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Sciences
Corj^wration

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3813

SPEECH

OF THK

HON. GEO. BROWN, M.P.P.,

President of the Executive Council of dviada.

WHEN

RE-ELECTED BY ACCLAMATION FOR THE
SOUTH RIDING OF OXFORD,

THE OOALITION OF 1864,

FORMED SPECIALLY

TO SECURE PARLIAMENTARY REFORM.

3814

SPEECH

OP THE

HON. GEO. BROWN, M.P.P.,

President of the Executive Council of Canada,

WHEN RE-ELECTED rY ACCLAMATION FOR THE SOUTH RIDING

OP OXFORD, ON

THE COALITION OF i864,

FORMED SPECIALLY TO

SECURE PARLIAMENTARY REFORM.

Woodstock, Wth July, 18G4.
Hon GEORGE BKOWN having been declared duly elected by accla-
mation member for the County, came forward, amid great cheermg, and

' Electors of Oxford !— I thank you most heartily for the kind
manner in which you have acted to-day. But, indeed, it is only what J
ventured to expect at vour hands. This is the tenth occasion on which
I have presented myself for the suffrages of an Upper Canadian con-
stituency—but never at any tune have I been able to come betore the
electors with such perfect confidence that I ho,d a just claim to their sup-
port—that I was right, clearly right, in the course I was pursuing, and
was seeking earnestly and with a single mind the welfare of my countiy .
(Loud Cheers.) I confess to you that I dc feel deeply gratified by what
lias taken place to-day. When I look over the immense crowd now
stretched before me, I see the well-known faces of men of all parties and
ereeds— of those who have been bitterly opposed to me in past years, as
wf'll as of the long-ti'ied friends who have stood unswervingly by me in
every ijolitical vicissitude— (cheers)— and have I not just cause to feel
gratified and happv that all are at last agreed— that the bold step recently
taken has vour unanimous sanction and approval— and that I may now
return to mv seat in Parliament with the assurance that I truly represent
the sentiments of ail clas.^es of my constituents. (Cheers.) Once beiore
I had the gratification of constructing a Government pledged to the
settlement of the constitutional difficulties between Upper and Lower
Canada, but on that occasion the i-.iovement proceeded from my owii
ijolitical partv, and was resisted by our political opponents. Great ditfi-
culties stood"' in our wav— and though I am persuaded those difhcultie.s
would have lioen overcome had we been allowed that constitutional
appeal to the electors to which, I think, we were entitled— still it is not
to be denied that on the present occasion the induences comb d in
favour of a just settlement of our troubles give much better secuiity for
success than we possessed in 1858. I stand here to-day as a member of
an Administration pledged to deal promptly and finiily with the (mestiou
—an Administration sustained nearly by the unanimous voice of the

3815

Upper Canada Eefom party In the Assembly, by nearly the whole
of the Upper Canada Conservative party, and by a large majority of the
representatives of Lower Canada. (Cheers.) The position I occupy to-
day is, I think, a full and satisfactory answer to the charges ot imprac-
ticabilitv, of factiousness, of deniagogueism, and so forth, that have so often
and so freely been hurled against me. (Cheers.) I wish not to utter a word
to-day calculated in the least degree to revive old feuds. (Hear, hear.)
We have all agreed to act heartily together for the remedy of a great
national wrong, from which ail of "us ei^ually suffer, and the sooner we
completelj banish the past and fasten our thoughts upon the future the
more prompt and complete will be the success of our joint efforts. But
I am persuaded it will not be thought out of place if once and forever I
state Ihe grievances of which we Upper Canadians have complained, the
persistent efforts we have made to obtain redress, and the various re-
medies suggested for adoption. Gentlemen, the primary eause of aU pur
troubles is to be found in the provisions^of <the Imperial Union Act ot ,,'
1840. Previous to the passing of tl»fti*Aet Upper Canada and Lower
Canada were separate provinces, with separate Legislatures and m^tmie
Executive Governments. The Union Act brought them together iinder
one Legislature and Government, but unfortunately it maintained the
line of demarcation between the two sections, and secured to each
forty-two Teprosentatives in the popular branch— afterwards increased to
sixty-five. When this Act went into force, Lower Canada had 175,000
people more than Upper Canada, but from the large immigration into
Upper Canada the Western Province soon outstripped the Eastern. In
1847 Upper Canada passed in advance of the Lower Province; in 1852
the census returns showed her to have 61,000 souls more than Lower
Canada; in Januarv, 1861, the census returns showed her to have, 284,-
525 souls more than Lower Canada; asditu w , by tire official caieidftUona
of the Stftti*tio«a Board, the excess Of Upper Canada population exceeds
40^000 eottls.- NoAV, unfortunately, the Union Act provided no remedy
for this state of things. Not\nthstanding the great disparity of numbers,
those living on the eastern side of the line draivn in 1792 have the same
number of reprcentatives as those living on the western side of
it. True, the Canadian Parliament has full power to change the
system of representation, but the Lower Canadians have clung tenaciously
to their advantage, and the i^olitical power they have wielded has here-
tofore enabled them to resist all attempts at reform. The general m-
justice has become utterly unendurable in the case of the ^reat western
constituencies, that were almost uninhabited at the time of the Union,
but have now been filled up by the tide of immigration. The counties
of Huron and Bruce have a population of 79,453, and send only one
member to Parliament— but there are ten members sitting for ten con-
stituencies whose aggregate population is only 81,096 ! True, there are
several towns among these ten constituencies— but leaving the towns out
of the question, there are actually seven members sitting for seven Lower
Canada counties whose aggregate population is but 76,650, while Mr.
Dickson's constitutents alone number 79,453 ! These seven counties are,
Laval, Compton, Montmorenci, St. Maurice, Jacques Cartier, Soulanges,
and Stanstead. Huron and Perth have a population of 117,586, but
send only two representatives to Parliament; while there are ten Lower
Canada counties, with an aggregate population of 117,964, that send no
fewer than ten representatives ! Huron, Perth and Grey have a popula-
tion of 155,286 souls, and send but three representatives, while there are
thirteen counties in Lower Canada with an aggregate population of 157,-
085, that send no fewer than thirteen representatives ! These thirteen

3816

counties are the seven named above, and Vaudreuil, L'Islet, Brome,
Argenteuil, Bonaventure and Chambly. There arc sixteen Upper Cana-
ila constituencies, with an aggregate population of 505,359 souls, that send
only sixteen members to rcftreaent them ; while there are twenty-eight
Lower Canada constitiieucit-s, and fourteen Upper Canada constituencies,
with an aggregate population of 501,287, that send no fewer than forty-
two members to represent them ! Thirty-nine members of Parliament
represent constituencies having in the aggregate 1,248,579 souls; while
all the other ninety-one members represent only 1, 256,783 ! There are
twenty members of the House who represent an aggregate constituency
of 198,084, while there are other twenty members who represent 642,-
503 ! One half the House (sixty-five I'nembers) sit for 909,503 souls,
while the other lialf sit for 1,585.448. Nothing could be more unjust,
more utterly absurd, in a country almost entirely agricultural and having
no class interests to be protected. I can Avell understand an objection being
raisecl to population as the sole basis of representation. I can understancl
how territory nuiy be contended for as an additional basis. I can under-
stand how education inay be contended for as a basis of representation —
or wealth, or taxation, or even hereditary succession. However much I
may dissent from such propositions, I can well understand how an
argument upon them may be sustained ; but I confess I never could
comprehend with what sense or justice a united people, under one Legis-
lature and Government, could iii 1864 be divided for representative pur-
poses by an imaginary division line drawn in 1792, without regard tb po-
pulation, wealth, taxation, or any other consideration than the existence
of that magic line. But, gentlemen, unjust as this is — humiliating as it
is for the people of Upper Canada to occupy so inferior a position in the
l)ody politic — the practical injury and injustice become intolerable when
we look at the enormous proportion of the general taxation contributed
by the people of Upper Canada. Many years ago it was admitted by the
Lower Canadians themselves that Upper Canada contributed 67 per cent,
to the general revenue, and Lower Canada only 33 per cent. ; but this
was under the fact, and no one conversant with our commercial statistics
now ventures to deny that Upper Canada pays three-fourths of the whole
Provincial taxation — if, indeed, she does noit pay four-fifths. A better
illustration cannot be given than that of the excise duties. These duties
have been recently very largely increased. Last year they yielded
$771,164, Now, of this sum Lower Canada paid $192,932, and Upper
Canada not less than $578,232— and no doubt a large portion of the
articles on which these excise duties were jjaid in Lower Canada found
their way into Upper Canada for consumption. Now, is it to be borne
that a section of the people of Canada, less by four hundred thousand
than the other section, and paying but one pound of taxation out of
every four ov five pounds going into the public chest, should send to
Parliament one half of the whole number of representatives ? And the '
curious part of the matter is, that while Upper Canada is made to con-
tribute this disproportionate share of the revenue, the division of the ex-^
penditure is very far from being regidated on the same system. The
lion's share of the expenditure invariably goes to Lower Canada ; and if
an extra sum at any time has to be voted to Upper Conada for any special
purpose, a corresponding sum must be invariably appropriated to Lower
Canada, to maintain the equilibrium ! Three or four to one is the princi-
dle of taxation — equality is the principle of expenditure ! And the in-
pustrial projects of the two sections are equally disproportionate. In the
year 1859 — the last of which we have ofiicial returns — the wheat raised
in Upper Canada was 24,620,425 bushels, and in Lower Canada only

■

3817

2 654.354 bushels; peas in Upper Canada 9,961,396 bushelR, and in
Lower Canada 2,(i48,777; oats' in Upper Canada 21,220,874 bushels
and in Lower Canada 17,551,296 bushels; Indian corn in Upper
Canada, 2,25(1.290 bushels, and in Low,;r Canada 334,801 busjeis,
turnips in Upper Canada, 18,iOo,959 bushels, and in Lower Cana-
da, 892,434 bushel:); carrots in Upper Canada, 1.9^^5,598 busaels
and in Lower Canada 293,067 bushels; wool in Upper Canada, 3,6o9,766
lb3.. and in Lower Canada 1,967,388 lbs.; butter in Upper Canada,
26,828,264 lbs., and in Lower Canada 15,096,949 lbs ; cheese in Upper
Canada, 2,687,172 lbs., and in Lower Canada 686,297 lbs. The estimated

in
to
PariTament onr^mircVf 'the" wiioTe' Representative body. Nothing could
be more unjust— nothing more irritating t.) an intelligent and high
spirited people. And not only do we contribute a most unjust share ot
the revenue and receive a most unjust share of the expenditures, but the
svstem of taxation, the commercial policy, and in fact the whole conduct
olf public affairs has been to a very great extent, ever since the Union,
controlled by Lower Canada. It is true that each Province has the same
number of Representative s-65 each-but the French Canadians are
bound closely together bv a common language, a commo leagious taitn
and a common nationality ; the Upper Canadian., on the contrary, are
separated by all the diversities of social, religious, commercial and poli-
tical opinions that evervwhere prevail among the Anglo-Saxon tamily ;
and the consequence is that wh;n a new mini.stry has to be formed or an
old one reconstructed, the influence of the Lower Canada members has
been ever the preponderating power. The measures of the day, too,
have systematically felt the influence of their moulding hand, rnd
those who pav the vast proportion of the taxes have had littie influence
in controlling the mode of taxation, or the economical expenditure ot the
revenues It conld not be otherwise than that extravagance and waste
should have resulted from such a system. Where one section of
country pays the taxes and the other spends them— where men have the
nower of voting for the expenditure of moneys m a way benehcial to
themselves and the heavv burden of the cost is borne by others, it is not
in human nature that strict economy in the expenditure should be prac-
tised Give the tax-payers of Canada full control over the taxation, ancl,
mv word for it, there will be very different economy practised in the
future from what we 1 av^ -^vitnessed in the i)ast. Another serious
grievance resulting from the working of the Union has been the direct
control exercised by the Lower Canadians in the local affairs 91 Cpper
Canada. The Lower Canadian representatives have been so united, that
the dominant party of that section have been able to obtain a majority
in Parliament and retain the reins of -lower by allying themselves with a
email section of the Upper Canada rep.^esentatives._ And thus, aitex- an
excited general eleC " m, at which public opinion in Upper Canada has
been unmistakeably Uxcinifested as to men and measures, bv the triumpliant
return to Parliament of a large majority of one party— by Lower Cana-
dian influence, the expressed wishes of the electors have been set at
naught, the reforms approved of at the polls have been rejected, and the
administration of local business and local patronage m Upper Canada
has been placed in the hands of those whom the electors ol Upper
Canada had condemned, but whom the political leaders of Lower Canada
chose to honor. But, gentlemen, peihaps the worst of allthe evi.8
entailed by the system of Government has been the demoralizing inllu-

1,8

ence exercised on the public men of the Province. In other coimtnes
the road to influence and power in the State is by a career of consistent
adherence to principle ; but here the road to what is called success in
public life for an Upper Canadian has been by abnegating, when he got
to the seat of Government, all the professions that won him the confi-
dence of his constituents. Lower Canadian views and feelings have been
very different from those of Upper Canada— but Lower Canada has held
llu''g!it.t; of office, and he who would enter the official portal had to for-

fet his old Western opinions and bow low to the enunciations of the
last. Need I remind you how many Upper Canadians have entered
public life high in hope and giving promise of a bright career, but who
ST'^edily lost the confidence of their constituents by thus ignoring the
principles on which they wc'c elected ? And nesd I remind you, also,
of the effect of such scencd on the public mind— the loss of laith in
public men- the general belief that the contests of public life were but a
tight for office ? Much, very much, has there been to condemn in the
public events of the last ten 'years— much has there been in the conduct
of public men to dep'ore— but it would ba useless to deny that a large
portion of the wrong and error that have been committed, directly resulted
from the demoralizing influence to which public men have been exposed.
But two instances have we in modern history of countries enjoying tree
inst'.tutims with the same difficulties to contend against. Holland and
beiuium were bound together in 1815 under circumstances almost ulen-
tica" with those of Canada— but the union was found totally nnworkable,
and in the short space of fifteen years the discontent issued m open
revolt, and the connection was rent asunder. In the United States of
America, the Union between freedom in the North and slavery m the
South produced the same sectional evils, but in a more aggravated
form than those we have had to deplore. The slave power was '.he
prominent influence in the State— he who would rise m j>ubhc afe had
to bow before its mandates—the utter demoralization of I-)orthern poli-
ticians was the result— and it is not to be denied that had the general
Government of the Republic been, like ours, legislative and not federal, an
open rupture of the alliance wou'd have come long before it did m thede-
soiatingcivil warnow raging beyond our lines. Wasitin human natUiethat
the people of Upper Canada should have patient'y submitted to such in-
iustice ( Is it at all surprising that acrimony and discord should have been
the result of so deplorable a state of affairs ? Wa^ it not clearly our duty
to combine at all hazards, and by every means within our reach, tor the
epeedy and complete reform of a system so hurtful and unjust ? (Cheers.)
For one, I am free to fay that t look back on the agitation of the
last twelve years, with "all its attendant strife and discord, without
a shadow of regret. I have all along regarded it— and I see_ it
more clearly to-day than I ever did before— that all that agitation
and discord was the painful, but the absolutely necessary, ordeal
through which we had to pass to the accomplishment of o- great
purpose. (Cheers.) For manv vears before 1 entered Parliament, 1 had
been behind the scenes, and pcrJeived all the evils of our political system
as plainly a-, we do to-day ; and when I first became a candidate tor a
seat in Parliament in 1851, it was with the avowed intention of laboring,
in season and out of season, for a reform of the constitutional relations
between Upper and Lower Canada. My friend, Mr. Mackenzie, ot
Lambton, whom I am glad to see on the hu=^tings to-day— (chcers)—wa3
with nie in that first contest ; his brother, ISIr. Hope Mackenzie, my col-
loac'ue in the North Riding, and my friend Sir. McKellar, ot Kent, were
also active participants in that contest, and they could tell you how

3819

completely we then understood the long Btniggle that was betore us, aiid
how clearly we foresaw the ordeal we had to pas«. But they could disc
l;ell you how well we knew tliat that onleal was needful to Ix- passed,
and that through agitation and discord victory w.mld certainly l>e won.
(Chcars.) The agitation ^m» speedily carried into the Legislature. V\ e
took up the hroad ground that on the just settlenumt of the Representation
question rested the futur<^ peace and prosperity of Canadji— that good gov-
ernment was not to be hoped for until that was accomplished— and Ironi
that day to this we have sought to make every (luestion subservient to that
— tomakeeveiy passing event and every political movement conducive to
its accomplishnient. ^Cheers.) A very small band was there of us when w»!
commenced, but our numbers i^uickly increased. It was nut an easy
battle we had to fight— it was never at any time an agreeable one— but
the end we sought vas nothing less than a political revolution— and li
8ucc(!8s is won—as on I am satisfied it will shortly be— we who have
borne the brunt of the battle may well aftbrd to bear calmly and \yithout
retort, taunts as to the weapons with which the fight was won. (Cheers.)
From the first day the agitation commenced in Parliament our course
was onward. From session to session we increased in strength, mid
each new geneml election brougl.t us fresh recruits from the peoj.le. At
last, in 1858, the Government of the day having resigned, the Governor-
General entrusted to my hands. the formation of a new Administration,
and I succeeded in constructing a Government ^^dedged ti. apply a j)er-
manent remedy to the sectional difficulties of the Province. The iiro-
posed basis of settlement was Representation by Population, with checks
and guarantees 'for the local interests of Lower Canada. Untortunately
the existing Parliament did not sustain us, and the Governor-Geneial
refused us an appeal to the electors —

Mr. JAMES LAW— The double-shuttle!

Mr. BROWN— Never mind that. We have lorgotleii :tll al'oul
double-shuflles now ! (Laughter and cheers.) The formati(Ui i»f the
Brown-Dorion Administration had, however, this good effect, that it
coerced their opponents into action in the same direction. In October,
1858, several prominent membei-s of the Cartier-Macdouald Govenimeiit
were' in England, and they addressed a formal despatch to the Secretary
of State for the Colonies, calling attention to the grave evils that had
arisen imder the existing Constitution. The document was sigiied by
Mr. Cartier, Mr. Gait, and Mr. John Ross. It stated tliat " very gra\e
"difticulties now presented themselves in conducting the Government <it
" Canada"— that " the progress of population had been more rspid in tlie
"western section, and claims arc now made on behalf ut' its inliabitunts
"for «nving them representation in the Legislature in proportion to tlieir
" numbers "—that " the resnlt is shown by an agitation fraught witli
"great danger to the peaceful and harnumious working of our constitu-
''tional system, and consequently detrimental to the progress of the pnj-
u vince"— that this "state of things is yearly becoming worse — aiul that
the Canadian Government \i'ere impressed with the necessity of "seeking
" for such a mode of dealing with those difficulties as may forever remove*
" them." Gentlemen, this was a bold and manly step on the part of the
Cartier-Macdonald Government— and I have always given them full
credit for it. They admitted our whole case in this document— tJie
existence of a great evil and the nececsity of finding a remedy for it. 1 he
scheme, I believe, thev had in contemplation was a federal imion of ttie
whole British American Provinces ; but unfortunately they did not pro-
ceed with it. We did not let the subject fall, however. In 1859, a Reiorni
Convention was called together at 'l'oronto,to consider the constitutional

wmm

relations between Upper and Lower Canada. The Convention wac

attended hy 570 delegates— men of positioi and inlKicnpe, trom a.' parts

of Upper Caaada— the whole subject was fully and freely diHcusscu— ajd

the following resolutions were adopted, with hardly a dissenting voice :—

"1 /Jsso/wd— That the existing Legislative Union of Upper and Lower

" Caaada has idled to realize the anticipations of its pronioters, has resulted

' in a ^leavv public debt, burdensome taxation, great })ohtical abuses, and

'• universal dissatLfactioa throughout Upper Canada; and it is the matured

•• conviction of this assembly, from the antagonisms developed through d-.tter-

"ence of origin, local interests, and other causes, that the Union, in its pres-

'•ent form, can no longer be continued with advantage to the people.

•• 6 Rcsolved—Th&t in the opinion of th's assembly, the best nracticable
"remedy for the evils now encountered in the government of Canada is to be
" found in the formation o*" two or more local governments, to which s.iall be
"committed the control of all matters of a local or sectional character, and
" some .joint authority charged with such matters as are necessarily common
" to both sections of the Province."

" Resolved--Tha.t while the details of the changes proposed in the last
"resolution are necessarily subjeci -o- iuture arrangement yet this assembly
" deems it imperative to declare tl . lo government would be satislaotory to
" to the people of Uper Canada ^ h is not based on the principle of Kepre-
" sentaiion by Population. "

In the same year (1859) a meeting of the Lower Canada Liberal meni-
ber3 of Parlian^ent was held at Montreal, to " consid'^r ti.e political posi-
"tion of the country, and tl.; duties tnereby imposed on the Liberal
« Tiartv of Lower Canada." At that meeting, a committee, consisting ot
Messrs. A. A. Dorion, T. D. McGce, L. T. Drummond L. A. DessauUr.
was appointed to report, upon the subject which brought the meet. ., >-
cether. At a subsequent meeting, that committee presented a^;opovt, re-
commending that a remedy for the sectional difficulties of the country
should be found in the federative principle. Here are some ot the
extracts from it : —

' ' Your Committee are impressed with the conviction that whether we consider
" the present needs or the probable future condition of the countiy, the true,
" the statesmandike solution is .0 be sought in the substitution of a purely
" Federative for the present so-called Legislative Union ; the former it is be-
"lieved, would enable us to escape all the evils, and to retain all the advan-
" tages, appertaining to the existing Union."

« » • ♦ •

" The proposition to federalize the Canadian Unior is not new. On the
"contrary, it has been frequently mooted in Parliament and m the press, dur-
" ing the last few years. It was no doubt suggested by the example of the
' " neighbouring States, where the admirable ac!npt.tion of the f^^era^ .system
"to the government of an extensive territo:y, inhabited by Pf Pl%o'/;,^«'^^
" orijnns? creeds, laws and customs, has been amply demonstrated ; buf shape
" and consistency were first impar ed to it in 1856, when it was formally sub-
"mitted to Parliament by ..I o Lower Canada Opposition, as offerin-, in their
"judgment, the true corrective of the abuses generated under the present sys-

"tem."

* * • •

- By this division of power, the General Government would Je relieved
" from those questions of a purely local and sectional character, which, under
" our present system, have led to much strife and ill-will.

♦ ' • • • *

" Th^ Committee believe that it is clearly demonstrabl 3 that the direct cop,t
" of maintaining both the federal and local governments need not exceeu that

3821

"of our present system, while its enormous indirect cost would, in conse-
" quence of the additional checks on expenditure involved in the new system,
*'and the more direct responsibility of public servants in the province, to the
" people immediately affected by such expenditure, bo entirely obviated."

" The proposed system could in no way diminish the importance of the
" colony, or impair the crc.t, while it i)resents the advantage of being sus-
*'ceptible, without any disturbance of the federal economy, of such terri-
" torial extension as circumstances may hereafter render desirable. "

In the session of 1861, I was prevented by illne.ss from attending Par-
liament, and during the session of 1862 I was not a nieinber. Early in
the latter session, the Cartier-Macdonald Government was defeated, and
Mr. Saudfleld Macdonald was sent for by His Excellency to form a new
Administration. Mr. Macdonald sought the assistance of Mr. Sicotte.
Mr. Sicotte insisted that Mr. Macdonald should set peremptorily aside tlic
whole question of Representative reform, and that the Government
should stand pledged to vote it down whenevei' it should be presented.
Mr. Sandfield Macdonald consented to this condition, and the Macdonald-
Sicotte Administration was formed on that basis. I have always thought
that that was a most unfortunate concession, and that no Upper Cana-
dian should have been a party to them ;— and when, a few montlisafter, I ac-
cepted your invitation to present myself as a candidate for your suffrages,
T so declared. Very shoniy after I took my i^eat as your re])resentative,
the Macdonald-Sicotte ]\Iinistry was defeated and broken u]), and the
Macdonald-Dorion Administration took its placi\ Under this Govern-
ment, Parliamentary reform again became an oi)en (|uestion, and its
Upper Canada Members and supporters were left at full liberty to agi-
tate the question. I eagerly availed myself of the ojiportunity, and
shortly after the commencement of the session of 1864 I moved lor a Select
ComrAittee of twenty members to consider the whole question of our consti-
tutional relations, and to suggest a remedy for existing evils. I placed on
the committee the most prominent men, of the House— men ot all shades ol
opiuion on this question. Some of them laughed at the proposition, and
declared they would not act on such a committee, that the thing was ab-
surd, and that it was impossible we could come to an agreement. But
my reply was—" never mind the difficulties— let us try— at any rate, let
" us come together, and argue the matter out. The Cartier-Macdonald
" Administration declared there was a necessity for dealing with our con-
" stitutional difficulties— the Brown-Dorion Administration declared the
" same, and agreed to deal with them— the Reform Convention of Toronto,
" and the Liberal Convention of Lower Canada both declared that the
" thing must be met— and surely the diihculty is not iso great, l)ut wc
" may succeed in arriving at some satisfactory understanding, if we go
" heartily at it." The committee was carried by a majority of deven,
and the most prominent members of the House were upon it, whether
they liked it or not. I was chairman. At the first meeting, on the ex-
cellent suggestion of Mr. John A. Macdonald, we tunied out the public,
clevk, reporters and all, that we might the more freely (consider and dis-
cuss the whole question in all its bearings. The result wos, that, alter a
number of meetings, we actually did agree on a report, wi.ich was signed
by 12 out of the 20 members of the committe j ; only three voted against
the report; five were absent, but two or three of them, had they been
iiresent, would have signed the report. A great step had been gained by
the appointment of the committee, but a still greater by the adoption oi
the report. The question wixa not, what we Upper Canadians would de-
sire— there was no doubt or difficulty as to that— but what woiUd be

l) L) C ^

satisfactory to Upper Canada, and acceptable to the Lower Canadians.
They aHk,\vhat do vou want ^ Our reply is— Representation by Popu-
hition— the sweeping away of the absurd line of demarcation lietween
Upper and Lower Canaihi", and ])lacing all ('anadians on the same level.
They answt-r—" We cannot grant you ihat.^' "No! why not ?"_ "Be-
cause, ii' we grant vou tlial. you will come down witii vour majority, and
destroy our language, our religion, our laws, everything which Ave pecu-
lialy cherish."' ' " No," we say, " we have no desire that you should not
" be at full liberty to manage your local affairs as you like. All we want
" is to liavc a like control over our own local alfairs, and also that just infiu-
" ence in matters of common concern to both to which our nnml)ers en-
" title ns." Well, a report Avas drawn uj) in accordanct; with this, in
favour of the federal pi-inciple. (Hear, hear.) The details, of course,
were not settled, but it was a very great gain to get Mr. Cartier, Mr.
Turcotte, Mr. (Jliapais, and other leading French Canadians, to sigii u
report in favour of ai)plving the Federnl iirincijde to Canada, involving
as i. did, that, in the p()pular branch of the Feileral Legislature, the re-
j)rei- -utation should be based on ])opulation. (Cheers.) Well, gentlemen,
ontheverv same day that that reiKirt was presented to the House, the
Tacl e-Macdonald Govennnent Avas defeated by a majority oi' two. The
(|uestion thev had then to consider Avas Avliat course they should adopt—
whether thev slx.uld resign, re-c<mstruct, or go to the country. Their
predecessors" but a few Aveeks before had tried to form a Coalition, but
liad not succeeded. They themselves had made the same attempt, and
failed. And as for appealing to the country, a general election had taken
place onlv last fall, and there Avas little hope that another appeal would
make much diiference i)i tlu' position of affairs. Under all the circum-
stances, hoAvever, they deemeil it best to advise a dissolution, and they
so advised' His Excel'iencv. I am bound to say that the Governor-Gen-
eral, as he has ahvays doiie from the first day he entered the province,
acted in the emerge'ncv Avilh a Avisdom and an earnest desire to promote
the Aveli'are of Canatii'' fui- Avhichhe is entitled to onr Avarmest gratitude.
(Cheers.) So far as I understand the position taken by His Excellency,
It Avas this:—" If you insist cm a dissolution, I Avill grant it to you— but
"remember hoAV serious a res] lonsibility you take upon you. \'ou will
" have had three elections hi three years; you had four Administrations
" condemned in that tinu; ; and it is for you seriously to consider Avhat
"grounds tlunv are for sujiposing that another election AA'ill changes the
"situation." 1 am satisfied there Avas not a man on either side of the
Housi^ will) believed that a general election Avould have materially altered
the state of matters. Butsu])i)ose that either party had obtained a gam
of four or five seats, and more Avas impossible; still there Avould hav<^
been a, large Upper Canada majcu'itv arrayi'd in hostile feud against a
large Lower (Canada majoritv. and Ave AVf>uld liave had, Avith aggrava-
lions, a repetition of all the ohl <livliculties. Clearly a very grave diU:mnia
ha.l arisen. 1 nstantlv, I determined to make use of that dilemma. 1 Avc^nt
at once to several supporters of the Government jmd strongly urged upon
them that the existing crisis should be improved for the settlement oi
our Avhole sectional troubles; and 1 assured them that I, for one, Avas
prepared to co-opeiute with the ]ircsent, or any other Administration
that Avould deal with this (piestion, promptly and firmly, with a vieAV to
its final settlement. The gentlemen to Avhom I spoke, communicated to
the ihembei's of the Government the i)urport of Avhat 1 had stated,
and the Government resolved to appi'oach ine on the sulijcct.
Accordingly, a meeting Avas arranged, and Messrs. Macdonald and
Gait called on me at my quarters. I stated at the start that, in

3S23

my opinion, nothing but the hope of settling forever the sectional
troubles of the Province, could justify men so opposed as we hfid been
for years, meeting together with a view to united political action— and
in this Messrs. Macdonald and Gait entirely acquiesced I then asked
in what position thev came to me, whether as deputed by the aaminis-
tration or simply as' leading members of the Ministerial party, ihey
replied they were charged by their colleagues formally to invite my aid
in strengthening the Administration with a view to the settlement ot the
sectiona! difficulties between Upper and Lower Canada. My ajf^^-'^v at
once was that, on grounds purely personal, it was quite impossil^le that
I could be a member of any Administration at present ; but that even
had this been otherwise, I would have conceive.l it highly ob,)ec lonable
that parties who had been so long and s j strongly opposed to each other,
should enter the same Cabinet. I thought the public mind would be
shocked bv such an arrangement ; but I felt very strongly that the
present crisis presented an opportmiity of dealing with this question that
might never occur again, and if the Administration were prepared to
pledge themselves clearly and publicly to bring ma measure next ses-
sion that would be acceptable to Upper Canada, the basis to be now
settled and announced iu Parliament, I w.nihl heartily co-operate with
them and trv to induce my friends to sustain them until they had an
opportunity" of maturing their measure. Mr. Macdonald and Mr. Gait
then contended, that with a view to giving conhdence to the Opposition
and the country iu the arrangement-it was essential I should enter the
Government ; 'I denied this, and .'ontended that other members o the
Opposition could give that guarantee equally with myselt and might be
disposed to enter the Government. It was iinally agreed that we should
waive all personal matters for the present, and ascertam hrst whether a
satisfactorv basis could be agreed upon. After many interviews with
Sir Etieni'ie Tache, Mr. Macdonald, Mr. Cart.er and Mr. Gait we hnally

agreed upon the following basis, as one

nch Ave believed Avould be

satisfactory to Upper Canada and aceeplabh! to Lower Canada .

" The Government are prepared to pledge themselves to bring in a mca-
" sure, next session, forth. T.urposc of removing existing difficulties by inao-
" ducin<r the Federal principle into Caniula, coupled with such provision as amU
" permi" the Maritime Provinces and the >s^orth-west territory to be meorpo-
" rated into the same system of Govornnient.

" And the Government will seek, by sending representatives to the Lmyer
" Provinces, and to England, to secure the assent of those interests which
"are beyond the .'ontrol of our own legislath.n to such a ""'astire as may
" enabk all British North Ainericato be united under a general Legislature
" based upon the Federal princijih'."

I was now in a position to submit a definite proposition to my

political friends, and without delay I 7\^'^'l IL, "^^'^^^"S/f !.^^,;^,VrFall '
Canada Reformers in the House of Assembly. There are 41 of us ni all,
of whom :59 were present. There were but two absentees, and both, 1
believe, go heartily with the new arrangement. ^Joubtless you have al
seen the resolutions adopted at that meeting. The result was, that the
basis Avhich had been agreed upon was all but unanimously accepted.
The Conservative members of Parliament also held a meeting. Mr.
John A. Macdonald, 1 understand, explained to them the. conclusion we
had arrived at, and they endorsed the scheme almost as ""="""^o"« ^ ^J
the Liberal partv had done. Then came the question how the compact
was to be carried out. The Government had proposed that three mem-
bers of the Opposition should accept seats m the Cabinet ; with a nun -
ber of our friends Mr. Mowat and 1 strongly objected to that, and con-

3824

tended that it would be much better to support the Government outside
until their measure was matured. We were, how?ver, defeated m this.
The meetmL' decided by a vote of 26 to 11 that the ofler of the Goveni-
meut should be iicccptod, and that one of the three seats m the Cabinet
should be lilled by me. I was still most unwilling to consent, but the
Government were' as urgent as mv own friends, and finally, not daring to
assume the responsibilitv of refusal, I agreed to accept othce. But 1
wish every one fully to understand that nothing but the unspeakable
importance oi' the settlement sought to be accomplished by the arrange-
ment would have induced me to consent. Had the proposition been to
enter the Government Ibr tlie mere purpose of carrying on the ordinary
administration of public affairs— n^ hing could have tempted me to
listen to it for one moment. (Clieers.) As it was, I had extreme re-
nutmance to overcome. I was willing to do anything but take othce. J
offered to be sworn in as an Executive Councillor without department
and without salarv— or to go to the Lower Provinces as a Commissioner,
or i 1 auv other wliv to In- iiiade responsible for the movenu'nt, provided
onl-.- that I was excuseil from entering the same Government with those
to V horn I had been so long and so strongly opposed. J have always
re<'iirded Ministerial Coalitions as vicious in principle, and calculated to
l.rTn' the public men who are parties to them ii'to popular contempt.
When "-entlemen who have been arrayed against each other lor many
vears, on all the great (juesticins of the day, are seen suddenly entering
the same Cabinet, acting together und defending each other m all tlieir
acts how can it fail to give a shock to the public mind, and cause people
to doubt whether thev i-ver were sincere in the course they so persis-
tently imrsue.! i For mvself, with reference to the gentlemen with
whom 1 am now associate'd, I say I have lu.ver spoken a word nor writ-
ten a line which in mv consience I did not believe to be deserved. And,
althoU!,di we may adinit that when actuated by strong political ieelings,
all men are apt to see things in a different light from that in winch they
appeared to tliose who were the actors in them, and that stronger laii-
L'ua-e Hum is nec-ssarv is constantly used in tlu> heat ot argument—
stilf I was the last man to take any step that might by possil)ility expose
me to the imputation of insuicerity in my past ])ublic career. (Clieers.)
But who can fail to see that it was only by men of opposite parties tliat
th(i great reform we sou-ht to effect c(juld possibly l)e accomplished |
(Ileiir, hear.) Tliis was no ordinary question of party politics. W e nu
all the sectional and national ])reju(lic('s of the Lower Canadians to deal
with, aiul an oiii.ortunitv was presented for approaching the question
elhcientlv that might not occur again for twenty years to come. Cnder
these circumstances, 1 felt that i would be taking a serious responsi-
bilitv on myself, if I did that which might jeopardise the success ot the
great movement. Events had so shaped themselves, that we had with
us, the ReforniLTs of Upper Canada, the Conservatives of Upper Canada,
and the maioritv of Lower Canada— and even a.-- regards our Kmigc
friends of Lower Canada, we know they are fully committed, by then-
pledges of -[.ast vears, to the policy of the Government, and so well do 1
know the honour of Mr. Dorion, Mr. Holton and their triends, that, when
our Bill comes up for final approval, I have not a doubt that the names
of nearlv all of them Avill be recorded among the yeas. (Cheers.) (_,|n-
tl emeu, "it mav be that this movianent shall yet eventuate in failure. We
all know that"^ there is ma a slip between the cup and the lip ; hut i
am thoroughly persuaded . hat the parties to this compact are sincere ancl
earnest in the work thev have undertaken, and if the carpers and
fault-linders will but keep themselves in patience for the next lew

months, I have not a (loul>t that we will find a solution for our troubles,
that will prove itself ucce])taUe to both sections of the Province.
(Cheer?. ) Woe to that Upper Canadian who from ])etty personal motives
takes upon him the responsibility of pi'ejudicin<; a movement that
twentv vcars might not again present an o])po-tunity ot successtui y
compfetm". (Cheers.) I hear it constantly demaiiued— /f lint about the
details / Iriiat about the local Governments / JFhat about elective Gover-
nors ? What ahoul the jvo(l<rjious cost .' (Laughter.) _ Kow, every one
must see how impossible it i.; to answer such questions, the details
have not vet been settled— hardly even been discussed— and it wouifl be
the verv hei-dit of folh' were anv of us to say now what shape these de-
tails mav or mav not "finallv assume. (Hear, hear.) Not a word that 1.
utter to-dav but is liable to'be twisted and distorted— transferriKl to the
French paijers of Lower Canada with new exaggerations— and diligently
U'^ed there to raise up obstacles in the path of ^Ir. Cartier and his
friends. (Hear, hear.) This is not a movement which wc; can permit
to be frittei-ed awav bv pergonal jealousies or party antagonisms and
the man who, at this Wge, is pcipetually carping about the details, is
doinrr nil i-, his power to prejudice tlu^ interests of Lpper Canada.
(Hear hear.) We ask but the lew months necessary to prepare our
measure, and when Parliament meets we shall have it ready lor discus-
sion. It ought not to be forgotten that the question is not what we m
Upper Canada want. We all know exactly Avhat we want. But the
question reallv is, what can we get from Lower Jant da ? We know
that the general ba---is which has been agreed to is, that all local allairs
shall be committed to local bodies, and that matters common to all shall
be committed to a Legislature, cunstituted on thebasis ol Representation
by Population in the lower branch, and e(iuality m the upper—

Mr. JAMES LAW— What better oil" will we be as regards our
money matters when there is eciuality in the Upper House ? _

Mr BROWN— That question of mv friend Mr. Law is u specimen ol
what i have been referring to. I am placed at great disadvantage in
answering such a question. 1 might reply that the Lower House has
control over the public moneys-that though the Upper House can
throw out the whole of a Supply Bill, it cannot alter, or reject, or add to
any of its separate items. 1 might also reply that even w:('re this other-
wise-were both Houses equal in power-at least we would obtain what,
we have never yet had-the full power of rejecting objectionable
measures. But this would be very i'ar from such an answer as 1 might
give were I able to sav what shall be hc^ld as local niatters and what
general, and how manV sections will have representation m the Upper
iiou e These are questions of detf.il, but of such vital importance as
seriouslv to affect the merit of the scheme, and as they have not yet been
settled I cannot enter on their discus^^iou. (Cheers.)

An ELECTOR— Are wealth and extent of territory to have no etiect
on repre-icntaticm in the Lower House ? 1 ask this because 1 nave been
told that thev will.

Mr BROWN— So far as wealth exists in large and populous constitu-
encies it will, of course, be represented, and so far a^ the qualilicatiori ol
the members of Parliament is concerned it will also be represented, but
you have heard the ba?is which has been agreed upon, and can judgewhat
the elfect will be as well as I can. (Hear, hear.) 1 can only say that, in my
opinion, the schema which it is intended to carry out will cut olt a large
share of the waste and extravagance we have bwu compiaming ot, and
will give us a cheaper system ot government than what we have now.
Certainly we could not well have a more costly system than that we have

3826

at present. (Hear, hear.) But I am told that I shoiild not have gone
into the Government with a less representation than one-half the Cabinet
—that it was quite improjjer that three of the Liberal party should have
cone in with n^ie of the other ^ide. Now, when the question was put to
mebvthe Government— " how many seats do you demand lor your
"partvr I replied, six— one-half of the Cabinet. I was then asked
how 1 proposed to distribute them, and I replied, four from Upper Canada
and two from Lower Canada. I was a^ked how many supporters I could
hrin" from Lower Canada— and having ascertained that Mr. Donon and
his friends would not as a body be parties to the compact, I was compel-
Ird to replv that I could briny very little strength to the Government in
Lower Canada. The argument then assumed a totally different shape.
Sir E Tache and Mr. Cartier had boldly and manfully committed them-
selves to the movement— it was our interest to strengthen them m every
possible way— it was contended that the Lower Canada section ot the
Government, quoad the question that we had coalesced upon, was as sat-
isfactorv as it could possiblv be made— and that any change in iUjJerso^i-
nel could onlv lessen the abilitv of the Government to deal effectively
with the question. I had to admit the force of this reasoning. Then
came the distribution of the Upper Canada seats. On behalf ot the
Liberal party I claimed four seats— being our fair proportion according
to our numbers, but I was met at once with the reply that with anything
less than equalitv the Conservative party could not be induced to sanction
the arran^'ementli I was quite satisfied that this was the fact— and as the
whole obfect of the Coalition was to unite both parties in promoting the
measure— and as I believed that the three gentlemen representing the
Conservatives are equallv with us interested in the question and equahv
desirous of settling it, I did not hesitate cheerfully to yield the point, i
did not conceal from myself, moreover, that every executive act must be
unanimous— and that as we had entered the Cabinet specially tor the
promotion of one great work, whether we had three votes or lour m ttie
discussion would not have affected the hnal issue. (Hear, hear.) Lut it
is said— You should not have gone in under Mr. Macdonaid- having a
mu"h larger following of the Upper Canada members, you ought to have
had the leadership. Now, bt me confess I have not at any time mucJi
care about high places in tt.e synagogue. My constant desire is to accom-
plish the thing 1 am aiming at, and if I but get it I care little whether
it be in a high position or an humble one, in oftice or out of it. (Ltieers.j
But the objection is without foundation. There .s but ore chief
in the Government. Sir E. P. Tache is Prime Slinister, and all the others
take precedence according to the time when they fiist became INImisters
of the Crown. (Cheers.^T But I am told that I have deserted mv Lower
Canada friends. Now, in this there is not a particle of truth. AMien .1
moved for my committee of inquiry they refused to vote for it._ V\ hen
I uroe 1 them to come into the committee and discuss the question, tliey
refused to do it. When the report was adopted Mr. Cartier and hio
friends voted for it, but of the Liberal party only Mr Hoicon did so.
Before thf npc.ntiations were opened with me I warned Mr. JJonon ami
Mr. Holton of whac was coming, and urged them to take action on tfie
question, but thev refused to do so. When the negotiations were fairly
be.^un I told them franklv what had passed, and strongly urged them to
ioin the movement, but 'they steadiLy declined. 1 leit all the paiu ol
acting apart from mv old friends, but they left me no resource. I ask
vou,'mv constituents, if 1 would have been true to you and true to
Upper Canada, if 1 had sacrificed the interests of my own section ot the
couutrv, and all my labour during the last fifteen years, simply because

3827

these eentlemen refused to go along with ma ( (Hear, hecar.) Had I
(lone so— had I refused to fiul the Government and the negotiations had
been broken off— a geneval election must have followed, and truly 1
would have found i)n>.. If in a most untenabk' position. Mr. John A.
Macdonald and \m friends would have gone to the country saying :
" Here is a partv who have been declaring tlial tlii^v wanle.l Kt'inesenta-
" tion bv Population above all other measures— we were i)rei)ared to give
"it to them, and they llatlv refused to aid us. Here are men who i)ro-
"fess to Jiave so much at heart the interests (if I'pper (.'aiiada— we gave
" them an opportunity of getting justice to Upper Canada, .luch (is niav
" not recur for twentv years to come, and they refused to touch it. Had
I taken such a course, I would have deserved to be banished from puljlic
life forever. But, I am told, "Oh ! Mr. Bro\ni is spiittmg up the lle-
"form partv." And verv funnv it is to observe from what (piarter tins
objection comes. Does 'it coihe from those who have always been Re-
formers ' Not a bit of it— but mainly from men avIio have cc nie into
the ranks within the last few years. (Hear, hear.) 1 am free to say
that I look upon i)artv alliances as fcu-med for the good of tlie Avliofe
people, aii.l the niomeht they stand in the way of the well-being of tlie
country, they become an injury and not a blessing. And did my party or
fifty parties'stand in the way of obtaining this great measure ot redress
for Upper Canada, I should rend all party tics asunder without a mo-
ment's hesitation. (Cheers.) I have faith enough in the llelorm edec-
tora of Upper Canada to believe they will thoroughly comprehend that
in going into this Coalition, it has been done with a sincere desire to
advance the peace and prosperity of our country, and that they will tlunk
with nu^ to place this great work of reform in the balance witli a mo-
mentary partv advantage, would Vie but paltry statesmanship. (Cheers.)
But Ja'ui told that the whole negotiation is a piece ot (leception; tliat
Mr John A. Mac.lonald and Mr. Cartier are merely pulling the_ woo
over Mr. Brown's eves— (laughter)- without the slightest intention _ ot
carrying out Avhat they solemnly agreed to. Now, so liir iromtuere being
any truth in this imputation, I am bound to say that all the parties to
the negotiations, from first to last, have acted in the most c-aiulid, sincere
and honouralde manner. (Hear, hear.) And those sceptical gentlemen,
who are so much afraid of being deceived, will plea«e carry tins away
with them— that, if the combination had broken down the very day it
commenced, or were it to l)reak doAMi to-day, or a week, or a month, or
three months hence, more good would have l)eeu already accomplished
by it than would be a sufficient compensation for all the loss and evil
which could possibly result, were the fears of these sceptical gentlemen
realized (Hear, hear.) Bv this inovemeiit the leading public inen in
the counlrv have been coimnitted to do justice, immediate lustice, to
Upper Canada— all the great political parties have committed theinsel';es
to the admission that a -rreat evil exists, and that a remedy must speechfy
be provided,— and more than that, we lun-e now an acknoAvleuged
remedy formally placed on record, agreed to by a Conservative Cabinet,
endorsed by both political parties, and saucticmed by Her Majesty s re-
presentative. (Cheers.) The final accomplishment of this great reform
ma^- hi' deferred— but it must go forward— it cannot now go Mck.
(Cheers.) But I am told that our scheme is mi-British I have liere
some extracts to show you that, if the scheme be un-Bntisli, it lias at all
events been assented to bv some of the foremost ol British statesmen.
The first person of eminence who declared in favour of a Fedeivil system
as regards the two Canadas, was no less a statesman than W. Uiam i itt.
VVheTi the Constitutional Act was before the Imperial Parliament in
1791, Mr. Pitt used the following language :—

" If the Province were not divided there would be only one House of As-
"sembly; and there being two parties, if those parties should be equal or
"nearly equal in the Asseniblv, it would be the source of perpetual faction.
"If one of the parties should be much s:ronger than the other, the other
" mif^ht iu. dy complain that they were oppressed." In another part of the
same°8peech, he said,— "He believed there was such a rooted opposition of
"interests, that if there was a constitution consisting of a House of Assembly
"in which the parties might be nearly balanced, the consequence, at least tor
"a long series of years, would be, a great degree of animosity and contusion.

He accordingly opposed the scheme for union, and the Provinces
were separated under his A,;t. And what did Edmund Burke say ? He
used this language : —

" An attempt to join people dissimilar in law, language, and manners, ap-
"peared to him highly absurd. To join, too, the conquerors and the con-
" ouered must give rise to much unpleasant feeling and many invmnus dia-
"tinctions. He recommended that system of government which tended to
" promote the good of the individual and the public, in opposition to tliat
" which attempted to methodize anarchy. "

That is just what we lui\-e been attempting to do— to metho<lize
anarchy. (Hear, hear.) Such were the speeches delivered when the
original Constitutional Act was passed. And it is a singular thing, too,
that those Avho cry out that this is un-British forget that the scheme
which received the sanction of the Imperial Government m 1837 is the
very thing we are now proposing. Here is the resolution adopted in
that year by both Houses of the Imperial Parliament :—

"Thatoreat inconvenience has been sustained by His Majesty's subjects
" inhabiting the Provinces of Lower Canada and Upper Canada, from the want
" of some adequate means for regulating and adjusting questions respecting
" the trade and commerce of thi^ said Provinces, and divers other questions
" wherein the said Provinces have a common interest ; and it is expedient
" that the Legislatures of the said Provinces respectively be authorized to
" make provision for the joint regulation and adjustment of such their com-
" raon interests."

And when Lord Durham was sent out to Canada to enqiure into the
evils which existed, and to find a remedy for them, a letter ot instruc-
tion was given to him by the Im])erial Government, part of which reads
as follows : —

" It is clear that some plan must be devised to meet the just demands of
" Upper Canada. It will be for your Lordship, in conjunction with the Com-
" mittee, to consider if this should not be done by constituting some joint
" legislative author im, n-hich should preside over all questions of common
" interest to the two Provinces, and which might be appealed to m extraonli-
" nary cases to arbitrate between contending parties ia either, preserving,
" however, to each Province its distinct Lerjislature, with authority in ah mat-
" ters of an exclusivelij domestic concern. If this should be your opinion, you
" will have further time to consider what should be the nature and hmits of
" such authority, and all the particulars which ought to be comprehended in
" any schema for its establislimeut."

Such were the views of the Imperial Government of that day, and it is
much to be regretted that thev did not adhere to their original purpose.
But certain merchants of Montreal were afraid lest their interests should
suffer, if left in the hands of the French Canadians, and they had in-
fluence enough to get the intentions of the imperial Government changed.
Now, observe what was Lord Durham's report :—

" The Bill should contain provisions by which any or all of the other
" North American colonies may, on the application of the Legislature, be,
^' with the consent of the two Canadas. or their united Legislature, admitted

" into the Union on such term:

s us may be agreed on between them, '

3829

The very thing ^vc are propo.ing to fl^'^'- ^,,^^ twoProvinceB

"As the mere amalgamation of tj« o"««^«* ^e ,n™ ntation to each, a Par-
.. would not be advisable, or give at ^^^ ^, Jf ' /'K^^'"" ^nose of forming the
.• limentary commission should .^^'',7;P° "^^ ;, " ./'^V^^^^^^^^^ be returned on
electoral divisions and ^l^'t'-'™^";,';^^' 1 a «« n^^" il proportion to pofni-
the principle of giving reprcsentaUon, as neai as nnuj m, i i

" laliou."

Wbic^ is iust what we now propose.

Whu -1 IS jusi ^^lml i- i pvoposfd for giving an equal

'1 am averse to ^/^^'^^ I'l^" v 'vi !es in order to attain the temporary
•' number of members to the two Pi o\in((s in ori s.inie object will be

.. end of outnumbering the French ---- ^ ] ^^ i i .s ' "ation. and with-

.< obtained without any ^••"l^};"' "' *j ^ X ^^^^^ set public opin-

"outanysuchappearanceoti ust cm^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^l^^^^^ ^^.,^^,^

" ion, buth in England and Ainei u , ^"t^^^^'^'f •;^° j ^^^^ i,^ the Upper Pro-
.. immigration shall ^^Y^^^^^^^^^^X defeat th./^ery pur-
" vince, the adoption ot such a 1 """^^ ^^" "' , .j^.^^ j^,,y such electoral ar-
- pose it is intended to serve It '^PF"',,.^". "J ,/' a; ,..«' ^^'^"''^ ^eiid to
" rangement, founded on the present P^^^'";'' ' '^ T^"" f' aisunion. The
.' dellit the purposes of union '^'j; .^P^ ^^f J !,, ^tt/^^^^
" same Commission should form a pi a « ^^ ' ^^ j^! /, ^J^^ ,.^„,,>,,te control over
" subordinate to the &V''™V'^ t /in l imviiic" of general legislation.
" such local allairs as do not come NUth n t c 1 J "^ ^""^ J^ >j Parliament, so as

Te^r' ; no"rjIrEu«n 'CZcea a Bill, fo„„.l<.l o„ Lo,,. Duv-

" The Bill provuies lor me eauiwiio"."- + i,„n v.o

carried on, and

iiuu iLc ixv-.;, V'^'V 11 „„t Tli^ntbor iiarts of Upper and ol Lower

" ,vlicve the Assembly *>'? ^"''f ':, ./'t," vrfg u is , »,»«..l th.t tlm.'
" Can.a. aro each to be ^rial ;■'» ''«''';'"'"■ 'J . ,1 ,,,,,, .Ustrict,,
" mstriots shoal be ibme.l l" ," ' l^P?;' °, ST'°1^,... Ivitl, rega,.!

,.g.t.«UhatthUBiUw.«,nt,jv^^^^^^^^

sick-ratlon. The ciuost.on ol 'l"» ' \. '.^ f^,," 't ,. « lion. Knt lio.v
it is impossiW.. 10 settle intliout the ">""'■?' ,™j t ',, „.• tmstates-

ol Lower Canada, l.ut, so tai as am eiirued. Little

desirous to deal out to tlK'Ui the ^^^f f/^^;*^ ' ;^Vho a ut 1 apprehend
assistance in our struggles ^^^^;;^;:^J^g ^ " "^ev w Ul hi^d tliat le have
that wlieu our lueasure c.nae>J^ W m^u i, IM^^ ^^^^^^ ^^^^^^ ^.
not been iorgetlul ot the " ttiL^ts cNUi ^^^^^^^ ^^

British origin. (Hear hear f^^J^^ ^'^ ^^^^.^ p,,,i,ees ; that
^L::^ ;L SSS^Lfwiti^ut gathering m the whole of the Pro-

:k.;50

vinct^s, is a peddling alFiiir whicli ought to be treated with conteiupt.
Now, 1 like great s( liemeH as nuich a.s any one, but 1 want to see, before
I leap, where i am leaping to, (Hear, hear.) Few of us know much of
the Lower Piovinces, and it is full time that we knew more — but if it is
found that we can make a union with them on the ground of common
interest, and on terms which will be just to us and fair to them, I foi-
tme am prejtared to go heartily for it. And in any case it is the purpose
of the (lovernment to ]»ut into the coming measuri' such clauses as will
entitle the Maritime Piovinces and the North-west to come into the
(Canadian Union on suitable terni'^. But that man takes a strange view
of our ]>osition who says— because we cannot bring in the other Pro-
vinces into the Union, we shall not have any remedy for the evils that
Canada labors under. 1 am free to admit that the future of tht; British
portion of this continent is a theme titted to arouse the most lively en-
thusiasm of every true Canadian. Men talk of Americ^i and the Ameri-
can i)eople as if our friends of the United States monopolised the whole
continent. But the trutli is that the British territories cover a larger
portion of North Anu-rica than the whole United States— (cheers)— and
though a portion of it may never be tilled u]>, although v may not for
some time stretch our out])osts to the extreme north of > u iomains —
still boundless tracts of fertile lands have yet to be thn,«n open to
settlement and cultivati<m— exhaustless mineral wealth has yet to be de-
vj'loped— and the most extensive and valuafile fisheries in the world are
those of the British Anunican Colonie.s. (Cheers.) Whether the day
for its accomplishment has yet arrived is a fit sulyect of en(iuiry, biit as-
suredlv no Canadian has a claim to the name of statesman, who has not
looked forward to the day wht^n all the British ]M)rtion of this cimtinent
Hhall be gathered into one. (Cheei-s.) It cannot be that these great Pro-
vinces shall always be jtermitted to hold their i)resent relations to the
mother country. ' We cannot expect that Britahi will alway.s, without
consideration, send her navy to guard ur shores. We cannot expect tliat
British troojis shall always', without consideration, stand ready to defend
!is against attack.' We must look forward to the day when the whole of
BritTsh America shall stand together; and, in close alliance and heartiest
sympathy with great Britain, l)e jnepared to assume tlu; full duties and
responsibilities of a great and i)owerful nation. But, gentlemen, the tir.st
step towards the acx-omplishment of all this, is to settle our pcditical in-
stitutions on a sound and healthy basis— to inspire peace and harmony
at home and confidence abi-oad. (Cheers.) It tloes appear to me that
with the settlement of the great grii-vance that has so long distracted our
country, a new eia of prospesity will sjieedily open upon us. The bitter
sectional strifes of the past willlx; forgotten— the great dividing «iuestion.s
of the day will be schemes of public improvenu-nt — the develoinnent of
our internal navigation — the ext(insion ot our foreign commerce — th<? ad-
vancement of our agricultural interests— and the deeply important issues
of political economv and social reform. But I am afraid I have already
detained you far too long. I thiuik you most heartily for the attention
you have'given me, and for all the kindness I have received at your
hands. (Cheers.) Only remendjer this— that a hartl battle ha.s yet to
be fought— that the end is not yet gained, and can only be gained by the
heiirty co-operation of all the friends of those who have staked so much
on the accomplishment of this great reform. (Loud and prolonged cheers.)