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HE LIFE AND LETTERS OF THE
T HON. SIR CHARLES TUPPER
BART..K.C.M.G.

EDITED BY E. M. SAUNDERS. D. D.

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Forest library

Lake Placid Club Essex co. N Y

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When not in actual use, this book is to be kept in its
place on the Club library shelvs. The purpose of
making it useful, not to an individual but to the whole
Club, wil be defeated if left in private rooms.
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THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF THE

RT. HON. SIR CHARLES TUPPER,

BART., K.G.M.G.

The Kt. Hon. SIR CHARLES Tl TPHR, Bart..

I'.C. K.CM.r,.

The Life and Letters of the
Rt. Hon. Sir Charles Tupper,

Bart., K.C.M.G.

Edited by
E. M. SAUNDERS, D.D.

With an Introduction by
The Rt. Hon. SIR R. L. BORDEN, k.c.m.g.

Eight Photogravure Plates

Vol. I

GASSELL AND COMPANY, LTD

London, New York, Toronto, and Melbourne

1916

INTRODUCTION

By the Rt. Hon. Sir R. L. BORDEN, K.C.M.G.

For Canadians the life of Sir Charles Tupper needs no
introduction. His career as a public man is indissolubly
associated with the history of Canada since Confederation.

He entered public life at the age of thirty-four in his
native province of Nova Scotia, and during the twelve
years which ensued before Confederation, his public record
gave abundant evidence of the magnificent courage, the fine
optimism and the breadth of vision which invariably char-
acterised him in the wider arena in which he was destined
to play so distinguished a part. When he entered the Legis-
lature of Nova Scotia in 1855 his party was in opposition.
Under the inspiration of his virtual though not nominal
leadership, it came into power two years later ; and, although
defeated in 1859, he became Premier in 1863 with a large
majority behind him.

Eeligious controversy was not unknown in Nova Scotia
in those days, although happily no province in Canada is
more entirely free from such dissensions at present. To
this happy result the influence of Sir Charles Tupper con-
tributed in no small measure.

In the field of constructive statesmanship Sir Charles
Tupper directed his energies to two great questions.
Clearly realising that railways were the modern high-
ways of commerce, he advocated an advanced policy of
railway construction. In this respect he foreshadowed the
memorable part he was destined to take in the construction
of a national highway that should bind together the scat-

l!Uf

Introduction

tered provinces and territories of the Greater Canada that
was to be. He realised also the necessity of better oppor-
tunity for education among the people. The facilities for
higher education in Nova Scotia were excellent, but there
was no system of public schools. There was, of course, an
ignorant impatience of the taxation which his proposals in-
volved, but the courage which never failed him carried
through the measure, against which in a few years no voice
of protest was heard.

Men had been dreaming for years of a nation on the
northern half of this Continent which would embrace
all the British Possessions. The proposal appealed to
Tupper's imagination, and, as a preliminary step, he
moved and carried in the Legislature of Nova Scotia in
1864 a resolution favouring the union of the three Mari-
time Provinces, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince
Edward Island, as a prelude to a still greater union.
This action acted as a spur to the activities of the Upper
Province statesmen. The Maritime Province meeting was
to be held at Charlottetown on September 1, 1864. The
Upper Province representatives asked to be admitted to
the Conference. They were cordially welcomed ; and after
frank discussion of the subject, the Conference was ad-
journed to October 10 at Quebec, where the basis was laid
for the subsequent Confederation.

In that Conference Tupper played a great part, and con-
sidering the difficulties which arose in New Brunswick and
Prince Edward Island, as well as the tremendous opposi-
tion which developed in Nova Scotia under the eloquent
leadership of Howe, it is not too much to say that if he
had been a man of less invincible courage and determina-
tion, the project of Confederation might have been post-
poned for many years.

For the sake of allaying political difficulties which Sir
John A. Macdonald had encountered in forming the first
Government of the new Dominion, Tupper insisted that

Introduction

his own just claims should not be considered, and he
served for three years as a Member of Parliament without
office. But from 1870 until he became High Commissioner
in 1884 he held many important portfolios, notably those of
Finance and Public Works and Railways.

His record as a statesman will always be closely asso-
ciated with two great policies. The advocacy of the National
Policy by Macdonald from 1876 to 1878 was largely due to
Tupper's influence and inspiration. When the Liberal-
Conservative Cabinet was being formed after the elections
of 1878, it was anticipated that Tupper would ^assume the
portfolio of Finance and bring down to Parliament the
measure in which the National Policy was to be embodied.
He chose, however, the Department of Public Works, to
which the Ministry of Railways and Canals was attached,
and in 1882 he initiated the proposals for building the
Canadian Pacific Railway. Many men of remarkable
ability and vision contributed to the achievement of that
great enterprise. To none is due a greater meed of praise
than to Tupper. For many years his prophecies of enor-
mous development and production in the western terri-
tories of Canada were derided, and he was subjected to
attack of a bitterness unequalled even in those days of
fierce controversy. Happily for him, and fortunately for
his country, he lived to see every prophecy more than
doubly fulfilled.

After his retirement from public life in 1900, he followed
with absorbing interest the advancement and development
of Canada, and he watched with the keenest attention and
comprehension every turn and phase of public affairs. Suc-
ceeding him in the leadership of the Liberal-Conservative
Party, I had the good fortune to receive from him occasional
counsel and suggestion which was always wise and timely.
I saw him for the last time in August, 1915. He had lived
to see the Empire united in a great struggle for its own pre-
servation and for the liberties of the world. In that struggle

vii

Introduction

he had seen Canada play the notable part which he would
have willed, marching with proud and firm footsteps to the
majestic fulfilment of a great destiny. Physically he was
exceedingly weak, but I had never known his mind more keen
and active. Every phase of the war, every detail of Canada's
part therein, he had watched with passionate interest, and
he spoke of the consolidation of our Empire as an accom-
plished fact.

Later I stood by the grave in which he was laid to rest,
in a quiet churchyard near the city where his public career
had begun sixty years before. As I write these lines I look
out upon the Hill where a new Parliament House is rising
from the ruins of that historic pile in which the splendid
activities of his wider career made him for many years a
conspicuous and distinguished figure. Upon that Hill there
will yet be raised a stately monument to commemorate his
public achievements ; but no monument can be more stately
or more enduring than that which will be found in the
hearts of all Canadians who have just appreciation of the
genius, the courage, the faith and the patriotism of Sir
Charles Tupper.

A_^V-|

CONTENTS- VOL. I

CHAPTER PAGE

1. Early Life (1821—43) 1

2. Beginning of Political Career (1844 — 55) . 29

3. Politics in Nova Scotia (1856 — 57) ... 47

4. Defender of the Constitution (1858 — 61) . . 58

5. Conservatives Returned to Power in Nova

Scotia (1860—63) 79

6. Union Conferences (1864) ..... 98

7. Origin of Anti-Confederation (1864 — 66) . . 110

8. Anti-Confederation in England (1866) . . 127

9. British North America Act (1866 — 67) . . 138

10. The First Confederation Government (1867 — 68) 150

11. The Repeal Movement in England (1868) . . 160

12. Collapse of the Repeal Movement (1868 — 69) . 183

13. Dr. Tupper as President of the Council (1869 — 71) 197

14. Defeat of the Conservatives (1872—74) . . 217

15. Dr. Tupper as Budget Critic and Leader

(1874—77) 236

16. Conservatives Again in Power (1878 — 79) . . 255

17. Conservative Fiscal and Railway Policies

(1879—80) 273

18. Significant By-Elections and a Visit to the West

(1881) 300

LIST OF PLATES

THE RT. HON. SIR CHARLES TUPPER, Bart., P.C.,

K.C.M.G Frontispiece

FACING PAGE

SIR CHARLES TUPPER AS A YOUNG MAN ... 16

REV. CHARLES TUPPER, D.D 160

LADY TUPPER WITH HER DAUGHTER EMMA . • .272

THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF
SIR CHARLES TUPPER, Bart.

OHAPTEE I

EARLY LIFE (1821 — 43)

THE Eight Honourable Sir Charles Tupper, Baronet,
was a descendant of Thomas Tupper, who emigrated
from Sandwich, England, to America in 1635, and
became one of the founders of Sandwich on Cape Cod
(now called Lynn), April 3, 1637. From Thomas we come
to Eliakim Tupper, born June 20, 1711, who married Mary
Bassett on March 28, 1734. Their youngest child, born
August 19, 1748, was Charles Tupper, father of the Rev.
Charles Tupper, D.D. The family came from Connecticut
to Cornwallis, Nova Scotia, in 1763. Eliakim Tupper was
one of a number who took possession of lands vacated by
the Acadians who were deported in 1755. These lands were
granted to immigrants by the Government of Nova Scotia.
The mother of the Rev. Charles Tupper, D.D., was
Elizabeth West, born at Martha's Vineyard, February 9,
1754. Her parents, William and Jane West, came to Corn-
wallis, N.S., in 1763. Elizabeth West and Charles Tupper
were married October 24, 1771. They had ten sons and
four daughters. The Rev. Charles Tupper, D.D., was the
twelfth child. He was born in the township of Cornwallis,
August 6, 1794. He entered the Baptist ministry, and on
December 3, 1818, was married to Miriam Lowe, widow of
Mr. John Lowe, and daughter of Mr. James Lockhart.

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

She was born in Parrsborough, N.S., January 16, 1780,
and died July 4, 1851.

The Rev. Dr. Tupper removed from River Phillip, Cum-
berland County, where he had been settled as pastor of
the Baptist Church, to Amherst, March 31, 1821. He
had three sons. One died in early childhood, and the
others were Charles and Nathan. The former was born
at Amherst, July 2, 1821. The Rev. Dr. Tupper was
pastor of the Baptist Church for a short time in the city
of St. John, New Brunswick. On account of ill-health,
he returned to Amherst on October 1, 1826.

The Rev. Dr. Cramp, President of Acadia University,
on the death of Dr. Tupper, said :

" He was especially gifted for his work by his know-
ledge of languages. His diary for December 22, 1859,
contains the following entry : ' Finished the perusal of
Luther's German version of the Bible. I have now perused
the whole of the sacred volume in eight languages ; these
are Hebrew, Syriac, Greek, Latin, Italian, French, Ger-
man and English, besides the New Testament in Spanish
and Portuguese.' His expository notes on the Syriac ver-
sion were published many years ago, and were highly
praised."

Of his father, Sir Charles Tupper wrote in his journal :

'* My father received the degree of D.D. from Acadia
College, N.S., and no man took a more active part than
he in the promotion of temperance in Nova Scotia, New
Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. After a life of
devotion to his ministerial and educational duties in those
Provinces, he died on the 19th of January, 1881."

Of his early life, Sir Charles recorded :

" I have no recollection of being taught to read, but
distinctly remember sitting on a table and teaching the
alphabet to my brother Nathan, two years younger than
myself. I do not remember when I commenced the study
of Latin, but when I was seven years old I had read the

Early Life

whole Bible aloud to my father. When my father returned
home from his missionary work in the adjoining provinces,
he used to give me a halfpenny for every page I had learned
to translate in the Latin reader during his absence. When
I was but ten years old I learned in one day twenty-four
rules in Buddiman's ' Eudiments of the Latin Language,' and
recited them with all the examples without any cessation
to Jonathan McCully, to whom I was then going to school.
Samuel White was studying with me when I was kept from
school by illness for a week. When I returned I found
he had got through the rules, and to overtake him I,
that night and the next morning, committed the whole to
memory, and recited them without sitting down. Mr.
McCully, who opposed me strongly at my first election,
and for several years after, subsequently joined me in sup-
porting Confederation, and I had the pleasure of nominat-
ing him first as a senator, and afterwards as a judge of
the Supreme Court for Nova Scotia.

" In May, 1833, my father removed to Bedeque, Prince
Edward Island, and became pastor of the Baptist Church
there and at Tryon for a year. We lived during the summer
in the Bedeque House, near a wide stream called Wilmot
Creek.

" I found under the bank, not far from our house, a
portion of a large log which had been so burned as to leave
it hollowed out like a boat, and with my little brother,
Nathan, pretended to fit it out for a voyage with a mast
and a small sail. I was the captain and sat at the stern
with a paddle to propel the ship, while my brother, with
a small pole, ten feet long, was to direct the course from
the bow. In this way we proceeded, sheltered by the
bank from the observation of those at the house. When
endeavouring to turn so as to go back to the starting-point,
the wind caught the sail and was rapidly carrying us across
the river. As Nathan, being only ten years old, could not
turn the head of our ship around, I went to his aid, when

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

the hollow log promptly turned over. As I went down I
grasped my arms over the bottom of the log, and Nathan
succeeded in sticking his fingers in the rotten bark ; but
he presently said : ' I can't hold on any longer,' when I
made a supreme effort and got astride the log and drew
my brother upon it. Providentially, the pole was within
reach, having stuck in the mud when Nathan was thrown
into the water. I seized it and, pushing first on one side
and then on the other, we got safely to the shore. We then
took off our clothes and dried them in the sun and wind
until we could venture home without alarming our mother.

" In May, 1834, we removed back to Amherst, where
my father had a small farm of twelve acres, and a house
built the year I was born. I was then sent to the Gram-
mar School, taught by Mr. McQueen, at Amherst Corner.

" Having a strong desire to become a physician, at the
age of fifteen and a half years I commenced the study of
medicine with Dr. Benjamin Page at Amherst. I had,
from the time I left the Grammar School, continued the
study of Latin, and, anxious that my education should
be continued, he made arrangements to send me to the
Baptist Academy at Horton, where the Eev. John Pryor
was principal. I commenced my studies there on August
12, 1837, or forty-one days after I had entered my six-
teenth year. As Dr. Pryor told me there was no class
commencing Greek or French, I began the study of those
languages under Mr. Charles Randall, upon whose report I
soon joined the class reading the Greek New Testament, and
in six months I was transferred to the class reading Homer,
which had been studying Greek for three years. I was soon
able to read French, and was fond of Latin and Greek, but
had no taste for arithmetic. Being puzzled over a sum in
compound fractions, I asked Dr. Pryor's assistance. After
he had worked at it for some time, he rubbed all his figures
out and told me to go to my seat and work it out. I saw
that he could not do it, and threw the book into my desk

Early Life

and did not look into it again while at the academy, con-
cluding that it was unnecessary for me to know more of
simple arithmetic than the principal. I had a narrow
escape from drowning while at Horton, but was saved by
Pat Hockney, a fellow student, who taught me to swim.
In the summer of 1838 I went to Amherst during the
holidays."

For one year, beginning July, 1834, the Kev. Dr. Tupper
was principal of the Grammar School at Amherst, during
which time he discharged the duties of a minister of the
Gospel to the church in that place. On July 14, 1838,
he was called to the principalship of the Academy at
Fredericton, New Brunswick, for one year, to take the
place of the principal who was absent on a visit to England.
At the end of the year he returned to Amherst.

Sir Charles's journal continues :

" I also went to Prince Edward Island from Tignish
in an open sailboat with Mr. Thompson Brondige. We
left the island to return on a fine afternoon, sailing from
Bedeque with a fair wind. When about half-way across
the wind veered round ahead, and we were obliged to beat.
The night became dark, and we found, near midnight, our
boat bumping on the shoals off Cape Tormentine, more
than a mile from the shore. I was requested to row, and
we succeeded in getting the boat around, and ran out
again into the gulf. My fears were not allayed by seeing
through the darkness Mr. Brondige taking off his boots.
We succeeded in doubling the Cape, and at three o'clock
in the morning were safe at Tignish.

" I resumed my studies at Horton. During my stay at
Horton Academy I spent my Christmas holidays, and often
from Saturday to Monday, at my Uncle Nathan Tupper's,
at Lakeville, Cornwallis, to whose unvarying kindness and
assistance I was largely indebted in obtaining my profes-
sion. He was mainly instrumental in sending me to
Edinburgh.

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

" In 1838, while riding from New Brunswick over to
Amherst, I met on my way the Kev. Mr. Busby, a Wesleyan
minister, who handed me a letter from his brother-in-law,
Dr. Harding, of Windsor, N.S., offering to take me as a
medical student, which offer I accepted.

" I spent a happy year residing with Dr. Harding,
where I received medical instruction. While there, Mr.
Valentine, a portrait painter in oils, came to Windsor to
paint the portrait of Judge Haliburton (Sam Slick). He
also painted Dr. and Mrs. Harding, and then a small por-
trait of me. [Plate facing p. 16.]

" I was present when Drs. Harding and Pyke ampu-
tated the leg of Noel, an Indian at Newport, above the
knee, and I was allowed to take the leg. Shortly after-
wards, several Indians came and demanded it, saying
that if it was not buried in consecrated ground, at the
resurrection Noel would still be a cripple with only one
leg. I promised them that that should be done, and after
my dissection was finished I put the remains in a small
box, which I took under my cloak on a dark night and
buried them in the Boman Catholic graveyard. I also
attended a Micmac squaw in her confinement in an
Indian camp near Windsor. Having carefully followed
Dr. Harding's directions, all went well.

" I visited my parents at Amherst, said good-bye to
them and the other members of the family, and then sailed
from Windsor (for Scotland) in the brigantine Hunting-
ton, 156 tons, built by Mr. Goudge at Windsor. We had
to call at St. John, where I dined at Dr. Bayard's (son
of Colonel Samuel Vetch Bayard, an intimate friend of
the Duke of Kent), the leading physician of that place.
We then went on board, and the sailors and mate just
shipped — the former of whom were drunk — were brought
on board. I was the only cabin passenger; there was one
steerage passenger, and the captain, mate, and three sea-
men completed the crew.

Early Life

" The mate, Mr. Brown, notwithstanding my request,
persisted in smoking in the cabin, and as I was very sea-
sick I spoke to the captain, who told him he must not do
so. From that time, when I was on deck, the mate was
generally to the windward, smoking in my face. Our vessel
was loaded with deals, with a deckload even with the
top of the rails, except a small space just below the wheel.
When we were crossing with a ten-knot breeze the Grand
Banks of Newfoundland one Sunday morning, I was sit-
ting on the planks in this space by the wheel reading the
Bible, when the mate sat down to the windward, smoking.
I said : ' Mr. Brown, I expected in the mate of this vessel
to find a gentleman, and requested you not to smoke in
my face. I tell you now, I will not permit it.' He
screwed up his nose in contempt, and said : ' Won't you? '
In an instant I smashed the bowl of his pipe against his
jaws into a dozen pieces with a blow of my fist; He
sprang on me like a tiger and clinched me. He was a
much heavier man than I, but I brought into requisi-
tion the hip-lock taught me by Pat Hockney at Horton
Academy, and brought him down on his head and shoulders
under me; but as we were at the edge of the top rail of
the deck, and the slightest movement would send us both
overboard, I rolled over, which brought Brown on top.
With my left arm around his neck, I pinned his face to
the deck, and with my right fist paid attention to his
ribs. Anderson, a strong Swede, who was steering, left
the wheel and, seizing the collars of our coats, dragged
us, as we were, on to the centre of the deck. The sail
filled aback, and the vessel was running backwards when
the captain rushed on deck. The mate went to his bunk,
which he only left on the third day after. The captain
said I had done quite right, and Mr. Brown gave me a
wide berth from that time.

" We lay to for three days in a gale of wind. It was
magnificent. We would ascend until we were like a bird

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

on the sharp top of a mountain peak, and then descend
until we were like a fly in the bottom of a teacup. On the
fortieth day from St. John we reached Lough Foyle, now
known as Moville. The pilot-boat brought counter- orders
for the brigantine to go to Lough Swilly, and I, who had
been seasick for the whole forty days, left in the pilot-
boat, which landed me at a round tower in the sand, then
called McGillon Castle, where I awaited for four hours
the steamer from Londonderry to Glasgow. I innocently
asked the pilots, when rowing me ashore, whether the
people in that part of the country were mostly Protestants
or Catholics. A fierce-looking man replied : ' Thank God,
there are ten Catholics to one Protestant, or you would
see nothing but broken skulls and tufts of hair flying
about ! ' I did not pursue the conversation.

" While I was waiting at McGillon Castle, a good-
looking lady was drawn up to the door in a nice Irish
jaunting-car, and served with a glass of Irish whisky,
which, to my astonishment, she drank off neat without
making a wry face. Several other persons were served
with whisky, when suddenly there was a great commo-
tion, evidently the result of some wireless telegraphy
which had escaped my notice, and directly two revenue
officers appeared and searched the premises without being
able to discover a drop. I went on board the steamer
from Londonderry, and landed in Glasgow the next day
in time to catch the three-horse coach, which carried me
to a hotel in Princes Street, Edinburgh, at eleven o'clock
that evening. I stayed at Gibbs' Hotel, Princes Street.
I was much impressed with the lights in the back of
the house on the Castle Hill opposite, thirteen stories
high.

" I found next morning Mr. James DeWolfe, and
gave him a letter from his father and mother. He gave
me an invitation to share his lodgings with him, which I
gladly accepted, and took up my residence at Mrs. Innes'

Early Life

lodgings, 5 South College Street, sixth flat on a common
stair. We lived there together until the first of the fol-
lowing August, when he received his degree of M.D. and
returned to Nova Scotia. Our friendship remained un-
broken until his death in 1901. When in the Government
of Nova Scotia, I had the pleasure of appointing him
medical superintendent of the Hospital for the Insane of
Nova Scotia, which position he filled with ability and
success.

" On my arrival in Edinburgh, I petitioned the senatus
of the University to allow me to count the time I spent
with Dr. Page at Amherst, and Dr. Harding at Windsor,
as an Annus Medicus. This was granted. It enabled me
to receive my first examination at the end of two years
after matriculation, and my final examination for the
degree of M.D. at the end of three years instead of four.
Mr. DeWolfe had paid much attention to practical mid-
wifery, and in addition to anatomy, physiology, chemistry
and Materia Medica, I took Professor J. Y. Simpson's
lectures on midwifery the first year.

" I attended a large number of cases, and competed for
a gold medal which Professor Simpson offered to his class,
consisting mostly of fourth-year students preparing for
graduation. The essay was on ' Clinical Midwifery.' My
motto was ' Nil desperandum,' and I gave details of twenty-
four cases of accouchement. Professor Simpson said, in
awarding the medal : ' The second on the list is " Nil
Desperandum." I will be greatly pleased to make the
acquaintance of the writer.' I called upon him, and was
indebted to him for much attention and kindness up to
the time of his lamented death. He sent his assistant,
Dr. Keith, to inform me that my graduation thesis on
1 The Mechanism and Management of Parturition ' had re-
ceived one of the four gold medals of the year, and Pro-
fessor Simpson, when I received my degree, publicly stated
that it was not awarded because a majority of the com-

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

mittee decided that two medals could not be given in the
same branch of the profession.

" When in 1858, being Provincial Secretary of Nova
Scotia, I made my first official visit to England, I took the
earliest opportunity of calling upon Sir James Y. Simp-
son, Bart., then renowned for his discovery of chloroform.
He expressed great regret at my having left a profession
where he expected me to take a high position. Dining
with him and Lady Simpson the next day, I expressed
my astonishment at Professor Henderson having become a
homoeopathist. Sir James said : ' I am afraid I had some-
thing to do with that. A gentleman brought me a case
of globules, with each phial marked with the name of the
medicine and the disease it would cure, and asked me to
place thirty or forty patients under that treatment, and
note the results. The case remained on my mantelpiece
for a long time, when Dr. Henderson called one day to
see me, and I handed the case to him, as his practice was
much better adapted for such an experiment than mine.
To my surprise, after some time he told me that the
homoeopathic treatment had been so successful as to in-
duce him to adopt it.' Lady Simpson then remarked to
Sir James that the result was really much more surpris-
ing than he supposed, as her little daughter (who was
then at the table) had amused herself a long time one
afternoon by emptying all those phials in the case into a
saucer, mixing the contents together and then refilling
the phials.

" Shortly after I was settled — not down but up — in my
lodgings, I thought of my letters of introduction. Mr.
Murphy, a West Indian gentleman living at Windsor,
N.S., had given me a letter to Miss Graham, his niece,
and I wended my way to Newington, then a suburb about
a mile out of Edinburgh, to the residence of her father,
Dr. Graham. Dr. Graham, when a surgeon in the Army
and stationed at Jamaica, met and married Miss Murphy,

Early Life

and my introduction was to their only daughter. Dr.
Graham subsequently went with the Army to India, where
his wife died. Being allowed private practice, he made a
fortune, and married a very handsome and agreeable
English lady, Miss Landale, whom he was called to attend.

" He had a very good self-contained residence, with a
large fruit and vegetable garden in the rear. I called
and handed my letter to a servant. Mrs. Graham came
down and informed me that Miss Graham had been
married while I was on the ocean, and had gone to
India. She regretted that Dr. Graham was not at home,
but asked for my address and said he would call and see
me. A few days afterwards he appeared at my elevated
lodgings, made an agreeable visit, and invited me to dine
with them on the next Saturday at four o'clock. No one
was present at the dinner except Doctor and Mrs. Graham,
her sister, Miss Landale, and myself. After a good dinner
we walked in the garden until tea time, and at eight o'clock
sat down to supper, when I, for the first time, tasted whisky
toddy, a glass and a half of whisky in a goblet of hot water
with sugar, out of which I gave a wineglassful to Mrs.
Graham, and the doctor gave one to Miss Landale. When
I left, after ten, the doctor went with me to the door and,
taking me by the hand, said : ' Mr. Tupper, you are going
to spend some years in Edinburgh, and I wish you to
promise to dine with us every Saturday at four o'clock
while you are here.' I kept my promise as long as he
lived, which was about two years. He left me at his
death a case of instruments worth twenty-five pounds.
Such is Scottish hospitality.

" On one occasion when at dinner, Dr. Graham said :
1 Mr. Tupper, I am going to ask a great favour of you.
Charles Kean and Miss Ellen Tree are playing to-morrow
night in The Lady of Lyons, and as my wife and her sister
are very anxious to see that play, and I wish to see Kean
in Macbeth the following night, and I cannot go two

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

nights in succession, I would be much obliged if you would
go with them to see The Lady of Lyons.' I said it would
give me great pleasure, but well knowing my father's
abhorrence of the theatre, I went with the greatest reluct-
ance. From the moment the curtain rose and Kean rushed
forward as Claude Melnotte and threw himself into the
arms of his mother, until the play ended, I was entranced.
It was a startling reality, and I felt that I would sacrifice
anything to be a Kean. Every word he said, and the tones
of his voice, rang in my ears for a week. I avoided the
theatre as I would a pestilence until a year afterwards,
when I saw the walls placarded with Mr. and Mrs. Charles
Kean in The Lady of Lyons. Kean had married Miss Tree
in the interim. I could not resist going to see them, but
the spell was broken — it was very fine, but it was a play.
I have since seen a good deal of fine acting in many parts
of the world, but never, in my opinion, the equal of that of
Charles Kean.

" When my friend James E. DeWolfe had finished his
studies at Edinburgh, I accepted an invitation from Mr.
John Smith, the son of a corn merchant at Manchester,
to share his lodgings at Mrs. Wilson's, 19 Salisbury Street.
He was a clever and well-educated man, some years older
than myself — a Wesleyan, a temperance advocate, and a
vegetarian. I have seen him sit down with a long pipe in
his mouth and write a speech on temperance for two hours,
read it over twice, and then go to a meeting and deliver
it in a rhetorical manner, almost verbatim. I was invited
to visit his family in Manchester during the vacation of
1841. I was very anxious to attend the Wesleyan Con-
ference which was to take place immediately, but as Smith
had not only spent all his own money but mine also, we
would miss the conference by waiting until he could write
for funds and receive a reply. I persuaded him that it
would be a good lark to go third class, for which we had
sufficient. We expected to cross in the day from Glasgow

Early Life

to Liverpool, reaching that city in time to get a train to
Manchester. The railway had just been completed from
Edinburgh to Glasgow, and our third-class accommodation
consisted of standing up in a truck, like the present cattle
trucks, without a roof. On our voyage a storm came on,
and we were not only out all night without any place to
sleep, but did not arrive until after the Liverpool train
had gone to Manchester. As our luggage had a respect-
able appearance, there was a squabble for it among the
porters. I said : ' Any one of you may carry it, but we
have no money to pay you,' which terminated the competi-
tion. I went to an honest-looking porter — told him we were
very short of money and asked him what he would charge
to take it to a cheap but respectable place where we could
get lodgings. He said sixpence, and Smith and I followed
him in a funereal procession. We had had little sleep and
less food, and both had been very seasick. Arrived at the
lodgings, the landlady told me what it would cost for a
bed and breakfast and cab to send us to the train, as her
husband had cabs. We then sallied out and bought at
the restaurant of Langham, a former prizefighter, some
Abernethy biscuits and a quart of half-and-half. I remem-
ber but one other occasion when I enjoyed food so much.
After a good night's sleep and a plain breakfast we were
taken to the train, and when our second-class tickets were
paid for we had just one halfpenny left. At this moment
the cab-driver came up, when we thought our troubles were
at an end, and, touching his hat, said : ' Eemember the
cabman, please.' I said : ' Are you not paid by the owner
of the cab with whom we have settled? ' He replied : ' Not
a penny ; we get nothing but what the gentlemen we drive
are good enough to give us.' I put my hand in my pocket
and, producing the halfpenny, said : ' That is all the money
we have.' He touched his hat again, and said : ' It is not
the least consequence, sir.'

" We were soon whirled to Manchester over the only

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

railway then in England. On arriving at his home, Smith
said carelessly to the man who opened the door : ' James,
discharge that cab; we have no change,' which was cer-
tainly true. I was amply repaid, however, by hearing the
noted men who, at that day, adorned the Wesleyan pul-
pits of England. It is long ago, but I well remember the
fervid eloquence of Dixon, Bunting and Joshua Newton,
and last, but not least, ' Billy Jobson,' as he was called.
He had been a landscape painter of some note, and by his
word painting had carried into the pulpit the power of
making you see as well as hear what he was describing.
I was one of three thousand people in the Oldham Street
Chapel, in Manchester, who simultaneously rose to their
feet to get a nearer view of the Crucifixion, which he was
then portraying.

" After a very pleasant visit of some weeks we returned
to Edinburgh.

" Dr. Johnstone (a brother of the late Hon. J. W.
Johnstone) was a retired gentleman living at Wolfville, near
Horton Academy. His wife, who was a Miss Pryor, when
I went to Edinburgh, gave me a letter to her youngest
sister, who had married Mr. Laurence Davidson, a Writer
to the Signet in Edinburgh. They occupied a very promi-
nent position in society, and from them I received much
attention. Two of Mrs. Davidson's nieces, Miss Sophia
and Miss Emma Almon, of Halifax, lived with her during
their education. When Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
visited Edinburgh for the first time, Mr. Davidson, who
was the factor of the Marquis of Breadalbane, was obliged
to go to Taymouth Castle, where the Queen was about to
visit. I was requested to attend the ladies when Her
Majesty and Prince Albert made their Boyal progress
through Edinburgh, September 2, 1842. The crowd was
so great that in crossing the bridge near Princes Street I
was lifted off my feet by the pressure, and thus carried
more than a hundred feet before I touched the ground.

»4

Early Life

Miss Almon and I stood on the top of a minibus standing
between the Royal carriage and the fence of the Princes
Street gardens. Mrs. Davidson and Miss Emma remained
in the minibus. At night, when we drove in a carriage to
see the procession, the mob on the Castle Hill resented the
presence of carriages, and compelled the occupants to get
down and walk. I was afraid of the consequences to the
ladies, and told the coachman to give the horses the whip,
and we got through ; but not until a stone as large as my
fist had been thrown, which glanced from the side of Miss
Emma Almon 's bonnet and struck me on the shoulder, but
without doing any material damage.

" Her Majesty came to Edinburgh in the Royal yacht
accompanied by two men-o'-war. It had been arranged that
the Queen should be received at ten o'clock a.m., and a barri-
cade and gate had been placed across the street leading
from the Granton pier to the city, where Sir James Forrest,
attended by the Bailies, was to deliver to Her Majesty the
golden key of the city. Her Majesty, being seasick, landed
at eight and proceeded through the city on her way to Dal-
keith Palace. The Lord Provost and Bailies, hearing the
Royal salute booming from Castle Hill, assumed their robes
of office, and rushed to the scene of action, but the Queen
had passed the barrier, and they were obliged to give her
the key as she left the city.

" That night Lord John Scott, the brother of the Duke
of Buccleuch, was commanded to sing a song. He sang
a parody on ' Hey, Johnnie Cope ' — ' Hey, Jamie Forrest,
are ye sleepin' yet, or are yer bailies wakin' yet,' etc.

" Shortly afterwards, when the Queen was visiting Tay-
mouth Castle, Wilson, the Scottish melodist, then famous,
was engaged to sing. When they asked Her Majesty's
pleasure as to what songs he should sing, the Queen, not
then so familiar with Scottish music as at a later date,
asked Lord Breadalbane what he would suggest, and when
he mentioned ' The Flowers of the Forest/ Her Majesty,

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

thinking it was another reference to Sir James Forrest,
said deprecatingly : ' Oh, no more about that poor man.'

" I had studied assiduously, but knowing the importance
of not failing to pass the examination, for three weeks
before the first of May I went to bed at two o'clock a.m.
and rose at five to continue my work. I drank strong
coffee. On the Sunday preceding the Monday on which I
was to be examined, the only Sunday on which I studied,
I rose as usual at five o'clock, threw up the parlour win-
dow, and took up Eeid's text-book on Chemistry, the only
subject on which I was anxious. Almost directly I heard
a remark, and said : < Oh, nonsense, you must not tell me
anything so absurd.' I turned my head, and was astonished
to find that I was alone. I resumed my work, but in a
short time the same thing occurred again. Thoroughly
alarmed, I went out into the Queen's Park, where, walk-
ing rapidly in the morning breeze with my hat off, I soon
felt all right. As soon as my breakfast was finished I
called at the house of Mr. Kemp, who was the assistant
of Professor Hope, and asked him if he would examine me
in chemistry. He did so, and assured me that he had no
doubt of my passing. Just as I was leaving with many
thanks, Mr. Kemp said : ' Professor Hope has, during the
past three weeks, spent much time in experimenting upon
sodium and potassium and their compounds.' I spent the
rest of the day studying the same.

"Before being admitted to any professional examina-
tions the students were obliged to pass an examination
in Latin. The books used for that purpose were Caesar,
Gregory's 'Conspectus of Theoretical Medicine,' and
Cicero's ' De Natura Deorum.' Not having looked in a
Latin book since leaving Horton Academy, I sat down
with these three books before me the night before my ex-
amination and opened Cicero, and having read a page
closed the book, satisfied that I need not trouble myself
further on that matter. What was my surprise when I

SIK CHARLES TUPPER AS A YOUNG MAN
From an oil painting

Early Life

entered the Latin examination room the next morning to
be required to write a translation of that identical page in
Cicero !

" In my day, the examinations were conducted by the pro-
fessor of each department, with another professor present,
and at the conclusion the examiner entered after your name :
Optime, or bene, or satis bene, or vix satis bene, or non satis
bene. He then handed the book to a janitor, who conducted
you to the next department with the book, and so on to the
end. When I was shown into Professor Hope's room and
seated, the first words that greeted my ears were : ' Mr.
Tupper, what is sodium? ' After spending twenty minutes
in describing sodium and potassium and their compounds,
Professor Hope, who was a very courteous old gentleman,
rose from his chair and, bowing, said : ' Mr. Tupper, I
have the pleasure of congratulating you upon passing a
most satisfactory examination.' He then wrote ' Optime '
against my name, and sent me on my way rejoicing.

" Professor Graham, the botanical professor, was one
of the physicians of the Eoyal Infirmary, where I acted as
clerk under him. I also attended his botanical excursions.
He was a great pedestrian, and would keep us on the
stretch going over the surrounding country from seven
o'clock a.m., and it would take us until midnight to get
back home. He was a stout man, and died from disease
of the heart some years later.

" After examining me in the physiology of plants and
structural botany, he said : ' That will do very well. We
will now have a few practical questions. In what parts of
the world are (I forget the species of the Rosacea)) to be
found ? ' I said : ' To tell the truth that is a family with
which I am not very well acquainted.' ' Ah, well,' replied
the professor, ' you can be a very good doctor without being
able to answer that question.'

" I obtained the position of resident house surgeon of
the Minto House Hospital, where the patients from out-
c 17

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

side came to be prescribed for and the medicines are made
up by an apothecary in the hospital.

" When I left the Minto Hospital I received a flattering
testimonial from the physicians.

" When I went to the University I made the acquaint-
ance of Mr. Gordon, a young man from Pictou, N.S., who
took the degree of M.D. August 1, 1841. He married a
Miss Jennoway, whose brother was a lieutenant in the
army. Dr. Gordon went into practice in Edinburgh. I
was invited to a large dinner-party at his house and
asked to take a very handsome young lady in to dinner.
I did not catch her name, but thought music a safe sub-
ject for conversation. At that time there was a famous
Scottish melodist, Wilson, who gave the authorship of
Scotch songs and how they came to be written, and sang
them melodiously. I said to her : ' I suppose you have
heard Wilson? ' She said : ' Oh yes, several times.' She
then asked me which of his songs I liked best. I said it
was difficult to say, but upon the whole I preferred ' Auld
Robin Gray.' I did not know that the music was superior,
but the story was so pathetic; there was something so re-
volting in youth and beauty being bound to decrepit old
age. At that moment I caught a most significant look from
my friend Dr. Gordon, and promptly changed the subject.
I took an early opportunity of asking Gordon the meaning
of his glance. He said : ' Mrs. Murray, to whom you were
speaking, was not paying half the attention that her hus-
band Dr. Murray was, who sat just opposite to you, and
who is eighty-four years old.' Dr. Murray was an army
surgeon with Lord Wellesley in India, and made a large
fortune there in private practice, and returned, hale and
hearty at seventy-four years of age, and married a beauti-
ful girl of seventeen, who was now the mother of four
children. They both forgave my ignorance and indiscre-
tion, and were kind friends as long as I remained in
Edinburgh. The doctor died about a year after I left, and

Early Life

Mrs. Murray went to see the Duke of Wellington, who re-
membered her husband and gave an order for a commis-
sion for her son before she left the room.

" Among Mrs. Wilson's lodgers was Edward Bowman,
the only son of Captain Bowman, then the oldest captain
in the East India Company's service, and at one time
Governor of Allahabad. His wife was a Miss Arthur, the
sister of Ed. R. Arthur, of North Shields. She died,
leaving two children, Edward and Kate, who were sent
to England to their uncle and guardian, E. R. Arthur,
better known as ' Captain ' Arthur, as he had owned and
commanded ships in the commercial service in India. My
friend and fellow-student having written to his uncle,
Captain Arthur, that I was ordered to leave Edinburgh
for change of air, I received a pressing invitation to visit
them, which I did. The family at North Shields consisted
of Captain Arthur, his two sisters, Mrs. Robson, a widow,
and Miss Arthur, an elderly spinster, and Miss Kate Bow-
man, a bright young girl of fifteen. I spent six weeks with
them, receiving the kindest attention. Captain Arthur came
to Edinburgh and spent a month with us at 19 Salisbury
Street. I do not suppose that any two men, meeting as
strangers, ever formed a stronger attachment for each
other in so short a time.

" When in Edinburgh he asked me why I did not take
the course of lectures to qualify for the College of Surgeons
as his nephew was doing. I told him frankly that the Uni-
versity degree of M.D. was all that I required, and that as
my father was a Baptist minister with a small stipend, I
could not afford the expense. His first letter after his
return home contained a Bank of England note of fifty
pounds, and he stated in it that he would take it as a great
favour if I would allow him to be my banker while I re-
mained in Great Britain. I received from him in all one
hundred and twenty-five pounds, for which he refused to
take my note, saying I could return it at my own conve-

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

nience, but that if lie took my note and he should die, I
might be called upon when it was not convenient. At that
time he was the owner of several East India ships and sup-
posed to be rich. Five years afterwards, from disasters in
shipping and insurance and the failure of his broker in
London, he was a bankrupt — gave up everything he had,
and went to work as a surveyor of shipping. I promptly
returned to him the hundred and twenty-five pounds he had
advanced to me, with interest at six per cent, from the time
I received it.

" The advance I received from Captain Arthur enabled
me to take the additional course for the diploma of the
Koyal College of Surgeons, which I obtained April 20,
1843, and also to visit the hospitals of London and Paris.
It is a curious fact that had he taken my note, as I wished,
the money would have gone to his creditors instead of him-
self after his affairs were settled. Captain Arthur was sent
to Boston in 1851, where I went to see him, and he returned
my visit at Amherst, N.S., after his important work in con-
nection with a wreck was finished. The warmest friendship
existed between us up to the date of his death in 1860.

" About two miles from Edinburgh, at the base of
Arthur's Seat, lies Duddingston Loch, a sheet of water
about half a mile long and two hundred yards wide. This
is usually frozen over sufficiently to admit of skating for
two or three weeks each winter. I went there one after-
noon and found a notice that no one must skate more than
fifty yards from the shore. When skating on the opposite
side of the loch from the base of Arthur's Seat where a
thousand spectators were standing, including Mrs. David-
eon and her nieces, the Misses Almon, I heard a shout and,
looking across, saw several persons in the water. Under
an impulse I could not resist I skated directly across the
loch with the ice waving under my feet like a sheet. When
I got to the opening I found that six skaters were in the
water, that six men of the Humane Society, with life pre-

Early Life

servers on that would each support two men, had jumped
in to rescue the skaters, while the others had gone for the
lifeboat some distance up the loch. Five of the rescuers
each seized a man and kept their heads above water; the
sixth, the moment he was in the water, placed his hands
upon the margin of the ice and called for help, leaving the
sixth skater to drown. I went near the edge and told him
to take hold of the knob of my stick and keep perfectly
quiet, and I would save him. He did as directed, but the
ice on which I was standing continued to sink until the
water came over the tops of my Wellington boots. The
crowd on the shore shouted that the ice on which I stood
was giving way, which it did, and went down with a crash.
I still retained my stick with the man holding on to the
other end, and lunged forward to get the other arm on the
ice, which I did, until the iceboat on runners was pushed
into the opening and we were all pulled into it. The moment
I touched the shore I skated along the margin of the loch
towards home to escape recognition, took off my skates
and ran all the way to my lodgings and got out of my frozen
clothes. All the rest who had been in the water were taken
to the building of the Humane Society and cared for, but
the man who had screamed for help died a few days after.
It was not courage, but an impulse I could not resist. A
thousand pounds would not have tempted me to skate across
the loch before or after that event. My anxiety to escape
recognition was to prevent my name getting in the papers
and the shock it would give my mother, who was an invalid,
when she heard of it. When I went into the lecture-room
that evening all the class rose and cheered.

******
" There were two highly accomplished elderly maiden
ladies who had a house in Warriston Crescent. One was
Miss Patterson, a niece of Earl Grey, and the other, Miss
Tulloch, a sister of Major Tulloch, on duty in India. They
entertained all the celebrities who visited Edinburgh, and

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

patronised the Polish exiles and a few students. They had
adopted a pretty and clever young lady, Miss Nelson, the
orphan child of a Writer to the Signet in Glasgow. My
friend and fellow-lodger, DeWolfe, had invited a Pole,
Willobiski, who was to graduate at the same time as
himself, to go with him to Nova Scotia. This he did, and
Dr. Willobiski, after a successful career as physician at
Liverpool, N.S., returned to England and lived to over
a hundred years. Miss Patterson and Miss Tulloch
invited DeWolfe to their charming parties with his friend
Willobiski.

" After DeWolfe had returned to Nova Scotia, Miss
Tulloch told Mrs. Davidson that I was the only young man
who had invariably declined their invitations. When this
was repeated to me I explained that I had never received
them. One soon followed, and I met afterwards, at the charm-
ing reunions at Warriston Crescent, many distinguished men
and women. At their house I heard Buche, who was then
regarded as the finest flute player in the world, and
Horinski, who had no superior on the guitar. He was
an old white-haired man, and at his side was his bride, a
young Scots woman, whom he had taught to love him when
teaching her the guitar. Many years afterwards, when I
was Minister of Railways and Canals, she called upon me
at Ottawa with a letter of introduction from Mrs. Lyschin-
ski, asking me to use my good offices for her son. I have
always had a remarkable memory for faces, with a very
deficient one for names. I said : ' I am sure I have seen
your face before,' when it flashed upon me that it was at
the side of Horinski at Miss Tulloch's. Her son was
appointed on the exploratory surveys for the Canadian
Pacific Railway, and I have a volume of excellent photo-
graphs taken on the route from Tete Jaune Cache to Fort
Simpson by him.

" Leaving Warriston Crescent one dark night after
dinner, I fell down the area about three feet and bruised

Early Life

the elbow of my right arm. The joint inflamed; it was
leeched, and ultimately counter-irritation was used. When
writing my graduation essay it became troublesome. I
went over one morning to consult Mr. Syme, the great
professor of surgery of that day. He was standing on one
leg with an elbow on the mantelpiece. I flexed my elbow,
saying : ' Do you hear that creaking sound? ' He flexed
his knee-joint, saying : ' Do you hear that? If you will
cure my knee, I will cure your elbow, but I am afraid we
will both have to leave it to time.'

" In April, 1843, I passed the final examinations for
the degree of M.D. of the University of Edinburgh, and
having passed the required examination on the 20th of
April, the diploma of the Eoyal College of Edinburgh was
conferred upon me. As the degree of M.D. is only con-
ferred upon the first day of August, I determined to visit
the hospitals of London and Paris in the interim, and in
response to a pressing invitation from my friends the
Arthurs, I went by water to North Shields, and spent a
few days with them.

" The day after I arrived there they told me there was
to be a lecture on ' Animal Magnetism ' in the Town Hall.
I said it was all humbug, but would go with them for amuse-
ment. We found the hall crowded with most intelligent
people. The lecturer frankly stated in the outset that he
could not tell them much about his subject, but that if a
number of persons would come upon the platform and
allow him to magnetise them, he was quite sure that he
would find some among them by whom he could illustrate
the existence of animal magnetism. He theti invited any
person willing to be experimented upon to come on the
platform. As no one responded to his urgent appeals, it
suddenly occurred to me to submit myself for experiment,
pretend to be magnetised, and then expose the humbug of
which I believed it consisted. To the astonishment of my
friends, I ascended the platform. The lecturer said : ' I

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

have never seen this young gentleman before, and do not
know that I can magnetise him, but we will soon know.'
I was then seated in an arm-chair, and after he had made
a number of passes I pretended to fall into a deep sleep.
He said : ' This is an unusually susceptible subject, and
to prove to you that there is no deception and that he has
no more consciousness or feeling than a piece of wood, I
will insert this knife under his finger-nail until the blood
will drop down on this sheet of white paper, and he will
know no pain and will not awake.' I began to think when
I heard that that it was a case of ' the biter bitten.' This
was done — the pain was most excruciating, but I made no
sign. He then thrust a needle into the back of my hand
so that those near could see it standing up. From that
moment the audience were completely carried away, and
prepared to believe anything. The lecturer then said that
the subject was so susceptible that he would be able to give
them some striking illustrations of phreno-mesmerism by
exciting the various organs. He said : ' I will now excite
the organ of veneration.' As soon as he placed his finger
on the part of my cranium where phrenologists locate the
organ of veneration, I said in a devout manner :

" 'O for a closer walk with God,
A calm and heavenly frame ;
A light to shine upon the road
That leads me to the Lamb.'

" The operator then said as I was proceeding : ' I
will now press my finger on the organ of combativeness,
and you will note the result.' He expected me to strike
with the right hand, but I struck him a sharp blow under
the short ribs that sent him half across the platform, and
felt I had balanced the account for his knife and needle
work. He then thought it well to change the subject, and
said : ' We will try his oratorical powers by exciting lan-
guage.' I rose and delivered ' Rienzi to the Romans.' He
then said : ' Never having seen this gentleman before, I do

Early Life

not know whether there is any music in him, but if there
is I will bring it out.' I then thought I was at the end of
my tether, as I know nothing of music; but the audience
by this time were so excited that I struck up the only tune
I had ever the slightest idea of catching — one that I had
heard at prayer-meetings when I was a child :

" « On Jordan's stormy banks I stand,
And cast a wistful eye
To Canaan's fair and happy land,
Where my possessions lie.'

" They said it was no doubt good, but they had never
heard it before. The lecturer then did something that
staggered me very much. He said : ' I will now stand
back to back with this gentleman so that it will be impos-
sible for him to see what I put in my mouth ; but you can
see, and he will at once tell you what it is.' He then
asked : ' What have I got in my mouth now? ' I answered,
without the slightest hesitation : ' Sugar.' It was sugar.
Again : ' What have I in my mouth now? ' I promptly
answered : ' Salt.' It was salt. And again : ' What
have I in my mouth? ' and with perfect confidence I
said : ' Tobacco,' and I was right.

" The audience was wildly enthusiastic, and the lecturer
equally delighted. He then made a few passes to demes-
merise me and we separated — all but myself satisfied of
the truth of mesmerism, and I satisfied that the subject
was worthy of careful consideration.

" When in Lancashire, in crossing the country, my atten-
tion was drawn by Smith to a gipsy encampment, which we
visited. A gipsy girl said : ' Show me your hand and I will
tell you your past.' She said : • You come from a long way
across the water,' and she told me my past life as if she
were reading from a book. She then said : ' Now cross
your hand with silver, and I will tell you the future,' in
which there was nothing.

" Captain Arthur went with me to London from New-

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

castle in a four -horse coach. He introduced me to Mr.
and Mrs. Crammond : he was an East India broker. His
daughter and step-daughter, Miss Frances — Mrs. Cram-
mond had been previously married — were just returning
to a fashionable boarding-school in Paris. They, learning
I was going to Paris, invited me to meet at dinner Mon-
sieur and Madame de Wailly. He was the First Secretary
of the French Legation in London, and a literary man of
high standing. Madame could not speak English. We,
with Miss Benham, a young lady returning from London
to the same boarding-school, occupied the interior of a
diligence, drawn by four white stallions, for two whole
days and a night, between Boulogne and Paris. When we
arrived there I asked M. de Wailly to recommend me to
a good French hotel, but he insisted upon my being his
guest during the three weeks I spent at Paris. As Madame
Poupart, who was, with Madame Karen, joint-proprietress
of the boarding-school, was the sister of Madame de Wailly,
Miss Frances and Miss Crammond were constantly with us.
We went together to see the sights of Paris, theatres, etc.
They were very interesting young ladies. At half -past seven
in the morning Ma'm'selle Chandellier, the maid, wheeled
a little table to the side of my French bedstead, with caf6
au lait and a roll, after taking which I went to the hospital
and heard the famous French surgeon, M. Eicord, lecture,
and saw him operate; returned to dtjeuner a la fourchette
at 10.30, and dined at six p.m.

" Soon after I reached Paris, M. de Wailly presented
me with a charming French novel written by himself, in
two volumes, ' Angelica Kauffmann.' I read it while there,
and then said to M. de Wailly : ' Sir Bulwer Lytton's Lady
of Lyons is simply this book dramatised.' ' Yes,' he replied,
• that is quite true ; but I published it ten years before The
Lady of Lyons was written, but he never admitted that he
had ever seen it.' As Lord Lytton was too great a man to
be guilty of plagiarism, I cannot help thinking that, being

Early Life

a great glutton of books, he had devoured this with hundreds
of others and forgotten all about it, but a germ had been left
in the mind which ultimately fructified and blossomed into
the drama of The Lady of Lyons. I was quite angry with
the author of ' Angelica Kauffmann ' for allowing his hero
to die in prison. I said to him : ' Why could you not have
ended your novel as Sir Bulwer Lytton did his drama? '
' Because,' said M. de Wailly, ' I wished to be true to nature.
It is all very fine to represent virtue triumphing over vice,
but it is much oftener the other way.'

" When I returned to Edinburgh I recounted my Parisian
adventures to two of my fellow-students, Ned Bowman and
Fred Johnston, and gave a particular description of Miss
Frances and Miss Crammond. They had never heard of
them before, but, strange to say, one married Miss Frances
and the other Miss Crammond.

" My friends, Captain Arthur with his two sisters, Mrs.
Kobson and Miss Arthur, and his ward, a niece, Miss Bow-
man, when I returned from Paris, came to Edinburgh and
took a nice house, and made Ned Bowman and me go and
live with them for three weeks, until the first of August,
when I received my degree of M.D. They gave parties to
all our friends. The day I graduated we all started for a
tour in the Highlands with my friend Dan Parker, Allan,
a medical student from Nova Scotia, Mrs. Murray and her
sister, Mrs. McKonnichie. We drove to Granton pier, went
by steamer to Stirling, and then spent three weeks in the
country rendered so classical by the pen of Sir Walter Scott.
There were then neither railways, steamers nor hotels in
the Highlands. We were carried from one loch to another
on the backs of donkeys with gillies, and rowed across the
lochs by Highlanders who claimed to be the descendants
of Rob Roy McGregor, and slept sometimes in a field-bed
on the floor of the rude inns. After a delightful tour we
returned to Edinburgh, and having said good-bye to many
dear friends I started for home, more homesick at leaving

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

Edinburgh than I had ever been. My friend Parker, whom
I first met in August, 1837, at Horton Academy, who
rejoined me at Mrs. Wilson's lodging at Edinburgh in
October, 1842, and between whom and myself the warmest
friendship existed without a momentary cloud intervening
for more than sixty-five years, went to Glasgow with several
other friends to see me off. I took my passage for Boston
in a barque of four hundred tons, loaded with pig-iron and
bricks. We were nearly a week getting out of the Clyde,
as, after going a short distance when it was high water,
we grounded and had to wait for the next high tide.
Parker and I then went ashore and explored both sides
of the Clyde, until at last we said good-bye and he returned
in the pilot-boat.

" My voyage from Glasgow to Boston lasted fifty-four
days. I was seasick until a week before we landed. I
took my passage from Boston to St. John, and went to my
father's at Amherst, where I found all delighted to see me.'"

CHAPTER II

BEGINNING OF POLITICAL CAREER (1844 — 55)

THE leader of the Conservative party in Nova Scotia
in 1844 was the Hon. J. W. Johnstone, one of the most
distinguished lawyers of his day.

In that year the Conservative Government was in
power in Nova Scotia, and Joseph Howe was leader of
the Opposition.

Sir Charles in his journal thus recounts his advent into
the world of politics :

" The Hon. A. Stewart came to Amherst to attend the
marriage of his daughter to Mr. Dickie. Mr. Howe came
at fhe same time, and a meeting was arranged for a public
discussion between them. It occupied a part of two days,
and closed at ten o'clock at night. I attended the meeting,
but took no notes. Immediately after the meeting was over
I was obliged to ride on horseback twenty miles to see a man
threatened with tetanus. I spent the remainder of the night
with the patient, and rode back home the next day. The
day following Mr. Stewart told me that he had noticed that
I had paid great attention to the discussion, and said he
would be much obliged if I would send a report of the meet-
ing to his friend the Hon. Mr. Johnstone."

Acting upon this, Dr. Tupper wrote a letter which not
only serves as an account of an extraordinary political
meeting, but as an extraordinary feat of memorised
reporting.

It is impossible to reproduce the whole of this letter,
but the following passages will serve to show the manner
in which Dr. Tupper executed this commission :

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

Amherst, October 16, 1844.
To The Hon. J. W. Johnstone.

Dear Sir, — It having been suggested to me that you would feel
interested in the recent political movements in this county, I gladly
embrace the opportunity of J. Haliburton, Esq., going to Halifax
to transmit to you a brief sketch of what has transpired. In apology
for the meagreness of the detail, I might here premise that although
I was enabled to attend the whole of the discussion here I took no
notes of the proceedings. I was called to see a patient twenty miles
distant just as the meeting terminated, and since that time my pro-
fessional avocations have monopolised my time entirely up to the
present moment. At the same time, whilst my memory may be
defective and my limited knowledge of politics may lead me into
some inaccuracies which you will readily detect, I think the follow-
ing statement will be found substantially correct.

About a fortnight since R. M. Dickey, Esq., M.P.P., gave
notice that he would meet his constituents at Parrsboro' on
Tuesday, the 8th inst., and explain to them the course he had pur-
sued in Assembly during the past winter's session. He went for
that purpose (I think unattended). I understand that the meet-
ing was convened and addressed by Mr. Dickey and Mr. G. Lewis,
and when about separating Mr. Howe appeared, the packet having
just then reached Parrsboro'. Mr. Dickey gave permission, and
Mr. Howe addressed the meeting, after which it separated without
any resolutions being offered by either party. On Wednesday,
Messrs. Howe and Lewis came on to Maccan and held a meeting,
when I am told they passed resolutions. About noon on that day
intelligence reached Amherst that Mr. Howe was in Cumberland
and intended holding a meeting the day following at this place.
No definite information, however, as to Mr. Howe's intended move-
ments could be obtained by the Conservative side until half past
twelve on Thursday, at which time J. McCully and James Page,
Esqrs., sent a requisition to the Sheriff requesting the use of the
Court House to hold a meeting at 2 p.m. on that day for the purpose
of political discussion.

The Hon. A. Stewart, who had remained here to attend the
wedding of his daughter, who was to be married at 5 p.m. on that
day, consented most cheerfully to attend the meeting.

Between 2 and 3 p.m. a considerable number of persons,
being assembled, J. Chandler, Esq., Sheriff, was unanimously called
to the Chair. Mr. Stewart then called upon the Sheriff to read the
requisition and the names attached, and stated the time that it

Beginning of Political Career

had been received, which being done Mr. McCully stated that in
consequence of Mr. Dickey calling a political meeting at Parrsboro',
Mr. Howe had been invited to meet him, and that the shortness of
the notice was unavoidable. Mr. Dickey stated that the meet-
ing at Parrsboro' was not called for political discussion, but simply
that he might explain to his friends the course he had pursued, and
ascertain their wants. Mr. McCully then moved that Joseph Howe,
Esq., be requested to address the meeting, which was seconded by
B. Page, Esq., surgeon.

Mr. Howe then rose and addressed the meeting in a cool,
cautious, and lengthy speech. He stated that he had been invited
by a number of letters received from persons in Cumberland imme-
diately on his return from Annapolis, to come to this county and
defend the course pursued by the Opposition, and after feelingly
throwing himself upon the kindness of the audience, as a stranger,
proceeded to detail the origin and designation of political parties
in this province. The Tory misrule and the Liberal combination
to oppose it ; the existence of gross abuses in the Government ;
the necessity of reform ; the struggle of the Liberals for that
reform, and the determined opposition of the Tories to it. [Here
follows a detailed analysis of the speech.]

Mr. Howe then sat down, moderately cheered by his own party,
and Mr. Stewart immediately took the floor. That honourable
member of the Government commenced by thanking Mr. Howe for
having placed him under a compliment for the first time, and ex-
pressed his gratitude that he (Mr. Howe) had at last given him an
opportunity of couching a lance with him, and in the face of a
portion of the constituency of Cumberland given him an oppor-
tunity of defending both that Government and himself which had
been so severely maligned and misrepresented by a venal press.
[Mr. Stewart's speech is then dealt with in detail.]

The wedding party at this stage of the proceedings passed to
the church, and an adjournment until 1 o'clock p.m. the following
day being agreed on, the meeting dispersed.

Friday. — About 1 o'clock p.m., the meeting being reassembled,
Hon. Mr. Stewart resumed.

The meeting then adjourned for half an hour, it being 2 o'clock
p.m. At the expiration of the half-hour the meeting reassembled,
when Mr. Howe rose.

He said that he had been entirely ignorant of the marriage
which had just taken place, and concluded his expressions of
regret at the interruption which he had unwillingly occasioned, by

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

proposing three cheers for the bride, which were loudly responded to
on all sides.

Mr. Howe then read an advertisement which had been placed
on an old stone in the village on Wednesday night expressive of
an intention to " tar and feather Joe Howe." He proceeded to
comment with much feeling and in strong terms of indignation
upon it, and stated that no man dare lay a finger in anger upon him
in the public streets, and that if any person by a combination offered
him an insult he could tell them that there was tar and feathers
in Halifax, and it would not be well for the aggressor to show his
nose there, and if they could not get hold of him they would take
his nearest and dearest friend and wreak their vengeance upon
them. He then made some discursive observations with reference
to the origin of Toryism in Cain and its continuation and progress
down to our times, interspersing his observations with witticisms
and malicious jokes not a few.

Mr. Howe then in an impressive and eloquent reference to the
immortality of the principles of the Liberals and the pride it would
afford him in death to think that he could bequeath British free-
dom to his children, concluded, and was loudly cheered by his
adherents.

Mr. Stewart immediately replied. It was getting late, he
said, yet he could not refrain from pointing out to them the way
in which by dealing with irrelevant matter and amusing his audience,
Mr. H. had led them from the question at issue.

Mr. Stewart concluded by pronouncing in terms, which my
power is not adequate to attempt, a eulogy upon the blessings which
we derive from our connection with the parent state and its foster-
ing care, and sat down amidst the loud and long-continued plaudits
of the Conservative party.

Mr. Howe rose and stated that he felt the right of reply
belonged to the Hon. member of the Government, and although he
had taken a few notes he should decline any further observations,
and thanked the meeting for the courteous and attentive demeanour
which had characterised it.

John Bent, Esq., from Fort Lawrence, then rose and moved
a resolution expressive of want of confidence in the present advisers
of Lord Falkland, which was seconded by B. Page, Esq., surgeon.

W. W. Bent, Esq., immediately rose and brought forward an
amendment to the foregoing resolution, deprecating the present
agitation and expressing the fullest confidence in Lord Falkland's
Government as at present constituted, which amendment was

Beginning of Political Career

seconded by Inglis Haliburton, Esq., who made an attack upon
J. McCully, Esq., as the person who had directed Mr. Howe's sus-
picions upon him as the author of that disgusting and disgraceful
advertisement which was equally despised by all parties, and said
that he had been taunted on a former occasion in that house by Mr.
McCully that he dare not oppose Mr. Howe to his face, and he took
this opportunity of asking whether he had merited the brand of
cowardice. Mr. Howe said that Mr. McCully had not implicated
Mr. Haliburton, and that from what he knew of Mr. Haliburton's
family he was assured that Mr. Haliburton would not be afraid to
maintain to any man's face anything that he would assert in his
absence. Mr. McCully denied having implicated Mr. Haliburton, or
directed any suspicion towards him, and remarked that as frequent
allusions had been made to him throughout the day, he could tell
them that opposed as he was by numbers he was prepared to meet
•'The Jury Box Question" before the court at Halifax, and courted
the fullest investigation. . . . Mr. Haliburton, upon the disavowal
of Mr. McCully and Mr. Howe, retracted the charge and offensive
expressions he had made use of towards Mr. McCully.

The Chairman then put the amendment and the meeting, at
this time densely crowded, attempted to divide. Three cheers were
given by the Conservative party to Lord Falkland, three to the
Administration, and three to the Hon. A. Stewart, which were
answered by deafening shouts from the Opposition. Both sides
claimed, as usual, a large majority ; the utmost excitement pre-
vailed, and counting was out of the question. At this stage of
the proceedings I left and hurried off to River Philip with a
messenger who was waiting for me at the door. I am told that
both parties directly afterwards left the house, and Mr. Howe
addressed his friends at the door of the Acadia Hotel, whither they
followed him.

I found that Mr. Howe had called a meeting for that after-
noon at River Philip, which, of course, was disappointed. He went
the next day, Saturday, to Pugwash, escorted by Gaius Lewis, James
Page, and J. M. McCully, Esqrs., but I am told was too late for a
meeting appointed there, and called a meeting for Monday, which
was to embrace Pugwash and Wallace.

Mr. Howe's friends have invited him to a dinner at Acadia
Hotel, which is to come off on Wednesday.

As far as the meeting here was concerned, I looked upon it
as a decisive defeat on the part of Mr. Howe. The meeting was evi-
dently preconcerted by his friends and unknown to the Conserva-

D 33

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

tive party. Mr. Howe came thus suddenly to Amherst, bringing
with him Messrs. Lewis and Logan, and all the force they could
muster from the west end of the county, where the struggle lies.
Mr. Stewart doubled them effectively in obtaining the adjourn-
ment, and thus allowed the meeting to be more widely known, and
though the night was spent by the supporters of Mr. Howe beating
up recruits on all sides (Mr. Lewis himself riding twelve miles and
sending a messenger eight more to collect supporters from Amherst
shore, whilst on the other side it was occupied by wedding festivi-
ties), yet I am confident there was a decisive majority in favour of
the Government. At all events, not one man who assisted in
returning Messrs. Fulton and Dickey by so large a majority voted
with Mr. Howe, whilst numbers of Mr. Lewis and Mr. Logan's warmest
supporters at the last election voted with Mr. Stewart. . . .

It is but justice to Mr. Stewart to say that whilst this imperfect
sketch represents him most inadequately, we all felt that he gave
a most lucid, able, and manly exposition of the policy of the Govern-
ment ; whilst it was evident that Mr. Howe, on the other side, with
all his acknowledged talent and ability, failed to meet his arguments
fairly, and endeavoured by the introduction of unimportant matter
and satirical jokes to lead the minds of the audience from the subject
matter under discussion.

As for myself, policy dictated to me to stand aloof from politics
altogether, and I settled here with that intention, but when I saw
a man like Mr. Stewart, who has always unflinchingly advocated our
rights, so grossly stigmatised and persecuted by a venal press —
when I saw that the dearest object of that arch agitator, Mr. Howe,
was the destruction of my beloved Alma Mater — when I saw the
coarse invective, abuse, and misrepresentation that was adopted
by the corrupt Liberal press — I felt that it was a crisis which called
for every well-wisher of his country to take a decisive stand in
defence of what I conceived to be right. I have therefore used all
the influence in my power on behalf of the present Government, and
fondly trust that it may long prosper. Mr. Howe is said to be can-
vassing this county, intending to run it at the next election against
Mr. Stewart should he offer. He tells them here that he can bring
Mr. Lewis in for Halifax. I hope you will be able to induce Mr.
Stewart to come forward here. We feel confident that he must be
returned by a very large majority ; but if he cannot be induced to
do so could you not bring him in for Anapolis and run this county
yourself ? There could be no doubt of the result. As far as this
county is concerned, few of any side, I think, really question the

Beginning of Political Career

certainty of its returning the Conservative members at the next
election.

With the warmest wishes for your political prosperity and
personal happiness, — I remain, Your most obedient servant,

Charles Tupper.

P.S. — I think that Mr. Stewart has certainly influence enough
with Messrs. Dickey and Fulton to get them to go with you on the
College question. If they desert you there it will have a most un-
favourable effect upon the Conservative interest here. — C. T.

The foregoing account of what took place in 1844 ante-
dates, by seven years, Dr. Tupper's first public appearance
in the political arena. It indicates his sympathy with
the Conservative party, and his wide and accurate know-
ledge of local politics.

Sir Charles, in his journal, thus continues his account
of his everyday life as a doctor :

" I made an offer of marriage to Miss Frances Morse, of
Amherst. Having obtained the consent of her parents, she
accepted my proposal, and we were married on the 8th of
October, 1846.

" Enjoying the professional confidence of my county, I
was called to almost all important cases of illness from
Wallace, forty miles east, to Cape Chignecto, sixty miles
west of Amherst, where we lived. My life was spent in
riding or driving from one part of the county to the other.
I can hardly understand how I endured the fatigue. On
one occasion, having reached home after a ride on horse-
back of fifty miles at midnight, my wife told me I had been
sent for to see a man at Advocate Harbour, who was danger-
ously ill. I said I could not go so far from home as the
child of the rector, Mr. Townshend, was in a critical con-
dition with scarlet fever. She said she had promised I would
go as soon as 1 returned, and the messenger had returned.
Mrs. Townshend being greatly distressed at my being so far
away, I promised to go and return without stopping. As
soon as a fresh horse was harnessed I started for Advocate
Harbour, went there, prescribed for Captain Armstrong, who

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

was suffering from pneumonia, and turned my face home-
wards. When within twenty miles of home, after having
ridden fifty miles on horseback and driven a hundred miles
in a wagon, only stopping to eat, I called to see a patient
at Maccan. I asked them to give me a cup of strong tea
and not allow me to go to sleep. Before the tea was ready
I was so sound asleep in my chair that they could not awaken
me for four hours, when I concluded my continuous ride
and drive of a hundred and seventy miles. The struggle
to keep awake in driving was most painful.

" The country practitioner has to be ready for every
emergency. Before the discovery of anesthetics or anti-
septics I was called to visit a Mrs. Livingston, twenty-
seven miles distant. From the description of the case, I
took amputating instruments with me. I found the patient
suffering from osteosarcoma of the femur, which had attained
a great size ; the pain had been continuous and intense. She
was reduced to a skeleton, and said she had not slept for
six weeks. I told her that the only remedy was amputation
at the hip- joint; that I was afraid she would die under the
operation, and that if she survived some other part might
be attacked and result in death at no distant day; but if
she wished, I would give her the chance. She replied : ' If
I was sure I could not live through the operation I would
beg you to take my leg off.' I sent to Pugwash, twelve miles
distant, for the only doctor within reach — a young man who
had just commenced practice and had never assisted in an
operation before. He arrived in the morning, and I showed
a sailor how to ligature an artery. The doctor compressed
the femoral artery, and I made the anterior flap, when I
found my assistant faint and the artery not controlled. I
pushed him aside, pressed my thumb on the artery, and
addressed him in language more forcible than polite, which
made him very angry but enabled him to do his duty. I
removed the limb as quickly as possible, picked up the
arteries which the sailor ligatured, completed the opera-
te

Beginning of Political Career

tion, gave the patient a good dose of brandy and laudanum,
after which she said she felt as if she was in heaven, and
soon was asleep. The wound united by the first intention,
and six weeks after the operation she was taken to tea at
a neighbour's house. She became stout, and four months
afterwards, when weeding in the garden in a hot sun, she
was seized with apoplexy, fell over and died.

" My only brother, Nathan, was two years younger than
myself. Finding he had a great aptitude for the profession,
I assisted him in obtaining the degree of M.D., and took him
into partnership. When I became Provincial Secretary, and
removed to Halifax, I relinquished the practice to him with-
out any consideration.

" When I was High Commissioner for Canada in London
his health failed, and I invited him to visit me there, but
Dr. Parker, whom he consulted, advised him not to cross
the Atlantic as he feared an artery might give way. He
wrote to me to that effect, and expressed a great desire to
see me. My wife and I reached Eimouski on August 8,
1886, at ten a.m. As I learned there that my brother was
much better, and as my wife was not at all well, I deter-
mined to go with her to Halifax and return next morning to
Amherst to see him ; but as we approached Amherst I felt I
could not pass it, and told her I must stop there and would
join her at Halifax the following day. I reached Amherst at
3.10 a.m. Sunday, the 29th August, and spent the day with
my brother, who was quite resigned but very cheerful. We
talked over everything. I left him in good spirits at 12.30
p.m. on Monday for Halifax. On Tuesday morning his wife,
on awakening, found him paralysed and unable to speak,
which state continued until the 15th of September, when
he died.

" The great-grandfather of my wife was Joseph Morse,
who died in 1769, and was buried in the old military bury-
ing-ground at Fort Cumberland. His eldest son, Alpheus,
in 1776 married Theodora, daughter of Major Crane, of

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

Connecticut, and the sister of Colonel Crane, of Horton,
who removed to Nova Scotia at the time of the rebellion.
Colonel Crane was a prominent actor in the political history
of Nova Scotia from 1769 to 1819. Alpheus Morse and his
wife lived and died in Amherst, and were the first occupants
of the town of Amherst where it now stands. One of his
sons, the Hon. James Morse, was a barrister and a repre-
sentative of the township of Amherst in the Legislative
Assembly. Another son, W. A. D. Morse, became a judge,
and the youngest, Silas Morse, the father of my wife, was
the Prothonotary of the Court of Amherst. He married
Elizabeth Stewart, the sister of Hon. Alexander Stewart,
a lawyer of great ability, who represented the county of
Cumberland in the House of Assembly for many years, was
a member of the Legislative Council, and afterwards Master
of the Rolls of Nova Scotia, when he was made a C.B.

" Judge Stewart married Sarah, the sister of my wife's
father. Both Silas Morse and his sister Mrs. Stewart lived
to the advanced age of ninety-four.

" My father-in-law, who had just completed a large new
house, offered me half of it, which I occupied after our
marriage. On the 23rd of July, 1847, our dear Emma was
born, and a year and half afterwards her sister Lillie fol-
lowed—April 23, 1849. Six weeks after her birth Mr.
Morse's house, where we resided, was burned, together with
my coach-house and stables. I had just left on horseback
for the Joggins Mines, when looking back I saw a large
fire which I took for a building belonging to a neighbour.
I rode rapidly through the village giving the alarm of fire,
then returning found it was my stables. I threw myself off
the horse and rushed to the stable already on fire, hoping
to save a favourite horse, when Bev. G. Townshend threw
his arms around me and begged me not to rush on certain
death. My poor horse and carriages and all else were soon
in ashes ; the house soon followed, but much of the furniture
was saved.

Beginning of Political Career

" On the 30th of November our dear little Lillie suc-
cumbed to an attack of diarrhoea caused by teething.

" On the 26th of October, 1851, our son James Stewart
was born.

" The Hon. Mr. Johnstone's party was defeated at the
General Election of 1851. Joseph Howe was returned with-
out a contest with the Conservative member, Mr. Fulton.
When it became known that Mr. Fulton had agreed to join
the Liberals, their election was protested and set aside on
the ground that the arrangement had been made after two
o'clock, the hour at which the nominations were closed by
law. Thomas Andrew DeWolfe, a gentleman of high stand-
ing at Halifax, was invited by the Conservatives of Cum-
berland to contest, associated with A. McFarlane, against
Mr. Howe and Mr. Fulton. When Mr. DeWolfe came to
Cumberland I drove out twenty miles to River Philip to
meet him and bring him to Amherst the day before nomina-
tion in March, 1852. I introduced him at a small meeting at
the school-house at River Philip in a short speech, the first
I had ever made on politics. On the evening preceding the
nomination the leading Conservatives met to arrange for
the morrow. When the question arose as to who should pro-
pose Mr. DeWolfe, he said he would prefer that I should
do so. I did not sleep much that night, and was so ner-
vous the next morning that I threw up my breakfast on the
way to the corner where the nomination was to take place.

" The hustings were erected in the street opposite
Coffey's Hotel, where Mr. Howe was staying. At ten
o'clock the sheriff called for the nominations, and Mr.
Howe not being present, I rose to propose Mr. DeWolfe.
There was great excitement, not less than three thousand
persons from all parts of the county being present. I
had not proceeded far when Mr. Howe came on the plat-
form. I then said : ' Mr. Howe, I am proposing Mr. De-
Wolfe as a candidate, but as you were the former repre-
sentative I will give way to your proposer.' He replied :

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

' Not at all, doctor; go on and make your speech.' I pro-
ceeded, and having stated the claims of Mr. DeWolfe to
the confidence of the people, was proceeding to show why
Mr. Howe should not be elected. Mr. Howe, finding that
my speech was exciting much attention, interrupted me, and
said : ' The candidate should be heard first.' I replied :
' Mr. Howe has himself requested me to go on with my
speech, and I claim the right, as the proposer of Mr. De-
Wolfe, to give my reasons for thinking he should be
chosen instead of Mr. Howe.' The Liberals then shouted :
' Hear the candidates ! ' and when Mr. Howe rose his voice was
drowned by the Conservatives shouting : 'Hear Dr. Tupper ! '

" After this fierce contest had continued for more than
an hour the order of procedure was referred to a committee,
who decided that Mr. DeWolfe should speak first, Mr. Howe
second, and then Messrs. Fulton and McFarlane, after which
I and any others who wished to speak should be heard. The
effect of all this was the impression created on the minds of
the Conservatives that Mr. Howe was afraid to allow me to
be heard, and from that day there was a fixed determination
that I should be a candidate. Mr. Howe and Mr. Fulton were
elected by a majority of one hundred and eighty over
McFarlane and two hundred and forty-two over DeWolfe.

" The nervousness which effected me strongly when I
was about to speak, causing violent action of the heart
and great nausea, continued for more than twenty years
of public life, but when I commenced speaking entirely dis-
appeared, and left me in the fullest command of all the
resources I possessed.

" After my marriage I took an active part in the pro-
motion of temperance, and delivered a lecture upon the
subject to a crowded audience.

" I contracted typhus fever when attending a patient at
Apple Eiver. When returning home on horseback from
visiting another patient I found myself suffering from un-
mistakable symptoms of typhus. As soon as I reached

Beginning of Political Career

home I said I was not very well, and sent for Dr. Page.
When he arrived I closed the door and said : ' Doctor, I
am in for typhus, and you must not allow my wife to come
near me, as I fear she will take it.' She had pushed the
door a litle open when I closed it, and heard what I said.
I was soon delirious and, to her great distress, would not
allow her to come near me. Shortly after I recovered, when
still very weak, I went to see a patient at Minudie, about
seven miles distant, via a ferry which was about half a
mile wide. I went on board a scow with my horse, the
same one that was burned soon afterwards. I was holding
him firmly with my hand close to his jaws when the ferry-
man, in gybing the sail, touched his hocks, and before I
could let go he had carried me overboard, and we went
down together. Fearing he would strike me with his feet,
I let go of the bridle and dived deeper. When I came up
I was thirty or forty feet from the scow, and my horse more
than fifty yards distant. I swam to the scow and we made
for the shore. It was in April, and I was very cold. Mr.
Amos Seaman's was the principal residence in the place and
the nearest to the shore, where I was put in bed with warm
blankets and a stiff tumbler of brandy and water admin-
istered. I was soon asleep, and awoke some two hours after-
wards none the worse for the immersion. My horse was
carried down by the tide, but landed all right after being
in the water more than an hour."

The touch of the charm of political warfare felt by Dr.
Tupper during the campaign referred to lingered with him
for the next three years, the time intervening before the
general election. The Conservatives did not fail to discern
in him a good candidate for the coming contest.

The Government, its candidates being sustained in the
election of 1852, went forward with its ordinary labours and
the building of a local railway from Halifax to Windsor
and towards Truro.

Dr. Tupper's practice gave him large opportunities to

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

discuss with the people the politics of the day. The sug-
gestion that he should be Mr. Howe's opponent ripened
into a fixed purpose before the election of 1855. Some
records of this campaign are found in his journal :

" The House of Assembly was dissolved on the 25th of
April, 1855. Mr. Alexander McFarlane, a barrister, the
son of Hon. Daniel McFarlane, of Wallace, who had been
twice defeated as a candidate, and R. B. Dickey, barrister,
a son of R. M. G. Dickey, who had represented the county,
waited upon me, as leaders of the Conservative party, to
say it was the unanimous wish of the party that I should
contest the county associated with Mr. McFarlane. I re-
plied that I was ready to do all that I could to aid the
party, but I could not become a candidate as it would ruin
me professionally to be so long absent from the county.
They replied that I was a warm friend of Mr. Johnstone's
and his success might depend upon my action, as they felt
assured they could carry the county if I would run, but
Howe and Fulton would be returned unopposed if I de-
clined, as it was the only chance. This decided me; but
I stipulated that I should be at liberty to resign after the
election if my presence was not necessary to a majority.

" On May 1 I published a card to the electors announc-
ing myself a candidate, as follows :

" ' TO THE ELECTORS OF THE COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND :

" ' Gentlemen,

*' ' At the instance of very many of you, and in accordance
with the general feeling expressed throughout the County, that its
interests in the Assembly should be represented by Members resi-
dent amongst us, I beg to announce myself a Candidate for your
suffrages at the approaching Election.

" ' A native of the County, and identified with its interests by
many ties, I will yield to none in an ardent desire to promote the
prosperity and well-being of Cumberland and her people. The very
unusual course adopted by the Government of selecting the early
period of seed-time for this exercise of your constitutional privilege
deprives me of the opportunity of personally visiting every section

Beginning of Political Career

of the County. I shall, however, be prepared to explain fully at
the Nomination my views upon the public topics of the day.

" ' If a; deep interest in the cause of temperance, a determina-
tion to oppose the present administration in their ruinous course
of granting pensions and otherwise squandering the public revenues,
and to promote municipal corporations, elective councils, and other
measures of progress opposed by the Party in power, for extend-
ing the privileges of the people ; if a desire on my part, as one of
yourselves, to represent your views and wishes in the Parliament
of my native Province, can supply any grounds for your support,
I shall confidently rely upon you at the Polls and feel grateful for
your suffrages.

" ' In appearing as a candidate from the western part of this
County, I am happy to announce that I have assurances of exten-
sive support by the friends of Mr. Macfarlane and myself in the east.
" ' I beg to subscribe myself, Gentlemen,

" ' Your obliged and faithful servant,

" ' Charles Tupper. •
" 'Amherst, May 1, 1855.'

" Taking a pair of horses and a light wagon which I
used in my practice, I started for Advocate Harbour, the
west end of the county. Going there and returning I visited
as many of the electors as the brief period at my disposal
would admit. Before leaving Amherst I called upon Judge
Haliburton (Sam Slick) who had come there to preside at
the session of the Supreme Court. He said : ' I hear, Dr.
Tupper, that you are to be a candidate at this election.' I
said I had been foolish enough to do so.

" ' Allow me,' said the judge, ' as an old politician, to
give you a little advice. Never allow an elector to suppose
you require his support to insure your success, or he will
be certain to vote against you.'

" I acted upon that advice, and where I met persons who
would only give one vote to our side, I requested them to
give that vote to my colleague Mr. McFarlane.

" On returning to Amherst I stopped opposite to the house
of Mr. John Baker, a very strong Liberal, and went in to
his tannery opposite to see a Mr. Sharp, who was in his

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

employment. Sharp, whose wife was one of my patients,
at once promised his vote. As I was returning to the wagon
I met Mr. Baker, his face blazing with indignation at my
audacity in canvassing a man in his employment. I said :
' Mr. Baker, I am a candidate for the county, and will be
glad to have your support.' He replied fiercely : ' You won't
get it — I will do all I can to oppose you.' I replied : ' You
need not be so angry ; I do not need your vote, but I thought
you might wish to go with the crowd,' and jumping into my
wagon, I drove on.

" I also met during the election Dr. Inglis, the Bishop
of Nova Scotia, who said : ' Dr. Tupper, I am told you are
entering public life. Let me advise you never to be on
non-speaking terms with any public man, or the time will
come when you will find that it will conflict with the public
interest.' I thanked his Lordship, and now, after a long
public career, deeply regret that I did not always act upon
his suggestion, of the value of which I am now fully con-
vinced. I may also add, as the result of many years' ex-
perience of public life, the importance of public men, how-
ever strongly opposed, never losing sight of the fact that
the exigency of public affairs may at some time compel
them to act together. One of my strongest opponents was
my dear wife, who expressed the earnest hope that I would
be defeated. She, however, sat at the open window of a
brick house occupied by a friend on the nomination day. It
was a long way from the hustings at the side of the Court
House where we stood in the open air, but my voice could
then be heard at a great distance. The nomination took
place at 2 o'clock. There was a great concourse of people,
not only from all parts of the county but also from West-
moreland, the border county of New Brunswick.

" The Hon. Mr. Fulton, who was then a member of the
Government, and Mr. McFarlane spoke briefly, and Mr.
Howe and I spoke an hour each alternately until sunset.
When I joined my wife to return home, she said : ' Is it

Beginning of Political Career

not a dreadful prospect for us to be separated during the
long period you will be absent attending the Legislature
every winter at Halifax ? ' I said : ' Do not borrow trouble ;
perhaps I may be defeated.' She replied : ' But I do not
wish you to be defeated now.' I said : ' Well, I have made
one very important convert to-day, and I take it as an omen
of success.'

" On May 22, 1855, at the close of the poll, I had a
majority of 212 over Howe and 250 over Fulton. McFar-
lane, my colleague, was also elected, but by a smaller
majority. Mr. Howe, on his return to Halifax, on being
chaffed by his friends for allowing a Cumberland boy to
defeat him, replied : ' You will soon discover that I have
been defeated by the leader of the Conservative party.'

" Subsequently, on the floor of the House he gave a very
humorous account of his defeat in Cumberland. He said
he had not been defeated by politics but by medicine. His
former supporters told him they would gladly support him
against anyone but Tupper. One said he had saved his
wife's life, another that of his child, and another that he
would have been in his grave but for him, and so on ad
infinitum.

" My old friend and teacher, Jonathan McCully, took an
active part against me in that contest. He induced a man
who owed him seventy pounds to promise to vote for Mr.
Howe, and after the vote was given to me McCully called
upon him for payment. The man's wife went with him to
settle the debt. Mr. McCully said : ' Mr. Holmes, I have
not pressed you on account of the way you voted, but you
told me a lie ; you promised to vote for Mr. Howe and you
voted for Tupper.' His wife, not liking to hear her husband
accused of falsehood, spoke up and said : ' Mr. McCully, Mr.
Holmes had a very good mind to vote for Mr. Howe, but he
only sees you occasionally and he has to live with me.' "

The defeat of Mr. Howe was the only triumph of the Con-
servative party in the struggle of 1855. Immediately after

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

hearing of Dr. Tupper's victory Mr. Johnstone sent him the
following letter of congratulation :

" I congratulate you and sympathise with your wife in your
triumph. Howe, I hear, concurs with all others in giving credit
to your ability in the field in the various pitched battles and skir-
mishes that occurred during the short but active campaign that
preceded the 22nd.

" I incline to the belief that Young in his secret heart thanks
you for extinguishing Howe's political life — at least his legislative
existence. Howe may live on, but a defeat like that he has suffered
affects his prestige as a man of the people in a way not to be restored."

During the two previous sessions Messrs. Killam and
Moses, of Yarmouth, and Dr. Brown, of Horton, had left
the Liberal party in opposition to Mr. Howe's railway
policy. In the election of 1855 only fifteen Conservatives
and three Independents were elected out of a House of
fifty-two.

Dr. Tupper was Mr. Howe's junior by seventeen years,
and Mr. Johnstone's by twenty-one years. In person he
was of medium height, straight, muscular, wiry, and had
intense nervous energy which gave him quickness of move-
ment and ceaseless mental activity. The county was large,
and in both winter and summer the roads were good, bad
and indifferent. In his sleigh, carriage or saddle he went
from place to place, sometimes in deep and drifted snow,
and at other times in mud more difficult than the worst
snowdrifts. In his twelve years of practice, before he was
called into the sphere of politics, mountainous obstacles
became a level plain, and toil and exposure the highest enjoy-
ment. With a spirit that knew no discouragement, saw no
difficulties, and a body well seasoned by twelve years of
labour, he decided, temporarily, to enter the political arena.

For years Dr. Tupper had indulged the ambition to
help Mr. Johnstone, whose name had been a household
word in his father's home, and never before had J. W.
Johnstone felt, as he did at this time, the need of a man
of special talent among his followers.

OHAPTEE III

POLITICS IN NOVA SCOTIA (1856 — 57)

THE Legislature was summoned for the dispatch of
business on January 31, 1856. On January 30 Mr.
Johnstone invited his supporters to meet him for
consultation at the lodgings of Mr. Thome, member for
Granville, in Hollis Street, Halifax. He requested a
frank expression of their opinions as to the cause of the
reverses sustained at the recent elections, and suggestions
as to the best policy to be pursued. Various causes were
assigned by the members from different parts of the
province. Mr. Johnstone then called attention to the
signal victory achieved in the redemption of Cumberland
by the defeat of Messrs. Howe and Fulton, and said they
would all like to hear Dr. Tupper's opinion of the situation.
Dr. Tupper said he feared it would be considered great
presumption on his part, as the youngest member of the
House, if he should tell them that, in his opinion, the
policy hitherto pursued was fatal to success. If the mis-
sion of the Conservative party was to criticise the action
of the Government in and out of the Legislature, well and
good; but if they were ever to obtain power it was neces-
sary that it should be radically changed ; that the course
pursued in the past had caused the alienation of the entire
Catholic vote throughout the province, and as they formed
one-fifth of the population and controlled nine seats in the
Legislature, they held the balance of power. Dr. Tupper
thought the policy of equal rights for all, without respect
to race or creed, should be boldly proclaimed, and a tho-
roughly progressive policy adopted.

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

Many of the members evinced some consternation as Dr.
Tupper proceeded, and evidently expected an explosion from
Mr. Johnstone, who was known to be a very high-tempered
man. To their great surprise, he said :

" Gentlemen, I am afraid there is too much truth in
what Dr. Tupper has said; but I am too old to change
front, and I think the best thing we can do is to give
Dr. Tupper carte blanche to remodel the Conservative
policy."

His proposition was agreed to, and from that hour Dr.
Tupper became the virtual leader of the Conservative
party. He declared his belief that while building rail-
ways by companies was sound in principle, and perhaps
the better policy, yet he thought all hostility to the railway
policy of the Government should be abandoned.

At that time the individuality of Dr. Tupper was as
unique and pronounced as it ever was in any stage of his
long political career. Then, the fear of man, fear that
engenders submission or cowardice, was to him a mere
sound, utterly without meaning. His courage was leonine
and unyielding. It is enough to say that he was endowed
with his father's memory. His prescience never trod the
slow, weary way of the logician. He got to his conclusions
by a process so swift that it may be called intuition. His
mental equipment was of such a character that no side of
a subject was out of sight or obscure. Without being
logically conscious of it, essential principles were the
pillars of his political heavens. He would not attempt to
undermine them ; and against any man or party who did
undertake it, in the twinkling of an eye his mental artil-
lery's hottest fire was trained. Accumulations of the
knowledge of provincial politics were packed away in his
capacious memory, ever ready to serve him both in private
and public. In his mind the law of suggestion was sensi-
tive, alert and vigorous. In action he belonged to the
present throbbing days of steam and electricity. As he

Politics in Nova Scotia

first appeared on the streets of Halifax, his erect sym-
metrical person and rapid motion attracted public atten-
tion. No words were wasted in his business transactions,
and there was with him in that day of leisure a marked
economy of time.

Mr. Howe was not in the House during the session of
1856, and the leadership of the Liberal party fell into the
hands of William Young. New life, new action, appeared
along the red benches and throughout the country. Prompti-
tude, swiftness, energy, directness were called into life by
language flowing from a reservoir under high pressure.
Howe did not envy Mr. Young his task of beating back the
Tories led by this daring youth, whose speech was as rapid
as a maxim-gun, and whose metallic voice carried his posi-
tive and emphatic utterances into all ears, quick or dull.
Every syllable was pronounced and every word was dis-
tinctly heard.

When the House assembled on January 31, 1856, con-
fronting the Government was an Opposition of only fifteen
members. This made the work of the session appear easy
and plain; but, as in many another case, appearances were
deceptive. On the fourth day Dr. Tupper made his first
speech in the new House. It was in connection with the
appointment of a railway committee.

The Conservative party, not having confidence in the
financial ability of the province to bear the expense of
railway construction, had for the last five years deter-
minedly opposed the policy of the Government. Now, how-
ever, as the country was fully committed to it, the
Opposition changed front, and according to Dr. Tupper's
declaration at the private meeting of the Conservative
party, he gave his support to the Government's plan and
at once entered into the advocacy of wise and economical
methods. The substance of his speech is given here as an
expression of the stand he took from the first in the de-
liberations of the Assembly :
e 49

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

" While I am addressing the House I may say that if this Com-
mittee is to be appointed I trust that its functions may be properly
understood. I trust that if the railroad is now to proceed — as for
our own credit it must proceed — this House will not be denuded of
its power of regulating the route which shall be chosen. I have no
idea that the Committee now to be chosen shall interfere with the
question of cutting down a hill or going round it ; but I do ask that
their duties shall be of a substantial character. The Legislature
has given to the Government the power to construct the railway,
and the Government have appointed the Commissioners ; there-
fore, as regards the question of accounts, I take for granted this
House will hold both responsible, and neither absolve the one nor
relieve the other. And I trust it will not be found, as has been
asserted In the Press, that Cumberland is to be excluded from the
benefit of this new accompaniment of civilisation — the railroad.
That we are to have it now is no longer a question. The policy of
having railroads, and railroads by Government, is now settled ; but
I trust that policy may be made subservient to the interest of the
country at large. I have been happy to hear a rumour (of which
the Government may give us more information than I possess, but
which, I hope, may be correct) that the hon. and learned Attorney-
General of New Brunswick, who passed through this city a few days
ago, has tangible proof that New Brunswick will soon be ready to
proceed with a railway through that Province, to connect us with
our brethren there — with the United States and Canada ; and I
hope that before any minor matter as to whether the track shall
go through Stewiacke or Gay's River be taken into consideration —
the great question of connecting us with the whole continent shall
employ our earnest attention. I approve of the Committee, and
trust that the eastern part of the Province will be well represented
on it."

Mr. William Young, the Premier, was light-hearted in
looking forward to the work of the session. With keen
sarcasm inquiries were playfully made whether or not there
was an Opposition, but at an early day in the session this
humour came to an end. The impact on the Government's
policies by the new debater produced a seriousness felt by
every man in the House, whether an opposer or a supporter
of the Government. In discussing the dismissal of a sheriff
of Cumberland County, Dr. Tupper made an early declara-

5°

Politics in Nova Scotia

tion of his principles, while at the same time he warned the
Government of the danger of pursuing a high-handed course
in dismissing men from office. He said :

" I did not come here to play the game of follow my leader. I
did not come here the representative of any particular party, bound
to vote contrary to my own convictions, but to perform honestly and
fearlessly to the best of my ability, my duty to my country. In the
past I have seen measures, which lie at the root of all our prosperity
and freedom, burked because they emanated from the leader of the
Opposition ; nor have the measures of the Government always
received a dispassionate hearing from the Opposition. Whenever
the measures of the Government commend themselves to my judg-
ment, I shall not hesitate to support them."

At the close of a speech of two and a half hours' length,
in which the actions of the Government were rigidly scruti-
nised, Mr. Johnstone delicately made known what had taken
place in Mr. Thome's lodgings before the House opened. He
told the House and the country that Dr. Tupper should be
regarded as the virtual leader of the Conservative party.

In an earlier Parliament Mr. Johnstone had introduced
a Bill for an elective Legislative Council, which had re-
ceived the favourable consideration of the House. When
the Legislature had been in session scarcely four months
in 1856, Dr. Tupper, with a view of taking up the Legisla-
tive Council Bill, moved the House into Committee of the
Whole on the general state of the province. The Govern-
ment was at once put on the defensive, and its weakness
became apparent.

The result of storming the Government's citadel in the
first month of the Assembly's duration came to light when
the vote was taken, a vote understood to be one of non-
confidence in the Administration. Mr. McKeagney voted
against the Government. Mr. McKinnon resigned his seat
in the Government and voted with the Opposition. Mr.
James McLeod, who at the time was ill at his lodgings in
the city, wrote a letter, which was read in the House, in

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

which he also resigned his seat in the Cabinet and ex-
pressed his decision to vote with the Opposition.

This division, at an early stage under the new leader,
showed the relative strength to be twenty-eight for the
Government and twenty-two for the Opposition. Such,
at the end of one month, was the outcome of Dr. Tupper's
leadership.

Of his first year in the House of Assembly, Sir Charles's
journal contains these records :

" I took the earliest suitable opportunity of announcing
my opinions in favour of the construction of railways, and
made no secret of my opinions of equal rights for all, with-
out respect to race or creed.

" It was arranged that my colleague, Mr. McFarlane,
should move a resolution in favour of ' the expediency of
applying the principle of election to the appointment of
members of the Legislative Council.' I led the debate,
and was recognised by the Government as the leader of
our party.

" A Bill practically prohibiting the sale of intoxicating
liquor, which I warmly supported, was deferred by a vote
of the House until the next session. The Hon. Mr. Young
introduced a Bill, entitled, ' An Act for the Better En-
couragement of Education.' This Bill was read a second
time on the 24th March, and thereupon he, Mr. Young,
who was the leader of the House, moved the following
resolution :

" ' Whereas the principle of assessment is the only permanent
foundation for the common school education of the country, and as
this principle is the only leading feature of the Bill now under con-
sideration, and the details may be modified and improved : Resolved
therefore that the Bill entitled " An Act for the Better Encourage-
ment of Education " be referred to a select committee with instructions
to consider the same and report thereon by a short day.'

" This resolution was carried by a vote of 37 against 9.
I voted in favour of the resolution. It was, however, never

Politics in Nova Scotia

taken up during the session. My impression is that Mr.
Young found that his Eoman Catholic supporters would
oppose the Bill if it did not provide for separate schools,
and that the Protestant Liberals would not consent to that.

" The Hon. Mr. Johnstone proposed a resolution pro-
viding for the management of local affairs by a municipal
council, which was defeated by a vote of 24 in favour and
27 against. I voted in favour.

" The initiation of money votes only by the Government
not having been adopted, I moved the following resolution :

" ' Resolved that the Executive Government be authorised to
direct the construction of a steamer wharf at Parrsborough by the
Railway Commissioners at their discretion, to facilitate travel and
traffic from Westmoreland and Cumberland over the Windsor line
of railway.'

" This was carried by seventeen in favour to twelve
against.

" The following year this work was executed under the
authority of the Government of which I was a member.

" During the session I was appointed chairman of a
committee on the Jury Law, and after consulting with Sir
Brenton Haliburton, the Chief Justice, and Judge Bliss, I
reported a Bill to enable seven out of twelve jurors in civil
cases to give a verdict, which became law.

u Mr. Howe, after his defeat in Cumberland, was ap-
pointed Chairman of the Eailway Commission, and after
the close of the session of the Legislature of 1856, Mr.
Lewis M. Wilkins, the Provincial Secretary, was ap-
pointed to a judgeship in the Supreme Court, and Hon.
Mr. Howe was duly elected to represent Hants County.

" During the summer of 1856 Hon. Mr. Howe went to
New York to enlist recruits for the British Government in
the Crimean War. He was strongly criticised by a Koman
Catholic, Mr. Condon, holder of a petty office, who was sub-
sequently dismissed by the Government. A sharp contro-
versy followed, and Mr. Howe, who was greatly annoyed at

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

the support the Conservatives received from the Catholics
during the previous session, assumed a very defiant attitude
towards the Catholic body. Overtures were then made by
him indirectly to Mr. Johnstone and myself to join him and
form a Coalition Government. After the support we had
received from the Catholics I felt such a course would be
dishonourable, and violate the principle of equal rights to
all which I had announced as our policy.

" I also wrote to Mr. P. S. Hamilton, the editor of the
Acadian Recorder, at that time supporting us, and show-
ing why it should take the same course.

" In that letter I expressed the opinion that Howe and
the Government would be defeated in the House, and if they
obtained a dissolution, which they were then threatening,
they would be defeated in the country, as Cumberland was
a very Protestant county. I thought we might be defeated
there, but my friend Mr. Johnstone would obtain power
and I could return to my profession, which would be most
satisfactory to me. The Acadian Recorder at once complied
with my wishes.

" I wrote at the same time to Mr. Johnstone, who con-
curred in the policy I proposed. When the House met on
the 5th of February, 1857, Mr. Johnstone, without wait-
ing for the customary bill pro forma, moved a vote of
no confidence in amendment to the motion to adopt the
first clause of the answer to the address on the 6th of
February, which, after a most acrimonious discussion, was
carried on the 13th of February by a vote of 28 — 22.

" I wrote an editorial for the British Colonist strongly
attacking Mr. Howe and the Government for raising a war
of creeds, and advising all Conservatives to withhold their
support from any such movement. The British Colonist
was the organ of our party published by Mr. Alpin
Grant, who was to the end of his life one of my most
ardent supporters."

The editorial referred to by Sir Charles was published

Politics in Nova Scotia

on February 10, while the debate on Mr. Johnstone's non-
confidence motion was under discussion, and was an example
of Sir Charles's journalistic efforts of this period. An extract
from it is here quoted :

" When, some five weeks ago, the Howe-Annand firebrand was
thrown in the midst of the community, and the emissaries of those
parties were deputised to kindle a flame throughout the Province,
after simply and briefly expressing our individual opinion of the
movement, an abiding confidence in the honour and integrity of the
party with whom we are associated, induced us to suspend all further
observations on the topic in order to give the Conservatives an
opportunity, without any advice or dictation from the Press, of
arriving at their own conclusions. In doing so, we never mistrusted
for an instant that they would uphold the character we have ever
maintained for them, and declare themselves the unswerving advo-
cates of civil and religious liberty and of equal rights and privileges
to all. So they have come up, from one extreme of the Province
to the other, to prove that the estimation we had formed of them,
and they of each other, was sound and correct — and a solid phalanx
they stand arrayed at this moment, a terror to the party demagogues
and would-be tyrants of the land. Animated, as it were, by one
common impulse, they arose like a giant, attacked the presumptuous
despots, and hurled them back into the abyss of contempt and in-
significance. Not a single man amongst all the Conservatives whose
minds Mr. Howe supposed for the last ten months he had been slowly
poisoning, has joined in his no-Popery cry ; but, on the contrary,
the party are united to a man in deprecating and denouncing the
author of so base and treacherous a plot."

The members from counties controlled by Eoman Catho-
lics voted with the Conservatives. The Hon. W. A. Henry,
Provincial Secretary, sent Mr. Compton to negotiate terms
on which he would join the Conservatives, but Dr. Tupper
refused, saying Mr. Henry's statesmanship must be his
guide. The latter then resigned his office and voted
against the Government.

Mr. Johnstone was sent for to form a Cabinet, and
offered Dr. Tupper the principal office, that of Provincial
Secretary. Dr. Tupper told him that having attained, in

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

his (Mr. Johnstone's) restoration to power, the object that
alone induced him to enter public life, he would prefer to
decline and continue his professional work, and retire
altogether from the Legislature at the first general election.
Mr. Johnstone told Dr. Tupper that unless he would take
office he would not attempt to form a Government. Dr.
Tupper then decided to embark fully upon the troubled
sea of politics, and was sworn into office as Provincial
Secretary on Monday, February 23, 1857.

Sir Charles says in his journal :

" Mr. James Fullerton was nominated to oppose my
return for Cumberland, and Mr. William Young came
into the county and conducted the campaign against me.
The anti-Catholic cry was raised, but after a severe struggle
I was returned by a majority of 137, and took my seat in
the House on the 4th of April. I resided during the session
with my friend Dr. Parker. It was at his house that the
discussion with Mr. Johnstone on the formation of our
Government took place, and he, as a warm mutual friend,
was cognisant of all that occurred. When Mr. Johnstone
pressed me to become a member of his Government I told
him that I held very strong views upon the long-vexed
question of the mines and minerals of Nova Scotia being
beyond the control of the Government and Legisla-
ture, owing to the improvident lease granted by the Im-
perial Government to the Duke of York, and that I
thought he should resign his position of solicitor to the
General Mining Association, who held the coal mines
under that lease. Mr. Johnstone agreed with me and
promptly resigned that position, and on the 16th of April
moved a resolution authorising the Government to send
two delegates, representing both sides of the House, with
power to settle the question, provided both should agree, sub-
ject to the ratification of the Legislature. This resolution was
carried, and I addressed the following letter to Mr. Adams
Archibald, the Solicitor- General of the late Government :

Politics in Nova Scotia

" ' Halifax, Mag 22, 1857.
" ' My dear Sir, — I beg leave to communicate the unanimous wish
of the Executive Government to appoint you a delegate in conjunction
with the Hon. Attorney-General, to proceed to England, should that
be necessary, to negotiate the settlement of the matters in controversy
with the General Mining Association. We expect to hear by the
next steamer from England on this subject, and it is not unlikely
that it will be desirable that the delegates should go at an early day
thereafter. The Executive Government believe that in obtaining
your services they will at the same time be consulting the public
interests as also evincing the confidence which they feel in you as
every way qualified and worthy to discharge efficiently a duty so
important. . . . Hoping to have an affirmative reply at your
convenience,

" ' Believe me ever

" ' Yours faithfully,

. (Signed) *' ' C. Tupper.'

" Mr. Archibald accepted the position, and shortly after-
wards the Hon. Mr. Johnstone and he proceeded to England
and made arrangements with the General Mining Associa-
tion, which were submitted to the Legislature in the follow-
ing session, 1858, and adopted. The Opposition, with the
exception of Mr. Archibald, voted against the arrangement,
which has since been regarded with universal favour. Thus
was the improvident lease given by the Imperial Government
to the Duke of York and Albany terminated, and the con-
trol of the mines and minerals handed over to the Provincial
Government.

" I had supported the prohibitory resolution proposed in
the session of 1856, but the Bill was deferred. In the mean-
time, the Act of New Brunswick, prohibiting the sale of
intoxicating liquors, was carried. The operation, or rather
non-operation, of the law was attended with such unsatisfac-
tory results that I announced at my ministerial election that
I would not in future support prohibitory legislation.

" I also supported in 1857 the legislation providing for
the Municipal Government of Counties."

CHAPTER IV

DEFENDER OP THE CONSTITUTION (1858 — 61)

JW. JOHNSTONE and A. G. Archibald, when in
England in 1857 on the mission to settle the Mines
and Minerals question, brought the matter of the
importance of an intercolonial railway before the Colonial
Secretary, but nothing of importance was accomplished.
On their return Dr. Tupper opened correspondence with
the other British provinces for the purpose of securing
their co-operation in negotiations with the British Govern-
ment to secure financial aid in building this intercolonial
highway. In this correspondence Canada was asked if
there were a prospect of beginning the road at an early
day; if so, the projected connection of Truro with Pictou
by rail would be deferred for the time; but if not, that
work would be begun at once. By means of that line
Halifax would be connected with Quebec and Montreal by
steamers from Pictou. New Brunswick was informed that
in case the Government declined to begin at once the build-
ing of the Intercolonial Railway, the Nova Scotia Govern-
ment would complete the road from Truro to the borders
of New Brunswick, if New Brunswick would build it from
that point to the Canadian border. The reply from Sir
Edmund Head, Governor-General, to Sir Gaspard Le Mar-
chant, Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia, was to the effect
that the Canadian Government was in favour of the under-
taking.

During the session of 1858 the Conservatives passed an
Act giving effect to the agreement respecting Mines and
Minerals, providing for the inspection and operation of

Defender of the Constitution

mines ; also Acts for establishing the boundary line between
Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, for the management of
the Hospital for the Insane, and to regulate licences for the
sale of intoxicating liquors.

The Hon. Dr. Grigor, a member of the Legislative Council
holding the office of Surgeon-General of the Militia of the
Province, having died, Sir Gaspard Le Marchant, the Lieu-
tenant-Governor and Commander-in-Chief, sent Dr. Tupper
a commission dated February 21, 1858, appointing him Sur-
geon-General of the Militia of Nova Scotia. Dr. Tupper
promptly resigned the office, and at his request it was con-
ferred on Dr. Rufus Black.

Lord Mulgrave succeeded Sir Gaspard Le Marchant as
Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia. At his request Dr.
Tupper in 1858, after the end of the session, accompanied
him on a tour through Eastern Nova Scotia to Cape Breton.

At the request of the Government of Canada, Dr.
Tupper was appointed with W. A. Henry and E. B.
Dickey, as representatives of Nova Scotia, to go with
G. E. Car tier, A. T. Gait and John Bose as delegates to
England on the question of the Intercolonial Eailway. The
Hon. Charles Fisher, leader of the Government of New
Brunswick, and A. J. Smith represented that province.

Of this visit Sir Charles writes :

" Sailed on the S.S. Asia. When on mid-Atlantic
dreamed that I saw the wife of the Hon. M. B. Almon,
who told me that my wife was dangerously ill. It was
so real that I wrote it down with the date. When I reached
Liverpool I wrote to my wife telling her the dream and the
date, and saying I was ashamed of being so disturbed by a
dream, as she had never had any serious illness, but that
I should feel uneasy until I heard from her. She wrote
to me on the same day from Halifax, and our letters
crossed each other on mid-ocean, telling me that on the
night in question she had been dangerously ill and that
Mrs. Almon remained with her all night. That was the

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

only occasion that Mrs. Almon ever spent a night in our
house.

"When a boy I was much impressed by the novels of
Bulwer Lytton and Disraeli, and often thought I would
like much to see the authors. On this, my first delegation
to the Imperial Government, Lytton was Secretary of
State for the Colonies, and Disraeli was Chancellor of
the Exchequer.

" When we waited upon the Colonial Minister, he said
that he must refer the question of aid to an Intercolonial
Kailway to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and advised
us to see him. I said : ' Sir Edward, are we in a position
to say that you approve of aid being given to this work ? '
He replied : ' You may say that I regard this question as
one entering into Imperial considerations.' Mr. Disraeli
professed great interest in the question, but the Govern-
ment could not be induced to make any positive engage-
ment.

" During our stay in London I saw a good deal of
Lytton at his house near Hyde Park Corner, where I dined
with a large party. He occupied the house at the Piccadilly
corner of Park Lane. Sir Bulwer went with Mr. Henry,
Mr. Fisher and myself to Windsor Castle, when we were
presented to the Queen. Mr. Fisher raised the question of
precedence when told that I was to be presented first, as
he was Premier of New Brunswick. Sir Bulwer said :
' The Province of Nova Scotia is the oldest, and Dr. Tup-
per must therefore have precedence.' We were received
at the Castle by John Brown, who presented a book in
which we inscribed our names. Sir Bulwer went in first,
and when he came out I was announced by Lord Byron,
who presented me to the Queen, who received me very
graciously and gave me her hand to kiss. I then had a
short conversation with Prince Albert. The Prince Consort
was the only other person in the room. After the presenta-
tion we lunched with Lord Byron and the ladies-in-waiting.

Defender of the Constitution

"As we had to wait four hours at Windsor for a train
to London, Lord Byron said : ' Sir Bulwer, I am going to
show Dr. Tupper over the castle, and I will get you a book.'
Sir Bulwer replied : ' Oh, I am tired of books. I have never
seen the castle; I will go with you.' In going through the
museum of curiosities I was much struck with his observa-
tions. When we were shown the bullet with which Nelson
was killed, he said : ' It ought to have been sunk to the
bottom of the ocean instead of being honoured with a place
here.'

" We spent the time on our journey back to London dis-
cussing animal magnetism, in which he believed fully. He
was at that time engaged in writing ' A Strange Story,'
which now seems much less improbable than when he wrote
it. Sir Bulwer afterwards invited me to visit him at Kneb-
worth, but to my great regret I was obliged to decline, as
I had taken my passage home.

" I went to the House of Commons to hear Sir Bulwer
speak on a Bill to change a boundary in New Caledonia —
as British Columbia was then called — when I heard him
say : ' Some of those who now hear me will live to see a
railway constructed from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean
on a direct line through British territory, and large towns
and villages springing up along its course.' That which
I, and all those who heard him, regarded as the imagina-
tion of a brilliant writer of fiction, is now known to be
the prophetic foresight of a far-seeing statesman.

" Lord Carnarvon, the fourth earl, was then Under-
Secretary of State for the Colonies. He invited me to
spend a week at Highclere Castle. He was then but 27
years old, and unmarried. I was greatly impressed by his
untiring industry and devotion to work. He was up early
and went to bed late, and his former tutor, Mr. Kent, acted
as his private secretary. His mother, a very interesting
woman, and his brother Aubrey lived with him. Nothing
could exceed his kindness to me, and our friendship only

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

terminated with his life. I have never known a more high-
minded or conscientious statesman.

" I spent three days at Sir Samuel Cunard's country
seat, where I met Mr. Blackwood, the Chief Clerk in
the Colonial Office, and Mrs. Blackwood. I afterwards
dined with them, when I met their son, Sir Arthur, who
married the Duchess of Manchester. They were said to be
the handsomest couple in England. The last time I met
Sir Arthur was at the International Postal Conference at
yienna in 1891.

" When dining with Mr. Berkley, a civil engineer
(who was afterwards knighted), I was asked to join a
picnic excursion the next day, November 21. I said that
I had promised to visit my namesake, Martin F. Tupper.
Mr. Berkley replied : ' Well, I do not know whether he
is a relative of yours, but he succeeded in writing the
most unreadable book in the English language, Tupper's
" Proverbial Philosophy " — a book without beginning or
end, which one would suppose had been written by a
penny-a-liner.' I rejoined : ' Well, I will not quarrel with
your sweeping criticism, Mr. Berkley, if you will except
three chapters — those on Love, Marriage and Education
are as replete with genuine sentiment, in my opinion, as
anything I have ever read.'

" The next day I went to Albury House, Guildford, where
I met with a very cordial reception. After breakfast the
next morning they took me to see St. Margaret's Church,
which had recently been restored. It stands upon a high
ridge of land overlooking Albury House, which the Tuppers
had occupied more than a hundred years. In the body of
the chapel are two raised graves, which formed the centre-
piece in a novel, ' Stephen Langton,' which Mr. Tupper
then had in the press. He gave me an advance copy. It
is a very improbable story in two volumes, and contains
the history of Archbishop Langton and Magna Charta.
As we returned to Albury House I asked Mr. Tupper how

Defender of the Constitution

he came to write such an extraordinary book as ' Proverbial
Philosophy.' He said : ' Well, I will tell you. I was
eighteen years old, and desperately in love with that
woman ' (pointing to his wife who with one of her
daughters was walking a short distance in front of us)
' when I wrote the three chapters on Love, Marriage and
Education. They were six years in her possession before
any other eye saw them. Some time after we were married
she showed them to Messrs. Hurst and Blackett, publishers,
who said : " These are very clever. Why does not your
husband write a book ? " They sent for me and induced
me to write the rest of the book to match those chapters.
I used to write on the back of an envelope or anything else
at hand, wherever I was, until I had completed the task.'

n Destitute of popularity as that work has become, the
fact remains that it was translated and published in five
languages, and more copies of it were sold in London than
of any other book except the Bible. I asked Mr. Tupper
also how he came to write the ' The Crock of Gold.' He
told me that finding the gardener who had been long em-
ployed at Albury House digging in the garden, he said to
the old man : '" You have not dug up a pot of gold, have
you ? " He replied : " No, master, and I don't want to."
I said : " Why not ? " He answered : " Because I am
now happy and contented, but if I found a crock of gold
it would change my manner of living for one for which I
am quite unfitted." ' Mr. Tupper said : ' This idea took
hold of me, and I wrote " The Crock of Gold " so continu-
ously that my hand became quite swollen.' If Warren's
' Now and Then ' is not a plagiarism of Tupper's ' Crock
of Gold,' it is a remarkable illustration of the adage that
' Great minds jump together.' Mr. Tupper showed me a
number of presents given him by the Queen and other
members of the Boyal Family, for whom he had written
children's plays to be acted at Windsor, and among other
things an autograph letter from the Iron Duke offering a

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

baronetcy to his father, a London physician. The last
time I saw him the family were residing near the Crystal
Palace.

" Some time previously, when his daughter was reading
to him she observed that he took no notice and found that
he was unconscious. He recovered the use of his speech
and memory, but a lesion of the brain remained, so that
when he was talking with me he would be unable to find
the word he wanted, when he would call his daughter and,
repeating the previous words, she would at once supply the
word required, and he would go on with the conversation."

The following letters from Martin Tupper reveal how
the meeting between him and the representative of the
family from Nova Scotia was brought about :

Albury, Guildford, Surrey,

November 15, 1858.
Dear Sir — and very possible Cousin, — You should have heard
before from the undersigned, had he been earlier returned from travel ;
but in truth I and my family have been touring for four months. And
now my errand is to offer you, as a supposed kinsman, a due modicum
of friendship and hospitality- — if you like to take up my glove. I
send this note at a venture, ignorant of your exact whereabouts, but
conclude that it will reach you ; and if and when it does, I request to
hear from your courtesy when you may like to spend a day with me
in the country. On the receipt of your answer I will further tell you
exactly the how of railway trains, and the when of social conveniency.
Trusting that this familiar challenge may not be unpleasant
to you and cousinship taken for granted (seeing that ancestors of
mine migrated to America after religious persecution in Germany in
the sixteenth century),

I remain, dear Sir,

Very truly yours,
(Signed) Martin F. Tupper.

Albury, Guildford,

November 19, 1858.
My dear Cousin, — I am glad indeed at the prospect of such a
meeting, our families not having so fraternised for two hundred years.
Now, then, when can you come ? and for how long ? Shall we say

Defender of the Constitution

Tuesday — bringing your valise for a spell of "bed" as well as
" board " ? Or are you haply too much occupied to spare more than the
bare day ticket ? Come for a night if you can at all events. The way
is from London Bridge terminus S.E.R. Reading branch to Chilworth,
where I will meet you in my pony carriage, if you will tell me by
return of post the day and hour of your coming. I think there is
a nine o'clock out of London, or a quarter to, which reaches Chil-
worth at about 11 ; but consult the last Bradshaw. And so we'll
make it out together comfortably and know each other at home,
as the schoolboys say — and will compare ancestral traditions and
modern prospects. Here's a vignette of Albury for you ; but don't
raise your expectations ; we are humble folk, and roses (now at
their shabbiest) are our chief glory. I see you retain the old family
crest and motto ; my girls are curious to know whether you are
related to one Eddie Tupper of Canada, who once came hither as a
possible cousin. Write then and say that you will be with us at
Chilworth by 11 or so on Tuesday.

Yours heartily,
(Signed) Martin F. Tupper.
. The Hon. C. Tupper.

The visit to London is further described in the journal :
" During my stay in London I dined with Mr. Bates, the
American partner of Messrs. Baring Brothers. He had just
returned from a three weeks' visit to Louis Napoleon, then
Emperor. Mr. Bates said Louis Napoleon was a great
fatalist. Years before, when he was a penniless exile in
London, just after his escape from prison at Ham, he was
dining with Mr. Bates at his house in Park Lane. Mr.
Bates had a country seat near Windsor Castle. His
daughter, who was a great favourite with the Queen, had
married Baron van de Wayer, the Belgian Minister. After
dinner the Prince said he would like a game of cards. As
they had only returned from their country seat the day
before, they could not find the cards. The Prince said he
would go out and get them. Baron van de Wayer accom-
panied him. As they were on the wray to Oxford Street
the Prince put his hand on the Baron's shoulder, and
said : ' Two years from this night I will be at the head
r 65

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

of France.' The Baron, thinking he was joking, said :
' Prince, do you authorise me to make that statement the
subject of a dispatch to my Government ? ' The Prince
replied : ' Baron, you may make it what you please — I
mean what I say.' The Belgian Minister made it the sub-
ject of a dispatch to his Government, and two years from
that night Louis Napoleon was elected President of the
French Republic."

Although departmental Government responsible to the
majority of the Assembly had been established in Nova
Scotia, equality of representation could not be said to exist
where small townships returned twenty-two members in a
House of fifty-two. The Government felt bound, therefore,
to remedy this inequality, although they had nothing to gain
by such an act, as they had the support of fourteen of the
members of townships.

A Bill was brought in at the opening of the session of
1859 abolishing the township representation except in Yar-
mouth and Shelburne, and largely equalising the franchise
in the counties. This measure was denounced by the Oppo-
sition, but when they obtained power they did not alter it.

The House was dissolved in 1859. The election contest
which followed was one of the fiercest ever held in Nova
Scotia.

" The proscription of the Roman Catholics by the com-
bining Protestant sects " was the ugly battle-cry em-
blazoned on the Liberal standard before and during this
election. Having taken ground so indefensible, and having
adopted a principle so opposed to Liberal teaching, it fol-
lowed that the means employed in a canvass to advocate
them would be of a kindred character. They are easily
imagined. Instinctively the leaders went to ecclesiastical
history. It contained no lack of material to aid in this
most disgraceful of all political campaigns known to Nova
Scotia. The eastern part of the province was a favourable
place in which to exploit the fiery doctrine of " Down with

Defender of the Constitution

the Koman Catholics." Scotland's gory records, then cen-
turies old, were made to live again and inflame the passions
of men from the Highlands and the Lowlands of that war-
scarred country.

The result of the contest was the election of twenty-six
members to support the Government and twenty-eight for
the Opposition.

The Hon. William Young, Attorney-General, who had
led the opposition to Dr. Tupper at his Ministerial election,
was his opponent in 1859. The county of Cumberland then
had three representatives. After a fierce contest Mr. Young,
Dr. Tupper and his colleague Mr. McFarlane were elected.
At the close of a scrutiny between Mr. McFarlane and Mr.
Fulton, Mr. Young led the poll by one vote over Dr. Tupper.
The numbers returned by the sheriff for the whole province
gave a majority of three votes to the Liberals, but five of
their number were known to be disqualified by law from
sitting or voting. Lord Mulgrave called upon the Crown
Officers, the Hon. Mr. Johnstone and Mr. Henry, to make
a statement of the case, which he sent to the Duke of New-
castle in order to obtain the opinion of the Crown Officers
in England. His Grace sent Lord Mulgrave the opinion of
Sir Kichard Bethell and Sir Henry S. Keating, that the
disqualification was indisputable, and advised a dissolution
if it was attempted to create a majority by their votes.

The Legislature was summoned for the dispatch of busi-
ness on January 26, 1860. The Liberals elected the Speaker,
and then, having voted down any inquiry as to the notorious
disqualification of five of their party, carried a vote of no
confidence in the Government by a majority of two. The
Governor having refused a dissolution, the Conservatives
resigned February 7, 1860, and the Hon. Mr. Young formed
a Government.

So strong were Dr. Tupper's convictions respecting the
illegality of the five members holding their seats in the
House of Assembly, notwithstanding the course taken by

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

the Lieutenant-Governor, that he addressed a memorial to
the Colonial Secretary which the reader will not condemn
because of its lack of animated seriousness, force and
indignation. The battle had been long and fierce. To it
Mr. Johnstone had contributed his astute legal diplomacy,
his laborious efforts as a constitutional lawyer and peerless
advocate. The ground on which Mr. Johnstone rested his
views as to the illegality of members holding seats was in
the fact that the Colonial Secretary referred the case to the
Law Officers of the Crown, whose finding was as follows :

" We think, in a similar case occurring in the Mother
Country, the election would be held void by the House of
Commons.

" Such an attempt on the part of the Assembly as that
suggested, to set the law at defiance, would deprive its acts
of that consideration they would otherwise be entitled to,
and render it necessary for the Crown to put an end to its
existence."

The following is Dr. Tupper's letter to the Duke of
Newcastle :

My Lord Duke, — Mr. Johnstone, the leader of the Opposition, on
behalf of a vast majority of the Electors of this Province, as is shown
by the poll books of the last General Election, memorialised your
Grace in reference to the unconstitutional refusal of Lord Mulgrave to
dissolve the Assembly upon the advice of the late Executive Council,
and requested your interposition in favour of an appeal to the people.

That memorial having been delayed by the Lieutenant-Governor,
it is understood that your Grace, when at Halifax, informed Mr.
Johnstone that you had seen his memorial for the first time since
your arrival — that any political action was inconsistent with the
nature of your visit, but that you would, after your return to England,
send a formal reply.

Lord Mulgrave, while distinctly refusing to give Mr. John-
stone a copy of the dispatch, informed him recently that an answer
from the Colonial Office had been received, declining to interfere
in the matter.

The organ of Lord Mulgrave's Government has also intimated, that
his Lordship has been " heartily " sustained by the British Govern-

Defender of the Constitution

ment. Having held the responsible position of Provincial Secre-
tary in the late Government, and being deeply interested as a British
colonist in the character of our institutions, without stopping to
notice the incongruity between the statements of your Grace and
the action of the department over which you preside, I purpose to
bring under your consideration some of the leading features of the
case, upon which (if it be true that an appeal to the people has been
denied) a decision has been made which cannot fail to induce, in
these Colonies, the impression that what has been supposed to be
self-government is but a delusion and a snare.

With your Grace's] permission I will briefly recount the cir-
cumstances under which Lord Mulgrave refused the advice of his
Executive Council recommending an appeal to the people.

The General Election of 1859 resulted in so close a division of
parties that a vote of want of confidence was carried by a majority
of two only in a House of fifty-four members, half a dozen of whom
on both sides were returned by majorities varying from two to twenty
votes. In that majority were comprised at least four who were
notoriously ineligible to sit in the Assembly, in consequence of holding
offices under the Government, which excluded them by law. By
the aid of these illegal votes a majority was constituted, who first
negatived a resolution to permit the House to inquire into their
alleged disqualification, and then passed a vote of no confidence
in the Government of the country.

The Executive Council tendered their advice to his Excellency
in favor of an appeal to the people against so gross an outrage of
law and constitutional usage. Lord Mulgrave rejected their counsel,
alleging the following reasons, which I extract from papers already
in the possession of your Grace.

Did I consider that the duty devolved upon me, of determining
the eligibility or ineligibility of members returned to sit in the
Assembly, the arguments advanced would be unanswerable, and I
should feel bound (having first ascertained that the disqualifications
alleged were clearly proved) to exercise the Royal Prerogative, and
appeal to the country before regarding a vote, which was passed
by members not qualified to sit in the Assembly.

Did I now permit myself to decide whether these members
were eligible or not, I should feel that I was usurping a power which
does not belong to me.

The prerogative of the Crown, under any circumstances, to
dissolve is undoubted ; but its exercise is a question which must at
all times demand the gravest deliberation ; and in a case, such as

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

is the present, of an Assembly only just elected when the opinions
of the electors has been so recently expressed, I think should only
be resorted to under the pressure of absolute necessity, either in
consequence of the impossibility of carrying on the public busi-
ness, or on account of the House itself having committed some act
so grossly illegal and unconstitutional as to render such a course
unavoidable.

Permit me here to inquire what " necessity " could be more
" absolute " than the vindication of the law and the usages of Parlia-
ment from so " grossly illegal and unconstitutional an act " as the
usurpation of the functions of Government by a party dependent
for their majority upon the open disregard of a plain legal
enactment ?

Did Lord Mulgrave mean to say that in his hands the pre-
rogative was powerless to assert the dignity of Parliament, and enforce
respect for the law, when his Government were only outvoted by
a majority of two, comprising double that number whom his Excel-
lency knew to be ineligible because they held offices under him, which
disqualified them by law from being elected, and who, by their own
votes, had stifled inquiry into such notorious disqualification ? Had
his Lordship wished to lower the functions of the representative of
Her Majesty, as to admit that he was powerless to prevent the
Government of the country being at any time illegally seized by
ineligible parties, in defiance of the law and the usages of the
Imperial Parliament (where all alleged disqualifications to sit are
promptly investigated upon being brought to the notice of the
Commons), I respectfully submit that it was inconsistent with the
action taken previously by his Excellency, and sanctioned by your
Grace.

I will not stop here to detail the unhappy consequences which
have resulted from Lord Mulgrave's refusal to appeal to the people
— the proved bribery, corruption and, perjury, to which the party
in power resorted to retain the Government thus illegally usurped,
and the natural contempt for all law and authority which has thus
been engendered in this Colony ; but I will deal with that act on
its own merits.

When Lord Mulgrave, at the close of the elections, learned
that several of the members elect held offices under his Government,
did he treat the question as one beyond his cognisance, and only
to be dealt with by the parties directly interested, in such disregard
of law ? He did not. Recognising his duties as the highest execu-
tive officer in the country, to whom Her Majesty and the people over

Defender of the Constitution

whom he had been sent to preside naturally looked, to secure a respect
for law and the maintenance of constitutional observances on the
part of the legislature, his Excellency first obtained the opinion of
the Crown Officers of this Province, and then he transmitted it to
your Grace, requesting for his guidance the views of the law officers
of the Crown in England.

Did your Grace promptly inform the Earl of Mulgrave that
Parliament had the undoubted right to trample the law under foot
when it suited the interests of any party, and that the Lieutenant-
Governor had no power to interfere in such a case ? Not at all.
True to the duties and responsibilities of your high position,
you obtained and forwarded to his Excellency the highest opinion
on constitutional law in the British realm — that of the Crown
Officers of the Empire — and sent it to the Lieutenant-Governor for
his guidance.

That opinion, in the first place, stated explicitly that the office
holders in question were " not legally capable of sitting and voting "
in the Assembly.

Sir Richard Bethell and Mr. Keating said, in the second place,
that " considering the question by analogy to the proceedings of the
British House of Commons, it would be for the House, either on the
report of a committee or otherwise, to pronounce the election void,
or declare the candidate next upon the poll duly elected, accord-
ing to the circumstances ; but it has been more usual to declare
the election void."

With reference to the all-important point as to the proper
constitutional course to be pursued by the Lieutenant-Governor,
in case a majority was obtained by the votes of these ineligible parties,
illegally persisting in protecting themselves and outvoting the Govern-
ment, the answer from that undoubted authority was equally explicit.
They said :

" As before observed, we see nothing to prevent a member
(returned by the Sheriff as duly elected) from sitting and voting,
although holding the offices in question, until he has been unseated
by the Assembly ; but we think that such an attempt by that body
as that suggested, deliberately to set the law at defiance, would
deprive its acts of that consideration they would otherwise be entitled
to, and render it necessary for the Crown to put an end to its exist-
ence."

In these opinions there was an entire accord between the law
advisers of the Crown in England and Nova Scotia ; and the trans-
mission of the former from your Grace clothes it with the authority

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

of the British Government, and made it the instruction of the Crown
to the representative of Her Majesty here.

If, notwithstanding all this, it he true that Lord Mulgrave has
been " heartily sustained " by the British Government in his refusal
to accept the advice of an Executive Council, who had never been
legally outvoted, to appeal to the people in defence of the most
cherished institutions of this country, and a dissolution, desired and
sought by an undoubted majority of the electors of the Province,
is denied them, then it is equally apparent that the same influences
that obtain the appointment to a Colonial Governorship from a
British ministry will be sufficient to sustain the incumbent in what-
ever course the caprice or self-interest of the Governor may dictate
in the most important crisis.

I am constrained, my Lord, to make this remark because I learn
that Lord Mulgrave has informed your Grace, in a State paper which
accompanied Mr. Johnstone's memorial, that in his Excellency's
opinion the result of a dissolution would have been to give the party
who have illegally usurped power a large majority. I am unable
to quote his Lordship verbatim, as he has refused Mr. Johnstone a
copy of that paper also.

Your Grace will naturally inquire what, then, could possibly
induce the Lieutenant-Governor to refuse to dissolve. His Excel-
lency knew that the party then in opposition were dependent for
a majority of two upon the open violation of the law, and that the
law and the Legislature would be brought into contempt if they
were permitted thus to triumph over right and legal enactment ;
and he was further relieved from all responsibility by the opinion
of the Law Officers of the Crown, both in this Province and in
England, and the instructions of the Crown itself, advising and
directing a dissolution under the precise circumstances that had
then taken place.

Humiliating as it is to reflect that we occupy such a position,
I am compelled to state that I look in vain for any explanation
for conduct so incomprehensible and inconsistent on the part
of Lord Mulgrave, except to the insolent declaration in the organ
of that party, that if he dissolved and they obtained power,
their first act would be to move an address to the Crown for his
recall.

I am informed that Lord Mulgrave has so far forgotten himself
as to slander the late Government in a dispatch to your Grace, by
the unworthy imputation that their conduct was influenced by an
undue anxiety to retain the official position they held. With these

Defender of the Constitution

facts before your Grace, you will be able to judge witb what pro-
priety such a charge could be retorted upon his Lordship.

Can your Grace, then, wonder that every man of independent
mind has anxiously awaited this decision of the British Government,
to learn whether we are entirely dependent for our rights and liberties
upon the despotic acts of those you reward for services elsewhere by
appointing them to positions from which everybody with Colonial
experience and information is excluded ? We know that the past
history of British North American Governors abounded with evidence,
even had not Lord Sydenham placed it upon record in his corre-
spondence, that in England "no one knows the difference between
an active and supine administration of affairs in a Colony," and that
" a good speech in the House of Commons, or a successful breakfast
at Greenwich," would have rendered him much more distinguished
than the ablest management of public affairs in Canada ; yet we
were not prepared to learn that the maintenance of law and con-
constitutional usage could be sacrificed by a Colonial Governor in
opposition to the instructions of the Crown itself, and the British
Government " heartily " concur in the act.

The people of this Province have been content, my Lord, to
pay a salary of fifteen thousand dollars a year to a Governor sent
from England, besides a large additional sum to keep up his establish-
ment ; while the State of Maine, with twice our population, has the
privilege of electing that officer from among her people and pay him
but fifteen hundred dollars.

Can such a condition of things be expected to give satisfaction,
with the evidence forced upon us that we have no rights worthy
of a moment's consideration when weighed against the interest or
convenience of a gentleman who has been useful to the imperial
cabinet before coming here ?

Destitute of representation in the Parliament of Britain, with
our most eminent men systematically excluded from the highest
position in their own country, and for which their colonial experi-
ence and training eminently fit them, it is impossible that the free
spirit of the inhabitants of British North America can fail soon to
be aroused to the necessity of asserting their undoubted right to
have their country governed in accordance with the " well under-
stood wishes of the people."

In conclusion, your Grace will allow me to add that should it
prove true that the Colonial Office has determined to sustain the
Lieutenant-Governor in the unconstitutional course pursued by him,
it will become necessary to lay the subject before the Imperial Parlia-

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

ment, and this country will then learn whether the time has arrived
when important constitutional changes have become indispensable
for the acquisition of British Institutions as enjoyed in the Parent
State.

I have the honor to be

Your Grace's most obedient Servant,

(Signed) Charles Tupper, M.P.P.

To The Right Honourable His Grace the Duke of Newcastle,
Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies, etc. etc. etc.

The fortunes of war had left on the shoulders of Joseph
Howe the responsibility of meeting and resisting the onsets
of the Conservatives, virtually led by the daring, tactful
young commander from Amherst. He was the little Napo-
leon of the rejuvenated and awakened army of slow-moving
Conservatives.

Now that the smoke and dust of those old battles have
given place to a clear, historic atmosphere, in which events
central, near at hand and far off come out in clear perspec-
tive, no impartial mind can feel surprised that the Cabinet
memorialised the Duke of Newcastle to provide Joseph Howe
a safe and honourable place into which he might retire from
so stormy a future. Without such a position there was
nothing left for him but to remain at the head of a
decimated, discouraged army, skirmishing, retreating and
advancing, having for its highest hope salvation from
overwhelming defeat.

One vacancy occurred in Cumberland by the elevation
of Hr. Young to the bench as Chief Justice, and another
occurred in Cape Breton. To fill these places elections
were held in the midwinter of 1861. On their results de-
pended the life of Mr. Howe's Government. Cruel though
it was for a man of his age to be compelled to leave his
comfortable fireside in the city and go through a canvass-
ing campaign in Cumberland, one of the roughest, stormiest
counties in the province, yet it was a pressing necessity.
As it was a case of life or death, the veteran statesman did

Defender of the Constitution

not shrink from this stern duty. Taking with him two or
three of his ablest lieutenants, he dashed into the campaign,
buoyant and brave.

Dr. Tupper, who had scented this battle from afar, had
made diligent and careful preparation for it. He drew upon
the twenty-six years of the political life of his opponent
for means to weaken his power in the battle to be fought
amid the snows of the Cobequid Mountains and the wind-
swept reaches of Tantramar Marsh, and along the tide-red
banks of the rivers of that large county.

Declaration day came. Howe, in the best of spirits,
apparently, and with overflowing humour, addressed the
assembly. " The doctor has beaten us," he said. " There
is no hope for the Liberals in this county unless you either
make or import a man who shall be able to defeat the young
doctor."

With his usual seriousness and " spare not " policy
Dr. Tupper in turn addressed the people. The country
was rising; in every constituency public indignation was
restive to have the opportunity to hurl from power a party
that had adopted the principle of religious and political
proscription, that trampled on constitutional law in order
to hold place and power.

The result of these two contests — the election of the
Conservative candidates, Mr. Donkin in Cumberland by
a majority of over 200 and Mr. C. J. Campbell in Victoria
by a majority of 402 — made in the House a deadlock —
twenty-seven men would sit on each of the long red benches
to the right and left of the Speaker. Mr. Howe had fore-
seen this possibility and prepared for it. Two men on the
Conservative side — Colin Campbell, of Digby, and Captain
John V. N. Hatfield, of Argyle — were induced to cross over
and give Mr. Howe their help in this time of pressing need.
A possible visible inducement for Mr. Campbell was that he
took a seat in the Cabinet. No such bait came to the light
of day in Captain Hatfield's case.

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

Dr. Tupper was met in Halifax as conquering hero. On
the arrival of the train at the station outside of the city
the Amherst physician was met by a shouting crowd of
admirers, among them the " Grand Old Man," " the Old
Man Eloquent," as Mr. Johnstone was called. He was
now sixty-nine years old, but none too old to rejoice with
his friends who had turned out to shout more strength and
courage into the irrepressible, irresistible young politician.
From the steps of his house Dr. Tupper addressed the crowd,
and sent them home with the belief that one more onset and
the tottering fabric of an illegal and shattered Government
would be in pieces under the triumphant feet of the Con-
servative host.

No fact or argument escaped the alert and courageous
spirit of Dr. Tupper in demanding in the Legislature, in
the Press and on the platform a dissolution of the House.
Lord Mulgrave, who was very intimate with Judge Stewart,
C.B., the late Master of the Rolls and uncle of Mrs. Tupper,
informed the doctor that Lord Mulgrave told him that if
the constituencies of Digby and Argyle should unmistakably
resent the action of Messrs. Campbell and Hatfield, he would
dissolve the House.

On hearing this, Dr. Tupper went immediately into
these constituencies and called public meetings in the poll-
ing districts of both Digby and Argyle. After listening
to Dr. Tupper votes were taken, and the action of Messrs.
Hatfield and Campbell was condemned by large majorities.

Following this came petitions to the Governor from a
majority of the constituents of the two members, praying
for a dissolution on the ground that the Government de-
pended for its majority on the men who had betrayed their
trust. At Pubnico, in Argyle, Dr. Tnpper was allowed the
use of the Free Baptist Meeting House for his speech. He
stood under the pulpit and severely denounced Mr. Hatfield
for deserting his party in order to support Mr. Howe. After
this meeting Mr. Townshend, the member for Yarmouth, who

Defender of the Constitution

accompanied Dr. Tupper on the tour, happened to meet a
Frenchman and inquired if he had been present at Dr. Tap-
per's lecture in the Free Baptist Church. " Yes," was the
reply, " I was dere, and I heard Dr. Tupper preach Captain
Hatfield's funeral sermon."

On returning to Halifax, Dr. Tupper submitted to Lord
Mulgrave the results of the meetings held among the con-
stituents of the two men who had violated their pledges.
But he found that Mr. Howe had so dominated the mind
of the Governor that he was afraid to take action in accord-
ance with his promise given to Judge Stewart.

To express his strong disapproval of the course taken
by the Governor, Dr. Tupper from that day declined all
social intercourse with his Excellency, with the exception
that he attended a dinner at Government House on the
occasion of the visit of the Prince of Wales.

At length Lord Mulgrave, who had been devoting all
his energies to the support of Mr. Howe, was obliged to
inform the Colonial Secretary, the Duke of Newcastle, that
Mr. Howe was doing his utmost to form a Coalition Govern-
ment with the Opposition.

So hard pressed was Mr. Howe that he offered the offices
of Attorney-General and Provincial Secretary to Mr. John-
stone and Dr. Tupper, which they promptly declined. He
then offered a seat in the Legislative Council to Mr. McKin-
non, and a seat in the Government to Mr. Macdonald with
the office of Solicitor-General. As these men were Koman
Catholics, this course on Mr. Howe's part was in violation
of that principle he had proclaimed for three years, and on
which he appealed to the country in 1859.

Proscriptions, members illegally in their seats, the
condemnation of the Government by two counties, and the
bribery of two Conservatives to come to the aid of a mori-
bund Government, would surely be reasons enough and
more for a dissolution of the Legislature, reasons which
no Governor could ignore or withstand.

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

The discussion of this matter was long and animated.
Mr. Johnstone, drawing upon his knowledge of constitu-
tional law and his ability for clear and forceful argumenta-
tion, contributed his part in condemnation of the course
taken by the Governor. Supported by the ablest legal mind
in the province, Dr. Tupper became more assured, more
forceful in his efforts to convince the public that law and
right were sacrificed at the shrine of a weak and falling
Government, and that the Governor himself had given the
weight of his influence to inflict and fasten this great wrong
on the province.

The agitation extended to the people. Fires broke out
in some places. A petition from a county east of Halifax,
signed by eight hundred electors, was sent to the Governor
praying for a dissolution that would give the people the
opportunity to sweep out of existence a Government that
held office by trampling on political justice and constitu-
tional law. The beleaguered and weakly-manned fort, how-
ever, held out for two more years, when the end came with
a deluge.

CHAPTER V

CONSERVATIVES RETURNED TO POWER IN NOVA SCOTIA (1860 — 63)

A LTHOUGH Dr. Tupper refused to join his Govern-
/\ inent, he agreed to assist Mr. Howe in the reorganisa-
tion of Dalhousie College, and Messrs. J. W. Ritchie,
Leonard Shannon and he were appointed Governors on
August 19, 1862. Mr. Howe and Chief Justice Young were
appointed at the same time. At the request of the May-
flower Rifle Volunteers, Dr. Tupper accepted also the
position of surgeon to that corps, and in that capacity
formed one of the Guard of Honour who escorted the
Prince of Wales to Windsor when His Royal Highness
left the province.

Dr. Tupper gave his practice in Cumberland to his brother
when he accepted office in 1857. When defeated in 1859 he
went into practice in Halifax. As soon as the Conservatives
resigned office in February, 1860, he was appointed City
Medical Officer by the Town Council, and was received with
open arms by the medical profession, prominent among whom
were his friends Dr. Parker and Dr. Almon. He had the
pleasure of placing the former in the Legislative Council
of Nova Scotia, and the latter in the Senate (of the
Dominion) at a later day. Dr. Tapper's position as City
Medical Officer gave him an opportunity of learning much
of the treatment of poverty and disease. He read a paper
before the Medical Society in which he proposed a radical
change involving the abolition of the office he held, and
that of physician to the Poorhouse held by Dr. Almon.
The next day, when Dr. Tupper met Dr. Almon on the
street, the latter told him very angrily that unless he
abandoned the policy he had proposed he would oppose

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

him socially, professionally and politically. Dr. Tupper
replied that much as he valued his support, he could not
retain it on those terms, and when he obtained power those
reforms would be carried out. At the next meeting of the
Medical Society, Dr. Almon proposed for President Dr.
Tupper, who was unanimously elected. He remained one
of Dr. Tupper's personal, professional and political friends
down to the close of his life, and saw with as much pride
as did Dr. Tupper the establishment of a poor asylum and
hospital worthy of the city.

In the autumn of 1860 Dr. Tupper was invited to open
the Mechanics' Institute at St. John, N.B. He there de-
livered an address on " The Political Condition of British
North America."1 After reviewing the then condition of
the various provinces, he proposed a Federal Union as
the best means of providing intercommunication by rail,
free commercial intercourse, elevating their status, increas-
ing their strength, importance and development, leading to
the acquisition of the great Rupert's Land lying between
Canada and the Rocky Mountains. The Hon. Leonard
Tilley, Premier of New Brunswick, and the Hon. John H.
Gray, leader of the Opposition, were present, and warmly
supported his views.

The next evening Dr. Tupper gave a lecture at Portland,
opposite St. John, advocating a Legislative Union of Nova
Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island as a
preliminary to the larger union.

This lecture attracted great attention, and in the Legis-
lature of Nova Scotia in 1861 Mr. Howe introduced a
resolution in favour of union which was seconded by Dr.
Tupper and passed unanimously.

The following was the resolution :

"Whereas the subject of the union of the North American Pro-
vinces, or of the Maritime Provinces of British America, has been

1 The text of this address is given in full in " Recollections of Sixty
Years." (Gassell and Co., Ltd.)

Conservatives Return to Power

from lime to time mooted and discussed in all the Provinces : And
whereas while many advantages may be secured by such a union,
either of all the Provinces, or a portion of them, many and serious
obstacles are presented which can only be overcome by mutual con-
sultation of the leading men of the Colonies, and by free communica-
tion with the Imperial Government. Therefore resolved that His
Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor be respectfully requested to
put himself in communication with His Grace the Colonial Secretary
and His Excellency the Governor-General and the Lieutenant-
Governors of the other North American Provinces, in order to ascer-
tain the policy of Her Majesty's Government and the opinions of the
other Colonies, with a view to an enlightened consideration of a
question involving the highest interests, and upon which the public
mind in all the Provinces ought to be set at rest."

Mr. Howe, having failed to induce any leading members
of the Conservative party to strengthen his hands, was
obliged to resort to the desperate measure of changing a
Franchise Act put on the Statute Book by himself2 rais-
ing the franchise from manhood suffrage to a rate-paying
franchise, the effect of which would be to disfranchise
one-third of the voters by whom the existing members had
been elected. Every attempt to postpone its operation
until after the next general election was voted down.
The Government had a majority of one in the Legislative
Council. Mr. Alfred Jones, then a warm friend of Dr.
Tupper and a leading Halifax merchant, succeeded in in-
ducing the Hon. Mr. Pineo, a supporter of the Govern-
ment, to move an amendment to defer the putting into
operation of the Act until after the next election, which
amendment was carried.

Mr. Howe had been appointed by the British Govern-
ment a Commissioner to delimit the Fisheries. Dr. Tupper
challenged the constitutionality of such an office being held
in connection with that of the leader of the Government.
When Mr. Howe so far forgot himself as to refer to Dr.
Tupper on the floor of the House as " a man midwife,"
Dr. Tupper retorted that he flattered himself that he had
q 81

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

obtained some reputation as a gynaecologist, but he would
not be satisfied with his laurels until he had succeeded in
delivering that House of Her Majesty's Fishery Commis-
sioner.

Prompt habits and ceaseless activity carried Dr. Tupper
successfully through the double calling of medical practi-
tioner and the strenuous labour of the leader of a political
party from 1859 to 1863. His ability and professional
knowledge gave him a high position in the medical pro-
fession in Halifax. It may be that his political success
created an exaggerated belief respecting his professional
skill. Be this as it may, he occupied a foremost place.
In the medical profession, as in politics, his habit was to
master as far as possible all details, decide upon the
necessary treatment, boldly make known his views, and if
in consultation with other physicians or surgeons, or if
acting alone, proceed to administer his remedies, giving
the patient, unconsciously, the stimulating and dominat-
ing power of his own will. In evidence of his reputation
as a medical man, it is enough to say that his opponents
in the Legislature, when ill, called him to their bedside.

The following extract from Sir Charles's journal affords
interesting evidence on this point :

" Although much of my time during the period we were
in opposition had been spent in agitating the country and
organising the party, I had secured a very large and lucra-
tive medical practice in Halifax which I could not afford to
relinquish. I therefore took Dr. Wickwire, a gentleman
who had graduated at the University of Edinburgh, into
partnership, and continued my professional work. Not-
withstanding the vigorous opposition I had been leading
against the Liberal party during the past three years,
when any members of the House were ill they generally
sent for me. On one occasion Mr. Moseley, the member
from Lunenburg, was attacked with erysipelas of the head
and face. I was then pressing a motion of no confidence

Conservatives Return to Power

against Mr. Howe, who had a majority of two only. I
said to Mr. Moseley : ' If you were not a member of the
House I would paint your face and scalp with tincture of
iodine, but if I do you will not be able to show your face
in the House for more than a week.' ' Go ahead, doctor,'
said Moseley ; ' do anything that is necessary to cure me —
never mind about the House.' While I was painting his
face, Captain Mackenzie, one of the Liberal members, came
in, and I saw at a glance that he suspected me of depriving
his party of a vote on the coming division ; so I said : ' If
Mr. Moseley is not able to come to the division, I will pair
one of our friends with him.'

" On another occasion I was consulted by Mr. Burgess,
the Liberal member for Kings, shortly before the general
election. I removed a tumour from his side at the Lovett
House, where he was lodging. One of his Liberal colleagues,
the Hon. Mr. Chipman, was at his side when I put Burgess
under chloroform. Greatly to the dismay of his friend,
Burgess said : ' I tell you, Chipman, it is no good to deceive
ourselves ; we cannot carry the county,' and so it turned out
when the election came."

The British Colonist was the principal Conservative
paper at that time in Halifax. Dr. Tupper made it a part
of his work to be the political editor of this journal, either
writing or revising all the editorials, when in the city.

Mr. Howe having failed to strengthen his Government
according to the requirements of the Lieutenant-Governor
by offering inducements to Roman Catholics and other
men in opposition, made overtures to Dr. Tupper to form
a Coalition Government. This offer was declined.

Apparently cut off from every source from which he
could draw strength, Mr. Howe finally succeeded in in-
ducing Moses Shaw, from Annapolis County, a colleague
of Mr. Johnstone, to come over to his side and vote with
the Liberals. This gave the Liberals a majority of four,
but resulted in giving moral strength to the Opposition

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

and in weakening the Government party. With a forceful
and tactful leader like Dr. Tupper there is no difficulty in
imagining how these successful acts of seduction were
turned upon the tempters, producing in them conscious
weakness and fear of ultimate defeat, and in the country
disgust and resentment.

Dr. Tupper, in the session of 1863, the last one of the
Liberal Government, to add further to the condemnation
of his opponents, submitted a plan to the Lower House for
reducing the expenses of the government of the country.
It was in view of a large and embarrassing deficit that he
proposed his plan of retrenchment. His items of reduction
totalled $80,000. He tried the Government on one point
by submitting a resolution to do away with the salary of
$1,500 given to the Governor's private secretary. This was
voted down. That gave firm standing ground for a crusade
of retrenchment which at that time appealed to the people
with good effect.

Arrayed in their order, his bill of charges was as fol-
lows : Members sitting in the House illegally ; proscription
of a religious denomination ; seduction of Opposition mem-
bers to strengthen the Government; the unconstitutional
holding of two incompatible offices by the Premier ; and
the refusal of the Government to cut down expenses.
With these weapons the battle was fought in the House
through its session of 1863 until the time came for the
elections in the spring of that year.

It was when Dr. Tupper was making strenuous efforts
to defeat the Bill which would disfranchise about twenty-
six thousand electors in the province that Colin Campbell,
who had previously left the Conservative party, resigned
his seat in the Liberal Government and voted with the
Conservatives. Dr. Tupper had said that any member of
the Liberal party who would stand by the Opposition in
this effort to defeat the attempt to disfranchise so many
electors in the province would be received with open arms.

Conservatives Return to Power

There was corresponding activity outside the House.
The Constitutional League was formed in Halifax, and
through it literature denouncing the Government was sent
over the country. Dr. Tupper was president of this
organisation. In the House he said that literature was
sent out to give information to the people " against a
corrupt Government." Public Opinion was the title of the
paper published by the League.

The result of the election of 1863 was foreseen by both
parties. From the day when Mr. Howe allowed himself to
lead in the campaign of proscription until the day he re-
signed as Premier his power had been gradually growing
less. Of this he himself was conscious. Prom the time
he returned to power in 1859 until 1863, railway construc-
tion was at a standstill. His weakness in the House was
chronic. All he could do was to fight for his political life.

Dr. Tupper's unique, magnetic personality had domi-
nated the province. At this time he had been in the House
eight years. Gladstone in his English campaign in 1878
and onwards against the Turks for their Bulgarian and
other atrocities was not more aflame and terrible in his
mission than was Dr. Tupper in driving the Liberal
Government from power in the parliamentary term from
1859 to 1863. He had so imparted himself to the Con-
servative party throughout the country that there was
everywhere an apparent reproduction of his spirit and
methods. People listened to his conversation and his
addresses, and read his deliverances in newspapers and
pamphlets, until they mastered the facts used by him as
missiles against the foe and became, unconsciously to
themselves, an army following the banner of their leader.
Even many who had delighted to honour Joseph Howe
now seemed to enjoy the attacks made upon him which he
vainly strove to resist.

The remotest causes of this political upheaval did not
lie far afield. Now the day of retribution had come. With

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

his special talents it was only necessary for Dr. Tupper
to endorse and advocate the principles and policies of
Mr. Johnstone. His youthful ardour and special gifts
popularised them. The love of truth and sound conduct
in the hearts of those who adored Mr. Howe responded to
the appeals of the young politician. In the heart of the
public there came a revulsion of feeling. The facts pre-
sented with such force by Dr. Tupper, they said, must be
sound and must be enforced.

In this condition, then, the two old combatants, John-
stone and Howe, came into conflict on April 28, 1863.
Nomination day settled the fate of the Government. The
result of the trial of strength on that occasion was the
election by acclamation of twenty-three men for the Opposi-
tion party, lacking only five to give them a majority. Dr.
Tupper and his two colleagues were among those elected
by acclamation. This released him for a short campaign
in Lunenburg County. There he found the tide running
strong against Mr. Howe, and he had but little difficulty
in rolling up a majority of 450 against the popular party
leader.

Sir Charles, in his journal, recounts a tragic incident
which occurred on this visit :

" The night before the polling, Dr. Jacobs, the principal
physician in the place, invited me to dinner. After dinner
we went to his library, where he asked me to examine his
heart, as he wished to take advantage of my presence in
Lunenburg to know his condition. I took a stethoscope
and examined his heart. He said : ' I see from your
countenance that the case is very grave. I suppose it will
be very soon and very sudden ? ' I said I feared it would.
I was taking an active part at the polling the next morn-
ing, and in passing his house called to see Dr. Jacobs. I
said : ' I suppose you will not go to the polls ? ' He re-
plied : ' Yes, I intend to poll my vote.' I said : ' Then I
will go to the Court House with you,' as I wished to make

Conservatives Return to Power

him walk slowly and to prevent his attempting to vote if
there was any excitement. All was quiet, and Dr. Jacobs
polled his vote. We returned very slowly, the doctor lean-
ing on my arm. Two of his daughters were in the drawing-
room, where we sat down some distance apart. The doctor
said something to me in a jocular strain, and when I looked
across the room I saw he was dead. I sprang to his side
and laid him on the carpet, but he never moved or attempted
to breathe. Mrs. Jacobs was suffering from paralysis, and his
daughters were shocked beyond measure. I did not leave
until night."

In Halifax three men went in by acclamation, and in
Annapolis Mr. Johnstone fought a winning battle. On
declaration day it was found that the Opposition had forty
members and the Government fifteen.

This was the result of a campaign practically led by
Dr. Tupper. In that time his force of character and great
ability had been acknowledged on all sides. But his daring
and persistent attacks had drawn down upon him the fierce
criticism of his opponents and the Liberal Press. Nothing
that skilful and reckless writing could do was left undone.
But resolute, undaunted and made even more determined
by such opposition, he met his opponents in public and in
private, and ceased not in his campaign M to hurl from
power," as was his expression, an unworthy Government.
His end was accomplished. Mr. Howe was defeated, and
then confined his attention to his duties as Imperial Fishery
Commissioner.

Dr. Tupper was as faithful and devoted to Mr. John-
stone as a son. Indeed, with a fine appreciation and a
magnanimity that were above all personal feelings, John-
stone would have had this son placed at the head of the
victorious party, but he was so much a son that he would
not unite with a Government unless Mr. Johnstone were
Premier. The mutual trust, devotion and love of these
two men for nine years of public association — which, indeed,

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

lasted to the end of Mr. Johnstone's life — may in the
political history of Nova Scotia be likened to an "apple
of gold in a picture of silver." The salutary effect of this
course had a lasting effect on Dr. Tupper throughout his
long, active life.

The Government now formed consisted of the follow-
ing : Mr. Johnstone, Premier and Attorney-General ; Dr.
Tupper, Provincial Secretary; W. A. Henry, Solicitor-
General; James McNab, Receiver- General ; Isaac Le-
Viscount, Financial Secretary; and without portfolios,
John McKinnon, Thomas Killam, Alexander McFarlane
and S. L. Shannon. Lord Mulgrave was deeply mortified
when the Conservative Government required him to restore
to office the gentlemen whom he had dismissed, but justice
demanded the restitution of their rights. The relations
between him and the Government were relieved by the
fact that he soon after succeeded to the title of Marquis
of Normanby and returned to England. The new Govern-
ment met the House under Major-General Charles Hastings
Doyle, who had been appointed Administrator.

In handing over the office of Provincial Secretary to
Dr. Tupper, Mr. Howe said : "Do not forget that if at
any time I can be of service to the country I will be glad
to assist you." Dr. Tupper thanked him and told him that
he would not hesitate, under such circumstances, to ask
his aid.

Immediately after his daughter's1 death in 1863, Dr. Tup-
per was obliged to go with the Hon. Mr. Tilley, Premier of
New Brunswick, to Quebec to arrange with the Canadian
Government a survey of the Intercolonial Railway. He joined
Mr. Tilley at Fredericton, and they drove to Riviere du Loup
and went thence by rail to Quebec. The Hon. John Sand-
field Macdonald was then Premier of Canada, and the House
was in session at Quebec. Lord Lyons, then the British
Minister at Washington, was there at the same time, and as
1 Sophia Almon Tupper died of diphtheria on August 13, 1863.

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the Government was very much occupied, they sent Lord
Lyons, Mr. Tilley and Dr. Tupper to visit the Saguenay in
a Government steamer. Lord Lyons was taken quite ill,
but Dr. Tupper prescribed for him, and they returned in
good order to Quebec.

Of this visit to Quebec, Sir Charles wrote in his journal :
" While at Quebec I was entertained at the Stadacona
Club. In reply to a toast proposed in my honour, I ex-
pressed the hope that at no distant day we would all be
united by confederation. As it was my first visit to
Canada, I went to Montreal on my way to Toronto and
Niagara Falls. I stayed at the St. Lawrence Hotel. Just
before leaving I took out of a pocket in my valise £60, and
put it in the trunk I was leaving at the hotel until my
return. Mr. C. P. Brydges, the manager of the Grand
Trunk Eailway, invited me to go in his private car to
Toronto. I put my valise with the other baggage in the
room at the entrance of the car. We took dinner at the
Cornwall station, and when bedtime came my valise could
not be found. The telegraph was put in operation, and
at 10 o'clock the next morning I was informed that it had
been found behind a pile of wood at the Cornwall station.
I received it that night with the contents untouched except
the pocket from which I had taken the £60, which was torn
off. Upon reflection, the day it was done, I came to the
conclusion that it was a mistake to leave my money in a
hotel instead of taking it with me; but it proved other-
wise."

It had been arranged with the British Government that
their survey should be made by an engineer appointed by
the Imperial Government, another by the Canadian Govern-
ment, and that Nova Scotia and New Brunswick should
jointly appoint a third. Mr. Sandfield Macdonald told Mr.
Tilley and Dr. Tupper that they proposed to appoint Mr.
Sandford Fleming. Dr. Tupper and Mr. Tilley consulted
Mr. J. A. Macdonald, leader of the Conservative party,

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

and Messrs. G. E. Cartier and A. T. Gait, and they told
them that Mr. Fleming would be their choice if they
were in power. Mr. Tilley and Dr. Tupper therefore
agreed to nominate Mr. Fleming to represent Nova Scotia
and New Brunswick. This was reported to the British
Government by Lord Monck, the Governor-General of
Canada, and the Colonial Office sent out a dispatch say-
ing that as the provinces had selected so able an engineer
as Mr. Fleming, they would also appoint him to represent
Her Majesty's Government. When Mr. Fleming was sub-
sequently organising the survey, a man asked for employ-
ment, and he engaged him as an axeman at $1.00 a day.
Mr. Fleming asked him for his address, that he might
notify him when they were ready to commence work. He
gave his address at Government House, Fredericton. Soon
afterwards Mr. Fleming received a letter from his employee
saying that he could not go on the survey as he had become
the Earl of Aberdeen owing to the death of the previous earl.
The war between the North and South in the United
States was then at its height, and one of the most acute
international complications took place in the harbour of
Halifax. The United States steamer Chesapeake was run-
ning as a passenger steamer between Boston and New York,
and a number of Southerners took passage on her at Boston
for St. John. In the night they shot the chief engineer, took
possession of the Chesapeake, and landed the captain, crew
and passengers on an island. The United States cruiser Ella
and Annie was sent to recapture the Chesapeake, and chased
her into the harbour of Halifax, where she grounded at Her-
ring Cove, and all on board escaped into the forest except
one man named Wade, who was captured and taken on board
the Ella and Annie, which anchored in the harbour. General
Doyle sent for Dr. Tupper, who advised him to send Colonel
Clerke, his private secretary, on board the cruiser to demand
the release of Wade on the ground that his capture was in
violation of the laws of neutrality. General Doyle said :

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" Suppose he refuses aud attempts to leave the port with
Wade on board ? " Dr. Tupper replied : "In that case,
you must sink his vessel from the batteries."

Colonel Gierke took the message to the captain, who,
having communicated with Judge Jackson, the American
consul, agreed to put Wade on shore, a free man, at 2
o'clock the next day. Judge Jackson went to Dr. Tupper
at 2 o'clock in the night with a demand for extradition
papers against Wade on the ground of murder on the
Chesapeake. Dr. Tupper sent for the Hon. Mr. Henry,
the Solicitor-General, and Judge Jackson was supplied
with the necessary papers to arrest Wade. At 2 o'clock
the captain of the American cruiser had Wade put on
shore. Quite a crowd assembled. When the Chief Con-
stable came promptly forward to arrest Wade, some
persons hustled the latter into a boat manned by long-
shore fishermen. The Chief Constable drew a pistol to
deter the boat's crew from attempting to leave, when Dr.
Almon, a strong Southern sympathiser, sprang forward
and pinioned the arms of the constable to his sides, and
the boat with Wade was out of range in a moment. The
civic authorities did all that they could to aid in the cap-
ture of Wade, but without effect. Dr. Almon had arranged
this rescue.

The result was curious : Dr. Tupper spent the night with
General Doyle writing dispatches to the War Office; the
municipal authorities inflicted a fine upon Dr. Almon for
assaulting the constable; the British Government warmly
commended General Doyle " for having adequately vindi-
cated the honour and dignity of Her Majesty's Crown with-
out neglecting anything which was due to the Government
of the United States"; the Secretary of State, Mr. W. H.
Seward, wrote to Judge Jackson that the Government was
" gratified with the just and friendly proceedings of His
Excellency the Governor of Nova Scotia in the premises " ;
the Legislature of Nova Scotia passed a congratulatory

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

address to General Doyle, and Her Majesty rewarded him
with a K.C.M.G.

Before the meeting of the Legislature Dr. Tupper wrote
the Hon. Mr. Tilley of his desire to have the question of
a Legislative Union of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and
Prince Edward Island taken up, and also expressing his
disappointment at the arrangements at Quebec respecting
the survey of the Intercolonial Railway not being ratified
by his Government.

When in power from 1857 to 1859, Dr. Tupper had com-
mitted himself to the enterprise of building an Intercolonial
Eailway, and when out of power in 1860 he initiated the
project of a union of the Maritime Provinces. The subject
of common school education supported by assessment, the
further building of local railways which had stood still
from 1859 to 1863, the volunteer and militia service, a
canal between the Bras d'or Lakes and the open sea, a
measure for the registration of births, deaths and mar-
riages— all these were matters demanding the attention of
the Government when the Legislature came together on
February 4, 1864. In addition to the labour involved in
dealing with these subjects, Dr. Tupper embraced the
occasion for improving the judiciary of the province. It
was felt that to perfect the administration of justice, a
judgeship in equity was required. Having carefully ex-
amined the question, it was decided to pass a Bill for that
purpose. The appointment to this position of the Hon.
J. W. Johnstone, then seventy-two years old, was admitted
by both parties to be just, especially as it made a suitable
closing to his long and honourable political career, and was
a commendable act on the part of his devoted friend, the
Hon. Charles Tupper, who succeeded him as Premier.

A judgeship had been opened to Mr. Johnstone in 1847,
and as Attorney-General he had no rival for the position ;
but rather than leave the higher education of the province
in an unsettled state, he gave the judgeship to his friend

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Alexander Stewart, and continued his labours in the sphere
of politics, never wholly congenial to him. When the next
appointment to the bench was made the Liberal Government
was in power, and gave it to the Hon. William Young. Dr.
Tupper had, therefore, the greater pleasure of putting his
friend on an equality, in respect to both salary and honour,
with Judge Young, then Chief Justice.

Among the important proposals in the Governor's speech
of 1864 was that of a Bill for general education. It provided
that the Government should be the Council of Public In-
struction, of which the superintendent of education was to
be secretary. He was to be separated from the Normal
School. County inspectors were to be appointed, and they
were to be clerks of the Boards of Commissioners in the
several counties. Rearrangements of school sections were
to be made; school-houses were to be built by compulsory
assessment. Voluntary assessment for supporting schools,
which had been the law for a number of years, was to be
encouraged by the addition of twenty-five per cent, added
to their grants; teachers were to be classified and paid
accordingly; a large addition was to be made to the grant
for common school education ; an academy was to be estab-
lished in each county where none existed.

In introducing this Bill, Dr. Tupper said :

" It is many years since any improvement has been made in the
educational system of the country. It is well known that since
the Legislature first dealt with this question the population and
revenue of the country have very largely increased. It therefore
requires no argument to prove to intelligent men the propriety of
taking measures for the amendment of our law, and giving increased
facilities for such an important public service as that of education.

" I am quite aware that the Bill which I now have the honour to
introduce will probably disappoint many members of the House,
and many people in this country who are sincerely desirous that
something important should be done to advance our educational
status, and to cause a wider diffusion of knowledge among all classes
of the people. I know that the public mind has been directed to

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

one especial means — that of compulsory assessment for the sup-
port of common schools. This Bill does not propose, however, to
take that course. I confess that my views have undergone no change
on this subject since the first session I had the honour of a seat in
this House, when I voted for a resolution approving of a system of
compulsory assessment for the support of the common schools of
this Province. But after a careful examination of the whole sub-
ject, looking at it with a sincere desire to come to such a conclusion
as would best advance the wide diffusion of education among the
people, I have come to the belief that in the present condition of
this country it would not be either wise or politic to carry imme-
diately into effect a system of compulsory assessment. Whilst I
have thus hesitated to provide for compulsory taxation, the Bill
which I now introduce is framed with a view to render that system
as gradually acceptable to the people as possible."

The Bill thus introduced by Dr. Tupper made all neces-
sary arrangements to pave the way for the introduction of
compulsory assessment. Indeed, it met with but little oppo-
sition. For many years a process of education had been
going on in the public mind in favour of the support of
schools by assessment. The success of schools in the New
England states was a stimulus to the ambition of Nova
Scotia not to be too much belated in a work so essential to
the prosperity of the country. As soon as bis Bill became
law, Dr. Tupper looked about for a man to take the position
of superintendent. Fortunately, his attention was turned
to T. H. Rand, a graduate of Acadia College, and at the
time teacher of Greek and Latin in the Normal School, and
Dr. Tupper discerned in young Rand just the man he needed
for the heavy work of carrying his common school system
into operation. All arrangements had been perfected for
carrying out the Education Bill of 1864 before the House
came together in the following year. During the period
between these sessions the belief became current that taxa-
tion would be added to the system. The Opposition papers
did not fail to make capital out of the Government's in-
tended purpose. But Dr. Tupper did not wait for public
sentiment. He resolved on creating it by the influence of

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a law in operation. It was well for the province that it
had a man who seemed to disregard attacks and persistent
opposition. Having given the public time to consider the
matter and express any views they might entertain, he de-
cided to go forward with his Bill.

The introduction of the assessment measure was not,
on the part of Dr. Tupper, an impulse. He had been de-
liberating in respect to it for ten years — since the time he
voted for Mr. Young's resolution on assessment. No man
in the province knew better the state of public feeling
than the author of this Bill. Direct taxation was a term
thoroughly detested by many in Nova Scotia. Dr. Tupper
could not but see that the enforcement of a system sup-
ported by compulsory assessment would cost his Govern-
ment its life, but undaunted he went forward with this
new undertaking. Could he have seen beforehand the
history of his School Bill — its grand results in his native
province and the undying honour it has brought to its
author — he could not have been stronger or more deter-
mined.

It was a matter of common knowledge that the Roman
Catholics preferred separate schools. This was the formid-
able objection to any free school system based on taxation.
It was fortunate, both for Dr. Tupper and the country, that
the Archbishop of Halifax, Dr. Connolly, was more than a
churchman — he was a broad-minded statesman. Before in-
troducing his second Bill in 1865, Dr. Tupper discussed the
matter with the Archbishop, who expressed the fear that
Boman Catholics would not get justice without separate
schools. To this objection Dr. Tupper had already pre-
pared a reply. He said to the Archbishop : " I have antici-
pated your objection, and have provided for it. As a large
body of Christians, the Roman Catholics will ever have a
good representation in the Provincial Cabinet. I have,
therefore, made the Cabinet the Council of Public Instruc-
tion. This gives you a permanent guarantee of justice to

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

your people. Necessarily, the Roman Catholics will
always have a representation in the Executive Govern-
ment." " Your Bill shall have my support," was the
Archbishop's reply.

With this assurance the Bill was introduced. On its
second reading, A. G. Archibald, leader of the Opposition,
attacked Dr. Tupper for superseding Dr. Forrester by the
appointment of Dr. Rand as superintendent. In reply, Dr.
Tupper said that Dr. Forrester, who still held his place as
principal of the Normal School, had heartily recommended
Dr. Rand. Then Mr. Archibald objected to that provision
of the Bill making the Executive the Council of Public In-
struction. Dr. Tupper replied to Mr. Archibald, reminding
him that he was in favour of assessment and had expressed
his regret that it was not in the Bill of 1864, and was now
trying to defeat the Bill by a detail that could be settled in
committee.

Mr. LeViscount, a member of the Government, who
though himself a Protestant had a Roman Catholic con-
stituency, moved a series of resolutions in favour of
separate schools. In reply to the amendments, Dr. Tup-
per used a strong expression. He said that he would
burn the Bill before he would assent to them. He saw,
however, that the drift of sentiment in the House, if not
"turned, would result in the defeat of the Bill. He then
moved the adjournment of the debate. He evidently saw
that Mr. Archibald, on reflection, would hesitate to unite
with the Roman Catholics in defeating the Bill, and so it
turned out.

When the House came together again, Mr. Archibald
agreed to allow the Bill to pass its second reading and
bring up his objections in committee.

This brief account of the process through which the
School Bill passed before becoming law is a very imper-
fect description of the perils which it encountered. Here
is an extract from a letter received by Dr. Tupper from

Conservatives Return to Power

Mr. McKinnon, a member of his Cabinet and a brother of
the Bishop of Arichat :

" I forgot bringing to your notice the remarks you made last
night in reference to separate schools. Do you see the position you
placed me in ? Unless you qualify these strong remarks satisfactorily
I will be compelled to take my leave of your Government."

In a copy of his " Teacher's Text Book " sent by Dr.
Forrester to Dr. Tupper is found this inscription :

"To the Honourable Charles Tupper, M.D., C.B., etc., with the
respectful compliments of the author and as a small expression of
his admiration of his steadfastness and determination in securing,
during his premiership of his native Province, one of the best legis-
lative enactments on popular education to be found in any country."

CHAPTEE VI

UNION CONFERENCES (1864)

THE Bill providing for the extension of the railway
to Pictou was carried in the session of 1864 by 42 to 7.
In an earlier chapter it has been stated that Dr.
Tupper, when in opposition in 1860, was invited to open
the Mechanics' Institute in St. John, New Brunswick,
which he did by a lecture on " The Political Condition
of British North America," in which he advocated Con-
federation as the only remedy for existing evils and the
only means by which the colonies could reach their
greatest degree of prosperity and be of greatest service
to the Empire. On his return to Nova Scotia, Dr. Tupper
repeated the lecture at Amherst, Truro, Halifax and Hor-
ton. In pursuance of the plan advocated in the St. John
lecture, Dr. Tupper in 1864 introduced a resolution into
the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, which was carried
through the Legislature, proposing in a prompt and prac-
tical manner a matured scheme for uniting the Maritime
Provinces. At that time, there being no prospect of an
immediate larger union, it was believed that a Maritime
Union would be helpful when the time came for accom-
plishing the confederation of all the colonies. Dr. Tup-
per had previously arranged with the Premiers of New
Brunswick and Prince Edward Island for the introduc-
tion of an identical resolution in each of their Legisla-
tures, and this was carried in each case. It was then
arranged that delegates representing the three provinces
should meet at Charlottetown on September 1, 1864.

After the Conservatives in Canada announced their

Union Conferences

policy on the question of Union in the Governor's speech
opening the Legislature, a deadlock having occurred and
neither party having obtained a working majority, a Coali-
tion Government was formed on the basis of a Federal
Union of all the British North American Provinces ; or if
that were found impracticable, provision was made that
there should be a dissolution of the Legislative Union that
existed, and the substitution of a Federal Union between
Upper and Lower Canada. Lord Monck sent dispatches to
the Governors of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince
Edward Island asking admission to the proposed Confer-
ence at Charlottetown for members of the Canadian Govern-
ment, to enable them to submit their views on the union of
all the Provinces.

The question of Union having thus become a subject of
public discussion, Mr. Sandford Fleming, who was then
engaged in the survey of the Intercolonial Railway, and
who had also been appointed Chief Railway Engineer in
Nova Scotia, taking a warm interest in the union of all
the Provinces, suggested to Dr. Tupper the desirability of
bringing about the visit of a number of leading people from
Canada to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Dr. Tupper
concurred cordially, and mainly through the instrumentality
of Mr. Fleming this was arranged, and reception committees
were formed in St. John and Halifax.

The Hon. T. D'Arcy McGee, a very eloquent Irish
Catholic and a member of the Government of Canada,
wrote Dr. Tupper the following letter :

Montreal, July 23, 1864.

My dear Tupper, — From sixty to eighty members of both Houses
will be at St. John on the 2nd and 3rd prox. and remain till the following
Monday, when they intend to visit your good city. Can you send
over some one or two of your committee to arrange details ? Will
the Yacht Club show these inlanders Sambro Head ?

Yours always,

T. D. McGee.

Hon. Chas. Tupper.

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

This was done. A large number of ladies and gentlemen
came and were hospitably entertained. A picnic was held
at Prince's Lodge, built on the Bedford Basin by the Duke
of Kent, and a party given in their honour at Government
House by Sir Bichard Graves McDonnell, who had been
appointed to succeed Lord Normanby as Lieutenant-Governor
of Nova Scotia.

At a banquet given to the Canadian visitors, Dr. Tup-
per took the opportunity of observing that as the Govern-
ment had been reconstructed in Canada upon the basis of
endeavouring to procure a confederation of all the provinces,
he hoped they might see the Maritime Union merged in the
larger scheme. Mr. Howe followed, declaring that such a
union was the dream of his life.

When the delegates to the Union Conference at Charlotte-
town were to be selected,' Dr. Tupper wrote to Mr. Howe as
follows :

Halifax, August 16, 1864.

My dear Sir, — I have the pleasure of informing you that your
name has been this morning submitted by the Executive Council to His
Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor as one of the delegates to the Con-
ference upon the Union of the Maritime Provinces, and I am in-
structed by His Excellency to inquire if you will accept that office
and attend the meeting of delegates at Charlottetown on the 1st

of September.

I remain,

Yours faithfully,

(Signed) C. Tupper.

Hon. J. Howe.

Mr. Howe's reply was as follows :

H.M.S. Lily,

August 16, 1864.
My dear Sir, — I am sorry, for many reasons, to be compelled to
decline participation in the Conference at Charlottetown. The season is
so far advanced that I find my summer's work would be so seriously
deranged by the visit to P. E. Island that, without permission from
the Foreign Office, I would scarcely feel justified in consulting my
own feelings at the expense of the public service.

ioo

Union Conferences

I shall be home in October, and will be very happy to co-operate
in carrying out any measure upon which the Conference shall agree.

Very truly yours,

Joseph Howe.
Hon. C. Tupper.

On receipt of this letter, Dr. Tupper offered the appoint-
ment to Mr. A. G. Archibald, leader of the Opposition in
the House of Assembly, and the Hon. Jonathan McCully,
leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, who
both accepted.

On September 1, 1864, the Conference assembled at
Charlottetown.

Nova Scotia was represented by Hon. Charles Tupper,
Premier and Provincial Secretary; Hon. W. A. Henry,
Attorney-General ; Hon. R. B. Dickey, M.L.C. ; Hon.
Jonathan McCully, M.L.C. ; and Adams G. Archibald.

New Brunswick was represented by Hon. S. L. Tilley,
Premier and Provincial Secretary; Hon. J. M. Johnston,
M.P.P. and Attorney- General ; Hon. John H. Gray,
M.P.P. ; and Hon. W. H. Steves, M.L.C.

Prince Edward Island was represented by Hon. Colonel
Gray, M.P.P., President of Executive Council; Hon.
E. L. Palmer, M.L.C, Attorney- General ; Hon. W. H.
Pope, M.P.P., Provincial Secretary; Hon. George Coles,
M.P.P. ; and Hon. A. A. Macdonald, M.L.C.

The outcome of the Conference was the acceptance of the
following resolution moved by Dr. Tupper and seconded by
Hon. E. B. Dickey :

" Whereas in the opinion of the Conference a Union of Nova
Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island under one Govern-
ment and Legislature would elevate the status, enhance the credit,
enlarge the influence, improve the social, commercial, and political
condition, increase the development and promote the interests gener-
ally of all these Provinces : Resolved — That the time has arrived
when such union should be effected."

It was subsequently announced by the Hon. J. A.
Macdonald that the Canadian Government would advise

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

His Excellency the Governor-General to invite a delegation
from the Provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince
Edward's Island and Newfoundland to meet at Quebec on
October 10 to consider officially a proposal to unite the
British North American Provinces in one Confederation.

The delegates and members of the Canadian Government
all accepted Dr. Tupper's invitation to visit Halifax, where
a banquet was given them at the Halifax Hotel on Septem-
ber 12. This was attended by the Lieutenant-Governor, Vice-
Admiral Hope, the Chief Justice, and many members of the
Assembly and Legislative Council. After the loyal toasts had
been disposed of, Dr. Tupper, who presided, proposed " The
Provincial Delegates." In the course of his speech, he said :

" I am perhaps safe in saying that no more momentous gather-
ing of public men has ever taken place in these provinces, whether
regarded as comprising the ablest and best men, not only of one
party, but of both the great parties into which all these colonies
have been divided. When I speak of Canada, although only the
Executive Government is represented, I need not tell this assembly
that on the great question which has engaged our deliberations, two
parties who have stood in the most determined political antagon-
ism to each other have been brought together ; all minor considera-
tions of questions of party have been merged into one common senti-
ment to unite in order to elevate their common country, and provide
it with a stable and efficient government. I am therefore in a posi-
tion to say that in all these provinces both parties are fully repre-
sented. After the deliberations of the past week I have the proud
satisfaction of being able to state to this assembly to-night that a
more harmonious, united, or cordial body of men, without a single
exception, never was brought together in an endeavour to benefit
their common country. I will go further and say I have reason
for believing that the great question on which they are engaged
will receive at no distant day a satisfactory solution at their hands."

The Hon. G. E. Cartier, the Hon. George Brown, and the
Hon. S. L. Tilley made able and eloquent speeches in favour
of union.

Dr. Tupper proposed the next toast — " Colonial Union "
— and coupled it with the name of the Hon. J. A. Macdonald.

102

Union Conferences

The banquet closed with eloquent speeches from Hon.
A. T. Gait and Hon. T. D. McGee.

During their stay in Halifax most of the members of
the Canadian Government remained on board the Govern-
ment steamer with the exception of the Hon. George Brown,
who was a guest at Dr. Tupper's house in Hollis Street.
TBe day after the banquet the Maritime delegates and several
of the Canadian Ministers proceeded to Fredericton, where
they had an interview with Lieutenant-Governor Gordon,
and subsequently returned to St. John, where the New
Brunswick delegates gave them a banquet.

The Governor-General of Canada having formally invited
the sending of delegates from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick,
Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland, and the Govern-
ments of these Provinces having agreed to this proposition
and having respectively appointed delegates to meet at
Quebec on October 10, the Conference assembled at the
Parliament Buildings on that day.

Canada was represented by Sir E. P. Tache, Premier;
Hon. J. A. Macdonald, Attorney-General, West; Hon.
G. E. Cartier, Attorney-General, East; Hon. William
McDougall, Provincial Secretary; Hon. George Brown,
President Executive Council; Hon. A. T. Gait, Finance
Minister; Hon. A. Campbell, Commissioner of Crown
Lands; Hon. Oliver Mowat, Postmaster-General; Hon.
Hector Langevin, Solicitor-General, East; Hon. James
Cockburn, Solicitor-General, West; Hon. T. D'Arcy McGee,
Minister of Agriculture; Hon. J. C. Chapais, Minister of
Public Works.

Nova Scotia: Hon. Dr. Tupper, Premier and Provincial
Secretary ; Hon. W. A. Henry, Attorney- General ; Hon.
K. B. Dickey, M.L.C. ; Hon. Jonathan McCully, M.L.C.;
Hon. A. G. Archibald, M.P.P.

New Brunswick: Hon. S. L. Tilley, Premier and Prov-
incial Secretary ; Hon. John M. Johnston, Attorney-General ;
Hon. Peter Mitchell, M.L.C. ; Hon. Charles Fisher, M.P.P. ;

103

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

Hon. E. B. Chandler, M.L.C. ; Hon. W. H. Steves, M.L.C. ;
Hon. John H. Gray, M.P.P.

Prince Edward Island: Hon. Colonel Gray, Premier;
Hon. Edward Palmer, Attorney-General; Hon. W. H.
Pope, Provincial Secretary ; Hon. George Coles, M.P.P. ;
Hon. Heath Haviland, M.P.P.; Hon. Edward Whelan,
M.P.P.; Hon. H. A. McDonald, M.L.C.

Newfoundland: Hon. F. B. T. Cartier, Speaker of the
House; Hon. Ambrose Shea.

The Hon. Sir E. P. Tache was appointed chairman, and
the provincial secretaries of the Provinces were appointed
secretaries.

It was resolved that the vote should be given by provinces,
Canada having two votes. On the 11th inst., at the request
of the secretaries, Lieutenant- Colonel Bernand was appointed
Executive Secretary. It was unanimously resolved that the
federal system should be adopted. It was also decided to
follow the model of the British Constitution as far as cir-
cumstances would admit.

Upon Dr. Tupper's motion it was resolved :

"That for the purpose of forming the Legislative Council the
federated provinces shall be considered as consisting of three divisions :
1st, Upper Canada ; 2nd, Lower Canada ; 3rd, Nova Scotia, New
Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island, with equal representation in
the Legislative Council."

It was also decided that each division should have twenty-
four members, which would give Nova Scotia and New Bruns-
wick ten each and Prince Edward Island four.

Upon the motion of Mr. J. A. Macdonald it was unani-
mously resolved :

" That the members of the Legislative Council shall be appointed
by the Crown under the Great Seal of the General Government,
and shall hold office during life."

It was upon Dr. Tupper's motion resolved :
"That the members of the Legislative Council for the General
Government shall, in the first instance, be selected from the Legis-

104

Union Conferences

lative Councils of the various provinces with the exception of Prince
Edward Island, so far as a sufficient number be found qualified and
willing to serve."

The only dissentient was Prince Edward Island.

Upon the motion of Mr. Brown it was resolved that the
basis of representation in the House of Commons should be
population as determined by the official census every ten
years, and that the number of members at first should be 200 :

Upper Canada ... 89 New Brunswick ... 15

Lower Canada ... 65 Newfoundland 7

Nova Scotia ... 19 Prince Edward Island 5

And it was further provided that Lower Canada should
always have sixty-five members, and the others an increase
or decrease according to the relative change every ten years.
Prince Edward Island alone dissented. Duration of Parlia-
ment was fixed at five years, subject to dissolution. It was
arranged that all matters of a general character, not specially
and exclusively reserved for the local governments and legis-
latures, should be under the control of the Federal Parlia-
ment and Government.

On the motion of the Hon. Mr. Mowat it was resolved :

" That it shall be competent for the local legislatures to make
laws respecting education, saving the rights and privileges which the
minority in both Canadas may possess as to their denominational
schools at the time when the Constitutional Act goes into operation.

" The sale and management of public lands, excepting lands be-
longing to the general government ; property and civil rights, except-
ing those portions thereof assigned to the general legislature ; muni-
cipal institutions ; local works ; the establishment and tenure of
local offices, and the appointment and payment of local officers ;
direct taxation ; borrowing money on the credit of the Province ;
shop, saloon, tavern, and auctioneer licences ; the incorporation of
private or local companies, except such as relate to matters assigned
to the Federal Legislature ; and generally all matters of a private
or local nature."

It was also resolved that Bills passed by the General
Legislature should be subject to disallowance by the Queen

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

within two years, and Bills passed by the Local Legislatures
to disallowance by the General Government within one year ;
that in the General Legislature and in the Local Legislatures
both languages might be used ; that Canada should be allowed
a debt of $62,500,000 ; Nova Scotia, $8,000,000 ; New Bruns-
wick, $7,000,000.

A grant in aid of each Province of 80 cents a head of
the population as established by the census of 1861 was also
agreed to, and it was arranged that the Intercolonial Rail-
way should be proceeded with at once.

It was resolved that the North-West Territory, British
Columbia and "Vancouver Island should be admitted into
the Union, upon such terms as Parliament should deem
equitable, and as should receive the assent of Her Majesty,
and in the case of British Columbia or Vancouver Island,
as should be agreed to by the Legislature of such Province.

It was provided : " That the judges shall be appointed
by the General Government, and that judges of the Superior
Courts shall hold their offices during good behaviour, and
shall only be removed on the address of both Houses of the
General Legislature."

The Quebec Conference concluded its labours on October
27. Nothing could exceed the hospitality received by the
delegates from the day of their arrival until they left.

Sir Charles says in his journal :

" Soon after arrival a grand banquet was given to the
Maritime Delegates by the Board of Trade. The president,
A. Joseph, Esq., occupied the chair. After the toast of the
Governor-General had been duly honoured, ' Our Guests the
Delegates from the Maritime Provinces ' was proposed, to
which I replied."

In the course of his reply, he said :

" When you look at these facts, you will easily understand that
the confederation which shall unite the British American Colonies,
which will give a common aim, and unite by a common bond the
whole people, will tend to enhance their credit — to place them upon

106

Union Conferences

the exchanges of the world in a far better position than we can hope
for in our present divided state. I fail myself to understand how
the commercial union, so ably referred to by your chairman, is ever
to be realised, except in connection with a political union. The
public men of British North America have not probably yet exhausted
that subject ; but they have given it their careful attention, and
hitherto they have been unable to devise means whereby a com-
mercial union could be formed separate from a political union. . .
... I believe the time has come when the statesman of British
North America is unworthy the position he occupies who does not
feel it his imperative duty to devote his most earnest attention to
the solution of the great and important question, how the lives
and property and peace of the inhabitants of British North America
may not only be preserved, but guaranteed against any assault."

Sir Charles's journal continues :

" On the 28th of October the Maritime delegates, with
several of the members of the Canadian Government, went
to Montreal, where they were entertained at a grand ban-
quet at the St. Lawrence Hall. Sir Richard and Lady
McDonnell were also among the guests, who also included
General Sir Fenwick Williams. That evening a magnifi-
cent ball was given, attended by over a thousand ladies and
gentlemen. We were all presented to Sir Fenwick Williams
at three o'clock the next day, and introduced to the leading
citizens of Montreal. The banquet followed in the evening
— Mayor Beaudry presided — General Sir Fenwick Williams
responded for the Army and Navy. After the health of Sir
Richard and Lady McDonnell had been responded to, the
toast of the evening, ' Our Distinguished Guests, the Dele-
gates from the Maritime Provinces,' was given. The Hon.
Mr. Archibald responded for Nova Scotia, and Mr. Edward
Whelan, M.P.P., responded for Prince Edward Island in an
eloquent and humorous speech. He subsequently published
an interesting brochure on ' Union of the British Provinces,'
giving reports of the public speeches from the meeting of the
delegates at Charlottetown until the signing of the Quebec
resolutions on parchment at Montreal on November 5."

107

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

After the banquet the party proceeded to Ottawa, where
they were enthusiastically received by a great concourse of
people at ten o'clock at night. In response to loud calls,
Dr. Tupper spoke from a wagon in front of the hotel.

On the way to Toronto receptions were given at King-
ston, Belleville and Coburg. The delegates arrived at
Toronto station at 10.30 p.m., where they were received
by the Mayor and Corporation, and an address presented
in which reference was made to the visit of the Canadians
to the Maritime Provinces in the previous August. The
delegates were then escorted to the Queen's Hotel by a
torchlight procession, fireworks and bands of music. Dr.
Tupper was presented by Hon. George Brown to an im-
mense concourse of people, to whom he spoke at some
length on the advantages of union, commercially and
financially. They were also addressed by Mr. Tilley and
Mr. Whelan. The next day the delegates were driven over
the city and presented with addresses at Upper Canada
College and at the University of Toronto. Dr. Tupper
responded for the delegates and thanked the president
and professors for their hearty welcome. A banquet was
given at which Mayor Medcalfe presided.

A meeting of the delegates from the Maritime Provinces
to the Conference at Charlottetown was called and held
pursuant to adjournment at the Queen's Hotel, Toronto,
on November 3, 1864.

All the delegates except Hon. E. B. Chandler were
present. Hon. Colonel Gray was in the chair. It was
resolved :

" That in view of the resolutions passed at the Quebec Confer-
ence in favour of a confederation of the British North American
Provinces this Conference decide to postpone the consideration of
a legislative union of the Maritime Provinces."

It was also resolved :

"That the joint secretaries be instructed to draw up a report
embracing the facts connected with the proceedings of the Confer-

108

Union Conferences

ence of the Maritime Provinces, to be signed in triplicate by the Chair-
man and Secretaries, to be submitted to the Lieutenant-Governors
of those Provinces for the information of their Legislatures."

The Conference then adjourned, sine die.
A magnificent ball was given to the delegates in
Toronto. This was followed by receptions at Hamilton,
St. Catherine's and Clifton, and a visit to Niagara Falls.
The party returned to Montreal on November 5, where
the resolutions passed at Quebec were signed on parch-
ment, and the delegates from the Maritime Provinces the
next day returned to their homes.

On the return to Halifax of the Nova Scotia delegates,
they found great opposition arrayed against the proposed
confederation to which they had agreed.

One of Dr. Tupper's warmest personal and political
friends, Mr. Alfred G. Jones, an influential merchant,
told Dr. Tupper that all the mercantile and banking in-
fluence of Halifax, until then at his back, would bitterly
oppose him unless he withdrew his support from the pro-
ject. Halifax up to that time had to a large extent the
banking and wholesale trade of the Province in its hands,
and exercised great influence. Mr. Howe returned from
Newfoundland, and seeing the opportunity of again crest-
ing the popular wave, was unfortunately induced to place
himself at the head of the opposition to Confederation.
Although it was fully understood at the Quebec Confer-
ence that the question should be disposed of by the exist-
ing Legislatures, the Hon. Mr. Tilley, who had a strong
reason for not wishing to meet the House, dissolved
ostensibly on the question of union, and was defeated at the
polls. This was fatal to Nova Scotia proceeding with the
matter, as it was obvious there could be no union with
Canada while New Brunswick opposed it.

109

CHAPTER VII

ORIGIN OF ANTI-CONFEDERATION (1864-66)

BY this time a feeling of fraternity had begun to spread
among the people of all the Provinces. Social inter-
course, mingled with the business of giving form and
direction to Confederation, began to create a strong sentiment
of friendly kinship. From the day that the Provincial Secre-
tary introduced into the Nova Scotia Legislature a resolu-
tion for Maritime Union until the delegations at Quebec left
for their homes, a wonderful unanimity had prevailed. No
ominous cloud appeared on the horizon. But after the dele-
gates, full of assurance and buoyant with hope, gave to Hali-
fax audiences the results of the Quebec Conference, all of
which had been echoed by the Press of both political parties,
there was seen in Halifax a little black cloud, not larger
than the one discerned by Elijah from the heights of Carmel.

Who swung open the gates of the cave and gave Nova
Scotia the whirlwind of anti-Confederation ? is a question
often asked but not yet answered. As Joseph Howe was
the superintendent of the storm, it has been assumed that
he was its creator, but facts do not warrant this assumption.

The prime inspiration and promotion of this movement
in its initial stage can be traced to a Halifax merchant,
prosperous and honest in his large, successful business
career from beginning to end. No one acquainted with
the Hon. W. J. Stairs would attribute to him, in the part
he took in the anti-Confederation movement, any motives
other than those of fairness and honesty. He was a keen,
clever financier. In the proposed Confederation he saw last-
ing disadvantages and injury to the Maritime Provinces,

Origin of Anti-Confederation

especially to his native land, Nova Scotia. Other business
men had arrived at the same conclusion. Their views were
compared and discussed in private. While it was true that
A. G. Archibald, leader of the Opposition in the House of
Assembly, and Jonathan McCully, leader of the same party
in the Legislative Council, had heartily co-operated with
the other delegates in carrying union to its then present
stage, yet it became known that the Hon. William Annand,
proprietor of the Morning Chronicle, was not in favour of
the movement.

At this point, a few quotations from the published journal
of the Hon. W. J. Stairs will give some light on the inquiry.
He says :

" In the fall of 1864 certain delegates from the Governments
of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island met
at Charlottetown to discuss the Union of the Maritime Provinces.
They were joined by a delegation from Canada, and the discussion
of the Union of the Maritime Provinces was laid aside to take up
gratuitously the discussion of the Confederation of the British North
American Provinces. The united delegates adjourned to Halifax,
where they were publicly entertained, and public sentiment favoured
the idea of discussing the principle more seriously. This led to a
meeting for the purpose at Quebec, which is known as the ' Quebec
Convention ' ; and the resolutions then passed are known as the
' Quebec Scheme.' When the Nova Scotia delegates returned to
Nova Scotia, they, mistaking public opinion and their position
toward the public, were so elated with their share of the ' scheme '
that they undertook to pronounce for Nova Scotia her approval
of Confederation. Dr. Tupper, as leader of the Government party,
and Adams G. Archibald and Jonathan McCully as leaders of the
Opposition and the old Liberal party, each undertook to decide
for those whom they fancied they could lead. The delegates, through
their friends, called a meeting at Temperance Hall, where they
spent the evening in giving what they considered very conclusive
arguments for adopting Confederation, the three speakers speaking
in succession and no word being uttered by those who claimed to
be ' Let-Alones.' A good deal of dissatisfaction was expressed at
the imperious manner of the delegates. They knew of no men who
would oppose them. Mr. Annand was believed to be of different

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

views, but the Morning Chronicle (his paper) was in the hands of
Mr. McCulIy (as editor).

" The Citizen, a new paper, edited by Edward McDonald and
Garvie, was the only newspaper in town that wrote against Con-
federation.

" Under the leadership of Andrew Uniacke the opposition was
organised, and a night at Temperance Hall was named by the Mayor,
to give the opposition an opportunity to state their case. At a
preliminary meeting it was urged that the opposition speakers should
be Mr. Uniacke, myself, Alfred G. Jones, Mr. Miller, and Mr.
Annand."

The following letters deal with the progress of the Union
Scheme in Canada :

Quebec, January 24, 1865.

My dear Tupper, — I was detained in Upper Canada until last
Monday, and as I telegraphed you I only then received yours of
the 4th. We are now at work, as you will have seen in the House,
and opened splendidly. Dorion, with his usual want of tactics,
gave us a chance to divide, and we had a majority of 40. With
a full House I calculate that we stand 96 to 34. The only real fight
we shall have will be on a motion for a previous reference to the
people, on which some of our weak-kneed friends may desert us,
but on that we shall have a large majority. I expect that the scheme
will be adopted without amendment, and by large majorities, which
should surely strengthen your hands when you meet on 9th prox.
It is to be regretted that Tilley was obliged to dissolve, but I sup-
pose he couldn't help it. Mr. Cardwell's two objections were merely
to keep him right with the House of Commons, but he will sanction
our scheme without amendment if we desire it. I quite agree with
you that it is advisable to carry the scheme by a resolution instead
of by Bill. Before I go to bed to-night I shall frame the form of
our resolution, and if approved by the Governor and Council will
send it you to-morrow. I regret much that you are meeting such
opposition, but I fancy your energies are equal to the emergency.
I am glad to learn that McCully and Archibald are true to
you. ... It looks as if a new political combination were on the
tapis. . . .

And so that marplot, Joe Howe, is stirring up strife again.
I read Lord Monck that portion of your letter which referred to
him (Howe). He said that he would write at once to Cardwell to
get Earl Russell to choke him off.

112

Origin of Anti-Confederation

We have had uncomfortable times of it here lately. Coursol's
abominable conduct as police magistrate in discharging the raiders
set all the U.S. in a blaze, and it required the most vigorous and
prompt action on our part to counteract the impression. But we
were equal to it. We at once re-arrested the raiders. We estab-
lished a vigilant police along our whole frontier. We have raised
and stationed along our border thirty companies or 2,000 men of
volunteer militia, and to-day I introduce a Bill giving the Executive
increased powers for preventing and repressing such outrages. The
self-sufficiency of this wretched prig of a police magistrate will
cost us $500,000.

Have the U.S. established the passport system along your
frontier ? They have with us in its most rigid form, but I have
reason to believe that they will ere long relax the stringency of their
regulations. I am truly glad to see that Blaine has failed in a nego-
tiation for peace. It will be a bad day for the Colonies when the
North and South join (if they do), for it bodes certain war with
England.

The Governor's message with the scheme will be laid on the
tables of both Houses to-morrow, and it is the intention of the
Government to commence the discussion of the whole subject un-
less something should arise to prevent it, on Tuesday next. Brown
wished that we should move a series of resolutions affirming the
expediency of a federal union — that the time had arrived for it,
and then the resolutions agreed to in conference seriatim, but I
put that down. There must be but one resolution to which as many
amendments may be moved as the Opposition pleases, but after
they are voted down we shall affirm the whole scheme by one
vote. Faithfully yours,

John A. Macdonald.

Quebec, March 10, 1865.
My dear Tupper, — I am sitting in our House at 1.30 in the
morning listening to the dying speeches of our Opposition against
federation. I hope to tell you in a postscript what the decision
will be.

When we received the disastrous news from New Brunswick,
we saw there was nothing left for us but the bold game, and I
announced in the House one resolution to adhere to the resolutions
as passed in the conference — to ask a vote of credit — to prorogue
the House and at once consult with the Imperial Government as
i 113

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

to the position of affairs as regards not only the union of the Pro-
vinces, but also as to reciprocity and defence. Our course has
met general approbation in the House and country. I fear your
Governors in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and Prince Edward
Island have not been true. We must cure that in England when
we go over. Tilley made a wonderful blunder in dissolving with-
out taking a vote. I know you were always of that opinion. It
was so suicidal a step that it shakes one's opinions of Tilley's states-
manship.

I shall write you as to our plans. Probably our English
ambassadors will look in upon you at Halifax. You must come
down to meet them. I will try to get Brydges to go with them,
and you can have a talk with them on railway matters.

I find I can't get on with my letter from the noise and dis-
turbance that is going on about me.

Yours sleepily and sincerely,

John A. Macdonald.

P.S. — Vote taken at 5.30 on Saturday morning : Yeas 91.
Nays 33; 58.

Owing to the failure in New Brunswick, Dr. Tupper
adopted the policy of falling back on the proposal of a
Legislative Union of the Maritime Provinces. He moved
in the Nova Scotia Assembly that :

"Whereas under existing circumstances an immediate union of
the British American Colonies has become impracticable ; and
whereas a Legislative Union of the Maritime Provinces is desir-
able, whether the larger union is accomplished or not ; There Re-
solved, that in the opinion of the House, the negotiations for the
union of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island
should be renewed in accordance with the resolution introduced
during the last session of the Legislature."

Dr. Tupper's object was to have an opportunity of advo-
cating Confederation without exposing it to a hostile motion.

The session ended on May 2, and Sir Richard G. McDon-
nell made a strong appeal to Dr. Tupper to accept an invita-
tion sent by the Canadian Government to join a deputation
to the Imperial Government. Dr. Tupper replied on the 11th,
giving his reasons for declining. His letter, a State paper

Origin of Anti-Confederation

carefully prepared amid bewildering whirlwinds of public
sentiment, illustrates his ability to manage politics inde-
pendently in a case where, in addition to the confusion of
the crisis, he had opposed to him both the Canadian and
British Governments. The essential features of the letter
were these : The vote in New Brunswick was hostile to
Confederation, and blocked the way to action in the Nova
Scotia Assembly; the School Bill just enacted added force
to the anti-confederate movement; in these circumstances,
a vote taken in the Legislature would certainly be against
the larger Confederation; therefore, as both parties were
committed to the union of the Maritime Provinces, the
House could be kept united on that question, and would
sidetrack any motion that might be introduced on the
general union. By taking this course, he believed he could
hold his forces together and give no chance for any hostile
combination. To him, so he argued, this course was safe,
sound and expedient. But to comply with Lord Monck's
request to unite with the other Provinces in a delegation
to the British Cabinet for the purpose of advancing Con-
federation would certainly imperil the undertaking, so far
as Nova Scotia was concerned.

After discussion in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly,
it was agreed to pass Dr. Tupper's resolution for a union
of the Maritime Provinces without division, on his with-
drawing the preamble.

Although Archbishop Connolly had pledged himself, as
has been stated, to give Dr. Tupper his moral support in
passing the School Bill of 1865, he about this time wrote
a letter to Dr. Tupper which showed that he had partially
yielded to the opposition emanating from his own people,
as the following extracts plainly indicate :

" The wisest and best in the land are now beginning to denounce
the common school compulsory system in the United States, which
is so much admired here as the source of nearly the wholesale apos-
tasy of that godless people. Hold on to the present Central Board

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

of Education, or we must fight, and, being only a minority, we
must bear in Nova Scotia the galling yoke of a servitude which no
other people would brook. Holy alliances and sectarian strife will
take the place of what now makes us the most united and happiest
people in the world.

" I hope you will not take it amiss that I should make one sug-
gestion regarding the school tax. For reasons I cannot easily
explain it is a well-known fact that there is not a people in the
whole world more unreasonably opposed to direct taxation of any kind
whatever than the people of Nova Scotia. This I know in my heart
is the greatest bugbear that has scared them into opposition to
Confederation. This is au fond the cause of the whole outcry against
the present School Bill.

"P.S. — No education with peace is better than the loftiest
wisdom with war and dissension."

The foregoing records show how the School Bill and
Confederation had become very unpopular in Nova Scotia.
It was not then possible to determine where all the mem-
bers of the Legislature would stand when the question
should be tested. A skilful partisan Press had wrought
hard and unscrupulously to destroy Dr. Tupper's power
and popularity. It was not a time when an opportunist
leader would have introduced another measure to make
himself still more unpopular and increase the peril of the
great national undertaking — the union of the colonies; but
Dr. Tupper's confidence in the might of right, and the just
claim his native Province had on him for a free system of
schools, compelled him even in these circumstances to
make taxation the basis of the Nova Scotia school system.

The account given of the extreme peril attending the dis-
cussion and passage of this measure, especially plain in Dr.
Tupper's correspondence with Archbishop Connolly, puts the
author of it in no uncertain light. To carry the School Bill,
he advisedly took his political life in his hand and risked the
loss of his personal popularity, much needed in the days of
greater conflict not far in the future.

On April 15, 1865, as Dr. Tupper was on his way to

116

Origin of Anti-Confederation

the House he met Judge Jackson, the American Consul,
who informed him of the assassination of President Lin-
coln. The House met at 11 o'clock, when Dr. Tupper
immediately moved the following resolution :

"Resolved unanimously that this House have heard with the
most profound regret that the President ol the United States of
America has fallen by the hand of an assassin, and that as a mark
of sympathy with the people who have just been deprived of their
chief ruler, and of their abhorrence of the atrocious crime that has
been committed, this House do adjourn until Monday next."

The resolution passed unanimously, and the House
adjourned. It was a curious fact that on that day four
years previously the first news of hostilities between the
North and South of the United States reached Nova
Scotia, and a resolution was passed by the House of
Assembly deploring that event.

The session of 1865 will ever be a memorable one in
the annals of Nova Scotia owing to the adoption of Free
Schools based upon compulsory assessment, a measure
which has been attended with results so beneficial as to
change its great unpopularity into universal approval.

During this same session provision for local defence was
largely increased, and means were provided for extending
railways to the border of New Brunswick and to Anna-
polis. The completion of the St. Peter's Canal and the
extension of the Hospital for the Insane were also secured.

Shortly after the prorogation of the House, Dr. Tupper
received a communication from the Intercolonial Contract
Company in London, stating that they were prepared to
take up the construction of the railway from Truro to
the border of New Brunswick. As that required the joint
action of the two provinces, Dr. Tupper visited Frederic-
ton, and it was arranged that A. J. Smith, the leader of
the Government, and his Attorney-General, should go with
him and Mr. Henry to London. They proceeded thence,
and arranged with the Intercolonial Contract Company to

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

connect the two Provinces by rail. This contract was
subsequently cancelled by Dr. Tupper's Government on the
ground of failure on the part of the company to carry it out.

The delegates saw Mr. Cardwell, then Secretary of State
for the Colonies, and he subsequently showed them a draft
dispatch to the Governor- General of Canada authorising him
to summon a Confederate Council, composed of representa-
tives of all the British North American Provinces, to confer
upon commercial treaties. Arrangements were made to send
deputations to the West India Islands, on which Nova Scotia
was represented by the Hon. James Macdonald, the Financial
Secretary, and Mr. Isaac Le Viscount, M.P.P.

Dr. Tupper took with him to England Provincial 6 per
cent. Bonds of Nova Scotia to raise the money required to
complete the Pictou Eailway, about $2,000,000. Messrs.
Baring and Glynn, the Nova Scotia Government's financial
agents, said they could not obtain more than 95 per cent,
for them. Dr. Tupper told them that he expected Con-
federation would shortly be accomplished, which would
raise Nova Scotia's credit, and asked them to hold the
bonds as a collateral security, and advance him the money
at 6 per cent. This they did, and after Confederation had
taken place those bonds were sold for 112 per cent.

Dr. Tupper attended the exhibition at Dublin, where
among other things he exhibited a bar of gold, the out-
come of the work of 120 men for ten days in mining,
crushing and assaying near Halifax, which, after the ex-
hibition was over, he sold to the Nova Scotia financial
agents in London for £3,000 sterling. He also made tenta-
tive arrangements for the construction of the railway to
Annapolis, which were subsequently carried out.

Of this visit to London Sir Charles says in his journal :

" It was quite generally supposed that the Lieutenant-
Governor of Nova Scotia was not favourable to Confedera-
tion, but I am bound to say, after the publication of Mr.
Cardwell's dispatch to Lord Monck, urging it in the

Origin of Anti-Confederation

strongest manner, Sir Kichard G. McDonnell gave me all
the support in his power. It, however, came too late. He
was ' promoted ' to Hong Kong and General Sir Fenwick
Williams appointed to succeed him.

" On the 31st of July I received a note from Miss Burdett-
Coutts saying she would like to make my acquaintance and
asking me to go to Holly Lodge to tea at 5 o'clock on the
following Wednesday and stay to dinner at half -past seven.
I wrote accepting. On the 2nd of August she wrote saying
she could offer me a room if I could make it convenient to
stop the night. This was, no doubt, to prevent my having
to drive to London to dress for dinner. On the 4th she
wrote asking me to bring Mr. Henry to luncheon at 2 on
the Wednesday to meet the Queen of Honolulu and stay
for dinner. I had the pleasure of sitting at luncheon
next Queen Emma, who came with Lady Franklin, with
whom she was staying. The Queen was a mulatto, quite
pretty and very pleasing. I also met at luncheon the
great Dr. Livingstone, the African explorer, who left on
his return to Africa the next day from which he never
returned. He said to me : ' To-morrow I leave for my be-
loved Africa once more, and God alone knows if I will
ever return.' At dinner there was a large party. I took
Lady Twiss in and sat on the right of Miss Coutts. My
acquaintance with the Baroness Burdett-Coutts has con-
tinued until the present time, and she has shown much
attention to my wife and self both at Holly Lodge and at
her town house ever since."

The Administrator of the Canadian Government sent a
dispatch to Sir F. Williams inviting the co-operation of
Nova Scotia in a delegation to Washington to make a
united effort in favour of continuing the Treaty of 1854.
Dr. Tupper was appointed to discharge that duty, but at
the last moment was prevented from going by illness, and
Mr. Henry, the Attorney-General, went in his place. All
efforts, however, were unavailing.

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

A strong attack was made upon the Government by
Mr. Archibald respecting the contract made with Mr.
Fleming for the completion of the railway to Pictou, but
his vote of censure was defeated by a majority of eleven.
That work was completed within the estimate, and Mr.
W. A. Henry, who had drawn the contract with Mr.
Fleming, was made a judge of the Supreme Court of
Canada, and Mr. Fleming was continued Chief Engineer
of the Canadian Railway by the Liberal party.

Mr. Cardwell had sent out a dispatch dated December 3,
1864, warmly endorsing the union of the Colonies as agreed
upon at Quebec. When, however, in 1865 the delegates from
Nova Scotia and New Brunswick proposed to reopen negotia-
tions for a maritime union, Mr. Cardwell said Her Majesty's
Government were not prepared to concur except the ques-
tion were taken up as auxiliary to or intended to promote
the larger union.

The Nova Scotia Legislature met on February 22, 1866.
Attention was called to the determination of the United
States to abrogate the Reciprocity Treaty; the necessity
imposed of finding new channels for Nova Scotia trade;
and the vigorous protection of Nova Scotia fisheries.

On April 3, Mr. Miller, the member for Richmond, in
a very able speech, took the House by surprise, saying that
although he had strongly opposed the Quebec Scheme, he
was much impressed by the desire of the Imperial Govern-
ment to see a union of the British North American Provinces
effected — that at the Detroit Convention, Mr. Potter, an im-
portant official of the United States, had urged the abroga-
tion of the Reciprocity Treaty as the best means of forcing
the colonies to seek annexation to the States ; and the Fenian
Brotherhood, also, had urged opposition to the proposed
union as the best means of promoting annexation. He con-
cluded by asking the Government if they would introduce a
resolution in favour of a Federal Union of British North
America, leaving the details of the measure to the decision

120

Origin of Anti-Confederation

of the Imperial Government, properly advised by delegates
from all the Provinces ; and added : "I promise them my
cordial support to such a union."

Dr. Tupper replied, expressing his great satisfaction with
Mr. Miller's speech, and said it would be necessary for him
to consult the Government and his Confederation colleagues
before giving an answer. On April 10, Dr. Tupper addressed
the House at length upon the whole question, and concluded
by moving the following resolution :

"Whereas in the opinion of this House it is desirable that a
Confederation of the British North American Provinces should take
place, resolved therefore that His Excellency the Lieut.-Governor
be authorised to appoint delegates to arrange with the Imperial
Government a scheme of union which will effectually secure just
provision for the rights and interests of this Province and for the
Provinces co-operating to have an equal voice in such delegation,
Upper and Lower Canada for this purpose being viewed as separate
Provinces."

Mr. Archibald seconded this motion, and three of his
followers voted in its favour. On April 17 the motion was
carried, 31 to 18.

On the meeting of the New Brunswick Legislature, a
collision between the Lieutenant-Governor and his advisors
took place, resulting in a general election in which the
friends of union were returned to power with Mr. Tilley
at their head. The House was called together, and a
resolution similar to the one above stated was passed on
June 30 by 31 to 8.

On April 24 a deputation of the minority in the Nova
Scotia Assembly waited upon the Lieutenant-Governor,
who sent Dr. Tupper the following letter :

Halifax, April 24, 1866.
My dear Sir, — I have this moment been waited on by three
gentlemen belonging to the Legislature, viz. the Hon. Mr. McHaffey
and Messrs. John Locke and Campbell. They stated the object
of their visit to be to ask when it would be convenient for me to
receive a deputation consisting of the " minority " of the House or

121

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

Houses (I did not quite understand that) on the Confederation Reso-
lution, for the purpose of presenting a petition to the Queen against
that Act. I told Mr. Campbell, who was the spokesman, that I
would send him an answer to-morrow as to the time of my recep-
tion of the deputation, or whether I could receive it, and these
gentlemen then took leave of me. I therefore lose no time in bring-
ing these circumstances to your notice and to that of your colleagues
in order that I may have the benefit of your advice, for if this peti-
tion impugn the motives of the " majority " which passed that
resolution or calls into question the motives of those men of both
sides of the House, who agreed to it, I think the contents of the
petition to the Throne in question should be seen by me as well as
by your colleagues (and indeed by all concerned) before it is pub-
licly received by the representative of Her Majesty. Be this as
it may, I shall always strive to act constitutionally and thus leave
the matter in your hands.

I remain, my dear Sir,

Very truly yours,

F. Williams,

Lt.-Governor.

Here was a question involving a principle of constitu-
tional government and the law of usage.

Dr. Tupper was prudent and did not add fuel to the
fire. In the Minutes of the Executive Council of that date
is found a record of his course of action. After a reproduc-
tion of the essential features of the memorial, the record
contains the following statements :

" The Executive Council beg leave respectfully to offer the fol-
lowing observations upon the Memorial to Her Majesty the Queen,
signed by five members of the Legislative Council and eighteen
members of the Assembly, upon the subject of the Confederation of
British North America.

"The Council fail to perceive how 'the priceless blessing of self-
government,' which the memorialists profess so highly to value, is
to be maintained, if the deliberate action of overwhelming majori-
ties of both branches of the Legislature, taken after full discussion,
is to be overruled by the Imperial Government at the instance of
the minority.

" The Council cannot concur in the opinion that the control of

122

Origin of Anti-Confederation

the people of this Province over their own affairs would be surren-
dered by uniting the British North American Provinces under one
government, and they confidently expect that this Union adopted,
at the earnest solicitation of the Parent State, will cement and
strengthen the bonds which now connect this Province with the
Mother Country.

" The statement that the Quebec Conference was held without
any authority from the Legislature of this Province can scarcely
be considered accurate when the fact is that all the memorialists
who were in the Assembly in 1861 voted for the following resolution
submitted by a Government of which Messrs. Annand and Locke
were members, and which received the unanimous assent of the
Legislature.

" The charge of having pressed the matter ' with indecent haste '
the Council cannot understand, as more than a year was suffered
to elapse after the proposal to unite these Provinces was submitted
to the Legislature before any action was invited thereon. The
Council emphatically deny that any ' use or abuse of Her Majesty's
name ' has been resorted to in carrying this question, which has
not been sanctioned by Her Majesty's Ministers, who, in the paper
submitted to Parliament by Her Majesty's command, declared that
it was ' the determination of Her Majesty's Government to use
every proper means of influence to carry into effect, without delay,
the proposed Confederation.'

'J The statement that the action of the Legislature gives power
to ' certain gentlemen, to be selected by the Local Government, to
change, modify, or overturn the institutions of the Province at their
pleasure,' is best refuted by the terms of the resolution itself."

In reply to the petition that nothing be done until the
matter be submitted to the people at the polls, it was
shown that some of the memorialists, also Mr. Howe, had
sanctioned the principle on which the Government and
Legislature had proceeded in carrying into effect the
scheme of Confederation. This is the comment of the
Executive :

" It does not seem to have been considered necessary to refer
this question to the people at the polls.

" In conclusion, the Council may state that more than a year
since they submitted the proceedings of the Quebec Conference to
the Legislature, that this question of the union of the British North

123

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

American Colonies has been a subject of constant discussion in this
Province from that time. Yet the opponents of Union were only
able to obtain the signature of 8,085 people out of a population of
not less than 350,000 for presentation to the House during the
present session, praying that it might be referred to the people at
the polls.

" The resolution which passed the Legislature to send delegates
to London was carried in the Legislative Council by thirteen to
five, and in the Assembly by thirty-one to nineteen. All the mem-
bers of the present Government and four members of the late
Government, of which Mr. Howe was leader, united in sustaining
the resolution, while but two voted against it.

" Under the circumstances the Council believe that they are
fully warranted in the opinion that the public sentiment of the
Province has been most emphatically expressed on this great question
in the manner recognised by the Constitution of the Province and
the protection of Great Britain."

An important question was agitating Nova Scotia and
the other Maritime Provinces in the early part of 1866.
The Canadian Government proposed to issue licences to
United States fishermen to ply their nets in British North
American waters. The following extracts from official
" Minutes " reveal the feeling of the Maritime Provinces
on the matter :

" May 9, 1866.

" The Executive Council having carefully considered the dis-
patch from His Excellency the Governor-General of Canada of
April 4th, 1866, and the approved Minute of the Canadian Govern-
ment enclosed therein, proposing that fishing licences should be
issued to the fishermen of the United States during the present
year, have the honour to offer the following observations :

" The Council regret that the Government of Canada, in a matter
so vitally affecting the rights and interests of the Maritime Pro-
vinces, should have proposed a policy to the Imperial Government
without previously consulting with the other colonies to be affected
by the proposed arrangement.

" The Council, after the most serious deliberation, and with a
view to meet the wishes both of the Imperial Government and the
Government of Canada, are compelled to state that they are of
opinion that any concession at this moment of the admitted rights

124

Origin of Anti-Confederation

of British subjects to the exclusive use of the inshore fisheries of
British North America would be most impolitic and disastrous to
the interests of British North America.

" The privilege of using these fishing grounds has been deliber-
ately abandoned by the Government and Congress of the United
States, and abundant notice was given to the people of that country,
by the official announcement made more than a year ago, which
abrogated the Reciprocity Treaty.

" If, under these circumstances, when the United States are ex-
hausted by a four years' war and paralysed by an oppressive debt,
any indecision is exhibited in the maintenance of these undoubted
and admitted rights, and a temporising policy instituted which will
be certain to be misconstrued, the Council believe that the prospect
of obtaining a fair Reciprocity Treaty will be demolished, that the
most injurious results will follow, and that the difficulties to be
encountered in a year hence in dealing with the question will be
vastly enhanced.

" At the same time the Council entirely concur in the view enun-
ciated by the Right Honourable the Secretary of State for the
Colonies, recommending that while firmly maintaining the exclu-
sive right to the fishing grounds, the local Government should
exercise all possible forbearance in pressing their rights and the
utmost caution in selecting the cases for enforcing the extreme
penalty of confiscation. In this spirit the legislation of this Pro-
vince had already been modified so as to remove any reasonable
cause of complaint on the part of the United States. The Council
would again submit the advantages which would arise from mutual
consultation between members of the Governments of these Pro-
vinces at an early day at some central place, for the purpose of
arranging joint and co-operative action upon a question of such
deep interest to all."

A dispatch from Mr. Cardwell, Secretary of State for
the Colonies, to the Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia,
dated May 26, 1866, related to the Minute of Council dis-
approving of the policy of issuing licences to the fishermen
of the United States as proposed by the Governor of Canada.

In reply to this dispatch, the Council, after reiterating
the reasons first submitted against the licence system, said :

" It is not, however, necessary now to expound the numerous
objections entertained in this Province to the proposed Canadian

125

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

policy ; suffice it to say, that the Council entertaining the opinion
that that policy would be most disastrous in its effects upon British
interests, felt it their duty to respectfully submit their opinions
for the consideration of Her Majesty's Government.

" After giving this important question the most careful con-
sideration, the Council regret that they cannot change the opinion
■which they had formed, but they fully appreciate the necessity of
meeting the view of Her Majesty's Government, so strongly ex-
pressed in Mr. Cardwell's despatch of the 25th ultimo, and accord-
ingly withdraw their objection, and agree to grant the licences for
the year as desired.

"June 22, 1866."

The history and final ontcome of the device of issuing
licences to the fishermen of the United States, which cul-
minated in the Washington Treaty of 1871, is a case in
evidence of the subtle insight Dr. Tupper had of the work-
ing and tendencies of expediencies in political matters. The
foregoing shows that from the first he saw that this nominal
licence would be, to United States politicians, a transparent
veil used in a futile attempt to conceal British timidity.

126

CHAPTEE VIII

ANTI-CONFEDERATION IN ENGLAND (1866)

SIR CHARLES says in his journal :
" When we returned to power in 1863 I had obtained
a medical practice so large and lucrative that I could
not afford to abandon it. I formed a co-partnership with
Dr. Wickwire, and remained in the practice of my profes-
sion. I at this time held the positions of leader of the
Government (which involved the leadership of the House of
Assembly), and City Medical Officer, which I did not resign
until during the session of 1866, when I had carried the
measure for the organisation of the Halifax Hospital and
Poor Asylum. In addition to these duties I wrote almost
all the political leaders in the British Colonist when in
Halifax from 1855 to 1870.

" On the 10th of April the ship England, bound to New
York, which had sailed from Liverpool on the 25th of March
with 1,200 passengers beside the crew, put into Halifax in
distress. One hundred and fifty-six cases of Asiatic cholera
and fifty-six deaths had occurred. The dead bodies were
towed in boats behind the ship, and the pilot brought
her into the quarantine station on McNab's Island. Dr.
John Slayter, the Health Officer of the port, volunteered
to take charge. The sick were all removed to the island
and the dead buried at its southern end. Drs. Gossip and
Garvie and the brother of the latter also volunteered to
assist. Dr. Slayter, two priests who were among the
passengers, and Rev. Mr. Mclsaac, of St. Mary's, de-
voted themselves to the sick and dying. The most effective
arrangements were made by the Government for supply-
ing everything required, but 300 of the passengers and

127

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

ship's crew were buried on the island, and poor Dr. Slay-
ter was attacked and died. Not one of the saloon passen-
gers was attacked. The pilot who brought the ship in
returned to Herring Cove, where he belonged. I sent Dr.
Pryor there, and had the pilot's house placed in quaran-
tine. He died, and his wife, who washed his clothing,
died; and the daughter, who was the only other person
in the house, was attacked, but recovered. No other case
occurred at Herring Cove.

" One Sunday morning a poor man, living in a small
isolated house near the shore on the outskirts of Halifax,
asked me to visit his child. The moment I saw the little
girl it was evident that it was the dread disease. I called
a policeman and told him not to allow anyone to enter
or leave the house until I returned, then drove straight to
the hospital, where I arranged for a room to be completely
isolated. I then took the horse out of my wagon and put
it in the ambulance, drove back to the house, took the sick
child, with her father and mother, into the ambulance, and
placed them in the isolated part of the hospital. As soon as
I saw the child I asked the mother if she had used anything
that had washed ashore from the ship England, which was
anchored about a mile distant. She said she had not. The
child and mother died, and the father, who was attacked,
recovered. The mother before her death confessed that she
found a piece of fine canvas on the shore, and made a petti-
coat for the little girl. I had the house and all it contained
burned the next day. No other case occurred in Halifax.
No more conclusive evidence has ever been given of the con-
tagiousness of Asiatic cholera."

Shortly after the prorogation of the Legislature in 1866,
Mr. Archibald and Dr. Tupper went to Ottawa to consult
with the Government. It was then arranged that the dele-
gates from Nova Scotia1 and New Brunswick should sail

1 The delegates from Nova Scotia were : Dr. Tupper and Messrs. W. A. Henry,
J. W. Ritchie, and Alex. McFarlane.

128

Anti-Confederation in England

from Halifax on July 19, and those from Canada should
sail from New York on July 21, accompanied by Lord
Monck. The Government of Canada pressed the Nova
Scotia Government to agree to issue licences to American
fishermen for one year, to which consent was reluctantly
given.

S. L. Tilley telegraphed Dr. Tupper on June 19 :

"Think arrangements can be made to send delegates at time
named. Please telegraph me what you decide on fishery question."

He also wired Dr. Tupper July 11 :

"Have changes in England led you to conclude that delegation
should be delayed, or do you send delegates on the 19th ? We can
be ready to act with you in either case."

And again on the same date :

" You should communicate at once with Canada. Suspect they
are not preparing to leave on the 21st."

Lord Monck wired Sir F. Williams, July 10 :

" Resignation of English Ministry has been accepted. I think
no arrangement for going home can be made until we hear further
from England."

Sir F. Williams replied :

" Your telegram just received. Lord Derby has formed adminis-
tration. New Brunswick and Nova Scotia delegates leave here as
arranged with you on the 19th. If agreement that Canadian delega-
tion should go on the 21st is broken, Confederation will be destroyed
by Canadian Government."

On June 20, Mr. J. A. Macdonald wired Dr. Tupper :

" The delegation cannot leave until the end of the session. We
are hurrying the business as far as we can, but can fix no day for
prorogation."

July 14, Dr. Tupper wired Mr. J. A. Macdonald :

"Lord Monck's telegram intimating delay just received. Nova

Scotia and New Brunswick will leave on the 19th as agreed with you.

Any delay on the part of Canada for reasons personally explained

will undoubtedly be fatal to Confederation. This Province is con-

J 129

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

vulsed by Canadian policy on fisheries. Petitions against union
being signed all over the country."

Again, on July 19, Dr. Tupper wired Mr. J. A.
Macdonald :

" Africa arrived yesterday. Parliament will continue in session
with no probability of meeting again until next year. New Brunswick
and Nova Scotia delegates go by steamer to-night and rely upon
Canadian delegates meeting them prompt in London as agreed.
We speak advisedly when we say that any further delay would be
most dangerous to Confederation."

After the Nova Scotia delegates were on board the
Cuba, Dr. Tupper received the following telegram from
Mr. Macdonald :

" Lord Monck refuses to go to England or to authorise a delegation
from Canada to go until instructions received from new Secretary of
State."

Before leaving Halifax Dr. Tupper had some correspond-
ence1 with the Hon. J. A. Macdonald, in which he impressed
upon him the necessity of seeing that the Canadian delegates
should meet the others in London, as arranged, on which
matter the following extracts from a letter written by Mr.
J. A. Macdonald to Mr. S. L. Tilley throw an interesting
light :

"We had made great progress in our Legislature when Messrs.
Tupper and Archibald were here. They pressed our early departure for
England, and we felt that the public business was in such a position
that we might safely agree to sail on the 21st of July. Scarcely had
these gentlemen left Canada, when Lord Monck received letters from
Mr. Cardwell, stating that there was no chance of a Bill being passed
in the then session of the Imperial Parliament, and this was followed
by the news of the defeat of the Ministry.

" Even had we sailed on the 21st of July, I do not believe that Con-
federation could have been carried. The settlement of the terms
of the Bill (Confederation Bill for the British Parliament) is not the
work of a day — it must take weeks of constant, anxious labour. . . .

" The delegates from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia went at their
own risk after full notice that they would not be joined by a deputa-
tion from Canada."

1 These letters appear In " Recollections of Sixty Years."
130

Anti-Confederation in England

When the Canadian Government failed, for reasons
assigned, to fulfil the agreement, Dr. Tupper saw that
further delay would imperil the Union scheme in London.
Mr. Howe, as a delegate from the opponents of Union,
armed with petitions sent by Opposition members of the
Legislature and large numbers of the dissentients in the
Province, had departed, and would, by employing his
popular talents, leave nothing undone to defeat the pass-
ing of the British North America Act.

Immediately after arriving in England, Dr. Tupper wrote
a letter to Lord Carnarvon pointing out the necessity of deal-
ing with the question of Confederation with as little delay

as possible :

Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool,

July 28, 1866.
My Dear Lord Carnarvon, — Mr. Tilley on the part of the dele-
gates from New Brunswick, and I on that from Nova Scotia, have
this morning taken the liberty of asking by telegraph if it would be
convenient for your Lordship to favour our delegations with an inter-
view on Monday next, and I now venture confidentially to place
before you as briefly as I can the present position of the question of
Confederation, and the great necessity which exists for bringing it
to a conclusion at the earliest period possible.

[AfLer recounting the history of the Quebec Convention and the
events which followed in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, leading
up to the appointment of delegates, he proceeds] :

In the meantime a change of ministry took place here, and Lord
Monck then declined to come or send delegates until he received an
intimation to that effect from your Lordship. This final determina-
tion did not reach me until the delegates from both the Lower
Provinces were on board the Cuba and leaving the wharf. Under
these circumstances it is desirable, I think, at once to communicate
to your Lordship the reasons which induce the delegates from Nova
Scotia and New Brunswick to regard delay in the final consummation
of this great work as fraught with the utmost hazard. In Nova Scotia
Mr. Joseph Howe has organised an active and formidable opposition
to the union of the Lower Provinces with Canada, and although
Messrs. Archibald and McCully, who have been the leaders of the
Opposition to the present Government, have co-operated with us

131

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

most earnestly on this question, and are sustained by the more in-
telligent portion of that party, yet the great body of the Opposition
will unite with Mr. Howe to defeat Confederation and obtain power.
On the other hand, the Government have rendered themselves and
many of their supporters extremely unpopular by carrying a measure
providing for the support of education by direct taxation. Many of
the bankers and most wealthy merchants who formerly sustained us,
under the impression that Confederation will injure their position,
have transferred their support to Mr. Howe. The financial position
of Nova Scotia is in the most flourishing condition, and the opponents
of Confederation excite the masses of the people by the assertion
that their taxes will be increased to sustain the extravagance of a
Canadian Government, and to defend the long line of exposed Canadian
frontier, while the best interests of the Maritime Provinces will be
sacrificed by a Government in whose Legislature their influence will
be overborne by numbers.

Just at the time when the friends of Confederation were endeavour-
ing to meet these arguments, Mr. Gait has proposed a Budget with a
large increase of expenditure, and the people of Nova Scotia are
deeply annoyed at finding that the fisheries of the Maritime Provinces
have been sacrificed by the adoption of the Canadian proposal to
issue fishing licences to foreigners. Skilful agitators thus effectually
armed with the means of inflaming the popular mind against Canada
are obtaining numerously signed petitions to the Imperial Parliament
against Confederation, and there can be no doubt that an appeal
to the people would result in the reversal of the resolution of the
Legislature in favour of union, and the defeat of the measure for many
years. . . .

Mr. Howe is now in this country for the purpose of enlisting
opposition in Parliament and inducing delay until a general election
takes place in Nova Scotia, which, under the law, cannot be deferred
beyond May next. The Legislature must be called together in time
to pass the Revenue Act which expires in March next, and when it
does meet there is too much reason to fear that the vote in favour of
union passed last session will, from the reasons I have mentioned, be
at once reversed, even by the existing Assembly. Regarding as I
do the union of the British North American Colonies as essential to
their security and continued connection with the British Crown, and
that any delay under existing circumstances may be fraught with
the most serious results, I have felt it my duty to endeavour, as briefly
as I could, to put your Lordship in possession of the facts which would
show the position in which this question now stands.

132

Anti-Confederation in England

In the hope that means may be devised to meet the emergency
and accomplish an object so much to be desired, both in an Imperial
and Colonial point of view. — I remain, my dear Lord, Yours faith-
fully.

Charles Tupper.

The Right Honourable

The Earl of Carnarvon.

The fact that if the British North America Act were
not passed soon the complications with which it was em-
barrassed would defeat its success, was a belief never
absent from Dr. Tupper's mind. It was a race between
Joseph Howe and Dr. Tupper.

Howe, by Dr. Tupper's letter to Lord Carnarvon, was
defeated before the Canadian delegates set foot on British
soil. Dr. Tupper ever kept his eye on the goal. That
faculty for penetrating the future, discerning and compre-
hending new problems, related and complex, was at this
time in intense and continuous exercise. The outcome of
the campaign took form in his mind, and through pro-
cesses which outran logic he saw the final solution. For
the accomplishment, therefore, of the plan to confederate
the British North America Provinces, all his energies and
powers were enlisted, with the result now well known.

Sir Charles says in his journal :

" On Monday, the 30th of July, we had an interview
with Lord Carnarvon, who sent an urgent cable to Lord
Monck. On the next day we went to the House of Lords
by invitation, and heard Lord Carnarvon on Confedera-
tion. On August 3 I called on Lady Monck, who received
me most cordially. On the 4th August I dined with Colonel
North, M.P., and Baroness North, where I met Sir Alex.
Milne, who invited me to visit them at Inveresk. Archibald
and I visited Mrs. 0. D. Archibald at Lake Windermere.

u The Canadian Government, in addition to the change
of government in England and the threatened Fenian
attack, met with such difficulty in reference to the ques-
tion of the protection of religious minorities, causing the

i33

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

resignation of Hon. A. T. Gait, as to involve much delay.
This made it impossible to obtain an Imperial Act from
the Imperial Parliament during the existing session. The
Imperial Government did all in their power to make it
pleasant for us. We were invited to spend several days
at Stowe, the charming residence of the Duke of Bucking-
ham, and at Blenheim Palace, the finest place in England
— both dukes were members of the Cabinet. The Earl of
Carnarvon made us very welcome at Highclere, and Sir
C. B. Adderley entertained us at Harms, Birmingham.
We had the pleasure of meeting many leading public men,
members of the House of Commons and Peers.

" From the Lakes, Archibald and I went to Newcastle,
and I to North Shields, where I found my old friend Captain
Arthur and his wife very glad to see me. Went at 4 p.m.
Saturday to Edinburgh— Alma Hotel. . . . 14th. . . . August
21. — Henry, Bitchie, McFarlane and I had a meeting with
Jeyes and O'Beirne re the Annapolis Railway. We went
to Stowe — met Mrs. Adderley and Mr. Hardy and others
at dinner. The duchess asked me for my photo and to
prolong my visit. 23rd. — The duchess insisted upon my
remaining until Monday. Mr. Adderley invited Archi-
bald, McFarlane, Tilley and me to visit him at Harms
Hall on Wednesday next. Received invitation from Colonel
North to go to Wroxton Abbey till Monday next— engaged
— returned to London 28th.

" The Duke of Buckingham drove us over to Wooton,
another of his houses, about four miles from Stowe. On
the way he pointed out a tavern-sign which had been
swinging there more than a hundred years. ' John Huff
sells good ale, and that's enough'; to which had been
added, after spirits came in : < A mistake here— Foreign
spirits as well a« beer.'

"Wooton had been burnt down, and after many years
recently rebuilt. In doing so they came upon the wine-
cellar under the debris, and found it stocked with wine.

i34

Anti-Confederation in England

We took back with us a magnum of port labelled ' Very
old Port ' more than a century before. I thought it very
poor for its age.

" The Duke of Marlborough, then President of the
Council, had done much to repair the effects of his father's
extravagance. He told me that the great circular hall
where you enter the palace had no roof on it when he came
into possession. Blenheim then was full of splendid paint-
ings, brought, I presume, from the best collections on the
Continent of Europe by the famous general to whom the
dukedom was given by the Crown and Blenheim by the
Parliament. In going through the rooms I was much im-
pressed by an altar-piece over the mantel by Raphael. I
asked Mr. Stokes, afterwards knighted, who was visiting
Blenheim at the same time, how much it was worth. He
said ten thousand pounds. That painting was purchased
for the nation by Mr. Childers when Chancellor of the
Exchequer. He paid seventy thousand pounds for it; a
striking evidence of the increased wealth of the country
since 18G6. It is now in the National Gallery. The
duchess showed me a massive frame of solid gold con-
taining the dispatch written in pencil on a sheet of paper
torn from a soldier's account-book by the great general on
horseback, using a kettle-drum for a table. In this dispatch
to Queen Anne he made his humble duty to the Queen and
said the God of battles had decided in his favour — that the
Battle of Blenheim was won and five of the enemy's generals
were imprisoned in his carriage. This is, to the best of my
recollection, the substance of the dispatch. The duchess
told me that great consternation was felt a few years before
when this dispatch of such great historic interest disappeared,
and after the utmost efforts could not be found. When search
had been abandoned it was found by a bookbinder in the
village within the leaves of an old Bible which had been
sent there to be rebound. After that the frame of solid
gold with a glass face was adopted to prevent a similar

i35

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

mishap. Kemained at Blenheim September 9 to 21,
1866."

Another extract from Sir Charles's journal reveals the
methods of the Anti-Confederationists in England :

" It was, after all, fortunate that we went to England
when we did. Mr. Howe had gone to England as soon
as our House was prorogued, accompanied by Messrs.
Annand and Hugh Macdonald, ' to carry the war into
Africa.' Shortly after our arrival he published a pam-
phlet, entitled, ' Confederation Considered in Relation to
the Unity of the Empire.' A copy was sent to every
member of the Houses of Lords and Commons. Lord
Carnarvon sent for me, September 22. He told me that
this brochure had caused great consternation among the
friends of the proposed Confederation ; that he had just
breakfasted with a large number of the members of both
Houses, where the opinion was unanimous that a great
mistake had been made, and that it would be ruinous to
pass the Act. He put the Star,1 Mr. Bright's organ in
London, in my hand. This paper had been a strong
advocate of Confederation ; but a two-column leader that
morning gave an elaborate review of Mr. Howe's pam-
phlet, endorsing his views in the strongest manner. Lord
Carnarvon and Sir C. B. Adder ley (now Lord Norton)
urged me to deal with the subject at once and endeavour
to stem the hostility to the measure which Howe's pam-
phlet had created. I promised to do the best I could. I
at once wrote asking an interview with the editor of the
Star. I received a reply inviting me to come to his office
at 3 o'clock the next day. I met Mr. Justin McCarthy
and Mr. Chesson, who were then editing the Star. 1 in-
troduced myself as the leader of the Government of Nova
Scotia, and said it would perhaps save time if I read a
letter which 1 had prepared on their review of Mr. Howe's
pamphlet for insertion in the Star, and I thought they would

1 The Morning Star.
136

Anti-Confederation in England

agree that if Mr. Howe did not reply to my letter they had
been egregiously misled. I then read the letter. They at
once said it would appear the next day, and if Mr. Howe
did not promptly refute the statements I had made in it,
the Star would be at my service. The letter was published1
— Mr. Howe did not venture to challenge the accuracy of a
statement I had made. The Star promptly retracted all
they had said — declared they had been completely misled
— and from that time strongly supported the passing of
the Imperial Act.

" I then addressed myself to the work of replying to
Mr. Howe's pamphlet in a letter addressed to Lord Car-
narvon, which was published in pamphlet form, and a
copy was sent to all the peers and every member of the
House of Commons, as also to the Press of the United
Kingdom. The response from all portions of the United
Kingdom was such as to set all anxiety upon the action
of Parliament at rest."

The letter to Lord Carnarvon was a masterly presenta-
tion of the Confederation case, which lack of space docs
not admit of reproduction here. It neutralised thoroughly
Mr. Howe's arguments, and rendered any effective reply
on his part impossible. No attempt was made to meet its
arguments. Truth to tell, Mr. Howe had been tempted to
take a false position, and instead of being a giant in the
right, as he always had been when advocating Confedera-
tion, he became a pygmy in defence of the wrong.

1 It was reprinted in " Recollections of Sixty Years."

•37

CHAPTER IX

BRITISH NORTH AMERICA ACT (1866—67)

THE following extracts are from Sir Charles's journal :
" Mr. Tilley and I -went to Liverpool, by invita-
tion of the Chamber of Commerce there, to repre-
sent Nova Scotia and New Brunswick at the banquet
given to Sir James Anderson on successfully picking up
the cable lost the previous year and establishing perma-
nent communication between Europe and America. Sir
Stafford Northcote, the President of the Board of Trade,
presided. I responded to the toast, ' The British North
American Colonies,' and Mr. Tilley followed.

" Dined the next evening with S. R. Graves, M.P. ; met
Sir S. Northcote, Mr. F. B. Horsfall, M.P., Mr. Rankin,
and a large party.

" Went with Sir S. Northcote, Mr. Graves, M.P., and
Mr. Laird, M.P., to visit Laird's works, the Scotia, the
great northern entrance to the docks, and the Great
Eastern just in the condition in which she picked up the
cable and laid it to America. They told us that the
buoys attached when it was lost had been washed away,
but they placed the Great Eastern in the latitude and
longitude described in the log, dropped the grappling-
irons on the bottom, and letting the ship drift, in twenty
minutes they had the cable and drew it on board without
difficulty.

" I dined at the Town Hall— fifty others, including the
Bishop of Chichester. I responded to v The British North
American Colonies.'

" I returned to London and worked at my reply to Howe's

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British North America Act

pamphlet. This was finished on the 17th of October, and
shortly after sent to the Press of the United Kingdom and
to the members of both Houses of Parliament. The Colonial
Office expressed a warm appreciation of my effort, and the
favourable comments of the Press were numerous.

" Sunday, October 21. — Met my dear wife and daughter
Emma on board the Cuba, and we went to London.

" Friday, 26.— Mr. and Mrs. Kitchie, Mrs. and Miss
Archibald went with my wife and daughter and self to
Paris.

" On the 1st of December I sent a letter to the people
of Nova Scotia in reply to a pamphlet published in London
by Mr. Howe on ' The Organisation of the Empire.' My
letter was published in the British Colonist December 13,
I860."

The following extracts from this letter show the vigour
with which Dr. Tupper conducted this part of his campaign :
'* Mr. Howe's scheme would be as useless as it would be unjust and
oppressive. It would impoverish the treasuries of the colonies and
subject their Inhabitants to a conscription, and the Empire would be
weakened instead of strengthened."

" The perusal of the two pamphlets, written by Mr. Howe within
a few weeks of each other, affords the best evidence of the utter want
of principle of the writer, and the impossibility of opposing Confedera-
tion without resorting to the most disingenuous and contradictory
statements."

" Mr. Howe objected to Confederation on the ground that it would
increase the existing tariffs in British America. He now advocates
a scheme of taxation for Imperial purposes which must inevitably
involve a very great increase in the tariffs of all the Provinces.

" Mr. Howe objected to union because it would entail additional
expenditure to protect the frontier of Canada. He now asks to have
the colonies taxed to support the Army and Navy of Great Britain,
and declares our readiness to pay pound for pound with the English.
" Mr. Howe opposed Confederation on the ground that some of
our young men might be called upon to aid in the defence of other
portions of British America. He now proposes to subject every man
in the colony to conscription, to fight the battles of England in every
part of the world."

>39

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

" It is my confident belief that the enlightened statesmen who
control the destinies of the Empire will treat with the contempt
which it deserves, this audacious proposal to substitute the despotism
of France and Russia for the free constitutional system which has
made British Institutions the envy of the world."

The Canadian representatives having ultimately reached
England, a meeting of all the delegates took place on
November 80 at the Westminster Palace Hotel, when Dr.
Tupper moved, and Mr. Tilley seconded, that the Hon.
J. A. Macdonald be chairman. Colonel Bernard was
secretary. It was decided that Canada should have two
votes and New Brunswick and Nova Scotia one each.

After Dr. Tupper and Mr. Tilley had formally reported
the resolutions passed by the Nova Scotia and New Bruns-
wick Legislatures, the Conference proceeded with the Quebec
resolutions. This was continued de die in diem until Decem-
ber 24, when the resolutions were finally passed, and the
Conference adjourned until Friday, December 28.

The most important matter finally arranged at the West-
minster Palace Conference was the provision made for pro-
tecting the educational rights of minorities by the Federal
Parliament, in case they were infringed by the local legis-
lature.

Sir Charles's journal deals with the social side of the
Conference, and says :

" On December 3, my wife, Emma and self received
an invitation from Colonel and Baroness North to visit
them at Wroxton Abbey, from Thursday, the 13th, to the
Monday following. I had made a visit there with the Hon.
Mr. Kitchie and the B.C. Archbishop of Halifax some time
before my wife and daughter arrived. We met a number
of distinguished visitors there on the 13th, including the
Bishop of Oxford, Wilberforce, and his chaplain. The
Bishop arrived alone, and when the Baroness inquired
why the chaplain had not come, the Bishop replied :
' He's dead,' but added : ' I assume that, as I told him

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British North America Act

to meet me at the station, and nothing else can excuse
his not being there.' The next train brought the chap-
lain, who had gone early to meet the Bishop and was
asleep in the waiting-room when the train left.

" At breakfast one morning Colonel North, who was a
most kindhearted man, but much excited over an agita-
tion Mr. Bright was then making in Scotland, said : ' I
could enjoy my breakfast if I could see John Bright sus-
pended from the arm of that tree '—alluding to a giant
oak in front of the window. The Bishop said : ' I cannot
approve of that, Colonel North — it is bloodthirsty. Now,
I would enjoy my breakfast if I knew he was suspended
there without seeing him.'

" The Bishop told us a good story at Colonel North's
expense. Kogers, the poet, who was not a handsome man,
used to walk in the middle of the street, where Colonel
North one evening drove over him and broke his leg. The
Colonel took him in his brougham to Bogers's house in
Park Lane, went and brought the great surgeon Liston,
and was with Kogers half the night. The next day he
called, and the servant told Kogers Colonel North had
called to see him. Rogers said : ' Who's Colonel North ? '
The servant said : ' The gentleman who was connected with
the accident last night.' ' Tell him I'm out,' snarled Rogers.

" On Sunday we all drove to Banbury to hear the
Bishop of Oxford preach the opening sermon, as the
church had been undergoing extensive repairs. That
evening the Bishop took Baroness North in to dinner. I sat
at her other side. The conversation turned upon exclusive-
ness in the church. The Bishop said to the Baroness :
' You are quite right, the doors of the church should be
kept open. If they are, even the Baptists, who are the
worst of all, may be brought in.' The soubriquet of the
Bishop was ' Soapy Sam,' and I had often heard it said
that it was impossible to get him in a corner from which
he could not extricate himself.

141

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

" In the drawing-room after dinner, I said : ' My lord,
we have had some discussion as to what you meant in a
part of your sermon, and I ventured an opinion that you
meant (so and so).'

" ' Why, that is exactly what I did mean ; but I see you
have given some attention to these matters.'

" I replied : ' My father was a Baptist minister, and my
attention was naturally drawn to Biblical criticism.'

" I saw in an instant that he recollected what he had
said at dinner; but his lordship was equal to the occasion.
He said : ' Baptist minister, was he ? Well, I can under-
stand anyone being a Baptist ; but what I cannot under-
stand is how our Evangelical Church people can be any-
thing else.'

" Colonel North was Captain Doyle, on leave from his
regiment in India, when he met Baroness North, who was
a granddaughter of the great Lord North. Captain Doyle
resigned his commission, married her, and took the name
of North ; became a colonel in the militia, and represented
Oxford in the House of Commons until after her death.
They had one son, Lord North, who became of age shortly
before we were there. Colonel North was an excellent man,
respected by all who knew him, and the Baroness a clever
and very interesting woman, much older than her husband.
I have never known man and wife more devoted to each other.

" My wife and I received the Queen's commands to attend
a Court for presentation, but as I had cabled to call the
Legislature for the 16th of March, I wrote to Lord Carnarvon
explaining that I was obliged to sail before the date fixed.
In consequence, we received the Queen's commands to attend
a Court on the 27th of February. This was a Court which
was usually confined to the Diplomatic Corps of foreign
countries and gentlemen who had received important
appointments.

u At half -past twelve of that day, Mr. Macdonald,
Messrs. Cartier, Gait, Tilley and myself were presented

142

British North America Act

to Her Majesty at Buckingham Palace by the Earl of
Carnarvon. We were all received separately, no one being
in the room with the Queen, who was very gracious, but
the Princess Louise and Lord Carnarvon. The. Queen con-
gratulated me upon the success of our efforts, and when
I expressed the gratification with which Her Majesty's
loyal subjects would learn the deep interest she had
evinced in the measure, she replied : ' I take the deepest
interest in it because I believe it will make them great and
prosperous.' We were all duly presented again at three
o'clock, when Mrs. Macdonald and my wife were in-
cluded. Lord Monck was also presented on his appoint-
ment as Governor-General of confederated Canada, and
Lord Boville on his appointment as Chief Justice.

" The Hon. J. A. Macdonald was married to Miss
Bernard on the 16th of February by Bishop Fulford at
St. George's Chapel, our daughter Emma being the
bridesmaid. Although but a young girl at that time, she
resembled me so much that Mr. Smiles (the author of
' Self Help '), when dancing with her at a ball given to
the delegates at the Guildhall by the Lord Mayor, asked
her to introduce him to her brother.

" I had arranged to meet Lord Carnarvon in the lobby
of the House of Lords when he was to introduce the Im-
perial Act of Union. When waiting, the Marquis of Nor-
manby came in. His lordship met me very cordially, and
assured me he would give us the most hearty support in
promoting Confederation. He said : ' I told your friend
Mr. Howe, when he came to me, that when he was my
adviser in Nova Scotia he had not so much respect for
petitions as he professed now." I thanked Lord Nbr-

1 As has been shown in an earlier chapter, after the election of 1859, petitions
to the Lieutenant-Governor, Earl Mulgrave (afterwards Lord Normanby), came
in from the people protesting against a Government holding power by the
seduction of members who had been elected to oppose them, also by a number
of members holding their seats in the Assembly contrary to law. Mr. Howe,
then Premier, found it convenient to instruct the Governor that he must be

143

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

manby, and returned his courtesy years afterwards when
I was requested, as one of the stewards, to propose his
health at a banquet given to him on his return from
Australia, where he had been a Lieutenant-Governor."

The colonial delegates finally agreed upon a plan to sub-
mit to the Government and Parliament of Great Britain.
The discussion in the House of Lords was concluded by Earl
Carnarvon in these words :

" In the first place, the delegates who are present in England are
gentlemen accredited by their own local authorities, and they have
been detained here a long time in consequence of this measure at
great personal inconvenience to themselves, and I must also say to
the great public inconvenience of their respective localities. I,
therefore, greatly object to Parliament, without any real and valid
reason, and I can hardly admit that any such reason has been urged
this evening, detaining these gentlemen for a fortnight or a month
longer. And then as to the question of the thirty thousand petitioners.
We have never had any expression as to who these petitioners really
are. I believe the population of Nova Scotia is upwards of two hun-
dred and fifty thousand. Now, I am willing to take it as a fact on
the word of the noble lord that thirty thousand are petitioners against
this measure, but I must say that the evidence of that fact is wholly
wanting. I understand that a petition has been presented in another
place, but no petition whatever against this measure has been pre-
sented to your Lordships, and this House, therefore, is in no way
cognisant of this petition. The House has simply to ascertain who
are the constituted authorities in Nova Scotia, whom we are bound
to listen to and whose opinion we are bound to accept. Well, it
was only in June last that the Nova Scotia Parliament came to a
distinct resolution in favour of Confederation — a resolution as distinct
as words could express it. That resolution empowered certain gentle-
men to proceed on their behalf to England to negotiate with Her
Majesty's Government. These accredited gentlemen were accord-
ingly sent, and the terms have been negotiated and embodied in this

guided by his constitutional advisers, and that confusion would attend any
attempt to consider the petitions of dissatisfied constituents. Then in 1865
Mr. Howe went to London armed with petitions from minorities in the Legis-
lature and in the country for the purpose of defeating Confederation, thus resting
his case on grounds which he had in the past taught Lord Normanby to dis-
regard ; hence the gibe of the noble lord.

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British North America Act

measure. If responsible government means anything, it means this.
That you not only give to a colony free institutions and enable the
inhabitants to elect their own Parliament, but you also undertake in
matters of colonial policy to deal with that colony through legally
constituted authorities. Any other view of the case would lead us to
endless difficulty."

John Bright in the House of Commons, in the course
of his speech, said :

" I do not believe at all in the right and propriety of a Legislature
voting on a great question of this nature, as for example, the Legisla-
ture of Nova Scotia, if the people of Nova Scotia have never had
the question put to them. ... If this question has never been placed
before the people of that Province by an election, if it has never been
discussed and decided at the hustings, seeing that only two or three
months will elapse before there will be an opportunity to ascertain
the opinion of the population of Nova Scotia, I think it is at least a
hazardous proceeding to pass the Bill through Parliament, putting
Nova Scotia into it until the clear opinions of the Province have been
obtained. . . . For my part, I want the population of those countries to
do what they consider best for their own interests."

With some changes, the Quebec Scheme passed both
Houses of Parliament and, having received the Royal
Assent, became law. The delegates returned, those sent
by the Government with the calm gratification of victors,
and those sent by zealous anti-Confederates, in the grim
mood of defeat. Confederation had been taken out of the
conditions of uncertainty and firmly grounded in reality.
The strenuous work, lasting from 1864 until 1867, of
grappling with essential difficulties, largely augmented by
incidental opposition, of creating a dominion out of four
disjointed Provinces, not yet united even by a railway,
had been accomplished. The colonies had ceased to exist
as separate dependencies of the Crown and begun to make
history as a part of a great nationality included in the
British Empire.

On March 16, 1867, the leader of the Government, Dr.
Tupper, had returned from England, and was in his place

k MS

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

at the opening of the Legislature which he had summoned
by cablegram from England. In the Governor's speech may
be found the following reference to Confederation :

" I rejoice to be able to congratulate you upon the success which
has attended the Delegation sent by me under your authority to confer
with Her Majesty's Government on the Union of the colonies. The
papers relating to this important subject will be immediately laid
before you.

" In the firm conviction that the Union of Canada, New Brunswick
and Nova Scotia upon the terms provided in the Bill submitted by
Her Majesty's Government to the Imperial Parliament, will largely
increase the prosperity of all these Provinces and contribute to the
strength and stability of those British institutions which it is their
good fortune to enjoy, I commend to your consideration such changes
and amendments in our existing laws as may be found necessary."

The address in reply to the Governor's speech, moved
by Mr. Bourinot, contained these words : '

" We have learned with deep satisfaction that the efforts to effect
a satisfactory union of the British North American colonies have been
so successful, and entertain no doubts that the best interests of these
Provinces will be greatly enhanced and that their connection with
the Crown and the parent State will be thereby permanently secured."

Stuart Campbell gave notice of an amendment to the
address, which resolved itself into a protest against having
sent the delegates to England, the declaration of a crisis in
Nova Scotia's history, and a claim and demand that Con-
federation should have no operation in the Provinces until
it had been reviewed by the Legislature and sanctioned by
the people.

The following extracts are taken from Dr. Tupper's reply
to those who had spoken in support of the amendment :

" As far as I am individually concerned, I need hardly tell the House
that from the first hour I felt it necessary as a public man to give my
earnest consideration to public matters — from the first hour I felt
it due to the people, the management of whose affairs I had under-

1 In 1865 Mr. Bourinot had opposed the Quebec Scheme, but in 1866 he had
voted to send the delegates to England.

146

British North America Act

taken, to express my opinion on public questions— I have never
hesitated openly, at all times and everywhere, to avow my deep and
settled conviction that in a Union of British North America lay the only
great future for any part of these Provinces. True to these principles,
whether in power or in opposition, to the best of my ability, I have
advocated and sustained these views. I pledged myself to my
countrymen, at all times and under all circumstances, that whatever
power and influence they might put In my hands, I would feel bound
to use for the purpose of advancing the interests, elevating the char-
acter and promoting the security of our common country by a union
of British North America. Believing as I do that not only the most
marked prosperity would have followed, but that the only security
and guarantee for the continued possession of British principles in
any portion of British North America was involved in that great
question, I have never hesitated to declare my opinion that it would
have been wise on the part of Nova Scotia to have entered into that
union under the terms proposed by the Quebec Scheme. . . i

" I was reminded in 1860, after my lecture in St. John and else-
where, that my sentiments were not novel, that they were borrowed
from my political opponents, and that the gentleman then at their
head, Mr. Howe, was one of the originators, as I have never denied he
was, of this great scheme of union. I felt that there was no originality
in my views, that all I had endeavoured to do was to give form and
substance to the question — to pledge myself as a public man, devoted
to the service of the country, to promote the consummation of this
great scheme. . . .

" It was stated that if the British Government had had only proper
information on this question — if that dark cloud which prevented
them from seeing the real facts of the case was only blown away, they
would sustain the views of the gentlemen opposite. . . . But let me ask
when these gentlemen were advocating responsible government in
this country, what did they tell us they were going to give us ? The
institutions of Bepublican America ? No. They said they intended
to give us responsible government, so that the people in this country
might be governed in precisely the same manner that the people in
the British Islands are governed. Who are the interpreters of the
British system ? When gentlemen raise an issue on constitutional
practice, they should sustain their course by reference to the authority
from the country from which we take our system. The whole question
was put before the statesmen and people of England by a gentleman,
second in ability to none in this country, who is one of those who can
almost make the worst appear the better reason, who can put his views

*47

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

before the public in the most conclusive manner that it is possible to
place them. Now when this gentleman, Mr. Howe, has exhausted
months in enunciating his views before the statesmen of the Mother
Country, what did Lord Carnarvon say after a full consideration of
the whole question ?

" Lord Carnarvon said : — ' The House has simply to ascertain who
are the constituted authorities of Nova Scotia whom we are bound to
listen to and whose opinion we are bound to accept.' Well, it was
only in April last that that Parliament came to a distinct resolution
in favour of Confederation, a resolution as distinct as words could
express it.

" In fact, we have the opinion of the statesmen and the Press of
all parties in England in support of the principle — that our Legislature
has the authority of legislating on all matters touching the constitution
for the country, save when it conflicts with Imperial interests.

" Not only is this scheme the very means by which British America
can remain British America — by which we can retain the free British
institutions which it is our pride and our happiness to possess — but
opens up to these countries an avenue of prosperity such as was never
offered to any people before; Therefore I say this measure of union
instead of increasing the burthens of the people, is effected upon terms
which are going to continue us under the agis of Great Britain — to
preserve to us her free institutions, to give us the largest amount of
prosperity ; all this too with an immunity from burthens that might
well make us the envy of the world."

After a discussion of two days, a resolution to refer the
Imperial Confederation Act to the people was negatived by
a vote of 32 to 16. Three of Mr. Archibald's supporters
voted with him against the amendment. Dr. Tupper intro-
duced a Bill amending the local constitution by abolishing
the office of Financial Secretary and devolving the duties of
that office upon the Provincial Secretary, and reducing the
salary of the latter to £600 a year. The office of Deputy
Secretary would also be abolished, but there would be a
Chief Clerk with $1,200 a year. The Bill abolished also
the office of Solicitor-General, and reduced the salary of
Attorney-General to £400 a year. It also abolished the
office of Chairman of the Board of Works. A Treasurer
would be appointed with £500 a year who must have a seat

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British North America Act

in the Legislature, who would have a Clerk of the Works
and a Clerk of Mines under him at $1,000 a year each. Dr.
Tupper introduced also a Bill preventing dual representa-
tion or seats in the local Legislature and general Parlia-
ment being held by the same person. This became law and
was subsequently adopted by the House of Commons. He
also introduced a Bill reducing the number of members of
the local Legislature to thirty-eight, which also became law,
and has never been changed, although strongly opposed at
the time. An Act was passed incorporating the Windsor
and Annapolis Bailway Company, under which that rail-
way was constructed.

149

CHAPTER X

THE FIRST CONFEDERATION GOVERNMENT (1867—68)

THE Roman Catholic Archbishop and all the leading
friends of Confederation in Halifax were very urgent
that Dr. Tupper should run for Halifax with Mr.
John Tobin for the House of Commons. In response to a
large and influential requisition, he had decided to do so,
leaving the seat in Cumberland to Mr. McFarlane. Before,
however, he had answered the requisition, a strong agita-
tion arose among the Roman Catholics to have an Act passed
giving them separate schools, so that they might have the
advantage given under the Imperial Act to minorities. The
Archbishop wrote to Dr. Tupper saying that he found he
could secure him the general support of his people in Hali-
fax only if he would support such a measure. Dr. Tupper
was very indignant, and his final decision was indicated by
a card over his signature published in the British Colonist
pledging himself to stand for Cumberland.

The following form of resolution was sent to Dr. Tupper
by the Archbishop, with a note saying unless it was carried
in the Nova Scotia Legislature he could not hold his people
together in his support :

" Whereas the people of the Province of Nova Scotia are about
entering into Confederation with the Provinces of Upper and Lower
Canada ; and whereas it is of the highest importance that all Protestant
and Catholic minorities throughout the several school districts should
enjoy the same rights and privileges regarding education, as those
enjoyed by their fellow subjects in the two Canadas or in any other
part of the Confederacy ;

"Therefore resolved, that the School Law in Nova Scotia be assimi-
lated to that now prevailing in Upper and Lower Canada, on the

150

The First Confederation Government

subject of the education of religious minorities, whether Protestant
or Catholic."

To this, Dr. Tupper replied in a letter which concluded :
" In view of all these considerations I trust your Grace will not press
for the consideration of this measure by the present Legislature, as
I am satisfied such a policy would be most disastrous to the best
interests of your own people to whom you are so devoted."

Other correspondence was as follows :

Good Friday, 1867, Noon.

My dear Doctor, — I suppose you are half angry with me, but
if you have reason to be agitated and displeased with politics so has
your humble servant to a very large extent.

Messrs. Power and Cochrane are out, and there is not an hour to
be lost in filling up your list for Ottawa and Halifax, and then we go
at them right away. If anything, be it ever so little, can be done
for the school business it will help you and me immensely. If not,
the priests and myself are still with you, but let neither J. Tobin nor
yourself speak or vote against anything of that kind or it would be
certainly fatal. . . . Energetic action is now required, and
prudence and caution still more. We are thinking of sending a
written protest to Power and Cochrane to-day, signed by myself and
all the priests. What think you ? Try and get Dr. Binney's sig-
nature to your requisition. Mine and that of all my priests is at your
service if you think it would not injure you with Protestants — you
have to decide that. I thought I had forwarded the enclosed note
from P. Power. Would that the House had concluded its business.
Frequent conferences should be held for the next week. I must
come out at once in some ostensible form, as otherwise some of our
people may be pledged beforehand.
Let me see you soon, and here I am, — Your ready and fighting friend,

Thomas L. Connolly.

Halifax,

April 20, 1867.
My dear Archbishop, — You are right in supposing that I have
been much surprised and deeply hurt, that after publicly committing
myself to this constituency upon the distinct pledge from your Grace
that the question of separate schools should not be raised until after
the election, you should inform me that effective support must depend
upon my aid to pass such a law during the present session. I am

151

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

well aware that you have been strongly pressed in this matter, and I
am happy to be able to relieve you from embarrassment with your
own people by withdrawing from the contest, which you will see by
this morning's Colonist is already done. It is right that I should
frankly inform your Grace that should a proposal for separate schools
be made in the present Legislature I will feel bound for reasons already
given to oppose it to the best of my ability, and should not shrink
from the performance of that duty were I confident that it would
terminate my public life.

With many thanks for all past favours, — I remain, my dear Arch-
bishop, Yours faithfully,

Charles Tupper.
His Grace The Archbishop of Halifax.

St. Mary's,

April 20, 1867.

My dear Doctor, — On public and on private grounds I deeply
regret your retirement from the representation of Halifax. I regret
it the more, as I take it for granted that some action of mine, whether
reasonably or otherwise, is among the causes that led to this conclusion.
The vindication of my share in the transaction is perfectly clear and
satisfactory to myself, but it is now of little or no concern to anyone
else. You and I will probably be never in the same relations again,
but my views and feelings regarding your public services up to the
present hour will be ever unaltered. As a duty of justice I will say
all that can be urged in your favour to my two clergymen in Cum-
berland, and from my heart I wish you the success you merit

Repeating again and again my unfeigned regret for this untoward
event, — I am, my dear Doctor, Ever yours sincerely,

Thomas L. Connolly.

The session was closed on May 7, and in the Legislative
Council an amendment moved by the Hon. M. B. Almon,
protesting against the Confederation Act being passed with-
out a reference to the people at the polls, was defeated by
a vote of 18 to 12.

Shortly after the House rose, Dr. Tupper wrote to Mr.
Howe challenging him to meet him at Halifax to discuss the
question of Confederation. This he declined, but expressed
a willingness to meet Dr. Tupper at Truro. The following
correspondence took place :

152

The First Confederation Government

Provincial Secretary's Office,
Halifax,

May 30, 1867.
Sir, — As I learn from the Morning Chronicle that you have been
assailing me in my absence, and that you are desirous of meeting
me, I beg to inform you that it will give me much pleasure to meet
you at the Temperance Hall in this City on any evening during next
week that may be most convenient to you, for the purpose of dis-
cussing the issues now before the electors of this Province. — I have
the honour to be, Sir, Your obedient servant,

Charles Tupper.

Fairfield,

Mag 30, 1867.

Sir, — Your note of this morning is beside me. My country

engagements are numerous. I shall address the electors of Colchester

at Truro on Tuesday, and at Stewiacke on Wednesday, and the

electors of East Halifax on Thursday next. At any or all of those

meetings I shall be happy to see you. I propose then to spend a few

days in Cumberland among your own constituents and take it for

granted you will be present. When these meetings are over should

there be anything left unsaid we may perhaps be able to arrange for

another at Temperance Hall or on the Grand Parade, where there

will be more room. — I have the honour to be, Sir, Your very obedient

servant, T TT

Joseph Howe.

Halifax,

May 30, 1867.
Sir, — I regret to find that you are not disposed to give me an
early meeting at the only place capable of holding a large body of
the electors and in the presence of the same men before whom you
have ventured to traduce me in my absence, but I thank you for your
invitation to attend the public meetings to be held at Truro and in
Cumberland, when it will give me much pleasure to meet you. — I
have the honour to be, Sir, Your obedient servant,

Charles Tupper.

Fairfield,

May 31, 1867.
Sir, — Having made free use of my name in the House of Assembly,
where 1 could not meet you for four years ; having attended a political

153

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

gathering at Temperance Hall where my conduct as a public man
was freely handled while I was on the sea, and having just returned
from Cumberland, where in various parts of the country, without
waiting for my presence, you were unsparing in your criticism and
censures, you should hardly complain if for an evening or two I have
followed your example. As the challenged party I have the right to
choose the ground, and in selecting your own county and Mr. Archi-
bald's you must admit that I give you every advantage. — I have the

honour to be, Sir, Your very obedient servant,

Joseph Howe.

They met by arrangement — Howe and McLelan on one
side, Archibald and Dr. Tupper on the other — at the drill -
shed in Truro. They spoke alternately, from 2 p.m. until
dark, to an immense audience.

Having received a mandate from the Governor-General
to form a Government, the Hon. J. A. Macdonald wrote to

Dr. Tupper as follows :

Ottawa,

May 30, 1867.
My dear Tupper, — I have been moving about Upper Canada
since my return, and so have my colleagues. We have had our first
full meetings of Council only this week. "We are to be united you see
on July 1, and there is an infinity of details to be worked out by that
time ; the personnel of the Ministry to be fixed, the offices adjusted,
Lieutenant-Governors appointed, and the whole machinery set in
motion. Most of these things must be done before July 1, and,
therefore, no time is to be lost. I have written Tilley that we must
meet by June 15 at latest here. Will you come on so as to be at
Ottawa by that date, and bring Archibald with you ? I am glad to
say that we are to continue the Government quoad Canada proper on
the old coalition principle. McDougall and Howland are strongly
sustained by their friends and will leave George Brown nowhere.
The old Conservatives as a unit support me, so that we look for a
very large majority. Lord Monck will be here about June 26, just in
time to be sworn in under his new commission. We must settle as to
elections, keep the date silent as long as possible, and then go in to
win. — In haste, Sincerely yours, John A. Macdonald.

Mr. 'Archibald and Dr. Tupper went to Ottawa forthwith.
The Hon. George Brown had left the administration on

'54

The First Confederation Government

December 21, 1865, in consequence of a disagreement on the
question of a delegation to Washington.

Mr. William McDougall and Mr. William P. Howland
requested A. J. F. Blair to take Mr. Brown's place. This
he did, and continued to represent the Liberal party in the
coalition. The two former were invited by Mr. Macdonald
to assist in forming a Government for the Dominion. When
meeting for that purpose, the Hon. G. E. Cartier, the leader
of the Conservatives of Lower Canada, said that he could
not carry the Province of Quebec unless he had two French
members in addition to himself. The Hon. A. T. Gait was
indispensable as the representative of the English-speaking
people of that Province. Thomas D'Arcy McGee was the
only representative of the Irish Catholics in the Govern-
ment. Messrs. Howland and McDougall took the ground
that they could not obtain the support of their Liberal
friends in Ontario unless that Province (so much larger
in population) had a greater representation in the Cabinet
than Quebec. Mr. Macdonald said that with six members
from Ontario and five from Quebec, and two each from
Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, which were indispens-
able, the Cabinet would contain fifteen members, which
was obviously too large. At the end of a week's hopeless
effort to overcome this difficulty, Mr. Macdonald an-
nounced his intention of abandoning the effort and advis-
ing the Governor-General to send for the Hon. George
Brown, who had called a convention of the Liberal party
at Toronto for the following Wednesday to oppose any
Government formed by Mr. Macdonald. Messrs. Howland
and McDougall said in that event they would have no
alternative but to attend that convention and go with
their party. Dr. Tupper saw that the formation of a
strong Liberal-Conservative Government for the Dominion,
to which he attached the utmost importance, was about to
end in a miserable fiasco, and determined to prevent, at
any personal sacrifice, what he regarded as a national mis-

i55

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

fortune. Mr. McGee, who was a warm personal friend, was
confined to his room by a lame leg. Dr. Tupper went and
proposed to him that they should solve the difficulty by
declining to go into the Ministry, and that Dr. Tupper
would provide for the representation of the Irish Catho-
lics by the substitution of Hon. E. Kenny, the President
of the Legislative Council of Nova Scotia, in his place.
Mr. McGee at once cordially agreed to the proposal, and
authorised Dr. Tupper to communicate their decision to
Mr. Macdonald. When Dr. Tupper did so, he said that the
only stipulation he had to make was that Mr. McGee should
be the first person provided for, to which Mr. Macdonald
at once agreed, but said : " What will you do ? Will you
accept a governorship?" Dr. Tupper answered: "No;
I will go back to Nova Scotia, and if I can secure a seat
in Parliament, I will give your Government the best support
in my power."

On Monday morning, when meeting in the Council
Chamber to take leave of each other, as arranged, Messrs.
Howland and McDougall had their overcoats on their arms
and their hats in their hands ready to catch the first train
to enable them to support Brown at the Toronto Conven-
tion. They expressed their great regret at the course they
were obliged to take. Mr. Macdonald said : " Sit down,
gentlemen. Dr. Tupper and Mr. McGee have proposed to
meet the difficulty by declining seats in the administration
and providing for the representation of the Irish Catholics
by the substitution of Mr. Edward Kenny in place of Dr.
Tupper." The new administration was promptly arranged,
and Messrs. Howland and McDougall caught the train and
gave a vigorous and effective opposition to Mr. George Brown
at the convention.

On July 1, 1867, Sir J. A. Macdonald— he having been
created a K.C.B.— formed his Cabinet as follows :

The Hon. Sir J. A. Macdonald, Premier and Minister

of Justice.

156

The First Confederation Government

The Hon. Geo. E. Cartier, Minister of Militia and

Defence.
The Hon. Samuel Leonard Tilley, Minister of Customs.
The Hon. Alex. T. Gait, Minister of Finance.
The Hon. William McDougall, Minister of Public Works.
The Hon. W. P. Howland, Minister of Inland Revenue.
The Hon. Adams G. Archibald, Secretary of State for the

Provinces.
The Hon. A. J. F. Blair, President of the Council.
The Hon. Peter Mitchell, Minister of Marine and

Fisheries.
The Hon. Alex. Campbell, Postmaster General.
The Hon. J. C. Chapais, Minister of Agriculture.
The Hon. Hector L. Eangevin, Secretary of State.
The Hon. Edward Kenny, Receiver-General.

Lord Monck announced the same day that Messrs. Cartier,
Gait, Tilley, Tupper and Howland had been created Com-
panions of the Bath, but Cartier and Gait both declined the
honour.

Dr. Tupper acknowledged the distinction conferred on
him in the following letter :

Armdale, Halifax,

August 16, 1867.
My dear Lord Monck, — I had the pleasure of receiving recently
when in the country, a letter from your Lordship, informing me that
Her Majesty the Queen had done me the honour of conferring upon
me the dignity of a Companionship of the Order of the Bath, in
recognition of my services as one of the delegates to the Conference
respecting the Union of the Colonies. I beg to assure your Lordship
that I am not more gratified by the personal distinction conferred
upon me than by the assurance it conveys of the deep interest felt
by Her Majesty and the Imperial Government in the Union of these
Colonies, a measure destined, as I believe, to increase greatly the
prosperity of them all, and add new dignity to British institutions on
this side of the Atlantic. Permit me, my Lord, to add that the pleasure
afforded by your communication has been very much enhanced by
the very kind terms in which it was conveyed.

157

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

I cannot regret that I had not the honour of forming one of your
first Privy Council for the new Dominion, as I have the satisfaction
of feeling that by declining a seat in the Cabinet I was enabled to
present a solution of difficulties otherwise irreparable, and thus aid
in the formation of a strong and useful administrative. — With much
respect, Believe me to be, Very faithfully yours,

Charles Tupper.
His Excellency Baron Monck,
Go vernor- General.

The general election took place In August and September,
and resulted in a large majority for the Government. Dr.
Tupper was opposed in Cumberland by Mr. Annand. Howe
went into the county, and a series of pitched battles were
fought all over it. Notwithstanding Dr. Topper's most per-
sistent and vigorous efforts, he secured a majority of only
ninety-four. Archibald and all the other supporters of
Confederation were defeated. The hostility to Dr. Tup-
per's measure for free schools supported by direct taxa-
tion, the absence of himself and the other confederate
leaders in England for ten months previously, the deser-
tion of his leading supporters in Halifax, merchants and
bankers, the fact that the Conservatives who were his
main supporters were left, by his declining a seat in the
Government, without any representation there, and the
wild excitement caused by Howe's fierce declaration that
the Province had been sold into bondage to Canada,
aroused a storm that carried all before it. Every seat
but Dr. Tupper's in the House of Commons, and all but
two in the Local Legislature, were carried by the anti-
Unionists.

The proposal adopted at the Quebec Conference, at Dr.
Tupper's suggestion, that the seats in the Senate should bo
in the first place offered to the existing Legislative Council-
lors, and fairly divided between the two parties, was carried

out.

Parliament met on November 6. Mr. Howe made a
violent speech against Confederation, to which Dr. Tupper

158

The First Confederation Government

replied. When Dr. T upper rose to answer Mr. Howe,
his sight never having been in the slightest degree im-
paired, on referring to a quotation in the newspaper
which he said he would read, he was not a little sur-
prised to find he could not see a word. He quoted from
memory, and from that time forward was obliged to use
spectacles.1

Dr. Tupper told Sir John Macdonald that he would not
fake Mr. Archibald's place in the Cabinet, although he had
no doubt of his carrying the county, and Mr. Archibald was
continued in office until the following April.

A Bill was passed during the first session providing for
the construction of the Intercolonial Railway. The Hon.
A. T. Gait, on the refusal of Sir J. A. Macdonald to come
to the rescue of the Commercial Bank, resigned the office
of Finance Minister, and was succeeded by Hon. John Rose,
who introduced a Bill regulating the rate of interest. A
rather amusing incident occurred in connection with that
measure. Sir John Macdonald was anxious to prevent a
certain motion on the order paper being reached at that
sitting, and requested Dr. Tupper to hold the House for
that purpose. Dr. Tupper said : " What do you wish
me to speak on ? " Sir John looked at the paper, and
answered : " The motion of the Minister of Finance re-
specting the rate of interest is before it — speak on that."
Dr. Tupper replied : " Unfortunately, I am opposed to
that measure." Sir John said : " Well, speak against it,
then." Dr. Tupper took him at his word and spoke for
an hour, until Sir John gave him a hint that it was not
necessary to continue longer. He resumed his seat, and
the measure, which at a previous stage was carried by a
majority of 30, was defeated by a majority of 8.

1 A report of Dr. Tupper's speech Is given in an Appendix to " Recollections
of Sixty Years."

159

CHAPTER XI

THE REPEAL MOVEMENT IN ENGLAND (1868)

THE House of Assembly in Nova Scotia, where only
two friends of Confederation had been elected, passed
an address to the Queen praying for a repeal of the
Union. The local Government appointed the Hon. Joseph
Howe, the Hon. William Annand, and Messrs H. Smith
and J. C. Troop delegates to the Imperial Government to
lay the address at the foot of the Throne and press for
repeal.

When Parliament met on March 12, 1868, Sir John Mac-
donald told Dr. Tupper the Government wished him to go
to England to counteract this movement, and asked him if
he had any objection to Mr. Gait being associated with him
on that mission. Dr. Tupper said he had not. The next
day Sir John sent for him and showed him a letter from
Mr. Gait declining to join him, saying Dr. Tupper's rela-
tions with Howe were so antagonistic that he did not think
any good could be accomplished. Dr. Tupper told him that
although he had made no objection to Gait, he preferred to
go alone.

Some time before this, Sir John offered Dr. Tupper the
position of Chairman of the Board of Commissioners for
the construction of the Intercolonial Railway with a salary
of $5,000 a year and retaining his seat in the House of
Commons. He had accepted that position, and a Bill was
prepared to carry out the arrangement ; but having thought
that matter over in relation to the new duty imposed upon
him, Dr. Tupper decided to withdraw the acceptance, as
he feared that it would " weaken my influence in render-

160

Rev. CHARLES TUPPER, D.I).

The Repeal Movement in England

ing the Union of the Provinces acceptable to the people of
Nova Scotia."1 In the circumstances, the Premier thought
it wise to accept this view of the matter, though he did so
with great reluctance.

Sir John informed Dr. Tupper, before leaving, that the
Imperial Government had sent a dispatch to the Governor-
General declining to accede to the proposal of Canada to
increase the licence fee on American fishing vessels from
50 cents to $2.00 a ton, and he wished him to address him-
self promptly to that question on his arrival, as it was one
of great importance. He also desired Dr. Tupper to secure
the assent of the British Government to the sufficiency of
the provision of £4,000,000 sterling to construct the Inter-
colonial Kailway, which was necessary to secure the Im-
perial guarantee of the loan.

Immediately after his arrival in London, Dr. Tupper
called upon the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, and
discussed briefly these various questions. The Duke in-
vited Dr. Tupper to spend the Easter holidays with him
at Stowe Park, where they could go fully into these
matters, and said if there were any peers or members of
the House of Commons he would like to meet, he would
invile them. Dr. Tupper told His Grace that he would
be glad if he would invite Mr. Howe.

The following correspondence will show how these im-
portant matters were dealt with :

Ottawa,

March 23, 1868.

My dear Tupper, — You will see by the papers that Gait regularly
sold Cartier about the mission to England. It has, however, done
no harm except to himself. In order to destroy the argument that
your mission was hostile to Nova Scotia, and an insult to it, as Blake
and Holton declared, I carefully prepared the Order in Council, a
copy of which I enclose you. The debate was spirited, but is shock-
ingly reported, in fact not reported at all. It will serve, however,
to show you how necessary it is that you should adopt the most

1 For the full text of this letter see "Recollections of Sixty Years."
L 161

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

conciliatory tone with your Nova Scotia friends. I trust you will be
able to arrange matters with Howe, and I shall look eagerly for a
\ telegram. I will write you next mail respecting the fisheries. — In
great haste, Yours always, ^ A Macdonald.

Westminster Palace Hotel,

Victoria Street, London, S.W.

April 9, 1868.*

My dear Sir John, — I duly received your note of the 23rd ult.,
and the copy of the Minute of Council. Day before yesterday I
received your cable telegram respecting the fishing licenses and giving
me the awful intelligence of the assassination of poor McGee.1 It
was announced in the morning papers, but I hoped against hope
until your telegram came. I cannot tell you how inexpressibly
it has shocked me and the very painful sensation it has created every-
where here. I enclose a notice of his death in the Telegraph, which ex-
presses the universal sentiment felt towards his memory in this country.

I found the Government and all our friends here very much
gratified by my arrival, as the efforts Howe and Company were
making through the press, and members of Parliament, occasioned
a good deal of anxiety. Until I hear from you to the contrary I will
observe your instructions to keep out of the newspapers, although
the opinion of the Government here and all our friends as well as my
own is the very reverse.

I explained fully to the Colonial Office the views and policy of
the Canadian Government, and they meet with their hearty concur-
rence. There will be no difficulty there. What I fear is an unpleasant
discussion in Parliament. Bright has promised to bring the question
forward, and I fear statements may be made which will foment agita-
tion in Nova Scotia and encourage our annexationist opponents
in the United States (vide Goldwin Smith's speech in Times,
April 11). . . .

... I called and left a card for Mr. Howe (who was not in)
' immediately after my arrival, and saw Annand and Smith, but made
no reference to politics. Last Monday morning Howe came to see
me here, and we spent two hours in the most intimate and friendly,
I may say unreserved discussion, of the whole question. ... I told
him if he went back to Nova Scotia and told them that before

• This and the following letter appeared In full in " Recollections of Sixty
Years," and these extracts are given here to show the sequence of events.
1 The Hon. T. D'Arcy McGee was assassinated at Ottawa on April 7, 1868.

162

The Repeal Movement in England

entering upon any further antagonism they had better give the
Union a fair trial he would find the Government and Parliament
of the Dominion not only ready to make any practicable con-
cession to the interests of Nova Scotia, but to give the public
sentiment of the people, as expressed at the election, the fullest
weight. That a seat in the Government and the position declined
by myself would afford the means of doing justice to the claims of
the Nova Scotia party, and that I would unite my fortunes with theirs
and give them the most cordial support. He appeared deeply im-
pressed by my statements, and said a great many civil things, but
expressed his fears that if he took that course his party would
abandon him. ... The Duke has entered warmly into my views
and has invited Howe and myself to visit him at Stowe Park next
Monday. . . .

I have done all that I could respecting the Railway matter and
the fishing licenses. The Duke referred me to Mr. Elliot for their
discussion, and he assures me that he is entirely satisfied and goes
with me fully as to the sufficiency of the amount provided by Par-
liament in Canada for the Railway, and also agrees as to the advisa-
bility of raising the licenses to $2 per ton, and will represent both
matters in this light strongly to the Duke. . . . The Chancellor
of the Exchequer in the one case, and Lord Stanley in the other, have
to be brought to concur in the policy on both questions, had pre-
viously agreed upon them adversely to our wishes, and it is impossible
to do anything that requires accord in two departments during the
holidays. The mission was too long delayed. I ought to have been
here a month earlier. ... I think I have ascertained Mr. Gait's
difficulty in coming with me. General Doyle tells me that Howe and
his friends confidently relied upon Gait effecting with them the
overthrow of your Government, and I assume Mr. Gait was too
deeply committed to present himself in London with me to coun-
teract Mr. Howe's efforts. . . .

I must also tell you that Howe suggested, although he said he could
not propose it, that a commission of three English gentlemen should
be appointed to report upon Confederation for the information of
Parliament, etc. This could, I think, only be done without compro-
mising the Dominion by being suggested or rather challenged by the
Canadian Government in answer to the attacks on it. The effect in
case of a struggle, i.e. if nothing can be done with Howe, would be to
gain time and let us in Nova Scotia down easily. I told Howe that, of
course, I could not suggest it, and said it was besides open to the great
objection that it would keep up agitation, and prevent him and his

163

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

friends availing themselves of the present favourable opportunity
of acquiring a position and influence to serve the Province. Write
me fully by return of post, and give me suggestions for every alter-
native.— Yours faithfully,

C. Tupper.

Westminster Palace Hotel,

April 18, 1868.
My dear Sir John, — Since I last wrote you on the 9th instant,
I have spent three days at Stowe, when I had an opportunity of dis-
cussing matters fully with the Duke. I think I satisfied him on the
railway question, and he told me that so soon as he could communicate
with the Chancellor he hoped to be able to send a message to you
which I think will meet the case fully, viz. : " That the Imperial Govern-
ment are satisfied with the provision made by Canada if any of the
surveyed routes are adopted." I think I also satisfied his Grace that
assent ought to be immediately given to raising the fishing licenses
to two dollars, and doing away with the present arrangement as to
notices, but this morning Mr. Elliot sent for me to tell me from the
Duke that Lord Stanley insists upon the licenses not being more than a
dollar, and making no alteration as to the notices. . . . Lord Stanley's
policy is evidently one of abject dread of the United States, and to
give them anything British American that they ask. I have pre-
sented in the strongest terms the fact that the licensing was only
assented to by the Colonies for a single year, and that the plan pro-
posed is practically to abandon the fisheries altogether, and keep up
the existing restrictions on trade and promote continued difficulty
with the United States. That the policy we propose would lead to
an early renewal of reciprocity, and settle the whole question per-
manently. I have also urged that Lord Stanley's course will arm
the malcontents in Nova Scotia with the argument that in annexation
alone can that province look for protection to her most important
interests.

After a very pleasant visit at Stowe and the most friendly inter-
course with Mr. and Mrs. Howe for three days, he and I had a long and
confidential conversation the night before he left. He expressed
again his fears that if he took the course I suggested he would be
abandoned by the people and defeated, but I have pledged him, in
case he takes the patriotic course, my most loyal support, and, I think,
satisfied his scruples on that point. He suggested that it would
materially aid him in reconciling the Nova Scotia party if the Govern-
ment here would throw upon your administration the duty of dealing

164

The Repeal Movement in England

with the question, and I undertook to aid in that matter. If there is
any faith in men I think I may consider the matter, if judiciously
managed by you, settled. I have assured him of a seat in the Cabinet,
and at the Intercolonial Railway Board for Nova Scotia members,
and the fullest and most favourable consideration, financially and
otherwise, for the Province from your Government. . . .

On talking the matter over with the Duke after Howe had left,
he requested me to give him my suggestions as to a despatch in answer
to Howe and Company, and I sat down and hurriedly wrote the paper,
of which you have here a copy.1 The Duke said it entirely agreed
with his own views. I hope the course I have taken will be approved.
The Duke says that your Government ought to have someone here
authorised to confer with him during his negotiations with the Hudson's
Bay Co., and fully acquainted with the opinions of the Canadian
Cabinet. — Hoping to hear from you soon, I remain, Yours faithfully,

C. Tupper.
Hon. Sir J. A. Macdonald.

P.S. — The Duke says I must not leave here until the discussion
is over in Parliament.

The following extract from a letter to Sir George Cartier,
under date of April 30, is of interest :

My dear Sir George, — I need not tell you the satisfaction I
enjoyed when the Duke sent for and showed me the answer to my
application — an Order in Council from the Queen conferring a well-
deserved Baronetcy upon you, which I hope you will live long to
enjoy. . . .

With kind regards to Lady Cartier and family, I remain, Yours

faithfulIy' C. Tupper.

Hon. Sir G. E. Cartier, Bart.

Westminster Palace Hotel,

May 2, 1868.
My dear Sir John, — The Duke of Buckingham told me on Thurs-
day that he was still in hopes that Lord Stanley, who was "much shaken,
but not quite convinced," would consent to our wishes respecting the
fishing licenses. The attempt upon the life of the Duke of Edinburgh
took the Colonial Minister away to Osborne at the time this matter
was to have been disposed of by the Cabinet. The deadlock in political
parties here just now makes it almost impossible to get anything

1 Tliis memo, to the Colonial Minister is reprinted in " Recollections of Sixty
Years."

i65

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

even considered by anybody. I told you in my last that I had seen
Mr. Cardwell, and that he thought it would do great good for me to
see Mr. Bright. I may tell you in passing that both Mr. Cardwell
and Lord Carnarvon said that the friends and the promoters of Con-
federation here would have had great reason to complain if the
Dominion Government had not sent me here to meet any statements
that might be made by the Nova Scotia delegates.

I met Bright in the Tea-room of the House of Commons. He
was very cordial, said Mr. Cardwell had sent him my pamphlet (of
'66), which he had read with great interest, and asked me to come
to his lodging the next day, when we spent 2J hours discussing the
question, and parted on the most friendly terms. He promised me
that he would be careful to do us no harm, and seemed to think that
a Committee of the House, which had evidently been proposed,
would do no good. Lord Carnarvon is prepared to deal fully with
the question if it comes up in the Lords. He got me to give him the
most explicit information. Mr. Vernon Harcourt has been retained
by the delegates, and got his brief for the bar of the House of Commons,
but the Duke says he does not think it likely that the House will
agree to such a proposal. If they do, I will have to petition, after
he is heard, to have him answered, and Watkin suggests that Mr.
Hope Scott should be retained.

I met Mr. and Mrs. Howe at a union conversazione of Presbyterian
ministers last night. I called to tell him of the death of poor Weir
the other day. He had not heard it and was much affected, the more
so as they were formerly great friends and had not spoken since the
elections. I am still sanguine that he will fall into line so soon as he
has failed with the Government and Parliament. The Duke showed
me the despatch, a copy of which is to be given to Howe in answer to
their address, etc. It is substantially the same as the memorandum
I gave him at Stowe, and will, I think, meet the case well. You
must keep the seat in the Cabinet, and one at the Intercolonial Bail-
way, and Cartier's chief militia appointment for Nova Scotia, and
the vacant seat in the Senate, for Howe and his friends, as he will
need them all to bring the party at once into line and put an imme-
diate quietus upon the agitation. I am more and more convinced
that the character and success of the Dominion demands the im-
mediate removal of the Nova Scotia difficulty, and that it must be
done at any personal, party or pecuniary sacrifice.

I shall meet several members of Parliament at dinner at Sir H.
Verney's, Bart., M.P., to-night. I wrote to you for the MS. of poor
McGee's " Cyrus O'Neill, or Young Ireland in America." If I had

166

The Repeal Movement in England

it here I think it would take well and be of great service to his widow
and children. The attempt upon the life of the Duke of Edinburgh
has given increased interest to the subject here. I hope you will
not give less than £500 a year to Mrs. McGee. It is the smallest sum
that would do justice to his memory, and the best protection you can
give to those who remain and whose duty to their country requires
them to take the same loyal and patriotic stand which he did. Poor
fellow, I received a letter from him, written on the 6th, just before
the debate, and when he was evidently in great spirits. Will you
kindly ask Messrs. Tilley, Anglin, Smith and Workman to write to
Mr. Bright their experience of the ballot in the legislative elections of
New Brunswick and the corporation of Montreal ? I promised him
that I would ask them to do so. He is preparing a great speech on
the question and wishes information of its working. I hope to hear
from you this evening. — Ever yours faithfully,

C. Tupper.
Sir J. A. Macdonald, K.C.B.

Downing Street,

May 9, 1868.
Sir, — I am directed by the Duke of Buckingham'and Chandos to
acquaint you^that Her Majesty's Government have assented to the
adoption this year in the Dominion of Canada of a fee of two dollars
a ton on licenses to vessels to fish in Canadian waters.

I am to add that Lord Monck will be informed by to-day's mail
of this decision, and that the Governments of Prince Edward Island
and Newfoundland will be apprised that there will be no objection
to their adopting the same amount of fee.

The Admiralty have been requested to authorise the Admiral on
the station to instruct the officers under his command that hence-
forth one previous warning will be sufficient before seizing any vessel
fishing in transgression of the law. — I am, Sir, Your most obedient
servant,

Elliot.
Dr. Tupper, C.B.

Ottawa,
i April 30, 1868.

My dear Tupper, — I duly received your letter of the 19th instant
and note its contents. Your report is on the whole very satisfactory,
especially that part of it that relates to your communications with
Howe.

You will have observed that that sneak Parker brought up the

167

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

question of your appointment again for the patriotic purpose of keeping
alive the irritation in Nova Scotia. He was, however, compelled
to withdraw his motion. It was on this occasion that poor McGee
made his last speech ; and a beautiful speech it was. In it he
eloquently spoke of your merits and gave Parker a most deserved
castigation — within an hour afterwards he was a corpse.

From Gait's conduct with respect to yourself, and the loud ex-
clamations of the Antis that your appointment was an insult to them
and to Nova Scotia, some of our friends began to doubt the expediency
of sending you to England, but I think that that is, ere this, dispelled-

On the spot you are, of course, a better judge of what to do than
I can be here. After the discussions here in which we stated your
mission to England was to be ready to supply authentic information
to the Imperial Government, and not to enter into the arena of dis-
cussion with Howe and his party, I still think it advisable that you
should not come in conflict with him before the public if you can avoid
it. If, however, the Duke of Buckingham should think otherwise,
it would be well for you to be guided by him in that respect.

We have introduced the Budget, and I enclose you an imperfect
report of Rose's speech. It will, I presume, be elaborated by him
hereafter. From it you will see that we have modified the sugar
duties in order to encourage the direct West Indian trade to Halifax ;
that we have taken off the tonnage duties on ships, commonly known
as light dues, and that we have repealed all thejduties on flour, corn,
corn-meal and bread stuffs generally. With all this the Antis in
the House have not the candour to admit, with a single exception
(Dr. Forbes), that our action is in the right direction, and they are
as rabid as ever. This furore, however, is merely in public, as they
all talk in quite a different strain privately, and they do not hesitate
to say that they will take a different course so soon as the answer
in the negative, which they anticipate, is received from the Colonial
Office.

We had a Nova Scotia debate yesterday. E. M. Macdonald
moved a series of resolutions in favour of secession. I send you the
votes and proceedings, which will show you the result. Stewart
Campbell made an admirable, statesmanlike speech, which had great
effect. We hope to prorogue by the 15th or 20th May, and will have
done an immense deal of work in the way of organisation.

The Antis have dwindled into insignificance in Howe's absence
and I see more than ever the importance of arranging matters with
him. Pray then lose no opportunity of impressing upon him the
desire of the Government to engage his abilities in the public service,

1 68

The Repeal Movement in England

whenever the action of the Imperial Government frees him from his
present engagements, which, as a man of honour, he cannot throw
up. I am satisfied that the joint action of you and himself vigorously
pursued will create an early reaction.

You will have been sorry to hear of the sudden death of Mr.
Weir, of Halifax. This leaves a vacancy in the Senate which can be
kept open for the present. I have received a note from McCully
almost claiming as a right belonging to himself and Archibald, to
nominate to the vacancy. . . .

With respect to the Intercolonial Railway we will be able to send
home most satisfactory evidence that the vote of Four millions sterling
will be amply sufficient. Pray press for a favourable answer in this
matter. Should there, however, be danger of an adverse reply, get
the Duke of Buckingham to keep the matter open until we shall
have an opportunity of submitting further reasons on the subject.
We have since your departure received a series of tenders from con-
tractors of undoubted responsibility to construct and equip the
whole road by the Robinson route, as well as by others, at sums far
within the four millions. — Yours faithfully,

John A. Macdonald.
The Hon. Chas. Tupper, C.B.

Ottawa,

May 25, 1868.

My dear Tupper, — Thanks for your letters, which are all satis-
factory. On Friday last we prorogued Parliament after a very
successful session. The tone of the Nova Scotians had very much
altered for the better. They are well inclined to accept the inevitable,
with the exception of Jones and E. M. Macdonald, who seem as bitter
as ever. Archibald and Kenny both tell me that their letters indicate
that the reaction has set in. It is said the alterations in the Tariff
have had a very beneficial effect. Things will remain, however,
as they are until the final answer is given by the Imperial Govern-
ment and the cue is given by Howe. I hope that he and you may
both return soon, and that we may be able to make satisfactory
arrangements with him.

The only matter that went wrong during the whole session was a
measure to reduce the salary of the Governor-General from £10,000
sterling to $32,000. The Government opposed this with all their
might, but there was a regular stampede of friends and foes in favour
of the reduction, and no argument could avail. It unluckily so hap-
pened that the Governor's salary was the only point in the Union

169

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

Act that could well be objected to, and it was made a handle of at
all the elections. Most of the young members have pledged them-
selves to vote for a reduction, and they carried out their pledges.
There is a great cry for retrenchment just now, which originated
principally in the Maritime Provinces. They were unaccustomed
to our scale of salaries, and Canadian extravagance has been made
a matter of daily discussion in the newspapers.

I was a good deal surprised to find that Lord Monck was very
unpopular among the members of Parliament — why, I cannot say.
I like him amazingly, and shall be very sorry when he leaves, as
he has been a very prudent and efficient administrator of public
affairs. ... I think that Lord Monck feels the passage of the
Bill a good deal, not that it is of any pecuniary consequence to
him, but because the House refused to postpone the reduction
during his incumbency, and made it commence from July 1. The
Bill has, of course, been reserved for the Royal assent. ... He
will, however, I believe, advise the Duke of Buckingham to sanction
the Bill, and it is with a view of preventing this that I write you
on the subject.

I am satisfied that if the Duke writes a conciliatory despatch
stating that while Her Majesty withholds the Royal assent, it is done
with a feeling that Her representative should be selected from men
high in rank, or political status, and a salary commensurate with the
present position and great future of the Dominion is necessary to
secure that object. If this despatch is sent out at once we will hear
no more of it.1 I presume that the present state of affairs gives the
Duke but little time to attend to departmental matters. — In haste,
Yours faithfully,

John A. Macdonald.

We voted Mrs. McGee $1,200 a year annuity and $4,000 for each
of her daughters. We would have asked for more, but found an in-
creased annuity would have caused opposition. We desired to secure
a unanimous vote, and could only do so by previous agreement as
to the sum.

P.S. — I find that Lord Monck will not advise the acceptance of
the Bill, as I thought, but simply state the case as it is.

1 Lord Mayo had been appointed to succeed Lord Monck, but declined the
appointment on the reduction of the salary. Sir John Young consented to take
it for a limited period. The Royal assent was refused to the Bill and an Act
passed fixing the salary at £10,000. Lord Mayo went as Governor-General of
India, where he was assassinated.

170

The Repeal Movement in England

Ottawa,

May 30, 1868.

My dear Tupper, — I was disappointed at not hearing from you by
last mail, but was consoled by seeing your note to Archibald. We
are awaiting the promised despatch from the Duke accepting our
Intercolonial Railway Bill. On its receipt we will then be in a position
to ask him to approve of a Coast Line leaving, of course, the actual
location to the survey of the engineer. . . . You do not say when
you return. I presume you will not think it safe to leave Howe be-
hind you. It is important on every account that you and he should
both be on this side of the water as soon as possible. We shall not
fill up the vacancy in the Senate, nor the Railway Commissionership,
nor the Cabinet vacancy until your arrival. I purpose issuing a com-
mission for consolidating the Statute Law ere long, and Archibald
has kindly agreed to serve on it. He leaves in a day or two for Nova
Scotia. We have passed the Civil List Act, by which we provided
pensions for retiring judges after fifteen years' service on the Bench
if they are then unable to continue their work efficiently. It is under-
stood that there will be one vacancy at least on the Bench, and I
propose to recommend Archibald for it. I shall still keep him in
view for a seat in the Court of Appeal ultimately should I have the
disposing of such matters. Rose will probably proceed to England
in a week or two on matters financial, and especially to arrange with
the Home Government as to the issue of the Guarantee Loan. All
accounts seem to indicate a change for the better in the feeling in
Nova Scotia, and with your assistance I hope to see it put all right
before our Parliament meets again.

We are threatened with another Fenian invasion, and I am
satisfied that we will have another raid before July 1, unless the
American Government acts vigorously. The Fenians rely much
upon the Presidential contest which is now beginning to rise to fever
heat. As a body they have declared that they will vote with the
party that gives them the most support. The Republicans won't
trust them, however, I believe, and I have little doubt that the Irish
vote will, as usual, be cast in the main for the Democratic candidate.

J. A. Macdonald.

Westminster Palace Hotel,

June 20, 1868.
My dear Sir John, — Your letters of May 25 and May 30 were
duly received. The papers which go out by this mail will give you
a full account of the debate on Bright's motion, and the result, 183

171

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

against 87 for, a majority of 96 against any enquiry. The prima
facie case they made out was so strong and the enquiry seemed so
reasonable and members of Parliament are so stupid that it was
thought necessary at least to republish my speech in the Dominion
Parliament in the Canadian News, and have a copy sent to each member
of the House of Commons, which was done just before the debate
came off. Had not this step been taken the division would have been
very different, as I have been kept muzzled, while the other side
have been in full cry. We, i.e. the Nova Scotia delegates, went to
the House ofXords last night to hear the debate on Lord Stratheden's
motion, the same as Bright's, but he postponed it because there was
other business until nearly 7 o'clock, and nobody would have remained
to the discussion. We all intend to return by the next steamer to
Halifax, which sails a fortnight hence.

I have seen the Duke and advised him of the views of the Govern-
ment, as stated by Sir G. E. Cartier and yourself, touching the salary
of the Governor-General, and I have little doubt but that the Royal
assent will be withheld. It has happened at an unfortunate time, as
they must make the appointment immediately, and the position
has been so lowered they will have difficulty to get a suitable person
to fill the office. Write to me next at Halifax, and let me know if
you wish me to come at once to Ottawa. ... I think you ought
to write a letter, with the assent of your colleagues, to Mr. Howe,
which would reach him on his arrival at Halifax, expressing the desire,
in the interests of the whole Dominion, that Nova Scotia should be
satisfied that the wishes and interests of her people should be fully
considered in the administration of public affairs, and that now that
the Imperial authorities have decided that the Union must be pre-
served you hope he will be prepared to give you his aid, and that
you had kept open the seats in the Government, Senate and Railway
Board with the view of giving the most effectual assurances to the
people of Nova Scotia that you looked to them to fill positions of the
highest honour and greatest influence. This is, of course, only a
very rough outline, which no one understands so well as yourself how
to fill up. I am sure he will accept, but if he does not and sends your
letter to the Morning Chronicle, I am prepared to accept the responsi-
bility of advising it, and am confident that it must do great good every-
where. . . . Hoping soon to have the pleasure of seeing you — I
remain, Yours faithfully,

Charles Tupper.

Sir J. A. Macdonald.

The Repeal Movement in England

Ottawa,

July 4, 1868.
My dear Tupper, — I have yours of the 20th, and hope this will
meet you all safe and sound at Halifax. The debate on Blight's
motion, and its results were all that could be wished. We could easily
see that Adderley had been fully crammed by you, but his manner
is so unfelicitous — you could have done it infinitely better yourself.
I do not suppose that anything will come of Lord Stratheden's motion.
I think it will be well that you should avoid letting anybody know
that you had any communication with the Duke as to the question
of the Governor's salary. That must be supposed to emanate solely
from the Colonial Office and of its own mere motion. The knowledge
that you had said anything on the matter would damage you in Canada,
where the feeling on the question is very strong. As the Bill is to be
disallowed, I hope Lord Mayo will come out.

I think it of great importance that you should come on to Ottawa
at once and report the result of your mission, before taking any action
with the view of influencing the public mind in Nova Scotia. A false
step now might be irretrievable, and therefore, before taking any step
whatever, we should consult together, and have united and con-
certed action. Pray, therefore, postpone the public meeting which
you propose to call at Halifax until after your return from Ottawa,
when you will be able to speak with more authority.

You suggest my writing a letter to Howe, which would reach him
on his arrival at Halifax. We are, of course, very anxious to get the
support and co-operation of Howe and his friends in carrying on
Confederation — the only question is as to the best means of effecting
it. It seems to me that if possible Howe should be induced to take
the patriotic course of advising the people of Nova Scotia and par-
ticularly his friends, to accept the decision of the Imperial Govern-
ment and go in heartily for Union — and that he should do this spon-
taneously, so that he could say, and the Canadian Government could
say, that his action had not been preceded by any offers of advance-
ment for himself or his friends of any kind. It would have a very
good effect if he came out boldly and said that under the circumstances
he would recommend the representatives of Nova Scotia in the General
Parliament no longer to stand aloof, but to enter actively into the
politics of the Dominion, and to endeavour to secure as much legitimate
influence in the Government and Parliament of the Dominion as pos-
sible. And if he could be induced to go further and say that for himself,
and as an earnest of his sincere desire to place Nova Scotia, under
the present aspect of affairs, in its proper position, he would not

173

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

hesitate to enter into any proper arrangements for that purpose.
Whether he went so far as this or not — if he at all spoke in this sense,
on his speech being reported it would open the door for me to offer
him and his party all the advantages which have been mentioned in
our correspondence. . . . — Believe me, Very faithfully yours,

John A. Macdonald.

Of the events referred to in the preceding letters, Sir
Charles says, in his journal :

" On the 7th of April I was inexpressibly shocked by
receiving a cable from Sir John A. Macdonald announcing
the assassination of Mr. T. D'Arcy McGee, M.P. Just
before I left Ottawa, Mr. James Godwin, an Irish Catholic
contractor, and intimate friend of McGee's, said to me :
' As you have more influence with McGee than anyone
else, I wish you to ask him not to exasperate the Fenians
any further when he speaks at a banquet which is to be
given to him next week, as I am afraid they will kill him.'
I did as requested. Mr. McGee replied : ' I will do as you
wish, although I am not afraid; as you know, threatened
dogs live long.' Mrs. Godwin afterwards told me that he
spent the Sunday previous to his murder at their house.
Before luncheon he wrote two letters, one to Lord Mayo, who
was then Chief Secretary for Ireland, and the other to
myself. In the first he advised Lord Mayo as to the treat-
ment of Fenianism, and in the other, after a graphic de-
scription of matters in general, asked me to arrange in
London for the publication of a brochure on Fenianism
which he said ' for obvious reasons must be published
. anonymously.' Mrs. Godwin said that after luncheon he
lay down on a sofa and went to sleep. As she was pass-
ing through the room he sprang to his feet and clasped his
hands upon his head with an exclamation of great suffer-
ing. She said : ' Mr. McGee, what is the matter ? ' He
replied : 'Oh, I have had such a frightful dream ! I
dreamed that I stood on the bank near the Falls of
Niagara, where I saw two men in a boat gliding towards

>74

The Repeal Movement in England

the falls. I rushed to the brink and shouted to attract
their attention, when they picked up their oars and rowed
up the stream, and I went over the falls.'

" The next night an attack was made upon the Govern-
ment for having sent me to England to counteract Mr.
Howe's efforts for repeal. Mr. McGee defended my appoint-
ment in a most eloquent speech. When I received, some
three weeks after his death, his letter written three days
before that event, it seemed like a voice from the grave.
When he was buried the grave closed over the most eloquent
man in Canada, and he left behind him no greater admirer
of British institutions."

So bitter was the feeling of exasperation against Con-
federation in Nova Scotia that many of Dr. Tupper's
friends feared he would share the fate of McGee. This
will be seen from the following letter received from his
father :

CORNWALLIS,

April 16, 1868.

My dear Son, — I presume my last letter to you reached you
before your departure for London. No answer has been received.
I fear your tour to England will deprive us of the privilege of seeing
you as soon as anticipated. I hope, however, you may visit us in
the course of the summer.

Through mercy, I and our relatives here are in tolerable health,
while there is much sickness with numerous deaths.

The assassination of the Hon. T. D. McGee has caused some dis-
quietude in mind with reference to my beloved son Charles. I know
you are a man of undaunted courage. This may be well ; but I
entreat you not to expose your precious life needlessly. You are
doubtless aware that there are very strong feelings in the minds of
many against you ; much caution is therefore evidently needful. 1
would earnestly entreat you to avoid travelling in the night, or alone
in the daytime when there may be danger. You know also that there
is constantly a liability, if you escape the hand of the assassin, to be
hurried into eternity by the visitation of God. Do, therefore, I
beseech you, earnestly strive to be in a state of preparation for the
termination of this short and precarious life. How trifling is all else
in comparison with the infinitely important matter. Look, then,

175

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

to Jesus, and implore mercy from God through Him. Do not allow
even the most important things of time to induce you to neglect
this. . . .

With sincere desires for your temporal and everlasting welfare,
Your affectionate father,

Charles Tupper.
Hon. Dr. Tupper, C.B.

A letter from you would be highly prized by me.

With further regard to events which occurred in London,
Sir Charles wrote :

" I was introduced to Mr. Bright in the tea-room of the
House of Commons. He said to me : ' I suppose you know
that I have promised Mr. Howe to move a resolution for
a Eoyal Commission to inquire into the Canadian Con-
federation? But having told you that, I would be very
glad to hear your side of the story.' I replied that I
feared it was like locking the stable door after the horse
was stolen, but that it would give me great pleasure to
discuss the question with him. He invited me to go to
his lodgings next morning at 11 o'clock. We spent two
hours in earnest discussion. I said that under the British
Parliamentary system of Government I had always under-
stood that Parliament represented the people, and as the
Imperial Act had been passed here under the authority of
two-thirds of both branches of the Legislature of Nova
Scotia, and subsequently approved by a similar vote, I
could not understand how such action could now be ques-
tioned. Mr. Bright said : ' I do not mean for a moment
to insinuate that such was the case in Nova Scotia, but I
have seen very large majorities obtained in our House by
very corrupt means.' I said I had been largely induced
to advocate the union of the Provinces of British North
America as the only means by which British institutions
could be maintained in North America, as in our isolated
and weak position I believed it was inevitable that at no
distant day we should be absorbed by the great Republic

on our borders.

176

The Repeal Movement in England

" Mr. Bright replied : ' Well, Dr. Tupper, it appears
to me it would be a grand sight to see one Government
from the Equator to the Pole.' I retorted : ' Well, Mr.
Bright, if those are your views, I would suppose you
could understand public men in Nova Scotia desiring to
become part of a great North American confederation
without being influenced by corrupt motives.'

" Mr. Bright smiled broadly, and said : ' I confess you
have me there fairly.' Finally, he said : ' I wish you to
tell me frankly whether, if we carry out your views and
refuse to listen to this appeal from the Legislature, is
there not danger of a revolt in Nova Scotia ? '

" I answered : ' I will give you a straightforward an-
swer to your question. If the Government and Parlia-
ment of Great Britain refuse to interfere and allow the
people of Canada to work out the free institutions long
ago conceded to them, instead of reverting to the policy
of governing them from this side of the Atlantic, which
so signally failed in the past, the worst result that I
anticipate will be that within six months Mr. Howe will
be a member of Sir John Macdonald's Government, and I
will be giving them a loyal support.'

" Mr. Bright threw up his hands, and exclaimed :
' Surely you cannot be serious in making such a state-
ment ! ' I replied : ' I have given you my candid opinion,
and am willing to be judged by the result. When this
effort on Mr. Howe's part to break up the Union fails, as
it undoubtedly will fail, he will have but two courses open
to him — one to continue an agitation most disastrous to
his country — the other to use the strong position he occu-
pies with the representatives of Nova Scotia at his back
to obtain all the concessions possible for his Province, and
assist in making the best of Confederation. When that
time comes, as I believe it will, you will find me giving
him all the support in my power.'

" When we parted, Mr. Bright said : ' I will do your

* l77

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

cause as little injury as I can consistently with my resolu-
tion for a Koyal Commission of Inquiry.'

" During the debate in the House of Commons on his
resolution, June 16, Mr. Bright said : ' I may be told that
Confederation was supported in the Nova Scotia Assembly
by a large majority, but those who have had the pleasure
of making Dr. Tupper's acquaintance know that he has a
very persuasive tongue.' Mr. Bright's motion was defeated
by 183 to 87.

" I met Mr. Bright some years afterwards at dinner at
the Duke of Argyll's, when he said to me: 'I was very
incredulous when you told me in 1868 that you expected
Mr. Howe would become one of Sir John Macdonald's
Ministers, but I found you were correct in your judgment,
and I can assure you that no one has witnessed the realisa-
tion of your expectations with greater pleasure than myself.'

" Mr. Adderley requested me to sit in the gallery of the
Commons during the debate, and the proof of his speech was
sent to me there for correction, which was not an easy task.
I furnished Edward Watkin, M.P., a brief for his speech, and
another to Mr. Karslake, the Solicitor-General."

Of a visit to Ireland which occurred in June, Sir Charles
wrote :

" Sir Michael Fitzgerald, the Knight of Kerry, invited
Mr. Sandford Fleming and me to visit him at Valentia. At
Killarney I received the following telegram from him on
June 8.

'Knight of Kerry

To Hon. Chas. Tupper.
« Pray let me know by wire hour of your leaving Killarney and time
the driver promises to have you at ferry where my boat shall meet
you.'

" We received a very warm welcome. We met there
Captain Brooker of H.M.S. Wyvern, a man-of-war in the
harbour, and his wife, who was a Miss Tupper. Sir
Kichard Glass, then Chairman of the Cable Co., having

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The Repeal Movement in England

heard I was going to Valentia, gave me a letter to the
operator instructing him to show me everything at the
station and send any messages I wished free of charge. I
sent a message to my dear wife at Ottawa, and received a
reply. When the cable of 1858 died after a few messages
had been delivered, an impression was formed that it had
been killed by the powerful galvanic battery then used,
which it was supposed had fused the wire. A series of
experiments were made to discover how small a battery
could send a message through a wire long enough to reach
Newfoundland. Miss Fitzgerald, the daughter of the
Knight of Kerry, showed me her silver thimble, which
contained the battery sufficient for that purpose. Gal-
vanic power was not used sufficient to make an audible
tick, but only sufficient to make a silk thread with a
mirror as large as a split pea attached to it vibrate. The
messages were received in a dark room with a small con-
cealed light which played upon the little vibrating mirror.
This vibration was reflected upon a white scale, and the

operator read there the . . . and of the Morse

code. We were also shown Thomson's galvanometer,
which not only indicated the exact distance of the Great
Eastern when 1,000 miles from Valentia, but whether
at that moment she was rolling to the right or to the
left.

" After a most interesting visit we returned to London.
Ireland was at that time in a very disturbed condition.
Large rewards were being offered for the capture of Fenian
outlaws who were at large. We soon discovered that the
sympathy of our driver was with the outlaws.

" Sir Harry Verney, who took a warm interest in every-
thing connected with Canada, invited me to dine on May 2
at his residence, 32 South Street, Park Lane, at 8 o'clock.
I went at that hour, but the other guests came at 8.30. Sir
Harry said : ' My niece, Miss Anstruther, has made this list
of the guests you will meet, as I have often thought how con-

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The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

venient it is for a stranger to know who the others are.' The
list contained the following names :

"Mrs. Dutton, wife of Hon. Ealph Dntton, M.P. for
Cirencester, sister of General Sir William Mansfield ;
Prince Czartoryski; Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Peel, son of
the late Sir Robert Peel, daughter of E. Dugdale, Esq.,
Warwickshire; Lord Wentworth, son of Earl of Love-
lace, grandson of Lord Byron ; Lord Houghton (Monck-
ton Milnes) ; Hon. Lieutenant-Colonel Clive, Guards, son
of Baroness Windsor; Mrs. Grant Duff, wife of the mem-
ber for Elgin Burghs; Lieutenant-Colonel Philip Smith,
Guards, nephew of Sir Harry Verney, brother of M.P.
for Herts ; Miss Anstruther, niece of Lady Ashburton ;
Mr. Geffchen, minister of the Hanseatic Towns; Sir
Harry Verney; Lady Verney; Miss Verney.

" I sat between Mr. Arthur Peel and Lord Wentworth,
and need not say I did not reflect on the memory of Sir
Eobert Peel or Lord Byron. The next time I was invited
to dine with Sir Harry, I was not so fortunate. I went
at half-past instead of 8, and went in with the other
guests, some thirty gentlemen. An old, white-haired
gentleman took Lady Verney, the only lady, to the table,
and I sat next to him. Dr. Cheadle, the author of Milton
and Cheadle's ' Journey Through the Rocky Mountains,'
was on my right. He and the old gentleman on my left
got into conversation, naturally, upon the great Rupert's
Land, which Canada was then about acquiring. Dr.
Cheadle said : ' I am a little afraid that Canada may
have trouble with the Indians.' I said : ' Yon surprise
me very much. I thought you and Lord Milton found
them very loyal to England.' He hummed and hawed,
and said : ' The Hudson's Bay Company depended upon
the Indians for their furs, and had to conciliate them in
every way, and it no doubt made a difference.' I saw that
there was something wrong, and changed the conversation.
The old gentleman turned and talked to Lady Verney.

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The Repeal Movement in England

Dr. Cheadle at once said to me : ' You are quite right.
The Indians will shoot a Yankee at sight, and will do
anything for a British subject ; but this is Mr. Adams,
the American Minister, who is talking with us, and I was
afraid you might refer to the disgraceful manner in which
the Indians in the United States have been treated.'

" Lady Verney was a sister of Florence Nightingale,
and a most interesting and accomplished woman.

" May 6. — Dined with large party at Mr. Newmarch's.
He asked me to take Mrs. Newmarch in to dinner. She
said to me : ' What do you think of this question of
women's rights which is being so much talked about in
America ? ' I said I was very much opposed to that
agitation. She replied : ' You surprise me very much.
I can quite understand the people of this old, fossilised
country holding such an opinion, but I hoped for broader
views from one who comes from the other side of the
Atlantic. What possible objection can you have to women
having the same rights as yourselves ? ' Finding she was
an American lady, I replied : ' Well, Mrs. Newmarch, I
would object to women becoming angels, and I would
have a much greater objection to their becoming men.'

" I sailed on the City of Cork from Liverpool to Halifax
on Saturday, the 4th of July, with Mr. and Mrs. Howe,
Mr. and Miss Annand and Messrs. H. Smith and Troop.
We had a pleasant passage, varied by shovelboard in the
day and whist in the evening. Miss Annand, whom I had
never met before, became sufficiently acquainted to ask me
if I would like to see the entry made in her diary the first
time she saw me in London. It was : ' Saw Dr. Tupper
at " Foul Play," as usual.'

" The first notice we had of having reached North
America was grounding on the rocks off Sambro Head in
the Outer Harbour of Halifax in a dense fog at 7 o'clock
in the morning. I had on my nightshirt and trousers, and
was thrown against the wash-basin where I was washing

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The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

my face. I knew instantly what had happened. We were
fortunately going dead slow, and the steamer was promptly
backed off the rocks. I concluded not to go on deck before
putting on any more clothing, as I feared she might have
been so injured by the rock as to sink when clear of it.
I hastily removed twelve penny pieces from my trousers'
pockets, which I had won from Howe at shovelboard the
day before, and went on deck. The ship's bottom was
uninjured, the fog lifted, and we were soon at the wharf."

182

CHAPTER XII

COLLAPSE OF THE REPEAL MOVEMENT (1868 — 69)

A S lias been seen, Mr. Howe was genial and friendly
Z-\ on shipboard, entering into social life as if free
from all responsibility and simply enjoying a holi-
day; but the suspicions generated in London lingered
with his fellow-delegates, and they observed him with
keen criticism.

At the wharf in Halifax, Dr. Tupper was received with
cheers by his friends, among whom was Mr. Tilley, who,
anxious to learn the full results of Dr. Tupper's mission,
had come to Halifax for the purpose of meeting him as soon
as he landed. As Mr. Howe appeared on the gangway the
cheering of the crowd was full and hearty. As the days
passed, anti-Unionists conversed freely, and the suspicion
brought to Halifax on the City of Cork spread abroad as
an open secret among the opposers of Confederation. It
was known that the local House would meet in the early
days of August. Mr. Howe, anticipating this, proposed
that a convention of anti-Confederates, made up of local
and Dominion members and other friends, should be held
just previous to the assembling of the Legislature.

Immediately after Mr. Howe's arrival in Halifax, he in-
vited Mr. Tilley to breakfast, and discussed with him the
question of anti-Union at that stage. Mr. Tilley wrote to
Sir John Macdonald from Windsor, N.S., on July 17, as
follows :

" Mr. Howe led me to understand that an amicable arrangement
once effected, a combination or reorganisation might be made and the
support of the Antis secured to work out our destiny. The rest of

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The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

his remarks amounted to this — ' Appoint a Royal Commission, let
it decide. If that cannot be done, let a friendly conference be opened
between the Dominion Government and the leading Antis in Nova
Scotia, including the members of the local Government ; the Dominion
Government to make some proposal for their consideration ; or,
if that would be inconvenient, a friendly talk to see if some agreement
cannot be arrived at.' . . . Now, you will observe that this means
just this : ' we will abandon our opposition to Confederation, if
some concessions are made.' The reasonable men want an excuse
to enable them to hold back the violent and unreasonable of their
own party, and this excuse ought to be given them. He told me that
the delegates, the members of the local Government, and a few of
their leading friends met yesterday, and had decided upon a call of
the members of the general and local Parliaments for the 3rd of August,
to decide what course they had better take. (The local Legislature
meets on the 6th.) He said, if any advances were made, it was of
the utmost importance that steps in that direction should be made
previous to their meeting. He thought a visit from you, about that
time, would do much good, and we all hope that you will see your way
clear to come in this direction about the first of the month. They
will do nothing until that meeting takes place. I cannot but think
that a visit from you, accompanied, perhaps, by Cartier, would be
productive of the most beneficial results. He did not indicate what
changes they wanted, and I rather suspect that the nature of the con-
cessions is of less importance to them, than the fact that concessions
have been made.

" Our future may greatly depend upon the deliberations of the next
few weeks. I cannot urge too strongly the importance of your visiting
Halifax before the 3rd of August ; all here, who see and understand
the state of affairs, agree with me upon this point. I am not an
alarmist, but the position can only be understood by visiting Nova
Scotia. There is no use in crying peace when there is no peace. We
require wise and prudent action at this moment ; the most serious
results may be produced by the opposite course."

Mr. A. G. Archibald wrote to Sir John A. Macdonald,
on the same date, very much to- the same effect :

" An hour's conference, he wrote, between you and Mr. Howe, and
a mutual interchange of views, would do more to clear the atmosphere
than anything else. It would give Howe immense power — if he has
the inclination, as I believe he has — to control the storm he has
raised."

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Collapse of the Repeal Movement

Shortly after arriving in Halifax, Dr. Tupper proceeded
to Ottawa to report to the Government the full result of
his mission. Sir John Macdonald wired to him to join him
in Toronto. Dr. Tupper proceeded thither on July 24, and
found Sir G. E. Cartier and the Hon. William McDougall
with Sir John. Dr. Tupper urged upon Sir John the im-
portance of paying a visit to Nova Scotia and conferring
with Mr. Howe in person. Towards the close of the month
of July, therefore, Sir John, accompanied by Sir G. Cartier,
and Messrs. William McDougall, John Sandfield Macdonald,
Premier of Ontario, Peter Mitchell and Dr. Tupper, left for
Halifax.

The Anti-Confederation Convention assembled. Joseph
Howe was made its chairman. The newspapers were not
permitted to report its doings.

Sir John A. Macdonald was entertained by the Governor,
Sir Hastings Doyle. From Government House on the first
day of August, he sent the following note to Mr. Howe :

My dear Howe, — I have come to Nova Scotia for the purpose of
seeing what can be done in the present state of affairs, and should like
of all things to have a quiet talk with you there anent. I shall be
ready to meet you at any time or place you may appoint. The General
has given me up his office here, and if it would suit your convenience
we might perhaps meet here after church to-morrow.

On the same day, Mr. Howe replied :

My dear Sir John, — I have just received your note, and will
wait upon you at half-past two to-morrow. — Yours truly,

Joseph Howe.

By casting his own vote, Mr. Howe got a resolution
through a committee of the Convention to permit Sir
John A. Macdonald and Sir G. E. Cartier to appear before
the committee to make such statements as they might desire.

In reporting his mission to Nova Scotia to Lord Monck,
the Governor-General, Sir John Macdonald said :

My dear Lord Monck, — . . . Mr. Howe told me frankly that
if he saw any course open to him by which he could continue to

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The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

press for repeal of the Union, with any hope of success, that he
would do so, and that he had so stated to all his friends ; but that
he had not hesitated to declare that he would oppose any attempt at
resistance to the law, cither active or passive, as well as all attempts
at annexation to United States.

He stated further, that the feeling of dissatisfaction was as wide-
spread and as strong as ever, and the difficulties were so great that he
did not see his way out of them.

He asked me if I had any course to suggest. I answered that
the Duke of Buckingham's despatch to Your Excellency precluded
you or your advisers from even contemplating the possibility of Nova
Scotia severing itself from the Union, as H.M. Government had
declared against the repeal, from Imperial as well as from Colonial
considerations.

So soon as the prorogation takes place I am to address a letter

to Mr. Howe, the terms of which will be settled between us, and which,

though marked " private," he is to use among his friends, with a view

of inducing them to come to his support in case he or some leading

men of his party should take office. — Believe me, my dear Lord Monck,

Faithfully yours, _ . ,,

John A. Macdonald.

After all the bluster and counsel, wise and foolish, had
been heard, Tupper, Howe and Macdonald, now under-
standing each other, worked together. They felt a throb
of gratification when the general resolve of both Conven-
tion and Legislature was to keep all future efforts for
repeal within the bounds of loyalty and constitutional
usage. Disloyalty was condemned. The Ottawa mis-
sioners returned to their homes, as did the Nova Scotia
senators and commoners. There then followed an ex-
tended correspondence between Sir John A. Macdonald
and Mr. Howe. The final outcome of it was that Howe
and McLelan met Mr. Rose at Portland, Maine, and there
agreed upon financial terms for Nova Scotia satisfactory
to Mr. Howe. Sir John Macdonald had sent a copy of
Mr. Eose's financial calculations to Mr. Howe, confi-
dentially.

The following correspondence shows how complete was
the failure of the Repeal movement :

1 86

Collapse of the Repeal Movement

Ottawa,

November 20, 1868.

My dear Tupper, — As you truly say, Howe has not only abandoned
the ship " Repeal," but has burnt the ship. Now everything depends
upon the game being played properly. I do not believe (though 1
hope I may be mistaken) that Howe will at once carry with him a
majority of the anti-party. He will carry the intelligent and wealthy
portion with him but not the masses. It can only be then by a coalition
of the Union party under yourself and Howe that you can obtain a
sufficient majority. How that is to be brought about you know
infinitely better than I do.

I think you have played a very correct game in standing aloof
from Howe, after having given him the assurances that you did in
England, and on your return. Probably Howe would now like to be
on more intimate relations with you, although he has not said any-
thing of that kind to me. He is desirous that the Canadian Govern-
ment should make some offers or concessions to Nova Scotia. It
would answer but little purpose for Rose to state by letter that he
was willing to go to a certain length — that might not be acceptable
and the correspondence would be interminable and lead to nothing.
I have been pressing him to come up here along or with McLelan to
sit down with Rose and discuss the whole question, and have told
him that he would be prepared to deal liberally with him. He
would then return with the prestige of having secured something
substantial in favour of Nova Scotia. . . .

Now, I can almost congratulate you on the triumph of your cause,
and your exertions. The reaction will soon set in, unless some un-
toward event prevents it. I do not think that we have lost anything
by the delay in the matter of the Intercolonial Railway route through
Nova Scotia. . . .

Fleming thinks we have, taking everything into consideration,

made the best selection, and, fortunately, it will meet the views of

the people, both on the gulf shore and on the Bay of Fundy. —

Believe me, Yours faithfully,

John A. Macdonald.

Halifax,

December 2, 1868.

My dear Sir John, — I hasten to answer your letter of November

20, which I had the pleasure of receiving by the last mail. I met

Mr. Howe recently at dinner at the Archbishop's, and told him that

I was ready at any time when he thought I could assist him to carry

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The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

out the pledge I gave him in London to give him a loyal and hearty
support, but that I had hitherto felt that the first thing to be accom-
plished was to obtain all the aid he could from the anti-Union party,
and that work I could not assist in. He is very cordial with me,
and I think knows that he can rely on the fulfilment of my promise
at any sacrifice. He may wish to accomplish his work without my
aid, but I hope not, as he can only ultimately succeed by obtaining
the zealous co-operation of the Union party with those whom he
may be able to detach from the anti-Unionists. If matters are well
managed, combined we will be able at a very early day to carry
decided majorities for both the general and local Legislatures.

I think you ought formally to invite Mr. Howe and the other
Anti members of Parliament, and as many members of the local
Government as can attend, to go immediately to Ottawa to discuss
with the Cabinet the position and interests of Nova Scotia. All the
members of the local Government would, of course, decline, and Mr.
Howe, McLelan and as many others as could be induced to go would
have the responsibility necessarily thrown upon them. Mr. Howe
ought then to address a letter to the public saying that he was going
to meet your Government to negotiate terms for the Province and
that he would be prepared on his return to state the terms and take
the responsibility of advising their rejection or acceptance. Your
Government should give him as broad a platform to stand upon as
possible and enable him to return (after being sworn in as a member
of the Cabinet) and throw himself upon his constituents. A bold
course of this kind will carry all before it, while a hesitating policy
will do much mischief, and give Howe's opponents a great advantage.
At that crisis, if Howe approves, I will come forward and unite the
Union party in his support, and be will either be carried in without a
contest or with a triumphant majority. . . .

I have always thought it was a great mistake for the Dominion
Government to hesitate about crediting the Government here with
the cost of the new Customs House and Post Office, as the case is,
I think, covered in the clearest manner by the express terms of the
Act. Any way it is not desirable that Nova Scotia should be too
much straitened while Ontario has a surplus million already to
invest. In a word, do all you can to put us right, and carry Mr. Howe
through with flying colours. You should, of course, advise with Howe
as to the invitation to the locals, etc.

It is obviously every way better for Mr. Howe to go to Ottawa
than for Mr. Rose to come here, as so much more can be done with
you all together, and there would be the difficulty you suggest about

188

Collapse of the Repeal Movement

the local Government. I got a mutual friend to put this view strongly
before Howe to-day, as he had said in a recent letter that Mr. Rose
might come down. I think we may now fairly congratulate each other
that the back of Repeal is broken. What I have feared was that
while this protracted negotiation with Howe was going on the Union
party might be largely alienated from the support of the present
Government which, in my judgment, would be a great misfortune,
irrespective of the possibility of Howe and Co. in that case drawing
off and going over to the Opposition, if they did not return to the
ranks of the Repealers. About myself I feel no anxiety. If we can get
this Union consolidated and prosperous I will be quite satisfied and
willingly give the best aid in my power to anyone who will work to
that end. ... I think you did the best you could with the location
of the railway through this Province. — Yours faithfully,

C. Tupper.

Halifax,

December 26, 1868.

My dear Sir John, — I have not heard from you since my last,
but wish to make a few suggestions. I am satisfied that Howe and
Company are waiting to make a stampede so soon as an answer comes
from the Home Government. Would it not be worth while for you
to ask Lord Monck by cable to get the Colonial Secretary to send
an answer at once adhering to the policy of the Duke of Bucking-
ham's despatch ? It will effectually settle the whole question. In
fact it will kill the repeal movement outright. . . .

Can you tell me what time the House will be called, that I may
arrange accordingly ?

Wishing you and all your domestic circle many happy returns of
the season. — I remain, Yours faithfully,

C. Tupper.
Hon. Sir J. A. Macdonald, K.C.B., etc.

Halifax,

January 11, 1869.
My dear Sir John, — I had the pleasure of receiving your letter
of the 2nd instant to-day. Mr. Kenny consulted Howe about the
despatch, who thought that, after waiting a day or two, it should be
published if the Government here did not bring it out. It will accord-
ingly come out to-morrow, and will, I doubt not, do a great deal of
good. It was just what was wanted from the Duke of B. and C,
and all that is now required is for the present Government to say
that they do not intend to interfere.

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The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

I have asked my friend Grant to send you the British Colonist,
as I wish you to see the articles I am writing on the Union question.
I enclose you a letter I received from King, who opposed Mr. Howe
at the last election, from which you will see that it was necessary
for my organ to give its cue to the Unionist party. Howe has not
obtained nearly as much support as I expected from his own party,
and one principal reason was the united opposition of the local Govern-
ment and the doubt whether I would aid him in the hour of need.
The knowledge that such will be the case will give him the support
of the Unionists and many more of his own friends, who like to be
on the safe side, and will thus be assured of his success. Further
silence on the part of the Colonist would have demoralised the Union
party, and given strength to a movement among certain of our friends
who are looking more to their own position than to the immediate
consolidation of the Union at any cost to individuals or parties. I
have no doubt of Howe's success if he now goes boldly forward, but
he must take the plunge soon if he wishes to succeed and not stand
too long shivering on the brink. . . .

We were all here taken by surprise by the knighthood to the Chief
Justice. He has given such a straightforward support to Confedera-
tion and my School Bill that I cannot regret it, but I do hope you will
move Sir John Young to ask the same honour for Mr. Johnstone.
You know his high character and attainments, and that for thirty
years he was the first man at the bar of this Province, and the Legisla-
ture placed him at the head of the Equity Court with the same salary
as the Chief Justice. His elevation would be hailed with great
satisfaction throughout the Province. Do all you can to this end,
and oblige,-Yours faithfully, ^^ TuppER

Ottawa,

January 28, 1869.
My dear Tupper, — I have yours of the 18th. . . . Howe
and McLelan are still here, and we have come to a very satisfac-
tory arrangement after a good deal of protocolling, which you will
see in print by and by. We have made an arrangement on this
basis.

We assume that the provisions in favour of New Brunswick in
the Union Act are no more than fairly her due. We have calculated
then that as New Brunswick came in with a debt of §7,000,000 with-
out interest, in proportion to population Nova Scotia should be
allowed to come in at $9,100,000, Canada currency.

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Collapse of the Repeal Movement

On the same basis of population, as New Brunswick gets $63,000
per annum for ten years, Nova Scotia should get $82,000 for the same
period. . . .

The despatch from Lord Granville stating that it is not the in-
tention of the present Government to repeal the Confederation Act
was mailed on the 13th inst., and is now overdue. Howe will remain
here until its arrival. He will then go down with the despatch closing
the door on all hopes of repeal in one hand, and the arrangement
made with the Dominion Government, giving substantial relief to
Nova Scotia in the other.

This concurrence of circumstances should make Howe master
of the situation, and prove the final downfall of anti-ism. The arrange-
ment here is to date from July 1, '1867, so that on July 1 next there
will be $164,000 available for any local improvements. This ought
not to be allowed to get into the hands of the present local Govern-
ment, who would, beyond a doubt, use it for their own purposes.
It will probably therefore be capitalised, and add to the annual
reserves of Nova Scotia. I have told Howe that although we have
made this arrangement it will be impossible to carry it in our Legisla-
ture unless satisfactory evidence is given that the concessions will
make the Province accept the position. The concessions are made
solely for the purpose of allaying the discontent there, and our Par-
liament will certainly not put this additional burden on the rest of
the Dominion if Nova Scotia still remains sulky and recalcitrant.
I have told him that he, being a representative man, our Parliament
would accept the fact of his coming into the Administration as sufficient
evidence of the pacification of the province, and if the despatch is
as decided as the telegraphic synopsis of it sent us leads us to suppose,
I have no doubt he will come in. It is of importance to him to have
to say that he did not take office, or attempt to make the best of the
present state of affairs until the arrival of the despatch cutting off
all hopes of repeal. . . .

As your last letter was not marked private, and was in every way
so admirably calculated to promote an entente cordiale between
Howe and yourself, I showed it to him, and he was very much gratified
with its tone, and the unmistakable evidence of your disinterested-
ness. Hereafter I think you will have no difficulty in working
together.

I have read with great interest the articles in the Colonist on the
political position of affairs, and, of course, recognise your hand in
them all. I presume that you will have them printed in pamphlet
form and widely disseminated. . . .

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The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

Howe wants to be the messenger of his own arrangements, so if
this reaches you before he does, pray keep its contents to yourself,
always, of course, excepting Archibald. — Believe me, Yours sincerely,

John A. Macdonald.

Sir J. A. Macdonald wired Dr. Tupper January 30, 1869,
that Howe had been sworn into office as a member of his
Government that day, and Dr. Tupper replied as follows :

Halifax,

February 1, 1869.
My dear Sir John, — I need not tell you how much gratification
your telegram that Howe had been sworn in to the Council gave me.
I have never feared that he would attempt to recede, but I have
always felt that there was danger of the Antis joining the Opposition
en masse. The news has created a good deal of excitement here,
but if Howe plays his cards well, in thirty days we will be able to carry
the country from end to end. I have no fear of his success in Hants,
although the rabid ones threaten loudly to-day. ... I send you
the leader written for to-morrow's Colonist, in which I had to announce
the fact of Howe's acceptance of office, and hope you will like the way
I have dealt with it. It requires delicate handling from our stand-
point, but I found a good many of our quasi friends inclined to do
mischief, and felt it was necessary to take a decided stand in order to
keep them right. . . . — With best wishes, I remain, Yours
faithfully,

Charles Tupper.
Hon. Sir J. A. Macdonald, K.C.B.

Howe was opposed with great virulence by his former
friends, who were determined to prevent his re-election in
Hants. Mr. Alfred Jones led the opposition. Howe was
struck down by a severe attack of inflammation of the bowels.
Dr. Tupper issued a circular letter to the Unionists of the
county appealing for assistance on Howe's behalf.1

Sir Charles says in his journal :

" Hearing Howe was completely broken down and very
despondent, I went to Windsor a day or two before the
contest to see him. I was greatly shocked at his appear-
ance. I told him I was confident he would be elected, but

1 This letter appeared in " Recollections of Sixty Years."
I92

Collapse of the Repeal Movement

if defeated to do nothing rash. That I would resign my
seat in Cumberland the next day, where he could be elected
by acclamation. He said : ' Oh, Tupper, I could never do
that.' I said I would get Pineo to resign his seat in the
local Assembly, and run with him on the same day. Howe
seemed much affected, and I left him in better spirits.

" The Conservatives responded nobly to my call, and
Howe was safely elected; but he went back to Ottawa a
broken man, and only a wreck of his former self.

" My friend the Hon. Dr. Parker, M.L.C., and myself
were invited to accept professorships in the Medical Faculty
of Dalhousie College, as will be seen by the following letter
from Sir William Young, Chief Justice :

July 3, 1869.
" ' Dear Sirs, — I have a note from Dr. Reid, with a resolution of
the Medical Faculty, recommending the Governors of the College to
request you to accept chairs in the Faculty with the view of com-
pleting the course of medical instruction in the school. I am sure
that I speak the sentiments of all the Governors, and feeling a warm
interest in the success of the school, I am personally very desirous
that you should both comply with this request, which would give
the institution additional character and status, and trust that your
other engagements will permit your lending it your valuable aid. —
Yours faithfully,

'"W. Young.'"
The Hon. Drs. Tupper and Parker.

During the five years' existence of the first Dominion
Parliament, various departments of the Executive were
created in view of the demands of the new Dominion.
Dual representation was allowed in Ontario and Quebec;
but Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, foreseeing the in-
justice of this principle, and the confusion to which its
adoption would lead, had anticipated the evil by legisla-
tion before the Union was completed.

As Dr. Tupper declined to become a member of Sir John
Macdonald's Cabinet when first formed, he had no direct
responsibility, after its organisation, in directing its diffi-

n 193

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

cult labours or bearing its heavy responsibilities; but in
view of the part he had taken in Confederation, Sir John
A. Macdonald was too wise a statesman not to avail him-
self of the advantages of his counsels.

An Act was passed for building the Intercolonial Kail-
way, which was completed in 1876, under the supervision
of Sandford Fleming as Chief Government Engineer. The
four Provinces were thus linked together by this highway
of transportation.

Sir George E. Cartier and the Hon. William McDougall,
Canadian delegates, were sent to England to negotiate a
bargain with the Hudson's Bay Company for the transfer
of their vast territories to the Dominion. On her part,
Canada agreed to pay £300,000 sterling and to reserve
certain parts of the Dominion for the Company. In 1869
the bargain came before Parliament, and was confirmed
by a vote of 121 to 15. Nine French members and A. J.
Smith, from New Brunswick, voted in the minority on the
ground that it was " likely to involve this Dominion in a
heavy expense without any prospect of adequate remunera-
tion." It is no matter of wonder that Conservative minds
should shrink from such huge ventures, as did the fifteen
who, led by Sir Albert Smith, voted against the Hudson's
Bay bargain. It is at a time like this that men of vision
are needed, such as the new Dominion then had in Charles
Tupper and John A. Macdonald.

After the close of the session of 1869, surveyors were
appointed and sent out under Colonel Dennis to survey
townships in Assiniboia. In the autumn William McDougall
was appointed the first Lieutenant-Governor.

The matter of the Governor-General's salary came up
again in the session of 1869. It was then fixed at £10,000
sterling. A motion was made for reciprocity in manu-
factured goods, as well as natural products, with the
United States, and was defeated by a large majority.
Dr. Tupper, seeing the National Policy possible in the

194

Collapse of the Repeal Movement

not distant future, opposed this form of reciprocity with
all his might.

At Quebec in 1864, the delegates from Newfoundland
agreed upon the terms for the admission of that island
into the Union. In 1869 the Dominion Parliament made
a similar offer to Newfoundland, but it was rejected by
the Legislature of that Colony.

From 1867 to 1870 the Cabinet, led by Sir John A. Mac-
donald, contended with difficulties not a few. The differ-
ence of opinion between Sir John and Sir A. T. Gait on
the bank question resulted in the latter entirely severing
his connection with the Conservative party. Having
advanced Canadian independence, Sir John in again offer-
ing Sir A. T. Gait the Department of Finance, coupled
with the offer the condition that he would renounce his
view on independence. This Gait declined to do. W. H.
Howland was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario,
and Sir Francis Hincks was made Minister of Finance.
These changes led to complications in the Cabinet diffi-
cult to adjust.

For the twelve years in the little Parliament of his native
Province, Dr. Tupper, whether in the majority or minority,
was a recognised power. The railway policy which had been
timid, halting and irresolute in the hands of Joseph Howe,
when transferred to the hands of Dr. Tupper, became bold,
positive and progressive. Under Mr. Howe's premiership,
from 1859 to 1863, there was no progress. The Government
was hesitating and hysterical. During the following four
years, Dr. Tupper extended the road to Truro and Pictou.
For a quarter of a century Joseph Howe had been re-
sponsible for the free education of the country, but very
little was accomplished. In the hands of Dr. Tupper it
took the shape, as if by magic, of schools sustained by
assessment and open to every family in the Province.

How the opposition to Confederation was dealt with by
him has been told. The first heavy battle for the Union

i95

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

issued in a signal victory for Charles Tupper. Here, then,
ends one era in Dr. Tupper's life, and here begins another.
Will he be able, surrounded by men sent from all parts of
the Dominion, to hold to them the same relations he had
maintained with the best that Nova Scotia had sent to her
Legislature ? In a fair and thorough examination of the
earlier years of the evolution of the Canadian nationality
may be found the true reply to this question.

From the first it was apparent that Dr. Tupper was not
in the Commons to make a reputation; but was there to
do hard, aggressive work. He could not be accused of dis-
respect to men of either party. His plainness of speech,
however, convinced all who heard him that in forming his
opinions on the great questions then employing the atten-
tion of Parliament, while giving due weight to the views
of others, whatever their standing, it was by the exercise
of his own judgment that he arrived at his conclusions.
In a very short time all were convinced that his opinions,
uttered with clearness and confidence, were broad-based
on independent thinking and self-reliance. He judged the
judgment of others with phenomenal force and courage.
At this time his previously avowed opinions had been to
the effect that the Union would give a higher standing to
the respective Provinces ; that their credit would be greater ;
the trade between them much increased, to mutual advan-
tage; that Union was essential to their greatest progress
and largest growth; that the character of the representa-
tion would secure justice to each Province ; that consolida-
tion would make defence easier and more efficient ; and that
Union would elevate the position of each Province.

The Intercolonial Kail way was then making substantial
progress. The turning out to drill of five thousand Nova
Scotia militiamen was given by Mr. Howe as their accept-
ance of the Union. Even the Morning Chronicle admitted
at this date that " it was the policy of the people of Nova
Scotia to make the best of the Union while it lasted."

196

CHAPTEE XIII

DR. TOPPER AS PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (1869 — 71)

WHILE Dr. Tupper was yet a private member of the
House of Commons, it fell to his lot to share per-
sonally in the labour of settling the rebellion led
by Louis Kiel.

The full story of this extraordinary adventure is related
in " Recollections of Sixty Years." Suffice it to say here
that he penetrated to Fort Garry, carried on negotiations
with Kiel's representatives, and incidentally rescued the
property of his daughter and son-in-law (Captain D. JR.
Cameron) which had been taken by the rebels.

The following are the different points taken up during
the discussion with Father Richot, Kiel's representative :

1. The insurgents say that they have been sold by the
Hudson's Bay Company to Canada.

2. That they were not consulted.

3. That the proposed form of Government is despotic.

4. That a Governor and Council were sent from Canada
to rule them without any reference to the wishes of their
own people.

5. They believe that they can withstand the power of
Canada, and if they wish the aid of the United States,
they can obtain it by becoming a state in the Union.

To which Dr. Tupper replied :

1. They have neither been bought nor sold. The Crown
agreed to pay £300,000 to the Hudson's Bay Company in
order to reacquire the same rights over the country the
Queen has over the other parts of the Dominion. Canada
was called upon to pay that money because the North-
west Territories were to form a part of the Dominion.

197

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

2. The people could not be consulted by Canada because,
until this was arranged, they were under another Govern-
ment. The Hudson's Bay Company even complained to the
British Government because Canada sent $20,000 to be ex-
pended in opening a road to the country where the people
were starving.

3. A reference to the Act will show that it was only
intended for the formation of a " temporary " Govern-
ment, that it expires at the end of the next session of
Parliament, and was the only way in which a Govern-
ment could be organised in the first instance. The law
provided that the Government should be appointed by the
Queen's representatives in the same way as in all the
Provinces of the Dominion, and that all laws and ordi-
nances should be not only approved by the Privy Council
but also submitted to Parliament as soon as possible.

4. But three members of the Council were nominated from
Canada out of a Council of from seven to fifteen, and all
the other members were to be filled up from residents in the
country enjoying the confidence of the people.

It was intended to establish representative institutions
and place the territory in the same position as the other
Provinces at the earliest moment that it was prepared for
the change and desired it.

5. Canada has an enrolled militia of 650,000 men capable
of bearing arms, and 40,000 men regularly trained to arms
every year. The course of the United States in reference to
Cuba shows that it would be hopeless to expect any aid from
that Government, even should the people wish to substitute
republican institutions for the authority of the Queen's rule
over every part of the Dominion as much as over the people
of England. The whole power of England, as well as of
Canada, will be used to prevent one foot of the British
possessions on this continent being wrested from the Queen
by any foreign power.

In Canada the tariff is 15 per cent.

198

Dr. Tupper as President of the Council

In the United States it averages nearly 60 per cent.

Under Confederation, each Province gets back from the
Federal Government money enough to pay the Governor,
the local Government, the Legislature, and a large amount
for the local expenses of the Province.

In the United States the Federal Government contri-
butes nothing to these expenses, which are all borne by
direct taxation.

Under Confederation, each Province has the control of
the public lands and all monies arising from the sale of
Crown lands, mines and minerals, etc. In the United
States the Federal Government takes all the money ob-
tained by the sale of public lands. A Minute of Council
has been passed by the Canadian Government declaring
that during the next two years the duties in the North -
West Territories shall not exceed those now imposed.

As the result of the discussion with Father Eichot,
Colonel DeSalaberry and Grand Vicar Thibault were at
once received, and shortly afterwards a deputation con-
sisting of Father Richot and Mr. Scott was sent by Kiel
to Ottawa to negotiate, as Dr. Tupper had advised, and
the back of the insurrection was broken.

In connection with this adventure, the following letter
from the late Sir Sandford Fleming is of interest :

Ottawa,

March 7, 1910.

My dear Sir Charles, — It is a great satisfaction to me to receive
to-day your kind letter of February 23. I have a very distinct
recollection of your trip to Fort Garry in 1869. In any account of
the early history of the North West, it should never be forgotten,
that, by taking your life in your hand on that occasion, you in-
augurated the breaking up of the insurrection.

Your invitation to visit you, should I again cross the ocean, is
very gratifying to me. Meanwhile it is a genuine pleasure to hear
from you and learn that Lady Tupper holds her own. . . .

"With the kindest regards to Lady Tupper, Believe me always,

Yours most faithfully,

Sandford Fleming.

199

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

At the opening of the session of 1870, after Sir A. T.
Gait, Mr. Cartwright, Mr. McDougall, Mr. Masson, of
Terrebonne, and Mr. Mackenzie Bowell, all former sup-
porters of the Government, had attacked Sir John Mac-
donald, Dr. Tupper followed Mr. Alexander Mackenzie
with a speech in defence of the Government (of which he
was not then a member), which is noteworthy, as it con-
tains the first suggestion of a National Policy in the
Dominion Parliament.

The following are some of its most important points :

" Nothing had ever reflected greater honour upon the leading public
men of both the great parties, who had so long and so fiercely struggled
with each other, than the fact that in the presence of a great necessity,
they had forgotten what was due to party, in order that they might
accomplish an important measure indispensable to the progress,
prosperity, and security of their common country. ... He was
persuaded that the great Reform party, who had sacrificed so much at
the shrine of patriotism since the inception of the measure, would not
recede from the position they had assumed when they declared, in the
face of the people, that they would forget for a time the duty they owed
to party, and combine with those with whom throughout their political
career they had been placed in a position of the strongest antagonism.
. . . The House would not forget how, in the struggle for party
ascendancy, denomination had been arrayed against denomination,
nationality against nationality, section against section, until the
credit of Canada was dragged down to the lowest ebb, and the credit
of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia also imperilled, and, indeed,
materially affected by the same causes. . . . From the very
first hour the Government came into power, they had steadily kept
in view the patriotic object which they had pledged themselves
to accomplish. He had listened with the deepest attention to
the criticism of gentlemen who had been former supporters of the
Government as well as those who were their persistent opponents.
They had pronounced the efforts of coalition to advance the great
measure of Confederation entirely ineffective. He defied those
honourable gentlemen to show in what respects there had been a failure.
He would like them to point to the pages of history and show where
as much had been done in as short a time in the case of any similar
measure of national importance. That measure had consolidated
four millions of people who had been previously separated in different

200

Dr. Tupper as President of the Council

Provinces, embracing a territory of nearly four hundred thousand
square miles exclusive of the North-West. The political systems of
the Provinces had been changed and brought under one Government,
without a single blow being struck. Instead of resulting in failure,
the combination of parties had led to the most magnificent success.
In the Province of Nova Scotia a great change had been effected in a
remarkably short time ; it was only necessary to compare its present
condition with that which it occupied when he first stood up to address
that House, to see what the wise policy of the administration had
accomplished. A calm and impartial review of the present situation
of the Confederation, from one end to the other, would at once show
that a great revolution had been effected peacefully and successfully,
through the statesmanlike efforts of the men who had combined with
the most patriotic aims in view. As regards the North-West difficulty,
he entertained the most sanguine expectations that it would be speedily
arranged most satisfactorily. . . .

" That territory afforded a field of immigration that could not be
found in any other part of British America. At an early day the
House would have the satisfaction of knowing that, by the annexation
of the North-West, they had not only strengthened the position of
the British North-American Confederation, but opened up a country to
energy and enterprise which would bring incalculable wealth to the
Dominion. ... He was proud to be able to say, after having
had an introduction to Mr. Riel in council at Fort Garry, and dis-
cussed in the frankest manner possible the whole question with some
of his principal advisers, that he believed the negotiations now in
progress would end in the peaceful acquisition of the territory, upon
terms alike satisfactory to the insurgents, and advantageous to the
Dominion. He did not hesitate to admit that his sympathies were
largely excited, upon looking at the question from the same point of
view as the insurgents, and when he found how grievously they had
been misled, and how ill-advised they had been. He had no doubt
whatever that when they found that the spirit of the free Canadian
Parliament would not permit anything like injustice to govern in
any part of the Dominion, they would readily agree to a satisfactory
solution of the whole difficulty. . . .

"There was another question on which he held very strong
opinions, and to which he called the attention of the House. He
would ask whether it was considered advantageous to the best
interests of the country that the Dominion of Canada should long
remain in its present humiliating attitude with regard to its trade
relations with the United States. He had always felt, he should

20 1

The* Life of Sir Charles Tupper

say at the outset, that the most peaceable and friendly relations
should exist between the Dominion and the United States, and
with that object in view he had favoured the reciprocal interchange
of the natural productions of both countries. ... It was well
known that the treaty which formerly existed between British
America and the United States had operated in a most satisfac-
tory manner for both countries. It was well known, however,
that the balance of trade was uniformly in favour of the United
States, but nevertheless the Congress of that country repealed
the treaty. When that occurred he (Dr. Tupper), as the leader of
the Government of Nova Scotia, maintained the necessity of our
meeting them on their own ground. The Imperial Government
desired and the Government of Canada conceded that, instead of
meeting the Americans with a retaliatory measure as the best means
of obtaining a renewal of the treaty, we should act in a conciliatory
spirit. All our efforts, however, to induce them to change their
policy had failed, and they still adhere to their restrictive commercial
system. Was anyone on the opposite side prepared to continue a
policy which had been all on one side, after the experience of the
past four years, and the recent statement of the President to Congress,
that the Government of the United States were opposed to reciprocal
trade, because it was solely in the interests of the British producer ?
Were those honourable gentlemen prepared to sacrifice the best
interests of the country in order to assist the Americans in carrying
out what they admitted was not a commercial but a political policy.
While the Provinces had been suffering from the restrictive policy
of the Americans — whilst we had surrendered for literally nothing,
our magnificent fishing grounds, so valuable when considered in con-
nection with our shipping interests, our commerce, and the training
for sailors, we had been allowing our neighbours to send in their
products free, or at a nominal duty, and giving them reason to suppose
that we could not, or dare not, act in a different spirit towards them.
Was that a policy to be supported by any free man in British America ?
Should we allow the best interests of the country to be sacrificed or
uphold a bold national policy which would promote the best interests
of all classes and fill our treasury ? Whilst Canadian agriculturists
had their products shut out by the prohibitory tariff of the Bepublic,
Canada had admitted, free, during the past year six or seven millions
of dollars' worth of grain and bread stuffs from that Republic. Take
the article of coal, for instance, and it would be well if the House fully
considered the importance of that great branch of industry. Whilst
the United States policy had been to meet the coal producers of Canada

202

Dr. Tupper as President of the Council

with a duty which virtually shut out Canadian coal from the American
market, we had bought from them nearly a million dollars' worth of
coal more than we had sent to the States on which we did not receive
a cent of duty. We had, during the past year, admitted six or seven
millions of dollars' worth of agricultural products, and nearly ten
millions of free goods of other descriptions from the United States,
whose people, in return, told us that neither the products of our mines,
our forests, our fields, or our seas, should cross their borders without
paying tribute. If we could not have free trade, the time had certainly
come for having at least a reciprocity of tariffs. Was there an intelli-
gent man in the country who did not know that our declaration of
such a policy would give us a reciprocity treaty in a year ? Whoever
read the discussions of Congress would see that all we had to do was
to assume a manly attitude on that great question in order to obtain
free trade with the United States. But suppose they resented that
retaliatory policy, the result would be hardly less satisfactory than
a Reciprocity Treaty. It would increase the trade between the
Provinces, stimulate intercourse between the different sections of
our people, and promote the prosperity of the whole Dominion.
Such a question should be fully considered, for it affected the most
important interests of the country, and properly dealt with, would
diffuse wealth and prosperity throughout the Dominion."

After this speech, Sir John Hacdonald urged Dr. Tupper
to enter his Cabinet, which he did, as President of the
Council, on the assurance of a large majority of the Nova
Scotia members that he would receive their support.

It was self-evident and everywhere admitted that rail-
way connection between the Atlantic and the Pacific was
essential to the consolidation of the Provinces and Terri-
tories. Canals and other means of helping the trade and
intercourse of the Dominion put forward their unquestioned
claim ; but the Customs policy divided the judgment of both
the people and their representatives. Only a few years had
passed since the Reciprocity Treaty with the United States
had come to an end. The belief prevailed that the welfare
of the country depended on its renewal. On this question
there was substantial agreement in all parts of the Dominion.
But failure had attended every effort to renew the treaty. In

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The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

addition to this, the Government and Congress of the Be-
public believed that the refusal of a renewal of the treaty,
and the enforcement of a rigorous protective policy, would
so cripple Canada in her infancy thai she would soon be
found as a suppliant for annexation to her big neighbour.
The Boards of Trade at Detroit in 1866 had resolved to
advise the President of the United States to renew the
treaty with the Canadian Provinces. But this advice was
not taken. During all the years between the Confederation
of the Dominion and the adoption of the National Policy,
there was in and out of Parliament a babel of opinion re-
specting a sound fiscal policy for Canada. As the source
of a river which enriches a country is carefully sought, so
the origin of the National Policy will ever be a matter of
interest to the Canadian public.

One of the first matters to catch the business eye of Dr.
Tupper after his admission to the Cabinet was the Inter-
colonial Bailway, in which he had, from the first, been deeply
interested. There was a dispute between Mr. Brydges, the
Chairman of the Commissioners under whom the road was
being constructed, and Mr. Fleming, the chief engineer.
The judgment of the latter was that the bridges should be
constructed of iron, but the Chairman of the Commis-
sioners was in favour of wooden bridges. Tenders for
wooden bridges had been asked for and accepted. Dr.
Tupper took strong ground against the judgment of Mr.
Brydges, and induced the Council to instruct Mr. Flem-
ing to ascertain what the difference in cost would be
between the two materials. The result of this was that
iron bridges were substituted for wooden ones.

In an earlier chapter dealing with Dr. Tupper's mission
to England in 1868 to defeat the delegates from the Nova
Scotia Legislature in their efforts to secure the repeal of
the British North America Act as far as Nova Scotia was
concerned, are found the persistent, heroic and successful
efforts made by Dr. Tupper, and the formidable obstacles

204

Dr. Tupper as President of the Council

he met with in securing the sanction of the British Govern-
ment to an increase of the licence fee, from fifty cents to
two dollars a ton, on American fishing vessels. In 1870 is
seen also the firm stand he took in the House of Commons
in maintaining the rights of Canada to her inshore fisheries.
On March 9 of that year the Hon. Mr. Coffin, of Shelburne,
N.S., complained of the depredations committed by American
fishermen in Canadian waters, as did also Mr. Robitaille.
Sir John A. Macdonald replied that he

" was happy to believe that H.M. Fleet in our waters would not be
diminished, but perhaps increased. As already announced, it was
the intention of the Government to issue no more licences to foreign
fishermen. They were taking every step possible to protect our
fisheries. They would have such a force as the Imperial authorities
chose to place in our waters to back up our own schooners, which would
unite as a marine police."

Dr. Tupper stated that he

"wished to enter his protest against the statement made by the hon.
member of the House which would damage the rights of our fishermen,
by saying that we were not ready and able to protect them. He
believed the policy which the Government had announced on this
subject would meet with the entire approval of the country, and would
put an end to the difficulties so loudly complained of. If the licence
system had not been commenced there would have been no difficulty,
and a stoppage of that system would stop all the trouble. He was
not so advanced in his views as to propose the establishment of an
independent nation, but he was sufficiently advanced to believe that
the country was able to protect its own fishermen and fisheries."

At this date it is seen that Dr. Tupper's views, firmly
expressed in corresponding with the Canadian Government
in 1867 on the proposal to grant licences to American fisher-
men, were both expedient and sound. As long as licences
remained at a nominal figure, all went well ; but no sooner
were they raised to $2.00 a ton than the fishermen ignored
them and trespassed in a wholesale fashion on the Canadian
fishing grounds. This led to the discussion and settlement

20i

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

of the matter for a term of years in connection with the
Washington Treaty.

The session of 1871 opened in February. Sir John A.
Macdonald had been appointed by the Imperial Government
a member of the Joint High Commission with regard to the
Fisheries Question about to assemble at Washington. Sir
A. T. Gait moved a resolution in the House of Commons
intended for the guidance of Sir John Macdonald, but Dr.
Tupper made a strong appeal to him to withdraw his
resolution, which was done.

Sir John's first letter from Washington to Dr. Tupper,
as President of the Council, suggests the intimate personal
relations existing between these two statesmen. Sir John
said :

" When the House met yesterday, I was introduced to Ben Butler.
He talked very pleasantly, and told me some very amusing anecdotes
apropos of the Parliamentary practice in the House. Among other
things, he told us that Saturday is given up to members who desire
to make bunkum speeches for their constituents. The Speaker
usually makes it a holiday, and appoints somebody else to take his
place. Frequently the speakers have an audience of from six to
twenty, and sometimes, by agreement, the speeches are handed in
without being read, and appear in the Congressional Globe — the Ameri-
can Hansard. This plan, he says, has had its inconveniences. On
one occasion, a speech turned out to be a violent attack on Sumner.
It appears, too, that they have professional penny-a-liners, who
write speeches for illiterate members. One of these gentry sold the
same speech to two members. It was handed in by both, and appeared
twice in the same Globe. I think this is enough gossip for one letter."

On the same day Sir John sent another letter to Dr.
Tupper, from which the following is taken :

" Since writing my account of our doings here, I have seen Lord de
Grey. He has had an unofficial conversation with leading statesmen
here, and thought it of sufficient importance to come down here after
church and mention it to me. I now send it on to you, but cannot
mention the name of the statesman, as I have little confidence in the
Post Office here.

" This man said that there would doubtless be a good deal of gas

206

Dr. Tupper as President of the Council

talk about the fisheries ; that without any question as to the right,
the United States must have the inshore fisheries, but were ready to
pay for them. Lord de Grey said that he had no instructions on the
matter, but would, of course, submit any proposition for the con-
sideration of his Government. He asked if the United States were
ready for a renewal of the Reciprocity Treaty on the same terms as
before. The man replied that he did not think that Congress could
be brought to sanction anything of the kind just now, but what he
alluded to was a pecuniary equivalent. Then the conversation ended.
I told Lord de Grey we had not even taken into consideration any
other equivalent, but that of an enlarged commercial intercourse in
the direction of reciprocity, and as nearly approaching the old
Reciprocity Treaty as the exigencies of the United States revenue
would permit. That I did not know how a money payment would
be received, but my impression was that it would be out of the question
for Canada to surrender, for all time to come, her fishery rights for
any compensation, however great ; that we had no right to injure
posterity by depriving Canada, either as a dependency or as a nation,
of her fisheries, and in my opinion any surrender must be for a term
of years renewable by either party, or, what would be preferable, for
an unspecified period, but liable to be terminated by either party.
But the fisheries were valuable in themselves, and would, with in-
creasing population, become annually of more value ; but the value
of the catch was of less consequence than the means which the ex-
clusive enjoyment of the fisheries gave us of improving our position
as a maritime power. That Canada possessed infinitely more valuable
fisheries than the United States, with better harbours, and if we
pursued the exclusive system vigorously, we might run a winning
race with the United States as a maritime power. That were
our fishing grounds used in common by our own and American
fishermen, the latter would enjoy the same training as ourselves,
etc. etc.

" I said, however, that I would write in general terms to Ottawa
and get the views of my colleagues on this branch of the question,
that is supposing the Canadian rights admitted to the fullest extent,
and reciprocity to the full extent refused, what other equivalent
would be of sufficient inducement to Canada to restore the liberty
of fishing in our inshore waters.

" Let me ask you to submit this letter in the strictest confidence
to the Council, and let me have some general expression of opinion
for my guidance, should the question be put to the British Com-
missioners."

207

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

To the two letters from Sir John, Dr. Tupper replied
on March 12, giving Sir John the report of " The Com-
mittee of Council," to whom had been referred a confi-
dential dispatch from Lord Kimberley. Dr. Tupper wrote :

The Committee learn with deep concern that Her Majesty's
Government favour the policy of surrendering in perpetuity, the
exclusive rights of fishing now enjoyed by Her Majesty's subjects on
the coasts of British North America to the United States for a money
consideration, and accompanying that expression of their opinion by
an intimation that the question of the Headland limits is to be made
the subject of compromise ; and that the demand of the United States
for the admission of their fishing vessels to Canadian ports for the
purpose of trade and purchase of fishing supplies and the transhipment
of fish, is to be complied with.

The Committee of Council are not insensible of the great importance
of removing all possible causes of difference between Great Britain
and the United States ; but they would fail in their duty to the Crown,
and forget what they owed to the people of Canada, if they did not
at the outset enter their respectful but firm protest against any
surrender of the territorial rights of Canada without the concurrence
of the Parliament of the Dominion.

The Committee regard the exclusive right to the inshore fisheries
as fraught with incalculable advantage to Canada, and of the most
vital importance to Great Britain. Their vast importance as a
source of profitable industry and wealth to a large portion of Her
Majesty's subjects sinks into insignificance when regarded as a means
of fostering a great maritime power, and the Committee of Council
respectfully submit that it is not unworthy of the consideration
of the Imperial Government whether it would be wise to furnish the
United States with the only means of becoming a great naval power,
and, at the same time, paralyse the energies of tens of thousands of
Her Majesty's hardy fishermen, the tax on whose industry in the
markets of the United States is not in some measure compensated
by the exclusive rights they enjoy on their own fishing grounds.

The following letter accompanied the foregoing Minute
of Council, and not only explains it but throws light upon
the complications which began to gather around the subject
of the Fisheries as they were considered by the Joint High
Commission at Washington :

208

Dr. Tupper as President of the Council

Ottawa,

March 12, 1871
My dear Sir John, — We were all very glad to receive your in-
teresting letters, which I will carefully preserve and return to you
as you propose. We quite concur in the line you have taken and
have sent the message and despatch, a copy of which will go to you
to-morrow.

I am afraid you will think the Minute very feeble, but it was
the best I could get. I proposed one, expressing the deep concern
with which we had learned that the Imperial Government favoured
the policy of selling the Fisheries in perpetuity, and intimated the
opinion that the Headland limit should be " compromised," and the
demand of the United States for the admission of their fishing vessels
to our ports for purposes of trade, be complied with. My Minute
took resolute ground against the sale — adverted to the fact that the
United States had not for five years past acted on the proposal to
submit the true interpretation of the Treaty on the Headland question
to adjudication and had in 1871, for the first time, ventured to ask
for the admission to our ports for purposes of trade. I also called
attention to the fact that the range of the Commission had been
enlarged, and our relative strength on it weakened without consulta-
tion with us. I think I will send you a copy of my draft for your
opinion. I think I know enough of the British Government to come
to the conclusion that when they venture to spring upon us with such
a proposition, it is best to speak out or say nothing. I own I am
intensely disgusted to find that in the face of the menace of the
President, the British Government should propose to alienate for
ever our fisheries for money, and accompany their proposal with the
announcement that they intend to compromise our important right
and abandon us in our claims. It is also perfectly evident that a
bold front would give us all we desired. If we are sacrificed we almost
deserve it for not sending you as I wished to England the moment
that message made its appearance, instead of leaving Rose, weakly
or worse, to do us irreparable mischief. The last despatch is written
entirely in the light of that miserable statement sent by him to the
Foreign Office. . . .

I hope most sincerely that you will get a reciprocity treaty for
us and a peerage for yourself. Then I will be satisfied, and will not
break my heart even if Mackenzie should get his innings. All your
colleagues sympathise with you in your arduous work, and are most
anxious to serve you in any way in their power. I hope Col. Bernard
had no need to use the prescription I sent him. Tell me, when you
o 209

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

write, how you are in health, and with best wishes for your health
and success. — Believe me to be, Yours most faithfully,

(Signed) Charles Tupper.
Hon. Sir J. A. Macdonald, K.C.B.

The following private telegrams from Dr. Tupper to Sir
John at this date indicate the bold policy advocated by the
former :

Neither Government nor people of Canada will ever consent to
concede fishing privilege for even term of years for money considera-
tion, and such a sale, even though period limited, would be regarded
by the Canadian people as equivalent to parting with a portion of
the territory of the Dominion.

Yourself alone. Message herewith that you suggested. But
how much money could we get in addition say to coasting trade, free
fish, coal, lumber, and salt ?

In the light of all the negotiations between Canada and
Great Britain since that day, who would venture to assert
that the bolder course indicated in Dr. Tupper's letter to Sir
John would not have been the better one and equally as safe
as the modified policy which was adopted ?

Lord Kimberley's reply to the Minute of Council of the
Dominion Government, which was to the effect that the
English Government never had had any intention of sell-
ing the fishery rights of Canada without the consent of
the Dominion Parliament, reached Sir John at Washing-
ton in time for him to write to Dr. Tupper on the 17th
as follows :

" It was a most fortunate thought to send a cablegram to Lord
Kimberley, as, in my expression of disinclination to enter upon the
question of sale or lease of the fisheries, communication was had
with Lord Granville (Secretary for Foreign Affairs), who authorised
the Commission to discuss the question of sale, at the same time ex-
pressing a preference for sale in perpetuity. Upon this, I produced
Lord Kimberley's answer, which was a floorer. Lord de Grey is now,
doubtless, communicating with Lord Granville, as to the apparent
discrepancy between his statement and that of Lord Kimberley."

It will be seen from the following private telegram to
Sir John on March 22, that Dr. Tupper, on the assumption

Dr. Tupper as President of the Council

that the Treaty would last eleven years, fixed the amount
of a money consideration at the same figure as the award
made at Halifax in 1877 by the joint arbitrators :

For yourself alone. Council might entertain second proposition
for term of years with half a million dollars a year. Would deduct
$100,000 if animals are admitted free.

By May 21 Lord de Grey had received his reply from
Lord Granville which enabled Sir John to inform Dr.
Tupper of the satisfactory outcome of the protest from
the Government at Ottawa.

At this point the proposals and counter-proposals in the
negotiations became mixed with the suggestion of free fish-
ing on the lakes and in the St. Lawrence, the free naviga-
tion of that river, Canadian canals, Lakes Champlain and
Michigan, the use of the Sault Ste. Marie Canal and the
canal at the St. Clair Flats. These matters were discussed
principally between Sir John A. Macdonald and Mr. Fish.

In view of the position taken by Sir John A. Macdonald
at the refusal of the United States Commissioners to accept
the offers that had been made them, at this stage it seemed
as if the whole matter would fall through.

Sir John's letter to Dr. Tupper, written on April 5, makes
it plain that the British Government supported Sir John in
his objection to the conditions of the Treaty. Sir John says :

" My telegram of this morning will have informed you that Home
Government has backed me in a satisfactory manner, and given me
rather a victory over my colleagues. We telegraphed the provisional
arrangement made to England, and stated that I did not concur, on
the ground of the inadequacy of the compensation, though the rest
thought it was a fair arrangement. They replied, asking for my
reasons and the views of others. We sent home a copy of the memor-
andum which I sent you, and my colleagues added that they thought
the arrangement a good one, considering the political necessity of
allaying all causes of irritation between Canada and the United
States, and they were the best terms that could be got. A return
cable came to us — a good deal, I think, to the annoyance of Lord de
Grey — stating that, ' the Government thought Sir John Macdonald's

211

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

propositions were quite reasonable, and that there should be a sub-
stantial money payment and an immediate repeal of the duty on
lumber.' It was added, however, that ' we should not be too strict
as to the date of the repeal of the lumber duty.' "

An acute stage in the deliberations had been reached.
On April 16, Sir John wrote again :

" Since I last wrote you, fishery matters have not been going on
satisfactorily, as my telegrams will have informed you. Lord de
Grey had a meeting with Mr. Fish, and told him that his Government
thought the terms offered not an adequate compensation, and that he
(Mr. Fish) must increase his bid. In other words, he must supplement
the proposition by a money payment.

" At the time of this conversation I had not received your telegram
stating that you would take $150,000 per annum, and $50,000
additional until lumber was free."

This proposition from the Dominion Cabinet, through
Dr. Tupper, for the twelve years would have amounted to
$1,000,000. But the arbitrators awarded $5,500,000, giving
Canada $3,600,000 more by arbitration than she offered to
take while the negotiations were going on.

"When the British Commissioners met, I gave Lord de Grey a
copy of your telegram. He said you could not be serious in asking
so much. We certainly would not get it, and he was rather glad he
had not had the message at the time of the interview (with Mr. Fish),
as he felt he would not have been able to press so large a sum. We
had a rather warm discussion on the subject, in which, as usual, I
stood alone.1

"Lord de Grey, at this or a previous meeting, mentioned the
Fenian claims, and the American Commissioners objected on the

• An inordinate desire for reciprocity broke out in the Canadian Parlia-
ment during the time the Washington Treaty was in progress. Members of
the House of Commons sustaining the Government united with the Opposi-
tion and passed a measure admitting American coal and salt free into Canada.
Dr. Tupper, who at the time was in possession of all the facts of the negotia-
tions at Washington, but who was compelled to secrecy respecting them, urged
the House in the circumstances not to press the Bill to a vote. He saw that
It would interfere, as it did, with securing the best terms for the Fishery Treaty.
The coal and salt monopolists in the United States, seeing that they would
have the Canadian market free, influenced Mr. Fisb to take these two articles
from the free list of Canadian imports offered to the Commission, thus giving
the monopolists the market of both Canada and the United States.

212

Dr. Tupper as President of the Council

ground which I feared they would take, viz. that the correspondence
only speaks of the mutual claims of British subjects and American
citizens, and that the Fenian claims would be claims by the Govern-
ments of England and Canada. Lord de Grey strongly resisted this,
and it stands over for further consideration. His Lordship is of
opinion, however, in which I must say I concur, that it will be
difficult to bring in the Government claims under the language of the
correspondence."

As a matter of fact, the British Commissioners did not
succeed in getting the Fenian claims before the Commis-
sion; and so desirous was the British Government that
the matter should not be pressed, that the large amount
of damages caused by the invasion of Canada by these
marauders was assumed by the English Government, and
Mr. Gladstone stated the fact in the House of Commons.

It is seen, however, by the subjoined telegram from Dr.
Tupper to Sir John on March 25 that the English Cabinet
believed the Fenian raid was before the Joint High Com-
mission. Sir Edward Thornton, the Ambassador, was re-
sponsible for its non-appearance in the instructions to the
American Commissioners :

Despatch received from England saying that our Minute respecting
Fenian claim has been referred to High Commission. Council hope
that you will press them. It might help Fishery negotiations.

On the part of the Canadian Government there was a
sympathetic disinclination to take money from the British
Exchequer, raised largely from the taxpayers of that country,
to reimburse Canada for the losses she had suffered by the
Fenian incursions. This is an example of the persistent dis-
regard of just demands made upon the United States Govern-
ment, and it stands out now as a remarkable event that in
fhe negotiations between the two countries for the settlement
of the claims made by each, that this particular claim, in
character the same as that of the Alabama claim from the
United States, should have been side-tracked and the re-
sponsibility of it assumed by England. It is just the same

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The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

as if the United States Government, anxious to sustain
peaceable relations with Great Britain, should have with-
drawn her claims for the depredations of the Alabama
and agreed to pay her citizens who had suffered loss out
of her own treasury. There is some consolation in the
fact that the Canadian Government received compensation
from England which did not cost the taxpayers of that
country a penny.

In President Grant's message to Congress, the proposal
was made for the United States to assume the payment of
all damages caused by the Alabama and other vessels, and
that the amount so paid should be held as a money claim
on England to be enforced when conditions made enforce-
ment available. It was this part of the President's mes-
sage which disturbed the British Cabinet; but Sir John,
who understood the matter, knew that it had really been
written by General Butler, and was a characteristic piece
of bluff.

At a subsequent meeting, Mr. Fish, after reviewing the
matter, said :

" The United States Government were now prepared to revert to the
proposal of a purely money consideration, and as it appeared there was
an irreconcilable difference of opinion between the two Governments
as to the value of the fisheries, he proposed that it should be left to
an impartial arbitration, one arbitrator to be chosen by each Govern-
ment, and the third selected by the Minister of some friendly power."

Mr. Pish stated that he wished the compensation thus
proposed should be for the fisheries for all time. Lord de
Grey said that he could hold out no hope that England
would entertain such a proposition. It must be for a term
of years, and he suggested ten years. Mr. Fish suggested
twenty-five. Lord de Grey here stated that whatever
arrangements were made, free fish must be included.

On April 29, Sir John wrote again to Dr. Tupper :

" The rights of Canada being substantially preserved by reserving
to her the veto power as to the fisheries, I am sincerely desirous that

214

Dr. Tupper as President of the Council

a treaty should be made, as it is of the greatest importance that the
Alabama and San Juan matters should be settled, especially the
former. The expectations of the American people of a settlement
of these matters having been strung to a very high pitch, and the
disappointment in case the negotiations end in nothing, will be very
great. If this attempt to settle the Alabama question should fail,
no peaceable solution of it is possible, and the war cloud will hang
over England and Canada.

" In all this I am satisfied that Lord de Grey is quite sincere, and,
of course, I appreciate the weight of the argument, as well as the con-
sideration that Canada would be a greater sufferer in case of hostile
action than England possibly could be. With a treaty, therefore,
once made, Canada has the game in her own hands. All fear of war
will have been averted, and between now and next February, when
Parliament meets, our Government will have plenty of time to con-
sider the whole question."

Her Britannic Majesty agreed, through her Commis-
sioners, that all the claims growing out of the acts com-
mitted by the Alabama and other vessels, and generally
known as the " Alabama claims," " shall be referred to
a tribunal of arbitration, to be composed of five arbitrators
— one to be named by the President of the United States,
one by the Queen of England, one by the King of Italy, one
by the President of the Swiss Confederation, and one by the
Emperor of Brazil."

The Joint High Commission at Washington left the
matter of recognising the indirect claims of the United
States against England for the Alabama depredations to
be settled by the two Governments. Immediately after
the work of the Commission was closed at Washington,
this difference came up between the United States Govern-
ment and the English Cabinet in making preparations
necessary for the settlement of the Alabama claims at
Geneva.

The two Governments were not able to come to an
agreement. The United States persisted in pressing their
indirect claims. The English Government stoutly refused

215

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

this demand. No conclusion was reached before the meet-
ing of the arbitrators at Geneva.

At this crisis, Charles Francis Adams, the United States
Agent, proposed at Geneva that, as a principle, arbitrators
should not take cognisance of indirect claims. The stand
taken by Mr. Adams solved the difficulty, and the arbi-
trators fixed $15,500,000 as due to the United States from
England, which sum was promptly paid.

The result of the negotiations at Washington was that
the United States Government would admit fish and fish-
oil free, and, as has been stated, leave the money compensa-
tion to a Commission of three — one appointed by England,
one by the United States, and if they could not agree upon
a third, the appointment should be left to a friendly power.

The terms agreed upon at Washington respecting the
Canadian fisheries were very unpopular in Canada. The
Opposition used this unpopularity in their efforts to defeat
the Government. About a year elapsed between the con-
clusion of the Treaty and the meeting of the Dominion
Parliament. Although the terms of the Treaty, as time
passed, were seen in a more favourable light, still, when
Parliament assembled in 1872, all the strength of the
Opposition was directed towards adversely criticising the
Treaty. Dr. Tupper, in view of his long experience and
minute and comprehensive knowledge of the question, was
able to encourage Sir John A. Macdonald in believing that
his work at Washington was wiser and sounder than he
himself judged it to be. Nevertheless, Sir John's defence
of the Treaty in the House of Commons in a four hours'
speech was largely apologetic, admitting that sacrifices had
been made in the interests of England, but that England
had made great sacrifices for Canada.

Dr. Tupper made a strong speech in support of the Treaty,
of which a report may be found in the Canadian " Hansard "
for 1872.

216

CHAPTER XIV

DEFEAT OF THE CONSERVATIVES (1872 — 74)

IN the absence of Sir John at Washington, the leadership
devolved upon Sir George E. Cartier. The principal

measure of the session was the Bill ratifying the terms
arranged for bringing British Columbia into the Confedera-
tion. It had been stipulated that British Columbia should
be connected by rail with the east within ten years. In the
discussion for sanctioning the terms of the admission of this
new province into the Confederation, the Opposition took
strong ground against this section of the agreement. The
talent on both sides of the House was employed in an ani-
mated and vigorous debate.

After the ratification of the Washington Treaty, the only
other important business of 1872 was asking the authority
of the House to give a Royal Charter for a company to build
the Canadian Pacific Railway. The essential part of this
charter was the Government's offer to give fifty million
acres of land in alternate blocks and $30,000,000 to the
company.

In July, 1872, the House was dissolved, and a general
election took place. Dr. Tupper was opposed by the late
Judge Morse, whom he defeated by a majority of 1,260.
Judge Morse was ever after one of his warmest friends.
Not one member was returned from Nova Scotia in opposi-
tion to the Government. Mr. Church, of Lunenburg, de-
clared himself an Independent. Five years before this,
Dr. Tupper was the only member returned from Nova
Scotia in support of the Government. His present suc-
cess called forth many congratulatory expressions, among

217

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

them a letter from Sir Hastings Doyle, Lieutenant-Gover-
nor of Nova Scotia :

Halifax,

August 18, 1872.

My dear Tupper, — It would seem an absurdity to congratulate
you upon your return to Parliament, because there never was a doubt
upon the subject, but I do, with great sincerity congratulate you upon
your glorious majority, and I must think it has served your own
cause, and that of the Government, far better that, under the circum-
stances, you should have been opposed than returned by acclamation,
because it has brought persons to the front to give the lie to the vile
aspersions that have been brought upon your private and public
character by the villainous press of this city. . . .

Pray tell me confidentially whether Sir John A. is likely to have
a good working majority, for I am deeply interested in his and your
success.

Are you coming this way ? I hope so, and that you will do so
soon, as I think of going on leave early next month. — Yours sincerely,

Hastings Doyle.

After the election in Nova Scotia, at the urgent request
of Sir John A. Macdonald, Dr. Tupper went to meet Mr.
Alexander Mackenzie at a great mass meeting at Strath -
roy, where he spoke in favour of A. P. Macdonald, who
was returned.

Dr. Tupper spoke also in Cardwell on nomination day,
where he succeeded in getting rival candidates to give way
able°.tm Hilliard Cameron, an eminent lawyer who had just
his woi^ea^e(^ ak Peel> an(i wno was elected. After address-
himself junSs in East Middlesex, Mr. David Glass, a Con-
of the Treavas elected.

speech was la ^r* Tupper resigned the Presidency of the
been made in ^as appointed Minister of Inland Revenue,
had made great *n ^>r- Tupper's career, Sir John A. Mac-

Dr. Tupper ma?' letter from Lord Lisgar, from which the
of which a report mare taken and in which is found evidence
for 1872. alents and labours were appreciated by

•al :

218

Defeat of the Conservatives

July 16, 1872.
My dear Sir John, — . . . I made the following recommen-
dations as to the order of St. Michael and St. George : Sir F. Hincks
to be promoted to be a G.C.M.G. For K.C.M.G.'s : Cartier, Camp-
bell, Tupper, Tilley, Draper, Chief Justice. For C.M.G.'s : Archibald
and Bernard Hincks. Cartier, Archibald and Bernard will be accepted,
I think, at once, or after the general election. Campbell, Tupper and
Tilley in a short time hereafter. Lord L. will write to Lord Dufierin

about these matters by this post.

(Signed) Lisgar.

Dr. Tupper informed Sir John that he had no wish
to receive a knighthood unless it was conferred upon Mr.
Howe also.

The international railway between Portland, Maine,
and St. John, New Brunswick, was opened in October.
Mr. Tilley and Dr. Tupper accompanied Lord Lisgar and
met President Grant, the Hon. Mr. Blaine, Secretary
of State, and the Hon. Mr. Kobinson, Secretary of the
Navy at Portland. The principal speeches of this cele-
bration were made at Bangor by the four persons named
above. Lord Lisgar prefaced his speech by saying : "I
deeply regret that I shall not be able to imitate the
admirable brevity of your President." For a week Dr.
Tupper was intimately associated with President Grant,
and admired his skill in uttering his opinions in con-
densed observations.

Dr. Tupper had returned to Ottawa in 1870, and in the
autumn of 1871, having leased " Armdale " at the North-
West Arm, Halifax, went with Mrs. Tupper and his grand-
daughter, Sophie Cameron, who was very ill at the time,
to St. Andrews, New Brunswick, where he had purchased
the "Highland Hill" farm for $6,000.00 as a summer
residence. When he became a member of the Government
in 1870, there was no railway to Halifax, and it was a
laborious journey, while he could go from Montreal to
St. Andrews in twelve hours. This made a summer resi-
dence at St. Andrews practicable for his family.

219

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

In September, 1872, the Government sent two hundred
militia to Fort Garry to oppose the Fenians who threatened
to invade Manitoba from the United States. Before the
arrival of the militia, the Lieutenant-Governor, A. G.
Archibald, at a critical time was offered assistance by
Louis Eiel, who professed his readiness to aid in repell-
ing the Fenians. This proffered aid was accepted, and the
Governor shook hands with Mr. Kiel. The Government
had already suffered because of its alleged too lenient
treatment of Kiel. It was known that when the House
should meet, the Government would be attacked for the
course taken by the Lieutenant-Governor. At the request
of Sir John Macdonald, Dr. Tupper wrote to Mr. Archi-
bald advising him to resign, which he did.

The record for 1872 may fitly conclude with the follow-
ing letter :

Halifax,

December 28, 1872.
My dear Tupper, — It is about time . . . that I should thank
you very sincerely for all the most kind, and too flattering expressions
. . . as regards the success of my administration of affairs in
these Lower Provinces ; it is especially gratifying to me that you
should feel satisfied with the manner in which I have conducted the
affairs of my Government, because I know you had more to do with
my appointment of Lt.-Governor than anyone else, and were, there-
fore, more or less answerable for my performances, and you would
have been proportionately annoyed if I had unfortunately made any
mistakes, and having now only about four months to remain here, I
think I may feel pretty certain that no dire misfortune is likely to
occur to prevent my feeling that I have fulfilled my destiny, having
(notwithstanding the threats that were held out at the commencement
of my " reign ") lived to see Anti-Confederation a dead issue, and
more than the policy inaugurated by you and your brother Confederates
triumphantly sustained in this Province 1 I have ascertained that
the Legislature here will meet about the last week in February, and
assuming that the session will last about the same time I shall have
no difficulty in being ready to embark for England in the steamer
of May 6. I intend to write officially to Lord Dufferin, and Sir John
A. to request permission to do so, and will also arrange with the

220

Defeat of the Conservatives

Horse Guards authorities that I may be relieved of my command
about the same time. I shall then have passed twelve winters here I
and it will close my military career, for, being at the head of my pro-
fession, and Colonel of a regiment, I have nothing more to look to,
or expect I but I shall look back with pride to my sojourn in these
parts, bearing in mind that arriving here for the Trent affairs I have
passed through many stirring events, although the last few years of
my command have been quiet enough. I shall not forget either,
how much you and I have officially been thrown together, and how
much I have been indebted to you for advice and assistance of all
kinds. . . .

I quite agree with you in feeling certain that both Lord and Lady
Dufferin will be most popular throughout the Dominion. They show
such high breeding, and have such charming manners, it is impossible
not to be fond of them.

Pray give my kindest regards to Mrs. Tupper and the fair Emma if

she is with you. I hope you have passed a Merry Christmas, and

trust there are many happy New Years in store for you and yours. —

Believe me to be, Yours very sincerely, . _

Hastings Doyle.

The first meeting of the House after the election of 1872
took place on March 5, 1873. On April 2 the Hon. Mr.
Huntington moved the appointment of a committee to
investigate a charge against the Government for having
received a large sum of money from Sir Hugh Allan for
the election in return for a charter for the construction
of the Canadian Pacific Kailway, and that the money had
been received for this purpose from American capitalists.
Mr. Huntington's charge was as follows :

"... That, in anticipation of the legislation of last session, an
agreement was made between Sir Hugh Allan, acting for himself, and
certain other Canadian promoters, and G. W. McMulIen, acting for
certain United States capitalists, whereby the latter agreed to furnish
all the funds necessary for the construction of the contemplated
railway, and to give the former a certain per cent, of interest, in con-
sideration of their interest and position, the scheme agreed on being
ostensibly that of a Canadian company with Sir Hugh Allan at its
head ;

" That the Government were aware that negotiations were pending
between these parties ;

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The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

" That subsequently an understanding was come to between the
Government and Sir Hugh Allan and Mr. Abbott, M.P. — that Sir
Hugh Allan and his friends should advance a large sum of money for
the purpose of aiding the elections of the Ministers and their sup-
porters at the ensuing general election, and that he and his friends
should receive the contract for the construction of the railway ;

" That accordingly Sir Hugh Allan did advance a large sum of
money for the purpose mentioned, and at the solicitation, and
under the pressing insistences of Ministers ;

"That part of the moneys expended by Sir Hugh Allan in con-
nection with the obtaining of the Act of incorporation and charter
was paid by him to the said United States capitalists under the
agreement with him. It is

"Ordered, that a committee of seven members be appointed to
enquire into all the circumstances connected with the negotiations
for the construction of the Pacific Railway, with the legislation of
last session on the subject, and with the granting of the charter to
Sir Hugh Allan and others ; with power to send for persons, papers
and records ; and with instructions to report in full the evidence
taken before, and all proceedings of, said Committee."

Sir John A. Macdonald called for a vote which, when
taken, defended him by 107 yeas to 76 nays.

On April 8, Sir John moved for a select committee to
be appointed by the House, of which the mover was not
to be one, to report on the several matters contained in
Mr. Huntington's resolution, with power to send for per-
sons and papers and report to the House. The committee
appointed consisted of the Hon. J. G. Blanchet, the
Hon. Edward Blake, the Hon. A. A. Dorion, the Hon.
J. Cameron and the Hon. James Macdonald. The com-
mittee reported, asking authority to examine witnesses on
oath. This was granted them, and they were authorised
to hold meetings during the adjournment of the House
whenever it was convenient.

A Bill was passed authorising the examination of wit-
nesses under oath. A majority of the select committee re-
ported to the House that their work could not be properly
carried on in the absence in England of Sir George E.

222

Defeat of the Conservatives

Cartier and Mr. J. J. C. Abbott, two members of tbe
House; and recommended that the committee should ad-
journ until July 2. This was, on motion, carried by a
majority of thirty-one.

Doubt having been expressed respecting the authority
of Parliament to pass an Act to enable the committee to
administer the oath to witnesses, the assent to the Bill
for that purpose was reserved by the Governor-General,
who promptly sent it to the Imperial Government for in-
structions respecting the constitutionality of the action of
Parliament in the matter.

During this session an Act was passed preventing dual
representation, similar to the Act passed by Dr. Tupper
in the Nova Scotia Legislature before the Confederation
Act came into operation. On April 8, Dr. Tupper, who
had resigned the office of Minister of Inland Kevenue and
had been appointed Minister of Customs, on February 3
moved a resolution which was seconded by Mr. Tilley :

" That this House do immediately resolve itself into a committee
to consider certain proposed resolutions relative to Customs duties in
the Province of Manitoba and the North-West Territories, including
Rupert's Land."

He introduced also, when Minister of Inland Kevenue,
the following resolution, which became law and remains
until the present day :

" That it is expedient to amend and consolidate the laws of the
Dominion respecting weights and measures, and to establish a uniform
system thereof for all Canada, except only as to special measures
used for certain purposes in the Province of Quebec ; and to provide
for the inspection of weights and measures with power to the Governor
in Council to make a tariff of fees for such inspection, sufficient to
defray the expenses of carrying it into effect."

Before the benefits of this enactment were made evident
in its operation it was exceedingly unpopular, but time has
proved its great usefulness.

An Act was passed admitting Prince Edward Island

223

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

into the Dominion upon terms arranged between the
Federal Government and that of the Island.

The Imperial Government disallowed the Act for the
taking of testimony under oath by a committee of the
House.

The Government then proposed to appoint the committee
chosen by the House under a Koyal Commission, but Messrs.
Blake and Dorion refused to act.

A Koyal Commission was then appointed consisting of
three judges, Messrs. Day, Politte and Gervain.

Parliament, in adjourning to August 13, when it was
to meet for the purpose of receiving the report of the
Commission on the Huntington Charges, it being under-
stood that the meeting in August would be solely for the
reception of the report of the Commission so that the said
report might be placed before Parliament and the country,
was prorogued until October 23.

But the leaders of the Opposition took an unwarrantable
and dishonourable advantage of the specified provision, and
secretly and through the Press urged their followers to be
present when the meeting in August took place. The result
was that the Opposition members from Ontario and Quebec
attended this meeting, but there were over sixty supporters
of the Government absent in distant parts of the Dominion.
It was the purpose of the Opposition to proceed with the
inquiry into the Huntington Charges by dealing with the
report of the Royal Commission. The obvious purpose was
to defeat the Government on a vote of want of confidence.

It is difficult at this distant day to see this scheme
of the Opposition in any light other than one of breach
of faith with Parliament. Had such a device been
attempted by the Government, Mr. Mackenzie and Mr.
Blake, in pouring upon the Government their torrents
of invective eloquence and moral reprobation, would have
carried the country with them. But such is the blinding
effect of hot partisanship, that on the assembling of the

224

Defeat of the Conservatives

House of Commons in August, Mr. Mackenzie was found
to be the leader of this political trick. The scene which
took place in Parliament at that lime has been thus
described :

" The Usher of the Black Rod, whose duty it is, with many bows
and genuflections, to summon the faithful Commons to the Senate
Chamber on such occasions, was directed to stand at the main entrance
of the Commons, so that the moment the Speaker took the chair he
could deliver his message before a motion from any member of the
House could be put in the Speaker's hands. Mr. Mackenzie, who
had prepared a motion which embodied the views of the Opposition,
was on his feet before the Speaker had scarcely ascended to his place,
and began to address the House amid shouts and jeers from the
Government benches. The Usher of the Black Rod, apparently
greatly alarmed at the stormy scene on which he had intruded himself,
stammered out his usual orders : ' I am commanded by His Ex-
cellency the Governor-General to acquaint this honourable House
that it is the pleasure of His Excellency that the members thereof do
forthwith attend him in the Senate Chamber.' This summons the
Speaker obeyed with the utmost alacrity, and left the chair while
Mr. Mackenzie was vainly endeavouring to vindicate the honour of
Parliament."

The Governor-General, in his speech opening Parlia-
ment on October 23, 1873, announced that the report of
the Royal Commission which had been laid before the
House at the pro forma meeting in August would be sub-
mitted to Parliament for consideration and action. That
the Canadian Pacific Railway Company, to whom a Royal
Charter was granted, had been unable to make the
financial arrangements, and had executed a surrender of
the Charter.

All the correspondence on the subject of the Huntington
Charges, with the Report of the Royal Commission, was laid
upon the table.

Mr. Mackenzie moved an amendment to the proposed
answer to the address :

" And we have to acquaint His Excellency that by their course
in reference to the investigation of the charges preferred by Mr.
p 225

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

Huntington in his place in this House, and under the facts disclosed
in the evidence laid before us, His Excellency's advisers have merited
the severe censure of this House."

Dr. Tupper, at the request of Sir J. A. Macdonald, replied
to Mr. Mackenzie's speech.

During the heat of the conflict on the Huntington
Charges, an incident occurred which illustrates the calm-
ness, the foresight, courage and fidelity to principle of
Dr. Tupper. Of this event, Sir Charles Tupper wrote :

" During the progress of the debate on the Huntington
Charges, which lasted many days, Sir J. A. Macdonald
told me that Lord Dufferin had requested him to resign,
and that he had called a meeting of the Council for the
next morning for the purpose of tendering our resigna-
tions. I called upon Lord Dufferin, who said : ' I sup-
pose, Doctor, Sir John has told you what I have said to
him ? ' and was answered in the affirmative. Lord Duff-
erin said : ' Well, what do you think about it ? ' I said :
' I think your lordship has made the mistake of your
life. To-day you enjoy the confidence of all parties as
the Eepresentative of the Queen. To-morrow you will be
denounced as the head of a party by the Conservative
Press all over Canada for having intervened during a
discussion in Parliament and thrown your weight against
your Government. Nor will you be able to point to any
precedent for such action under British Parliamentary
practice.'

" Lord Dufferin said : ' What would you advise ? ' I
replied : ' That you should at once cable the position to
the Colonial Office and ask advice.' That was done. Lord
Dufferin sent for Sir John Macdonald at two o'clock that
night, and withdrew his demand for the resignation of the
Government."

It having, however, become apparent that the Govern-
ment could not retain the support of a sufficient number to
warrant their continuing in power, Sir John Macdonald

226

Defeat of the Conservatives

tendered his resignation. On November 7, Parliament was
prorogued by the Governor- General. Mr. Mackenzie formed
a Government in which several supporters of Sir John
A. Macdonald's Government were rewarded for with-
drawing their support by seats in the new administra-
tion. This matter is referred to in the following extract
from Sir Charles's journal :

" When all the facts connected with the Canadian Pacific
Railway charge were fully known, Cauchon, Burpee, Smith,
Laird, Coffin and Ross, who had been elected as supporters
of the Government and still supported it, were purchased
by positions in the Cabinet, and thus joined a party who
had denounced coalition governments — the most monstrous
corruption that has ever taken place under responsible
government."

Mr. Mackenzie obtained a dissolution. The House was
dissolved on January 2, 1874, and writs were made re-
turnable on February 27, except in Manitoba and British
Columbia. The elections were not held until after March 12.
The new Government obtained a majority of 97.

In Sir Charles's journal is the following record :

" In 1873 I had the great pleasure in securing for
Mr. Howe the governorship of Nova Scotia, following Sir
Hastings Doyle. Mr. Howe invited all the Nova Scotia
members to luncheon at his house before leaving Ottawa.
His last words to them were : ' Boys, I wish you all to
stand by Tupper as he has stood by me.' He went to
Halifax, was sworn into office, and returning to Govern-
ment House, threw off his overcoat and turning to his
son, who was his private secretary, said : ' Now I am
ready to go whenever I am sent for.' Three weeks later,
June 1, 1873, his brief term came to an end. A long, sad
procession passed by his silent form as it lay in state in
Government House."

Dr. Tupper was not unmindful of the drear and trying
ordeal through which his distinguished colleague had been

227

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

passing. To a man of great endowments and greater am-
bition, to increase is the joy of leadership in fighting battles,
whether lost or won. To awaken and guide public sentiment,
to live as the idol of a large, popular following, had been the
lot and joy of Joseph Howe. But this fortune was at last
reversed. Owing to the circumstances of his political career
and his failing strength, he exchanged his position as leader
for that of an unimportant member of the Dominion Cabinet.
He had enjoyed exceptional advantages for accumulating ex-
haustive knowledge of the Fishery Question, especially in his
office as Imperial Fishery Commissioner from 1863 to 1867.
But he does not appear in the negotiations at Washington.
He saw that " more people worship the rising than the set-
ting sun." Dr. Tupper was steadily ascending, and he was
steadily descending. His attack on the British Government
when the Washington Treaty was first made public, Dr. Tup-
per knew, grew out of the conflict between his undiminished
ambition and his vanishing power. On account of this in-
discretion, it was probable that Sir Francis Hincks might
refuse to remain in the Cabinet unless Mr. Howe was dis-
missed. But Dr. Tupper took into account Mr. Howe's
previous fortune, and stood by his erstwhile opponent, but
now colleague, and covered his head in the day of adversity.
At last an opportunity occurred of appointing his friend to a
position which had been the dream of his life. The Cabinet
accepted his recommendation, and Joseph Howe was made
Governor of his native Province. Dr. Tupper's pledge to
Mr. Howe in London in 1868, renewed again and again, and
notably on the eve of Mr. Howe'6 election contest in 1869,
was now fully kept, both in letter and in spirit.

Only a few weeks elapsed before the way was opened
for Dr. Tupper to express his own and his father's friend-
ship for another aged friend whom he had from childhood
admired and loved. After Mr. Howe's death it was to Dr.
Tupper a great pleasure to nominate Judge Johnstone as
Mr. Howe's successor. Judge Johnstone at the time was

228

Defeat of the Conservatives

in the Old Country on leave of absence. In writing to
Dr. Tupper, in whose hands he had left his resignation to
be used for his retirement on a pension, he said :

Torquay,

June 17, 1873.

My deah Doctor, — I was so long accustomed to hail you by this
title that it conies to me unconsciously now.

I have to thank you for the arrangements which have now been
brought toward completion respecting the pension.

I suppose Prince Edward Island will now add to your force. It
is pleasant to see the Confederation enlarging itself on every side. I
have felt much Howe's death. It is melancholy to see the fruit of
years of labour, the ambition of years, drop from the hand before he
had well grasped it. One's sympathy makes much to be forgotten.

I was interrupted at this point by a telegram from Sir John Rose

saying that Sir John A. Macdonald wished me to come out immediately.

I am very grateful for the kind consideration of the Government in

my favour. With our united regards to Mrs. Tupper and all with

her — Believe me, Ever yours truly, _ _ „

J J J. \V. Johnstone.

Judge Johnstone was reluctantly obliged to decline the
appointment, as will be seen from the following letter :

Fleetwood,

June 30, 1873.

My dear Doctor, — It is most painful to me to reflect upon the

delay and inconvenience I have caused the Government, and on the

disappointment of my friends in consequence of my declining at the

last moment to assume the Government of Nova Scotia. After coming

to London and experiencing my inability for exertion and exposure,

and having consulted a medical man of eminence, I judged it best to

draw back. I am much obliged by your kindness throughout the

Equity Office, and, indeed, constantly. . . . — Believe me, Ever

yours truly, . _, T

J. W. Johnstone.

The Hon. C. Tupper, C.B.

Before Sir John A. Macdonald's Government resigned,
the Hon. S. L. Tilley was appointed Lieutenant-Governor
of New Brunswick.

The caustic, vigorous pen and the trenchant, inflam-

229

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

matory platform deliverances of George Brown, the stub-
born honesty of Alexander Mackenzie, and the judicial,
solemn rhetoric of Edward Blake were turned upon the
Government in the Huntington campaign. This powerful
current of adverse criticism added vehemence to partisan-
ship and local prejudices. The national sympathy and
political sentiments of the Dominion had not at this stage
been unified. Canadian citizenship was still provincial, its
views narrow and local. The great Province of Ontario
was no exception to the rule. The union with Quebec for
more than a quarter of a century left these two colonies
no less provincial than at the day of their union. For
that period Canada, made up of these two Western
Provinces, was an empty word. An Ontario man felt
himself more at home in New York than in Quebec, and
a Frenchman from the latter province was even more a
stranger in Ontario, while a citizen of Nova Scotia, New
Brunswick or Prince Edward Island would feel himself
among friends in Boston and an alien in Montreal or
Toronto. This lack of general national sympathy in the
hearts of a large proportion of the people of Nova Scotia
had been increased by an intense antipathy to Canada
through the anti-Confederate campaign.

In the period of transition from Provinces to a Dominion,
leaders and people were all prophets, the minority of evil,
but the great majority of good. Many extravagant things
were uttered by both classes of political seers. While no
one was more assured of a grand future than Dr. Tupper,
no man among all the politicians of that day equalled him
in heroic, tireless efforts to bring about his predictions —
no one was his equal in going hither and thither over the
Dominion, and everywhere rising above local prejudices,
making the audiences, which were held spellbound by his
assured declarations, feel that the Hon. Charles Tupper
belonged to no province but was a citizen of Canada who
felt the loyal pride of this new citizenship. This spirit

230

Defeat of the Conservatives

was contagious. The increase of Canadian sentiment was
intelligent and rapid.

Never in his long political life did Sir John A. Macdonald
stand higher as a statesman than he did at Washington when
a plenipotentiary ; and never was he so overwhelmed and
crushed as when he resigned in 1873. He was largely denuded
of both prestige and power. This spectacle called forth a
jubilant shout of political victory from the Liberals. How
did Sir John himself feel in this crisis ? Let Sir Charles's
journal reply to this interrogation :

" Sir John told me he was hopeless of ever succeeding
and was determined to abandon the struggle, I urged him to
retain the leadership of the party. I assured him that if
he resigned, I also would retire from public life. At the
urgent and unanimous request of the party, he consented
to retain the leadership."

When the Government was on trial, and when its
defeat was all but certain, Mr. E. B. Wood expressed the
universal opinion of the House when he said : " Before
many days the Government will have fallen like Lucifer,
never to rise again." Dr. Tupper interjected : " But we
will rise."

Both parties saw and admitted that the returning courage
of the Conservative party emanated from the ubiquitous Dr.
Tupper. It was greatly to his advantage that he was entirely
free from the Huntington scandal. He knew nothing of it.
Not a dollar of the large contributions to the election fund
had gone to Nova Scotia. From the first this was seen and
admitted by friends and opponents, and left to him the advan-
tage of exerting himself, being in no way weakened by per-
sonal connection with the scandal.

As time went on, to neutralise the force of the charges
made by the Liberal party which had proved the undoing
of the Government, he attacked them, not for political
weakness and unwisdom alone, but also for political
wrongdoing in the use of money in their own elections.

231

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

The court trials and other revelations supplied him with
facts in this direction. He knew that partisan zeal was
the centre and soul of the inspiration which carried the
Liberals to victory. There was in their campaign " a
furious earnestness," impossible for an impartial discus-
sion of principles and policies, by which political parties
are divided. His knowledge of political history of the
West and the men who had faced each other through
violent conflicts all the way from the days of Lyon Mac-
Kenzie and Papineau until the time when John A. Mac-
donald and others fought over double majorities and
deadlocks, enabled him to trace the spirit manifest in the
vehemence of the Liberal victory to its remote sources.
He knew that local issues, old and young, would be swal-
lowed up and disappear in a sound, national Canadian
sentiment, which had as yet appeared only in the germ.
He did not have to wait long for the reaction. As far as
political purity and integrity were concerned, the public
soon reversed its opinion, formed in a whirlwind of agita-
tion, that the Liberal party and its leaders possessed a
monopoly of political virtues. As soon as the people were
seized with this belief, the new Government was put on
trial, not before a jury blinded by a partisan spirit, but
before one less prejudiced and not deaf to fact and reason.
In the Conservative party, courage which had vanished with
defeat now began to rise with the dawn of success. Until
this stage in the campaign of 1873 to 1878 was reached, hope
and assurance were with Dr. Tupper. No one saw this more
clearly, or more heartily admitted it, than did his fallen
leader.

After the defeat of the Conservative Government, both
Sir John A. Macdonald and Dr. Tupper returned to the
practice of their respective professions. The former, that he
might have a larger field, took up his residence in Toronto ;
the latter practised his profession in the city of Ottawa in
winter, and in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, in summer.

232

Defeat of the Conservatives

The new Parliament opened on March 26, 1874. At
the urgent request of Sir John A Macdonald, Dr. Tupper
accepted the duties of critic of Mr. Cartwright, Finance
Minister, and Alexander Mackenzie, Minister of Public
Works. The Speech from the Throne said :

"The Canal and Harbour improvements are being vigorously
prosecuted, with a view to ensure adequate accommodation for the
rapidly growing trade of the country. ... I regret to state
that the receipts of the current year will not be sufficient to the ex-
penditure. It will, therefore, be necessary for you to consider the
best means to be adopted for making good the deficiency."

In this speech there were two admissions which Dr.
Tupper did not fail to see and use to good effect. First,
that the policy of the late Government in deepening the
canals was accepted by the new administration as wise
and in the best interests of the country; and second, that
the trade of the country was rapidly increasing. Dr. Tup-
per, however, challenged the statement that the " receipts
of the current year will not be sufficient to meet the ex-
penditure." He denounced it as absolutely untrue, and
that the Finance Minister could sustain it only by charg-
ing half a million dollars, voted and expended on capital
account, to the consolidated revenue account.

As the Conservative Government was defeated in 1873,
the supervision and the carrying into effect of the Washing-
ton Treaty, so far as the Canadian fisheries were concerned,
was left to Mr. Mackenzie's Government.

In 1874 the Dominion Government sent George Brown
to negotiate a Keciprocity Treaty, in conjunction with the
English Ambassador at Washington, with a view to having
such a treaty supersede the Washington Treaty so far as
it related to the fisheries of the Dominion. Mr. Brown
and the English Ambassador and the United States Agent
succeeded in agreeing upon a Keciprocity Treaty which
caused much dissatisfaction in Canada, but before Parlia-
ment met it was rejected by the Senate of the United

233

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

States. Before its rejection by the Senate, Dr. Tupper
received a letter from Toronto requesting him to speak at
a meeting called to oppose the Brown-Thornton Treaty. He
sent it to Sir John, and received the following reply :

R. du Loup,

August 24, 1874.

My dear Tuppeh, — I have yours of the 17th, and return Mac-
donnell's letter. I would go, were I you, to Toronto, If you can manage
it. They are pressing me to go up, but I scarcely feel up to it.
My fighting days are over, I think. My reason for saying that
I think the leaders of the Opposition should not say too much now
against the treaty is that it is of great consequence that the treaty
should be condemned on its own merits or rather demerits by the
country. The Boards of Trade and the industrial meetings have,
without reference to politics, gone against it. Some of the leading
Grit papers in Ontario are opposed to it. It is causing a decided split
in the Grit ranks. The only thing that will heal that split is any
attempt of the Opposition leaders to make political capital out of it.
I think political pressure will give Mackenzie a majority with Commons,
but I hope a small one. Our aim is to divide the Commons so equally
as to embolden the Senate to throw out the treaty — and then dare
the Government to dissolve on the question. I agree with you that
adoption of the treaty will go far to secure annexation. This is so
much to be deprecated and the defeat of the treaty so essential, that
it is well worth the Opposition saying patriotically that the defeat
of the treaty shall not be pressed by them (the Opposition) as a defeat
of the Ministry. The Blake section would then probably be induced
to vote against the treaty and thus kill Brown without killing the
Government.

The Opposition would gain greatly by their patriotic course,
and would prove the sincerity of what I said on behalf of the party
that our motto was country first, party afterward. This sown upon
the waters would come back to us, and not, I think, after many days.
— Yours faithfully,

John A, Macdonald.
The Hon. C. Tuppeh.

The Brown-Thornton Treaty included both natural and
manufactured products. It became public before it reached
the United States Senate, when, like other treaties, it was
condemned. Before its defeat, as seen in the foregoing

234

Defeat of the Conservatives

letter from Sir John A. Macdonald, it was a matter of
lively discussion among both political parties in Canada.
The purpose of the Mackenzie Government in sending
George Brown to Washington to negotiate a treaty was,
in obtaining a treaty, to supersede the necessity of a ses-
sion of the arbitrators appointed in connection with the
Washington Treaty to fix the amount of the Dominion's
claims for privileges granted the United States for fish-
ing in Canadian waters. But as this attempt at making
a new treaty proved abortive, the arrangement made by
Sir John A. Macdonald, and sanctioned by the Dominion
Parliament, continued in force. The award for the fishery
claim was settled at Halifax in 1877.

235

CHAPTEE XV

DR. TOPPER AS BUDGET CRITIC AND LEADER (1874 — 77)

IT now became the duty of Mr. Mackenzie to deal with
the embarrassing question which had given the late
Government so much trouble : What was to be done
with Louis Kiel ? He had been elected a member for
Provincher, and signed his name to the roll of members
of the House. A warrant was issued for his arrest, but
he could not be found. As he did not respond to the call
of the Speaker on motion, he was expelled from the House
by a vote of 124 to 68. After his expulsion, Kiel was unani-
mously re-elected to represent the same constituency; but
he was again expelled from the House. Having embarrassed
both Governments, his case was before the House on Feb-
ruary 11, 1875, when Mr. Mackenzie moved a resolution
providing for an amnesty for all persons involved in the
North-West Rebellion, except Kiel and Lepine, conditional
on five years' banishment from Her Majesty's Dominion.
This was carried by a majority of 76, Dr. Tupper voting
in the minority.

The Government brought in a Bill for the construction
of the Canadian Pacific Railway, which was passed. No
such courage appeared in this scheme as was exhibited in the
project of the late Government, which aimed at connect-
ing the Atlantic with the Pacific by a road which was to
have been undertaken as a whole by a company. The project
of Mr. Mackenzie's Government was for the Government to
construct the road, piece by piece, according to the ability
of the country, in their judgment, to bear the expense. The
great lakes and the rivers in the West were to be used in the

236

Dr. Tupper as Budget Critic and Leader

open season, while the Government, by its cautious policy,
constructed the road, section by section. The Liberals'
scheme also provided for constructing a mail road from
British Columbia through the mountainous section to the
headwaters of the prairie rivers.

An Act was passed for the establishment of a Eoyal
Military College at Kingston. In due time it was erected,
and has been in operation until the present day.

The Hon. William Eoss, Minister of Militia, was
appointed Collector of Customs at Halifax ; and the Hon.
W. B. Vail, on September 30, 1874, succeeded Mr. Eoss
in the department of Militia. This opened the County of
Victoria in Cape Breton. In the contest which followed,
Mr. I. C. Campbell, a Conservative, defeated the Govern-
ment's candidate. This was the first straw indicating the
drift of a current adverse to the Government. Following
this indication of returning strength to the small Opposi-
tion of forty-five members was a by-election in London,
Ontario. Mr. Walker having been unseated and dis-
qualified by the court, Mr. Fraser, a Conservative, was
elected to represent that city.

As time went on it became evident that the loud denuncia-
tion by the Liberals of Sir John A. Macdonald for accepting
Sir Hugh Allan's contribution to the election fund of 1872
came from people who lived in glass-houses.

At the close of the session of 1874, the Government passed
a Bill for the official reporting of the debates. This was a
measure Dr. Tupper had earnestly advocated in previous
sessions of the House.

The second session of the new House was opened on
February 4, 1875.

In the following may be found some features of the
Budget speech by Mr. Cartwright, and Dr. Tupper's
criticism of it :

In correspondence with Lord Carnarvon, the Colonial
Secretary, the Government accepted his proposals, which

237

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

were : that the railway from Esquimault to Nanaimo
should be commenced and completed with all practical
dispatch ; that the surveys on the mainland should be
pushed on with the utmost vigour ; that the wagon road
and the telegraph line should be immediately constructed ;
that $2,000,000 a year, and not $1,500,000— the amount
proposed by the Government — should be the minimum ex-
penditure on railway works within the Province of British
Columbia, and that on or before December 31, 1890, the
railway should be completed and open for traffic from the
Pacific seaboard to a point on the western shore of Lake
Superior.

Dr. Tupper challenged the correctness of the Minister's
reference to both income and expenditure. He had taken
liberties with the accounts never taken before. Mr. Cart-
wright had given the receipts of 1873-4 as $24,205,092.54,
the expenditure as $23,316,316.75, showing a surplus of
$888,775.79. " I am going," said Dr. Tupper, " to correct
these statements. By a careful regard to expenditures on
capital account, it would be seen that the Minister of
Finance was largely astray in his zeal to place the onus
of increased taxation on his predecessor by making a false
representation, and therefore creating a deficit in 1873-74.
Over $500,000, according to Mr. Mackenzie, Minister of
Public Works, are improperly placed to revenue."

Dr. Tupper pointed out also that in the statement of the
Minister of Finance in the previous year there was a deficit
of one and a quarter millions due to railways, and that this
statement had been used in London to the disadvantage of
the Dominion in negotiating a loan. Dr. Tupper showed
that instead of a loss of one and a quarter millions upon
the railways, it amounted only to $408,119, and of this
amount $275,719 were due, not to ordinary but to extra-
ordinary expenses.

" How would the Grand Trunk officials," inquired Dr. Tupper, " like
the £2,000,000 sterling expended in the purchase and laying down of

238

Dr. Tupper as Budget Critic and Leader

steel rails to be charged to the current expenses of a single year ? .- . .
Deducting the cost of these extraordinary works, the House will
observe that a deficit of $122,666.00 has been magnified into one and
a quarter millions.

" The corrected statements of income and expenditure show
$1,722,215 on July 1, 1874. I admit frankly that this amount is
subject to some deduction, but I challenge the accuracy of the state-
ments made on this point by the Finance Minister."

Mr. Cartwright stated that the expenditure for the
ensuing year would be $24,100,000, and that he would
ask the House for the additional taxation of $3,000,000
on the country. Dr. Tupper showed that his own state-
ments of the previous year had been borne out by the
public accounts laid on the table by the Minister of
Finance himself.

Dr. Tupper further said :

" I have shown the hon. gentleman that he was wrong in his ex-
pressions with reference to the trade of the country, and which I do
him the justice to say he has frankly and fairly admitted in the speech
with which Parliament was opened this session. I have shown the
hon. gentleman that he was wrong in reference to the revenue of the
country, to the extent of something like two millions of dollars ; and
in reference to the expenditure of the country, something like a million
and a quarter ; and the hon. gentleman himself was compelled to
admit that he was seriously wrong in the means by which he prepared
to deal with what he conceived to to be the financial position of the
country a year ago."

Dr. Tupper then referred to Mr. Cartwright's estimate
for 1875, and reminded him that for the last four years
he had dilated on the extravagance of the late Govern-
ment. He had characterised the conduct of his predeces-
sors in this respect as extravagant and reckless, and had
pledged his party to retrench the public expenditure and
economise the public money.

" I am prepared to say," continued Dr. Tupper, "that if the late
Government was extravagant, the present Government is more so. . . .
I say that the hon. gentleman has introduced a new principle in the
negotiation of loans, by which a less honest successor could at any

■239

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

moment put half a million dollars in his pocket without the possibility
of this House or the country bringing him to an account. ... I
have the most unbounded confidence in the integrity of the hon.
Minister of Finance, but it is not with him I am dealing, but with
the principles which he has established for the first time."

The foregoing is sufficient to illustrate the thorough, ex-
haustive and destructive criticism of Dr. Tupper in dealing
with Mr. Cartwright's Budget. His examination of this
department soon convinced Mr. Cartwright and both sides
of the House that the finances of the country could not
escape a most searching investigation, and that unwisdom
in its management was destined to exposure and condemna-
tion.

The Premier, Mr. Mackenzie, also Minister of Public
Works, fared no better at the hands of Dr. Tupper than
did the Minister of Finance. The party which defeated
the Conservative plan for constructing the great highway
across the Continent had on its hands the responsibility
of accomplishing the same undertaking by a policy devised
by themselves. It was found, however, that the onus of
doing the work was but a part of the responsibility which
they had assumed. The country must be convinced that
their policy was in every way superior to that of their
predecessors — that, in fact, in this greatest public work
the Liberal statesmen were abler and wiser than the
leaders of the defeated party. On this question, Dr.
Tupper, after a sharp and damaging criticism of Mr.
Cartwright's Budget in 1875, attacked the policy and the
doings of the Government through the Minister of Public
Works. Dr. Tupper declared his utmost confidence in the
patriotism and honesty of both Mr. Cartwright and Mr.
Mackenzie, but with vehement plainness of speech, aided
by his extraordinary memory, he instituted contrasts
between the plan of the Opposition, when in power, and
that of the Government. He charged Mr. Mackenzie with
blundering when he purchased 50,000 tons of steel rails

240

Dr. Tupper as Budget Critic and Leader

on a falling market and long before they were needed,
thereby causing a great loss to the country ; of letting con-
tracts involving large expenditures before appropriations
were made by Parliament for these expenditures; of giving
a contract for erecting a line of telegraph without legal
authority and before the route of the railway was surveyed
or accepted, which road the telegraph line was intended to
serve.

In all these criticisms Dr. Tupper held to the principle
on which the late Government had based its plan for con-
necting the two oceans by a railroad. His entire criticism,
which showed that the Trunk Line would be so dependent
on the Northern Eailway, was gathered up and expressed
in the following resolution, as an amendment to the report
of the Minister of Public Works :

"That in view of the engagement entered into during the past
year between the Government of Canada and the Imperial Govern-
ment and British Columbia, to build a railroad without delay from
Nanaimo to Esquimault on Vancouver Island, and to expend not less
than $2,000,000 per annum in British Columbia on the Canadian
Pacific Bailroad, and to complete the construction of the line from
the Pacific Ocean to the shore of Lake Superior in fifteen years, this
House is of opinion that no time should be lost in beginning the eastern
portion of the Canadian Pacific Railroad, and constructing it as
rapidly as is consistent with a due regard to economy, from the point
fixed by Parliament at or near the shore of Lake Nipissing, westward
to Lake Nipcgon, and thence to Red River, commencing at Lake
Nipegon and working eastward and westward, and that the Govern-
ment should employ the available funds of the Dominion in the first
place for the completion of that great national work — a continuous
railway on Canadian territory by the shortest route from the Atlantic
to the Pacific Ocean."

This amendment was lost by a vote of 117 to 43.

Parliament was prorogued on April 8, 1875. A by-
election in Toronto West was caused by the appointment
of Mr. Koss to the Bench. In response to an urgent re-
quest from the Conservatives, Sir Charles consented to
q 241

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

give an address in favour of the Hon. Beverley Bobinson,
the Opposition candidate, an address which created some
excitement through the publicity of a report in the Ottawa
Citizen of November 6, 1875.

It is interesting to observe the ebb and flow of political
life in any country. The force of the strong tide on which
the Canadian Liberals were borne to victory in 1873 can
be traced to several sources. By an evolutionary process
the Coalition Government, formed for the purpose of con-
federating the Provinces, became Conservative. All the
Liberals who did not ally themselves with the Govern-
ment united with the stout resistors of the coalition, and
revived the old-time zeal and relentless spirit of pre-con-
federation liberalism. All the Nova Scotia members of
1872 were elected to support the Government, except one
who was an Independent. A large number of them were
formerly Liberals who had come over with Mr. Howe
when he took office in Sir John A. Macdonald's Govern-
ment. In the appeal to the country, Dr. Tupper, in the
circumstances, was obliged to give them his support, and
in some cases against former Conservative friends. This,
in the nature of things, evoked a good deal of blame from
his erstwhile associates. In the trial which awaited them
after Mr. Mackenzie's election of 1874, most of these Liberal
supporters forsook Dr. Tupper and fled to fight again under
the old standard.

The political history of Canada from 1874 to 1879 is to
be found in the Budget Speeches of Kichard Cartwright and
Dr. Tupper's criticism of them, and the demands for supply
from the Premier for the Department of Public Works and
Dr. Tupper's criticism of them.

But the history of that period is even more concentrated
than this. By reading Dr. Tupper's speeches, declaring
his judgment of these two departments, so full are they
of statements of the doings of the two Ministers respons-
ible for them, and so clear, exact and elaborate is the

242

Dr. Tupper as Budget Critic and Leader

general and detailed criticism, that the reader gets ample
knowledge for enabling him to come to an impartial judg-
ment respecting them. More, even, than this. Beginning
with 1875, Dr. Tupper found, as time passed, more and
more evidence of incapacity and blunders, evidence clearer
and clearer that in the Government, however many men of
honour and integrity there may have been, there was not
even one man who had a clear, sane vision of Canada's
resources and possibilities, and a Government's duty in
respect of them. That narrowness and timidity domi-
nated the Cabinet, was to him as clear as the sun at
noonday in a cloudless sky. Wherever he found anything
for which he could give credit to the Administration, he
was not slow to give it. But the errors and deficiencies
of one year necessarily went over to the following year.
They were carried on from session to session, ever cumula-
tive, so that when the parliamentary term neared its close
the foothills had swelled into mountains. Dr. Tupper's
speech in Temperance Hall, Halifax, that on the Budget
of 1876, and his powerful addresses to the House in 1877
and 1878, also his speech on the railway policy of the
Government, contain about the sum total of the accusa-
tions against which, as they neared the end of their term
of office, Mr. Cartwright and Mr. Mackenzie were called
upon to defend themselves.

A feeling of depression in the Liberal-Conservative party
in Halifax followed Mr. Mackenzie's sweeping success in the
election of 1874. It was with difficulty that courageous men
like the late John Doull and F. G. Parker could persuade the
party to call the memorable meeting in Temperance Hall.
They felt and saw at this early day that the sentiment of
passion which had carried the Liberal party to victory had
given place to one of careful thinking and examination of
the great issues before the country and the future of the
Dominion. Pent-up feelings were ripe for expression. As
soon as the doors of Temperance Hall were opened it was

243

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

manifest that the political leaders in Halifax had not mis-
judged the signs of the times. When Dr. Tupper appeared,
borne above the heads of the crowd on his way to the plat-
form, the tumultuous shouts made it plain that all that was
required of him was to analyse and point out the failures
of the Government, and indicate remedies for the weakness
and political blundering of the Cabinet.

The speech of that evening, in its confident tone, its
trenchant criticism, its heroic remedies and its prediction
of the early return to power of the Liberal-Conservative
party, gave the key-note to the campaign which ended in
the general election of 1878, and which from that evening
at Temperance Hall, like a coming storm, gathered full-
ness and force until the telegraph flashed the victory of
the general election over the wires from ocean to ocean.
That speech, fully reported and carried by the Press to
all parts of the Dominion, was the harbinger of the over-
throw of the Mackenzie Government. In every meeting
addressed by Dr. Tupper from that date, and they were
many, until the day before the election, his chief work
was to proclaim the weakness and unwisdom of the
Government and promise the people prosperity by a
change of policy. Evoked by his masterly power of
popular speech, the vent given to public sentiment, grow-
ing stronger and stronger as the months and years passed,
supplied Dr. Tupper with such inspiration as few orators
have ever felt. It was like that which thrilled Mr. Glad-
stone in his first Midlothian Campaign in 1880.

Parliament met on February 10, 1876. In attacking the
Budget Speech, Dr. Tupper boldly charged Mr. Cartwright
with unpardonable blundering in his financial statements,
by which he had attempted to prove that there was a large
deficit in 1873-4, the last year of the late Government. Mr.
Cartwright asked for additional taxes to meet this deficit.
In previous years Dr. Tupper had exposed the errors and
fallacies of the Minister of Finance in his endeavours to

244

Dr. Tupper as Budget Critic and Leader

hold the late Government responsible for a falling off of
revenue and the leaving behind them a deficit instead of
a surplus.

No language could be used by a biographer which would
express the positive, plain and emphatic statements of the
Budget critic.

The loss of confidence in the Administration was one
of the causes assigned by Dr. Tupper for the commercial
stringency in the Dominion. By making tea and coffee
free, the late Government took $2,000,000 taxes off the
public, but a duty on these articles had been reimposed
by Mr. Mackenzie's Government. Dr. Tupper said :

" Mr. Cartwright had, in the public accounts, for the purpose of
extricating himself, gone back on himself, and taken nearly half a
million of money, that, in the Statute Book, is appropriated for current
expenses, and charged it to capital. When his necessities require it,
he charges as current revenue what belongs to capital, and when it
suits him, he takes half a million of current expenditure and charges
it to capital account. ... If you are allowed to keep accounts
like that, you may make a surplus or a deficit just when you like.
Having given that explanation with regard to keeping the accounts,
I come to this retrenchment question. And what do we find ? The
expenditure of the present Government in 1874-5 was over that of
the late Government in 1873-4 — for civil Government $25,582. The
administration of justice for the same years shows an increase of
$38,386. On militia the expenditure was $35,567 in excess of that of
their predecessors. In ocean and river service the increase of expendi-
ture was $45,742. Miscellaneous expenses show $29,448 on the same
side. In the Customs the amount was $24,374 ; in the Post Office
$133,984 ; in collection of minor revenues $11,496 ; Mounted Police
$133,984 ; North-West organisation $14,440. In only a few items the
gross increase has been $505,829."

At this stage, Dr. Tupper dismissed Mr. Cartwright's
department and made Mr. Mackenzie's the subject of a
peroration of his speech of effective, destructive criticism.

Mr. Workman, of Montreal, moved an amendment in
favour of protection to manufactures, which was defeated
by 96 to 54 on March 2. Sir John A. Macdonald moved

245

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

on March 10 in favour of protection of manufactures and
industries, including agricultural products. Of this motion,
Dr. Tupper said :

" An hon. gentleman had complained this resolution was too com-
prehensive, but that was just the policy Canada required — a broad,
comprehensive national policy, that without looking to any particular
part of the country would promote the prosperity of the whole
Dominion. He did not believe any man in this House had the moral
courage to stand up and deny the soundness of the principle con-
tained in this resolution. Was there an intelligent man in this country
who would not, if he could, so reconstruct the tariff as to alleviate a
stagnation of business which was deplored in the Speech from the
Throne? It must have been a severe depression which would cause
the Government to make such an allusion to it, and the only ground
on which it could be justified was that they were prepared to ask
Parliament to adopt measures for its removal. Was there a man
who would deny it was the duty of the Government, if they could,
to afford fitting encouragement to our struggling industries ? If
there was he would like to see him. He (Dr. Tupper) saw no reason
why the free-traders in this House should not join with the pro-
tectionists in supporting this resolution, and find some means of
dealing with this difficulty in a statesmanlike and practical manner."

Mr. Mackenzie introduced a Bill for the Nanaimo Kail-
way on Vancouver Island, to carry out the Carnarvon Terms.
It was supported by Sir John Macdonald and Dr. Tupper,
until Mr. Mackenzie refused to have work let by contract.
Mr. Blake voted against it, and it was defeated in the Senate
by two Government supporters.

Lord Dufferin visited British Columbia during the sum-
mer of 1876, and made strong speeches in favour of Mr.
Mackenzie. He refused to drive under an arch which bore
the words, " The Carnarvon Terms or Separation." He
required a change of one letter only, " K " for " S."

On his return to Toronto, Lord Dufferin sent for Dr.
Tupper, and the following is an account of this interview
contained in Dr. Tupper's journal :

" Lord Dufferin said : ' I suppose you have been watch-
ing my actions in British Columbia, and I hope you approve.'

246

Dr. Tupper as Budget Critic and Leader

I replied : ' No, my lord, I think you went too far in support
of Mr. Mackenzie ; but I admit the case was urgent, and will
not bring it under notice more than I am compelled to.' "

The journal continues : "In June, 1876, my son,
C. H. Tupper, who was preparing for his examinations
for B.C.L. at Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass., in
good-humoured tussle with a fellow-student, had his leg

broken just above the ankle. Dr. set the fracture,

and secured his examination in his room by threatening
to send him to the Hall on a stretcher when in great pain.
He passed successfully. I went at once to Cambridge.

" My friend, T. N. Gibbs, who had been defeated at the
general election of 1874, but unseated his opponent, wired
me that Hon. Mr. Mackenzie and Hon. Mr. Huntington
were coming into the riding to speak, and begged me to
come to his assistance. I had my son's leg put in a plaster
cast, carried him in my arms on board the steamer, and
leaving him with a friend to see him home, hastened to
South Ontario, met Messrs. Mackenzie and Huntington in
battle array, and Mr. T. N. Gibbs was elected."

Sir John Macdonald and Dr. Tupper attended a picnic
at Uxbridge in North Ontario, where the Liberal member
had been unseated and Mr. W. H. Gibbs, the Conservative
candidate, was shortly afterwards elected.

Dr. Tupper says in his journal that his family was
spending the summer at his farm, " Highland Hill," St.
Andrews, N.B.

On July 27 Dr. Tupper was invited to attend the funeral
of his great friend and supporter, the late Archbishop Con-
nolly, of Halifax, and left St. Andrews for that purpose.
On his way home after the funeral he went to Kingston,
in the Annapolis Valley, to see his father. There he re-
ceived a telegram saying that his son's wife had a daughter,
and was very ill. He returned to St. Andrews to find that
she had been prematurely confined and that her case was
hopeless. She died on the third day. Her father and

247

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

mother, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Bobertson, came from Mon-
treal as rapidly as possible, but she had passed away.
Her devoted husband arrived from Toronto, and was over-
whelmed with grief to find there was no hope of her recovery.

All the family returned with the remains to Montreal,
and Mrs. Tupper, who was crushed with grief at the loss,
could never be induced to visit St. Andrews afterwards. As
Dr. Tupper was alarmed by the grief with which his son was
overwhelmed at the loss of his beloved wife, he decided to
remove to Toronto and practise his profession there, and thus
keep his son and his son's child together. He purchased a
house in Jarvis Street, Toronto, to which he removed imme-
diately. There he combined his medical practice with the
continued political agitation of the country.

The Toronto Mail was the organ of the Conservative
party, and Mr. T. C. Patterson was the editor. An article
on " The Winter Port " having appeared in its columns,
Dr. Tupper at once sent a letter to counteract its effect,
the reply to which elicited the following :

Toronto,

November 22, 1876.

My dear Sir, — Your letter of yesterday has caused me more
surprise and regret than the leader on " The Winter Port," and as I
have called so frequently at the Mail office without being able to see
you, I lose no time in writing to say so. The article in question,
knowing as you did my views in relation to it, was sufficiently defiant,
but I confess did not prepare me for your statement, that in considera-
tion of aid obtained to carry on the Mail, you had made a " promise
that this question, when it arose, should be handled as it was handled
in Monday's Mail," and that you gave " other promises," and would
" keep them all until released from observing them."

I cannot believe that the shareholders of the Mail ever contem-
plated making their manager a dictator, authorised to bind the Mail,
for pecuniary consideration, to advocate any question irrespective of
the public interests and regardless of the policy of the Liberal-Con-
servative party. Such a position on the part of the recognised organ
of that party, I regard as not only incompatible with its claims to
public confidence, but deservedly fatal to its success.

248

Dr. Tupper as Budget Critic and Leader

Although you have marked your letter to me " private," I hope
you will agree with me in the opinion that this matter should at once
be brought under the notice of the directors of the Mail and Sir John
A. Macdonald, with a view to finding such support for the paper as
will relieve it from such embarrassment, or if that be impracticable,
to adopting such a course as will relieve the Liberal-Conservative
party from the responsibility that now exists in relation to it. — Yours
faithfully,

Charles Tupper.
T. C. Patterson, Esq.,

Manager of the Mail.

On November 29, 1876, Dr. Tupper was asked by Sir
J. A. Macdonald to go to Mono Mills to settle a dispute
as to candidates for the division. He went, as requested,
and induced the party to accept Dalton McCarthy as their
candidate. Mr. McCarthy, who had been twice defeated in
Simcoe, was nominated, and was elected after Dr. Tupper
had stumped the constituency in his favour for a week in
opposition to G. W. Boss, M.P., the advocate of the
Government candidate. Sir J. A. Macdonald was anxious
that Dr. Tupper should take an Ontario constituency, but
he refused and proposed Mr. Thomas White, editor of the
Montreal Gazette, for Cardwell, who was elected in 1878.

Parliament opened on February 8, 1877. The Speaker
reported six seats carried during the recess by the Con-
servatives in Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Prince
Edward Island, five having been held the previous session
by supporters of the Government, and the other caused by
a death vacancy.

In February Mr. Blake made a virulent attack upon Sir
John Macdonald in connection with the Northern Railway,
in which he branded him as a criminal. Dr. Tupper replied,
and in the course of his speech said :

" This was not the first time that the hon. the Minister of Justice
(Mr. Blake) had applied the epithet of criminal to the right hon. the
member for Kingston. The hon. member went into West Toronto
and, surrounded by his personal acquaintances and friends, on a

249

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

public platform, he denounced the hon. member for Kingston as a
convicted criminal, and appealed to the electors for a verdict against
the right hon. member for Kingston, who was regarded by the large
majority of the people of Canada as one of the most unstained and
unselfish patriots to be found in the country. The hon. gentleman
received his answer — 500 majority in that magnificent constituency
hurled the accusation back in his teeth and branded him as a slanderer.
That verdict had been again and again endorsed by the people east,
west, north and south, wherever there was a constituency free from
the corrupt seductions of the Government."

Dr. Tupper then put Mr. Blake and Mr. Mackenzie on
the defensive. Never in. the history of the House of Com-
mons was there such an overwhelming change witnessed
in the attitude of the parties as during these speeches.

It was shown during this debate that when everything
was known relating to the Canadian Pacific Kailway
charge, and that when Dr. Tupper and Mr. Tilley visited
Prince Edward Island, they were assured by Mr. Laird
that all the members from the Island would support the
Government ; that when the Prince Edward Island mem-
bers were introduced to the House by the Conservatives,
and that during the attack upon the late Government,
these men were informed by the Liberals that if the
Government were defeated the Island should have a mem-
ber in the Cabinet.

A motion by Sir John Macdonald in favour of Protection
was defeated only by a strictly party vote of 119 to 70.

Dr. Tupper says in his journal : " About the middle of
March, Lord Dufferin was thrown from his sleigh in a run-
away. He sent for me, Dr. Grant, his physician, being
absent, and subsequently sent me the following letter :

Government House, Ottawa,

March 23, 1877.
My dear Tupper, — The first time I put pen to paper since my
accident, must be to thank you most warmly for your kind attention
and skilful treatment, which, I have no doubt, has saved me from a
great deal of pain and accelerated my recovery.

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Dr. Tupper as Budget Critic and Leader

I found myself forced to lie upon my back without stirring hand or
foot for a week, but yesterday afternoon I scrambled into a chair
by the fire, and have got my clothes on to-day, and now that I am
round the corner I have no doubt I shall soon be myself again. —
Believe me, With renewed thanks, Yours sincerely,

Dufferin.

On the motion to go into supply on April 7 Mr. Bowell
moved an amendment founded on the report of the Committee
of Public Accounts, showing that Mr. Anglin, the Speaker,
had been paid various sums for public printing, and declar-
ing that it Avas inexpedient and improper for the Government
to enter into any contract whereby money should be paid to
members of Parliament in violation of the Independence of
Parliament Act. Mr. Mackenzie and Mr. Blake called upon
their supporters to vote against that motion. During the
discussion Dr. Tupper, in the course of his speech replying
to Mr. Blake, made the following remarks :

"... The hon. gentleman had, that night, given up the whole
case before the House. What was the case ? The Parliament of
the country was asked, in defence of its own character, and in defence
of its own reputation, to say that it was inexpedient and improper
that the Government of Canada should pay $19,000 of the public
money to a gentleman who held a seat in the Parliament of the country.
A law on the Statute-book declared that any hon. gentleman receiving
from the Government, directly or indirectly, a single dollar of public
money for services performed for the Government, vacated his seat,
and that it became void. And yet, the Minister of Justice, and the
men who yesterday were claiming the confidence of the people of
Canada on the ground of what they intended to achieve for the in-
dependence of the Parliament of the country and for the elevation of
political and public morality in this country, in face of the case which
the First Minister admitted, and which the Minister of Justice ad-
mitted, was so open, so clear and so palpable, that it warranted being
sent to the Committee on Privileges and Elections, these hon. gentle-
men had so far gone back on themselves and trampled under their
feet the principles which they had proclaimed when seducing the people
of the country into the belief that they were worthy of being entrusted
with power and the control of public affairs, and had so far forgotten
the professions on which they obtained the position which they now

2Si

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

held, as to call on their supporters to vote down what was a plain, a
palpable and a literal fact, which every man who saw could read,
and which every intelligent man in the House or out of it was capable
of grasping at a glance. It was inexpedient and improper, unless the
Parliament of Canada was to become a by-word in the mouths of the
people of the country, that while the law stood on the Statute-book
the Public Exchequer should be used for the purposes of pouring
money out of its coffers into the pockets of members of the Parliament
of Canada. The hon. gentleman (Mr. Mackenzie) said they stopped
it as soon as they knew of it. And why did they stop it ? Was it
because it was wrong ? If so, the very fact that they did stop it,
and gave to the House the reasons they had for doing so, would convict
these hon. gentlemen of having adopted a course which bound them
in vindication of the Parliament and the honour of the House of
Commons of Canada, to vote themselves with the mover of the
resolution, declaring that this act was improper and inexpedient. If
it was proper and expedient, why did they take the patronage they
had bestowed, and the money they had paid, from a member of the
House ? It was because they found it was not proper and not ex-
pedient, and because they found that, having violated the law, they
were compelled to adopt that course. . . ."

On April 21 Dr. Tupper made an important speech on
the Canadian Pacific Railway which occupied four hours
to deliver, and which is fully reported in " Hansard."
The effort was a great one — one of the greatest, indeed,
ever made by the speaker — and the policy of the Govern-
ment was most mercilessly dealt with. The speech ended
thus :

" The whole policy of the Government, as propounded by the hon.
gentleman, has been utterly delusive, and to-day we find ourselves with-
out any advance, without anything accomplished, but minus a large sum
of money which has been paid to parties, who, contrary to law, were
entrusted to carry out contracts. I am sorry that I have been obliged
to trespass on the indulgence of the House so long, but I think I have
adduced sufficient evidence to support the motion which I now have
the honour to move. I have endeavoured, and I think the hon. the First
Minister will agree with me in the statement, to avoid every question
that could raise an unpleasant topic of discussion between the occupants
of the Treasury Benches and ourselves. Notwithstanding the great
temptation that was presented as I proceeded in this discussion, I have

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Dr. Tupper as Budget Critic and Leader

carefully endeavoured to give a simple statement of facts presented
by the Government themselves, as brought down in public documents ;
and if I have not established successfully that the Government have
failed in their duty to the country, and that the course they have
pursued on this great question has been detrimental to the interests
of the country, then I have no grounds on which to ask for the support
of this House. But I feel that the case that has been presented is
one which entitles me confidently to ask your support, and if I do
not obtain it from this House there is an equally independent tribunal
in this country to which I can confidently look for the affirmation of
this motion which I have now the honour to offer. . . .

" That Mr. Speaker do not now leave the chair, but that it be
Resolved, That this House cannot approve of the course pursued by
this Government with respect to the Canadian Pacific Railway."

The House listened with the closest attention during
the four hours occupied in delivering this speech. In
reference to it, the Hon. S. L. Tilley, Lieutenant-Governor
of New Brunswick, wrote :

Fredericton,

May 26, 1877.

My dear Tupper, — As you have got back home from the session
and have had a few weeks' rest, I will inflict a letter upon you.

Well, you wound up the session under considerable excitement and
in a dangerous way to the Government.

As I have not written you since you delivered your speech on
the Pacific Railway, I desire to state that, in my judgment, you have
never delivered a speech more damaging to the Government and
more worthy of yourself. Its moderation gave it additional force,
and as a whole is unanswered and likely to remain so, because it is
unanswerable. It has been pretty generally circulated, and read
with intense interest by all with whom I have conversed.

I had a letter from Sir John a few days since. He seems positive
that a general election will take place this year. The Opposition in
New Brunswick are quietly looking up their men, and will look after
the Electoral Lists. But what is wanted, especially should Mackenzie
visit the Lower Provinces, is some strong speeches in New Brunswick
from Sir John or yourself. A few would answer, as they might be
published in a way to be scattered broadcast. I think I understood
you last year that you would, if desired, give our people a speech or two
this year. This done, there will certainly be a majority against the

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The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

Government in New Brunswick, come when the general election may.
I think the Government will postpone the appeal to the country as
long as possible, but it is not wise perhaps to express that opinion
generally, as it is better that the Opposition should be up and doing.
As the picnic season is soon to commence I suppose we will not see
you in New Brunswick for some time. Whenever you do come, I
would like to have a long talk with you on matters generally. . . .
— Yours sincerely,

S. L. Tilley.
Hon. C. Tupper, C.B.

254

CHAPTER XVI

CONSERVATIVES AGAIN IN POWER (1878—79)

THE House was prorogued on April 24, and Sir John
Macdonald and Dr. Tupper returned to Toronto.
On May 7 Dr. Tupper addressed a large meeting
at Toronto, and on June 7 he spoke at length at the
Grangers' picnic at Orangeville. On June 6 he and Sir
John Macdonald attended a demonstration held in their
honour at Kingston. Addresses were presented to both.
That to Dr. Tupper contained the following :

" By your valuable labours in Parliament you have earned the
gratitude and esteem of all lovers of good government. Your attention
to your duties has been unremitting. Your able and exhaustive
speeches in condemnation of the maladministration of the Govern-
ment, your exposi of the blunders of its members and the jobbing
practised in its various ramifications have been read all over the country
with pleasure and profit, speeches which attest as well your great
industry and your oratorical power. The young men of the country
may learn from you the useful lesson that vigour in debate is not
incompatible with courtesy to an opponent."

After Dr. Tupper had addressed the great assembly for
some three hours and closed amid tumultuous applause, Sir
John was loudly called for. In response, he said :

" Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, — In the few words in
which I addressed you at the opening of the meeting, I said I was sure
that if you heard the Hon. Charles Tupper you would be thankful to
me for bringing him here. I think you must be grateful. You have
heard his speech and the facts he has detailed, and I think you may
hold me excused from keeping you here any longer. I am not going
to inflict another speech on you to-night, as my honourable friend
has gone over the whole field in his own peculiar manner — a manner

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The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

in which no man can approach him in the whole Dominion of Canada.
Gentlemen, I want you to know, as most of you do know, that the
facts referred to by my honourable friend are not made behind the
backs of the Administration. They are not for the first time thrown
before a friendly audience such as the majority of the audience
present. I have heard my hon. friend — leading the Opposition in
effect — state the same facts, use the same arguments and go into the
same discussions, and the Government were obliged to admit the
truth of the facts, and the whole country the force of the arguments.
. . . I have long been anxious to retire from the position I have
held, and I am sure you will say from the acquaintance you have
formed with my friend, the Hon. Dr. Tupper, he is a man who
will fill my place. Still, although it is suggested that politicians are
sometimes jealous of one another's places, I can tell you this, that the
man who has urged me to retain my position, who said that if I gave
it up he would give up too, is the Hon. Dr. Tupper."

Dr. Tupper and Sir John Macdonald had a most en-
thusiastic reception in London (Ontario), and made ex-
tended speeches which were duly reported in the Mail,
June 17.

The Toronto Mail of June 18 reported a speech made at
Brampton in which Dr. Tupper effectually refuted the
statements of the Globe, criticising his speeches. Other
addresses were given by Dr. Tupper at Millbrook, New-
market, Lindsay and Napanee, after which he visited his
constituents in Cumberland, Nova Scotia. While there,
Sir John Macdonald wrote to him as follows :

Toronto,

August 22, 1877.
My dear Tupper, — I have yours of the 17th. I telegraphed you
to-day that great disappointment is expressed at your absence from
our September picnics. The more that I had told people you would
be back by the end of August, and would go to some, if not all, of the
meetings. Try to come up if possible. My hands are very full of
these informal things. At present they stand thus : Coburg, August
29 ; Essex, September 5 ; Napanee, September 11 ; Victoria, Sep-
tember 12 ; Newmarket (North Terk), September 14 ; Ontario, Sep-
tember 17 ; North Simcoe, September 19. I have pressing letters
from the River Counties, so have written to ask Macdonell to arrange

256

Conservatives Again in Power

for a series of meetings after September 21, at Brockvillc, Stormont,
Glengarry, Dundas and Prescott.

Brockville will do for all Leeds and Grenville, and I hope one
meeting will do for Stormont and Dundas. I have stipulated that
if possible, there will be one day for rest between each meeting — I don't
know what to think on the chances of a dissolution. At Caronna
the other day, Walter Cassels, Blake's partner, told me he was positive
there would be no dissolution. The London Free Press announces
that Mowat is to have an early session and then a joint election for
the Dominion and Ontario in January, and says the faithful have
got notice, and are preparing.

Again, I have heard it said that Mackenzie went to the Maritimers
to see how the people were affected and if the answer was favourable,
he would dissolve. Well, he has got his answer and won't dissolve,
one would say. The Grits have made an awful mistake in making
the Dunkin Act a political affair in Toronto. Last night the vote
against it was over 1,100, and if the Grits insist upon keeping the poll
open, it will be over 1,500. Dymond killed the movement. Now
we won't lose a single Conservative teetotaller at next election, while
the Grits have alienated every Grit brewer, distiller, grocer and licensed
victualler in Ontario — I am told Cartwright is safe to be beaten.
They wish to nominate you. Try to be there on the 11th. — Yours
faithfully,

John A. Macdonald.

The Halifax Chronicle being under the sole control of
William Annand, who continued his hostility to Confedera-
tion, was not acceptable to many of the Liberals of Nova
Scotia. The Citizen, of Halifax, came into the possession
of a company formed to express faithfully the views of the
Liberal party, sustaining Mr. Mackenzie's Government.
Mr. A. G. Jones, of Halifax, and W. B. Vail, of Digby,
became stockholders in this company. But it was ascer-
tained that the paper was receiving Government patron-
age, which made these members chargeable with violating
the Independence of Parliament Act. Strenuous efforts
were made to induce Mr. Blake to find a way of deliver-
ance for them other than resigning their seats in Parlia-
ment, but Mr. Blake persisted in resisting these importuni-
ties. The two men were, therefore, obliged to vacate their

R 257

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

seats and appeal again to their constituencies. This gave
a much desired opportunity to test the sentiments of Digby
and Halifax counties. Dr. Tupper saw his chance and left
for Halifax, where a meeting was called at an hour's notice
for January 9, 1878. At 8.30 p.m. Dr. Tupper ascended
the platform, and for an hour and a half addressed an en-
thusiastic audience. He proceeded the next day to Digby,
where he met and defeated the Minister of Militia, Mr.
Wade, the Conservative candidate, being elected in his
place.

On Saturday, January 19, 1878, a great meeting took
place in the drill-shed at Halifax which ended at mid-
night. Mr. Jones, who was virtually a defeated man,
took an express train to Ottawa and was sworn in as
Minister of Militia in place of Mr. Vail, defeated at
Digby. His former majority of 1,217 was reduced to 228.

Parliament was called to meet on February 7, 1878.

Dr. Tupper says in his journal : " The day before, I
called to pay my respects to the Governor-General. He
asked me what I thought would be the result. I replied :
' Your Lordship's administration will be routed, horse,
foot and artillery.' ' Why do you think so ? ' he replied.
' Because they obtained their majority by springing an
election when the issue before the country was not under-
stood, and in the numerous elections that have been held
since they have been badly beaten all over Canada.' "

After Dr. Tupper left Government House, Mr. Mac-
kenzie called on Lord Dufferin, who told him what Dr.
Tupper had said. Mr. Mackenzie replied : " The doctor
is a very sanguine man, and I have no doubt thinks
so ; but he is mistaken. We will, no doubt, lose some
of our support, but our majority is still too large to be
turned."

In 1877, after a long and thorough discussion of the
trade policy, in which protection to home industries was
advocated in the House by many able speeches, notably

258

Conservatives Again in Power

those of Sir John Macdonald and Dr. Tupper, the Free
Trade Government was sustained in its contention by a
vote of 119 to 70. The discussion was continued in the
Press and on the platform with unabated interest until
the reassembling of Parliament in 1878, when the fact
that this was the last session before a dissolution and an
appeal to the people gave zest, sharpness and power to
the resumed debate.

On February 22 the Minister of Finance made his Budget
Speech, and Dr. Tupper replied.

Sir John Macdonald proposed, seconded by Dr. Tupper :

" That it be resolved that this House is of the opinion that the wel-
fare of Canada requires the adoption of a National Policy which, by a
judicious readjustment of the tariff, will benefit and foster the agricul-
tural, the mining, the manufacturing and other interests of the
Dominion — that such a policy will retain in Canada thousands of our
fellow-countrymen, now obliged to expatriate themselves in search
of the employment denied them at home ; will restore prosperity to
our struggling industries now so sadly depressed — will prevent Canada
from being made a sacrifice market, will encourage and develop an
active inter-provincial trade, and by moving (as it ought to do) in the
direction of reciprocity of tariffs with our neighbours, so far as the
varied interests of Canada may demand, will greatly tend to procure
for this country eventually a reciprocity of trade."

This was defeated by 114 to 77.

Mr. Mackenzie had introduced a Bill to authorise the
Government to have the Branch Railway subject only to
the House of Commons. The Senate amended the Bill by
providing that the approval of the Senate should also be
required. Mr. Mackenzie refused the amendment and pro-
nounced the action of the Senate unconstitutional. Dr.
Tupper sustained the action of the Senate, and said a pre-
cedent such as the First Minister demanded would enable
the Government with a small majority to hand over to the
Grand Trunk Railway the Intercolonial or the Canadian
Pacific Railway without the assent of the Senate.

The intention of the Bill was to enable the Government

259

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

to lease the Pembina Railway to the St. Paul, Minneapolis
and Manitoba Railway, in which the member for Selkirk
was deeply interested.

While the members were waiting for the summons of
the Black Rod for the prorogation of the House, Mr.
Smith raised the question of privilege, and defended him-
self against Sir John Macdonald's statement that the
Pembina Bill was to reward him for his support of the
Government. Mr. Smith then went on to attack Dr.
Tupper for a speech he made at Orangeville during the
previous summer. Dr. Tupper said :

" I rise to a question of order. I put it to you, Mr. Speaker, whether
it is not an abuse of the right to read from a newspaper, for the hon.
gentleman has had that speech here during the three months we have
been in session, and to speak at the moment when the Black Rod is
coming to the door, and thus to shelter himself from the answer he
would otherwise get."

Sir John Macdonald — " And the punishment he would otherwise
get."

Mr. Smith — " I had no such opportunity."

Dr. Tupper — "A more cowardly thing I have never heard of
in this House."

Mr. Smith — " I am not surprised at this from the hon. gentle-
man."

Dr. Tupper — "Anything more cowardly I have never heard of.
I am responsible for every word I have uttered on the platform.
I have sat here for three months and no reference has been made
to this by the hon. gentleman. Nor has any other hon. gentleman
ventured to challenge one word I had said during the recess of
Parliament."

Mr. Smith — " The charge of being a coward I throw back on the
hon. gentleman."

Sir John A. Macdonald — "Let the poor man go on."

Mr. Smith — " The hon. member for Cumberland said "

The uproar continued until the Black Rod was admitted
by order of the Speaker, and so ended the memorable session
of 1878.

Sir John Macdonald wrote to Dr. Tupper as follows :

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Conservatives Again in Power

Toronto,

May 13, 1878.
My dear Tupper, — Do try and go to London on Wednesday.
There is a mass meeting to choose a candidate at seven in the evening.
A rattling speech from you would do infinite good, not only in London,
but in Middlesex and Elgin. You can leave in the morning, be com-
fortably bestowed on Wednesday night and leave next day when you
like. — Yours always,

John A. Macdonald.

On May 21, Dr. Tupper spoke in favour of Eufus
Stephenson at his nomination at Chatham, and went to
London that night, where on the 22nd he addressed a
large meeting in favour of the Hon. John Carling, in
whose favour Mr. Fraser had retired.

On July 17, 1878, Dr. Tupper made a memorable speech
at Sydney, Cape Breton, and the opposition to the Govern-
ment, manifest in Nova Scotia at the time of Dr. Tupper's
speech in Temperance Hall, and in the defeat of Mr. Vail
and the virtual defeat of Mr. A. G. Jones, was evidently
strong and irresistible in the great audience.

Dr. Tupper delivered addresses also in Pictou, Halifax,
Port Hood, Cumberland, Liverpool and various other parts
of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

The election campaign was a strenuous one, and feeling
ran high, as is evinced in the following letter :

St. John,

September 7, 1878.

My dear Tupper, — Thanks for your note written at Moncton.
I got bruised considerably on Monday night, but have been out to-
day for a couple of hours, and hope to be all right in a few days.

I am glad you were able to visit the Island. I can understand the
difficulties they have to contend with, and your speeches will help
our friends very much.

The cry here is duty on flour and coal. They frighten the poor
people with it, and they lie so that there is some difficulty in counter-
acting the effect of these statements.

The Government party are making unheard-of exertions, all through
the Province, especially in St. John city and county, but our friends

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The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

are plucky. We count on from two to three hundred majority in
the city, and are working hard to carry both men for the county.
. . . We hope, however, to divide New Brunswick, though the
absence of organisation until within the last two weeks, and the press
generally has been against us.

You will have seen that the Toronto Globe only gives us nine
opposition men in the Maritime Provinces. This shows how utterly
unreliable are their calculations. Does Nova Scotia continue to look

good for a majority of nine ? — Yours sincerely,

S. L. Tilley.
Hon. Dr. C. Tupper, C.B.

The election of 1878 took place on September 17. The
large majority of over sixty by which the Liberal Govern-
ment was sustained in 1871 was not only annihilated, but
the Conservatives were returned to power w7ith about the
same majority on their side. Sir Charles's forecast to
Lord Dufferin was fulfilled. Mr. Mackenzie and his party
were assured of victory until they were undeceived by the
polls on election day. It is not necessary to regard Mr.
Mackenzie as uncandid in his judgment of the elections
given to the Governor-General, because it differed so widely
from that of Dr. Tupper, which proved to be correct.

On October 8 Mackenzie resigned, and Sir John A.
Macdonald was called upon to form a Ministry. He wrote
to Dr. Tupper :

Windsor Hotel, Montreal,

October 9, 1878.

My dear Tupper, — By appointment I met the Governor-General
at 1.15 to-day. He was very gushing, and said that on personal
grounds the warmest wish of his heart was gratified by his having the
opportunity of charging me with the formation of a Ministry.
Mackenzie resigned last night, but it dates from to-day.

I told him my Cabinet was not cut and dry, and could not be till
Wednesday when Masson was expected. He remains, therefore,
until the 19th. We talked over tariff and a number of things, but he
said that as he was going to remain, we could resume our conversation
daily on the several topics of public interest. He seemed satisfied
and relieved by my general opinion as to tariff.

I have telegraphed for Pope, Jas. Macdonald and Tilley. I think

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Conservatives Again in Power

that as they won't he here for a couple of days you can safely go to
Gooderich if wanted. With R. L. Cartwright out, Tilley will have
plain sailing, so we must defeat him if possible. John O. Donoghue,
Hawkins and Foly must go up to fight the Catholics. The I. Canadians
must also speak out.

Will you see Foly and have all this attended to ? Joly is doomed.
Terrcotte, the Speaker, has been boasting thatj" We Conservatives
have crushed the Rouges." I have seen most of the Montreal Con-
servatives. . . . They are against Langevin. — Yours always,

John A. Macdonald.

After the general election Dr. Tupper, on returning to
his home in Toronto, told Mrs. Tupper that it would be
necessary for them to go back to Ottawa to reside. His
journal informs us that her reply was : " It is more than
it is worth to leave Toronto." He adds that it was hard
indeed for them to leave a city where they had received so
much kindness from the most agreeable people.

The following were the members of the Cabinet formed
by Sir John A. Macdonald :

The Right Hon. Sir John A. Macdonald, Minister of the

Interior and Prime Minister.
The Hon. S. L. Tilley, Minister of Finance.
The Hon. Charles Tupper, Minister of Public Works.
The Hon. John Henry Pope, Minister of Agriculture.
The Hon. John O'Connor, President of the Privy Council.
The Hon. James Macdonald, Minister of Justice and

Attorney General.
The Hon. Hector Langevin, Postmaster-General.
I. Cox Aikens, Secretary of State.
Senator the Hon. L. F. R. Masson, Minister of Militia

and Defence.
The Hon. J. C. Pope, Minister of Marine and Fisheries.
The Hon. Mackenzie Bowell, Minister of Customs.
The Hon. Alex. Campbell, Receiver-General.
The Hon. R. D. Wilmot, Speaker of the Senate.

All were re-elected by acclamation.

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The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

A portrait of himself, painted for the citizens of
Ottawa by Mr. R. I. Colin Forbes, R.C., was presented
to Dr. Tupper at a large public meeting on his return to
Ottawa.

Lord Dufferin was succeeded as Governor-General by
the Marquis of Lome, who, with his Royal wife, Princess
Louise, landed at Halifax in the autumn of 1878. Sir
John A. Macdonald and Dr. Tupper went to Halifax to
meet them, and were entertained at Government House.
The Marquis of Lome was duly sworn into office in the
Province Building at Halifax by the Chief Justice, Sir
William Young. Sir John A. Macdonald and Dr. Tupper
accompanied the Governor-General and Princess Louise
on their journey to Ottawa.

On assuming the duties of Minister of Public Works,
Dr. Tupper found that a link of railroad of 185 miles
length was needed to connect Lake Superior with Winni-
peg. Mr. Mackenzie's timid policy of water stretches
and a wagon road through the Rocky Mountains to the
Pacific Ocean had accomplished but little. General dis-
satisfaction prevailed. The bold undertakings of Sir
John A. Macdonald's Government of 1873 had been de-
feated by a combination of men not qualified for the times
and inspired by a partisan spirit, and for it they had sub-
stituted a policy of fear and shortsightedness. This, at
length, was condemned by public sentiment.

Dr. Tupper took prompt measures to put under con-
tract the 185 miles of road necessary to unite Winnipeg
with Thunder Bay, on Lake Superior.

After assuming power in 1873, Mr. Mackenzie had dis-
missed the Superintendent of the Intercolonial Railway and
appointed Mr. Brydges in his place. On several occasions
in the Commons, Dr. Tupper had criticised and condemned
the management of the new superintendent. On the return
of the Conservatives to power, influential efforts were made
to induce Dr. Tupper to retain Mr. Brydges' services. Mr.

264

Conservatives Again in Power

Brydges himself assured Dr. Tupper that he would serve
faithfully under him.

To these appeals Dr. Tupper replied that having
characterised Mr. Brydges' railway management as he
had on the floor of the House of Commons, he could not
stultify himself before the public. Also, Mr. Brydges
had authorised the statement that the operation of the
Intercolonial Kailway would cost the country $700,000
more than the receipts, that the deficit under his manage-
ment was $716,083, while he, Dr. Tupper, hoped to balance
the one with the other. Dr. Tupper, therefore, told Mr.
Brydges that in the circumstances his proposal would not
be creditable to either of them, but that he would be glad
to promote his interests in any other possible way. Mr.
Brydges thanked him for his kindness, and resigned his
office. They continued friends as long as Mr. Brydges lived.

The re-location of the Intercolonial Kailway effected a
large reduction in the cost of the service. Mr. David
Pottinger was appointed Chief Superintendent in the
place of Mr. Brydges. After thoroughly discussing the
whole matter of conducting the road with Mr. Schreiber,
Mr. Pottinger and Mr. Archibald, the engineer, large re-
ductions were made in the number of employees and the
salaries of those whose services were retained. The whole
system was reorganised with a view to justice and economy.
The result was that the income and the expenditure were
nearly equalised.

Parliament opened on February 13, 1879. The first
division took place just a month later. It was on the
motion of Sir John A. Macdonald censuring the conduct
of the Lieutenant-Governor of Quebec for dismissing his
Ministers. The motion was carried by 136 to 51. The
day following, Mr. Tilley, Minister of Finance, intro-
duced his Budget, which carried out the principle of the
National Policy advocated by Dr. Tupper in the first
session of the Dominion House of Commons after Con-

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The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

federation, and afterwards adopted as the policy of the
Conservative party while in opposition from 1873 to 1878.
Mr. Cartwright replied to the Budget speech of the
Minister of Finance.

This was a crisis in the history of the young Dominion.
The new fiscal policy was essential and vital. The example of
England from 1832 to the date of its introduction into the
Dominion Parliament was against it. It was an old order of
things in legislation, and under the leadership of Richard Cob-
den, after a prolonged and severe struggle, had been driven
from the politics of the Mother Country. It was now regarded
by Liberals as effete, condemned and cast out. To favour and
advocate it required great courage. Mr. Mackenzie and Mr.
Cartwright felt safe and strong in opposing it. But in con-
ditions and circumstances widely differing from those of the
Old Country, under the advocacy and leadership of Dr. Tup-
per, the Conservative party, some members no doubt with
misgivings and timidity, had adopted it and were prepared
to carry it into operation. The United States, by a high
tariff, had just entered upon her career of political, industrial
and financial prosperity. If the sentiment of English states-
men was against a National Policy, that of the politicians
of the United States was in favour of it. A policy so radical
would necessarily affect the country in an extreme degree,
either for better or for worse.

The views at this crisis given by Dr. Tupper in his speech
in reply to Mr. Cartwright supply the reader with a definite
knowledge of the arguments used by him when the matter
was under discussion in the House of Commons. His criti-
cisms of Mr. Cartwright, the late Finance Minister, were fear-
less and crushing. His confidence in the effect the National
Policy would have on the prosperity of the country has been
Justified in its history. In referring to the succession of
deficits under Liberal rule, Dr. Tupper said :

"And yet, sir, year after year, this wonderful financier, this
heaven-born financier, this man who now stands up and would lead

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Conservatives Again in Power

the people of Canada to believe, and would lead the new members —
he cannot deceive the old ones in this House — to believe that his
wonderful sagacity, his marvellous prescience alone can save Canada,
came back with these steadily accumulating deficits, until, at the end
of his five years of office, he found himself, notwithstanding his three
millions additional of taxation for which he asked Parliament, and
the tariff which he gave to the House, face to face with a deficiency,
during the last four years, of no less than seven million dollars. . . .

" In the hon. gentleman's contention there were two postulates
which were irreconcilable. His first postulate is that out of the hard
earnings of the people we are going to build up private fortunes.
His second postulate is that you are going to bring about a ruinous
competition that will destroy the manufacturers. How, sir, will the
hon. gentleman reconcile these two statements ?

"The hon. gentleman has answered the only argument in which
there is a shadow of a possibility of a doubt, connected with the policy
of my hon. friends, and that is that the effect of the industries being
protected from unfair and unjust competition from without is to bring
capital into the country, furnish labour for the masses of the people,
and at the same time relieve them from oppressive and injurious prices
by the competition thus engendered among manufacturers. . . .

" The hon. gentleman is not alone in his discovery of the increasing
prosperity of the United States. Every man who has examined the
condition of that country has rejoiced to find that the depression
which affected it is passing away. There are signs of prosperity from
one end of the country to the other, and that in a country that enjoys,
or ' suffers under,' as the hon. gentleman would put it, the most
severe protection in the world. In this highly protected country,
without any change or amelioration of the tariff — a country which at
the close of a gigantic war and frightful internecine struggle, over-
whelmed with an enormous debt that threatened to break down
the prosperity and credit of the country, resorted in that emergency
to a protective policy, with a balance of trade against it of $150,000,000 ;
in this country, I say, we are observing a prosperous reaction from
the recent general depression. Is there any better evidence of pros-
perity than the fact that, instead of increasing the taxes, they have
been wiping the taxes off by hundreds of millions — $300,000,000
swept off in the course of eight years. The United States is a country
which, in relation to public affairs, will challenge comparison with
any country in the world. And yet this country, the only one on
the horizon of the world the hon. gentleman can point to as exhibiting
an increasing prosperity, is the country, unfortunately for him, which

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The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

has carried out to the fullest extent a policy, of which this is only a
feeble counterpart. . . .

" The hon. gentleman opposite brought matters to such a state as
made their late Finance Minister unwilling to show his face in the
European money market — where he found he had to confess his failure
— when he could no longer point to the enormous growing revenue
and the prosperity the country enjoyed in our time — when he had
to confess that he himself with three millions fresh taxes was met
with seven millions of a deficit in four years — no wonder he shrank
from appearing in the world's money market to borrow money sadly
wanted. His confession convicts him either of incapacity or want of
patriotism. . . ."

Incidentally, while discussing the matter of constructing
the Canadian Pacific Kailway, Dr. Tupper said :

" The ex-Minister had accused the Government, at different times,
of having introduced a tariff hostile to British interests, and in favour
of the United States, and had stated that, therefore, they could not
expect to obtain aid in England. The hon. gentleman, at all events,
had said that the reason the Government would not go to England
was because they had adopted a tariff prejudicial to British interests,
that the time was inopportune. The hon. the leader of the Opposition
had also taken that ground in the most emphatic terms. He stated
that the tariff was in favour of American and against British interests.
He held a different view. One of the reasons which led the Govern-
ment to consider the necessity of readjusting the tariff was, that all
the trade of Canada was flowing in the direction of the United States
instead of the Mother Country. He (Dr. Tupper) maintained that
the present time was opportune. This Government could go to the
Imperial Government with the confidence of receiving their support
in their application. This Government could do that which their
predecessors would not have been warranted in doing. They would
be in a position to say that they felt it their duty, when they found
the expenditure of the country exceeding the resources, to come
down with a tariff that would give such a revenue as would cover the
expenditure. That was not likely to hurt us in the estimation of the
English capitalists or Government, when they would be called on to
endorse the bonds of Canada, for we had not only given them the
assurance that all the credit they had given us had been fully redeemed,
but that the Government, in order to show to the world that the credit
of the country always should remain unimpaired, had brought down
a tariff which would create a revenue ample to meet all expenditure."

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Conservatives Again in Power

After preliminary negotiations with the Grand Trunk
Railway, Dr. Tupper arranged with that company for the
purchase of one hundred miles of their road from Riviere
du Loup to Quebec. This bargain was sanctioned by
Parliament and an Act passed confirming it. Parliament
provided also $1,875,000.00 to meet the expenses of the
transaction. Dr. Tupper introduced a Bill dividing the
department of Public Works, one to be known as that
of Public Works, and the other as that of Railways and
Canals, and after it had been adopted himself took over
the portfolio of Minister of Railways and Canals.

The matter transcending in importance all others brought
up in this session of Parliament, except, perhaps, a sane and
sound tariff, was the building of the Canadian Pacific Rail-
road. Some progress had been made on the Georgian Bay
Branch; but, as has been stated, the line between the west
of Lake Superior and Winnipeg lacked 185 miles in the middle
to unite these two points. All saw that the completion of this
link was of the greatest importance.

Dr. Tupper submitted the railway policy of the Govern-
ment by moving a series of resolutions authorising Parlia-
ment, after deciding on its location and endeavouring to
secure the co-operation of the British Government, to put
under contract 125 miles of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
To the adverse criticisms of Messrs. Mackenzie, Mills, Cart-
wright and others who spoke against these resolutions, Dr.
Tupper made an effective reply. They had objected to his
resolutions because power was asked to contract for 125 miles
of the road before it was located. Dr. Tupper showed that,
in the first place, the Act of 1874, authorising the building
of the Canadian Pacific Railway by the Government, did not
require the sanction of Parliament to the location of any part
of the road, and secondly, that Mr. Mackenzie had contracted
for long sections of the line without the sanction of Parlia-
ment ; that, in fact, he had advertised for tenders for 125
miles from Yale to Kamloops without the sanction of Parlia-

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The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

inent, and, as he believed, had not the Government changed
it would now be in the hands of contractors without Parlia-
mentary sanction. If assistance should be obtained from
the British Government, then application would be made to
Parliament for the appointment of commissioners to carry
out the plan for building the road to the Pacific coast.

Mr. Mackenzie's amendment to Dr. Tupper's resolutions
was defeated by 115 to 37.

Parliament was prorogued on May 15.

On the 24th of the same month Her Majesty conferred
upon the Hon. Charles Tupper, the Hon. S. L. Tilley, the
Hon. Alexander Campbell and the Hon. Richard J. Cart-
wright the title of K.C.M.G. They were duly installed in
that order at the Windsor Hotel, Montreal, by the Marquis
of Lome.

Sir Charles received many letters of congratulation,
among which were the following :

117 Park Street, Grosvenor Square,
London,

May 9, 1879.
My dear Sir Charles, — Allow me to take the opportunity of
congratulating you on your well-deserved promotion. You have
earned it, if ever anybody did, and I am sure it will give great pleasure
to a large body of your friends all over the Dominion to see your
promotion, and services recognised. The same observation will apply
to Mr. Tilley. . . .

Ask Lady Tupper to accept my sincere congratulations and best
wishes. — Believe me, My dear Sir Charles, Yours sincerely,

Sir Charles Tupper, K.C.M.G., C.B. A- G- Archibald.

18 Queen's Gate, Hyde Park, W.,

May 24, 1879.

Dear Dr. Tupper, — Let me offer you my best congratulations on
the honours which this morning's paper announces as conferred on
you and other friends. They have been well and worthily earned,
and may you live long to enjoy them. . . .

With renewed good wishes. — Believe me, Yours truly,

Sir C. Tupper, K.C.M.G. JoHN RoSE-

270

Conservatives Again in Power

Concurrent biography and history are necessarily ex-
cluded from these memoirs, except incidental references to
them where, as external sources of influence, they acted
upon Dr. Tupper, developing his talents and moulding his
life.

From 1868 to 1874 the Government of Great Britain
was in the hands of the Liberals, with Mr. Gladstone as
Premier. Even before Confederation, a united empire
was one of Dr. Tupper's dreams ; but when the Union was
accomplished, it took even a more prominent place in the
vision of this statesman. His speeches were highly seasoned
with Imperial sentiment. But there was little to be hoped
for from a Cabinet of which John Bright was a member.
It fell to the lot of a Liberal Premier, however, to pilot
the British Government through a succession of wild and
menacing political disturbances. Storms raged on both
sides of the Atlantic.

Dr. Tupper's direct intercourse with the British
Cabinet, given in earlier chapters, was to him a school
in which he studied political questions, both local and
international. The disestablishment and disendowment of
the Irish Church, the resistance it met with and the bitter-
ness it engendered, confirmed Dr. Tupper in his belief, if,
indeed, such confirmation was necessary, that the Canadian
Provinces, both before and after Union, were fortunate in
having two separate spheres, one for the Church and one
for the State. The National Education Bill, of which
Mr. Forster was the author and during the discussion of
which he made the facetious remark : " We must educate
our masters," came five years later than the one Dr.
Tupper had carried in the Nova Scotia Legislature. Dr.
Tupper followed the discussion of Mr. Forster's Bill in
the British Parliament, especially in its conflict with en-
dowed schools and other vested rights, and felt a justifi-
able complacency in the assurance that the Bill given by
him to his native Province was superior to that given

271

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

to England under the inspiration and direction of Mr.

Forster.

The sensitive relations of England to the Continental
Powers made the Franco-Prussian War, from beginning
to end, a source of anxiety and danger. The grave ques-
tion for the Dominion was: How will it affect Canada?
This war, so fraught with possibilities, was to Dr. Tup-
per an object lesson of great importance. At its close,
the English Government resolved to withdraw her troops
from the colonies and place the responsibility of provid-
ing for her own defence on the shoulders of the young
Dominion. This, added to Imperial legislation which put
an end to securing positions in the army by purchase,
and ultimately opened them to Canadian competitors,
was another instructive study in Imperialism and a
united Empire. But whatever discouragement there may
have been in Mr. Gladstone's policy respecting a united
Empire, all vanished in 1874 when his Government was
falling to pieces over the Bill for the higher education
of Ireland, and Mr. Disraeli appealed to the nation in a
speech through which ran a distinct Imperial note and a
Conservative colonial policy. In one passage he said :

" In my judgment, no Minister in this country will do his duty who
neglects any opportunity of reconstructing as much as possible our
colonial empire, and of responding to those distant sympathies which
may become a source of incalculable strength and happiness to this
land."

"Toryism now sought three great objects," says Lord
Morley in his Life of Gladstone. These were, as Mr. Disraeli

said :

"The maintenance of our institutions, the preservation of our
Empire, and the condition of the people."

Lord Morley further says :

« The time was at hand when England would have to decide
between national and cosmopolitan principles, and the issue was no
mean one."

272

LADY TUPPER WITH HER DAUGHTER EMMA

uni :> Daguerreotype

CHAPTER XVII

CONSERVATIVE FISCAL AND RAILWAY POLICIES (1879—80)

SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD, Sir Leonard S. Tilley
and Sir Charles Tupper, in company with Lady
Tupper and their son William, went to England.
After visiting his daughter Emma, wife of Major-General
Cameron, at Bagni de Luca, Sir Charles, leaving Lady
Tupper and his son, returned to London and joined his
colleagues.

The radical change made in the trade policy of the
Dominion by the adoption of the National Policy so
affected the commercial relations with Great Britain that
an explanation and defence of it was due to the British
Cabinet. For this purpose the following was submitted
by the three delegates to the Colonial Minister :

CONFIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM

The Government of Canada are now submitting questions of the
greatest moment in regard to the position of British interests in North
America and endeavouring to establish the policy of treating thfse
subjects as of Imperial as well as Colonial importance.

On such an occasion it becomes their duty to offer certain remarks
on the recent commercial legislation of Canada, and to explain the
reasons which have required higher customs and excise duties — the
method and design with which they have been imposed — and to in-
dicate the modifications of which this policy is susceptible.

Their views must necessarily be submitted confidentially, as it
would be unwise to disturb the manufacturing and trading interests
of Canada by the suggestion of changes that, on discussion, may not
be considered practicable by the Imperial authorities.

With reference to the augmentation of the customs duties, it is
sufficient to direct attention to the fact that a serious and chronic
deficiency had taken place in the revenue, and that the engagements
s 273

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

of the country, especially in relation to the development of the North-
West Territories and British Columbia, were of a nature that could
neither be arrested nor materially diminished ; an increase of revenue
became consequently imperative, and could only be well obtained
through an increase of the customs and excise duties.

Coincident with this state of the revenue, the manufacturing and
trading interests of Canada had long suffered grievously from the
restrictive policy of the United States, while the agricultural popula-
tion bitterly complained of the unfair treatment they received from
the same nation.

All natural products, such as bread stuffs, lumber, coal, etc., had,
with a very brief interval, been admitted free from the United States
since the termination of the Reciprocity Treaty in 1865, while all but
prohibitive duties had been imposed on these articles when imported
from Canada.

Under that treaty Canada enjoyed a very large measure of free
trade with the United States from 1865 to 1874. She successfully
met the restrictive policy of her neighbours owing to the inflation
arising from the war expenditure ; but when prices fell, and no new
markets opened, Canada experienced the consequence of being only
permitted to buy, and unable to sell, while her comparatively open
market was eagerly sought as an outlet for the surplus of American
fields and factories.

The effect of this policy was not only felt by the Canadian farmers
and manufacturers, but it produced a largely increased demand in
Canada for American manufactures, and a corresponding decrease in
the demand for the manufactures of Great Britain, of which the trade
returns of the Dominion furnish undoubted proof.

In 1873 the value of British goods entered for consumption was
68,552,776 dollars, and of United States productions 47,735,678 dollars.
In 1878 the value of British goods was reduced to 37,431,180 dollars,
and the United States products advanced to 48,631,739 dollars. At
the last general election the people of Canada decided by a very large
majority that they would no longer consent to trade with the United
States on such unequal terms, and it became the imperative duty of
the present ministry to give effect to the decision of the country. The
administration had, therefore, a three-fold duty to perform in their
tariff changes :

1st. — To secure additional revenue to meet the alarming annual
deficit ;

2nd. — To restore the greatly diminished trade with Great Britain
and the West India Islands ; and

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Conservative Fiscal and Railway Policies

3rd. — To protect the interests of Canada from the unfair and
illiberal policy of the United States.

The Government of Canada are prepared, under arrangements
with the Imperial Government, and with the assent of the Canadian
Parliament, to give distinct trade advantages to Great Britain, as
against foreign countries, and they sought to do so in their arrange-
ment of the present tariff, to a limited extent ; but, believing that
the Imperial Government were not favourable to direct discriminating
duties, the object in view was sought and obtained through a some-
what complex classification of imports.

The policy of Canada towards British manufactures is not, there-
fore, such as to exclude them from our markets, but points to an
arrangement that, if adopted, might give us sufficient for revenue
purposes, and at the same time be of infinite advantage to the Empire.

In tlie foregoing is found the first positive proposal to
the British Government for preferential trade.

The delegation from the Canadian Executive had on its
hands another important duty — that of obtaining, if. pos-
sible, assistance from the British Government to build the
Canadian Pacific Kailroad. The Government was asked
to guarantee Dominion bonds to be issued for raising
funds for this purpose, and also to consider the appoint-
ment of a direct representative of the Dominion Govern-
ment at the Court of St. James.

The views on this point held by this delegation were
urged in a memorandum, from which the following ex-
tracts will testify to the ability and skill of its authors :

" Canada has ceased to occupy the position of an ordinary posses-
sion of the Crown. She exists in the form of a powerful central
Government, having already no less than seven subordinate local
executive and legislative systems, soon to be largely augmented by
the development of the vast regions lying between Lake Superior and
the Rocky Mountains. Her Central Government is becoming even
more responsible than the Imperial Government for the maintenance
of international relations towards the United States, a subject which
will yearly require greater prudence and care, as the population of the
two countries extend along, and mingle across the vast frontier line
three thousand miles in length."

27$

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

" It appears to the Canadian Government eminently desirable to
provide for the fullest and most frank interchange of views with Her
Majesty's Government, and for the thorough appreciation of the policy
of Canada on all points of general interest. Otherwise there appears
to be danger of a feeling growing up of indifference, if not of actual
antagonism and irritation upon both sides. The idea must be avoided,
that the connection of Canada with the British Empire is only tem-
porary and unabiding, instead of being designed to strengthen and
confirm the maintenance of British influence and power.

" It is now being found in practice that there are constantly ques-
tions arising connected with the administration of affairs in Canada,
requiring discussions in a mode and to an extent wholly impracticable
through the ordinary channel of correspondence through the Governor-
General — and periodical visits have to be made to London for this
purpose by important members of the Canadian Government, entailing
serious inconvenience. At this moment the following subjects are
thus under consideration :

" The Pacific Railway and important collateral subjects — Treaties
of Commerce with France and Spain — Esquimalt Graving Dock —
Military defence of Canada generally and of British Columbia, more
especially, while the Fishery and Commercial clauses of the Washington
Treaty may at any moment be reopened by the United States, with
many other matters of importance connected with the better organisa-
tion of the military front of the Dominion.

" It is manifestly impossible that the views of the Canadian Govern-
ment on most subjects can be submitted for the intelligent consideration
of Her Majesty's Government in any other mode than that of personal
communication ; and as the subjects themselves relate to different
departments of administration, the necessity arises for the absence
from their posts at this moment of not less than three most prominent
ministers.

"It is further submitted that the very large and rapidly augment-
ing commerce of Canada, and the increasing extent of her trade with
foreign nations, is proving the absolute need of direct negotiation
with them for the proper protection of her interests. In the treaties
of commerce entered into by England, reference has only been made
to their effect on the United Kingdom, and the colonies are excluded
from their operation — a result which has been attended with most
unfortunate results to Canada, as relates to France. This is, to a
certain extent, unavoidable, in consequence of the control of all
customs having been granted to Canada, but a necessity has thus arisen
for providing separate and distinct trade conventions with all foreign

276

Conservative Fiscal and Railway Policies

powers with whom Canada has direct trade. With the differing views
held by the Parliament of Canada on such subjects, from those of Her
Majesty's Government, there is a manifest difficulty in asking the
latter to become responsible for the representations required to be
made, and foreign governments find it difficult to understand our
present system. The Canadian Government consequently submit
that when occasion requires such negotiations to be undertaken, Her
Majesty's Government should advise Her Majesty specially to accredit
the representation of Canada to the foreign Court, with the resident
Minister, or in such other form as would place him in distinctly
recognised relation to the foreign Ministers.

"The suggestion is merely asking Her Majesty's Government to
establish as a rule the precedent which was created in 1871, when Sir
John Macdonald was made a member of the Joint High Commission
to Washington, and later, when Sir George Brown was officially
associated with Sir Edward Thornton, at the instance of the Canadian
Government, for the purpose of negotiating a treaty of commerce
between Canada and the United States.

" With a view of giving effect to the foregoing policy, the Govern-
ment of Canada suggest that Her Majesty's Government should
consent to receive an official representative from Canada for the
purpose of securing the most early and confidential communication of
their views on all subjects. And that, when so requested, the proposed
Minister should be duly accredited to foreign Courts..

" The dignity of the office, and the advantage of its proper recog-
nition, especially at foreign Courts, appears to require a more ex-
pressive title than that of Agent-General ; it is therefore suggested
that the designation should be Resident Minister, or such other name
of equal import as Her Majesty's Government may suggest.

" The Canadian Government attach great importance to this matter,
and hope that Her Majesty's Government will see no insuperable
difficulty in giving the Canadian representative a diplomatic position
at the Court of St. James, and of exerting its influence to obtain the
recognition of such a position for him among the corps diplomatique.
The sooner the Dominion is treated as an auxiliary power, rather than
a dependency, the sooner will it assume the responsibilities of the
position, including the settlement of its contribution to defence of the
Empire whereon and wherever assailed."

The result of the presentation of this memorandum was
the creation of the office of Canadian High Commissioner,

277

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

and the appointment first of the Hon. A. T. Gait at a salary
of $10,000 a year and $4,000 for contingencies. The Im-
perial Government conceded the private entree to the High
Commissioner.

It became more and more evident as time passed that
Sir Charles Tupper had an innate penchant for the pursuit
of large political game. The greater the occasion, the more
easily he seemed to rise to it. The largest undertakings
became light matters in his hands. No one had equal con-
fidence in the ability of Canada to construct, as a single
enterprise, a line of railway from ocean to ocean. The
fact that such a road was not attempted by the United
States until the population of the Kepublic was about
forty millions, to him was no valid reason why four
million Canadians could not do the work.

While in England on this mission, Sir Charles decided
to purchase 50,000 tons of steel rails. As he believed that
asking for tenders for the whole amount would immediately
cause a rise in the price, he advertised for only 5,000 tons.
When the tenders came in, he accepted the lowest tender
and arranged to take ten thousand tons at that price. He
then accepted the second lowest tender and bargained to
take 10,000 at that price, and so on until he had contracts
for the 50,000 tons. The result was that these 50,000 tons
of steel rails cost $1,518,000 less than Mr. Mackenzie
paid for the same quantity when he was Minister of
Public Works. They were purchased at the lowest price
ever before known, and one year later would have cost
half a million dollars more.

On the return of the delegates to Canada, the Georgian
Bay contract was cancelled on the ground that it would
involve a large expenditure without a commensurate value
to the country.

The Government decided to adopt the Fraser River route
for the Canadian Pacific Railway, and put 125 miles under
contract from Lake Kamloops to Yale. This was divided

278

Conservative Fiscal and Railway Policies

into four sections and let to the lowest tenderers. The
Government concurred in these contracts, which were given
to Mr. Andrew Onderdonk, an American contractor, who
brought letters of introduction to the Bank of Montreal,
where he had deposited $500,000. The contract, how-
ever, was practically made with D. O. Mills, an American
millionaire, early in December.

Sir Charles visited Winnipeg with Mr. Schreiber, who
was in charge of the contract from Keewatin to Bed
Biver, and went over the work with him.

He was entertained at a banquet in Quebec, and at
another in Ottawa, where, in reply to the toast, " The
Speedy Union of the Atlantic and the Pacific," he com-
pared, in his inimitably effective manner, the work done
on the Canadian Pacific Bailway by their predecessors in
office with that then being accomplished. The following
extract from the speech is of interest :

" Mr. Mackenzie put 113 miles under contract, from Thunder
Bay westward to English River, and 112 miles under contract from
the Red River eastward to Keewatin. The Pembina Branch was also
placed under contract, but that was about all Mr. Mackenzie accom-
plished. The fact of the matter is, that our opponents committed
the country to heavy expenditures without any useful purpose what-
ever. I, perhaps, cannot better deal with this question than to
compare the results of the policy of our predecessors with what has
been done since my right honourable friend came into power. He
reverted to our former policy of making the lands of the North-West
largely contribute to the construction of the railway, without which
the lands themselves are comparatively valueless, without impos-
ing that enormous burden upon the country which would arise from
the pursuit of the plan of our predecessors, and would cripple us
rather than promote our advancement. We have placed under con-
tract the 185 miles necessary to complete the connection between
Lake Superior and the Province of Manitoba, and we have brought
the line west of Red River to the south of Lake Manitoba, so as to
fill up that fertile section with people, and 100 miles of that road
are now under construction."

279

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

Parliament was opened on February 12, 1880.
The Speech from the Throne announced that vigorous
measures would be adopted to promote the construction
of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and that the rigid
system of economy adopted in the management of the
Intercolonial Railway, without impairing its efficiency, war-
ranted the belief that in the future no serious burden
would be incurred by deficits in its operation. The
Finance Minister, Sir Leonard Tilley, introduced his
Budget, and was severely criticised by Sir R. Cartwright,
to whom Sir Charles Tupper replied in a speech which
forms the best illustration in his parliamentary addresses
of his hew-Agag-in-pieces style of treating an arrogant
opponent. Sir Richard Cartwright's record for five years
as Financial Secretary had been a conspicuous failure.
The wounds he had received from Dr. Tupper's criticisms
were not yet healed. Listening to Sir Leonard S. Tilley 's
first Budget speech gave Sir Richard an opportunity to
exercise his talents and skill as critic of another man's
Budget. Such was his temperament that it was difficult
for him generously to let bygones be bygones, or amiably
to accept defeat. The successful crusade, virtually led by
Sir Charles Tupper, against the Liberal Government had
left unhealed wounds in his spirit. His criticism of Sir
Leonard's Budget, therefore, partook largely of caustic,
rancorous humour.

To Sir Charles, Sir Richard's assumptions and declara-
tions, so arrogantly made, merited treatment such as he
felt himself able to give. He seems to have begun his speech
with no intention of meting out gentle dealing to his oppo-
nent. This purpose was evidently not changed before the
close of his animated address, which calls to mind a charac-
terisation of Sir Charles in such circumstances given by a
writer in the Montreal Gazette:

" Sir Charles Tupper is one of the foremost men of this country.
As a speaker, we know of no one to equal him. In making out his

280

Conservative Fiscal and Railway Policies

case, he is clear, logical and electrifying. On his defence he scatters with
playful irony or graceful sarcasm the accusations of his opponents ;
and Heaven help the man by the time he gets through with him. He
will require a lot of soothing syrup to restore his nervous system."

There is nothing found in this criticism soothing to the
disturbed feelings of the ex-Finance Minister. His Budget
speeches were criticised, deficits referred to, and other
questions, such as immigration, protection of industries
against increased prices, and coal-mining in Canada, tho-
roughly discussed.

On April 23 Sir Charles made his statement on the
Intercolonial Railway, showing that he had dispensed
with the services of 400 men, thus saving $200,000. On
April 15 he submitted also his annual statement of the
Canadian Pacific Railway.

Mr. Blake moved an amendment : " To leave out all the
words after ' that ' and insert the following : ' The public
interest requires that the work of constructing the Pacific
Eailway should be postponed.' " This amendment was
defeated— 131 to 49.

From the coming into power in England of the Conserva-
tives in 1878, until 1880, when before the fervid oratory of
Gladstone in his Midlothian campaign the Tories were swept
from power as if by a tornado, the Canadian Cabinet had
the support of Downing Street to their Imperialistic policy.
But when Disraeli's Government was defeated, the question
was asked by Canadian Liberals : What course will Mr.
Gladstone take respecting a trunk line across the continent,
and the policy of Imperialism precious to Canadian and
English Tories ? Will he be held in check by the " Little
Englanders "?

In the Commons, Sir Charles was reminded of the
change of Government in the Old Land ; but with his
political optimism, he replied :

" I may say to some honourable gentleman, who seemed to think
that owing to the defeat of the Beaconsfleld Administration, all hope

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The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

of this Government obtaining anything from England is gone, that
we have no reason to distrust a Liberal Administration any more
than a Conservative Administration, and I would ask any person who
knows anything of the political principles propounded by gentlemen
on this side of the House, whether there is any Liberal party in England,
or any man likely to be in a Liberal Cabinet in England — under
Mr. Gladstone, Lord Granville, or Lord Hartington — who is more
advanced in Liberal principles than the hon. gentlemen who sit on
this side of the House. There has no doubt been a great change of
parties in England, and if the Conservative party have lost power
there, it has been the means of bringing into power an Administration
who are no more committed to Liberal principles and a Liberal policy
than the hon. gentlemen who sit on this side of the House. . . .

" I am not dismayed at the change. I believe the interests of Canada
are just as safe in the hands of Lord Cardwell, as Colonial Minister,
as they were in the hands of Sir Michael Hicks-Beach. . . .

" It will be seen, therefore, that notwithstanding the fall of the
Beaconsfield Administration, there is every prospect of the Govern-
ment of Canada being sustained and upheld in this great national
enterprise."

On May 22 an Order in Council was passed appoint-
ing Mr. Sandford Fleming, Consulting Engineer of the
Canadian Pacific Kailway and Chief Engineer of the
Intercolonial Kailway, for the purpose of settling the
claims which had arisen in connection with the construc-
tion of the latter road.

Mr. Fleming declined these appointments; and Mr.
Collingwood Schreiber, who had succeeded him as Chief
Engineer of the Canadian Pacific Kailway, also resigned
his connection with the Intercolonial Kailway, and Mr.
F. Shanly was appointed Chief Engineer of the Inter-
colonial Railway for the settlement of the claims. The
Toronto Globe, the organ of the Opposition, having fiercely
assailed Sir Charles Tupper in connection with the con-
tracts which he had let on the Canadian Pacific Railway,
Sir Charles requested the Government to appoint a Royal
Commission to examine under oath all parties connected
with that work — Ministers, officials of every kind, con-

282

Conservative Fiscal and Railway Policies

tractors, etc. — and in response the Government appointed
Judge Clark, Mr. Samuel Keefer, an able engineer, and Mr.
Miall, a skilled accountant, members of the Commission.
They carried on an investigation from August 12, 1880,
to January 5, 1882. The Secretary, Mr. N. F. Davin, by
direction of the Commission, wrote to the editor of the
Toronto Globe, requesting him to furnish them with the
name, or names, of any persons who could substantiate
the statements they had made. The answer admitted that
he was unable to do so. The evidence gathered by the
Commission was published in two large octavo volumes, and
laid on the table of the House of Commons. No member of
the Opposition ever referred to the evidence thus embodied.

The Conservative Government, after having been in power
two years, had not departed essentially from the Mackenzie
policy for constructing the Canadian Pacific Railway. It is
true that a bolder course had been taken, surveys pushed
forward, resolves made to build immediately the road from
Winnipeg to the Rocky Mountains, and to complete the 185
miles necessary to unite Lake Superior and Winnipeg, and
to construct a section of the road from Yale to Kamloops.
But what followed after the close of the session of 1880 puts
the matter beyond doubt that Sir Charles Tupper had become
dissatisfied with both the policy and the progress made in
the efforts to connect the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans.
Ever before his mind was this great essential — a line of rails
connecting Vancouver with Nova Scotia. Without it, the
most successful union and consolidation of the Dominion
was impossible.

In the records of the first bold attempt to span the con-
tinent with a railroad, no evidence appears that any single
man was its author. Back of it, however, was faith that
removes mountains and spans prairies. Whoever was the
author of this first dream, one thing is evident, that he
kept in mind the fear of overtaxation that rested like a
nightmare on the public mind, and would quickly and

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The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

violently respond to the partizanship that might summon
its assistance. This sentiment left but one alternative —
construction of the road by a company. Looking to what
was initiated in 1880 and completed in 1886, it would seem
that the scheme of 1872 came from the same source as that
of 1880. Eight years had elapsed ; and what had been accom-
plished ? Surveys had been begun by Mr. Mackenzie for a
telegraph line and a wagon road winding around the bases
of the ice-topped mountains from the prairies to Vancouver ;
a part of the line had been constructed from Thunder Bay
to Winnipeg; but not even yet was the great expanse of
prairie land vitally connected with the east of the Dominion.

Whether or not Dr. Tupper was the originator of the
scheme of 1872, to offer a company who would under-
take this great work a grant of 50,000,000 acres of land
and $30,000,000, is not known. But the resemblance of
these two plans, the latter universally known to have
been originated by Sir Charles Tupper in 1880, is so
striking, characterised as they are by the same boldness,
yea, and as it was thought by some at the time, by reck-
less audacity, that the inference would be that they were
both begotten in the brain of the same statesman. Be this
as it may, Sir Charles Tupper, after the prorogation of
Parliament in 1880, found. himself so thoroughly dissatisfied
with the policy for uniting the east and west by rail, that
with characteristic courage he attempted to end the policy of
both the late and the then present Governments, of building
the Canadian Pacific Bailway by Government contracts.

The following proposal, submitted by Sir Charles to the
Cabinet on June 15, 1880, puts the authorship of the new
plan beyond doubt :

Department Railways and Canals,
Ottawa,
Memorandum. June 15, 1880.

The undersigned has the honour to report that the estimate for
the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway is $60,000,000.00

284

Conservative Fiscal and Railway Policies

and that the total expenditure required to complete the line from
Thunder Bay to Nipissing would add $20,000,000.00 more.

That it is extremely desirable to accomplish the whole of the above-
mentioned work at as early a date as possible and without involving
any such liability as is calculated to alarm the public mind as to any
financial embarrassment that might arise therefrom.

That the construction of the line from Red River to Burrard
Inlet irrespective of equipment may be safely placed.

From Thunder Bay to Red River at . . . $16,000,000
„ Kamloops to Yale .... 8,000,000

„ Yale to Burrard Inlet .... 3,000,000

That the undersigned has reason to believe that owing to the
great interest at present excited in relation to the North-West, the
value of land there, and the great success which has attended the
St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway Company that it would
be quite practicable to obtain the construction of the line from Red
River to Kamloops by an expenditure in money of $12,500,000 and
25,000,000 acres of land, a portion of which to be allotted in alternate
sections, 20 miles wide on each side of the line and the balance else-
where— the total cash outlay to secure the construction of the line from
Red River to Burrard Inlet would thus be reduced to $39,500,000.

The undersigned has also reason to believe from the best informa-
tion at his command that a subsidy of $10,000 per mile would secure
the construction of the line from Nipissing to Thunder Bay.

The whole original design, therefore, of constructing the Canadian
Pacific Railway throughout its entire length within ten years may,
he believes, be accomplished by a cash expenditure of $45,500,000
and 25,000,000 acres of land by a company bound to complete the
line throughout within ten years and to maintain, equip and operate
the whole from Nipissing to Burrard Inlet, leaving 75,000,000 acres of
land appropriated by Parliament for the construction of the Canadian
Pacific Railway a considerable portion of which would be in alternate
sections along the line of railway, to recoup the Government for the
expenditure of $45,500,000.

He, therefore, recommends that authority be given to negotiate
with capitalists of undoubted means, and who shall be required to
give the most ample guarantees for the construction and operation
of the line on such terms as will secure at the same time the rapid
settlement of the public lands, and the construction of the work. —
Respectfully submitted, Charles Tupper,

Minister Railways and Canals.
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The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

I certify that this report to Council was prepared under my super-
vision at Sir Charles Tupper's dictation as a basis upon which to
negotiate with capitalists for the construction of the Canadian Pacific

COLLINGWOOD SCHREIBER,

Chief Engineer Canadian Pacific Railway.
Ottawa,
September 30, 1881.

The original plan was in the handwriting of Mr. Tilley,
clerk in the Department of Eailways and Canals. It was
accepted by the Council, and the decision was reached to
send Sir John A. Macdonald, Sir Charles Tupper and
the Hon. J. H. Pope to England, to endeavour to make
financial arrangements for the construction of the
Canadian Pacific Railway on the terms of Sir Charles
Tupper's proposal.

As the Grand Trunk Eailway Company had been the
pioneers of railway construction in Canada, Sir Charles
Tupper was authorised by his colleagues to submit the
proposal of the delegates to Sir Henry Tyler, M.P., Presi-
dent of that company. This he did in the Tea-room of
the House of Commons. After Sir Charles had fully
detailed the proposal, Sir Henry said : " If you will cut
off the portion of the railway from Thunder Bay to Nipis-
sing, I will take up the project ; but unless you do that, my
shareholders would simply throw the prospectus into the
waste-paper basket." Sir Charles replied that Canada
could not consent to be for six months without any com-
munication with Manitoba, the North-West and British
Columbia, except by a long detour through a foreign
country.

After much exertion the delegates succeeded in securing
a contract for the construction of the Canadian Pacific
Eailway, essentially on the terms proposed by Sir Charles
Tupper to the Cabinet. The syndicate was composed of
Mr. George Stephen, Mr. E. B. Angus, of Montreal, Mr.
Mclntyre, of Montreal, Mr. I. T. Kennedy, of New York,

?86

Conservative Fiscal and Railway Policies

Sir John Kose, of Morton, Eose and Co., of London, James
L. Hill, of St. Paul, Min., and Baron Eeinach, of Paris.

Their contract was duly signed at Bates' Hotel, Dover
Street, London, on October 20, 1880.

The delegates and Mr. A. T. Gait, High Commissioner
for Canada in London, were invited to a grand banquet at
the Fishmongers' Hall. Sir John Macdonald insisted on Sir
Charles Tupper responding for Canada. In complying with
the request, Sir Charles corrected the suggestion that the
object of the Canadian visitors was to obtain money from
England except in the way of securing profitable invest-
ment for the construction of railways and the development
of the country. He dwelt also upon the advantages Canada
offered to emigrants and the importance of emigration
as a means of contributing to the solution of some of the
difficulties which were the subject of controversy in the
country.

Sir Charles and Lady Tupper, after visiting their
daughter, Mrs. Cameron, at Newbridge, and paying a
visit to Lord and Lady Monck at Bray, returned to
Canada on the steamship Peruvian. Among the passen-
gers were William Matthew Gray and his wife and
daughter, with whom they formed a lifelong friendship.

Immediately on his return, Sir Charles Tupper, at the
urgent request of his colleague, the Hon. J. H. Pope, went
to the nomination at Brome, where a death vacancy had
occurred. In the course of his speech, Sir Charles said :

" When the Ministers went back to England they found that the
whole sentiment of the country was changed in reference to Canada ;
that people with capital were ready to come to the North-West, and
that they could go back to their original policy which they had never
wholly abandoned. They had been enabled to make a contract with
capitalists representing houses in Great Britain, Germany, France and
the United States, that they would have the utmost pride in laying
before the assembled Parliament at the earliest period consistent with
the public interests of the country. The Government of Sir John A.
Macdonald stood in the same position in reference to the policy of

287

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

constructing the Canadian Pacific Railway as it did in 1871-2, when
its policy was adopted in Parliament, and of which Mr. Mackenzie said
that to talk about building the road for fifty million acres of land
and thirty million dollars, they might as well talk about doing it for
$10.00. They would be in the same position to tell the Parliament
that, although only two years in power, the condition of the country
was so changed in the estimation of the capitalists of the world that
arrangements had been made upon terms which would secure the
construction of the Pacific Railway. The policy of the Government
had, from the outset, been that the land of the North-West should pay
for the construction of the railway ; that would be fulfilled, and by
using the credit of the Government for raising some of the money
needed, and by a comparatively moderate portion of land, the con-
struction of the railway within ten years had been secured, and
secured upon terms which, at no distant day, would relieve the people
of Canada of any charge, any debt in connection with that great
work."

The Conservative was elected for Brome.

Accompanied by Mr. Schreiber, Sir Charles visited
Manitoba. He was entertained by Governor Cauchon,
who resided in Fort Garry, where in 18G9 Sir Charles
had an interview with Louis Riel in Council. On his
arrival he was received by Captain Scott, M.P., who had
defeated Donald Smith, the unseated member from Selkirk.
A large number of gentlemen accompanied Captain Scott
when he received Sir Charles.

Sir Charles was informed that at 8.30 that evening a
banquet was to be given in his honour. It was then 7
o'clock. Every seat in the City Hall was filled, and an
address was presented to him.

The day following the banquet, Sir Charles had a long
interview with Joseph Ryan, M.P., who represented Portage
La Prairie, in reference to the location of the line about
eight miles north of that village. He and Mr. Schreiber
left for Point Douglas and proceeded easterly, inspecting
all the work to that point.

Having fully discussed the question of the line west of
Winnipeg, and having arrived at the conclusion that it

288

Conservative Fiscal and Railway Policies

would be in the interests of the country to intersect the
rising town of Portage La Prairie, he wired Mr. Eyan,
M.P., and to avoid any chance of speculation, at the same
time he sent the following message to the Mayor of Portage
La Prairie :

"After full consideration I have decided to carry the road close
to Portage La Prairie, if you guarantee that right of way will not
be more expensive."

Sir Charles returned to Winnipeg, and from that city
went west to Portage La Prairie, where another address
was presented and a banquet given.

Mr. Brydges, formerly Superintendent of the Inter-
colonial Railway, was present as Commissioner of the
Hudson's Bay Company. He fully endorsed Sir Charles's
action in changing the location of the line to the south
of Lake Manitoba and of bringing it to Portage La
Prairie.

On Sir Charles's return to Winnipeg, a second banquet
was given to him by the Conservative Club and the Work-
ing Men's Liberal-Conservative Union. The largest hall in
Winnipeg was quite inadequate to hold the people who
wished to take part in it.

After returning to Ottawa, Sir Charles, with Mr.
Schreiber, Mr. Pottinger and Mr. Peter Archibald, in-
spected the Intercolonial Eailway in New Brunswick and
Prince Edward Island.

On November 24 Sir Charles visited Windsor, Nova
Scotia. The reception accorded him in this old town in
the East was equally enthusiastic with that in the North-
west.

The contract for the Canadian Pacific Railway being fully
arranged and signed by the members of the syndicate and Sir
Charles, as Minister of Railways, Parliament was summoned
to meet on December 9, 1880. The day before, the members
of the party were invited to meet the Government in the Rail-

T 289

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

way Committee Koom. Sir Charles laid the contract before
them, explained its provisions, and invited the members to
state their opinions in the fullest and most unreserved man-
ner. Several of them took him at his word.

They said the effect of the contract would be to ruin the
country, that the obligations involved would so destroy the
credit of Canada as to make it impossible to obtain money
for any other purpose. That it would ruin the party because
the country would be alarmed at the onerous character of
the undertaking, and that the members of the syndicate were
either Americans or Annexationists or Liberals or identified
with the United States interests as connected with the St.
Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Eailway.

Sir Charles replied by saying that the confidence in British
North America was only on paper unless means were adopted
to give intercommunication ; that we possessed a country with
immense resources which would by this railway become de-
veloped and made known to the world, and that our credit
would thus be enhanced instead of injured. He admitted that
there was much force in the criticisms as to the political
character of the members of the syndicate ; but he contended
that the Americans would draw support from the United
States capitalists ; that there would be great advantage to be
derived from that experience which some of them had
gained in prairie railway construction, and that whatever
annexationist proclivities they might have had, after sign-
ing the contract they could not help becoming good
Canadians, and that before that contract was carried in
the House of Commons, Mr. Blake would make them all
strong supporters of the present Government.

Sir Charles added that instead of the country becoming
alarmed he believed a national sentiment would be in-
spired, and that at the next election they would make
this contract the strongest plank in their platform.

The bulk of the party were satisfied, and the others
decided to await events.

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Conservative Fiscal and Railway Policies

On December 13, Sir Charles Tupper moved :

" That the House do go into Committee of the Whole on Tuesday
next to consider the following resolutions :

" 1st. — That it is expedient to grant and appropriate twenty-five
millions of dollars according to the terms of the contract for
the Canadian Pacific Railway transmitted to this House by His
Excellency the Governor-General by his message dated December 10.

" 2nd. — That it is expedient to grant and appropriate twenty-
five million acres of land in the North-West Territories according to
the terms of the said contract so transmitted as aforesaid."

Mr. Blake moved an amendment to defer going into Com-
mittee until January 5. The amendment was negatived, yeas
51, nays 104. On December 14 Sir Charles Tupper addressed
the House on the resolutions which he had submitted the
previous day, and on the 23rd the House adjourned.

As Minister of Kailways it fell to the lot of Sir Charles
Tupper to give the opening speech, which occupied two and
a half hours. In a review of the policy of the Opposition
in railway construction, he was able to show that they had
adopted the plan of building by a company. Even more
than this. A motion made by Mr. Dorion in 1872, and
supported by the Liberal party, stipulated that the Govern-
ment, which had in its Bill provided that the road should
be built by either Government or company, should build it
by company and " in no other way." In fact, the Govern-
ment had attempted to form a company to construct the
-road, and failing this had proceeded to build directly by
the Government. Grants of land and many subsidies,
equal to any used by the Conservatives, had been voted by
Parliament to the Liberals when in power, and as great a
length of time had been fixed for the construction of the
road, as was stipulated in the contract then before the
House. Mr. Mackenzie had agreed, in the Carnarvon
settlement, to complete the road by 1890, and the present
contract, beginning at a much later date, stipulated to
have it completed by 1891.

291

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

By detailed and ample quotations from the speeches of
Mackenzie, Blake and others, Sir Charles made a net in-
tended to catch the Opposition, leaders and followers, and
compel them to support the contract then before the House.
But no political net of this kind was ever constructed in
which party politicians could not find meshes through which
they might easily escape. So it was in this case.

The conclusion of Sir Charles Tupper's speech was a
fitting peroration to the inspired, grand effort he had
made :

" I am glad to know that if ever there was a measure presented for
the consideration of this House, worthy and likely to receive its hearty
adoption, it is the measure I have the honour of submitting for its
consideration. I have the satisfaction of knowing that throughout
this intelligent country every man breathed more freely when he
learned that the great, enormous undertaking of constructing and
operating the railway was to be lifted from the shoulders of the Govern-
ment, and the liability the country were going to incur was to be
brought within, not over, the limit, which in its present financial
condition it is prepared to meet ; within such limits that the proceeds
from the sale of the land to be granted by Parliament for the con-
struction of the line, would wipe out all liabilities at no distant day.
But this is the slightest consideration in reference to this question.
It is a fact that under the proposals now submitted for the Parliament
to consider, this country is going to secure the construction and
operation of the gigantic work which is to give new life and vitality
to every section of this Dominion. No greater responsibility rests
upon any body of men in this Dominion than rests upon the Govern-
ment of Canada, placed as it is in a position to deal with the enormous
work of the development of such a country as Providence has given
us ; and I say we should be traitors to ourselves and to our children
if we should hesitate to secure on terms such as we have the pleasure
of submitting to Parliament the construction of this work, which is
going to develop all the enormous resources of the North-West, and
to pour into that country a tide of population which will be a tower
of strength to every part of Canada, a tide of industrious and intelligent
men who will not only produce national as well as individual wealth
in that section of the Dominion, but will create such a demand for
the supplies which must come from the older Provinces as will give
new life and vitality to every industry in which those Provinces are

292

Conservative Fiscal and Railway Policies

engaged. ... I say I was in hope, now that we have abandoned it
as a Government work and it is placed on a commercial foundation, that
those gentlemen could, without loss of party prestige, unite with us on
this great question, and in giving to this Syndicate who are charged
with this important and onerous undertaking, that fair, handsome and
generous support that men engaged in a great national work in any
country are entitled to receive at the hands not only of the Government
of the country, but of every patriotic member of Parliament. Sir,
I say I have been disappointed, but I hope upon future reflection, at
no distant day, when the results of this measure which we are now
submitting for the approval of Parliament and which I trust and
confidently expect will obtain the sanction of this House, will be such
as to compel these gentlemen, openly and candidly to admit that in
taking the course which we have followed we have done what is calcu-
lated to promote the best interests of the country and that it has
been attended with success exceeding our most sanguine expectations.
I can only say, in conclusion, after some five and twenty years of public
life I shall feel it the greatest source of pleasure that the quarter of a
century has afforded me, as I am satisfied that my right hon. friend
beside me will feel that this crowns the success of his public life, that
while Premier of this country his Government were able to carry
through Parliament a measure of such inestimable value to the pro-
gress of Canada ; so I can feel, if I have no other bequest to leave to
my children after me, the proudest legacy which I would desire to leave
was the record that I was able to take an active part in the promotion
of this great measure by which, I believe, Canada will receive an im-
petus that will make it a great and powerful country at no distant date."

The oration by which Parliament and the country learned
the terms of the contract with the Canadian Pacific Railway
Syndicate was an argument of fact and logic marshalled
in a masterly manner, and suited to carry conviction to
every member of the House of Commons, irrespective of
his political relations, that at last there was a path of
light through the darkness hitherto obscuring the future
of the young Dominion. But, like many another powerful
and convincing oration, instead of meeting with a hearty
reception it confronted a most unqualified opposition, led
by Edward Blake and Sir Richard Cartwright. Mr. Mac-
kenzie was ill at the time.

293

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

In replying, Mr. Blake said :

" If I did not believe as I do in my heart and conscience believe,
that the proposal of the Administration brought down to-day is not
only fraught with great danger but certain to prove disastrous to the
future of this country, which it is principally designed to serve, as they
say, I should be glad to give it my support, and it is because I entertain
the conviction that the measure is not merely dangerous, but ruinous,
that I oppose it at the very outset

" The hon. Minister (Sir Charles Tupper), speaking of his own share
in this great work, hoped he would be able to leave it as a legacy to
his children. I hope he will ; and that will be a substantial legacy —
one that will enable them, in all time to come, to look back with
complacency on this great work of the hon. gentleman's life. . . ."

The following paragraph closed Mr. Blake's speech :
" A contract might have been presented containing altogether
other terms which might have been worthy of our adoption. This
contract is worthy, in my opinion, only our rejection. I shall not
venture to hope that this House will reject it, but I do not doubt that
an indignant country, although you will not give it time now to
raise its voice, will take the earliest opportunity to inflict a summary
penalty upon those persons, offenders for the second time, who have
once betrayed when entrusted with power their country's honour, and
having been forgiven, have now taken advantage of the opportunity
which a too confiding people conferred upon them to betray in the
same transaction her most vital and material interests."

Sir Eichard Oartwright followed with a speech scintillat-
ing with classic and caustic diction, in the course of which
he said he considered the Bill " simply as a monument of
folly."

The allusions made by Mr. Blake and Sir Kichard
Cartwright to public sentiment were not wholly imaginary.
Doubts and fears were privately expressed in Halifax by
leading men who supported the Government. They were
oppressed with the fear that the party would break down
under the financial load imposed upon it. Knowing the
temper of the public in this respect, Mr. Blake resolved
to make an appeal to it which, it was generally believed,
would so act upon Parliament as to compel the Govern-

294

Conservative Fiscal and Railway Policies

ment to abandon its enterprise. Accordingly, meetings
were appointed at the instance of Mr. Blake during the
Christmas holidays.

Sir Charles Tupper then wrote to Mr. Blake saying he
thought it would be more satisfactory to the public to hear
both sides of the question, and proposed to attend these
meetings if Mr. Blake would give him half the time. Mr.
Blake replied declining on the ground that he would require
the whole of the time for his own statement of the case.

Sir Charles at once authorised the friends of the Govern-
ment to give notice of meetings at the same places on the
night following Mr. Blake's meetings.

After addressing large gatherings in Toronto and London,
Sir Charles completed his programme by speaking before a
great meeting in Montreal in reply to Mr. Blake's address
a few evenings previous. The Queen's Hall was crowded
to the doors. The Hon. J. J. C. Abbott, M.P., solicitor of
the Canadian Pacific Kailway Company, who was a resident
of Montreal, after watching the proceedings, said he could
not have believed that such an effect could be produced by
one speech. He estimated by the cheers and counter-cheers
that when Sir Charles commenced to speak, one-third of the
meeting were friends of the Government, one-third were
opponents, and one-third undecided. As the speech went
on, the change was evident until the undecided were all
in favour of the contract and the opponents silenced. The
meeting closed with a resolution proposed by a number of
leading citizens approving of the contract and thanking
Sir Charles for his address, which was carried with great
enthusiasm. From that hour all doubt in the mind of Sir
Charles respecting public sentiment was at an end.

After the recess, which began on December 23, the House
met on January 4, 1881. The debate was resumed, and on
the morning of the 13th, on division, the resolutions were
carried through their first reading. Mr. Blake asked Sir
Charles whether he would at once lay on the table com-

295

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

munications which he understood had been received that
day by the Minister of Eailways, containing certain
vouchers by banks for the payment of $1,300,000 in the
name of Sir William P. Howland in connection with the
proposal of the new syndicate.

Sir Charles replied that he " would lay on the table to-
morrow all papers that might reach him up to the meeting
of the House." This promise was fulfilled on the 18th,
when Sir Charles laid on the table the offer of another
syndicate for a new contract.

Before this time, Mr. Blake, having yielded to what
was popularly known as " the Blake section " of the
Liberal party, was induced to supersede Mr. Mackenzie
as leader of the Opposition. The justification for this ex-
traordinary occurrence in the Liberal party was keenly
felt by Mr. Blake. His integrity was deep based and
firmly fixed, four square to every wind that blew. On
him rested the burden of proving the right and wisdom of
the change in leadership. He therefore bowed himself to
this task. But, as in the case of Edmund Burke, the gift
of the political leader was not found among his many and
great endowments. In him, the new syndicate had a dis-
tinguished advocate. In his attempts to block the Govern-
ment's contract, by one originating in the Liberal party,
he sought to work upon the fears of the Conservatives in
the House and further to inflame the zeal of his own party.

The conditions of the new offer gave the Liberal party
a fresh impulse. At the conclusion of a long speech, in
which the new offer was compared with the contract under
consideration, Mr. Blake said :

" That in order that^the feelings of this House may be tested and
its opinion upon the state of things as we present it, I move an amend-
ment, that the said resolutions be not now read a second time ; but
that it be resolved : . . . "

Here follows a condensed synopsis of the history and
stipulations of the bargain with the Canadian Pacific Kail-

296

Conservative Fiscal and Railway Policies

way Syndicate and the new offer before the House. The
principal difference of the new offer was :

" That on the 14th of January instant, only five weeks after the
said new conditions were made public, an offer, which is now on the
Table, was made to the Government of Canada by capitalists of high
standing and ample means, credit and business ability, comprising
Sir W. P. Howland, H. H. Cook, A. R. MacMaster, Wm. Hendrie,
John Stuart, John P. Proctor, P. S. Stephenson, John Walker, D.
MacFie, Peleg Howland, A. T. Wood, Allan Gilmour, J. Carruthers,
K. Chisholm, A. W. Ross, G. A. Cox, P. Larkin, W. D. Lovitt, Barnet
and McKay, James McLaren and Alexander Gibson ; to complete
those parts of the railway to be built by the contractors and to equip,
maintain and work the whole railway from Lake Nipissing to the
Pacific Ocean, and to perform all the obligations undertaken by the
contractors on terms less onerous to the country in the following
respects,"

which, summarised, were— instead of 25,000,000 acres of land
and $25,000,000, the new offer was 22,000,000 each of land
and money. This was worked out in details numbering
eleven sections.

The debate continued from January 18 to 25, when the
amendment was defeated, 140 to 54.

But this did not terminate the contest in the Commons.
No fewer than twenty-three amendments were moved, each
of which was voted down by a majority about the same as
that by which Mr. Blake's was rejected.

On January 31, after the defeat of additional amendments
moved by Mr. Blake and Mr. Bunster, Sir Charles Tupper's
motion for the second reading of the Canadian Pacific Rail-
way Bill was, on division, agreed to by 106 for and 46 against.
After fighting its way through twenty-five amendments, sus-
tained by torrents of oratory, the Canadian Pacific Railway
Syndicate contract, on February 1, received the sanction of
the Commons by passing its third reading by a vote of 128
to 49.

Canada's future greatness, Canada's uninterrupted pros-
perity and expansion into national dimensions were deter-

297

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

mined and assured when the National Policy and the Bill
for the Canadian Pacific Railway were sustained by over-
whelming majorities in the Parliament of the Dominion.
When Sir Charles said in the early stage of the debate
that he would leave the part he had taken in initiating
and carrying into effect the contract for building the
Canadian Pacific Eailway as a legacy to his children, Sir
Richard Cartwright replied : " I pity the children." But
he lived to see the day when he could congratulate the
children.

On January 19 Sir Charles received a telegram saying
his father had died after a few days' illness. Although in
the eighty- seventh year of his age and the sixty-fourth of
his ministry, he had retained the full use of his faculties
until the end. Knowing the important and pressing duties
devolving upon his son in Parliament, he had expressed a
wish that he should not desert them. Sir John Macdonald
urged Sir Charles to remain at his post, as his presence was
indispensable. Mr. Blake kindly wrote to Sir Charles ex-
pressing his sympathy and offering to make any arrange-
ment he desired as to the debate. Sir Charles thanked him
warmly, but decided to remain at his post. Lady Tupper,
who was joined by her son, Charles Hibbert, at Amherst,
went to the funeral held at Tremont, in the Annapolis
Valley.1

1 As the Rev. Dr. Tupper for a number of years was my beloved pastor,
I feel constrained to add my testimony to the excellences of this man of God.

The Rev. Dr Tupper was called to the pastorate of a city church, but find-
ing it detrimental to his health, he returned to the country, where his churches,
the last of which he served for thirty years, was spread over a broad extent
of country. By means of persevering industry and careful order he visited
every family and knew personally every member of his flock. No time^ was
spent idly by him. He took no holidays, except to visit friends in distant
places, but in these visits his labours as a minister of the Gospel were con-
tinued. By ceaseless industry he learned thirteen languages. His memory
was of immense capacity and rigidly tenacious. On my asking his opinion
of any difficult passage either in the Old or New Testament, he would, off-
hand, give me the views of leading commentators, some of which, perhaps,
he had not read for thirty or forty years, and then modestly give his own
opinion.

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Conservative Fiscal and Railway Policies

There now comes to me an Illustration of his economy of time. On leav-
ing home for college on one occasion in June, I hesitated on account of the
early hour to call for a book he had offered me. In response to a gentle knock
the door was quietly opened, and he bade me good morning in a whisper. Mrs.
Tupper was ill at the time. I saw by the open books on his table that he was
engaged in the study of an Eastern language at that early hour.

His courage never failed him. After he had passed his eightieth year, on
hearing that a man in a distant lumber camp had met with an accident and
was in a dangerous condition, he at once set out to visit him ; but, on account
of deep snowdrifts on the mountain slope, he was obliged to turn back. How-
ever, on the following day he renewed the effort and succeeded in reaching
the camp and ministering to the wounded man.

Were I called on to name a man who combined in himself most of the elements
of true greatness, I know of no one whom I should name before the Rev. Charles
Tupper, D.D. Augustine's three essentials of religion — humility, humility,
humility — ever characterised him.

In founding schools for higher education, in advocating popular educa-
tion, in originating and sustaining the temperance movement in the Maritime
Provinces ; indeed, in advocating and helping every enterprise for the better-
ment of the people, the Rev. Dr. Tupper was throughout his long and useful
life both a zealous leader and helper. For brief periods he was principal of
two Academies. He helped in establishing a religious magazine of which he
was editor for a number of years. He wrote extensively for the Press. But
all other labour was with him subordinate to the preaching of the Gospel. He
inherited the excellences without the faults of his Puritan ancestors.

He frequently indulged in quiet humour. On one occasion, when con-
gratulated on the honours which had come to his son, he replied, " It reminds
me of a story of a woman wbose son had been promoted to the rank of corporal
in the army. On going into the village church she saw the congregation rise
for singing, and thinking they rose to do her honour because of the promotion
of her son, she raised her hand and said, " Sit down, friends ; I feel just as I
did before,"— E. M. S.

299

CHAPTER XVIII

SIGNIFICANT BY-ELECTIONS AND A VISIT TO THE WEST (1881)

ON February 12, 1881, Sir Charles was taken very ill
with an attack of bronchitis. This was followed by a
tightness around the head which rendered him un-
equal to any work. He struggled on without any material
improvement until early in March, when after a con-
sultation with Sir John Macdonald it was decided that
he should go to London and consult Sir Andrew Clark.
On March 9, Sir Charles and Lady Tapper left for
England. His journal contains this record :

" After careful examination, Sir Andrew Clark told me
that I had suppressed gout. I replied that I could hardly
believe it, as I had been a very abstemious man and my
father had been still more so. A curious result followed.
Sir Andrew gave me a prescription with a syrup of hypo-
phosphates as one of the ingredients. I took it to three
druggists, who said they had Fellows' Syrup but not the
one prescribed. I therefore went to bed without having
the prescription made up. When I awoke the next morning
my hand was so swollen that I could not put on my glove,
and my feet and legs so tender up to the knees that I could
hardly walk. But the constriction about the head was gone
and my brain was as clear as ever. I adopted the severe
regimen prescribed, and steadily improved. We visited our
daughter in Ireland, and after some time Sir Andrew advised
a change to Switzerland. I asked him if British Columbia
would not do as well, where I had duties to perform. Sir
Andrew concurred.

" Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Gray, who then resided at

30c

By-Elections and a Visit to the West

Blackheath, invited us to visit them. Sir Alexander Gait
requested me to go with him to the Monetary Conference
at Paris, and I consented. I left my wife at Mr. Gray's
in perfect health. When in Paris, Sir Alexander Gait and
I were invited to dine with the President, and accepted.
We were to meet Gambetta. The night before the dinner
I dreamed that I saw Mrs. Gray, who told me that Lady
T upper was very ill. I wrote saying that I was obliged
to return to England at once, and excused myself for not
being able to attend the dinner. I took the first train to
London. Hurrying to Blackheath, I found that my wife
was better but that our friends had been much alarmed
by a croupy attack which had caused her much diffi-
culty in breathing. This was undoubtedly a case of
telepathy."

The health of Sir John A. Macdonald, Sir Charles
Tupper and J. C. Pope was so broken down that it was
thought active labour for them in the next election would
be impossible. The Opposition hoped to win a majority in
Ontario, and perhaps in the Maritime Provinces. In the
subjoined letters, in which justification for the foregoing
statements may be found, is also an estimate of the talent
and skill of Sir Charles Tupper. Only one beside Sir
Charles, in Sir John's opinion, could do anything in the
most difficult work of reconstructing the Cabinet, a matter
then pressing for attention. Sir Charles's loss of health
is easily accounted for. His plans and labours preceding
the defeat of the late Government; his work for the two
years following the coming into power of the Conserva-
tives, especially the responsibility he carried in getting
the Canadian Pacific Eailway contract through Parlia-
ment, were sufficient to undermine the firmest constitu-
tion and break down the most robust health. It certainly
detracts from the romance of power and political leader-
ship to see Sir John A. Macdonald still toiling on while
under sentence of death by his family physician.

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The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

Ottawa,

March 21, 1881.

My dear Tupper, — I sincerely hope that you have had a good
beneficial voyage. We shall expect news of your safe arrival to-
morrow or next day.

Parliament prorogues to-day after a most successful session. But
we must not lie upon our oars. The Opposition are going to agitate
the country on the C. P. R. They have printed and distributed
literally tons of pamphlets containing their twenty-five resolutions
and speeches. I hope by midsummer you will be back with renewed
health and strength, and we must organise for 1883 — but you must
not come back a moment sooner than Andrew Clark says you should.

We had last week a parting caucus. It was a most enthusiastic
one, and I talked to them like a Dutch uncle about working in their
counties. They passed a unanimous resolution of thanks for your
services and sympathy for your illness which will be sent you in due
course. We have kept Charlevoix Two Conservatives ran — Cimon
was elected. He has served under me before. We have won Belle-
chasse from the Grits. Larne, you may remember, was unseated and
disqualified. Our friend Amyot, after several defeats, has at last
carried the county. J. C. Pope is not well. I fear his malady is
increasing, and that we must make up our minds to part with him. I
shall do nothing in such matters until you return.

With kind regards to Lady Tupper and the Camerons, — Believe

me, my dear Tupper, Sincerely yours,

^ J J John A. Macdonald.

Ottawa,

April 11, 1881.

My dear Tupper, — I was delighted to get your telegram stating
that you were much better. As we had heard nothing from you, we
were beginning to be very anxious. I expect your promised letter
to-morrow or next day. I have been very unwell — I may say ill for
the last fortnight. There was no ascertainable cause for it — but
suddenly I broke down — pulse at 49, and great pain and disturbance
in liver and bowels. Grant was very much alarmed, but here I am,
slowly, but, I think, certainly, recovering.

I must, I fear, go away somewhere as soon as the weather becomes
warmer. I enclose you a letter from Archibald which I have merely
acknowledged.

We must await your return before filling the place. Macdonald
is now at Halifax, and writes that we must wait for you. It seems to

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By-Elections and a Visit to the West

me Archibald has had enough. Gladstone's emigration policy is, I

believe, highly satisfactory.

With kind regards for Lady Tupper and the Camerons,— Believe

me, Sincerely yours,

John A. Macdonald.

Ottawa,

April 21, 1881.

My dear Tupper, — You will have gone, I fancy, to the Monetary
Conference at Paris. I don't anticipate any results from the meeting
— but in the meanwhile it does no harm for Canada to be represented
there. We all think here that Canada should not in any way be com-
mitted to bi-metallism. We should rest on our oars quietly and watch
the effect of the two systems in different countries.

I have been very unwell since I wrote last. Confined to the house
and almost to the sofa— strength gone and troubled with continued
pain in the stomach and bowels. Grant is afraid of a cancerous
affection of the stomach, and has, in fact, told me that I had better
put my affairs in order. I don't place the utmost reliance on his
diagnosis. You know I have no reason to do so. Still he may be
right, and I am preparing accordingly.

My colleagues, en masse, insist on my crossing the sea and I propose
crossing in the middle of May. I should like you to be out before I
sail, as something must be done to reorganise the party. None of
my colleagues except yourself and McPherson have an idea of managing
that. Of course I don't include Quebec, which is well in hand. The
Grits are making desperate attempts to capture Ontario and the
Maritimes, and are very jubilant, as you and I and J. C. Pope are.
they believe, all broken down.

If you and I are able to hold on and the syndicate does its work
well, we can carry the country. Otherwise, it is a blue outlook.

As to myself, my remaining ambition is to see that our policy is

not reversed, and that the N. P. and the C. P. R. are safe from 1883

to 1888. — Yours sincerely,

John A. Macdonald.

His health was so far restored that after receiving the
foregoing letters Sir Charles decided to return to Canada.
On arriving home, he learned that Sir William Young, Chief
Justice of Nova Scotia, had resigned. This, as will be
seen by a letter from Sir John, created a difficulty for the
Cabinet :

3°3

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

Ottawa,

Mag 16, 1881.

My dear Tupper, — On consideration, I am greatly alarmed at
the chance of Pictou being lost. If so, I think we may as well hang
up our Addles.

Ontario is just on the balance, and the Government manufacturers
are making terms with Blake. With Carlton lost in New Brunswick,
and Pictou (a coal constituency) lost too, the stampede will be tre-
mendous, and the opinion fixed in the country that we are doomed.
The falling house will be deserted. Now, why should all this happen ?

Sir "William Young will withdraw his resignation if promised to
be made Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia in 1883, and Macdonald
can remain until just before the general election. The Order in
Council accepting the resignation can be cancelled.

This, in my opinion, is all important. — In haste, Yours sincerely,

John A. Macdonald.

Sir Charles proposed that the Hon. James Macdonald,
then Minister of Justice, should be appointed Chief Justice
in place of Sir William Young; but Sir John argued that
as the Government had lost one seat in Ontario and one
in New Brunswick, it would be fatal to lose one in Nova
Scotia, which would likely be the case if Pictou should be
opened by the appointment of Mr. Macdonald. But Sir
Charles knew the political conditions, possibilities and
certainties in his native Province better than any man in
Ontario could know them. He resolved to take the bold
course. Instead of opening one county in Nova Scotia, he
would open two. The plan he suggested was that the
Hon. A. W. McLelan should resign his seat in the
Senate and run for Colchester in place of Mr. McKay,
then representing that county, who could be appointed in
place of Mr. McLelan to the Senate. Mr. Macdonald, by
this arrangement, would get the appointment to which he
was entitled, and Sir Charles would have an old Liberal
as his Nova Scotia colleague. Moreover, this arrange-
ment would perpetuate the union of both political parties
for Nova Scotia. So confident was Sir Charles of the

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By-Elections and a Visit to the West

success of his plan that he offered to hold himself re-
sponsible for the result. Seeing this, Sir John acquiesced.

A Cabinet meeting was held in Quebec at which James
Macdonald was appointed Chief Justice and A. W. McLelan
President of the Council. Immediately after this, yielding
to the urgent request of his Cabinet colleagues, Sir John
left for England to consult Sir Andrew Clark, and under
his direction to take a prolonged holiday in pursuit of
health. He left the execution of the changes, so far as
the appeals to the vacated constituencies were concerned,
to the author of the new arrangement.

Sir Charles's sphere of labour was in Nova Scotia. He
went first to Truro, then to Halifax, and finally to Pictou,
arranging and putting in order his forces for the coming
contest. He had sufficient discernment to know that it
would be a hot one. He well knew that Sir John had
good grounds for sounding the note of alarm found in
his letters. The representative Liberals in Nova Scotia
shared in the purpose of Blake, Cartwright and others. If
his plan should fail, the certain result had already been
predicted by Sir John : " We might as well hang up our
fiddles."

Mr. John McDougald was selected as the Conservative
candidate for Pictou. June 11 was fixed for the nomina-
tion, and the polling for the 18th. Mr. McDougald was
opposed by Mr. Carmichael, a wealthy shipbuilder and a
former member. He had been defeated in 187S by a small
majority. The Hon. A. G. Jones, of Halifax, late Minister
of Militia, came to the assistance of Mr. Carmichael. The
battle opened at River John on June 6. Sir Charles spoke
for an hour. He was followed by Mr. Jones. Mr. McDougald
came after Mr. Jones, and was followed by Mr. Carmichael.
From Pictou Mr. Jones went to Colchester to oppose Mr.
McLelan. Sir Charles continued his labours in Pictou
county. A meeting was held at Barney, where both Sir
Charles and the candidates spoke. Mr. Carmichael then

u 3°5

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

stated that ex- Speaker T. Anglin would meet Sir Charles
at Pictou on nomination day. This announcement was
made good. On that day the candidates, Sir Charles and
Mr. Anglin, made their appeals to the people. At another
meeting held at New Glasgow the same speakers were heard.
Sir Charles then left for Rimouski, where he went to meet
Lady Tupper on her return from England.

The result in Pictou was a majority for Mr. McDougald
of 223. Mr. McLelan's majority in Colchester was 443.

These inspiring results were cabled by Sir Charles to
Sir John A. Macdonald. The clouds gathering ominously
in the Liberal-Conservative sky began to disperse as a
result of these elections. The signs of the times seen
pointing in the direction of success for the Opposition
changed as suddenly as a weather-cock.

Following the victories in Colchester and Pictou, Sir
Charles held a series of political meetings in New Bruns-
wick. The Moncton Times made it known that the train
on which Sir Charles was coming would leave Amherst at
ten o'clock, reach Moncton at noon, and leave imme-
diately for St. John. Ovations awaited Sir Charles at
every station. He was met at St. John by Sir S. L.
Tilley. When they entered the carriage at the station,

" thousands of voices raised deafening cheers. Dorchester Street
was one great mass of moving humanity, the crowd being so dense
that many boys and girls on the sidewalks were in great danger of
being crushed. All along the route handkerchiefs waved from the
windows. At the corner of Dorchester and Union Streets the horses
were taken from the barouche containing Sir Charles and Sir Leonard,
and their enthusiastic admirers caught up the tongue and drew them
along with a grand rush, amid the cheers of the crowd. Arriving
in front of the Royal, there was a great display of handkerchiefs
from the many windows in the opposing structures in that vicinity,
and the crowd set up a mighty cheer. Sir Charles and party entered
the hotel, and shortly afterwards there were loud calls for ' Tupper,'
which Sir Charles had to satisfy with a speech from the balcony of
the hotel."

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By-Elections and a Visit to the West

It seems that Mr. Blake, in addressing Maritime Province
audiences, made the National Policy, the contract with the
Canadian Pacific Railway Syndicate, the debt and expendi-
ture of the Dominion, his objects of attack, and his opposition
to them the grounds for being returned to power.

Sir Charles's first meeting in St. John was held on Satur-
day evening. On Monday evening another great meeting was
held in the Exhibition Building. After an able speech from
Sir Leonard Tilley, amid the wildest enthusiasm Sir Charles
came to the front, and in the course of a breezy speech dealt
in the following drastic manner with his chief opponent :

" A great man — the greatest man of them all — of the Liberal side
has invaded the Maritime Provinces, and has thrown down the gaunt-
let to us to discuss the great questions of the day. We take it up,
rejoicing to be ahle to have a chance to present the matter fairly
before you, that you may see which are best entitled to the confidence
of free and intelligent people. I am here this evening to challenge
anyone to say that the most sanguine predictions of that early time
have not been more than fulfilled by the results. Canada has been
lifted from her position of comparative insignificance into a grandeur
and prosperity, which is commanding the attention of every part
of the civilized world. What has been accomplished ? In 1868
the public records show the imports to have been $57,000,000. In
1880 they had risen to $86,000,000, and the exports increased from
47 to 87 millions. The bank record shows that bank capital had
increased from 30 to 60 millions, circulation from 8 to 20 millions,
assets from 71 to 181 millions ; deposits in savings bank, from
$1,422,000 to $11,520,000. Railway earnings increased from 11 to
23 J millions ; the post office revenue from $1,000,000 to $1,648,000 ;
and the miles of railway from 2,522 to 6,891, and the post office letter
service from 18 to 46 million letters, as some evidence of the grand
stride which this Canada of ours has been taking toward national
prosperity, which has resulted from the Union of these once insig-
nificant provinces. Turning around, I ask myself who is this great
Goliath who has come down to fight the armies of Israel ? Has he
a lot or part in this noble structure which we have reared up to our
admiration and to the interest of all nations ? I ask him to show
me one brick he has contributed to the structure. . . .

" How did the question of revenue stand when we handed over the

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The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

reins of power ? Never, I am convinced, did a government hand over
its effects in a more prosperous state than ours when we retired. In
the seven years we were in power we rolled up a surplus of $14,000,000
or $2,000,000 per year. "When we found as now, that our income
was more than we required, we gave to the people tea and coffee free
of duty, thus lifting from their burdens $1,200,000 per year, besides
$800,000 in other removed taxations or $2,000,000 in all. Yet Mr.
Blake is anxious to try conclusions. The conclusions, I can tell him,
have been tried already. The only thing now is the record, and with
reference to this, I am confident, able as he undoubtedly is, that he
will have to talk a long while to turn the tables against us. The
first thing the Mackenzie Government did when they got in power
was to ask for $3,000,000 additional taxation. Happily they went
out of power in 1878. Had they stayed in power until the first of
July, 1879, they would have had to explain away a deficit of $7,000,000.
Why didn't Mr. Blake and his friends, who clamour so loudly for a
readjustment of the tariff, readjust it then ? No, but the humiliating
confession they had to make to you, in the person of the Finance
Minister himself, was that they had gone to the limit of indirect taxa-
tion and that the only means they saw of running the country was
to lay on a tax direct. And yet my friend Mr. Blake comes down
here to ask that he be given a chance to readjust the tariff. . . .
" In the same hour that the Mackenzie Government asked for
$3,000,000 additional taxes they undertook the construction of
the railway to the West as a public work. When we had the great
North-West brought in and Canada united with British Columbia,
we felt it our duty to bind the Provinces together by an iron band
extending from ocean to ocean, because we had money to do it with.
But we did not go recklessly into the great work. Our policy from
the first was caution in the expenditure of public moneys. Con-
struction of the road, we thought, was warranted by the magnificent
great North-West being opened up, and we felt that we could make
the lands pay for the railway. And here let me say with respect to
Mr. Blake's charge upon our change of policy, that I know nothing
the public should watch so close as changes in the policy of public
men. The Grits said we could not bear the expense of building the
road, but we said all we wanted was $30,000,000 and 50,000,000
acres of land. Well we tried it, but we were hounded from door to
door in the markets of the world to obstruct our negotiations. The
company fell and we fell with them. The Grits washed their hands
of the whole affair, but when they got into power they startled the
country with the announcement that they had decided to build the

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By-Elections and a Visit to the West

railway from end to end as a Government work, with the avowed
intention of levying upon you for taxes to meet the interest of the
money borrowed. Mr. Blake expressed himself opposed to taxation,
yet there was on record his bid for $3,000,000 for the construction
of the railway ; nay, more I say, when they had run up a deficit
of $7,000,000 in four years, he gives the people of this country an
evidence of the treachery of his memory when he said in his recent
visit that he was opposed to building the road if it was to increase
taxation. . . .

" When we returned to power we found ourselves face to face with
the construction of this railway, that contracts had been let for the
building of the road between Lake Superior and Red River, together
with the Georgian Bay Branch and Pembina Branch that required
$22,000,000 to make them useful — most of which was of no more
value to Canada than of money thrown over the wharf. The only
thing was to go on and do the best we could. We came back to our
original plans then, and said that the lands of the North-West should
pay for the work, as we were not willing that the burden should be
placed on the shoulders of the older provinces. I told them when I
came down to Parliament that 100,000,000 acres were required.
What did Mr. Blake and his followers do ? Did they patriotically
assist us in the fulfilment of what they had undertaken ? No.
Their speeches will show that they at once claimed the 100,000,000
acres of land could not contribute to the railway, because it would
cost their value to settle them. So potent was Mr. Blake's disparage-
ment of the North-West that the astute land agents of the United
States seized upon his speeches, embellished them with a portrait
of himself, to show to the world, on high authority, that the western
lands of Canada were poor and would not compare with those south
of the line. Our opponents predicted ruin to the country as the
result of the National Policy, and said England would be so exasper-
ated that our stock would have no show in the market. So far from
that, it has gone up from Sir Richard Cartwright's 10 per cent, below
par to 4 or 5 per cent, above. Mr. Blake admits that there are
200,000,000 acres of the finest land in the world in the west, and yet
in our endeavouring to bring hardy sons from the old country thither
he said they were exchanging the rod for the scorpion. . . .

" I say if ever there was a Government that stood high in the
questions of revenue and expenditure, fiscal policy and railway policy,
and that can afford to challenge the inspection of the people, it is the
present one. You have been disappointed, it is said, in the eloquence
of Mr. Blake. I think it unreasonable that you should expect him

309

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

to be eloquent if, as the old adage goes, eloquence consists in feeling
the truth and speaking it.

" I do not wonder that we are beginning to feel a pride in seeing
ourselves lifted from a comparative state of insignificance into one of
grandeur — in a few years surpassing in prosperity the greatest ex-
amples that the world affords. I say that with the advantage of the
National Policy we have a future before us which may justly inspire
the enthusiasm of every son of Canada. I believe that with wise
and judicious statesmanship our success is completely assured. All
the doubts I have had are swept away with the solving of this railway
problem. Under these circumstances I congratulate you and my
country in having passed from a position of commercial gloom into
one of the brightest prospect."

Meetings held at Fredericton and Woodstock were as en-
thusiastic as the one in St. John. Of the one in Fredericton,
the St. John Sun said that Sir Charles occupied over two
hours and a half, spoke with even more force and eloquence
than in St. John, and was frequently applauded. The meet-
ing at Woodstock was held in the open air, and lasted four
hours.

Sir Charles was obliged to decline a public dinner in
Halifax as he had made arrangements for going to British
Columbia. He had seen the wild prairies through the winter
storms of 1869. He was now familiar with the cities and
country of the entire east, but he had not yet looked upon
the west of the Dominion washed by the Pacific Ocean.

In view of his age — he was then sixty — and the advan-
tages of his past life, Sir Charles, when he went west in
1881 in the interests especially of the Canadian Pacific
Eailway, possessed the confidence of the Canadian public,
and was perhaps for the first time regarded and accepted
by both political parties as a distinguished personality and
a great statesman.

Accompanied by a select party, Sir Charles left Mont-
real on August 8, 1881, for British Columbia. In this
company were Lady Tupper, Mr. Collingwood Schreiber,
Chief Engineer of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and Mr.

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By-Elections and a Visit to the West

Jones, his secretary, Colonel Clarke and Mrs. Clarke, the
Hon. McN. Parker, M.D., of Halifax, and Mr. Andrew
Eobertson, of Montreal. They went by rail through
Chicago, St. Paul, Omaha, and thence by the Union and
Central Pacific Railway to San Francisco, Salt Lake
City being visited on the way. After two days at San
Francisco, the party went by steamer to Portland, and
thence by rail to Tacoma and Seattle. From this point
they proceeded by steamer to Victoria. The reception
given to Sir Charles at Victoria was significantly en-
thusiastic and demonstrative. He was tendered a ban-
quet. This was followed by a large public meeting which
he addressed on what, to all Canada but especially to
British Columbia, was the burning question of the day —
the construction of the Canadian Pacific Eailway.

No part of the Dominion had taken so keen an interest
in this great national work as the people on the Pacific
coast. They had made the building of this national high-
way within a limited time a condition of their entering
the Union, and the knowledge that the originator, the pro-
moter and the leader in the gigantic enterprise which was
to fulfil their condition was now among them in the person
of Sir Charles Tupper, called forth from the people a re-
ception such as had never been given to any public man
from the East. In a letter, the Hon. Dr. Parker said of
his lifelong friend : " Tupper is king here."1

There was within sight in the immediate future a steel
rail highway from Vancouver to Halifax — a future which
Sir Charles, in his anxiety to save the people of the coast
from another disappointment, fixed at 1891 ; but could he
have known certainly that the road would be completed in
five years' time, the people would have been even more
intoxicated with enthusiasm.

The dockyard and graving dock, then in course of con-

•"The Ancestry and Memoirs of Daniel McNeil Parker, M.D.," by his son,
William Frederick Parker, p. 349.

311

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

struction at Esquimalt, were examined, also the harbour,
and thence the party embarked on board the Dominion
steamer Sir James Douglas for Nanaimo, having in addi-
tion to their original party Mr. Trutch1 and his secretary,
Mr. Boville, Mr. Walkem, Attorney- General and the leader
of the local Government, also Mr. Dunsmuir, the proprietor
of the Nanaimo Coal Mine.

On reaching Nanaimo, the Hudson's Bay blockhouse
was one of the objects of interest to the party, suggesting
the past. Equally enthusiastic were the mayor and cor-
poration at this place in presenting an address to Sir
Charles. In his reply, he was able to tell them that the
time was near at hand when, going to the east of the
Dominion, it would not be necessary to make a round-
about journey by San Francisco and Chicago, as he had
just done, but the highway of travel would be directly
through the ranges of mountains and over the rich prairies.

Giant trees, giant mountains, and a majestic river drain-
ing the distant north and the distant east as it rushed on-
ward to the sea, and a people who had just reached the end
of a corroding disappointment and an exasperating delay,
greeted Sir Charles Tupper on this, his first and memorable
visit to British Columbia. The excitement, the exhilaration,
the enthusiasm were not all with the people. The vision of
a united British North America, continuously present with
him for the last twenty years, for which he had laboured
so hard, and which was now to him fait accompli, carried
him, as well it might, to a pitch of enthusiasm never before
felt in his political career. The assurance, now mutual,
that resentful discontent had come to an end, and that
future prosperity beckoned them on, gave to his orations a
tumultuous fervour.

1 Mr. Trutch was a civil engineer, sent out as a member of the Council, when
British Columbia was a Crown Colony. He constructed the Trutch Road and
was made Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia when that Province came into
the Union, and afterwards acted as Sir Charles Tupper's agent in British
Columbia, supervising the construction of the railroad from Kamloops to Yale.

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By-Elections and a Visit to the West

From Nanaimo, Sir Charles went to Burrard Inlet, on
the shore of which he selected the place for the terminal
works of the Canadian Pacific Eailway. The party landed
at Baymuir's Mills, where they found timber from 80 to
120 feet long, and some of it measuring, at the butt, 8 feet
in diameter. Only a few steps from the Eaymuirs' house
there was one tree 36 feet in circumference. The steamer
came to anchor at Hastings Mills, the place where Van-
couver City now stands. There they were met by coaches,
which took the party, except Sir Charles, who rode, to
New Westminster, a distance of nine miles. Twenty-seven
years after this date, and at the same time of the year,
on walking with Sir Charles through the business part of
Vancouver in which a number of substantial buildings
were in course of construction — a new post office, the
Bank of Commerce, and a city building, all costing
millions of dollars — Sir Charles said to the writer : "I
well remember that when passing through the forest in
1881, about where we now stand, the luxuriant ferns
growing under the great trees waved about my horse's
head."

The glacier-capped mountains, blazing in the noonday
sun, now look down upon a substantial city of over 150,000
inhabitants.

An address from the mayor and corporation of New
Westminster, a torchlight procession, a band of music,
speeches from Sir Charles, and ringing cheers marked the
reception at this, as at all other points.

From New Westminster the party took a river steamer
for Yale, 120 miles farther up the Fraser Biver, where the
ladies were to stay at Mr. Onderdonk's, the railway con-
tractor. From Yale the journey was to be continued in
wagons over the celebrated Caribou Boad.

On reaching Yale, Dr. Parker wrote :

" Mr. Onderdonk and the principal citizens of Yale came to the
landing, a distance of eight miles, with an engine and flat car, fitted

3'3

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

up with seats cushioned and covered over with red cloth, and then
we drove through to Yale, passing into and out of three hundred tunnels,
one six hundred feet in length. The inevitable address was presented to
Tupper, and amid much cheering we left the centre of the town and
were landed at Mr. Onderdonk's door. Here four rooms were provided
for Tupper, the Clarkes, Robertson and myself. Everything was
on a grand scale for the locality, or rather, I should say, a most com-
fortable scale. We lived as if we were in New York. ... At half-past
one o'clock, luncheon being over, the famous Dufferin Coach was at
the door, built after the fashion of the English mail coach, with a top
that could be opened or closed at will. Robertson and Jones remained
behind to follow us the next morning by an express. Mr. Onderdonk
started with Tupper in his double-seated buckboard wagon and two
horses. I took the box seat with Steve Lingley, the celebrated driver,
over the four hundred miles of mountain road between Yale and Cari-
bou. The ladies, Schreiber, Marcus Smith and the Clarkes were inside.
The coach was commodious and very easy, and was built especially to
take Lord and Lady Dufferin to Kamloops over this, the most dan-
gerous road in the world. A splendid team of four horses carried us
along at a rattling rate over heights that would have made your blood
curdle. Sometimes we were over a thousand feet above the river
on a road barely wide enough to carry our carriage. I trembled lest
the horses should shy or a bullock team should meet us. A string of
pack mules could be readily passed if we saw them in time to choose
our stopping place, but a bullock team is more formidable, as the brutes
will crowd and push each other just at the moment of passing our
horses and carriage. These difficulties were, however, overcome.
At the suspension bridge over the Fraser, I got in with Onderdonk ;
and Tupper entered the carriage. . . . On arriving at ' Hell's Gate,' the
narrowest part of the river, we saw marked on the mountain side of
the road in red paint the height reached by the water in 1876. The
river rose 140 feet, and covered portions of the road at least ten feet,
stopping all travel, and rendering it necessary for the mules and pas-
sengers to take the high trail above the road on mules' backs. . . .
On the opposite side of the river we could see the line of railway pro-
gressing, tunnels being driven by compressed air along the mountain
heights, where it would seem impossible to make a road. Men were
at work making a track above the river at dizzy and perpendicular
heights. They were let down from the mountain tops on ladders
with ropes attached above to trees ; and every shot that was fired
in blasting, rendered it necessary that the men should get out of the
way by running up those ladders. Engineers made their measure-

By-Elections and a Visit to the West

ments and took their crossings, being let down in many places, by ropes
from above. There they would perform their work, suspended, like
Mahomet's coffin, between heaven and earth for hours and days. A
break or slip of the rope and eternity was before them. One poor
fellow, an engineer, while at work thus, fell down the precipice and
was dashed to pieces. For many miles the road is a terrible under-
taking ; but it is progressing rapidly, and there are ninety miles now
in course of construction and three thousand labourers at work.
Mr. Onderdonk's contract costs the Government $8,000,000. He
told me that he has now in plant, houses for men, shops and stores,
horses, mules, and manufactories and gunpowder and dynamite
factories, $1,000,000 — all necessary to carry on the work. The
Caribou Road, along which I have driven, is four hundred miles
long and cost $1,500,000. Very many miles of it were built at a cost
of $15,000 per mile. . . . We dined at the village of Lytton, at a
point where the Thompson River forms a juncture with the Fraser.
With fresh horses we took the bank of the former and passed away
from the Fraser River, driving along through magnificent river and
mountain scenery. The Fraser was muddy and yellow, but the
Thompson was green, and its rapidly running current beautiful to
look at. . . .

" At 7.30 o'clock we reached this place (Chase's Bridge). Onderdonk
and I slept at one of his houses near the bridge where I had a splendid
bed, with a rifle just over my head ready for action if the enemy
had broken in upon me. Lady Tupper and Mrs. Clarke, with their
husbands, spent the night at the McLeod's house, one of the engineers.
Mrs. McLeod had written them to do so ; and this morning they have
not accompanied Tupper and Clarke, who have driven in to join us
here, the six miles from McLeod's. They have decided to remain
here and rest while we proceed on to Kamloops. . . . We had a very
pleasant drive to this place — the juncture of the Thompson River with
Kamloops Lake — over a rolling prairie, getting along rapidly, as the
horses are in capital condition and very fast. . . . While changing
horses, six miles from Cornwall's, another address was presented to
Tupper and appropriately replied to."

At Kamloops came an address to Sir Charles and a
suitable reply. Many from Kamloops accompanied the
party on the steamer to the foot of the lake, where a ball
was held in honour of Sir Charles.

The party returned to Victoria, and then by steamer to

3'5

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

San Francisco. This most laborious and exciting visit seems
to have agreed with Sir Charles. At San Francisco he states
in his journal that " during my absence of twenty days from
that city I found that I had gained one pound in weight for
each day."

On September 14 the Canadian Association of San
Francisco gave Sir Charles an enthusiastic reception. He
then returned to Ottawa, via Winnipeg.

At this stage, now three score years old, and a quarter
of a century in public life, Sir Charles's great popularity
had for its foundation something better than a mere wind-
rush of popular applause let loose in a political crisis. In
Nova Scotia there had been a period of unexampled pros-
perity in railway building, a foundation firmly laid for
public education, and the victory over opponents of Con-
federation. In his labours in the Dominion there were
the National Policy and the Canadian Pacific Kailway,
the solid corner stones of Canada's future prosperity and
Imperial connection.

Sir Charles, doubtless, had an ordinary and legitimate
craving for recognition and a relish for applause, but it
never emasculated his purposes. Even when floating on
the tide of public approval, as in British Columbia, it
left his mind clear and his heart strong against all seduc-
tions to compromise either policy or principle.

There rang through the ovations in British Columbia
the jubilant note of the shouts of those who " divided the
spoils." The steel rails were threading their way east
among the mountains, and west over the prairies, and
would soon be a bond of union for every Province. The
further vision was that the Provinces were one, and about
to be launched on a career of unexampled prosperity. The
whole country, from Halifax to Victoria, was now stirred
with this great thought; but the loudest shouting rever-
berated among the mountains of British Columbia.

Following the visit of Sir Charles to the Pacific coast

316

By-Elections and a Visit to the West

was the opening of West Northumberland, in Ontario, by
the resignation of Mr. Cockburn, a Conservative. In these
circumstances, it became evident that Mr. Blake had not
accepted the loss of the two elections in Nova Scotia as
a sign of a general defeat. A few days before the election
in West Northumberland, by selecting Coburg for another
battle, Mr. Blake showed his hand in the political game.
The gauntlet was defiantly thrown down. At no time in
his life was Sir Charles in better spirits, in finer fettle,
with his health perfectly restored, physical vigour at its
best, and the ring of victory in all the shoutings from
the Maritime Provinces to British Columbia. Sir Charles
accepted the challenge publicly given by Mr. Blake in the
arrangement to speak at Coburg just before the election
was to take place. The eyes of the entire Dominion were
upon this contest. The place was comparatively unim-
portant, and the pending battle was only a by-election,
and that for but one year. Sir Charles Tupper was on
the ground. His friends said, let there be a free and full
discussion between the two leaders. Let Mr. Blake speak
first, Sir Charles follow, and Mr. Blake close. That was
refused. Sir Charles could have an hour, to be followed
by Mr. Blake with unlimited time. This was the best
that could be done.

Sir Charles knew that he was not speaking to an audience
in Coburg alone. The whole Dominion was before him. The
significance of the battle was fully realised. He knew his
hearers. He knew his readers, all of whom were tensely
expectant. The result would have much to do with the
general election, only one year in the future. Speakers
and hearers were keenly alive to these conditions.

After Sir Charles's address, Mr. Blake followed with a
speech two hours and a half long.

The Toronto Mail of December 22 contained a full
report of Sir Charles Tupper's speech, given the evening
after Blake's meeting, in reply to that of Mr. Blake.

3i7

The Life of Sir Charles Tupper

His own and Mr. Blake's tour of the Maritime Provinces,
followed by his visit to British Columbia, had convinced Sir
Charles that the Canadian Pacific Railway Syndicate bar-
gain was safe. Being in good spirits and firm in his confi-
dence that the Government would be abundantly sustained
in the pending election, he was conditioned to " jolly Mr.
Blake a bit." Mr. Blake's grand oration fell with chilling
effect upon the people who, for an hour before its delivery,
had been under the spell of a speech from Sir Charles, warm
from his big heart and charged with the energy of his great
personality. Had the results of the local and general elections
been a matter of uncertainty, the assemblage would have got
but little mirthful entertainment from Sir Charles.

The Conservative candidate was elected.

Among the letters received from Sir John A. Mac-
donald by Sir Charles when he was in England in the
spring of 1881, was one which informed him that Mr.
Blake was attempting to secure the support of the Ontario
manufacturers, or, as Sir John put it, was " making his
peace with them." Mr. Blake's Coburg speech confirmed
Sir John's statement. At this time, three years had passed
since the introduction of the National Policy. There had
been an evident revival in manufacturing industries, and
a largely increased revenue was the result. New capital
had been invested, and statistics, gathered by a leading
manufacturer of Coburg, proved that employment had been
given to an increased number of men, and that this was
going on year by year. Mr. Blake could not ignore these
facts. As the meetings were held in a centre of manu-
facturing industry, he felt compelled to divulge his fiscal
policy. Taxation for revenue tariff only had been the
battle-cry of the Liberal leaders both in and out of Parlia-
ment. Under such a fire, the National Policy was intro-
duced and carried. At the time of the Coburg meetings,
the Toronto Globe, the oracle of the Liberal party, was
fighting against Protection and demanding a change in

318

By-Elections and a Visit to the West

the existing tariff. But Mr. Blake's convictions compelled
him to tell the manufacturers that their industries would
be safe under Liberal rule. This was an attempt to enter
a wedge which was persistently driven in until it at
length produced a cleavage wider and wider between Mr.
Blake and his party. Finally, it required two camps to
accommodate them.

For exposed joints in the harness of an opponent, Sir
Charles Tupper had the eye of an eagle. On listening to
Mr. Blake's speech given at the first Coburg meeting,
nothing could have been more pleasing to Sir Charles, as
a tactician, than Mr. Blake's admission respecting the
National Policy. It gave him a further supply of ammu-
nition of the argumentum ad hominem kind, of which he
was particularly fond and which he never failed to make
serviceable and effective.

3r9

Printed et
Casseix & Company, Limited, La Belle Sauvage,
London, E.C.
f. 15.816

Saunders, E.

The life and letters of the
Rt. Hon. Sir Charles Tupper

5081
.7.9
T86»
v.l

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