The A.H.U. Colquhoun Library of Canadian History

LORD STRATHCONA

BIOGRAPHY

OF

LORD STRATHCONA

and

MOUNT ROYAL

— BY —

REV. J. W. PEDLEY, B.A. INTRODUCTION

— BY

SIR. JOHN WILLISON

PUBLISHED BY

Printers and Publishers

TORONTO - CANADA

MADE IN CANADA

BY

THE J. L. NICHOLS CO. LIMITED TORONTO

Entered according to Act of the Parliament of Canada, in the year one

thousand nine hundred and fifteen, by The J. L. NICHOLS Co. Limited

at the Department of Agriculture.

INTRODUCTION.

From the remote fastnesses of Labrador to the office of High Commissioner for Canada at Lon- don is a long journey in human achievement. From rough intimacy with Indian trappers and half-breeds to familiar companionship with the political and social leaders of an Imperial capital is a wonderful experience. But Lord Strathcona bore himself as naturally in London as in the wilderness. He had a quiet but proud simplicity that was his secure fortress in all circumstances. He had reserve, but no arrogance. He had all the self-confidence which belongs to the breed from which he sprang, but he had also an in- finite discretion in temper and outlook. All his career reveals the exact balance of caution and courage which was the signal test of fitness for service in the Hudson's Bay Company and for dealing with primitive men in primitive condi- tions.

There are many outstanding peaks in the life of Lord Strathcona. He was greatly instrumental in checking insurrection at Fort Garry. He dared to oppose Sir John Macdonald, with whom he was associated in reconciling the Red River half-breeds to the authority of Canada, and by a deliberate but guarded statement on the floor of

Parliament forced the Conservative leader to re- sign office. He regained the confidence of Sir John Macdonald, gave a reciprocal confidence, and powerfully assisted in organizing the syndi- cate which constructed the Canadian Pacific Railway. In the crisis of the enterprise he and George Stephen pledged their private fortunes to maintain its credit. He and Stephen insisted that the company must build along the north shore of Lake Superior and fulfil to the letter the contract with the country. He sought to settle the quarrel between Manitoba artd the Dominion over Separate Schools, and in the en- deavor had the sympathetic confidence both of Sir Charles Tupper and Sir Wilfrid Laurier. In the office of High Commissioner he was as freely trusted by Liberal as by Conservative Administra- tions. He was the munificent patron of McGill University. He was President of the Bank of Montreal and Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company. He organized and transported a troop of Western horse to South Africa. These are the peaks, but between are many works that he builded and many monuments to his power and genius.

Lord Strathcona never gave rashly, but he gave generously. He did not pledge his word readily, but it never was broken. He was shrewd and even crafty in negotiation. There was more of smoothness in his voice than there was in his manner of dealing. He got his own share of credit for the success of enterprises in which he was engaged. He was, perhaps, not so fine a spirit as Lord Mountstephen, for he had more of personal ambition than his old associate in the

building of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Per- haps Mr. R. B. Angus, of whom wre hear little, was as sagacious in council and as resolute of purpose. Supporting the group was Van Home, of dauntless spirit and splendid optimism. But it is unnecessary to assess the honor that falls to each, as it would be idle to deny the supreme qualities of Lord Strathcona. These were ex- hibited over a wide range of activities, and he never, was shamed by any company in which he stood. Through all no spot rests upon his per- sonal honor; no mean ingratitude disfigures his life. Few such men appear in any country, and what he was and what he did are a cherished possession of Canada and the Empire.

Lord Strathcona was not a good speaker. But he had authority, and he had power. As there was seldom any flavor of partisanship in his speeches, he was one of the few men who had the ear of the whole House when he spoke. He could, however, be angry and even bitter, and this is not surprising to those who recall the long and desperate assault that was made upon the build- ers of the Canadian Pacific and the insidious me- thods employed in the London money market to destroy the railway's credit. The great enter- prise which we now alternately praise and blame had a long season of adversity in a stagnant Canada. Very often the whisper ran that bank- ruptcy was impending. In those times it was not easy for Lord Strathcona and his associates to take censure with smiling faces and to go on with stout hearts in a desperate struggle. But if the fight was hard the reward was adequate. For nearly twenty years we had no knowledge

of Lord Strathcona's attitude towards political controversies in Canada. In London he was the servant of the Canadian people. It is not recalled that he ever spoke a word which excited partisan attack in this country. This was not merely the result of discretion. As has been said, he was not cast in the mould of the partisan. He believed that the destiny of Canada could be trusted to either party, and that devotion to the Empire was the common passion of the Canadian people. Old members of the Press Gallery will remember how approachable he was and the fine courtesy with which he listened and answered with apparent frankness but in gentle words that revealed nothing. This courtesy he kept to the end, as a multitude of Canadians know who enjoyed his attention and his hospitality in London. In as- sertion of the duty and loyalty of Canada to the Empire he was always fearless; in all else he was wise, tolerant and discreet throughout all his long and faithful service as High Commissioner. For the office he has established ideal traditions, but who eau fill his place with such honor to Canada and such advantage to the Empire?

PREFACE.

The life of Lord Strathcona should be of special interest to Canadians because it is inti- mately bound up with a most eventful period of Canadian history. Beginning at a time when the rebellion of '37 had been overcome it had to do with the experiment of government in the union of Upper and Lower Canada, the consummation of Confederation, the acquisition and opening up of the North-west, the troubles with the half- breeds under Kiel, the solution of transportation problems and the adaptation of the Domin- ion to the Imperial concept. Lord Salisbury said that to know the Nile is to know Egypt. In a sense to know the life of Lord Strathcona is to know Canada.

It is only fair to say that in attempting this task I had no idea of producing a biography, in the technical sense of that term, that is an exact and detailed account of the life of its subject. I have not attempted anything in the way of original research and have been at no great pains to verify every statement made. I have simply made use of material available to all and have tried to set forth in a popular style the well- known facts of this great Canadian's life. I have made free use of, and am indebted to, the works

of Heckles Willson, Dr. Bryce, Prof. Tracy, W. R. Richmond and many others. I have endeavored to portray those events and sketch that progress of Canada with which Lord Strathcona was closely identified. My only qualifications for this task were a deep interest in the subject and a residence in Canada since Confederation. I have endeavored to exhibit the salient features of a remarkable character and to show how in this new country he had found an opportunity for their exercise. If I have succeeded in showing to the young manhood of this country an example which they might well follow I am content. If I have failed the fault is mine. The subject itself is worthy.

J. W. P. May 1, 1914.

CHAPTER INDEX

CHAP. PAGE.

I. The Lure of the West 9

IT. The Hudson Bay Company 15

III. Life in the Wilderness for Thirty Years 20

IV. New Problems of the North- West 25

. V. The Eole of Peacemaker 32

VI. Mr. Smith's Account of Scott's Death 40

VII. The Eed River Expedition 47

VIII. Member of Parliament and Chief Commissioner 55

IX. First Appearance in Parliament 58

X. Kiel the Rebel 65

XT. Governments and Railways ~4r

XII. A Large Order 79

XIII. The Canadian Pacific Railway 84

XIV. Trials of Strength 94

XV. Personal Opponents 101

XVI. Out of Politics . 108

XVII. Old Age Activities Ill

XVIII. New Interests and Further Responsibilities... 117

XIX. High Commissioner 121

XX. The Strathcona Horse 126

XXI. The Deceased Wife's Sister Bill 130

XXII. Canada from 1838 to 1914 140

XXIII. Practical Maxims 155

XXIV. The Last Reception 167

XXV. An Honored Burial 174

XXVI. Voifps of Appreciation 180

BIOGRAPHY OF LORD STRATHCONA

CHAPTER I. The Lure of the West.

The following pages are an attempt to present a word picture of the life of one of the greatest of the many great men who have lived and wrought during the Victorian age. His coming to Canada synchronizes with the elevation of Queen Victoria to the British throne. During her long and illustrious reign she had many famous and notable subjects. Among these, none filled a larger or more important place than the poor Scotch lad, who, the same age as herself, sailed for distant Canada in the year that saw her crowned Queen of Great Britain and Ireland.

Among the great men who took part in Can- adian development during the Victorian age, who discovered its resources and shaped its political destiny, it is not too much to say that he was an outstanding figure. In the Selkirk range of the Rockies there towers over its fellows a lofty moun- tain called "Mount Donald." It was named after Donald Smith, and splendidly typifies his position among the men of his time. Very few of his cotemporaries occupied so prominent a posi- tion in the public eye.

He was born in Scotland. That little northern country — "land of brown heath and shaggy 11

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wood" — has been the breeding place of strong men. They have gone out to the ends of the earth, have adapted themselves to all conditions, and have become leaders in every sphere of life — politics, commerce, war and literature. By their industry, shrewdness, perseverance, courage, self- restraint, and endurance, they have been carried through all difficulties, and over all obstacles, and have risen to the chief places. Nothing daunts -one of that nationality. There is no situation he cannot meet. There is no set of circumstances into which he cannot fit. Adaptability describes the race.

Shakespeare, in "Macbeth," mentions Forres. It was near that place that the witches danced upon the moor and brewed their "Hell broth." It was at Forres that Macbeth murdered the King, and it was at Forres on Aug. 6th, 1820, that Don- ald Smith was born. It is a small and insignifi- cant place. No one dreamed that the infant born on that summer day in that little town would be- come financier, statesman, philanthropist, and one of the best known and most honored men in the British Empire.

He came of enterprising stock. His relations, Smiths, Stewarts and Grants, had wandered far .afield in the world-wide Empire. Perhaps, from the standpoint of an imaginative youth, the career of none of them was so fascinating as that of his uncle, John Stewart, the bold and enterprising fur-trader of British North America. He was so far away, and his life was so full of adventure, that it could not fail to catch the fancy of the lad. 12

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From him there came, across the sea, tales that must have quickened the pulses of the boy. For it was told how this uncle had traversed the con- tinent, had crossed the Rocky Mountains, and had been the companion of Simon Fraser, who dis- covered the famous river called after his name. He had in time entered the service of the Hudson Bay Company, and was Chief Factor at Lesser Slave Lake. His romantic and adventurous life formed the subject of many discussions and con- versations in the Scottish home, and the mind of the growing youth must have turned impatiently from the prosy existence in the little old town to contemplate that wild, free life of which he had heard so much, and of which his uncle wrote — in that land of boundless prairies and great moun- tains, mighty lakes and rivers — inhabited by rov- ing tribes of Indians — where men ranged free, and hunted, and fished and sometimes fought, to their hearts' content. It was a life of action, of possi- bilities, and of achievement that must have held a powerful charm for the boy.

But his mother had no such feeling. She was not content that her clever son should be nothing more than a fur-trader. Her ambition was that he would enter into one of the professions and attain eminence in it. She wished Donald to be a lawyer, and, in due course, we find him in the office of the town clerk of Forres, trying to mas- ter the intricacies of the legal world.

But it was not to be. Fate, or Providence, had in store a greater destiny. Donald was not satis- 13

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fied with his position. He had a chance to enter a business firm in Manchester, when he was eigh- teen years of age, and would, probably, have accepted the offer, had not an event occurred which changed the whole course of his life, and lifted him out of the narrow place and set him free to follow his inclination. This was the re- turn of his uncle, John Stewart. That settled the question of his vocation for him. The actual pres- ence of this man, the embodiment of his dreams, rekindled the flame of his ambitions and hardened his purpose to try his fortunes in the new world. His uncle's interest secured for him a position in the Hudson Bay Company, and he took his depar- ture from his parents, whom he was never to see again, and from his native land, to which, after many years, he was to return, as an honored guest, one of the most famous men of the Empire.

Here, then, we have the picture of this Scotch lad, 18 years of age, standing on the threshold of his career, and venturing into the great unknown. He had crossed the Rubicon. He had burnt his boats behind him. He had severed the ties which bound him to the quiet and ordered life. For weal or woe he had joined his fortunes with those who, in a far-off wilderness, in hardship and danger, were blazing the trail, which others might follow ; laying the foundation, on which others could build — pioneers indeed of that future Dominion, whose vast extent would be a home for millions of British subjects, and which would prove to be a mighty prop of the Imperial State.

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The boy sailed away in a ship of 800 tons bur- den, and the voyage across the Atlantic took 42 days. Now we can take the same journey in a week, travelling in a palatial steamer, with every comfort and luxury. This difference in travel is typical of the difference between those days and these, between the Canada of '37 and the Canada of to-day. It is difficult for us to conceive the conditions of this country when our hero landed on its shores. Its population was meagre, the only cities being Quebec and Montreal (35,000) and Toronto (13,000 or 15,000). There was then no United Canada. The immense territories west of Ontario were under the control of the Hudson Bay Co. The Provinces in the east had no bond of union. Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New- foundland, treated each other as independent com- munities.

In 1837 Upper and Lower Canada (Ontario and Quebec) were seething with rebellion. The at- tempt to govern the people without giving them proper representation and control of the taxes, had failed. A feeling dangerous to British con- nection had gathered strength, and, in some quarters, had actually broken out in open resist- ance. Truly the Canada of 1914 is as different from that of 1837 as the great modern steamer is different from the 800 ton clipper of former days.

But Donald Smith had nothing to do with these stormy times. For 13 years his lot was to be cast in the remote and desolate region of Labrador- is

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and, after that, many more years on the dreary shores of Hudson's Bay. From 1838 until 1868 he gave all his talents and attention to the great commercial company, into whose services he had entered when a lad. This was the Hudson Bay Company.

LORD STRATHCONA

CHAPTER H.

The Hudson Bay Company.

The story of this gigantic organization reads like a fairy tale. In 1720, Charles II, King of England, gave to Prince Rupert and his associ- ates, 18 in all, the charter which gave them con- trol of the greater portion of British North America. The privileges thus obtained were of the most sweeping character. Canada was then regarded as nothing more than a vast stretch of wild country, the home of wandering Indians, and only valuable for its wealth of fur and fish. It was the great hunting ground for the venture- some and sporting spirits of the Old Land. Had those in power ever dreamed that these wild lands would become the home of a great people, the granary of Europe, a land of beautiful homes, great cities and thriving industries, it is doubtful if they would have been so generous in their gift. They did not know Avhat they were giving, and the recipients did not know what they were re- ceiving.

According to this charter, the Company secured control of "the whole trade of all those seas, straits, and bays, rivers, lakes, creeks and sounds, 17

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in whatsoever latitude they shall be, that lie within the entrance of the straits commonly called Hud- son's Straits, together with all the lands, countries and territories upon the coasts and confines of the seas, straits, bays, lakes, rivers, creeks and sounds aforesaid, which are not now actually possessed by any of our subjects, or by the subjects of any other King, prince or state."

Such a gift, by its magnitude, fairly takes one's breath away. The water system thus donated was, perhaps, the largest in the world. Of course, the King of England had no conception of what he was doing, but the fact remains that "the Company" so lightly formed, claimed, under the provisions of their charter, a territory extending from the shores of Lake Superior north to Hud- son's Bay, and west to the Rocky Mountains. They became absolute proprietors of one-quarter or one-third of the whole of North America. It was theirs to hold or sell. They had power to make laws and administer justice. They were authorized to engage in military expeditions, "to send ships of war, men, or am'miinition into their plantations, to choose and appoint commanders and officers, and to issue their commissions." In addition to all these powers and privileges, they were granted the absolute monopoly of the "whole, entire and only liberty of trade and traf- fic." It is doubtful if, in the history of nations, there could be found a parallel to this extraord- inary transaction, by which 18 men were made for all time absolute owners of a country half the size of Europe.

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It is a pleasure to state that, in the main, they have not abused their trust. When one considers the extent of their operations, the character of the people with whom they had to deal, the un- restricted opportunities and unrestrained author- ity which they possessed, the record of their ad- ministration for more than two centuries is an honorable one. They won the confidence of the Indians, and to the last exercised over them a Avholesome and restraining influence. The Com- pany was organized in an age when the tyrannical and intolerant spirit prevailed. In its earlier his- tory we find evidence of that spirit in the admin- istration of its affairs, but, as the years pass on, the kinder and more reasonable spirit which was growing in the older lands, found its way into this institution and modified the harsher modes which characterized its dealings in the first quarter of a century of its existence. It is true that it was a money-making concern, but it is also true that it carried on its business by honorable methods, that it was not indifferent to the mental and moral welfare of the people, that it maintained the tra- ditions of the Old Land, that it was loyal to the old flag, and that, when the time came for it to relinquish its claim, it was able to hand over to the Government of Canada an enormous tract of country, bearing through all its wide extent the marks, in churches, schools and trading posts, of its beneficial control.

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CHAPTER IH. Life in the Wilderness for Thirty Years.

In the service of this great company, Donald Smith spent 30 years of his life. When he ap- peared upon the scene, Sir George Simpson was Governor. So absolute was his authority, and so autocratic his manners, that he was called "King of the Pur Trade," or "Emperor of the Plains." Beneath his forbidding exterior, however, he was a man of great ability, and had acquitted himself with credit in critical times, and was recognized as a power in all the vast region. By his orders the youthful newcomer was sent to Labrador, where a new department had been established. Perhaps there is no bleaker place on the earth. There he spent 13 years of his life.

We have very little detailed account of how he spent his time. We may be sure that in those dreary solitudes — where the winter is eight months long, and the thermometer often 50 below zero — where his only companions were the Indians with whom he traded, and the few comrades at the store — his mind must have turned wistfully to the home in the old Scottish town and the friends he had left behind. The reality of his experience 20

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must have shattered his romantic visions. Ambi- tion? Wealth? What chance of these in this God- forsaken and man-forsaken spot? It seemed as though he were buried alive — cut off from every chance and prospect of success, doomed, after a life of toil and obscurity, to end his days in this appalling wilderness. So he may have thought, but there is no record of such reflection. It was a hard school into which he was put, but not a Bad one. It developed in him those qual- ities which afterwards stood him in such good stead — self-command, initiative, decision and courage. We may be certain that often in those years he was thrown upon his own resources ; had to guard against danger ; had to be mentally alert ; had to adapt himself to different situations. No better training for his later years could be pro- vided than the experiences of Labrador and Hud- son's Bay.

As to how he occupied himself during this long period, we may venture to guess. There were the routine duties of the post. There was trading with the Indians and trappers — giving in exchange for their furs, the goods they had shipped from Europe. There was hunting and fishing, and long tramps on snow-shoes, driving the dog trains. Occasionally the monotony was broken by the arrival of the mail, bringing letters and papers from home. We must remember that the mail came at long intervals. This was an event to which they looked with anticipation and which occurred not more than twice a year. The post

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route was long and dangerous, covering a dis- tance of 2,000 miles from Quebec to Ungava. This immense distance had been traversed by Donald Smith on foot and with dog-sleds. The news from home started from Bersimis, 150 miles below Que- bec, then to Mingan, thence to Eskimo Point, thence to Bonne Esperance and finally to Rigou- lette, the headquarters of young Smith. In this bleak region travellers were often overtaken by blizzards and their lives were in peril. More than once the young man missed his way, and with his native companion wras compelled to take shelter for the night with no protection but their blankets till the storm had passed. It was necessary for the traveller to be always prepared with plenty of warm clothing and an extra supply of provi- sions, for no one could tell in what an evil plight one might find himself.

The long winter nights would be spent in read- ing, in writing lengthy letters home, and in cul- tivating his mental powers. He did not know what he was doing, but he was really getting ready for tasks of which he never dreamed. Thou- sands of youths elsewhere, richly endowed, be- sieged by every opportunity, were wasting the golden hours, while this raw lad was carving for himself out of the barren north the material for a splendid career.

It was certainly a period of grim and stern dis- cipline. The Company's officers were of necessity stern and rigid. There is a story told of the young man which, if true, illustrates the strictness of the rule. It is said that being: troubled with a com- 22

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plaint which affected his eyes, he took the long and wearisome journey to Montreal, to consult an oculist. The story is that Sir George Simpson, the Governor, meeting him near that city, demanded of him why he was not at his post. On the young man's answering that his eyes were very bad and he had come to see a doctor, the Governor broke in impatiently with the question, "Who gave you permission to leave your post?" Mr. Smith was forced to admit that no one had given him leave (it would have taken a year to get it), and imme- diately the angry official said curtly, "If it is a question between your eyes and your service in the Hudson Bay Company, you'll take my advice and return this instant to your post." And ac- cording to the story, the young fellow actually went back immediately and retraced his journey of nearly one thousand miles. The story may not be true, but it may have some basis in fact. He spent practically thirty years in that wilderness. Take thirty years out of the average life, and there would not be much left. He was forty-eight when he came out of his obscurity — at an age when most men are withdrawing from active ser- vice. But he was really at the beginning of his public career. All the years he had lived were spent in making a pedestal on which he was to stand, as a striking figure of the time.

In ten years he had advanced to be chief trader on the shores of Hudson's Bay. In another ten years he was appointed chief factor of the great fur company. In 1868 he reached the highest posi-

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tion, and became Governor of the 'Company, its chief executive officer in North America — station- ed at Montreal. It had been a long and painful experience. It had wrought in him marvellous changes — the timid lad, fresh from his home and protecting friends, had been transformed into the stalwart man, with rugged frame, keen, alert brain, a knowledge of the country and its inhab- itants, which made him an authority, a master of the great Company's secrets and policy — and possessed of a wonderful executive ability. The year of his appointment as Governor saw the close of one part of his career, but the curtain was to rise almost immediately on another part — crowded with events of the first magnitude, in which he was to have official recognition, and in which he moved in the highest circles of Imperial, social and political life.

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CHAPTER IV.

New Problems of the North-West.

It is something of a coincidence that when young Smith landed in Canada in 1838, he found the country the scene of unrest and trouble, and when he came out of the wilderness, after thirty years' retirement, he found that signs of trouble were not wanting. During those thirty years events moved quickly. The scattered and politi- cally separated Provinces had at last, after long negotiations, been bound together in a Confedera- tion, and in 1867 the "Dominion of Canada" be- came an accomplished fact, with its Capital at Ottawa. The statesmen of that time, chief of whom was Sir John A. Macdonald, had no easy task. The older Provinces had to be conciliated and managed. The West, beyond Lake Superior, was a terra incognita, controlled and ruled by the Hudson Bay Company. One of its most important posts was Fort Garry, at the junction of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers. Beyond that were the prairies, the home of immense herds of Buf- falo— the chief food of the Indians. This became a source of trouble. The incoming settlers and the servants of the Company, French and Scotch, 25

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biter-married with the natives, and produced the Metis, or half-breeds. These also hunted the buf- falo, and often feuds arose between these two sec- tions. The government was carried on by a " Gov- ernor and Council of Assinaboia," composed of Hudson Bay Company officers. At this time there were probably 12,000 people in the settlement — a mixed population of English, Scotch, French half- breeds, and a few Europeans, Canadians and Americans. Canada, at that time, was regarded as a foreign country, almost as much so as America. Indeed, the latter country, by reason of its prox- imity, seemed less foreign than the new Dominion. There was a strong spirit of disaffection against the rule of the Company. This was fostered by agitators, chief of whom was Dr. Schultz, and later Louis Kiel.

In 1867, immediately after Confederation, the movement was started for bringing under the control of the Dominion Government the vast territories of the North-West. This meant nego- tiations with the Hudson Bay Company for the release of their claims. These negotiations were carried on in London, in 1868, the Canadian Gov- ernment being represented by Messrs. Cartier and McDougall. After some time, it was finally agreed that the Company should receive £300,000, should have one-twentieth of the land of the fertile belt, and 45,000 acres adjacent to their trading posts.

So far, so good, but the agreement made by the shareholders in London had ignored the officers and emplo3-ees of the Company, and also the popu- lation of the Xorth-West. The arrangement was

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met with hostility. The Half-breeds resented and feared the transfer, as it seemed as if they were being unceremoniously sold to Canada. The offi- cers of the Company were annoyed that their pri- vileges and authority were handed over to outsid- ers without any consultation with them, or any hint of recompense. At the same time, there were some who thought the time was opportune to establish an independent republic, while there were still others who advocated annexation to the States. In fact, it is said that Kiel was offered $50,000 cash and $100,000 more and a position if he would work for annexation.

Here, then, were the materials for trouble, and one must keep them in mind, in order to under- stand the situation which confronted the Dominion Government in 1869. They had bought the terri- tory, but to gain possession was quite another thing. Donald Smith had hardly been settled in Montreal, when he was called upon to use his powers in an altogether new direction. He quite concurred in the wisdom of transferring to the Government the Company's claims. He recog- nized that, in the inarch of events, the time had come when their charter would have to be given up, and he was ready and willing to assist the gov- ernment in every possible way to enter into the North- West.

On November 19th, 1869, the deed of surrender was signed in London. So far as the Governor of the-North-West (Mr. MacTavish) and the Coun- cil were concerned, there was no opposition to

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the new order of things. It is true they might have had some feeling of soreness at not being consulted regarding the transfer, but this was not allowed to influence their conduct. They accepted the situation and were prepared to become loyal subjects of the Dominion Government. But they hesitated to embroil themselves in a quarrel with the French party, with whom they had hitherto lived in friendship. They declined to enter into a conflict with that party, reinforced as it would be by Indians, and so they declared their opinion that the Dominion Government should establish its own jurisdiction. Mr. Wm. McDougall, who had taken an active part in the negotiations, was ap- pointed Governor by the Dominion Government, and he proceeded to the Red River Settlement lo take up his new duties.

He does not seem to have been the right man for a position which required the greatest of tact and prudence. The first move was indiscreet and overbearing and aroused a flame of prejudice and animosity. The malcontents found a leader in the clever and unscrupulous personality of Louis Riel, the half-breed, who headed the forces of opposi- tion. He was a man of power and influence. He had been a poor lad, who, through the interest of Bishop Tache, had been educated in Montreal, with the belief that he would become a priest. Nothing was farther from his intention. He went to the States, and in 1868 returned to his mother at Red River. There he found his opportunity, and became a figure in Canadian history — a man, who, for a time, imperilled the prospects of the

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West, and caused anxiety — not only to the Domin- ion Government, but also to the Imperial author- ities. He opposed the coming of the Governor, Mr. Macdougall, and his followers erected a bar- rier across the road, and 300 or 400 men gathered at this barrier to prevent his entry into Canadian territory. Macdougall never reached his destina- tion. His Governorship was a fizzle. It required a man of sound judgment, ripe experience, know- ledge of human nature, and a disposition, though firm, yet conciliatory. Such a man there was and his name was Donald A. Smith.

It seems to have been the general opinion that he was the man. The Governor of Assinaboia tra- velled 2,000 miles to consult him, and afterwards wrote him a full account of how matters were pro- gressing. The letter read as follows: "Dear Mr. Smith, — I regret very much to have to inform you that the Honorable William MacDougall, who has been warned by the Canadian half-breeds not to come into the country, has been, on his arrival at Pembina within the last week, driven out of the Company's establishment and forced to withdraw within the American lines by an armed party of that same portion of our population. At the same time that they drove back Mr. Macdougall, a party was sent here (Fort Garry) to occupy this estab- lishment under the pretext of supporting it; and though their protection was declined, they still re- main, and, it would appear, are determined to go to greater lengths than they have yet done; and the nominal leaders of the movement have invited

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delegates from the other portions of the popula- tion to meet them on the 16th inst., to consider their views as to the form of government to be adopted."

The situation became acute. The half-breeds, led by Kiel, began to assert themsefves and de- cided to capture Fort Garry. As McTavish writes, on the pretence of guarding the Fort, they took possession of it, and held it for a number of months. Kiel had in mind to proclaim himself Dictator of the new Province of Rupert's Land. He seized the Nor' Norwestern newspaper, arrest- ed the edi-tor, and issued a proclamation in which he invited the French-speaking population to send twelve representatives to form a council to con- sider the political state of the country and adopt measures for its future welfare. About the same time, the friends of the Dominion began to suspect that the Hudson Bay Company was making com- mon cause with the insurgents, though in fact that Company was urging its Governor (McTav- ish) to make it clear to the malcontents that they in no way sympathized with the revolt. After much hesitation, McTavish issued a proclamation charging those engaged in unlawful acts to dis- perse under pains and penalties of the law.

Meanwhile, Kiel issued a proclamation refus- ing to acknowledge the authority of Canada and

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announcing a provisional Government with John Bruce as President and Kiel as Secretary. He also proceeded to place under arrest, to the num- ber of 60, those who opposed him in his policy. He further hoisted over the fort a new flag— a white ground with a fleur-de-lis and a shamrock. By the end of the year 1869 he had become Presi- dent and was carrying things with a high hand.

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CHAPTER V. The Role of Peacemaker.

It was at this juncture that Donald Smith came to the rescue. He had surveyed the situation from afar. Two thousand miles away, in Montreal, he pondered the matter — perceived the danger — realized the weakness of Macdougall's policy and discovered a remedy. The man for the occasion must be one who understood both sides, could deal with both, had 'the confidence of both and could be on the spot in person to promote a settlement. And it was in no spirit of self-esteem that he re- cognized in himself the man for the post. He be- lieved in himself. He believed that he could pacify and control the turbulent spirits, and, with no desire to exalt himself, he offered his services to the Government. He announced his intention to go to Red River to pour oil on the troubled waters of political life.

What a change in his fortunes! He had spent thirty years in obscurity, living a rough and toil- some life, the companion of rough men, trading with Indians and Esquimaux, enduring physical hardships and exposed to many a hazard. His existence, so far as society was concerned and the 32

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conduct of affairs, was of the narrowest and most confined. Then suddenly he found himself in the stir and strain of public matters of the highest importance, the confidant of great statesmen and entrusted with a commission of the most delicate character. It was a tribute to the value of his experience, and to the wise use he had made of those years of discipline that, when the occasion came, he was ready to meet it. It is interesting to wonder what might have happened had he failed in the duty that was laid upon him. The whole future of the North-West and, indeed, of the young Dominion, was involved in the issue of his mis- sion.

In order that he might be in a better position to negotiate, the authorities at Ottawa decided that he should go, not simply as an official of the Hudson Bay Company, but as "Commissioner" from the Dominion Government. To this end he received a letter from the Secretary of State, ap- pointing him Special 'Commissioner, "to inquire into and report upon the causes, nature and extent of the obstruction offered at the Red River, etc., etc.," and also to consider and report on the most advisable mode of dealing with the Indian tribes in the North- Western Territories.

He started on his mission without delay. He left Ottawa on the 13th of December, and travel- ling by rail, stage coach and sleigh, reached Pem- bina, on the American border, about midnight Christmas Eve. He had taken eleven days to make a journey now accomplished in one day and a half.

BIOGRAPHY OF

On the 27th of December he reached Fort Garry. There he met for the first time the so-called Presi- dent, Louis Kiel, who was the head and front of the rebellion, and whose reckless ambition came near to producing civil war. As he refused "to take an oath not to leave the fort that night, nor to upset the Government," Mr. Smith was kept a prisoner for nearly two months, though he was allowed considerable liberty. These two months represent a most critical period in the history of Canada. It was a trial of strength between the Canadian Commissioner and the half-breed rebel, with the advantage at the start on the side of the latter. There is no doubt that Kiel was afraid of his antagonist. He was a man of different calibre from those with whom he had had to deal, a man not easily frightened, of a powerful personal pres- ence and also the official representative of the Dominion and Imperial Governments. After many discussions, he agreed to hold a meeting at which Mr. Smith could set forth the object of his mission and explain the intentions of the Govern- ment. This meeting was held on January 19th, 1870. It was a memorable gathering. A thousand people attended, and as there was no hall large enough to hold them, they met in the open air with the thermometer 20 below zero.

As a result of this meeting, forty representa- tives were afterwards elected to consider the mes- sage of Mr. Smith. Considered in the light of the subsequent history of the Canadian North-West, it is doubtful if a more important meeting was ever held. Affairs were critical. Kiel and his 34

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friends were in possession and were loath to give up their position and were ready to oppose every proposal and raise every objection. Mr. Smith made a speech which was full of the wise and con- ciliatory spirit. He asserted that he was there in the interests of Canada, but only so far as they were in accordance with the interests of that country. He declared that so far as his connec- tion with the Hudson Bay Company was concern- ed, he was ready at the moment to give up his position. He expressed the hope that his efforts might 'contribute to bring about peaceably, union and entire accord among all classes of people of the country.

He then read a letter which had been written him by the Governor-General of Canada, the Hon. John Young. In that letter he was authorized to assure the people "that the Imperial Government had no intention of acting otherwise, or permit- ting others to act otherwise, than in perfect good faith towards the inhabitants of the Red River district of the North- West." He was to assure them that the different religious persuasions would be respected; titles of property would be care- fully guarded ; existing franchises should be con- tinued and that ' ' right shall be done in all cases. ' '

But the greatest impression was produced when he, in spite of the efforts of Riel to prevent it, read a communication direct from the Queen her- self. There is a touch of romance in the scene — a letter from the greatest Sovereign of the age being read to a motley crowd of her subjects on 37

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that far-away prairie in the depth of winter. When the reading of this letter was finished, the assembly showed their appreciation by cheer after cheer. It is worth while to give the communica- tion in full.

"The Queen has heard with surprise and regret that certain misguided persons have banded to- gether to oppose by force the entry of the future Lieutenant-Governor into our territory in Red River. Her Majesty does not mistrust the loyalty of persons in that settlement, and can only ascribe to misunderstanding or misrepresentation their opposition to a change planned for their advan- tage. She relies on your Government to use every effort to explain whatever misunderstandings have arisen — to ascertain their wants and concili- ate the good will of the people of the Red River settlement. But in the meantime, she authorizes you to signify to them the sorrow and displeasure with which she views the unreasonable and law- less proceedings that have taken place; and her expectation that if any parties have desires to ex- press, or complaints to make, respecting their con- ditions and prospects, they will address themselves to the Governor-General of Canada. The Queen expects from her representative that, as he will be always ready to receive well founded griev- ances, so will he exercise the power and author- ity she entrusted to him in the support of order and the suppression of unlawful disturbances."

A "Bill of Rights" was adopted and it was decided to send delegates to Ottawa to confer with the Dominion Government. Meanwhile a

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Provisional Government was formed, of which Kiel became President, and O'Donoghue, a Fen- ian priest, the Secretary of the Treasury. The next few weeks were marked by stormy episodes. Six hundred men marched on Fort Garry to secure the release of the prisoners confined there. On the approach of this force, Kiel set the pris- oners free, but revealed his treacherous nature by arresting nearly 50 of the rescuers as, after the matter was settled, they were returning to their homes. Among these was Major Boulton, whom he condemned to be shot, but was persuaded by the earnest efforts of Mr. Smith to recall the sen- tence and set him free. In the case of Thomas Scott, however, the result was more dreadful. He was one of the prisoners and for reasons that seem altogether insufficient was condemned to death. In vain Mr. Smith and others interceded for him. The President was immovable in his de- termination, and early in March the young man was put to death.

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CHAPTER VI. Mr. Smith's Account of Scott's Death.

Mr. Smith in his report to the Government gives a detailed account of the putting to death of Thomas Scott, which is as follows: "I had no further communication with Kiel until Monday, the 4th of March, when about 10 o'clock in the morning, Pere Lestanc called on me. He inform- ed me of Bishop (afterwards Archbishop) Tache's expected arrival — not later certainly than the 8th and probably some days earlier — adding that his lordship had telegraphed to request that if about to leave for Canada, I would defer my departure until he could communicate personally with me. He (Pere Lestanc) then said that the conduct of the prisoners was very unsatisfactory, that they were unruly, insolent to the soldiers and their behavior -altogether so very bad that he was afraid the guards might be forced to retaliate in self-defence." I expressed much surprise at the information he gave, as the prisoners, without exception, had promised to Archdeacon McLean and myself that, seeing their helpless position, they would endeavor to act so as to avoid giving offence to their guards, and we encouraged them to look forward to be speedily released in fulfil- 40

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ment of the promise made by Mr. Kiel. About 11 o'clock Pere Lestanc left me and went upstairs to communicate to Governor McTavish what he termed the good news that Bishop Tache was expected soon. The Reverend Mr. Young, Methodist clergyman, had just entered the house, and meeting the Pere in the hall, conversed with him for a few minutes. Mr. Young then came up to me, and from him I had the first intimation that it was intended to shoot Thomas Scott (a leader in the Portage La Prairie rising), and that the sentence was to be carried into effect at twelve o'clock that day. We agreed in believing that this thing was too monstrous to be possible, and Mr. Young said that poor Scott himself was equally incredulous on the subject, thinking they merely intended to frighten him. However, even to keep him in suspense was a horrible cruelty, and it was arranged that as Mr. Young had been sent for to attend the man, he should see Kiel, ascertain exactly how the matter stood, and if really serious, let me know at once. Mr. Young accordingly called on Kiel, was informed that Scott had been condemned, that the sentence was irrevocable, and would not be dealyed one minute beyond noon. Mr. Young begged for delay, say- ing that the man was not prepared to die; but all without avail. lie was paralyzed with horror, re- turned to the prisoner and immediately sent a messenger to inform me of the result of his visit. I determined to find out Kiel immediately, but re- collecting that Pere Lestanc was still upstairs with Mr. McTavish, went to him, related what I

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had heard, and asked him if he knew anything about the matter. His answer was to the effect that they had seen Mr. Kiel and had all spoken to him about it ; by which I understood that they had interceded for Scott.

Governor McTavish was greatly shocked on being informed of Kiel's purpose and joined in reprobating it. Pere Lestanc consented to accom- pany me, and we called on Kiel. When we en- tered, he asked me, 'What news from Canada?' The mail had arrived on the preceding day, and I replied, 'Only the intelligence that Bishop Tache will be here very soon.' I then mentioned what I had heard regarding Scott, and before Kiel an- swered, Pere Lestanc interposed in French words meaning, 'Is there no way of escape?' Kiel re- plied to him, 'My Rev. Pere, you know exactly how the matter stands '; then turning to me, he said, 'I will explain to you,'" speaking at first in English but shortly afterwards using the French, remarking to me, 'You understand that lan- guage?' He said in substance that Scott had been throughout a dangerous character, had-been the ringleader in a rising against Mr. Snow, who had charge of the party employed by the Can- udian Government during the preceding summer, in roadmaking; that he had risen against the 'Provisional Government' in December last, that his life was then spared ; that he escaped, had again been taken in arms, and once more par- doned (referring, no doubt, to the promise he had made to me that the lives and liberty of all the prisoners were secured) ; but that he was incor- rigible and quite incapable of appreciating the 42

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clemency with which he had been treated; that Le was rough and abusive to the guards and in- sulting to him, Mr. Kiel ; that his example had been productive of the very worst effects on the other prisoners, who had become insubordinate to such an extent that it was difficult to withhold the guards from retaliating.'

He further said, 'I sat down with Scott as we are doing now, and asked him truthfully to tell me — as I would not use the statement against him — what he and the Portage people intended to have done with me had they succeeded in cap- turing me, to which he replied, 'We intended to keep you as a hostage for the safety of the prison- ers.' I argued with Kiel and endeavored to show that some of the circumstances he had men- tioned, and especially the last, were very strong reasons why Scott's life should not be sacrificed, and that if, as he represented, Scott was a rash, thoughtless man, whom none cared to have any- thing to do with, no evil need be apprehended from his example. I pointed out that the one great merit claimed for the insurrection was that it had been bloodless ; I implored him not now to stain it, not to burden it with what would be considered a horrible crime. 'We must make Canada respect us!' he exclaimed. 'She has every proper respect for the people of the Red River,'' I replied, 'and this is shown in her having sent Commissioners to treat with them.' I told him I had seen the prisoners some time back, when they commissioned me to say to their friends at Portage that they desired peace, and I offered 43

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to go to them again and reason with them should that be necessary. On this he said, 'Look here, Mr. Smith, I sent a representative to see the pris- oners, and when he asked them whom they would vote for as councillors outside their own body, Thomas Scott came forward and said, 'Boys, have nothing to do with those Americans/ When I remarked that this was a most trifling affair, and should not have been repeated, Kiel said, 'Do not attempt to prejudice us against the Americans; for although we have not been with them, they are with us, and have been better friends to us than the Canadians.'

Much more was said on both sides, but argu- ment, entreaty and protest alike failed to draw him from his purpose, and he closed by saying: 'I have done three good things since I com- menced; I have spared Boulton's life at your in- stance, and I do not regret it, for he is a fine fel- low; I pardoned another one, and he showed his gratitude by escaping, but I don't grudge him his miserable life; and now I shall shoot Scott.'

The Adjutant-General now entered; he was president of the council of seven which tried Scott, five of whom, Kiel told me, 'with tears streaming from their eyes, condemned him as worthy of death,' a sentence which he had con- firmed. In answer to Kiel, the Adjutant said,

Scott must die. Kiel then requested the Rev.

Pere Lestanc to put the people on their knees for

prayer, as it might do good to the condemned

man's soul. Referring to Pere Lestanc and

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making a final appeal, unnecessary to repeat, 1 retired.

It was now within a few minutes of one o 'clock, and on entering the Governor's house, the Rev. Mr. Young joined me and said, ''It is now con- siderably past the hour; I trust you have suc- ceeded?' ''No,' I said, 'for God's sake go back at once to the poor man, for I fear the worst.' He left immediately, and a few minutes after entering the room in which the prisoner was con- fined, some guards marched in and told Scott that his hour had come. Not until then did the reality of his position flash upon poor Scott. He said good-bye to the other prisoners, was led outside the gate of the Fort with a white handkerchief covering his head; his coffin, having a piece of white cotton thrown over it, was carried out.

His eyes were then bandaged; he continued in prayer, in which he had been engaged on the way, for a few minutes. He asked Mr. Young how he should place himself, whether standing or kneel- ing; then knelt in the snow, said farewell, and immediately fell back, pierced by three bullets. The firing party consisted of six men, all of whom, it is said, were more or less intoxicated. It has been further stated that only three of the muskets were loaded with ball cartridge, and that one man did not discharge his piece. Mr. Young turned aside when the first shots were fired, then went back to the body, and again retired for a moment, while a man discharged his revolver at the suf- ferer, the ball, it is said, entering the eye and passing round the head. 45

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The wounded man groaned between the time of receiving the musket shots and the discharge of the revolver. Mr. Young asked to have the re- mains for interment in the burying-ground of the Presbyterian Church, but this was not acceded to, and a similar request, preferred by the Bishop of Rupert's Land, was also refused. He was buried within the walls of the fort. It is said on descend- ing the steps leading from the prison door, Scott, addressing Mr. Young, said, 'This is a cold- blooded murder,' then he engaged in prayer, and was so occupied until he was shot."

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CHAPTER VII. The Red River Expedition.

This ended communication between Mr. Smith and Kiel. He had done what he could to bring about a better state of feeling. He had cleared from the minds of the people their misunderstand- ing of the intentions of the Dominion Government. He had undermined the influence of Kiel and had won over most of the people to a favorable atti- tude toward the Canadian Government. He had discharged a difficult duty and earned for himself the gratitude of succeeding generations. A false move — an unwise word — would have started the fires of insurrection. He says himself, "The part I had to act was that of a mediator. Not only would one rash or unguarded word have increas- ed the difficulty, but even the pointing of a finger might, on more than one occasion, have been sufficient to put the whole country into a flame." In the midst of these trying conditions, he carried himself as though he had been trained in the schools cf diplomacy. He stepped out of the wilds of Prince Rupert's Land, and became immediately a leading figure in the political world. His ser- vices were recognized and acknowledged by the 47

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Government, to whom he presented a luminous report of his experiences in the North- West, and an official letter of thanks was sent him by the Governor-General-in-Council.

He was not, however, done with the West, for there were still matters to be settled in connection with the transfer of the Hudson Bay Company to the Canadian Government. That transfer had caused a great deal of dissatisfaction among the officers and servants of the company throughout the immense territory which had been occupied. These men were the real promoters of its pros- perity. They had explored the remote parts of that great territory. They had served the com- pany with pluck, courage and fidelity, and felt that they were entitled to some share in the pro- ceeds for which the company was handed over to the Government of Canada. A council meeting was held at Norway House (on Lake Winnipeg), to consider the situation and formulate their claims. Mr. Smith was present at that meeting and took part in the deliberations. He had to deal with a fine body of men, hardy, resolute and of superior mental power — men who had proven their self-reliance and stamina on many a difficult occasion. The meeting was stormy, but Mr. Smith held it in check. He was recognized as a man who by his 32 years of service had been invested with a natural authority. All the way through he was reasonable and conciliatory. He inspired such confidence that, as a result of the meeting, he was appointed to go to London and present their case to the company in England. He accepted the

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appointment and from that moment the men in the North- West believed that their interests were safe. It was felt that even the haughty share- holders in the Old Land would give him a respect- ful hearing and their claim a just consideration.

But before going to England, matters were ap- proaching a crisis in the Red River Settlement, and Mr. Smith had a part to play in the final scenes. Some time previously he had urged upon the Gov- ernment at Ottawa the necessity of sending to the North- West a strong military force. This coun- sel was followed and in the summer of 1870 the memorable Red River Expedition was taken. Col onel Garnet Wolseley was the leader, and through bad roads, dense forests, unknown waterways, dif- ficult portages and in leaky boats, was pressing on to Fort Garry. It was a long and dreary journey, and it was late in August when they arrived. The route followed was that of the old-time fur-trad- ers. The soldiers, British regulars and Canadian volunteers, travelled from Canada by way of the Lake of the Woods, down the Winnipeg River, over the Winnipeg Lake, and then up the Red River to Fort Garry. They had traversed 600 miles of wilderness, and after their experience presented a fine appearance, several hundred men in splendid physical condition. Their coming was most opportune. After many months of anxiety, the sight of this body of men raised the spirits of the people, and sent a thrill of hope through the whole settlement. It was felt that their troubles were over and the power of Riel shattered.

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A hearty welcome and generous hospitality awaited the soldiers at Fort Alexander after their long and difficult journey. Mr. Smith met the Imperial force at this place, and shaking hands with Colonel Wolseley and the officers, gave them a hearty greeting. In the company were two young officers who afterwards became distinguish- ed in the Imperial Army. They were to be known as Sir Redvers Buller and Sir Wm. Butler. The company started across Lake Winnipeg, and pad- dled up the Red River. Great was the excitement. The banks of the river were lined all day with cheering spectators. Flags waved and church bells rang out their welcome. They were heralded as the saviours of the country. The tyranny of Riel, the "New Napoleon," had filled the hearts of the people with disgust and fear. The troops disembarked at the point of land known as Point Douglas — a place which, in 1816, had been the scene of a desperate conflict between the North Western Fur Company and the retainers of the Hudson's Bay Company. This place was about two miles north of Fort Garry, and thence "the little army with its two brass guns trundling along behind Red River carts, commenced its march over the mud-soaked prairie." They reach- ed the fort in due time without meeting any opposition, and took possession. The chief con- spirators, Riel, O'Donoghue and Lepine, when in- formed of the near approach of the rescuing party, had fled across the river. They cut the hawser by which the ferry was worked, and from the shores of St. Boniface beheld Wolseley, Smith

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and the soldiery enter the fort. It is said that Kiel, \vhen he saw Mr. Smith, was in a terrible rage, and said, "There goes the man who upset my plans," which was undoubtedly true. The brief reign of Kiel was over. The Union Jack was hoisted, a royal salute fired, and three cheers were given for the Queen. Thus, without the firing of a shot, the troublous period was ended. ' ' The trans- fer of Prince Rupert's Land was completed, and the governing power of the famous old company was a thing of the past." The territories of the West became part of the young Dominion of Canada.

Their work accomplished and the disorder set- tled, the "regulars" soon after started on the re- turn journey home. But before they left, Col. Wolseley issued an order, part of which is well worth quoting, as it is such a remarkable tribute to their splendid services: "It may be confidently asserted that no force has ever had to endure more continuous labor, and it may be as truthfully said that no men on service had ever been better be- haved, or more cheerful under the trials arising from exposure to inclement weather, excessive fatigue, and to the annoyance caused by flies."

There being no properly appointed civil auth- ority— the new Lieutenant-Governor, the Hon. Adams G. Archibald, not having arrived — Col. Wolseley, to the satisfaction of all classes, called upon Mr. Smith to administer the affairs of the territory. A body of citizens came to congratu- late him on the successful ending of the rebellion. To these he addressed the following words, which 51

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show better than anything else the spirit by which he was animated: "It lies in ourselves to con- tinue the work of pacification, now so auspiciously begun. Let us all strive to banish discord and make this new Province a credit to the Dominion of Canada." As we look back over the interven- ing years we can see how that aspiration has been realized. Manitoba, with its great cities and towns, its prosperous farms and its enterprising and intelligent people, is regarded by the Domin- ion with pride. In a short time Archibald arrived, and Mr. Smith handed over to him the responsi- bilities of government.

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CHAPTER VHI.

Member of Parliament and Chief Commissioner.

The new Governor had his troubles. The flame of rebellion had been subdued, but the embers still remained and there was the possibility of further outbreak. There were two factions which had to be reconciled — the one clamoring for the arrest of the rebel leaders, and the other, the French element, who were anxious, now that the trouble was over, that an amnesty should be granted to all concerned. It was a case requiring great care and deliberation and the mediatorial spirit. Mr. Smith was of great assistance to the Governor in these trying days. It is no secret now that the Dominion Government desired that Kiel should be induced to leave the country, as his presence was a menace to the peace of the settle- ment. A secret arrangement was made with Arch- bishop Tache to get the rebel away. A sum of $1,000 was sent to pay expenses, and to this sum, on behalf of the Government, Mr. Smith added $3,000 more, and so for a while the country was freed from his disturbing presence.

Now came the time of the real awakening of the North- West, and no one contributed more Lo 55

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its development than Mr. Smith, who had defi- nitely decided to cast in his lot with that country. He had faith in the new country, was familiar with its resources, was able to foresee its splendid future. The young Province was organized into electoral districts, and Mr. Smith was elected local member for the Town of Winnipeg on Dec. 30th, 1870. On March 2nd, 1871, he was elected to rep- resent the division of Selkirk in the Dominion Parliament. The times were crude, the methods rough, but they were the beginnings of political order in that far-off wild land. Mr. Smith was to be henceforth a great political figure. In the short space of fifteen months he had established himself with a reputation for fairness and courage, had won the confidence of the inhabitants and enjoyed a popularity greater than fell to the lot of any man in that great country. No man from Red River westward was better known or more highly respected. He started off on his political career, the greatness of which no one could imagine, with the good will and good wishes of all those varied classes with which he had had dealings. At this time his official position was three-fold — he was member of the Xorth-West Council, member of the Provincial Legislature, and member of the Domin- ion Parliament.

On a previous page, we have described how Mr. Smith had been appointed by the discontented officials of the Hudson Bay Company to proceed to London and lay their claims before the com- pany there. The time had now come when he was free to undertake that mission, and therefore the

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next place we see him is in London, facing the body of English shareholders and displaying there the same qualities which had proved so successful in other difficult situations. He was a born nego- tiator. It is not necessary to go into details. It is sufficient to say that in spite of the adverse feeling which he encountered, he succeeded in convincing these directors that the claim of their officers in the far west was a true and just claim, and further, that it would be to their own interests to deal generously with the men upon whose loyalty and industry the future welfare of the company depended. As a result of his negotiations, the sum of £107,000 was voted to the officers and a new arrangement was entered into for the future. But a further step was taken. In the new conditions of the North-West and in view of the expected rapid development there, it was felt that a "Chief Commissioner" must be appointed to assume con- trol of the company's affairs in the North-West, and before he left London Mr. Smith was ap- pointed to that office, being the unanimous choice of the directors as the one person fitted to dis- charge its duties.

A

Iff

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CHAPTER IX. First Appearance in Parliament.

Donald Smith's activities were now transferred to the House of Commons at Ottawa. When he first entered the House a new era had begun in Canadian history. The Dominion Parliament found itself compelled to deal with large issues. The incoming of the. North- West country had changed the outlook, widened the horizon, pre- sented new problems and had placed upon the Government a heavy burden of unfamiliar duties. It was just the opportunity of which a man pos- sessed of Smith's experience and special ability could avail himself.

His first session there was important, for it re- vealed to a larger public those abilities which had been known to comparatively few. It was for him a trying experience. He was introduced to the House by Sir George Cartier, on March 29th, 1871, before the Manitoba Bill had received the Royal assent. Prom the very beginning he became a subject of interest and discussion. He had scarcely taken his seat when Alex. Mackenzie, th<' leader of the Opposition, raised the question of his right to sit there — the Act under which he did so 58

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not having as yet received the assent of the Im- perial authorities. The leader of the Government made an explanation, and the matter ended; but it is worthy of notice that, though Mackenzie had raised the question of his right to be there, a great personal friendship grew up between these two men, which continued during Mackenzie's life. Often, when he became Premier of Canada, did Mackenzie and Smith exchange views on the ques- tions of the day, and when, later, he was out of office, the ex-Premier was the gnest of Smith at Silver Heights, Winnipeg.

As one might naturally expect, the affairs of the North-West received considerable attention during this session of Parliament. The new ter- ritory had just come into the Dominion. The memory of recent stirring events, the Kiel rebel- lion, the military expedition, the establishment of a local Government, was still fresh in the mind of the members. Man}- times the excitement in the House was intense, and the new member on sev- eral occasions found himself the centre of interest. His maiden speech was made in defence of another member from the West, a Mr. Delorme of Pro- vencher. This man had been one of Kiel's friends, and he was accused of co-operating with the rebel during the recent troubles — he was practically charged with treason, as being a member of Kiel's Government, and with murder, as being a member of the court-martial which had condemned Scott. Feeling ran high. Mr. Delorme declared the charges false, and that he knew nothing of the murder until two days after it had been com- mitted. He had had nothing to do with Kiel's

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Council and was a properly elected delegate to the convention which conferred with Mr. Smith, when he was sent as Commissioner by the Can- adian Government. The incident is interesting be- cause it was the occasion of Mr. Smith making his first speech in Parliament. That speech was characteristic of the man. It was a plain, succint statement of the facts as he actually knew them to have occurred. The quiet, earnest manner of the speaker, his natural dignity and appearance of sincerity, carried conviction.

The following is an extract of the speech : "It would be in the recollection of most of the mem- bers of this House, that a certain party in Red River got up a council last winter, which was called the 'Provisional Government.' It was com- posed of Mr. Riel and several French members. With that Council he was convinced the honorable member in question (Mr. Delorme) had nothing to do. I agreed to the public meeting which was held on January 18th and 19th, when members were freely elected to the Convention by both sides. The Convention met in February, and was occupied in discussing the so-called Bill of Rights. The discussion was as free and unre- strained, as any discussion in the House up to a certain point.

"The honorable member for Provencher (Mr. Delorme) was a member of the Convention and then, and not till then, had the honorable gentle- man anything to do with the disturbance or insur- rection at Red River. I never heard anything mooted against Mr. Delorme until the other day, GO

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and certainly had I believed there was any foun- dation for such a charge, I would not only have hesitated, but actually refused to have been in anywise instrumental in introducing the honor- able member before this House, as I have done. I would have regarded it as unbecoming my posi- tion as a member of this House, and still more, as an insult to my honor, if I had thought that the honorable member had been in any way con- nected with the so-called court-martial. As to who constituted that court-martial I do not know, but that Mr. Delorme was one of those people who arrogated to themselves the power to sit in judg- ment upon a British subject and condemn him to death, I entirely deny. (Cheers).

"There was a further Convention and delega- tion, which was sometimes called the 'House of Assembly of Red River.' To that also, I believe, the honorable gentleman had been elected, but elected by his parish. I took some little part in bringing that Assembly together. A great deal has been said about that — a great deal erron- eously. What was done at that time was this : There was at that time a gentleman from Canada condemned to death. Intercession had been made for him by several parties, but witnout avail. At a late hour in the evening I visited those who were then in power, and it was given me to understand that they were absolutely in favour of the union with Canada, and merely desired to have the people of Red River come to an understanding exactly on what terms and conditions they were to enter the Confederation. I assented, so far as 61

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my assent was necessary, on behalf of Canada, to this Council being called, and further said I would go amongst the people and induce them to take part in this Council or Convention, but abso- lutely and only with the view of making arrange- ments for a union with Canada. Of that Conven- tion the honorable member for Provencher was also a member. I believe that having said this, I have said all that is necessary on the subject.

' ' There was in the first instance a Council called the 'Provisional Government' — the member for Provencher had nothing to do with that. In the Convention of which the honorable gentleman was subsequently a member, there were several who took part in it, not simply because they happened to be present, but they actually took a more active part in bringing matters forward than the French- speaking members, and there can be no imputation against their loyalty. (Cheers). Further, I might say that I fully believe there are none who de- plore the sad events of last winter more than the people of Red River, not only the English, but the French-speaking people of Red River." After some discussion, his views prevailed and the mo- tion for a committee of enquiry was voted down.

His position as the official head of the fur-trade and his intimate knowledge of the conditions in the new country, gave him a great influence in Parliament. He knew more about these matters than the Government itself and his counsel was often sought by the authorities.

In this same session the question of the murder of Scott came up for discussion. It was a burn- 62

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ing question. At this distance of time it is hard to realize how deeply the East was stirred by this outrage. The demand was insistent that the mur- derers should be hunted down and punished. The Government was in a delicate position. The Opposition was not unwilling to take advantage of the feeling roused. But there was danger in reviving the question. Kiel had many friends among the people of the West. The relations be- tween the French and English were still somewhat strained. To pursue a policy of arrest and pun- ishment might rouse passions not easily quieted and produce a racial conflict. Nothing was more needed at this juncture than a cautious and pacific policy. Attacks were made upon the Dominion Government which were met by the Government's assertion that Canada had no jurisdiction in the North- West at the time of Scott's execution. The attack then turned upon the Hudson Bay Com- pany, which was charged with conspiring to pre- vent justice being done to the murderers. Against this attack Mr. Smith, at whom the charge was evidently directed, took the floor in defence of the company and again proved himself well qualified to take care of himself in the House.

He arose in his place in Parliament and said : "Sir, I was present at Fort Garry when Thomas Scott was murdered. I did all in my power to save the life of the poor man. When I was vested with the chief civil authority after Kiel's depar- ture, a number of excited people — some forty or fifty of them — came to me, asking to be sworn in. as special constables to arrest the murderers. They 63

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said, ''We will go to shoot them down, but not to take them in any other way." In fact, they demanded a warrant to commit murder. I refused to give them such a warrant. They afterwards, it is true, obtained one ; but by that time the mur- derers had escaped."

During this session he became recognized as one of the leaders of Parliament, and the expert "exponent of North- Western affairs. He had won for himself a place in the esteem and confi- dence of the East, only equalled by that which he already held in the North-West and Prince Rupert's Land. When, during the next session, an Act was passed, providing that the territories outside of Manitoba should be governed by the Lieutenant-Governor of Manitoba and a Council of eleven members, Mr. Smith was appointed a member. One member, to reach this Council, had to travel 2,000 miles by dog train, from Fort Simp- son on the Mackenzie River, and his journey occupied fifty-five days of actual travel. Truly, it was a land of magnificent distances, and this fact shows how tremendously conditions have altered since then.

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CHAPTER X. Riel the Rebel.

As" the name of Louis Riel appears many times in this narrative it may be well to give a short chapter to the description of his romantic career, and its tragic ending on the gallows. As one reads the actual facts of his life it seems like reading the "Penny dreadfuls" of former days. He was just the stuff out of which the heroes of that thrilling literature were made. Who would ever dream that the half-breed lad born in the wilderness would become in time a figure of such importance as to threaten the welfare of the Dominion and be a subject of Imperial diplom- acy? He was endowed with great natural gifts which early began to show themselves for, when he was but a boy, Bishop Tache discovered him doggedly studying Latin at a small college in St. Boniface. This wise man, always on the lookout for promising material, saw in the studious lad the promise of a future priest and, perhaps, a bishop. He enlisted on his behalf the good-will of "a devout lady, Madame Masson, and she as- sumed the expense of his education at Montreal. There is no doubt that, had they been able to keep him and control him as well as educate him, 65

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their highest hope might have been realized, for he had the ability which would have made him a dignitary of the Church. But his inclinations carried him in other directions. He was full of the spirit of life and activity. For awhile he secured employment in the States but in 1869 we find him back at his mother's, the Red River Settlement, a "freighter" on the plains.

He came upon times suited to his stormy tem- perament. He became by reason of his intelli- gence and personality the natural and acknowl- edged leader of the half-breeds. They looked to him and trusted him and by his influence over them he was a power that had to be reckoned with in any dealings with the Settlement. Sir John A. Macdonald, who was a shrewd judge of men, recognized his abilities and scented danger. Writing to the newly appointed Lieutenant-Gov- ernor, Mr. William McDougall, he uttered a word of warning. "This man Riel," he said, "who appears to be the moving spirit, is a clever fel- low, and you should endeavor to retain him as an officer in your future police. If you do this promptly it will be a convincing proof that you are not going to leave the half-breeds out of the law." This shows the leadership which he had secured over the French half-breeds, who by tem- perament were averse to steady occupation, who loved the life of the river and the plain, and whose restless, volatile disposition made them quick to take offence and always ready to defy the authorities if they fancied their rights and privileges were attacked. These people gathered 66

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about Kiel and he had no scruples about making use of them to further his ambitious designs. And he was ambitious. The pact by which the North-west was handed over to the Dominion was skilfully used by him to stir up an insurrection, and it is easy to imagine that he dreamed of a position of something akin to sovereignty in that vast domain. One has a kind of pity for the ignorance, and, at the same time, a sort of ad- miration for the boldness, of the man who, with a few thousand, poor, unequipped and ignorant people, challenged the supremacy of the Imperial authorities. For this is what he actually did. He prevented the new Governor from entering the territory. He took possession of Fort Garry on the pretence of protecting it. He set up a "Provisional Government" of which he was the real head. He arrested and kept as prisoners three score of those who wrere friendly to the new order. When Donald Smith appeared upon the scene as the Commissioner both of the Hud- son Bay Company and the Dominion Govern- ment, he promptly made him prisoner. And dur- ing the negotiations that were carried on, the efforts to secure a peaceful termination to the dissatisfaction, he maintained a persistent opposi- tion and put every obstacle in the way. He stopped short at nothing, and by the killing of Scott, after the farce of a trial, stained his hands with blood. The coming of the troops put an end, for a time, to his evil career, and he was practically driven from the country as an outlaw.

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For fourteen years the country was at peace. Law and order became firmly established. Repre- sentative Government was set up. The city of Winnipeg began to shape itself on the site of Fort Garry. The Province of Manitoba began to fill with English-speaking settlers. The prairie became dotted with towns and villages, and the building of railroads was begun. The half-breeds had migrated in large numbers farther west where they could hunt and fish, and, in their shiftless fashion, till little patches of ground. But they could not escape from the energy and enterprise of the white people, who kept crowd- ing upon them and whose modern methods threat- ened their -chances of a livelihood.

Thus it was that in 1884 there came eastward rumors of an insurrection similar to that which had threatened the country in 1869-70. At the head of this movement was Kiel, lie had been elected member of Provencher for the Dominion Parliament but the House voted his election void after the Manitoba Court had found against him a true bill for murder and he had failed to ap- pear for trial. During all these years he had lived in the States supporting himself by teach- ing school, and also receiving monies from the Secret Service fund of the Dominion Government which were really a bribe paid to keep him out of the country. To him the agitators in the far West turned and he responded to their call and came back to be the leader of the new insurrec- tion. It was a fatal step. On the banks of the Saskatchewan, a noble river which empties into

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Lake Winnipeg after a course of more than a thousand miles, the standard of rebellion was set up. The rebels, emboldened by the belief that they would have the support of French Can- ada, attacked and defeated, with loss of life, the Mounted Police and Prince Albert Volunteers. A number of Indian tribes joined forces with them and under a chief named Big Bear com- pelled the abandonment of Fort Pitt on the North Saskatchewan.

Things were certainly beginning to look seri- ous. The rebels, encouraged by their success and by their knowledge of the difficulties which beset the Government in dealing with a disturbance so far away, were becoming more and more ag- gressive. The situation was alarming. The forces that preserved order in that remote dis- trict seemed insufficient to maintain the peace. It looked as if the whole North-west might be embroiled in a disastrous conflict and the integ- rity of the Dominion imperilled. At that stage of development it would have been nothing short of a calamity if the impression had got abroad that the new country was likely to be the scene of actual racial conflict — a conflict rendered all the more feaful if there should be added to it the horrors of Indian warfare.

The Government was in an exceedingly diffi- cult position. It had to keep in mind the pos- sibility of the French in Quebec sympathizing with their compatriots in the West. Moreover, it was the first time any serious demand had been made on the military department. Every-

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thing was in the formative stage and that de- partment had had to give way to other matters that seemed more important. So that there was some reason for the insurgents feeling elated and confident.

But times had greatly changed since 1870. The country had been opened up. Transportation schemes had been carried forward. In Manitoba there was a body of people who could be de- pended on to help, and indeed a fine company of men was gathered in the young city of Winni- peg. Telegraphic communication had been set up so that the news of the doings of the rebels was immediately conveyed to the east and aroused an extraordinary outburst of feeling not only in Ontario but also in Quebec. The Government took prompt action and issued a call for volun- teers which was responded to both by French and English. Soldiers were entrained at Toronto and Montreal and, under Major-General Middle- ton, a regular officer in command of the Canadian militia, set out on their long journey, to the num- ber of over four thousand men.

The Canadian Pacific Railway was then con- structed as far as Qu'Appelle. To that place the soldiers were brought by train, a good deal of the way in rough cars on a rough road bed, but there was no complaining and they left the train at Qu'Appelle in good trim and eager for the further journey of two hundred and thirty miles which lay between them and Batoche. This was a town, or rather village, in the centre of the disaffected district. Tn due course they reached 70'

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their destination and were oil the scene of trouble in less than a month from the time of their de- parture. It speaks well for the efficiency of those who had the matter in hand and also shows how greatly conditions had changed that, in spite of the difficult nature of their task, they were able to accomplish it in such an incredibly short time.

Before actually reaching Batoche, they suf- fered a slight check at Fish Creek, about fifteen miles away. There they encountered a novel and ingenious mode of warfare. In a deep ravine the enemy had concealed themselves in rifle pits. Safely ensconced in these, they succeeded in shooting down a number of volunteers before their whereabouts could be discovered. But the check was only a brief one. Far from dishearten- ing the men, the loss of their comrades roused them to greater determination and in a few days, when they met the insurgents in full strength at Batoche, they inflicted on them a crushing defeat which practically ended the ' insurrection. The story of the rebellion of '85 is familiar to the reader and perhaps its importance has not been fully understood. There can be no doubt that if the incipient flame of rebellion had not been promptly and thoroughly stamped out by the effective measures of the Government, supported by the valor of the volunteers, it would have risen to a conflagration and produced the most unhappy consequences. That wras the experi- mental stage of Canada's national life and, had these malcontents succeeded in their desperate

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venture, the progress of the country would have been stayed indefinitely.

The heart and brains and directing force of the unfortunate movement was Louis Kiel. At the battle of Batoche he was taken prisoner. His fate was sealed. His day of grace was over. The Government had treated him leniently. Not- withstanding his defiance of law in 1870 and his opposition to the Dominion, he had been allowed to go free. It may be that he presumed on that and expected the same treatment again. If so, he was doomed to disappointment. The stern measures he meted out to poor Scott were now meted out to him. He was given an impartial trial; the ablest lawyers of the French people were secured for his defence, but he was con- demned to death. Even after the sentence was passed, strong efforts were made to save his life. The plea of insanity was put forward and the Government was urged to cancel the sentence, but it stood firm, and, to their credit be it said, Sir John A. Macdonald had the support of the French leaders in his determination not to inter- fere. The law took its course and in the summer of 1885 Kiel paid the penalty of his folly. So he passed from the stage of Canadian affairs and his disturbing career was over. A new era dawned in Canadian history. Larger national problems and duties began to engage the minds 72

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of the people. Time weakened the force of old prejudices and animosities. A common purpose began to draw together the different sections and so it has coaie about that, with the exception of a few ripples on the surface, from that day to this, there has been no serious conflict of races. Long may that happy state of things continue.

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CHAPTER XI.

Governments and Railways.

The great question of transportation now began to assume large proportions and attract attention. So far the "Red River Carts" had been the means of carrying freight into Manitoba and the Far West. In the State of Minnesota was to be found the nearest railway point. TJience supplies were carried in carts to the Red River, and one steamer, belonging to the Hudson Bay Company, plied it* trade on that river, but only carried Hudson Bay goods. A brief competition followed on the intro- duction of an American steamer, but an under- standing was soon reached. The rate for freight from St. Paul to Winnipeg was 16s. per 100 Ibs., payable in cash. It is interesting to note that Mr. Smith and Mr. Hill — who since then has become a great railway magnate — met for the first time. They were to have many meetings in after years.

The attention of Parliament was now turned to this question of transportation and a proposition to construct a railway system across the continent which, in its whole length, would be in Canadian territory, was up for consideration. We 'have grown familiar with the idea. We think, not of 74

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one, but of three trans-continental railways on Canadian soil. But it gives us a glimpse of the stature of the men of that time, that they could even think of it. Truly, "there were giants in those days" — men of great vision, of a daring and enterprising spirit and an amazing confidence in the future of the country, for it must be remem- bered that the population was meagre and scat- tered. The resources of the country were but slightly known and capital was scarce. The West was a vast plain, empty of all humanity save In- dians, half-breeds, fur-traders and a sprinkling of English and Scotch, while in the Far West there towered range after range of mountains, forming seemingly an insurmountable barrier to engineer- ing skill. To build such a railway seemed an im- possibility and, if possible, an absurdity in view of the conditions and prospects.

It was the original intention that the Govern- ment should build and own the road. Mr. Smith was strongly in favor of this procedure. He be- lieved that it was a matter that should be kept out of party politics and should be the work of the whole country, without any reference to political views. There is no doubt that this was the wiser policy. Had the Government of the day been pos- sessed of the necessary spirit of enterprise, joined with sufficient ability, and had carried the work through, the benefit to the country would have been immense. Millions would have been saved to the people that went into the pockets of private capitalists, and, what is of far greater import- ance, the power to regulate rates would have been 75

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in the hands of the Government, whose sole object would be the serving of the people rather than raising dividends on inflated stock. But it was not to be, and Mr. Smith reluctantly acknow- ledged that without private capital and private ability the project would prove a failure.

Those were days of great political excitement, arising out of this very proposition. The Govern- ment of Sir John A. Macdonald became involved in what is known as the Pacific Railway Scandals. These created a tremendous excitement through the country and led to the resignation of the Gov- ernment in the Autumn of 1873. A generation has grown up since then, but there are many stiil living who can remember the great sensation of that year, when the country was roused from end to end. It was charged that the Government had sold the charter to a company in return for moneys that were to be used to corrupt the elec- torate and establish the Government firmly in the place of power. Whether the charge were true or false, the people believed it to be true, and by an overwhelming majority the Government was swept out of power.

COLLECTION LOUIS REIL— Rebel Leader

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CHAPTER XII. A Large Order.

By the terms on which British Columbia was induced to enter the Dominion of Canada, it was stipulated that the Government should secure im- mediately "the commencement of the construction of a railway from the Pacific towards the Rocky Mountains, and from such point as may be selected east of the Rocky Mountains towards the Pacific, to connect the seaboard of British Columbia with the railway system of Canada, and further 10 secure the completion of such railway within ten years fom the date of union."

It was a large order, and by this agreement the Government of Canada was committed to the task of constructing this railway. It was an easy thing to make an agreement, but the carrying of it out was a different and most difficult matter. It was felt that, though there were American capitalists who were \villing to put money into the project, yet the road should be built by Canadians. If it was to be "Canada's National Highway," there must be no risk of it being controlled by the people to the south. As a result, Canadian capitalists be- came interested. Sir Hugh Allan represented one

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company, the "Canadian Pacific Railway Com- pany," and Senator D. L. McPherson, the "Inter- Oceanic." The Government -was to subscribe $30,000,000 and give a land grant of alternate blocks, twenty miles deep, along the line. The attempt to unite these two companies failed, and a new company was formed under the leadership of Sir Hugh Allan. This company received the charter. It was at this juncture that the "Pacific Scandal" charges were made, resulting, as we have said, in the overthrow of the Government and the retarding for an indefinite time the enter- prise.

It was a severe blow to the Province of Mani- toba. As yet it had no connection by rail, either to the South, or North and West. Mr. Smith now came to the front and proved himself in another capacity. He entered the world of finance and displayed remarkable ability. He cast his vote against Sir John, after making a powerful speech which closed with this pregnant sentence, "For the honor of the country, no Government should exist that has a shadow of suspicion resting upon it, and for that reason I cannot give it my sup- port." Such a sentiment reveals the spirit of the man and what his ideal of Government was.

The people living south of the 49th parallel wen- not oblivious to the advent of great changes in Ilic Canadian North-West, and they were anxious to construct a railway that would run parallel to the border and do the carrying trade for the com- munities soon to grow up in the northern country. It was realized, too. that an immense overland 80

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trade from Asia would be developed and that the road first on the ground would have a great ad- vantage in securing that trade. Moreover, if an American road wore established and the rich pro- ducts of the prairies east of the Rockies and the Gold Country on the Fraser, Thompson and Koot- enay Rivers, west of the mountains, had found in it a channel for transportation, it would make more difficult the building of a Canadian road. Once the trade routes were established, it would be difficult to divert the traffic. There was also a political inducement. It meant, according to the outspoken declaration of the U. S. Senate Commit- tee on Pacific Railways, that the British Posses- sions wrest of the 91st meridian would become practically Americanized, separated from the Do- minion in interests and sympathy, and annexation would follow in due course and as a natural con- sequence.

Attempts had been made to construct railways in Northern and Western States, but with little success. Charters had been given and lands granted. One of the roads was to extend from St. Paul to the head of the Red River and was known first as the Minnesota and Pacific Railway Com- pany, and, after-wards, as the St. Paul and Pacific Company. This road had, after many years and against many obstacles, been built 217 miles north from St. Paul. There it ceased. The Civil War had caused delay. Hard times had a great deal to do with it. A wave of bankruptcy swept over the country, so that, with 56 miles of grading to be done and 241% miles of rails to be laid, the work stopped and the road became bankrupt. 81

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"It is an ill wind that blows nobody good." The failure of this railroad was an opportunity for Mr. Smith. He was bent on having railway con- nection with Winnipeg. He believed that if this abandoned road were completed to the border, the Dominion Government would build from there to Winnipeg. It was a great undertaking and would require vast capital, and it seemed a hopeless scheme. But the man who had lived a life of hardship and difficulty in the wilderness was not easily daunted. He secured the co-operation of three men — Mr. Kittson, manager of the steam- ship company which did business on the Red River; James J. Hill, and a relative, Mr. Geo. Stephen, who became later Lord Mount Stephen. These men undertook to buy out the bondholders, who were mainly burghers of Amsterdam. Nego- tiations were begun. They involved the purchase of more than $20,000,000 worth of bonds. The purchase was made, partly in cash and partly in shares of the company. In 1879 the new railway company was incorporated, the St. Paul, Minne- apolis & Manitoba Railway Company, with Mr. Stephen as President ; Mr. Hill, General Manager, and Mr. Smith, Principal Director, and the new company at once went to work. They issued bonds to the amount of $8,000,000, which they floated in the New York market. In time the road was completed and Manitoba for the first time had a railway connection. It has been said that "these four men, by their splendid audacity and courage in raising the project from the ditch into which it had been abandoned by its former pro- moters, furnished a lesson in finance to the Unite J

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States and to the world, that generations of Can- adians may point to with pride. The history of the achievement reads like a modern fairy tale; it is certainly worthy of being classed as a ro- mance of railroading."

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CHAPTER XIII. The Canadian Pacific Railway.

That achievement, great as it was, proved to be but the beginning of his railway enterprise. He had no thought of it then, but in the course of time he was to become one of the foremost in the origination and completion of a Canadian railway system unrivalled in the world — "The Canadian Pacific Railway."

As we have seen by the terms of the agreement with British Columbia, the Dominion Government was committed to the construction of a railroad to the Pacific Coast. It was a colossal task. Such a railway, trailing its vast length through hundreds, even thousands, of miles of uninhabited country, confronted in the Rocky Mountains with engineer- ing difficulties that seemed insurmountable, and requiring an enormous capital and the greatest administrative capacity, was certainly a project in presence of which the boldest might well hesi- tate. As has been pointed out, the Macdonald Government was overthrown, on the ground of receiving money for the charter. The Mackenzie Government then took up the burden of finding a solution to this problem. Alexander Macken/io

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\vas one of the finest of the many fine men who have had to do with the Government of Canada. Coming to this country from Scotland in his youth, and beginning his life here as a stonemason, he rose to the highest position in the State and became Prime Minister in 1873. He was a man of sterling character, impeccable honesty and great natural ability, but it is questionable if he were just the man for this particular occasion. The very qualities which made him strong and won the confidence of the people, namely, caution and reserve, proved a drawback when he was con- fronted with a project which demanded above all things boldness amounting almost to audacity. He hesitated before committing himself to such a huge proposal. He lacked the vision which would have inspired courage. His Government fell upon evil days. The United States and Canada were passing through a time of great depression. Cap- ital was timid. Bankruptcy was common. Trade was poor. To add to his troubles, his great oppon- ent, John A. Macdonald, led an Opposition which harassed his every movement. He attempted to build the road as a Government road. His scheme was to make use of the great waterways that lay between Lake Superior and Fort Garry (that is, Rainy River, Lake of the Woods. Winnipeg River, Lake Winnipeg, and Red River), and to com- municate with the Far West by means of the waters of Lakes Winnipeg and Manitoba and the Saskatchewan River. He would make the railroad a supplement to the water routes. This is inter- esting as showing how the idea of building a con-

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timious railway across the continent seemed, to the leaders of that time, too big to be seriously considered. It was some years later before it really came into the region of practical consid- eration. For five years Alexander Mackenzie held office and then his rival, in 1878, was returned to power by a great majority. At first Donald Smith had supported the policy of Mackenzie, but he became convinced that his railway policy would never meet the needs of the situation.

The need was pressing that something should be done. The Americans, as we have seen, had turned a covetous eye toward the trade of the Canadian North-West, and were considering the construction of a Pacific road which would drain the rich districts of the prairies and British Colum- bia. It was imperative that prompt, decisive action be taken. The slow and intermittent efforts of the Government were altogether inadequate to meet the needs of the time. Already the opening up of the North- West had begun to tell in the for- mation of little centres of population, destined to develop into great cities. There was a crying need for transportation. The whole West was alarmed and irritated by the patch-work methods of the Government. What was needed was a compact, comprehensive scheme, which' would place im- mediately an unbroken line of railroad between the Far East and the Far West. To inaugurate and develop such a scheme required a bolder and more sanguine spirit than that possessed by the Mackenzie Government.

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In 1878, Smith was returned to Parliament as a supporter of the Macdonald Government. That Parliament was to be memorable for the introduc- tion of the "National Policy," by which Canada joined the ranks of the highly protected nations, and also for the inception of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company. The Government was faced by great difficulties, the chief of which was lack of capital. Sir John and Dr. Tupper went to London to try to secure British capital for the enterprise, but they met with a cold reception. The English capitalists regarded it with suspicion, for it looked like a foolhardy scheme, and the Ministers returned with empty pockets. The lack of faith was not confined to the Old Country, for the Opposition, led by that great lawyer, Edward Blake, deluged the proposition with cold water. Indeed, it was actually moved in Parliament that, to save the country from ruin, the British Colum- bia end of the road should be abandoned. This was defeated, but even ' on the Government side there was little enthusiasm. The enterprise went abegging, and there was no response. It looked as if the Government would have to fall back upon the old plan and build it as best they could, out of their own resources. A great deal of criticism has been since levelled at the agreement which was finally made, but it must not be forgotten that it was not possible at that time to foresee the enormous development of the next three decades. Those who assumed the responsibility, did so at great personal risk. They were liable to lose every dollar they invested.

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It is a gratification to think that it was a com- pany of Canadians that finally undertook the gigantic work and secured the charter. In 1880, a syndicate was formed, of which Geo. Stephens and Donald Smith were the moving spirits. This syndicate undertook to build the railway from Montreal to Port Moody (on Burrard Inlet), by 1891. By the terms of the contract, they were to receive from the Government, $25,000,000 as a subsidy and 25,000,000 acres of land, with all lands required for stations and workshops and all the sections of the railway already built and being built, (valued at $30,000 000). They were to import their materials for building the road free, wrere to be exempt from taxation for 20 years — no competing lines were to be built in the North West, south of the Can. Pac. Railway and connecting with the American lines, for a space of 20 years. Later they received further loans and guarantees to assist them in constructing the road. In the light of the present situation, the arrangement was a generous one, too generous, some might say, but in those days, the outlook was far from bright.

Tin' most active spirit in this great venture was Donald A. Smith. He was possessed of an incur- able spirit of optimism. "It can be done. It should be done. It will be done.," might sum- marize his attitude. Years before this, on the defeat of the Macdonald Ministry, a Parliamen- tary colleague from the East, had declared the Canadian Pacific Railway project to be dead. To which Smith replied, "That railway is not dead —

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and you and I, my friend, will be riding across the continent on the Canadian Pacific Railway within ten years." It was an amazing thing to say, but not so amazing as the fact that it came to be true, for in 1885 he drove the last spike in the great road which spans the continent. That a country of 3,000,000 people should have carried to a successful conclusion such a colossal project is without a parallel in the tale of railway achievements.

As we have said, the leading spirit was Donald A. Smith. This is not the place for, nor do the limits of this brief biography permit of, a discus- sion as to the methods employed by those who had the matter in hand. There is, undoubtedly, room for variety of opinion and just criticism. But we must keep in mind the conditions of the time. The governments of those days found themselves entrusted with enormous undeveloped possessions, the possibilities of which no man could estimate, and the development of which presented difficulties that checked even the bold- est spirits. At the same time, they were besieged by men who had some inkling of the advantages to be gained by those who, "got in on the ground floor," and who were not averse to using their Parliamentary positions and influence to sec-mv for themselves claims and privileges. It was the age of railway development in a new country and we may admit that the policy of governments and the actions of railway promoters are open to criticism. That members of Parliament should not be interested in legislation which was for

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their own personal advantage seems a self-evident fact. Unfortunately, this simple truth was not clearly recognized, or at least, acted upon, in the time of which we are speaking, and there is no doubt that foundations of huge personal fortunes were laid by men who were able to manipulate the power of government for their private ad- vantage. It is a hopeful sign of the times that the public is becoming more sensitive to this abuse of Parliamentary position and the standard of public conduct is much higher.

At any rate, the fact remains that this project, which for nearly ten years had maintained an anaemic and checquered existence, and seemed almost hopeless of completion, became instinct with new vitality. Under the direction of the new company, the enterprise was pushed forward with almost startling rapidity. The contract call- ed for its completion in 1891, but the work was actually finished by 1885, such a result being due largely to the zeal and ability of Wm. C. Van Home.

It is easy to speak of this great work and to criticize the promoters now that it is an accom- plished fact — but perhaps no body of men were ever confronted by a more formidable obligation. The physical difficulties alone were appalling For hundreds of miles, through Northern Ontario and along the shores of Lake Superior, the road passed through a bleak and barren country, where a pas- sage had to be blasted through the rocks. The district was remote and supplies were difficult to

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transport. An army of workmen had to be main- tained and materials for the road carried in at a great expense. On the prairie it was comparative- ly easy going, but between that and the Pacific slope, ranges1 of mountains seemed to make fur- ther approach impossible. The proposal was greeted on all sides with incredulous scorn. It was predicted that even if it was built, the road would never pay. Cartoonists held up the scheme to ridicule and drew pictures of a train crawling through a desolate country, an object of wonder to wandering Indian or staring buffalo. But the men behind the enterprise persevered with dog- ged persistence. All their private resources were put into it. All their powers of persuasion were used to induce capital to come to their aid. At times it seemed as though they must fail, but Donald A. Smith roused their flagging spirits. His education had prepared him for difficult tasks. At last the work was done, and the last spike driven, the prophets of failure confounded and a telegram of congratulation was received from the Queen, in which the achievement was spoken of as one "of greatest importance to the whole British Empire." Lord Lansdowne in an address made the following statement: — "It is impossible to travel to the Western Ocean without feelings of admiration for the courage, and I am almost tempted to say audacity, both of those who first conceived and of those who have carried to a suc- cessful consummation this great National work. The construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway stands alone in the history of great achievements in railway building."

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The building of the railway, however, was but the beginning of the operations of this company. Today it is one of the greatest transportation systems of the World. It has connections with every part of the World and its lines of Steam- ships cross the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In Canada its branch lines of railroad reach out to every part, It is not yet thirty years old, but, already it has accomplished what it has taken older roads a century to achieve, and on the American continent, it has set the railway pace. The confidence of the public is shown in the price of Canadian Pacific Railway shares in the Stock markets of the World. It is not too much to say that the credit of this huge success belongs large- ly to the subject of this biography.

Sir Chas. Tupper in a speech in London said : — "The Canadian Pacific Railway would have no existence to-day, notwithsanding all that th<> Government did to support that undertaking,, had it not been for the indomitable pluck and energy and determination, both financially and in every other respect, of Sir Donald Smith." This tribute is of special value coming as it does from a mem- ber of the Government which launched tho pro- ject and was its most active and enthusiastic promoter.

It must have been a proud day for Donald Smith when in British Columbia, at a little place 92

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called Craigellachie, before a representative gathering, he drove the last spike in the first Transcontinental all Canadian route. He, of all those present, was in a position to realize what it meant, what difficulties had been overcome what an amount of anxiety it had entailed and what a mass of pessimistic prophecy it had falsi- fied. He had been the driving force of the enter- prise. It was fitting that he should be chosen to drive the last spike.

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CHAPTER XIV.

Trials of Strength.

It must not be supposed that during these years he had been free from criticism. His public career had been by no means peaceful, and he had aroused personal feelings which at times were bitterly hostile. The regular routine life of the Hudson Bay trader was very different from the life of the seventies and eighties. He had had physical difficulties to meet then, and had shown good mettle. When he emerged from his life in the wilds of Labrador and Hudson's Bay he brought with him a body splendidly preserved and developed, a mature character, and a mind keen and alert. But so far his contests had been with the forces of nature, with wild beasts and with men of simple habit and ordinary ability. He had had no trials of strength with men of a different calibre, trained in active public life and conversant with big concerns. That kind of test- ing wras to come to him now, and he stood the test well. His opponents on the flo«r of the House, or in Council, or in great commercial schemes, found in him a strong and worthy an- tagonist. In manner mild, pleasing and concilia- tory, he could on occasion make effective use of 94

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the language of denunciation or scorn. His was a case of the "velvet glove and the iron hand." And he was not to be put down, or easily changed from his purpose, for he worked out a course and held himself to it. His strong, rugged character, his indomitable will, his shrewdness and sagacity, together with his cheery optimism, won for him public confidence, so that he was appointed to carry on delicate negotiations and to occupy posi- tions of great responsibility.

As we have seen, Mr. Smith had not been long in Montreal as Governor of the Hudson Bay Com- pany before the Dominion Government com- pleted an arrangement by which it gained posses- sion of the lands formerly controlled by the Com- pany. The agreement was made in London, but the actual transfer was not an easy task. In the North- West the twelve or fifteen thousand people who had made it their home regarded themselves as directly connected with the Home Government, and they strongly resented the bargaining which severed that honorable connection and handed them over to ther Dominion of Canada, making them, so to speak, "a colony of a colony." They not only resented it as a matter of actual senti- ment, but were not unwilling to resist the new dispensation by physical force. The situation contained possibilities of trouble, and the Domin- ion Government Was in difficulty, for it wa.s anxious not only to possess the land, but also to retain the good will of the people living on it. Some of the things done may be open to criti' cism, but it was a wise move when Donald A. 97

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Smith was chosen to go to the Red River Settle- ment to represent the Government and to pacify the people and allay their fears. This was his first appearance in the world of diplomacy and affairs of state importance. In carrying out his commission, it was inevitable that he should incur criticism and arouse personal animosities. In fact, he had made enemies in the North-West, and afterwards in . Parliament, and later in the railway world. His connection with the Hudson Bay Company was a feature that told against him, because it was felt on the one hand, that the Company had taken an unwarrantable liberty in transferring the people, as so many cattle, with- out consulting their wishes, and on the other, that the Company was in some Way interested in fo- menting disturbance and putting obstacles in the way of settlement. Doubt and suspicion prevail- ed and the greatest caution was necessary to pre- vent an outbreak. Nothing in the career of Mr. Smith reflects greater credit than his discharge of this difficult and delicate mission. For two months he lived to all intents a prisoner in Fort Garry, which was the centre of disturbance. There he met and worsted Louis Riel, who wield- ed an extraordinary influence over the settlers. There he manifested those diplomatic and media- torial talents which later caused him to bo chosen to act in situations even more critical. He showed a rare skill in handling every weapon of negotiation and controversy and it is not too much to say that the peaceful termination of the ominous state of affairs was due to his wise aii.l

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judicial conduct of the business which had been entrusted to his keeping. Louis Kiel was dis- placed from his commanding position and the country was brought, without conflict, under Can- adian administration.

From that time forward, he was to play a prom- inent part in public affairs and to becgme a figure of national importance. He achieved distinction in the D.ominion Parliament and was a partici- pant in many a strenuous political struggle. He met with strong and determined opposition. The prejudice which existed with regard to the great Company of which he was the head, vented itself against him. Those were the days of Macdonald, Mackenzie, Sir Geo. E. Cartier, Sir Francis Hincks, and others of equal calibre. Amongst these leading men he easily took his place. He was not an orator in the accepted sense of that term, but he was a lucid and convincing speaker. His speeches were models of simple, direct state- ment and were full of incontrovertible facts. the close of one of his speeches, Sir John A. Mac- donald, who had previously described him as "a mild old gentleman, easily alarmed," is reported to have said, "Smith is a far better speaker than I gave him credit for. He has coolness and re- source and plausibility, and just that amount of venom when attacked which a good statesman ought to have." That description sets forth ad- mirably the character, not only of his speeches, but of himself. Cool, resourceful, plausible—- those were his predominant qualities, and he needed them in his Parliamentary career. He was

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the ceutre of many an exciting debate, and the object of many a strong attack. His connection with the Fur Company, with the Kiel regime and, later, with great railway projects, thrust him to the front in many a sharp conflict. And he was well able to take care of himself. He was not at all pugnacious, had no love for wordy or any other kind of conflict, but was not to be imposed upon and when he did enter the lists, his antag- onist felt the full strength of a strong arm.

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CHAPTER XV. Personal Opponents.

Dr. John Sehultz, who, in the early days, had been a leader of the disaffected party in the North-West, and was afterwards elected to the Dominion Parliament as a member for Lisgar, was one of Smith's most pertinacious and exas- perating opponents. For some reason he nour- ished a profound hatred of the Hudson Bay Com- pany, and all its works. Over and over again he introduced into the House matters affecting that company, and was always eager to assail it with the greatest ferocity. This man and Smith many times came into conflict, and crowded galleries witnessed with delight their many duels. Schultz headed the opposition to the Hudson Bay Com- pany and resisted every effort to meet their claims. Those were stormy sessions and often \ve find the subject of our story attacked by Sir Win. McDougal, whose attempt to enter on his duties as Lieutenant of the North-West had proved so farcical ; by Sir John Macdonald, who for a long time had a personal dislike to the man who had spoken and voted against him in the 101

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" Pacific Scandal" debate, and always by Dr. Schultz, the tireless enemy of the Hudson Bay Company, not to speak of others, who were not so conspicuous, but were equally hateful. In all these fierce debates he acquitted himself with credit, so that the men of public affairs — the trained warriors of the political battlefield — came to regard with wrholesome respect this graduate from the wilds of Labrador, who showed himself so capable in defence and so fertile of resource.

There were several occasions when he took a particularly prominent part in the Parliamentary warfare. One of these occasions was connected with the insurrection of 1870 and, strange as it may appear, the attempt was made to show that he was in sympathy with that movement ; that, though Commissioner of the Dominion Govern- ment, he had betrayed his trust so far as to con- spire with the rebels. His conferences with Kiel and his meetings with the disaffected people were distorted into a charge of conniving with them and fanning the flame he was deputed to extin- guish. The newspapers retailed these monstrous charges, scurrilous and libellous articles appeared in the press, inuendoes and charges' were flung at him across the House. In these sorry proceedings Schultz took a leading part. He went so far as to declare that he had been guilty of incompet- ence and cowardice in his management of affairs at the time of the disturbance. Mr. Smith ex- pressed his resentment in a memorable speech. which was not only a recital of the facts as they had occurred, but was a powerful attack upon his 102

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opponent, which left him without any standing ground whatever. One passage is noteworthy as revealing his fighting quality when he was aroused. "When I went to the North-West as Commissioner from Canada," he said, "I did not go there for payment. To the credit of the late Government, let it be said that they would have paid me liberally, but I said I would not accept, and I did not accept, a single dollar of the public money for my own use. But the insurrection which left me poorer has been a God-send to the honorable member for Lisgar. At the time the tumult arose he had nothing, while to-day he is a comparatively rich man — at the expense of his country. I do not question the propriety of the decision, given by the Commission on Indemnities, in respect of the claim of that honorable mem- ber, but if there is one thing more than another that has given dissatisfaction throughout the North- West, it is the large amount awarded to him, while other persons, who had suffered severe- ly, had received a pittance. I do not think it is necessary to say anything further, and if it were not unparliamentary, I would now throw back on the honorable member for Lisgar the im- putation of cowardice which he has cast upon me."

Another occasion was connected with the heat- ed debates which preceded the fall of Sir John A. Macdonald, in connection with the charter of the Canadian Pacific Railway. It is doubtful if the debating power of the House evei reached a higher level. It may be readily admitted that, 103

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judged by the canons of oratory, there were many speeches which far excelled that of Donald Smith, but for sheer impressiveness and because of the tumult which followed its delivery, it was unrivalled. It must be remembered that he was regarded as a supporter of the Government, and its members were, therefore, very anxious to se- cure his allegiance and strong personal influence when the crisis came. He was approached by members of the Government and had a long con- ference with them on the situation, but refused to acquiesce. Sir John hmself called him to a private consultation and by every possible argu- ment tried in vain to win him to his side. The debate on Mackenzie's motion was drawing to a close. The division was at hand. The feeling was intense. The fate of the Government hung in the balance. Sir John nerved himself for a final effort, and in a speech of great power made his appeal to Parliament. At one o'clock on the morning of Nov. 5th, 1873, Mr. Smith rose to speak. It was a memorable occasion. His closing words, "For the honor of the country, no Govern- ment should exist which has a shadow of suspi- cion resting upon it, and for that reason I cannot give it my support," produced a tremendous effect. The House resounded with cries and coun- ter-cries and finally broke up in disorder. Sir John, the Premier, was beside himself with rage, and was only prevented by the intervention of his 'friends from physically assaulting the man who had turned against him. It was long before the memory of that scene was banished from the

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mind of the defeated statesman. For many years there rankled in his heart a bitter personal feel- ing, and not only he, but the whole Conservative party, regarded him with a feeling of animosity and gave vent to that feeling in the grossest language of personal abuse.

Now, after time has moderated those violent passions, all men will agree that he is to be held in honor for the stand he took and the course he pursued is to be taken as evidence of the strength of his character, the sincerity of his purpose and the high ideals which controlled his public life. But for years he was the object of abuse and vili- fication, as one who had turned traitor to his party. However, he calmly went his way. He was returned to Parliament as a supporter of Alexander Mackenzie, and it shows the character of the man that at the end of five years he was to be found fighting against and helping to de- feat the man he had helped to bring to power and was supporting Macdonald for the same reason that he had supported Mackenzie, namely, that it was in the best interests of the country. Rightly or wrongly, he believed that, and his belief deter- mined his action. In 1873 the issue was a moral one — in 1878 it was a fiscal and transportation issue, but in both cases it was a question of what was best for the country. In this election, in one of his speeches, he gave expression to a sen- timent which reveals his viewpoint and also the judicial temper of his mind: "I am disposed to judge of measures more than men. At the same

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time, if a Government may have made some blun- ders, I am not disposed to oppose them because of this. "We know that success depends not upon absolute perfection, but that with individuals as with Governments, to make the fewest mistakes is the criterion of success." It was that fair and moderate and reasonable attitude which estab- lished him in the confidence of the people and which gave special weight to his counsels. Long experience in difficult and dangerous situations had developed the serious mind which looked far beyond the present and took into account the con- sequences that would follow. When the whole country in 1895 and 1896 was throbbing with a fever of excitement over the Manitoba Coercion Bill, no man did more than he to restrain the dan- gerous passions of the time.

It will be remembered that in 1870, when Mr. Smith was conferring with the people of the North-West, the Dominion Government had guar- anteed to the French-speaking inhabitants of the Province the same rights as to religion, language and education as were enjoyed in Quebec. This arrangement seemed reasonable enough at the time. There were only some 11,000 or 12,000 people in the whole of Manitoba and only about 6,000 of these were French-speaking Catholics. It was not possible to anticipate the great changes which were to take place in a comparatively fewT years. In twenty-five years there was an entirely different situation. The English-speaking popu- lation far outnumbered the French and it was felt that the rights of self-government wore being in- 106

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terfered with by a strict adherence to that original agreement, The French and half-breeds insisted on their rights and clamored for their separate schools and separate language. In this attitude they were, as might be expected, supported by the French people of Quebec. The Provincial Govern- ment and the Dominion Government became an- tagonistic, the Province claiming the right to con- trol its own educational policy and the Dominion the right to enforce the original agreement. It looked at one time as if there might be actual physical conflict. The great Conservative lead- ers, Sir John Macdonald and Sir John Thompson, were dead. Sir Mackenzie Bowell, the Dominion Premier at the time, was not specially fitted to meet the demands of such a situation. The Mani- toba School problem threatened the peace of the whole Dominion and the worst passions, religious and racial, were aroused. From his place in Par- liament Donald Smith, now Sir Donald, delivered an address which was a plea for moderation and also a solemn warning. Speaking in a low tone, but with great earnestness and seriousness, he implored the Parliament to refrain from actions that might plunge the whole North-West into the maelstrom of a religious and racial war and retard for many years the development which in that vast country had so auspiciously begun. His speech produced a profound impression, not only in the House, but throughout the whole country. After years of criticism and a strenuous public life, he had come at last into his own and was acknowledged on all ^ides to be one of the great representative men of the country. 107

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CHAPTER XVI. Out of Politics.

Ten years before this he had been the recipient of the honor of knighthood, which was a recog- nition of the service he had rendered to the coun- try in connection with the building of the Can- adian Pacific Railway, so he became known as Sir Donald A. Smith. From this time on his life assumed a different phase. It was not less strenu- ous and urgent, but it was removed from the sphere of political turmoil and controversy.

His long experience in Canadian affairs and his intimate knowledge of the events which had trans- pired since Confederation and his acquaintance with the men, of all parties, who had taken part in the affairs of state, had made him a sort of counsellor for all. His freedom from hard and fast obligations to any particular political party or creed, strengthened his position. His interest was centred on Canada and anything that would advance the interests of the Dominion was sure of his sympathy and assistance. He had large conceptions as to the future. He believed that what had been accomplished was only a prelude to far greater things. He never wearied of ex- 108

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patiating on the possibilities of development. He loved to think of this land as filled with a happy, prosperous population, which would soon equal in number that of the Old Country. He was a prophet with a prophet's vision and unlike most prophets, his great age and the rapid progress of the times permitted him to see, in part at least, the realization of his splendid dreams. It was this faith in the future of the country, based on his first-hand knowledge of its resources, that inspir- ed in him that bold and almost reckless spirit. Where men of less faith and less knowledge fal- tered, he pressed fearlessly on.

In 1889 there came to him what was probably the object of his most cherished ambition. He became the Head of the Hudson Bay Company. Since 1874 he had had nothing to do with the management of the Company in the North-West, but being one of the largest shareholders, he at- tended the meetings at London and helped to shape its policy. He could not be expected to lose interest in a concern to which he had devoted the best years of his life. In 1837 he had left Scotland a poor lad, to serve the Company in the lowest position. For thirty years he had been practically buried in the desolate land of Labra- dor. For many other years he had directed its fortunes as one of its chief officers and had been its advocate on the floor of Parliament — and now he had reached the highest place. The Scotch lad had climbed from the lowest rung to the top of the ladder. That one fact alone makes his story an inspiration and incentive to young men who 109

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have their way to make in the world. Surely no youth ever had a more unpromising outlook or was confronted by so many obstacles. His rise to eminence is an object lesson in the value of certain qualities aud also illustrates in a striking way the opportunities for advancement which a young country like Canada affords.

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CHAPTER XVII. Old Age Activities.

He was now in a position that might well be envied. lie held the confidence of all sections of the community, was recognized as an authority on political matters, had been chosen to be the Governor of a famous company, and had been hon- ored by the Queen in the granting of a title. In addition to all this he had become immensely wealthy. The enterprises in which he had engaged had turned out to be most successful. He had large interests in the Hudson Bay Company, the Bank of Montreal, the Canadian Pacific Railway, and many other commercial undertakings. He was ranked as one of the wealthy men of the country. Had he been so minded, he could have spent the rest of his days in quiet leisure and en- joyed the fruits of a long and active life. But he was not so minded. Nothing was further from his purpose. The years had neither weakened his body nor lessened his interest in public affairs and the remainder of his life up to its last week was to be filled with public activities. No period of his life was more active or more fruitful of benefit to Canada than that portion of it which he lived ill

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after he had passed three score years and ten. He had a magnificent residence in Montreal, and though for the last eighteen years of his life, be- cause of his official duties, he had made his home in London, he continued to cherish a kindly feel- ing towards the Canadian city. He was always willing to help in its development and in main- taining its great institutions. When Sir William Dawson, the famous Principal of McGill Univer- sity, died, Sir Donald filled the post of Chan- cellor. Upon him devolved largely the task of choosing a successor. It was not an easy task, but he set himself to its accomplishment with charac- teristic energy and wisdom. He had a clear idea in his own mind of the man he wanted. He must combine in himself two qualities — administrative ability, and breadth of mind sufficient to include and understand all the interests which are con- nected with a great university. Sir William Daw- son had done much for the university. His own great reputation as a scientist had made it known throughout the world. In face of incredible diffi- culties, he and his co-adjutors had succceeded in laying a splendid foundation. It was Sir Donald's ambition that the work to be done should be worthy of the beginning.

He gave his own time and personal attention to the securing of a successor to the Principalship. To this end he travelled to Great Britain in 1895- 96. He visited all the great centres of learning — Oxford and Cambridge, in England; Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Dundee, in Scotland. He inter- viewed the leaders in the educational world, made 112

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inquiries and gathered information from every source, and at last offered the position to Dr. AVil- liam Peterson, Principal of Dundee. Dr. Peter- son was a comparatively young man, under forty years of age, and his appointment met with some criticism, but the choice of the Chancellor justi- fied his selection. He has risen to the occasion and has proved to be a great success, uniting in himself those qualities of scholarship and prac- tical administration so necessary in the head of a great modern university.

Montreal also benefitted in the way of philan- thropy by reason of his generous patronage. The great hospital built on the mountain-side was a gift from the great financier. It was erected to commemorate the Jubilee of Queen Victoria, and meant for its construction an outlay of one million dollars. But Sir Donald gave more' than his money. He gave his personal interest and per- sonal attention. He went to England and consult- ed Sir William Gull and other authorities on the plans, so that the hospital might represent the latest and most approved features in its structure and equipment. Later he was one of two to set aside eight hundred thousand dollars as an endow- ment fund. This is but one of his many benefac- tions and indicates the bent of his mind. No great and worthy cause solicited his help in vain.

During the political crisis which resulted in the return to power of the Liberal Government under the leadership of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Sir Charles Tupper, who had been the Canadian High Com- missioner residing at London, was called back to

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Canada b}' his political friends, in the hope that he might be able to guide the Conservative party through its difficulties and perhaps ward off the impending disaster. He was persuaded to re-enter politics and became Premier for a short time. This necessitated his resignation of the High Commis- siionership and Sir Donald Smith was appointed to the vacant place. Although he had persistently refused to occupy any political position in Can- ada, he was not averse to this one. It harmonized with his ideas and gave him the opportunity he coveted of advancing Canadian interests at the centre of the Empire. For nearly twenty years, up to the time of his death, he filled the post and it may be said with truth that he filled it with such advantage to Canada that his record will hardly be excelled.

The creation of this office is a milestone in Can- adian history. The reign of Victoria had seen a wonderful change in this trans-Atlantic colony. When the young Queen came to the throne it was a comparatively unknown, obscure and insignifi- cant part of Her Majesty's dominions. Its popu- lation Avas small and poor and scattered. It was divided into Provinces that were none too friendly with each other. The attempt to rule it from Downing Street, London, had proved a failure. The beginning of the Queen's reign was marked 1 y actual rebellion in Canada. The great ad vane;1 in modes of transportation had not yet begun and it was regarded as a far-off country — a land of forests and prairies, of savages and wild beasts, and with little prospect of development. 116

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CHAPTER XVIII.

New Interests and Further Responsibilities.

Speaking at Oxford in 1899, Mr. Smith (then Lord Strathcena), gave a vivid picture of the con- ditions as they were when he first reached Can- adian shores, after a stormy voyage of forty days in a little sailing ship. "No one," he said, "tra- velling through Ontario and the other Provinces to-day could imagine the state of things that ex- isted in 1837. It seems almost incredible. Every- thing is made so easy for emigrants now — the tra- velling is comfortable, the voyage is short, the food is better than many of them get at home. In 1837 the only incorporated city in Ontario was Toronto, which, at that time, had a population of from 13,000 to 15,000. In Lower Canada, Quebec at that time was a more important town in many ways than Montreal. It was at the head of navi- gation, as the shallows in Lake St. Peter, on the St. Lawrence, had not then been dredged, and it was the entrepot of a greater share of the St. Lawrence trade than it has now. A few ocean vessels of light draught went up to Montreal, but much of the merchandise was transhipped at Que- bec into other vessels. The social condition of the people was naturally not of a high standard. Their 117

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work was hard, their mode of living simple, their houses large log huts, and they had to go long distances to sell their produce and to buy new supplies. This, of course, refers largely to the country districts, or backwoods, as they were called in those days. In the towns and villages there was plenty of intercourse, and judging from my early experiences, life in the centres of popu- lation was pleasant and attractive, and the Can- adians were as generous in their hospitality as they are known to be to-day."

Such was the Canada of his early days. The picture is not overdrawn. There can still be found old inhabitants who will describe their early life in almost exactly the same terms, but fifty years of this wonder-working age have completely changed the situation. Canada now has one cen- tral Federal Government. The huge territories lying west of Lake Superior have been brought into the Confederation. Millions of prosperous people live in the region which up to 1870 was given over to the Indian and fur-trader. Already three great lines of railway span the Canadian ter- ritories, giving rapid and comfortable transit from Halifax to Victoria. Large cities with every modern improvement and conveniences are to be found growing rapidly in those distant parts. The older Provinces have also changed. Toronto has a population of half a million. Montreal is even larger, while in Ontario there are a score of towns and cities exceeding in size and importance the Toronto of 1837. Montreal has become the head of ocean navigation, while the St. Lawrence has 118

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become the highway for lines of splendid steam- ships, which carry on our trade with all the coun- tries of the world. But more important than the physical development has been the political ad- vance. Canada has passed the stage of merely parochial politics. With the growth of population, the improvement in education and the increase in wealth, there has been proceeding the development of national consciousness. The feeling of depend- ency indicated by the term "colonial" has given place to the sense of partnership. The whole out- look has changed. The horizon has widened. The people of Canada are feeling the impulse and in- spiration of a larger destiny. They are getting into line with movements of world-wide signifi- cance. They feel that they are to have a vital share in settling the problems which confront the Empire.

This is the explanation of "Imperialism" and the imperialistic spirit. In some quarters, it is true, these terms are made to stand for a cheap, boastful, jingo spirit. But that is not its real im- port. The spread of the British Empire during the last hundred years has been marvellous. And with that expansion have gone the ideals, polit- ical, social and religious, of the Anglo-Saxon race. And it is marvellous to think that in every quarter of the globe there are to be found those com- munities, rapidly rising to the stature of nation?, asserting their independence, jealous of their autonomy, and yet holding as sacred the bond that links them to the Motherland. They speak her language, they glory in her literature, they 119

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cherish her traditions, they rejoice in her history and follow her ideals. So vast an Empire with a government so elastic the world has never seen. Will it maintain itself? Will it not fall to pieces of its own weight? Is it possible to produce among these scattered peoples a unit in diversity which will make the British Empire act as one undivided power in the movements of the world ? It is this which constitutes -the problem of "Im- perialism" in our day and it is this which draws our statesmen out of the narrow round of local affairs to consider questions of world-wnde import- ance. London is the centre of this enormous de- velopment. In London the relationship of the scattered parts — the policy which shall represent the mind of all — and the methods by which the ends shall be achieved, are discussed and decided. To facilitate this Imperial purpose it was neces- sary that representatives from the various Do- minions should reside in England to serve as a connecting link between the Central Government and those of the distant parts, and this explains why Canada has an official representative in London. In a way this had been recognized many years before, when Sir A. Gait was appointed Canadian Commissioner, though really he was nothing more than the business agent of the Do-

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CHAPTER XIX.

Hig-h Commissioner.

The duties of this office, as set forth in the Constitution, are as follows : —

1. To act as the resident agent of the Domin- ion in the United Kingdom and in that capacity to execute such powers and perform such duties as may from time to time be conferred upon or be assigned to him by the Governor-Gencral-in- Coimcil.

2. To take charge of and supervise the Emigra- tion officers and agencies in the United Kingdom under the Minister of Agriculture.

3. To carry out such instructions as he may from time to time receive from the Governor-Gen- eral respecting the commercial, financial and gen- eral interests of the Dominion in the 'United King- dom or elsewhere. The salary to be $10,000 per annum.

Such is the formal statement of the duties at- taching to this position. But that is simply the frame work. The value of the office depends upon the kind of man who is chosen to fill it. To this position Sir Donald Smith was appointed 121

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during the brief regime of Sir -Charles Tupper. When Sir Wilfrid- Laurier succeeded as Premier the appointment was continued, as it was desir- able that the office should be Independent of party politics. Up to the time of his death Sir Donald was the Canadian High Commissioner and there could not have been a better. For the remark- able thing about him was the intense personal interest he manifested in the discharge of his duties. He was an ardent lover of the Old Coun- try and a devoted supporter of the imperial ideal, but even that was made subordinate to his affec- tion for Canada. In all matters pertaining to the Dominion he spared no pains to advance her in- terests. Perhaps no man living was more opti- mistic in regard to the future of the land in which he had spent his life. And he was able to do far more than the ordinary man because of his ex- perience, which had extended over, practically, the whole period of the Dominion's existence. He was intimately acquainted with all the leaders in all departments of Canadian life. He knew by actual personal observation the needs of the new country and, more than that, he had that quality of statesmanship which enabled him to devise the methods and work out the channels of develop- ment. At the same time he was persona grata to the people of the Old Land. His high office in the Hudson Bay Company brought him into con- tact with the public men of Great Britain, while his record in financial matters gave him a repu- tation in the world of business and money. His enormous wealth made it possible for him to sus- tain his position, not only with dignity, but with 122

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a large and generous expenditure — so that in the social world, which in the Old Country counts for so much, he was able to meet all demands and his entertainments and hospitality were on a lavish scale. It has been well said of him that: "It is not exceeding the bonds of simple exacti- tude to say that Lord Strathcona has proved, merely from a commercial and manufacturing standpoint, the most valuable High Commissioner Canada has ever had. His reports are marvels of conciseness and plain, practical, common sense. None of his predecessors were able to bring to a task the trained judgment and ripened experience of Lord Strathcona, or to command that atten- tion in commercial circles to which his financial eminence entitles him." Another writer says: "Splendid as have been his benefactions, their demand on our gratitude has been eclipsed by the personal devotion by Lord Strathcona of his time, his talents, his influence, his social prestige, to whatever gave promise of fostering the develop- ment, the prosperity, and the well-being of Canada and Canadians." From the very beginning he was a pronounced success. He entered upofc his duties with such enthusiasm, gave to them such indefatigable industry, threw himself, so to speak, with such energy and zeal into his new work, that he raised it from a comparatively low place to the highest post in the gift of the Dominion Govern- ment.

During this period Lord Aberdeen's term of office as Governor-General of Canada came to a close. There were those who would have liked to 123

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see a Canadian occupy the vacant position and had no hesitation in nominating Sir Donald Smith to the office. It was felt that the Home Govern- ment-in this way could recognize in a conspicuous fashion the importance of this rapidly growing Canadian colony. But Lord Strathcona himself strenuously opposed the movement. He refused to permit his name to be suggested as a candidate for the high office. It is a remarkable thing that, while as a lad, one of the motives impelling him to leave his native country, had been the desire to go to a land where there would be no "Lairds" to rule over the people, yet he returned to it with a devotion to the aristocratic idea which was in- sistent. He was an Imperialist of the Imperialists and would countenance nothing that might seem to lessen the prestige of the Imperial Parliament. He was opposed to the appointment of any Can- adian. -Such is the power of sentiment. He had spent the greater part of his life far away from anything connected with the upper classes. He had been identified with a great Company which paid respect only to merit, so that he had risen from the lowest grade to the position of Governor. Kut when he stepped out of that sphere into the realm of politics he could not break with the tra- ditions of his ancestry, and held fast to the idea of the respect due to the upper classes. The Gov- ernor-General, as representing the monarch, should be chosen from those who were members of the highest ranks. In 1897 Sir Donald became }) peer of the realm and was to be known hence- forth as Lord Strathcona. His full title was

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Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal of Glencoe, Argyleshire and Montreal, Canada. The Herald's College produced a new coat-of-arms which was very interesting as suggesting the romantic ca- reer of the new Baron. The following is a tech- nical description : Arms — gules on a fesse argent between a demi-lion rampant in chief or and i\ canoe of the host with four men paddling proper, in the bow a flag of the second, flowing to the dexter, inserted with the letters N.W. Sable in base. A hammer surmounted by a nail in saltire of the last. Crest on a mount vert, a beaver eat- ing into a maple tree proper. Then follows the motto, "Perseverance." Credit must be given to the designer of this striking heraldic device, which is really a brief record of the life of Strath- cona. Here we see the sable and beaver typify- ing the Hudson Bay Co. ; the paddlers in the canoe represent the mode of travel on the great Avater ways of the new world in the early days; N.W. stands for North- West, the scene of his adventur- ous career; the hammer and nail signify the com- pletion of the Canadian Pacific road, the new peer having with his own hand driven the last spike.

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CHAPTER XX.

"The Strathcona Horse."

The familiar saying, "It never rains but it pours," was exemplified in this part of Lord Strathcona 's carer. Honors and titles were show- ered upon him. The list of them would fill a page. Not only in the political world, but in science and in the literary world generally, he was recognized and honored. He was made Privy Councillor, Fel- low of the Royal Society, Doctor of Laws by the Universities of Cambridge, Aberdeen and Glasgow.

In 1899 he was Lord Rector of Aberdeen Uni versity and later became its Chancellor. It is diffi- cult for us. to realize how completely he secured the esteem of all kinds of people in the Old Land, and with what ease he adapted himself to his new sur- roundings. The raw lad who left Scotland sixty years before and had been buried in the solitudes of Labrador and Hudson's Bay for thirty years, living the roughest and hardest kind of life, car- ried no trace of that crude and primitive experi- ence, but bore himself in the most polished and learned circles with grace and dignity. In the presence of royalty, in the House of Lords, in great social functions, he acted as one accustomed to 126

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these surroundings all his life and wherever he went and whenever he addressed public meetings, which he often did, his conversation was full of ref- erences to Canada and that was the subject of his speeches. It is not possible to estimate the value to the Dominion of his advocacy of the land he loved. Thousands, because of his connections with it and because of his outstanding personality, be- came interested in the country, to which, before, they had given scarcely a passing thought.

As we have said, he was in possession of great wealth. We have given some instances, out of hun- dreds that might be mentioned, of his generous and philanthropic donations. There is one, however, which must not be overlooked, because of the thrill that went through the whole Empire and because of the Imperial spirit which it evidenced in the donor. This was the gift of the "Strathcona Horse." The story of the Boer AVfer has now be- come a matter of history. So rapidly do events move that what was in 1899 the scene of bloody strife in South Africa and armed resistance to the British Crown, has become a peaceful, loyal fed- eration, of which one of the great leaders is a man who wjis a general in the rebel forces. It is not necessary to go into the merits or demerits of the procedure which brought about the terrible con- flict. Opinions are divided on the question. One thing is certain, and that is that for a time the Empire was racked with anxiety. Gloom and de- pression prevailed everywhere.

At first the British armies met with reverse after reverse. From different parts of the Empire vol- 127

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unteer troops gathered to the help of the Mother- land. Lord Strathcona followed the course of the struggle with the keenest interest. His life in the backwoods of Canada had fitted him to understand the conditions under which the British troops were fighting and the difficulties they had to encounter. It was no ordinary warfare. It was not one train- ed and disciplined army of regulars pitted against another. The Boer forces were really aggregations of highly trained and expert individuals of splen- did marksmanship and initiative. On the vast plains of that country and amid their mountain fastnesses, they seemed invulnerable to the methods of the regular army. Lord Strathcona was con- vinced that they must be met in their own fashion and confronted by men of the same calibre and training — men who could sit long in the saddle and whose rifles were unerring. With this feeling he made his famous proposal, which stirred the pulses of patriotism throughout the Empire, but espe- cially in Canada. He offered to present to the Imperial force, at his own expense, a body of nearly seven hundred men, drawn from Western Canada, and fully equipped for service in the Boer War. The cost of this otitfit would be a million dollars. His offer was gladly accepted and the preparations for the expedition were soon completed. Before the men sailed, Lord Strathcona spoke a few words of farewell. ,

The speech was brief but memorable. "I

know," he said, "that you are fit for the wrork that

lies before you, and that in everything you do you

will be a credit to Canada, I know you will do

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your duty, and you can do no more. (Jod speed you and give you a safe return." His few words made a deep impression on the men. One of them said afterwards that they all "felt moved almost to tears. We knew that the old man believed iu us, and we silently swore to be worthy of his trust." Doubtless, on the South .African veldt, in many a charge, the memory of the old man's simple confidence inspired them to da their best. They were an effective part of the army, and earned from the enemy the name of "British Boers" — owing tu their method of warfare being more like the Boer methods than the other portions of the British army.

Such a gift, costly as it was, could not be meas- ured in terms of money. Its chief value lay in the fact that it was an object-lesson to the world of the strength of the Imperial sentiment and of the resources of the British Empire. The British Isles were but the centre of a vast circle of young and vigorous nations who gloried in their relationship to the older land and were keen and ready to re- spond to her call. It was a notice "to whom it might concern" that in any conflict with G-reat Britain they would have to reckon, not only with the people of the Motherland, but with those other peoples, her children, who were making homes for themselves in distant quarters of the globe. It meant the crystallization of the sentiment of Em- pire into a concrete* example and the introduction into the world of a new and inspiring factor which must ultimately make for peace and security.

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CHAPTER XXI. The Deceased Wife's Sister Bill.

His elevation to the peerage gave to him the right to take a seat in the House of Lords. There is probaby no chamber in the world which, on spe- cial occasions, presents such a spectacle of gorgeous splendor as that gilded chamber. What a change from the rude hut, built of logs, in which he had passed so many years, to this place, the scene of wealth and magnificence and nobility. There, on great occasions, would be seen the flower and cream of Britain's nobility and the most eminent men in all ranks of life. Into this great legislative hall, this assembly of illustrious men, representing the proud traditions and inheritance of the British people, Lord Strathcona came and took his place. Others were there by virtue of their birth. It was for them an inherited privilege, but his presence there was the recognition of those Stirling qualities which he had developed in a hard and strenuous life. It was, besides, an acknowledgment of the great services he had rendered to the Empire, the bold constructive genius which, in a new land, had found and used its opportunity, and the generous philanthropy, which had marked his possession of 130

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great wealth. Alone and unaided, he had pushed his fortunes till he found himself an honored mem- ber of the greatest aristocratic assembly in the world.

In his new position he was not idle. He would have been false to his own nature and to the habit of his long life if he had become merely an indif- ferent spectator. In accepting the honor, he also assumed the responsibility which attached to his position. For some time he took no part in the proceedings. For nearly two years he was a silent member of the House. He was not one to thrust himself forward and he waited for the occasion and in the summer of 1898 it presented itself and he made his first speech as a peer of the realm. It is worth noticing that when he rose to make his first speech in the House of Commons at Ottawa, it was to speak to a crowded audience on a ques- tion of national interest. So by a remarkable co- incidence, when he first addressed the House of Lords, the chamber was crowded with the aris- tocracy, the galleries being filled with peeresses and ambassadors and representatives from all nations, Mhile among other distinguished visitors was the heir to the throne.

The subject on which he spoke was one that was the cause of much social friction and heart-burning, and in the Colonies caused much discontent. Ac- cording to the English civil and ecclesiastical law, marriage with a deceased wife's sister was inter- dicted and the children of such a marriage were in Great Britain declared illegitimate. For a genera- 133

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tion a bill known as "The Deceased Wife's Sister Bill" had been before the Parliament, but had failed to become law. The situation was ludicrous and is a striking illustration of the anomalies of the English law, for while such marriages were illegal in England and the children illegitimate, in the other parts of the Queen's dominions they Avere, under laws signed by Her Majesty, declared legal, so that what was all right, proper and legitimate in Canada was all wrong, improper and illegiti- mate in England. Time and again the Bill had been presented to the Parliament and debated, only to be rejected, amid the outspoken derision of all civilized nations.

It was on this question that Lord Strathcoua first spoke in the House. It was a question of such social interest that the mere fact of its introduc- tion was sufficient to draw an audience and the fact that it was to be introduced by the new Canadian peer, whose deeds were widely known, gave addi- tional interest to the occasion. It is worth while to quote some parts of his address. It was, eveu for him, an exceedingly momentous and trying oc- casion and he acquitted himself with credit.

"My lords," he began, "I have very great diffi- dence in appearing to address you at this time. It is the first occasion on which I have had the privi- lege of addressing you as a member of this House. Notwithstanding, it is also with very great confi- dence that I come before you, my lords, for I know that you will have much consideration for one in Ihc position I occupy." He then proceeded to ex- plain the purpose and object of his bill, after which 134

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he continued: "Why should the children of such marriages, when they come home, bear a mark of disgrace? Why should they be legitimate in one part of the Empire and illegitimate in another, when marriage is perfectly legal under laws passed by local Parliaments and assented to by the Queen ? lrj this a creditable state of things in our present civilization? For some years past the different parts of the Empire have been drawn close to- gether. The troops of the colonies have fought .shoulder to shoulder with those of the Motherland. Her Majesty's subjects in the Colonies have shared in the joys and sorrows of the Motherland. Glad people from every part of the world where the British flag is paramount came last year to London to do honor to their beloved Sovereign. In fact, we are doing our best to develop the Empire r>f which we are so proud and to strengthen the tics which bind us together, and the removal of this grievance cannot fail, to further consolidate the union. Let me, therefore, appeal to your lordships to express your approval of this measure, which seeks to remove what is regarded as a grave anom- aly in the Colonies, to remove a restriction which operates against one of their most sacred rights, and to free the children of your colonial brethren, who contract perfectly legal marriages, from the stigma which now attaches to them when they come *o their Motherland. I may also be permitted to ad- dress a word to the most reverend and the right reverend lords in this House. It is that the clergy, both of the Established Church, of the other Pro- testant denominations, and of the Catholic Church

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in Canada, and I believe also in the other Colonies, have accepted this Bill, and unquestionably many of them approve of it. I would now, my lords, desire to say that I stand here — it is by the gra- cious will of the Sovereign that I have the privi- lege— as a Colonist, as one of those coming from the Colonies. Every man in the Colonies looks upon himself as being as much of an Englishman as if he were born within the bounds of the United Kingdom. He glories in the name of Englishman, and he has the aspirations that you and all those who are loyal to the Empire have. This measure affects — and affects very gravely — many in tho Colonies, from the Ministers of the Crown to the artisan, and many of them the most worthy and most loyal. No, I would withdraw this last expres- sion, 'the most loyal.' Throughout the Dominion of Canada — indeed, my lords, throughout all the Colonies — there is now but one standard, but one measure of loyalty. Such being the case, and feel- ing as they do that they are, equally with those in this country, members of the great Empire to which we all belong, I am confident that you, my lords, will on this occasion send those who are in the position I have referred to a message of good will, that you are desirous of doing full justice to them."

The Bill passed the House of Lords,' but failed in the Commons. Two years later Lord Strathcona made another attempt, and, in an impressive speech before a distinguished audience, made another earnest appeal : ' ' This measure has not been sprung upon Parliament suddenly. It is in no sense a 136

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movement of impulse. For twenty-four years the Colonies have been pressing the matter upon the attention of the Imperial authorities. It affects, my lords, the most important and sacred of all contracts and affects communities not less attached to the Christian religion than those of the Mother Country. The present time seems to me a singu- larly appropriate one for such action on the part of your lordships, as I have ventured to recom- mend. For the last few years there has been a great awakening of Imperial sentiment. The dif- ferent parts of the Empire have vied with one an- other in demonstrating their loyalty to the Crown and to the Empire. They have shown not only the desire, but the determination to share both in its joys and in its troubles, and we have at the present time, in South Africa, an object lesson to the world of the practical unity of the different parts of the British Empire, which has awakened enthusiasm both in the Motherland and every part of the world W7here the British flag flies never witnessed before. Your favorable decision would be regarded in some parts of the Empire as a message of good will to our fellow subjects, who are so closely connected with us by common ancestry, by common patriot- ism, by common love for the Empire, to which we are all proud to belong, and by common loyalty and veneration for our gracious Sovereign."

The Bill again passed the House of Lords by a majority of eighty-five, but the Government re- fusing to take the matter up in the House of Com- mons it was again deferred and it was some years before it was finally passed and the anomaly re-

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moved. But the speeches of Lord Strathcona and their reception indicate both his unfailing interest in Canadian affairs and the high place of influence he had reached in the Imperial Parliament.

We have spoken of Lord Strathcona as an " Im- perialist." As there are several varieties of Im- perialism, it may be well to have a clear under- standing of what he meant by it. He made a ref- erence to it in an address which he deilvered in 1900 as Lord Rector of Aberdeen University.

' ' We have glanced at some of the milestones along the road which has led to the cross roads we are now facing, and the question before us is, which of them must be taken ? Shall it be the one which points to the maintainence of the existing order of things, or the other which will lead to closer unity for Imperial purposes, for commercial purposes and for defence ? There seems to be a general feel- ing in favor of the latter, which will assure the dif- ferent parts of the Empire full liberty of self- government, while giving them a voice in the Im- perial policy, the desire for which is becoming stronger every year. There are some who think the solution of the problem is to be found in th<; representation of Canada and the Colonies in the Imperial Parliament. I am not one of tho-e who .share that view, at any rate, until a truly Imperial Parliament to deal with Imperial affairs can be established.

"In times to come, it is within the bounds ->f possibility that there may be local Parliaments to deal with local affairs in England, Scotland and 138

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Ireland; and we may also then have a Parliament with representatives from the different parts of the Empire, which will be Imperial in name and in its work. We are approaching a period when all parts of the Empire will seek to have a voice in the foreign policy and in other subjects affecting the well-being of the community in general. That some way must be found of meeting the aspira- tions of the Colonies does not admit of doubt. I have made some reference to the question of an Imperial Parliament. That may be the ultimate solution, or it may not. But in the meantime the constitution of an Imperial Council in conjunc- tion with the Colonial Office, consisting in repre- sentatives of the Imperial Government and the Col- onies, has been mentioned as a preliminary step, even if the Council were only consultative at the commencement." This address reveals the prac- tical turn of his mind and also the breadth of view and judicial habit which he brought to the consid- eration of all great questions. Though a very old man, he was as mentally alert as ever and kept in close touch with the political and intellectual move- ments of his time.

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CHAPTER XXII. Canada from 1838 to 1914.

It requires an effort to imagine what Canada was like when Donald A. Smith landed in 1838. In fact, the very name "Canada," as applied to the country then, is a misnomer. At that time, there was no Canada as we understand it. The larger part of it was an unknown country. There was a fringe of population following the course of the River St. Lawrence and lining the shores of the Atlantic and Lakes Ontario and Erie. There were in this fringe knots, here and there, that might be called towns — Halifax, Quebec, Montreal, Toronto. The time was nearly thirty years before the Dominion was born, before Con- federation became an established fact. The peo- ple in the extreme east were gathered in differ- ent sections — Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. These were more inti- mately associated, geographically, with the peo- ple to the south than with the other parts of British North America. They were British and were loyal to the old country, but, naturally, their intercourse, socially and commercially, was 140

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largely with the people of New England. Far- ther west was a French population with Quebec as their centre, speaking a different language and holding a different form of religion. Still farther west on the Upper St. Lawrence and Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, and even as far as Lake Huron, was to be found, perhaps, the most prosperous and enterprising community of ail- largely of Scotch extraction, rigidly Protestant and intensely loyal. That was the limit of the country then. It was covered with great forests and for hundreds of miles north of the southern boundary these stretched silent, unbroken, unin- habited save here and there by some enterpris- ing settler who was hewing for himself a home out of the "forest primeval."

Between these different sections there was lit- tle in common. Each lived its own life in its own way and there was but slight communica- tion between them. Ontario and Quebec, or as they were then called, "Upper" and "Lower Canada," by reason of their contiguity were more closely associated. They really constituted the body of the Canada that was to be and it was among these people so widely different in lan- guage and religion and ideals of life that the struggles took place, in their battle for respon- sible government, which make the first half of the nineteenth century so interesting and memor- able. But that was the situation: a country of vast extent, stretching from the Atlantic, west to the Pacific, and from the lakes, north to the Arctic, with a few people scattered along its 141

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frontier, with no bond of unity, no railways, no canals, little money, little education, few con- veniences and a government altogether unsuited to the needs of the people and incapable of grappling with the practical problems of the time, while away beyond this sparsely inhabited fron- tier line there stretched, north and west, for hun- dreds and thousands of miles, an immense coun- try, millions of acres of fertile land, of which those in the east knew little or nothing, and in which they had no interest. It was given over to the hunter and fur trader, to the Indian and the buffalo.

When Donald A. Smith reached the country, affairs had reached a crisis and the discontent and dissatisfaction had actually broken out into armed rebellion. That outbreak was not success- ful, but it served to call the attention of the home authorities to the critical state of affairs. The famous report of Lord Durham threw further light on the situation and led to steps being taken to give some measure of self-government to the Canadian people. But the privilege in its fullness was granted slowly. The British Gov- ernment was reluctant to give up its direct con- trol and it was only the deep-rooted loyal senti- ment of the people that prevented a recurrence of what had taken place in the American Revo- lution. But wiser councils in time prevailed and slowly but surely the principle of representative government was recognized, and the direct rule from Downing Street was done away. The dif- ficulties of government, however, were far from

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being settled. Upper and Lower Canada had formed a kind of union. The leadership of the Parliament was a double-barreled arrangement, as for example, the Macdonald-Cartier Govern- ment, one of the leaders representing the French of Lower Canada and the other the English- speaking people of Upper Canada. It was a makeshift arrangement and was not satisfactory. The two races did not pull together very well.

By the terms of the agreement, each Province was to have the same number of representatives. This was all right at first but, as the Upper Prov- ince began to forge ahead and outstrip the Lower in population and wealth and general progress, friction was inevitable. The Province of Ontario found that it was paying the bulk of the taxes and had only an equal say in their distribution, and this was regarded as a grievance. But the whole system of government by detachments was far from satisfactory. There was a lack of unity which made common action impossible. The Maritime Provinces raised their revenues by cus- toms duties. The goods of one crossing the bor- der in another were compelled to pay a tariff. They were in fact a group of little communities with only one thing to hold them together, namely, the sentimental tie that held them to the Old Land. Jealousies and rivalries and local interests were as keen as if they were separate nationalities. And the statesmanship of the time was largely taken up with petty questions of Provincial rights and Provincial advantage. The outlook was far from bright. However, in spite 143

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of these difficulties, the country was growing. The population by 1851 was 2,377,182— not in- cluding those west of Ontario. By 1871, it had increased to 3,626,096, including 10,000 in Mani- toba and 46,314 in British Columbia. At the same time, the trade with outside countries was en- larging and by 1867 had reached the respectable total of over $140,000,000, exports and imports. Immigration was coming in spite, of the allure- ments of the United States. The newcomers were chiefly from the British Isles — the Irish, owing to unhappy conditions at home, coming in large numbers — and these new arrivals, being British, chose, from sentimental reasons, to take up their residence in a country which was under the British flag. They were a splendid class of set- tlers and did noble pioneer work, putting up with all kinds of hardships, pushing their way through all kinds of difficulties and with industry and courage clearing away the great forests.

In Lord Durham's report, the idea of one cen- tral government for all Canada with local govern- ments to look after local affairs had been sug- gested. During these difficult years the idea had been slowly taking root and was beginning to take practical shape in the minds of the leaders of the people. There is no need to repeat the story of difficulties and prejudices that h;>d to be overcome. Suffice it to say they were overcome, mainly through the efforts of Sir John A. Mao- donald, Sir George Cartier, Alexander Gait, and, not by any means least. George Brown. The scheme of Federation was evolved and in 1867 144

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the Dominion of Canada became an accomplished fact. When Donald Smith entered the Hudson Bay Company's service, a youth of eighteen years, Canada was a group of disjecta membra. When thirty years later he emerged from the northern wilds, the head of the company, a man forty- eight years of age, he found these scattered parts joined together in a Federal Union, under one government, .and for the first time prepared to take united action. But even then, only four Provinces, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Xew Brunswick, were included under the new Government. Prince Edward Island, British Co- lumbia and all the North-west were still outside. It was some time before the circle was complete and the Dominion extended from ocean to ocean. It was then, .and then only, that Canada was in a position politically to go forward on the road of national progress. The advances, previously made, were sporadic and sectional. They are not to be lightly spoken of but were really prepara- tory to larger movements and more concerted performance.

How wonderfully the country has grown dur- ing the period covered by the life of Lord Strath- cona is shown by a study of some of the out- standing features in industries, transportation, education, population and finance. It will not be possible to more than glance at these but even the most superficial survey cannot fail to impress us with the fact of unprecedented progress. In the matter of transportation alone the results are almost incredible. In 1850 there were less H5

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than sixty miles of railway in Canada. By 1867 the mileage had not reached 3,000, while in 1913 it was over 29,000. The country is covered with railroads and the continent is spanned by two through lines while a third is nearing comple- tion. When one thinks of what that means, the physical difficulties overcome, the immense sums of money involved, the enormous amount of busi- ness required to justify such colossal expenditure ($1,548,256,796, estimated), one begins to realize what changes have taken place. And transporta- tion by water has not been neglected. Millions have been spent in canals, the chief of these being the "Soo," the Welland and the St. Law- rence canals, but there are many others. The way has been opened to the sea from Fort Wil- liam at the head of Lake Superior for vessels drawing fourteen feet of water. It is planned ultimately to deepen these to thirty-one feet, making it possible for ocean-going steamers to carry their cargoes to the head of the Great Lakes. Instead of the sailing vessels which car- ried on the trade with the Old 'Country, mag- nificent steamers have regular sailings from both the east and west coasts of Canada. The Allan line put on the first steamer in 1852. To-day there are many lines of splendid steamers which, starting from Montreal, connect Canada with Europe. In 1860 the Prince of Wales (after- wards King Edward VII) opened the Victoria Bridge, crossing the River St. Lawrence at Mont- real. For that time it was a marvellous structure costing $7,000,000. Before that the famous Sus- pension Bridge had been thing across Niagara 146

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River at the "Falls." All this work on land and water indicates how the country was going ahead.

The intellectual progress is shown by the at- tention which has been given to education. Now the different Provinces vie with one another in the effort to perfect their educational systems. A premium is put upon intelligence — common schools, grammar schools, high schools, colleges and universities are within reach of all. Canada has 1,200,000 children going to school. Nearly 10,000 students attend the universities — chief of which are Toronto, Queen's and McGill. Nearly ninety per cent, of those who are five years and over can read and write.

The expansion of trade and the increase of revenue are proofs of the' growth of the Domin- ion during this period. The two Canadas, Upper and Lower, at the time of Confederation, had a revenue of somewhere about $10,000,000, while the trade of the four Provinces that first united was between 140 and 150 millions of dollars, ex- port and import. Then followed the inclusion of Prince Edward Island, the North-west and Bri- tish Columbia and though, for some years, the growth was slow and disappointing, owing to several causes, such as the lack of transportation, several bad crops, the universal depression, the difficulty of securing and keeping immigrants and the draining of our people by the United States, still there was progress and in the latter part of the 90 's that progress became phenomenal. Set- tlers began to pour into the country, trade in- creased by leaps and bounds so that while in 1896 147

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the total immigration was 21,716, in 1912-13 it was 402,432. The population which in 1851 was less than two and a half millions is now up to, if not over, the eight-million mark. The Govern- ment which in 1867 had about $10,000,000 to administer has now a revenue approaching $200,- 000,000. The volume of trade Avhich in 1867 was between1 140 and 150 millions of dollars has swol- len to the enormous bulk of over a billion. The prairies of the Xorth-west have been divided into three prosperous Provinces and are filling up with an industrious and thriving population which last year raised over 200,000,000 bushels of wheat, besides oats, barley, flax, etc. On all sides are to be seen the signs of an un- exampled material prosperity. Whether for good or bad, Canada can now boast of her millionaire citizens and the simple life of the early days has given place to the luxury and display which mark the possession of wealth.

The growth of great cities has been phenom- enal. When Lord Strathcona came to Canada, the only cities of importance were Montreal with perhaps 35,000 population and Toronto with 13,000 or 15,000. But what a change did he see take place! Montreal is now over 600,000, To- ronto 500,000. In Canada there are thirty cities as large as Toronto was in 1838 and in every respect modern and up-to-date. In the West where was nothing but the trader's post and the Indian wigwam, great cities have fairly sprung into existence — Winnipeg, Calgary, Ed- monton, Regina, Vancouver, Fort William and 148

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a dozen important towns and cities of less popula- tion but all growing rapidly and each the centre of a thriving agricultural district.

But perhaps more significant than anything else is the growth of the national consciousness. It is a curious spirit that is developing on this side of' the sea — a spirit of sturdy independence, a determination to make our own laws and con- trol our own fiscal policy, and yet, at the same time, a deepening of the sentiment which holds us to the Motherland. There is no question about it. The day of dependence has gone. It was inevitable that it should go. The term "Col- ony" has lost its significance. The idea of part- nership has taken its place. The conception of the destiny of the British Empire has immensely broadened. Not domination by the Old Country but co-operation with her in everything that makes for national value and stability — that is the new spirit of the age which is possessing all the Dominions over the sea. The people of Can- ada, having passed through the primitive and pioneering stage, having settled the pressing local problems, incident to the shaping of a new coun- try, are prepared to assume the responsibilities and duties that belong to maturity. They wish to join the younger nations that fly the British flag in helping the great Empire to become greater still, to make the story of the future even more glorious than that of the past, and, true to the traditions and ideals that have come down from former generations, to join with the land from which they sprang in creating a world- 151

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power which will be a mighty factor in promot- ing the best interests of humanity. The Cana- dian statesmen of to-day are confronting a dif- ferent situation from that which faced their pre- decessors. To them has fallen the task of fitting this young and vigorous nation to take its part on the broad stage of Imperial interests.

Many great men have contributed to this re- sult. For a long time John A. Macdonald con- trolled the destinies of the Dominion. From 1867 till his death in 1891 (with the exception of five years, 1873-8, during which Alexander Mackenzie was in office), he was Prime Minister of Canada. Before Confederation, Cartier, Brown, Howe, Gait and others had done much to shape the course of events, but for a quarter of a century before his death he was the most conspicuous figure in Canadian politics. He had a hand in all the great movements of that critical time. Soon after his death, another man, still living, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, was Premier for fifteen years, and occupied that position in a manner worthy of his great predecessor. Both these men, Macdonald and Laurier, gathered about them dis- tinguished and able workers. In Laurier 's time the efforts of the past came to fruition and the development of Canada proceeded at a tremen- dous rate. Canada came to the front and became a household word in every part of the British Dominions. And of all the men who contributed to that magnificent result, none was more worthy than the subject of this biography. He had not only seen it develop but had been one of its most 152

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active agents. In all the great events he had been a participator. He had devoted his life to the welfare of his country and, in his old age, no interest was dearer to the heart of Lord Strath- cona than the interest of Canada, and nothing gave him greater satisfaction than the reflection that he had had no small part in elevating her to her present position. Few men have been so fortunate as to live long enough to see their efforts crowned with such success. He found Canada an insignificant colony, restless under misgovernment, with all the forces — race, relig- ion and isolation — that make for discord and division, with little knowledge, even of its own territory and rich resources, occupied with mat- ters of purely local interest, with no common objective and but the faintest conception of its splendid destiny. He lived long enough to see it become an organized unity, its vast territories explored and brought under proper government, its sources of wealth amazingly developed, the institutions of learning and religion firmly estab- lished, a population rapidly increasing and marked by the qualities that make a nation solid, a broadening of the vision and a birth of that larger spirit which concerns itselt with matters of world-wide importance. He was a witness of this marvellous transformation but he had not been an idle spectator. From the earliest years of his life, when his influence and opportunity were limited, to the latest years, when he was recognized as one of the ''great Canadians" and was the possessor of unlimited means and

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wielded unquestioned influence, he had thrown himself with energy and courage into every struggle, had encouraged every enterprise, had put himself behind every movement that made for progress, had been to the front in settling the great political, financial and transportation problems which were staggering in their diffi- culty— in short, had devoted himself to his coun- try's good. It is pleasant to think that he was spared long enough to outlive the criticism and hostility inseparable from an active public career, to enjoy the friendship and esteem of all classes and last, but not least, to see the country, in whose progress he had been so deeply interested, take such a proud and commanding position among the younger nations of the Empire.

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CHAPTER XXIII.

Practical Maxims.

Such a remarkable career as that of Lord Strathcona is not only interesting as a study of what one man may accomplish but it may be profitable as exhibiting on a large scale those fundamental qualities and principles on which all success, greater or less, depends. For there is nothing magical about his achievements, noth- ing of the spectacular in his career except as we look at the results. The methods and pro- cesses by which the humble clerk became a Peer of the realm are not new. He did not discover and patent some novel machinery by which he could produce results with greater facilitj7 than others. It is true that he was endowed with a most remarkable bodily constitution. He was able to endure physical tests that would put the average man out of business. He not only lived to a great age but up to the very last was physically alert and strong. Within a short time of his death we find him crossing the Atlantic, spending a busy week in Montreal and then tak- ing a steamer back. His life was crowded with work which seemed to sit lightly upon his sturdy shoulders. It is true that he had a good mind, 155

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perhaps more than the average of intelligence, and was in possession of certain traits of char- acter which were invaluable. We have no inten- tion of belittling his great natural abilities. What we would point out is that his success was not due entirely to the possession of these but to the use he made of them. There are hosts of men that have just as strong a body, just as good a mind, who are, indeed, more brilliantly gifted in many ways, and yet, if they were put down where he was, would not have attained the posi- tion which he reached. To young men who are ambitious of success the study of his life is valuable, all the more, because it is not so much a case of genius and extraordinary powers as it is an example of what can be done by the per- sistent following of the most commonplace max- ims and the most homely virtues. There was a kind of monastic simplicity about the man, a directness of speech and purpose, a force of will, a kind of common sense optimism, and a large and judicial and impersonal way of looking at things which were the fruits of experience and discipline and culture. He was master of him- self and in that self-mastery lies much of the secret of his great career. He himself has told us some of the things he deemed essential, some of the rules by which his life was governed. It is worth while to glance at a few of these. A young man, starting out in his life's enterprise, would do well to pay attention to these rugged maxims drawn from a big man's experience. Lord Strathcona had many opportunities of ad-

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dressing young men, in whom he always had a deep interest, and his speeches ring the changes on a few simple practical counsels. The follow- ing are examples: —

"Be content with your lot, but always be fit- ting yourself- for something higher."

He had no sympathy with that theory of life which regarded a man's condition as fixed and unchangeable. A man should be content in what- soever place it had pleased God to put him, but he should not be content to stay in it if he could fit himself for something higher and better. The contentment which destroys a legitimate ambi- tion is fatal to success. A classification of society that ignored merit, and the bounds of which could not be broken, would have no support from Lord Strathcona. Each place might be the train- ing school for a higher place, and while it was all right to be cheerful and content in it yet one must not overlook the possibility of advance and earn it by the faithful and conscientious dis- charge of its duties. There is no better way. There are some examples, it is true, of men being advanced by favor and influence and "pull" but these are the exceptions. The rule in the prac- tical world where things have to be done is to give positions to those men who have proved that they can do them. "Pit yourself for some- thing higher" — that is the sound advice. He practised that himself. In the humble position in which he first found himself he won recog- nition by the way he did things. He made no great leap to the top. He had no friends at 157

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court to secure his advance. His only friend was himself and his only chance of advancement lay in doing so well whatever he was set to do that, as a matter of course, his fitness was recog- nized, and he was given something more impor- tant to do. It is a long way from a clerkship in a Hudson Bay post in Labrador, to the High Commissionership of Canada in London and a seat in the House of Lords, but he traversed that distance by the simple plan of fitting himself in one position for another higher up. And that plan is within reach of all.

"Only cheerful perseverance will bring you to a better position; grumbling won't help you an inch."

Caught in a blizzard and floundering through snow drifts, and uncertain where he was (but knowing he was a long way from his destina- tion) many a time he realized the truth and wis- dom of this declaration. In the stormy expedi- tions of his early days he had come through safely where others had failed, simply because he had learned this lesson, and was prepared to apply it. He would not give up. The cheerful spirit and the strong will drove the body on and compelled it to go through. And that same prin- ciple worked out in all his life. lie had difficult tasks to perform, opposition to encounter, ob- stacles to overcome, but he cheerfully persevered. He was not to be turned back from his purpose whether it was to discharge some arduous duty in Labrador or some more important public duty in later life. The driving of the last spike in 158

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the Canadian Pacific Railway, amid the towering mountains of the Rockies, meant the completion of an undertaking that to men of lesser parts seemed impossible. But he would never admit it. He had the cheerfulness, not of the fool but of the strong and conquering spirit. Never did he show to better advantage than when engaged in some contest, with men or circumstance or nature, that put him on his mettle. "Grumbling will not help you an inch." Nothing is truer than that. It is a waste of time and energy. "A stout heart to a stae brae" was for him a better motto. While men grumbled and whined and complained he was up and doing, pushing his way and achieving his purpose. It was a great thing for an old man, whose life spoke louder than his speech, to say to the young men of his generation. It had been good for him. It would be good for them. The persevering man has the grumbler beaten from the start.

"Do the work yourself; don't depend on the influence of friends on your behalf." This means self reliance. It is a rebuke of that miserable dependent spirit which leads a man to lean upon his fellows and clutch at their skirts and beg their favor or assistance. This man had seen a great deal of that. His position and influence and, latterly, his great wealth drew about him a host of people who were anxious to avail them- selves of his help and save themselves from the consequence of their own folly or weakness or idleness.

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He was not a hard-hearted man. He was not without sympathy. He was glad to help and did help. Many a young man got his start through him, and many a struggling cause was lifted out of trouble. But he had little sympathy with those who were too willing to take assist- ance in order to save themselves from effort. "Do it yourself," that is the way of success. That is the way to acquire strength and forti- tude, that is the way to win esteem and commend one's self.

As he thought of his own history and how, unaided, he had accomplished many a difficult task, had conquered a hostile situation, had stormed the gates that barred the entrance to some desired possession, it seemed to him out of that experience and all it meant to him, a good thing to cry out to the young men just beginning their life's struggle, "Do the work yourself; don't depend on others."

It is advice well worth considering. There is a tendency, against which youth cannot be too vigi- lant, to build one's life upon what others may do for us. For in the struggle of life what we need is strength and the more we lean upon others the weaker we become. The French have an excellent motto — "Help yourself, and heaven will help you." And if a man aims at usefulness or posi- tion or wealth he cannot follow a better principle. It is by pushing one's own fortunes, doing one's own thinking, earning, one's own living, originat- ing and carrying out one's own plans that one comes to confidence and power and influence. All 160

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that is commonplace but it is none the less true. Props, crutches, helps are for weaklings. The men who have come to the front in all varieties of achievement have nourished this virtue. They may have other failings, they may, indeed, have been offensively conceited and overbearing, but they have never been weak. As a rule they have had to fight their way, have had to compel recog- nition, have imposed themselves by sheer force upon those who realized their value. And this stern necessity, this lack of external advantage has fostered in them this sterling quality of independ- ence. It has made them self-contained, self-re- liant, self-directing. And never were these qual- ities more in demand than to-day. Individuality is in danger from the pressure of society. Men are afraid to assert themselves, to break away from the regular route, to do things themselves without consultation and without help. If we explore the realm of success — in material things, in intellectual attainment, in the great movements that have re- formed and transformed the world — we will find everywhere this quality embodied. In the vast majority of cases the gigantic men have been those who have followed this counsel of Lord Strathcona, "Do the work yourself; don't depend on the in- fluence of friends on your behalf." This big man, of whom we write, had tried it and found it true. No feature of his character was more pronounced than this — his confidence in himself and his deter- mination to preserve his independence. He fought his own battle, he won his own game, in his life's splendid result the biggest factor was himself.

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"Opportunity comes to some men more fre- quently than to others but there are very few it does not visit at some time or other."

Here we have the recognition of a fact which is apparent to every student of life, namely, that much depends on opportunity. Grey in his "Elegy" fills the rural graves of the country churchyard with those who, had fortune favored them, might have been different: — "Some village Hampden that with dauntless breast

The petty tyrant of his fields withstood, Some mute, inglorious Milton here may rest,

Some Cromwell, guiltless of his country's blood."

There is such a thing as, what we call, luck and it plays a considerable part in the destinies of men. Indeed some go so far as to say that success is largely a matter of accident, and that, no matter how well one may be qualified, if he have not the opportunity he cannot succeed. That has enough truth in it to qualify our judgment of those who have not succeeded as we might have hoped, but it is not wise, especially for youth, to lay too much stress upon it. It is true that some have more opportunities than others. But it is equally true that all have an opportunity some time, and failure is due, not to lack of opportunity, but to the neg- lect of it. The Roman Cardinal was right who said, "There is nobody whom Fortune does not visit once in his life ; but when she finds he is not ready to receive her, she goes in at the door, and out through the window." That is the secret — to be ready for it when it does come. The care- less, slow, unobservant fail to see it, or clutch at 162

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it when it has gone. But those who are ready, perceive it at once and catch it on the wing. More than that, they not only are ready and waiting for "something to turn up" but they make it turn up. They hammer at circumstances till they shape them to their will. They do not whine and wail and cry out against their lot but set themselves to change it. As Wendell Phillips says, "Common sense plays the game writh the cards it has. Com- mon sense bows to the inevitable, and makes use of it. It does not ask an impossible chessboard, but takes the one before it and plays the game/' That was Lord Strathcona's policy. And in his old age he was justified in pressing it home to the youth of the land. His own life wras a splendid illustration of his text. For surely no one had a poorer chance than he ! When he left his native land behind him he seemed to be leaving every chance of a great career. He had no money, and no influence, and no social position. He went into a wilderness. For half a lifetime he labored in obscurity, in a bleak and desolate country. But when the opportunity came he was ready and at every stage of his history it found him ready. Even in the narrow7 life of the fur-trader he reached the top. When he came to the front great doors opened and he was ready to enter in. No feature of his remarkable story is more noteworthy than this — the readiness with which he responded to every call. It seems almost miraculous that the boy "Smith" should become the "Lord" Strath- cona. Yet there is no sign of miracle. He was ready for opportunity. That was all. While

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others were bewailing their unlucky fate and were busy explaining their lack of success he applied himself to the duty of the hour. With a cheerful temper and a steady purpose he kept on his way and at every turn of the road he was ready for the new development. His progress from the be- ginning to the end was uniform, each stage of it fitting into the next in an orderly series. There were no violent upheavals, no brilliant flights; only the constant and consistent warfare with circum- stances as they came to him. It is probable that he builded better than he knew. It is questionable if he ever dreamed of the colossal result. He just did what everybody may do. He did the work himself and did not depend on others. The influ- ence of friends is not to be despised but it is a poor substitute for the driving force of one's own determined will.

' "Follow the old counsel: 'Trust in Providence mid keep your powder dry.' '

In this we get a glimpse into the secret places of this reticent Scotchman's mind. He accepted the theory of a universe ruled and regulated by a Power transcending the limits of our understand- ing. He recognized the two elements which enter into every human effort — on the one hand, the element of "Providence" which controls the vast machine of which we are but a small part, which determines the final issue, which is concerned with results on a stupendous scale, and on the other. the element of the individual effort. The one is theory which is a matter of faith. The other is practical. It comes within tho range of human

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fiction and control. It rests on the conviction that the individual must play his part, must link his efforts with the great, overruling Force. Even Providence is helpless if we will not exert our- selves, refuse to make use of the means at our disposal, and wait, supine, for some supernatural interference. "Trust in Providence" is good. It makes for optimism, hope, courage, but does not eliminate the personal responsibility. "Keep your powder dry" is just as necessary as "Trust in Providence." The two work together. And, so far as men are concerned, the keeping of the "powder dry" is the more important factor. And many a battle has ended in defeat because this has been overlooked. Men have faced the problems of life with a vain and impracticable faith in Provi- dence. They have been so obsessed with that, that they have failed to equip themselves to meet rea- sonable demands. "Keep your powder dry" is the counsel which this old veteran sounds in our ears. Look after your bodily health, cultivate your mind, foster the qualities of industry, thoroughness, fidel- ity and prudence. Do the thing that lies to hand and do it well. Keep yourself fit. Have your armor ready, your lamps trimmed, your powder dry. Then you may hope to swing into line with the greater movements of Providence. This was Lord Strathcona's practice and it was based on his profound faith in the infinite directing Power.

These are a few of the maxims which had been brought to the proof in the actual working out of this marvellous life. They are the tools which were used in the building of a career which has

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commanded universal admiration. It will be noticed how simple they are and how far removed from originality. Lord Strathcona did not create them. One can find these, and a hundred like them, in the pages of literature. They are part of the experience of the race. We are all familiar with them as words and phrases. But the sig- nificant thing here is that they are not mere theories, an ideal practical philosophy, but come to us as actualities, clothed with the flesh of prac- tical performance. This man was not quoting from a book but was exhibiting the real processes of his own life. He had found himself in many a tight place; he had been confronted with formid- able difficulties; for over seventy years he had been thrown upon his own resources; he had found himself the centre of many an exciting conflict; he had had grave responsibilities thrust upon him ; he had succeeded wonderfully and had established himself in the esteem and respect of all classes in the Empire; he had carried to a successful com- pletion enormous enterprises and had come to be reckoned one of the great men of the time. The words of such a man are weighty. His counsels should compel attention. These maxims of his may well be pondered for he hammered them out on the anvil of his own experience.

MOUNT SIR. DONALD Named in honor of Lord Strathcona then Donald Smith.

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CHAPTER XXIV. The Last Reception.

In this narrative, we have often referred to the large-hearted, almost princely, hospitality of Lord Strathcona. His wealth was for him a source of pleasure because he was able to gratify this spirit of entertainment. And he did it on a lavish scale. He had homes in London, Glencoe and Colonsay (in Scotland), Hertfordshire,. Essex (in England), Nova Scotia, Winnipeg and Mont- real (in Canada). It was his delight to welcome visitors to these homes and many a time the most exalted persons were domiciled beneath his roof.

There was one great function which took place every year in London. This was the "Lord Strathcona Reception" which was given in honor of all Canadians Avho chanced to be in London at the time. It was the privilege of the writer to attend the last of these, which was held on the evening of July 2nd, 1913. It was held in Queen's Hall and was certainly an occasion to make a Canadian feel a thrill of pride. It is estimated that twenty-three hundred guests as- sembled in the large theatre, among whom were the representatives of royalty, in the persons of 167

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the Duke of Connaught and Princess Patricia, the nobility, in the persons of the Earl of Aber- deen and Earl Grey, and men and women eminent in every walk of life — statesmen, soldiers, writers and others famous in their professional callings.

The whole scene was exceedingly beautiful. The great hall wTith its brilliant illumination, its fine decorations, its profusion of beautiful plants and flowers, its orchestra discoursing the sweet- est music, and crowded with the elite of London's social life and hundreds of visitors from over the seas, all arrayed in their best, flashing with jewels and adorned with knightly orders, pre- sented a spectacle of light and color and anima- tion, which was not only charming but wonder- fully impressive. No pains had been spared to make it a great function. Nothing had been omitted that would lend dignity and splendor to the occasion. It was "Canadian Night" and many a traveller from the Dominion renewed his acquaintance with others who lived in some other Dart of that far spread country and felt thankful to the man who had given him this opportunity.

And it wras this which made the occasion so important. It was not only the meeting place of Canadians, but the significance of all this lay in the fact that this function was given by the Canadian High Commissioner. It was an adver- tisement of the greatness of the young Dominion and a concrete evidence of her wonderful pro- gress. It was, further, a witness to the pride with which Lord Strathcona regarded his adopted Country and his anxiety to keep her to the front 168

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and make her conspicuous in the eyes of the world. He had spent his life there. There he had gained his wealth and there he had achieved his fame. To him it had been more than a "land of promise." It had been a land of large and generous fulfilment. lie had landed on those distant shores a poor and comparatively friend- less lad. For over seventy years he had lived through the most critical and stormy periods of Canadian development. For thirty years he was a denizen of the wilderness, fai away from civil- ization, living the rough and trying life of the fur-trader. He had taken an important part in laying the foundations of the future greatness of the Confederation. lie had been a leading factor in great railway enterprises. He had helped to solve the difficult problems arising out of religious and racial prejudice. He had thrown himself with heart and soul into ever\r movement that would aid in her development. He knew it from the Atlantic to the Pacific. He was acquainted with its enormous resources in forest, mine and fertile land. He had a glowing faith in its future, and saw the time when the Domin- ion would vie with the Motherland in population and wealth and character. To him it was a mat- ter of pride and delight to sound her praises and make her possibilities known to the whole world. To this end he used his high official position and it was in the furtherance of this purpose that he allied himself with every effort to bring her be- fore the public eye. By public addresses, by large dona-tions. by cultivating the friendship of

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the great leaders in the spheres ef politics, litera- ture and society, by such a display of wealth as would commend his position and by lavish entertainments and great receptions, he sought to impress the people of the old land with the greatness of the country which he represented. That was the meaning of the striking function of last July when he gave the hand of welcome to between twro and three thousand guests. It was all a means to an end and that end was the exaltation of Canada.

It was a notable occasion and a notable gather- ing and the central figure in that splendid func- tion was the grand old man himself. He stood in his place to welcome his guests with a warm handshake and a word of greeting. To the Cana- dians who were there, he was an object of spe- cial interest. He was their representative. This gorgeous function was in honor of their country. The host of the evening was a great Canadian, a worthy product of the young Dominion. No wonder his fellow-countrymen regarded him with pride. Ninety-three years of age ! It seemed incredible. As we looked on his stately figure, his face strong and masterful, the eyes, beneath shaggy brows, bright with intelligence, the whole man full of vitality, it was hard to think that he had far outlived the appointed time. His manner was kind and gracious and delightfully simple. As we turned away to give place to others and to mingle with the throng we carried in our minds the impression of a stalwart and honorable representative of our country, one of 170

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whom we had never need to be ashamed, and in whose hands the welfare of Canada was safe. Had we known how near the end was, how soon he would pass away and leave behind an empty place, hard to fill — we would have regarded him with even greater interest. But there was no sign of failing powers. He seemed hale and hearty as ever. We had not the faintest idea that he was giving his last reception. It is a pleasure to reveal the picture of the old man, full of years and of honors, surrounded by his friends, enjoying the fruits of a life of labor, the object of respect and good will of all classes of the people. His position seemed ideal. The years of strife and controversy and bitterness had been left far behind. The possessor of great wealth, the occupant of a high office, the trusted counsellor of governments, wielding an enormous influence, honored through the whole extent of the Empire, the closing period of his life was a fitting climax to a career which from the beginning had moved steadily forward and upward. It is safe to say that, considering his origin and experience, he was in a class by him- self. There were none like him. He was not and did not claim to be a perfect man. The hostile critic could find much which might serve as a basis for attack. He \vas not, in the tech- nical sense of the term, either a moral or social "reformer." There was very little of the dema- gogue or the radical in his composition. He was by temperament a conservative. He bowed to the established order and had no sympathy with

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those who were anxious to bring about changes. lie was not so much theoretical as practical. He took the world as he found it. His methods of finance were the methods of his time. He did not create them but used them. He was the product to some extent of the system into which he was born and in which he had been trained. His genius lay not in the construction of ma- chinery but in making use of the machinery ex- isting. That was where he excelled. Naked he came into the world, without money, without influence, without social patronage, with no ad- vantage whatever save the qualities resident in himself. As such, bare-handed he came into the world and when the time came for him to leave it he had conquered it. He had gained for him- self what comes to others through inheritance, or by some lucky stroke of fate. And his achieve- ment was due, not to any spectacular or extra- ordinary abilities, but to that practical sagacity by which he was impelled instead of criticizing systems to lay hold of them and make them serve his purpose.

We may, quite properly, question if any man in a single lifetime should be able to become a multi-millionaire. That is a question which un- doubtedly will have to be faced. But no man can be held responsible for the system which has grown through centuries and has become estab- lished and accepted. There are many things which will probably be changed — social distinc- tions, titles, House of Lords, etc. Men of the stamp of Lord Strathcona will never change 172

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them. And his pre-eminence and success are due to the fact that he had no desire to change them. He found them established, and by his native shrewdness and executive ability and practical wisdom laid hold of them and made them his creatures. His high position, his title of "Lord Strathcona," his commanding influence and his great wealth were simply the result of a man of genius manipulating the forces that lay ready to his hand. Had he been born into another system the same qualities would have won for him an equally great though perhaps a different result. We need have no scruple in subscribing to the general belief that he was "Canada's Grand Old Man."

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CHAPTER XXV. An Honored Burial.

If Lord Strathcona was not buried in St. Paul's it was because of the wish of his relatives that he should be laid to rest at Highgate. But he was accorded a public funeral in Westminster Abbey and the famous building which for a thou- sand years had been the hallowed shrine of the mighty men who had made England great was crowded by thousands who had come to do honor to the illustrious dead, while multitudes gathered outside and lined the way from his house in Grosvenor Square.

The gathering represented all the noblest life of the Empire. The King and Queen and the Governor-General of Canada were represented, also other members of the Royal family and the Prime Minister of England. There were present in person the ambassadors of foreign powers, the high commissioners and agents-general from the other portions of the Empire, famous men from the universities, leaders in finance, commerce and philanthropy. The pallbearers were Lord Aber- deen, Lord Lans'downe, Lord Lichfield, Principal 17 4

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George Adam Smith, Vice-Chancellor of Aber- deen University W. L. Griffith, the Duke of Argyll, the Lord Mayor of London, Lewis Har- court, Colonial Secretary, Sir William Osier and Sir Thomas Skinner. Rarely has anyone been laid to rest amid such an impressive company and with such imposing circumstance. The ser- vice was simple yet dignified and stately. The vast congregation joined in singing the hymn which the dead man had repeated a few hours before his passing, "0 God of Bethel, by Whose Hand." Upon the coffin were wreaths from the Dominion Government, from Alice and Alexander of Teck and one from Queen Alexandra bearing the beautiful inscription "In sorrowful memory of the Empire's kindest of men and greatest of benefactors."

After the service the body was removed to Highgate and was buried beside the remains of Lady Strathcona, who had died two months be- fore. There in the quiet graveyard of North London this great nation builder sleeps after a long life of strenuous activity. As one thinks of that career, now that it is complete, one can realize more clearly how wonderful it has been. One must be dull indeed who does not feel his imagination kindle as he reflects upon the vicissi- tudes through which this single life was called to pass. It is difficult, as one turns from the splendor of that stately service in the great Abbey, and from the throng of famous men who gathered to do him honor, to conceive that the subject of this demonstration, seventy-six years 175

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before, had left the little town in Scotland, an unknown boy, and in a little ship had sailed away over the ocean to try his fortune in that now land across the sea. No contrast could be greater than that of the raw and diffident lad and the honored statesman who had just been laid to rest. And the result is all the greater when it is remembered that the youthful adventurer who was thus launched upon that life of uncertainty had no advantages apart from himself. He had no fortune, no social position, no knowledge of public life, no education as we understand that term. Moreover, the land to which he was going at that time gave no promise of its marvellous subsequent development. The political leaders of Great Britain had little conception of its value. It is a question if, sometimes, they did not under- rate it and deem it more of a liability than an asset. Information about it was meagre and to the general mind it was the wildest and bleakest part of the American continent, the choicest por- tion of that continent being under the govern- ment of the Stars and 'Stripes. For many years the emigration from the old country turned its main stream to the United States. Canada then caused no thrill of pride or hope in British breasts. It was a great wild country and offered but few opportunities to tempt any but those possessed of the roving and adventurous spirit. Nothing could possibly seem more improbable and even fantastic than that such a youth going to such a place should in the course of time find himself the recipient of the highest Imperial

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honors and be regarded as one worthy to take his place in one of "the seats of the mighty." The story of Britain's great men contains the record of many remarkable careers, of men rising from poverty to wealth, from obscurity to high position, from small and vulgar surroundings to the place of commanding power and influence. But it is doubtful if any of them can match that, of which this story tells, in its conflicts with difficulties, in its amazing achievements and in its splendid climax. Westminster Abbey lias witnessed many imposing funeral services, has been the scene of the last rites of a glorious company of the sons of Britain who have served her well and distinguished themselves in all parts of the Empire, at home and abroad, who have wrought faithfully in building up the wonderful fabric of national greatness, mighty soldiers and sailors, statesmen and orators, poets and philan- thropists. It is not claimed for Lord Strathcona that he was the equal of these in the brilliance, either of his gifts or of his attainments, but it is claimed that in devotion to his country, in fidel- ity to the national ideal, in ungrudging service,, in generous philanthropy, in practical usefulness, and in unflagging zeal and high enthusiasm for all that made for the advancement and glory of the Empire he was not unworthy of that illus- trious company. In the days to come when Can- ada shall be appraised at her real value, and when her place among the young Dominions shall be fully recognized the work of Strathcona will be appreciated as being of the utmost importance

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during the critical and formative period of this young nation's life. His public career was passed in the strain and stress of conflict, in the years of anxiety and uncertainty, when great move- ments had to be carefully guided and no man did more than he, by wise counsel and sound judgment and courageous enterprise, to lay the solid foundations of future prosperity. More than once his native sagacity, his strong will, his clear vision, his powerful personality and his unfailing tact have served his country in a dan- gerous situation. The new country presented many difficult problems — political, racial, religi- ons and geographical and his share in the solu- tion of those problems was exceeded by none.

Well might the Empire show gratitude for such service rendered. Well might the Imperial Gov- ernment recognize the greatness of the devoted and loyal subject. Well might the glorious old Abbey gather together in thousands representatives of all classes to pay tribute of respect to the faith- ful servant. Well might the King himself do honor to the man, than whom there was no more sturdy supporter of his throne. He loved the British Empire and cherished the Imperial out- look. His interest was broad and extensive, reaching every quarter of the globe where the British flag was acknowledged. But it is safe to say that his main interest centred on the Dominion of Canada — that portion of the King's domain with which his long life had been so closely identified, and which he had done so much to develop. He had seen it grow from an insig- 178

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nificant and troublesome colony to become one of the most important of the Dominions beyond the Seas and he had spent his life in fostering that growth. Among those that mourned his death and came to pay their tribute of respect, none could feel his loss so deeply and sincerely as the Canadians. He was their friend, the pro- duct of their country, one of its greatest repre- sentatives. ''Being dead he yet speaketh. " And the message he leaves to his countrymen is to carry on the work to which he gave his life and make Canada first in loyalty to the British con- nection, the home of an industrious and enter-' prising people, and a co-worker with the mother country in all that makes for the welfare of humanity.

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CHAPTER XXVI. Voices of Appreciation.

His day came to a close. It had been long and eventful. Its beginning was not very bright and his experience had been a chequered one. Few men had been tested as he had. Although fifty years of his life had been passed in com- parative obscurity, during which his powers of endurance had been subjected to the severest strain, the last forty-four years had been lived in the light of almost glaring publicity. From the year 1870, when he took such a conspicuous part in the North-West Settlement, until the end came in 3914, he had been in every sense of the word a public man. And he had occupied no mean position. He had been in the very front rank. He had been recognized on the floor of Parliament, in the realm of finance, in the world of railway development as a man of extraordi- nary powers. He had been sought after by some and had been denounced by others. But he had come through it all — the second part of his his- tory as well as the first — without danger. On both stages he had played his part well and had 180

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proved himself to be not only a good and useful friend and servant of the company but of in- estimable value to the Empire.

The last few years, fortunately, were passed in a position removed from controversy and com- petition. There the real, kindly, genial and help- ful spirit of the man revealed itself and he won for himself hosts of admirers and friends on both sides of the Atlantic. The sun was setting but it was going down in a cloudless sky, in a blaze of light, the clouds all cleared away and the evening beautiful and calm. To the last he was fortunate. He had no long and painful sickness. In October, 1913, he left his home at Glencoe and came to London to take up his duties there. There was no thought of anything happening but he was struck down by an illness which proved to be fatal and on the 21st of January his spirit passed away. When the news of his death was flashed to the ends of the Empire he was uni- versally mourned as a good man, a worthy citi- zen and a true patriot. Public men in generous terms made appropriate reference to the loss which the Empire had sustained. We quote a few of these eulogies as examples of many pro- nounced in the different Dominions of the King.

The Premier of the Dominion of Canada, R. L. Borden, spoke as follows: — "It is fitting, I am sure all members of both sides in this house will agree, that we should pay a tribute to the mem- ory of the great Canadian who passed away yes- terday. I speak of Lord Strathcona as a Cana- dian, because, although born across the sea, his 181

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life work was almost altogether carried on in this country. I do not know of any man who was inspired by a higher conception of duty than was Lord Strathcona.

"As the weight of years pressed upon him it was almost pathetic to see the devotion with which he insisted on performing even the minor duties of his position. In all the time I have known him, and that was in the later years of his life, I was struck with the fact that time did not seem to have dimmed the freshness of his spirit, the vigor of his will or his strength of purpose.

"I consider that it would be a fitting tribute of respect to his memory that this house should stand adjourned until to-morrow."

Sir Wilfrid Laurier, leader of the Opposition, in seconding the motion said: — "Since Sir John Macdonald's time I do not know that there has been any Canadian, who, on departing this life, has left behind him such a trail of sorrow as Lord Strathcona. lie is mourned by His Ma- jesty, whose personal friend he was, by the auth- orities of commerce and of finance in the com- mercial and financial metropolis of the world, by the poor of London, by the people of Scotland, the land of his birth, with whom he never com- pletely severed his connection, and in Canada, by all classes of the community. This universal sorrow is a tribute only bestowed upon men of strong personality and to this class he undoubt- edly belonged.

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''He came to Canada when he was only eighteen years of age, more than seventy-five years ago. At that time all his possessions were the sound practical education of a Scottish lad, and more than the full share of the character- istics of his race, keen business courage, caution and firmness never loud and assertive, never fail- ing to stand strong as adamant against all re- verses, and never spoiled even by the most phe- nomenal success. He came as a simple clerk to the Hudson Bay Company, and from that station he rose step by step until he became, after the death of Sir George Simpson, in 1860, at first in fact, and afterwards both in fact and name, the governor of that historic company, a posi- tion which he held to the last day of his life."

The Secretary of State for the Colonies, Right Hon. Lewis Harcourt, sent the following message from the British Government to the Governor- General of Canada: — "I desire on the part of His Majesty's Government to convey through Your Royal Highness to the Government and the people of Canada, an expression of deep sym- pathy in the loss the Dominion has sustained by the death of Lord Strathcona, High Commis- sioner for Canada in London for the past seven- teen years, a sympathy shared by his many friends in the United Kingdom and throughout the Empire. His name has been for many years a household word among us. embodying to all the thought of Canada and her marvellous pro- gress as well as his own notable career, distin- guished by large public usefulness and mag- 183

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nificent liberality, and his memory is assured of an honored and abiding place in the annals of the Dominion to which he devoted his faithful services to the end."

In the Canadian Senate, Hon. Mr. Lougheed, leader of the Government, spoke as follows: — "Coming to Canada at a period when men were living who had lived when Montcalm and Wolfe fought on the Plains of Abraham, he began to carve for himself that wonderful career with which Canada to-day is so familiar. Subjecting himself to all the hardships and rigors, the pri- vations and adventures common to the Hudson Bay Company outposts along the northern fringe of Canada, he surmounted every difficulty until he reached the highest position in the gift of that most remarkable company. Lord Strath- cona's presence in London was an asset of in- estimable value to Canada. His princely and lavish hospitality, his beneficence as a giver, his philanthropy in assisting and endowing great institutions in Canada and elsewhere, placed him in the forefront of the great philanthropists of the age."

Sir George Ross added his tribute to that of the leader: — "In such cases," he said, "we usually say 'we stand in the shadow of a great career.' To-day we do not stand in the shadow, but in the luminous light of the greatest career of any Canadian with whom most of us have been acquainted. Of the various qualities which dis- tinguished Lord Strathcona. the first, to my 184

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mind, is the resolute purpose he showed from his earliest days to his latest hours."

These are a few of the public utterances of which Lord Strathcona was the subject. They could easily be multiplied a hundredfold. The man gripped the age in which he lived and made a distinct and vivid impression. The remarkable story of his life captured the imagination. His success, to quote the word of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, had been "phenomenal." He had won his way through a tanglewood of difficulties, out into the open, and he had clone so without ostentation. He was endowed with great gifts but they were solid in quality rather than brilliant. The simplicity of the man, his quiet and gentle manner, the reticence which avoided display, the absence of the vulgar assertive, self-advertising spirit which, too often, shoAvs itself in the newly rich — all this impressed itself on those who knew him best. And through all the eulogistic utterances which followed upon his decease there runs this note. Men dwelt upon this conspicuous feature in his character, its reserved power. There was no exaggeration, no wildness of speech or action, no flights of fancy, no outbreaks of passion. He observed the golden mean, was moderate in all things, a wise man, sound of judgment, tem- perate in speech and yet possessed of a great determination. No finer example can be found of the old-time maxim, "Where there is a will there is a way." He had a will and he made a way. The building of the Canadian Pacific Rail- way was an illustration of the conquering power 185

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of his will. He had the faith and tenacity of purpose which, if they could not "remove moun- tains," at least could build a railway over them. It was that in the man which impressed his fel- lows— the dogged, steady persistence with which he followed his object till he had gained it.

His external bearing was mild and quiet but it concealed a spirit of adamant. Having once undertaken anything, committed himself to it, he was not to be turned from its accomplishment. With tireless energy, marvellous industry, care- ful audacity, he carried successfully through en- terprises which others, of a more showy ability, had failed to complete. The dependability of the man, his conscientious and thorough performance of his duties, great or small, secured for him recognition and promotion from the officials of the Hudson Bay Company ind afterwards from the great leaders in the political and financial world. And when men came to speak of him after he was dead, trying to appraise him at his • true value and analyze his amazing success and discover the secret of his extraordinary rise there is a singular unanimity in their verdict. They all fasten upon this outstanding characteristic that whatever his hand found to do he did it with his might. He lost no time securing influence, pulling strings, enlisting doubtful help, but went straight at the thing to be done and did it. Such 186

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a man with such a history and such a method and such a grand result is a man of which Cana- dians may well be proud. And he is one, too, who can safely be pat forward as an example and in- spiration to the aspiring youth of the land.

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