\(t on its
ic Company
tho rcizion.
I and more
11, however,
leen favour-
Itates, while
,d vexed the
•e matters in
of 189 1 was

with our
:he loss else-
,ended trade,
irce could be
,nd fostered,
[rioted llecip-
le N. P., and

Ottawa ad-
Ithc growing
lir'^ed at an
Icter, held at
\x\ still more

unrestricted
[js that have

a change as

^s our readers

lent. It hrs
[ecii)rocity to

Washington

CWSIXrf YKAi::^.

475

authorities cannot be expected to appn.ve. On tlie other
hand, the Government of the Uniteil States, or rather the
House of Representatives, at the instance of tho Committee of
Foreign Affairs, has ])ut on reconl its willingness to appoint a
commission to consider the subject in a frionilly spirit, wlien-
ever our Government deem it wise to agree to a joint Confer-
ence.

In 18SS, Lord Lansdowne's term of otlice having exi)ired, the
Governor-Generalship was assumed by Lord Stanley of
Preston, ilis Excellency was apjiointcd on the 1st of May,
and took the oath of othee on the 11th of Juno. Tlic imw
Governor-General, who is the second son of the late Earl of
Derby, was formerly English Secretaiy of State for the
Colonies, and President of the P>oard of Trade. In the same
year, some changes occurred in the Dominion Cabinet, which
may here be noticed. The Hon. G. E. Foster, who had held
the ofhce of Minister of Marine ami Fisheries since lhS.5, was
now given that of Finance. The portfolio of Mr. Foster's
vacated otlice was given to the Hon. C. H. Tupper, .son of the
present High Commissioner. The Hon. J. G. Haggart became
Postmaster-General, and the Hon. Edgar Dewdney, Minister of
the Interioi'. The latter oflice had just been made vacant by
the lamented death of the Hon. 'i'hoinas White, one of the
most promising and beloved of Sir John Macdonald's Ministers.
Mr. White held his portfolio for three years, and was an ideal
chief of a department which made great demands upon a con-
scientious and hard-working public ofHcer. In the previous
year (18S7), Lieut.-Col. the Hon. J. J. C. Abbott, D.C.L, Q.C.,
now Preniier of the Dominion, was called to the Senate and
appointed a member of the Privy Council. From 1S87 up to
the other day, when he was entrusted by His Excellency with
the formation of a new administration, Mr. Ab])ott acted as
leader of tho Govermnent in the Senate. It should have been
earlier chronicled that, in 1SS5, Sir John S. D. Thompson was
appointed j\linister of Justice, in .succession to Sir Alexander
Campbell, who was made Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario.
It is hardly neccssaiy to say that Sir John Thomj)son Inings

>:, i

47t5

IJI'h: OF Sll: .lollX A. M.\r!)t)\.i[.l)

rare gifts to liis liii,'li otHce, niul is perhaps the ablest mt.'uibor
uf the present n<liiiitiistiutioii.

The last throe ^curs of Sir .John M.icdoiiald's I'renuL'rship,
liappily for the dear " Old Man," ran, on the whole, smoothly
with liini. Kvcn Time seeniH to have made a compact witli life's
wanini,' forces to treat him graciously. Politically, the breath
of pulilic favour continued to HU his sails, though recent yearH
increased tlie complexity, if they did not diminish the crop, of
subjects disttirbing to his aihninistrution. With the I'urty
.system it becomes increasingly dillicuit to deal with (juestions
of race and religion in Canada, and with tliese, added to sec-
tional strife and the ever growing leligious and economical
problems, ( 'aiuidiuJi statesmanship seems to bo doomed always
to ileal. Ill the settling of those questions, even Sir Jolin
Macdonald would havj admitted, Party was not a happy solvent.
Yet Party was the sole instrument — the only one possible, it
was thought — with which to handle them. Every reflecting
man, however, must see that with the heterogeneotis elements
of race and creed with which we have to contend in Canada,
governnit lit, other than corrupt and truckling, is almost im
possible on the Party system. It may seem pessimistic to .say
this; but can optimism lay its hand on its heart and affirm
that the system has not been, is not evil, and that, with its con-
tinuance, the national outlook is fair and hopeful ? With
Party (Jovernment, can it be .said that the country has an as-
.suring contidence that its administration and direction are
nationward, and, if nationward, that we are on the highest and
noblest lines of advancement ? Under it are we weaving for
ounselves the best political and the purest social outfit for the
future ? With its rule, is there aiuong the diHerent cotumuni-
ties that compose the Dominion a common ground on which to
unite and weld our people together as a nation ? We might go
furtiier and ask if there is even an aspiration shared in com-
mon ? Are not the Provinces still isolated from each other,
full of jealousies and e.strangements.and absorbed in the ceaseless
struggle, not for the highest interests of the commonwealth, but
for the selfish objects of racial and religious dominance, ;/)/•">
"better terms" and local rights (

^ml

Cl.OSlStl YlJ.lliS.

477

est moniber

Premifrsliip,
,1l', smoothly
ct withlite'rt
the hicuth
recent yeaiH
the crop, of
h the I'aity
ith (luestions
uMed to sec-
1 economical
ime<l always
^•en Sir John
lappy solvent,
ne possible, it
•evy reflecting
)ous elements
ml in Canada,
is almost im-
.miotic to say
lit and affitMn
with its con-
|)tful ? With
ry has an as-
diiection are
u highest and
\i weaving for
outlit for the
nt communi-
l on which to
We might go
are<l in com-
[n each other,
1 the ceaseless
lonwealth, but
iiiuance, /)-'-'>

But this is by no means all that can bo said of the evils of
party rule in C.inuda. Othei aspects of it will occ!ur to the re-
tlecting reader and Curnish matcrii'!, as we believe, for its honest
arraignment. It may be profitless now, even for illustration^
to recall the recent Jesuits Estates' imbroglio, which plungeil
the country into a seething cauldron of strife, alienation and
bitterness. In that unhappy matter, did we not owe to Party
the violation of the 2)rineiple i.f K(|ual Right, and the putting
of the [lublicconscienci' nmlci' the heel uf political expediency '.
For the present, it may lie wise though not patriotic to say,
that we must get oji as best we can in Canada with the Party
system. \Vc, however, sincerely and honestly disliUe it, and
de[>lore its evils ; l>ut wo refer to it here, not t(» l»e censoiious,
still less to " air a fad," but to show the ditticulty of guveiinng
such a country as ours under the system. Its fruits are suHi-
ciently manifest in dur politics an<l in the methods alike of
those who are in office and tlio.>e who arc out of office. It i.s
responsiljle, in the main, for all that we cannot lumestly com-
mend in the administratiun of the deceased Premier. We owe
to its malign influence our large public debt and the heavy
fiscal imports that burden tke people. We owe to it the cor-
ruj)tion that has disgraced the country and lowered the tone of
public life. We owe to it, in the Press, the Platform, and the
Foi um, the evil reign of vituperation and caluuniy. It has
created discoid in the nation, det politician against politician,
journal against journal, class against class. It has dt-graded
the name of loyalty by causing men to be branded as " dis-
loyal " for seeking, without ulterior object, to widen the bounds
of trade, stop the exodus of labour, and bring prosperity and
happiness to the homes of the people. We repeat, that for the
present, we suppose, it must be borne with ; but soon the sum of
its evils must end and displace the sy.stem. Already there are
p rospects of a change. The jiledges wrung by the exigencies
of Party from the Government and its supporters in the last
election, must now be forfeited or redeemed. Is there the
wherewithal to redeem them ? If in honour they must be
niet, the country will know, or ought to know, what they are ;

478

LIFE OF ,SIJi JOHN A. MAVDOyMD.

and, knowing tliis, will get a lurtlier insight into the methods
by which we are governed. Will it profit by having its eyes
opened to the exiJen.se, to say nothing of the morality, of the
sy.stem ?

The passing away of Sir John Macdonald leaves the future a
sealed book. Even the morrow has its clouil of i)erplexity and
gloom. His work ends with him^ and the new era falls to
other hand.s. Despite the system under which he laboured,
and not a little that was objectionable in his methods, the
.shears of late cut him off from much ItcneHcent work done for
his counti-y. Whatever were his failing.-?, Canada will not for-
get the debt of gratitude it owes to him. Its people will repay
this, not only by being kind to his memory, but by being true
to the Country he served and loved. The individual dies, the
nation lives.

THE LAMP GOES OUT.

It is not without a feeling of pensiveness that one comes to
review the final stage in the career of a man who, like lir
John Macdonald, has been for nearly half a century intimately
connected with the life and progress of a nation, and who for
the best part of that time has had the 'blue-peter' of success
flying at his mizen-mast, to be hauled down at last only by the
relentless hand of Death. Cold would be the nature of the
writer, who, in looking back over these fifty years in the mili-
tant life of Canada's greatest statesman, felt no emotion as he
recalled the living interest of that life in all the events of the
era which for him and his country is now forever closed. The
living interest has ceased, but the memory of the man lives on,
— the memory of all he did and said, and strove to say and do.
He around whom all the party battles of these turbulent years
had been fought has falle i ; and distraught is the look on every
face as it gives mute utterance to the despairing words, " Sir
John is no more ! " No one better than he understood Canada
and his own time, or was more facile in taking advantage of
his knowledge and opportunities. Intimately, also, did he

li! i

le methods
ng its eyes
Uty, of the

he future a
plexity anrl
ra fulls to
e laboured,
ethods, the
rk done for
irill not for-
e will repay
T being true
ual dies, the

me comes to
rho, like lir
intimately
land who for
' of success
only by the
ature of the
in the mili-
Inotion as he
vents of the
;losed. The
lan lives on,
say and do.
Ibulent years
ok on every
Iwords, " Sir
,00(1 Canada
dvantage of
Iso, did he

Tin: LASIV GOES OUT.

479

know the people and their moods, over when Destiny had called
hiui to preside. >;ow that he has gone, great do we see was
his personal ascendancy. The gap he has left, it seems, for the
time at least, impossible to fill. This is not the result entirely
of the Chieftain's own natural abilities, great admittedly as
they were. It is the result rather of education in the mind-
sharpening school of statecraft, combined with a clever aptness
in the art of personally govern. ng, of a ready power of gauging
contemporary thought on the pnlitical topics that interested
the people, and of coHsununate skill in shaping in harmony with
it the policy of the hour. In these respects, high — little indeed
.short of genius — were his qualifications as ;i leader. To be un-
reasonably admired by one generation, remarks a writer, is to
incur the certainty of being unreasonably disparaged by the
next. It is too soon, as yet, to say what will be the final esti-
mate of Sir John ^lacdonald's work and character, There
can bo little ([uestion, however, of the regard in which he was
held, while in life, by the n\ass of his countrymen, as there can
be little (question of the sincerity of the grief manifested on
all sides when his career closed. Friend and foe alike have al-
ready borne testimony to the greatness of the man. The elo-
quent leader of the Opposition did him no more than justice
when, in the House the other day, he spoke of his death as a
national loss, and characterized the deceased statesman as
" Canada's most illustrious son." Though Mr. Ijaurier's politi-
cal views compelled him to differ with Sir John Macdonald on
many matters which he deemed vital to the interests of Can-
ada, he freely admitted that his actions — tocjuote the eulogist's
own words — " displayed unbounded fertility of resource, a high
level of intellectual perception, and, above all, a far-reaching
vision beyond the events of the day, and, still higher and per-
meating the whole, a broad patriotism in seeking Canada's wel-
fare, Canada's advancement, and Canada's glory." These
kindly and sympathetic words are the graceful tribute, not
only <»f a mend)er of the House, who h:id long known the do-
ceased statesman, but of une, as we know and have saiil, whose
conscientious convictions had ranged him in opposition to the

rt -■

: 1 .1

)

■ '\

}

■J '1

1 ■!.

!■!■

4 so

LJl'i: OF SJJ! JOHN A. MACDuXALD.

great Conservative leader. May we not also say, that tliey voice
the opinion of the country at large, at least of all who, of what-
ever stripe of politics, can rise above the prejudices of party and
recognize in the yoiin<r nation's long-time and chief ruler those
gifts and qualities that go to the making of a great statesman ?
Hardly less fervid are the words of the Hon. Senator Abbott,
who has since been called l)y His Excellency, the Governor-
General, to the Premiership of the Dominion. In the Senate,
on the morrow of Sir John Macdonald's death, Mr. Abbott paid
this tribute to the deceased statesman's memory :

Mu. Speak EU : — It is unnecessary for me to-day to make anj formal
announcement of the event which has tilled the Dominion with mourn-
ing; . You all know we lost on Saturday night the statesman who
has filled the hii^hest place in the councils of this country for a great num-
ber of J ears. His loss has not only filled this country with mourning, but
it has been heard with feelings of keen regret amongst thousands of
people who live beyon(? our borders, and who knew him only by the great
reputation — a continental reputation — which he had. The statesman who
for so many yesrs has held the foremost place in the councils of our coun-
try, and, 1 may say, a not inferior place in the hearts of its people, has
departed from us. I cannot trust myself on this occasion, nor, indeed,
would it perhaps be fitting, that I should enter on any detailed discussion
of the caieer of the great man whose loss we deplore ; but, though that
may not be appropriate on this occasion, though it could not, perhaps, be
dealt with as it ought on tbis occasion, yet we all know what we have lost,
and all parties concur in their deep sense of that loss, to whatever race
or party they belong. Honourable gentlemen know, the whole coun-
try knows, that we have lost a statesman of transcendent ability, who de-
voted his whole energies, with a singleness of purpose, and with success,
to the building up of this great Dominion, to its consolidation, to its
aggrandisement, to the promation of its material prosperity, and to con-
stituting it a foundation for a great nation to rule over the northern half
of this continent. I know, all of \i3 know, that in the performance of that
great work, and the great responsibility that fell upon him as head of the
country for so many years, he built for himself a reputation, not only
on this continent, but in England, scarcely second to any statesman who
has sat in the councils of the Empire. * * * * [^ ^11 hia
public life his characteristics were those which we aie taught, and
I hope which we will never forget, to admire and imitate. That is
the statesman we have lost ; but we have also lost a friend, who is en-
shrined in the hearts of the whole people. No man probably ever lived
who had bo strongly with him the sympathies and eff.ctiona of the

, they voice
lo, of what-
f party and
ruler those
statesman ?
iter Abbott,
! Govcrnor-
the Senate,
Abbott paid

ke anj formal
1 with mourn-
tateaman who
ir a great num-
niourning, but
t thousands of
ily by the great
statesman who
ils of our couu-
its people, has
m, nor, indeed,
ailed discussion
[t, though that
)t, perhaps, be
at we have lost,
whatever race
lO whole coun-
Libility, who de-
id with success,
ilidation, to its
,y, and to con-
|o northern half
lonnance of that
L as head of the
jation, not only
statesman who
* 111 all hia
[e taught, and
,ate. That is
|iid, who IS cn-
lably ever lived
ctiors of the

■ f

I HI

ipp

mLMa

^^^H B

THE LAMP aOES OUT.
people, a people constituted aa o.,r« • a- ■ ^^^

7' divided by habits, divided by pol Is" .'^ '^ ''"'' ^'''''^^^ '^^ reli..

w.tl aflection as well as with friends h>n s' r f' T'^''^ '''^^'^^^^ him
'"« the greater part of his life wif h ' '^°''" Macdo.iald lived dur

iit^'r^^^'^^'^-'p-A -:rT"' 'n'''-' ^- ^-X

;; the greatest and most violent heat oh' ""' ^"' '^*"'"-'^«t '"^^^iel
over accused him of using his ners„lf '""'' ^'^''"^^ P^'i'-'^'il debate
i'l>eae are the characteristics .f'ri'""'^ ^^ ^^ Per.sonal adva^ it'
accordance with the feeling of overvT '''^ ^'"^- ^ J^««- I BoeaUn

"early every ,„an in the countxrwLnT '" 'u' '''""'*^'' ^^^ Perhlof
his loss, and moreover thaf 1 ^ '"^ ^^at we reoret and .1,

quotation, f,.„,„ ^,,, P,e,, ' ' ':■' » '<""l>- We n.ake two
i-"al, of the two tnetf ■„?"?/''''' f'™ tbe cl.i...

""".inion. 1), L !. , "• """»'' <" «a. Prime ,,"""°'™'-

''e Conservative party oi lu '"" "°^*^^ ^« even a t , '

i : i,[i^

■1 t

t! .

482

LIFE OF Sin JOHN A. MACDONALD.

close of it. His was one of those intellects which go on maturing dur-
ing a life-time. Prosperity and adversity had alike tended to develop his
rare faculties. Even after his climacteric was past and his physical powers
began to fail, his mind continued to ripen and to yield fresh harvests of
policy for the advancement of the country. He was the most direct and
practical of statesmen. He always seemed, by an intuitive prescience, to
discover the pivotal jioint of the situation, and, that point once ascer-
tained, he could not be diverted to side issues. There are, doubtless,
persons who insist that this is not the highest typo of statesmanship —
that the man of that type is ever something of a Falkland, seeing with
pained philosophic ken all the sides of a (luestion and ready to balance
various contingencies .igainst his own assured convictions. Such a
Falkland (especially in a democracy) loses while he hesitates. The high-
est type of statesman, who is Jit once philosophic and practical, see? the
whole range of possibility at a glance and makes his decision i)roni]itly —
a decision based on intimate knowledge of his people and their needs and
of the extent and a\ ailahility of his own resources (including faithful and
willing helpers) for the carrying out of Ins phms. Harely, indeed, have
the broadest views, the grandest aspirations, the most devoted patriotism,
the loftiest ideal of nationhood been combined wiihsuch clear-si^litodneaa
of aim, such a cnmmon-sense judgment, and such reinarkablu e.\eciitive
ability as in Sir .lohn IMacdonald. The schemes which he made accom-
plished facts would in an inferior stiitjsmau hiive been condemned as
cliimerical . Hut in Sir .lohn achievement oven outran aspiratu)n, bo-
cause he had faith in C.tnada, in her people, in her resources, and in the
men whom he chose to be his co-workers.

" In another year the Uominion, whose foundation will be forever pre-
eminently associated with Sir John ^^LicdonaM'-s name arid services, will
have passed the test of twenty- tive years of existence. From the rejoic-
ings of that season of anniversaries the great minister will be sadly inisted ;
but with the birth of the Dominion and its development during that first
quarter century his natne will be forever associated,"

We take this extract from an able and appreciative edi-
torial, cliaracteri.stic ol" independent journalism, in the Toronto
Mail:—

" It must be left to History, which applies in due time the test to all
men's works, to form an impartial estimate of the remarkable fi;;ure wli >
has just passed away. The fierceness of the party c mtlic:, the ii jiisiico
meted out to men and methods, the scantiness of the materials upiu
which to base a fair judgment with regard to some events of his )ifi',
render it impossible to expect at this stagy of the country's bereavenu'nt
an accurate measure of the loss we have sustained. Yet there are uiauy

ituring dur-
develop his
,8ical powers
I harvosta of
,t direct and
prescience, to
it once aacer-
,re, doubtless,
ttesnianship —
1, aoeini; with
ady to bivliu.co
ons. Such a
es. Thehi-h-
,ctical,8eo<»tbo

.(.n proniptly—
their needs and
,„a faitAiful and
y "indeed, have
oted patnotisui,
;lear-3i^htodne9s
rkahlo executive
he made accom-
a. condemned as
aspiration, be-
ircea, and in the

\\ be forever pre

id services,

will

-p.iu the rej"ic-
l,e sadly niiaseil ;
during that first

)veciative cAi-
in the Toronto

ine tho test to all
Irkable ti;;urc who
kc-, the i. justice
jo niateriiils upi^u
Iventa of his !if''.
try's bereaveni.'iil
U ther» are many

THE LAMP GOES OUT.

483

features in Sir John's career whicli already stamp the man, and lend to
him a character which will ever attach to his name. The eminence to
which he rose, and the fame which he enjoyed, not only in his own
country, but in Great Britain and the I'nited States, are forcible testi-
monies to his individuility and his power. Never did a colonial states-
man before hiiu win for himself in the Mother Country so hijjh a posi-
tion in the mi ids of the public there. * * * Sir John, through the
service he had been enabled to render the Empire in facilitating the
coufuderation of the ])rovinces, in assisting at the Washington negotia-
tions, and in undertaking the construction of the continental lino,
brought himself into touch with the higher powers in England, and
secured for himself there a reputation for sagacity and enterprise of
which he might well be proud. He has indeed ranketl in England as the
greatest of her Majesty's subjeets in the colonies. Not less for his
])olicy in relation to the Emiiire than for hin works has he 'been resj^'cted
and luinoured at homtv Eminently conservative — for the tirat act in his
]>ublic tareer was to oppose the abolition of the law of primogeniture in
Canada — he was also a thorough Imperialist. He spoke from his heart
when he declared in 1S78 that should the liiitisli tl ig cease to lly omt
Canada he would immediately abandon the country. Similarly his nioru
recent announcement, " A Hritish subject 1 was born ; a liritish subject
I will die," was no mere fi>rmnla. It may bo that the expression rull :cie 1
harshly upon his opp;inent3. Hut he meant what ho said, for he had
(Kdicated himself to the furtherance of the liritish idea on this continent,
which we may well believe he regardtd jvs the bi>st basis for our national
lulure. To the Enulish statesman and iniblicist Sir .John Macdonald'H
name, though it has been associated with tar.tV legislation of which tho
r.iitish manufacturer has complained, has of late been tlie symbol of tho
tie which cinnects us with the .Mother Land. i!ut fame beyond our bor-
Jt-rs coulil not have been won without the good will and the strong sup-
[lurt of the people of Cuiada. For no matter ho.v faithful Sir .lohii
might have b.-en personally to the Crown and the tl i.-, ht! would have
wanted the opportunity to display his fidelity had the Dominion U' t
licen behind him."

But .sjiaco forbids ii.s to extend these quotations. Nor is
lliere need that we should do so. They speak the sentiments
not only of the writers, and the joiii-nals they represent, l.nit,

\v(i venture

to think, t'lose also of all latiksand classes throu-^di-
->nt the Doniinion. Adherents of the party opposed to tho
■lead Chieftain will doubtless make mental reservations, and
iiualify, in sonic jar Ovulars, it may be, what lias been spoken
;iiid written. But few, we imagine, will deny to the subject ot

3 11

^KT 1

k B

1 ■

^1 m

i^ l^n

■: ■■ ^11 ^H

^luiH

;

'^W^HI

484

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MAC DON All).

these eulogies tlie light which, by life-long service to the coun-
try is his, of being esteemed the foremost tigure in the last
fifty years of Canudian histoiy, and one of the most faithful
and patriotic workers for the well-being and iidvancement of
the nation. The dominant note in all Sir John Macdonald's
measures and policy was the aggrandizement of Canada. In
seeking tliis, his work is well-nigh unsurpassed in the (jualities
and characteristics that go to secure and hold what he both
wrought and sought. Throughout his career he was essentially
a popular statesman. Tiiere was little of the philosopher, and
less of the doctrinaire, in his politics. The soundest common
sense marked all his parliamentary uttei-anecs. Usually they
were clear as to statement, and when party exigencies did not
intervene, they were frankly and eH'ectively presented. Sir
John was not an orator, though at times he could rise to the
height of an impassioned and telling argument. On occa-
sion, he could be dignified and impressive ; but it would be
ndsleading to say that he elevated ihe tone of debate. The
scuttle of party in the House too often forbad that. He trusted
more to his urbanity of manner, his unfailing good temper,
and the genial and winning ([ualities of his heart. What ho
could not influence with the.se, he thought was little worth in-
fluencing. He loved power, but his love of it was more for the
benefit of his friends than for himself His appointments to
the Bench show him to have had a sen.se of moral right above
that with which party had made him familiar. In this, ho
paid a tribute to the jutliciaiy which his relations with politi-
cal clerics would not warrant us in saying he paid to the
Church. He was a man in whose ambitions there was little
that was paltry, and absolutely nothing that was sordid. When
the critic is apt to bo cen.sorious, or the historian yields to the
alien bias of a mood, let him remember that.

to the coun-
in the last
nost faithCul
► anceuient of
Mactlonald's
Ciii»ada. Ill
I the qualities
what he both
as essentially
losopher, and
ulest common
Usually they
cncies did not
iL'sented. Sir
aid rise to the
nt. On occa-
it it would be
debate. The
lat. He trusted
• good temper,
art. What ho
little worth in-
ns more for the
ipointments to
ral right above
,r. In this, he
ons with politi-
le paid to the
there was little
,s sordid. When
,n yields to the

CHAPTER XXVH.

LAST II.LNKSS AND DKATH.

I V URING the early days of the prc.eent session of Parlianunit
1 / there were distiessinj,' rumors about the Premier's condi-
tion. It was said that he had suttered a renewal of the attack
wMich had compelled liim to suspend active participation in the
elttition campai^m. Heart failure was hinted at, and the whole
country felt uneasy. At Ottawa, where the politicians to whom
Sir John's life meant so much, were assembled, tlie excitement
though suppresse<l, was intense. Sir John struggled bravely
agamst approaching fate, and declined to listen to those who
pleaaed witli him to take more thought of himself and to re-
frain from active participation in the exceedingly lively par-
lianiMitary conflict that was being waged. He was at length
compeiled to absent himself from the House, but he did not
even then refrain from attending to pulilic business. On
Thur.>5tlay, May 'IHth, there was much anxiety, despite the
hopeful tone of the moining papers, l)ut it soon became noised
about that Sir John had passed a restful night, that he was
stronger and better in every way. Tliere was universal joy at
this anno\incement. In the ndddle of the forenoon the first
bulletin was Lssued. It read as follows :

Eaunscliffe, May 29th.
10 a.m. — The Premier passed a quiet and comfortable night, and thia
morning hia physical atrengtii shows distinct improvement since yesterday.

R. W. Powell, M.D.

This served to allay all fears, eagerly sought after as was tlio
news. The bulletin was displayed in the main corridor of tho
lIou.se of Commons, and was (pnckly scatined, not only by the
members themselves, but by every representative of the press
gallery, every attach^ of the House, by messengers sent from

4M5

VlW'- '

' Mi •!

480

LIFH OF Sin JOHN A. M.\<'ln>XMI>.

the dirt'erent departinonts, and many jirivate citizons, wliu read-
ily climlied Capitol hill to make huie that the leader they all
loved and .served was doing well. Fondly thoy hoped that a
few days woidd witness a return oi his u^•ual strength and
vitality ; but, alas, these hopes wore vain.

Sir John felt much refreshed by his night's re?it, and the
guiding impulse of his life to work was strong witliin him. He
wrote a letter to Postmaster-General Haggart, and, it is said,
to one or two others, and then sent for the Miiiistei' of Justice,
who was (piickly in attendance. Sir John Thompson talked
with him for an hour, and the Premier showed that his grasp
of public rpiestions had not in the least dindnislied. He
appeared wonderfully bright when the ^Minister of Justice left
him. At noon the jiatient had a .shoit nap, from which he
awoke appaiently refreshed. The iir.^t hours of the afternoon
he .spent (juietly with Lady Macdonahl, the Premier's son, Mr.
Hugh John Macdonahl, M.P., of Winnipeg, being also present.
Dr. Powell, the laithful medical attendnnt, called at 4 o'clock
and found his distinguished patient tioing well in every parti-
cular. He sat with Sir John a few minutes, and while the
doctor was actually silting at the lied-side conversing with his
patient the eliang<; came. It was hemorrliago of the brain, an
extravasation of blood upon the organ, the effect of which is
paralyses.

Dr. Powell, .hieing the gravity of the situation, at once sent
for further medical assistance, and Sir James Grant, M.D., and
Dr. H. P. Wright, two of Ottawa's foremost ])hysicians, were
quickly in attendance. Practically they could do nothing for
the distinguished jiatient. They remained in consultation iind
ministration until after 8 o'clock, during which time Sir John
steadily grew worse. The ett'ect of the attack was to paralyze
in part the right side. This paralysis was not sufficient to af-
fect the limbs ])erceptibly, but it deprived the Premier of the
power of speech. The great chief lay on his bed for hours quite
conscious, but utterly unable to speak. Time and again he
would make an attempt to give utterance to the thoughts that
were evidently passing through his yet active brain, but with-

1 I

LAST ILLXKSS AM> hllATU.

487

I :!:

IS, who veinl-
;i(U;r they all
h()\)'i<l that a
strungtli and

re.^t, and the
Uiin him. Ho
lid, it is said,
Ler i>t' J\istice,
nipson tall'ced
that his grasp
.inisht'd. li*-
of J ustice left
loiu wliich he

the afternoon
inior's son. Mr.
,g also present,
ed at 4- o'clock
in every i>arti-

;uid while the
MsiiiL;" with his
f the Vtrain, an
^ct of which is

n, at once sent
aiit, M.B., and
ysiciuns, were
nothing for
sultation and
time Sir Jnhn
as to paralyze
urtieient to af-
^leniier of the
for hours quite
and again he
thoughts that
train, but with-

out success. Lady Macdonald, his devoted wife, was i>y Ids /
beilside, as was also his son. At eight o'clock another hulletin
was issued. It read as follows:

KMi.ssii.iKKK, .May •Jl»th, IH'.H.
8 p.m. — Sir .lulin Maodonald sutlorod a nlapse this aftornnon while I
was with him at AA7% p.m. Ho ia quite consciovis at proaciit, hut hia con-
clitiun is moat critical. R. \V. I'owEi.i,, AI.D.

Already more or less aliinning rumours of impending dan-
ger had circu'iitcd in tlie lobbies of I'arlijuiient, where, of course,
the Premier's condiiioii was most anxiously canvassed.

The first news of the Prender's relapse which reached the
House was loought by the Eim.i>'>vc reporter, wlio carried to
Sir Hector Laigcvin a personal note from one t.f tlie eonsultin-'
))liysiciaiis. 'I'lds appalling messiigo read as follows : " 1 have
just seen Sir John in consultation ; entire h;.ss of speech ; hem-
orrhage into the brain ; condition (piite hopeles.s." With this
note came the bulletin which was sul)se<iueiitly posted up in
the main lobby. It was shortly after 8 o'clock when Sir Hec-
tor was given the note, and he took it and read it with nervous
anxiety. Rapidly tlie news spread from bench to bench on the
Government side, among the first to spread it being Mr. Mon-
tague, of Haldiuiand. " As he passed from tier to tier of .seats,"
says the Entplre reporter, in describing the .scene, " it was
" pathetic to ob.-erve the pain which came over the faces of the
"Conservative members." At the time, adds the journalist,
Sir Kichai'd CartwriL;-ht was niakiii'j: his attack upon Sir (.'harles
Tujiper and the uiau who had then lost all consciousness of the
political reahu in which he had been so cons|iicuous a figure.

"As the news became general all interest in the <lebat(!
"ceased. The lobbies were filled as they had only been once
" before this session, and under ordinary circumstances the
"House would have been ringing with cheers and couutor-
" cheers. But one by one the members passed out to wait for
"the next bulletin, or gathered in knots near the Itack row of
" benches on the Ministerial side. \)v. l^arKlerkin saw that
" some unusual news was being passed from mouth to mouth
" and he ciossed the floor to impure what it was. When he

■i

I ■

4«H

LIFK or Sill JOIIX .1. MACDoX.lLlt.

irfj )l'

t ,1

" returned to the Opposition side and toM his confreres what
" had caused tlio eonimotion across the House, there l)ei,'an
" tlio same scene in tlic lieii(;lu'S at tlie hack of Mr. Laurier.
" The peo{)le who were crowdeil into the <,'alleries up to this
*' time, dividing,' tlicir attenti( tween the debate and the

" gossip of the hour, also beca uioused to the fact that an
''extraordinary pall had fallen upon tlie flouse. They becami;
"silent. They caught tlie same inix[ires.sibie soloumity that
" was creeping,' over every one in the House, which is onl^
"felt when one sl.\nds in the presence of a <^i'eat and over-
" poweriuL;' calamity."

Mr. Charles Mackintosh, M.l'., was now speaking. Sir Hec-
tor LanL,'evin and the members of the Cabinet saw that it
would be useless to carry the debate any further. They fouuil
themselves pressed by eaujer (jUt!stions from mend)er after mem-
ber, who, hoping" aj^aiust hope, wished to learn if there was not
some feeble chance that the latest news miiiht not be as bad
as it had rea<;iied their ears. B Sir Hector and his colleagues
were unable to hold out the f- 'st hope. A majority of the

Caltinet then withdrew to con ...t, necessarily with liaste, as
to what coursr should be taken in respect of the proceed-
ini;s in the House. Ab>anwhile Mr. Fred White, the Premier's
former private secretary and closest friend, came to the House
with further news, cruslung out the last spark of hope which
might liave been kept aiive since the bulletin of 8 o'clock was
posted in the lobby. In effect he .said that the chieftain was
barely conscious and in a state of collapse. He had been try-
ing to sjteak, but failed. Mr. White at once saw Sir Hector,
and told him that Sir John had been absolutely given up by
tlie doctors, who said he could live but a few hours at most.
This news at once brought the Ministers to the decision that
the House nuist be adjourned. Sir Hector walked across to
Mr. Lauiier and made him acquainted with the information
that had come fiom Earnscliffe. Mr. Laurier at once consented
to second both the adjournment of the debate and the adjourn-
ment of the House. There v.-as a brief pause. After the Minis-
ters were in tlioir seats, and before Mr. Mackintosh ceased

ores what
MO l)t';4an
1-. Lauiior.
uj) to tliis
,0 and the
ct that ail
ev luicauu'
unity that
ch is only
and over-

, Sir Ucc-
aw that it
riioy found
iiiter nieni-
lerc was not
3t be as bail
IS colk'agiifs
jority of the
th haste, as
-ho pvoeeed-
le Proniier's
Id the Uo\ise
hope which
o'docVc was
Ihiet'tain was
jad been tvy-
Sir Hector,
given up by
avs at most.
Jecision tliat
ed across to
information
;e consented
Ithe adjourn-
the Minis-
litosh ceased

LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH.

489

speaking, or had well taken his soat, Sir Hector rose, and in
a low, treinnlous and almost inaudible tone said : " Mr. Speaker,
" J have a painful duty to perform. The iu;\vs we have had I'rom
" Karnsclitle is that the First Minister has had a relapse, and
" that he i^i in a most critical eondition. We have had re{)i)i ts
"from the medical men, and they do not seem to Iwlievi," iliat.
" he can live many hours more. Under these circumstances I
" move, seconded by Mr. Lauricu-, that the debate be adjourned."
As Sir Hector rose it was apparent that his statement had bi:en
anticipated. In an instant a strange and impressive silence
came over the House. Kvery ear was stiained to catch his
words, and wlien he ceased speaking a sigh passed through tin;
cluunber. Then Mr. Ijaurier rose and said: "Under such eir-
" cumstances, the paiid'ul duty devolves upon me to second the
" motion of my honourable friend. The country will be shocked
" to hear tlie sad news It seems impossible to can y on the
'business, and I, therefore, agree to this motion." This nioti(;u
and the motion to ailjourn the House were carrietl.

The Empire reporter thus describes the scene that followed:
" When the speaker had left the chair a scene which will
"long be remend)ered for its painful solenunty took place. Sir
" Hector was inunediately surrounded by a score of miMulxMs,
" wdio plied him with (piestions as to what the doctors leally said,
"and how long the Preunei' might be expected to live. Tiiey
" spoke in whispers, and took in many cases a suggt-stive shakt;
" of the head for an answer. By a common instinct the coiwic-
"tion settled itself over the House, that the event which all
"knew to be inevitable within the coui|tass of a few yeais had
" at last come. i\b)ri' than three-fourths of the membiMs n;-
" maii'.ed in the chamber. \\<n\. Mackenzie IJowell, who had
"been talking to .several mendiers in the rear row of seats,
" walked down to his place wiih ins handkerchief to his eyes,
" and utteily unable to speak. The tears streamed down Sir
" Hector's cheeks, as he said : ' For thirty-three years I have.
" been his follower.' # ♦ * * »

"The members of the press gallery immeiliately left their
" places and a majority of them entered the Chand)or. There

I U

«..i El'

e<^<

i -i

ISvi

400

i/Fi; OF SIR JOHN A. MACJjOyALD.

" was scarcely room to move about on the iioor of the House.
" Every one was eager to hear the latest news from Earnsclifie.
" But there was nothing new to be learned there. The Premier
" was (lying, and that was all that could be said."

Immediately after the 8 p.m. bulletin was posted in the
House of Commons lobby, and Sir Hector had made his an-
nouncement in the Chamber, cabs were speeding towards
Earnsclifie bearing with them anxious individuals, including
the Ministers of the Crown, and many members of Parliament

At 11 o'clock the following bulletin was issued:

Eaknscliffe, 11 p.m.

Sir John's condition still continues very precarions ; loss of power of
speech ; respiration and circulation weak ; rest somewhat better than
during the afternoon ; takes a moderate degree of li(|uid nourishment,

(Signed) R. W. Powi;ll,
J, A. Gkant,
H. P. Weioht.

At the same hour his Excellency the Governor-General, who,
.since he took up his lesidcnee in the Dominion, had become a
firm friend of the Premier's, came from Government House to
inquire after the First Minister's condition.

At 2 a.m. on Saturday all was (piiet about Earnsclifie. Dr.
Powell, tlie attendant physician, sai(i : " There is no change in
the Premier's condition. He is resting (piietly." Long after
midnight Sir John wakened from a duze. Looking around he
reached his hand out towards the bell, made a motion as if to
strike it and motioned his head towards the door. He could
not speak, but the action spoke as plainly as words. It meant
that everybody was to go to bed and he would ring the bell if
he wanted anything.

The wb.ole country was in possession of the sad news on
Saturday morning. Every newspaper had the announcement
under display head lines. " Sir John is dying ! " Everywhere
the blow to the country was the sole subject of conversation.
It was with the greatest possiljle anxiety that the people
awaited further information. The watchers at Earnsclitie had

LAtiT ILLNESS AND DEATH.

4!) I

the House.
EarnscUtle.
'he Premier

isted in the
lade his an-
n<r towards
Is, including'
Parliament^

■B, 11 pm-
088 of power of
at better than
ourishment.

r, POWKLL,

, Gkast,
'. Wrioht.

-General, who,
had become a
nent House to

.rnsclitle. Dr.

no chang'e in

' Long after

tin" around ho

[notion as if to

)or. He could

.(Is. It meant

ing the bell if

le sa<l news on
iiunouncement
Everywhere
conversation.
it the people
karnsclirte ha<l

liheir counterparts all over the Dominion. In Ottawa all
through the night there was a constant stream of incpiirers
pouring down Sussex Street. The representatives of news-
papers had no rest. The press room at the House of Commons
was open all night, and the telegraph instruments in the ad-
joining rooms clicke<l away steadily hour after hour ; cabs
rushed to and fro ; corres[)ondents hurriiHl in and out ; reporters
drove at break-neck pace hither ami thither, for the time was
short, and much had to be done.

At 3:80 a.m. Sir John awakened from a sleep and took some
nourishment. Then he dozed ofi' again, and Lady MacdonaM,
who had been watching at his bedside all niirht, took a walk
on the lawn to get a breath of the fresh morning air. Dr.
Powell rose at 5 and made a thorough examination of his
})atient. The result was the following bulletin:

Eahnsoliffk, Satunlay, G a.m.
The Premier passed the night quietly and had short sleeping intervals.
He sufl'ered no pain and is perfectly conscious in that ho is able to make
known his wants to those about him. Intelligent speech is yet in abeyance.
He has taken milk at intervals,

(Signed) U. W. PoWKLL, M.D.

The stream of callers set in early in the morning, but means
were taken to prevent the passing of veliicles to disturb the
patient, and provision was ma'le also that those in attendance
should be relieved of all the strain possible. The people .show-
ed marked good taste as well as kindly sympathy ; and while
all were anxious to learn the beloved Premier's condition, they
refrained from unnecessarily embarrassing by tlieir piesence
those who were thus called upon so suddenly to disehaige the
exceedingly onerous duties of receiving visitors and giving in-
formation. At 10:30 Sir James Grant and Dr. Wright arrived,
and had a consultation with Dr. Powell. Sir John at that
hour, it was stated, was perfectly conscious, anil, though dozing
frequently, opened his eyes at every sound. A step on the
gravel was sufficient to awaken him. As netirly as possible
absoltite tpiiet was maintained. As a result of the consultation,
the foUowinir bulletin was i.ssued: .

ifi?

492

LIFE OF /SJii' JOHN A. MACDONALD.

\l\..

Earnsc'liffe, 11:40 a.m.
The Premier passed as comfortable a night as conld have been ex-
pected, and this morning, at onr consultation at 11 o'clock, we find his
general symptoms unaltered from yesterday. Our opini(jn of yesterday
remains unaltered. (Signed) 11. W. Powkll, M.D.,

■J. A. GuANT, M.D.,
H. \\ ^VUIGHT, M.D.

At 4 o'clock tlie physicians again met in consultation. Moan-
time, visitors who came to the gate weie informed that there
was no change. After the consultation this bulletin appeared :

Earnscliffe, 4:30 p.m.

Sir John has been resting quietly all day, and has had several inter-
vals of natural sleep. He has tiiken liquid nourishment in small quantities.
Ho is still conscious, and knows those about him, but speech has not re-
turned in the slightest since his stroke of yesterday afternoon. Anj change
in his condition will at once be announced.

Among the very few admitted to the sick room was Ven.
Archdeacon Lauder. Ho called both in the morning and after-
noon in his pastoral character. About 5 o'clock four members
of the Cabinet walked down to Karnsclitro. They remained
but a short time. During the afternoon his Excellency Lord
Stanley of Preston drove over with a cable message frona the
Queen, ]iorsonally, and remained at Earnscliffe for an hour.
What the Queen did in sending a message of anxious inquiry
hundreds and thousands ol' her subjects, from the liighest to
the lowest, were constantly doing. Secretaries were busily
engaged answering telegrams from every part of the Dom-
inion, frotn Britain, the United 8tat< s and elsewhere. One
of the Oltl Cjiieftain's greatest friends, was the Princess
Louise. Wh( n Loid Lome wms Goveinor-General of Canada
and the Prii'icess resided at Riileau Hail, she learned to value
the kindly natuie as well as to appreciate the keen intellect of
the Premier, and since leaving Canada more or less correspon-
dence was maintained berwt;en the two. Sir John's advice has
many times been sought by the Princess. On Friday morning,
before the attack liad become serious, a cable message was i-e-
ceived from the Prir;cess asking as to his health. The Premier
dictated a reply, stating that he was out of danger. Then

LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH.

403

O a.tn.
,'e been ex-
we liiid his
f yesterday

M.D.,

U.,

M.D.

on. Mean-

thiit there

appeared :

-.30 p.ni.
leveral inter-
ill (luantities.
J has not re-
. Any change

11 was Vcn.
(f anti after-
ur members
ey remained
ellency Lord
ge from the
ior air hour.
lions inquiry
e liighest to
were busily
,f the Dom-
here. One
Ihe Princess
1 of Canada
led to vahie
k iiitellei-tt of
|s correspon-
.'s advice has
iiy morning,
[aoe was re-
JThe Tremier
Inger. Then

came the stroke, and on Saturday came another message, which
read : •

LoNOON, Miiy 3()th.

IVIuch moved at report of Sir John's severe illness. Trust ho is im.
provinj,'. Louisk.

PoHticians, railway magnates, ministers of the Gospel, busi-
ness men, personal fi'iends of all classes, sent in messages of
sympathy and in([uiry. The whole country, as it were, watched
at the dying Premier's bedside. Intimate personal friends in
different parts of the country, on learning the .sad news, stuiteil
at once for Ottawa. Lady Tilley, wife of the Lieutenant-
Grovernor of New Brunswick', telegranhed that they were ready
to leave St. John for Ottawa if better news was not received.
Mrs. Hugh John Macdonukl, who had been in Toronto, ar-
rived on Saturday evenini:. She was diessing to attend a liail
when a telegram arrived announcing the stroke that had fallen
upon her illustrious father-indaw. Upon arriving at Ottawa
she at once drove to Earnscliff'e, where her assiduous attentions
were much appreciated. Hon. Frank Smith was one of tho.se
who left at once for Ottawa on learning the news. Others also
sought the Capital witli all speed. Kveiy ai rival was chronicled
by the press and served to increase both the gbom and the
excitement at Ottawa.

At 11 p.m. the doctors held another consultation and issued
a bulletin which contained nothing new except the ominous
A'ords : " His general condition is lower." The fact that the
Premier had hekl out so long despite the predictions that he
would live for oidy a few hours, had cau.sed hope to rise in the
breasts of many, and the intimation that he was sinking, made
the peo})le who watched so anxiously sick at heart. As mir-
roring the feeling of the time, the sympathetic account of the
Kmphe reporter may be fiu'ther (pioted ;

" Up stairs lay the dying Statisnian with Lady Macdonald,
' Mr. and Mrs. Hugh John Macdonald, and Dr. Powell by his
" bedside. Li attendance were : ^Ir. Joseph Pope, the private
"secretary; Mr. Fred. White, comptroller of the North-Wost
" Mounted Pu'dce, and one of Sir John's most conH<lential

if '

■I.I.WHH1 iiy^f^nm

LIFE OF Sfli JOHN A. MAi'DONALT).

m\ ^

"friends; Mr. J(jlm Hall, secretary of the Depai tinent of the
" Ititerior, an adopted son of the cliiiflaiii ; Mr. Biiird, tlie assist-
"ant secretary; Mr. Spaiks, A',-. Foitescue and I'olicoinan
" Stewai't, a brawny i,ninrd, whose chief duty is to assist in
" turniiii,' the sick man in his bed.

" Piesently thron^li tlie gate walked two getitlenien, one a
" tall, erect, brown-bearded man. It was the Governor-Ueneral,
" Lord Statdey of Preston, who luul wjilked over from Jlideau
" Hall to cable the latest news to Balnioral. He was ac'om-
" panied by Major Colville, liis chief A.D.C Mr. Pope ai\d Mi'.
" Wliite hurried out of the house and tlu^ four remained out
" upon the lawn. There was the situation : The dying Premier
" of the Dominion, the Governor-General of Canada in atten-
" dance at the express command of the Quee i of the IJritish
" Empii'e, that she miglit liave the latest news of the condition
" of the man slie had so often honoured. Tiirough l^oiil Staidey,
" the greatest Queen on earth extended her sympathy to the
" foremost of colonial Statesmen."

And thus the time pas.sed and a new week began, tlie last
the veteian Premier was to see. To record the events of
that week is not easy. It was the battle ol a strong man
against Death, it was the conllict of one whose determined will
had overcome all obstacles, who had even met the Grim ('on-
(pieror himself some twenty years before and had driven him
back by sheer force of his niaivt Ilous vitality. But those
twenty years of busy life, of anxieties of statecraft and tur-
moil of jiolitical struggling had made the ditliivnce between
victoiy and defeat, and now the Scythe-lieaiei' was pressing
his victim closer and closer every hour. 'J'iiere was no hope,
the doctors knew that. And yet there were tho^e who did
hope that the physicians might be mistaken and that the loved
and honoured head of the nation would, after all, repeat his
victoiies of yore.

At six o'clock on Sunday morning, the olst May, the doc-
tors issued a bulletin announcing that the patient had passed
a cpiiet night, without event of any kind to record. But the
bulletin also said : " His general powers of life are waning.

LAST ILLXtJSS .1X1) HEATH.

405

Invt-n lum

ift iuul tuf-

^as no liope,

ue wanins-

Consciousnsss, while waning-, is still preserved to liini." The
day wort! on and the patient remained about as before, iiis
strengtli astonishin<f all wlio were accpiainted with snch cases,
especially the physicians in attendance who liad the o|)por-
tunity of gaugin;,' accurately his condition. The princii)al duty
of the watchers l)y the bedside duiinif the day was to admin-
ister nourishment to Sir John and ()(casi(jnally to chaiin'c his
position. The services of Mr. Stewart, of the Dominion Police
Force, were constantly in requisition. Broad shouldered,
brawny and big-hearted, strong as a lion, but gentle as a lamb,
in Stewart's arms the Premier was as a little child. When
asked to indicate how he would like to be placed Sir John was
tolil to s([ueeze the hand of Stewart or the doctor, wdioevcr
happened to be the (pjestioner. Supposing he desired U) le-
cline on his right side, he would give a strong grip, while if Ik;
preferred the opposite position the chieftain wouhl refrain from
pressure, but always when he was composed the old man's
kindly nature would beam out in a grateful pressure of the
liand of attendant or doctor.

The day passed on, the events changing little ironi the day
Ijtfore, so far as Earnscliife and Ottawa were conceriuMl. Out-
side, in every church in Canada practically, {)rayeis were of-
fered up for the Premier's life and for his lestoration to
health. The announcement of his condition, according to the
latest bulletin, was made at tlie evening service in hundreds of
churches, in order that, so far as })ossible, the public anxiety
mi'dit be allayed and the natuial longing for news on the one
absorbing topic gratilied. This is how the bulletin read: —

Eakns(;mkkk, May ^1, 10.;JO p.m.
The Premier passed a (juiet day, and wo find no marked alteration in
his creneral symptoms. He retains consciousness much as in ihe ]iast two
days, and is free from sulierini,'.

[Signed,] U. W. I'owkli,, .M.D.

J. A. (iRANT, M.D.

U. 1*. Wiucnr. i^l.D.

It may be well to pause here to give tlie following brief ac
count of the cause of the sudden as well as sad stroke which

Wu'M

imi

496

UFJ'J OF tilli JOHN A. MACDUNALD.

laid the Premier low. It is a professional suiiiinary of the
facts :

Sir John's position may be put in a lew words. The ruptured
blood vessel in the sul)stance of the brain lias left a minute clot
to press upon the centre of nervous power. That clot is the
cause of paralysis. The tendency of a vigorous constitution is
to slowly absorb this tiny bubble of coagulated blood and re-
lieve the piessure ; but no human eye can see whether that
process has begun or not. On th'> other hand, should this
deadly circle suddenly begin to expand, the Premier would
pass away at once. The clot has reached the utmost limit at
which life can be sustained at all. Thus, the physicians can
only look on, while eudeavouiing to keep up the patient's
strength, but utterly powerless to reach the centre of danger.
With them the (juestion is whether nature will triumj)!! or the
pressure on the centre of life increase. All are agreed, how-
ever that the immediate absorption of this clot in the brain or
its reduction would only give the Premier a ])recanous lease of
life. Sir John lia.s piobably gone be^'ond recall. Should
even the power to speak return, there are good reasons for be-
lieving that his preilominant cluu'aeteristics and marvellous
acutenes-s of intellect would never come back. The vital cord
has been drawn out to its highest tension, and on the slijihtest
additional strain must snap.

On Alonday morning the train of anxious visitors to Earns-
clifi'e was resumed, while from all over the euuntiy the people
looked anxiously for the first news. They weie informed by
the bulletin at ().4') that Sir John had slej)t more than usual
durinix the night, and that at intervals his heart's action became
very weak, but there was no change in the s^inptoms. At 11
o'clock the bulletin told of " an unmistakable lowering of the
vital forces," and caused still greater gloom and deju-essiun in
Ottawa as well as throughout the whole country. At G p.m.
tljere was " no change," but the nev.'spaper reps'its stated thai
the tide of life seemed fast ebbing. At 1 l.-io p.m. the consol-
ing fact was announced that the patient suH'ered no j)ain, and
that there was every prospect of his li\ iug throughout the night.

ary of the

lie ruptured
minute clot
clot is the
iistitution is
00(1 and re-
hether that
should this
juiier would
^ost limit at
ysicians can
the patient's
■e of danger,
iumph or the
agreed, how-
1 the brain oi'
inous lease of
;call. Should
easons for bt-
^d marvellous
he vital cord
|i the slightest

tors to Earns-
[vy the people
mfornied by
le than usual
lietion became
Itoms. At 11
lering of the
[depression in
At (i p.m.
Its stated that
1. the consol-
|iio pain, and
jut the night.

SIR JOHN THOMPSON.

1 -i

i 1

IHHI

1 1

St M%

LAST riJ.yi'lSS ANf) DEATH.

497

On Tuesday tlicre were not wantins^f those outside who allowed
thoiaselvi.'s to hope that after all the wonderful "Old Man"
would diive the enemy back, and the newspapers of the follow-
ing day found some ground for expressing this feeling. But
there was nothing in the announcements made hy the physicians
to form a basis for the slightest coud'ort. They were evidently
drafted so as to cause as little excitement as possible, but those
who read each bulletin without reference to the others mi;:ht
succeerl in maintaining a delusive hope. At <> a.m. the absence
of the severe depression which had manifested itself on the
previous day was noted, but when the [ihysicians saw that
the people used this to buoy up theii- hopes they took care
in the bulletin at 1 1 a.m. to say : " While wo are gratified
"to find such an exhibition of vital strenj'th as we see ex-
'emjilified in liim, yet we cannot alter our opinion as to the
" final result of his illness/' 'J'here was no alteration until
7 o'clock, when the physicians were pained to notice a change
lor the worse, and a docitled lowering of the vital forces.
When the announcement was made in the House of Commons,
whieh was then in session, it caused the greatest excitement,
and leil to an immeiliate adjournment. As rumours ha<l spi'cad
that the sick room was not ^juaided against intrusion as it
should have been, the followin<: semi-ollicial announcement
was telegra[)lied from Ottawa to the Empire :

" In consequence of the absurd rumours current in some news-
pajiers as to the persons who obtain access to the Premier in
liis iilnes.s, the EDiplre is authorized from Earnsclifi'e to state
distinctly that no one has admission to Sir John's sick room
but Lady Macdonald, Mr. and Mrs. Hugh John Macdonald, Mrs.
]Jewdney, Mrs. ^''itzgibbon, Miss Marjorie Stuart, Sir John's
two .secretaries (Messrs. Pope and Baird). Mr. Fied. White and
Mr. George Sparks. The sick room is entirely under the con-
trol of Dr. Rol)(ut Powell, who is never many minutes absent
from it, and who is assisted in the actual nursing only by Lady
Macdonald and Mr. James Stewart, of the Dominion police
force, a valuable Juan-nursc. The other attendants divide into
regular watches by day and night, and assist by going in and
jut of the chamLer for such things as are there retiuired.
The utmost quiet and regularity are oUserved."
FF

i '«

408

LIFE OF SIH JOHN A. MAC HON AID.

Wi :

During the day the illiiesa of Sir John Macdonahl was
nHintioned in the liritisii House of Coiuinons, and was tlio
occasion of several graceful tiibutes to the ahilitit'sand virtues
of the flying Preniier. Right Hon. W. H. Smith, First Iior<l of
the Treasury, said : " Sir John Macdonatd is a man who, liow-
over liis party conduct may bo viewed, has earned the respect
and admiration of all who know the services he has rendered
to the Dominion and the Kmpire. 'i'hero can be but one feel-
ing, of deep sorrow, that u life so valuable seems jiltout to end."
Sir William Vernon liarcourt, Mr. Staveley Hill, and Hon.
Joseph Chamberlain joined in the tribute to Sir Jolm Muc-
donald, whose death, they all said, woulil be iui international
loss. The Hoii.se generally showed keen sympathy with (.'anada.

Wetlnes(hiy pas.sed much as the other days had done since
the blow wliieh was ultimately to result in death had fallen.
The Premier's marvellous vitality was that which occasioned
the most comment. There was a ilemand from outside, espe-
cially from physicians who followed the cast; with greater in-
telligence but not with greater anxiety than the people at
large, that the ]»atient's pulse and respiration should be given.
This wish was complied with. The morning bulletin sliowcd thb
respiration to be 28 ; " pulse irritable, 120." Aller the afternoon
consultation it was announced that the patient's condition was
lower than at the same hour on the previous day ; in the even-
ing the pulse was 120, respiration 30. Just before midnight
the bulletin announced, " the patient, on the whole, exhibits less
strength. Respiration, 28 ; pulse, 100, llabby, compres.sible
and very irregular." The following was one of the many news-
paper despatches sent from Ottawa on Wedn "sday : —

"The condition of the Premir or rally understood.

The repeated announcem-ni i >cious and able to

take nourishment has h ssi< lere and elsewhere

that there are grounds 1 oolievn ue can recover. But the
degree of consciousness in so sligl l and the volume of nourish-
ment so small that these annoii.i> ements should bo accepted
with wide qualification. Beyond the signals which is able
to give upon matters affecting liis immediate physio omfort,

''^k I

LAST ILLXESS AXI* DKATU.

4*.)!)

Id was

vas tho

virtues

lioiil of

lo, how-
respoct

•t'n(len"(l

Dne i'eel-

, to end."

nd Hon.

ilni Miic-

■luitional

1 Canada.

one since

id fallen.

ccasionod

ide, cspc-

I'catcr in-

pcoplo at

be given.

lowed th^

afternoon
ition was
the even-
iiiidiiiglit

jhibitsless
iipves.^ible
iiy news-

tdorstood.
id able to
ilsewhere
But the
nourish-
accepted
is able
oiiilort,

Sir John has not since Fiitlay last coimiiuiiicatcd a single idea
to anyone about him. That he knows tliose who are about
liini is probably true, but that he is able to appreciate either
his circumstances or {jeni'ral suiritunilini,'s is t() be doiibtcil.
And yet, it is oidy natural that tlic i'act of his survival to this
hour should lead to the <,'eueral notion that he must be ;^a'ttin<jj
better. A closo analysis of the bulletins, however, shows that
there has been a steady lowerin;^ of the nervous forces. That
Sir John has not succumbed ore this is entirely due to the fact
that his hold on life was stroii^^er iliau his medical attendants
believed it to be. TIk.' tloctors could not say in advaufc how
lon<^ he could cnchue the terrific strain to which he was sid)-
jeeted, and in jud<,'ing his chances of livinj; they merely mea-
sured his stren{,'th by the connnon standard. Jf, however, Sir
John has been a rem.'ukable man these fifty yeais and more
he has not ceased to be so when the hand of death closed aliout
his heartstrini,fs. Everyone now soes what ineslimahle stores
of vital force the 'Old Man' lias ha 1 to sustain him throui^di all
his wonderful career of restless activity and hard mental work."
Thursday saw the weary watch contiimed but with little
more reason foi- hope than before. The patient had passed
the night without chani;<', taking nourishmtint as usual and
sleeping a good deal. The hope of the country went up with
a bound when, at their forenoon consultation, the doclurs is-
sued this bulletin : —

Eaunscliffe, Jnne 4, 1801, 11.1.") a.m.
Sir Jiihti Macdnnald passed ii fairly couifurtablo nii;ht and partouk of
jionrisliment at intervals. The cerebral symptoms are .slightly improved
at the time of our consultation, owing, doubtless, to the fact that having
lived six days since his seizure partial absorption has had time to take
l)lace. The heart's action, linwever, is extremely feeble and very irregu-
lar, and its failure is at present the chief dan<.'er.

[.Si;,'ued,] K. W. I'owkm.. M.D.

•J. A. (iUANT, MAX

H. P. WKi.iiiT, M.D,

One of the doctors explained, however, that this simply
meant that there was less hope, the trouble merely changing
from the head to the heart. In the evening, the bulletin told

•1) !

r.oo

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

of "continuous weakness," and at nij,'ht he was " slii.;;htly more
conscious of liis surroundings," but the lieart's action was
weaker.

As tlio week drew to its close so <lid the life of the great and
beloved Premier, Dr. Geo. Ross, of Montreal, had been called
in at the special desire of many friends of Sir John's family,
and he arrived at noon. The result of the consultation of the
four physicians was this hopelessly depressin;.,' bulletin : —

Eau,ss(,likki;, June ath, 2.45 p.m.
At our cojisultation to-day we found Sir John M.icdiuiald altogether
in a somewhat alarming state. His strength, which has gradually f.iiled
him during the past week, shows a marked decline since yesterday, lie
shows still a slight ilickering of consciousness. Ri'spiration, oS ; pulse,
120, more feeble and irregular than heretofore. His hours of life are
steadily waning. (Signed) K. W. Powkll, M. D.

J. A. GiiANT, M D.

II. P. Wkigut, M.D.

G. Ross, M.D.

Th n followed this announcement, increasing, if possible^
the gloom and ilespair among the people :

EAiiNscLiFKi;, June 0th, 7 p.m.
Sir John'.s end is fast approacliing ; has been unconscious since
4.p. m. (Signed) R. W. Powell, M.D.

From this time on it was deemed simply a matter of hours
to the anxious watchers expecting at any time the approach of
death. At nine o'clock the jihysicians noticed a change and
notilied the family, who gathered round the bedside, conscioiis
that the end was n(nv at hand. His irregular and laboured
breathing, which liad been for hours a series of ga.sps and had
now reached the )'ate of liftysix a minute, ceased, and in its
place there came a deep, regular and ordinary respiration. For
another hour the terrible waiting and suspense contitiued. At
last, without a struggle, his heart stoi)[)cd beating, the breatli
of life left the body. Sir John ^lacdonald died at litteeii
minutes past ten o'clock, on the night of June the sixth, 18U1,
aged seventy-six years and five mouths.

hi:

' lifj'

CHAPrER XXVIII.

']HE FUXIRAL.

"VTEVEK in the liistory of Canada lias- the co\intry been so
Jli profoundly stirred by the deatli of any man as l)y the
death of him who liad so lon^ and so ably ^njidod its course.
Messa<:fes of condolence ])ourcd in from all parts of the world.
The hirrhest dijfnit.'ii-ios in the realm, including Hor Majesty
the Queen, hastened to pay iheir triljute of respect to the
memory of the dead.

The body was at once embalmed an<l clothed in the uniform
of an Iniperial Privy Councillor — the decorations he had
received from the Sovereign he had .served so long and so
faithfully shining upon his breast. The arrangements for the
funeral must have been extensive in any case, for all Canada
desired to participate in it. But practically a doul)le funei'al
had to be arranged for, l)ecau.se of the dead Premier's wish
that he should be buried in the family plot, at Kingston,
heside his parents, his sisters and his brotlier.

On Tue.sday morning, at daybreak, the remains were removed
to the Senate Chamber, where they lay in state until the
next day, during which time thou.-ands of people, including the
most distinguished people from all parts of the country, visited
the place to take a last look at the well-known features of
Canada's great statesman. Abmy lloral trilmtcs were brought
and laid beside the coflin. At niglit the body was watched by
relays of Conservative Members of Parliament. V.'lien Wednes-
day morning came, the preparations b^r the great funeral
pageant were early begun. ITntil noon, however, the surging
crowds of mourners were allowed to enter the chamber and
take a last look at the dead.

!*!»

;»"

002

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDOXALD.

Sliortly bot'oie the S(Miato Chamber was closed to the
general pul)lio an incident occurred which must bo regarded as
the most significant since the body of the Premier was brought
from EarnscliH'o. At that moment Sir (Jasimir Gzowski walked
slowly forward anil placed on the casket a beautiful wreath
of white and yellow roses from Her Majesty the Queen.
Attached to the wreath was a card bearing this inscription.:

jfrom 1bcr /nsajc5t\i Q,\\cc\\ Victoria,
3n ^ciiion: ot 1l3cv jfaitbful an? S)cvotc^ Servant.

It is not remeu)l)ered that Her Majesty has ever before sent
any such tribute of atFoctionate regard to Canada or any othcT
colony as a mark of her esteem for a public servant.

Meanwhile busy pre))arations for the funeral were going on
outride. The hearse, drawn by four heavily caparisoned horses
and richly set with plumes, had arrived. The Governor-
General's Foot Guards, o50 strong; the 4rk-d Battalion, loO
strong, and the members of the Ottawa Field Battery, had
marched in and were drawn up in long parallel lines down the
eastern roadway. The bands of the two first-mentioned corps
w(;re also in readine.'^s. In every direction there weie moving
masses of representative bodies in procession order, finding the
places assigned to them. The grounds were black with
onlookers. Contrary to the apprehension felt in some quar-
ters, there was no disorder or wild scrambling for |)laces. The
original order of precedence was closely, though not absolutely,
followoil. An air of [perfect reverence prevailed, and on every
haiiil were heard the tenderest and most affectionate refereucos
to the great man in vvhcse honour tliey had gathered.

The casket was closed shortly after 12 o'clock. At that
houi- the Senate chand)er wore very much the same ipiiet air
as in the early morning, with the exception that a staff of men
were engaged in removing the floial offerings and placing theni
on the two cais which had been fitted up for that purpo.se. At

THE FUNERAL.

C03

precisely J. 15 o'clock the great bell in the tower i,'ave the first
signal for inovemeiit. Iininetliatoly afterward the bells oil the
City hall and churches took up the tolling, and kept it up until
the funeral was over. At the «trikiiig of the tower bell six
stalwart members of the Dominion police force raised the
casket to their shoulders and the inarch to the main entrance
began. In front went Chief VVHiips Taylor and Trow, bearing
the wreath sent by Her Majesty the C^ueen, and behind the
casket came Junior Whips Daly and Pope, carrying the wreath
of His Excellency the Governor-General. The members of the
late Cabinet, with Hon. J. C. Aikens, marched reverently on
either side in their capacity as pall-bearers. The hearse was
beneath the main tower, and towaids that point the Viearers
slowly carried their honoured burden. As they came in sight
the bands began the low and mournful strains of the Dead
Marcii in tSaul. A solemn hush came over the great nuiltitude
and thousands of hea<ls were bared. It was the work of but a
few moments to place the casket in the hearse and lay u|)on it
the memorial wreaths. Then the bands moved slowly forward
;ind the funeral march to the church began.

The following was the order of the procession:.

Major Sherwood, chitf n aralial.

8i|uad of Dominion I'olice.

t'tHiad of Dragoon (iuards, four uhreast.

Carriages for the Pall-bearer-s.

Six Bearers, chosen from the Dominion Police.

Band of the Cjrovernor-Generar.s Foot Guards,

Band of the 4^rd Battalion.

Militia Oftioera in Uniform.

Major-General Herbert and Uapt. StreatlieUl, A.D.C.

Two cars of Floral Tributes.

THE HEARSE,

drawn by fonr horses richly Ciiparisoned.

The I'all-bearors, being members of the late Cabinet.
Carriage containing; Mr. Hugh .). Macdonald, Col. .1. V. Maol'hfraon,

and llcv. Dr. Williamson, of Kingston.
Carriage containing Dr. Powell, Mr. Fred White, Mr. Joseph Pope, and

Mr. George Sparks.

;:ii'

604

LIFi: OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

W '

Carriago containing His Excellency the Governor-CJeneral and C il. Sir

Casimir Gzawaki, ropreaentinij Her Majesty the Queen ; Hon.

W. Walsh, A.D.C., and Gol. Dawson, A.D.C.

Carriat;e ccntaing Hon. C. Colvillo and Lieut.-Col. I'rior, A. DC,

Lieutenant (Jovernor Angers of Quebec and Gapt. Shepherd, A.D.C.

Lieutenant-(iovernor Daly of Nova Scotia.

The Mace of the Senate, borne by Sergeant at-.\rm3 St. Denis.

Speaker Lacoste and Members of the Senate four abreast.
Judges of the Supreme Court and Courts of Law and Kquity.
Th'.) ;\Iace of the Commons, borne by Sorgeaut-at-.\rni3 ALicDonnoll.
Speaker White and Members and ex-Members of the House of Commons,
four abreast, irrespective of political divisions. .
OfKcials of the House of Commons.
Parliamentary Press (Gallery and Pages.
B md of La Lyre Canadienne.
Consular C rps — C. L. Knapp, U S. Consul-General ; Col. Lay, U.S.
Consul ; D'A. Ansell, Consul-General of Mexicj ; Mr. Schwob, Vice-
Consul of Franco; Candido De Ptdrorena, Consul-General of Spidn;
W. C. Mnnderloh, Consul-fiL'neral for German Emi>ire ; E. Schnltze,
Consul for Austria- Hungary ; («. B. Day, Cousul-Cieneral for Chili ; C.
Mariotte, Consul General for Italy ; Col. llenshaw, Consul for Uruguay;
rl. F. Wolff, Consul for Denmark and Vice-Consul for Sweden and Nor-
way.

Deputy Ministers of Departments.

The following representatives of Legislative Assemblies :

Ontario — W. R. Meredith, leader of the O^jposition ; Messrs. Monck,
INLirter, Hiscott, Bush, McCleary, Gilmour, Mack and Camiibell of
Algoma.

Quebec — John S. Hall, Q.C., .Tames McShane, J. O. Villeneuve, W.
J. Poupore, B, Beauchamp, P. E. Leblauc, G. A. Mantel and Rochon.

Manitoba — Hon. Premier (Jreenway.

New Brunswick — Hon. Premier Blair ami Solicitor (ienoral Pugsley.

British Columbia — Hon. Theodore Davij, Attorney-General.

Then followed the rcprescntative.s of many nmnicipalities
and public organizations of all kinds, ami after these, promi-
nent citizens in their private capacity. Along the entire route
of over a mile to St. Alban's Churcli, where the funeral service
was to be road, the sidewnlks were blocked with people, tlie
majority citizens of Ottawa, but thousands also from outside,
attracted by the greatness of the .solenm event which was to
mark the day as oni' to be remembeied in the liistoiy of Can-
ada. It was estiniatc'l that S,000 men were in line anil that

itll

ID.

eral and Col. Sir
ueen ; Hun.

:).c.

Prior, A. DC.
ipherd, A.D.C.
a.

IS St. Denis.
r abreast,
.nd Kqiiity.
3 jVLic Don noil,
use of Coniniona,

19.

; Col. Lay, U.S.
Schwob, Vice-
neral of Spain;
) ; E. Schnltze,
il for Chili ; C.
ul for I'ruguay ;
weden and Nor-

Messrs. Monck,
d Campbell of

Villeneuve, W.
and Kochon,

oral Piigsley.
lerai.

lunicipalities
these, pionii-
oiitire I'outu
iK-ral seivice
li people, the
I'om outside,
hich was to
t(jiy of Can-
ine and that

Iff

ill

I i:

THE FUXKHAL.

505

00,000 people watched the procession from the Senate Chani-
Ikt to the Church. The day was intensely hot with that
close, stitlin;]f heat which precedes a stoiin, and there was much
suffering among tlie processionists and spcctatoi-s.

The Church was magniticently decorated. Tlie catafalque,
undei- which the casket was to rest, was clothed in imperial
purple. The two pillars nearest the altar had an embossed
wreath of oak leaves and acorns, while the two nearest the
main entrance had emhosscd loaves of hun-el worked in Imllion
gold. The top drapery was festooned with gold biaiding, with
a haekground of three golden stars ; below there appeared two
wreathes of maple leaves entwined in gold and green. At the
junction of each pillar with the canopy hung bannerets of
j)iirple and gold, bearing a centre design of the Greek lexicon,
the Alpha and the Omega. The canopy itst-lf was a covei'ing
of black and purple. The bier consisted of two mahogany
pedestals, covered with a banner of loyal purple and gold in
front, having a representation of St. Alban the Martyr.

But there was one particulai' spot to which the eyes of the
hundreds who visited the Church dui'ing the morning were
directed with thoughts of sadness. Imniediatelv in 'vo.jr of
the reading-desk, tlie end seat next the centre wall in the
second row wa.s covered with purple and old gold, festooned in
front, a wreath of sniilax on the etitiy siile. This was the seat
which the groat chieftain had occupied for so many years, and
in the place where he had been accustomeil to sit there rested
to-day a superb cross of white and cream I'o-^es, tulips and im-
mortelles, a gift from the following young ladies of St. Alban's:
The Mis.'-cs Taylor, Cross, White, Powell, Wallace, Uogert,
Bacon, Landor, Wise, Mackintosh, Jarvis, and Bancroft. The
baptismal font was tilled with superb tropical plants of Yucca
palm and ferns, anil adorned with lilies and sniiiax. The en-
tire ediiice was touching in its sond>re shadows, but beautilul
in all its floral loveliness.

Among those in attendance at the church was Lady Staidey
of Preston, wife of the Governor-General, ivho was accompanied
by Lord Kilcoursie, A.D.C, Mrs. Colville an<l Mrs. Herbert, the

ii ■

t-f

506

LTFi: OF Sill JOHN A. MACDONALD.

ladies attired ia deep luoiirnin;^. The procession was most
.solonm and included nearly all, it' notall, the An;j;lican clergy of
the city. The coffin containing the remains of the dead Pre-
mier was borne in attended by the pall-bearers and followed
by the relatives of the deceased, led by Mr. Hugh John Mac-
donald and his little son Jack, the Premier's only grandson.
When all had been admitted for whom decorum demanded an
assured place, the doors were thrown open and as many of the
multitude outsiile as could Hud stand iuirsurired into the Church.
The service was most solemn and impressive and all present
joined in spirit in psalm and prayer over the mighty dead.
The service was read by Rev. Mr. Bogert, incumbent of St.
Alhan's. The service concluded, the procession re-formed and
tlio march to the station was befjun. The "atherint; storm had
come closer and was now imminent. The procession had not
got half way to the station when the inky clouds broke in a
terrific down-pour, scattering spectators and many of the pedes-
trians in the procession.

A special train had l)een made up to carry the remains and
those who were to attend them to Kinitston, and on the arrival
of the cortege the cofiin was reverently borne from the hearse
to the car which had been prepared for its reception. The
whole train was heavily draped in emblems of mourning. About
a (luarter past four the train started. At Carleton, Smith's
Falls, an<l Sharbot Lake, where short stops were made, vast
throngs of people were found assembled, thus paying the last
tribute of love and res[)ect for the Chieftain. At many smaller
places the people turned out to see the train go by, and at
wayside stations and farm houses men stood with heads uncov-
ered as the train flew past.

It was twenty minutes past ten o'clock when the train rolled
into Kingston with the mortal remains of the Old Limestone
City's most distinguished son now nearing their last resting-
place. An immense throng had assembled and were waiting
patiently in solemn silence the coming of the dead. When the
train ceased to move, the clock over the town hall began to toll,
and the ringing continued for an hour. A battery was pres-

THE FUSEllAL.

507

was most
II clergy o£

(lead Pro-
id followed
John Mac-
r (rrandson.
jinanded an
iiany of the
the Church.
, all present
ii<fhty dead,
nbenb of St.
i-tbnncd and
11^ storm had
sion had not
U broke in a
of the pedcs-

remains and
on the arrival
m the hearse
option. The
riling. About
jtun, Smith's
e made, vast

ying the last
[inany smaller
[o by, and at

heads uncov-

le train rolled
^d Limestone
ilast resting-
Iwere waiting
l\. When the
began to toll,
try was pres-

ent in fidl force and formed two liiifh from tlio train to tlio
City Hall. Eight constables stepped forward and received the
casket, which was covered with nmgniHceiit wreaths and other
Horal tributes. The spectacle, as the procession moved fiom
the train towards the building undtM- the vivid glare of the
electric light, was solemn in the e.Ktremi'. Kir.->t came Mayor
Drennan, then the casket, member.s of the City (\)iincil, every
meiid>er of the Cabinet, Senators, M.l'.'s and friends from
Ottawa. A s(piad of cadets was formed around the bier when
the corpse arrived, ami immediately they formed a bodyguard.
On the casket beiiig deposited at the (Jity Hall, the cover was
(piickly removed, and tiie guard of honor settled into [losition.
Then the members of the Cabinet passed the collin and viewed
the face of their beloved Chieftain for the hist time. Not one
went through the ordeal with dry eyes. Some of them, particu-
larly Sir Hector Langevin, were very much allt cted, and aged
men were seen to weep as they proceeded on towards the means
of exit. The sadness of the scene was remarked by many. Half
an hour later the doors were thrown open and tiie crowds be-
gan to surge in. They passed in one door and out at another,
so that confusion was avoided and thousands had their desire
gratitied. The pnssing to and fio was continued till midnight,
at which time the crowd lessened and dispersed to their lioines.
While this solemn ceremony was going on in alike the Capital
and in the home of the Premier's boyhood, all C.inada joined in
spirit in honoring the dead. In every town and city business
was .suspended, while during the hours when the funeral
procession was to take jihice bells tolled frcm church steeples
throuiihout the wdiole Dominion.

On Thursday, the eleventh of June, the body of Canada's
greatv\st statesman was to be laid away from mortal i-ight for-
ever. Kingston was early astir. People from outside began
to pour in soon after daybreak, and long before the hour fi.xed
for the funeral the city was tmcomfortabiy crowded. Vet so
general was the impression of the importance of the occasioui
BO keen the sense of personal loss on the part of every man and
woman who desired to take pait in the ceremony, even as

liiil

■ti I !-i

1 1

508

LIFE OF SIR JOIIX A. MACIMtNALD.

spectator, that tlie crowd iiovcr lost its character of a funeral
a.sseinhlagc.

As early as five o'clock tlmt niorninij^ citizens began to hasten
toward the city buildings, where the remains were lying in
state. A contiinious stream of people kept passing through the
hall, and the crusli was so great at times that the doors had to
he closed. Soldiers and polieeiuen were on hand to prevent
contusion, but irequently they were unable to do so. The
mayor estimated that fully 15,000 people viewed tlio remains
before he gave the order to replace the lid on the casket. It
was no uncommcin thing to see old citizens weeping as they left
the building. J lad the funeral been postponed, tlie demaml to
view the remains would not have been satisfied within the
day, as when tlie doors were closed at 12.o0 p.m. thousantls had
collected in the streets in front of tlie liall intent on ''ilinin^•
admission.

At 1.30 o'clock Ontario Street in the neighborhood of the city
hall was densely crowded. It was at that point and in the ad-
jacent scpiares that the funeral procession was being organized
by the civic officials. This was done (piietly and with due re-
gard tor the solemn character of the proceedings. It was 2.45
p.m. when the casket was laised to the shoulders of eight men
of A Battery and slowly borne to tlie street. It was picceded
V)y the officiating clergymen and the ])all-bcarers. Instantly
the bells boi^an to toll with slow and regular strokes, and thou-
sands of heads were bared. The hearse stood in the centre of
the street awaiting its burden of distinguished clay. It was
heavily draped and was drawn by eight hor.ses froiii A Battery,
suitably capai'isoned and k'd l)y men in uniform. The casket
having been placed in position and the wreaths of Her Majesty
th" Queen and His Excellency the Governor-CJoneral placed
thereon, the ctiieer in command gave the order to march. In
low, plaintive tones the combined bands of A Battery and the
14tl> Prince of Wales' Own Rifles began a funeial <Iiige, and
the cortege moved forward in regular order. As the wailiui,'
notes of the music were heard, an impressive hush came over
the vast concourse in Princess Street, and they waited in

TIIK FUN Eli A L.

50!)

patioiico for the somhrL" iia,:;('iu»t touppcar. As tlio procession
nu)VO(l into tlic main tiiorougliCure, ninnini,' the full len^'th of
tlie city, it was oli.served to be

IN THE FOLI.OWINQ (tllMKll:

Kinyatdn IV.lico Force, in comnmnd of Chief Horsey.

4ih lUginient <'f Cavalry, eight abreast, in command of Col. Dull.

Combined Bands of A IJattery and Uth P. W. O. llillus.

Ven. Aiuhdeiicon Jones and llev. J. J. llogert.

Car of Floral ( IUVrir'.gs.

THE HOARSE,

drawn by eight led horses.

Pallbearers, being members of the late Cabinet.

Hon. J. Aikens.

First carriage of mourners, containing Mr. H. J. Muc<li)nald, Col. Mac-

pheraon, Rev. Dr. Williamson, p.iA Mr. George Hparkea.

Second carriage of mourners, containin::j Dr. Powell, Mr. F, White, Mr.

Joseph Pope, and Mr. Vankougbnet.

In jiirallel lines, extending a.s guard, A battery, under Major l>rury.

The Ki.yal Military College cadets and Kingston battery, under Capt.

\Vilmot.
Carriage containing Col. Sir Casimir Oziwaki, repreeenting Her Maji-sty

the Queen, and Lieut. -Col. Smith, cf the (joveinor-Cieneral'a stall'.
Cariiago containing Sir Alexander Campliell, Hon. O. Mowat, Commander

Law, A.D.C., and Sir Roderick Cameion, of Js'ew York.

Carriage containing Uis Grace Archbishop Cleary ; His Grace's Secretary,

Father Kelly ; Father Corbi.tl, of Cornwall parish, and Father Mc

AVilliams, of Kingston.

Carriage containing Rev. Dr. Wardrope, Moderator of the Presbyterian

General Assembly, imd Rev. Dr. Roid, Clerk of the Presbyterian

Cliurch in Canada.

Carriage containing Mujur-Gen. Cameron, Commander R "fi.C.

Members of the S'Miate and House of Commons.

Guard composed of 14th P.W.O. Rii!:s, in command of JLijor Powers.

Ontario Legislature.

Representative Clergy of all the Denominations.

Judges of the Superior and County Courts.

Deputy-Minister of the Interior, Mr. A. M. Rurgeas.

Deputy-lMinister of Public Works, Mr. A. Gobell.

Deputy-Minister of Railways and Canals, Mr. T. 'I'rudeau.

Collingwood Schreiber, Chief Engineer of (iovernmcnt Railways.

Ollicera of the Canadian Militia in reversed order of seniority.

nrf

&1()

/,//'/; (IF silt JiHIX A. MAVDOSAUK

Tliuii fallowed t)ie ru{iri'aoiitutive8 of iiiuniuipal corporutioiiB hoadeil by
those of Kingston, clubs, ()ri.'Hiii/.ations nnd sociutius of variuus kinds, irk-
chidini^' many from distant parts of the country.

Alonf^ tlic priiKripal portion of Pritiet'ss Stri'ot every available
foot of ;^'i'()iin<l not actually taken up by the luarchers was occu-
pied by spectators. The masses of people wt^e not so j^reat
a.s at Ottawa, but they seeiucil {greater h)r the reason that there
was more concentration. The route lay along one street, and
to that point the people of the city and thousands of visitors
tlockeil As the ini])0sini,' piocession ujoved alonj;^ and the
hearse passeil l;v, every head was bared, and to the triliute ot
respcctfid silence there was in many cases added the tribute ot
loviuLf tears. The (|iapin;;s of mourning weie ^'iieral alonj.,'
the line of maridi, and were not limited at all toj)lace.s of bu.si-
ness. Some of tlu^ private liouses were drapeil with em-
blems of sorrow. 'J'he distance to the cemetery was thi'ce full
miles. This, with the return, was more than most walkers
were able to undertake, loyal and lovinj^ as was their purpose,
and hence, accoi'diiii^ to arrant^emcnt, the}' halted just outside
the city limits and allowed the procession of vehicles to pass
between their ranks. There were about a hundred of the
marchers who considered no .sacrifice too j^reat for their chief-
tain, and tli(\v pusheil onward to the cemetery. This brave
contiuLjeiit endiraced a score oi' more of mend)ers, ex-members,
and senators, as well as the full civic delegation from Ottawa.
Long bonis before tlie funeral cortege came into view,
people wended their way tshrough the gates of the cenie-
lery. A continuous stream of vehicles dr^ve along the road
from Kiiigstori. The trains ran every liour, and hundreds
walked the entii'e three miles rather than niis.s the closing; scene
iu the career of the great chiettain. Over the undulating and
beautifully kept grounds they swarmeel to the hillside vvliere
is the iamily burying plot of the Maedonalds, and there they
halted and luassed in soliW depth about the enclosure. The
s(piare plot has the usual iron lailing, a stjuare granite column
with the names " MacJonald " and " Williamson" on the base,
the grave vi Mrs. Williamson, Sir John'.s sister, on the right,

itioiiH lu'iliU'il Ity
iriuus kiiuls, in-

vvry avaihiMo
lers wasoccu-
j not so great
<()n tliat there
nc stit't't, aiul
<ls of visitors
oiig and the
the triliuto ot
the tribute of
Ljfiieral idon*,'
ilaces of luisi-
id with eni-
v&a three full
most walkers
-heir j)ur|)ose,

JMst outside
doles to pas-;
tidred of the
r their chief-

This brave
, ex-nieiiibers,
from Ottawa.
e into view,
)f the ceine-
ong the road
nd hundreds
clositig scene
dulating aiui
illside wlieri'
1 tliei'e tliev
losure. The
inite column
on the base,
'n the I'lidit,

Tffi: FUNEii

A L

tw
T),

'0 grave of Sir J„I
^'•'"f''"|.illar,u,dtl

"IS /iitl,

611

K't'iit storu' fl,

'*' mother

^'rand nioti

if>r

on the left. I

'^^''•'IVe is that of the el

>e-

..a-r.s i„ ^,,1 • , '^ '^"•■i''^>' thecliiffViin

-.. „i, i„ ,,,„„,. „;; ;>> c . t ,„„,, , ,^^^ ^^_ ^^^ ^^^^u..

"-•^ Mi i„ ,„,,i,i„„ ,.„„ -omposo,, the li.l, w|,i,|,

it:!.,,';,::,"'"" "•; "■•■ "i.i«h,„ ■;;"" ^'■'"■"' -"' "— ^^

"""' " o„„i,i ,,„„.„„ „,„ii ,,;,""'' "! "«'"■ v,„ „,, „,o

•^ "^'-'-"^ " >,„li| tl,„ ,i,,., 7 « ""■ '«■"'- i" ,.„,.H„s,,.

"I.«r., I.,„„„ |,v „, |,j ,t„„j ■ ""-■ "!'«' K.av,. „•,,« ,,„,,;,,

■".;;- »i.e„ .,„, i„;.,.jr„ r ;:"■ "'- -"'-' ""^ i"--'

Jl'o scene ,vi„l„„,,,|,. ,.''»'"'

ncsed it._the ,„„,„.,„,■, „ ' ' ' ''"W" ■■" I'.v tl ■ wl,„ „.„.

;' ■ "- .lead iVe,„ie,. .a:,! ,'"";' .' "^ «—. tl.o .o„„„,.,:

|'™™".|» St,,,,,,,,,,- wit,, i,,.,,,,, ,J^ ;^; ;■; "';■ """.-...I. „,„,„

'" ""^^'1- *e„e, al.le A ,el„,e.,e„, " '""' '' "» "'■'■>■ l>0'-

™ OS ,„„i ,,,„,„t ,.,„,.,,,;:,•"."" ';■ f """•'"" »■'"'"

l«'«".o„y. ]t „.as ve,vsi„„,l' , "^■' l'"'''""'",l t,,e

';"P--e .iai »e,-v,^e „,\ ";/''"'■' ■^■"' ''"'•""""I ""J

tliero we,c few ,J,y eves i,!?,;, '"' '''"'' '"'H""' .su„„.|.,

1-nt ,.,„„i,este.j tiLie: . : «;:::;:-;:"»^«;""'< '"-'

Jt was soon over th^ ,» Mi^seot the nation

'« '-«-■■". lo^rtr;::.""'!'':'',:' ■^'""*- '<•■*"■

peat stone lids of the s„, „,^ t r n " ''" "■'"' ''"*"-'• H'O
lead was p„,„,,| i,u" ;''?" f"" ;'''"''"" l-'J». Mul.en
all, a„J the ,e,„ai„s of th > ?,' " >'"' "'' "■"'"'" "'"'.x,!

l-ionred wo,e left in the res"!" !' ''""'''" '""' "" '---I •''■"i
I'ad d..i,.ed tl,ey should I, K° '''""" "'"■'•«• "■''™ » I"e. l.e

«^

. v" ,

i i 1

CHAPTER XXIX.

LAST Al'PBlAL TO THE ELKCTORS.

rilHE iast aiUhess oi: Sir John Macdouald to the electors of
J_ Canada was is.sued at the opening of tlie campaign ol
1891, and dated 7tii nf February in that year. The fnil.nviny
is the text of the ad(hcs.s : —

To the Electors of (-\inHtui. :

Gknii.emex, — Til.' iiiomeutous questious now enga:,'ing public aiton
tiun having, in the opinion of t'ne Ministry, reached that stage when it is
desirable that an opportunity should be given to the people of expressin,'
at the polls their views 'hereon, the (rovernor-General has been advised
tv) t-^rruinale the existence of the present House of Ooinmoiia and to is-iiic
writs .summoning a new I'arliaineiit. This advice His Excellency liai
seen tit to approve, and you, therefore, will be called upon within a short
time to elect nieinbers to rcitresonl y^nl in the ;j;reat council of the nation.
I shall be a candidate for the representation of my old constituency, the
city of Kingston.

In so'lcitini^ at your hands a renewal of the confidence whicii I have en-
joyed as a Minister -f the Crown for thirty years, it u, I think, convenioiii
that 1 should take aa vantage of the occasion to define the attitude of the
Government in which I am First Minister towards the k-ading political
issues oi the day.

As in 1S7H, in 18-i'2, and again in 1887, bo in 1891, do cjuestions relating
to the trade and commerce of the country ocuupy a foremost place in th*'
p\iblic mind. Our policy in respect the.eto is to-day what it lias been for
the past thirteen years, and is dieected by a tirui determination to foster
and develop the varied resmrces of the Dominion by every means in our
power o:)nsi8tont with Canada's position as an integral portion of tlii
British Empire. To that end we have laboured in the past, and we pro-
pose to continu" in the work to which we have applied ourselves, of Duild-
ing up on this continent, under the flag of England, a great and pjwerliil
nation.

When, in 1878, we were called upon to administer theall'aira of the Do-
minion, Canada occupied a position in the eyes of tlie world very dilloreiit

512

§^

olectors of
campaign ol
he foilovviug

r public iittoiv
itago wlieu it is
[e of expiassiivi
13 been advisei'i
0113 iind to is^ue
Ex.ci3U'-noy ha-,
u withiu a short
il of tho uatidii.
ijustituency, tin;

wliicii I havocu-

link, couvoiiioiii

attitiulo of th'j

cadin;/ politicil

In'istionsrelatiiiJ

)3t place in tlu'

Lt it lia3 bcou fov

Illation to foster

>ry means in our

portion of the

last, and we pro-

[•selvcd, of DuiUl-

\[\t and pjweriiil

lilairaof tlio 1 to-
very dili'^iviit

3'-

■li-

t: t

ii • J

a ;•

mi:

;

:';W ^ -'

l.^

.{ a

EbH^

'^iS^Sn

bsi

'IflPI

■B

SIB JOHN'S LA,ST AVPEAL.

613

from that which she enjoya to-day. At that time a profound depression
hung like a pall over the whole country, from the Atlantic ocean to the
western limits of the Province of Ontario, beyond which to the llocky
Mountains stretched a vast and almost unknown wilderness. Trade was
depressed, manufactures languished, and exposed to ruinous competition,
Canadians were fast sinking into the position of being mere hewers of
wood and drawers of water for the great nation dwelling to the south of us.

We determined to change this unhappy state of things. We felt that
Canada, with its agricultural resources, rich in its tisheries, timber and
mineral wealth, was worthy of a nobler position than that of being a
slaughter market for the United States. We said to the Americans :
' ' We are perfectly willing to trade with you on ecpial terms. We are
desirous of having a fair reciprocity treaty, but wo will not consent to
open our markets t9 you while yours remain closed to us." So wo
inaugurated the National Policy. You all know what followed. Almost,
as if by magic, the whole face of the country underwent a change. Stag-
nation and apathy and gloom — ay, and want and misery, too — gave
place to activity and enterprise and prosperity. The miners of Nova
Scotia took courage ; the manufacturing industries in our groat centres
revived and multiplied ; the farmer found a market for his produce, the
artisan and labourer employment at good wages, and all Canada rejoiced
under the (juickeniug impulse of a new-found life. The age of deticits
was past, and an overHowing treasury gave to the Government the means
of carrying forward those great worKs necessary to the realization of our
puri)ose to make this country a hirmogeneous whole.

To that end we undertook that stupendous work, the Canadian Pacific
Railway, undeterred by the pessimistic views of our opponents ; nay, in
spite of their strenuous and even malignant opposition, we pushed for-
ward that great enterprise through the wilds north of Lake Superior,
acroiss the westeii prairies, over the Rocky Mountains, to the shore of
the Pacific, with such iutiexible resolution that in seven years after the
assumption of otlice by the present Administration the dream of our
public men was an accomplished fact, and 1 myself experienced the proud
satisfaction of looking back from the steps of my car upon the Rocky
Mountains fringing the eastern sky.

The Canadian Pacific Railway now extends from ocean to ocean, open-
ing up and developing the country at a marvellouj rate aud forming an
imperial highway to the east, over which the trade of the Indies is des-
tined to reach the markets of Europe. We have subsidized steamship
lines on both oceans— to Europe, China, Japan, Australia and the West
Indies. We have spent millions on the extension and improvement of
our canal system. We have, by liberal grants of subsidies, piomoted the
building of railways, now become an absolute necessity, until the who'e
C'>untry is covered aa with a network ; and we have done all this with

?■

I ■<

>]4

LIFE Oh' SI I! JOHN A. MAClKiNALD.

Hiich pnulenco iiiul caiiUou tluit oiir credit in tlio iiKHiey markets of the
world is lii|,'htir to-day than it lias over beoii, and the rate of interest on
our debt, which is the tnio incaaiiro of the public burdens, is leas than it
was when wo took oHice in 1H7H.

During all this time what has been the attitude of the Reform party i
Vacillating? iu their policy, and intsonstancy itself. As regards their lead-
ers, they have at least been consistent in this particular, that they have
uniformly opposed every measure which had for its object the develop-
ment of our common c )untry. The National P(jlicy was a failure before
it had been tried. Under it wo could not possibly raise a revenue sutli-
ciont for the public recpiireincnts. Time exjiosed that fallacy. Then, we
were to pay n\ore for the home nianufiictured article than we used to when
we imported everything from abroad. We were to bo the prey of rini;s
.and monopolies, and tiio ni inufacturers wore to extort thoir prices. When
these fears iKid been proved unfounded, we were assured that over-coiu-
petition would inevitably prove tho ruin of the manufacturing industriou,
and thus bring about a state of aliairs worse than that which the Natiuual
Policy had been designed to meet. It was tho same with the Canadi;iii
I'acilic Railway. Tho whole project, according to our opponents, was a
chimera. Tho engineering didicultios were insuperable ; the road, evi>ii
if constructed, would neve*" pay. Well, gentlemen, tho project was ft;i-
sible, the engineering diflieulties were overcome, and the nnul does pay.

Disappointed by tlie failure of all thoir predictions, and convinced that
nothing is to bo gained by further opposition on tho old lines, the Reform
party has taken a now departure and has announced its policy to be Un-
restricted Reciprocity ; that is (as dehned by its author, Mr. Wimaii, in
the North Ainer'n-aii. liiriciv a fi'W days ago), free trade with the Unitod
States and a common tarill' with the I'niiod .States against tho rest of the
world.

The adoption of this policy would involve, among other grave evils, dis-
crimination against the mother country. This fact is ailmitted by U'j 1o3.<
a person go than Sir Richard ('artwriglit, who, in his speech at Pem-
broke on October 'Jl, IS'JO, is reporied to have said • " Some men, whose
opinions I respect, entertain objections to this (Unrestricted Reciiirocity;
proposition. They argue, and nrgue with force, that it will bo necessiiry
for us, if we enter into such an arrangement, to admit the goods of the
United Spates on more favourable terms than those of tho mother country.
Nor do I >;oiiy that that is an objection, and not a light one."

It would, in my opinic.n, inevitably result in the annexation of thisDj
minion to tho United States, 'i'he advocates of Unrestricted Reciprocity
on this aide of the line deny that it would have such an elt'ect, though in
friends in the United States urge as the chief reason for its adoption that
1 Unrestricted Reciprocity would be the lirat step in tho direction of politi-
cal union.

^ ,i

Slli JOHN'S LAST Afl'llAL.

:a'>

keta of tUe
intorest on
leas than ii

urm party:
B thoir lead-
,t they have
the develoi)-
uUiro l)e{iro
uvonvio avitli-
^. Thou, we
used to wliou
prey of '■i"':;''
prices. When
lat over-coiii-
,1'^ indu8lrio3,
itho Natiuiial
, the Caiiadiiv"
louoiita, waa a
Iho r<ja<l, oven
irojcct was ft-a-
oad does pay.
conviuoed that
,ea, the Reform
|„Uoy to be Un-
Mr. Wiman, in
ilhthe fniloJ
the reat of the

There is, liowovor, (jno obvioiis consetiucnco of this schemo which
nobody has the hardiliood to dispute, and that is that rnrestricted
lleciprocily would neceHaitato the inipoailion of direct taxation, anionnt-
ing to not leas than fourteen millions of doUara annually upon the peo-
ple of this country. This fact is clearly set forth in a remarkable let-
ter addressed a few days ago by Mr. K. VV. Tliomson— A lUdical and
Free Trader— to the Toronto dlithi', on the stall' of which paper lie was
lately an editorial writer, which, notwilhatandin!^ the (ilnhi\ with charac-
teristic unfairness, refused to publish, b\it which, neverllioleas, reached
the public throutjh another aoiirco. Mr. Thomson pi>int8 out with L'reat
cloarnesa that the loss of customs revenue levied ui)on articles now enter-
ing this country from the Unitec States, in the event of the adoption of
the policy of Unrestricted lleciprocity, would amount to not leas than
seven millions of dollars annually. Moreover, this by no means repre-
sents the total loss to the revenue which the adoption of such a policy
would entail. If American nianufacturera now compete favourably with
i'.ritish goods, despite an ecjual duty, what i\u you 8up[)03e would lia[)pen
if the duty were removed from the American and retained or, as is very
[irobable, increased on the liritish article / Would not the inevitable re-
sult bo a displacement of the duty-payini^ goods of the mother country by
thdiie of the United Statea t and this would mean an additional loss to
the revenue of many millions more.

Electors of Canada, 1 appeal to you to consider well the full meaning of
this proposition. You — I speiik nn v more [larticularly to the [leople of
this Province of Ontario — are already taxed directly for .school purpi ses,
for township purposes, for county purpoaes, while to the Provincial Gov-
trnment there ia expressly given by the constitution the right to impose
direct taxation. This latter evil you have so far escaped, but as the
material resourc(!3 of the province diminish, as they are now diminishing,
the Local (Government will bo driven to supplement its revenue derived
tioin iixed sources by a direct tax. And ia not this enough, think you,
witliout your being called on by a Dominion ta.v-gatherer with a yearly
(Irinand for %\\) a family to moot the obligations of the Central (Jovern-
liit'iit? (lontlemen, this *" what Unrestrictiul Reciprocity involves. Dc
yiiu like the prospect I This is what we are opposing, and what wo ask
you to condemn by your votes.

Under our present system a man may largely determine the amount of
his contributions to the Dominion exchequer. The amount of hia tax is
always in direct pro[)ortion to his means If he is rich and can all'ord to
ilrink champagne, he has to pay a tax of !j>il.."i(( for every bottle ho buys.
If he be a poor man, he contents himself with a cup of tea, on which there
is no duty, and so on all through the list. If he is able toafl'ord all man-
ner of luxuries he pays a largo sum into the coli'ers of the (Jovi^rnment.
If he is a man of moderate means and al>le to erjoy an 'iccasionul luxury,

•-%■

516

LIFE OF SIB JOHN A. MACDONALD.

.ili«:;:;;H

1: 11

he pays accordingly. If he ia a poor man liis contributions to the treas-
ury are reduced to a minimum. With direct taxation, no matter what
maybe tlie pecuniary position of the taxpayer — times may bo hard ; crops
may have failed ; sickness or other calamity may have fallen on the fam-
ily, still the inexorable tax-collector comes and exacts his tribute. Does
not ours seem to be the more equitable plan { It is the one under wliich
we have lived and thrived, and to which the Government I lead proposes
to adhere.

I have pointed out to you a few of the material objections to this
scheme of Unrestricted Reciprocity, to which Mr. Laurier and Sir Richard
Cartwright have committed the Liberal party, but they are not the only
objections, nor in my opinion are they the most vital. For a century and
a half this country has grown and flourished under the protecting logis uf
the British crown. The gallant race who first bore to our shores the
blessings of civilization passed, by an easy transition, from French tn
English rule, and now form one of the most law-abiding portions of the
community. These pioneers were speedily recruited by the advent of a
loyal band of British subjects, who gave up everything that men most
prize, and were content to begin life anew in the wilderness, rather than
forego allegiance to their sovereign. To the descendants of these men
and of the multitude of Englishmen, Irishmen and Scotchmen who eiiu
grated to Canada, that they might build up new homes without ceasing
to be British subjects, to you Canadians, I appeal, and I ask you what
have you to gain by surrendering that which your fathers held most dear !
Under the broad folds of the Union Jack we enjoy the most ample liberty
to govern ourselves as we please, and at the same time we participate in
the advantages which flow from association with the mightiest empiru Uu'
world has ever seen. Not only are we free to manage our domestic con-
cerns, but, practically, we possess the privilege of making our own treaties
with foreign countries, and in our relations with the outside world we en
joy the prestige inspired by a consciousness of the fact that behind us
towers the majesty of England.

The great question which you will shortly be called upon to determine
resolves itself into this, shall we endanger our possession of the great
heritage becpieathed to us by our fathers, and submit ourselves to direct
taxation for the privilege of having our tariff fixed at Washington, with a
prospect of ultimately becoming a portion of the American Union ?

I commend these issues to your determination, and to the judgment ot
the whole people of Canada, with an unclouded confidence that you wili
proclaim to the world your resolve to show yourselves not unworthy oi
the proud distinction you enjoy— of being numbered among the most
dutiful and loyal subjects of our beloved Queen. As for myself, my
course is clear. A British subject I was born— a British subject I
will die.

ill. ;'

LB.

ions to the treas-
, no matter what
ly be hard ; crops
alien on the f am-
is tribute. Does
one under wliich
it I lead proposes

bjections to thia
r and Sir Richard

are not the only
?or a century and
protecting icgia of
3 our shores the
, from French to
; portions of the

the advent of a
g that men must
ness, rather than
nts of these men
;chmen who euii-
i without ceasing
i I ask you what
3 held most dear .'
lost ample liberty
we participate in
[htiest empiiv. ilio
lur domestic con-
g our own treaties
;8ide world we en-
:t that behind us

ipon to determine
sion of the great
urselves to direct
aahington, with a
san Union ?
I the judgment ot
mce that you will
not unworthy oi
among the most
.s for myself, luj
British subject 1

^^^''^^^J^'^^'^^lA^STArPKU..

517

^^»th my utmost, with ,„„ . . "^'

treason" which .h V ^ ^^^""^^ breath will I

wnich attempts, by 8on].-,j ^ oppose the "v«ii i

I remain, gentlemen,

I'our faithful servant,
Ottawa, rth February, 1891. '^^^^ ^- ^l MCDONALD.

tf'

r r

CHAPTER XXX.

SIR JOHN'S LAST APPEARANCE IN THE HOUSK.

SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD appeared in the House of
Commons, for the last time, on the evening of Frida}', the
22nd May, just one week before he received the fatal stroke
antl two weeks and one day before lie iinally succumbed to tlie
assaults of the angel of death. It had been noted some time
before that there was a partial paralysis of the organs of
speech, but so slight that in a man less alert in all his facul-
ties it would have been counted a trick of utterance. Ho
seemed petulant at times, also ; a thing to cause comment in a
man so genial and so kindly as he. But except for these
thint's he had lost none of his accustomed mood or manner.
He had the same jaunty, conhdent air; he seemed as ready as
ever to meet his opponents and to take part in public business.
It was not his custom to take the position of one carrying oii
the debate. He rarely made what might be called a s[)eeeh,
reserving himself for special occasions ; and in the current
ordinary debates, while he watched and listened keenly, he
usually refrained from more than an interjectory remark, often
of a humorous character. Where a matter was up for discus-
sion relating to his own department, or to some matter
concerning which he was specially informed, he bore the
principal part in the debate ; but his grasp of each question
and his tact in conveying information — or Avithholding it as
he often did — were such that these discussions u.sually were
not prolonged.

On the last day of his appeal ance in his place there wore
several matters came u[) in which he deemed it well to inter-
vene in the debate. Of these the two principal questions were

518

LAST ArrEAI.'AM'E JX Till: ll(i(jSh\

519

liiised by Opposition attacks upon nion fur wlioui the Prenuer
was detL-rniined to denmnd fair play — Mr. Perloy, Chiof
En<,'ineer of the Public Works Department, and Sir Charles
Tiipper. There were other matters also upon which he spoke,
and altogether he took a more active and sustained |)art in the
debate than was his custom. Mr. Perlcy suH'ered attack inci-
dentally in the McGrcevy scandal, as it was claimed that the
wrongful act alleged to have been committed could not have
Iieen committed except through his culpable neglect of duty.
The House was in Committee of .Su|)ply, and that item in the
(.■>timatGs was reached covering the salaries of ollicers oi the
Puhlic Works Dei)artment. Sir Ivicliard Cartwri"ht asked
whether Air. Perley had been suspended ov not, and Mr.
McMullen opposed the vote so far as it was made to cover Mi-.
Perley's salary. Mixed up with this was the criticism of
another salary, becau.se the recipient of it was said to have
taken an active part in the general election. The following is
from Hansai'd immediately following Mr. McMuUen's speech : —

Sir John A. Macdonald. With respect to the statement by my hon.
friend from Bothwell (Mr. Mills) and my hon. friend from South Oxford
(S?ir Richard Cartwrijjht), that the subject would be brought up as to the
extent to which it is legitimate for civil servants to interfere in political
contests, 1 have nothing to say just now. The hon. member for Wel-
lington (Mr. McMullen) says that it is very discourteous for us to move
this vote for the salary of the Chief Engineer of Public Works from the
1st July next until the 1st July, 1802. The reason why the vote was
lioatponed the other night was that the House was exceedingly thin, and
by a sort of arrangement across the floor we agreed that the Committee
shoiild rise and report progress and that the question on this vote should
remain as it was. Now, however, it comes up in the ordinary way. As
1 have already taken occasion to say, this is not a (juestion of Mr. Perley
personally at all ; it is a question of whether Parliament will provide a
salary for the Chief Engineer of Public Works. That Department must
have such an otlicer, and that salary is to be given to the ofhcer who
happens to be the Chief Engineer on the 1st July next. It id to be
understood that Mr. Perley's conduct is to be under review this session
by the Committee on Privileges and Elections, and I hope that long
before the Ist of July next, the truth or falsehofid of the statements
concerning Mr. Perley will be investigated and decided upon by the
Committee in the first place, and by the Mouse in the second place. If

mm\

620

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MAf'DONALlK

iili' ' II

any improprieties are proven aj^aiiist Mr. Parley, the House will deal with
that, and another Chief En<,'iiu)er will be appointed ; but there must be
a Chief Eni,'ineer, and this is not a ote for Mr. I'erley, but for whoever
happens to bo Chief Engineer at thd time. Now, as to the nuostion of
suHpeusion, I at once say that I will never agree to suspend a respectable
man who hitherto has had a good character, who still holds a responsible
position, and who has been trusted for years, because charges are brought
against him and not yet proven. I would not keep my place fur a
moment if that were done, and if such a practice is introduced, it must
be introduced by a fiovernment of which I am not a member. I will
stick to the English practice, that every man should bo considered inno-
cent until he is proven guilty.

Mit. Mills (Hothwell). ! am rather surprised at the last proposition
laid down by the Prime Minister. Certainly, the appropriation we are
now asked to vote is an appropriation to bo paid after the 1st July.
Sir John A. Macdonald. To be earned after the Ist July.
Mk. Mills (Bothwell). Yes, " earned " after the Ist July, and it may
be earned by someone else than Mr. I'erley. There is no doubt that iu>
one is disputing that proposition, but the proposition in which tlie Housj
is interested is to know what action the (lovernment have taken with re-
gard to a person who if he remains in oflice will earn this salary of Chief
Engineer. The First Minister has just stated that until the truth of this
charge is established he will not suspend Mr. Perley, but supposing Mr,
Perley were charged with murder, would the hon. gentleman apply that
rule : how would it be in that case ?

Sir JouN A. Ma<'I)onali). If he were charged with murder he would
be charged before a magistrate and there would bo sworn evidence asjiiinst
him, and he would be put upon his trial and he could not perform his
duties.

Mr. MiLLH (Bothwell). But he might bo bailed out, and 1 suppose that
if he should be bailed the hon. gentleman would still continue him iu
oflice. I do not understand the English rule to be as the hon. gentleman
has laid down. What makes the matter important in this particular ;*
that Mr. Perley is charged with certain acts which atiect him in his char-
acter as Chief Engineer.
Sir .John A. Macuonalo. I have not seen such charges.
Mr. Mills (Bothwell). Well, 1 understand such charges have been
made.

Sir John A. Macdonald. The hon. gentleman does iiot know the
charges, and yet he asks for a suspension. Ho does not know what the
charges are, or whether there are any charges at all.

Mr. Mills (Bothwell.) The charges are before the House, and it is
pretty clear the First Minister has not read them. Now, what is the
English practice. I will take the case of Lord Melville. In 1805, Lord

LAST APPKAnJM'E IN THE HOUSE.

621

Melville, who was thou First Lord ot tlio Admiralty, was impeachud by
tho House of Commons for certain irregularities committed while holding
the otlice of Treasurer of the Navy. After a criminatory vote had been
carried by tho House, Lord Molvillo resigned his position as a Minister
of the Crown, although his trial had not yet taken place. Tho rule that
A man is to bo considered innoceitt nntil guilt is established did not pre-
vent his resignation, and it was deemed expedient to erase his nauit- from
the list of Privy Councillors, although he was afterwards ac(iuitted of
tho charge preferred against him. That is the Knglish rule.
Sir John Thompson. There was lirst the criminatory vote.
Mr. MiLii.s (Bothwell). It was just such a vote as was given here.
Sir JojfN TuoMi'soN. It was just such a vote as might follow condem-
nation by tho Committee on Privileges and Elections, and Lord Melville
did not resign until then.

Mr. Mills (IJothwell). It was a vote which put Lord Melville, better
known as Sir Henry Dundas, on his trial. We have certain charges made
against persons here, and the (juestion has been referred to the Committee
on Privileges and Elections, and the en(|uiry of the Committee is exactly
such an eni|uiry as takes place upon an uupeachment.
Sir John A. ALudoxalu. Oh !

Mr. Mills (Bothwell). Tho hon. gentleman says " t)h ! " but 1 say
that is tho case. It is for the purpose of ascertaining whether the party
is guilty or innocent of the charge. It is a preliminary trial, for the Com-
mittee on Privileges and Elections have no power to punish. They report
to this House, they perform the particular functions that are performed
by the House of Lords in the case of impeachment, but tho fact that they
have not power to give an etlectivo judgment with a view to punishment
does not at all alter the case in this particular. I stated to tho House tho
other day, and I stated, I think, with perfect fairness, that when these
charges were made the persons who are to prepare the necessary papers
with a view to bring them before the Committee, should not be the per-
sons who stand charged. It is a well settled rule of law that a man is
net to bo a judge in his own case, and when you place in the hands of the
Chief Engineer any part of the collection and arrangement and prepara-
tion of tho papers which an lion, member of this House said were neces-
sary for the purpose of establishing the case against him, you are depart-
ing from that rule, for you are making him to scjiuo extent a prosecutor
against himself. It does seem to mo that the last proposition laid down
by the First Minister is indefensible, and entirely at variance with the
principles of our law and with tho rule that is followed in the United
Kingdom.

Sir John A. Maodonald. I am afraid that my hon. friend from Both-
well (Mr. Mills) is not observing his usual accuracy, or rather that his
memory has failed him when he referred to the case of Lord Melville and

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UFJ:: OF SIR JOHN A. M A('l>(>.\.\ IJl

his impeachment,. That case and the out* under discussion are not anal-
ogous at all ; cm the contrary, if the hon. gentleman will look back at the
history of that case he will find that when Lord Melville was First Lord
of the Admiralty there were charges brought against Sir James Tn)ttef ,
a subordinate otHcer of the Admiralty, and an attempt made to connect
Lord Melville with them, somewhat, perhaps, under circunutances simi-
lar to this c-ise. Lord Melville, upon these charges being brought against
him, did not resign, and Mr. Pitt ilid not ask him to resign, and he re-
mained in ofHce more than a year, perhaps for two years, while the
evidence was taken inculpating him, as tiie majority on the committee
believed, as being connected with, or conniving at, or submitting to the
impropriet}' of Sir James Trotter. During all the time of that investi-
gation, which is similar to the investigation by the Committee on Priv-
ileges and Elections, Lord Melville remained First Lord of the Admiralty.
It was not imtil the committee reported, censuring Lord Melville and
connecting him with the improprieties committed by Sir James Trotter
to such an extent that the House of Commons took it, as a condemnjiiion
and impeawhed him of high crimes and misdemeanours, that he resigned.
In addition to that. Lord Melville was a political ofhcer as the hon. gentle-
man knows, and oviL-ht to command the implicit confidence of Parliament,
and he could not with propriety retain his nlKce. I remember another
case, that of Lord Henry Lennox, who was Chief Commissioner of Works.
When he was charged he rose in his place volinitarily and he said that he
desired to resign and to tight his battle alone. He denied the charges
r.nd he said he wished to fight his battle independent of Parliament, and
not to clo.-.k himself with any supposed inilaence he might have as being
a member of the Government, and he did not wish that anything con-
nected with the charges against him should in any way, directly or indir-
ectly, affect the Government, or that they might be supposed to be con-
niving with hint, or supportint^ him against the charges. However, the
case of Lord Melville is precisely a case in support of my argument and
contention.

Sir Rk 11 MU) C. KTWRifiirr. That may be, but I think that every mem-
ber of this House who will look at this matter with reasonable impartial-
ity, will feel that it is an unfortunate thing that a gentleman who is
charged with very great crimes and misdemeanours shotild be the person
whose ctticial duty it is to submit these documents for the investigation of
the committee. I state — and this as my own individual 'pinion — that
1 believe that the hon. Minister of Public Worko would have better
consulted his own dignity, would have better consulted the dignity of
the Parliament of Canada, and the interest of the Government, if he
had for the tinve beirg changed oflice with some of his colleagues. That,
however, 1 am not di3[)03ed to insist on further than to state that I be-
lieve he would have done well to have done so. IJut the hon First Miu-

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and

LAST APPEAHAXCE IX Tin: IhU'SE.

623

ister, if I \inderatood hii.i rii^htly just now, .stilted that no charj^es Iiad
been preferred ayjainst Mr. Perley. Well, I lind the lion, i^entleman who
brought this matter forward, anionp; other thinya states :

" That the siiid Tliomas McGreevy useil his intliience as aineinher of tliia Hmise
with the l^epartiiient of I'uhlic Work-, and in piirticuhn- with Homy I''. IVrley,
Esq., to induce hiiu to report to the tiuelitu Harbour C'ominis.siou in favor of tlie
paynient o* said sum ti 35 cents per cubic yard,

"Thattlie ccjrre.^pondence on this subject between Henry Y. Perley and liurkii!,
Connolly & Co., before the Quebec Harbo'.r Coinndssioners were consulted, took
place at the sufjgestion of the said Tlioiua.^ MctJreevy, and was conducted with hi.i
knowledge and participation in such a njancer .as to conceal from the eyes of
Parliament and of the public the corrupt ch.ractor of the contract, in connection
with which he had received .'5!27,0<)()."

I think these are very strong charges against Mr. Perley,

Sir John A. Macdonam). Against Mi-. MoGreevy.

Sir PvicHAKU CARTWKKiiiT. They implicate Mr. Perley very griev-
ously.

ijir John* A. Mack' .• • Ar. ^"ference may be drawn from these
statements atl'ecting Mr. i v. ' but vbey contain no direct charge against
him. They charged that Mr. McC^retvy used his influence with l>Ir.
Per!ey, but it is not sftid that Mr. Perley yielded to the seductions of Mr.
McOJroevy.

The debate was continued by Sir Richard Cartwrioht, Mr.
Foster, and Mr. JilcNeil, and then Sir Richaid spoke again,
claiming that it was wrong to allow ilr. Ptvle}' to retain liis
otttce, because it would be part of his otticial duty to prepare
the documents tor reference to the Committee on Privileges
and Elections, before which the case involving Mr. Perley 's own
honour n'as to be tried. Sir John (an'l these were his last words
on this subject) answered as follows : —

Sir John A. Mal'Doxai.d — The lion, gtntleman makes a mistake in
supposing that Mr. Perley has anything to do with the preparation or
custi dy of the documents. All the paper.i are in the hands of the deputy
head, Mr. Gobeil, and ]\[r. Perley can only have access to them through
the intervention of Mr. Gobeil.

The debate on the srbject soon afterwards droi)ped, and tlio
item was carried. The next item discus.sed was a vote of
a similar character, for the .salaiies of otiicers in the Depart-
ment tjf Railways and Canals. Mr. Foster explained, among
other things, that there was a decrease in the estimated .salary
of the deputy of, this department of Slj^OO, leading Sir Richard

:( :■

:a£.

'^'')n

524

LIFE OF Sin JOliy A. MACDONALD.

CarUvright to ask if the Deputy Minister was to be dispensed
with, leaving the duties to Mr. Hchrieher, chief engineer of rail-
ways. The debate proceeded.

Sir John A. Macdonalii. Mr. Tnuleau has been for many years the
Deputy head, Mr. Hchrieber, the Chief Engineer of Railways, and the
lamented Mr, t'age. Chief Engineer of Canals. Mr. Trudeau being an
engineer, and especially a hydraulic engineer, as well as Mr. Page, he and
Mr. ]'age acted together for years in connection with the construction of
canals and the improvement of the St. Lawrence and other waterways, so
that when Mr. Page suddenly died it was thought better that Mr. Tru-
deau, while still retaining office as Diipnty head, should be Mr. Page's
successor as Chief Engineer of Canals to carry out the plans which had
been settled pretty much by them in concert. Mr. Trudeau is now the
Deputy head of the Department of Railways and Canals, and also the
Chief Engineer of Canals, and will continue to be so until it is found that
the work is too much for him, and some engineer is trained to take the
place of Mr. Page. In the meantime, the salary of the Deputy head is
saved.

Sir Richard Cartwright. Is it as Deputy of Cliief Engineer that Mr.
Trudeau is paid I

Sir John A. Macuonald. He is the Deputy head and Chief Engineer,
but draws only the salary of Chief Engineer, which is §0,0(10. He draws
the larger and drops the smaller salary.

Sir Ri(jiiARi) Caktwr[ght I have no doubt Mr. Trudeau is a good
officer, but 1 rather suspect that the hon. gentleman, if he finds it neces-
sary to replace the Chief Engineer, will find that he has landed himself in
a dilemma ; for, unless Mr. Trudeau is built on entirely different principles
from most men, it would be very disagreeable for him, after enjoying a
salary of ^6,000, to fall back upon one of §4,(*U0.

Sir John A. Macuonald. He will not do that.

Sir Richard CARTwr.Karr. Not if he can help it, I am quite sure, but
the difficulty is this, that if Mr. Trudeau is to continue as Deputy head,
and a Chief Engineer be afterwards appointed, you will have the anom-
aly that you will have one Deputy head drawing ,*(>,()()(>, and a great
many others drawing §3,200, and you will find a strike for higher wages
on their part.

Sir Jonx A. Ma»;donald. I do not see any fear of that. Mr. Trudeau
is now receiving §G,(JO0, and as long as he remains in the service he
will continue to receive that salary. It is rather an anomaly that the
Deputy head, the permanent head of the Department, should receive less
salary than the two engineers. Mr. Trudeau is an experienced engineer
himself, and the only consetjuence will be that if it is found he recjuires
assistance, -he will 8*ill be Deputy liead and Chief Engineer, and will get

IWiV-

LAST Ari'iJ.in.iyrH ix the iiousi:

o'-'o

an assistant who will be quite satistied to take the $4,000 and wait for an
increase, as Mr. TDuleau, like his political head at this moment, is not
a young man, and we may both retire together.

Mr. McMiLLEN. 1 notice that in the year before last we (jnly spent
§*44,liu0, and this year we are asked for .*.")( I, (JOG. Now that we have complet-
ed a fjreatmany of our public works, we ought to be able to make a consid-
erable reduction in the expenditure of the stall' required in this Depart-
ment. Certainly the sauie amo)int of work that was going on a few years
ago is not now being discharged by the Department of Railways and
Canals. A great many railways are now bnilt which formerly necessi-
tated the employment of a large staff, and, though there is some reduc-
tion, I think there should be a larger reduction in this expense.

Sir John A. Macdonald. In regard to railways, there will be, and
there ought to be, ere long a reduction in the engineering statl', because
there is no new railway work going on except the Extension Railway and
the railway running through Cape Breton. As to canals, however, there
is an increased amount of work. The Williamsburg Canal and the Corn-
wall Canal are now worked up to high pressure in order to have our great
waterway tinir hed as soon as possible, and we are entering upon the con-
atructiun of the Sault Ste. Marie Canal, so that there will be no reduction
for some years to come in that branch.

!Sir RicHAKD Cariwiught. The hon. gentleman did not refer to any
intreased expenses on the Trent Valley Canal,

Sir John A. Macdonald. That depends upon the support we get from
both sides of the House, including my hon. friend.

Mr. Barkon. The First Minister telegraphed that a grant was to be
made this year to complete the Trent Valley Canal.

Sir John A. Macdonald. I think the hon. gentleman's memory is not
quite correct.

Mr, Barron, I have seen the telegram, and it says that the Trent
Valley Commissioners have reported in favour of the completion of that
canal, and that Parliament will be asked this session for a vote for that
purpose. So I suppose there will be a considerable sum for that work in
the Supplementary Estimates. 1 would call the attention of the Minister
to the fact that the railway bridge at Fenelon Falls, to which reference
has 80 often been made, is still there, preventing barges of any sii;c from
going down.

Mr. FosTKR. This does not come under this item, which refers only to
the officers in the inside service.

Mr. Barron. I only desire to call the attention of the First Minister
to this matter now, so that he might see that it is attended to.

Sir John A. Macdonald. They have been called upon for many years
without efl'ect, and I am afraid that, unless the Goverment takes decided
action, matters will remain as they are.

626

LIFI^ OF SI I! .lOlIX A MACln>SALI>.

\ \ .,.

■iir

Sir RicUAiti) Caktwkkiht. Perhaps, ini'ler prist'in circiunatance?,
more decided action may be taken. I may point out that my hon. friend
has not been altotjether forgotten. The completion of the Trent Valley
<'anal is provided for by a vote of $70,000 in the current year, and accord-
ing to the Estimates before us, we have spent no less than !?-,000. iiml a
re-vote of §74,000 will be asked, which I hope will satisfy my liun,
friend.

Wlien the House rose for recess at six o'clock, the item of

salaries in the office of the Higli Commissioner in Iiondon was

under discussion. On resuininn; in the evening; it became evi-

dent tliat the Opposition planned a direct and vii^'orous attack

upon the High Commissioner, Sir Charles Tupper. Dr.

Landorkin, Mr. McMullen and otht-rs spoke, an<l Sir John

listened but said nothing. He seemed as bright as ever and

showed no signs of the calamity which was so soon to c ,'nie

upon him. At lengtli Mr. Paterson of Brant spoke To no

man on the Opposition .side was 8ir Joh'i wont to listen with

greater attention than he usually did to Mr. Paterson. The

nuMidjer for South Brant read an extract from Sir Charles

'J'upper's Kingston speech stating that he was there at Sir

John's request to convey a message to his friends in Kingston.

]\Ir. Paterson asked if it was true that he liad sent Sir Charles

Tupper there, adding " If the Fir'-.t Minister will favour us with

a reply then ])erhaps we might be able to follow it up with in-

(piiries in other directions." According to Hansard the debate

then proceeded.

Sir John A. Macpoxald. Well, Mr. Chairman, I cannot resist
the seductive tones of my hon. friend and I may answer him : Sir Charles
Tupper did go there at my reciuest and he made the speech at my in-
tance, and I fancy that his speech must have had a considerable intiiience,
becfiuse in the previous election I was elected by a majority of seventeen,
and after Sir Charles Tupper made this speech 1 was elected by a niajoruy
that only wanted seventeen of 500. You see 1 was pretty wise in my
generation in asking Sir Charles to go there and make a speech for me.

Mr. Pateiison (Brant). You would be wise if you stopped him at
that point.

Sir Joii.v A. Macdonald. I will go a little further, and I will say that
Sir Charles Tupper came out from England to give us the advantage of
hia skill and inlliience and ehKjuence, at my special re(jnest.

,1.1

;! L I.

LAST APFJ:.\i;.\\rh IN THE noUf<E.

527

Suliseqiieiiily ^^^. Paterson wont on to speak of the meeting
at Windsor aildresseil by Sii' Cliarle.s, and continued : — '" But
the result was that the gentleman he supported, and who was,
I think, the chairman of the Central Committee of the great
Liberal-Conservative organization of the whole Province of
Ontai'io, was defeated and my hon. friend from Essex (Mr. Mc-
(Jregor) was returned by OOO or TOO majority. Now tlic Fir.st
Minister might tell us whether he lost his shrewdness in taking
Sir Charles beyond Kingston, or whether Sir Charles lost his
elocjuence."

" I will tell you what he did," said Sir John, while his sup-
porters laughed, " He lost his voice."

The attack was continued on an item covering the con-
tingencies for the High Connnissioner's olHoe. The following
is a part of that debate as sliown by the official report : —

Mr. Patkkson (Brfiiit). With reference to these contingeiicies, I wisli
to ask for information to wliich 1 think we are entitled. When the High
Commissioner was taking his tour through Canada, it was stated in the
press that he travelled by special train. 1 would like to know whether
that was the case, and if so, what was the cost of that train and out of
what fund it was defrayed ]

Hir John A. Macdonald. I am not aware that any of the High Com-
missioner's expenses were paid out of the public service, but I will inijuire.

Mr. Patkkson (Brant). I suppose his trips from England to this
country and back again find a place in the expenses ?

Sir John A. Macdonald. Tiiat may be, but I cannot say.

Mr. McMuLLEN. We has'o a right to know whether he came out on
the special invitation of the First Minister and for what particular pur-
pose. Did he como out for tha purpose of attending to elect iuns or other
matters of an oiHcial character ?

Sir John A. Macdonald. I have already stated what I asked him to
come out for.

Sir lliciiAUi) CAKTWKKiHT. Tlie right hon. gentleman stated caudiiily
that he came out to attend the elections. The First Minister has been,
however, altogether too modest. I, as a citizen of Kingston, bejj; to state
that it was to the First Minister's own special and earnest care of his con-
stituents, he was indebted for his increased majority. The First Minis-
ter had been a good nursing father or mother, whicliever he prefers to be
called, to the citizens of Kingston for the laat tiiree or foiir years. Such
lias been his care that a short time ago, when 1 had to go down to that

528

LIFE OF Hlli JOHN A. MACDONALD.

couatituency on private buainesa of my own, the firat thing I hoard was
that the hon. gentleman, in hia anxiety to prevent the people from anll'er-
ing from diatreaa and destitution, caused no leas, I think, than one hun-
dred and twenty cara to bo built, about the 5th or Utth of February last,
in certain car works in that city. About the same time likewiao, the
hon. gentleman, in hia diainterested regard for the welfare of my fellow
citizens, was solicitous in procuring some important railway subsidica for
projected railways in the neighbourhood of that city. Well, they have as
good a right to it — no more and no leas — than a good many other roads
the hon. gentleman has subsidized.

Sir John A. Macdonald. You did not do much for them.

Those were the last words of the {^'rcat Premier in the
House of Commons. He remained for a short time, while other
items were discussed, and le^t half an hour or so before thead-
journmeut, bitWiiig his colleagues a pleasant, and, as it proved,
a last good night.

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I. THL iuARSE. 2. ST. ALBAN'3 CHU.^CH, OTTAWA.

3. INTEHIOR OF FUNERAL CAR. 4. THE FUNERAL TRAIN.

irM

CHAPTKR XX XT.

HIS FKLLOW COMMON mis' TUIHUTE.

THOUGH cx|)ectcd for more tlian a week, the news of Sir
Jolm A. Macdonald's deatli came upon the country with
a shock, bnt no where was it more severely felt than among
his fellow memhers of the House of Commons, Some of these
men had given the best years of their lives to the support of
the " Old Man " and the policy for Canada that he held to be
the sound one, while others had as strenuously opposed him in
the bitter fight of contending parties. But iu the presence of
death there was a common feelinir of retrard for the man
and his work, and a deep sense of loss which caused political
boundary lines for the time to disappear. When the House
assembled on Monday, the 8th of June, the chamber was draped
in emblems of mourning, while the chief i)lacc on the treasury
benches which Sir John had filled so long, from which his
sallies of wit or his strong appeals to his followers and the
country had been delivered, was marked by the insignia of
death. There was a lar<'e attendance of members who listened,
many of them with tears, to the tributes paid to tho departed
leader. The following is the newspaiier report of tho remarks
of the Speaker, the oldest Privy Councillor and the leader of
the Opposition : —

Ottawa, June 8.

The Speaker took tho chair at three o'clock.

DEATH OF SIR JOHN MACDONALD.

jMr. Speaker said : — I desire to inform the Honse that in view of th«

fact that tho right hon. the leader of the House died so late on Saturday

ni^ht it was impossible to communicate with hon. members earlier tlian

tho present. I thought it was only a fitting tribute to a gentleman who

HH 529

530

LIFE (fF SIR JOHN A. MACUONALD.

had oocupiod bo prominent a position both in Parliaiuontand in tho cnitn-
oils of the country for bo loni^ a tiino that wo should exhibit some siirn of
inournini; in thia lloiisu today, and I took thu runpoiiHihUity of orduring
tiiat tho Hynibols of nio\irning which are ahown hero to-day ahoidd Im put
up thiH morniiiKi and I venture to express tlio hope tliat hon. nienibers
on both pidos, irroHpectivo aUi>:,'ether of politics, will sustain me in the
acticm I have taken.

Hon. iVIkmiskiis. — Ilenr. liear.

Sir lli;(;T()n I^a.\<ievin — Mr. Speaker, havinf^ to announce to the
House tho sad event that has been known for two days now, 1 was afraid
I coidd not trust to my memory, and I therefore thought it desirable to
place in writing what I wished to say. Accordingly, 1 will now read tho
observations which I desire to otfor. Mr. Speaker. — As tho oldest Privy
CounciHor, it falls to my lot to announce to the House that our dear old
chief, the First Minister of Canada, is no more. After a painful illness
i>f two weeks death p»it an end to his earthly career on Saturday last. To
tell you, Mr. Speaker, my feelings under the circumstances is more than
I can do. 1 feel that by tho death of Sir .Fohn Mact':)nald Canada has
lost its greatest statesman — a great patriot, a man of whom any country in
the world would bo justly proud. Her Majesty, our gracious Queen, never
had a more devoted and loyal subject than the (irandOld Man whose loss
we all deplore and regret from tho bottom <jf our hearts. For nearly lifty
years ho has directed tho public atlairs of this country. He was among
the fathers of Confederation the most prominent and distinguished. Ho
put his whole soul in that great undertaking, knowing full well that tho
confederation of all the British North American provinces would give to
our people a country and institutions to be proud of, and to the Empire
not only a right arm, but a great and safe highway to he- Indian and other
possessions. He told me more than once how grateful ho was to the
people of Canada to have allowed him to have consolidated the great
work. The fact is his lovo for Canada was equal to tliat ho had for his
own Mother Country. Mr. Speaker, when the historians of Canada write
tho history of tho last fifty years they will have to write the life of Sir
John Macdonald, and in writing his life they may not agree with all his
public acts, but they cannot fail to say that he was a great man, a most
distinguished statesman, a*^ ( that his whole life was spent in the service
of his country, dying ii nidst of his ofiicial duties, not having had a

day's rest before he pao id to a bettor world. I need not express, Mr.
Speaker, my own personal feelings. Having spent half of my life with
him as his follower and as his friend, his departure is the same as if I lost
half of my existence. I remember how devoted he was, not only to the
old province of Canada, but how chivalrous he showed himself to the
Province of Quebec, and npecially to my French-Canadian countrymen.

> j: T .

Ills FKLLOir ('nMM<)yi:ns TimiVTE.

531

III! had only a word to any, iiiid instu.id of bein^' at tho head of a Hitiall
bund of sevoiitoeii Tppor Canada nuMiiborB lio would have had all tho ro-
prt'HuntativuB uf hia province buhirul him, but, aaho told mo auveral tiinoB,
lie preferred to be juat to hia Krenuh coinpatriota and allioa and the reHult
was that when Confederation canio t)io I'rovinco of <Jiiol)ec had conlidonce
in him, and on hia deathbed our great chief could aee that hia juat policy
liaa 8(?curod peace and hapniiK-sa to all, Mr. Speaker, I would have
wished to continue to apeak of our dear departed friend, and spoken to
you about hia jrnudneas of heart, the witness of which I have been ao often,
but 1 feel that I must atop. My heart ia full of tears. I oanoot proceed
further. I move : —

"That in the opinion of this House the mortal remains of the Right
Hon. Sir John A. Macdonald, (i.C'.B., should be pu.^.icly interred, and
that this House will oncur in givin<| tnithe ceremony a littinj^ degree of
solemnity and importance."

Mr. LAUHiEU-Mr. Speaker, I fully ajjpreciate the motion which the
hon. gentleman has just proposed to tho House, and we all concur lliat
his silence under the circumstances is tar more eluipient than any human
language can be. I fully appreciate the intensity of the grief which fills
tho souls of all those who wore tho friends and foliowera of Sir John A.
Macdonald at tho loss of tho great leader whose whole life has been so
closely identitied with their party — a party upon which he has thrown
such brilliancy and lustre. We on this side of the Ho\iae, who wero his
opponents, who did not believe in hia policy nor in his methods of govern-
ment, take our full share of their grief, for the loss wliich they deplore
to day is far and away beyond and above tho ordinary compiss of party
strife. It is in every respect a great national loss, for ho is no more who
was in many respects Cana<la'rt most illustrious son, and who was in every
sense Canada's foremost citi/en and statesman. At tho period of life to
which Sir John A. Macdonald had arrived, death, whenever it comes,
cannot como unexpected. Some few moniha ago, during the turmoil of
the last election, when the country was made aware tliat on a certain day
the physical strength of the veteran I'remior had not been eijual to his
courage, and that his intense labour for the time being had prostrated hia
singularly wiry frame, everybody with the exception perhaps of his buoy-
ant self was painfully anxious lest, perhaps, the angel of death had touched
him with his wings. When a few days ago, in the midst of an angry
discussion in this Parliament, the news spread in this House that of a
sudden his condition had become alarming, the surging wave of angry
discussion was at once hushed, and everyone, friend and foe, realized that
this time for certainty the angel of death had appeared and had crossed
the threshold of hia home. Thus we were not taken by surprise, and
although we were not prepaired for the sad event, yet it is almost im-
passible to convince the unwilling mind that it ia true that Sir John Mac-

^|i!l5|

532

LIFE OF SIB JOHN A. MACDOXALD.

:.;|U

i 4

: . ■

donald is no more ; that the chair which we now see vacant shall remain
forever vacant ; that the face so familiar in this Parliament for the last
forty years shall be seen no more, and that the voice so well known shall
be heard no more, whether in solemn debate or in pleasant and mirthful
tones. In fact the place of Sir John A, Macdonald in this country was
8o largo and so absorbing that it was almost impossible to conceive that
the politics of this ccuntry — the fate of this country — will continue with-
out him. His loss ovorwhelnis us For my part I say, with all truth,
his loss overwhelms me, and that it also overwhelms this Parliament, as
if iideed one of the institutions of the land had given way. Sir John
A Macdonald now belongs to the ages, and it can be said with certainty
that the career which has just beci closed is one of the most remarkable
careers of this century. It would be premature at this time to ai tempt
to divine or anticipate what will be the tinal judgment of history upon him,
but there were in his career and in his life features so prominent and so
conspicuous that already they shine with a glory which time cannot alter.
These characteristics appear before the House at the present time such as
they will appear to the end in the history. I think it can be asserted that
^or the supreme art of governing men Sir John Macdonald was gifted as
few men in any land or in any age were gifted — gifted with the most high
of all qualities — (jualities which would have shone in any theatre, and
which would have shone conspicuously the larger the theatre. The fact
that he could congregate together elements the most heterogeneous and
blend them into one compact party, and to the end of his life keep them
bteiulily under his hand, is pe-haps altogether unprecedented. The fact
that during all these years he maintained unimpaired, not only the conli-
dence, but the devotion, the ardent devotion, and affection of his party,
is evidence that, beside these higher qualiiies of statesmanship to which we
were the daily witnesses, he was also endowed with that inner, subtle,
undefinable characteristic of soul which wins and keeps the hearts of men.
As to his statesmanship, it is written in the history of Canada. It may be
said, without any exaggeration whatever, that the life (jf Sir John Mac-
donald, from the date he entered Parliament, is the history of Canada,
for he was connected and associated with all the events, all the facts, all
the developments, which bionght Canada from the position Canada then
occupied — the position of two small provinces, having nothing in common
but the common allegiance, and united by a bond of paper, and united by
nothing else — to the present state of development which Cuiad.i haj
reached. Although my political views compel me to say that, in niy judg-
ment, his actions were not always ttie best that could have been taken in
the interest of Canada, althou;;h my conscience compels me to say that of
late he has imputed to his opponents motives which I must say in my
heart he has misconceived, yet I am only too glad to sink these ditl'er-
ences, and to remember only the great services he has performed

niS FELLOW COMMOXEES' TRIBUTE.

533

for hia country — to remember that his actions displayed unbound-
ed fertility of resource, a hiah level of intellectual conception,
and, above all, a far reaching vision beyond the event of the day,
and, still higher, permeating the whole, a broa<l patriotism, a devo-
tion to Canada's welfare, Canada's advancement, and Canada's glory.
The life of a statesman is alw.ays an arduous one, and very often it is an
ungrateful one ; more often than otherwise his actions do not mature un-
til he is in his grave. Not so, however, in the case of Sir John Mac-
donald ; his has been a singularly fortunate one. His reverses were few
and of short duration, fie was fond of power, and in my judgment, if 1
may say so, that was the turning point of his history. He was fond of
power, and he never made any secret of it. Many times we have
heard him avow it on the floor of this Parliament, and his ambition in
this respect was gratified as perhaps no other man's ambition ever was. In
my judgment even tl'e career of William Pitt can hardly compare with
that of Sir John Macdonald in this respect, for although William Pitt,
moving in a higher sphere, had to deal with problems greater than ours,
yet I doubt if in the management of a party William Pitt had to contend
with difUculties equal to those that Sir John Macdonald had to contend
with. In his death, too, he seems to have been singularly happy. Twenty
years ago I was told by one who at that time was a close personal and
political friend of Sir John Macdonald that in the intimacy of his domes-
tic circle he was fond of repeating that his end would be as the end of
Lord Chatham — that he would be carried away from the floor of Parlia-
ment to die. How true his vision into the future was we now know, for
we saw him at the last, with enfeebled health and declining strength,
struggling on the floor of Parliament until, the hand of fate upon him,
he was carried to his home to die. And thus to die with his armour on
was prebably his ambition. Sir, death is the supreme law. Although we
see it every day in every form, although session after session we have
seen it in this Parliament striking right and left without any discrimina-
tion as to age or station, yet the ever-recurring spe tacle does not in any
way remove the bitterness of the sting. Death always carries with it an
incredible sense of pain, but the one thing sad in death is that which is in-
volved in the word separation — separation from all we love in life. This
is what makes death so poignant when it strikes a man of intellect in mid-
dle age. But when death is the natural termination of a full life, in
which he who has disappeared has given the full measure of his capacity,
has performed everything required from him and more, the sadness of
death is not for him who goes, but for those who love him and remain.
In this sense I am sure the Canadian people will extend unbounded sym-
pathy to the friends of Sir John Macdonald, to his sorrowing children,
and, above all, to the brave and noble woman, his companion in life and
chief helpmate, ''^hus, Mr. Speaker, one after another we see those who

534

LIFE OF SIR JOIIX A. MACDONALD.

P- .ft

have been instrumental in bringing Ca >ada to ita present state of develop-
ment moved from amongst us. To-day we deplore the loss of him whom
we all unite in saying was the foremost Canadian of his time, and who
filled the largest place in Canadian history. Only last week was buried
in the city of Montreal another son of Canada, one who at one time had
been a tower of strength to the Liberal party — one who will ever be re-
membered as one of the noblest, purest, and greatest characters that Can
ada has ever produced. Sir Antoine Aimo Dorion. Sir Antoine Aime
Dorion had not been in favour of Confederation. Not that he was opposed
to the principle, but he believed that the union of these provinces at that
day was premature. When, however. Confederation had become a fact,
he gave the best of his mind and heart to make it a success. It may, in-
deed, happen, sir, when the Canadian people see the ranks thus gradu-
ally reduced and thinned of those upon whom they have been in the habit
of relying for guidance, that a feeling of apprehension will creep into the
heart lest, perhaps, the instituticns of Canada may be imperilled. Before
the grave of him who above all was the Father of Confederation let not
grief be barren grief, but let grief be coupled with the resolution — the de-
termination—that the woik in which Liberals and Conservatives — in
which Brown and Macdonald united — shall not perish, but that though
united Canada may be deprived of the services of her greatest men, yet
still Canada shall and will live ! I agree to the motion.

chaptp:r XXXII.

ANKCDOTtS AND INCIDENTS.

riTHhiotories told about Sir John A. Macdonakl arc a litora-
i tore in themselves. His contact witli the people was so
close, bis characteristics so varied and so strong, and his com-
panionableness so great, that almost every conversation with
hiui and eveiy incident, however trivial, in the whole of his
long career, was deemed noteworthy. Besides that it is the ex-
perience of every nation that about its great hero gather apocry-
phal stories of all kinds, every manner of clever thing that
ever was done, said or imagined, being attributed to him.
Stories are told about "John A." around the Canadian fireside
which one hears in the United States about Abe Lincoln, and
in England about Fox or Pitt or Beaconsfield. Only he whose
knowledge of the literature of ancedotes ."s complete can separ-
ate the true from the false in traditions of the life of Canada's
greatest son; but there are many incidents which have the
local coloui'ing so well-detined that their authenticity cMiniot be
doubted. Anioii"' these are the tollowinij stories, which are all
more or less characteristic of him who is gone.

David Gibson, merchant, Kingston, remembers Sir John in
his younger days quite well. The former was employed in the
Gazelle oHiee, owned at that time by James McFarlane, a great
friend and adviser of the then vounij statesman. Sir John was
frtMpiently in the oflico, and as Mr. MeFarlane saw that his
V'ounir friend had a britxht career before lum, he used his eflorts
and his journal to open it up for him. Sir John was a " hail
I'l'IIow well met" with the em])Ioyt's, all of whom were pleased
to see him enter the office. He passed none unnoticed. Mr.
Clibson was a memljcr of St. Andrew's Society with Sir John,
and he remembers (juite well tht> occasion when the latter was

•'*■ " :

636

LIFE OF filll JOHN A. MACDONALD.

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first elected to the office of piper of the lodge. The brethren in
kilts, with Sir John at their head, in Highland costume also,
proceeded to his residence on the corner of Princess and Barrie
Streets, They were met at the door by his mother, who, when
the piper stood before her, descended from the steps, and, snap-
ping her fingers, gave the time for an eight-hand Scotch reel,
which was indulged in then and there. Mr. Gibson says that
Sir John inherited the genius of his mother. She was tall,
energetic, kind and hospitable, and a genuine s[iecimen of a
Highland woman. She won the friendship of all at the first
meeting, just as her son did.

Mr. Peter Lenea, who attended school with Sir John Mac-
donald in 1823, is still living, and in his 84th year. John was
about 10 years of age, relates the old gentlemen, and did not
show any particular sign of brightness of intellect, but even at
this early age he was shrewd. Whenever he got into trouble
with other boys he was always able to present his case in a
favourable light, and invariably escaped punishment. The
teacher told him fre([uent!y that he would make a better law-
yer than a clergyman.

The fact that Sir A. A. Dorion, Chief Justice of Quebec, died
a few days before Sir John, recalls an incident which now
seems almost prophetic. It is perhaps not generally known
that when Hon. Mr. Dorion accepted the portfolio of justice in
the Mackenzie Administration, and when going back to his
constituents in Napierville, the then leader of the Opposition,
Sir John, was opposed to the idea of offering the French leader
any opposition. Soon after this, Hon. Mr. Dorion retired fiom
the Cabinet and became Chief Justice of the Province of
Quebec. The two statesmen met one day before the Chief
Justice left Ottawa, and Sir John, after he had congratulated
him with the utmost warmth, said : " Mr. Dorion, we are no
longer young, and it may be that neither will liist many years.
Who knows, my friend, but we may undertake the long jour-
ney together ? "

Mr. Fred Perry, of Montreal, is one of the veteran politicians
of the Dominion. In an interview published, while Sir John

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ANECDOTES AND INCIDENTS.

537

wa.s lying at the ])oint of death, Mr. Perry said : " When he
came to Montreal first, politics did not count for much, and
the figlit was race against race, and religion against religion.
When Sir John took the new departure, atid went in for union
and conciliation, we ultras opposed him, but I now feel that
he was right and we were wrong, and my regret to-day is that
I did not support him. Ours was village politics, but his was
to build up a great Dominion. He said to me once at the Wind-
sor hotel : ' Fred, your bark is worse than your bite, and I only
wish I liad more personal friends like you.' Mr. Ferry also
related the case of the famous meeting in Dominion S(iuare,
when Sir John designated a dozen or more disturbers, with
Perry and Jim Stewart at their head, as the Herald brass
band. It appears that the noise was made with black bottles,
and when the trouble was over the Premier asked Perry to ex-
plain to him how he had succeeded in extracting such unearth-
ly sounds from the instruments in question. After his old
personal friend and ])olitical opponent had let Sir John into the
sew'et the old veteran laughed heartily, and said he must give
the patent to the boys in Kingston."

A follower of Sir John Macdonald in the House of Commons
says : — " The first time I met Sir John Macdonald was in the
early part of the summer of 1878. He addressed a meeting
that night in the amphitheatre in Toronto, and we had one at
Seaton Village. After it was over we drove in to the city and
went to the U.E. Club, where I was introduced to Sir John.
When I went to the House of Commons the first session after
that election I met Sir John, and though I only met him once,
he quickly recognized me and gave me a mnst cordial greeting.
A very iuiportant factor in his successful career Avas his re-
markable faculty of remembering men's faces and names. A
few years ago I was talking to a King Street merchant in the
post-office corridor of the Commons. Sir John came along,
slapped him on the shoulder and .said, ' Hello, Cheeseworth,
how are things going in Toronto ? ' to the evident pleasure and
surprise of the Torontonion, who marvelled at bis prompt re-
cognition."

sas

LIFK OF Sin JollX A. MAClJoy.lLfK

v^tf^- -r

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Mr. Ban- (Luke Sharp), the well-known Detroit journalist, at
a dinner in Ottawa, told a couple of incidents, showint,' Ity con-
trast the marvellous |)ower of the Premier in reco^^MiiziiiLj faces,
and explainiiiL,' in part the secret of the "Old Man's" ahility
to make friends. On one occasion Mr. Barr met iu Nt-w York
a prominent Liberal politician whom he had often met and
who he doubted not would at once recogni/e him. Ho there-
fore advanced with extended hand to greet him. Hut the
other had forgotten him entirely. " Young man," he said, " I'm
too old and experienced to be taken in by any Now York bunco
steerer." On the other hand, he had met Sir John Maedonald,
but meeting him again some years after, the greeting came
prompt and clicery, " How are you Barr, when diil you leave
Detroit ? "

The last niixht Sir John was in Parliament, the 2'Ind of
May, was a memorable one. He moved about among the mem-
bers nearly the whole evening, Mr. Hazen, the mendjer for St.
John, ^.B., was telling Mr. R. S. White, iM.P., an amusing story
of some election of 1887, and as Sir John was passing along we
insisted that he should tell ii, *■<'> him also, which he did. The
old chieftain laughed heartily, and sat down and told a couple
of excellent campaign stories, and one about the great English
free trailer (/obden, as related by himself, and which it was
said was the only humorous story Cobden ever told. I then
congratulated Sir John on his rapid recovery from hi.s earlier
illness, and he said ' Yes, I am getting better, but very slowly.'

Asked, after Sir John's death, what he believed to be the ele-
ments of the great man's success, Hon. Mackenzie Bowell
said: " I consider that the chief element in his success was
a thorough knowledge, by long study, of human nature, and an
unfailing senseof prudence. He never rushed into a conclusion.
While others would be impetuous and desirous of pushing the
ideas that first suggested themselves, he, during the long years
in which I was associated with him, never took action upon
any serious matter mitil he had taken some time for considera-
tion. It was doubtless from this habit that he gained the sou-
briquet of ' Old To-morrow.' In questions of doubt it wa3

AXKChoTKS AM) lX('ll)i:XTS.

5:u»

his iiivarialtlo practice to court the opinions of every colleaijiie
hot'ore takiiii,' action. Combined with tliese ([ualities was a
frankness and an unciiangin^ kindliness of disposition witli
every one witli wlioni li(! came in contact. This stiikintj fea-
ture in his charai'ter was oltfii illustrated in tlie fiict that men
who came to liim with f,'rievauces went away quite satistietl
that tliey had fair treatn\ent."

A leadin-^ Conservative Member of Parliament from tlio
Maritime Provinces said of Sir Jolin : " lEe seemed to be able,
as if by instinct, to ,ifaui;'e the averaije of opinions in the House,
and tliis was true in the larger Held of tlie constituencies as
well. No mere strength of intellci^t could have served liim for
this purpose. As a mother feels the needs antl desires of hi-r
child, so Sir John felt the needs, deaires and aspirations of
the Canadian people by his innate sympathy witli them. CJana-
dians felt justly that he was one of tlient, and at one with
them. This sympathetic power was shown also in his relations
with individuals."

I was present at the great outdoor meetin;^ which he held
last autunui near Halifax, ami can testify to the impression ho
made there. For a half hour before the speakini;- bej^an ho
forced his way throULjh the thronging thousands, and dilfuseil
mirth, geniality and kindly feeling from him as a censer shods
its incense. A negro, the only one in that great crowd, was
forcing liis way towards Sir John, who innnediately advanced
to meet him, asked for an introduction, .shook his hainl and
said : "I am glad to see you here. All your people in Ontario
support me, and I hope you are e([ually sensible. " The words
were nothing, but their manner called out a hearty cheer from
those around, and I venture to say that that humlile negro will
feel that some virtue has departed from Canada when he hoars
of the sireat man's death.

Hon. George K. Foster, Minister of FinaJice, had this to say
of Sir John : — His wealth of i eminiscence and vivid portrayal
he poured out without stint to his colleagues, and rarely in-
deed did a constdtation pass without furnishing one or more
rich recollections of by-gone da.ys tilled with instruction and

540

I.IFI': OF SI/! lOlfN A. MACDONALD.

valuable precedent. In this regard it is sadly true that w*;
Hhall never look upon his like again. His memory struck me
as wonderfully retentive, ami reproduced with great exactness
and vividness the impressions it had received from cxporionce,
observation or reading, and tiiis, aiiled by liis charming man-
ner of recital and his apt vocabulary, made liim a most fascin-
atinii and instructive raconteur. He was an omnivorous reader
oi books, and would often astonish me by allusion to works
covering the widest area of biography, history, theology and
fiction, the leading features of which he appeared to have
thoroughly in hand Often have I in([uired at the library for
some new book, under the impressiim that I should find use for
it, only to be informed that the Premier had taken it out.

Sir John's last words in the House were to the Hon. Mr.
Bowell. A little after ten on that famous Friday night the
Minister of Customs noticed the Premier looking weary ; goinj^
over to his desk he said . " Sir John, you look tired ; it's time
young fellows like you were at home and in bed." " I gu(*s,
I will go home," the chieftain replied, and after a word with
Sir Hector, he .said, " good night, Bowell," and walked out,
never to return..

One of Sir John's particular friends in politics was the Hon.
Thomas White, who, when he died, was Minister of the Interior.
The friendship between the Premier and Mr. White was ex-
ceedingly close, and there are some strange coincidences in their
careers. Mr. White has always been credited with taking the
stand which nipped in the bud a movement to have Sir John
Macdonald deposed from the leadcrshi[) of the party in the
(lays when it was in opposition. When in 1888 the Premier
rose to make mention of the death of his old friend, he burst
into tears and was unable to say a word.

One of the greatest pieces of campaigning done in late years
was the tour made by Sir John Macdonald, through Ontario,
in the winter of 188G-7, in company with the Hon. Thomas
White, the Hon. J. S. D. Thompson and the Hon. George E.
Foster. The special car, "Jamaica," provided them not only
with transportation but with sleeping accommodation auJ

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AMX'hOTJ'JS AND INi'l DH.XTS.

541

often with meals, and thu.s enabled them to cover a great
extent of teiritory in a short time. Two and sometimes three
meeting.s were held every day. In one week 900 miles were
traversed, and meetings lield in a do/en towns and villages.
The comforts of the cat were of great value in lessening the
fatigue and hardship of travel to the Premier. Sir John left
the heavy work of the campaign to his lieutenants, but was
careful to gratify the po()ular wish by putting in an appear-
ance at every meeting and making a brief speech. Several
times he referred to his advancing years and to the certainty
tliat he would soon retire from the stage. Some words of his
at Welland, though spoken jestingly, and greeted with laugh-
ter, have now a significance : — " He was sorry to say — it wjus
an unfortunate thing — that he could not live forever, and that
he must make room for others. He had, however, given them
a specimen of his 'boys' that evening. Doubtless the people
would weep very much at his retirement, but they would have
some consolation in knowing that he would leave behind him
worthy successors to take his place."

The following from a Napanee correspondent appeared in the
Globe:— " At the laying of the corner-stone of the new church
at Napanee, about fifteen years ago, the late Rev. Saltern
Givens, the first Church of England clergyman at Napanee,
was present, and in his address gave some interesting reminis-
cences of his work when the town was a mere hamlet, some-
time in the thirties — I forget the year. He said the services
were held in a .school house near the village, and it was the
custom of several young men to meet one night in the week
and practise psalmody, so as to better assist in the Sunday
service. ' Among them,' .said Mr. Givens, ' was a young man
who I am bound to say turned out much more successful as a
politician than a singer ; I refer to Sir John A. Macdonald.' "

On the last night when Sir John was in the House, the at-
tack upon Sir Charles Tupper for taking part in the General
Election was being made by the Liberals, Sir John was as fond
of a joke as ever. Mr. Paterson of Brant mentioned that the
High Commissioner addressed a meeting at Kingston and the

! ^^1

643

LIFE OF Sin J()ll.\ A. MAClJUyALD.

Ministor's inajoiity was Iar<;cly increased. But how wns it, he
ask('(|, that a like ri!siilt luul not attondod his ofFortsat London
and Windsor f Had the; i'Mist Minister lent his sln-fwdncss or
had Sir Ciiarlos lost his elo(|nenco i The I'rcinier'.s ready re-
sponse was, " I'll tell you what ho <li<l, he lost his voice."

The first time Mr. h'lana<,'an, the city clerk of Kinj^ston, saw
him was in court |tleadin^'at the liar. He went home and told
his wife tliat he had heard a tine youn;^ lawyer speak, an<l
that lie was an Irishman, lie thoui,d>t his name was Mac-
donoiii^di, i)nt his wife corrected the error and told him who
the lawyer was. Sir John is the only man alive who was a
member of the (^ouncil when Mr. Flana<,'an was appointed,
clerk. The latter remembers the statesman as an alderman,
(piitt! well. He was the life of the Council, and frequently
lield liitjli revelry at the meetin<fs. At one time he came near
causin;:,' the odicials to resijjfn because he advocated their wear-
in<^ a ^'orjreous uniforni, wliich he described at Icnnrt.h while
winkin},' at the mayor. He met the late John Shaw on the
street and said : — " Mr. Shaw, what .shall I do to become
popular ? "

"Join our lo<lge and run for alderman," was the reply.

Inside of a month he was an Orangeman and an alderman.
He was the yoimg men's candidate. The election was very clo.se
and keen. He was elected and the young men were so pleased
that they improvised a platform on the market, and after Sir
John and his friends had mounted it the electors carried it on
their shoulders and the I'esult was a capsize. Slush was deep
on the ground, and as Sir John brushed his clothes he re-
marked, " Isn't it strange I should have a downfall so soon ? "

He was only two years in the Council when the young
people brought him out for Parliament against Mr. Monohan,
whom he defeated. He did not resign his seat in the Council
but served to the end of his term. He was most adept in hand-
ling committees, and as a rule the side he took prevailed. On
one occasion he suggested that the Council elect the mayor.
The suggestion was adopted, and the custom was followed for
years. He recommended Aid. Grier to run for mayor, and

AyECDOTE^ AND INCIDENTS.

m;i

when tho latter was defcxtod, Sir John .said, " If it is ever in
my power to nialvt) aiiiciids I will do so." Years aftcrwanl lio
uj)i)ointed Mr. Giior loj^'istrar of Wentworth at a <,'(»i)d salary.
Besides having' ]L,'reat eonra^'e in debate, Mr. Flana;,'an said Sir
John was a brave man otlierwise. He rememl)ers when a
serious tire occurred on I'lincfss Street, and Sir John turned
out with the tiremen to li<.(ht the llames, which spread so rap-
idly that the hosemen were unable to get near enoui,'h to make
the water supply of etfeutivo service. Sir John hurriedly
nailed a ninuboi* of boards together and then asked for assist-
ance to plant the .shield Tiear the building. Mr. Flanagan ap-
proached him and said, " Mr. iMacdonald, it is reported that there
are several kegs of powder in the cellar and that the liuilding
will soon lilow up," The reply was, " Fur goodness sake don't
1 lake that known, else we will be left alone, and there is no
telling where the Hre will .stop." Raising the .shield he carried
it forwai'd and jtlaced it close to the building. From behind it
the hosemen did goo<l service, and the explosion which was
feared did not occur.

A tale is told of Sir John when he was seriously sick in
1870, and was so reduced that his medical attendant would
only give him the soft portion of an oyster and a little claret
at a time. Sir John, though by no means a great eater, wanted
more, and asked for more. " You mu.st be contented, Sir
John," was the reply, "rememlier, the hopes of Canada are on
you." '• Well, doctor," .said Sir John, " It'.s a funny thing if the
liopes of Canada rest on half an oyster."

TIIK LAST LETTKIl WKITTHN BY SIR JOIIX.

The Victoria ColoniHt publishes, on the authority of Hon.
^Ir. J)ewdney and Mr. Joseph Pope, the following, as the last
letter written by the late Premier :

" Earnscliffe, Ottawa,

"May 11), 18!)!.
"My Deak RoBSoy, — It has occurred to rae that tho present would
be au opportune season for your (ioverniuent to discuss with ours tho
various questions still unsettled between them.

/ I

644

LIFE OF Slli JOHN A. MACDONALD.

•' You, I preauoae, can get away from Victoria v. ith little or no incon-
venience, and you will find ua here in Parliamentary session until the
Ist of July or later. We will then scatter until October, and at that
season you, I suppose, will be wanted at homo.

" Besides it will be a pleasant season for your journey — so, give your-
self leave of absence, and Dewdney, you, and I can take up ... .
and any other unsolved questions that may remain. Herein fail not.

" Yours sincerely,

"John A. Macdonai.u.

"The Hon. John llobson, Premier, etc., Victoria, B.C."

;;! i

CHAPTER XXXIII.

! ,

SIR JOII\ AT HOME — LAOV M.VCDO\ALD,

rPHE biographer who properly respects the privaov of domestic
-I life must necessarily be under I'cstraint in taking the reader
with him across the portals of the home. Any sketch of the
character and career of the deceased Premier would, neverthe-
less, be singularly incomplete which did not touch, however
briefly, on Sir John in private life. The genial and lovable
qualities that so distinguished the man and endeared him to
all classes of the people, found their freest and heartiest ex-
pression in the bosom of his family. Within the domestic cir-
cle iie displayed to the full those charming dispositions and
graces which, abroad, make him the idol of the public. "He
is a very prince at his own boarii," was the remark of a dis-
tinguished guest at Earnsclitfe who had been wont to enjoy the
hospitalities of the Premier. " That winning grace of manner
which those who do not know bim think he wears for politi-
cal purposes in public life, shines out still more bi iglitly in the
domestic and social sphere, that it is really impossible to know
Sir John at the fireside or the board and not love him. When
not receiving friends at dinner or in .some other .social way. Sir
John used to be found in his library attending to public busi-
ness, or reading until late at night. He read with great rapi-
dity. The range of his reading was extensive and varied ; this
may really be said to have foimcd almost his only recreation.
In conversation he was brilliant ami entertaining, and as not a
few with whom he exchanged hospitalities dillered from him
in politics, his conver.satiou on pubi'c questions was tolerant
airy, and good-natured. ^Ir. Goldwin Smith, replying on
one occasion in The B)jsta3uhr, to the charge of having
11 545

.hi'

iirii 'i-'

64C

i/i'i' OF .s7i.' JOHN A. MACDOSAU).

learnt some ministerial trick at ' Stadacona Hall' (a former
residence of the late Premier), tells us tliat his impression is
' that there is not much to be learnt at Stadacona Hall beyond
the lessons taught by the example of a statesman who knows
how to lay politics aside in the social hour, and is large-minded
enough to bear with o})inions differing from his own.' "

" But the crown," says the writer of the earlier edition of
this work, " to Sir John's social success is given by the place
his very accomplished and popular wife, Lady Macdonald, fills
at the capital. Of the society circle there, she is voted pre-
eminently, the queen, where in every project of social enter-
prise she is the first and the last, and no less the favourite of
the elderly and the demure, than of the young folk. To go
to Ottawa and mention the name of Lady Macdonald to any
of the young ]ieople there, is at once to bring forth a peean
in her praise. Ever}^ thing, they tell you, that is to be 'got
up,' Lady Macdonald has a hand in, not indeed that she seeks
to take this place or even cares for it ; but .so kindly is her
nature that she is prodigal both of her time and energy to
make everything agreeable ; while it is a fact that nothing
seems to go on so harmoniously or successfully when she is
not at its head and front. She seems to Ije in the social what
her husband is in the public sphere. Li political questions,
too, this gifced lady takes no little interest, and her judgment
is said to be scarcely less sound than that of Sir John, who, it
is \vliisj)ered, is in the habit of consulting hor when he is about
to take some important jiolitical step. And while we have no
doubt that, like the wives of several distinguished Englisli
statesmen, what rumour says of Lady Macdonald in this
respect is true, yet it is the social sphere that she most adorns,
where she is no less wannly admired by ladies whose hus-
bands are politically oi)posed to Sir John than by those of
his own friends. In domestic life. Lady ^Lacdonald is a model
woman, lavishing her tenderness upon an invalid daughter,
keeping a household that might well be the envy of any circle;
attending to Sir John at late sittings of the House, and, as Mrs.
Disraeli used to do, and as Mrs. Gladstone docs, wiapi>ing up

■===csssrTr-

Slli JOHN AT HOME— LADY MAri>OXA f.D.

547

her husband after he has made a speech, and zealously guarding
his health at home or while travelling. And to ([uote the
young people again, who will insist on telling their gn^itude,
she is ready at five minutes' warning, no matter how fatigued
she may be, to have lunch for a tired toboggan or snow-shoe
party, or to accompany gatherings of young folks as chaperon.
Add this to her genial and kindly manner, her charity to tiie
scores who will press their wants upon a lady in high station
and especially when they find her heart tender and her purso
open. Altogether Lady Alacdonald is a worthy mate for lior
thrice worthy and distinguished husband."

What is here said of Lady Macdonald, by one writing of her
eight or ten years ago, is emphasized by the testimony of those
who have knowledge of her since. The feeling towards h*:",
among the large circle of her friends a. id acquaintance.-^ has
been that of ever-deepenmg attection and regard. To the
number of her social friends and admirers have been added, of
recent years, no inconsiderable number of literary friends and
admirers, for Lady Macdonald has a graceful pen and has made,
in English sources, some delightful contributions to the literature
of (Canadian travel. But it has been in the wife!}' devotion
and tender solicitude of these sad days of the nation's bereave-
ment and her own that Lady Macdonald has pre-eminently
touched the hearts and evoked the love and sympathetic inter-
est of the people. Her unwearying tendance through these
agonizing hours by her loved husband's couch, has drawn to her
the hearts alike of Queen and Commoner.

Here, at the close of this book, written to preserve, however
faintly and unworthily, some chronicle of the dead Premiers
life and work, may fitly be appended the following tender and
patiiotic letter. It was penned by Lady Macdonald, to ac-
knowledge the condolence of the political friends and followers
of her late husband, Canada's Patriot Statesman: —

To the Chairman of the Ministerialist Committee :

Eaunscukkr, Ottawa, June 17th; 18'JL
I have received and read witli a profound satisfaction the address you
forwarded to me from the Conservative members of both Houses of

^- li

U\]U

648

LIFi: OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

Parliament, conveying in words that are each one a comfort and consola-
tion to me their sense of my loss and their own. Will you do mo the
favour to say to these gentlemen, my husband's true and devoted friends,
with what a swelling heart I dwell on their testimony to the greatness of
him, whose useful, kindly, Christian life, it will ever be our high privilege
to remember.

I thank these dear friends with tears — not of sorrow, for such a life and
Buch a death are beyond the reach of common sorrow — but with tears of
gratitude and affection in acknowledgment of their love for him and faith-
fulness to him through many years and many battles. Will you tell them
from me at some time when all can hear that I, his widow, and broken-
hearted in my loneliness and desolation, venture to ask from them a last
and lasting tribute to my husband's dear memory.

I ask that that tribute shall be a lirm and unitt 1 support of the policy and
principles our great leader lived and died to maintain and carry out. I
appeal to them with all the power my words can convey to do now and in
the future what they and I know would be my husband's wish and desire
could those lips, silent on earth forever, once more speak on this or
any other crisis of our country's history. To stand side by side, shoulder
to shoulder, regardless of irritation, self-interest or seeming reverse, with
no goal but Canada's success ; to follow, in short, the splendid example
left to us and to carry oui with no sign of division or faltering the plans
and purposes that lay bo near Sir John's heart.

I shall watch, so long as my life lasts, with earnest anxiety, the progress
of public affairs as for the last twenty years I have been proud to do, and
pray, as I have always prayed, that the Almighty Ruler of all men would
of His mercy grant wisdom, foresight and firmness to the policy and
counsels of the great Conservative party.

Believe me your sincere friend,

Agnes Macdonald.

CHArTER xxxrv.

ENGLISH AND OTHER ESTIMATES OF THE DECEASED PREMIER'S

LIFE-WOHK.

rpilE death of Sir John Mac<lonahl has, naturally enough,
X evoked in England no inconsiderable volume of comment.
With remarkable unanimity the great English organs of public
opinion have expressed regret that a most useful life has ter-
minated, while they praise the work which has been wrought
by that life for Canada and the Empire. Where eulogy has
been (jualified there is no disposition to ignore the enormous
difficulties the late Premier had to contend with. If they
withhold praise of his connnercial polic}^ they acknowledge his
services in preserving Canada to the Crown. If they cannot
laud his political methods, they recognize his great personality,
and do justice to the rare qualities of head and heart that dis-
tinguished him. In Sir John Macdonald, as a writer has
remarked, " Canada has lost a patriot, England a staunch
friend, and the world a worthy and distinguished man." From
the mass of English journalistic comment we make the following
extracts : —

THE TIMES.

"To-day the Canadian people mourns the veteran statesman who has
for the last thirteen years presided over its destinies— tlie statesman who
maintained so remarkable a hold upon the confidence and iiU'ections of
Canadians that his power and policy seemed impregnable to any assailant
but death. Even death has decorated his triumph, for upon tlie news of
his approaching end a whole people stood smitten with grief, and admirers
and adversaries showed how little they differed regarding the value of Sir
John Micdonald's life to the Dominion. It is needless to say that his loss
will bo felt heavily far beyond the limits of Canada. The CJueen, in her

549

5:o

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.

sympathetic iiKiuiries, haa given expression to a regard felt by her Bubjects
in the mother country and throughout the Empire. In these days of
Greater Britain, a great colonial statesman fills an important place in
history. Few foreign potentates are such important persons as he. Hia
Cabinet administers tracts of territory by the side of which most of the
kingdoms of Europe are mere patches. His colony can throw a foreign
industry into consternation by raising the tariff by a few dollars. He sits
with his finger on the valve which admits emigrants from the Old World.
It is his to shape the proportions of a swiftly- growing giant, and no here-
ditary titles, no feudal tenures, or class traditions restrict the range of hia
experiments. In such places, be they pleasant or not, are cast the lines
of a Premier of a great British colony. It was Sir John Macdonald's for-
tune to be the first colonial statesman to build up a reputation which
should be world- wide. Sir Henry Parkes and Mr. Cecil Rhodes are others
who have since done the same, but it is no disparagement to them, and
especially to Mr. Rhodes, whose greatness lies chi< fly in men's expecta-
tions, to say that they have made no name equal to Sir John Macdonald's.
A legitimate feeling of pride in a man whom Britain sent forth seventy
years ago, a child of six years old, to seek his fortune in the New World,
is one reason why we join with the Canadians in deploring the death of
their veteran. But'in Sir John Macdonald we have also lost a statesman
who, while severely practical in his measures, was deeply imbued with the
sentiment of Imperial unity, and could be trusted to foster it with all the
energy at his command. We cannot but remember that the latest devel-
opment of his policy is the subsidizing of a magnificent line of armed
steamers which, together with the Canadian Pacific Railway, is to put a
British girdle round the world.

" We are indebted to Sir John Macdonald for evoking the most re-
markable exhibition that Parliamentary institutions have ever afforded of
constancy in a democratic electorate. Since 1878, when a general election
carried him into power, the electors have given him a majority, greater or
less, in three consecutive elections. For the same Minister to have won
four general eleciions in succession is unexampled in the modern history
of Parliamentary Government in Anglo-Saxon communities. No politician
dares to say much in public about that most potent and cunstant of elec-
toral forces, the temptation to ' give the other side a turn.' But no one
is really under any illusion about it, and Sir John Macdonald's success is
the exception which proves the rule. That success was all the more re-
markable because the same electorate which kept Sir John Macdonald in
power was all the time returning Radical majorities to the Provinc al
Legislatures — that is to say, majorities which were generally supposed to
be hostile to Sir John Macdonalu's policy. Mr. Goldwin Smith's explana-
tion of this phenomenon may do very well for a party platform, but no
candidly-minded man will believe that gerrymandering and log-rolling are

EXGLISH AXD OTHER ESTIMATES.

651

quite 30 sure and uniform in their results as to smother for thirteen years
the convictions of a people. It is an indubitable fact that Sir John Mac-
donald captivated the imaginations of the Canadians by a policy conceived
on bri>ad, patriotic principles, and appoaling as strongly to national senti-
ment as it seemed to appeal to material interests. His ' National Policy '
was the protest against absorption into the United States. Looking back
at the past, we are able to see how almost irresistible would have been by
this time the forces making for absorption, had not the ' National Policy '
chocked them in their beginnings. Even Canadian Federation, of which
Sir John Macdonald was the foremost promoter, if not the originator,
would have been powerless to stem the tide had not the provinces and
territories of British North America been braced together by something
more solid than an Act of Parliament. The Canadian Pacitic Railway
will be Sir John Macdonald's enduring monument. From one point of
view it was the corollary of Canada's protective tariff' — this last a bulwark
against American encroachment, which, however natural, we at home
cannot regard with unmixtd feelings. But if the prime purpose of the
Canadian Pacitic was to knit together the Provinces of Canada, it has in-
cidentally given the Empire an inestimable commercial and strategic
advantage, and has imparted a colour of actuality to aspirations after
Imperial Federation. No wonder that the ' National Policy ' took root
in the instincts of Canadians, In their own province the electors of
(Jntario and Quebec might indulge themselves with Radical Legislatures ;
but in regard to the broader interests of Canada they were faithful to
V hat is commonly called Conservatism for want of a better name. It is
extremely creditable to the good sense of the Canadians that they should
have mastered the temptation to fickleness, and having once made their
choice, should over and over again have renewed their mandate to Sir
Juhn Macdonald to carry it out courageously and consistently.

"In the midst of the mourning which attends the death of the great
Canadian statesman, men cannot postpone asking — Who is to be his suc-
cessor, and what will become of his party I Sir John Macdonald'd personal
I)opularity has so long been regarded as the most important factor in the
success of the Conservatives that there was a temporary tendency to see
in his impending death the signal ior a general breaking of old ties and re-
construction of parties. People are now beginning to discover that the
ideas of which Sir John Macdonald was the champion cannot be buried
with him. They are his children ; but it remains to he seen whether a
majority of Can.-vdians have adojited them for their own sakes, and not
merely out of regard for the statesman who gave them birth. At the same
time there is no use in denying that the disaiipearance of ' the Chieftain's '
connnanding personality is a heavy blow to the Conservative and Imper-
ialist party. In the Dominion and, perhaps, other colonial Legislatures,
it is perhaps easier to secure a majority than to keep it together. That is

1 *

■>

652

LIFE OF i<ni JunX A. MACDOXALD.

where the tact and personal popularity of Sir John Wacdonald were so
8ii»nally displayed. From the death of Canada's great Premier wo must
date a new period of doubt and danger during which Sir John Macdonald's
successors will have to depend upon the intrinsic worth of the ideas he has
becjueathed without the magic aid of his great personality."
********
"Asa Parliamentary leader, Sir John Macdonald exhibited great abili-
ties in debate, in general afl'airs, and political tactics. Ho was very fre-
quently a delegate to England and to other countries on public business,
and he always executed his delicate diplomatic misdions with singular
tact and skill. He bore so strong a facial resemblance to Lord Beacons-
lield that he was styled " the Canadian Uisraoli," and there was likewise
a considerable similarity between tiieir views of statesmanship. An " old
Parliamentary hand " unmatched in Dominion iiolitics, he excited among
his followers a devotion which was invaluable to the Conservative party in
keei)ing together the various groups of which it was composed. In the
course of his long political career he carried to a successful issue many
measures of the highest importance, in addition to those already enumer-
ated in this article. Conspicuous amongst these measures may be cited
the improvement of the criminal laws of Canada ; the consolidation of
the statutes ; the extension of the municipal s,stem ; military organiza-
tion ; the establishment of a direct steam mail communication with
Europe ; the inspection of reformatories, prisons, penitentaries, and asy-
lums ; the reorj;anization of the Civil Service on a permanent basis ; the
construction of the Intercolonial and the Canadian I'acilic railways ; the
enlargement of the canals ; the enactment of a stringent election law :
the extension of the franchise ; the ratiBcation of the Washington treaty ;
and the extension and consolidation of the Dominion."

THE SATURDAY Rfc:VIE\V.

" It may be permitted to an Englishman — using the word in its widest
sense as the name of all the white subjects of Her JMajesty — to begin a
notice of the late Sir John Macdonald by noting that he held a posi-
tion which no man not born under the mler of England could have held
in any past time, or could hold now. He won himself the position of a
statesman in a great community which was yet a colony of this Empire.
The State which he governed has the resources and extent of many inde-
pendent nations ; but it was, of its own free will, only a part of a greater
whole. * * * As a Parliamentary politician there is no reason to
suppose that his capacity would have failed of its reward in any constitu-
tionally governed country. The methods by which elections are won and
parties are held together are not always free from smirch ; but a ruler
must, in the main, be j\idged by what he does in power, even though, in

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lidation of
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ition with
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ways ; the
;lion law :
m treaty ;

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begin a
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('-'.•*»(

ENGLISH AND OTHER ESTIMATES.

653

Bacon's phrase, he has risen to dignities throuj,'h Andignitiea. It wai
intrinsically honourable to (.^hoisoul that ho rose by the help of La Pom-
padour, though it may be to his honour that ho refused to retain his
position at the price of an alliance with Mine. Du IJarry. Yet nobody
has denied that Choiseul was a great minister, and sincere in his i Hurts
to secure what he believed to be the good of France. The (Jerrymander
and bribery of the conatituencies by which Sir John Macdonald fortified,
if he did not secure, hiu long tenure of ortico, are the modern democratic
equivalent for the old-fashioned alliance with the king's mistress. Essen-
tially, they are about as honourable as, though leas agreeable than, their
predecessor. Still, they are the conditions of the light, and they must
bo conformed to by him who would win. After all, the great (juestion
concerning every fighter is. What did ho do with his power when he had
obtained it ?

" To that question an answer can be given which is almost wholly
honourable to Sir John Macdonald. His Commercial Policy was entirely
wrong according to the principles which havo been accepted in the Mother
Country. He hud no scruples in imposing duties on imports from Eng-
land for the purpose of protecting Canadian industries. In this respect
he shared the views of those English politicians who protected England
against the competition of Irish woollen goods and cattle. But he had
no more intention than they that these commercial taxes should lead to
disruption of the Empire. There is absolutely no groimd for suppos-ing
tfiat he was other than perfectly honest in his declaration made during
the late general election that he would die as he had lived, a subject of
the Queen. Whatever measures he might introduce in Canada were
memt to make the continuity of the Empire more and not less stable. It
cannot be denied that during hfa life ho succeeded triumphantly. The
party which ho led for so m;»ny years is still in power in Canada, and it
is committed heartily to the policy which he had always defended. Sir
John Macdonald waa no mere ' machine' politician of the latest and
worst American stamp. If he was not, as he has been called, the founder
of the Canadian Federation, he at least helped materially to found it ;
and it was largely his doing that it has hitherto worked smoothly. The
whole extent of the credit due to him for his management is not easily
realizable by Englishmen. Yet it requires no great effort to understand
in the main what a feat it has been to keep a community in which a large
minority is French, Rjman Catholic, and united, while a not overwhelm-
ing majority is English, Scotch, Irish, partly Uomm Catholic, partly
Protestant, and by no means united together, so that it his worked with
some uniformity of aim and national sentiment. By the confession of
his Parlimentarj' enemies themselves Sir John Macdonvld did this. On
their showing, then, he proved himself the greatest master of his weapons
in that field on which it was his fortune to fight. After all, a man can

I I

lii

:. '■) 1

! ','

554

Liri'] OF Sin JOHN a. macdonald.

do uo inoro any whore, and tho cun<litiona are far from eaay in Canada.
When it ia rem tnihured that his object uU through was to preserve tho
iiuity of the Eaipire, it is not for iis to be (jnidging in our admiration of
him."

TIIK Sl'EC'TATUU.

" Sir John A. Miicdonald distinctly wished to make of the Northern half
of tho North American Continent a groat and powerful State, to wold all
the peoples on it into a united nation, and to do this as long ai possible
under tho shadow of the British throne. Ho was at heart, and inside all
external profesdons aid ways of acting, first of all a Canadian, and next a
loyalist, so far as loyaiism — wo do not (luite moan loyalty— is possible to
an En.lish-speaking pirson of this age whose business it is to think for a
separate si^ction of tho l^mpire. Ho loved Canada and ho liked tho British
Empire, and to those two things ho would have postponed anything, his own
judgment, on right and wrong perhaps included. It wai in bis method, not
his inner desires, that he vas liord Bjaconstield over again. * * * He
had to govern and consolidate a bundle of populations with diU'eront
origins, creeds, and degreis of civilization, and he managed to draw from
the n all a strongly united party, wluc'i agreed, while ho moved in his well
understood direction, to oboy his otviers implicitly. * * * Hig great
public works, for example, though always nsoful to the state, wore com-
monly useful to his party hIio. We would (pustion if heiirdently believed in
the protection with which hei leutitijd himsblf. Knowing exactly what ho
wanted, knowing thoroughly all his own people, Canadians, Irishmen,
Orangemen, French Catholics, French Liberals, and knowing all men
with whom ho had over come in contact, with a ready o'oquence which,
like Bismarck's, gave all readers a true impression of largeness, and a false
impression of utter frankness, he olmost always succeeded ; and in his
largest and most complex task, the wilding of the Dominion, ho succeeded
beyond hope or expectation. * <■ * Ho loved power and success a-id
reputation, and popularity as a basis for them all ; but ho loved the
Dominion too, ho more than any man helped to make it, and it is fitting
that the Dominion, if it believes in itself —an assumption wo have rocontly
Boeu some reason to doubt, or it would not so dread the levelling of
custom-houses — should honour the statesman who believed in it through
life."

ST. J.VMES'S GAZETTE.

" It is the misfortune of some great men to be generally unpopular, of
others to be generally beloved. That Sir John Alexander Macdonald,
late Prime RTiniater of Canada, deserved the adjective ' great ' there is as
little doubt as that he was personally liked by the people of the Dominion.

i:Narjsir ,\ni> aritKU estimatex.

656

Men might doubt iiis political motives, or challuii^^e his puhlic jud^mont,
Ixit none diuhted his hoart. In tho frayhu was dvuonncud, but out of i*.
ho was apijiauiled. Always a tiyhtor, ho was buoyant in conllict, and al-
togothor unsparing of his fees; ever a lovor of mon and books, ho was
pussussod of an amiable choorfuiness and kindness which disarmed jea-
lousies and oliminated the hurts that warfare had u»;ido. Those who livo
at the heart of the limpiro may well take hood of this man's life, it was
that of a iiriton tu the bone ; of his death, for who shall come after like
to him in colonial statecraft, in breadth of idea«, in the possession of tho
faith of tho people, in masterly orasp of national circumstances, in larxo
conception of policy, in unwaverini,' attachment of tho British connection \
No other man could so have inspired Canadians with conlidonco in thcsir
country as did he ; none other so hold in chock tho lii;htini{ olomonls, so
smoothed away or tonod to a note of unity the intuinnonious characttTsof
the Canadian national life. The Canada Sir John A. Mncdtmald know in
his first days of political life was a bundle of jealous provinces, and with
Upper and Lower Canada united in a bond of i>olitical wedlock, in which
there was neither peace nor advanconiout. lit) has left a strong Duniiii*
ion, with Confederation not only an accoujpliahedfact, but an accomplished
success. He entered Parliament at a time when the union of tho two Can-
adus, accomplished in 1841, was to so stir up dissati- faction among the
French Canadians as to result in the destruction of tho I'arliament build-
ings at Montreal in 1840.

** The future Premier took his seat at tho lirst session of tho Legislature
at Montreal in 1814, Ho was destined from the beginning of his career
to associate himself with important public events, to take an outstanding
position. He was only twenty- five years of ago when ho sprang into no-
tice as a brilliant advocate by his defence of Von Shoul'z, one of the
rebels of 1837-o8. This was four years after being called to the bar. He
had only been in Parliament three years when he was asked to take the
olMce of Receiver- Genera', and from that time forth he was a power in the
land. For forty- Neven years his has been in Parliament an unbroken re-
cord, and a minister during thirty-llireo of that peri id. Ho has held
nearly every portfolio in the Cabinet of Canada — Recoiver-Oeneral, Com-
missi(Uier of Crown Lands, Attorney-Cieneral, Minister of Militia, Minis-
ter of the Interior, Minister of .lusticc, President of the Council, Secre-
tary of State, and General Supeiintendent of Indian Ailciirf. lie was
Prime Minister as early as ISoS, and was the first Prime Minister of
tho Dominion, taking oftico in 1807, and with the exception of the years
from 1873 to 1878, keeping his party in power ever since.

" Sir John A. Macdonald was one of a race if Canadian statesmen now
almost gone ; the very few that remain are either in th.at peaceful retire-
ment which the Senate of tho Dominion afiords, or have sunk into private
life, forgotten of the people. Of the once puissant names, however,

I'
1

III!'

H:l

'M I

556

LIFE OF SIR JOHN A. MACDDNALD.

1(1

I t

many are engraven upon tombs, one at least upon a statue, and the last
and chiefest of them upon the hearts of the Canadian people, Baldwin,
MacNab, George Brown, TacLe, Morin, Hincks, Belleau, and Cartier —
that 'Englishman speaking French language,' — and many others as re-
markable, are gone ; but until yesterday Sir John remained the active
and splendidly- renowned representative of a time when legislation in the
Province of Canada and the separate RIaiiiime Provinces was a much more
difhcult thing than it is in the Parliament of the Dominion. It was an ac-
cident of life that Sir John's career was set in Canada ; had it been in
England, and had ho devoted his life to politics here as he did there, the
English House of Commons would in all probability have acknowledged
him to be as illustrious in this greater sphere, as he was in the country
where his nr.me was a sutlicivjnt guarantee of public confidence, the rally-
point of the popular faith. Mun might attack his political methods, his
party schemes, his means for keeping in power, but they never could
seriously attack the sincerity of his desires to f lithfully serve and soundly
advance the interests of tiio land to which he had given his life's labours,
and behind the natural forca there was in Confederation to impress the
dangers attending provincial sellishness and wire-pulling strife for balance
of power, it was felt that there was as a powerful safeguard, the person-
ality of Sir John A. Macdouald."

" Sir John inspired loyalty because he himself was loyal, and he trusted
the instinct of loyalty in the people. In 1885 he dared to alienate the
French populati(<n by hanging the rebel Louis Riel. Political, so far as
Quebec was concerned, this was a dangerous move — it defeated the Con-
servative party in the French province ; but he trusted to the general
sentiment of the country, and the results showed that his policy of no
compromise in this matter was right. Yet nothing stands out more strik-
ingly in the history of Canada than what might bo called the subjugation
of Quebec by Sir John A. Macdonald. The French province was always
to him a thing to be closely reckoned with in every political movement,
but it has lost its power of upheaval, of successful resistance to other pro-
vinces, of sudden displacement in political and party machinery. Sir John
reduced the racial sensitiveness by preferment and the considerate eleva-
tion of French-Canadian politicians to important posts and places in the
Cabinet. But these were only the outward limits and 11 jurishes, for
behind ' all means to concentrate ' there was a sound principle of union
and amalgamation working. If Sir John A. Macdonald dl i not himself
make Confederation he did most to make it possible at the time and he
did most to preserve it. But he has also, of all Canadians, done most to
preserve that larger spirit of Confederation which m^ikes Canada loyal to
the British Crown when lured most financially, oppressed most com-
mercia'ly, and influenced most socially, by its stronger neighbour at the
south, iiis creed was ever that it was better to be poor and Canadian —

ENGLISH AND OTHER ESTIMATES.

557

that is British — than to be filled with American 'enterprise' and be
governed by rings at Washington and New York, and his creed is the one
by wliich Canadians stand. Travelling far and near, living in the United
States or elsewhere, they do not desire to see Canada sell its heritage
for a mess of pottage which is held out by advocates speaking
in the name of the United States. To some iinenthusiastic spectators
Sir John's advocacy of Imperial Federation, his constant iteration of
loyalty, hia flag-Hying, and his accentuated ritual of patriotism ma^ have
seemed like .lingoum, but how deep that patriotism really was, how firm
and true was the idea behind it, the history of the man's life bears nnipi?
record, and nothing seems so fine in the career of this well-beloved servant
of his country than his attitude towards young men. If he was dili-
gent then to enlist them under the Conservative banner, he was etiually
diligent in instilling the love of country, the belief that there could be no
finer, no more inspiring basis to character, than aflfection for and honour-
able fidelity to one's native land. All young men who ever entered the
magnetic, genial and convincing presence of this man carried with them
ever after the conviction that whatever Sir John as a politician might do
he was to be trusted as a Canadian, he was to be revered, honoured and
followed, and to the credit of all classes in Canada be it said that there is
no man, old or young, but laments the hour when ' the Chieftain ' has
gone to hat quiet arena where there is no more fighting."

MORNING POST.

" Sir John Macdonald's work was not dependent on a versatile, magnetic
personality. It was solid achievement in pursuit of principles that at-
tended him from his earliest youth. He conceived the idea of building up
a great British people in North America, formed out of the loyalist
refugees, whom Republican intolerance had expelled from their homes, out
of the French colonists whom treaties had committed to our care. The
whole cemented together by the most industrious of British emigrants,
and in this work he has refused to listen to any theory of destiny bidding
him accept immersion in Yankee democracy as his inevitable fate. This
is the principle for which ho has struggled for over forty years. This is
the principle he has seen Canada affirm at a crisis of great moment."

THE GUAPHIG.

" The death of the Canadian statesman, par excellence, has been aptly,
if obviously, compared to the fall of a pillar of the Constitution. And
the comparison would have been as gravely significant as it is apt had the
fall of the pillar occurred a generation ago — for two generations, as they

iilil

li ii

658

LIFE OF SIB JOHN A. MACDONALD.

are counted, must be reckoned in connection with Sir John Macdonald.
Thunks to him, the edifice of the whole Dominion has become so solidly
Beetled as to be able to stand without the single pillar which at one time
seemed to form its whole support. * * "f: He had the statesmanlike
characteristic of being able to act with all parties in the sense of being
no mere partisan, and of combining their conflicting energies, interests
and prejudices to a common end, of which he never lost sight for a
moment. Whatever is to be the future of Canada, she can at any rate
never again fall to pieces, while every year that passes will strengthen
her cohesion. In short. Sir John Macdonald found a number of scattered
colonies and left a nation. This work of nation-making is one of the
features of the close of this century, and will, no doubt, be a chief occu-
pation of the next. And whatever is hereafter achieved in Australia, or
in Africa, or elsewhere — and whei? not, who can tell ? — will be largely
due to Sir John ]M icdonald's solution of the problem in an instance of
supreme difiljuhy."

THE EXAMINER AND TIMES (Manchester).

"Canada's 'Perpetual Premier' is dead. After a severe struggle, he
who has been 'always a fighter,' and has mostly come oflF victorious, has
succumbed, leaving the fortunes of the Dominion in the hands of younger
men, the majority of whom have been trained by him either as followers
or opponents ; for in politics, as in warfare, men learn by defeat as well
as by the exercise of the responsibilities attendant upon success. Sir
John Macdonald's name has latterly been prominently before English
readers, to many of whom a few years ago liis name was probably un-
known ; but there can be no doubt that in him Canada possessed a states-
man of whom any country might have been proud — one who, had he re-
mained on this side of the Atlantic, would have taken a place in the first
rank of Imperial statesmen. His forty-seven years of Parliamentary life
have been mainly spent in office and in the conduct of negotiations ; and
the fact that, during the twenty-five years since Canada was confederated,
he has been Premier for twenty years shows that ho knew the secret of
governing a country more complex in its organization than any self-gov-
erning nation, with the solo exception of the Austri.m Empire. He has
been likened on the one hand to Prince Bismarck, on the other to the
late Signor Depretis ; in adroitness as a ' House of Commons man,' and
in what has been called ' the exuberance of his antique youthfuJness,' h i
bore a strong resemblance to Mr. Gladstone, while there was a marked
facial similarity between him and Lord Beaconsfield. Upon this latter
point, the testimony of Sir Charles Dilke is worth recalling : ' The first
time that I saw Sir John Macdonald,' he wrote, ' was shortly after Lord
Beaconsfield's death, and as the clock struck midnight. I was starting

ENGLISH AND OTHER ESTIMATES.

559

from Euston station, and there appeared on the tt jp of the railway car-
riage, in Privy Councillor's uniform (the right to wear which is confined
to so small a number of persons, that one expects to know by sight those
who wear it), a figure precisely similar to that of the late Conservative
leader, and it required, iudeed, a severe exercise of presence uf mind to
remember that there had been a City banquet, from which the apparition
must be coming, and to rapidly arrive by a process of exhaustion at the
knowledge that this twin brother of that Lord Beaconsfield, whom shortly
before I had seen in the sick room which he was not to leave, must be the
Prime Minister of Canada.' Here, however, in the opinion of Sir Charles
Dilk'>, the similarity ended ; but, while it is perfectly true that the Cana-
dian Premier never affected that air of mystery which was so often noticed
in Lord Beaconsfield, there is another direction in which a parallel may
be drawn, and that is the trust and affection which he inspired in those
with whom he associated, and in his subordinates. He has been well
served, because those who served him knew that they would never h»
sacrificed vicariously.

An instance of the firm support upon which his friends knew that they
could count has been seen only during the last month. It ia, moreover,
an instance of parliamentary audacity such as only Palmerston or Beacons-
field, among our political leaders of the last fifty years, would have ventured
upon. * * * It was, however, his loyalty to those with whom he
co-operated, and his marvellous power of weighing and selecting men, that
gave him a commandiug position over all other Canadian statesmen. He
was at once respected and loved by the heads of the various administra
tive departments, whom he always treated as colleagues, and, knowing of
what they were capable, trusted implicitly with the due performance of
his general instructions. They knew well that he would not pester them
with unnecessary interferences in matters of detail, and that if they were
loyal to him they would not need a defender. In this seems to have been
one of the secrets of his wonderful success ; but an additional, and doubt-
less the prime, factor in securing his position, was the fact that he had
always at heart the interests of Canada, and, joined with those, the in-
terests of the Empire. His policy has often been attacked as extravagant.
Of its costliness there can be no question ; but he saw clearly that the only
chance for the future prosperity of Canada lay in the development of her
resources and the utilization of her geographical situation, and that,
such being the case, extravagance consisted not in a liberal expenditure,
but in what is often falsely regarded as economy. The task of building
up a country involves the sinking of capital, often without an immediate
return in hard cash. It was this ' National Policy ' which induced Sir
John Macdonald to include in his programme protective tariffs, beyond
what might have been strictly necessary for raising revenue in a country
where the collection of direct taxes is impracticable ; and though it is

6G0

LIFJi! OF Silt JOHN A. MACDONALD.

probable that Canada would have made greater head-way had her import
trade been subjected to few restrictions, she has undoubtedly progressed
rapidly and solidly."

THE INDEPENDENT (NEW YOHK).

BY MR. MAKTIN J. GKIFFIN.

(Librarian of Parliament^ Ottawa).

"Sir John Macdonald was Imperial in all his ideas concerning the ob-
ject and destiny of the Dominion of Canad*. It was to establish and per-
petuate a bulwark of IJritish power on this continent that he made such
efforts at conciliating all the political forces of the Upper and Lower Pro-
vinces in order to effect the Confeileration of 1807. He was at the same
time a passionate Canadian ; and while he kept one hand on the petulant
paBsioiis that would sometimes rise against Imperial authority among our
people, he often, with the other, repressed the aggressive imperialism of
some new Colonial Minister in London. The time for writing fully on
those things will not come in this generation. An example may be given.
When he formed one of the High Commission to negotiate a treaty at
Washington, in 1871, he was blamed by many in Ciinada for having made
too liberal concession of Canadian interests to British interests. When
the " Life of Sir Stafford Northcote " was recently published, it was found
that Sir John Macdonald had pressed beyond almost the legitimate
bounds the patience and the policy of the British Ministers, in the inter-
ests of Canada. The proof of his success was found in the Halifax Award.

"It was partly for Imperial purposes that he pressed on the building of
the Intercolonial Railway, which alone could have contributed to the
earlier stages of the successful development of the Dominion. It was
partly for Imperial purposes that he opened up the North- West to be a home
for the emigrating citizens of Great Britain. British statesmen less wise
than he have not given him enough aid in turning the stream of emigra-
tion into that prepared and splendid field where now the pioneer may go,
finding at his door, however remote, the post, the railway, the telegraph,
the school, the resources of religious teaching, medical skill, and of a
civilizing literature. It was partly for Imperial purposes that he took his
political life, and the political lives of all his friends and followers, in his
hand to accomplish the task of building the Pacific Railway, to which now
not merely the subscribed capital but also the credit and honour and in-
terests of Canada, and the interests of the Empire too, are in greater or
less degree pledged.

her import
J progressed

ning the ob-
liah and per-
10 made such
I Lower Pro-
s at the same
the petulant
y auioug our
nperialism of
iting fully on
nay be given.
to a treaty at
having made
■e3ts. When
I, it was found
,8 legitimate
in the inter-
lifax Award,
building of
Ibuted to the
ion. It was
to be a home
men lean wise
,m of emigra-
|neer may go,
he telegraph,
ill, and of a
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owera, in hia
Ito which now
inour and in-
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ENGLISH AND OTHER ESTIMATES.

501

• "Toward the sister Republic the attitude of Sir John Macdonald was one
of admiring rivalry. It was his determination that there should never be
on this continent only one nation ; part of it was to be British always.
For that reason he was cautious in developing every resource of this
country, and for this purpose the National Policy of 1878, which was
simply an imitation of the protective system of the United States modi-
fied by circumstances, was adopted and maintained by him always. But
he was never averse to trade relations with the United States, on terms
which could be considered fair to both countries. The proof of his earnest-
ness in this respect is to be found in dates and facts. It was a Govern-
ment, of which he was an influential member, carried the Treaty of 1854
into operation. In 1805 he endeavoured to secure its renewal. In 1869
he caused negotiations to be entered on for renewal. In 1871 he endeav-
oured to arrange a partial Treaty of Reciprocity. In 1874 he acquiesced
in the missions which his opponents, then in power, sent to Washington.
In 1888 he again made a friendly ofl'er to the United States, and when he
died he was in a friendly negotiation with Mr. Blaine, and a meeting had
been fixed for October next.

" His character as a Conservative was peculiar. He entered public life
at a time when the power of the old Tories of the Loyalist period was
waning ; and he made no effort to maintain that power. He took in hand
the slowly approaching power of the Democracy and made it serve the
purpose of a moderate and prosressive conservatism, which some of the
older politicians looked on with suspicion, as if it mi^ht be Radicalism in
disguise. As Pitt brought in the masses to control the traditional powers
of the classes, so Sir John Macdonald was the man who made the franchise
for the Dominion elections more democratic than it had ever been — so
much so that but a faint line divides it from universal suffrage. He had
a leaning, too, towards Female Suffrage ; but that was never i»articularly
marked, and only evinced tentatively during a prolonged and aniiojing
debate. He was opposed to divorce courts with much firmness. Ho
hated all forms of irreligion ; and though he was accessible to all new ideas,
ho was not easily accessible to anything that bore the stamp or faintest
impression of irreverence toward established beliefs and practices. He
liad the highest regard for the ClorL'y in general, as representing to him a
divine order, a social power a conservative influence ; and the Clergy, as
a body, held him in an affectionate esteem, though his light-hearted audacity
never allowed him to put on an air of solemnity for the mere saka of ap-
ptarances. He was intensely cimaervative of the dignity and ability of
tht. Judicial Bench, from the highest to the lowest rank ; and among the
very numerous appointments made by him, not more than two or three
were over publicly criticised. Ho did not confine tliese appointments to
his own party, but sought out the best man wherever he could be found ;
the Bench of Canada, consequently, commands respect by its character as
J.J

" \

562

LIFE OF Sm JOHN A. MACDONALD.

well as by its ability. He was conservative, too, of the permanence of the
public service, and the Civil Service Act, which is very conservative, was
not bufticiently so to suit him, though as much so as he could have carried
through the House.

" His characteristics as a public man were marked and interesting. No
Roman Senator could robe himself "n dignity and speak with more stately
precision than could Sir John Macdonald on state or great occasions ; his
respect for Parliament was such that he never, or very rarely, took the
slightest liberty with the general sense of the House 'or order and calm-
ness. On the other hand, when on the stump, or in convention, no

*' Gerard the fair, the girl-mouth'd, the ay,
Who jested with the foe he slung his sword to slay,"

could be more joyous, more amusing, more apparently careless in anec-
dote, in expression, in quotation ; his old stories had been laughed at by
two generations of men and a dozen new sets of electors all over the
country ; and he took no pains to repair or renew them, because he knew
' ' the boys " expected them, and were ready to laugh the moment he ap-
proached the subject which the favourite old story was t illustrate. His
oratory was not a great oratory, his voice was not strong, but was distinct
and clear as a Scottish accent always makes any voice. He was not ad-
dicted to perorations and purple patches in his speech. He used anecdote,
however, often and effectively. He was hesitating in manner ; but the
exquisite precision of phrase which marked his speeches showed always
that he never spoke at random. Ho was a singularly industrious min.
The letters he wrote personally, in a hand so like a woman's hand of the
past generation, were remarkable for their number ; and it is a singular
thing that in all that enormous private correspondence there have been
few breaches of confidence on the part of his correspondents.

" In private life, that life which his friends found so delightful. Sir
.John Macdonuld was what no pen save perhaps the late Lord Beacons-
field's could describe. His kindness never failed in any least little
courtesy of life. To the oldest he was cordial and friendly ; to the
youngest he was caressing and re-assuring. His presence in any room was
the signal for an encircling gathering to whom he would talk all at once.
If any one had a pet study. Sir John Macdonald was sure, in a skilful
and delicate way, to make him talk a little of it. If any one was fond or
full of anecdotes, the old Premier would be sure to give the opening for
the last good thing. He himself was sure to have read the last new book
worth reading, and to have got ) at the pith of it quickly. He kept well
np with the reviews as well as with the books. A fews days before he
entered on the campaign of 1891 he was in the Library of Parliament,
and amid much talk of other things, ha expressed hia high appreciation

ENGLISH AND OTHER ESTIMATES.

563

lence of the
vative, was
lave carried

of the admirable article in the London Spectator on Cardinal Newman ; he
gave some anecdotes of Lord Houghton which have not appeared in print ;
and an adventure with the late Walter Bagehot at a London dinner-party ;
he explained his opinion as tu the reasons why the Whigs dealt ungrate-
fully by Edmund Burke, and gave a short account of a conversation with
Lord Beaconsfield.

*' As I write, they have carried his body in a stately and solemn way into
the Senate Chamber, to lie in state, to be looked upon for the last time
by the people who knew him so well in life. Flowers and guards and
stately ceremony make a solemn and touching surrounding for this man
who has never needed guards before, and to whom ceremony, when he was
the object of it, was not always pleasing. And again, there comes rising
in my mind and ringing in my ears the tender lament of Sir Ector de
Maris :

'* ' Thou never were matched of none earthly knight's hands ; and thou
were the courtliest knight that ever beare shield ; and thou were the truest
friend to thy lover that ever bestrode horse ; '

and so let us paas from his presence to che^ria-'i his memory with a loyal
affection which time muat fail to extinguish , '

:'l!

;

APPEND!

i\.

■■i

> I

■ 1

APPENDIX.

THE PACIFIC SCANDAL.

The following is tho speech delivered by Sir John Macdonald, in reply
to the allegations concerning tin pacific railway charter, in tho house of
commons, Ottawa, on Monday, Nov. 3rd, 1K73. On rising, tho honour-
able gentleman was greeted with hearty cheers ; —

Mr. Speaker, I had not intended to address you on the two motions now
before the house, and the reasuu why I did not so intend is that 1 had al-
ready given my testimony on oath, and in tliat testimony I had endea-
voured, notwithstanding the statement of the hon. gentleman who has
just taken liis seat, to state the whole case as far as I knew it, according
to the best of my conscience, cone, ling nothing and revealing everything.
Therefore I did not think it well, wording to the ordinary rule, that I
should attempt in any way to supp, nent my sf^vtement on oath by my
statements not on oath. (Cheers.) H, vvever I hiivo been taunted, not in
the house certainly, but 1 have hoard it elsewhere and have seen it in the
papers that I have been withholding my statements ; that I have been
keeping back, and that I dare not moot the house and the country. Sir,
I dare meet this house and the country. (Cheers.) I know too well what
the house and tho country will do, and what the feeling of the country
will be, when they know all tlio facts. Tiiey know many of them now, and
those they do not know I shall endeavour presently to enter upon. But
now I enter upon the subject which is most interesting to this house — the
question whether the government or any members of the government were
in any way implicated in the giving or granting of a charter, or of a privi-
lege of any kind to men for corrupt motives. I shall allude to one or two
subjects which a short time ago assumed prominence in the opinion of the
country, but which in the course of the present debate have almost sunk
into insignificance. A short time ago, from the 13th August till now, we
heard nothing else but the unconstitutionality of tho prorogation ; nothing
elae but that a great wrong had been committed on the privileges of the
house. Although I was here for only a few minutes before the house
was prorogued, if I remember aright, this chamber rung with charges that
the privileges of the house had been invaded. I not only heard the voice
of the hon. member for Chateauguay (Mr. Holton), but I saw his hand

567

508

APPENDIX.

V)rought down, with the ponderous strength of the hon gentleman, on hii
desk, when he called " privilege ! " " privilege ! " anu all because the re-
presentative of the sovereign liad exercised a prerogative conferred upon
him by law. The hon. gentleman was committing an anachronism. There
were days when the prerogative of the crown and the privileges of the peo-
ple were in opposition. There were days — but they were days long gone
by, and there was no necessity for any attempt to revive them now — days
when the prerogative of the crown was brought in opposition to the will of
the people, and the representatives of the people ; and then, as was
proper, the will of the people was paramount, and when the crown op-
posed it, by prerogative or by excess of prerogative, the head of the sov-
ereig.i rolled on the scaffold. But, Mr. Speaker, those days do not exist
now, and I am happy to say that at this moment, in this age, the prero-
gative of the crown is a portion of the liberty of the people. (Cheers.) If
we wish to preserve our liberties, if we wish to preserve our present con-
stitution, if we do not wish again to have a long parliament or a rump
parliament, if we do not wish again to have a parliament overriding every
other constitutional authority, we shall preserve the prerogative of tha
crown as being a sacred tiust, as being a portion of the liberties of the
people. (Cheers.) Centuries ago, as I have said, the time was when the
Bovereign could come down with his strong hands and could seize, or at-
tempt at all events to seize, a memb.r of parliament for performing his
duty in his place. The day was once when the sovereign could come
down and could banish anil send to the tower, and even as has been known,
could send to the block, members of parliament for defending the privi-
leges of the people. But when the sovereign is no longer a despot, when
the sovereign is a constitutional monarch, when the sovereign takes his
advice from the people, when the sovereign in his act of prerogative takes
his advice froui a committee selected from the representatives of the peo.
pie and from the other Ciiamber, which other chamber has its power rest-
ing upon the basis of the will of the country and the will of the people,
then I say there is no danger of the prerogative being used unconstitution-
ally ; but the great danger of the country here, as in England, is that the
prerogative may not be strong enough to resist the advancing wave of de-
mocracy. (Cheers.) And, sir, when in the undoubted exercise of the pre-
rogative of the crown the representative of the sovereign came not to this
Chamber but to the proper chamber, and announced his will, as the repre^
sontative of the sovereign, that parliament be prorogued, he conuuitted no
breach of the privileges of this house or the other house of parliament, and
made no infringement on the liberties of the people. (Cheers. ) It was
charged that a great breach of the constitution had taken place. True it

lit

APPENDIX.

.)G9

eman, on hii
!iiuse the re-
iferred upon
iiiism. There
38 of the peo-
ys long gone
in now — days
to the will of
then, aa waa
le crown op-
d of the sov-
do not exist
e, the prero-
(Ghecra.) If
present con-
it or a lump
rriding every
gativo of the
)ertiea of the
was when the
L seize, or at-
srfornung his
could conte
been known,
ig the prlvi-
iospot, when
j,n takes his
)gative takes
of the peo.
power rest-
the people,
onatitution-
, ia that the
wave of de-
of the pre-
|e not to this
a the repre-
nnuitted no
ianient, and
a.) It was
e. True it

ia that we heard in a ?ort of minor key from the Globe, which had some cha-
racter to lose, that although it was very inexpedient, it was no breach of the
constitution. But every other paper, I believe, every organ of lion, gen-
tlemen opposite, except the Globe, stated that there had been a great breach
of tlie constitution and of the privileges of the people on the floor of par-
liament, and they were countenanced by the voice an<l clamour of hon.
gentlemen opposite. (Clioers.) We might pardon them, perhaps, because
we have seen casea of a aimilar kind in England, and therefore 1 can quite
understand it, and I do not much blame theni, aa allowing the momentary
feeling of disappointment at the exerciaeof the royal prerogative, prevent-
ing tlie extension of the excitement into debates in a subserpunit session.
In 18-0, at the time of Queen G.iroline's trial, while the bill was pending,
wlien it was resolved to withdraw the bill, and when the motion for the
six ulonths' disposal of that measure was carried, there was an outburst
when the knock of the usher of the black rod was made at the door — an
outburst of indignation on the part of the queen's friends because they had
no opportunity of expressing their feelings against the course whicli had
been taken. Parliament, however, was prorogued, notwithstanding the
storm of indignation tliat arose at the time. On a still later occasion, at
the time of the reform bill, in 1831, we can remember how the house was
almost in mutiny, and how that staid gentleman, the Duke of Ilicliiuond,
almost declaimed himself in rebellion against his sovereign. >Sir Robert
Peel, at the very moment the usher of the black rod knocked at the door, waa
making a most indignant protest against pronigjition for the purpose of dis-
solution. Therefore when such staid men and men of such high position
could take that course, we can perhaps pardon hon. gentlemen opposite for
having betrayed an unseemly warmth on the 13th of August because the
prerogative of the crown waa exerciaed aa the crown had the right to ex-
ercise it. Therefore, it occura to every hon. gentleman who haa consid-
ered the aubject well, that the queation of constitutionality cannot exist
for a moment, and that a question of privilege set up against prerogative
is altogether a false cry, an untenable cry, a cry unconstitutional and un-
warranted by law. (Cheers.) The prerogative at present is valuable only
as one of the liberties of the people, and it is one of the liberties of the
people because it ia guided, aa I said before, by the advice of miniatera
responsible to the two houaes of parliament, not alone to thia chamber.
The prerogative ia not dangeroua. There ia no hazard that anyone of our
libertiea, personal or political, will be endangered, so long aa the preroga-
tive is administered on the advice of a minister having tlie aupport and
requiring support from the two chambers of parliament. (Cheers.) The
question then comes, whether the present miniaters of hia excellency the
KK

Iff

'■-I ■ :

' t'\'
:>\

l I
!l

570

Afl'ENDIX.

77IrJTLEx*r

\ t

governor-general were justified in recommending the prorogation on the
13th day of August. Sir, if they had not given that advice they would
have the sovereign to break his word ; they would have advised the sov-
ereign to commit a breach of faith against every absent member of parlia-
ment. I can say in the presence of tliis house, in the presence of the
country, and in the presence of the world, if the world were listening to
our rather unimportant affairs, that if ever a pledge, if ever a bargain, if
ever an agreement or arrangement was made, it was that the house sliould
be prorogued on the 13th day of August. Some of the gentlemen who
have spoken, 1 won't tax my memory as to which of them, have made the
constitutional objection that the house never agreed to the prorogation on
the 13th of August. Sir, the house had nothing to Jo with it. It is not
a matter of agreement between the sovereign and the people ; it is a mat-
ter of prerogative. Did any educated man, any man who knows what the
constitution in Canada or what the constitution in England is, believe that
[, the first minister of the crown, could get up in my place and tell this
house that on the 13th of August it would be prorogued, and that on that
day there was no real necessity for members being present, because it was
to be merely a formal meeting ? that I, a minister of nearly twenty years
standing — (hear) —who ought to know by practice, and do know by study,
somewhat of the British constitution, shoidd make that announcement un-
less I had got the authority of my master ; had got the sanction of the
crown ? As a matter of course, as his excellency has stated in the answer
he made to the gentlemen who waited upon him, I submitted the propo-
sition to his excellency and took his pleasure upon it, just as the first min-
ister in England would take the pleasure of her majesty as to the day on
which prorogation was to take jilace. I got the sanction of his excellency
tlie governor-general to make that statement, and if I had imt g<tt that
sanction I do not believe the house would have agreed to the long ad-
journment. We will look back for one moment to see whether I was right,
whether tlie government was right — in speaking of myself I speak of my-
self and my colleagues wiiother we ought to receive tlie sanction of the
the house in gi\ ing that advice. Let us look back to the circumstances of
the case. I invite the cureful attention of the house, and especially the
attention of those lion, members who were not members of the pai'liament
of Canada at that time, to the cirfumstancos of the case. In February, I
think it was, there was a roytal charter given for the purpose of building a
Pacific rjiilway, to the Pacific railway company. They went home —
their president, Sir Hugh Allan and certain otiier members of the Board
for the purpose of attempting to carry out tliis charter which had been
Ijiven to them. The charter had been given to them according to the

APPENDIX.

571

vote of the Parliament of Canada, with the sanction of the parhanient of
Canada, and every clause of it was in accordance with the provisions of
the law passed by the parliament of Canada. (Cheers. ) These gentlemen
had gone home to England to lay a great acheme, so great a scheme, Mr.
Speaker, that some of the hon. gentlemen opposite said that it was going to
overtax our resources and destroy our credit, and that they could not sun
ceed at all with so sni:ill a population in such a young country. They had
gone home to England to lay the project before the English world and
European capitalists. They were going home to operate, and it depended
much on the support they received from this country, from the parliament
and press of Canada, whether they could succeed or not. They had gone
home in February. Parliament met early in March, I think. The hon. mem-
ber for Shetford rose in his place and made his charge against the govern-
ment on the 2nd of April. The hon. gentlemau may have been, 1 do not saj*
he was not, actuated by principles of fine patriotism in making that charge ;
but whether he was so actuated or not, whether his motives were parliamen-
tary or unparliamentary, patriotic or unpatriotic, one thing is certain,
that the direct aim, the direct object, the point at which that motion and
that statement were directed, was to kill the charter in Eiii^laud. (Cheers.)
The weapon was aimed with that object, not so much with the desire of de-
stroying the administration, not so much with the purpose of casting a re-
flection upon the ministry, as with the view of destnjying that first on the
expectation that the ministry would fall afterwards. That was the aim ;
there was no doubt about it, and when the hon. gentleman's motion was
defeated, and when I took up the resolution the aim was well intended —
the desire of killing was well intended — but it failed in the execution.
(Hear, hear.) When I took it up I considered the whole position of events.
Sir Hugh Allan and those connected with him went to England in March.
Parliament was sitting at the time the hon. gentleman made his motion.
1 could not know how long parlianient would last, and the chances were
that they would return some time before the end of the session. If they
did not return tlien, of course I considered that there could be no examin-
ation until they did, but I thought they might return. I declare that I
never for a moment supposed that the hon. member, when he made hia
statement, could be guilty of such great, such pal[)able, such obvious in-
justice, as to press his committee in the absence of Sir Hugh Allan, Mr,
Al)bott, and Sir George Cartier, when they had no opportunity of defend-
ing either themselves or the charter which they had obtained. The house
must remember also that the motion made by the hon. gentleman went
much farther than my motion. The motion of the hon. member, which
he moved on the L'nd of April, waa not only to incpiire into the facts that

iil

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Um-is^

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672

APPENDIX.

he mentioned, the statements upon wliich he based his motion, but to go
into the whole of the subject connected with the charter and the granting
of the charter to the Pacific railway company. The aim of his motion, I
repeat, was to destroy that charter. I will read the motion of the lion,
member. After detiiiling the facts, he moved, " that a committee of seven
members be .appointed to inquire into all the circumstances connected with
the negotiations for the construction of the Pacific railway, with the legis-
lation of last session on the subject, and with the granting of the charter
to Sir Hugh Allan and others." So that the aim of tliehon. gentleman in
making that motion was not simply to attack the government, not simply that
from improper motives or inducements of any kind they had given the char-
ter, but was for the purpose of destroying that charter and of attacking all
the legislation of the previous session on which the charter was based. I
never for one moment supposed that any hon. member would be guilty of
the gross injustice of attempting to attack the whole of the legislation of
the previous session and the charter solemnly granted under an act of par-
liament, and of attempting to aft'ect vested intei'est, on which a million of
money had been staked, in the absence of the persons primarily interested.
That motion was made, and was intended to be a vote of want of confi-
dence. Was that so I or was it not so i Will the hon. gentleman say it
was not 80?

Mr. Huntington — The motion when made was intended to express
precisely what it did express. (Laughter.)

Sir John Macdonald — It ia said, sir, that if there had been one hon-
est man in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah they might have been saved ;
and so the Opposition may be saved in the same way, for they have one
honest man in their ranks — the member for South Wentworth — who
stated that that motion was intended to be a vote of want of confidence.
Everybody knew that that was its design (hear, hear), and yet at this day,
at this late hour, the hon. gentleman (Mr. H.iutingtou) had not the man-
liness to get up and say so. (Cheers.) He dare not say it was not a mo-
tion of want of confidence. It was meant in that way, and I can prove
that it was by my hon. friend the member for South Wentworth. I call
him, and I believe him. He said it was so. Will the hon. gentleman not
believe him i Although differing from him in politics, I know he would
not say what w >s not true. If I remember rightly, the hon. member for
Sheflbrd said he would make the motion when we went into committee
of supply. He gave the necessary notice that ia always given in such
cases, and I certainly supposed that he intended to make a general mo-
tion on our policy connected with the Canadian Pacific railway. He said
he was going to make a motion on that subject, and it was by mere

APPENDIX.

573

, but to go
le granting

motion, I
f the hon.
ee of seven
lected with
li thelegis-
the charter
ntlouian in
simply that
;n the char-
ttacking all
3 based. I
je guilty of
[jishition of
1 act of par-
a million of

interested.
,ut of confi-
iuian say it

to express

■u one hon-
)een saved ;
have one
orth — who
confidence.
it this day,
the man-
not a mo-
can prove
th. I call
tleman not
he would
ember for
committee
n in such
meral mo-
He said
by mere

accident that when my friend, the minister of finance, rose to make his
budget speech, with you in the chair, instead of a committee of supply,
the hon. member said lie would take another opportunity of making the
statement in connection with the Pacific railway. Had we gone into
committee of supply the hon. gentleman would have made, in the ordi-
nary parliamentary way, his motion of want of confidence. Hut he
should have given notice of his attack, for a more unmanly attack is un-
known. What notice had been given that he was going to make that mo-
tion ? True, the government of the day are unworthy of thuir position
unless they are ready to meet any charges brought against them. But
had we the most remote information respecting that personal matter ?
And even when on the second day he announced that hr was going to
postpone to a future occasion further action, he did not venture to give
the slightest intimation to the men he was going to attack ; the men whose
characters he was going to blacken; of what he was going to say ; but he
took us by surprise and sought by bringing in documents carefully pre-
pared to get a committee on those statements for the purpose. Certainly
it would have been so if the committee had been granted as he proposed,
— of killing, as it was designed to kill, as it was bound to kill, the efforts
of the Canadian people to get a body of English capitalists, to build the
Pacific railway. (Loud cheering.) He could not possibly have supposed
that he would have got the inquiry through that session, but he supposed
if the house had granted the committee on his statement, and it had gone
home, telegraphed by cable by the associated press, with which some hon.
gentlemen opposite seemed to have mysterious connections — (laughter) —
it would certainly have been mysterious but it would certainly have
aft'ected the construction of the Canadian Pacilic railway, throwing
back for ye.ars the building of the railway, casting discredit on Canada,
and telling British Columbia what they had told them two years before,
that they were not going to get the railway. Mr. Speaker, the hon.
gentleman did not speak, in liis remarks on the motion, of facts within
his own knowledge, and as the member for Marquette had done in his
statements of facts, he only stated that he was credibly informed that
the fact existed, and he would be able to prove it, and I venture to say
that in the whole range of parliamentary experience in England, and
wherever else fair play is known, no man could be expected to have
got any other answer than the one he got from the house. If the hon.
. member had risen in his place and said of his own ktiowlelge that he
was personally cognizant of certain facts, then the house might have cou-
Bidered those facts as proved, at all events suHieieut for a prima fucie case
for inquiry, but the hon. member for Shett'ord did not pretend to say so,

Vv I

674

APPEJS/DIX.

but rose in the house and said lio was crudibly informed of cortaia facts,
and thereupon asked for a committee to try the government, and not
only so, but to try whether the lejjishition of the previous session vas cor-
rupt or non-corrupt; whether tlio nienibors of parliaiuent who had voted
for tlie G(jvernment were right or wrong, and whether tliat cliarter, to
which great credit Wcas attached, was fraudulent or valid. And on the
nonce, when the hon. gentleman nuide the proposition, we resolved to
leave it to the house to say wliethur they believed that the facts had oc-
curred. When the hon. gentleman stiitod that he was credibly informed
that such was true, the house voted down the motion. On tlie next day
I gave notice that I would introduce the re.?olution which I did introduce.
1 gave notice of the resolution, and there is a little historj- witli the reso-
luti(m to which I will call the attention of the house. It is reported that
at a meeting at New (Glasgow the hon. member for L;uid)ton stated that
that resolution which I moved was forceil upon me by my own followers,
and that members on this side of the house had come to me to urge me
to introd\ice that resolution. The hon, gentleman had heard my denial.
He heard my speech; lie was in liis place when I made that speech, and
interrupted me several times, and I then turned round and asked my
friends if any of them had come to mo to force me by any inllueuce, or
language, or anything of the kind, to (.(.nie down t< the ho\ise with that
motion. I should like to know the names of tln^se eight members,

Mr. Mackknzie — I am (pute satisfied I never mentioned eight names.
(Ministerial cries of "J low many ?') I said 1 was informed, as 1 was,
that it was because of the pressure his supporters had brought to bear
that an inciuiry had been asked for next day.

Hon. Mr. McDonald (i'icton)— 1 wish to state what did occur at the
meeting, and there will, I think, he no dillerence of opinion l^etwecn the
men)ber for Lambton and niy.self as to tlie ipiestion of fact. Tiie hon.
member during his aildress stated that the leader of the government was
compelled by the pnss^ure of his own friends in the house — 1 ilon't re-
collect that he stated eight numbers — to bring down the motion for a
connuittee to tiie house. J inteirupted and .said ; " Why, di<l you not
hear Sir John Macdonald declare that he did not introduce that resolution
owing to the pressure of his friends or of any friend ? '' The hon. gentle-
man replied ; " I did not. I now declare he was pressed by his friends."

Mr. Mackenzie — The statement made by the huu. member for Pictou
is (luite correct. 1 stated I had no recollection of that statement being
made, but as the hon. gentleman had said that it was made, 1 was bound
to believe it ; but 1 was still prepared to say that the information I had
was that the leader of the Government was compelled by the pressure of

Till . '

,141 •

APPENDIX.

67h

ftiii.\ facts,
t, and not
)n •tras cur-

had voted
iliarter, to
uul on the
ro8( lived to
cts had oc-
y informed
e next day

introduce,
h the reso-
lorted that
stated that
1 followers,
;o urge me
my denial,
peech, and
asked my
tluence, or
L) with that
ers,

Ldit names,
as 1 was,

ht to bear

!cur at the

twei-n the

riio hon.

neut was

on't re-
ion for a

you not
■esolution
gentle-
friends."
ir Pictou
mt being
as bound
m 1 had
essure of

ills friends to make that motion. I am borne out in that by what tho
member for Shelburne stated the other day in the House, Ho for one
was obliged to bring that pressure to boar the next day. (Opposition
cheers.) I cannot recollect all tho others, but I heard similar matters
mentioned by some (jthera.

8ir John Macdonald — 1 have got the speech here, and before the de-
bate closes I shall refer to it, because I do not like any misai)prehensioii
on these matters. I am satistied tho hon. gentleman said so, as he is re-
ported, and 1 can state here that the hon. gentleman had his own repor-
ter present. Tho hon. gentleman was reported to have said : — " 1 may
inform the lion, gentleman there were eight of the Government suppor-
ters who put the screw on him." In other words —

Mr, Mackknzie — I am perfectly certain I did not use the word
screw.

Sir John Mauuonald — Now, I have occasion to x-epeat what I stated
then, that no mendier of the party, and not only no member of the party
but not one of my own colleagues, spoke to mo on the subject until 1 had
announced my own determination. (Loud cheers from Ministerial
benches. ) The motion took us by surprise, and we met it, as 1 think we
ought to have met it by voting it down. Next day I came down late and
walked into the Council-room at half-past one. My colleagues were all sit-
ting around. 1 said to them, after consideration: "1 have made ui) my mind
that I will move for a (Jommittee," before any one had spoken. I had
stated my intention without a single suggestion from any man, that as the
charge was of such a nature that I woidd move for the aiipointment of a
Committee and bring such motion before Parliament on the following day.
And that is the way that the characters of men are lied away in this coun-
try. I do not mean to say that the hon, member for Lambton has lied
down my character because he has denied it. Wiuit I do mean to say, it
has been lied away by the mistake of a reporter who thought that he was
reporting his words. I have now got the report hero. It is from the
Halifax CUkch. I'erhaps the hon. gentleman knows this paper? Per-
haps tho hon. member knows that his friend who formerly sat in this
House for Halifax is the projirietor of this paper, or that he certainly
writes for it. (Hear, hear and cheers.) Here is the newspaper, and if
the hon. gentleman thinks I have made a mistake, and if he thinks I have
done him an iiijustice, perhaps he will be patient with me while I read
the few sentences: — "Some gentlemen afterwards informed Sir John
Macdonald that before they voted with him an in((\ury there nuist be. He
was thus compelled to come down and say that he himself moved an iu-
Huiry on the following day."

.1:1:
jil;'

676

APPENDIX.

Mr Mackenzie — Wlmt about tho eight that the Hon. member spoke of,
(Laughter.) I refer to what the hon. member for Shelburno stated the
other night.

Sir John Macdonai.d — Does the hon. member for Shelbnrne say that
he ever came to speak to me on the subject ?

Mr. Ross (Victoria)— I may say that two or three of us went to see tho
Ministers next day and stated that uidess they promised a committee
themselves that was the last vote they would get from us.

Mr. CuuRCH — I accept that statement. We saw the hon. Mr. Mitchell
on the following day and said the charges were very serious affairs, and
that a committee must be appointed.

Sir John Macdonald — Thus we see another exemplification of the old
story of the three Black Crows. (Laughter.) The hon. member stated
that eight of my followers and supporters came to me and said that I
must move that Committee. The hon. gentlemen say that they went to
some one else, and I say, in the presence of my colleagiies, that I myself
went down to the council, and before having met or agreed with any
single member of tho council, I sjvid to them on going into the council
chamber — " Gentlemen, 1 have made up my mind that on the first op-
portunity that presents itself I will move for a committee to inquire into
this m:itter." (Cheers.) I had had no communication with any member
of the government ; no communication with any member of the hon.se ;
no communication with any one in or out of the house, and therefore you
can understand how guarded the hon, member for Lambton should bo in
giving putlicity to other men's affairs. Ho nvay periiaps have a vacancy
in his memory. There is something, Abercrombie says, whicli loads men
not only to forget certain facts, and to state things as facts that never oc-
curred. At all events, whether I was waited on by the eight members or
not, I shall produce the hon. gentleman the report about tho eight mem-
bers liofore the night is over,

Mr. Mackenzik— I don't care about it.

Sir John Maudonald — I know you don't. I know tho hon. gentleman
is quite indifferent about tlie evidence that I ciiu produce. (Laughter.)
At all events 1 came down to parliament and gave my notice of motion.
Now I wish the house carefully to consider tho circumstances under
which I made my motion. 1 was of course exceedingly anxious that Sir
Hugh Allan should succeed in his mis^iion to Elngland, and that the Pacific
railway should be proceeded with without delay. 1 was anxious that no
blow should be struck in this house for party or any other purpose that
could injure the prospects of these men in England, and yet I did not de-
sire that th»»"e should be any undue delay in this inquiry, which affected

\'4

m -

iHi;i:bsi-.

I,'.; it

AVrENDIX.

877

jr spoke of.
I stated the

ne say thai

t to see the
committee

[r. Mitchell
affairs, and

n of the old
raber stated
said that I
hey went to
liat I myself
sed with any
the council
;he first op-
inquire into
any member
F the house ;
jierefore you
ihtiuld be in
e a vacancy
h leads men
at never oc-
menibers or
i'ht mem-

gentleman
[Laughter.)

of motion,
luces under
t)us that Sir

, the Pacific

3U3 that no
lirpose that
Idid not de-

Ich affected

the honour of hon. gentlemen and of myself. Now it must be remem-
bered that my motion having been unanimously adopted by the iiouse, was
not only my motion, was not only my vote, but was also the motion and
the vote of hon. gentlemen who were then members of this parliament. I
considered at that time thattlie chances were infinitesiinally small that these
gentlemen would be back in time to go on with the iuijuiry before the proro-
gation of parliament ; and what did I move 1 1 moved " that a select com-
mittee of five members be appointed, of which Committee the mover shall
not be one," and hero, Mr. Speaker, I may [lerhnps bring in, par parvnihese,
a remark. 1 moved that resolution as 1 thouglit that I being one of the
accused shoidd not be a member of that committee, and yet the lion,
member for ShefVord stated in a speech recently that if he had had his own
way ho would have been the chairman of that c unmittee ; that he would
have been chairman and that he would have guided the deliberations of that
committee — he the accuser. The hon. gontleman may think that I may
have committed something like folly in this courao, but, at all events, I
moved that "a committee of five members be appointed, of which the mover
shall not be one, to imiuire into and report on the special matters men-
tioned in the resolution of the hon. member for Slieilord, with power to
send for papers and records, with power to report to the house from time
to time, with power to report their evidence to the house from time to
time, and if need be to sit after the prorogation of parliainent." 1
thought that by a mere lucky chance, by a mere fortuitous circumstance,
Sir Hugh Allan and his associates might perhaps raise the money, make
the necessary arrangements and be back in time before parliament was pro-
rogued, and, therefore, I put in merely as iin alternative that if need be the
committee could sit after parliament prorogued. I never thought for a single
moment, it never occurred to my mind, that any man having a scu-e of jus-
tice would enter upon a trial of a matter, in the absence of those who were
chiefly implicated, and perhaps you will say that the government were im-
plicated, but at all events Sir Hugh Allan and Mr. Abbott were not only
personally implicated, but their capital, their vested rights, their pledged
faith were all interested in this iiupiiry, and I never thought any man
would attempt such an ed'ort of lynch law as to go on in the absence of
Sir Hugh Allan, Hon. ]\Ir. Abbott, and Sir Geo. Cartier ; in the absence
of all the evidence which these gentlemen could give on the subject of
these charges. 1 therefore, sir, drew up the motion in the manner 1 have
named, and I must confess that I am .somewliat ashamed that my know-
ledge of constitutional law should have been at fault ; but I was anxious
that the government should not lie under the charges for a whole year,
and I put that in the resolution in order that the commission might eit
. KK

ft I

r.78

A r PEN DFX.

;; i(

.r ;

■ !

from day to day duriiiij the recess, and if Sir Hugh Allan, Mr. Abbott
and Sir floorgo Cartier arrived in this country that their oviJenco inight
be taken. This was my oVjject in placing this clause in the resolution.
On consideration we found that thia house cmild not confer the power,
and for a very substantial reason, because if this parliament could appoint
II committee with power to sit during the recess it could also appoint a
committee of the wlioie houHo to sit durini^ the recess, and thus the prero-
gative of the Crown to prorogue would be invaded, and parliament aa a
committee of the whole might sit indofinitely. But I made a mistake ; it
was accepted by the whole house, and hon. gentlemen who voted for my
resolution are iis much responf<i1(le for it as niy.self. Not only was my pro-
position considered, but it wa.s weighecl by the hon. member for South
Hruce. So much did the hon. member consider it as a matter of certainty
that the conmiittee must sit during the recess that he used this language :
" With regard to giving the committee power to sit after the prorogatimi,
lie thought the correct course to pursue would be to introduce a bill
authorizing the committee to sit during the recess, and by a resolution of
the house to take evidence under oath." Tiie hon. gentleman saw that it
was quite impossible ft)r us to get through the investigation during the
session, and I do not see in justice how it was possible to get thro\igh
without these gentlemen cumin.,'. Hive I not then proved my case, Mr.
Speaker ? (Ciieers.) Hav(! i not proved that this house solemnly re-
solved, as far as it could resolve, that this enquiry should be continued
.ifter the prorogation? Now, Islr. Speaker, I shall not elaborate this
(juestion any further than to say that believing as I did, believing as I
do, that it would have been an injustice to proceed with this enquiry in
the absence of the gentlemen whom I. have named, the government, of
which I am a nuiuiber, otlered the advice to the governor-general that
the house bhould lie prorogued on the 13th of August, it having been
imderstood that in the internu'diate time the committee might sit. That
advice was accepted, that was the advice I brought down and communi-
cated to the house, and tliat advice was acted upon by this house and that
act this houiiu cannot now recall. (Hear, hear.) This house is responsible
for its own acts and ordiiuinces, and when I announced here that the
house would be prorogued on the 13th of August, this house accepted
that proposition as it should have done. (Cheers.) But, Sir, I stated to
this house for all the purposes of this house that the ailjournment should
be considered a prorogation. (Cheers.) That was accepted by this house,
and more than that, 1 brought down a bill to pay every member his
salary, on the ground that it was a prorogation, and I say further that any
Miember who got this money and wished for more and came back to get it

Vli-.-

APrENDTX.

579

wa» tf-.My of taking money under false pretenses. (Cheeis.) We know
what lias happened in the United States. We know that the Globe, in
order to induce its friends to come — they knew of course thiit my friends
from the I'acitio did not care for u thousand dollars — but they thought
that the hon. memliers who were nearer Ottawa would be induced to come
by a bribe, and the Globe to the eternal disgrace of that paper, insinuated
that if hon, members came they would get their money. (Cheers.) I
shall now make a few renuuks in respect to the issue of the royal com-
mission. I have sp(jkcn of the prorogation. I believe that it was consti-
constitutional. I believe that it was wise, or whether it was wise,
or unwise, it was sanctioned by this parliament, and I know that parlia-
ment cannot, without dihliononr, reverse their vote ; and I believe
I know that the house accepted that pronigation on the ground that the
adjournment was in effect to be a prorogation, and that only the two
Speakers should be in the house on the 13lh of August. (Cheers.) As
regards the legality of the roj'al commission, I believe that I need not speak
30 long on that subject. The motion of the hon. member for Lambton
relieves mo from that necessity. I will quote the evidence of the royal
commission.

Mr. r>LAKE — Hoar, hear.

Sir John Macdoxald — I hear the member for South Bruce say " hear,
hear." Surely he ought not to touch, taste nor handle tlie unclean thing.
(Laughter.) Surely he will not think that any good fruit will come from
a vile stalk. Surely he won't quote any evidence of tlie commission if he
believes the evidence of that commission to be illegal. The hon. gentle-
man is on the horns of a dilemma. Either the evidence is legal or illegal.
If it is legal, then the house can judge from the evidence, but if it is ille-
gal, the house must discard it ; and yet the hon. member for Lambton
quoted this evidence, and every nuin who spoke on the opposite side of
the house used tluit evidence ; and it cannot be said, if that evidence is
to be used against the government, that it is illegal or uncoiistit'itional.
(Cheers.) You have your money, and yo\i take your choice. Either ac-
cept or discard it, and remain as you were before this evidence was taken.
(Cheers.) Now it was alleged in the ai-gumenl of an hon. gentleman op-
posite, with respect to this committee, that the governor-general had been
snubbed. I tell the hon. gentleman, and 1 have the permission of the
crown to state it, that in addition to the ollicial annotniceuient, there is a
formal opinion given by the law oUicers of th crown. — those authorities
whose opinion the hon. member for Bothwell looked so scornfully upon,
but every one else so much respected— that the course taken by the gov-

L i

580

AVPENDIX.

ernor-genoriil both in respoct tc» tho i)ri>r<>(,'ation and tho ituiuanco of tb«
royal comiiiiHsion, whh \v^\\\ and const itiitioiial,

Mr. Rlakk. — Hour, hear.

Sir JoiiM Mai;i)onam). — ^Woll, Mr. Spoakor, I catuiotholp it if tho lion,
(^onth-nian docs not agroo witli tho liiw ollicors of tlio crown. Hut I liiivo
still a further statcniont to make, and I think i may make it in tho pre-
sonco of my hoii. friend tho tinanco miiiistor— that the course of tliogov-
ernor-<^ener,'il in respect to all tlie.so tnmsuctions had been liiially settltMl
and aj^reed iijion by tho whole iiuperial cabinot. (Cheers.) It is said, Mr.
Speaker, with respect to the commission that by conBtitutioiial authority
tho crown cannot know what happens in tho house of commons. Well,
Mr. Speaker, that is one of the anachronisms which wo see in the (piota-
tions of the hon. {gentlemen opposite. 'i'liey are two or three centuries
behind tho times. Did tho matter rem dn with tho liouse alone, or con-
clu<lo with tho house? No, tho house itself sent information to tho gov-
ornor-<.(eneral by tho member for Shellord. In consei|Uenco of tho reso-
lution passed by tho house, tho member for Cardwell introduced a bill for
tho pnrposo of givinj; tiie committee power to administer oaths. We
pas.sed that bill throui^h both houses, and it wont to tho crown, to tho first
branch of tlio legislature. Is it to bo supposed that when wo, tho advisers
of tho crown, tho advisers of tho yoveruor-:,'eneral, askod him to como
down here contrary to nsual practice, contrary to tho general universal
practice, to come down before the end of the session to give his sanction
to a measure ; is it to bo supposed that when we brouglit him down for
that special purpose wo wore not charged by tho legislature to convey to
him why we asked him to give his assent ? Then why, Mr. Siieaker, was
it to be supposed that the sovereign would give, as a matter of course, his
assent to a measure passed by this jiarliamotit without a reason. Sir, wo
gave that reason. The advisers of the crown told tho crown wliat the
motion of the member for Sheflbrd was. They told the crov^
proceedings before the house wore, and that the culininatio'
ceedings was that the act should be passed. That » ♦' ,iy

crown came down, that was the reason why the g i i^. nstr

of at the end of the session came down in tho miiKl Ho w:! luUy in-

formed of the motion of the member for ShetTord, and of all lie proceed-
ings on which the bill was based. But it has been said, sir, , tt this act
was an obstruction of the action of parliament. Why sir, it was intended
for the purpose of aitling parliament, but it was disallowed ; but certainly
by no act of mine as has been charged. It was even asserted somewhere
that I had, or that tho governor-general had, attempted in some way to
influence the government in England to disallow the act. Well, sir, the

APPEND X.

681

anuo of tbd

paper boforo parliament bIiows witli wiiut suorn that Htatement can pro-
perly lie met. Nu siiggeHtion direct or indirect, went from the Oanadiun
to tlio imperial gipvernmont witli reHp(>ct to tliu (Jisallowiuico or pasMago of
that act. (l.-'liourH. ) 1 did not hesitate in my pince in pailiament to ax-
press my opini-in that the pa8aai,'e of that act waa beyond the pinvers of
the Canadian parliament, i had formed, I may say, a very strong opinion
on the point, hnt 1 diil not exinem my opinion so 8troni;ly to this liouso
as 1 really felt it, iiecauae I knew from the nsnal gt5nuro»ity <jf gentlemen
oppo.site that they wonld at onco have said, "Oh, of course, yor. throw
obstacles in the way because yuii do not wish tlie bill tu pass," and there-
fore, while I would have liked to state that we had not the power to pass
the act, at the same time 1 placed great coiitideiice in the opinion of the
hon. member for Canlwell. 1 do not know whctlier the meml)er fur South
Bruce expressed any opinion on the point, iiut if he did not, many otluT
learned members did, and I i)aid great resi)uct to their opinions. 1 did
not therefore oppose, ua otherwise 1 would have opposed, the passage of
the bill, which I would certainly have done had I not been personally con-
cerned. W'lien it went up tu the governor-general, as the papers will
show, as I waa bound to express my real opinion, 1 stated my doubt of its
legality, but hoped his excellency would see his way to allow it instead of
reserving it for the signiticalion of her majesty's pleasure, and 1 gave my
advice not only as lirst minister, but as minister of justice, that the act
slujuld be passed. The measure was passed and went liome to England
and, as the despatches show, the caie was fully argued, so far as it could
well be argued, and the strong impression of the representative of our
sovereign at the time was, that 1 was wrong in my law, and tliat the hon.
gentlemen who had supi)orted the bill were right, and that the bill would
become law. We know what the result was, and that after the consulta-
tions the bill was disull(JWod. It has been said by the hon. member for
Bothwell, that it is out of the question that we should be governed by the
law officers of the crown, but let me state to this house, Mr. Speaker, that
the decision was not the decision merely of the law officers of the crown,
but it waa the decision of the British government. It was an order of the
privy council, and there is not an onler of the i)rivy cinuicil passed in
which the lord chancellor is not consulted before a decision is come to.
But, sir, whether the commission was legal or not, and we will suppose for
ii moment that it was not, though it is a great stretch of supposition, would
it not have been well for the hon. member for Shetlord to have come be-
fore that commission? Would it not have been well for the hon. member,
as a man really anxious to have justice done 1 Wou'd it not have been
well for the hon. member if desirous of the triumph of his party, not de-

I'f

18'^?

.1 '-

582

.4 FPENDIX.

sirous of the '^lefe.it of a ministry, not desirous of a cliange of government,
but really, truly, anxioasly, and, as he said, painfully desirous of having
justice done, to have come before the commission and have followed up
the investigation from day to day ? I think the housj will say that the
privileges of parliament were not endangered, and that he might safely
have prosecuted the niatter and have brought the olTenders to justice, and
that he could have done so witiiout prejudice to his position as a member
of parliament. Why then did the hon. gentleman not come ? It did not
suit his plans to come. The hon. gentleman's game was first to destroy
the Pacific railway company under the charge of Sir Mugh Allan, and then
to destroy the government, and not to have a real in(juiry into the con-
duct of the administration. Besides, sir, and it is a consideration of some
importance to the house, and one that ought to have great force in the
country, I myself, and the other members of the government who were in
this country, desired io give our explanation under oath. I went there,
Mr. Sjjeaker, and you know it was said in the newspapers that the com-
mission would be a sham, and thero would be no examination at all, and
that the members of the government and other witnesses would shelter
tiiemselves under the plea that they need not criminate themselves, I
would ask you, sir, and every hon i .eml)er, whether every member of the
government, when called before that commission, did not give full, clear
and unreserved statements as regards all the transactions connected with
the Pacific railway.* (Cheers.) As I believe that that commission wus
issued in acc(jrdance with the law, because the crown .as such had a perfect
right to enquire into that matter, so at tiie same time I believe that in no
way was it designed, and in no way did it in any way obstruct the action
of parliament, Mr. Speaker, this house is not governed by that commis-
sion or the evidence, although the member for Lambton has (quoted the
evidence, and used it, and made it the basis of his motion. 1 say the
house is not in any way bcmnd by that commission. It is in no way
checked or obstructed or prevented from instituting the most searching'
examination into the matter. As a matter of fact, I believe that when tlie
member for Shefl'n-d made his charges here, there was a notice given in
the senate for an inquiry, and there was no reason in the world why the
senate should not have had an inquiry. They might have had a commit-
tee, and, as we have often seen it in England, the two branches of the
legislature might have had concurrent committees sitting at the same tiuie;
and it might happen, as in England, that these committoes might come to
different conclv.sions. If a committee had been granted by the senate,
would that have been a breach of the privileges of this house ? Certainly
not. Well then, sir, if it be not a breach of the privileges of parliament

i'l

AVVENDIX.

583

that the second and third branches of the legislature should have concur-
rent examinations into a certain charge, how can it be a breach of the
privileges of the second and third chambers for the tirst branch of the
legislature to go into the matter. (Cheers.) If the senate can discuss the
matter, cannot the sovereign go into it ? Sir, the answer is too obvious to
admit of doubt, and it must be remembered the sovereign holds a two-fold
position ; that the sovereign is not only the first branch of the legislature,
and as such has a right to inquire into such matters, but is also tlie head of
the executive and is the executive. The crown governs the country ; the
crown chooses its own ministers, and this house has no control, and the
senate has no control over tlio crown in this respect, except in deciding
whether they have confidence in the ministers chosen. The crown, in
order to be a reality and not a myth, must have the full and sole selection
of the individual members to form the government, and it is then for par-
liament to say whether tiiat selection is such as will command the conti-
dence of parliament as well aa enublo them to carry on the affairs of the
country. If that is constitutional law, and I think it is, what is the conse-
(\ueiice ? It is that the sovereign has the right to inquire into the con-
duct of its own ofticers. If an offence is committed, the crown has a right
to inquire into it. If a charge is made the crown has tlie right to ascertain
whether that charge is true. I will suppose the case of a minister charged
with a crime amenable to common law. Could not the crown make in-
quiry into such a matter? The proposition is too absurd a thing to need
an answer, for we know of many cases where the crown has made such in-
(piiry. The case that is most applicable in principle to the present one is
that of Lord Melville, and I will refer to that because it lays down certain
principles to which I would invite the attention of the house. The case is
especially applicable because the matter was lirst discussed in the house of
commons ; and it is said here that because the matter was first discussed
in the house of commons it should end there, and no other tribunal .should
deal with it, and no other authority should intervene and prevent i\w
house from concluding its inquiry. Hut tliere is no reason in the world
why any independent authority should not pursue an independent inquiry,
leaving to the house a full, unrestrained and unrestricted right of inquiry.
In tiie case I have mentioned there had been great abuses in coiuiection
with the navy ccjntracts in England during the Peninsular war, and there
Were allegations of enmnnous frauds, and a pledge was given by Mr. Pitt's
government, of which Lord Melville was a member, that so soon as a peace
was concluded, an inquiry should be entered into, as it was thought im-
possible that in the height of the war a proper inquiry could be made. I
grant that it was a different administration that niovod for a committee in

584

APPENDIX.

'\ 1

the matter, but the motion was in consequence of the pledge given by Mr.
Pitt, but when Lord Sidiuouth aaked for the committee it was opposed in
the liouse of commons, on tiie ground that the crown could prosecute the
intpiiry. The navy board had full authority, and the adniiriilty had full
authority, and it was urged that the crown as it appointed the judges so
it should apijoint commissioners to try the particular case. There was
the responsibility, and this view was argued strongly. As anyone will
see who reads it, the commission was only gi'anted after the government
had been asked whether they had got their commissioners, and after the
house had been informed that the navy board and the goverinnent of the
day asked for the commission, and the act to authorize the administration
of oaths was passed because there was no power in tlie navy board to ad-
minister oaths. The commission was similar to this in all respects. On
this the minister was tried, and on this a minister was aciniitted, and the
only dillorence between that case and this was that on that case a com-
mission was asked for by the government, and in this the commission was
issued by the government under the act.

Mr. Wood. — Wlienever there were commissions, special acts were pass-
ed, authorizing these commissions.

Sir John' jNIacuoxald. — Would the lion, gentleman tell me of any such
commissions ?

Rir. Woou. — Yes, there was the act of 1813, and the act of St. Albans,
and in 1852 a general act was passed relating to such matters. No single
case could be found in which a royal commission was api)>)iuted to try cor-
rupt parties at elections, except under a special act.

Sir John M.\CDON'.\t,D. — The hon. gentleman cites certain acts relating
CUT upt practices, but the hon. gentleman must see that his cases had
no reference to this one, because tliose which he cited referred to corrup-
tion in boroughs, and the charge here is general corruption on the part of
the government. It had been contended by the hon. member for Bothwell,
who spoke at some length, that it was very surprising that the witnesses
before the royal commission did not know anything, that they came up
one after another, telegraph operators and others, and all stated that they
did not know anything about the matter. Why were they called ? The
reason was plain, and the reason was known to the hon. member. It was
because Mr. Huntington handed in the names of these witnesses to the
committee. He handed in my name among the rest, and it was alleged
that there was an arrangement about this as if the government had any
control over that commission. The witnesses were called one after ano-
ther and in the order shown on the list h.anded in by the hon. member for
Shetlbrd. Early in the session he handed in the list of witnesses, and

"^1

A IWKNDIX.

S85

ts were pass-

they were all called in their sequence. I could mt help it if a railway
operator or a teleyruph operator was called up and did not know anything
about it. Ili3 name was there on the list, and in one case it was shown
that M. Coursol, whose name was put on the list, met Mr. Huntington,
and when he asked him why it had been done, that hon. gentleman said
he did not know. It was tlie duty of the commissioners to call upon overy
man that hon. gentleman had placed on the list, whether they knew any-
thing or knew nothing, and therefore the charge of the hon. gentleman
tliat they were called up by arrangement was untrue, and it was altogetiier
unworthy of the hon. gentleman. Witnesses were called up as they came
on the list, an'd as they came on that list they came up to give their evi-
dence. With respect to the composition of the commission, I have not
much to say. It is beneath me to say much. (Cheers.) There is no man
in Lower Canada who will not say that Judge Day, by his legal ae(]uiro-
iiionts, was well litted for the position, and when I tell you that the pre-
sent chief justice of the superior court, Judge INIeredith, has siiil that the
greatest loss that the bench of Lower Canada ever had, was in Judge Day.
1 have said all tliat can bo said. (Cheers.) Judge D.iy is a mati above
any charge of political bias. lie has shown what he was on the bench ;
he has slunvn what Ue was as a p(jlitician ; he has shown in the coditica-
tion of the laws of Lower Canada what he was as a jurist. The lion, mem-
ber for Sliellord said that the other two judges were my creatures. Ue
did not vent\ire to attack Justice Day, but ho attacked the other two.
Now, with respect to Mr. Justice Polette, I may say that I have not seen
him, nor have I had any communication with him for seventeen long
years. For seventeen long years he had been obliterated out of memory.
1 knew him in my earlj' days in parliament as a supporter of the Lafon-
taine-Morin C(jalition. From that time he departed fiom my vision until
he was appointed on that commission. And why, sir, why was he appoint-
ed on that commission ? I was I'esolved in consequence of the insult that
had been heaped upon the committee in Montreal, that the connnissioners
must sit in Ottawa, where they could be protected from such insults, and,
therefore, there was no chance of the charge being tried by a Lower Can-
ada judge. I was anxious that there should be a Lower Canada judge on
the commission. It was suggested by the Globe that no superior court
judge ought to sit on the commission, as a cause might arise out of it yet
which would have to be tried before them. I enileavoured, therefore, to
carry out the suggestion. I thought it was a good one, and took Justice
Day, who, as a retired judge, could by no possibility try any case which
might arise. He said that ho would be only too glad to do so, but as he
nas on very friendly personal relations with the Hon. Mr. Abbott, per-

:' '

580

ArrENDix.

haps it miglit be thought not to be proper. He, however, consented to
act. He also stated to me tliat at least one French Canadian judge should
sit, as one of my colleagues, a French Canadian, was iiiiplicated. He
thought over all the names of the judges of Lower Canada, and sug'^ested
to me the name of M, Justice Polette as a man of high standing, a man of
great legal power, as wortliy in all respects to take his seat on the com-
mission. And it is said Mr. Justice Gowan was a creature of mine. How
Mr. Justice Gowan ever came to be considered a creature of mine, I can-
not say. He commenced life as a partner of Mr. Small, and was an ex-
treme reformer. He was appointed by Mr. Jialdwin on the representation
of Mr. Small. I never did him a single favour that I know of. 1 did not
appoint him a judge. He was appointed a judge before I was a member
of parliament, his appointment being made in 1843, while 1 became a
member of parliament in 1844. I afterwards became acquainted wiih
Judge Gowan, and 1 found that he was a good lawyer. I may also say
that I have received great advantage, and that the country has received
great benefits from the services of Mr. Justice Gowan. There is but one
judge of the superior court in Upper Canada whom I have not appointed
or promoted, and that one judge, I am proud to say, on the best evidence,
has declared in the strongest terms that in the evidence prodviced before
the connnission there is not one tittle of evidence against me. (Cheers. )
It has been saiel that the commission was a partisan commission; but sup-
posing I had committed any crime under the connnon law of the land, I
must have been tried under a judge who was appointed or promoted by
myself ; and I believe tliat not one single month or day less punishment
would liave been given to me if 1 had been tried by any one tjf these
judges whom I have been from my position instrumental in placing on the
bench. With respect to the chai'ges brought against the judges, they have
assumed various phases. First we are told that the government had acted
with these American gentlemen and had given up all the rights of Canada
to a foreign corporation. We were told that we arc recreant to our [)03i-
tion as Canadians, to onr position as memliers of parliament, and guar-
dians of the rights of Canada, and that we had handed over the great
Pacilic railway to tl. . Vmericans. When that broke down, the next
charge was brought up, Hon. gentlemen opposite said, " We kno^r
you did not do that, but you have sold it," and then when that broke
down they came to the last charge, and said : ' ' Oh, you are guilty of
spending a large* sum of money at the elections." There are the three
charges, and with your permission I shall deal with them seriatim. It
has been attempted to show that the first was not a charge. I would
ask the house if it was not so understood in Canada, if it waa not so

APPEND IX.

?87

understood in Eni^land, if it hai not rung through the country, that tho
government of Canada were &o devoid of duty, so devoid of patriotism,
that they sold the charter to the Americans ] I must say that wlien this
charge was tirst made, it roused me. I ha I tliought tliat I had thwarted
these men in every particular. I had thouglit tliat 1 had excluded them
in every particular. I had thought that I had kept Jay Cooke & Co., and
Scott & Co., and every company in any way connected with the Northern
Pacific railway oat of the Canadian I'acilic railway. (Cheers.) Mr.
Speaker, if 1 had nut done so ; if 1 had gone into that moderate sys'tem; if
I had allowed the American railway .system to go on and be completed,
forever shutting out the opportunity for ours; if I had played the Ameri-
can game; if I had played the game of the hon. gentlemen oppusite; if I
had sold the raihvay; if 1 had sold the interests of Canada, — 1 would have
got tlie plaudits of hon. gentleiuen opposite, instead of now getting their
stabs. (Clieers. ) But it is because, fiom th'j tirst to the last, I was a
true Canadian; because from the lirsi, to tlie last 1 stood by Caii.vda; be-
cause from tlie first to the last, when they attempted to levy 'ilaokmail
upon mo, I put it down with a strong hand, — that is why the attack was
made on the government; that is why the attack was made on me. (Loud
cheers.) I have no hesitation in saying that this course, taken by the hon.
member for Shetiord, is governed behind the scones by a foreign element.
(Cheers.) I do not charge the hon. gentlemen by whom he is surroundecl
with being parties to this, but I do say tliat the cmirso of tlie hon. mem-
ber for Sheflbrd is g:)verned by a foreign element, and I can prove it.
(Clieers.) And if a committee is granted to ma, I will show that the hon.
gentleman sits here by virtue of alien money and influence; and not only
by virtue of alien influences, but alien railway influences. (Cheers.) 1
can prove it. I am informed, and verily believe, that I can prove it.
(Cheers and l.inghter.) I have got evidence, and if a committee is given
to me I can prove that the lion, gentleman was elected to his seat in this
house by alien railway influences; and more than that, I can not only prove
that he was elected by alien railway influences, but by alien railway influ-
ences not unconnected with the Nortliern P.icific railway. (Loud cheers. )
Now, Mr. Speaker, 1 have to speak t) the specific charges made against
the government. Sir, before the last election took place, I knew what I
had to face. I had a great, a strong and united opponent. I had showered
upon my devoted head all kinds of opposition. I had been one of the high
commissiiiners, antl (jne of the signers of the treaty of Washington. It was
said that I had betrayed the cnuntry, and the hon. gentlemen had described
me in their speeches as a cross between Benedict Arnold and Judas Iscariot.
But I met parliament, and by a calm ex[)lanation of my course I won the

i!l:

.ml

it: Ul.

r.s8

APPENDIX.

approval of the house. Still the opposition roared. I know that I must
meet with a strong opposition in my native province, from gentlemen of
the opposite party. That province was the only province in tlie country
that was not a gainer by the treaty, except as it was a gaiiior by the great
gain which, I think, over-baluncod everything — that of a la.sting peace be-
tween England and the United States. (Cheers.) It gave to our children,
and to our children's children, the assurance that we could enjoy our own
comfort, that we could enjoy (Jiir own firesides, that wo could sit under our
own fit; tree, without the possibility of the w.ir-cloud hanging over us; and
if I was guilty of being a party to that treaty, I shall be glad to have it
recorded on my tombstone. (Loud cheers.) We yielded much, we gave
up many things — 1 iidmit that. I told this house that we had yielded
much — that we had given up many things. lUit still we see our country
l)rospert)US — still we see every interest growing (cheers), and now we know
that by no h"stile hand, by no unfriendly, warlike invasion, can the future
be dostroyed. (Cheers.) Yet, sir, I went out and submitted my shoulder
to the smiter. 1 knew how much it would bo held out that we had not
got what we ought to have got ; that we had got no reciprocity — that the
wheat of the Western farmer was not exchanged on equal terms with the
whe.at of the Americans. But I had to meet that, and I met it, fllr.
Speaker, like a man. (Cheers.) J had to meet much more. I had not only
to be told — as I was told at every place that I went to — that I was a traitor
and had sold this country. If Canada is never sold in the futiire by a
greater traitor than myself, Canada will bo a fortunate country. (Loua
cheers.) But I was told also that I had not oidy sold Canada to the Yan-
kees, but that i had sold Ontario to the other i)rovinces. It was said that
I had not only conamitted a great breach of international law, but had also
given them more than their rights. On every question of constitutional law
I have had the satisfaction of having the courts — well, not perhaps the
courts, but of those men who make the courts — in my favour, and I have
never made a constitutional or legal proposition in which I have not had
the support of the legal advisers of the crown in E^ngland, and in which I
have not been right, and the lion, gentlemen oppcjsite have been wrong.
But with respect to Nova Scotia, wo are told, not only that my course was
unconstitutional, but that we had given to Nova Scotia more than they
had a right to have. Perhaps the hon. gentleman opposite would say they
never said so. He had been in the habit of saying so. But the fact could
be proved, that the hon. gentleman took the two grounds — lirst, that our
action was unconstitutional, and second, that the action was unjust to
Ontario. (Cheers.) Now I would ask you to speak to every member
from Upper Canada, and ask if they did not find in every election that

im i

iL>t\i

ArrENJjjA'.

589

said of the government of Canada, and that I, as prime miniater, had
granted to Nova Scotia too mucli, and had thereby increased the taxation
of the people of Ontario ? 1 have had to tell the people of Ontario, in tho
first place, that Nova Scotia only got justice, and in the second, that tlic
course taken was perfectly constitutional; and even if we had given Nov.i
Scotia a little more than justice, it was well worth the outlay. (Cheers,)
Why, Mr. Speaker, what did wo tind at the time of the union ? Tho min-
ister of customs was the tirat man returned to tho house in the elections.
on strictly union principles. Consider tlie position wo were in here. We
were with a constitution just tremblinij in the balance, and yet wo found
one of the most important provinces recalcitrant, threatening independence ,
and opposing in every possible way the carrying out of confederation, under
which we now live and flourish. Was I to deal with the nui'stiou in a
hesitating way ? If we had given to Nova Scotia a little more than her
rights, and even as it were a sop, I say it was a statesuuiulike act. But,
sir, there were no necessities of that kind. We did them simple justice;
and I will venture to say tliat any member who will now sit down and read
the discussions and negotiations between Canada and Nova Scotia, will feel
tlwit we did full and ample justice. I am no friend to doing half justice,
but we did them no more than justice. What is the conse(iuence ! Wc
see the people, irrespective of party; we see every man in Nova Scotia ad-
miring the legislation of parliament introduced by the goverinnent, which
has made Nova Scotia a part of the Dominion, instead of being a separate
province, and has converted it into one of the nuist ardent friends of con-
federation among tho whole of the different members of the Don^inion.
(Cheers.) If it shall happen, sir, as it iniiy happen, that I receive a reverse.
a condemnation of any particular act of luuie, 1 may still appeal, and I do
appeal, to the members for Nova Scotia, who, when their best interests
were assailed, and they were brought perforce, /rt.s ant nefas, into confeder-
ation, they still got fair treatment, got full justice, at our hands; and 1
hope to live in the hearts of the Nova Scotians. (Cheers.) While that
was satisfact(jry to me, I think it was not satisfactory to my friends in On-
tario. Every man who supported me was attacked at the polls with respect to
our action on the Wasliington treaty, and because it was said we had given too
muchtohelpthe Nova Scotians. So with British Columbia. Letmereadsome
of the resolutions with reference to tho Pacific railway and British Colum-
bia. Do you suppose, does any man su[>pose, we could have British Columbia
within the Dominion without a railwa}- 1 Tliere m\i3t not only be a union
on paper, but a union in fact. Those lion, members (rf the opposition, by
every act that they could, in every way that they coi,,.l, opposed the prac-
tical union of British Columbia with Canada. (Cheers.) They voted agains'

590

APPENDIX.

it, they said it was most outrageoiis — tho plan, the idea of a railway, was
outrageous. (Opposition cries of "hear.") That is the language tised by
hon. gentlemen opposite, and I will presently quote terms used. Now let
us look at some of the motions made. The <,'overnment moved a motion
to carry out a measure which is now the law. It was moved in amendment
"that the proposed engagement respecting the Pacific railway would, in
the opinion of the house, press too heavily on the resources of Canada to
carry out." That motion was dt'f(>ated. (Ministerial cheers.) Tlien it
was moved, " that in view of tho arrangement entered into with r>ritf8h
Cohinihia at tho time of confederaticm, and tho large expenditures neces-
sary for canal improvements and other purposes within the Dominion, this
house is not justified in imposing on the people the enormous burden of
taxation required to construct within ten years a railway to the Pacific, as
proposed by the resolution submitted to this houso." (.Ministerial cheens.)
I say I might read you a series of resolutions, all made by lion, gentlemen
(ip[posite, and voted for by them, showing that in their opinion we had been
overtaxing the resources of the people of Canada. T am now told by the
hon. gentlemen ojiposite, that, although they opposed that arrany;en)ont
with British Columbia, they think they ai'O bound to it now. I am told
that they say, "True, we made an arrangement witli British Columbia
which Wcis inipruvidcnt, extravagant ai;d ruinous, and which could never
be carried out. Yet, being made, we will carry it out." I don't exactly
see the logic of that. If it be ruinous, extravagant and impossible, I really
don't see how it can bo carried out now. (Cheers.) Put, Mr. Si)eaker, I
don't believe the policy of the hon. gentlemen opposite i.^ in favour of
that. (Loud cheers.) I knew it is opposed to that. (Renewed cheers.)
1 know, if this government goes out of ofTice, and another government
comes into power, if it be coniiinf^ed of hon. gentlemen opposite, that it
will oppose our policy in this question. (Ministerial cheers.) Hon. gen-
tlemen opposite dare not deny that the Gbihc newspaper announces and
directs their policy. We passed a l>i]l the session before last: we granted
a charter for the building of tho roal, and it was settled and determined
that the Pacific railway should be built, and we wore to build it on our
i!\vn territory, and nut allow the Yankees to come in and assist in building
the road, nor even the friends of the lion, member for Vancouver. Yet,
what was the announc<mient of the organ of the hon. gentlemen opposite ?
After the legislation of 1872, after we had accepted the arrangement with
British Columbia, after we l-.ad brought them into the Dominion on tho
pledge of the faith of Mie goveiiunent and the country that there would be
a Pacific railway within ten years, after we had made that promise, with
the solemn sanction of tho country, what were the remarks of the Olobe, the

APPENDIX

501

railway, was
uago used by
}d. Now let
ircd a motion
I amendment
ay w.)uld, in
of Canada to
ra.) Tlien it
witli r.ritrsh
Iit\ire8 necea-
aminion, this
us buixlen of
ho raeific, as
urial cheers.)
n. gentlemen
1 we had been
iv told by the
arriin'^eniont
r. I am told
ish Colnmbia
1 could never
don't exactly
sible, I really
r. S[)eaker, I
in favour of
wed cheers.)
covernment
osite, that it
Hon. gen-
iioiinces and
wo "granted
(leterininod
ild it on our
It in building
uvor. Yet,
sn opposite ?
fement with
nion on the
re would be
lomise, with
,e Globe, the

exponent of the opinions of hon. gentlemen opposite! The right hoD. gen-
tleman then read an extract from an article, published in the Globe during
1873, wherein the Pacific railway scheme was declared to be financially
ruinous, and politically unpatriotic ; — a scheme which could only be ac-
complished within ten years at an outlay which would cripple Canadian
resources, and lock up the most valuable part of our public domains. The
right hon. gentleman contin\ied: — Now, Mr. Speaker, you see what is to
happen if Canada builds this Canadian Pacific railway. All o\ir resources
are to be crippled by this, the most ruinous and most luipatriotic scheme
ever invented, and this cry I had to meet at the hustings. I have gone
on from one stage to another. I have shown ycju how I met the cries at
the hustings — that I bartered away Canadian rights iu the Washington
treaty; that 1 had granted t^o much to Nova Scotia; that I had been guilty
of granting a constitution to a few half-breeds in the North-West country,
and had given them infinitely more than they had a right to expect; that,
.18 regards British Columbia, I would throw away the resDurces of Canada
upon the construction of the Pacific railway, and that 1 had sold Ontario.
(Ironical cheers from the opiiosition.) Mind you, Ontario considers itself
the richest province — and no doubt it is — and that any additional charge
placed in the public treasury presses unfavourably on them, because they
pay more in proportion to their wualth th.in tha other provinces of the
Dominion. I know they don't do so, but it has been urged upon them
that they do do ao. Then, again, wo had to meet the continued opposition
of the local government of Ontario. I will give the Imn. gentlemen proofs
n writing, so that they will not be able to deny the fact — proof that though
that local government had pledged itself in the most formal manner to be
neutral in the contest, tliat they, by every act in their power, and by every
influence, direct and indirect, that they possessed, worked against the
Canadian government. That is the charge, and 1 can prove it. (Minis-
terial cheers.) We know that influences of every kind would be used, and
were used, which can be proved ; or, as the hon. member from ShefTord
would say, " I am credibly informed, and can prove," (laughter) ; and we
believed that the future of Canada much depends upon the continuing in
power of a government that has for its one single aim and oViject the main-
tenance of the connection between Qmada and the British empire, and
the promotion of the development of the Dominion itself. (Cheers.) We
have been met at the polls with sectional cries. If the opposition could
raise a religious cry, it was done. TIx? Now Brunswick school question
was brought up, and they got up the cry that we had given too much to
Nova Scotia, and those cries were made to ring at the polls in Western
Canada. The cry that we had given too much to British Columbia was

Tt-'nWi

' ('■ :'S '

f!iV

iv's

■ / / I

iii

«l

•

lUW. '■('

'^I^H

mk^

-fl

■ '11

-ll

p.- ,

592

A PJ'ENJJJA'.

hainmored into ns at, ovory piihlic mcotiiig in the west, and I say distinctly,
and I repeat it again, that wo liad tlie power, inlhienco, and the weight ol
tlio Ontario guverninont against us, contrary to the distinct pledjio that
that government would bo neutral. (Cheers.) Well, sir, 1 will state now
what occurred with respect to the Pacific railway. 1 was at Washington,
bartering my country, as some of the hon. gentlemen say — (laughter) — at-
tending, at all events, to the Washington treaty, when the resolutions were
carried whicli happily I s:iy for Canada brought British Columbia into the
union of the British North American provinces. (Cheers.) Tho propo-
sition included the Pacilic railway, for British Columbia would not havo
come in,unles8 the terms of union had included a railway. Notwithstanding
great opposition, tho resolutions were carried by my late honoured and
lamented colleague, but he only carried them by promising to inti'oduce
resolutions by which tint lailway would be built, not by the government
directly, but by private capital, aided by government grants. I would
not, if I had been here, have willingly assented to that proposition, but
though 1 was not here, yet I am responsible for that act, and I do accept
it as perhaps the best proposition to be had; otherwise, perhaps, the union
would not have been consummated. Tho resolutions declared that tho
railwiiy should be built by a railway company, assisted by government
grants of land and money. The hon. member for Nai»iorville, however,
moved a resolution setting forth that the house did not believe that pri-
vate capital could be obtained sufliuient for the purpose. Tho whole of
the resolutions moved by h(m. gentlemen opposite were more for tho pur.
pose of defeating the construction of tho Pacilic railway ; and when Sir
George Cartier produced his resolutions, and was about to carry them aj
prepared, he had to give way to the desire of tho house, because even those
who usually supported the government were alarmed by the cry which had
been raised by gentlemen oppcjsite. Thus, if the motion of tho hon. mem-
ber for Napierville had beer, adopted, and Canada was unable to get a
company to build the railway, the bargain with British Columbia would
fall to the ground and bo oidy waste paper, and British Columbia would
sit out shivering in tho cold, forever, without a railway. The policy in-
dicated by that resolution of tho hon. member for Napierville has been
carried out ever since. In March, long after the legislation had taken
place, by which parliament declared that there should bo a Pacific railway
built in some way or other, we find the Glube urging its friends to still
further oppose that scheme; and, sir, wo have had arraigned against us
tlio opposition of those who usually ally themselves against tho govern-
ment, supported by those gentlemen of the opposition many of whom owe
their election to sectional cries. (Cheers.) We have met them, and it is

A vi'Eyvis.

503

y distinctly,
lie woi;^ht ')f
pledj^o that
ill atiite now
Wivahington,
lULjhter)— ivt-
)hitii)n» were
nbia into the
Tho propo-
,\ilil uwt havo
,\vitliataniliu'4
lonoured ami
> to introduce
o govcruiueiit
nts. I would
■oposition, but
lid 1 do accept
laps, thouniou
)larod that tho
)y govermnent
villo, however,
elievc that pri-
I'ho whole of
re for the pur.
and when Sir
carry them aj
liuse even those
cry which had
the hon. meni-
mable to got a
ilunibia would
)lumbia would
[The policy iu-
■ville has been
,on had taken
'aciticrailwny
riends to still
.ed against us
it the govern-
of whom owe
Ihein, and it is

■aid that wc have met them with money. I believe that the gentlemen
opposite spent two pounds to our one. (Opposition cries of " no, no.") 1
challenge tho hon. gentlemen to have & conunitteo on this subject. Lot
us liave a committee. (Ministerial cheers.) I read the speecli of the hon.
member for South Bruce at London, and ho suggested tlio appointment of
a statutory committee. In God's name, let us have it ! Let us have a
committee of three, to go from ccuinty to county, from constituency to
constituency, and lot thorn sift these matters to the bottom, and I toll you
on my honour as a man, that I believe I can prove that there aro more
who owe their elections to money on that side of the house tiiaii on this.
(Loud miiiistoriiil cheers. If 1 be challenged, I can go into detail, 1 can
show, and I can prove it, that many members owe their election to money,
and to money alone. I challenge the hon. gentlemen to agree to tiio ap-
pointment of a ciinnuittec, a statutory committee, as siggested by tho
hon. member for South Bruce. Let us put tho names of the judges of all
the provinces into a bag, and draw out throo names, who shall form the
conimittoe. (Cheers.) As I stated in my evidence — and I hope my evi-
dence has been carefully read by every member of this house — and I say
here, that 1 tried to be as full and frank as I could well be. 1 could not
help it if I was not subjected to a rigid cross-exaniiiuition. I was exceed-
ingly anxious that the hon. member for Shelford should be there to cross-
examine me — (cheers) — and I would willingly have answered his ([aestions.
I have little more to say than I said then. Sir, there was no sale to Sir
Hugh Allan of any contnact whatever. (Cheers.) Consider for one mo-
ment, Mr. Speaker, how tho case stood. Parliament had passed two acts,
one for Upper Canada and one for Lower Canada, and some two or
three subsidiary acts respecting branch lines. But wo will leave these
out of the question, and will consider that there were two acts passed
— one for a conii)any having its centre in Montreal, and tho other
in Toronto. Now, sir, although there were Ontario gentlemen con-
nected with tlie Canada Pacific company, and altluiug'.i there were Que-
bec gentlemen connected with the Literoceanic company, yet they were
really acts promoted by men wbo have Ontario and Quebec interests on-
ly, and every one saw that they were essentially sectional. Before parlia-
ment met, and before either act was passed, the cry was got up that the
Northern racilic people were desirous of obtaining the c^lntrol of our rail-
way. At the first, Mr. Speaker, when the first interview took place be-
tween the govornraent and these gentlemen, I was very glad to see them.
We had passed in 1871. theact that liriti.sh Culumbia should be a portion cf
'he Dominion, and wo had passed a resolution by which wo were to build
the railway in ten years It was understood, then, sir, that the whole

■ \

!'?!

< i

094

ji I'i'KNDLY.

matter should stiuid over until tlio oiiHtiiii)^ session, ami that in tho nioan-
tiino thu Kovoriimeiit slioiild ^^o on witli the survey iiiid bo romly in 1H7'-
with tho plans. We ^{ot tiiroii^di tlioBtosion of 1H72 and wo coniniuncfd,
in ordtT to keep faith with tho nritisii (.'(dunibians, tho snr/oy, and I
think they will admit, and everyone must admit, that the yroatost enori,'y
and tho greatest zeal have been exhibittid in the survey, aTid that within two
years there lias never been so much work so satisfaoturily done an in tliis
railway survey by Mr. Sanfurd Fleming. (Cheers.) Tlio survey was yo-
n,' on, and in midsummor and in the fall all the members of the govern-
ment were scattered lookinj,' after their several atlairs, takini; tiieir little
holidays, and (Jod knows the public men of thi.s country have little enough
holiday. 'I'hey were all scattered except Sir Francis llincks and myself
when Mr. Waddiuf^ton called on nu). 1 had known the gentleman before,
and I much respected him. He said to me that there wore some Ameri-
can gentlemen to see us about the railway. I .said to him in my way,
" What a fool you were to bring iliem hero. Wo can do nothinjj; with
them." lie was very much distressed, and said to me. "But you will
not refuse to see them." J said certainly not. The guntlemou then came,
and fciir Francis Ilincks and T met them, and we talked j)lea8antly, and I
said to them that I was glad to see that American capital was looking for
investment in Canadian enterprises, but that it was altogether premature
as we could not then take any oilers or suggestions, or take any action till
after we had mt^t [larliammt. One of tliem remaiked that ihey had evi-
dently been brought on a wild-go(jso errand, and they then went away.
This iirst bnuight to my mind very strongly the necessity for looking out
for our railway. I'arliaiiii'ut had tied down our hands, and tiie railway
could only be built by a cumpany, and tli(ire were no other means of car-
rying out the pletlge with liritish Columbia, and I therefore immediately
addressed myself to the matter. And what did I do ? I spoke to all that
1 could, OS I have no dtiubt my colleagues did, and endeavoured to arouse
Canadians in the enti>r|)ise. 1 went to Toronto and saw IMessrs. Mac-
pherson, Ozowski, Col. Ciunberland, Mr. Howlandand his son, and Good-
erham it Worts, and in fact every one, and endeavoured to induce thom to
enter into the great enterprise. I told them as Sir Francis Hincks told
Sir Hugh Allan, that by law there was no other way of building the road
but by a company, and that they ought to get up a grand company, get a char-
ter and go to Knglaud for any capital they needed. As I went to Toronto,
Sir Francis Hincks went accidentally to Montreal, and told Sir Hugh about
the American gentlemen who had called on us, and the fault I found with
my friend Sir Francis, and which 1 ventured to tell him when ho was a
member of the government was, that while merely attempting to stinm-

in tlio mcftn-
rojuly ill 1^"-
) conmioiict'd,
Burv'ey, and I
'oatust onor;,'y
liat within two
loiiu !W ill this
urvoy was yo-
)f the govorn-
in<4 tlioir little
e little onou^h
tks and myself
tleman before,
•e Hi'UU! Anieri-
liiu in my way,
o nothing; with
" But yon will
ueii then came,
[easiintly, and I
was lookin;^ for
)lhor premature
o any action till
lit they had evi-
|heu went away,
for lookini? out
iiid the railway
|r means of car-
[ve immediately
,p,)ke to all that
)iired to arouse
Iw INIessrs. Mac-
son, and fitiod-
iuduce them to
Icis Hincks told
lilding the road
my, get a char-
tent to Toronto,
Isir Hugh about
\\t I found with
when ho was a

A I'l'KNVLV.

5!).")

Lptin;

r to stimu-

late Sir Hugh to go into the work, he liad named to hiiu that ho had hot-
ter put hiniBelf in connnunication with tlio American capitalistn. That
was the act of Sir Francis Hincks. That was his concern, and I would
not at all object to American capital, or capital from KngI and, or any-
where else, but I told Sir Francis on his return that he had Ixhui ])rema-
ture in this, that we ought to have kept to a great ('iiiisidiiin company be-
fore any oflVr or intimation that Americans might como in was made.
Then Sir Hugh, acting on the hint given by Sir Francis, and it was no
more than a hint— it was in no way a goviTununt action— comunuiicated
with the Americans, and we had a visit from a number of Americans with
Sir Hugh ; ami Mr. Sjieaker, I being spokesman on both occasions, gave
them precisely the same answer that they wore prematiuo ; that we were
very gltid to see them, but we ::ould make no avrangemeut until [lailiamcnt
met. 1 said we would bo very glad howovei to he.ir any proposition, and
asked them whether they had any to make. Sir Hugh a<<ked iik return
whether we were in a i)osition to entertain a proposition ; and on our re-
plying in the negative, ho rej^iiifd that ho thi^n had n'l proposition to
make. And these were all the conmumicatioiis botwceii the Canadian
g(»vernmeiit and these gentlemen. (Cheers.) This statement cannot be con-
troverted, and will not be. In the meantime a sectional jealousy had
arisen, instead of, as I hoiied, a joint action between the capitalists of
Montreal and Toronto, and instead of, as I had hoped, there being a rush
and anxiety among (»ur moneyed men in the ditl'eient i)arls of Canada to
form one great company, for the work required tniited exertion, there was
a jealotisy fainied from some (]unrter, which we know now, and this jeal-
ousy prevented the two great bodies of capitalists, who ought to have built
the road, from joiinng, and all our hoites were scattered ; and a feeling
arose in Tor >nto first that if the Montreal interest got the preponderance
Toronto trade would get the go-by, and second, that Sir Hugh Allan and
the Montreal interost were joined witdthe Americans. That fettling grew
and I am not now in a position to state, after reading the evidence anil af-
ter reading the letters of Sir Hugh Allan and those published by Mr. Mc-
Mullen, I am not now in a position to state that that jealousy in Toronto
was ill founded. I am not in a piisition to state that they had not some
grcjund of which wo knew nothing for believing that the Mo:itroal party
were in communication with the Americans. I aui not now in a position
to state that the people of Toronto and the Interoceanic had not groat
cause for sus[)icion and jealousy, whether that suHpieion was well or ill
founded ; but before parliiment mot, as 1 have sworn, and as Mr. Abbott
has sworn, and as every member of the house knows, the feeling
against the introduction of American capital was so great that by no

-tl

59(5

A rPENinx.

i "^ill:

I ^

possibility could it be allowed eniranoe. We felt, Mr. Speaker, and
every member knew it, that it was necessary that every American ele-
ment must be eliminated from the acts, or they could not pass — (clieers)
— and I appeal to hon. !,'entlemen who wore then in the house if they
d(> not know, as a matter of fact, that it w;.j mulerstood on all sides that
the American element wiva I'liminated. I understood it so ; the government
understood it so ; and tiie house ' nderstood it so, and Mr. Abbott, who
underf'" k the manaL,'ement (jf the !<ill of the jMnntreal oonip;in3' through
this house, made it a siiecial underst;inding with Sir Hugh Allan that ife
should be s(/ before ho prouKjted the bill, and so it was by universal con-
sent. I know, Mr. Speaker, that it will be said, and I may as well speak
of it now, that Sir Hugh Allan's letters show that he still kept up his con-
nection with the Americans. I know it, and 1 pi.infuUy know it, that Sir
Hugh Allan behaved bailly and acted disingenuously towards tlie men witli
whom he was originally connected. I say that when he found that Amer-
icans were not to be admitted he ought to have written to tiieni, and 'n-
formed them that thougji he had made a contract with them, still so strong
a feeling existed in Canada that he must at once iind forever sever his con-
nection with them. Instead of doing so, however, he 'jarriod on a cor-
respondence with them, a [irivate corresp</iuIence, whicli lie han sworn no
one els,„ saw, and which he has sworn that not even his colleagues in the
Canada Pacific company knew ot, not even Mr. Abbott, his c )ntidential
adviser. He says he ciiiducted it as his (jwn pur.-ional atl'air, believing and
hoping that in the end the people of Canada would come to a dill'erent
view, and alio'v .American capital to bo u;5ed. He hi. 3 sworn tiiat, and we
never knew that he was carrying on ccMiimunications wit.'i the Americana.
Mr. Abbott never knew it ain'. the Canada I'acilic company have declared
thab tiiere was no connection between them and the .Americans, but I have
heard it saiil, t think, by the member for ('l»ateauguay, is it pi^ssible that
the government would give lo contract to a man who had behaved so disin-
geniior.sly, and after this want of ingenunusiioss iiad been shown to the
Prme Rfinister, by >lie exhibition of the cm-respondence ? Sir, let me
say a word to you about that. After the Act passed and we were working
with all our might to form a good company and a strong one, long after, Mr.
Speaker, as it appears in the correspondence between Sir Huiih Allan and
the Americans, Mr. McMullen came to my olKce in order to levy black-
mail. (Cheers.) He did not show me the correspondence, but }ie flour-
ished certain receiiitsand drafts which Sir Hugh Allan had drawn at New
York. There was notiiing, however, in that because he had told ns he had
gone into that association, and we knew that he had communication with
the Americans, and there was nothing extraordinary in my seeing that

A PI' END IX

ft97

)oaker, and
ericai> ele-
is — (cheers)
use if they
11 sides that
Ljdvernrnent.
^bl)()tt, who
uy through
Uhvu that it
iversal con-
,s well speak
up his con-
,• it, that Sir
he men with
I that Ainer-
leui and 'n-
tiil so strong
ever his con-
icd on a cor-
has sw'iru no
•a<»ue3 in the
cjntidential
lolievuv^ and
(1 a ditl'erent
that, and we
A niei'icans.
live declared
s, hut I have
jKJSsible that
ivcd so diain-
ihown to the
Sir, let me
riTO working
ig after, Mr.
;h Allan and
levy black-
)ut he tiour-
awn at New
lid us he had
lication with
seeing that

these gentlemen had subscribed a certaui siir, of money tor preliminary
expenses, and I have never known a company, railway or otherwise, with-
out preliminary ex [tenses being provided for by the pnjmotera. I told Mr.
McMullen therefore, that it was his matter, antl that he must go and see
■ Sir Hugh. 1 heard no more about the matter until late in .January or
February, after we had f(jrnied the company, after a corre.spondenco with
every province of the Dominion, after having tried to excite and liaving
successfully excited the capitalists of the difierent provinces to subscriber
after we had got every thing prepared, after I had drafted the char-
ter and the groat seal only recpiirod to be aiUxed, and just when tlie
charter was about to be launched, and the company to biiild the road
was about to be made a certainty, then Mr. C. M. Smith, 'Mv. Hurl.
hurt and Mr. jVIcMulicn walked into my ofliue. I do not say that Mr.
Smith or Mr. Hurlb'irt came to levy blackmail. I do not thiidc they
did, for they looked respectable gentlemen, and spoke and behaved as
such. They tnld me Sir Hugli Allan had behaved very badly, and they
read a gnod deal of the correspondence which has been published, and I
told tlu'ia tlun, "Gentlemen, if your statement is true. Sir Hugh Allan
has behaved badly towards you, but the mitter is your own, and Sir
Hugh is no doubt able to iiiLi-t you." They spoke (jf the seizing of his
ships a.id briiiging actions against him both in the L'uited States and Can-
ada, when I re)Kiati;d to them that thoy had their own projter remedy, anii
addi'd that Sir Hugh had not tlu; slightest power to give them the con-
tract, (t'heei's.) 1 told thtin that he ouglit to have liroken >iir his con-
nection with them long ago. and that if he had kept them in the dark they
must take their owii reuiedy against him. We were then asked how could
we a(imit Sir Hugh into the cmitract. Mr. Speakei-, we had already ad-
mitted him. The contract was made. Every province had been given its
directors. Tiie charter had been drawn, aii I only awaited the signature
of the governor-general ; and niiU'e liian all this, the correspondence,
whatever may be said of the conduct of Sir Hugh Vllaii towards the Amer-
icans, proved the existence of hostility between them, and showed that if
Sir Hugh were one of the company who received the contract we sh'-uld
keep the Americans out alto.;ether. I had to get that contract let. I had
to get a sullicient number of the capitalisti of (Janada who would take up
this snbjict, and Sir Hugh Allan was the first, ile is our greatest cai)i-
talist. He was tlie fir.st man who went info it, and these gentlemen, Mr.
McMullen aiul the rest, proved to mo that Sir Hugh Allan had cut the
cord of connection, had nothing to do with the Americans, or with Jay
Cooke it Co., antl that they were resolved to follow him to the death as tliey
have done. (Hear, hear.) This, then is the narrative, so far, of our cou-

-I

598

A PPENDIX.

¥.\\

nection with the Pacific railwa}'. My evidence states that shcrtly before
the elections 1 went to Toronto, and Sir George Cartier went to Montreal.
I do not wish hnn. (gentlemen to suppose for t,no single instant that I would
desire to shelter niyseif or my living colleagnes by throwing the blame on
my dead coUeagno. (Ciiecrs.) Whatever Sir George '"artier has done I
will assume the responsibility of. (Hear, hear.) Whatever Sir George
Cartier has done I must accept .as being tlie honest expression of an
individual minister ; but, sir, I do not admit, and 1 will not aduiit,
and it is not safe for hon. gentlemen opposite to admit, that any one
minister can l)iii(l a iDiiiistr}'. (Cheei's.) I wjiit to Toronto in order to
descend to the stern contest that was forced upon me by the course taken
liy hon. gentlemen opposite, to meet the arLrnments that were going to be
used against me, the sectional questimis that witc raised against me, the
numerous charges which were made against me, and wliich I had always
found operating against me. When 1 went to Ontario for that purpose,
and to meet tiiese charges, it was not for the first time. As long as I
have been in parliament I have been cliarged by hon. gentlemen Ojpisite
with selling Upper Canada, with sacrificing the best interests of Upper
Canada, with selling myself to French domination and Catholic intlutnces
Mnd Lower Canadian interests. I had refuted these charges repeatedly,
iuid had convinced the majority in Upper Canada that I held then as I do
now the principle of union between Upper and Lower Canada, and that
the only way by which that union could be firmly established was by ig-
noring sectional quistions and religious dill'eretices. (Ciieers.) Tliese cries
;iie still raised. You will hear them before many days in tills house, and
you will hear them throughout the country whenever it pleases hnn. gen-
tlemen opposite to raise them ; but as my past history has shown, so my
future history will prove that whatever party political e.^igency may be,
I have never, and shall never give up the great principle of keeping intact
tlie union of Upper and Lower Canada by a give and take principle, by a
reciprocity of feeling and by surrendering o\ir own religious and political
prejudices for the sake of union. I went to the West to do what I could
during the elections, in fighting the battle of the party and the govern-
ment. I had simply said to Sir George Cartier that 1 should have a very
hard fight in Upper Canada, as I had the gove . lent of Ontario against
me, and I wished him to h»lp me as far as he co.dd. I went to Toronto,
and I tried all I could before the elections took place to procure an amal-
gamation of the two companies. It was of vital importance, in a party
point of view, laying aside the patriotic view, to have a comiiany to biiild
the road, composed of the Montrealers and the Toronto men, so that I
could have gone to the country and said, " Here is a great enterprise. Wo

APPENDIX.

59t>

icrtly before
to Montreal,
that I would
the blame on
n- has done I
•r Sir Georj,'e
•ess lull of an
11 nut aaiiiit,
that any on«
3 in order to
'. course taken
•e going to be
gainst nie, the
L I had always
that purpose,
A3 luui,' as 1
emen opposite
■ests of Upper
lolie intlutnces
;e3 repeatedly,
Idthen as I do
nada, and that
lied was by ig-
s.) These criea
his house, and
ases hni. gaii-
shown, so my
I'licy inay be,
keeping intact
iriuciple, by a
[s a!id p ditical
what I could
I tlie govern-
1 have a very
ntario against
,t to Toronto,
icure an amal-
|e, in a party
ipany to build
lien, so that I
ntor[)ri3e. Wo

have formed a great company. We are carrying out a great scheme. Wa
are forming a great country." 1 spared no pains to procure an amalgama-
tion ; Senator Macpherson, and any one in Toronto connected with the
enterprise, will tell you how hard, how earnestly, in season and out of
season, I worked to procure that amalgamation. I failed. I thought I
liad succeeded two or tliree times. I abandoned my own fonstituency ;
I might have been elected by acclamation, or at all events by a very large
majority, but instead of attending to my election, T went up to Toronto to
attempt to briiisc about an amalgamation between the two companies.
Then tliey got up a story about me, according to the habit of the opposi-
tion, that I considered my ccmstituency a pocket borough, and thought I
could afford to pass it by. I thought at onetime I had succeeded in pm-
curing an amalgamation, and JFr. Abbott came up to Toronto in response
to a telegram from me. We had an interview with Mr. Macphers(jn, and
almost succeeded in coming to an agreement. The only (question was
wliether there should be seven and six or live and four directors from Oii-
tiirio and Quebec. The arrangement was so near that 1 wassatistied wlien
1 left Toronto that the amalgamation was complete. I found, however,
that that was not the case, and in the middle of my election, on the 2oth,
I think, of July, I telegraphed to Mr. Maeplierson to come down, and he
came down to Kingston and saw me and then I sent that telegram which
has been pul)lished in tlie pai)ors, and which was tiie only arrangement as
regards the granting of the cliarter so far as the government was concern-
ed, so far as I was concerned. (Hear, hear.) That telegram which was
sent on the 2()th July was sent by me to Sir Hugh Allan, after seeing Mr.
Macpherson, and with the knowledge of M. . Macpherson. Xuw wiiat
does that say ? I was ol)liged reluctantly to give up the hope of having an
amalgamation before the elections. These little jealousies, these little
personal ambitions and the jostling between seventeen and thirteen mem-
bers on the board ha<l come in the way, and [ could not carry out the ar-
rangeinent 1 had hoped to comiilete. I coulil not spare the time. 1 was
in great danger of losing my election by thnjwing myself away on this
great Pacific railway. I actually came down to Kingston only on the day
of luy nomination, trusting to the kindness of my old friends in Kingston,
Well, sir, what was the telegi'am wliicii I sent ? It said ; "1 liave seen
Mr. Macpherson," — he waa in the room when I wr^te it. " I have seen
Mr. Macpherson, He has no personal ambitii>n, l)ut lie cannot give up
the rights of Upper Canada, I authcjrise you to state that any inlluenoe
the government may have in the event of amalgamation, shall be given to
Sir Hugh Allan. The thing must stand nver till after the elections. The
two gontJemen, ilr. Macpherson and Sir Hugh Allan, will meet in Ottawa

I 'I

coo

APPENDIX.

ani form an amalgamation." Tlmt was the proposition which I made, anJ
just thinic, sir, what was involved, think how much I was snubbing, which
is a word which has been used by tlie Globe hitely, liow mucli I was injur-
ing and prejudicing^ tlie interest of my colleague iu Montreal, Sir George
Cartier. Sir Hugli Allan did nut cure so much for the Pacilic railway,
and Sir George Caitier did not care so much for Sir Hugli Allan. It was
not Sir Hugh Allan or the I'aciHc railway that he cared so much about ;
but Sir Hugh Allan had made himself the representative man of Lower
Caiuida with respect to the Nofthern Colonization Road, the North Shore
Road, and tho Ottawa and Toronto Ivoad, so that the niembera from
Lower Canada would liave stood by Sir Hugh Allan even to the ri.sk of
losing all the elections, because their Montreal interests would be so noich
alFected if Sir Hugh Allan were not sustained with regard to tiie Tacitic
railway. l>ut with respect to the other railways, uiy hon. friend from llo-
chelaga and other gentlemen can say that if there had been accord between
Sir Hugh Allan .uid the Frencii niembcrsof Lower Canada from the Mon-
treal district, there wo\ild have been a great peril of the Lower Canadian
members from that district deserting Sir (!corge Cartier, and sujiporting
Sir Hugh Allan in carrying out the Northern Colouiz.itiou road. I wa.*
standing by Sir (ieorgo Cartie)', who was most improjierly cliarged with
being so much attached to the (irand Trunk railway that he would not do
justice to the otiier roads. J will ask my friends from Lower Canada if
Sir George Caitier's connecti^ui with the railway had anything to do with
the results of the elections. His prospects were connected with the locil
roads alone. In order to provtito you how ti-iie a man Sir George Cartier
was, how perfectly unsidli.sli he w:is, I nriv state that he held back on my
;u'jount. When he said, " 1 wish to be elected on uiy own iii;>rits, and on
my own services, and not on account of the Colonization or any other
road," (cheers) and when by a word he cotild ave put an end to the cry
of interest, he felt tluit it was a sectiMnnl feeling between L'ppur and Lower
Canada, and tliat if he pronounced in favour of any rjiilway iu Lower
Canada, he would injure me in Upper C' aada, and he sacritieed himself
for my sake in Lower Cana<la, b'>caubt lie thought that any proniuuice-
ments in favotir of Sir Hugh Allan, might injure '.le and my friends iu
the western e^.cMons. (Cheors.) 1 had only one thing to do and that
was to return to Iiim the ccjntideiice and trust he had reposed i.i me. 1
suid, " Don't mind me. Fight your own battles. You must make your
own arrangements with your own friends iu respect to tho railways," and
it was not until he had that counuunication witli me that he said he
would help the Northern C^)lonization road. It was not because Sir
George Cartier had any personrd (d)jects to gain, it was not because ho

;• %

AI'PEKDIX.

001

i »

h I made, and
iibbing, which
li I was iiijiir-
,1, Sir Ciifori^e
iicitio railway,
Vllan. It was
much about ;
lau of Lower
e North Shore
loiubers from
to the risk of
ikl be so uiuch
to the Tacitic
ieijd from llo-
iccord between
from the Mon-
.)wor Cauadi;ui
lud aupportiu'^
1 roail. I was
• cliar^ed with
e would not do
)wur Canada if
iig to do with
with the lord
leorge Cartier
d back on my
merits, and on
or any other
d to the cry
n'rand Lower
«;iy in Lower
■iticed himself
ly pronounce-
lay friends in
do and that
led ill me. 1
ist make your
aihvays," and
at he said he
t because Sir
Dt because ho

« connected with the Grand Trunk Railway, but it was purely from a
<t,.3ire to save me from any pcjssible diSiculty in Upper Canada that he
held back, and I have here now, wlien lie is dead, the proud opportunity
of stating that p\ en in the last moment he was actuated by no st^llish feel-
ing, by no desiri', lo promote his own interests, but that he only thouglit
uf his coreague, of his comrade of twenty years. He otdy thouglit by ap-
pearing to promote a national interest in Lower Canada he might hurt me
in Upper Canada, and he threw away all his chances, all his hojies, every
thing like a certainty or a reanonable hope of .success, for the purpose of
itanding by me, and 1 am proud and happy new to pay tliis tribute
to his memory. (Cheers.) Well, .sir, on the UOtli of dulj- 1 sent that tele-
L'ram, and that wns the only bargain. No man can make a bargain with
the government, except by an order in council, or by the .action iif the
first minister, recognised and accepted by his colleagues. Any act of a
first minister, until it is disavowed, is considered eijiial to a minute of
Council, eipial to an act of the gtn'ernment. That telcLtrani of miim of the
2ti:h of July was an act of the i^ovv-riinu'iit. My colleagues Inive not re-
pu'liatcd it ; they have accepted it, ai d it was a fair arrangement ;is we
could not gel tlie amalg imation. As we could not svicceed in going to the
ciiiuitry with a jierfect scheme for building the I'acilic railw.iv, what else
was left to us but to keep the anialgaiuatiou of these great cajjitalists ojien
till after the elections, and then call them together, and the oidy word of
preference for Montreal over Toronto was simply my expression that any
intlueiice the government miglit have in case of amaigaination, in the case
of the two companies joining and electing a boar^l of directors, would he
fiiirly used in favour of Sir Uiigli Allan for the presidency, \ think that
was due to Sir Hugh Allan, and after all it was no great ali'iir. Kvery-
body knf)iia that the presi lent of a e(jini)any is no nim-e ihin the junior
nieii'.ber of the board of diri'Ctors, It depends altogether upon the per-
soiial weight of llie mnn. We have seen boards where the pre.-^idcni
governed the board ; others where the president was a mere tignie head,
and others a,'ain where the junior member gover"ed the company. It
depends entirely upo' the ]i(>rs:)nal figure and authority of the man. Well,
sir. I madi. that promise, but I wish the h tuse to remember th.at at the
time of that telegram, in whie'i I sim[)ly stated that as we conlJ not form
•J Company before the elections, we would form one afterwards out of the
two, and would do what we could to make Sir Hugh Allan president. At
that time there had been not one single word sai 1 about nioiiey — (cheers)
-And there never was one f>aid, as far as I was concerned, between Sir
Hugh Allan and me. (Hear, hear.) I was fighting the battle in Western
Canada, 1 was getting subscriptions, as I have no doubt the hon. mem-

' i

); ,

I
I

'?02

A PPENDIX.

ber for Lainbton was getting subscriptions, and if ho denies it I will bo
aole to prove it. ((Jheers.) I state in my place that I will be able to
t)rove it, (Cheers.) [ was doing what I could for the ])urposo of getting
money to help the elections, and I was met, not only by individual exer-
tions, but by the whole force, power and influence, legitimate and illegiti-
mate of the Ontario government. I have no hesitati(»n in saying that in
all expenditure, we were met by two dollars to one. (Hear, hear.) I
have read with some amusement the attacks that have been made upon
the government, because a member of the government was a party to this
fund. If we had had the same means possessed by lion, gentlemen oppo-
site ; if we had sjjies ; if we had thieves ; if we had men who went to
your desk, picked your lock, and stole your note books, we would have
much stronger evidence than hon. gentlemen think they have now.
(Cheers.) We were fighting an uneven battle. We were simply subscrib-
ing as gentlemen, while they were stealing as burglars. (Cheers.) Wo
may trace it out as a conspiracy throughout. I use the word conspiracy
advisedly, and I will use the W(;rd out of the house aa well as in the
house. (Cheers.) The hon. member for Sheffoi'd said that he had ob-
tained certain documents, lie attempted to read them to this house, not
much I think to his credit, and certainly contrary to the sense of the
house and of the country. Now how did ho get these documents. We
had Mr. George W. McMuUen, who was the American agent of these gen-
tlemen. He had carried on this corresj)ondence with Sir Hugh Allan, and
when he came to me in December and tried to levy black mail on me (hear,

hear,) I told him to go to , well [ did not use any impr<)per language,

but I told him to step out of my oflice (laughter and cheers,) and he went
to the hon. gentlemen opposite. (Cheers.) This is no mere hypothesis
of mine. Sir Hugh Allan had promised to pay this man .^17,000 for these
papei.j, and although he had the money almost in his hand, the hon. gen-
tleman gave him something more. (Cheers.) The hon. gentleman cannot
deny that he did.

Hon. Mr. HuxTixorov — I do deny it. (Opposition cheers.) The
statement is without foundation.

Sir John MAuri'j.vALD — If there is one person in the world whom
the hon. member for ShefFord has as a friend, it is the editor and pro-
prietor of the Montreal Fferahl (hear, hear), I think he takes him
to his bosom ; I think they sleep together. I think they have but
one thought. He is his guide, philosopher, and friend, and when we
have t'nc announcement from the Montreal Ilcralil, of May the 22nd.
18V3, 1 think we must accept it. " ^io one can suppose that such a
plot could have been laid bare without great labour and large ex

i it 1 will bo
11 be able to
ISP of Kettin;<
lividnal oxor-
e and illegiti-
iiyin<^ that in
jar, hear.) I
311 made upon
i party to this
itlemon oppo-
who went to
e would have
y have now.
nply subscrib-
Cheors.) Wo
)rd conspiracy
■oil as in the
lat he had ob-
hi3 house, not
1 sense of the
cunients. We
it of these gen-
iigh Allan, and
il on uie (hoar,
)por language,
) and he went
ire hypothesis
,000 for these
the hen. gen-
louian cannot

I cheers.) The

world whom

tor and pro-

le takes hira

' have but

land when wo

|[ay the 22nd.

that such a

Lnd large ex

APPENDIX.

603

penditure" (cheers), again, the llerald says, s[)eaking of Mr. Hunting-
ton, — " Hut for the courage with which he assumed it, as well as for the
pains aud expenditure which it has co.st liim to expose the mystery, he ii
entitled to tlie warmest gratitude." (Glieers on both sides of the house.)
I judge from the cheers of hon. gentlemen opposite that the hon. member
for Shefford has their thanks ; but that is an admission tl)at he made the
expenditure. (Oli! oh! and cheers. ) This man bought Mr. Mcftlullen. It
is .admitted by the Montreal Jleiald that he bought him. (No ! no ! and
hear, hear.)

Hon, Ml'. EIuNTiNaroN — T have already stated in the house that the
charges were nut founded on any inforination from Mr. Mc.Mulleu, and
that the statements which have appeared wore '^al.se. I never got any in-
formation. I never got any information from McMullen till long after
I made the charges. 1 never paid nor promised him a cent, aud the state-
ment of the hon. gentleman is titterly wiihout foundation. (Oppo.sition
cheers.) The statement also that ho made a few miniites ago that 1 have
been influenced here by foreign gold, and tliat foreign gold had been used in
my election, is an utterly unfounded statement, false in every particular ;
and I challenge the hon. gentleman to the combat, and dare him on his re-
sponsibility to take the c(jniUiittee. (Mr. Huutiugton was proceotliug, when
cries of " Oi'dor ! " were raised on the government benches, answered by
opposition cheers. The hon. gentleman went oi; speaking in the midst of
an uproar wliich rendered his remarks yeifuoth' inaudible). Un order
being restored,

Sir JouN Macdonalo proceeded. There, air, is the very evidence
that I have hit the spot ; that I have hit him on a sore point. (Cheers
and No ! no !) I have told the hon. gentleman that I am willing to have
a conuuittee to inquire into the whole matter, including the case of the
hon. gentleman.

Hon. Mr. Huntington — Oh ! Yo\i can back outasyou will.

Sir JouN Macdondlu— I am not backing out, but the hon. gen-
tleman cannot expect to have it all as he likes. I'll read another extract.
"Mr. Huntington said that the charter was obtained in the session of
1872, long after the men who fttrnished tlie money to him (Sir Hugh
Allan) were repudiated, and made arrangnients with liim (Mr. Hunting-
Nun) to bring the charges against the government." (Cheera.)

Hon, Mr, Huntington rose to a questioa of order. The report of
my speech is entirely without foundation. (Cries of order, order.)
That is a question of fact, and the hon. gentleman can correct it after-
wards.

■ t
i

004

A PPENDlJr.

Sir JouN Macdonald — I heard it myself. (Cries from government
benches, "We all heard it.") Perhaps the hon. gentleman will deny
that he said Jay Cooke would not have him in his oftico withmit a witness.

Hon. Mr. IIltntinotox — That is another falsehood of the Ottawa
Times. That paper, which is inspired by hon. gentlemen opposite, delib-
erately falsified my speech from the beginning to the end. I refused to
ilisgraee myself by noticing the malignant statement of the dastard sheet.
Wh;'.t I said was that I had not soon Jay Cooke for four years ; that I
went to apromineiitproinoterof the Northern Pacific railway (hear, hear),
with the view of conversing with him, and found that they were the allies
of the hon . gentlemen opposite, because they would not even talk to me
without people being present. (Hear, hear.)

The Si'KAKKK— I must call the hon. member to order. I hope this
interruption will cease. The hon. member knows what the rules of do-
bate are as well as any one else in the house, and this plan of iaterr\ip-
tion can only lead to iinseomly confusion in the house. The hon. gen-
tkmjin will ask his opportunity from tlie house. I am sure it will be
given to him, and he can then make liis denial on the question of fact.

Sir John Macuonald — I wish to invite the attention of every hon.
member of this house who is an honest and candid man, to the statement 1
am making. There could be no amalgamation before the elections. In
my telegram of the '20th of .Jidy I stated that tlie question must stand over
until after the elections ; that the two companies would stand on per-
fectly o(|ual footing, and that the arrangeihents wliicli had been made be-
twctai ]\Ir. IVLicpherson and Mr. Abbott should be the guiding line. That
arrangement was that Upper Canada should have seven. Lower Canada
six, and each of the other provinces one director on the board. Not by
any chance or possibility could Sir Hugh Allan by his large capital, or
the influence created by that capital, give undue influence on the board for
Lower Canada or for himself over jny own province. On the 30th of July
I r-jceived a letter from Sir Hugh Allan, Sir Geo. Cartier being sick, stat-
ing that he had maile certainarrangeuieiits with Sir George, and it was a
bad arrangement, for it was something like this, that if there should not
be an amalgamation he thought that Sir Hugh Allan's company ought to
get the charter. I received that message in the middle of my election
contest, and T said to myself it is not of much consequence whether one
company or the other gets the charter if they unite, but it will kill me, it
will kill us if the Montreal company without amalgamation receives it.
However, I telegraphed back at once that I would not agree to the ar-
rangement, and J. would go down to Montreal that night. Yes, Mr.
" peaker, in the midst of a severe election contest, for I was elected only

\ fjovornment

lan will deny
(tut a witness,
if the Ottawa
p|)(i3ite, delib-

I refused to
dastard sheet.
years ; that I

,y (hear, hear),
were the allies
^en talk to me

, I hope thia
,ho rules of de-
ji of iuterrup-
Tho lion, gen-
Bure it will be
tion of fact,
of every hon.
;he statement 1
elections. In
iiust stand over
stand on per-
boen niado be-
ng line. That
Lower Canada
ard. Not by
irge capital, or
tho board for
le 30th of July
eiiig sick, stat-
and it was a
.ere should not
pany ought to
f my election
whether one
will kill me, it

II receives it.
L^roo to tho ar-
ht. Yes, Mr.
as elected only

APPENDIJl

605

by 130, whereas at the previous election I had a majority of 300, 1 said 1
would run down to Montreal on this matter. I tehgraiihed to Sir Geo
Cartior that I would not consent to the arrangement, and that my tele-
gram of the 2Gth of Julj', 1872, Would be tho decision of thegovernmen',
and tho government would be boxmd thereby, and would be governed by
nothing else. 1 wish it to be clearly understood, beyond the possibility
of doubt, that the Canadian govermnent had agi'eed that since it could
not obtain an amalgamation of the two companies before tho elections
they would try to get an amalgamation after tlie elections, and in such aii
amalgamation they would do what was fair, in order to get Sir Hugh
Allan made president of the amalgamated comiiany. (Cheers.) I say
that that arrangement made by Sir George Cartier was set aside, and why ?
Because it would have killed mo in Upper Canada. I telegraphed that
even at the i-isk of my election I would go down to Montreal and put an
end to it, and Sir George Cartier, when ho got my message, saw what
an absurd proposition it was, and there was an end to it, and Sir Hugh
Allan telegraphed back that the bargain was ended. At that time there
had not been one single word said about money subscriptions. Sir, it may
be very wrong to give subscriptions to election funds at all, but is there
any one gentleman opposite who will say he has not exiiendcd money him-
self, or has been aided in doing so by his friends. (Several members ol
the opp(jsition here denied the charge.) Whether those acts had beei.
done by the members themselves or their friends, money was spt'ut
and always W(juld bo spent on elections. I don't husitatu to say — and I
state this in the face of this liouse, of the country, and of tho world — that
1 am not aware of any one single farthing having been spent illegitimately
and contrary to law (opposition laughter and cheers)— by moinbera on
the govornmeut side of the houau. I can tell of one mm on tho other
side who spent S2G,000 ; another case I can prove of spL•ndin^; §:jO,OOl),
and I can also prove cases of spending .S.5,U00, $0,000, $7,OliO, and §8,000,
and when the committee which the hun. member for lioihwell challenged
me to mc-v-e, and which I intend to move, is appointed, L shall give tlie
proofs. (Ijaughter, in which Mr. Blain joined.) I can prove the expendi-
ture of money by that gentleman (Mr. lilain) himself.

Jlr. I3lain — If the right hon. geiitluniau refers to me, I say there is not a
particle of truth in the statement. Not one single, solitary cent came out
of luy pocket unfairly. (Clieers and laughter.)

Sir John Macdonald — Perhai)s the hon. gentleman has not a pocket.
Perhaps his wife has, (Laughter, and cries of "shame" from the opposi
tion.)

! '

oor>

A PI' END I AT.

Mr. Blain roao. (Criea of "oidcT.") lloajiiil tlio rii,'ht lion, get tloniiin
had made n charjje ai,'iuiist him. Uo would answer it at am Jier time.

Sir John Macuonalu — IJofore the committee which I propose to move,
and which will have the power to iidiiiiiiistf r an oath, an<l wJiich the mem-
ber for liothwell has invited, 1 shall be able to prove Hie fact I stated.
The hon. gontlenian will perhaps reserve liinmelf for that. (Interrup-
tion.)

Mr. Hoi.TON — I raise the question of order. I doubt whether tlie ritjht
Ijon. geiitlen>an is in order in making .stutemeiit.s aliucfng the riyht of
hon. gentlemen to sit in this inmse without foiiiiulatin^ charges to bo fol-
lijwed by a motion. The hon. gentleman intimates his intention of mak-
ing a motion at a future time, but he ciinnot move a motion of the kind
indicated in a debate on the address. To charge membei-s with having ob-
tained tlieir seats by iniiiro[)er means is tlierefnie a violation of the pro-
piieties of debate, Jind I believe of other standing ordurs of the house.

Mr. Bi.AiCK — In the case of the member for West York the proceeding is
doubly irregular, for it is interfering with an actual petiti'in pending bo-
fore an election committee.

The Speaker said a good deal of language had been used d\uing the de-
bate which would have been better not used, but the subject was of such a
cliaracter that lie should not interfere with free discussion. It would be
better if the minister of justice retrained from directing charges against
individual members.

Sir John Macdonald— I submit to y^ur decision, sir, I would not have
alluded to the hon. member if it hud not been for the oftensive way in
which he interrupted me, and my knowledge about his case. The hon.
gentlemen opixi.site will tlud out that I know a great deal nu)re about their
elections than they would rare tiiat I slunild know. 1 shall now proceed
with tlie history I am giving to the house as well as I can under these un-
seemly interruptions. Sir, there never was an occasion, there never was
a minute, in which the interests of Canada were sacrificed by the govern-
ment of Canada for electiiin jiui'[)i>ses. (Loud cheers. ) I say that we car-
ry out the law as well as the law cm be carried out. (Cheers.) I say
that up to the very last moment we tried to obtain an iinia]'^riiinati(jn of
the two companies. I ahiidst went on my knees, which is not my habit, I
am sorry to s.ay, to my friends in Torontn, for the purpose of securing
an amalgamation, and though I did not secure an amalgamation of the two
companies, yet I got an amalgamation of the two interests, and secured the
best men in western Canada. 1 have no hesitation in saying that in the
company chartered by the government, we have the very best men in Can-
ada, considering all the circumstances. Let us go over the whole board

1 1

APPHXDIX.

(507

ion. gei tloinnn
( .her time,
opoaeto move,
fliich thomoin-
3 fact I stated.
b. (Intoirnp-

etlier the right
ni; the liyht of
urges to bu fol-
L'litidii of inivk-
(iii of the kind
,itii having ob-
ion of the pro-
f the house,
lepi'ocetdiiigis
on pending bo-

I dining the de-
ct Wiiaof .such a
I. It woukl bt)
charges against

would not have
ffunsive way in
ase. The hon.
)re aliout their
11 now proceed
;ider these un-
ere never was
by tlie govern-
y that we ear-
HH'is.) I say
dijauiation of
(jt my habit, I
)se of securing
ion of the two
lid secured the
ing that in the
st men in Can-
le whole board

from Upper Canada. Tliero is Mr. Donald Mclnnes, of Hatnilton, I will ask
the hon. member for VVelland if he is not a merchant of standing and res-
pectability, "and one of the last men to sell the intereatsof the Dominion to
the Yankees. 1 asked the Hon. Mr. Catling to come on the board, but
when the house came to the conclusion to exclude members of parliament
from that board, 1 obtained Major Walker, reproseiiting one of the lead-
ing industries in the west. Then there is Col Cumberland, and can we
suppose that Col. Cumberland, who is at the head of the gri'at railway in-
terests, and is charged with the management of milliona of d(jllar.s, would
soil himself to Sir Hugh Allan or the Yankees. (Cheers.) 1 asked Mr.
Fleming, the engineer, the man whose name will live on this continent for
his great engineeriiig exploits, and who was objected to with Col. Cumber-
land and Major Walker by Sir Hugh Allan. Tlien the last man I asked
was Mr. Walter Shanly. To some of you Walter Slianly may be un-
known, V)ut in the old provinces of Canada he is ev( ryvvhore known as be-
ing most l.ighly resi)ecfed, and as an engineer, the man who furmerly man-
aged the Grand Trunk, the man who achievdd the great triumph of con-
strucing the Hoosac Tunnel. 1 asked him as a personal fiiondof mine, as
an old Ontarian, as one who was ro|.ri,st'iitiiig a wealthy constituency, to
come on that board, and much against his will he cama. In the same way
let lis look at the lower province members. We look at Mr. E. II. lUirpee.
That is a truly honoured name, 1 am told, in \ew Hiunswiclc. Do you
think that E. R. Burpee is g<iing tj sell to the Yankees, Jay Cooke, &
Co., or to the member for Shefford ] (Langliter and cheers.) Then wc
come to Lieut. -governor Archibald, of Nova Scotia, and is he likely to sell
us to the Yankees, the member for Shetl'ord, or Jay Cooke »fc Co. ? I aii-
peal tG all the members for British Columbia, some of whom were op[)08-
ed to him in politics, whether tlie name of Dr. Holmeken did not inspire
respect. (Ciieers. ) With respect to Manitoba, I will only ask you to say
whether Mr. McDerinott, the richest and oldest mercliant in ^Slanitoba, a
man who was the last who would sell the interest of this great Dominion to
the Yankees, whether that man would sell Canada. If ever any government
succeeded in accomplishing any jjarticular object, surely this government
tried, and s^ticcecded, to prevent foreigners from obtaining iniluence in, or
control over, our trans-ccjutinental railway. (Cheers.) By their line of ac-
tion, the gentlemen opposite have i)osti)oned for some years the buildiiii,'
of that railway, and they have besmirched unjustly, dishonourably, the
character of the Canadian government and of the Canadian people.
(Cheers.) If there be any delay, any postponement in the completion of
that great system of railways, I charge it to the hon. gentlemen opposite.
•'Cheers.) Long after this quarrel is over, it will be recorded in the his-

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(716) 872-4503

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'\i

APPENDIX.

tory of this Dominictn of Canada that there was one body of men in thin
country willing to forget self, to forget party, to forget section, to build up
a great interest and make a gre.at country, and they will say there was an-
other party who fought section against section, province against province,
who were unable to rise to the true position of affairs, and I say the his-
tory of the future will be our justification, and their condemnation. (Loud
cheers.) But, sir, I have some more to say. I say this government has
been treated with foul wrongs. (Cheers.) I say this government has been
treated as no government lias ever been treated before. It has been met
with an opposition the like of which no government in any civilized coun-
try was ever met. (Loud cheers.) I say we have been opposed not with
fair weapons, not by fair argument, not by fair discussi<in, as a govern-
ment ought to be opposed, but opposed in a manner which will throw
shame on hon. gentlemen oi)po3ite. (Renewed cheers.) When we first
met in this house, and we first discussed these Pacific railway measures, I
told you, sir, that there was a confirmed plot to kill the Pacific railway
company. The attack on the government was a secondary matter. It
was a comparatively 'nferior matter. But those gentlemen opposite
went into the attack for the piirpose of getting in evidence as quick-
ly as possible for the purpose of sending it across the Atlantic by
cable and kill Sir Hugh Allan's enterprise, and afterwards leave the
proof of the evidence to tham^e. Then we found that Sir Hugh Allan,
by a very natural feeling agreed to pay a certain sum of money to
Mr. RlcMullen for the rettu'u of his correspondence, v/hich was accepted,
and the whole matter was arranged. Then blackmail was attempted to bo
levied on me, but I was not su>)ject to be blackmailed. (Laughter.) Thi^y
did levy blackuuiil on Sir Hugh Allan in Montreal, and McMullen for sur-
rendering his letters to Sir Hugh, was paid §20,000, and was promised
$17,000 more on certain conditions being fulfilled. MoMuUen got his ex-
tra sum from some one. The hon. gentleman (Mr. Huntington) would
deny that Mr. McMullen was paid by some one. P^veryone will believe
that the man who was to be paid that large sum of §17,000 did not accept
it because he was otlered some liu-gtr sums. (Cheers.) I believe thai
when we have the committee which the member for Bothwell challenged
to move for, I shall be able to prove more than the §17,000, and I believe
i shall be able to prove there were other parties in the purchase of G. W.
^[cM•lllen, who over-bid Sir Hugh Allan. (Chors and an opposition
member, " is it not right i") It was never right to buy him in the first
place, nor in the seond place, but if Sir Hugh Allan by paying §17,000
committed a crime, the man who paid him a larger sum must surely hava
committed a larger crime. (Laughter and cheers.) 1 say that you niu3t

u " :

!il

AVrENDIX.

r.ii!)

men in thin

to build up
lere was an-
st province,
say the hia-
tion. (Loud
irnnient ha?
Mit has been
IS been met
ilized coun-
ed not with
IS a govem-
i will throw
fien we tirst
measures, I
iific railway
matter. It
3n opposite
36 as quick-
Atlantic by
3 leave the
ugh Allan,

money to

! accc'pted,

ited to be

r.) They

for sur-

promisL'd

,'ot his ox-

ll) would

11 believe
t acof pt
ieve thai
hidlen-ed
I believe
of (}. W.
ppositinn
I the drst
r §17,000
■ely hava
'ou must

have a committee in order to ascertain who are the gentlemen who wetn
and deliberately bought those documents from Sir Hugh Allan. That maj
be fair war, but some one said it was striking below the belt. The man
who goes deliberately and bribes people to liand a man's private letters,
is a man who will be markea as a criminal all his life, and the man who
goes and deliberately purchases private letters for any purpose, even
though it may do good to the public, and expose a corrupt government,
will be generally condemned. Then we come down to a litile more in-
famy. When I tell you that a letter of mine, addressed to a colleague at
Montreal, was deliberately stolen, and when I tell you there is no doubt
that it was stolen because it was thought to contain something that could
be made politically useful, you can urnderstand what infamy that is.

Mr. Blain rose to a point of order, and sal)Tnitted that this question waa
not before the hotise.

Mr. Speaker ruled against him stating that it came on the address, which
covered all grounds.

Sir JouN xK . i.'.TATr. When I wrote that letter to my colleague, the
Minister of Agricv.'" •'<•■ I sent, at the same time, three telegrams to three
dillbrent places, and that telegivm was seen by some ono acting in the in-
terests of the Opposition, and from it they supposed that the letter would
be connected with the Fucitic railway matter. That letter was deliber'
ately stolen, not f)nly stolen but was stolen by anofhuer of the Post Office
Department. I say stolen by an officer who was bought by some one, and
who will some day, not long distant, for the evidence is being followed up
and has not been abandoned, be found out, and it will be shown that he, be-
lieving that the letter contained something that would criminate the govern-
/nent, stole it from the office and handed it over to be used in the manner
the hoube was aware of. True it was that the letter contained nothing re-
specting the Pacilic railroad. I have got evidence beyond the possibility of
a doubt, that my telegrams were stolen from Sir Hugh Allan's office, aay
after day ; that a man went to the office night after night, after six o'clock,
and copied those telegrams, and brought them down and sold them to the
opposition ; that the safe of the odioe was not broken, and that after the
documents wore copied and sworn to by the man, he was p.iid money £or
them. I state this in presence of the house and of the country ; and there
was such a dishonest system of espionage carried on. And I say more than
this, I join with the hon. member for Uotliwell in asking for the committee,
before which I will prove all that I have said, and will put a credible wit-
ness in the box, who will swear he saw it with his own eyes. You can
iudgehow poorly the government has been treated. In fact no govern-
ment in the world could exist if every drawer ia to be searched, if every
MM

'3 >

m¥^

I']-

610

APrENDIX.

confidential servant is to bo bribed by money offered to them . I may tell
you this one thing, that I had got the evidence of this treachery, parties
actually api)roached a secretary in Mr. Ablxitt's ullico, and offered him
money to tell how much evidence had been obtained. Mr. Abbott is pre-
sent in the house and will attest the truth of what I state. I can prove
that from the beginning to the end of this business, there was never a
more gross system of espionage, of corruption, of bribing nien to steal
papers from their employtrs ; and I would ask how any opposition or
party in this country could stand under such an accusation if it bo proved.
Sir, befiiro 1 sit down I will touch upon one point to wliich f have not
yet adverted, aiul that is how far a government, or memhor of a govern-
ment may concern themselves in elections, and the nece.ssiiry expenditure
or supposed expenditure of money at elections. I would wish to point
out what has taken place in England, not under the old rdijimc, but by
the reform j)arty in England. It ia of some importance, as showing at all
events that for everytliing 1 have got good autiiority. The house well re-
members the great struggle, almost amounting to a revolution, which ac-
companied the i)assage of the Reform bill in England. Well, Mr. Speaker,
strange to say, the reform jiarty there, who were going to purify the po-
litical atnioS]ihere, tliose who were going to put down the old boroiigh-
mongers, did not hesitate to spend money at elections. They did not
trnat to the excellence of their measures, to the justness of their cause,
and the consequence was that before the date of the Carlton club and the
Reform club, of wliich so much has recently been said, the Reform party
had a treasiu-er, and whom do you think they gave tlie othco to ? It was
to the maker and unmaker of Whiggery, Edward Eliice. Now, Edward
Ellice was the man who made the Whig government. He was a member
of the government ana acted as whi[)per-in of the party, and was the
man ordinarily employed in making arrangements about elections.
But Edward Eliice was a man incapable of doing anything which he
did not tliink he was justified in doing. Any man who knew that right
lion, gentleman, who knew what a great influence he had on the history
of his country, would know that Edward Eliice was perhaps a greater man
for pulling the strings and making arrangements for reform than even Lord
John Russell himself. Let me tell you a little story about him. In my
boyhood, when I knew him, he often told me stories of this sort. Tn 1834
there happened to be a committee on the inns of court. Mr. Daniel
O'Connell was the chairman, and it came out in that investigation, which
involved the seat of a member of parliament, that Lord Westham had got
tive hundred pounds from Mr. Ellice, the secretary of the treasury, in or-
der to carry the Liberal candidate. O'Connell felt it his bounden duty to

til

"■i.fcl.

A rPENDIX.

(Ill

in or-
duty to

report this matter to the house, and there was a motion of censure moved
ftgiiiiist Mr. Ellico by Mr. O'Connell. Mr, Ellice resigned his i^hico, and
I shall read you what he said. At the time ho made tiiat 8[)et'ch he was
secretary of war ; at tlie time he expended the money he was secretary of
the treasury. Ho was an important man to the government, and might
have been a cabinet minister, had it not been that, as every one who knew
the history of those times knew, he would not take that position.
He was the man who arranged matters for the whigs, and ho was ciiarged

. with having used the secret service money in elections, as by the way, I
W.18 a short time ago. The right hon. gentleman then quoted fi'om Mr.
Ellice's speech, volume 27, " Mirror of Parliament," and now, said he, I will

' quote from 8ir Charles Buller. 8ir Charles liuller was the liead and front
of the philosophical radicals of England. They formed a party of their
own, and tried to engraft their princijtles on the politics of England, and,
although they did not succeed, they sowed good seed, the results of which
are seen at the i)resent day. I, who was a boy, roinendior him, and re-
member the kindness with which he discussed politics with me, and I am
certain that he would have sustained the cause of the liberal party by no-
thing that was wrong. The right hon. gentleman quoted from the speech
referred to. The attack was made upon Mr. E'.iice that he had spent
money out of the secret service fund ; but when Mr. Ellice rose and said
that he had spent no money out of the secret service fund, and that al-
though very large sums of money had passed through his hands for elec-
tion p<irposes, none of it had been improperly pnnnired, the house passed
on witliuut taking any action, tiujugh Mr. O'Connell supported the mo-
tion with all his great eloquence and ability. A remark has been made in
the newspajjeis that on one occasion 1 stated that no money had been e.x-
pended by the government on elections, and in answer to the charge I
asked Mr. Kidd, on the hustings at South Perth, whether any money had
been expended at his election, and he said no, no statement could have
been truer. Sir, the money that was expended by the committee, of
which I was a member, was not with the purpose or object of eiulangering
any man's seat. (Ironical cheers from the opposition, and cheers from the
ministerial benches.) I state distinctly, so far as I know, not one single
farthing that passed through my hands was expended improperly or con-
trary to the law. H it is so, the election tiibunals of the country will set-
tle that question, and, as I understand it, no inqiroper expenditure has
been proved in any election tribunal. (Cheers.) I say distinctly, say it
in my place as a member of parliament, ^tliat money was distributed for
the purpose of fighting monty against money, fire against fire, influence
against influence ; and we were over-matched by the hon. gentlemen op-

r.12

APl'EyDlX.

Vr-i

:*■;»■-:

if 11

.1 r 'I

[xjsite. (Loud cheers.) There is one more remark that I have to mak4
before I sit down. The government never gave Sir Hugh Allan any con-
ractthat I am aware of. (Clu'tirs. ) We never gave him any contract i»
whicli In; had a controlling inlhienco. Wo had fi)rined a committee of
thirteen men, chosen carefully and jjainfully, for the purpose of ccmtrol-
ling Sir Hugh Allan from having any undue inliuenee. We promised, we
provided, that not one of the board slmuld hold more than one hundred
thousand dollars of the stock ; tliat not one single man should have
any interest in the contract whatever, which were of course, only the
ordinai'y provisions in a cliartfr of incorporation. (Cheers.)

Now, Mr, Speaker, 1 have oiily one more thing to say on tliis point. I put
it to yotir own minds. There were thirteen gentlemen — Sir Hugh Allan
and others — incorporated by that cliarter. That charter — study it, take it
home with you. Is there any single power, privilege cr advantage given
to Sir Hugh Alia.! with that contract that lii.s not ben given equally to
the other twelve ] ((Jheer.s.) It is not pretended that any of the othei
twelve paid money for their positions. It is not contended that the gen-
tlemen gave anything further than their own personul feelings might dic-
tate. (Cheers.) You can!u>t name a man of these thirteen that has go^
any advantage over the other, except that Sir Hugh Allan has his name
down first on the paper, (Cheers.) Can any one believe that the govern-
ment is guilty of the charges made against them ? 1 call upon any one
who does to read that charter. Is there anything in that craitract? If
there is a word in uhat cliarter which derogates from the riglits of Canada;
if there is any undue privilege, or light, or jireponderance, given ti> any
one of these thirteen directors, I say, Mr. Speaker, I am condemned.
But, sir, I commit myself, the government commits itself, to the hands of
this house; and far beyond the house, it commits itself to the country at
large. (Loud cheers.) We have faithfully done our duty. We have
fought the battle of confederation. We have fought the battle of uhIod.
We have had party strife setting province against province; and more than
all, we liave had in the greatest province, the preponderating province of
the Dominion, every prejudice and sectional feeling that could be arrayed
against us. 1 have been the victim of that conduct to a great extent; but
I have fought the battle of confederation, the battle of union, the battle
of the Dominion of Canada. I throw myself upon this house; I throw my-
self upon this country; 1 throw myself upon posterity; and I believe that
I know, that, notwithstanding the many failings in my life, I shall have
the voice of this covntry, and this house, rallying around me, (Cheers.)
And, sir, if 1 am mistaken in that, I can confidently appeal to a higher
court — to the court of my own conscience, and to the court of posterity.

liave to mak«
Hull any cou-
y contract iu
coininitteo of
e of control-
[irouiised, wo
one liundrcd
slioiild hivvo
se, only tlie

point. I put
Huj^h Allan
dy it, take it
mtage given
II equally to
)f the otJiei
• at the gen-

niight die-
hat has go^
.3 his naniw
;he govern-
on any one
itract ? If
of Canada;
ven to any
)ndemned.
e hundg of
country at

We have

of union,
more than
rovince of
le arrayed
itent; but
the battle
hrow mj--
lieve that
hall have
(Cheers.)

a higher
)osterity.

AFl'EXPLY

boast for m, t„ ,., ,, („, 'J "'"'•'* "'»• ' l-"ow-»„d it u no v.i„
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