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I N T R O D U C T I O N 19
B r i t i s h Empire. An attempt at this was indeed made at a
later date. This possibility was afterwards formulated, evidently
as a threat, by Senator Charles Sumner during the
" Alabama Claims " discussion, i n his astonishing memorandum
to Secretary F i s h . " The greatest trouble, i f not p e r i l ,"
he said, " is from Fenianism, which is excited by the B r i t i sh
flag in Canada. Therefore, ' the withdrawal of the B r i t i sh
flag' cannot be abandoned as a preliminary of such a settlement
as is now proposed. To make the settlement complete
the withdrawal should be from this hemisphere, including
provinces and islands." A refreshing proposition, t r u l y!
It was the Imperial Government, of course, which figured
most prominently throughout the " North- West" question.
But, it may be reasonably asked, what was Canada doing,
with her deeper interests s t i l l , to further them i n those long
years of discussion and delay ? With the exception of the
H i n d Expedition, the Draper mission, the printing and discussion
of the Red River settlers' petition and consequent
Commission of Inquiry, certainly not much was done by P a r :
liament. More was done outside than i n the House to arouse
public interest; for example, the two admirable lectures
delivered i n Montreal i n 1858 by the late Lieutenant- Governor
Morris, followed by the powerful advocacy of the Hon.
W i l l i am Macdougall and others, aided by the Toronto Globe,
a small portion of the Canadian press, and the circulation,
l i m i t e d as it was, of the Red River newspaper, the Nor-
Wester, in Ontario.
A n unseen, but adverse, parliamentary influence had all
along hampered the Cabinet; an influence adverse not only to
the acquisition of the Territories, but even to closer connection
by railway w i t h the Maritime Provinces.* This sinister
influence was only overcome by the great Conferences which
resulted i n the passage of the B r i t i s h North America Act in
1867, which contained a clause ( Article 11, Sec. 146),
• Tide a series of articles contributed to the Toronto Week, in July,
1896, by Mr. Malcolm McLeod, Q. C., of Ottawa, Ont.
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| Title | Page 23 |
| OCR | I N T R O D U C T I O N 19 B r i t i s h Empire. An attempt at this was indeed made at a later date. This possibility was afterwards formulated, evidently as a threat, by Senator Charles Sumner during the " Alabama Claims " discussion, i n his astonishing memorandum to Secretary F i s h . " The greatest trouble, i f not p e r i l ," he said, " is from Fenianism, which is excited by the B r i t i sh flag in Canada. Therefore, ' the withdrawal of the B r i t i sh flag' cannot be abandoned as a preliminary of such a settlement as is now proposed. To make the settlement complete the withdrawal should be from this hemisphere, including provinces and islands." A refreshing proposition, t r u l y! It was the Imperial Government, of course, which figured most prominently throughout the " North- West" question. But, it may be reasonably asked, what was Canada doing, with her deeper interests s t i l l , to further them i n those long years of discussion and delay ? With the exception of the H i n d Expedition, the Draper mission, the printing and discussion of the Red River settlers' petition and consequent Commission of Inquiry, certainly not much was done by P a r : liament. More was done outside than i n the House to arouse public interest; for example, the two admirable lectures delivered i n Montreal i n 1858 by the late Lieutenant- Governor Morris, followed by the powerful advocacy of the Hon. W i l l i am Macdougall and others, aided by the Toronto Globe, a small portion of the Canadian press, and the circulation, l i m i t e d as it was, of the Red River newspaper, the Nor- Wester, in Ontario. A n unseen, but adverse, parliamentary influence had all along hampered the Cabinet; an influence adverse not only to the acquisition of the Territories, but even to closer connection by railway w i t h the Maritime Provinces.* This sinister influence was only overcome by the great Conferences which resulted i n the passage of the B r i t i s h North America Act in 1867, which contained a clause ( Article 11, Sec. 146), • Tide a series of articles contributed to the Toronto Week, in July, 1896, by Mr. Malcolm McLeod, Q. C., of Ottawa, Ont. |
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