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iivi»ii^i*«'ik»M«>*^t'' 
 
The Great 
 
 CANADIAN north-west: 
 
 -->s :e> E E c 13: «- 
 
 -OF THE- 
 
 Hon. J. B. PLUMB, 
 
 -IN THK — 
 
 Senate of Canada, 
 
 — ON- 
 
 The Dominion Lands Bill, 
 
 MAY 8th and gth, 1883. 
 
 REPORTIiD I!Y 
 
 Official Reporters of the Senate. 
 
 A. S. WOOnilURN, PRINTF.R AND I'UHI.ISUKU, OTTAWA. 
 
 ^TCiitL 
 
i' 
 
 0051*00 
 
SiPElEOiE^: 
 
 -OF THE — 
 
 HON. J. B. PLUMB 
 
 — ON THE- 
 
 Great Canadian North.- West. 
 
 Official Rtport from the Debate in the Senate on the Dominion Lands Bill, May 8-g, i88j 
 
 by Holland Bros., Senate Reporters. 
 
 Hon. Mr. PLUMB— I venture to 
 addr.iss the House at this stage of the 
 Bill \.'ith a view to two things, first to say 
 that [ am entirely in ac( orcl with the hon. 
 genthman who has moved this Bill and 
 with the Bill as it has been introduced 
 into he House. It must be well known 
 that all measures of this kind are to a 
 large extent experimental. Whatever 
 legislation is required for the purpose of 
 providing for settlers in a new country 
 when: everything is untried, where the 
 want? to ')e provided for are comparatively 
 unknown, must be largely subject to revi- 
 sion, and it would be most impro])er for 
 any government to adoi)t a hard and fast 
 rule, and decide that any regulations 
 which had been adopted were to be per- 
 manent. Experience has shown that 
 certain 'Cgulations which were in the first 
 instoi ce thought to be salutary must now 
 be somewhat modified, and the growth of 
 the regulations from the beginning, when 
 the North- West was first acquired, until 
 now marks the gradual increase of the 
 intereU taken in that country, the 
 rapid developement of its resources, 
 and the necessities which, from time to 
 time, have forced themselves ujion theGov- 
 ernmt nt and have been adopted in favor of 
 increasing tiie population and of Accommo- 
 dating as far as possible tiiosc who are going 
 upas|.ioneerstotakei)Ossessionof the land. 
 One ( f the prominent features of lliis Hill 
 provides ihat the homesteader shall not be 
 restric ed to the acquiring of but one 
 homestead, but shall have the privilege, 
 untler certain circumstances, of relinquish- 
 ing thi first and of taking another. In 
 
 the previous regulation the settler ex- 
 hausted his right by taking the first home- 
 stead. I think it is in the interest of 
 settlement, and in the interest of the 
 country that after due notice the pre- 
 emption right shall be rescinded. I have 
 no doubt that it gave rise to constant 
 difficulty and that it was not in the interest 
 of the country. It is also provided, that 
 there shall be stringent provisions made 
 to prevent what is called claim-jumping. 
 It is well known that in the North-West a 
 class of speculators have been constantlj 
 on the watch to take advantage of the 
 circumstances of first claimants, and 
 the absence, failure, or inability of any 
 settler to fulfil the conditions of settlement 
 from causes which he might not be able 
 to control. After he had selected a good lot 
 they followed him for the purpose of avail- 
 ing themselvesof hismischance. lam very 
 well pleased to find that the Government 
 have seen fit to protect any settler who 
 has not wilfuily forfeited his claim to 
 protection. Many interesting reflections 
 occur to every one who has watched the 
 development of the North- West from the 
 inception of settlement as a Domin- 
 ion domain after the purchase of the terri- 
 tory from the Hudson Bay Company, 
 .At that time little was known of the actual 
 advant.iges that were acquired by the pur- 
 cliase. Little was known of the actual 
 conditions of the country. It was the 
 home of wild Indians and of the wild 
 animals that they hunted for subsistence. 
 It was in the interestof thosewho previously 
 controlled the country that its resources 
 should not be known ; it was intended by 
 
I 
 
 them, so far as they could, to keep it for 
 purposes for which they liad hitherto held 
 it, as a fur-bearing preserve, and it 
 was after a very long time and under 
 very great difficulties, that it was dis- 
 covered that the Great North-West was 
 to be the future garden of Canada — the 
 great possession which would ultimately 
 recoup Canada for all the expense incurr 
 ed in connection with its purchase 
 and development, and provide the means, 
 not only for opening it up for settlement, 
 but probably for the reimbursement of a 
 very large portion of the public debt. 
 Gradually it has come to be known that 
 nearly all those portions of the region 
 West of Red River, and South of parallel 
 sixty, which were supposed to be almost 
 valueless, are equally prolific with those 
 which were at first known to be productive, 
 and I intend with the permission of the 
 Senate to call attention to some of the pecu- 
 liar features which, I think, have warranted 
 and justified the Government in making 
 the predictions that they have made in 
 regard to the future of the country. It 
 will be remembered that various projects 
 have been entertained for the opening up 
 of the wilderness, and at the same time 
 fulfilling what were considered to be the 
 obligations incurred by the Government 
 at the time of Confederation. One of 
 those obligations, the greatest, the most 
 important, and the most weighty, was the 
 union of the Eastern and Western 
 limits of the Dominion, by a line of 
 railway. We were told, and we were 
 told with authority, that the Dominion 
 had prematurely entered upon those obli- 
 gations. We were told that the Dominion 
 had not the financial strength to construct 
 a railway of so great a length, arid that 
 the burden of taxation upon the people 
 would be too heavy — that the under- 
 taking was entirely premature. I had 
 the honor, during the discussions 
 that took place upon that subject, to point 
 to the fact that a few men, practically un- 
 aided by the Government, during one of 
 the most difficult financial periods in the 
 United States, in the midst of a great war, 
 had by their own enterprise, energy and 
 'courage succeeded in building a railwny 
 from Sacramento to connect with the Union 
 Pacific at Cheyenne that was being pushed 
 across from this side of the continent. 
 Four or five men in California united 
 
 by their own exer- 
 
 able to construct 
 
 the Sierra Nevada 
 
 enormous outlay. 
 Union Pacific in . 
 aided somewhat 
 
 in this effort and 
 tions they were 
 a railway across 
 through a country beset with form- 
 idable difficulties and at that time prom- 
 ising but very little return for the 
 Then on this side, the 
 he hands of a few men, 
 by Government sub- 
 sidies, as were those on the ^Vestern sec- 
 tion-- mainly of lands — which were then 
 supposed to be comparatively valuless ran 
 its line west until the two met some- 
 where near Cheyenne. I argued from 
 that that if a few private individuals were 
 able to accomplish so much in the 
 way of railway enterprise, the Dominion of 
 Canada was powerful enough to build her 
 own line. The event has proved that 
 everything that was predicted by those 
 who were most desirous for the construc- 
 tion of our railway has been more than 
 verified, and why ? Simply because the 
 fertile territory extending from the Red 
 River to the base of the Rocky Mountains 
 has ])roved to be the means by which the 
 whole outlay is to be re-couped with a 
 speed and certainty beyond the predictions 
 of the most sanguine. In 1874 it was 
 enacted that a subsidy should be offered 
 of 55,000,000, acres of land, and 
 $io,oco a mile and interest guaranteed 
 for 25 years upon an amount of 
 capital, which was not a fixed quantity. 
 The sum proposed, however, was calcu- 
 lated to be equivalent to something over 
 $49,000,000 in cash, and the value of the 
 land, whatever it might be, was to be 
 added. With that offer, which was char- 
 acterized by the leader of the late Gov- 
 ernment as truly liberal, before the public, 
 such was the fear that there was no ade- 
 quate value in the North-West lands, that no 
 bidders could be found. Mr. Fleming 
 made the attcmi)t ; Mr. Mackenzie made 
 the attempt ; the offer was open for years, 
 but there could be found no Company 
 who would venture to undertake so diffi- 
 cult a task. Subsequently, upon the 
 return of the Conservatives to power, 
 100,000,000 acres of land were placed at 
 the disposal of the Government by 
 Parliament, for building the railway. 
 Then those who were the prophets of 
 evil predicted that we had not the power 
 to carry out the project, and contended 
 that we might as well give ten acres ot 
 
 
eir own exer- 
 to construct 
 sierra Nevada 
 t with form- 
 hat time prom- 
 eturn for the 
 Dn this side, the 
 Is of a few men, 
 vernment sub- 
 he ^Vestern sec- 
 hich were then 
 ely valuless ran 
 wo met some- 
 I argued from 
 ndividuals were 
 
 much in the 
 he Dominion of 
 igh to build her 
 as proved that 
 licted by those 
 or the construc- 
 )een more than 
 )ly because the 
 
 from the Red 
 ocky Mountains 
 lis by which the 
 -couped with a 
 1 the predictions 
 n 1874 it was 
 lould be offered 
 of land, and 
 rest guaranteed 
 n amount of 
 
 fixed quantity. 
 ;ver, was calcu- 
 
 something over 
 the value of the 
 
 be, was to be 
 which was char- 
 f the late Gov- 
 tfore the public, 
 ere was no ade- 
 est lands, that no 
 Mr. Fleming 
 ^lackenzie made 
 i open for years, 
 d no Company 
 dertake so diffi- 
 ntly, upon the 
 ivfs to power, 
 1 were placed at 
 "jovcrnnient by 
 [T the railway, 
 he prophets of 
 i not the power 
 
 and contended 
 ive ten acres of 
 
 
 land as 100,000,000 ; but that vast tract is 
 now in the hands of the Government, as a 
 trust for the purpose of recouping the 
 Country and the people for the 
 advances made towards the construction of 
 our trans-continental highway : 25,000,- 
 000 acres have been handed over to the 
 Canadian Pacific Railway Comi)any, with 
 a cash subsidy of $25,000,000, and the 
 portions of the Railway constructed by the 
 Government ; and the remaining 
 75,000,000 acres are in the hands of the 
 Government. With that 75,000,000 they 
 are dealing under this Bill. At the 
 time of the discussion upon granting 
 100,000,000 acres of land, the Premier 
 made a calculation in regard to the 
 expected immigration into the new country, 
 in regard to the sales of land 
 that would be made there, and in 
 regard to the probable results at the 
 time when the completion ot the rail- 
 way might be expected. I remember 
 the derision with which his prediction 
 was received by the opponents of 
 of the Government. I intend to .show, 
 as the second branch of my argument, 
 that, so far from being extravagant, 
 it was (juite within the mark ; that 
 the results for the last two or three years i 
 have proved conclusively that anything 
 that was then estimated will be far ex- 
 ceeded if the ratio of increase continues 
 that has been shown during the last two 
 or three years. Before that, however, I 
 wish to say that the basis upon which the 
 calculation was made was the growth and 
 development of several of the new States 
 and Tt.iitories of the United States, 
 which under similar circumstances had 
 
 been brought under cultivation by railway 
 facilities, and it was natural to suppose 
 that under like circumstances, with a soil 
 as good as if not better than they had, the 
 North-west might claim to have similar 
 advantages. I have lately examined the 
 statistics of the United States as pre- 
 sented in the census returns, and compar- 
 ed them with the census returns of Canada. 
 I have been utterly astounded at the 
 results that I have found of the growth 
 and development of some of the newer 
 states on which the calculations of my 
 right hon. friend the leader of the Gov- 
 ernment, just referred to, were based. 
 These statements were so marvellous that 
 I ask the attention of hon. gentlemen who 
 are listening to me now, to the brief 
 resume that I shall make of them, because 
 I think nothing can be imagined that 
 can more greatly strengthen the case 
 which has been made on our side, and 
 those believing as I do in the resources 
 and general prospects of our great posses- 
 sion to which we are all looking with 
 the deepest interest in respect to its 
 capacity to relieve the burden which is to 
 be thrown on the country by the con- 
 struction of the Canadian Pacific Railway. 
 I take for my example three States of the 
 Union— the State of Nebraska, which is a 
 comparatively new one, and which ten 
 years ago, had scarcely any population ; 
 the State of Minnesota, which 20 years 
 ago was almost unknown, and the State of 
 Kansas, which had but a few settlers in it 
 20 years ago. The following table will show 
 the enormous growth in the population 
 and development of those State*. : 
 
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 whole United States in the twenty years be- 
 tween i860, and 1880, was 130,166,601 
 acres: ofthis39,68o,7.39, or thirty |)er(ent., 
 were added hy tliose tliree states, chiefly 
 forcultivation of wheat, corn and oats. Now 
 I argue from this tliat the growth of 
 those three cereals is extending in a 
 certain direction. We all know that the 
 wheat culture of the United States is 
 gradually centering in the newer states of 
 the West. From that it is fair to infer 
 that if the wheat crop decreases in those 
 states the final result will he that the 
 Canadian North-West must become the 
 great wheat-field of North America. 'J'he 
 same authority which I am giving you 
 here shows that the average yield of wheat 
 of the United States is less than twelve 
 bushels to the acre. There is no doubt 
 that the average yield in Minnesot, which 
 is one of the most fertile of all the wheat 
 growing states of the Union, has declined 
 un.il it is now not more than 15 or 16 
 bushels to the acre. Throughout the 
 United States, the old wheat-growing 
 lands have become exhausted. 'J'he great 
 Geneseecountry, which I used toknow when 
 a boy, cannot now produce wheat, and tiie 
 old mills that were provided for the pur- 
 pose of grinding the filmed Genesee 
 wheat, are now supplied by wheat from 
 Montana and Nebraska. From all this it is 
 safe to argue that the chief production of 
 wheat will [>e in the North-West. Twelve 
 bushels to the acre does not pay the 
 husbandman, if high cultivation and 
 manuring are required. Fifteen busiiels 
 to the acre scarcely pays where such 
 cultivation is necessary, for the aver- 
 age price is but $1.06 per bushel 
 m the United States. The same 
 may be true of corn, but the Domin- 
 ion will never be a corn producing 
 country. It is also true of oats ; the 
 average yield of oats, as given in the 
 United States census, is 27 bushels to the 
 acre. The average yield in the North- 
 West, as given by the reports— which I 
 can produce, and which are in tables 
 which I have before me— of 50 or 60 
 returns from Manitoba and the North- 
 West, is over 60 bushels to the acre, in 
 some cases 80 ; and the average over 
 weight is some five or six pounds to the 
 bushel, the average weight being 371.:^ 
 pounds to the bushel. From the North- 
 
 West returns I have taken the weight 
 of 65 different croi)s of wheat and 
 have found them to average 64'^ pounds 
 to the bushel, which shows not only 
 that the crop is very prolific, hut that 
 the wheat is heavier than the average in 
 other countries. I understand that 60 
 pounds is the average in Iowa, and in 
 some of the older states it does not weigh 
 more than 56 pounds to the bushel. But 
 there is another and most important con- 
 sideration. Owing to the peculiar nature 
 of the soil in the North-West, the roots 
 go down deeper -^nd afford great- 
 er sustenance to the i)lant, and con- 
 secjuently it produces a betterberry than it 
 does anywhere else on this continent. It 
 is well known that a prominent miller of 
 Minnesota, a few years ago, went up to the 
 North-West to [)rocureseed, findingthat the 
 crop in Minnesota was gradually deteriorat- 
 mg. He found there that a head of wheat 
 I)roducpd three kernels in a cluster, where 
 therewere but two in Minnesota or Dakota, 
 making a difference of one-third in the 
 product, the heads being the same length. 
 It is found also that further North, at 
 Prince Albert, and on the Peace River, 
 there were four or five kernels in a cluster 
 which in coniijarison with the product of 
 Minnesota, of 1 7 bushels to the acre, would 
 give 35or4obushelstotheacre. Thisiswell 
 authenticated, and it is entirely owing to 
 the nature of the soil, and forms a profit 
 which is perfectly enormous, and which 
 gives the North-West value as a wheat 
 growing country beyond any known 
 country in the world. The tenant farmers 
 who were sent out to this country from 
 (ireat Britain, and delegated by their Agri- 
 cultural Societies to visit the North- 
 West, visited Dakota and Minnesota also. 
 One of the most intelligent of those 
 delegates, Mr. Biggar of Kircudbright, 
 states that as between Dakota and Min- 
 nesota and our North-West, he does not 
 hesitate for one moment to say that the 
 advantages are infinitely in favor of 
 our territory. He says that the 
 crop in Dakota is lesi, by ten to twelve 
 bushels to the acre, than it is in Manitoba 
 and the North-West, all of which he says 
 —the difference of ten or twelve bushels 
 —is profit. His statement is confirmed 
 by the statements of several others who 
 also visited the two countries. It 
 is obvious that one of the states that 
 
we have to compete with is Montana. 
 It may he known to gentlemen here 
 that that great territory which contains 
 93,881,184 acres of land has, according to 
 the statements of the local authorities, 
 only 3,346,400 acres of arable area. 
 The lands are fertile and have similar 
 characteristics to our own. Hut their 
 extent is .so limited that they cannot 
 come largely mto competition with ours. 
 Therefore also when we find that the crop 
 in Dakota is ten to twelve bushels per acre 
 less than ours ; when we hear that the 
 crop in Minnesota had fallen two years 
 ago to a little over fourteen bushels per 
 acre ; that thegrain itself has. sodeteriorated 
 in value that it is necessary at .some ])oints 
 to le-inforce it with the harder wheat -ot the 
 north, the calculation we make that 
 ours will ultimately be the great wheat 
 producing country of America is fairly 
 based and fairly sustained. But there are 
 other conditions. The soil of our North- 
 West is shown by the reports in my hand 
 to vary from 18 inches to 12 feet in depth, 
 of absolutely vegetable mould which is 
 practically ine.xhaustable in either case, 
 and those plains which were su|)posed to 
 be perfecdy arid impracticable deserts, 
 covered with cactus and artemisia, 
 are found, as soon as the sun- 
 baked surfiice is broken, to be cultivable 
 and yield mo.st luxuriantly ; in fact some 
 of the very finest parts of the country 
 once supposed to be portions of the 
 great American desert, have recently 
 been found to contain the most valuable 
 and prolific soil of the North-West. It 
 has also been discovered that the same 
 climatic conditions extend from our .south- 
 ern boundary line as far north as the 60th 
 parallel ; the same flora, the same herbage, 
 the same conditions which promote the 
 growth of that flora and herbage are found 
 from the 49th parallel up to the neighbor- 
 hood of Peace River, and in some cases 
 even beyond it. The spring opens at the 
 same time over the whole range. Seeding 
 can be commenced at the same time ; the 
 harvest can be reaped the same time, and 
 practically there are tracts of country, ex- 
 tending from 900 to 1000 miles, from the 
 49th parallel northward, which bear 
 exactly the same relations as to 
 crops throughout their whole extent. 
 There is nothing more remarkable 
 than the regularity of the rain-falls in the 
 
 months of June and July, which are the 
 growing months in those latitudes, and the 
 dry sea.son which takes place at the time 
 of the harvest. The seed is sown and 
 harrowed-in in A\n'\\, as .soon as it 
 can be covered, and before the frost is 
 out of the ground. Seeding on the great 
 Hell Farm at Qu'Appelle, was begun on the 
 loth of April this year.* It begins to 
 germinate in the warm soil on the surface, 
 and, as the ice thaws beneath, it creates a 
 moisture that promotes vegetation. In 
 June and July th': rain-falls take place. 
 
 RAINFALL IN INCHES 
 
 FOR TIIK. FOUR MONTHS OK VKCiKTATION. 
 
 May Iiine Inly Aii(». Tot.il 4 mos. 
 Winnipeg 2.17 3.42 2.68 7. 11 IS,J7 
 
 Toronli) 2.98 3.04 3.72 2.81 12.5s 
 
 Rochester, N.Y. 3.04 3.25 3.01 2.60 
 
 RAINFALL IN INCHES 
 
 FOR TWO MONTHS OF HARVEST. 
 
 Seiiti-nilicr. Oclolicr. Total. 
 
 Winnipeg 0.73 0.03 • 0.76 
 
 Toronto 4.45 2,96 7.41 
 
 Kociiester, N.Y. 3.05 3.39 6.41 
 
 6th of May is 
 8th of August, 
 throughout a vast 
 The wheat is ripe 
 
 Harley sown on the 
 harves.( . 1 about the 
 and that is the case 
 extent of the territory, 
 for harvest before the month of September, 
 and at that time, as the weather is perfectly 
 dry, the berry that has jjreviously attained 
 a marvellous growth through the richness 
 of the soil and the frecjuent rain-falls, 
 becomes hardened and is found to 
 l)e of the very best quality for making 
 flour. It is also rich in the nitrogens, 
 and it is known that there is no flesh-form- 
 ing ])roduct ecjual to wheat. It is esti- 
 mated that 480 pounds of wheat are equal 
 to 550 i)ounds of the best beef, 
 or to 4,800 pounds of potatoes ; that is 
 the statement made in the reports of Mr, 
 Caird, Mr. Bourne and other statisticians in 
 England. Wheat must continue to be the 
 staff of life for the human race, and I be- 
 lieve we have to offer to the world the 
 greatest, the most extended, the cheapest 
 and most prolific wheat-fields that exist 
 on the face of the earth. A comparison 
 has been made between the chemical 
 condition of the soil of Manitoba and 
 that of the most productive soil of Hol- 
 stein in Europe by the analysis of 
 Professor Emmerling which is reported by 
 Senator Klotz, of Keil, as follows, " An- 
 
 *NoTE, On this farm 2,700 acrcH Iiave Ijccn sown In 
 whe.it sinrc th.".t d.-iy, T!ii> liliuiof". v.'en! (> lni-hi',3 liigh 
 on the ICth of May, aiid promised a heavy >lu^d. 
 
 I 
 
y, which arc the 
 lalitudes, and the 
 place at the time 
 ed is sown and 
 as soon as it 
 ■fore the frost is 
 iing on the great 
 was begun on the 
 •.* It begins to 
 il on the surface, 
 leath, it creates a 
 vegetation. In 
 ^alls take place. 
 
 NCHES 
 
 K VKCiKTATION. 
 
 y Auj;. Total 4 mos. 
 •S.J7 
 12.55 
 
 8 7. 1 1 
 2 2.81 
 )i 2.60 
 
 [NCHES 
 
 f HARVKSr. 
 
 3ctol)cr. 
 0.03 • 
 2,96 
 339 
 
 Total. 
 0.76 
 
 741 
 6.41 
 
 5th of May is 
 th of August, 
 iroughout a vast 
 he wheat is ripe 
 ith of September, 
 ;athcr is perfectly 
 eviously attained 
 lugh the richness 
 S(iuent rain-falls, 
 d is found to 
 ility for making 
 n the nitrogens, 
 : is no flesh-form- 
 vheat. It is esti- 
 f wheat are equal 
 the best beef, 
 potatoes ; that is 
 le reports of Mr. 
 ler statisticians in 
 jntinue to be the 
 n race, and I be- 
 the world the 
 led, the cheapest 
 -fields that exist 
 A comi)arison 
 n the chemical 
 f Manitoba and 
 ve soil of Hol- 
 he analysis of 
 ch is reported by 
 IS follows, " An- 
 
 CH Iiave been sown to 
 nf. wen! (i Inrhrs liigh 
 a, heavy ^'^^'A, 
 
 nexed I give you our analysis of the most 
 productive soil in Holstein by which you 
 will see how exceedingly rich the produc- 
 tive cpialities of the Manitoba .soil are, 
 and which fully explains the fact that 
 the land in Manitoba is so very fertile, 
 even witlunit manure.' " I'he chief 
 nutrients are first nitrogen, then 
 potash and i)hosphoric acid which 
 I)rcd()minati s there, but what is of i)ar- 
 ticular importance is the lime contained 
 in the soil whereby nitrogen is set free 
 and ready to be absorbed in vegetable 
 orgariisms. The latter jjroperty is defec- 
 tive in many soils and when it is found 
 defective, recourse must be had to artificial 
 means or by putting lime, marl or clay 
 wliich contains much lime upon the .same. 
 According to the analysis of the Manitoba 
 .soil there is no doubt that to the farmer 
 who desire.s to select for liis future home, 
 a country which has the most productive 
 soil and promi.ses the richest harvests, 
 no country in the world ofiers greater 
 attractions than the Province of Manitoba, 
 in the Dominion of Canada. 
 
 Holntoiri MmiitDha Excpss in Maul- 
 
 Winnipeg and Battleford than it in at 
 " oronto, I'enzapce or Ivoenigsberg, 
 Metrological Report, 1876 :— 
 
 o 
 
 a 
 
 S '«' 00 
 — o ^ 
 3 ■ • 
 
 = in i- 
 
 I— I ■— 2 ■:; 
 
 C -♦ •*• M 94 «» f 
 « CI M O ■* M » 
 
 ^ !2 '■* -t 5? ?t : 
 
 i fO ^ '^ \£) ' 
 
 t* t^ -«-i 
 
 tn 9> yi 
 '■o — >n 
 000 
 
 r- X QC 
 
 lA >A O 
 
 ta 
 _ a-. 10 
 
 . «* 
 
 3, ~ -^ t~ 
 
 S cc -f s> I— o» t~» 
 r, ^ rt «- o c © 
 
 s •* r- t- -^ •» — 
 
 .(• '^ O -.0 C£ CA <0 
 
 -J 
 as 
 
 -1 
 o 
 
 a-T 
 
 — =— 
 
 53 -cr. 
 < 
 
 w : 
 
 1 CT) O -H ■» -JS 
 
 ; — OS = o o 
 
 X :c ri lO T^ 
 
 ■■c -^ to ■■o ia 
 
 7, 
 
 o >rs )fi 
 
 rj M O 
 
 tc ;e 4C «tf 10 
 
 9 • 
 
 W) . 
 
 3 • 
 
 < : 
 
 MM. — M 
 
 •ra -i< X •^ t 
 
 a o o ° o 
 
 OS (M O O -^ 
 
 •^ in 40 10 ifl 
 
 a. 
 
 Moil 
 228.7 
 
 69.4 
 682.6 
 
 16. 1 
 486. 1 
 
 toli.i Hoil 
 198.7 
 
 13-8 
 29.4 
 
 552-6 
 
 6.1 
 
 446.1 
 
 made in 
 and dis- 
 
 Soil 
 
 Potash 30 
 
 Sodium 20 
 
 Phosphoric Acid 40 
 
 Lime 130 
 
 Magnesia 40 
 
 Nitrogen 40 
 
 The above statement was 
 1872. Subsecjuent exploration 
 covery justifies the opinion that it may 
 be also ai)plied to a large part of the 
 fertile land lying west of Red River. 
 
 The fact that the sunlight is longer in 
 the North-West by two or three hours 
 than it is with us is another most impor- 
 tant element in the productiveness of that 
 country. In the Peace River district, in 
 the longest days, the sun rises at 
 ten minutes past three and sets at 
 forty minutes past eight ; there is but 
 thirty or forty minutes difference between 
 the length of the day there and the 
 length of the day in the Province of Mani- 
 toba ; consequently the longer sunlight 
 gives extraordinary growth and vigor' to 
 the crops during the growing season.'which 
 extends through the months of May, June, 
 July and ])art of August. It is shovvn bv 
 the following tables that the mean temper- 
 ature of the growing months is higher at 
 
 ■ — . :.9 
 
 : c . te 
 
 :k-3 
 
 K 
 
 60 • 
 
 e 2 
 
 .£2 
 
 o 
 
 u 
 
 o 
 H 
 
 • -• n as S • — 
 
 = ~ N § C 
 
 ^ 08 K £ O 
 
 it 
 H 
 
 a 
 
 2 s- 
 
 1 
 
 Wherever the mean temperature in 
 July and August is at 60 degrees 
 wheat attains perfection. It is a well- 
 known law that in the growth of wheat 
 the further north it can be cultivated 
 withm the limits of successful pro- 
 duction the better is the berry, and 
 that IS undoubtedly the case in the North- 
 West. it is also true that there is no plant 
 which is so susceptible to injury by frost 
 as the oat. The oat plant flourishes almost 
 as flir north as the Peace River as well as 
 anywhere else on this continent, and the 
 priest of the mission at Qu'Appelle 
 raised last year I am told over 700 bushels 
 of oats on 9 acres of ground— nearly 80 
 bushels to the acre. The statistics I i)roduce 
 will show that from 70 to 80 bushels per 
 acre is a very common average as report- 
 ed by the farmers who have sent in their 
 returns in connection with Professor Mac- 
 oun'sreport. I have been induced to go into 
 tliose matters at .some considerable length, 
 because I believed it was desinble that 
 there should be, upon the floor of this 
 House an utterance condensing, as far as 
 possible, the information which has been 
 constantly accumulating in regard to our 
 
8 
 
 f! 
 
 new country. It is true that much of the in- 
 formation which I am giving to the House 
 may lie in the possession of many gentle- 
 men who have made a study of the sub- 
 ject. It is 'rue also that we cannot invent 
 facts ; we have to take them as they 
 are, but I thought it would serve a useful 
 purpose, to brmg thtm togedier, ;'_nd it was 
 solely with the view of lending my mite, so 
 far a'j I could, to the development of our 
 noble domain, and to sustain the 
 Government in their desire to have that 
 country rapidly settled, that I have collated 
 figures and facts at very considerable labor, 
 and h.nve attempted to lay them succinctly 
 before the Senate. It was not for the purpose 
 of makinga speech, becausean address upon 
 such a subject must necessarily be dry, 
 and I confin- myself entirel> tc a si.nijle, 
 plain and straight-forward statement of the 
 case as itstando. It may have happened that 
 in the course of my remarks I have made use 
 of information which is known tosomemem- 
 bers of the House who are familiar with the 
 country, but I may say that I believe a 
 great deal I have stated must tie new, for 
 it has been gathered from sources that 
 have only been available to the public 
 within the last four or five weeks, namely the 
 condensation oftht American statistics and 
 census, and of the Canadian census, the 
 tables of which are now just being pub- 
 lished and laid before the country. I have 
 also to say that I have availed myself 
 ofstatements and tables which I have found 
 in a volume lately published by 
 Professor Macoun, the accomplished 
 botanist, who has done so much during 
 his long .ind thorough investigation of tiie 
 flora of the Northwest, to inspire public 
 confidence in that country, and towards 
 giving us a scientific statement of the 
 productions of our great prairies. I will 
 now give to the House an hem which I 
 omitt'-d to give while speaking of 
 the new states and territories of the United 
 
 States which ^ think is of great interest 
 to us, and from which we may draw an 
 inference in regard to the mineral resources 
 of tne country which we are about to open. 
 I hold in my hand a statement of the 
 production ot the j)recious metals in the 
 states in which mining is carried on East 
 of the crest of the Sierra Nevada. It will 
 be found in this statLUient, that the total 
 production of the prcciuus metals in that 
 region, to the clos^ of the year, ended the 
 
 30th of Tune, 1882, published in the 
 American Almanac for 1883, is $284,978,- 
 620. What I want to call particular 
 attention to is this fact, that of that 
 amount the .surn of $58,062,382, or about 
 one-fifth of the whole, was produced in 
 Monrana, directly alongside of the South- 
 ern boundary of our North-West Territory, 
 which, probably, has the same geological 
 formation in its mountainous districts fand 
 we may reasonably suppose that when 
 mvestigations are n ide in the moun- 
 tamous districts north of the 49th 
 ])arallel, similar results will be obtained. 
 I'he total production of the precious 
 metals in Montana, has been, of gold 
 $54,481,833, of silver $6,580,549. In 
 Dakota, alongside of it, the i^roduc- 
 tion was $14,101,133, but Dakota, 
 It must be remembered, is a country of a 
 dilTerent character from Montana. The 
 estimate for Montana in 1881 is$4,96o,ooo 
 that for Dakota is $4,070,000. I think 
 we have every reason to expect that 
 snnilar results will attend the prospecting 
 of the country which is about to be opened 
 up by the Canadian Pacific Railway by a 
 pass further south through the moun- 
 tains than was at fi- jt supposed practicable, 
 which will, in that way, probably give 
 additional advantages to those who wish 
 to go in and prospect for the precious 
 metals. 
 
 With rcgar ] to the cro[) in Manitoba 
 and the iNorth-Wcst I have made some 
 statements as to the growth of wheat. 
 I now wish to say that according to the 
 United States Census the average wheat 
 yield for ten years is shown to be :— 
 Minnesota 17 bushels per acre. 
 Massachusetts 16. " 
 
 « 
 (t 
 
 Pennsylvania 15. 
 
 Wisconsin 13. 
 
 Iowa 10. 
 
 Ohio TO. 
 
 Illinois 8. 
 
 The average yield in Manitoba from 
 1877 to 1880, as far as can be asxertained, 
 was 26 bushels to the arre, the average 
 weight of which, as ascertained by com- 
 parison of 56 crops, was 62^4 pounds to 
 the bush-'!. The heaviest wheat in the 
 United States is, in Muinesola 65 pounds; 
 Ohio 60, I'ennsylvania 60, and in Illinois 
 58 pounds to the bushel ; the heaviest in 
 the Canadian ::ynh-West is 66 pounds 
 to the bushel. l"he average weight of the 
 
 barley 
 
 the bi 
 
 bushel 
 
 refcrrci 
 
 In Mit 
 
 to the 
 
 Iow£ 
 
 Wise 
 
 Chic 
 
 Indi; 
 
 Ilhnc 
 
 Thro 
 barley i 
 and brij 
 ]iroceec 
 the hen 
 malting 
 found i: 
 
 In a 
 the No 
 bushel 
 the av( 
 80 bus 
 coinmoj 
 acre ha' 
 Western 
 is, in ^ 
 Ohio 2^ 
 
 Potatc 
 frequent 
 and the 
 showed 
 
 At m 
 peg the A 
 inches in 
 
 dug in I 
 north, or 
 ripen in 
 Little Re 
 north lati 
 grt-'es noi 
 year — wli 
 due nort 
 From W 
 1300 mil 
 the same 
 
 Taking 
 g spring il 
 about Ap: 
 anemones 
 
published in the 
 1883, is $284,978,- 
 to call particular 
 fact, that of that 
 ',062,^82, or about 
 
 was produced in 
 gside of the South- 
 rth-West Territory, 
 e same geological 
 nous districts ; and 
 ipnose that when 
 le in the nioun- 
 1 of the 49th 
 
 will be obtained. 
 
 of the precious 
 IS been, ot gold 
 
 $6,580,549. In 
 
 it, the produc- 
 3, but Dakota, 
 , is a country of a 
 I Montana. The 
 t88i is$4,96o,ooo 
 370,000. I think 
 1 to expect that 
 1 the prospecting 
 bout to be opened 
 ific Railway by a 
 nigh the moun- 
 l)osed practicable, 
 , probably give 
 ) those who wish 
 
 for the precious 
 
 op in Manitoba 
 lave made some 
 rowth of wheat, 
 iccording to the 
 le average wheat 
 tvn to be : — 
 per acre. 
 
 Manitoba from 
 n be aixertained, 
 TO, the average 
 jrtained by com- 
 62^ pounds to 
 St wiicat in the 
 -■sola 65 pounds ; 
 , and in Illinois 
 ; the heaviest in 
 t is 66 pounds 
 igc weight of the 
 
 barley of the North-West is 50 pounds to 
 the bushel, and the yield averages 40 
 bushels to the acre during the period 
 referred to by a comparison of 37 crops 
 In Minnesota the average is 25 bushels 
 to the acre. 
 
 Iowa 22 bushels. 
 Wisconsin 20 bushels. 
 Ohio 19 bushels. 
 Indiana 19 bushels. 
 Ilhnois 17 bushels. 
 
 Throughout the North-West Territories 
 barley is a sure crop, of the finest quality 
 and brightest color, and the further you 
 l^roceed to the North-West the plumper 
 the berry, and the greater the yield. I'or 
 malting purposes no better barley can be 
 found in the world. 
 
 the 26th of April in 56 degrees north 
 latitude. 
 
 Red River and Peace River break up 
 about the i5tii of April. Red River 
 closes in the first week in November and 
 Peace River much later. 
 
 Seed time is from the middle of April 
 to the middle of June. Wheat sowed as 
 late as the loth of June usually escapes 
 the frost. On Peace Riverfarm work begins 
 April 20th. It is stated that seed can be 
 put in with perfect safety in the autumn 
 before the ground is closed with frost, and 
 does not germinate until the following spring 
 owing to the dryness of the atmosphere, 
 and by this means the crops come to 
 maturit} much earlier. 
 
 In a comparison of 51 cro.js of oats in 
 the North-West the average weight per 
 bushel was found to be 37'^ pounds 
 the average yield is 60 ^ bushels, and 
 80 bushels to the acre is not an un- 
 common yield, while 100 bushels to the 
 acre have actually been raised. In the 
 Western Staies the average yield of oats 
 IS, in Minnesota 37 bushels, Iowa 28, 
 Ohio 23. 
 
 Potatoes grow luxuriantly there ; they are 
 frequently found weighing 5 [jounds each, 
 and the average of over a hundred croiis 
 showed 318 bushels to the acre. 
 
 At Hay Lake, 800 miles west of Winni- 
 peg the white variety has been grown 1 7 i^ 
 inches in circumference, and the purple 
 15K' inches. New potatoes have been 
 dug in latitude 56 degrees 12 minutes 
 north, on the 2rst of June. Cucumbers 
 ripen in (juantities from English seed at 
 Little Red River 58 degrees 30 minutes 
 north latitude. At Fort Simpson, 62 de- 
 grees north latitude, melons ripen every 
 year— when started under glass— qot miles 
 due north of the American boundary 
 From VVinnipeg to Peace River, points 
 1300 n^lcs ajiart, spring commences at 
 the same time. 
 
 ^ Taking one year with another the first 
 
 S spring ilowcrs make their appearance 
 
 about April 15th. Captain Butler found 
 
 anemones covering a whole hillside on 
 
 On the great plains north of the Qu'Ap- 
 pelle Valley, from the month of July 
 until September, Professor Macoun and 
 his party found the ground literally cov- 
 ered with mushrooms, which could be 
 gathered, to use his own expression, by 
 the cart-load. One of these, found at 
 Long Lake, in July, 1879, measured 30^ 
 inches in circumference, 2^ inches 
 through the centre of the cap, and 
 weighed three pounds. He also found 
 the giant puff-ball (Lycoperdon) which is 
 delicious and harmless, as I myself can 
 testify, having frequently eaten it. 
 
 Strawberries are abundant at Fort Ellice 
 on the 15th June. 
 
 At Prince Albert wheat ripened in 1879 
 about the middle of August. 
 
 At Clear Springs the Mennonites grow 
 their own tobacco. The plants are four 
 feet high, grow luxuriantly and come to 
 full maturity. 
 
 Mr. T. H. Brown, of Poplar Point says he 
 sows his gram as soon as the frost is out of 
 the ground sufficiently to allow the harrow 
 j to cover the seed, having ploughed in 
 the fall, and has raised as good vegetables 
 there, with comparatively little cultivation, 
 .3s he has seen raised in his native place 
 in the County of Kent, in England, where 
 market gardening is carried on to perfec- 
 tion. Professor Macoun found 96 varieties 
 of grasses. He states that but one 
 poor grass is found among them 
 
IC 
 
 and gives the following analysis 
 some of them as compared with 
 timothy, showing that they compare 
 favorably in flesh producing and heat 
 producing qualities with the timothy 
 grass so favorably known to our Ontario 
 farmers. 
 
 
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 It has been objected in some quarters 
 that the policy of the Government in 
 granting large tracts of land to companies, 
 and selling lar-^e tracts to individuals is 
 against the true interests of the country, 
 it is also contended that we owe a 
 duty to the settler by which he 
 should be protected ; and in the other 
 House a resolution was offered on the 
 Bill which is under discussion, providing 
 that the lands of the North-West should 
 be held absolutely and solely for the 
 actual settler, and only granted to him in 
 such quantities as he should be capable 
 of successfully cultivating. In view of 
 what I have stated — in view of the possi- 
 bility, and the probability that the older 
 wheat-producing countries are becoming 
 
 exhausted ; that their yield per acre is 
 steadily decreasing, it is almost certain 
 that our great North-West, the enormous 
 territory of at least 200,000,000 acres 
 which seems to be specially adapted to 
 the culture of the plant of which nothing 
 can supply the place, is destined to become 
 the wheat field of the world. In view 
 of that it seems to be a very narrow policy 
 to insist that culture should be post- 
 poned and limited until the whole of the 
 land can be taken up by the actual settler 
 who is to till the soil, as it would seem, 
 with the work of his own hands. Nothing 
 can be more adverse to the general inter- 
 est of the world than the adoption of such 
 a policy. I contend that it should 
 be the aim of the Ciovernment to 
 develop the productive power of 
 that country as rapidly as possible; and 
 it should also be their aim that one 
 class (jnly should not be permitted to 
 occupy it. My giving out large tracts 
 of land to men of means, labor can be 
 employed, and the laborer who gets 
 constant employment and good wages, 
 will at no distant day become a landed pro- 
 prietor in his turn. It is a very narrow 
 policy to insist that a man must have a 
 moderate amount of capital in order to 
 acquire lands in the Northwest. The 
 policy which is urged by certain gentle- 
 men is a sort of pseudo philanlhrophy 
 which will exclude the capitalist, and the 
 laborer without means, from any partici- 
 pation in its advantages. I believe i 
 that the policy of the Government in 
 granting large tracts can be fully 
 justified. 'I'here is ample room for l 
 everybody. The homesteader or the set- I 
 tier has no vested right to any particular ^ 
 portion of the soil. The Government 
 always have the right to withdraw, and 
 always have adopted the policy of 
 withdrawing from settlemr^nt any por- 
 tion of those lands, and no man has 
 a right to question that feature in the 
 public ])olicy. There is room enough 
 under the provisions of the Bill now be 
 fore us for the actual settler, the small 
 homesteader; there is provision enough 
 for all who will require lands, for almost 
 the whole of Europe, and all those who 
 are likely to come from the United 
 States, in addition to those who m.iy 
 emigrate from t!ie older Provinces of 
 the Dominion. Millions of acres are at 
 
 45, 000 ; 
 data up 
 populati 
 we hea 
 arrival c 
 gration > 
 migrant; 
 and I 1 
 ing as 
 a supplj 
 
11 
 
 yield per acre is 
 : is almost certain 
 'est, the enormous 
 100,000,000 acres 
 Deci'jlly adapted to 
 t of which nothing 
 destined to become 
 le world. In view 
 very narrow policy 
 should be post- 
 1 the whole of the 
 ' the actual settler 
 as it would seem, 
 n hands. Nothing 
 the general inter- 
 e adoption of such 
 that it should 
 CJovernment to 
 ;tive power of 
 as possible; and 
 r aim that one 
 be permitted to 
 out large tracts 
 ms, labor can be 
 iborer who gets 
 ind good wages, 
 :ome a landed pro- 
 is a very narrow 
 nan must have a 
 ipital in order to 
 Northwest. The 
 )y certain gentle- 
 do philanthrophy 
 :apitalist, and the 
 from any partici- 
 ages. I believe ^ 
 Government in ' 
 can be fully 
 imple room for i 
 teader or the set- 
 to any particular 
 rhe Government 
 o withdraw, and 
 the policy of 
 em^^nt any por- 
 \d no man has 
 t feature in the 
 is room enough 
 the Bill now be 
 lettler, the small 
 provision enough 
 lands, for almost 
 id all those who 
 3m the United 
 those who may 
 ;r Provinces of 
 J of acres are at 
 
 the disposal of the settler. There is no 
 restriction practically upon him, for the 
 35,000,000 acres taken by the Pacific 
 Railway, and the few grants that are 
 made to colonization roads and com- 
 panies, are but small items in the great 
 whole. The railway is compelled in 
 order to reach its lands, to build branch 
 lines without further subsidy which will 
 open up the alternate sections to the 
 settler who could not reach them with- 
 out its aid, and the colonization com- 
 panies are compelled to become em- 
 igration agents. The statements made by 
 the hon. Minister of the Interior in 1880, 
 at the time the 100,000,000 acres were 
 granted by Parliament for the purpose 
 of developing the North-West, and build- 
 ing the Canadian Pacific Railway, were 
 severely criticised by the Opposition. 
 That gentleman stated .n his estimate 
 that the incoming population for the 
 year 1882, would be 35,000, and that 
 there would be 5,000 a year added from 
 that time until 1890. 
 
 He also stated that the sales of land 
 would reach a certain figure, and the 
 general results in 1890 were summed up 
 in an aggregate, which was treated with 
 utter derision by those gentlemen who 
 always seem inclined to take a ^loomy 
 view of the progress of the Donunion, 
 and who, from the logic of their position, 
 are compelled to stand in opposition to 
 anything likely to promote the progress 
 and development of the country. They 
 car.not help it ; they must either give up 
 opposition, or they must take that posi- 
 tion, for the forward movements are made 
 by the Conservative party. Sir John 
 Macdonald estimated that the incoming 
 population would be 35,000 in 1882. It 
 actually reached 58,751. For the year 
 1883 his estimate was 40,000 ; the present 
 estimate of the Minister of Agriculture 
 is 75,000, and it will probably be 
 exceeded. For 1884 he estimated 
 45,000 ; the Minister of Agriculture has 
 data upon which he estimates the incoming 
 population, for that year, at 100,000, and 
 we heard within the last week of the 
 arrival of the advance guard of the emi- 
 gration of this year. Three thousand im- 
 migrants were then to be landed at Quebec, 
 and I heard railway managers di>iu;-,s- 
 ing as to how they were to piuvide 
 a supply of rolling stock for transport- 
 
 ation; and statingthey would be compelled 
 togoas far west as Chicago in order to bring 
 down cars enough to carry this vast 
 force to the Land of Promise. In 
 his statement Sir John Macdonald estima- 
 ted the number of acres of land that would 
 be sold in the three years of 1880, 
 1881 and 1882 at 5,280,000. The 
 land actually sold up to the pre- 
 sent time exceeds 10,000,000 acres. 
 The revenue from the land sales for the 
 same three years was estimated by Sir 
 John Macdonald at $1,479,000 which 
 was also derided by the Opposition. 
 The actual revenue during those years 
 from that source, amounted to $2,634,772. 
 In 1879 the population of Manitoba and 
 the North-West— these are not official 
 figures, but figures I have made up from 
 the census returns and from other data- 
 was 122,240. It is a moderate estimate 
 to say that 10,000 people went in in 1880; 
 15,000 in 1881 ; we have the figures for 
 
 1882 which I have given, 58,751 ; and for 
 
 1883 we have the calculation of the Min- 
 ister of Agriculture, 75,000, and in 1884, 
 according to that calculation it is expected 
 that 100,000 will be added, making the 
 population 380,991. In the table in the 
 previous part of my address it will be 
 found that by the census of 1870, the 
 population of Kansas was 364,000 ; that 
 of Minnesota 439.ooo, and of Nebraska 
 123,000. Taking the increase of these 
 States which was 1,302,000, for the sue 
 ceeding ten years as a basis, the popula- 
 tion of Manitoba and the Northwest as- 
 suming it to reach 380,991 in 1884, would 
 in 1894 reach in ti.e same ratio 916,000. 
 The ca'culations of the Rt. Hon. Leader of 
 the Government given to the House of 
 Commons in r 880 carried on tc 1894 would 
 give a population of 617,000. It would 
 therefore seem that the actual growth of 
 the three States in ten years exceeds 
 that claimed by Sir John Macdon- 
 ald for the Northwest in ten years 
 by about fifty per cent. I have 
 (luoted very largely from the reports 
 of Prof. Macoun. I consider that 
 he has been one of the most useful of 
 those who have been sent out to explore 
 that country. With untiring zeal and 
 enthusiasm, he has spent almost ten years 
 of his life in this investigation. 1 believe 
 as a practical botanist he has a very high 
 rejiutation. He was commissioned by 
 
12 
 
 IH ■■! 
 
 Mr. Fleming in 1872 to examine the flora 
 of the Drairies between Winnipeg and 
 Edmonton. In the same year he was 
 sent with Mr. Charles Horetsky to explore 
 Peace River District. In 1875 he 
 accompanied Prof. Selwyn, as botanist, to 
 British Columbia, thence by Peace River 
 Pass descended Peace River to Lake 
 Athabasca, and saw the country as far 
 North as latitude 59 : thence he journeyed 
 Eastto Winnipeg— 1,200 miles. In 1S79 
 he investigated the causes of the supposed 
 aridity of the Southern District, the results 
 of which I have already stated. He 
 argued from this that the rainfall was 
 ample, but could not percolate the ground 
 as rai)idly as it fell, and in the dry atmos- 
 phere was evaporated and lost, and 
 that the apparent aridity vanished 
 before the first labors of husbandry. 
 
 Mr. Blodgett, an eminent American 
 authority upon climatology, speaking of 
 the North-W'est says : — 
 
 " Climate is indisputably the decisive 
 condition ; and when we find the isother- 
 mal of 60 degrees for summer rising on die 
 American plains to the 01st parallel, it is 
 imi)ossible to doubt the existence of 
 favorable climates over vast areas now 
 unoccupied. Spring opens at the same 
 time along the immense plains from St. 
 Paul to the Mackenzie River." He also 
 says that the plains of the North-West 
 and their woodland borders, have a 
 valuable surface of fully 500,000 square 
 miles, and it is claimed that that valuable 
 surface certainly extends from parallel 49 
 on the sout'i, to 60 on the north, and if 
 bounded east by the 95th meridian and 
 west by the Rocky Mountains, would 
 contain, 667,600 square miles, liut it 
 must he remembered that vast tracts of 
 eciually fertile land which will probably 
 be as available and profitable to the 
 cultivator, lie north of the 60th parallel. 
 The question is asked hj some statisticians 
 in the United States, whether the great 
 interior of the American Continent, within 
 American territory, will continue to con- 
 tribute to the exjiort of wheat and Hour, 
 referring particularly to Montana, Idaho,' 
 Colorado, Utah and Nevada ; and Mr. 
 Taylor, United States Ciounsd at Win 
 nipeg, who has carefully studied the sidi- 
 ject, says : — 
 
 " Let us take the nior,t favorable of all, 
 Montana. Grand as are its resources, I 
 
 am constrained to believe that only one- 
 thirteenth of its surface is within reach of 
 the unavoidable conditions of irrigation. 
 I'he United States Commissioner of 
 mining statistics in 1868, said that the 
 area of Montana was 1,16,689 stpiare miles 
 amounting to 93,881,184 acres, yet no 
 greater proportion is claimed by the local 
 authorities as susceptible of cultivation, 
 than one acre in thirty, or a total of 
 3'346,4oo. 'I'he remainder, however, is 
 valuable for grazing and sheep farming." 
 
 I may mention in connection with the 
 general tenor of my remarks, and as an 
 additional reason for making them, that 
 within a short time the most viru- 
 lent and unjustifiable attack has been 
 made ui)on the North-West, that I ever 
 remember to have noticed. In an English 
 financial journal a studied assault upon the 
 whole policy of the Government, and upon 
 the whole condition of the Northwest, the 
 value of its lands, and particularly upon 
 its climate, was published and circulated by 
 tens of thousands in (Jreat Britain, 
 and largely in Canada. It seemed 
 to have been made in the interests of 
 persons who desired to prevent the 
 growth and development of the North- 
 West and the sale and settlement of its 
 lands. It was an attack partly u[)on the 
 Canadian Pacific Railway, partly upon 
 the North-West land comi)anies and 
 largely upon the (iovernment itself. 
 That attack contained several of the most 
 absurd statements that can be imagined. 
 Fancy a man sitting in the foggy atmos- 
 |)here of Fondon writing, perhaps, by gas 
 light at mid-day, surrounded by all the 
 disagreeable odors which pre\ail in the 
 business parts of that great metropolis, 
 and talking learnedly there about the 
 insalubrity of the Great North-West, 
 where zymotic diseases are almost 
 unknown! Fancy him saying that 
 nobody can live in that wintry climate, 
 when we all know that in Ontario and 
 Quebec where the thermometer often falls 
 tar below zero and where the climatic 
 conditions are not more f:ivorable, there 
 is nothing more exhilerating or healthful 
 than the clear, crisp, frosty air of a winter 
 day— nothing more enjoyable. We all 
 know that immunity from disease '"ol- 
 lows this low temperature in the North- 
 West. Wc know that no more healthy 
 children are to be found than in the coun- 
 
 ties ol 
 
 Ontario 
 
 rily p 
 
 out of 
 
 feet de( 
 
 zero, a 
 
 ])rincip 
 
 tier goi 
 
 was th; 
 
 climate 
 
 providt 
 
 use. 
 
 been 
 
 weeks ! 
 
 coal in 
 
 called 
 
 mense 
 
 authori 
 
 which 
 
 will n 
 
 of the 
 
 Belly 
 
 parts o 
 
 Pacific 
 
 lands V 
 
 five n 
 
 of coal 
 
 that sei 
 
 which 1 
 
 (withou 
 
 the bu; 
 
 I ha( 
 
 speak 
 
 perhajis 
 
 session, 
 
 trespass' 
 
 of my I 
 
 it woulc 
 
 devour, 
 
 feelile \ 
 
 items wl 
 
 ation w 
 
 condens 
 
 a comp 
 
 dress to 
 
 be qu( 
 
 assure m 
 
 a single 
 
 stantiate 
 
 over the 
 
 as I havi 
 
 gooilly h 
 
 the grave 
 
 brings w 
 
 if from t 
 
 are desti 
 
 we are b 
 
 
13 
 
 :ve that only one- 
 ' is within reach of 
 itions of irrigation. 
 Commissioner of 
 >68, said that the 
 .6,689 squaie miles 
 184 acres, yet no 
 limed by the local 
 ble of cultivation, 
 rty, or a t(;tal of 
 ainder, however, is 
 1 sheep farming." 
 nnection with the 
 •emarks, and as an 
 making them, that 
 tiie most viru- 
 attack has been 
 ^Vest, that I ever 
 -'d. In an English 
 id assault upon the 
 jrnment, and upon 
 ;he Northwest, the 
 particularly upon 
 i and circulated by 
 1 (Jreat Britain, 
 Ja. It seemed 
 1 the interests ot 
 to prevent the 
 lit of the North- 
 settlement of its 
 : partly u|)on the 
 ray, partly upon 
 comjjanies and 
 jvernment itself, 
 everal of the most 
 can be imagined, 
 the foggy atmos- 
 -^, perhaps, by gas 
 inded by all the 
 h prevail in the 
 great metropolis, 
 there about the 
 •eat North-West, 
 .'s are almost 
 m saying that 
 t wintry climate, 
 in Ontario and 
 ameter often falls 
 lere the climatic 
 i favorable, there 
 ting or healthful 
 ty air of a winter 
 oyable. We all 
 om disease ''ol- 
 .> in the North- 
 no more healthy 
 than in the coun 
 
 ties of Huron and Bruce, in Northern 
 Ontario where I have seen thein mer- 
 rily playing and enjoying themselves 
 out of doors when the snow was two 
 
 feet deep,and the mercury ten degrees below 
 zero, and such a climate was one of the 
 I)rincipal arguments urged against the set- 
 tler going into the North-West. Another 
 was that there was no fuel, and in such a 
 chmate settlers would not be able to 
 provide themselves with a supply for winter 
 use. The discoveries which have 
 been published within the last few 
 weeks show that the underlying beds of 
 coal in that part of the country which is 
 called the lignite formation, are so im- 
 mense that ic has been stated, and I believe 
 authoritatively, that the farming lands 
 which are underlaid by these coal seams 
 will not be more valuable because 
 of the coal. On the Bow River, the 
 Belly River, the Calgarry and various 
 parts of the country through which the 
 Pacific Railway is to pass, there are coal 
 lands which are estimated to contain 
 five million tons to the square mile 
 of coal of the very best ([uality, and 
 that seems, once for all, to settle that 
 which was the great, and I may .say 
 (without wishing tc perpetrate a joke) 
 the burning question in the North-West. 
 I had great reluctance in rising to 
 speak on this subject. I feared 
 perhaps, at this late jieriod of the 
 session, I might be considered as having 
 trespassed upon the patience and kindness 
 of my fellow memljers ; but I felt that 
 It would be of service to us all to en- 
 devour, so far as I might in a 
 feeble way, to concentrate the different 
 items which form very largely the inform- 
 ation which we now have and to 
 condense the prominent points into 
 a compendium in the shape of an ad 
 dress to this House which might safely 
 be quoted as authoritative: and l 
 assure my hon. friends that I have not m.nde 
 a single statement which cannot be sul: 
 stantiated. We must feel, upon look' , 
 over the whole case, that we have indeed, ; 
 as I have fiintly endeavored to ..how, a | 
 goodly heritage, and it entails uyiun irs j 
 the grave responsibilities which vast wealth 
 brings with it to the posse.ssor. We hold 
 It from the Creator, in trust for those who 
 are destined to go in and possess it, and 
 we are bound faithfully to execute that 
 
 tru.st to the best of our ability, laying 
 aside prejudice, partizanship and all 'idea 
 o( personal advantage, and looking only to 
 our country's good and to the greatest and 
 most permanent benefit of religion civili- 
 zation and humanity. In view of such 
 solemn and vast responsibilites, a generous 
 acknowledgement should be awarded, and 
 a forbearing and kindly spirit should be 
 manifested to those upon whom they 
 directly rest ; and who I am sure it can- 
 not be denied, are Aiirly and honestly en- 
 deavoring to meet those responsibilities 
 Their duties are arduous and laborious 
 and I believe the country fully approves 
 the manner in which they have been 
 discharged. The people have twice 
 emphatically endorsed the policy of 
 the leader of the Conservative party in 
 respect to the North-West— once by anti- 
 cipation, we having clearly enunciated it as 
 one of the main issues at the polls 
 in 1878 : and the second time after 
 tull and ample discussion on the plat- 
 form, in Parliament and by the press, when 
 promise had become performance, and 
 the great work of uniting by a band of 
 steel the widely separated Orient and 
 Occident limits of the Dominion, and of 
 ojjening up to settlement and cultivation 
 the vast fertile solitudes through which 
 it takes its course, was going forward more 
 rajiidly than the most sanguine calculations 
 could have foreshadowed. Farremovedand 
 wholly free from political convulsions 
 which agitate and threaten other parts of 
 the world, it seems destined to be the 
 favored centre of the oldest and most 
 honored of all the industries— the tillage 
 of the soil. The arts of peace can there 
 be cultivated and can flourish without let 
 or hindrance. Ample provision is made 
 for all who come, and labor will there meet 
 its full reward. We want the people of 
 the older provinces to be the pioneers There 
 can be no sound objection to the healthy 
 current of population flowing westward 
 which has similarly coursed towards and 
 over the prairies of the Republic. It is to 
 the Provinces that we must look to carry 
 thither the methods of government, the 
 municipal organizations which are the 
 safety, the pride, and the boast of our 
 Dominion and of the mother country from 
 which they are derived— the great un- 
 written Constitution in which 
 
14 
 
 " Freedom slowly broaiiens down 
 From precedent to precedent." 
 
 It should be our duty and our privilege 
 to hold fast to the liberty which we have 
 inherited, and to do our endeavor to hand 
 it down unimpaired to those who are to 
 succeed us, and through this to secure to 
 those who may cast their lot with us the 
 priceless blessings of law, order and se- 
 curity to life and property with their at- 
 tendant privileges and advantages. 
 
 In conclusion, I wish to say that I be- 
 lieve under God there is a great destiny 
 reserved for the coun'.ry which we hold in 
 trust, and a great destiny for us of this 
 whole Dominion also if we are true to our- 
 selves aud true to the responsibilities 
 which rest upon us. That we may be able 
 ourselves, and by our example teach those 
 who may come after us to carry out thos.; 
 trusts and to adhere to the sound doctrine 
 which has made us what we are, must be 
 the dearest wish of us all. 
 
 ^ 
 
 I 
 
 ■i 
 
Ii to say that I be- 
 is a great destiny 
 ' which we hold in 
 iny for us of this 
 we are true to our- 
 le responsibihties 
 at we may be able 
 :ample teach those 
 to carry out thosj 
 he sound doctrine 
 It we are, must be 
 .11,