-
SIR WILFRID LAURIER
Speaking at Strathroy, Ont.. September 19th., 1908
Sir WILFRID LAURIER
BY
PETER McARTHUR
IS THE STATELY COLUMN BROKE,
THE BEACON LIGHT IS QUENCHED IN SMOKE.
THE TBUMPET'S SILVER VOICE IS STILL.
THE WARDER SILENT ON THE HILL!"
1919
J. M. DENT & SONS, LIMITED
LONDON .... TORONTO
PARIS : J. M. DENT ET PILS
F
DEDICATION
rilHIS book is dedicated to my fellow-
writers of the Canadian Press. The
merits of the book are due to their efforts
for I have helped myself lavishly to their
best brains.
I have long been of the opinion that a
genius is a man who knows a good thing
when he steals it, and this is the first time
I have had a chance to steal on an ambitious
scale. I have stolen much, and if I had had
more time, I would have stolen more.
PETER MCARTHUR.
TORONTO, MARCH 19TH., 1919.
Sir Wilfrid Laurier
nnHE length of Sir Wilfrid's public career alone
JL challenges admiration and respect. He had
been almost half a century in active politic* ; forty-
six years a salient figure in Parliament; a leader
of the Liberal party for thirty years ; Prime Minis-
ter for fifteen years. He saw generations of men
and generations of statesmen. He saw Confed-
eration in its cradle and watched it grow to na-
tionhood. Since he entered public life England
has had three Monarchs, while the figures of
Disraeli and Gladstone, of Salisbury and Camp-
bell-Bannerman have passed across its national
stage. He witnessed the rise of Cavour and saw
the sword of Garabaldi flash, and he sympathized
with their aspirations for an United Italy. He
saw the German States confederated by Bis-
marck into blood and iron, saw France, his
Motherland, crushed and bleeding at the feet of
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
the Teuton conqueror, and lived to see the struc-
ture which Bismarck reared crumbled into utter
dust. Since he entered public life, Russia has
had two Emperors, emancipated its slaves,
fought three great wars, overthrown the House
of Czars and plunged into anarchy and ruin.
France has been an Empire and a Republic, and
countless rulers and statesmen have appeared
and vanished from her national life. During that
period the United States has developed into a
great power, fought four wars, and the figures of
Lincoln and Grant, of Elaine and Garfield, of Mc-
Kinley and Roosevelt, have left their imprint and
passed away. Meanwhile the British Empire
has grown and expanded in size and strength and
liberty, and Canada, from the feeble infancy into
which the Fathers of Confederation tried to in-
fuse the vitality of unity, has become the great
Dominion of 1919. And during all those years,
while rulers have come and gone, while states-
men have flourished and faded, while empires
have sprung up or been destroyed, Sir Wilfrid
remained a central figure on the international
stage.
INTRODUCTORY.
Wilfrid Laurier was born at St. Lin, Quebec,
on November 20th., 1841, of a family that had set-
tled in Lower Canada, six generations before.
His forebears came from Anjou, France, and
originally bore the family name of Cottineau. A
marriage contract, drawn up in Montreal in 1666,
bears the signature of the first representative of
the family in Canada — Francois Cottineau, dit
Champlauriet, or translated literally, Francis
Cottineau, said, or called, Champlauriet. Appar-
ently this latter appellation was subsequently
adopted by the family, and after Louis XIV had,
by royal decree, proclaimed the land to be French
territory. They first established themselves in
the forest of He Jesus, an island immediately
north of the Island of Montreal, and at the mouth
of the Ottawa River, and a little later removed to v
the Parish of Lechenaie, on the north bank of the
same river. Charles Laurier, the grandfather of
Sir Wilfrid was a man of remarkable energy
and ability, and in the face of many obstacles
taught himself surveying, and was master of
mathematics in his scholastic district. At the be-
ginning of the 19th. century he established his
son, Carolus Laurier, on farm land which he had
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
cleared in the bush near the little village of St.
Lin, which nestles in the foothills of the Lauren-
tide range, north of Montreal. Carolus Laurier,
like his father, was a surveyor by profession, and
a farmer by habit, and followed both occupations
to his best advantage. He wanted some of the
strong personality of his father, but was of a
generous and friendly nature, and of an inven-
tive turn of mind, as is evidenced by the fact
that he was the first person in the colony to
devise what then passed for a threshing machine,
and which replaced the flail, which he had in-
herited from his father. Born in a quiet back-
woods settlement, Carolus Laurier was a radical
in the strongest sense of the word, and perhaps it
was the father who laid the foundations of the
son's political faith. In one respect Carolus
Laurier is particularly deserving of praise. He
was sufficiently acute to realize that his son had
unusual aptitudes, and to make the best of those
mental endowments provided him with a good
classical education. In those days this was no
light undertaking for a man of the station and
means of Carolus Laurier. The father realized,
too, that it would be of inestimable advantage to
EARLY INFLUENCES.
this son to have a thorough knowledge of the
English language, and of English customs, and to
this end he carefully directed the son's education.
Wilfrid Laurier's mother, nee Marcelle Martin-
eau, was a relative of the mother of the French-
Canadian poet Frechette, one of the most gifted
sons of Lower Canada, and it may be that the
same family strain which produced the poet,
showed itself in another way in the unusual quali-
ties of the French-Canadian statesman. Five
years after Wilfrid Laurier was born his mother
passed away. Some time after Carolus Laurier
married Adelaine Ethier, and she brought up
young Wilfrid. The second offspring of the first
marriage, Malvina Laurier, died at an early age.
Of the second marriage, three sons were born:
Uheld, a physician, who died at Arthabaska in
1898 ; Charlemagne, merchant, and until his death
in 1907, member for the county of Ottawa, and
Henri, prothonotary of Arthabaska, who died in
1906. Carolus Laurier, the father, died in 1881.
Young Laurier commenced his studies in the
parochial school of St. Lin, where he learned
reading and writing and the rudiments of arith-
metic. His father then decided to extend his son's
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
horizon so as to permit of his seeing something
of the life and learning the language of his Eng-
lish compatriots. About eight miles west of St.
Lin, and on the bank of the river Achigan, is the
village of New Glasgow. This settlement was
established about 1820 by a number of Scotch
Protestants who came to Canada with English
regiments. Carolus Laurier had done surveying
in this neighbourhood and was well acquainted
with many of the families, and thus an arrange-
ment to have his son resident among them for a
period was easily brought about. Shortly after
young Wilfrid Laurier was a figure in the inti-
mate life of the Murrays, the Guthries, the Mac-
leans, the Bennetts and other families of the set-
tlement. For a time he boarded with an Irish
Catholic family, named Kirk, and later he lived
with the Murrays, giving, in return for lodging
and food, his services as a clerk in the general
store kept by the head of the household.
The school which young Laurier attended for
two terms, 1052-53 and 1853-54, was brusquely
closed during the first term because of the de-
parture for other parts of the teacher, one Thomp-
son. He was quickly replaced by a man of con-
6
EARLY INFLUENCES.
siderable rough talent, one, "Sandy" Maclean, who
possessed a pronounced and good taste for litera-
ture, and who in many ways made an admirable
teacher. His young French-Canadian pupil,
learning English at play, at work, at home and
at school, aroused in the good Scot a kindly con-
cern, and Sir Wilfrid Laurier in later years
never failed to attribute his knowledge of Eng-
lish literature to the man who first opened his
eyes to the wealth of English letters.
These two years at New Glasgow proved of in-
estimable benefit to young Laurier. Not only did
he secure a good foundation for further study of
the English language, but he had inculcated in
him a broadness of vision, an understanding of
his English compatriots and a spirit of tolerance
and good will, which ever afterwards proved a
great asset. In September, 1854, at the age of
thirteen years, Wilfrid Laurier was sent to college
at L'Assomption. There he passed seven rigorous
years of study. His health was delicate, and his
physique did not permit of his taking part in the
ordinary sports of his fellow-students. His
favourite recreation was to visit the village court
house when the judicial assizes were in progress
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
and to listen there to the pleadings of the village
lawyers. Sir Wilfrid often recalled of this period
of his life that a contradictory meeting of two
political opponents always afforded him the keen-
est enjoyment. In fact, in his anxiety to miss
none of such delightful and auspicious events as
court sessions and public meetings he often ran
foul of the school authorities.
* * *
Wilfrid Laurier's mother died when the boy
was but six years old. His earlier years were
spent under the constant supervision of the vil-
lage cure. He knew no language but the French.
St. Lin slept quite a distance from the centre of
the earth — Montreal. It heard only echoes of the
outer world. But like every other French-Cana-
dian village, it had its church, its cure, and its
dream. It prayed for a French-Canadian
Messiah.
They say that something in the boy's tempera-
ment raised a vague hope in the heart of the
parish priest. The priest was one of the dream-
ers of St. Lin, one who helped keep alive the
name of New France. It is said that one
afternoon he invited the lad Laurier into the
8
EARLY INFLUENCES.
garden of the presbytery, and there tested as best
he could the drift of his imagination, whether he
loved the heroic, whether he would make a pat-
riot or not. He let himself hope that the little
imaginative son of the land-surveyor might be of
use to his race by writing songs, perhaps, that
they could chant on the day of their re-establish-
ment, or perhaps — . He took the boy into his
study, where the black crucifix hung upon the
wall. From the bottom of an ancient chest of
drawers, one that had come from Brittany, he
drew forth an object carefully folded so as to con-
ceal certain gaping holes and frayed edges. He
lifted it and let the folds slip out, so that the
colored cloth hung before the eyes of the boy.
"Do you know what that is, my son?" he de-
manded.
"It is the French flag, Father."
"It is our flag," corrected the priest.
On various occasions he took the boy to the
study and told him stories connected with the flag.
The visits became a sort of ceremony. Each day
the boy learned a new fact about the piece of
silk. It had been carried not far from Mont-
9
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
calm himself on the day that he rode out of Que-
bec to meet Wolfe and ctef eat upon the Plains of
Abraham. It was marked by British bullets.
There were stains on it, almost faded out, that
had come from French veins. This, it is said, was
the strange first training which Laurier received
for the works which he afterwards accomplished.
It was amid such associations that the future
Prime Minister of Canada first learned the Eng-
lish tongue — "with a bit of Scotch accent/' as he
once himself described it — and religious breadth
and tolerance, two endowments which helped to
give to the man of French descent and Roman
Catholic faith the grace and facility of expres-
sion and the breadth of vision irresistibly appeal-
ing alike to both the great races in Canada, Brit-
ish and French, Protestant arid Catholic.
The powerful influence of the years spent under
the shadow of the little Presbyterian church of
New Glasgow was demonstrated throughout his
whole career, while his life-long affection — al-
most amounting to reverence — for Murray, the
10
EARLY INFLUENCES.
sturdy Scot who "fathered" him at this time, re-
sembled the deep sentiment entertained by David
Lloyd George for the worthy Welsh cobbler-uncle
who did so much to make his career possible.
Wilfrid Laurier never alluded to Malcolm Murray
without evidences of the deepest appreciation and
admiration.
That he also enjoyed with all the enthusiasm
of boyhood, his stay in this Scottish settlement he
has recalled on more than one occasion. "I re-
member," he once observed after he had become
a national figure, "I remember how I fought with
the Scotch boys and made school-boy love to the
Scotch girls, with more success in the latter than
in the former."
From his earliest boyhood, Laurier gave evi-
dence of an independent character. While at col-
lege in L'Assomption, a debating society was
formed, and there are men living to-day at the
base of the Laurentides who remember the debat-
ing qualities of the man who was to shine later
on as a Rupert in debate, in the home of the elder
daughter of the mother of parliaments — the Can-
adian Commons Chamber. An instance of this
comes to mind. A resolution had been submitted
11
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
to the effect that the old kings in the interest of
Canada should have permitted the Huguenots to
settle here. Opposition was, of course, manifest
in the debate, but young Laurier espoused the
affirmative side in the discussion which waxed
very warm, and his speech, which followed, was
of so aggressive a character that the prefect ol
studies was scandalized, and at one fell swoop
stopped the debate, and threw such societies into
the discard.
Up to his last days Sir Wilfrid used to laugh
over this incident, and he often remarked that
it was a great pity the debate was stopped, as the
entire international situation in Europe might
have been affected by the result of that discussion,
participated in by the boys of L'Assomption Col-
lege. "Of course," every ready with a joke at his
own expense, "very few of us knew what a
Huguenot was, but that made no difference. We
had started in to settle questions affecting the re-
ligious future of humanity, and should have been
allowed to accomplish our mission."
St. Valentine could not reproduce an incident
12
DOMESTIC LIFE.
so romantic, nor the gods that preside over the
efficacy of Mistletoe, narrate one of their well-
known triumphs more picturesque, than that
which Fra Cupid could delineate when first he in-
terfered with the heart and pulse beat, as well as
with the slumbers of young Laurier trying to rest
himself at Arthabaskaville ! In the words of Sen-
ator David, it appropriately happened as fol-
lows : —
During his clerkship at Montreal, he made the
acquaintance of a beautiful and good natured
young girl, who refused a very advantageous
marriage in preference to Laurier. Having
heard one day, to what a degree she still re-
mained faithful and devoted to him, he made his
way to Montreal, got married on the following
day, returned immediately to Arthabaska, and
came a few weeks later to get his wife. Their
union was a beautiful instance of unity of aim and
interest. Lady Laurier proved to be a helpmate
in the fullest sense, and to her love and devotion
to him throughout life Sir Wilfrid paid many a
proud and touching tribute. Lady Laurier,
though quiet and retiring, took part in many
activities and held office as vice-president of the
13
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
St. John's Ambulance Association ; vice-president
of the Local Council of Women ; vice-president of
the National Council of Women; honorary presi-
dent of the Canadian Immigration Guild; and
honorary president of the Women's Canadian
Historical Society.
In his home Sir Wilfrid Laurier was an expon-
ent of the simple life. As a young man he cared
little or nothing for games, preferring to devote
his spare time to his books, and as he grew older
none of the various forms of amusement to which
Canadians are accustomed to devote much of .their
time appealed strongly to his fancy. He did not
even succumb to the fascination of golf, the fav-
ourite pastime of many men of brain, and to the
last was a "home" man in the truest sense of the
word.
Although for fifteen years the first citizen of
Canada, his residence on Laurier Avenue, Ottawa,
was by no means the most imposing private
dwelling in the Capital. It was comfortable and
commodious, but not pretentious. Naturally
within its walls entertainment was furnished to
many, but it was all done without ostentation.
Therein Lady Laurier presided, with an amiable
14
DOMESTIC LIFE.
and kindly grace, and what undoubtedly struck
the observant guests was the note of domestic
felicity and a freedom from the exactions of
officialdom. .
In the quiet of his library at home Sir Wilfrid
spent a great deal of his time, and often burned
the midnight oil. In fact, it was seldom he re-
tired before the day had run its course. Only on
very rare occasions did he go out in a social way
in the evening, and on even rare occasions was
seen at the theatre. The mimic world of the stage
had little attraction for him. Nevertheless, he
was fond of music, and few are more talented in
that line than his partner in life, but the aesthetic
side of things possibly appealed to him in a
greater degree. He was very fond of art and
painting, and his home was beautifully decorated.
A sketch of Sir Wilfrid's home life and habits
would be very incomplete without more than a
passing reference to his beautiful and restful
domicile at Arthabaskaville, Quebec, where he
always went as soon as it was possible to get away
from the Capital after the close of the sessions.
15
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
There it was his almost invariable custom to
spend his Christmas holidays. Many were the
invitations he received to be the honoured guest
at more pretentious residences at the seaside and
in the mountains, but these were nearly always
rejected in favor of Arthabaskaville. There it
was possible to get real rest and respite from the
cares of a busy world. He preferred to go home
back to the quaint little French-Canadian village
and its restful influence. His Arthabaskaville
home is a beautiful place, and it was kept open
nearly all the year round. There are lovely shade
trees and a beautiful lawn, and, once there, Sir
Wilfrid always put on the conventional summer
attire and took it easy on the lawn or in the
garden. He got all the leading Canadian news-
papers, and in this way kept in touch with the
outside world.
His arrival in the little home village always
caused a good deal of excitement. All Quebec
was proud of her distinguished son, but he was
particularly adored in the village in which he
spent so large a part of his life. His neighbours,
knowing that he sought Arthabaskaville for the
blessed privilege of a rest, did not intrude on him,
16
POLITICAL BEGINNINGS.
i'
but none of them ever missed an opportunity to
exchange a greeting with the famous statesman.
Every Sunday spent at Arthabaskaviile saw
Sir Wilfrid at the little parish church where he
would attend the mass and hear a sermon to the
faithful by the cure. After church the villagers
would crowd around to clasp the hand of the
distinguished Canadian statesman. No barrier
of haughty reserve surrounded Sir Wilfrid. It
was "Bon Jour, Baptiste" here, "Comment ca
va" there, and there was general handshaking.
Nowhere more markedly than at his old Artha-
baskaviile home were the qualities which con-
tributed to Sir Wilfrid's success brought out — the
simple manner, the genial ways and the indefin-
able grace which drew people to him, and won
their admiration and devotion.
Sir Wilfrid once said that his sympathy and re-
spect always went out to the working newspaper
man, as he had in his early life followed the busi-
ness, being editor of "Le Defricheur," of Artha-
baska, succeeding Eric Dorion, well-known as
17
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
L'Enf ant Terrible, and as Laurier was a very ad-
vanced Liberal he made things quite lively in the
editorial columns of that newspaper, so hot, in
fact, that his bishop, who was no other than Mgr.
Lafleche, at Three Rivers, forbade the reading
of Laurier's newspaper, with the result that a
very large percentage of the subscription list was
withdrawn, and the future leader saw his first
journalistic enterprise go out of business. It is
not necessary to say that the articles so severely
condemned by the Bishop of Three Rivers would
not be considered very radical these days, but his
Lordship was a staunch Tory, as well as a church-
man, and, no doubt, thought that the sheet in
question could be dispensed with easily enough.
Later on, however, Sir Wilfrid was a successful
contributor to "L'Electeur," the predecessor of
"Le Soleil," of Quebec, his article on "the den of
forty thieves" creating a sensation, and a libel suit
at the time. That was during the Chapleau-Sene-
cal-Densereau regime at Quebec, and party feeling
ran very high, the cause celebre having been tried
in Montreal before the late Mr. Justice Ramsay,
resulting in the defendants being acquitted.
There was intense excitement in political and
18
POLITICAL BEGINNINGS.
journalistic circles, when it became known that
Laurier was the author of the article in question,
and, in fact, the paper pleaded justification
through its attorneys.
About fifty-five years ago the Undergraduates'
Society, faculty of law of McGill, was holding a
general meeting. The students attending this
meeting had the opportunity of hearing their
elder confreres of the class of 1864, bidding fare-
well to old McGill.
Curiously enough, the proposer of the address
of farewell was a young man, who in the years
to come had the good fortune to reach to the
height of honour, which a country can confer upon
her sons, and whose name was to be written in
golden letters upon the register of the faculty.
This name was Wilfrid Laurier.
In his address, this talented young lawyer said
among other things, that: "I pledge my honour /
that I will give the whole of my life to the cause
of conciliation, harmony and concord amongst
the different elements of this country of ours.'
19
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
The routine of his student days was wise, mod-
est, studious and sober. He employed his leisure
moments, that is to say, as many as he could
snatch away from his office and university work,
in reading, in studying literature and great
speeches and the art of eloquence, in the political
or literary clubs, just as at McGill, he was count-
ed amongst the first rank and was the means of
compelling others to recognize in him the first
rays of an eloquence which, later on, was to shed
so much lustre.
The steady and persistent preparation of Sir
Wilfrid for that which was his heritage, was early
noted by his admirers. « He was stamped as an
orator in his speech-making address to the throne,
in 1871, when he spoke on the timely topic of
"National Industry." It is interesting to have
the testimony of one of his contemporaries who
thus describes Sir Wilfrid at that time:
Tall, slender frame, pallid face, brownish hair,
supple, approachable, steadfast and convincing
look, slightly a dreamer, a sort of pleasantness
about his facial expression, modest and yet dis-
tinguished, a certain demeanour of confidence or
20
POLITICAL BEGINNINGS.
of melancholy which tended to call forth sym-
pathy.
Before Laurier left Montreal to take up his
residence in the Townships, he was a prominent
member of the institution known as L'Institut
Canadian, which in time came under the episcopal
condemnation of the late Mgr. Ignace Bourget
Bishop of Montreal/ and became very prominent-
ly before the public by the death of Guibord, a
well-known Montreal printer, and the subsequent
refusal of the head of the diocese to allow his in-
ternment in the family lot at Cote des Neiges. This
incident belongs to the religious history of Mont-
real, but Hon. L. 0. David is authority for the
statement that had Wilfrid Laurier died under
the same circumstances as Guibord, his remains
would have been also denied entry into the Catho-
lic city of the dead, as he never retracted follow-
ing the fulmination of the then Bishop of Mont-
real.
Sir Wilfrid was the one man, perl
French-Canada who was opposed, through
of his political career by the bishops
yet he had the satisfaction of seeing the clergy,
21
>erhaps, in j
rough most /
of his race, \
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
both high and low, rally to his side during the
crowning act of his life, and oppose conscription.
He proved to the world that his race could sacri-
fice their religious sentiments, but that there was
no surrender in matters of race or tongue as he
was the one man in Canada who could repeat be-
fore the Orangemen of Toronto, with Henry VIII :
"No Italian priest will ever tithe or toll in my
dominions," and hold the Province of Quebec in
the hollow of his hand at the same time. He car-
ried his French followers successfully through
several elections, in spite of episcopal opposition,
and died mourned and beloved by the whole Pro-
vince.
* * *
Since 1871, Sir Wilfrid has been actively before
the public. That date marked his entrance into
the Quebec Assembly on his election in the Rid-
ing- of Drummond and Athabaska. His first ap-
pearance in public life revealed the qualities that
were to make him famous. The effect of his
fluent, cultivated and charming discourse is de-
scribed by Frechette, the poet, as magical, "On
the following day," he writes, "the name of Laur-
ier was on every lip, and all who then heard it
22
POLITICAL BEGINNINGS.
will remember how those two syllables rang out
true and clear, their tone that of a coin of gold,
pure from all alloy, and bearing the impress of
sterling worth."
Of his triumph in the House of Commons the
same author writes: —
"His debut before the House produced a sensa-
tion. Who could be this young politician, not yet
thirty years of age, who thus, in a maiden speech,
handled the deepest public questions, with such
boldness and authority? Whence had this new
orator come — so fluent, so cultivated, and charm-
ing— who awed even his adversaries into respect
by language so polished, so elevated in tone, so
strong and yet so moderate, even in the heat of
discussion ?
"On the following day, the name of Laurier was
on every lip. From this initial point of his stirr-
ing career, the future Prime Minister proceeded
by master-strokes. Thus, as the resounding
triumph of his debut in the Legislative Assembly
of Quebec, had placed him in the highest rank
among the most brilliant French orators of his
province, that which marked his entrance into
23
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
the House of Commons, in 1874, carried him at one
bound to the distinction of being one of the chief
English-speaking debaters of the Dominion. The
occasion was a solemn one, and never to be for-
gotten by any who were present. I The subject
before the House was the expulsion of Louis Riel,
the rebel of the Northwest; who, though under
accusation for the murder of Thomas Scott, and a
fugitive from justice, had just been elected mem-
ber for Provencher.J The question was a burning
one, and the public mind was greatly inflamed over
it. It required, in very truth, a master of elo-
quence to take the case in hand and thread his
way without falling or stumbling among the
masses and mazes of prejudice which rose up
around the Metis chief. * The debate, which was
violent, and heated, had been going on for two
days when at last Laurier took the floor/
"He was known to be eloquent. He had already
addressed the House in his own tongue at the
opening of the session.
"No one dreamed, however, that he would risk
his reputation by attempting a speech in English
under such hazardous circumstances. Great as
24
POLITICAL BEGINNINGS.
was the general surprise, the revelation was great-
er. In the belief of many who heard him that
day, no orator — unless indeed it be himself — has
since achieved a like success in any of our de-
liberative assemblies. As in the elegance and
academic language of which he is so thorough a
master, the brilliant speaker entered calmly into
the heart of his subject, a great silence spread it-
self through the chamber and the English mem-
bers listened in amazement to this charmer who
wielded their own language with such grace, and
who dealt them such cold home-truths, in a tone
they could not resist applauding. Astonished
glances were exchanged on every side.
"Laurier kept his whole audience hanging upon
his lips for over an hour. Not for a single moment
did his eloquence fail him. He expounded the doc-
trines and elucidated the principles of legal and
constitutional right with the ease of a parliamen-
tary veteran and the precision of a practised dia-
lectician. He grouped his facts so skilfully, ad-
duced his proofs and authorities with such cumu-
lative force, reared his arguments one u£on the
foundation of another with such quick inexorable
logic, that his conclusions seemed to flash out of
25
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
their own accord, unfolded but irresistible.
"Every part of his speech, moreover, was linked
to the rest in admirably reasoned sequence and
the oration from beginning to end flowed freely,
without hesitation, without a moment's groping
for words, and at the same time, with never one
useless sentence, with never one superfluous syl-
lable. No less was the manner of its delivery;
the resounding and vibrating voice, the wealth and
variety of intonation, the chaste simplicity and
appropriateness of gesture, and finally the atti-
tude of the speaker, as full of natural self-com-
mand as it was of personal dignity. Everything
contributed an indescribable enthusiasm. The
outburst of applause which greeted the speaker
as he resumed his seat continued for fully five
minutes afterwards, while the Ministers of the
Crown flocked around him, eager to offer their
congratulations. It seemed as if every one realiz-
ed that a future chieftain had just proclaimed
himself and asserted his right to leadership by the
Ego nominor leo that had rung through every
sentence of his speech. The cause was a lost one,
of course, but Laurier had won the day, so far as
he personally was concerned. From that moment
26
r
POLITICAL BEGINNINGS.
a place in the Cabinet was virtually assigned him ;
and he was called upon to fill it as Minister of
Inland Revenue in 1877, on the retirement of M.
Cauchon, who had been appointed Lieutenant-
Governor of Manitoba. ^
"Then occurred a singular mishap, which fur-
nishes a striking example of the aberrations of the
popular mind, as well as the often unaccountable
vicissitudes of political life. The new Minister,
although he had been returned at previous elec-
tions by a majority of over seven hundred votes
over a distinguished member of the legal profes-
sion, found himself unable to secure his re-elec-
tion, and was defeated by a worthy and inoffensive
village tradesman, who distanced him by a ma-
jority of 21 votes. This was one of the repulses
to the Mackenzie Government from which it
never recovered. Laurier, indeed, returned to the
Capital as the chosen representative of Quebec
East, but it was in vain. The impulse had been
given and the political seesaw had begun to sway.
The young Minister's popularity in the province
at large was powerless to check it in any way.
Nevertheless the crushing defeat which was suf-
fered by the Liberals did not in the least degree
27
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
affect Laurier's personal influence, as may be in-
ferred from the fact of his appointment a few
years later to the position of leader of the party
for the whole Dominion."
An interesting account has been given of the
first interview that Sir Wilfrid ever gave out.
This was on the morrow of his great victory in
1896, which gave him a long lease of power, and
the opportunity to impress the country with the
policies which he had advocated so long and fer-
vently. When asked for an interview he replied :
"I am never interviewed, you know."
"But, Sir," persisted the correspondent, "con-
sidering the magnitude of your victory and the
unique place you now occupy, would it not be
meet that you should say a word or two to the
public, who are desirous of getting an indication
from you of the policies you will carry out?"
He hesitated, yielded at last to persuasion, and
gave a column and a quarter of copy, at once ex-
ceedingly interesting and valuable. He could not
commit the party to any particular policy at the
moment of victory. He would have to consult
28
HIS FIRST INTERVIEW.
his colleagues, but nevertheless, he outlined in
general terms what the party would stand for
now that it had received the public mandate. He
made it plain that he stood for the principle of
harmony between the two great races in the Do-
minion. That had been his aim in life, and it
would remain his aim as long as he lived. He
had his principles which he considered those of
progress, but he did not want any bitterness. He
wanted co-operation and concord. It would be
the realization of his life dream if he could bring
the two races together.
At the time when the interview was granted
the rotunda of the old St. Lawrence Hall was
filled with his admirers. He was surrounded by
young men full of ardour, idealists, many of them,
disinterested and hopeful of great things for the
country. The hardened political cynic was not
absent either, but there was a whirl of emotion;
the present and the future were enswathed in
radiant hope and when the Chieftain came down
to the rotunda — erect, with flashing eyes, the
cheers were magnetic. Many eyes were wet. The
tide of emotion swelled in every breast. He was
lifted shoulder-high by his adherents, of whom
29
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
there were hundreds present, all of whom be-
lieved that in the Liberal Leader they had a man
who would save the country. It was after this
tumultuous demonstration that the Premier gave
out the interview.
The Liberal Chief all that day was followed by
admiring crowds. On being reminded of the kind
things which the English press had written about
him from time to time, he said that he read every
word of that kind of writing, not because of van-
ity, but because he loved to think that every kind-
ly word written or spoken did something in
bringing about a better feeling between the two
great races. "I love England because she is the
mother of free nations. I look up to her because
she is the apostle of freedom. I admire her lofty
ideals, her moral conscience, her high standards
which she sets up. She is, it may be, a trifle Puri-
tanic, but she is the greatest moral asset in the
world, and I admire her statesmen intensely —
John Bright has been my mentor and idol, and, of
course, Gladstone, as the great apostle of free-
dom, both fiscally and politically."
30
EMPIRE BUILDING.
Edward VII. and President Emile Loubet made
the treaty which has now saved the world. That
is true. They were the high-contracting chiefs of
state. But Sir Wilfrid Laurier was credited by
them both with a certain share in that wise, far-
seeing and world-saving work.
President Emile Loubet, in January, 1906, was
speaking at Le Madeleine, at the funeral of the
Canadian Minister of Marine, who had died sud-
denly in Paris.
"I shall be happy," he said, "for having left in
my career the one work, the great work of the en-
tente cordiale, I had been convinced that the
mutual interest of France and of England was
that we should be united — first of all for our own
protection, against the rest of the world; and
then, after that, to protect the world as a whole.
"But do you know who it was that confirmed
me in these ideas? Who implanted in my mind,
irrevocably, that sense of duty to which I have
responded with alacrity? It was that eminent
statesman who directs the destinies of Canada to-
day— Sir Wilfrid Laurier. For he was in a better
position than I to appreciate the loyal and con-
ciliatory character of Great Britain.
31
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
"He gave me proofs and views of it which, as
he developed them, I could easily understand.
So that, imbued with those ideas, on the day that
I met my friend, Edward VII., and found him
moved by the same sentiments, we arrived at that
entente and agreement which I shall never cease
to admire."
The phraseology of that frank admission
proves beyond all doubt that the President was
carried away by the suggestion, which was one,
as he says, "Monsieur Laurier had put into his
head, and that he never ceased to admire."
Probably Edward VII. would have said as
much ; for before making his campaign of educa-
tion in France Sir Wilfrid had made it in Eng-
land. And the picture he drew of the entente
cordiale between the English and the French in
Canada, at his first banquet in London, where the
Prince of Wales — later Edward VII. — presided
in 1897, in the Royal Palace of Buckingham, must
have had the same effect on that able and sym-
pathetic statesman, which Edward was, as it pro-
duced upon Monsieur Loubet in France. Sir
Wilfrid expressed in Paris in the same year, be-
fore a great assembly of notabilities, the har-
82 \
\
EMPIRE BUILDING.
mony that existed between the two races in Can-
ada ; and in the following terms he regretted that
the same cordiality did not yet exist between the
two shores of the English channel :
"Onr English compatriots of Canada are frankly
proud of the brilliant Montcalm and we, of our
race, bow with respect before the memory and
monument of General Wolfe. It may be that here
in France the souvenirs of old feuds have not lost
all their bitterness. But for us in Canada, of
whatever race, those were glorious days when the
colours of France and England — the tricolour and
the Cross of St. George — floated in triumph on
the heights of Alma, of Inkerman, and of Sebas-
tapol.
"Now events have changed. Other alliances
are imminent. But may it De permitted to a son
of France, who is at the same time a British sub-
ject, to salute those glorious days with a regret
that may find an echo in every generous soul on
both sides of the channel."
\ud again Sir Wilfrid proposed the joint toast
of Edward VII. and President Loubet at a not-
able gathering in Paris after the coronation.
33
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
"Messieurs, will you permit me in conclusion
to take a liberty with your customs and while
raising my glass to the chief of state in this coun-
try of my ancestors — to that sagacious man that
France has selected for President — may I join
another thought, not for you but for myself, and
to couple with that toast, that of my own sover-
eign, the King of England, who is also, like my-
self, a friend of France."
That was not all that attached Sir Wilfrid to
the history of the entente cordiale. On his return
to London once more in 1907, one evening at a
function in his honour at the Queen's Hall, where
he sat in the Royal box, a messenger came to re-
quest him not to leave, as the custom is, imme-
diately after "God Save the King."
Acquiescing he was surprised to hear the or-
chestra after the National Hymn, play the stir-
ring strains of the "Marseillaise." It was the
official recognition of what he had done for the
entente cordiale. ,
In the work of reconciliation of race and coun-
try he had but one motive and that was the^ exal-
tation of Canada and the development of our
national and Canadian spirit and the subversion
54
EMPIRE BUILDING.
of all petty and sectional antagonisms. He was
the true imperialist, who saw this Empire as a
voluntary confederation of free nations. Any-
thing different and more centralized he regarded
as a menace to this country and to the Empire as
a free system. He left every man to his opinion.
In 1907, when the Imperial Conference of Prem-
iers was meeting in London, (Sir Wilfrid being
one of its outstanding personalities), Sir Henry
Campbell-Bannerman was hesitating on the very
threshold of granting complete self-government
to the Boers. The Unionist party, particularly
its high Tory wing, led by Lord Milner, and forti-
fied by powerful influences, was fighting hard
against such a measure. It was an open secret
that members of "C.-B.'s" own Cabinet were not
overly enthusiastic about the proposal. Lord
Roseberry, although practically in retirement, was
believed to be opposed, and had a powerful follow-
ing among what was known as the Liberal Im-
perialists. Mr. Asquith, Sir Edward Grey, and
Mr. Haldane, sometime followers of Roseberry,
although in Campbell-Bannerman's Cabinet, were
85
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
regarded as luke-warm and for a time it seemed
as though Sir Henry himself might waver.
In the course of his participation in the Imper-
ial Conference, Campbell-Bannerman was brought
much into contact with Sir Wilfrid, and, being im-
pressed with his wonderful comprehension and
appreciation of the British Constitution, saw in
him the fulfilment in Canada of what he hoped
to do for South Africa, and invited him to a small
gathering of Liberals to give his opinion upon the
wisdom of self-government for the Boers.
Sir Wilfrid, as those who knew his ardent sym-
pathy with small nationalities everywhere, can
well understand, readily accepted the invitation.
For nearly an hour he spoke with all his intense
eloquence upon what trust and self-government
had done to build up an united and prosperous Can-
ada, to win the loyalty and devotion of French-
Canadians, and toward the close, in a peroration
of moving eloquence, asked why trust in the Boers
would not achieve in South Africa what it had
achieved in Quebec.
That speech is said to have been the decisive
factor in influencing Campbell-Bannerman. Mr.
Asquith in the great tribute which he once paid
36
EMPIRE BUILDING.
to his departed chief, significantly told how, after
a certain event, Sir Henry said that in regard to
his South African policy there would be "no sur-
render" ; and there is little doubt as to the event
he had in mind. Not long ago, a writer in the
"Manchester Guardian," in paying a trioute to
Campbell-Bannerman, referred to the support
given him in regard to the Boers by an "overseas
statesman," but apart from such meagre notice,
Sir Wilfrid's noble part in this momentous drama
is unknown to the world.
It is also known that in the possession of Sir
Wilfrid there were a number of letters and docu-
ments dealing with this matter — letters from
General Botha, and Campbell-Bannerman, and
others — testifying to the great influence he exert-
ed in such a far-reaching stroke of statesmanship.
It is to be hoped that they will soon be given to
the world, if for no other reason than in justice to
one who, was at all times, a noble interpreter and
potent advocate of the blessings of human free-
dom.
* * *
Every once in a while during the past fifty
years or more some one comes along with a new
87
SIR WILFRID LAURDSR.
scheme to reconstruct the British Empire and
when each architect finds his plan not workable
he charges those who do not support it with dis-
loyalty.
A charge made against Sir Wilfrid Laurier is
that in the Imperial Conference of 1911 he oppos-
ed a scheme of Imperial reorganization proposed
by Sir Joseph Ward, of New Zealand. The truth
that is suppressed is that the proposal was re-
jected by the unanimous voice of the conference,
the only exception being Sir Joseph Ward himself.
We quote Mr. Asquith, Prime Minister, and Presi-
dent of the Conference:
"It is a proposition which not a single repre-
sentative of any of the Dominions, nor I as repre-
senting for the time being the Imperial Govern-
ment, could possibly assent to. For what does Sir
Joseph Ward's proposal come to? I might de-
scribe the effect of it without going into details in
a couple of sentences. It would impair, if not alto-
gether destroy, the authority of the Government
of the United Kingdom in such grave matters as
the conduct of foreign policy, the conclusion of
treaties, the declaration of maintenance of peace
*or the declaration of war, and indeed all those
PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS.
and\a complete understanding of the points of
view of these two people. It was characteristic of
the man that he should always remember with
kindly feelings the influence and atmosphere of
the Scottish home where he lived for a period. It
was there that he got his first love for the tongue
of Shakespeare and Milton, and where he made
himself familiar with the struggles and achieve-
ments of Fox, Bright, Morley, Gladstone and
other great Liberal leaders.
No matter on what occasion or what his subject
might be, his audience was always sure to be
treated to some striking phrase or bit of imagery
that made a lasting impression. On his return
from Europe a few years ago, he urged the young
men of the Dominion in the words of Henry of
Navarre : "To follow his White Plume and there
they would find honour." Again when speaking
of the Grand Trunk Pacific project he announced
that "it would roll back the map of Canada and
add depth to the country."
/The princeliness of his bearing was that which
impressed the British public most when he first
went to Great Britain in 1897, as a guest at Queen
Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. Richard Harding
41
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
Davis, who described that event for "Harper's
Magazine," said that in the procession to Westmin-
ster Abbey on that occasion, the two individuals,
who, after the aged Queen herself, most aroused
the enthusiasm of the myriad spectators, were
Lord Roberts, the typical military hero, and Sir
Wilfrid Laurier, whom most of them saw for the
first time. He appealed to England as an essen-
tially romantic figure ; typical of what British Im-
perial prestige stood for- -a man of foreign race,
whom Britain's wise colonial policy had made a
distinguished servant of the Crown.
During the Royal tour of 1901, and at the Que-
bec Tercentenary celebration of 1908, one saw
Sir Wilfrid in contact with the coterie of distin-
guished men that the present King, first as Duke
of Cornwall and York, and later as Prince of
Wales, brought with him to this country. To
Canadians, whatever their politics, it gave a deep
sense of satisfaction to recognize in their own
Prime Minister, a man who seemed to embody the
flower of civilization. Knighthood, though it be
a bauble, never sat more fittingly on a modern
man, than on him. Among all the men who con-
stituted the Royal entourage, on both occasions,
42
PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS.
only one was his equal in this peculiar quality of
high physical distinction, and that was Viscount
Crichton, afterwards the Earl of Erne.
In so far as possible, Sir Wilfrid Laurier con-
fined business to business hours. His habits did
not vary. In the days of his premiership ne rose
each morning before eight o'clock, and after
breakfast his private secretary would go to his
library and the morning's mail would be opened.
Replies would be dictated without delay. By
pursuing this policy Sir Wilfrid left himself free
to receive callers and transact other business
when he arrived at his office. Sir Wilfrid's mail
was large, but not so large as that received by
many of his ministers. In his younger days he
had an extremely large personal correspondence,
but the passing away of many of his early asso-
ciates reduced it considerably as years went by.
When he was Prime Minister, he usually
arrived at his office at 10.30 a.m. Everyone in
Ottawa knew Sir Wilfrid and his commanding
figure always attracted attention. Once in his
office there was usually a steady stream of visit-
ors or deputations to be received. The deputa-
tions were usually heard after appointments had
43
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
been arranged. In the afternoon the callers as
a rule were not so numerous, and if the House
was sitting there was frequently a meeting of the
Cabinet Council before it came together at 3
o'clock.
In the late years of his premiership Sir Wilfrid
avoided the night sessions whenever possible.
Frequently he would occupy his seat for an hour
after business was resumed in the evening and
then go home leaving the fortunes of the Gov-
ernment forces in the hands of his ministers.
When the House was not in session he usually left
off business about 5 o'clock, sometimes being de-
tained to a later hour by a meeting of the Cabi-
net Council.
* * *
The late leader as an English-speaking parlia-
mentarian, was the wonder of his day and gener-
ation, and one had to be well acquainted with both
languages to notice the least error in his English
grammar. Sir Wilfrid always tripped up, how-
ever, in the use of the English verbs "to do" and
"to make," which are one and the same "faire"
in French, for very frequently he would make use
«f "do" when "make" was the proper English
44
PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS.
word, or vice versa. 1As a ^lingu^-eraior, it is
safe to say, however, that Wilfrid Laurier stood
alongside of such men as Real de la Valliere and
ex-Premier Waddington of France, who spoke
English and French. In the House of Commons
Sir Wilfrid Laurier's English was simply
magnificent, and, in fact, his models were John
Bright, William Ewart Gladstone, Pitt, Earl of
Chatham, and others of that splendid galaxy of
British statesmen, whose names so brilliantly il-
luminate so many of the most fascinating pages
of the Empire's history- He would, in fact, be-
come so impregnated with English-expressed
mannerisms that at the close of a long session of
the House of Commons his English accent, when
speaking his own mother tongue, would be dis-
tinctly marked. He was not always consistent,
but was ever happy when pleading the cause of a
minority or a lost cause, his speeches on the exe-
cution of Louis Riel, the Remedial Bill, and others,
being amongst the most eloquent pages of the
Commons Hansard. Sir Charles Tupper, when
sitting opposite the late leader during his
address on the amendment to reject the Remedial
Bill, remarked to his desk-mate that if he had
45
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
Laurier's facility of speech in the two official
languages of this country he would willingly sac-
rifice whatever reputation he possessed as a pub-
lic man.
Sir Wilfrid, it has often been said, had the dis-
tinction of an old world seigneur. His stature,
his irregular but strong features, his dome-like
forehead, his calm, wide eyes, his benevolent
smile marked him down as the last seigneur of
old French Canada. But about this distinction
of his there was nothing put on or affected. He
was above all things natural, and joined with this
was a simplicity and a bonhomie essentially Cana-
dian in its lack of all starched frills. He was one
of the easiest men to see at Ottawa. With him
red tape did not exist.
" Pomp and pretence, decoration and display did
not appeal to this great Canadian. He had no
use for the sycophant, the bore or the grafter.
His clear eye, stately carriage, firmly com-
f pressed lips and general demeanour revealed the
born leader of men, and in any gathering he stood
out in picturesque relief from those around him
like a Saul among his fellows. His dignified and
courtly bearing as he walked to his seat was that
46
PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS.
of the French Empire period. Like Gladstone,
Disraeli and other great men, his dress was al-
ways distinctive without being obtrusive. $ At
all times he looked every inch the type of a states-
man and a leader that appealed to the imagination
of a people. J His great strength as a leader lay
in his personal charm and manner. Between Sir
Wilfrid and his followers there subsisted the
most intimate relations. To see him flit from seat
to seat in the House for a quiet chat with some
Liberal member was to discover one source of his
marvellous hold on the affection of the Liberal
rank and file.
When not engaged in debate or in conversa-
tion with his colleagues, Sir Wilfrid generally
spent his time reading. There were three books
that had a singular fascination for him — the
Authorized Version of the Bible, Shakespeare's
plays, and the Encyclopaedia. <x Like all great
orators, Sir Wilfrid drew freely from the Bible
for illustrations, and his speeches were replete
with passages whose imagery suggested the
sublime source of their inspiration. In the House
he stood in a class by himself as a Parliamen-
tarian.
47
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
(When about to speak in the House he rose
slowly, impressively. (Proceeding with his argu-
ment, his gestures were not wasteful. He would
point, perhaps, with the extended index finger
of his outstretched right hand. Sometimes, this
finger he held rigidly straight, and at other times
crocked a little. And somehow by this slight
change Sir Wilfrid conveyed a wholly different
significance to his gesture.
When Sir Wilfrid came to a climax he would
square his thin shoulders, throw his head glori-
ously back and upwards and look out over the
listening benches as from a conning tower. He
would even perhaps cease his vibrant utterance
for an instant to gain an added emphasis to his
words.
When annoyed little fine wrinkles would cor-
rugate his forehead. Otherwise the whole of his
personality was absolutely under control. His
voice, though slurring, was penetrating, and ate
its way into your attention by reason of its
peculiarly blurred timbre. It was marked by an
even consistency. \His speeches were always ani-
mated and winning, but the speed at which he
travelled never changed much, nor did he go to
48
PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS.
extremes of inflections Sometimes he would be
quietly humorous. Where he shone was in re-
partee, for he was always mentally alert and
keen.
I Whether he spoke in English or in French, it
was the same Laurier, the orator of the "grand
style." \ And like all speakers of this type, Sir
Wilfrid was a past master in the coining of apt
phrases that stick in the popular imagination;
For example, he once called Ottawa the "Washing-
ton of the North." Ever since then the label has
stuck. And so, in a hundred other cases, Sir
Wilfrid has given journalists and those that come
after him the necessary turn of thought, the
needful word. iHis "grand method" was simply
the outcome of his own nature — a nature at once
distinguished and noble. ; And consequently not
even his bitterest enemies ever charged him with
doing a "mean" or "shabby" thing. \ As soon as
you set eyes on him in the House you recognized
that there was a man above buying or selling, a
man with a code of honour, a man with a dignity.
So his "grand" manner was but the visible and
outward sign of this. |
49
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
But this "grand" manner had nothing ponder-
ous, heavy or deliberate about it. Laurier was
French in his vivacity and finesse, in the quick-
ness and brilliance of his repartee. He was the
master of the quick, swift way in which he slip-
ped off into the heart of his speeches. A handful
of compliments or a short, sharp, stinging sar-
casm; a gentle musical phrase, to jog someone's
memory, or a word of aroused dignity, and Sir
Wilfrid was easily racing along at full speed.
And in his speech he had Gallic lucidity. Every-
thing served to strengthen his argument. He not
only appearel to his auditors' reason, but also to
their emotions — and that was the secret of his
popularity. |He had the gift of being able to
charm, move and stir. ( And it all perhaps was
achieved more by his personality than by what
was actually said. His mere appearance could
raise enthusiasm. |
The extraordinary thing was that no one
seemed to remember that he was not speaking in
his own tongue. Indeed, few of the English-
speaking representatives have ever attained to a
vocabulary half as large as his.
50
PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS.
Sir Wilfrid always looked his part. He was one
of those few public individuals, whose actual ap-
pearance did not disappoint you. The striking
face, with its broad, lofty forehead; its tuffed
crown of white hair, its long, prominent nose, in-
dicative of dominance and power, its alignment of
chin and mouth sent your mind irresistibly back
to memories of other great statesmen. It was the
face of an aristocrat, while the mind belonged to
the aristocracy of democracy. His eyes were set
wide apart and they gazed steadily out at you.
As a rule, his face was immobile, but when his
eyes half closed, it was quick to break into a
smile, the wrinkles running upward on his face
like little waves succeeding one another on a
beach. When listening or following a debate, Sir
Wilfrid would lean forward with elbows rested
on his desk and one hand up to his ear to con-
vey the sound better.
</
As a rule, he wore a black frock coat with vest,
the lapels lined with a white frill. His collar was
straight and high, while his tie was so big and
broad that you could not see his shirt. It literally
choked up the opening of his vest with its splen-
51
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
dour. The creases of his trousers were always per-
fect. His boots were the old-fashioned elastic-
sided ones.
Strangers coming into the gallery of the House
of Commons for the first time always looked
for Laurier. He knew it and rather enjoyed the
limelight. It was his custom to enter the House
just a moment before opening hour, and as he
passed down the corridors of Parliament on the
way from his office to the Chamber it was fre-
quently through a lane of people, every one of
them watching him intently. He would pass
along straight as a guardsman, serene, dignified
and quite unmoved. ^
In the Chamber he was much given to visiting.
From his seat in the front row, immediately op-
posite his Parliamentary opponent, Sir Robert
Borden, he. would move back among his more
humble supporters and spend hours in earnest
conversation with them. He knew his men indi-
vidually, as none but Sir John Macdonald ever
knew a following. I Laurier had undoubtedly learn-
ed much from his 'former great rival. There were
52
PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS.
little mannerisms and tricks of speech and ges-
tures that old-timers around Parliament declared
he got only from Sir John.
He loved to use that word "Grit," especially in
rural ridings, where he knew its effect on old-
time voters. And he took a sort of impish delight
in always characterizing his political opponents
as "Tories," rather than as Conservatives, or even
as Liberal-Conservatives. He knew that in the
minds of some of his hearers the use of the word
"Tory" would convey an idea of class privilege and
opposition to democratic ideajs and movements. It
was surprising, too, how he would adapt his utter-
ances to his audience. It might be the same
speech he had given elsewhere the day before, but
he knew that his audience would differ, and little
touches were added here and there that gave it
individuality and touched responsive chords in his
hearers. When stumping the country in an elec-
tion campaign his stories and illustrations were al-
ways simple. The historical comparisons and the
more subtle quotations were reserved for Parlia-
ment. When he spoke in Woodstock in the elec-
tion of 1911, he told a story of an Irish friend of
his, a conductor on the Montreal-Quebec train, for
53
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
whom he brought a black thorn from Ireland in
1897. He had the conductor friend's name put
on it and when they met, presented him with the
shillelah.
"He was profuse in his thanks," said Sir Wil-
frid, and he wound up by saying, "May Heaven
be your bed, but may you be kept long out of it."
"Now I hope that some day heaven may be my
bed," added the Liberal Chieftain, "but I don't
think I am ripe for it yet. I hope Heaven won't
be my bed until I have one more tussel with the
Tories."
There were two Tory rural members of the
House of Commons, for whom Sir Wilfrid always
had a tender spot in his heart. One of these was
the late Mr. Peter Elson, member for East Middle-
sex. The Liberal leader would frequently cross
over the floor of the House for a chat. The other
was Mr. Oliver Wilcox, member for North Essex,
also since passed away. Mr. Wilcox had a rollick-
ing manner in his Parliamentary debating that
would at times convulse the whole House, and
those who were there in those days, will long re-
call the way in which he would point a finger at
the Liberal leader, refer to him always as "My
54
PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS.
honorable friend, the leader of the Liberal Oppo-
sition," and endeavour to convince Sir Wiltrid
he was a hopeless political sinner. Sometimes af-
ter one of these encounters they would meet out-
side in the corridor and walk away arm in arm.
Speaking to a young newspaper friend, he said,
"Every young man ought to read the works of
Gibbon." He was enthusiastic, too, when he spoke
of Parkman's writings. "Read Parkman, and
you will be proud of both races in Canada," was
his comment.
There were dull hours in the House of Com-
mons when Sir Wilfrid had to remain on duty,
ready for any emergency. Hours that were tedi-
ous, or would have been tedious, but for his lit-
tle custom of sending to the Parliamentary Lib-
rary for the English dictionary. The House used
to smile when the page would come in with the
big volume and place it on Sir Wilfrid's desk. He
would open it at a certain page and then begin
to run down the columns carefully and slowly, add-
ing to his store of English words. Is it any won-
der that he possessed such command of the Eng-
lish tongue in public utterances? He rarely read
55
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
anything but the dictionary in the House of Com-
mons, not even the newspapers; but it was very
evident that outside of the House he looked over
all the important dailies and read widely in gen-
eral literature. A newspaper friend, who called
on him the day after the landslide of 1911, found
him seated comfortably in his room, reading a life
of the Dowager Empress of China. She, too,
had known the experience of power passing away,
and perhaps, the Liberal Chieftain was finding
some of the philosophy of the Orient applicable to
his own situation.
In his Parliamentary addresses he was always
apt in the use of quotations and historical illus-
trations. He had read widely in both British and
French histories, and in American history as well.
|His influence among his followers was due to
his long Parliamentary experience, but even more
to the grace and courtesy of his manner, and his
actual kindness. }He was never abrupt, never too
busy to be polite, never forgot that without his
most humble associates he would fail to accom-
plish his purposes^ Those who think of political
life as a continuous strife, would be surprised in-
deed, if they knew of the close friendship that
56
PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS.
existed between Sir Wilfrid and some of his op-
ponents on the opposite side of Parliament. He
was elusive in many ways, difficult to measure by
our accepted standards. For many years to come
the recollection of his personality has impressed
itself upon audiences and upon individuals in
every part of Canada will remain to keep his
memory green.
<A member of Sir Wilfrid's last Cabinet, who,
as a boy, greatly admired his Chief, contributes
these reminiscences: |f
When Sir Wilfrid first became prominent it
was his custom, while Parliament was in session,
to go for a walk on Sunday afternoons, in the
winter, on the north side of Rideau Street, and
a number of boys, whose fathers were Liberals,
would hurry along Sussex Street, and crossing
over to the south side of Rideau Street, would
walk along that side in perfect decorum and hap-
piness as they watched the progress of the man
on the other side of the street, whose name was
heard more frequently than any other in their
homes. Sir Wilfrid's appearance and dress on
57
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
those Sunday afternoons are still remembered.
He wore a fur cap of plucked otter, a Persian
lamb coat, and always carried a cane. His hair
was wavy and dark, his face generally lit up by
a smile, and his carriage was erect and dignified.
He never seemed to be in a hurry. Usually, one
of his Parliamentary colleagues was with him,
and it was a matter of much interest for the boys
on the opposite side of the street to watch the
different ways in which Sir Wilfrid and his com-
panion returned the salutes of passers-by. Need-
less to say, the companion, no matter whom he
might be, always suffered in the comparison.
With the boys and young men who haunted the
galleries of Parliament during the Franchise, the
Riel, and the Home Rule debates, Sir Wilfrid was
a hero. While charmed by his never-failing cour-
tesy, they took him still closer to their hearts
when, on a memorable night, in a later debate, he
repelled the clumsy patronizing of an opponent
with the withering phrase that "Quebec does not
want his whining pity!" That flash revealed
human nature that his youthful admirers in the
gallery could readily understand, and they loved
him all the more for it. ^
58
PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS.
He was a great lover of birds, and on a beau-
tiful day in September, 1911, just prior to ad-
dressing a great outdoor meeting, he was sitting
on a lawn with several friends. The weather was
unusually warm, and there were a number of
orioles, and other birds, flying about the grounds,
and, occasionally, singing in the trees. Sir Wil-
frid noticed them, and, taking off his hat, he laid
it on the grass, and, as if he had no cares or
thoughts in the world, except for the homely
things of nature, he told about the birds that used
to come each spring to the woods around Artha-
baskaville, and described minutely their plumage.
Then he recalled that from time to time certain
kinds of birds would disappear, and others would
come in their places, and that, after a lapse of a
few years, it was difficult to find any of the birds
with which he had been familiar when a young
man. His whole conversation indicated how close
to nature he must have been in his youth, and
how keen his powers of observation always were.
In the same way, he was an intense lover of
trees. He took great pride in the shade trees of
the city of Ottawa, and was always hurt when he
saw any of them mutilated or wantonly destroyed.
59
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
One night before the last election he engaged
in a chat about world conditions as they then ex-
isted. By degrees he became absorbed in the sub-
ject, and drew such a rapid and comprehensive
world-picture that one could not help regretting
that the whole Dominion was not listening to him.
Referring to Russia, he contrasted the condition
of the people there with the condition of the peo-
ple in the United States, and remarked that per-
haps the most extraordinary thing that had taken
place within his life time was the effect produced
by the general spread of education in the United
States. In illustration of this, he pointed to the
fact that, while it was the custom for people, when
he was a young man, to sneer at the college pro-
fessor in the neighbouring: Republic, the Ameri-
cans now had in Woodrow Wilson a college pro-
fessor for their President. He went on to de-
scribe conditions in Russia, and deplored the fact
that, as there were at least one hundred millions
of illiterate people there, it would be impossible to
effect a change, except in one of two ways, namely,
by the spread of education — which would take too
long — or by the appearance of another Napoleon.
Thereupon a guest remarked that, for the sake
60
PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS.
of ending the world war, it was to be hoped that
another Napoleon would soon appear. Sir Wil-
frid made a slight gesture with his right hand,
and, shaking his head, said, "No, it is not time.
There were 1,000 years between Caesar and
Charlemagne, and there were 800 years between
Charlemange and Napoleon. You see, it is not
yet time for another Napoleon to appear." Could
anything be more graphic or concrete than this
rapidly sketched picture?
In some respects, he was the most conservative
of men. For instance, he was very reluctant to
approve any changes in the rules or procedure
of Parliament. He had found them sufficient for
all purposes for nearly fifty years, and he looked
up with a glance implying both surprise and a cer-
tain degree of opposition, when anyone proposed
a change of any kind. Not that he would refuse
to discuss it, or withhold his approval because a
discussion of a suggestion of the kind usually
wound up by his saying, "Well, I will be guided
by whatever our friends may think."
Another indication of his conservative inclina-
tion in matters of dress may be pointed out.
Those who have been familiar with him for years,
61
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
and even those who did not know him person-
ally, but who have seen his photographs, will
have noticed that he usually wore a scarf pin in
the shape of a horse-shoe. While it decorated his
ties of different colour, it never seemed out of
place. In the same way he never wore a chain on
his watch, and this habit he continued down to
the end of his days. Even in these little things
there was proof of his being different from other
men. v
* * *
| He was the embodiment of kindness, and his
consideration for others was unfailing. These
characteristics manifested themselves so natur-
ally that they were part and parcel of the man.
Perhaps one story, that illustrates this side of his
character better than any other, was told by Lady
Laurier. Occasionally, in later years, an impres-
sion would arise in the household that some of
the servants were not as attentive to duty as they
might be, and, at times, a suggestion was made
that it might be well to speak to them about some
oversight. Sir Wilfrid's invariable admonition
was, "Oh, don't do that. It's bad enough to be a
servant." At other times, disappointment would
62
FEATS OF MEMORY.
be expressed at the speedy disappearance of some
good things that had been provided for guests who
were to arrive. If Sir Wilfrid chanced to hear
any discussion on this topic, he would intervene
with, "Well, after all, that is very natural; the
servants are human like ourselves." It was this
constant regard for the feelings of others, and
his lightning-like ability to adapt himself to any
occasion, no matter how suddenly it might arise,
that made him so different from other men, and
constantly increased the love felt for him by
those who were fortunate enough to be brought
within the circle of his daily life.
His marvelous memory and his grip upon the
Parliamentary proceedings of over forty years
was unexpectedly instanced in the House of Com-
mons on September 7th., 1917 . Senate amend-
ments in the income tax bill were before the
House, and the point of order was raised that the
Red Chamber could not amend a money bill.
Hon. Speaker Rhodes, after hurriedly consult-
ing authorities, found a case in May, 1874, in
which Hon. Alexander Mackenzie, then Premier,
63
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
had moved to accept the Senate amendments to
an act respecting the appropriation of certain
Dominion lands in Manitoba, stipulating that the
action should not be accepted as a precedent.
"It so happens that I was a member of this
House at the time," said Sir Wilfrid, rising. "I
was, of course, a very young member then, but I
have a recollection of the debate that took place."
The veteran Liberal leader then recited in some
detail the debate of forty-three years ago, dif-
ferentiating between the land act then under dis-
cussion and the money bill now before the House.
Meantime the Speaker had sent for the ancient
Hansard, and subsequently placed the record be-
fore the House. It was in exact accordance with
Sir Wilfrid's memories, and both sides of the
House paid its senior member the tribute of
hearty applause.
* * *
Many stories are told which illustrate the wide
range of his information and his remarkable
memory. On one occasion Sir Adolphe Chapleau,
who was a member for many years of successive
Conservative Cabinets, was relating his experi-
ence as a captain in the Union Army at the Battle
64
FEATS OF MEMORY.
of Antietam. A Union battery had taken a posi-
tion in a corn field which masked its presence
from the Confederates.
"When the proper moment came," said Sir
Adolphe, "the order to fire was given by General
__— — . "
"You are, I think, mistaken," said Sir Wilfrid,
apologizing for the interruption. "It was Gen-
eral , who gave the order."
Sir Adolphe paused in amazement; then he
said : —
"You are right. I was there, yet I had forgot-
ten. You were not there, yet you remember. I
will tell no more experiences."
At another time, in Paris, in 1897, Sir Wilfrid
and other Canadians, who had visited England
for the Jubilee of Queen Victoria, were being
conducted about the city. At the Arc de Triomphe,
inscribed with the names of the great victories
of the Napoleonic wars, an army officer undertook
to give the dates of the different battles.
"Marengo," he said, "was fought in July 14th.,
1801."
"Was it not 1800?" asked Sir Wilfrid.
65
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
"It was," replied the officer, abashed. "Evi-
dently we must go to Canada to learn French
history."
* * *
Sir Wilfrid Laurier in a very real sense was
passionately fond of children. He relaxed to
them, he loved them, and they loved him. Chil-
dren seemed to get closer to "the Chief" than any-
one else. There were times, in the stress of big
events, when matters of policy were to be deter-
mined, when situations had to be gauged and met,
when Sir Wilfrid seemed to shut himself behind
an expressionless face to do his thinking. His
friends and lieutenants sought counsel from him
then without success. No premature intimations
were forthcoming. He became to all associated
with him a seeker — not a giver — of information.
— (One left his presence, having gone for guidance,
/with the conviction that he had laid bare his
I whole mind and thought at the delicate prompting
of the Chief's skilful interrogations, but realizing
that the latter had communicated nothing.
At the time of the long naval debate and Par-
liamentary embroglio, when the threat of clos-
ures was in the air and all the strategy of state-
66
LOVE OF CHILDREN.
craft was being brought into play by both parties,
a Liberal caucus waited anxiously one winter
morning for the advent of the leader. News-
paper-men who proceeded to the main entrance
eagerly watching for his coming witnessed the
septuagenarian spending the valuable moments
prodding in the snow with his walking-stick and
seeking to locate a "lost mitt" of an all-alone baby
girl, who was crying pathetically at her loss and
the cold. It was only when the missing mitten
was found and restored and the child had been
comforted that Sir Wilfrid turned his attention
to the waiting caucus and the problems of the
moment.
Those who accompanied the then Prime Min-
ister on his memorable tour of the West in the
summer of 1910 will never forget an incident
while he was speaking at Edmonton. So great
was the crowd that had assembled in Alberta's
capital that hot August afternoon to hear his mes-
sage that all attempts to hold an indoor meeting
were abandoned. Sir Wilfrid spoke from a bal-
cony at the central corner of the main thorough-
fare, and windows, balconies and streets were
peopled with spectators. Suddenly, in the midst
67
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
of his speech he paused, and gazing over the seeth-
ing mass of humanity, pointed to one of the
upper windows in a block diagonally opposite to
the balcony from which he spoke. A midget was
seated alone on the ledge, swinging her feet over
the street far below. Anxiously he inquired: "Is
that little one safe?" Amid all the display and
acclaim Sir Wilfrid's eyes were on the child in
danger.
One of the most charming revelations of Sir
Wilfrid's thought for children and his under-
standing of them occurred on the same tour dur-
ing a public reception at a temporary stand built
upon a Manitoba prairie. An eight-year-old maid
of the harvest field, with unadorned straw hat and
bare feet, stood, like the publican of old, afar off.
She looked on with wide, wondering eyes while
a more fortunate little lady, in the fluffy, berib-
boned, spotless daintiness so dear to all daugh-
ters of Eve, be they big or little, gave the great
man a beautiful bouquet of roses. She had seen
him stoop and kiss her. Then she separated her-
self from the cheering crowd. She strayed to a
spot on the prairie where she knew they grew.
She gathered them herself, a little ill-assorted
68
LOVE OF CHILDREN.
bunch of wild weed blossoms. Then she edged
her way back through the throng. She had al-
most reached him as he was moving on, when a
badged committeeman stopped her, and taking
her by the sleeve of her patched print dress thrust
her back. Tears sprang to her eyes.
For an instant the procession wavered. There
was a break in the line. Sir Wilfrid turned.
Unwittingly the little one found herself almost
confronting him. Feverishly now she sought to
squirm back into the oblivion of the crowd. But
he had seen her. He stepped toward her, and
the committeeman released his hold.
"Were you good enough to mean those flowers
for me, little girl?" he asked with a smile. She
thrust them toward him now half -frightened.
He bowed and took them. He kissed her. Then
he drew a sprig from the bunch and fastened
it upon the lapel of his coat. And when the
great man mounted his car and waved his hat to
the cheering hundreds there was one happy little
girl who feasted her eyes upon a faded wild weed
blossom still drooping on his breast.
Sir Wilfrid never lost a chance to "make up" to
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
the little folk. He travelled on the first passen-
ger train over the National Transcontinental from
Fort William to Winnipeg, when construction
gangs were still at work and the primitive con-
dition of the country caused the workmen to be
housed in log and frame shanties along the line,
and took a remarkable interest in the several chil-
dren who had accompanied their pioneer parents
to the wild and picturesque outposts of coming
civilization. He was the earliest riser on the
train, and one morning, when the call of break-
fast found him missing, there was some anxiety
as to whether he had lost his way in an early
morning walk through the bush. "No need for
worry," volunteered one, who knew his Chief
well; "you'll likely find him outside somewhere
with the youngsters." He was right. Sir Wilfrid
was "playing catch" with a sturdy four-year-old
behind a nearby shanty.
One day as the train lay in a switch near
Humboldt a boy mounted the steps with a new
birthday present, and explained that he wanted
to take his first picture of "Mister Laurier." A
few moments later the tall figure was standing
patiently on the track till the juvenile photo-
70
LOVE OF CHILDREN.
grapher "got it right." The little fellow secured
first-hand what scores of correspondents and local
photographers had for weeks been struggling
with crowds and erecting pedestals to obtain.
The devotion of the habitant of rural Quebec
to Sir Wilfrid Laurier was well illustrated by an
incident during the campaign of 1911. The Lib-
eral leader was leaving Bonaventure station, in
Montreal, very early one morning to proceed, via
Coteau, to accept the nomination for Soulanges.
At the station he passed a little girl, the daugh-
ter of a basket-laden woman, on her way to mar-
ket. He stopped to pat the child's head and ex-
change a greeting.
"Qui est 1'homme?" ("Who is the man?")
asked the astonished mother of a bystander.
"Sir Wilfrid Laurier," replied one of the group
of newspapermen nearby.
The woman's face was a picture. "En verite?"
("Indeed, truly?") she persisted, turning from
one to another for confirmation.
When she was convinced she ran after the de-
parting figure and stroked the sleeves of his coat
as if it were something holy. Sir Wilfrid turned
71
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
and shook her hand, ere the poor woman fled in
confusion.
* * *
His love of children was very sincere. On one
occasion he was visiting a friend at his farm near
Aurora. One evening he sat down to dinner, and
after commencing, excused himself, went upstairs
and shortly returned. Next day the little grand-
daughter of his host, who was also staying at the
farm, said that, "Mr. Wilfrid" had forgotten to
say goodnight to her the night before and that
he had come up from dinner to kiss her good-
night and speak to her before she went to sleep.
* * *
A man who visits Ottawa from time to time
tells of an unexpected interview with Sir Wilfrid.
Word was brought to him that the Liberal Chief-
tain wished to see him. The remainder of the
story may be told in his own words : —
The friend who brought me the message made
an appointment for me to visit Sir Wilfrid at two
o'clock in the afternoon. When I reached his
home on Laurier Avenue, he was waiting for me,
and although I had never met him before, his
72
THE GRAND MANNER.
welcome was so simple and kindly that I felt at
home at once, and felt as if we had been life-long
friends. In a sense we had been, for I had ad-
mired him since I had first seen him on a plat-
form over thirty years ago. The acquaintance-
ship was at least complete on my side. I felt that
I knew him very thoroughly, and his welcome
made me forget that his knowledge of me must be
very casual.
But though his greeting made me feel not only
at ease but flattered and happy, it was not long
before I noticed something that aroused an old-
time critical attitude. It so happened that many
years ago I had served my time as a dramatic
critic, and had learned to notice the little niceties
by which an actor achieves his affects. Now I do
not wish to accuse Sir Wilfrid of being an actor,
but if his methods were spontaneous and merely
happened so, they were still worthy of Booth,
Irving or Belasco.
I was shown into his sitting-room, where a
grate fire was burning. After a most cordial
greeting, in which he referred to some of my ac-
tivities, which had attracted his attention and
pleased him, he motioned me to a chair and when
78
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
I had seated myself he sat down beside me. While
standing he towered over me in height, but to my
surprise, when he sat down I was looking down
into his earnest, attentive face. I instantly no-
ticed that the chair on which he sat was several
inches lower than the one on which I sat. The
stage trick was so apparent that although I did
not betray the fact that I had noticed it, it made
me keenly alert for anything else of the same
kind that might happen. For over an hour we
engaged in a most animated conversation. I had
information which he wanted, and by his shrewd
questions, but even more by his absorbed atten-
tion, which never wavered, he made me tell every-
thing I knew about the subject in hand.
During the hour that I spent with him I could
not help feeling his magnetic personality. His
wonderful graciousness and flattering attention to
every word I spoke made me realize that he was
more compelling and captivating when met pri-
vately than when seen on the platform. No out-
burst of eloquence could surpass the delightful
persuasiveness of his ordinary conversation.
Finally, he rose as if some thought had sudden-
ly occurred to him. He walked over to the open
74
THE GRAND MANNER.
fireplace, and stood with his back to me for a few
moments. As he rose from the low chair on
which he had been sitting and stood erect his
heighth seemed more than mortal. Standing
with his back to me, he seemed absorbed in pro-
found thought, but presently he turned and his
whole manner had changed. Instinctively I came
to attention and stood before him. With the
smile which made his followers adore him, he
began abruptly.
"Now, Mr. , what I want to know is what
constituency are you going to contest in the com-
ing election?"
"Why!" I stammered. "I never thought of
such a thing!"
"Ah, but I have thought of it," said Sir Wilfrid.
I protested that I had no political experience
and would probably bring confusion upon myself
and the party, if I attempted to take a public part
in politics. With a magnificent gesture he brush-
ed aside my objections.
"But J want you with me in Parliament. 1
need you there!"
This compelled me to speak somewhat intimate-
ly of my personal affairs, and to make it clear to
75
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
him that it was impossible for me to change the
whole current of my life and take part in politics.
My explanations convinced him, and the subject
was dropped.
Though I was deeply moved by the compliment
implied by his request, the dramatic critic was
still alert at the back of my head and chuckling
with inward appreciation. The scene had been
worthy of Booth at his best. Cardinal Richelieu
could not have surpassed him. As a matter of
fact, I have always thought of him since then as
"the Cardinal," and have used the title when
speaking of him to intimate friends.
Though I had other interviews with him, none
of them equalled the first in the exquisite atten-
tion to detail in the stage setting — the low chair,
the open fireplace and the turning towards me
with infinite suavity and appeal to make his re-
quest.
But I do not wish to leave the impression that
he was consciously an actor. He naturally made
use of his surroundings for dramatic effect. It
was not so much that he put on a grand manner
as that it was impossible for him ever to lay it
off. It was part of the man-
76
THE GRAND MANNER.
The same man also said: —
One of the last interviews I enjoyed strength-
ened the impression of the "Cardinal." On the
day on which he started to Winnipeg for that
triumphal tour which raised such high hope be-
fore his defeat in 1917, I had an hour with him
in his home. He received me in his study on the
second floor. He had just been taking a nap to
prepare himself for the fatigues of the journey.
He had on a dressing gown of which I remember
that the predominating color was a decorative
figure in dull red.
The "Cardinal" received me with his custom-
ary graciousness, and for an hour we reviewed
the chances of the campaign. When I was leav-
ing him he followed me to the top of the stairs,
and as he shook hands he said, with that peculiar
serenity that was one of his outstanding charac-
teristics in his later days:
"I may be defeated, but I will not be dishon-
oured."
* * *
On one occasion Sir Wilfrid spoke in the pavil-
ion of the Horticultural Gardens. During his ad-
77
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
dress hisses came from the audience when he men-
tioned a paper that had taken issue with him.
Sir Wilfrid exclaimed, rebukingly, "How dare any
man hiss when another has the courage of his
convictions? I do not find fault with the paper
because it does not agree with me. We Liberals
have our differences, but that fact does not justify
hisses."
* * *
Mention has been made of a certain similarity
of viewpoint between Laurier and Gladstone. It
is true that the great English Liberal was born to
large opportunity. His magnificent intellectual
gifts were enhanced by all that wealth and cul-
ture could do to polish and prepare perhaps the
largest mind ever devoted to the service of the
State since Parliamentary government began.
From his earliest years he had consorted with
world-figures — with men who were playing a
great part on the great stage of the world. He
was admirably trained and equipped at all points
to play the part of the public man.
With Sir Wilfrid Laurier it was otherwise. He
lacked the adventitious aids of fortune and sta-
tion which smoothed the path of Gladstone as,
78
CONTEMPORARY ESTIMATES.
until the last ten years, they have smoothed the
path of every British Premier, with the solitary
exception of Disraeli. The two great Liberal
leaders were akin in spirit — and it is the things
of the spirit that really matter. It is possible that
there was in Sir Wilfrid Laurier, as certainly to
the last there was in Gladstone, a certain strain
of conservatism, using that word in no narrow
party sense. Both belonged to the old school
which valued fine manners, and, in the case of
both, their fine manners were the outward and
visible sign of minds that were rarely fine. But,
in spite of this strain of conservatism, both were
men imbued through and through with the spirit
of genuine Liberalism. The life of each, to his
last and latest moment, was a life of growth.
It is as impossible to set bounds to the growth
of Liberalism as it is to set bounds to the aspira-
tions of a nation. Those who would seek to re-
duce Liberal doctrines to formulae, to compress
them into a creed, and who would say: "This is
the Liberal faith, the whole Liberal faith, and
nothing but this is the Liberal faith," have small
conception of the inherent function of Liberalism.
That function is to keep abreast of the times, to
79
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
be in harmony with the spirit of the times, and to
be prepared to face the problems of the times
with high heart and high hopes, with unconquer-
able courage and unfaltering faith. Liberal be-
liefs are no effete and petrified dogmas. They
are a living, energizing, vitalizing force. They
are that — or they are nothing.
It was Sir Wilfrid Laurier's distinction, as it
was Gladstone's to take this view of Liberalism.
It is true that he belonged, as he himself often
said, to the school of Gladstone and Bright. But
he did not hold that the tenets of that school must
necessarily comprehend all truth. He realized
that it is the spirit in which political problems are
approached that constitutes the great difference
between Liberalism and its opposite. Even he ap-
proached those problems in a spirit of sympathy
with the aim and ideals of the common people.
His ears had caught the tramp of the marching
feet of the New Democracy, and to his heart the
sound brought not fear but lofty hope. Old in
years, but young in heart, he had an unquestion-
able faith in the honesty of this New Democracy
and in its ability to solve its own problems in its
own way. Not long ago, speaking of the fuller
80
CONTEMPORARY ESTIMATES.
life for the people which might be expected as
one of the outcomes of the war, he said that the
England of the future would not be so picturesque
or so dignified as the old England, but that it
would be a far happier England for the masses
of the people. It was the welfare of the masses
which was ever nearest his own heart. He saw
that all over the world the People's Day was dawn-
ing. He saw it and was glad.
TyiQt S1'1* Wii-frig Laurier 'was a great, aand will
Plpyp tn havffi bftim a toting, flynfiinff -fry**™* in
Canadian public life seems to us unquestionable. y(
On the many years of material prosperity that
Canada enjoyed while his hand guided the helm of */,
State; on his great achievement in the- realm
alike of legislation and of administration it is
beside our present purpose to dwell. These things
are a part, an imperishable part, of the history of
our country. ^But he did much,- infinitely mucii, ~
to give Canadians a sense of national unity and a
sense of the dignity of nationhood. His efforts
were often frustrated by the schemes of smaller
men, with their appeals to racial prejudice and
religious intolerance. But he himself steadily
strove to weld the Canadian people into one har-
81
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
certainly did notJiye to see
consummation o* frfa ynrk in this regard.
But there win corned day when the people for
whom belaboured will surely remember it and not
with J
Whoever he may be, the successor to Laurier
must take no smaller view than this. Appeals
to classes, to interests, and to sections — whether
to farmers, to labour, to the manufacturers, or
what not — are not the appeals that Liberalism
makes. For that appeal is to all good citizens.
It is to the civic sense of the whole country.
* * * *
Sir Wilfrid Laurier has not had an approach of
an equal during the last generation. It is not
easy to exactly define in what his personality con-
sisted. Facial charm was certainly one of his
greatest endowments. He had a remarkably fine
and open countenance, with a finely chiselled and
expressive mouth, and with a classic brow that
was one of the gifts of the gods. No one ever
forgot Sir Wilfrid who had the privilege of seeing
or hearing him once. The late Sir George Ross
once referred to him as "a picture gallery all in
himself." His voice was also one of his great en-
82
CONTEMPORARY ESTIMATES.
dowments, and his gestures of hands and body
were in perfect sympathy with the thoughts he
had to express. Behind all this was a finely cul-
tured intellect, and behind this again was a burn-
ing French-Canadian soul that added warmth to
all his words, gave action and gesture and fire,
and made him from a purely speaking standpoint
one of the greatest and most finished orators of
his time. But there was more even than this.
No man can hold followers simply by words alone.
Sir Wilfrid had a wonderfully sympathetic
heart, a keen appreciation of the human qualities
in man, and coupled with his own personal mag-
netism, there was a winsomeness that bound his
followers to him as with hoops of steel.
* * *
He did not ignore the material side of nation-
building. He realized the importance of the coun-
try's natural resources and the necessity for in-
dustrial development; but it was of the very
nature of the man that he should think most of
the happiness of the people. He saw in Canada
the opportunity for a wonderful experiment in
nation-making. He realized that wealth and
prosperity and national glory are not everything.
83
^L
j|
I
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
His ideal of a great nation was that of a free,
contented, united and intelligent people, living at
peace with each other and with the world. He
sought to break down the barriers of prejudice
and bigotry and ignorance that those of different
races and creeds and parties might live together
on terms of harmony and good will. His love was
for people rather than for material things, and
he attracted the love of people in return. No man
in Canada ever attracted a more generous or more
genuine measure of love. This was shown by the
spontaneous display of personal feeling which his
death called forth. And he was loved by the peo-
ple, not for any great thing he had done, but
rather because of what he was.
It was Laurier's desire, too, that Canada should
have an opportunity to develop according to the
genius of her own people, free from entangle-
nriATitg yjth old-world feuds and passions. The
nations of Europe were the victims of European
history and tradition. They lived in an atmo-
sphere of war and strife. So far as it was possi-
ble he would have saved Canada from the influ-
ence of this old-world spirit. He hesitated about
participation in the early days of the South Af ri-
84
^ V
CONTEMPORARY ESTIMATES.
can war. He was thinking of Canada and the
Canadian people. When the present war broke
out he saw that it was a struggle to the death be- J
tween civilization and barbarism, and he did not
hesitate for a moment as to Canada's duty. But
he was not prepared to go to the length of sup- )
porting conscription. To him conscription meant '
militarism, and he dreaded militarism as he
hated it. J
* * *
The Canadian nation stood grief-stricken
around that august bier. The hero of so many a
gallant fight had succumbed to Death, the last
great enemy of all — and even that enemy came
to him like a friend.
"When a great man dies,
For years beyond our ken,
The light he leaves behind him lies
Along the paths of men."
So it will be with Sir Wilfrid Laurier. In-
trinsically and essentially he was a great man —
great in natural gifts, great in vision, great in
heart, great in soul, and "as the greatest only are,
in his simplicity sublime." Great men, it has been
85
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
well said, are like great mountains. One cannot
fully judge of their real grandeur at close range.
So it may well be that we shall have to interpose
some distance of time between Sir Wilfrid
Laurier and ourselves before we can gauge, with
anything approximating to adequacy, how much
a bigger man he was than any of his contempor-
aries.
To the end he was "the greatest fighter of them
all." Forty odd years of strenuous public life
brought no slackening in the vigour of mind or
energy, nor any discouragement as to the ultimate
triumph of the principle for which he always
stood. There is an elixir of perpetual youth in a
good cause and in a good fight.
"I have endeavoured to meet success without
elation and reverse without discouragement," he
said to his followers in Parliament in May, 1914,
in acknowledging their testimonial to him on the
completion of forty years of continuous member-
ship in the House of Commons. The "father of
Parliament," in point of length of service as in
point of ripe judgment, oratorical graces and
public experience, he remained, in Opposition as
in power, an optimist and an unflagging worker.
86
CONTEMPORARY ESTIMATES.
During the fifteen years of his Premiership Sir
Wilfrid Laurier, with the exception of his Imper-
ial Conference trips and his western tour of 1910,
and during election campaigns, was scarcely ever
away from his post at the Capital. As leader of
His Majesty's Loyal Opposition he was daily in
his office attending to a large correspondence,
looking after the details of party organization,
receiving many callers who sought advice or as-
sistance, and keeping abreast, through books and
periodicals, of all national problems and world
movements.
For half a century Wilfrid Laurier fought the
battles of Canadian democracy — for responsible
^ government, for social justice, for equality of
opportunity, for freedom for the common people
— the ordinary, everyday folk — in the age-long
fight between entrenched and aggressive self-
interest and altruistic common interest.
"The happiness of the masses of the people
the underlying consideration of government," he
said to the students of the University of Toronto^J
in an address in December, 1913.
And in the policies which he advocated there
was proof of his sincere belief in the ideal of
87
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
government he thus stated. He led the fight for
the revision of the tariff downward, so that
greedy men might be prevented from taking un-
due tolls from their fellow-men, so that com-
bines and corporations should be curbed when
they attempted "to fix prices one way to the pro-
ducer and another way to the consumer."
Addressing a great gathering of new foreign
settlers in western Canada as Premier, in welcom-
ing them and bidding them partake of the advan-
tages of British citizenship, he feelingly and sig-
nificantly alluded to this step in his career.
"I live myself in this land," said he, "as an ex-
ample of the breadth and freedom of British in-
stitutions. It is an illustration of that thing upon
which the British system is based. I am not of
English blood. My ancestors were of the French
race. Yet I am acknowledged as the leader of the
Parliament of Canada, irrespective of the blood
in my veins. Twenty-two years ago I took the
leadership of the Liberal party. Friends came to
me after Mr. Blake's retirement and offered me
the leadership. I hesitated. I told them that I
thought it was not fitting that I, coming from
the race of the minority, worshipping with the
88
CONTEMPORARY ESTIMATES.
minority, should accept it. In reply they told me
that the Liberal party knew neither race nor
creed. They said: 'Whoever is worthy of our
land is worthy of our leadership.' And I accepted.
"The race is open to all. Any man may come
to this land who is willing to work. It matters
not who his father was or from what land he
came, or at what altar he bows, he can aspire to
the best and the highest this land has to offer.
Whatever a Briton-born can claim he may claim.
British institutions know no difference what-
He had great differences to reconcile, and he
had more especially to meet and overcome the pre-
sumptions which would naturally bar the way to
leadership and popularity in the case of a public
man whose native tongue was French, but who
aspired to rule a community predominantly Eng-
lish in blood and speech.
It is a tribute to the greatness of his character
and to his memory to reflect that even in Opposi-
tion he was the great outstanding figure in the
political life of the country. He did not need of-
fice to clothe himself with the dignity that came
89
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
to a public man. And he was equally a political
force in or out of office. There was a glamor that
hung over him that attracted men to him. He was
the very incarnation of the political aspirations
of thousands of men and women, who never saw
him in the flesh. To his own immediate follow-
ers and political friends he was the proverbial
guide, philosopher and friend.
* * *
It was with great misgivings that Sir Wilfrid
accepted the leadership of the Liberal Party,
when Edward Blake gave it up. He realized that
for a young man of French-Canadian extraction
and a Roman Catholic in religion, the road would
be difficult for him to traverse. And truth to say,
not a few of the Liberals felt dismayed at the
prospect. But Sir Wilfrid was not long in show-
ing the people of Canada that they had in him
a leader who was guided solely by a desire to do
his best for his country no matter who would
suffer.
When he took office in 1896, Canada was in a
state of business stagnation. Factories were
closed, thousands of men were walking the
streets for lack of work, and thousands more were
90
CONTEMPORARY ESTIMATES.
fleeing to the United States as from a pestilence.
Soup kitchens were kept busy doling out food to
those who could pay for none, and it is a fact that
idle men in some cities, had to stay in the house
for fear of being arrested as vagrants. This was
the condition of affairs when Sir Wilfrid took the
reins of office.
The change that came over the country was
magical. People took new heart. Factories be-
gan to fire up. Men got back to work. The waste
places of the Dominion became settled wixh thou-
sands of families from the old lands, a home
market was procured and the foreign market was
again established. An impetus to the forging of
the chains of empire was given when Sir Wilfrid
in 1897, and again in 1900, granted the British
preference. It is now a matter of history how his
pilgrimages to England lifted Canada out of the
darkness into the light, how this picturesque Can-
adian figure dazzled the British people and how
under his guidance this Canada became a nation
in the eyes of the world.
Sir Wilfrid was an optimist. In victory or de-
feat he never lost sight of his goal, and he never
gave up. However, his opponents professed to
91
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
doubt his loyalty, they had no reason to doubt it.
Much misrepresentation of Sir Wilfrid Laurier
arose over his action in connection with the Boer
war. Yet it is to be remembered that he was the
first Canadian Premier to send a Canadian con-
tingent abroad to help the mother country against
a common enemy. On this occasion the London
Times said : Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the French Ro-
man Catholic Premier, of a self-governing federa-
tion, in which British Protestants are in the ma-
jority, has expressed more faithfully and more
truly than any statesman who has spoken yet, the
temper of the new imperial patriotism fostered
into self-consciousness by the South African war.
* * *
A Conservative who always recognized the
worth of Laurier as a Canadian, requests the re-
publication of some words of the Liberal chief-
tain during his last appearance in London, stat-
ing that in his opinion they take rank with some
of the utterances of Lincoln and Gladstone:
"As for you who stand to-day on the threshold
of life. ... I shall remind you that many
problems rise before you : problems of race divis-
ion, problems of creed differences, problems of
92
NOTABLE UTTERANCES.
economic conflict, problems of national duty and
national aspirations. Let me tell you that for the
solution of these problems you have a safe guide,
an unfailing light, if you remember that faith is
better than doubt and love is better than hate.
. . . Banish doubt and hate from your life.
Let your souls be ever open to the strong prompt-
ings of faith and the gentie influence of brotherly
love. Be adamant against the haughty ; be gentle
and kind to the weak. Let your aim and your
purpose, in good report or in ill, in victory or in
defeat, be so to live, so to strive, so to serve as
to do your part to raise the standard of life to
higher and better spheres."
These are not the words of a politician. They
arise transcendent above the ordinary dogmas of
strife and intolerance. They breathe moderation
and kindness and therefore a perfect index of the
character of their author.
* * «
"In the thirty years that I have led the Liberal
party, my platform has always been Canada first.
Whether on one side or another, on this question
or that, my guiding star has always been my
Canadian country. There is a crisis, and we must
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
fight on as fought the pioneers of the early days
in Canada, the strong, stern men who kept in
sight their goal of Canada's best interests against
all difficulties and obstacles.) Let our motto be
the same as theirs — 'Fortitude in Distress/ There
are breakers ahead, but we shall reach the shore
if we fight on. We can bring to pass in Canada
what was prophesied by a distinguished Ameri-
can once — that the twentieth century would be
the century of Canada." — Sir Wilfrid Laurier at
Winnipeg, December, 1917.
* * *
The coronation of King Edward in 1902 was
taken advantage of to hold another imperial con-
ference, when the question of imperial defence
came up. Prior to leaving England Sir Wilfrid
discussed the invitation in the House. "If it is
intended simply to discuss what part Canada is
prepared to take in her own defence," he said,
"what share of the burden must fall upon us as
being responsible for the safety of our own land,
certainly we are always prepared to discuss that
subject. But there is a school abroad, there is a
school in England and in Canada, a school which
is perhaps represented on the floor of this parlia-
94
NOTABLE UTTERANCES.
ment, which wants to bring Canada into the vor-
tex of militarism, which is the curse and blight
of Europe, I am not prepared to endorse any
such policy."
This was the traditional attitude of Sir John A.
Macdonald and that of Sir Charles Tupper in the
speech made at Quebec in 1900. Sir Wilfrid
stood by it at the conference, and was supported
by Australia.
* * *
Many eloquent tributes have been paid to him
since his death, but none have surpassed the beau-
tiful tribute which Sir Wilfrid paid to the late
Sir John Macdonald, when he passed away
twenty-eight years ago. Speaking from his place
in Parliament on that occasion, he said:
"The place of Sir John Macdonald in this coun-
try was so large and so absorbing that it is almost
impossible to conceive that the political life of
this country, the fate of this country, can con-
tinue without him. His loss overwhelms us. For
my part, I say, with all truth, that his loss over-
whelms me, and it also overwhelms this Parlia-
ment, as if indeed one of the institutions of the
land had given way. Sir John now belongs to the
/
95
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
ages, and it can be said with certainty that the
career which has just closed is one of the most
remarkable careers of this century. It would be
premature at this time to attempt to fix or antici-
pate what will be the final judgment of history
upon him ; but there were in his career and in his
life features so prominent and so conspicuous that
already they shine with a glow which time cannot
alter, which, even now appear before the eye.
such as they will appear to the end of history. I
think it can be asserted that for the supreme act
of governing men Sir John Macdonald was gifted
as few men in any land or in any age were gifted
— gifted with the highest of all qualities, qualities
which would have made him famous wherever
exercised, and which would have shone all the
more conspicuously the larger the theatre. The
fact that he would congregate together elements
the most heterogeneous and blend them into one
compact party, and to the end of his life keep
them steadily under his hand, is perhaps alto-
gether unprecedented. The fact that during all
those years he retained unimpaired not only the
confidence but the devotion — the ardent devotion
— and affection of his party, is evidence that be-
96
NOTABLE UTTERANCES.
sides those higher qualities of statesmanship to
which we were daily witnesses, he was also en-
dowed with those inner, subtle, undefinable graces
of the soul which win and keep the hearts of
men."
It will be generally admitted that Sir Wilfrid's
graceful words, spoken in reference to the great
Conservative leader, are singularly applicable to
his own case.
* * *
"If there is anything to which I have devoted
my political life, it is to try to promote unity, har-
mony and amity between the diverse elements of
this country. My friends can desert me, they can
remove their confidence from me, they can with-
draw the trust they have placed in my hands, but
never shall I deviate from that line of policy.
Whatevej* mjy_bsjthe_conseguences, w
of FefetTeossCoF^ loss o power
eel a^ am
Time will coifle^he
jjh the right, aAd I
eiTevejy man wll
ustice
kno
vender
18m , 1900.
fil claim this"TorT;h€LXiberal Government, that
we have endeavoured to carry on the policy of this
country so as to make Canada a nation — a nation
97
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
within the British Empire — A nation great in the
eyes of the world. For my part, I want to see her
lands occupied, her mines developed, her forests
cleared, her fisheries exploited, her cities growing,
her population increasing, but above all, I want to
see our people united.
""I do not know whether my political career or
my natural life shall be short or long, but whether
short or long, I cherish the hope that I shall have
so lived that when deposited in my grave, every
Canadian, be he friend or foe, be he English-
speaking, or French-speaking Protestant or Cath-
olic, will have to say :
' There rests a man who has given the best of his
life of his soul, of his heart to make us an united
^people." Bowmanville, October, 1899.
"Even those who on principle do not believe in
war, admit that this was a just war and that it
had to be fought. That union of hearts which
exists in the United Kingdom exists also in Can-
ada, in Australia, in New Zealand, yea, even in
South Africa — South Africa rent by war less than
twenty years ago, but now united under the bless-
98
NOTABLE UTTERANCES.
ing of British institutions, with all, British and
Dutch together, standing ready to shed their
blood for the common cause. Sir, there is in this
the inspiration and the hope that from this painful
war the British Empire may emerge with a new
bond of union, the pride of all its citizens, and a
living light to all other nations." August 19th,
1914.
* * *
"I am a Liberal of the English school. I believe
in that school, which has all along claimed that
it is the privilege of all subjects, whether high or
low, whether rich or poor, whether ecclesiastics
or laymen, to participate in the administration of
public affairs, to discuss, to influence, to persuade,
to convince — but which has always denied even to
the highest the right to dictate even to the lowest,
but Protestants as well, and I must give an ac-
count of my stewardship to all classes. Here am
I, a Roman Catholic of French extraction, entrust-
ed by the confidence of the men who sit around
me with great and important duties under our
constitutional system of government. I am here
the acknowledged leader of a great party com-
posed of Roman Catholics and Protestants as well,
99
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
in which Protestants are in the majority, as Pro-
testants must be in the majority in every party in
Canada. Am I to be told, in occupying such a posi-
tion, that I am to be dictated to as to the course I
am to take in this House, by reasons that can ap-
peal to the consciences of my fellow Catholic mem-
bers, but which do not appeal as well to the con-
sciences of my Protestant colleagues? No. So
long as I have a seat in this House, so long as I
occupy the position I do now, whenever it shall
become my duty to take a stand upon any ques-
tion whatever, that stand I will take not upon
grounds of Roman Catholicism, not upon grounds
of Protestantism, but upon grounds which can
appeal to the consciences of all men, irrespective
of their particular faith, upon grounds which can
be occupied by all men who love justice, freedom
and toleration." Hansard, March 3rd., 1896.
"If, upon my death bed, I could say, th^t thanks
to my efforts, one solitary error had disappeared,
a single prejudice had been eradicated, that by
my sheer exertion race hatred had been caused to
disappear from Canada's soil — I should, indeed,
100
NOTABLE UTTERANCES.
die happily with the conviction and assurance that
my life had not been lived in vain."
Sir Wilfrid Laurier was a true Canadian, a great
British citizen. If he had one aim in life whicn
stood high above all others it was to contrive a
happy, a United Canada. "You are aware," he
said, in that superb speech delivered at Quebec in
1894, "that in the eleventh century certain men
started out from Normandy, Anjou, Brittany, and
Angouleme to capture England. Duke William
of Normandy was their leader, and our present
sovereign is the last scion of a royal race that
dates back to William^ the Conqueror. In the
sixteenth century men started from the same pro-
vince of Normandy, Anjou, Brittany and Angou-
leme to colonize the fertile lands on the banks of
the St. Lawrence. In the next century the men
of both races met here and you know what hap-
pened. Well, is it not permissible to hope that
a day will come, when, instead of facing each other
on hostile purpose intent, the men of the two
countries, the descendants of the Britons, Angev-
ins and Normans, who invaded England in the
101
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
eleventh century, and the descendants of the An-
gevins, Normans, and Britons, who peopled Can-
ada in the sixteenth, will meet together, not to
fight, but to hold the grand assizes of peace and
commerce ? I may not live long enough to see that
day, but if my career should be sufficiently extend-
ed to allow me to take part in these assizes, it will
be a happy day to me. I shall attend them bear-
ing with me my Canadian nationality, and I be-
lieve that I shall continue the work of Mr. La-
fontaine and Sir George Etienne Cartier, and that
the result will be all to the advantage of French
Canada. Gentlemen, our situation as a country is
full of difficulties, and those difficulties are no
doubt immense. Still, there is nothing desperate
about them. What this country needs above all
else is peace, concord, and union between all the
elements composing its population. Let us show
the world that if we reverence the past, we also
have a regard for the future. Let us show to the
world that union does not mean absorption, and
that autonomy does not mean antagonism. tVictor
Hugo, recalling his double origin, used these fine
words :
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NOTABLE UTTERANCES.
"Fidele au double sang qu'on verse dans ma veine,
Mon pere, vieux soldat, ma mere, Vendeenne."
("True to the double blood that was poured
into my veins by my father, an old soldier, and
my mother, a Vendean.")
"Let us also be true to our double origin, true
to the memory and the reverence of the great na-
tion from which we have sprung, and true also to
the great nation which has given us freedom.
And in all the difficulties, all the pains, and all the
vicissitudes of our situation, let us always remem-
ber that love is better than hatred, and faith bet-
ter than doubt, and let hope in our future destinies
be the pillar of fire to guide us in our career."
* * *
England expects every man to do his duty! I
am going to do my duty, not only by Canada, but
by the Empire, Britain, thank God, does not re-
quire help from anybody, but if ever the occasion
should arise when Britain is summoned to stand
against the whole world in arms, she can depend
upon the loyal support of Canada and the Cana-
dian people. The Canadian people are free and
loyal; loyal because they are free.
103
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
The "Old Chief" as he was familiarly, and lov-
ingly called by his followers, occupied a very
large place in the affections of the British people.
There was something romantic about this French-
Canadian Prime Minister, who took the premier
place at Imperial Conferences, and who argued
that formal treaties, and hard and fast agree-
ments were not necessary to bind the Empire to-
gether. , „ „
"What do you think of the English people7"
Sir Wilfrid was once asked.
"The English are all right; they are good
sports, good losers, and on the whole I have no
reason to complain of their treatment during my
long term of public life."
"Are they not somewhat arrogant?"
"All strong people are somewhat arrogant, but
they are fair to a great degree," he replied.
"I was born a Catholic," he declared, "and I
will die, of course, in that faith," and when I re-
plied that he had had a pretty hard row to hoe in
his lifetime with certain priests and prelates, he
replied: "Yes, that is true, but others of the
same cloth have shown me much kindness thai it
sweetens the bitterness of the pill which a few of
104
NOTABLE UTTERANCES.
them have administered. Here," he added, in the
most earnest tones and expression, "is the whole
situation. Without taking as gospel everything
that a cure may say, or even a bishop, I firmly be-
lieve in the principles of the Roman Catholic
Church, and, as I have stated, I will die in the
faith. In reply to your remark as to the difficul-
ties which have from time to time beset me during
the past thirty-five years, I may say that there
are a good many people who have tried to drive
me out of the Catholic Church, and the means
which they have used have not at all times been
fair and above board, but, thank God, they have
not succeeded up to the present time, and they
will have quite as little success in the future as
in the past."
* * *
"I have no hesitation in saying that if the day
should come when the supremacy of Britain on
the high seas should be challenged it will be the
duty of all the daughter nations to close around
the old Motherland, and to make a rampart about
her to ward off any attack. I hope that day will
never come, but should it come, I would deem it
my duty to devote what might be left of my life
105
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
and energy to stump the country and endeavor to
impress upon my fellow-countrymen, especially
my compatriots in the Province of Quebec, the
conviction that the salvation of England is the
salvation of our own country, and therein lies
the guaranty of our civil and religious freedom
and everything we value in life. These are the
sentiments which animate the Government on this
7occasion."
"This session has been called for the purpose
of giving the authority of Parliament and the
sanction of law to such measures as have already
been taken by the Government, and any further
measures that may be needed, to insure the de-
fence of Canada and to give what aid may be in
our power to the Mother Country in the stupen-
dous struggle which now confronts us. Speaking
for those who sit around me, Speaking for those
who sit around me, speaking for the wide con-
stituency which we represent in this House, I
hasten to say that to all these measures we are
prepared to give immediate assent. If in what
has been done or in what remains to be done
there may be anything which in our judgment
should not be done or should be differently done,
106
NOTABLE UTTERANCES.
we raise no question, we take no exception, we
offer no criticism, and we shall offer no criticism
so long as there is danger at the front. It is our
duty, more pressing upon us than all other duties,
at once, on this first day of this extraordinary
session of the Canadian Parliament, to let Great
Britain know, and to let the friends and foes of
Great Britain know, that there is in Canada but
one mind and one heart, and that all Canadians
stand behind the Mother Country, conscious and
proud that she has engaged in this war, not from
any selfish motive, for any purpose of aggrandize-
ment, but to maintain untarnished the honour of
her name, to fulfil her obligation to her Allies,
to maintain her treaty obligations and to save
civilization from the unbridled lust of conquest
and power.
"We are British subjects, and to-day we are
face to face with the consequences which are in-
volved in that proud fact. Long have we en-
joyed the benefit of our British citizenship; to-
day it is our duty to accept its responsibilities and
its sacrifices.
"If my word can be heard beyond the walls of
this House in the Province from which I come;
107
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
among the men whose blood flows in my own
veins, I should like them to remember that in
taking their place to-day in the ranks of the Cana-
dian army to fight for the cause of the Allied
nations, a double honour rests upon them. The
very cause for which they are called upon to fight
is to them doubly sacred."
* * *
Sir Wilfrid Laurier was one of the chief speak-
ers at the great musical festival given by the
American residents of Toronto under the aus-
pices of the American Aid Society, on Thursday,
September 10th., 1914. The concert was held in
the Arena, and the entire receipts were donated
to the Canadian Patriotic Fund. The Liberal
leader said:
"Some few weeks ago Canada deliberated upon
the situation, the stupendous struggle in which
Britain is engaged, and the part which Canada
bears. All vestiges of political differences were
eliminated. We found in comparing our views
that we stood exactly upon the same platform.
Without a dissenting voice it was the unanimous
opinion of the Canadian Parliament that the war
in which England is engaged to-day is a sacred
108
NOTABLE UTTERANCES.
war, and that Canada must help to its last man
and its last dollar.
"We must face the situation as it is, and as
Lord Kitchener told us some few days ago, we
must have more men. There is a difference be-
tween the British nation and the nations of the
continent. The nations of the continent get their
soldiers by law ; by conscription, and the enforce-
ment of authority; the British nation get their
soldiers not by law, but by appealing to the pat-
riotism of men. Lord Kitchener tells us he wants
more soldiers. If he wants more soldiers from
Canada let him say the word and we will re-
spond to meet him. We are behind the Mother
Country, and let us send them a message that
this war must be fought to a finish, and that arms
must not be laid down until the principle which it
has been fought for is vindicated, and until the
day has come when right takes the place of
might."
* * *
From Laurier's great speech in the Academy
of Music, Quebec, June 26, 1877, in which he
declared himself a Liberal of the English school,
and an opponent of clerical intimidation :
109
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
"The constitution of the country rests on the
freely expressed wish of each election. It intends
that each elector shall cast his vote freely and
willingly as he deems best. If the greatest num-
ber of the electors of a country are actually of an
opinion, and that, owing to the influence exercised
upon them by one or more men, or owing to words
they have heard or writings they have read,
their opinion changes, there is nothing in the cir-
cumstance but what is perfectly legitimate.
Although the opinion they express is different
from the one they have expressed without such
intervention, still it is the one they desire to ex-
press conscientiously, and the constitution meets
with the entire application. If, however, not-
withstanding all reasoning, the opinion of the
electors remains the same, but that, by intimida-
tion or fraud, they are forced to vote differently,
the opinion which they express is not their opin-
ion, and the constitution is violated. As I have
already said, the constitution intends that each
one's opinion shall be freely expressed as he un-
derstands it at the moment of expression, and
the collective reunion of the individual opinions
freely expressed, forms the gov^^oment of the
country.
110
NOTABLE UTTERANCES.
"I am amongst you to-day, not as a politician,
but only as a Canadian, and, I may add, as a
French-Canadian, as a Canadian of my race, and
when I go to the English Provinces I am quite
as proud to call myself as such. I am here to tell
you all that we owe to England and to France.
What we want before everything is equal rights
for everyone, the rights for which England and
France have fought, the respect of minorities and
the respect of justice and loyalty, so shamefully
outraged by Germany."
"Do not forget that the fact that Britain was at
war constituted for Canada a new condition of
things, which imposed new duties upon the Gov-
ernment, upon the Opposition and upon the whole
Canadian people. The moment that Great Brit-
ain was at war, Canada was at war. This is a
truth which, while we were in office, we had not
only to proclaim, but for which we had to provide
in a manner consonant with the new condition,
a new situation created by the development of
Canada, not as a colony, but as a nation within
the British Empire.
"These truths were not accepted by all. It was
the occasion of a great deal of misrepresentation ;
111
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
it contributed very much towards the defeat
which we suffered in 1911, but for my part let
me say here that I have no regrets. Better be it
ten times over and more that we should stand
here defeated for having had the courage of pre-
senting to the Canadian people new duties which
have had effects, rather than to still be in office
by having shirked the duty which was incumbent
upon the administration.
"But at that time it was easy to appeal to pre-
judices, but the truth that when Britain is at war,
Canada is at war also, came in only too concrete a
manner, for, after the declaration of war, right
here in the city of Montreal you had your harbour
full of ships loaded with the produce of the land
ready to take to the sea, still remaining here
owing to the war, because if they had taken to the
sea they would have been liable to seizure by
the enemy. They did not and could not take to
the seas until the ocean had been swept by the
British Navy, and until the British Navy was
ready to escort them, until the duty was forth-
coming by the British Navy, which, in my convic-
tion, it behooved the Canadian people to do
themselves.
112
NOTABLE UTTERANCES.
"We are a free people, absolutely free. The
charter under which we live has put it in our
power to say whether we should take part in such
a war or not. It is for the Canadian people, the
Canadian Parliament and the Canadian Govern-
ment alone to decide. This freedom is at once
the glory and honour of Britain, which granted
it, and of Canada, which used it to assist Britain.
Freedom is the keynote of all British institutions.
There is no compulsion upon those dependencies
of Great Britain which have reached the stature
of Dominions such as Canada, Australia, New
Zealand, South Africa and such Crown Depen-
dencies as India. They are all free to take part
or not as they think best. That is the British
freedom which much to the surprise of the world,
and greatly to the dismay of the German Em-
peror, German professors, and German diplo-
mats caused the rush from all parts of the Brit-
ish Empire to assist the Mother Country in this
stupendous struggle. Freedom breeds loyalty.
Coercion always was the mother of rebellion.
"I was asked by someone why should I support
the Government in their policy of sending men to
the front. Why should not the Liberal party have
113
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
remained quiet and passive and let all the
worries be left to the Government? My answer
was, 'I have no particular love for the Govern- /
ment, but I love my country* I love the land of /
my ancestors, France. I love the land of liberty, )
above all, England, and rather than that I in my/
I position of leader of the Liberal party, should
remain passive and quiescent, I would rather goj
out of public life, and life altogether.'
"When the Prime Minister announced his in-
tention of placing all available forces at the dis-
posal of the British Government, what was the
policy of the Liberal party? There were three
currents of opinion at the time. There was first
of all the Imperialist who would have Canada
take part in all the wars of the Empire. There
was the Nationalist who would not have Canada
take part in any war of the Empire at all, and
there was the Liberal position. What was our
position? We stood for Canadian autonomy. We
upheld the sovereignty of Canada. I have several
times on the floor of the House sustained that
position. I claimed for the Parliament of Can-
ada, the right which John Bright claimed in the
Imperial Parliament in the Crimean War. Time
114
NOTABLE UTTERANCES.
has shown that he was right. It has been estab-
lished that the Crimean War was without result
and had no cause. So I claimed for the Parlia-
ment of Canada the same right that John Bright
claimed for the Imperial Parliament. And I
should add that by doing so I scandalized both
the Imperialists and the Nationalists.
"Neither of them challenged the position. No
one denied that the Canadian Parliament had the
right of pronouncement on the question of par-
ticipation or non-participation. But the Im-
perialist wanted Parliament to close its eyes and
to fight in any war. The Nationalist wanted Par-
liament to close its eyes and to fight in no wars.
We Liberals asked for nothing more than the
liberty which had been guaranteed to us.
"If I state our position now, it is not because
I wish to raise a discussion on these questions.
So long as the war continues, so long as the soil
of Belgium is occupied, so long as the last Ger-
man has not been kicked out of France, so long is
this not the time to discuss these questions. All
our attention should be directed to the prosecu-
tion of the war and to the bringing about of that
final victory which we hope to secure. But when
115
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
the war is over we shall have to take up theae
questions again. And the people of Canada will
be called upon to decide between the opposing
parties. If I mention the questions now it is
merely because I wish to indicate the motives of
our actions.
"I have given you the reasons which made me
take the attitude I took in this war, and though I
am free to admit that I preferred to fight rather
than support the Government in a case of this
kind all other considerations should disappear.
To complete my thoughts, so that no one may mis-
understand me, I will declare that had I been in
power I should have followed the same policy
myself, though in details of administration I
should have tried to do better. Had we been in
power we should not be reproacKed with faults,
errors and the friends which now hang every-
where. But I will not talk of that in this dis-
cussion. I did not come here to-night for that
reason. It is not the time to discuss these ques-
tions ; they will be discussed later, do not fear.
"What are the rights and duties of the Liberal
party? In my opinion, the party should stand for
one thing alone, for public good and general in-
116
NOTABLE UTTERANCES.
terest; its spirit should be such that it can ap-
prove or condemn accordingly as the public good
and general interest demand condemnation or
approbation.
"We maintained that spirit in power, and we
maintain it now. When we lost, we were beaten,
but we were not subdued."
From a speech before the Quadrennial Confer-
ence of the Methodist Church of Canada, at
Ottawa, Sept. 23, 1914:
"The sword will not be put back in the scab-
bard," he said, "until this Imperial bully has been
taught that this 'scrap of paper' is a solemn obli-
gation, and that solemn obligations between na-
tions, as between individuals must be observed.
There can be no peace until heroic Belgium has
had her rights and her lands restored, and her
wrongs repaired. There can be no peace until the
world knows that it is to be governed, not by
brute force, but by truth, liberty and justice, for
which the British flag stands."
* * *
As for his own record as statesman, British
117
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
and Canadian, he remarked only a few weeks be-
fore his death:
"Well, I think that when all facts are reviewed
in their right perspective, history will not deal
unkindly with me, I am content to leave my record
to the judgment of men's thoughts, and to future
generations of Canadians."
* * *
Fifty-five years ago he graduated at law, and
on that occasion said: "Two races share to-day
the soil of Canada. The French and English
races have not always been friends ; but I hasten
to say it, and I say it to our glory, that race hat-
reds are finished on Canadian soil. It matters
not the language the people speak or the altars at
which they kneel."
The advice he gave the young men of a Liberal
Club in Montreal reveals his philosophic tempera-
ment : "Let me give you a word of good counsel.
During your career you will have to suffer many
things which will appear to you as supreme in-
justice. Let me say to you that you should never
allow your religious convictions to be affected by
anything which appears to you an injustice. Let
me ask of you never to allow your religious con-
118
NOTABLE UTTERANCES.
victions to be affected by the acts of men. Your
convictions are immortal; your convictions are
not only immortal, but their base is eternal. Let
your convictions be always calm, serene, and
superior to the inevitable trials of life, and shew
to the world that Catholicism is compatible with
the exercise of liberty in its highest acceptation."
In a speech which he delivered in Quebec in
1894, he gave expression to his religious ideals
in the following passage:
"In religion I belong to the school of Montalem-
bert and Lacordaire, of the men who were the
greatest perhaps of their age in loftiness of char-
acter and ability of thought. I know of no
grander spectacle than that of Montalembert and
Lacordaire, two adolescents, two children almost,
undertaking to conquer in France freedom of edu-
cation, and succeeding in their object after many
years of struggle. I know of no finer spectacle
than that furnished by Montalembert confront-
ing the French bourgeoisie, impregnated, as they
were, with that dissolving materialism, the Vol-
tairean skepticism of the eighteenth century, and
exclaiming: 'We are the sons of the Crusaders
and shall not retreat before the sons of Voltaire.'
119
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
I know of no greater or more beautiful spectacle
than that of Lacordaire proclaiming from the pul-
pit of Notre Dame the truths of Christianity to
the incredulous crowd, and teaching them that
life is a sacrifice and is only rendered worthy by
duty accomplished."
* * *
Sir Wilfrid Laurier's last appearance in London
was at the Imperial Conference in 1911, and it
was at this gathering that he made the notable
statement,
"I represent a country which has no griev-
All his hopes and aspirations are contained in
his inspiring message to the Acadians of Nova
Scotia :
"Thank Providence," he said, "that we live in
a country of absolute freedom and liberty. Let us
always bear in mind our duties, for duty is always
inherent in right Our fathers had to labour to
secure these rights. Now let us fulfil our part.
Three years ago, when visiting England at the
Queen's Jubilee, I had the privilege of visiting one
120
HIS ACTIVITIES.
of the marvels of Gothic architecture which the
hand of genius, guided by an unerring faith, had
made a harmonius whole, in which granite, mar-
ble, oak and other materials were blended. This
cathedral is an image of the nations I hope to see
Canada become. As long as I live, as long as I
have the power to labour in the service of my
country, I shall always repel the idea of changing
the nature of its different elements. I want the
marble to remain the marble ; I want the granite
to remain the granite ; I want the oak to remain
the oak; I want the sturdy Scotchman to remain
the Scotchman ; I want the brainy Englishman to
remain the Englishman ; I want the warm-hearted
Irishman to remain the Irishman ; I want to take
all these elements and build a nation that will be
foremost among the great powers of the world."
* * *
Sir Wilfrid Laurier's message to the students
of the University of Toronto in 1913 is recalled
as one of the most inspiring utterances of his long
career. On that occasion he said :
"My young friends, go out into the world to
service. Make the highest thought of service
121
|
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
your inspiration. Problems there are — big prob-
lems. To-morrow and the day after to-morrow,
it will be your turn to grapple with them. Serve
God and your country. Be firm in the right, as
God gives you to see the right. You may not
always succeed. Progress is often punctuated with
reverses. You may meet reverse — but the follow-
ing day stand up again and renew the conflict for
truth and justice shall triumph in the end."
* * *
When a man becomes satisfied he becomes a
Tory. The life of a Liberal is one of unceasing
effort towards progress and encouraging develop-
ment in all that makes for the betterment of man-
kind. It is easy to read articles of appreciation
upon a man when he is gone, but if anyone is so
poor in reflection as to overlook the fact that
Laurier worked hard all his life he does an injus-
tice to himself and to the record of Sir Wilfrid.
Before he became leader of the Liberal Party
about 32 years ago, Sir Wilfrid had visited many
portions of the Dominion in support of his lead-
ers, Mackenzie and Blake, upon all occasions ad-
vocating the Liberal cause, not only in Quebec,
122
HIS ACTIVITIES.
but in the Maritime Provinces and in Ontario.
His first election as leader was in 1891, and he all
but carried the country, for in the previous three
years he addressed many meetings. In 1893,
after the National Liberal Convention he toured
Ontario for months. In 1894 he took a series of
meetings in Ontario before going West right
through to the Pacific Coast, addressing over 60
meetings and taking part in numerous smaller
gatherings. The effect of this tour was that
whereas he had but one supporter in 1894 west
of the Great Lakes, he in 1896 carried the West
by a majority of three. In the fall of 1895 Laurier
spent nearly two months in Ontario, and ad-
dressed 56 large gatherings besides taking part in
smaller assemblies and receptions. The effect of
all this was that in the session of 1896 Laurier
had a commanding knowledge of the conditions
of the country, and the people not only admired
him but trusted him. In 1896 he carried 48 seats
in Ontario, and the average number of seats he
carried in 1896, 1900, 1904 and 1908 was 40. As
the years stole over him he could not carry on
with his former vigour, but he had to carry on
without the support that should have been
123
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
accorded him by those who sat in Cabinet with
him. In 1910 Laurier took a grand tour of the
four Western Provinces, and in all general elec-
tions never spared himself. The efforts in this
regard in 1917 were the wonder and admiration
of supporters and opponents alike.
In 1918-19 he took up the task of supervising
the Liberal reorganization in Ontario and of urg-
ing the Liberals in all the other provinces also to
get together. He died in the midst of this work.
These outward manifestations of Laurier in
action are mentioned to remind each and all who
may desire a place in the galaxy of Liberal lead-
ers that they cannot lead merely by praising the
dead and wishing to be hailed as being born to
something for which they never laboured to
qualify. Volumes will be written on Laurier's
mental and other qualifications, but the author
should not forget to record his struggle to give
to the people the benefit of his endowment en-
larged by practical application and consultation
with them.
* * *
The firat and most wise step was the selection
by SiFWilfrid Laurier of the strongest possible
124
LAURIER'S WORK.
colleagues to form hisJJabinet. No abler body of
men eveFpreslded over the destinies of Canada —
a fact admitted, even by opponents. It was truly
a great combination which instilled much needed
confidence in the people. To form it Sir Wilfrid
had to go outside the ranks of the men who had
fought the battles of the party in Opposition in
the Dominion House, and who no doubt expected
preferment. But the wisdom of his choice has
never been questioned, and the record of his Gov-
ernment is the most ample justification of it. V
^The Customs tariff was properly the first prob-
lem to be tackled, as it is the hub of the wheels
of industry and commerce. The Liberal party
had taken office upon a declared policy, to substi-
tute for the Conservative tariff, a sound, fiscal
policy, which, while not doing injustice to any
class, would promote domestic and foreign trade
and hasten the return of prosperity. They had
also declared that the tariff should be reduced to
the needs of honest, economical and efficient Gov-
ernment, that it should be so adjusted as to make
free or bear as lightly as possible upon the neces-
saries of life and should be so arranged as to
permit freer trade with the whole world, particu-
125
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
larly with Great Britain and the United States.
The first step taken by the Government was the
eminently practical one of appointing a commit-
tee of its members to ascertain with exactitude the
precise situation of all classes and sections of the
country and their actual needs. No hole and cor-
ner methods were adopted by the committee, and
there were no private meetings between Ministers
and manufacturers in the Windsor Hotel at Mont-
real. Everybody was invited to give expression
to his views. To meet the convenience of the
public, meetings were held in most of the princi-
pal cities and towns.
The result of the labours of the committee, and
subsequent daily meetings of the Cabinet for
months, was the promulgation of a tariff, which
judged by the best possible test, actual results,
created a revolution in the industrial life and
activities of the country. Briefly stated the new
/tariff.
\l 1. Materially reduced the duties on many
necessities and staple commodities used by con-
sumers generally.
2. Placed on the free list certain articles of
126
LAURIER'S WORK
prime necessity to the farmer, the miner, fisher-
man and manufacturer.
3. Reduced the duties on iron and steel which
constitute the staple raw materials for many in-
dustries ; duties on other raw materials were also
lowered.
4. Simplified the classification of articles for
duty purposes and thereby assured more
administration.
5. And, by no means least, gave a substantial
preference to the products and manufactures of
Great Britain over the rest of the world.
6. Obtain a Reciprocity Agreement Act with
Canada and the United States, but which the peo-
ple of Canada refused to accept.
The Liberal tariff was the first serious attempt
made in Canada towards equality of treatment
and reconciliation of conflicting interests. No
class or interest was singled out for undue favour-
itism. The needs of all were considered. Herein
lies the difference between the Conservative and
Liberal attitudes on the tariff. The formula of
the Conservatives for tariff making always has
been the simple one of giving protection to the
manufacturer without reference to the rest of the
127
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
community. /The Liberals on the other hand be-
lieve in being fair all round and in distributing
the burdens of taxation as much as possible. VCon-
sider the situation for a moment. We have five
great sources of national wealth. The farm, for-
est, fisheries, mines and manufacturing indus-
tries^onTEe income of which we keep our national
house. \ It will be obvious that the interests and
needs of these various producing branches are not
itical. They__CQnflict in some instances very
stronglJr-~TEe fanner for instance has to pay
higher prices for his articles of necessity and
comfort by reason of customs_jduties imposed
thereon, whereas the prices for his produce are
largely determined in the markets ofjfliejw'orld.
The miner, too, could buy most ofhis supplies and
machinery cheaper if they were free from duty.
The fishermen, who are chiefly located in the pro-
vinces forming the extreme boundaries of the
Dominion, are unable to supply the markets in
our principal centres of population by reason of
the great distance separating them therefrom,
and are consequnetly obliged to export the bulk
of their catch to foreign markets easier to reach,
but where they have to encounter stiff competi-
128
LAURIER'S WORK.
tion. The lumberman also is affected by the tariff
on his commodities. Manufacturing industries are
of immense benefit to the country, but not more
so than the agricultural industries, indeed if we
take the population engaged and the capital in-
vested in farming and ranching the agricultural
interests bulk greater in the national wealth.
Everybody recognizes that manufacturing insti-
tutions are necessary to build up a great nation
and acknowledges that it would be undesirable
to devote our attention purely to pastoral pur-
suits.
The Liberal Government recognizing all these
salient factors endeavoured to strike a iair bal-
ance and thereby promote the utmost develop-
ment in all industrial pursuits. The principal
thought in their minds was to provide the maxi-
mum of profitable labour for the people in all
spheres of activity which surely is the truest and
highest duty of statesmanship.
The extent of the reduction in taxation brought
about by the tariff can be best arrived at by tak-
ing the average rate of customs duty imposed by
the Conservatives during the last years they were
in office, and applying it to the imports under the
129
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
Liberal rule. In 1896, which was the last year of
Conservative administration. SIS.'JS was on the
average collected on every $100 worth of jroods
imported into the country. If the same rate had
been collected during the time the Liberals were
in office, instead of collecting duty to the amount
of JtW.uW.OOO they would have collected $t>S,V
000,000, so that there was an actual reduction of
5SO.000.000 in fifteen years. This is at the rate
of about $5,500,000 per annum. In addition to
this saving one has to consider the reduced price
of Canadian manufacturers to the consumer by
reason of the reduction in protection, because un-
doubtedly as a general rule, although not in every
case, the selling prices of Canadian manufactur-
ers are based upon the amount of protection they
enjoy.
Again there is the indirect saving to the peo-
ple in reduced prices on foreign exports to Can-
ada, by reason of the operation of a British Pre-
ferential tariff. The United States exporters to
Canada, for instance, had to reduce their price
to Canadian buyers to off-set the reduction in
duties in favour of British goods. This is an un-
doubted fact
190
LAURIER'S WORK.
Another way of arriving at the extent of the
reduction in taxation brought about by the Lib-
eral Government, is to take the average rate of
duty imposed by Conservatives during the eight-
een years they were in office, which was $19.10 on
every $100 worth of goods imported into the
country. If the same rate had been applied to the
imports during the fifteen years from 1896 to
1911, the additional taxation which would have
been imposed would have amounted to $110,000,-
000, so that there was a saving to that extent to
the people of the country under Liberal rule.
Perhaps the most outstanding feature of the
new tariff was the adoption of a preference in
favour of British goods, and it was probably the
most popular step ever taken by any Government
in Canada. Judged by results, it has been highly
beneficial alike to Canada, Great Britain and the
Empire. This preference at first consisted of a
reduction of 1-8 from the general tariff rates. A
year or so afterwards the reduction was increased
from 1-8 to 1-4 and later to 1-3. Subsequently
the flat reduction of 1-3 was abandoned and a
specific preferential rate provided for each item
or article in the tariff. Such specific rate, how-
1S1
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
ever, on the whole averages a reduction of 1-3.
The benefits of the preference were given not only
to Great Britain but by successive steps to nearly
all the British colonies.
The preference granted by the Liberal Govern-
ment was exactly the tonic that was necessary to
stimulate British trade. From the moment it be-
came law the trade started to boom and it has
steadily and rapidly increased ever since. But
the increase in British trade was not the only
beneficial result. The preference substantially
reduced duties to the Canadian consumer on the
most important staple commodities, and thereby
further implemented the pledge of the Liberal
party to reduce taxation.
Having dealt with the preference feature of the
tariff we will now resume the consideration of
the general subject. Well as they believe they
had wrought in the creation of their tariff, the
Liberal Government were not content. They knew
that a great deal more was needed to bring about
a betterment of conditions. They felt that the
most vigorous and progressive measures were
necessary to put Canada in its proper place on the
map of the industrial world, and to afford scope
132
ACHIEVEMENTS.
for the exercise of the natural ambition of its
people. They realized that the farmer could not
be benefitted much by protective duties on his
produce, but they saw that they could benefit him
by enlarging the pieans, and cheapening the cost,
of transportation^ and they devoted their best
energies towards improving and extending trans-
portation facilities all over the country. They
saw also that 'the manufacturer could be benefit-
ted by enlarging the home market, and they in-
stituted asi aggressive immigration policy which
develoj>^d the great North West in a marvellous
way./'' Step by step in the most vigorous manner
arAg without let-up the great work of building
purely and strongly was undertaken, and concur-
?*ent with it the country grew more prosperous.
The finances were so handled as to show a sub-
stantial surplus each year instead of the era of
deficits in Conservative days.
The great canal system of the country was
rushed to completion.
The Crows Nest Pass Railway was built,
thereby facilitating the development of the im-
133
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
mense mineral resources of interior British
Columbia — in the Kootenay District.
The Intercolonial Railway which had its West-
ern terminus in what was then a comparatively
small town, namely Levis, was badly handicap-
ped in securing traffic from the West, and was
extended to Montreal, the comsnercial metropolis
of the country.
Later on the construction of the Transconti-
nental Railway was entered upon ancK was well on
towards completion, when the Liberals? went out
of office in 1911. «•-
By means of Government guarantees anrf .sub-
sidies a third Transcontinental Railway, ithe
Canadian Northern Railway was made possible. ,
Immigrants to the number of nearly 2,000,000?
were brought into the country in fifteen years, t
large number of whom went on the land resulting
in a magnificent development of the West and
North-West.
Free land grants to railways were discon-
tinued and the public lands were reserved for the
actual settlers.
v Ocean ports, harbours and rivers were vastly
improved. A 30-foot clear channel was provided
184
HIS ACHIEVEMENTS.
in the St. Lawrence from Montreal to Quebec.
Postal rates were reduced substantially, and
the Money Order system simplified and extended.
Free Rural mail delivery was established.
CanaFand steam boat duties were abolished in
the interest of promoting cheap transportation by
water.
A Railway Commission was appointed which
admittedly was one of the best pieces of construc-
tive legislation ever adopted in Canada. That
Commission became practically the master of the
railways.
A Labour Department was created which has
done splendid work in averting and settling
strikes.
Agriculture was aided in a hundred and one
ways.
Cold storage facilities of an excellent character
were provided for the products of the farm and
fisheries.
Commercial agents were appointed in the prin-
cipal countries of the world.
A Canadian Mint was established.
The resources of the country were splendidly
exhibited at every Exposition held throughout the
world.
135
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
From time to time the tariff was modified to
meet changed conditions, and in 1907 a complete
revision was made, again by a committee of the
Ministers, after consulting with the people.
The French Treaty was extended so as to com-
prise our principal productions instead of as
formerly only a few articles of comparatively
trifling importance.
VA treaty was entered into with Japan whereby
ve got most favoured nation treatment in that
As a result of our institution of preferential
trade we got a preference in New Zealand. As a
direct benefit from this the British Columbia
fishermen captured the import trade of that coun-
try.
An intermediate tariff was established as a
standing invitation to other countries to recipro-
cate in trade, and Holland, Belgium and Italy
were admitted to the benefits of that tariff for
corresponding advantages given to us.
Through the efforts of the Liberal Minister of
Agriculture the vexatious quarantine regulations
that existed for some years between the United
States and Canada were abolished.
186
HIS ACHIEVEMENTS.
A sur-tax was imposed upon Germany by way
of retaliation for Canadian products being placed
on the maximum tariff of Germany.
To prevent the slaughtering of manufactured
goods in the Canadian market a law known as the
Anti-Dumping Act was passed, which effectively
operates against such unfair trade warfare.
A Commission of Conservation was appointed,
the object being to conserve our natural resources
and to disseminate full information in regard to
them.
Dominion Government securities were placed
on the favoured trustee list of Great Britain.
An Assay office was established at Vancouver
which materially aided in retaining our Yukon
trade.
Substantial financial assistance was given to-
wards the construction of a Pacific cable. Canada
bearing its full share of this expenditure.
Throughout the career of the Liberal Govern-
ment the revenues were buoyant, notwithstanding
considerable decreased taxation and the financial
situation was always of the best.
1ST
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
IIL a word, the men at the helm knew their
to ft, ™ * thnrniigrlily work-
Banner. Their successive acts Qf_genu-
constructive. gtafcamanship alonff_practical
llpfl thfi pg^plp with hope, and mftHe them
gird jup^their loins jfor,aupmnfi individual efforts
in industrial life. The wisdom of their legislation
and fldministratioiLJtnd its accompanying pros-
I^rity of ^ejpeQplaAttrActed.i^ the
w{iole world, particularly the Mother Country,
and started a flow of much needed capital to de-
velop our .great natural resources, a flow which
went on unceasingly throughout the Liberal
regime, increasing and increasing all the time
asjrar needs were made manifest. Canada was
then the favourite investment field of the Empire.
Under Sir Wilfrid Launer a new Canada arose.
Tlie country found itself and for the first time re-
alized its immense possibilities. It was an jra of
tlie full dinner pail, the first golden age in Can-
ada's history. Every legitimate industry from the
Atlantic to the Pacifuv^speaking general1 y, pros-
pered. Manufacturing institutions were enlarged
and enlarged again and again to meet the de-
mands.^ The farmers shared in the prosperity
188
POLITICAL RECORD.
probably better than any others. The price of
farm products increased materially and the home
and foreign markets were greatly extended, the
results being seen in the increase in farm land
values and a more rapid payment in full of farm
mortgages than ever before. The much deplored
exodus under the Tory regime was practically
stopped. The young Canadian found Canada
quite good enough for him.
When the Layrjer Government took office
Canada, had jiot^yet "found herself." For years
progress jiad been_slow and there appeared to be
an almost entire absence of the snap and vigorous
agg^ssiveness which soon after became the
characteristic of Canadians. ^ D^ficits^ were
annually recorded in the national finances; for-
eignjtrade was practically stationary: manufac-
turers~were making tftHe or noTneadway; ihe
great Northwest was undeveloped: immigrants
came in comparatively feify fli"Tlh**i'g, a^d, what
was worse, the country seemed unable to retain
her own people. The situation which confronted
the ne^Tfime Minister was one calculated to
189
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
whose Canadianism was less
confident and sure, whose vision was less clear
and whose zeal for service was less imperative.
On the evening of the day upon which the Earl
of Aberdeen, then Governor-General, summoned
Wilfrid Laurier and entrusted him with the task
of forming an Administration — even belore the
personnel of his Government was announced —
he was called upon to make his first public utter-
ance as Prime Minister. It was on the evening
of July 8, 1896, at Montreal, and the occasion was,
by strange significance, the Canadian reception
to the officers of the British warships "Intrepid"
and "Tartar."
"I appreciate to-day," was the first word of
the new Prime Minister, "in the presence of the
representatives of the naval forces of our Empire,
and occupying the position I do, having just been
called a few minutes previously by his Excellency
the Governor-General to assume the duties of
First Citizen of the Dominion — I appreciate to-
day more than ever the strength and significance
of that order by Britain's greatest Admiral on
the day of the battle of Trafalgar: -'England ex-
140
POLITICAL RECORD.
pects every man to do his duty.' I am going to
<jn_jny Hnty, Tint. n^Y by Canada, but hyL-thfi
Empire. Britain, thank God, does not require
helpjrpm anybody, but if ever the occasion should
arise When Britain i« gnmmfmp^ tn stand
the whole world in arms, she ran
ToyaTlmpportjrf Canada and the Canadian peo-
ple. The Canadian people are free and loyal,
frgP_"
With this pledge Wilfrid Laurier took office as
Canada's Premier. The boy of St. Lin was still
preaching his growing conception of Canada and
her place in the Empire.
The task of this first French-Canadian Premier
was not an easy one. Had he been merely a son
of his race, had he been merely a convert to the
English-speaking conception, had he been merely
the champion of a cause or the balance-wheel of
politics, his influence might have maimed the
national progress of the Dominion for a century.
As it was, he conceived for himself^ the role of a
Canadian. He felt that the great need of Canada
far-Canada — and for the Empire, too — was Cana-
dians. There were plenty of French Nationalists
— he had known them in his youth; he found
141
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
them again in his maturity. There were plenty
\ of Anglft-ftayOfl llltva -Tnrippriftliafa— ^q hfl.H_ al-
) ready become ffljniliaiL with fire-brand Jingoism.
There were plenty of indifferent materialists^-he
realized the danger of their disease .-to a
young and growing country. But Canadians
unify, flpnad^s could build^ Canadians
grfifit • and strong. A Canad^_of
Canadians — "free and loyal; loyal because they
are free" — was to Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the most
potent Imperial asset the Dominion could provide
for the motherland* He had studied his history.
He knew the fate of empires bound by bonds of
brittle iron. He dreaded a crumbling Imperium.
He dreaded, too, the idea of a hobbled "sub-
nation." But he had a strong and enduring faith
in the assured permanency of an Empire of "free
any loyal" daughter Dominions knit together by
ties of common interest, common endeavour and
common devotion to the cause of democracy and
the advancement of Christianity and civilization.
# * *
The Liberalism or the Conservatism that con-
tinues to be founded on the accident and the pre-
judice of birth, that believes in "my party and my
142
LAURIER'S LIBERALISM.
f^Y/er's party, right or wrong," is the real cause
of the discouraging inertia of public opinion that
often allows the self-interested few to practically
control elections and governments, that prevents
or retards reform and makes of a free democracy
a bureaucratic tyranny. Liberalism is a positive
reasoned belief and every Liberal should be a
apart from opinions as to the Government
issues of the day, to justify his faith according
to cardinal principles of good government.
What are the fundamental distinctions between
Liberalism and Conservatism? The words them-
selves embody the respective historical attitudes
of the two parties toward the main function of
government.
Liberalism is in essence the problem of realiz-
ing liberty. It seeks the setting free of the mass
of the people in regard to self-government, trade,
religion, education, industry, in all the manifold
ramifactions of society. Conservatism, on the
other hand, means at bottom restriction. It
means the conserving of vested rights, the cen-
tralization of government in the ' 'governing
classes," setting the balance on social progress.
The function of government is to define the
i
143
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
rights of the individual in terms of the con. Xj
good and to think of the common good in tern *
of the welfare of the individual. In the case of
Liberalism the emphasis has usually been on the
"common good." In the case of Conservatism the
emphasis is usually on the "individual." Histor-
ically the particular "individuals" have belonged
to the authoritative or vested interest classes.
That motto has been "what we have we hold."
Liberalism has found its main support in the
masses. The natural result has been that legisla-
tion with each party, has been mainly for the
classes their leaders represent.
Liberalism recognizes that the teaching of his-
tory shows that progress is more continuous and
secure when men are content to deal with great
reforms piecemeal than when they seek to destroy
root and branch in order to erect a complete new
system which has captured the idealistic imagina-
tion. But its grappling with reforms is continu-
ous. Conservatism, while believing in "the good
of things as they are," has usually grappled with
reforms under the stimulus of an increasingly
feared and potent democracy. Liberalism has
had to wrench from Conservatism responsible
144
LAURIER'S LIBERALISM.
government by the people, manhood suffrage,
equal taxation, the right of like opportunity for
all classes of the community. Conservatism has
clug to precedent, the established order, the old
authoritarian basis of government, and has
yielded but slowly and as a rule only on compul-
sion.
Liberalism is ordained of the common people
and sprang from a common resistance to the op-
pression of arbitrary and self-centred rule. Con-
servatism had its birth in the doctrine of the
divine right of kings. The "governing classes"
were ordained of God because they themselves
arranged the ordination. Liberalism has its prin-
ciples embodied in the human heart. Conservat-
ism finds its well-springs in its own pockets.
The main battlements of privilege and vested
authority have been won by Liberalism through
centuries of struggle. The fight of democracy for
freedom, for equality of opportunity and for sub-
stantial justice, to all individuals of the common-
wealth still goes on. There are still inequalities
of taxation to be righted, the oppression of vested
interests in trade and industry to be overcome,
monopolies and trusts to be regulated, the rights
145
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
of society as a whole to be asserted to the wealth
that depends on its own collective enterprise. The
increase of the well-being of the masses does not
appear to be by any means proportionate to the
general growth of wealth. In the sphere of eco-
nomic legislation, Liberalism still has perhaps its
greatest work to do. The welfare of the common
man at the common task is its first consideration.
* Government of the people, for the people, and
by the people is the essence of Liberalism.
The application of these principles to the prob-
lems of Canadian politics in relation to provin-
cial, national, imperial and world-wide interests
is the work of the Liberal party in Canada.
On the evening of Tuesday, January 14th, 1919,
Sir Wilfrid Laurier delivered his last public ad-
dress. The occasion was the formation of the
Eastern Ontario Liberal Association for about
twenty ridings in Eastern Ontario. It has been
stated that the resolutions adopted upon that oc-
casion and the speech of Sir Wilfrid Laurier
clearly set forth the Liberal policy to date.
* * *
A report of the proceedings of that eventful
day has been published and Sir Wilfrid's speech
146
ANECDOTES.
in endorsement of the resolutions adopted may be
summarized as follows: Fair treatment of sol-
diers and sailors, generous care for dependents
of the fallen, maintenance of British preferences
restored and unimpaired, reciprocity between
Canada and the United States in foodstuffs, grad-
ual progress toward freer trade, democratization
of labor, abolition of Government by order-in-
council, abolition of press censorship, repeal of
the War Times Election Act, and for a League of
Nations.
* * *
Sir Wilfrid's acceptance of a Knighthood in
1897, came as a big surprise to all his followers,
because his views had been clearly defined on the
subject; and it was common talk that he had been
offered a knighthood on attaining the Premiership.
In the first year of his ministry as such, he went
to England to attend the Jubilee of Queen Vic-
toria. The reception accorded him by the British
people was remarkable for its warmth. The hand-
some, distinguished young French-Canadian
statesman took London by storm; the press and
public acclaiming his talents, and Queen Victoria
bestowing upon him particular attention and re-
147
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
spect. One evening the Queen gave a dinner for
the overseas Prime Ministers. When the young
Canadian Premier, who was again honored by be-
ing seated next to Her Majesty, took his seat at
the banquet table, he found a card upon which
Queen Victoria herself had written, "Rt. Hon. Sir
Wilfrid Laurier." There was no way out of such
a situation. The aged Queen had taken this means
of honoring him, and Sir Wilfrid's chivalry and
gallantry, as well as his genuine aif ection for the
great good monarch, triumphed over his democra-
tic views.
* * *
At the time of his death a Canadian poet wrote,
"When I was a boy at Woodstock College, I heard
a phrase that floated upon the air, like the magic
carpet of the Arabians. It contained the simple
news that 'Laurier is coming.1 He came, we heard
him, and in my boyish heart that night was born
a new Canada. I was no longer a Conservative or
a Liberal. I only knew a white light had passed
that I must follow. I had exchanged my knight
of arms in history for a crusader in life. The
years that poured the first strength of youth into
my heart came to the crusader with her gift of
148
ANECDOTES.
silver. One day I walked the streets of London
with an unsold story in my pocket, and a four
days' yearning for bread in my soul. Suddenly
the white light shone. Laurier had passed me in
his carriage upon Piccadilly. I forgot my hunger
and cheered, and the multitude, seeing not the
light in its brightness, wondered over my joy."
* * *
"Big John Canadien," Canada's most famous
guide, made this following curious prediction: —
"When I die you shall be frightened," he said to
Sir Wilfrid Laurier.
The death of Sir Wilfrid Laurier and of Big
John at one day's interval brings to mind a scene
witnessed in 1884. They were preparing to cele-
brate the national holiday, St. Jean Baptiste Day,
and the late Mr. A. Corriveau, one of the most
zealous organizers of the great national celebra-
tion, was conversing with Wilfrid Laurier on
Notre Dame Street, near Place D'Armes in Mont-
real.
When big John arrived with a band of his
braves, M. Corriveau, who was acquainted with
"Big John," introduced him to his friends. After
149
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
a few words of conversation, Sir Wilfrid Laurier
asked the Indian how old he was.
"I am 43 years old," he replied.
"We are almost of the same age," said Mr.
Laurier, "I will be 43 at my next birthday."
"Well," replied Big John, "when I die, you shall
be frightened."
Everybody nearby had a good laugh on hearing
the Indian's words, and Big John went away.
Big John died on Sunday, February 23rd., and
Sir Wilfrid on Monday, February 24th.
Some years ago a retired Baptist minister told
the following story: "When I was a young man
I lived in a small town in Eastern Canada, and
about the only well educated men in the place
were a lawyer and a doctor, both Roman Catho-
lics. We used to meet almost every afternoon in
the lawyer's office and discuss the affairs of the
nation, and almost every subject from religion to
politics. One day the young lawyer made a cer-
tain statement, when the doctor asked: "Where
did you get that idea?" and the lawyer replied
(pulling open a drawer in his desk and bringing
150
ANECDOTES.
forth a well-worn Bible) /Why, from this Book/
The doctor said, 'Why, you don't read that Book,
do you?' 'Yes/ replied the lawyer, 'I have had
this with me since I left home. I promised my
mother to read it every day, and I have never
broken my word, because, no matter where I am,
I have read a portion of this good Book every day
of my life since I gave that promise/ " Mr.
Richardson asked me who I thought the young
lawyer was, but I could not tell, so he said, "It
was Sir Wilfrid Laurier, and we have been close
friends ever since, although he is a Roman Catho-
lic and I am a Baptist minister. Does this not in
some manner account for Sir Wilfrid's broad-
mindedness in matters of religion?
A gentleman brought a friend in to lunch at the
Reform Club. On that particular day Sir Wilfrid
happened to be there, lunching. The friend's
name was Mr. Lambe and he expressed a desire
to be introduced to Sir Wilfrid, so, after luncheon
in the clubroom, he was presented. When shak-
ing hands with the "Chief" he started to explain
that he was not a supporter of the Liberal party.
Sir Wilfrid continued shaking hands during the
short explanation, and then reached over with his
151
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
left hand, and, placing it on Mr. Lambe's shoul-
der, said:
"Well, never mind, Mr. Lambe, you know there
is more rejoicing in Heaven over the return of one
lost sheep," etc.
* * *
In 1906, when Sir Wilfrid was returned to
power, the Liberals gave him a reception at the
old Horticultural Gardens. The "Chief" arrived,
accompanied by quite a party, and, as a prominent
supporter was about to shake hands with him, a
little man who had been imbibing, pushed him
aside, held out his hand, and said in a loud voice :
"Welcome to Taranta,' Mr. 'LarierV'
This was momentarily embarrassing to those
assembled, but the "Chief" shook hands heartily
with him and asked his name. The little man
gave his name as Lynch, whereupon the "Chief"
exclaimed :
"A good Irish name, and a good Irish wel-
come," and thus passed off lightly what might
have proved embarrassing, v*
* * *
A very illuminating incident occurred at the
Union Station on one of Sir Wilfrid's last visits
152
ANECDOTES.
to Toronto which reveals the manner of his ap-
peal to his people. Two young ladies spied the old
statesman walking up and down the platform by
his private car. One of them insisted that it was
Sir Wilfrid, the other that it was not. A news-
paper reporter overheard the argument and set-
tled it by answering them that it was, indeed, the
dean of the House of Commons.
"I wonder if we could shake hands with him?"
enquired the girls, excitedly.
The reporter approached Sir Wilfrid and said:
"There are two young ladies who would esteem
it an honor to shake your hand. May I bring
them to you, Sir Wilfrid?"
"You may NOT, my young friend!" said Sir
Wilfrid, "But you may take me to them."
Which he did, and so gracefully added to his
legions.
Much has been said of his affection for children,
another expression after all, of that same kind-
ness and dignity. A Toronto newspaper editor
when a boy of fourteen, wrote a long letter to
Sir Wilfrid from the boy's point of view, referring
to politics and to Sir Wilfrid's stand on
153
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
tion and other reforms. Deep as he was in the
work of Parliament at the time, Sir Wilfrid did
not neglect to reply promptly, and in a fine, cour-
teous letter, said that he would be glad to discuss
the questions at greater length when he should
happen to visit the lad's home-town. And when
Sir Wilfrid passed through that way, the lad was
invited to dinner with him. The politically "kind"
man couldn't do that. It required Sir Wilfrid's
genuine emotions towards the young.
While humor did not abound in Sir Wilfrid's
speeches and debates, he had a shrewd wit, equal
to all occasions. In a debate twitting Sir Charles
Tupper on Sir Charles's reminiscences of his po-
litical services, Sir Wilfrid said that between Sir
Charles and Sir John A. Macdonald they had sail-
ed the ship of state pretty successfully, Sir John
supplying the brains and Sir Charles supplying the
wind to fill the sails.
Campaigning through the country Sir Wilfrid
was always master of the situation. There was
withal, something of the "grand siegneur" about
him. He had a keen sense of dramatic values.
154
ANECDOTES.
While he yielded to the worship of those who
crowded his car to shake his hand, he did not
show himself to the public one moment before it
was necessary. Sometimes the clamor of admirers
forced him from his bed at midnight. With all
the love for applause, characteristic of his race,
and of the dramatic temperament, his common
sense never deserted him. During his last tour
of Nova Scotia, one morning his boat barely land-
ed when an enthusiastic young woman crossed the
gang plank and handed him an armful of flowers.
Such is to be expected as part of every meeting,
but there on the bare deck of a steamer the chief-
tain was nonplussed. As he laid the gift on the
hatch he turned and said over his shoulder: "Is
a man ever so helpless as he is with a bouquet?"
On one occasion an excited supporter tele-
graphed:
"Report in circulation here, that your antagon-
ism to religion is so strong, that you have never
had any of your children baptized. Very damag-
ing to party. Telegraph me if untrue."
Sir Wilfrid's reply was characteristic:
155
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
"Statement is unfortunately quite true. I have
never had a child to baptize."
Sir Wilfrid Laurier's ability to remember faces
which had presented themselves to his view, per-
haps, years previously, was something to marvel
at. Many men possess this power but few have
ever held it in greater proportion than did the late
statesman.
A Brockville man relates that on being intro-
duced to Sir Wilfrid, not long ago, the "old chief"
looked at him intently for a moment and then
said : "Just a minute, let me think where I have
seen you before." He thought for a brief period
and then exclaimed: "I have it. You are one of
's bad little boys and you sat in the front
row at my meeting in Cornwall in 1912." Such
had been the case.
His first appearance in public life revealed the
qualities that were to make him famous. His de-
but in the Legislature is said by those whose
whose memories go back to that time, to have
156
ANECDOTES.
produced a sensation, not more by the finished
grace of his oratorical abilities than by the bold-
ness and authority with which he handled the
deepest palitical problems. The effect of his
fluent, cultivated and charming discourse is de-
scribed by Frechette, the poet, as magical, On the
following day, he writes, the name of Laurier was
on every lip, and all who then heard it will re-
member how those two syllables rang out true and
clear, their tone that of a coin of gold, pure from
all alloy, and bearing the impress of sterling
worth.
* * *
The Royal tour of 1901 at times put the serenity
if Sir Wilfrid to a severe test. He was a man
who enjoyed manifestations of popular good-will
as well as anybody; and as a politician was not
oblivious to the necessity of avoiding offence to
any well-meaning supporter. He accompanied
the Heir-Apparent and the future Queen across
the continent, and was sometimes embarrassed
by the efforts of coteries in remote settlements to
play the political game by making him the herb
of the occasion. On one occasion, a Liberal asso-
ciation, learning that the Royal train was to lie
157
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
on a railway siding for half an hour, sought to
improve the occasion by presenting him with an
address. The annoyance of Sir Wilfrid at so
notorious a breach of etiquette, was undoubtedly
great, but he managed to send the deputation
home without ruffling their feelings, though pre-
serving the decorum of his position as an official
host of the future occupant of the throne.
* * *
Political leaders receive a greal deal of honor,
particularly while they are the custodians of
power, but they have also much to put up with
from indiscreet followers. In such cases, they
have to display an unfailing tact, for they never
know but that the gad-fly may have sufficient in-
fluence in his bailiwick to swing an entire town-
ship to the opposite party, if affronted. Twenty
years ago, in the old station dining room at Pal-
merston, Ont., one saw Sir Wilfrid deal with such
importunities. It was at a time when there was a
great hullabaloo about the supposed attitude of
the late Mr. Tarte toward the South African War.
The room was thronged with spectators anxious
to see whether a Prime Minister really ate like
ordinary mortals; and a local Liberal magnate
158
ANECDOTES.
undertook to inform Sir Wilfrid that the "boys
around here" did not like Tarte, and asked what
he was going to do with the then Minister of
Public Works. Sir Wilfrid first ignored the ques-
tion and tried to change the subject, but the
henchman did not take the hint. The Premier's
secretary was beside himself with rage at the bad
taste of the interlocutor, but the leader himself
betrayed no annoyance. "Oh, you don't under-
stand Mr. Tarte," he said, genially, and suddenly
bethought himself of a funny story illustrating
misunderstandings. Nevertheless, he was a very
relieved chieftain when the whistle blew and the,
brakeman cried "All aboard."
Another tribute to Sir Wilfrid Laurier has
been paid by L.-Col. Johnson Paudash, now in
Liudgay, who served for some time overseas with
a Central Ontario battalion. The late Premier, it
is stated, presented Col. Paudash with a service
of silver, and also wrote to him several times
while he was on active service in France. Col.
Paudash had interviewed Sir Wilfrid several
times, while he was Premier, on behalf of the
different Indian tribes, and states that he at all
159
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
times found him courteous and kind, and a good
friend of the Indian. He and others of his tribe
sincerely mourn the passing of the great "White
Chief," as they affectionately called the late Sir
Wilfrid Laurier.
* * *
Sir Wilfrid Laurier maintained his pride and
interest in Ottawa to the last. It is understood
that a clause in his will dedicates to the Capital
City all the tokens of honor bestowed on him dur-
ing his distinguished public career.
Many of these are almost of priceless value.
They include the testimonials conveying the free-
dom of cities in the United Kingdom. The casket
containing the freedom of the city of Edinburgh,
one of the most beautiful of the collection, is
solidly encrusted with diamonds.
The intention is that these souvenirs shall find
a place in the war memorial building which will
doubtless be erected in Ottawa before long.
In his early days, at a campaign meeting, a
Mr. Mousseau, a man of gigantic bulk, accused the
Ministers of the Government of fattening on the
160
BRITISH OPINION.
sweat of the people. Sir Wilfrid, tall, slender, and
frail, rose, pointed to his huge and bulky accuser
and asked: "Who is fattening on the people?"
* * *
His hold on the hearts of his countrymen in
Quebec was tremendous, and is best illustrated in
the famous yarn of the old habitant, who on
hearing that Queen Victoria had died and the
Prince of Wales was now to become King, said:
"By gar, dat Prince of Wale must have a good
pull wit' Laurier!"
His visit to the Queen's Jubilee in 1897, was
greeted with a reception that was almost regal.
He was made a member of the Privy Council, ap-
pointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St.
Michael and St. George, and received in audiences
by the Queen. The Universities of Oxford and
Cambridge conferred honorary degrees upon him,
and the Cobden Club admitted him to honorary
membership, and awarded him its gold medal, in
recognition of his exceptional and distinguished
services to the cause of international and free ex-
change. The new departure in Imperial policy,
161
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
the Preferential Tariff, which Sir Wilfrid was able
to arrange during this visit, caused the London
Times to say: "Laurier's name must live in the
annals of the British Empire." y
A few years later, 1902, he again visited Great
Britain to be present at the ceremonies in connec-
tion with the crowning of His late Majesty King
Edward VII., the Sovereign of the British Empire
and British Dominions beyond the Seas. Again in
1907, Sir Wilfrid attended with a number of Min-
isters upon the invitation of the Imperial Govern-
ment, a Conference of all the Premiers in His Ma-
jesty's possessions. In 1911 he attended the cere-
monies in connection with the crowning of King
George V. Upon this, as upon other occasions,
he was admirably received by the press and people
wherever he went throughout Great Britain. In
1904, the London Daily News of September 14th,
of that year, remarked that "Sir Wilfrid Laurier
is easily the first statesman of Greater Britain."
The following are some of the Press comments
on Sir Wilfrid during the Imperial Conference of
1907 : — The Daily News of London in a review of
"The Race Question in Canada," declared "Sir
Wilfrid Laurier has won his title to be considered
162
BRITISH OPINION.
as a true statesman because, although always a
faithful Catholic, he has declined to be dominated
by the forces of Ultramontanism. The hope of
the fusion of the races, Sir Wilfrid Laurier once
declared, into a single one is Utopian. It is an
impossibility. The distinctions of nature will
exist always. But he went on to say, if we re-
member rightly, that the two races would none
the less form a great nation under the British
Flag, and it is, of course, the supreme achievement
of Sir Wilfrid Laurier's political careeer that he
has devoted himself to the attainment of this
ideal."
The Western Daily Press of Bristol, England,
stated: — Sir Wilfrid Laurier is in himself an ex-
cellent illustration of the success of the British
plan of making various great parts of the Empire
responsible for the control of their own affairs.
There was a time when the race problem in Can-
ada was one affording cause for gravest anxiety;
that belongs to the past; and the world is familiar
with the fact that Sir Wilfrid, the first French-
Canadian who has been Premier of the Dominion,
is a man probably without a rival in the confidence
felt in him in this country."
163
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
The London Times of April 15th, 1907, editorial-
ly stated: — Sir Wilfrid Laurier, whom we wel-
come as probably the best known of all Canadian
statesmen, comes of French-Canadian stock, but
he has shown by his career that this is no dis-
qualification for doing valued service to the Em-
pire.
The Tribune of London, referring to Sir Wilfrid
Laurier's stirring speech at the Guildhall in 1907,
characterized the Canadian Premier's deliverance
on that occasion as : — A speech that will certainly
find a place in future histories of the British Em-
pire.
The Daily News of London stated: — Th^desti-
niesj)fjCanada were not settled byjth^jwar which
made England insteajjof-Fremce auprgmp in North
America. There came the second_crisis, and if
that second crisis had not been faced with the
courage, genius, and imagination of Liberalism,
there would have been no men of Sir Wilfrid
Laurier's race and blood at yesterday's lunch, and
the Colony which is proud to count in its ancestry
the heroism of a Montcalm as well as the heroism
164
BRITISH OPINION.
of a Wolfe would have sent no representative to
the capital. For the distinction of the British
Empire consists not in the conquests of its arms,
but in the reconciliation of its statesmanship, in
the generous wisdom which has shown that the
British flag can shelter and respect the traditions,
the sympathies, and the consciences of races that
are not British by blood or history. This is what
was in Sir Wilfrid Laurier's mind when he point-
ed with pride to the great British act of the pres-
ent government. (The Great British Act was the
Constitution granted to South Africa, or the
Transvaal.)
A few days after the coronation of their Ma-
jesties King George V. and Queen Mary, a thanks-
giving service was held in St. Paul's Cathedral.
The high place which Sir Wilfrid Laurier occupies
in the esteem of the British people of all classes
is indicated by the manner in which he was greet-
ed on his way to the cathedral and received there.
The cable message reproduced below from the
Montreal Star (Conservative), of June 29th, 1911,
gives a brief summary of this grand cordiality : —
Sir Wilfrid Laurier, as he passed through the
crowded streets from the Palace to the Cathedral
165
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
(St. Paul's), had, perhaps, the greatest reception
of his entire visit. In his full levee uniform and
cocked hat, he sat alone in the first of the State
carriages, looking every inch of him a great per-
sonage.
Upon the box of the carriage were two magnifi-
cently attired Royal servants, whose brilliant
scarlet coats flashed all down the line of route, and
as the prancing steeds drew the carriage along
the broad centres, between strictly kept lines of
police and soldiers, the London populace, who
crowded the sidewalks, cheered again and again.
"That's Laurier," they cried. "That's Canada.
Give them a cheer," and they did it right heartily.
Sir Wilfrid Laurier was obviously delighted. He
kept his hand moving up and down to and from his
cocked hat, thus giving a military salute of the
Royal pattern and not raising his hat as lesser
mortals might do.
When Sir Wilfrid reached the Cathedral, an-
other honour awaited him. The Lord Mayor of
London and other dignitaries, no matter how
gorgeous their attire, were sent around to the
smaller north or south doors; but Sir Wilfrid's
carriage was directed by the police to none other
166
BRITISH OPINION.
than the Royal and crimson carpeted entrance at
the main west door, where the Bishop of Ripon
received him on behalf of the Anglican Church.
As he passed up the steps into the Cathedral, his
uniform, slashed with the blue band of a Knight
of the Grand Cross of St. Michael and St. George,
came into full view, and made him a most notable
figure.
Some of the notable expressions regarding Sir
Wilfrid's achievements in 1907, in Great Britain
were penned by the late Sir Charles Tupper, ex-
Premier of the Dominion of Canada and formerly
for some years High Commissioner at London,
England. Writing in the Nineteenth Century,
May, 1907, Sir Charles expressed himself as fol-
lows:— "My distinguished successor in the Prime
Ministership of Canada has during these past few
memorable days asserted with a persuasiveness all
his own that the British Empire 'rests upon foun-
dations firmer than the rock and as endurable as
the ages/ "
* * *
A noted English writer has said : "I have seen
and heard many colonial public men, but Sir Wil-
frid is the only one who would have become a
167
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
national figure had he been transplanted to West-
minster. I have never seen him in the Canadian
Parliament without wishing that instead he was
at Westminster, for then it would be easy to de-
cide as to the leadership of the Liberal party.
In office of out of office, he is the most consid-
erable figure in Greater Britain. Such was the
estimate of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, made by one of
the premier political observers of England, Mr.
John L. Garvin.
* * *
On the occasion of Sir Wilfrid's sixty-sixth
birthday the London Morning Post said: "No
other statesman could have accomplished so much
in the short space of a life-time as the great
French-Canadian who combines an imaginative
eloquence unsurpassed in British history with the
charm and courtesy of a cultivated Frenchman."
The above writer enumerated some of the out-
standing measures of the Laurier administration
and added : "Measures wherein a business capa-
city was not less necessary than imagination and
courage."
168
BRITISH OPINION.
Moreover, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the French
Roman Catholic Premier of a self-governing fed-
eration in which British Protestants are in the
majority, has expressed more faithfully and more
truly than any statesman who has spoken yet,
the temper of the new imperial patriotism foster-
ed into self-consciousness by the South African
war.
His visit to the Queen's Jubilee in 1897, was
greeted with a reception that was almost regal.
He was made a member of th Privy Council, ap-
pointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St.
Michael and St. George, and received in audience
by the Queen. The Universities of Oxford and
Cambridge conferred honorary degrees upon him,
and the Cobden Club admitted him to honorary
membership, and awarded him its gold medal, in
recognition of his exceptional and distinguished
services to the cause of international and free ex-
change. The new departure in Imperial policy,
which Sir Wilfrid was able to arrange during this
visit, caused the London Times to say: Laurier's
name must live in the annals of the British Em-
pire.
169
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
The Tribune: — Among Canadian statesmen of
our day Sir Wilfrid Laurier ranked first. The
Canada of the present is in a large measure his
work. His horizon was spacious. His loyalty
to his own race, religion and section did not pre-
l^vent him from pursuing a broad national policy.
The Sun : — Sir Wilfrid Laurier's public life of
nearly half a century, covers the development of
Canada from a colony into something very like
p an independent nation. The 15 years in which he
served as Premier saw the greatest growth of
I the Dominion in railroads, trade and agriculture
**fo any period in its marvelous history. It has
often been the subject of comment that Sir Wil-
frid being French by race and Catholic by relig-
ion, should have been able to remain so long the
dominant figure in Canadian politics, out his
qualities enabled him at all times to rise superior
to matters of personal preference.
The World: — His name is one of the greatest
in the history of the sister republic.
The New York Times:— Sir Wilfrid's culmin-
ant hour abroad was at the Diamond Jubilee of
1897, or at the coronations of Edward VII., and
George V. No other colonial statesman so im-
170
AMERICAN OPINION.
pressed the English. This French-Canadian, this
first French-Canadian Premier, this bilingual
orator, this personage of authority, suavity, dig-
nity, and distinction, has not left his like behind.
Resourceful, subtle, a master of debate, the un-
matchable leader of the Liberals, he seemed to
belong to the generation of Disraeli and Palmer-
ston and Gladstone. If on conscription he was
opposed to prevailing public sentiment, so he had
been on reciprocity ; and he should have the credit
of honesty of opinion on the one as on the other
policy. In 1896 he fought the Quebec bishops on
the question of Separate Public Schools in Mani-
toba. He had almost too much talent. He always
had courage enough. And he earnestly support-
ed the Entente in the war.
To most in Ottawa the end had come with
dramatic suddenness because his distinguished
figure, striking face and debonair smile were
familiar to all residents. Never for a moment
did he relinquish his keen interest in life, in peo-
ple, and in all the various events which make up
the life of the Capital, and so he was to be seen
regularly at meetings of the Canadian Club and
gatherings of various associations which made
171
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
Ottawa their headquarters. In public he dis-
played no sign that time had yet weakened his
physical edifice, and public men to-day say that
in private conversation up to near the end he dis-
played the same acumen, charm and ready wit
which had always distinguished him. Very near
friends, however, say that he realized the end
could not be delayed many years, chiefly because
of the growing weakness and lassitude which he
felt on rising in the mornings. During the day
it always wore off, and he fought courageously
against the weakness, rising always at his regu-
lar hour, day after day getting the better of his
weakness, and never under any circumstance
showing anything but a cheerful countenance.
On Sunday morning when he had his first faint-
ing attack of some minutes' duration he himself
felt it to be the realization of the premonition
which he had experienced and occasionally men-
tioned to close friends. For the moment, entirely
oblivious to all but the attack, he said quietly to
Lady Laurier: "It is the end." Later, however,
when he had partially recovered and was able to
talk he did not speak as though he expected the
end so soon. He seemed to think that, after all,
172
PASSING OF LAURIER.
he had weathered the attack, for when the gong
rang for luncheon he rose with the intention of
appearing at the table. His courageous habit of
always combatting weakness, in this case was his
undoing, as it brought on a second stroke, or the
first one, if the fainting fit in the morning is not
regarded as the result of a slight stroke.
* * *
"Every farm house and every village within
twenty miles is empty to-day," said one who
knows Ottawa well, on the morning of the funeral
of Sir Wilfrid Laurier. Although the dead
Leader was buried with all the civil pomp of a
State funeral and all the high ceremonial of an
ancient Church, the plain people also bore their
part. If you are a day laborer, there were just
such workmen as you showing their respect and
mourning; if you are a farmer, there were just
such farmers as you standing with uncovered
heads when the hearse went by. No matter who
you are or what your station in life — high or
lowly, rich or poor, proud or humble — you were
truly represented at the funeral of this man who,
because he was so chivalrous and so human, be-
longed to all classes and to all the people.
173
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
Before Ottawa was stirring, the city was al-
ready being filled with the gathering crowd. To
the ordinary passenger accommodation of the
railways many special trains had been added to
bring visitors from other cities and distant pro-
vinces. While the gathering crowd was pouring
in from the stations, the streets approaching the
city were filled with people coming in all man-
ner of vehicles, and even with thousands coming
afoot. By the time the Capital was awake it was
already in the possession of what was perhaps
the greatest crowd it has ever known. As the
day was mild — a grey day, frosty but kindly,
with snow under foot and the sun shining through
a thick haze — the visitors were able to stand
about in the streets without discomfort. The
route of the funeral procession having been an-
nounced, every available point of observation was
crowded long before the proceedings began. All
was orderly, as was to be expected, but the pre-
vailing air was one of cheerfulness. Their hero
had lived to the fullness of time, and they had
come to show their respect, rather than to mourn.
Everywhere groups were engaged in low-voiced
conversation, and at times even hushed laughter
174
PASSING OF LAURIER.
might be heard. This would be when someone
told a treasured story about the dead Chieftain.
But as all the stories told illustrated the other
world and other time courtliness of manner,
which often made him appear in startling con-
trast with crude surroundings, there was no dis-
respect in telling or appreciating them at such a
time. Those who told them and those who heard
them only loved him the more for graces they ad-
mired but could not emulate.
Those who had been favored by the Govern-
ment with invitations to the State funeral began
to assemble early at the Museum, where the body
lay in state in the room that is now being used by
the Commons. Every walk of Canadian public
activity was represented. Besides the high offici-
als of the State, men eminent in the Church, edu-
cation and social life of the country were repre-
sented. Mingling with these, who were mostly
young or still in the full vigor of life, were many
grey-haired veterans, colleagues of the dead
statesman in early campaigns, whose faces were
once familiar in the Capital. By 10 o'clock the
corridors were crowded. There was much hand-
shaking, and introductions back and forth, while
175
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
they waited to take their part in the formal fare-
well to the dead.
Presently officials began to call out instructions,
now in English, now in French, and the process-
ion began to form. Following the hearse was a
display that would have amazed anyone who
thinks of Canada as a land of ice and snow. Half
a score of sleighs bearing huge terraced floats that
had been built for the occasion were piled high
with the floral offerings that had been sent from
all parts of Canada or ordered by cable and tele-
graph from all parts of the world. Banked
against a background of flowing purple and
funereal black, these many-colored flowers made
summer in the midst of winter and brought the
seasons in mourning behind that sable hearse.
Slowly and with fitting majesty the long proces-
sion wound through the white streets with their
unbroken guard of citizens. At no place between
the Museum and the Basilica, where High Mass
was celebrated, was there a spot where anyone
could stand or crowd in that was not occupied.
As the hearse passed, bearing what was mortal
of him who had put on immortality, the watch-
176
PASSING OF LAURIER.
ers uncovered their heads, and their eyes were
dimmed by a sudden gust of tears.
In the Basilica, which was draped in black,
purple, and gold for this Imperial mourning, the
coffin was placed in a golden catafalque crowned
with lighted tapers. High overhead was sus-
pended a huge crown with streamers of black and
purple looped away into the dim distances of the
pillared cathedral. High dignitaries chanted the
Mass, while the choir responded to the full music
of the great organ. Nothing was lacking to add
state and awe to the passing of this simple citi-
zen, who in life needed nothing beyond his native
dignity to make him first among the peers.
When the funeral service was over and we
passed out of the dim aisles of the Basilica I
looked up and saw with sudden exaltation that
the sun had broken through the mists and clouds
and was shining down as if mourning had been
turned to rejoicing. So it seemed, and so I shall
believe it to be. I, who had come in from the
fields and the open spaces, felt that a great work
was ended and that a greater had begun. I felt
that all that had raised this man above his fellows
and apart from them was now put away. The
177
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
last ceremonial was ended. Now that his body
had been laid in death with the Kings and coun-
sellors of the earth, the spirit of Sir Wilfrid
Laurier, a man of the people, had passed into the
wide spaces, golden sunshine and open air of the
land he loved, to be an inspiration to all Cana-
dians as long as chivalry, courtesy and high
achievements are prized among men.
178
APPENDIX "A."
Chronology of the life of Sir Wilfrid Laurier.
1841— Born at St. Lin, Quebec, November 20,
of Acadian descent on his mother's side.
1847— Went to school in New Glasgow, 1850 to
L'Assomption College, and in 1857 to McGill
University.
I860 — Became a law student.
1864 — Took degree Bachelor of Civil Law at
McGill. Called to Quebec Bar.
1866 — Served against Fenian Raid.
1868 — Was married to Miss Zoe Laf ontaine.
^869— Ensign in Arthabaska Infantry Co.
1871-4 — Member of Quebec Legislature for
Drummond and Arthabaska.
1877 — Elected to Commons for Drummond and
Arthabaska.
1877 — Sworn in as Privy Councillor and ap-
pointed Minister of Inland Revenue in the Mac-
kenzie Cabinet, but was defeated in the bye-elec-
tion.
179
\
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
1877 — Elected to House of Commons for Que-
bec East.
1880— Made Queen's Counsel.
1887— Elected leader of the Liberal Party.
1889— Batonnier of the Bar (Arthabaska).
1889 — Spoke in Toronto for the first time.
(!§%)— Came into power as Premier of Canada.
"1897— Established the British Preference.
Knighted at Queen Victoria's Jubilee. Visited
Washington in the interests of seal fisheries and
better trade relations.
1898 — Member of Joint High Commission to
Consider Trade with Britain and U. S. _^_
1899— Made an honorary Colonel. Despatched
the Canadian Expedition to South African War.
1900— Inaugurated the Western Canada Immi-
fixation nolicy.
1901 — Received the Duke and Duchess of Corn-
wall, and accompanied them across Canada.
1902— Attended the Colonial Trade Confer-
ence.
1903— Introduced the Grand Trunk Pacific
Railway Scheme.
180
APPENDIX "A."
1904— Elected Member for Wright, also for
Quebec East.
1905 — Established the new Provinces of Sas-
katchewan and Alberta.
1907 — Attended the Imperial Conference.
1908 — Elected Member for Ottawa. Received
the Prince of Wales at Quebec Tercentenary.
1909 — Voted with the whole House on the
' 'Unanimous Resolution" re Canadian Navy.
the Canadian Naval Service Act.
1911 — Represented (Janada at Coronation of
King George and Queen Mary. Liberal Govern-
ment defeated at the polls on Question of Recipro-
city in Natural Products with the United States.
1912— Toured Ontario.
1913 — Led the Opposition forces in the "Naval
Blockade" in Parliament.
1914 — Co-operated with Sir Robert Borden in
the "Councils of War."
1915 — Maintained a Parliamentary Truce in
House during War session.
1917— Was asked by Sir Robert Borden to
enter a Union Government, but declined.
181
SIR WILFRID LAURIER.
Led the Opposition forces in the general elec-
tion in opposition to the conscription issue.
Opposition was defeated, and Union Government
elected by large majority. Sir Wilfrid person-
ally was elected in his old seat of Quebec East,
but was defeated in Ottawa.
1918 — Led the Parliamentary Liberal Opposi-
tion to the Union Government in the House of
Commons.
1919— Died in Ottawa, February 17.
182
APPENDIX "B."
Thanks are extended to the following papers and
writers for permission to use published articles and other
material :
The Lindsay Post; Fred Landon; The London Adver-
tiser; The Regina Leader; The Waterloo Chronicle; The
Journal of Commerce; Saturday Night; The St. Thomas
Times-Journal; The Montreal Herald; The Daily Tele-
graph; The Mail and Empire; The Eganville Leaflet;
Calgary Herald; Kingston Whig; The Halifax Chronicle;
Fredericton, N.B., Mail; Brockville Recorder; Woodstock
Sentinel-Review; The Statesman; St. John Globe; Ottawa
Journal; Canadian Baptist; Vancouver Sun; Saskatoon
Phoenix; Kingston Standard; Toronto Star Weekly;
Peterborough Examiner; Athens Reporter; Bracebridge
Gazette; Amherst Daily News; Halifax Echo; The Mont-
real Star; The Ottawa Citizen; The Quebec Telegraph;
the Daily Telegraph, St. John, N.B.; Moncton, N.B.,
Times; The Toronto Daily News; J. W. Mallon, Daily
Star, Toronto; Hamilton Times; Austin Mosher; The
Montreal Gazette; Alexander Smith, barrister, Ottawa;
Harry Anderson, The Globe, Toronto; Mr. P. C. Larkin,
Toronto; Hon. Chas. Murphy, Ottawa; Hector Charles-
worth, Toronto.
We also thank the Dominion Press Clipping Bureau
for its valuable assistance.
183
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