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HONORE MERGIER, Premier of the Pr'ovince of Quebec, AT THE CONVENTION OF THE NATIONALISTS OF THE DISTRICT OF QUEBEC, IIJi:LD at TAT^^V UjVIA., On the 15th May, 1890. QTJEBEO. 1890 ss" Sirs' OPENING OF THE ELECTORAL CAMPAIGN. SPEECH DELIVEEED BY THE HON. HONORfi MERCIER, Ppemlep of the Province of Quebec, AT THE Convention of the XationaliHtt of the Uistrict of Quebec, held at Tura Hall, on the loth May, 18U0. \ < GEyTLEMEN, — I have taken the liberty, on the ailvice of the principal leaders of our party in Quebec, to call you togetiier in order to lay the foundations of a strong and vigorous electoral organization for tiie campaign whicli is aljout to open. As you are aware, the Legislature is dissolved ; nominations arc iixed for the 10th and polling for the 17tii June next. We have, therefore, only a month to organize the victory wliich is not doubtful to any mind, if I am to place any reliance on the news reaching me from all parts. I therefore respectfully beg of you to immediately form a grand central committee which will have the general management of the contest in tiie whole of the Quebec division, that is to say, of all the counties to the east of and including Three Rivers and Arthabas- ka. This general committee will choose an executive committee composed only of certain members, of a President, a Treasurer, a Secretary, and two other persons who will be charg- ed with the carrying out of tiie decisions of the central committee. You will, doubtless, make it your duty to name as members of this last conunittee persons devot«d, active, ex- perienced, and at the disposal of tlie party at all times. MEANING OF THE .STIlUCi<;LE. But before letting you proceed to the election of member:) of these two committees, al- low me to make a few remarks, appropriate to the occasion and as brief as possible. The struggle which is about to open is of the highest importance to the Province of , Quebec ; its autonomy and conse(|uently its dearest interests are at stake. Are the Pro- vinces to remain sovereign as regards their legitimate attributes, or are they to become the slaves of the Federal power ? ThiB is the chief question which the electorate are called upon to decide during the elections about to begin. The question is exceedingly grave, for upon its solution depends necessarily the life or death of the Confederation. In point of fact, if the Provinces cease to be their own masters, eind become the slaves of the Fed«iral power, the ruin of tiic Confederation will necessarily and, within a short time, follow. If. on the contrary, the autonomy of the Province is main- tained in all its integrity, thv Feilcml \\nm\ will be inoa* stmni^ly mniiitiwncci tiiuii ever tm> d«r ono form or other. — 4 — Tlial. is to Hiiy, iis liciclly '<.•'< I«>.HHiI)lr, tliiit t liosc wlio .'ire for tli<; miiiiitfiiiiin't! of tlio ■ union hIiomIiI 1)1! ill i'.iviii' nf tilt' I'l'ovincL's, ami thai Lll(>^:u vvlio art^ for tlit; ni|itiii't; of tliul union 5I1011I1I lie a^MJimt the I'roviiicoM. It iw uhi^Idhm any loii;,'('r to tlcciiivti oursclvcM on this |)oiiit, ami to attempt to I'onccal the tnnj Hitiiation. 'I'iu; aiitniiomy of the I'rovince.t is the Hole \>n»i» of tiio maintenance of the pniHunt niiioii ; aM<l the ceiitrali/atioii of [>o\\er at Ottawa will have for inevitable couHe- qiicneo the riiptiiie of that union. For whose ami what lienetit will tliis rupture take i>la(e? Will it lift in the interest of Inilependenc*! or Annexation ? This is a ]irolilein which 1 am not calloil to solve ; it is a secret of whiuh the future alone can reveal the myHteries. It is allowahle, however, to state, that whatever may happc^n, Imlepenclence or Annex- ation, our (lestiiry is serionwly threatened, and our future gravely conipromiHcd, if Provincial autunomy is not Hafegiuinl(>(l. The loss of this autonomy iiieanH, in the first place, the rupture of the colonial bond and the fatal and nccesHary entry of the Provinces into an unknown j>f)lilical situation, in which, beinj{ isolated, they would bt; unable to protect themselves aj^ainst the unforeseen events by whicli they woulil be tiireateiied. This is the chief meaning of the struggle which is now about to open : maintenance of the autonomy of the Provinces aiicl conH(M|iiently of the colonial bond ; or rupture of the colonial bond, and conse(|Uently the uiiknuwii witliall its dangers. The present (JoverniiHiiit has constituted ilstdf the champion of I'rovincial rights and has striven to Uiaintain Provincial autonomy. Its maintenance in power meansi the main- tenance of that autonomy and thereupon coiise(|Uently depends tin; natural and legitimate development and tlu; prndeiil and s.i;,' preparation essential to (it our country to take its place among the nations of the world when the hour of its emancipation strikes. To defeat the present (Jovernnient involves the rash and fatal pulling of ourselves into the hands of those who arr unconstuously liut surely working to bring about legislative union, which means the annihilation of the Provinces, or Imperial Federation, which means the annihilation of Canada. We arc over f^ve millions of people in this country, which, ilivided into Provinces, inde- pendent one of the other, has great des'inic^s in store for it, if its public men know how to develop its immense resources with intelligence, prudence and patriotism. It is the duty of all men of heart, whatever may be the race or i-eligious belief to which they belong, to join hand and heart in securing tliat future. Let us therefore cease the (piarrels that divide and weaken us, and unite our strength mider the same flag, to assuie the public prosperity and the rea!i7:ation of the sublime destinies in store for us ! Alivs ! let us say it among ourselves, instead of unirm we have division, and, while our adversaries are united iu their cfFurts to crush us, we arc divided in our ellorts to defend our- selves. FRENCH LANGUAGE— SEPARATE SCHOOLI^. What do we witness, in fact ? Is not the abolition of the French language in question, ia not the abolition of separate schools threatened, and yet the French language and sepa- rate schools are ijuarantccd by the organic law of Confederation? OUR ENE.\IIES. Who is it wants to abolish the French language and separate schools '.' In Toronto and Ottawa they are the allies of the />V(((s of tilt! Province of (,)uebec. Mi-. Taillon has never, that I am aware of, repudiated Mr. Meredith or Mr. McCarthy, who are both agreed upon attaining the same end. That end, everyone knows, involves the abolition of the French ^ language and of separate schools. I uo not believe that Mr. Taillon shares these ideas, accepts these fatal opinions, and is ready to endorse their triumph. No : but ho is doing what he did in 1885 and 18SH. He is mute in presence of the foe. He dares not resent the attack of the enemies of our race and our religion. In ISSo and 1SS(> hcrofu.'icii (o intervene against thosewho were crush- ing our bretheru in the North- West, and now ho in silent in the presence of those who want to banish the French language and to destroy ; . larate schools. It is always the same old story, the same disgraceful, fatal story, it is the minority in the person of Mr. Taillon agreeing to crouch bef<ir»» the majority in the person of the Orange> ernnieiU. Turn . lilind, hun ers of the The In of Ontario, tice for all vince of Co all the Pro' and boldly misled indi Tliere very certaii As a m the attentic on the auto ' SAFKTY ALOXK I\ UNION. Wlial 18 to he (loiiu iiiulur tliu (,'irc'imi.si,'.iR:i.'s? Only oiii; tliin;^ -to unite iis one min to repel the iittiijk. Tlie fiinatii.'s want tixiiish um. Sue whiit our mlvers.irioM ;ifo doiii;} : i >l fiiitirilioil witli li iiangui'-i in the newspapers, on iho llu^4tin^H iuitl elsewhece, lliey me forniin^' iiHwoeiiitiiiiis ; tlit-y me uiiitin;^ anil ttoekinjf to mutually strenytiien themselves not only lo repel im.iijiu.iiy uss.uiUs, I. at, what is moro aerioUH, to earry tlu; war into our miilst. anil to deny us ilie full and entire exereiae of tho rights which are guaranteed to us hy the eousliiution, tlie law ainl tho treaties. Who are the men wlio are li>(hlin!^ tlie inestmt (foverniiient in the I'roviueo of Quehec ? The allies of Messrs. Meredith atid MoCarlliy, the two eneinii's of our raeo and creed. Let us have the cottraj^c! to tell the- truth, for it is tlu^ tiulh; the />'/- n papers, which aro fighting us here, aresti|ipoitiu,L; .Mereditli in Ontario and .Merarthy at Ottawa. Wo are eonfronted willi the same entMiiies -enemies of our race and creed, and congequoiitly of the atttonomy of the Provinces. The two thin|,'s j^o hand in hand. One must he for or aj{ainst the I'rovinces ; tor or a^'ainst Legislative Union ; for or ag.iinst Imperial Federation. Tliiire is no halfwiiy. Tlie lines of dein.ircatioii are clearly defined hy our adversaries. In Ontario, .\lr. Meredith hlames the Mowat (iovern- ment for not prerenting tiie Kiaeliing of Freneh in tiie puhlie schools. .\t Ottawa, Mr. MoCarthy hlames the Federal (Jovernmenl for not hanishing the French language whororcr it has a right to he spoken. And those who are lighting us here are tighling .Mowil thoro ; the alliance is not admitted, hut it is not less a fact and a ruality, besides hoiiig logical and natural. And is it face to face with siiiii a situ;ition tliat iIk; inhahitants of the Province of Quehec would refuse to unite, woitld remain indiirerent, and would not join hand in hand to resist the unfair and criminal attack of our adversaries ? \Vhoni do they take us for? Are we outcasts, pariahs hy nature, dejjraded, only de- serving of public contempt ? If such he the case, I have oidy to resi„'ii, lo retire into private life, and to uait until my countrymen prove that they are m)t heartless. But, no. I say it fearlessly, my fellow countrymen, lo whatever tongue, to whatever reed, or to whatever nationality they may belong, are- men of heart. They will never allow fanatics to put their foot on their throats ; they will defend themselves and repel the unjust and dishonest attack of which they are llii^ object. They want peace at all cost; and will make considerable sacrifices to maintain it. Hut if war becomes necessary they will submit lo it wiiii rt'gret, but with courage and ei»urgy, and, let us say it proudly, with success. No cowardice '1 Peace is wliat we want, but peace for all, that is to say, the peace which means eijual justice to everyone, to Catholics as well as to Protestants, to French us well as English in uU the I'rovinces. OTTAWA'S FATAL IXFLUKNCK. :ito and. s never, |ed upon French Ipinions, lid 18S«). of our [•e crusli- luso who Lority in I Orange' We are not deluding ourselves in any way, — the facts are there, clear, numerous, and evident to everybody. Our adversaries are under the iuHuence of Ottawa, to that extent that they do nothing without getting their inspiialion from Ihe leaders of the Federal (iov- crnmenl. Turn over the history of the last few year:- ami whu. do you limlV IJlind suhnii.ssion. Hliiid, humiliating, fatal, submission of tiie Iciulers of tin' IJleii parly at (^>nebec lo the lead- ers of the Bleu liarty at Ottawa. Wliy do ilii\>- deny it V The Inter-Provincial (\)nferenre of IS.^7, wliicii liroughl to^^cther all the political men of Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New IJiunswick and .Manitoba, in order to demand jus- tice for all the Provinces, an additional grant, which woidd assurt; the autonomy of each Pro- vince of Confederation, by socuring its independence, should have rallied the public men of all the Provinces. There is but one opinion on this lu.'ad : it is strong, vigorous, emphatic, and boldly proclaims union as an indispensable necessity, against the selfish interosts of a few misled individuals in the same part}'. There is but one way to save ourselves ; it is to cioato union. There is another way very certain to lose us — it is, to keep up division. As a matter of course, our adversaries, inspired by ceitain persons, are seeking to divert the attention of the electors from the real situation. For them, the country is not in danger on the autonomy question, but solely on that of the finances. ^Ve are not threatened, say •MM -" they, by OttawA j we arc threatened by ourselves. According to them, tlio question Is not whether iVovinciul autonomy Hhoutd \h: protected, )>ut whether we HhouM ttave a few dollarH to the detriment of the niglit Hehooln, uoloni7.atioii, railwayH and other Bul>jecta of public intereHt. Let UH briefly examine this pretension of our adversaries and see what truth there ia in their charge ! DEFICITS AND SURPLUSKS. In order to turn public attention from the questions wiiich should be submitted to h, our adversaries havo startetl and are keeping up tlie cry of extravagance and usserting tliat wo are driving the Province to banitruptcy. Drive, they say, the present Ministers from power, and you will see that our ciuvrgcs are truthful. Drive them from power, say tliey, if you wish to avoid direct taxation. And yet the men using tliis Imiguage are the same who ruled from 1S(»7 to 1887, during twenty years, with the exception of a few months, during which Mr. Joly was in power, and during that time they created a debt of twenty millions, and ciuinged surpluses into deficits which they piled up to tiio extent of over two millions from 187r» to 1887. And yet since we iuive come to power, we have clianged deticits into surpluses, and greatly improved the situation under this iieiid as under all others. VVhen our adversaries were in powor, they denied tiic existence of the deficits, which are now proved beyond (juestion by the ofHciiil documents, prepared under their own direc- tion, and by orticeiH appointed by themselves. Since we have l)een in power, tliey deny that there are surpluses, and yet those sur- pluses are officially establislied with as niucii othcial certainty us were tiicir deficits. Their statements tlierefore on this head were false, and are officially contradicted by their own documents. Their statements to-<lay on the same iiead are just as false. They aie contradicted by the public documents. Tliey are contradicted by a man lilic the Hon. Mr. Shehyn. Every- one Knows the present Treasurer, everyone admits that he is an lioiioralile merchant, whose signature is worth gold, and whose word is respected. He lias risen gradually but surely in public estimation, and has attained the position ho now occupies, thanks to his assiduity and irreproachable conduct. Is it reasonable to think, is it fair to say, that such a man is knowingly deceiving the country ? Clearly not, and it is not only our right, but our duty to believe his word. INCREASED RECEIPTS. Well, if the reign of deficits has ended, for there can be no doubt M'hatover of the existence of deficits liefore we came to power, the financial situation is improved. And if it is true that we are spending more, we luive also received more since, notwithstanding the legitimate increase of expenses, we have a surplus. Before we came to power, the expendi- ture was lower, but tliere were constant deficits; since we have come to power the expendi- ture is higher, but we liave constant surpluses. Are tlie people going to prefer tlie men who spent Httlo and indebted the Province, to those who spend more and run it into no debt ? Take the year expired on 30th June last, and what says Hon. Mr. Shehyn of it on page 10 of his budget speecli of last session. He declares that the ordinary receipts amounted to $.^,628,184 and the ordinal' ' expenses to .1?,'l,r)4.S, (518. He therefore aftirnis that the surplus amounted to $84,r)65..'")(i, and lie udils : " The House and the country will therefore be happy to learn that tlie ordinarj' operations of the last fiscal year showed a surplus of §84,. ^a. 56 notwithstanding the predictions of our adversaries, who, liy means of skilfully manipulated calculations and figures, ha e sought to make out that the operations of the year have cul- minated in a large deficrit." Where is the honest mm who will contest these assertions, made officially from his seat n the House, by a man like the Hon. Mr. Shehyn. " At page 11 of the same speech the present Treasurer adds .• "In 1886, the year so much ex- tolled by our friends of the Opposition, the ordinary receipts only amounted to $2,949,562.- 15, while those of the year 1889 have come up to $3,027,932.20, which shows an increase of $678,082.05 over the year 1886." If this be true, and who dare deny it, the increase of the expenditure is not only justi- fied, since it does not compromise the financial situation and still leaves a surplus of receipts •rsr sxpensss, but it has bocome naoassary, b«cauB« it is the indispensable condition of the -.7- puMic proHpority. If the receipts iiicnuiHi!, tlio expeiiHOH nniHt inoreuHf. Tlie two go to- f^utlicr, l)(!CuiiHu, apart from the fact tliat to ])r(i(liu'i! more we iniiHt Hpeixl more, it woiiltl not l>(! wiHC not to take advantage of tin; iiicreaMe of the reeeiptii to fnitheraiiti more Hiircly devulop tlic ptililie resoureeH. Moreover, the pretemleil inerotiHe of the expentteM in nuieli Iohh tliun Ih asserted l>y our adversaries, and, to asuertaiu its amount properly, we shouhl not do as our adversaries have done : Confound tlio ordinary with tiiti extraordinary expenses, tiiu revenue w itli tlie capital expenses. KXTllAORDINARY EXPHNDITUHK. The ordinary expenses of the year 1S80 wcre.?3,.'>4.'{,<ilS.(}4, (page 7 of Hon. Mr. Sheiiyn's same speecli), and tiie payments of all sorts were, for the same year, !*."), l'_M,lIlti.7!*, tlie diJl'er ence of !Jll,")S().r»lS. !"• representing tiie extraordinary expenditure, such, for instance, as the loan to tiie Protestant Insane Asylum, at Mfuitreal. .*>I."),(MM), plus .^T.H'il, part <>f the proceeds of the sale of the Leduc farm, S>l*i'),7'2!( for tiie construction of the new Parliament liuildiugs at (Quebec; $412,733 construction of the t^uehec Court House ; S."iO,(MM> for the enliirgement of the Montreal Court House; ^2(J,;J'24 for the Coditication of tlie Laws; .s|(»,(Ml(> for explor- ations in Dorchester and other cimnties ; J!10,(KM> for compensation for errots in surveys in llcmville ; ^")0,()00 for iron bridges in municipalities; {foO.OOO for seed grain; ?!l,04!),847 (over a million,) for subsidies to railways, Ac, &c. (. Is there a rea.sonable man in the Pi'ovince who blames liiis extra exjii'uditure V No that I know of. The Opposition themselves approved of it because they couhl not do other wise, as these §l,04iJ,!S47, paid in railway subsidies, were so paid as the rt-sult, as far a ^ threo-fourths are concerned, of their own policy. How can they blame us for that expen • diture. It was they who decreed it by voting tlie railway subsidies' law. GOOD LAWS. But, for argument sake, let us admit tlial the expenses are too high ; then it is only right to endeavor to ascertain the reason. Wiial is that reason? We have stated it .so often that it should lie needless to I'cpeat it. In the tir.st plact;, the business has considerably in- creased ; the creation of a Ministry_<jf Agriculture and of that of President of the Council ; the augmentation of the cost of the administration of justice ; the adoption of a»pt;cial system to better secure the collection of the revenue of the Crown lands and other departments, &c. All thesu matters have been discussed and judged. 'J'he ()pj)osition pretend that we did wrong in creati''ft o, special ministry of agr'iculture and colonization, and, consciiucntly, in placing additional burthens on the public. We are not of the same opinion, and it is for the people cide between us in tiic last inslance. ABOLITION OF THE SPECIAL MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND COLONIZATION. If tin; verdict, which the people are called upon to render at the forthcoming elections, be against the Ministry, we shall bow with resjicct to their decision and retire ; but then, our adversaries will be obliged to abolish tiie department intended to favor the interests of agriculture and colonization. And the fanners and settlers, who constitute the immense majority of the country, will be deprived of a special representative in the Ministry. RESUiTS OBTAINED. Moreover, cannot the people of tins Province, in view of the results olitained, pardon ua a few additional expenses? Will they refuse to take into account the settlement of the Jesuits' Estates (piestion to the satisfaction of all the iuterestcd jiarties? Will they refu.se to allow for the establishment ot the night schools ? Will they refuse to take account of our iron bridge policy ? \V'ill they refuse to make allowance for our eflorts to macadamize the turnpike roads and to abolish toll-bridges and toll-gates ? Will the people be satisfied to only examine our expenses, without giving any heed to our receipts ? Will they push injustice so far aa to look only at the debit aide of the sheet — 8 — Mid not oant a. ^laiK^o aUo at tlin orodit Hide? Will thuy rojoct uh I)enau8e we i^ro HpeiuUng K few rIoilarH nioi-i) (unl ntfi(H(t tiMioltnciwlcMlgu thu gutiurul lifiiotitH of tlic iiitt<liigcnl iiiul pro- gi'OKHivo policy we jhivi^ iiiiiii;{ui'iili!c| » No, mill it woiilil liM nil iiiHiiil lo tiic |t('<i|)li' to IicIIi'm- mm. TIic |)i'i)|iIi' ;irr I'^iir, rciiHoii- able, ini»!llij;t'iit iiml lidiii-iit. 'I'licy will jii<lgi! vis on tliu wIjoIu of our policy, und not <in u f«w duUiilH only. TIIK I'UOTKS'J'ANrs. KffoftH Imvo lw(!n niiulr to uroiisd ii;.^ainMt \\h the I'rotostivntH of ilic I'lov iiuc uf (j>iu'ln'i;, and, tliimkH to liiiH dislioiK^st Jiml iiitfiil tiKtic, di'piiiruliii' prejudices Iium^ oeen pet'lmpH excituil tiirttintit UM ; l>iit, ihauk (iod, tiicHe prejudices lia\e ilisiippeivred. Keiisimiible and in talligent T'rottsstanlH now iiiidei'.staiiil tliat we aro detenniiied to do tlieiii juistice, and that the riglitM of tliu minority will 1)0 icMpecti-d, and, at need, ilefeiided liy tlie preHcnt (iovern- ment. Is it nocoH^ary to rei'all tiie faetH wliieli have hitppeiied for Huiue time pawt? When certain ProlestantM iufuH('d to do im justice, we gav*- it to tliem an amply as possililo ; when certain I'rotostant.s insulted iiB for having nettled tin- (|Uesiioii of tlw .lesuits' estates, we granted to thoir uoreligionists what thc^y demanded ; \\v liroiigiit liie law into accord with thoir ideas ; fiii-ther guaranteed tlie existemu' of their Icgitimalc lights; increased their Hharo of the indenmity ; helped the eonstructionof their schools and I'olleges ; and finally crowned that fair and intelligent policy hy asking an almost wholly l''rench ami ('atludii-' Legislature to vote JiJIO.OOO to help to rehnihl a Protestant house of education, destroyed ut Toronto, in a I'rovince lhrct-(piarters Knglish and I'rotestaul. DOWN WITH TH1<: CLK^UK. Down with the clicpie ! This is the war cry to he found in certain piipi-rs in (^)uel)ec, Montreal, and elsewhere. It would seem that, \\ilhout knowing it, lam the chief of a cliipie, the leadcrof a gang of roliliers. (Laughti^r.) As long as I was not Premier, 1 was regarded as an honest man ; (laughter) hut tluMnoment I hecame so, in the opinion of certain persons, 1 ceased to he an honest man, and eonatituted myself the lu^id of an organized gang to plumler ami ruin the Province. What is tiiat cliipie '! If we understand properly what our adversaries mean, it nmst he composed of the Ministers and their surroundings. Of the Ministers ! Admitting that the ■fact alone of my reaching the Premiership must have and has rendered me unworthy of |mhlie confidonce, which is hardly ]iro))ahk', hardly fair ; hut let us say so for fun sake ; theit; re- main my colleagues, those wlio are heliiing me in my daily work to manage' puhlic? att'airs. Who are those colleagues ? Let us leave aside for the moment the younger ones, only to speak of those who have attained a nu)re ailvaneed agt; than mine. The yo\inger ones ! They are doing their share of tiie work, and I know that tliey are doing it conscientiously and that they enjoy tlic puiilie esteem. f.,et us take the oldest ; let us take Messrs. (inrneaii, Shehyn, Ko.ss anil IMiodes. Is tiiere a man in the comilry \\iio w ill dare to say that tliese four men are not woithy of the respect of tlie population of the Piovince of tj)ueliee ? (Ap- plause). Would they he wortliy of liie respect of that ])opulalion, if they ^^c|■e helping me to plunderand rol) the Province ? (Laughter). They are heie and can speak for tiiemselves and 1 ^jope they will admit tiiat no Premier has kept his eolleagues better posted in all the events, Ithe details of tlie administration. I have no secrets from tiiiMii ; 1 consult them on <'verything, ami nothing is done with- out asking their aihiee. (.Ajiplausc). j\ml woidd it he jjo^siiile that I should consult them on the aecomplisliment of those acts of rascality with wiiicli I am charged, and that those gentlemen should remain vitii ww. (.Ajiplause). The eliiiue I (.Applause). The clitpie! IJiit look at my surroundings, you have an idea of it at the moment. Look here on tiie stage, and let those hei(^ look there at the respectahle crowd before me ; there is the elii|uc ; there is the iieojiU' ; Iheicare my friends. (Applause). Those who surround me to-day are the same who surrounded me in the day of battle ; ^'hen, seeing me crushed by numbers, fourteen only in a hoii.se of si\ty-tive, these men of heart gave me their hand, sustained nie, and fought for me on tlie hustings and in the papers. That was my eli(jue then, and is my eliijue to-<lay. (Applause). I have not changed, and the clique has not changed, and those who are scan<lali/ed to-day at seeing around me the men of heart who are helping me, have only to recall the memories of the struggles from IS8.3 to 1S8G and they will lind around me in prosperity the same friends 1 had in adversity. Applause). But, gentlemen, down with the clique — 9 — Why? Bocauso, if rt'upp'talilu frionds conntituto a clique, It \n (lanRcrnus for tlio clique roliKeiH, At'., uml it in pirtcftly woll iiiiowii tliat a cliciiiu waH foriucily (ir^ani/.u<l to rod ami pluiiilur tlm i'loviuct! of (^MuUi'. It in ptrfi-ittly wt-ll known tliat tlio puoplo, in ono of ihoMo ilayH of wiiilli wliicli it NuiiuliiiMs iia.'*, iltovc out tlus ili(|Uf. (Ai>plau(4<!). An>l it in l<iio\v'ii, f^ciitli'hit'ii, iiiiiic to (liiy tliau fvcr, tiuil tlioso wlm cariioil out tho Half* (»f tlu- lailwiiy iu \SH'J lnl<iii;ii(l t<> tliv iliipu! of tlu! imii wlio tiguruil in tj-.e Pacific Bcandai of I.S7-, who liavc just iuou^'lil aWuut the RyltiitHcaiidal, and wlioarii niixud up with tho Mctlifcvy Mciiudai iu (^uolx'f. (Applause). And it i» pcrficlly woll known lluit whilo wu, not withMtaudiii^ what in Miiid to llu! contrary, rcuiaiii poor in puMio Ijfu, K'^'i"K ull wu can iu tins lir.st placid to Hupport our faniilits, and next to iudp workx of charity, to hol]t education, to iudp all just rausi's, tiionc wlio arc trcatiu>{ im aH a i'li(|uc curlohcd thcniselvea when liiuy were in power, and tiiiHh us to-day with the Huuiptuuusncsa of thoir style. —(Ap- plause). (icntleincn, lu'licvc lui-, tlicsc cries of our adversarioh are meant to divert your attention from tile true witualion, and if iliei'e were in the party to wldch I ludong, whieli 1 conduct at tho nu)nicnt, and wldcli 1 hope to lead to victory (Applause) a single man diHposed to cre- dit these charges, let him say so and W(^ will clian' e leaders in oi'der to preserve the tlat;. Men pass away, hiit tlu; cause ahides. (I'Holonged Applause.) Let U3 aurround tho flag with respectalile men, if it he 'iiought that those who are defending it t(» day are not ho. Hut, for the love of (Jod and of the l'rovinc»!, let uh assure the triuinpli of that flag l>y our devotion, our patriotism and our energy. (Applause.) ECONOMIES. lion of of an \ist he at the )ul)lic ere re- tVairs. nly to ones ! tiously irneau, 1 tliesc (Ap- g me to s and 1 events. Willi- It them it those an idea icrtalde )lause). hat tie ; men of in the langed, iiid me les from Vcrsity. It is said : Tint iK»w do you justify the geneial result of your administration of afTairs? You have reached a frightful figure of expenditure. Wiio is saying this? 'I'iiose wiio practiced economy, not liy I'eiliieing llK^irown salaries, not by reducing tlie indemidty of memlu'i's, not liy lessening the ))r(>fitu of contractors, but by reducing tlic grants to oiu' educational and chai'italilc institutions. (Applause.) Tiiey practisi'd economy i)y cutting oil' tiie support of the good nuns wiiose devotion to the poor and iniirm touches every heart, and draws tears from every eye. Cutting off a hundred dollars here and there, taxing jjublic charity, and calling on the nuns to gather up our orphans, our sick and our infirm and forcing them to be satisfied with the modest alms which tiiey threw to tiieni. They practised economy by saying : Here is an educational institution, Protestant or Catholic, giving free instruction to a large iiiim)>er of \n)ov children, we will reduce or cut off its grant ; it was tiius they juactis(Ml economy, by taxing ciiarity and education. We do not want to practi.se such economy, and we shall never do so, gentlemen. (Applause.) Tho day on wiiicli tiie people desire men to carry out such economy and to snatch a few dcdlars from our houses of ciiarity and edmtation, let the people say so ; we shall retire and allow to come back to power those wiio are heartless enough to brutally carry out such economy. For our jiarl, we have not the courage to do so. On the contrary we have increasivl tlu; grants to our charitable institutions; we have increased the grants to orr educational institutions, and see to-day thecolleges and convents which are arising in the Province of (^>iiel)ec ; see the buildings wiiich are going up even in this city ; buildings for Protestants, buildings for ( 'atholics. We have helpi-d them, ami shall help tiiem again if necessary (iipplaiisei, because?, gentlemen, we consider that the finest capital tiiat the Province of t^iuebcc can iiave is intelligence. (Applause). And the only way to develoji that cajjital is by education. (Ajiplause). And if there lie anything wlii<'ii shoidd give pleasure to the hearts of the citizens of this province, it is tiie maintenance of oiu' charital>le institutions and the helj) v,e are giving to those holy women, wlio spend tlicir whoh; lives in di'Votion to tlie poor and tiie unfortunate. (Applause. ) IXCREA.SIXC TIIE EXPENSES. It is also said : your expenditure has increased ; yes, but, what about the jurors and Crown witnesses? IJeforo we came to jxnver a citizen was dragged from his work, sometimes he was a poor man, and he was ttdd : you are a juror, you will be shut up for ten days, and you will get half a dollar a day. You are a witness, you know a fact which can help society to protect itself. You will come up as a w itness ; you will give your time for nothing ; and if you arc too poor, if you iiuist ask u few cents to stipport your children, you will be forced -10- to aWear that you are needj' , you must expose your poverty to the public, and then the province will throw you un alms of a dollar a day to iiKleinuify you for the cxponsos which you have incurred to serve your country. That is the system which we found in force, and we said that it should cease. The free and independent citizens of tlie Province of Quebec who are calUid upon to become judges, for a juror is a judge, should be treated like the other judges. 'i"he others are judges of the law, tliey are judges of the facts, and the law is more easily leiirncd than the facts. We told the juror : You will be treated like a judge, you will be treated like a citizen. Instead of locking you up in dark and cheerless rooms, we will treat you like free and independent men. And you, the (^rown witnesses, we will treat you as witnesses in ordinary cases between private parties, with the respect due to those who assist the admin- istration of justice. (Applause). The expenditure is increasing. Who are the men who say this and wiio condenui our policy? The men who doubled the expenses from 1807 to 1888, and the men wlio preached economy in Opposition and practised extravagance in powcn-. And to get back tliere, these men tell yoa that tliey will bring back jurors and crown witnesses to the old rcjimi which you know so well. THE TAX ON THE INSANE. In 1882, Mr. Cliapleau, then Premier, caused a law to be passed, taxing the numicipali- ties for the care of the insane. This wasa tax on an iuHrmity of human nature, it was a tax on family despair, because the municipality paid, but it had to recover from the family ; and the Government, in receiving tiiese poor patients, while being supposed to succor them, said t» the municipalities : You will have to pay the one-half of the cost of their support and you will recover from their families. So that, in despair, at seeing one of their meml)crs bereft of his reason, families were exposed to having tiie bailitl's at their dooi's to .seize their goods for the recovery of this tax on misfortune. We have suppressed that Oilious tax ; we have wiped it out of our statute books, for it was a stain on our laws. (Ap[)lause). Ah ! gentlemen, to-iUiy wliatever misfortune may befall one of yours, the State comes to his help ; the pul)lic institutions are open to him and the day on wliich the asylum doors close upon one atllicted by fate, his family is no longer exposed to the danger of seeing the spectacle of their domestic grief dragged ))efore the public by the revenue agents. (Ap- plause.) OUR ADVERSARIES POLICY. But at least, amid aH these contradictions cast up to us by our adversaries, among all the expenses of wiiich a crime is made, is it possible to distinguish what would be their po- licy, if they returned to power? I have been in politics for 28 years ; I have lieen a mem- ber for nearly 20 years ; I have been Premier for 4 years ; I have watched, listened to, and observed my adversaries, and I have constantly but vainly asked myself, what is the aim of their efforts and of their tendencies and what is their policy ? And the other day, when Mr. Taillon's programme was announced, I said to myself : At last ! We are going to get something new, for in the House Mr. Taillon contented him- self with condenuiing the (iovernnient, his policy being negative. I read, and recognized the old programme of my adversaries, revamped, but always the same. No promise, no for- mal pledge, only an absolute and unreasonalde condenniation of our policy, witliout propos- ing anything in its stead. Still they cry : The expenditure is too heavy ; it must be reduced. Is that a programme ? Gentlemen, if the expenses are warranted, as I have just shown, it is not a good princi- ple to condemn them, and a proof that they are warranted is that they were approveil and voted by our adversaries tiiemselves. NEW LOANS. But, they say, it is necessary to go further, and place tlie Legislature in tutelage ; we must appoint a curator to the Ministers, and that curator should be the people, says Mr. Taillon. The Legislature cannot autiiorize theCJovermnent to borrow a cent, except in cases of urgency, without asking the people to first ratify that authorization. Where does such a law exist ? Nowhere. But, say those gentlemen : "Let us put this Government into tutelage ; let us also put the Legislature about to be elected into tutelage, »nd we will thus succeea in lowering, degrading and humiliating the Province of Quebec. It (Ap- ic ; we [s Mr. i\ cases lilt this telage, jec. It -11- will DC the only Province in the Dominion with such a law on its statute hook, and thence* forward it will he declared incapahle of having a responsible Government, and then the Pro- vince of Quebec will become tlie laughing stock of the other Provinces of Confederation and its population will be humiliated." Consequently, the other day, one of our friends at Ottawa, Dr. Guay, was so well im- pressed with this point, that he asked the Federal (Jovernment, if it was their intention to get a law passed in the sense of Mr. Taillon's programme, and Sir John Macdonald, able statesman as he is, ridiculed tlie idea and answered ooldly in the negative. What then becomes of this fundamental item of Mr. Taillon's programme? .Sir John has disavowed Mr. Taillon's programme as he disavowed the laws of our Legislature. (Laughter.) WHAT REMAINS? This is all. But, at least, in this programme, there is sometlung touching the great questions of the day. Well, gentlemen, you have read tliis programme ; you all know that there is a great social movement going on in the wliole world ; you know tiiat in Europe, in America, everywhere in fact, the labor (juestiou, the workingmen's tiuestion, has become the most important (juestion, after tlie question of religion, that can arise for the discussion of peoples. (Applause.) An extraordinary movement is everywhere taking place. You see the workingmen uniting in bodies, marching with their banners ahead, well dressed, showing respect for law and oriler, but at the same time claiming their rights. You see them a.'fserting their position everywhere, demanding reforms, urgent under the circumstances, I do not say all, but a good number ; and demanding education, demaiidiiig schools to enable them to become more useful to their country, and to lielp them to discover the true means to assure their welfare and that of their families. Tlie Goverinnent has acceded to these just demands, and responded to the working- men's legitimate aspirations by establishing night schools. THE WORKING CLASSES. But the working classes have many other subjects of gratitude towards the National Government. Have we not named inspectors to visit all the factories of the province, in order to protect the health, the life of these poor toilers ? Have we not even gone to the length of sending a distinguished specialist to the Hygienic Congress of Boston for the purpose of studying the improvements that should be introduced in the hygienic condition of our factories ? Have we not had laws passed to better regulate the labor to which children were subject- ed in the factories ? Have we not protected the workingman's wages against seizure by often too hard-hearted creditors? Have we not intervene<l for the first time between the great public works contractors and the workingmen to get the latter paid tlieir wages, which M'ould otherwise have been infallii)ly lost through the dishonesty or bankruptcy of their em- ployers. It is thus that we have paid ?i!4(),()()0 to the workingmen of Hereforfl, §48,000 to the workingmen of the l{ay des Chaleurs, SI l'J,(X)0 to the workingmen of the Montreal & Sorel Railway ? Here then is upwards of ftJOO.tKM) which have gone into the pockets of the workingmen, and which would have been infallibly lost without the Government's benevo- lent interference — let our adversaries cite a single case in which they have done as much. Workingmen ! You are men of heart, and we have a right to count upon your gratitude- And it is at the moment that the (Jovernment over which I preside is establishing night schools and spending fifty thousand dollars to spread free education among the working classes, avIio desire to get the bread of intelligence as well as the bread of the body from day to day, that Mr. Taillon issues his progranniie without a word about the labor movement which is taking place, about the labor organizations, or about the night schools. (Applause). Therefore, if he came back to power, the workingmen's associations would be the least of his care, the nigjit schools would disappear and he has not even a word of encouragement for the workingmen on these two great and vital questions for them, while we have to show facts, deeds and works ; our schools are open and have worked admirably all winter, (ApplauBo). BRHSm — 12 — THE FARMERS. Wliat wo luivo doiu' for llie oiliieiitioii of tlic w<)i-kiiij,' classi'H wo aro also anxious to do for the fui'niiiig olass, and conso(|\icnUy, if tlioy w i^ili it, wv. sliall ;,'ivo tlioni niglit scliools, too. As thcro is a complaint tliat a lai'^o nunil)(.'i' rif tlio sons of our farnu'r.s do not follow tlio courses of our aj^ricidtural .schooifi, hocauso tlioy liavo not tlio moans to pay tlu-ir hoard, wo wo will also givi^llioni froo oduoalion in ordor lo inoroiiso liu! nunihorof niodol farinors. Wo liavo plaood at tlio oommand of tlic CoiiiKtil of Aiirioultiiio, a oorlain miiiihor of hursarioa to bo distrihutod anionj,' tlio most inialiliocl <ai'iliil;Ui's 'I'lioso .-iociotioH \xill roooniniond tlio pupils and tho (iovonim''iit will ])ay tlioii In j. • I in our ai,'iioidtural scliooLs. With this iuoioasov r- ■ioiucos wo shall a,.>nio to tlio dovotoil nion, wh<i ai'c at tho head of our agrioultural .schools, ,lio nioan.s of aooomplishiiig all tho good whioh want (jf moans has h:*'h(;r»-'- provontod tlu'iii from doing. Antl tho hravo i)oo])lo of our rural districts, will thus ge:' Iit'i? ''iirsliaic! of iho saciilicos which wo iiro thoroii;,'hly dolorininod to undortaku for tho pread oi technical oducaiion ovorywhori^ and among all classes. NO MORE MONEY -RUIX-r..\XKRUPTCV. Rut what do our advoi'sarios' pajiois .say ! Take care 1 Mr. Morcior has precipitated the elections bocauso ho has no more money. (Laughter). And, onco tho elections are over, he will contract a new short loan, lie will have live years Itoforo him, he will spend as he pleases, and all you will get for your irouhlc will ho an additional debt. Those who say tliis ar(^ tho same men who croalod a dolit of twoiiiy two millions in the apace of ten yoais without consiilliug tho jiooplo, dospilo tho people, an<l agiunst tho people. Those who say this, aii the same nun who liuilt a railway at a cost of thirteen millions and sold it for seven millions. (Apjilausc). Those who sriy this, ;u-o the same men who, in ISS!, prosentod tlioiiiselvos ln't'oro the {)eoplo suddenly and under false pretexts, olitaiiiod a crushing inajoiity, and declared at the )eginning of the session tho.so who were present will rememhor tlio fact —that, in selling tho North Shore Railway, wo wouhl have no need to J)orrow a cent, and who, on the day after the sale of the North Shore Railway, asked leave to borrow four millions. (Laughter and applause). It is tho same men, gentlemen, who two years laloi' asked to horrow three millions and a half. Seven millions und a half in tho spiuo of two y<.:ars I ! Is not this nico? Those who toll you that if you give us your conlidenio again I will take advantage of it to contract a fresh loan, arc the same nion who are working to ])rovont the conversion of the debt, a tinaneial operation which would ha\t' tho t^tloct of saving us a large sum of iiitoi'ost every year. Rut, in the idea of those men, tho o(»n\orsion of the debt should la; prevented, because it is the salvation of tho I'rovince of (^)iielioc and its institutions. It is also the same men who arc telling you : "If Mr. Mercier is re-elected he will eon- tract a largo loan and lake advantage of it for himself and his trioiuls. " Just as if the law permitted mo, gentlemen, lo give a single cent of tho imhlic money otherwise than with its sauction and authori/.ation and liy special vote of the Legislature I I But I desire to take no one hy surprise on this head ; 1 do not want to he maiiitaiuod in power nndt^r false pretences and hy subterfuges, and i will now state what I intend to slate everywhere throughout the cani])aign. Our adversaries left us a lloatiiig debt of seven millions and a half ; we have liorrowed three millions and adialf and we have paid all that has fallen due tocxtlnguish this crushing debt, left us hy our adversaiies. Since thiui we have contracted new engngements in the shape of subsidies to riulways. We have settled and jiaid to tho Rishops and colleges ^400,000 for the Jesuits" estates and in a few days we shall ])ay tho jiart coming to tho Pro- testants, .•?<).'{, 000. Our advoisaries have left n.-: law suits imolving several millions ami we soon shall have to j)ay. Wo have an a.sylum at .Monlioal, which has boon destroyed l)y tire; an a.syluin has boon built for llii' rrotostants to which wi' hiive made a loan ; and wo shall probably have to make one also to llii^ Catholics ; it is ino\ itMblo. Wo have also other railways rei|uiring subsidies ; wo ha\e institutions whicii are sutVcr- ing, and we must maintain our night schools for the men and \)'o must estaljlish some also for the women. \Ve must endeavour to improve tin; condition of tho ])oor women who toil in our factories, and to give lo them tho chance of l>eeoming good mothers of families and to educate themselves in order to educate their children. (Api)lauso.) When our adversaries were in power they enacted that the railway comiianies shouhl get thirty-tivo cents for each 10 acre of liiiiil giiiiitt'il to lliom, iiml lliis wlicii tjio land slunild Ik; si.id ami piiiil fur. This places u[)oii us oMigations to the extent of at least three millions of dollars under this liead. I>ut SVC nnist go furtlu'r. \\'e have h(!re an aliyss, the river, separatin;,' Levis from (^iieliee. You iiave seven railways endini; hero which cannot connect for want of a bridge. (Applause). That liridge must be Iniilt. (Apjdause). Understand my words well, ^'entlt;mcn. If, to carry out all tliesc work.s a new loan is necessaiy, we shall contract it. ( l'rolon;,'ed applause.) We shall not allow ourselves to be inthu^nced or frij^litcncd by the howling of our ad- versaries. Wc sliall do our duty in that case as in all others, and we shall not stop in the path of intelligent progress. (Applause.) THE TROTlvSTAXTS. There arc certain (picstions which are very delicate to iiandlc. I will only mention one. You are aware that when wc came to ))ower in 1SS7, wc met witli a great, deal of diffi- culty in finding an Knglisli Protestant as a meml)ef of the, ( Jovcrniuent. 1 will not discuss the cau,ses of tliat ditliculty. 1 will even go further and admit tiiat tlie circumstances might to a certain extent justif\' my i'liiglisli I'rotesiant f(dlow-citi/ens in hesitating before entering into an alliance witli inc. 1 sought and I lielicve I succeeded in solving tlie ditliculty, in fultilling cmc of the promises I liad made wiieii leader of tlie ()|)|)osiiion, by calling into the Ministry an Irisli (.'atholic. (.\pplause.) Later, circumstances arose whicii led that Irish Catholic to give in iiis resignation, and which enabled me to invite an i'liiglish I'rotestant to a seat in my Cabinet. I tiicn overcame two great dillicullies. 1 needed as a Minister a ])ractical fanner, who would reprcser.t at tlie same time tlie I'rotestant element. I tendered to Hon. Mr. llhodes (applause) a portfolio which coinbineil these; two conditions, and every one know.s that ills entry into the Cabinet was greeted with respect and satiafuction by three-fourths of till! population. (Applause.) U the ;the after .■r and and THE IRISH CATHOLICS. Since that time, I ha\e not found it possible to mec't that part of my programme re- lating to an Irish Catiiolic. I hojie, however, genllcmcii, tiiat the day is not far distant, when 1 shall be in a position to do justice un<lci' this head to the Irish Catholics, as I am btriving to do to all the other classes of our country. ( Ai)plausc. ) . of it of the itercst .enled, ill con- the law lith its Miicd in o hlate jri'owed rushing in the iMilleges he I'ro- and we by lire ; V(; shall sutVer- ime also Vho toil and to Jersaries Ifor each THE \ATI()XAL-C()\SEH\'AT1YES. Our adversaries, lieaten in the disi'ussion of the wliolo of our policy, unable to bear out their accusations, aie endcavoi'ing to sow discord in tiiy ])olitical family. Tiiey say : " The National party is dying, because the two elements coiiiposing it are at open war, and the day is a])priiaclung, wlicn the I,.iberals and the Natioiial-(,'<jnservatives will tear each other to jiieci^s and sc])aratc violently." Tiiis is a lie. I am glad to have it to state that tlie alliance; beiwncn tlu'in is stronger and surer tiian ever. (Prolonged ap]daiise.) 'i hat alliance, which does not rest on the inter- I'st of men, but solely on the |)iiblic interest, is strongly consolidated. I |iroinis(;d the Na- tional iiaity that they woiihl have two representatives in the Cabinet, and they ha\e had them since the formation of my ( ioveninu'iit , and will have them as long as they oiler inc acceptable candidates. (Ajiplause.) And the reason for this is very plaiii ; I gave them my word anil I have Ue])t it ; and they have given me their word and kept it. (.Applause.) It has been contended, gentlemen, that the National-t.'onservatives arc exacting, that they are demanding moiv; than llu'ir share. This is a .dander, for I have never had more loyal or disinterested allies. I rejoice to be able to [lay this public tribute to them, and to state that every time I found it necessary to call upon tliein to make a sacrilice in the common interest, they did so and did it giMieroii.sly. THE Li:(;lSLATIVE COUNCIL. A single fact will prove this. Look at the Legislative Council! When I came to power w« had only ono votti in twonty-four ; sc« the situation, fconlay V In that House we havo a 1 ■i I T \f f ■ / -14- majority of four. The Ntttional-Conservativea have gonerouslv consented to allow me to name Liberals, and the majority there to-day iB a Liberal majority, which wipes out the old memories of the BltvA majority. (Applause. ) THE LIBERALS. I If the National-Conservatives have been loyal, if they have been faithful to the principle of the alliance which we formed in 1886, I must pay the same tribute to the LiVjcrals. With the exception of a few hot-heads, for tliere are such in all parties, and tiie Liberal f)arty is not exempt from the general rule, the Liberals all over, the mass of the Liberals, lave worked with me to maintain that alliance, and 1 declare heie ])ublicly, in this city of Quebec, where the party is perhaps stronger than anywliere else, that the Liberals of Montreal are as much in favor of that alliance as the Liberals of Quebec. (A])plau8e.) And the proof, gentlemen, is that all who have endeavored to break that alliance, or even advised its breaking, have been themselves broken by the popular verdict, and will be surely so on every occasion. I l)eg of my Liberal friends to believe me when I say that our salvation is in the alli- ance, and that its ruptu i would be our loss. The day on which I shall fail in my word towards my allies will be a fatal day, not for me, but for you. The flag which we have lioisted will be torn, and we shall go back to the dark days of the past, when the people, crushed under the yoke of unjust and tyrannical laws and by religious pr judices of all kinds, would not let the Lil)erais come to power, where they are to-day, k\\\\ the National-Conservatives, thanks to tliat alliance. Let us respect that alliance and we shall retain power. (Applause). OSTRACISM. One word more and I shall close. Let me tell you that the times have greatly changed. Formerly, and the years are not so many either, the places were few in tliis province, where the Liberals could get a hearing. The press and public men licclared everywhere that the Liberal party was dangerous and that its advent to power meant the destruction of religion and the triumph of bad principles. You, the veterans, have not yet forgotten those sad daj's, and I have not forgotten them either. Before 1876 when we presented ourselves anywhere, we were not very well received. You have here as your Chairman, the Hon. Francois Langelier. (Applause). In 1871 he was a candidate in the County of Bagot. He had the same talents, the same respectability which he has to-day ; he was as Catholic then as he is now, and yet he was crushed because he was a Liberal. And I have heard with my own ears, as others around me have heard, honest people say that Mr. Langelier was an infidel, a man whose principles were excessively dangerous, who never put his foot into a church, and that if the County of Bagot committed the folly of electing him, it would be the triumph of impiety in the Province. He has since been elected in the city of Quebec, and he can be elected anywhere. (Ai)plause). Time was necessary to bring about what we are to-day noting. The tables have been completely reversed ; the impious party to-day is no longL^r the Liberal party but the Bhu party. (Applause and laughter). The men witli bail principles are no longer the Liberals, out the men of Mr. Chapleau's school. (Laughter). And the consequence, gentlemen, is that it was not the Conservative party, although it had twenty years of power, which settled the Jesuit question, but a National (Jovernment. (Appl-iuse). And when formerly the Liberal leaders were denounced as miserables and repelled by a preju- diced, but infinitely respectable clergy, he who has tlie honor to address you to-day, who is the Prime Minister of this Province, leader of the National fJovernnient, and liead of the National party, has received from the Sovereign Pontiff the highest honors which can be conferred upon a layman. CONCLUSION. I have the honor to speak at this moment to the authorized leaders of my party in the Quebec Division assembled together in our good old capital ; aiul it sccm.s to me that I ■hould not conclude these observations m ithout making ii pujticuliVl' appeal, Mhicli \ believe to be juitiflable under tlio oircumstaucea. of; Ion 16 — Tho present Government has ueplocted the interests of no part of the Province ; it has endeavored to do justice to all the cities, towns, villages, and rural districts. But if there is any part of the Province in which the Government should be better re- ceived than elsewhere, it is Quebec. Tlio Ministers have done everything to give justice to the population of this part of the country, and have never missed un occasion to be pleasing and useful to them. It would be very difficult to point out a single demand made by the population of this dis- trict, whicli the (iovernment lias not favorably entertained. We have labored with activity and success to complete the railway system, wliose construction was languisliing and which was destined to bring here wealth and prosperity. Ami when ihat railway system was ter- minated, tho (iovernment, noting that the work was incomplete and that the river presented a great, an insurmountable obstacle to tlie prosperity of this capital, got liberal aid votetl for tlie construction of tlie bridge which is so much desired, provided that the Federal and civic authorities do their share. Anil wliile all the Ministerial members of the Montreal division were united on this ques- tion and iield out a generous hand to the citizens of the old capital, the members of the Op- position, even those wlio represented this Quebec district, rejected the hand which was stretched out to them, and, following like slaves the example of their leader, voted in the name of the Conservative party against the l)ri(lge scheme. To return these men to power would tlierefore be the assuring of the triumph of a policy hostile to Quebec ; on the other hand, to maintain the present (iovernment, means the as- .suring of tlie triumph of a policy favoiuble to (Quebec. This is wliat 1 liad to tell you, ueutlemen, and while asking you to excuse the length of my remarks, let me express the liope tlmt you will at once set to work like intelligent people and men of heart, in order to assure the triumpii of your interests, of the party and of tlie (Jovcrnment which have taken tliein under their jirotection. Von have your future in your own hands ; you can sacrifice it, hut you also can assure it. The 17th June next is polling day, and I invite to the polls on that day all honest citi- zens, and if each one does his duty, the triumjih will be signal ; we sliall return proud con- (|Uerors, sujiportcd liy the people, to continue the pcdicy of progress, of conciliation, of paci- fication, and of reparation which we have pursued with your concurrence since 1887. (Pro- longed applause, all present rising and cheering Mr. Mcrcier). •ij