^, IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ^/ 4 A^^ V4 1.0 2.5 I.I 1^128 1-25 II 1.4 1.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. M580 (716) 872-4503 m ^N% V ^v LV :\ \ ^ ^ ^ ^ CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHIVI/ICIVIH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques Technical and Bibliographic Notas/Nota* tachniquat at bibliographiquaa 1 t The institute has attamptad to obtain tha best original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliogra{>hically unique, which may alter any of tha images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming, are checked below. Q Coloured covets/ Couverturo da coulaur r~^ Covers damaged/ D Couverture endommagie Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaur^ et/ou pelliculie □ Cover title missing/ Le titre de couverture manque r~~| Coloured maps/ D D D D D Cartes gtegraphiquas en couleur Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) □ Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur Bound with other material/ Reli* avac d'autras documents Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin/ La re iiure serrie peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distorsion lo long de la marge intirieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certainas pages blanches ajoutias lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans la texte. mais, lorsque cela 6tait possible, ces pages n'ont pas ixi filmtas. Additional comments:/ Commentaires suppiimentaires; L'Inatitut a microfilm* le meilleur exemplaire qu'il 'ui a it6 possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-Atre uniques du point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la mAthoda normaia de filmage sont indiqute ci-dessous. r~n Coloured pages/ Pages da coulaur Pages damaged/ Pages endommagias Pages restored and/oi Pages restauries et/ou pelliculAes Pages discoloured, stained or foxe< Pages dicolories, tachaties ou piquies Pages detached/ Pages d6tachies Showthrough/ Transparence Quality of prir Qualiti inAgala de I'impression Includes supplementary materii Comprend du materiel supplimentaire Only edition available/ Seule Edition disponible I — 1 Pages damaged/ r~~1 Pages restored and/or laminated/ r~p\ Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ r~T| Pages detached/ ITT' Showthrough/ I I 'Quality of print varies/ [~n Includes supplementary material/ I I Only edition available/ 1 s 1 V : b ri n n D Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmea to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totalement ou partieiiement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une peiure, etc., ont M film^es i nouveau de fagon i obtenir la meilleure image possible. This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est film* au taux de rMuction indiqu* ci-dessous 10X 14X 18X 22X 26X 30X y 12X 16X 20X 24X 28X 32X The copy filmed here hes been reproduced thanks to the generosity off: National IJbrary of Canada L'exemplaire filmA fut reproduit grAce A la gAnirositA de: BibliothAque nationale du Canada The images appearing here are the best '^uality possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in keeping with the filming contract specifications. Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed beginnin-^ with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All other original copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impression. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol -^(meaning "CON- TINUED"), or the symbol y (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Les images suivantes ont AtA reproduites avec le plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et de la nettotA de l'exemplaire filmA, et en conformitA avec les conditions du contrat de ffilmage. Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en papier est ImprimAe sent ffilmAs en cemmenpant par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la dernlAre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration, soit par le second plat, selon le cas. Tous les autres exempCaires originaux sont ffilmAs en commenpant par la premlAre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la dernlAre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suivants apparaftra sur la derniAre image de cheque microffiche, selon le cas: le aymbole — *- signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols ▼ signiffie "FIN". Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be ffi'med at diffferent reduction ratios. Those tO( large to be entirely included in one exposure are ffilmed beginning in the upper lefft hand corner, lefft to right and top to bottom, as many fframes as required. The ffollowing diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre ffilmAs A das taux de rAduction diffffArents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un seul clichA, il est ffilmA A partir de Tangle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite. et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nAcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 ANSWERS TO THF , / y d!»P0siTl6N I ^ I \ ^ , '^ . ><^ .^^v 1'; I r' ( > ' '? - M ^.<. . ^ \'\ HON. E. J. FLYNN .) :\ I -J Delivered in tiie Legislative Assembly^ at' the sfytings ' of the 8th, 13ih and lGt\i May, 1884, i' IN' ANSWER TO Rl^MAIlKS FROM THE OPPOSITION, \ , ^ f , . ' ' N fOR HAflSCt VOTJBD, IN 1879, AGAINST THK JOW QOVBRNMilNT. 'v- ("iSxtracts from the Debats published by Mr. Desjardins.),' '' ' \ ^ (Translation fronj, the Frmdi.) \\ i ' ' - ■' ..'*• V , QUEBEC. 1897 J J- i r i-- 7 -V^f ''y# 1' J >s '>, ' ■^4' z:^n:%' ff^ nr Vihl *\, ^. y-^ ■ tf ( ^ ;• i f \if .^(-^ V.i >Mf, kfr f > 'Jt- ^-.4, . -:t. ^ / i-l "/•» I 14 ^V \« N I r ) J t ;*^< .1 I i K "- ' jj >v '<:^ *•',- - V r'/ v> H ■^' ^v 1 ^ -, A ) rr' .1 ■ I i ( ii- \. i^'k 1 f •.f •.. ^ -^ ^ » 1 ,'f\ ^ .\' 1^ I. ■i r . L < ■^ \ f- \ K t V •/=- ■^V^ -'1 i^ ' QUEBEC. J8O7 i^plflpp <'«!-,,: ■' 'V ''!■■■■- -•<. /fS^'W >: '■ .^" Speech -¥*■ OF THE HON. E. J. FLYNN ;- In the Legislative Assembly. Sitting of Tuesday, the IZth May, 1884. > (Continuation of the Debatis on the Peoposition of the Honorable Mr. Meroibr on the Supplies for 1885.) ' : • The order of the day was called for the discussion of the Hon. Mr. Mercier's motion on the general budget for the fiscal year 1885. The Hon. Mr. Flynn, member for G-aspe, Commissioner of Railways, said : — I regret to be obliged to refute certain parts of the speech of the Honorable Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Mercier). I will say nothing personal, though be has shown himself very aggressive ever since the commence- ment of the Session. The honorable member has not limited himself to criticis- ing the administrations since 1867, and by concluding that the Conservative party had ruined the country, but he has shown a desire to attack me personally. I must sa^ that I was surprised, for if there is a man in this arena who has no right to speak as he has done, it is the Honorable Leader of the Opposition. Since he has gone back so far into the past, why, in speaking of the administrations since 1867, has he- not spoken of the years from 1862 to 1867 ? Why has he not spoken to us of himself, from 1862 to 1867, and given us a page of his history ? We should not hear treiison spoken ■;-'•, 'I i ■•:,'-¥■■; P|P?r ^^ of by those who have not ceased to merit for themselves the name of traitor. I \v'ill return again to this part of my subject. It is said that the Honorable Prime Minister has over- thrown the Joly Government by having recpurse to the Legislative Council. I deny the truth of this assertion. "What are the facts, Mr. Chairman? If the honorable member for Quebec East was here he would relate them as I am going to do. ■■.■ The Joly Ministry has fallen victim to a series of uncon- trolable events. In returning so often to the events of the past, others oblige me to do the same. They speak of trea- son. There has been none, for the Ministry in question fell under the weight of its inability to prevail against the events which have brought about its ruin. This is the only logical conclusion to which we can ai rive after having examined things in their true light. Let us see what was the position of this Government according to the Journals of this House, and we shall soon arrive at the truth. Was the Government of the honorable member for Lotbiniere a perfectly lively and healthy one even at his birth ? Although I assisted in the task of overcoming the obsta- cles that sprang up in its way, I owe it both to the cause of truth and to my own convictions to say that it was not born to last. The proof is found in the humiliation which it had to undergo in the address in reply to the speech from the throne at the Session of 1878. ' • ?:; J Nevertheless, we supported it in order that we might see it at work, and to assure ourselves whether public senti- ment would favor it. "We have been the sad witnesses of an unheard of spectacle, ihat of seeing the Government, like an individual minister, censured by the majority. We have seen the Prime Minister going to present an address in] which we read as fallows : ^ " This House, while expressing its firm determination to | insist on tkQ etriQtest economy in all branches of publiq w Diniere a service, and the severest inspection of all administrative ex- penses, regrets that the aci'i.'\l advisers of His Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor liavo persisted in remaining in povrer without being supported by the majority of the Legislative Assembly at the time of their entrance into office and without even yet having the support of this majority." It was necessary to adopt a new paragraph with the j assistance of the Speaker's vote in order to give a sem- blance of strength to the Cabinet thus censured. And what I was said in this amendment ? Here it is : '* Nevertheless, in these circumstances, this House Ibelieves it to be its duty to give a " general and independ- [ent support " — remark well these words — a " support " [general and independent, to the Government, in order that [the measures which it proposes may be submitted to the judgment of this House." There is the engagement that I took jointly with my [colleagues in 1878. We have kopt it, and we have surpassed its measure in ^rder to give to this administration all possible opportu- lities of surmounting the obstacles in its path. And dur- ig all this Session of 1878 the Government was only kept power by the vote of the Speaker ! At the following Session, in 1879, the Joly Government id two or three more votes than in 1878. But let us re- irn to the Journals of the House and let us see what ippened. - [I say, that from the moment that Mr. Letellier was dis- issed, his Cabinet was virtually if not constitutionally id. It had only an ephemeral oxistence. The blow of [79 simply put au end to the crisis. Lccording to my ideas a healthy Government is one lich can always command a majority. If we refer to the irnals of the House we shall see that they sustain me in faking thus. ••»' 'ft' "'**— ryf . '\' — ' I'nin^^^o: 6 Mr. Letellier was dismissed the 25th July, 18*79 Immediately after this dismissal from office an incident happened which indicates the situation of the Government with regard to the House. The Hon. Mr. Chapleau had said with reference to an assertion made by Mr. Langelier, that it was not the first time that he had been convicted of having made false assertions, and that twice before he had been convicted of lying before the House. These words gave rise to an incident terninating by a proposition from the honorable member for Lotbiniere, then Prime Minister, which reads as follows : — "Seeing that the Hon. Mr. Chapleau, representing the Electoral Division of Terrebonne, has made use of an expres- sion which he refuses to withdraw to the satisfaction of this House, although asked to do so by the Speaker, the said Mr. Chapleau be reprimanded in his place by the Speaker." , ■ The vote was taken and three Ministerial members left \ the Government and gave the Opposition a majority. Among these names I see that of the honorable member for | Quebec East (Mr. Shehyn). . The honorable member for Lotbiniere so well anderstood i the meaning of this vote that he at once asked for the ad- journment of the sitting. Hon. Mr. Irvine, then member for Megantic, next day I proposed a vote of confidence in the Government in the| following terms : — " That this House approves of the eco- nomical policy of the Government, and has perfect con- fidence thai it will continue to put this policy in practice, and that it will thereby succeed in avoiding the impositionj of new taxes on the Province." This was the means adopted to keep in power a totteringl Government. I quote these facts to show that the Govern- ment was constitutionally dead before we voted against i| on the 29th of October, 1879. ; v 'y : With regard to the Lake St. John Railway resolutions, the Government declared that it would withdraw them un- less the Opposition undertook to support them, for it^s own friends refused to approve of them. : ,v •* Hon. Mr. Joly (member for Lotbini^re) — " Yes, because those members of the Opposition who had promised to vo^f foi them did not wish to do so." Hon. Mr. Flynn — " In any case the honorable member has admitted that he withdrew his resolutions for the reasons which I have given." The events which followed in rapid succession proved that the Cabinet was losing its strength, and desertions from its ranks occurred every day. On Augnst 11th, 1879, Mr. Shehyn abandoned his friends over the Three Rivers loop line. The honorable member for Quebec East found it hard to leave the House because the populace were stirred up against him. It is always the same old system. Ever since 1879 the opposition has tried to prevent any manifestation of independence on the part the members of this House. On August 21st, 1897, the Grovernment had a consulta- tion as to whether or not it should carry out the measures promised in the speech from the throne. The Municipal Loan Act was left aside, and so was the renting of the rail- way, because the friends of the Cabinet were against it, though it was the Government policy. The School Inspec- tor question was not touched. What are we to think of such proofs of feebleness and want of power. On August 28th the Legislative Council suspended the adoption of the Supply Bill. Harmony had to be re-estab- lished between the two branches of the Legislature. We see upon the Orders of the Day a proposition to cen- sure the Legislative Council, and another from Hon. Mr. Chapleau asking for the formation of a stronger Govern- ment. I myself spoke against Mr. Chapleau's motion and ex- pressed the opinion that the Government could not be over- 'EM turned by the Council. Moreover I voted for the motion, protesting against the action of the Upper House. On September 2nd, a motion was made for the adjourn- ment of the ^ouse until October 28th. What then was the position of the G^overnment ? It was no longer ten- able. In fact we no longer had a Government in the full sense of the word. On September 12th, 1879, Hon. Mr. Chauveau resigned his portfolio, and the Grovernment then no longer had a majority. The Prime Minister himself declared so in the course of a debate on the formation of a new Government on October 28, 1879. "In connection with this railway question, allow me to say that I did not hesitate about losing two votes out of a majbrity of four, which the Government had in the House, rather than do injustice to certain interested parties." Here then was a Government which withdrew its meas- ures, and which saw its members, as well as its majority leaving it. I was sent for to replace Hon. Mr. Chauveau, but I told the honorable member for Lotbiniere that I could not accept the portfolio offered me. I told him also, at the time, that I was in favor of a conciliatory policy, and that the best thing to do was to extend the olive branch to his opponents, so as to end a struggle which was ruinous to the country's interests. At the same time I consulted my elec- tors and an;ked them what I should do. I had not been elected on a promise to support the Joly Government in any case, having reserved all possible lati- tude to myself in this respect, and when I returned from Gaspe, the situation had been still further modified by fresh circumstances. If you will read the Morning Chronicle of that time, you will find in it an account of an interview which I then had with my electors. They knew exactly what to rely upon. In another meeting of friends of the Government I was asked to make a motion censuring the action of the Legislative Council. I refused because, from November 2nd, 1879, I said that I would vote for a motion having in view conciliation and truce upon mutually honor- able grounds. Under the circumstances, I could not accept the offer of the honorable members for Lotbiniere to the effect that I should enter his Cabinet, without dishonoring myself. When I supported him, I did so from motives of personal friendship. But when I hear it said that I did not act honorably, I at once brand the statement as a falsehood. "When a portfolio was tendered me, the offer was accom- panied by kind words, and I am therefore all the more jus- tified in my astonishment at the stand taken since, riud again t '«-day, by those who showered these kindly utterances upon me. "When I wrote to the honorable member for Lotbiniere that I could not accept, he gave me in reply what was in reality — a certificate of good conduct. Here is his letter, as it appears on page 383 of the Debats by Mr. Desjardins for 1879. " Quebec, October 17, 1879. " E. J. Flynn, Esq. : ({ My Dear Sir, — I received last night your letter of the 14th October, informing me that you have come to the con- clusion, not without a feeling of regret, not to accept a port- folio in the Government of which I am Leader. I regret your decision, but I have too much respect, as well for you as for myself, to insist. I notice with pleasure that you have understood that in making you the offer of a portfolio I did not seek only to fill up a vacancy in the Cabinet, but, above all, to secure the entry thereto of a man generally re- spected for his talents and his integrity, which would have done honor to the Cabinet. You have fulfilled your pro- mise in frankly notifying me of your intentions with re- spect to the offer I made you of a portfolio. " As for the line of conduct you will follow in the future, you inform me that you. have no intention at present of ■%i 10 plaQing your future conduct in contradiction with your conduct in the past, but, at the same time, that you desire to reserve to yourself tha|; liberty of appreciation and action necessary to every representative who wishes to act honest- ly and according to conviction in the interests of the coun- try. Since I have been in power, my ambition has b en to deserve the confidence of honest and intelligent men, and it is not I who will find fault with your views. " Please accept, my dear sir, the assurance of my consider- ation. ^.:-^^- o_-''v ::;r.-.f ■•<.;..,?';.: .,'>■.,/-;,■ -/'m::, I . 1^ 7 V ■' Your devoted servant, u;u; Now, I ask, what have I done, to deserve the calumnies which for five years have been gratuitously heaped upon me, and to call for this perpetual discussion of my actions ? I hear stigmatism spoken of. Who here has the right to stigmatize ? Is it the honorable members of the Opposi- tion? Where did they get this right? In 1879, Mr. Speakci, I was elected by acclamation when I came bffore my electors after my entrance into the Ohapleau adminis- tration. In 1881, all over the rest of the Province there was war to the knife against the Chapleau Government. I was again reelected by acclamation. Finally I was reelected last April by an overwhelming majonty. . This time an effort was made to try their strength. A candidate was found and for a whole month I was subjected to every kind of annoyance. The most disgraceful means were employed against me, thousands of copies of a sheet which breathed out lies and calumny being circulated in my county. Notwithstanding all this I was reelected by a large majority. If these are stigmatisms, it is true I have been stigmatized three times, twice by the unanimity of my constituents and once by a great majority. I am right in saying that my position is batter than that of my detrac- tors. I do not need to defend myself when I receive such .H^i'M-J' ■i-.-ii Vr 11 evident marks of tLe confidence of my electors and of the country. I was not a member of the preceding Cabinet, that of Mr. Mousseau, but people seemed tc sympathise with me, and favored me with kind words. However, from the be- ginning of this Session, the Opposition has not ceased to attack me. Through this system of vile vituperation the Opposition will finally succeed in making me stronger than ever, for the people, vvho are just, will not be deceiv- ed by violence and calumny ! Let uy adversaries continue them, it is perhaps owing to their attacks that 1 occupy the position that I hold to-day. . , . Mr. Speaker, the Honorable Leader of the Opposition (Hon. Mr, Mercier) amuses himself by attacking all Con- servative Governments. Perhaps he is preparing scourges for the hands of those whom he is to-day stirring up against me. In three or four years he may possibly be seated among the Conservatives. He has always been a Conservative. ^ No one has more reviled the Rouges than he. If we open the paper which he edited from 1862 till 1867, we shall see fine examples of this. His whole life in fact has been due succession of contradictions. Still I do not wisii cither to judge him, or to have him judged, by the statements of his oppenents. No, it will do better, for the Honorable • Leader of the Opposition has written his history with his own hand. When one sees the honorable member for Lotbinieie applaud him, the mind cannot but revert to the parable of the Wolf and the Lamb. When the honorable member for St. Hyacinthe was pour- ing out thunderings in his paper against certain men, the representative of Lotbiniere was defending these very per- sons against his attacks. If these men were so unpopular they owe it to the honorable member for St. Hyacinthe. As 1^ W' ckief editor of the Courrter Je Saint-Hyacinthe he had to beat the responsibility of that sheet's utterances. He v/rote against the Letellier's, the Laframboise's, the Huntington's, the Si- cotte's, and all the other political men who were the pride of the Liberal party. If I were to base an opinion of the Honorable Leader of the Opposition upon the sayings of the Pays and of the Joumallde Saint- Hyacinthe, edited by the Liberals, I should form a very unfavorable idea of him, but I would be doing him an injustice. I will hold to my intention of putting before this House only facts the authenticity of which can- not be denied. -' . :-^ \- :r' '/> ' .":! -, "*'-- liv- In 1862 the honorable member for St. Hyacinthe came out as a very pronounced Conservative. I have carefully studied the documents concerning these facts and know whereof I speak. He continued to defend this party until 1864, and in 1866 he returned to it. ; '; : ., v v But in 1872, this ardent Conservative went down to the county of Rouville, to oppose the Conservative party, and was elected by a slender majority. Whilst his former chief, Sir George Cartier, was making a terrible fight against Mr. Jett6, he contributed as much as lay in his power to .the defeat of him for whoin he formerly had but fulsome adu- , lation. From 1866 till 1872, the honorable member had betrayed his party and his leaders. He who had everywhere de- fended Cartier, joined himself to his most bitter enemies in order to have him defeated by those whom he himself had ridiculed, despised and held up to public contempt. It was when Cartier was at the highest pitch of a frightful fight, that he cowardly struck him and worked for his defeat. Tn 1874, Rouville sent him back to his law pvactice. In 1878, he tempted fortune in St. Hyacinthe, but was de- ; feated. In 1879, he was again a candidate after the death of Mr. Bi\chand, and this time succeeded, thanks to the fact ' ,i ' ':'■ r iy.r jf.? >-■;!;, •v^,. _;■■. -fc: : V..fc;./ y v 18 that he was a Minister. No one knew his history, as for me, well I thought that he had never changed his party ! In 1879, he thought as I did on the politic j.! situation. In 1881, he did not wish to be a candidate, therv^by cutting himself off from the fate of the party, or of the convictions which he defends with the zeal of a neophyte. In order to persuade him it was necessary to give him what he himself termed carte blanche. He was then in favor of the abolition of the Legislative Assembly, and declared for it with such force that I was moved by his words. He still held out his hand to his enemies, though proving that he had yet a Conservative heart. When they saw this, the Liberals, fearing some new defection, nailed his flag to the Liberal mast, if I may make use of a phrase which will express my thought. From that time on he opposed his friends and his party. The fact is that I even had some sympathy for him. "We all know the position of the mem- ber for St. Hyacinthe as regards Senator Rosaire Thibau- deau, and some other Liberal chiefs in Montreal. I do not think that anyone but he would have endured so much. Things finally came to such a pass that he had to say : — " You must choose between me and those who pose as Eadicals." On the 25th of January, 1883, he wrote to his friend Mr. Poirier : — " The Liberals have to choose between one of the leaders, and a few^ who pose as Radicals, — the worst ene- mies that the Liberals have in any country." And, on the thir^. of June, 1883, he addressed to Messrs. Aur6lien Cauchon and others a letter in which he said : — " My enemies are going to make a movement against me at the Club National to-morrow evening (Tuesday). They must be crushed. Would you be kind enough to lend a helping hand in having all my friends present ? We must wipe out this La Patrie clique if we wish to do anything." Yours, A , 14 "This clique," which he wishes "to crush," consisted of Messrs. Thibaudeau, Beaugrand, and other Liberal leaders. It is not at all astonishing that they wanted none of him if they still remembered the fight he made against them from 1862 till 1866. At six o'clock the House adjourned until eight o'clock. '■'til Mr. Speaker, at six o'clock I was discussing the conduct of the Honorable Leader of the Opposition concerning my- self. An attacked party has always the right to defend himself, especially when his defence offers as many advan- tages as mine does, and Voltaire has said, " Lie, Lie, some trace of it will always remain." Tt ip evident that this dia- bolical maxim has been put into practice at my expense. I have long kept silence, but there are times when one can no longer allow to pass unanswered accvisations which are meant for one's friends and the party which he supports. As I have already stated, I do not wish to go > outside of the field furnished by the Documents and the Journal of this House. The stories of the different administrations which have been in power since 1867, and especially that of the Cha- pleau G-overnment, have been told, and an effort has been made to bring up my conduct of 1879. That occuri'-ed five years ago, and yet it is daily recalled as if it were the present. In England such a system has nevet been seen. Here some men seem to think that they have achieved something great if they continually re-invoke the same sub- ject. It is unfortunate that they allow themselves this doubtful pleasure. The Honorable Loader of the Opposition should have been the last to attack me since he has suffered so much from the persecutions of his own friends. His authority as leader has even been questioned. 1 have never been able to resist --- ' ' . -.^ ■ ■ ,?/ '-■■' 1 if ,J 15 comparing his conduct with my own, and the result of this comparison is that I have come to the conclusion that the honorahle member for St. Hyacinthe does not occupy his proper position in this Province. He will discover, if he has not indeed already done so, that he is in company with men who hold very different opinions from his own. I do not desire to tire this House, but it is good and pro- per that we should reply to attacks directed against us. He hks attacked me, and it is only fair that beside the attack he found the defence. The honorable member for St. Hyacinthe has written many excellent things in favor of the Conservative cause. How then has the gold turned i;o vile lead ? There was a time when the Conservative Standard was in his eyes the national flag", under the shadow of which he wished to fight and which he desired to ever defend. To repel these attacks I will not make use of the accusa- tions of his friends or of his adversaries of the past. No, Mr. Speaker, read the Pays and you will see the opinions of those who are now his friends. In 1866 the Leader of the Opposition made a confession of faith such as I have never seen. ... -^^ / ' ■ ~^ ■ ■ ■ ■uv _ Here it is, tiken from the Courrier de St-Hyacinthe : To the readers of the Courner de St-Hyacinthe : " ; " It is needless to say that the principles which will direct the collaboration, and inspire the editorial department of the Courrier under the new regime upon which it now enters, wiL be. those of Conservatism, as understood by the Catholic school, in the Old World as in the New "... The ConservatiA'e principles have stood the test and re- ceived the sanction of centuries ; they are at once the guarantee of power and the safeguard of liberty, the strength of the law and the protection of nationalities. Their flag is that of conscience and of duty ; their school is that of patriotism and religion." There is quite a Conservative programme, and it is the present Chief of the Liberal party who wrote it. Hiat ■mi ■ipii wmm 16 friends should ask themsr ves what their position towards him is. He it is who con .ibuted more than anyone else to depreciate the men who were the natural chiefs of their party, even the p^reat Letellier, whose memory he told us was avenged. It is he who was, up to 1872, the greatest enemy of this man who he to-day lauds to the skies. And what has he not said against the Hon. Mr. Laframbroise ? Here is a spcimen : — " By becoming a member of the Macdonald-Dorion ad- ministration Mr. Laframbroise makes himself jointly ahd severally responsible for the acts and politics of his col- eagues ; by accepting this portfolio he endorses the position of the Grovernment in Lower Canada, and becomes re- sponsible therefor like the other ministers. This means that Mr. Laframbroise has betrayed Lower Canada, and has trampled underfoot the interests of his compatriots, and of his country, for a $5,000 portfolio. ^ r In 1866, when he was suspected of shiftiness in politics, he was asked for a profession of faith in order to satisfy the Conservatives, and the honorable member wrote the fol- lowing: •■'•.' ■'■''■' ' "/''^:'' --';>:':;•/• ry.'; It is dated April 26th, 1866 : "^ - "'Z .■' -yKr^'WM:!^^ " The Conservative principles have stood the test and received the sanction of centuries ; they are at once the guarantee of power and the safeguard of liberty, the strength of the law and the protection of nationalities. Their j&ag is that of conscience and of duty, their school is that of patriotism and religion." u.-'.--^ ■ -^:■^i-.^^.w' ''The management of the Courrier expressed itself as above two months ago when it took charge of this paper. It may and should express itself in the same manner to- day " The French Canadian population is and should remain Conservative ; the Conservative element rules and must be kept in power ; Conservative principles make us a moral ^n4 honesit people ; let us hold to this double c^ualificatioi) 17 of respectability which has gained for us so many flattering bat just opinions. '^ ' *^ ■^' ' *' Providence seems to have placed the realization of our great destinies in the retention of the healthy conceptions which have up to the present time inspired all our impor- tant political acts, which have given us strength and cour- age in the great days of misfortune, whose memory is con- signed to our historical annals, and which has guaranteed to us the victory of a nationality which has gained immor- tality and not death in the struggle. " The Conservative spirit will make us a distinct people, and the principles wuich it protects and defends, by giving us strength, will maintain us in the possession of those institutions which are the best and perhaps the only guar- antee of our nationality. " We should all work for the practical extension of this great Conservative idea, for the increase of its moral force and for the sure propagation of the principle which it protects. It can save our nationality in the days of thoce storms and tempests which gather on the horizon. It is by patriotism and intelligence that nationalities are sustained, live and prosper ; and the Conservative principles have always sheltered these two great agents which enlighten and save nations. j This article he finished as follows : '• For ourselves, come what may, we will always be faithful to these principles ; we will defend them with firm independence ; their flag will continue to be ours as it has* been in the past ; it will serve as our guide, and the idea placed in the shade of its protection will be our inspira- tion " All that we have written previous to to-day has meant nothing else than this, and our friends should attach no other meaning to our words." 18 On April 28th, 1866, he added :— " "We have confidence in the leaders of the Conservative party, and it is with pleasure that we believe the fears of the Canadien to be soundless, and it will itselt perceive *hat it has given a premature alarm." Thus, in order that the conscience of his Conservative friends should not be troubled, he gave a most categorical profession of faith. Is he capable of finding a single word contradictory to what I have said up to-day V When I came forward in Gaspe I said that I was against the rouge party, which had at its head Dorion and the other chiefs then in the political arena, and that I wanted to be free if elected. When I received the mandate of the electors of Gaspe, and came here to do my duty, I was free, as I declared I should be. I helped the Joly G-overnment to overcome obstacles in its way, but I did not sacrifice a single principle. Can the Leader of the Opposition say as much ? No, for we find a flagrant contradiction between his conduct at the beginning of his career, and his conduct of to-day. He approves what he has condemned, and condemns what he has ap- proved. He does exactly what he found fault with in others, and what he then found tyrannical and unjust, he now employs against those who do not please him. He makes use of arms which he once rejected. Ao a proof of this, I quote the following lines from the same paper, under the date of April 8th, 1866 :— " In their eyes the greatest crime of which a man can be guilty is that of not thinking as they do, and the greatest error into which he can fall is that of believing them on the wrong road, and thinking them capable of a false appreciation, or an error of judgment. " You are their enemy from £lie day when you cease to think as they do, and a traitor from the moment when you free yourself from the yoke they wou Id impose upon you When you are daring enough to tell them that they are mistaken, they take you for an imbecile or maniac ; when 19 you tell them that they are mad fanatics, they pray Heaven to pardon you, for you know not what you say. " These men have hardly any opinions and still less con- victions ; they have only r^rejuuice. In the ministers they can see but traitors, and in the members of the opposing party only ambitious creatures. Injury is their favorite arm, squabbling their desire, and hatred their happiness." In 1864 he wrote : " The triumph of the Conservative party will be a grand and magnificent one, for it will be the triumph oi' the cDun- try and of its interests. The triumph of truth is right; the triumph of a holy cause is just. The Glorious Standard, the National Standard, under the shadow of which the Conservative leaders have fought, and still do fight with such a degree of glory for themselves and of success for the country at large, this flag under the shadow of which w^e are happy to fight, arises move glorious than ever ; to-day this standard is a guide ; in our eyes it is the standard of the country, the standard of great ideas, protecting hallowed doctrines under its shade and bearing in its folds the country's hope. " Yesterday the country had no Grovernment ; to-day it has men of talent at its head, they should be supported." And since he took the leadership of the party, which he ' so strongly condemned, how has he been treated ? At one time it is the young men of the Club National who attack him, at others even the Montreal leaders conduct the In May, 1883, the Reform Club discussed a motion to censure the members of the House for having chosen him as leader of the Opposition, and Mr. Trenholm made a violent speech against his leader. In January, 1883, during the contest in Jacques-Cartier, he declared that he would never abandon it. We all know what happened. And what did the Montreal Wit- ness not say about the member for ^aint-Hyacinthe ? This paper did not accept him as leader, 20 |j II As a matter of fact how could any convinced Liberal accept him, after what he had done against their party, and especially seeing that quite recently he was ready to extend the olive branch to the Conservatives. From 1882 until 1883 he worked in this direction. Certain Liberal papers, devoted to the member for St. Hyacinthe, said a good deal on this subject, and I may be permitted to read an article taken from L'Electeur of December 14th, 1882. This article was written by a politician and inspired by an important personage. In it we hud that in the eyes of ItEledeur there is no difference of opinion between the two parties. THE COALITION. •' This is a word so often uttered, not only for a short time past, but we may even say for three years back, that people may have been surprised not to hear UElecteur mention the subject to which it refers. " The reason of our silence is that the question has never been placed in a practical manner before the public ; never, so far as we are aware, has one side or the other made a formal proi>osition of alliance. There have been overtures between the political men of the two parties, but never with a view to an immediate or even near result. Each party may have discussed the matter, but more in a theoretical than in a practical manner. In each of the two parties a faction favored an alliance between the moderate elements of both sides of the House, and a faction was op- posed to any such action, " We may add that until very recently the subject was mentioned in the press in general only as a rumor, or yarn. No one considered it to have been placed positively enough before the public to be the subject of articles in the serious journals. *' But to-day it is no longer so, every newspapers have taken up the matter and discussed it for some time. In fact the question became so important that a serious paper like the Witness devoted a leading editorial to it. It is time then that wc place it before our readers. "We will be the move at ease in doing so, from the fact that there is not any prospect of coalition at the present moment ; for it is admitted that Mr. Mousseau will come before the House vnth his Government as it is at present conf^tituted. '^ ? " Before going any farther let us establish one fact, viz., that neither in the press nor in conversation has there been any question of a coalition in the true sense of the word. " What is a true coalition ? It is an alliance between men of different political opinions, at the mutual sacrifice of their principles, as a means of coming to power. Such an alliance is not to be thought of or discussed. It is always immoral and prejudicial to the country's interests. " But it is not of an alliance of this kind that we wished to speak when we made use of the word * coalition ' but rather of a union betiveen two f^roups of men represented, let us say by Mr. Merrier on the Liberal side and Mr. Chapleau on the Conservative side. Now, in forming an alliance, these men would make no sacriiice of principle. They are completely in accord on fundamental questions. Mr. Chapleau and his group are as Liberal as Mr. Mercier with regard to reforms to be instituted, in the Democratic sense, in our electoral laws, in our civil laws, and in the organization of the civil service. Mr. Mercier is as Conservative as Mr. Chapleau on the great social and religious problems, and on the relations between Church and State. " And it is incontestable that the ideas of Messrs. Meir- cier and Chapleau are those of the great mass of their re- spective parties and of all reasonable and moderate men. " There is in each party a small faction of Radicals repre- sented among us by the Witness, and among the Conserva- tives by the Journal des Trois- Rivieres, who do not go with ^he crowd. In the eyes of our respectable confrire, the Wit?iess, to be a true Liberal one would have to be a Pro- estant and declare war against the Catholic Church. Ac- 'If 'll 11 22 cording to the Journal cles Trois-Rtviires no one can be a Conservative unless a more Catholic than the Pope. " We do not wish, at the moment, to call in question the good faith of these two papers and of the handfull of men who share their ideas, but we can say, without fear of con- tradiction by those who know the country, that their ideas are not those of the great bulk of our population. " If they are not divided by question of principle, what does divide the great mass of Liberals and most Conserva- tives V Wh(»n these are not names avoid of sense and without meaning, they signify only personal questions, individual antipathies, habits of discipline and at most methods of administration. One person is called a Con- servative becausti he fougth with Mr. Chaplcau, a follower of Sir Greorge Cartier, who was allied to the Canadian Tories. Another is called a Liberal because he belonged to the school of Sir A. A. Dorion, who never separated him- self from Mr. L. J. Papineau. The men, the questions, the id^as, everything has changed since butitsignilies nothing. " The political heirs of Mr. Cartier have accepted the greater part of the programme of the old Liberal party, such as the secret ballot, the elections on one set day, the extension of the suffrage, election contests before the courts, the abolition of seigniorial rights, the secularization of the Clergy Reserv'es, etc , but they continue to call themselv^es Conservatives. The followers of Mr. Dorion renounce a great part of the old Liberal platform. They no longer speak of annexation ; they do not want elections ol judges, nor universal suifrage ; they are against the abolition of tithes ; they are in favor of the maintenance of the rights of the Clergy. All this, however, makes no difference, they con- tinue to call themselves Liberals, and in some quarters they are taken for Clemenceau's and Bvadlaugh's. A man is termed a Conservative although he wishes to retain nothing opposed to reasonable progress, and another is called a Liberal even though he wishes to do away with nothing that may reasonably be retained. W: 23 their ideas Let VLB not then be deceived by the niceties of words, and let us admit that no question of principte^ none of these funda- mental ideas, on ivhich there is no possible compromise, separate the great masses of Liberals and Conservatives. " Should they continue to turn their backs on each'Other, because they have not always borne the same name ? Should th(^y remain eternally divided because they have not always been alike? Should they fight everlastingly be- cause they have marched under differently colored ban- ners ? No, most assuredly not ; it would be neither reasonable, moral, or advantageous for the country. It would be con- trary to all historical precedents. On all sides we have seen parties vanish and melt away when their distinctive existence was not justified by divisions determined by prin- ciple. We are witnossing a spectale of this kind in the United States. The honest and moderate men of both par- ties, agreeing on the great principles of politics, have come to an understanding to send to power, regardless of political party names, those men who share dieir common views. " Should the alliautM? together of men be impossible simply because they have not always walked side by side and have even opposed each other ? Such a supposition is absurd. Of whnt advantage mould discussion be if one did not hope to gain over his op/)onems ? And how could any I one hope to gain them over if they were necessarily to be sent off again ? *' No one has ever seen true politicians, with ideas suffi- ciently large to deserve command of their party, acting so foolishly. To con line ourselves to our own country, did we not see Mr. Mackenzie tak(^ into his Cabinet Mr. Cart- wright, a former Tory of the school of Sir Allan McNab, and Messrs. Smith and Burpee, Conservatives and followers of Sir John A. MaGdonal ? •' Even in this Province, Mr. Irvine, a former Tory, has been seen to join himself to the Liberals to tight those who fwr^m^ mH^tflflllimmmmmtifmK^^ :^f- u Galled themselves Conservatives. If we have the advantage of his great talents and cleverness, every one will admit that it was not at the expense of his principles. His ideas had become those of Mr. Joly, although he had been up till then in,the opposing ranks ; on the first occasion, when he could honorably do so, Mr. Irvine freed himself of his party and came with us, not by changing his principles, but by taking new political allies. " When Mr. Joly was called by Mr. Letellier to form a Cabinet, he offered portfolios to Messrs. Turcotte and Mathieu. Does anyone think that he could have done so had he beliived that he was acting dishonorably ? "It is enough to ask the question to secure the negative answer of all who know him, friends and foes alike. Every one knows that he would never entertain the idea of taking as colleagues men who would have to commit a repre- hensible if not dishonorable act in becoming his fellow- workers. " He asked Mr. Turcotte, because he knew thatj'although a Conservative and nominally his enemy, the member for Three Rivers shared his political views. It was for the same reason that later on he had no objection to offering him the post of Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. (Extract kkom VElectenr of Df.oembeh 15th, 18t2. — Continued from PRECEDING ARTICLE.) If now we look upon the matter from the standpoint of the interests of the Province, how should we regard an alliance between the parties ? In order to answer this question, let us ask what would have happened if the coali- tion had taken place when first spoken of. There was some question of it in 1879 between the refusal of the Supply Bill by the Legislative Council and fall of the Joly admi- nistration ; and it was again mentioned between the session of 1881 and the general elections. 'iM wmfimmm PPMH ^PP mmmmm m dvantagd ill admit lis ideas en up till when he If of his rinciples^ o form a otte and done so negative . Every idea of t a repre- s fellow- although imber for 3 for the ) offering .ly. SUED FROM ipoi nt of ^gard m ^er this the coali- vas some 3 Supply »ly admi- een the 25 " "What would have happened if the coalition had taken place in 187' ? It is too evident to be denied that the Liberals wouil have had the preponderance. There would no longer have been any question of putting Mr. Senecal at the head of the North Shore Railway. The French loan would have been avoided, and we should have succeeded in establishing equilibrium in the budget " We are the more at ease in speaking thus, because personally we were not in fa^or of an alliance with our opponents. Allowing ourselves to be swayed by our per- sonal dislikes, v.'e preferred to see the Province suffer a little rather than sacrifice our antipathies '* Parties are excelleut things ; they are one of the most efficient guarantees of a good public administration, but on condition that they do not allow party interests to predom- inate over those of the public " If our contemporary {The Witness) understood our party, it would perceive that the great majority of our friends are disgusted with the incessant and resultless strife of recent years ; it would see that all those who, like Messrs, Mercier and Langelier. have for so many years borne the brunt of the fight, who have taken part in all these battles, and who hav^e fought out the elections from one end of the Province to another ; it would find that all these are favorable to an alliance, or disgusted with politics, they do not wish to re- commence the work of Sisyphus, which they have so long carried on. Those who are forever talking of war against the Conservatives are precisely those who have never done anything against them, except in cominittee of thi^mselves, ov^er a glass of wine and a cigar. They are those warriors of the House who quietly attend to their own business or sleep comfortably in bed at, home, while those whom they upbraid for favoring coalition were traversing the length and breadth of the counties, braving the rain, the snow and the cold, ruhiing their health and their fortunes to forward the success of the Liberal candidates. -1- f* ■'- I 11 >n 26 " How many Liberals should we see in the House if we had in the party none but these men of ferocious language ? How much would there be to-day remaining of Liberal ideas, if these men, to-day so fierce in proclaiming them, had been the only ones to defend them ? " Hon. Mr. Joly. — The Honorable Minister should remem- ber the incident provoked by the honorable member for Montmorency last year, as a result of which the latter had to acknowledge that he had been led into error by false information. I presume that the Honorable Leader of the Opposition has settled this matter to his advantage. Hon. Mr, Flynn. — But since then new revelations have been made. We find at the end of the Debats for 1883, many documents which throw new light upon this ques- tion. When the honorable member for Lotbiniere saw that his successor in th(^ leadership of the Liberal party was upon all sides attacked by Radicalism, to use the expression made use of by the member for St. Hyacinthe, he tried to come to his assistance, and although he had never shared the latter's views on coalition, he asked La Pr/^nc to discon- tinue its attacks against the new Liberal Leader. He therefore wrote the following letter : " Mr. A. H. Beaugrand, Editor-Proprietor of La Patrie, Quebec, January 4th, 1884. " Dear Sir, " I am going to ask you to go no further in the discus- sion commenced on the subject of Hon. Mr. Mercier and • coalition. " I have no right to dictate any line of conduct to you, but this is a request I address to you. *' Do not let us follow the deplorable example of the Conservative party, which does not seem to realize that the blows which it aims at its leader recoil on its own head. ..:iliii...i''»Si P" ■ if we uage ? liberal them, I have 1883, ques- " What a triumph it would be for our opponents, and what balm to their wounds, what a blow for the Province which would then be in a position to include us all, Liberals and Conserv^atives, in the same condemnation ! " I am opposed to coalition, but I am not ready to con- demn those of my friends who consider it the last and only remedy. Being content to await the day when the people will open their eyes and recognize their true friends, I do not blame those who have not my confidence in the future. " But will this day ever come ? Shall I ever see it ? Sometimes I doubt if I shall, but others will see it. I do not blame those of my friends who are tired of their powerlessness to do good aijd prevent harm, for it is a very hard position lor men of heart. If they can find a way of escape, let them follow it. But, let the road be an upright one, and may they always remain worthy of their past. " I have the honor to be, " Your obedient servant, " (Signed) H. G. JoLY." The member for Lotbiniere sometimes doubts if the people will ever support the Liberal party. This is not the first time he has fnade this avowal. In 1881, he said : " I do not wish to be told, you are too honest to be the leader of the party. When a leader of a party speaks in that way, it is a proof that something is wrong, for he insinuates that he lost power because he was too honest ! These are so many official declarations of which we can make use when we attack the other side of tho House. In 1881, the member for Lotbiniere said so before a great meeting held in the Mechanics' Hall, Montreal. He was addressing his friends and not his enemies. 1 will quote an extract from the Herald of November 18th, 1881 : " So that wiien he was introduced as Leader of the Liberal party, he said he would explain these matters, and after 28 !• h ■i '' I they had heard these explanations — after the Province had / heard them— they would then have to choose whether he should be Leader or not (loud applause). If there was one reproach that he had received as a Leader, it was that he had tried to govern the country too honestly (cheers). He was proud of that. There was not one kind of honesty in private matters and another kind of honesty in politics ; there ought to be the same kind of honesty in one as in the other (applause). But he must frankly tell them that these things, he was not going to have if he was going to be Leader. He w^as not going to be buttonholed on the street and told that he was too honest ; he was not going to stand that. There was not one present who did not ap- prove of honesty ; and they must carry in politics the same feeling as they did in private affairs. But he might be told: " Look what your opponents are doing?" There was no use of there being two parties, if both of them governed the sa ne way (applause). And if he was to be the Leader of the party, he would request his friends to carry with them in political life the same honour and honesty that characterized their private lives." If that is not a severe criticism of the conduct of his party, I do not understand English. I have finished with this question of coalition, and only wish to have you remark how unjust, in the face of those documents, is the conduct of men who condemn others for doing in J 879 what they themselves wished to do in 1882. Let the Honorable Chief of the Opposition settle up his affairs in Terrebonne and in .Tacqucs-Cartier. Let him also square up his debate with La Minerve, but let him not pose as a model of political constancy, for no one will take him seriously. In 1882, when we were discussing the sale of the North Shore Railway, which he now finds so odious, he voted against a proposition made by the member for Kamoaras):a, and when there was a question of the contract for the Eastern portion, he was conspicuous by his absence. ;;•*{' J:'i>i'*,\-^;^i>^^;t»;*; 29 I will conclude my remarks with a last quotation con- cerning this Leader without followers ! The Hon. Mr. Laflamme, who belonged to the Radical faction of the Liberal party, said in March 1884, in a letter addressed to La Patrie concerning the choice of a candidate in Jacques-Cartier : •' Thus Mr. Mercier arrogates to himself the right of im- posing the candidature of Mr. Descarries upon the electors, whether acceptable to them or not, so long as he decides that it shall be so. As Leader of the party such is his pre- tention. " 1 do not so understand the rdle of the Leader of a popu- lar party, and still less so that of the Leader of the Liberal party. " It may suit Mr. Mercier to make secret arrangements and alliances, which he calls honest, with the Conservative party, in order to gain power, and that is easily understood ; but for him to impose a confession of faith in his principles upon the Liberal party, and for him to interdict all expres- sion of opinion unfavorable to his VjonsexvekiiYQ portege, is impossible, and T am very greatly mistaken if he can have this system adopted by the Liberals of Jajques-Cartier County, and by the Liberal party." I never saw anything like this ! Here is a Leader of a party who choses a candidate, and his followers say : " we don't want him," The Leader of the Opposition thought to conciliate those who aped Radicalism by concessions, but the old grudge remained, and experienci; should have shown him that he did wrong in appealing to the old Liberal leaders. His concessions like his troubles w^ere thrown away. Mr. Speaker, I think that I have dealt at great enough length with the policy of the Chapleau administration to show that it is of a nature to be more advantageous to the financial standing of the Province thanj|any others. 80 I next answered and disposed of the numerous attacks which have been directed against mc for the last five years. I hope that the House saw the justice of my defence. On the other hand, the digression which I had to make proved to the House that the Honorable Leader of the Op- position, who parados himself as a great Liberal, was for many years, and during a great part of his career, an ardent and convinced Conservative, as he himself expresaied it ! He even made a most ardent conservative confession of laith in 1866. Mr. Speaker, I will say no more. I believed it my duty to declare the Government's policy, and I have refuted the accusations brought against me, accusations which, perhaps, even jarred upon my colleagues to a certain degree. I trust that I have not infringed upon parliamentary rules in treating of so delicate a subject. My enemies and oppo- nents may avail themselves of other means than those which I have used. An attempt has been made to ruin me politically by blackening my character, but it will not suc- ceed. The Government has a policy which is the only tme and wise one, — that of causing what is good to succeed and the right to triumph. I will concludt^ by repeating the words which I have already quoted as written by the mem- ber for St. Hyacinthe : "The triumph of the Conservative party will be a great and grand one, because it will be the triumph of the country and of its interests. The triumph of truth is right ; the triumph of a holy cause is justice. " The glorious standard, the national standard, under the shadow of which the Leaders of the Conservative party have fought and still do fight with so much glory to them- selves and so much success for the country, this flag undtr which we are all happy to light, rises more glorious than ever ; to-day this standard is a guide ; in our eyes it is the standard of the country ; the flag of great ideas, protecting 81 ' hallowed doctrines in its shado, and bearing in its folds the hope of tiie country. " Yesterday the country was without a Grovernment ; to- day it has men of talent at its head; th-y should be sup- ported." Hon. Mr. Flynn, member for Graspe, Commissioner of Railways : — Mr. Speaker, in order to defend my honor and the Government, I have had to leave the limits within which usually one should keep one's self I had to repel venemous attacks directed against me. I defclared that I did not wish to make use of arms drawn from ])rivnte life. I said to the Leader of the Opposition, you have written your history with your own hand. 1 did not so lar forget myself as to make use of newspaper attacks such as ]mblic men are subject to. I might have quoted the saying of opponents of the Leader of the Opposition, but out of respect for the dignity of the House, I refrained from doing so. I said that t did not wish to use any arms but thoso with which he himself had furnished me, and in conclusion I stated that 1 had not exceeded the bounds within which I should keep. Far from attacking the honorable member for Lotbiniere, I spoke sympathetically of him. I said that I had supported him out of personal sympathy. I said, moreover, that injustice had been done me, and that when people men- tioned treason they tried to use an unfair means. I also said that the Joly Government had fallen by reason of its own mistakes. Must we then always imagine that a man acts from servile motives ? Have I no honor to defend ? Am I not here representing a county ? I deny the right of the Leader of the Opposition to judge me. This system is a shameful prostitution of the English constitution. There is only one man in England who has been made the object of so many attacks as I for changing his party, viz.. Lord Beaconslield. I miglit also speak of tk^ great Gladstone. ,,• ft 1'!? 1' i J'l J '5!! 'I ,1 I 8S The members of the Opposition speak like men who do not know a work of the P]ni^lish Constitution. Are we obliged to always have but one opinion ? In that case you would create perpetual G-overnments ! Of what use would popular favor be with this system ? No English statesman ever fears to express his opinions. When the great Gladstone made his dehiU was it not said of him that he was " the rising hope of those stern and unbending Tories ? " To-day my enemies regret that I lefi tiiem ; I do not regret it. I have now proof positive that I had a thousand reasons for leaving their ranks. Have not Lord Chatham, Fox, and ever so many others changed their opinions ? Has not Lord Derby quite recently furnished a striking example for political men ? Does the electorate also change ? It is public opinion which rules our country. I charge my opponents with having inaugurated a sys- tem of political tyranny, under which no one can change his ideas without being taxed with treason. "Whore did this expression come from ? The real traitors are those who have betray(^d their country's interests. I am ready to recognize the saying : "The interests of one's country with, but not before, those of his party." In 1879, I said that I could no longer support you ; I could not change my convictions ; I was against the then existing state of affairs. I declined a portfolio in order to adhere to my opinions. I went down to my county to consult my electors, who were my natural judges. Therefore I deny therightof the Opposition to judge me., Moreover, this ques- tion has been settled for the third or fourth time. Why return to it and stir up prejudice against me ? I will tell you. Two months ago I was in the quiet of my home. It was there that I was honored more than perhaps any member of this House. I was, I say, in th(3 quiet of my home, when the Hon. Mr. Eoss called me to form part of his Government. If I had considered my own feelings, 88 1 would not have consented. Although I was putting my lifo in dangler in undertakin the liberty of stating that I remain sincerely and faith- fully attached to the ideas which we have always professed and "'«^fended in the press and elsewhere ; and that if we thought it our duty to make this unexpected retreat, we do dei coi to diet alwj Inl serv samel ThI :-•'.: 37 ' so ratlier irom Conservative paHyXtttftT '" '^^ "^^^^ "^ the ■'slieve to be prudent „„ t '^"^ ""«"■• ^Wch we still «--ts, „po„ whi:rol'X!f • '"!. "> '*"°- '»P-'- "nder its -sponsibih^ ionfit r''. '» '^'^^ P'-<^ . be,„g consulted ; and Lrional .^ u """^ '^e country leaders to expose to dl °"^h, not to allow its protest. •'^"'^y' ^"h impunity and witho^ -of;^:r ?;: i-t^z r-"^ -ted too dnt.es as leaders and membrrr T ""' """"^^ "P"" ^eir «n«t not allow to pe^.^b ! ^' ^''"-"-"ty wbich they '""■nph of a project whi'ch has b' '" ''™'" *''»°' *e dream, they seem disposed t„\«'"' *^'" <"'°^tent t'on instead of Patriotfem se L t k" r"^"""^' ^-"bi- »f which they wish to oCcom, 1 ! 1"'"*^ "^^ ""«»« moment." overcome the difficulties of the haint Hyacinthe, May 2Srd 1806 ^"'^'' "^ ^*=«^«- Here is th. reply of the other contributors: -ntimenttofrjtLtr' '" ''™'^-"'-' -d their " This proves Zil^ "''""°' ''« '™^'^'d ? definite opinions, Z tnt Z ' "f "^'^» »- "a. no compromise himself V^^X . '"'"'^' "^ ""' wishing to to say nothin, rattr^^ '^ t' ri'l.Tf fr'^' " '^ •>««- dictions which .are evident 1 """'""*"*<> ''"n'ra- always injurious to a ma,:;:Uti:^:;ir "''"'" "^ In 1872, he was elected under the of Ronville. In 1874 h I'atives same county , he Was The Leader of the Opposition auspices of the Con- sent home by the asks me if I accept the 38 tesponsibility of all the acts of the Conservative party. I have never, so far as I know, repudiated my acts. In 1879, I simply declared that the G-overnment was not strong enough to govern. Since then no one can find anything in my conduct incompatible with the stand I then took. I am not responsible for the party's acts except since I became a minister. I approve of the Conservative princi- ples, and in Gasp6 I never was anything but a Conservative. I have always said so too. In 1878, I also* declared that I was ready to give fair play to the Liberal Grovernment. Had not the Joly Cabinet the support of such former Conservative as Messrs. Watts, Cameron, Turcotte, Rinfret, Price and Mercier ? I could well do what they did. Now I will mention a fact which establishes t^ ^ truth of this assertion. In 1877, my opponent and myself were speaking before a great meeting in Perce. I was a can- didate, and I had written out my programme, in which 1 said that I would offer no factious opposition to the De Boucherville Government. Hereupon some one said to me : ** But you are a Conservative." " Well," I replied, " if that is to be a Conservative I am one. I am of the school of Liberals who have been allied with those under the leadership of Baldwin in Upper Canada, and of Lafon- taine and Morin in Lower Canada, but never with the so called school upheld by the Dorion's, the Dessaulle's, and others." In 1878, my manner of looking at things was constantly in conflict with the opinions of my companions. It was thus that 1 treat the dismissal from a different point of view from that held by other members of th6 Ministerial party. In the I. oeral party, at the present moment, there are two shades of opinion, that of the honorable Leader of the Opposition and that of the Rouges They are dis- tinct although they meet upon a common ground, viz., war against the present Government. 'Kl'l ■".- ..' - 39 ^"fa the encli' "^ "'"'='«'» of « mad *° '"'' J""* «i»l ">hts if ?""'"** "'■federal a«hlf '" """"•'"'ion political and 7 7"' ^" eacraons rf w *'"'• ^o«ord. ^^e member fnr. r xi- **** oE-7;;;"por:tS:jnHe,^^^^^^ ing fault w:- a .rt "' «'■' KoberrPe I T ^'^"^''^"^ of «r whoiei : "iTf ^'^ »"'' °f 'ho most rr- '"y^t'lf. I can ,7 ' "'' 'o choose a nn!* t " '«'*» agree rl f""'"^' On o-enJ!., '"'''"*'e>' for ''ameSi:;:::-,"^^""'^ -^-/^ ':"rt r ""^' people have :^ft ^ ''*' '^"ne good ? To T ''""y- *»? -e th o.t:;;: x-^^^^^ 'hat f;/s; - ^ I» 1874 the Liberals came, ^^"' *"<' «kewhere Wer.fl! ^"^ernment. P"''' *o overthrow^ a H ere these members m>,„u J . then was worse thl T "^ ""'' ""'fied ?No>M ■ me, dit not L-p, , " .*''e,rs ! After hari„'-i'me„t of «"; p^^,,:;;:^ "<" -mpa. ■ Jharealw^. k ^ ^''■^'"""^ntary duties O" Mr. Ham.!' i "*""" »^«"t- "^"^ » Mr. Harnp/ 7 ^®^*ent cause nf fk . "®^ ^^^ not »""»? the course of ,, ^,*'"'«"°'»ayso? ^ ^^ seen that ^u • "'*« or the trial nf j-u I farnished Mr. r^BoufHr «« .rtt"r: T -"'•■-"■-"■I... Mr n„ vvitaout experience. This ■^-' ■ k 42 is'not a matter acquired by birth, and therefore no fault of his. Well, in deference to my neighbours, I waived this objection and joined his colors. He was returned, served his country well, and was recompensed in consequencci by being appointed Commissioner of Crown Lands, the most important billet, I believe, in the ministry. *' He was laid aside, for a while, not through incapa- city, but, as a proof that his services were indispensable, in the affairs of state, he lately becomes Commissioner of Hail ways; this is the position he now occupies •' You must lay aside all personal and local affairs, in order co judge the man by his public character. This I do, and hence my candid opinion is that he is an honest man, and, as you are aware, an honest man is the noblest work of G-od. That he has ^benefited by undue acquisitions, I don't believe; in fact, circumstances seem to justify my statement ; for, as I happen to be acquainted with Mr. S6necal, I am aware that he is no friend of Mr. Flynn. Therefore, gentlemen, you can draw your conclusions. " Some people have laid great stress on what they term deserting his party. Now, gentlemen, is not the man to be commended who, recognizing his error, changes the tenor of his ways ? And more particularly, in acting so, he has his country's interest at heart ; for, gentlemen, it is to my knowledge, and I defy any one to prove the con- trary, that it is to the Conservative G-overnment that Gasp6 owes all that it has obtained from the public treasury. And; to give you the proof thereof, allow me to quote the words of late Honorable Mr. Letellier, the head of the Liberal party at the time : " We cannot expect to win over the county of Gaspe." " As far as I can remember, the county has received nothing from the Liberals, but opposition ; and now, gen- tlemen, I shall relate a marked move of theirs against such a disadvantageously situated county like Gaspe, commer- cially shut out from access to the markets of the world for 'A ■'.V ■, 'T"''""Wi«iii ■ 43 seven months of n,„ deteriotarinff i„ 7,, ''*''""' "•"■ export nrod„.„ Paying i„,„"J,:^'^^« stores for .o lo?"::^^:""-"!, *»?e of the foreig^ ^^^^ -"• deprived ot X 'r^^'' Sn-eat boon thp ? ""^^ete durina- the Jp„t " "^^"n- : ^^®^' gentlemen fnr- ,u «h.>ir conTn ■ ' ""P"'"''^'' ^-^ the f v ''*'"• ^hree of «-eorr:r .'■r«'">^'Helttor;:;. T "• '•- »a«onasane7„ "'^ °' "»em wore J "■ ''"^l*"- 6entle»l T'y *''"1»«' 'o their .nn r"""* ''>' «cla- ""d tht ;,' '''' ■""■" '-"t out "T"'' ""y 'he Crown would h™;"it ir^'■'"•^"'^ ''"*. - " s, „r,r''"'r •• '""^ ^e .."^-""..entlen^enl,. . '"*"■"> ^-'^i- wiat could rf ^"'J *«" ^o'ed aJ j, '''■^''»'^>dn'«•' F'ynn hoTd t r' ""■• ''■■'J I -Pi -.nP^^'^'e'y noth- < ^«ee, b„ t'l ^""r ''Jy- not o„L ^, " "'^ Po«"io„ Mr. of ourselves. '"" "« »»«' ^li .^.i^J; 'be a^f f '""" °^ ' "Asfo.fK '""■""^e he IS one • «« tor those Quebeo ^:t > s«nt down here bvT, ^ "'"'^"on runners wh„ K an>munitioi, i . I " ''™P'oym with ^*'""' ''««" , '*'*• ">«? would be doingan " ^.'""'' ^""J^; for S^>'ujust,ce to their em- ' "♦, 44 . , ployers. As regards thcij. I must do them the justice to say that, had they believed that they would have had to address enlightened communities, they would have stayed at home, as they did in the case of the commissioner's col- leagues, and where there was no distance to travel .But I suppose they considered that " distance lends enchantme. t to the view." " Ah ! gentlemen, were it not for private considerations, I could tell you, not only where this more than factious op- position sprung from, but also have used a powerful lever but I forbear being convinced that, as matters are in the ' end, a glorious triumph awaits the honorable commissioner and that the opposition will be ignominously defeated. " Well, gentlemen, I shall not detain you any longer, but let me indulge the hope that an intelligent and independent parish such as I have the honor to address and with whom I have always maintained the best of relations, shall, at the polls, prove to the world that our junior minister should have been returned by acclamation." Here is testimony which reduces these accusations to nothing. Apart from the accusation, the Leader of the Opposition should have given the reply which I made and which closed the debate. I published a letter which gave all ne- cessary explanations. If I did not take up the slanders of the press it was because I make a point of never in- stituting newspaper libel suits over my political actions. I repel the accusations and fling them, with all the scorn in my power, in the face of their authors. The Leader of the Opposition also spoke of a letter in which it was said that it was a sin to vote for me. This letter was confidential. It was published, I know not how. In any case 1 wrote a letter so peremptory that the debate instantly closed. The Canadien of 1882 is also quoted. This paper did not like to see me in the Government ; hence the articles published against me. ,'•»■■»" t P w siu He litic me T g- 45 " wLf;rj;*'''''a<'J^ri«e Miniver »h ,. ; •"■aWe membp Jf „ *'""® objection ,„!.^- ** «*'« of Honorable Pri,2^« ''"* ^ '"enonnced L ^'T """»''«' for «"« «nd otW ' ^""^'"^ '^"ow» how"! fr"^'*^- ^'•o '"^ tWs Cabinet n'': ^ ^^^^fic-^d no prf^'^T"'" """k Gorernment T I ^ "'"'"S "»« lifrtim! '^"""'P'* 'n enter- mier. ^''"' ^ ^'^i »o better friend r ?' *« ^hapleau JWeaWayefejH "^ '"« Present Pre- should have for a r,i "''^ '"'» ^e re^M . • '^'^ '^-w bot ^.^-^Sf- The Ho,Sate-;««^ * -.- *W. When he a«ked «e f ' '*"" ""^ »a»ner o?!*'"'- The Leader 0**1, rt "^ ^S^ia become u- »eeing «fiair. Well 7b n ^PPo^'^on desi,^, T ' """^"^n*- Con,«i J*;'^;^''; <>over„n,ent of wW h 'fr ""« ""'on fit to reimburL 1 r" ^'"'^ ^"^ » me»b t"°'''""« '''« *"« price of C;;"'^'» ^«« of «one7p"„'^l^"«^«ee„ *o do with thrmlr *" ^'- <»« Molon w . T ''""""' "^ «"e, when Z T "' ^ '' Moa^ Zl ^'"'' "othing ^« a matter of f^twaVolT ""J' "'^'^'-^^^ ""'" --tttri:^^!r-=.ivtiTr"--- perfectly lega LdT ''''" ''*•"«' '' Er T""""^' "-'a wr,r t ^^"^ "^ ' opp :f '"^'' "^- «^ wo in any of JfX^ ""^' ^r. Speaker W ^"^ ""^ Po- y 01 my (Jaspe elections and ;k ""''"'• ^e'Ped »». and the proof of this i. 46 i«i found in the fact that tht^ same friends helped me after I became a minister as before it. What reward did I receive after supporting this former leader for eighteen months ? After I had rendered services to these former friends, how did they reward me ? From that time on I have been insulted every day. Can this strange attitude, adopted from the very beginning of the session, be explained ? Why discuss my actions and not the great questions of public interest ? Ddenda Carthago Flynn must be destroyed. They have not yet succeeded although they have adopted means repugnant to decency and to honesty. These attacks, inspired by hatred, will not succeed. The Chief of the Opposition has denied nothing I have said ; but has he been loyal and fair towards me ? No. 1 never betrayed anyone's secrets, and in defending myself I have the full and entire sympathy of my ministerial friends. In order to destroy me live of my enemies were detailed from the party. Is not one man from the Opposition able to oppose one ministerialist ? No, they have to set four or five upon one. It is neither honorable to them nor to their party. Hon. Mr. Joly (member for Lotbiniere). — Mr. Speaker, I understand that the Honorable Commissioner of Railways is trying to re-establish himself When my honorable friends the members for Kamou- raska and Montreal West spoke, I saw him prudently dis- appear. That was not a mark of courage. I have never heard so important a speech ! ! One so well made ! Evidently the people for Gaspe do not understand his talent ! That is unfortunate. Those who hoped that the Grovernment which I had the honor to lead would do good for the country, had a grudge against the member for Graspe, for having extinguished the lamp just when it began to shed out its rays. Mr. Speaker, I rise to take up a declaration made by the Cpmmissioner of Railway. Jt is this. ; r "■■-. , t'. .■U m *' wmmmmmm m »^ ■ 47 .' He told us that he had a terrible weapon to destroy ns, and that he had shown it to his Iriends, but that, as it was a confidential letter, he did not wish to make use of it. Hon. Mr. Flynn. — I did not say that I had shown the letter. Hon. Mr. Joly. — It is impossible for ns to remain under this threat. Let him show us this letter. Hon. Mr- Flynn. — I was not speaking of the Opposi- tion, I alluded to implacable foes outside of this House. Hon. Mr. Joly. — If the member for Gaspe has such a letter, let him produce it. Hon. Mr. Flynn. — This letter is marked "private " and refers to no member of the Opposition. No matter how urgent all demands might be I could not render a private letter public. *f 1; ■: : f If V. ^ ...ri-, ■■i^«