m «? 7 IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I \ lis 12.0 1.25 1.4 1.8 1.6 /. «, .^4? "#:w % '^T^ <> CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions Institut canadien de microreproductions historiques 1980 Technical Notes / Notes techniques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Physical features of this copy which may alter any of the images in the reproduction are checked below. n Coloured covers/ Couvertures de couieur Coloured maps/ Cartes gdographiques en couieur L'instltut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire qu'il iul a 6t6 possible de se procurer. Certains ddfauts susceptibles de nuire A la quality de la reproduction sont not^s ci-dessous. 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L'exemplaira filmi fut reproduit grAce A la g6n6rosit6 de I'dtablissement prdteur suivant : ^ La bibliothdque des Archives publiques du Canada Les cartes ou les planches trop grandes pour fttre reproduites en un seul cEichd sont fiimdes d partir de I'angle supdrieure gauche, de gauche d droite et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n^cessaire. Le diagramme suivant illustre la mdthode : 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 fiter T --•iH \uii- -..a^.. I .A' pMiiiiw|ito!i|ip|[||ip^ ■THE RIEL QUESTION -y -T .-r r-j-^ r-r-1 -r^-i -t—j) HV THE KOn, J. A. 'JHAPI^EaU >^-^ ^ -k,.t;:-.i^- ^ iil'il!ii!Mti!ii!|!i«ri!ii}ii^^ r ''■W^UJii- FELLOW COUNTRYM H m r]ij THE iMEI. Ql J^STION Gkntlkmicn, At this moment, over the province of Qucl)ec, there is blowing a siorni of revolt whirh thrcai-ens to up^ct, in its passage, if it is not allayed, the Lonst-rvative party and the niinistry. Would to God that the disaster might stop tlvrre, and that the nationality to wliich w,. belong might not be irretrievably injured thereby. A i»oiitical party can soon reorganize iiself ; a miiii^try is soon forgotten, and ii replaced even niure easily than it is forgotten. But the v'ound? v.hich a nationality receives bleed for a long time, and are never completely healed. The more I respect the nati'.)nal sentiment which has given rise to the present movement, the more I dejWore die cauie of this rising, the more do I grieve over the sad conse- (luences which may result from it. The best proof that the move- ment is bad is tliat a spirit of ivijustice seems to control it. Old and faithful servants of the country are suspected, accused, and condemned w'lhout being heard, ay evt-n before they luive spoken. During the eighteen years for wliich J have been your representa- tive, the sincerity of my patriotism and my devotion to the people has never been placed in dc' t. Wi'h a confidence that has never taltered, I have worked with L s people, from whom I have sprung and to whom I owe everything. I have often been accused of cx- nggeratet a pi;vvcMful current of French imlmncc. I have uo Cii\)se to r«>;rcr my efrorts. J was acting ^vitl:lll ni} ri;»ht, betui.-c 1 (Vu\ not atia it, aii;l I lun'f allowed to pass unheeded the cries .'f traifor and coward .vhi'.h hav*.- been hurled iH lue. W'hai does ..IV liersonality matrcr ? in Uu pr;jve crisis which «.omo to a nation Ttin are nothinuf ; the ...ifety of tic people is everything. The !f.;jfnsil)ility ot" piAver impose*; vn those tipoii wlioin it rests the ()ltligali(.n to see btryondllu- inteir.sts of the mom .11'. and l^) study w -.11 if, in yielding to the popular mipuV-.e of the moment, ihoy \o not jcojiardizr a sacred caus<; for years to <;onjo. Let us ex-xniuie for n momenl the f.icts *v!iii h directed my con- duct and that ofni} colleagues. Louis Riel la.-.i year left the l''nit(.d Stater, uhere ho had become •^ naturalised <:itizv.'U, in order to fight against the Canadian insiitu- tions, laws and authority. He raised the .-.tandard of reuclliori in our Canada, so tranquil and so happy in 1-. n {^'rnnt of" nontransfcruhle lanils, by scrip ;ir. in Manfffiba, or b\' scrlii cquiwilent toacrrtaln sunt of uioii-). On the 26th of January, 1885, the (iovernmcnt pa'^scfl an duUv in council appointing ,1 Commission rh;irgnd with settling all tlit claims oi tho llall-tjeLcis. On llic 6lh o:' FcUrnary last, a telegram was lAcm to tne Sot'} West to make kn^wn the appointinvnt ul" lh<. coinmissioti, and, st al days later, cirrnlars wore adflrtssed to the postmaster' and to the prit-itj of thest 'i;.siruis, informing tiion. of tlie appro u'hing arrival of the Connnission, As yf«ii well know, the Commissi >ii was ci^mposesl of Messrs. Sirt^et, Forgot and ' roulct, and it has soiilcd ihc greater part of thw ^^ claims. Ricl, who was very well infotmed on all that was taking place, hastened to |ireoipitatc evertb in order to liindcr a settlement thai would have iipsc-r all ids plans and cilcnlntions. It is eviderf tha»- his p'idc and his ambition did not approve of a sohuion so slm))le and so practical, and one \vhit;h would have saved the lijJi breeds from niinraion and the country the loss of hundreds of live.5, and of uianv millions of money, a portion of which '.expenditure you. with the rest of the nation, have nuw to bear. fie, however, but repeated what he did in 1S70. At that time J.Igr. Ta<.h6 was hastening from Rome to endeavor to pacify his diocese, v»'hich was in insurrection. Arrived at Great I'ork.^-, an mifortunatc accident happened him, but in spite of hi.s extreme suffering, the Bishop contiiiiied his way to Fort Gairy. Kiel was informed of it, and, feeling that his reign was about to end. he did not hesitate to thiow a dead body* between his brother Hal* breed.s and the conciliation which the holy missionary was bringing with him. Scott was sacrificed and hi.s blood was hm led as a defiance against all efforts al reconciliation. It is no use saying that this rebel had a noble object ; that he came to aid his brothers to vindicate their rights. In saying this they attribute to him sentiments which he never ))ossessed. They clothe him with a borrowed disgtiise to hide the sinister rclc which — 7 - Nc has p!:iyo(1 in the *lrania of the insurrvrtion in the North ■\Ve;;t. If hv had bcoii im vod hv an cniightciwl patriot i:*nj, he woulu have followol anol!»er CDiirhc, he wouhl have taken otiior :n(.:U)j, he would liavo sought and b«jen ^^tiidi'd l>y other counsels than those of his ambitidii. He kni'w where to ^/o j lu* had not lir to go. He knew the tenderness niul zeil of hin) u'ho had hron^];ht him tip, protected h.in alw.iys and oncn already saved him. r>ut no 1 * An unbridled inihuion, \\hi« h p<;isontd hiv t-telligenoo and drove him almost to i.vsaniiy, ^n ur.qutnchable thirst ot' power, an insonsat<; pndu which lias led him to aonstacy, have been his rontioUing motives.'' That is what the greatest prelate oi" the North-Wesi ins .said of him A sull laiker niouve of a "Mirdid chara':tor impelled him. if one laay boUevc the testimony "*" tU.*. mftst tni.uvr.rt))) I'^oplc. Father Andre, vvliose sympathy tor Louis Kiel no one w ill doubt, declared jn oath, at tiie tri:.il -it Kegina, tint i.hi.-^ pretends i >lefer"'h?r of the ri^',ht'i of the FLdf-l>reeds had bcgjicd him repcateilly 'o use his influence witli the Federal Government to obtain for him a hun- d>('d thousand dollar:., and had declared thar in re'nin he would bind himself to leave Afanitoba, and go whrvuver it plea-ed tlit I'cderal Oovernmenl to send him. When Father Andr^ rema:ked lo him on theenoimiiy of this demand, he did not liesitate to Sviv that he would be content with very much less. As. to the claims of ilic Half-breeds Riel coniented him.self with saying, "• 1 am my.sclf the half-breed (luestion : if 1 am ."satisfied iiic Half-breet^.?- will be." I do not believe that my compatriots, so punctilioas on a point of honor, so disinterested in their patriotism, will pardon this uct of ve'iality And it cannot be said that this was an idle conversation of Riel. On the contrary, it is true that he followed up his venial proposition. Last winter's was not RieFs ilebu' in this course of high treason. His revolt ot' 1869 will He remembered— the useless murder of Scott, whom he had caused to be executed when that pcor unfortunate was in a position where it was impossible for him to injure his captor. It will be remembered that he bound hin^self •some time after these unfortunate events, on receiving a sum of money from the Canadian Government, never more to return to Ciinadi (o raise an agitation. In spile of his promise he comes bade lo Canad.L in the lutumn ot' 1384, anrl set^-. himself secretly, with consummate skill, to picpare a nuw rebellion. 'Vo ensure success he commences fiist by mniprmining dul ruining the inflijeiue of t)$? priests with the Half-breeds, and when lie has blinded these latter he pushes them en to their destrurtion. After the last battle he has not the courage to follow Duniont in his llighl ; ho prefers to allow himself to be arrested, believing tiiat the proViUf e of Quebec, which had saved him on<;e, would t;ave him agaiii, even after a second rebellion. He made a mistake in his calculations. Guilty of high treason for a second time, he had no more claim to the indulgence which it has been the habit to accord to pol'tical offenders. But th;',t is not the most revoking ])art of his crime No one denies thai i». was ho who raist'd the Indian tribes of the North- West, and that he has been the direct causae of the frigliiful mas.sacre of a luinber of yiersons, among Mhoni two Catholic missionaries have perished, rdctims to savage barbarity. Ask all the priests, all the Half-breeds of the North-West, who is the murderer (,>f Fathers Vafard nud I.crnarchand, and they will all reply "Riel." He alone had been able to prvsuado the Indian tribes to vise, and he is directly responsible for the nntrders which the rising iias called. For to cau.se tiie Indians t^^ rise is regarded by ever}' government which has them uader its control, as a crime which deserves leath, for it us a crime against all the laws of humanity, Indian warfare being a war of extermination, without quarter, wiihout mercy for defenceless people, for women and children. It is the greatest possible outrage on civilization, and. a crime whicli falls outside the class of political offences. Before the execution of Riel t'^o.se who wished to save jiim made cajMtal out of the pretence that .ic was insane, ind therefore not responsible for his rets. They demanded from the Government at the last moment that an iiuestigation should be held as to his mental condition. This investigation took place, and Kiel was found sane ' nough to have full knowledge oHiis crime, and more recent facts have confirmed this finding. In fact, since his execu- lien they have ncit treated him as an insatie person. They place him in the ranks of ht roes, patriots and martyrs. They go even so far as to demand that he should be interr-.d r.nck-r the monu- ment of the nobie victims of i''^37-3, who terruri/;ed the nuns ^md the priests, who called upon the savages to ma.ssacre the whites, and who caused the slaughter of the holy missionaries. He died repen',in£( the crimes of which he had been the ( uusc, but it would be an outrage to innkc him share the glorious aweola ^A the great patriots who died for liberty in 18,38, and to put him on a par with the victims of those heroi( days. The venerable Bishop of Saint Albert, Mgr. Grandin. has said that the conduct of Riel, while he directed tlie insurrection, was odious and monstrous, that he liad systematically persecuted the (Jhurch. If that is the hero whom they wi^li to make us venerate, I, for one, vill not be among his admirer.^. They wish i.o-day to make Riel pass for a saint. 'J'hat he c'ied at peace with Cod, 1 hope. God alone is the judge of that. How- ever we have not to consider how he died, but how he lived. On this last {{uertion there is no Mecessity for me to pronounce my opinion. 1 liave only to cite the testimony of the missionaries of North- West, who, being on tlie spot, knew him well and were able to judge of his acts, of his principles, of his piety and of his virtue, and, assuredly they do not hold him up as a saint. Besides the <-irations which I have already made, there is a joint letter from the missionaries in the district of Prince Albert, dated the 12111 June, 1S85. This important document seems to have been overlookeJI, alltbough it was published evcry-wheie : .Prince Albert, June 13, 1885. "" We, the priests of the districts most particularly affected by the rebellion, to-wit, St. Laurent, St. Antoine, Grandin, Duck Lake and Batoche, since it was there, in the midst of our people, that Louis ''David" Riel had established his headquarters, desire to ■I i< i( — 10 — draw tlie aiUMition oi our fell'Av-coiir.tryt'ien in C uiada to tnese facts : " This mccreiinl, Louis " D.ivi-l " Riel does not merit thfs ym- pnthios of tlic Roman Catholic Church or the members oi' ihat Church, having usurped our mission as priest;;, and robbed our people of the l^euefus and cjnbolations it was our ()uty to reader thoni. He ha^. dop.e all this in bis purely personal interest. Signeil, Pkre Andr!-:, " ToL'Sii:, " MOUT IN, iounMOiVD, VFGREvri,r,E, " Lecoq. And Father Fourmond, the parisli priest of Batoche, writes as follows : "I nave been very ^ear death, for if I esraped tlie bullets and madness of the insurrectionists, war. apostacy, (reason, persecution, everything,' seemed to have been let loose upon us ; one might have thought that the end of the world had come. Already we had our antichrist in the person of this famous Riel, against whom we were obliged to fight at the peril of our lives, in ord*Sr to destroy the sinister influence he had secured ove** our poor people. '' My God ! what a man ! what hypocrisy and wiiat imp'ety combined ! It is for this he ruined our christian famdies by pillage and fire. It is by a horrible consequence of his diabolial plans that vvas shed the blood of the ^vhite man and of our beloved and zealous confreres who were massacred by tlie Indians by his own orders." These testimonials, so strong and so crushingly con\ icting, will suffice to enlighten all men of good sense as to the character and the conduct of the man who dragged his brotliers, the Half breeds, into the tlirest misfortunes. To condemn our conduct they rest on the principL:: that, in our days, it is no longer the custom to inflict capital punishment for — 11 in the crime of higli treason. It is a new maxim, as strange as it Is clanj;croiis, aguiivst which jufstice, the protector of ];cace and the security of society, revolts, fo procla'm that high trca.son, which uirries with it murder. ])illage, the ruin of popuhitions, otight not to 1)6 punished with J :ith is to ai^pcal to the worst passions of the .unbitious and j)rovol.e tebtliion by guaranteeing it inipnr.ity. To pretend seriously thai a man <-)nce guilty of high treason and murder, pardoned once and ui:;;dn taken after a second offence, ought to count on having his lii'; saved, is to hold out an assurance that Riel himself has nev'cr had For in quitting Montana he aeclared that his head would be the price of the step [\c had un- dertaker!. This doctrine of mercy in fa\or of political criminals ooild not apply to him who had, in cold blood, let loose on his compatriots hordes of savage tribes. Let it not be advanced in justification of him tl at he iiad faith in liis mission and that his intention was not criminal, because his conscience, guided by iii> judgment, did not reproach him for the frightfu} acts which he hjd committed and had roused to be com- mitted. But when came into vogue this strange doctrine, that one should not be punished for faults of the intelligence ? Faults of the intelligence are even more crhiiinal than those of the heart. An evii nassion had vitiated the intelligence of thia great criminal. Beforj God and before men, he was guilty of having falsified in his braia the eternal conception of justice and injustice, ot truth and ol fal- sity, of obedience and insubordination This first wrong-doirg deprived him of every excuse for all the criminal actions that llowiid inerefrom. No, there was only one possible excuse in his favDr. and that was the plea of insanity, tt was a i.harge he denied himself, and in his last moments he gloried in the assertion that he was perfectly free of will, fully conscious of all his acts, and ho v/as therefore responsible for his crimes. To the men who can think and reason, the conduct of Riel does not merit any serious sympathy ? And for this reason it has been said on every f«ide, ** It is not for him that we rise, we have on s>mpathy for his crimes, but we would like that the penalty should be commuted because all French- Canadians demand that he should not suffer the infamous penalty of death on the '.A :^« ■ _. 12 — scaffoUl." r .idmit that I have b'^en profoundly moved by the uniiimijous wail of pity .ind sorrow wliich rose up for this great criminal, and has reached even to the fool of the tlirone. But in this outburst of generous sympathy from av/holo people, the impor- tant fact has been lost sight of that the crime was committed in a far off region, far more exposed than our own to "nrpriscs, robbeiies and Indian ri-sings. Thoie who would advocate clemency have forgotten that the only security for life and ;or t' e property of citizens in ihose new countries lies in the rigorous administration of the law. They have forgotten tliat the murderous Indians of Frog J.akc could not be allowed to escape the consjcqucnce of their crimes, without pLicing the entire white population at the mercy ot those savage tril>cs, and, on the other hand, it was im- possible to deliver those murderers into the hands of tlie liangman, and permit him, who liad been the cause of their difjging up t\.'^. war hatchet to go unpunished. They have forgotteii the anguish into wlii'^h the whole population had been plunj^ed for long months. They have forgoten the grief, the despair of the victims of this horrible rebellion ; they have forgotten that the blood of the peaceable colonists and the holy missionaries, and v( the soldiers who fell under the bloWs oi the rebels, cries for ven- geance and that justice had to make n signal exa!npk;ifwe tiid not wish that the heart-rending wail issuing horn every part of that immense region should change into a cry of despair and hatred. They have forgotten to ask themselves if, in this grave question of the rigor or the mercy of the law, those who have suffc^red, those whose Hrthers, whose sons or brothers have perished by the crime of this rebel, and whose future might again be threatened, have not as much right to be heard as titose whose easy pity has not to look to a reparaion for the past, nor to fear any danger foi the future. Tiie promoters of this agitation have forgotten thar m Manitoba and in the North-Wcs: Territories we have compatriots settled sparsely m the midst of the vast district, and they have for- gotten that the brave pioneers of tiie peaceful colonies which we are establishing may feel the evil results of such an agitation in our province. For the inhabitants of Quebec it is a question of senti ment ; for the inhabitants of the North-West it is a question of se- curity — an al'air of life or death. 13 As ii minister ot" Ifer Majesty, it has been my duty to ^hink of all these thine:;, ; to Mcigh .ill tht^o reasons ; to ralrulate cahr.ly the conclusion of all the;ie lacts, ;uid under the respcmsibility ot the solemn o?lli which T have taken to do my