Part 1 (1/2)

George Brown

by John Lewis

PREFACE

The title of this series, ”Makers of Canada,” seeation to devote special attention to the part played by George Brown in fashi+oning the institutions of this country From this point of view the most fruitful years of his life were spent between the tiovernment, and the time when the provinces were confederated and the bounds of Canada extended from the Atlantic to the Pacific The ordinary political contests in which Mr Brown and his newspaper engaged have received only casual notice, and the effort of the writer has been to trace Mr Brown's connection with the streaave place to the confederated Doovernment, the course of this strea that Upper Canada is inadequately represented and is dominated by its partner Various remedies, such as dissolution of the union, representation by population and the ”double majority,” are proposed; but ultimately the solution is found in federation, and to this solution, and the events leading up to it, a large part of the book is devoted Mr Broas also an ardent advocate of the union with Canada of the country lying west to the Rocky Mountains, and to this work reference isfriendshi+ps and strong animosities These have been dealt with only where they see upon history, as in the case of Sir John A

Macdonald and of the Roman Catholic Church It seeht over again quarrels which had no public importance and did not affect the course of history

The period covering Mr Brown's career was one in which the political gas were aroused To this day it is difficult to discuss the career of the Hon George Brown, or of Sir John A Macdonald, without reviving these feelings in the breasts of political veterans and their sons; and even one who tries to study the ti sides withsince lost and won The writer has tried to resist the te froht in many cases to present Brown's point of view, not necessarily as the whole truth, but as one of the aspects of truth

In dealing with the question of confederation, my endeavour has been simply to tell the story of Broork and let it speak for itself, not to measure the exact proportion of credit due to Brown and to others It is hard to believe, however, that the verdict of history will assign to hi the public men of Canada who contributed to the work of confederation Events, as D'Arcy McGee said, were probably y is needed for the space devoted to the subject of slavery in the United States, itopposition to slavery, but in the fact that the Civil War influenced the relations between the United States and Canada, and indirectly promoted the confederation of the Canadian provinces, and also in the fact, so frequently erowth of the institution of slavery on this continent was a danger to which Canada could not be indifferent

A the works that have been found useful for reference are John Charles Dent's _Last Forty Years_ (Canada since the union of 1841); _Gray on Confederation_; Cote's _Political Appointins' _Legislation and History of Separate Schools in Upper Canada_; the lives of _Lord Elgin_, _Dr

Ryerson_ and _Joseph Howe_ in ”The Makers of Canada” series; the Hon

Alexander Mackenzie's _Life and Speeches of the Hon George Brown_; the Hon Ja's _Public Men and Public Life in Canada_ Mr

Mackenzie's book contains a valuable collection of letters, to which frequent reference iswith confederation The account of the relations of the Peel governot is taken from the _Life of Sir Robert Peel_, from his correspondence, edited by C S Parker The files of the _Banner_ and the _Globe_ have been read with so wealth ofhistorical material

To Dr James Bain, Librarian of the Toronto Free Library, and to Mr

Avern Pardoe, of the Library of the Legislative assembly, I am deeply indebted for courtesy and assistance

JOHN LEWIS

CHAPTER I

FROM SCOTLAND TO CANADA

George Broas born at Alloa, a seaport on the tidal Forth, thirty-five h, on Novee Mackenzie, of Stornoway, in the Island of Lewis His father, Peter Broas a h School and Southern Acade man,” said Dr Gunn, of the Southern Acadeh enthusias enthusiasnificance to praise bestowed on a school-boy, it may be said that these words struck the keynote of Brown's character and revealed the source of his power The atmosphere of the household was Liberal; father and son alike hated the institution of slavery, hich they were destined to beco itive Slave Law before a Toronto audience, ”I used to think that if I ever had to speak before such an audience as this, I would choose African Slavery as my theme in preference to any other topic The subject seemed to afford the widest scope for rhetoric and for fervid appeals to the best of huhts arose far fro at a distance, while the horrors of the system were unrealized, while the mind received it as a tale and discussed it as a principle

But, when you haveitself, when you have encountered the atrocities of the systes held as chattels by their Christian countrymen, when you have seen the free institutions, the free press and the free pulpit of A the traffic, when you have realized the manacle, and the lash, and the sleuth-hound, you think no more of rhetoric, the mind stands appalled at the , and facts, cold facts, are felt to be the only fit argule which ended in the disruption of the Church of Scotland was approaching its climax, and the sympathies of the Brown household ith those who declared that it ”is the fundamental law of this Church that no pastor shall be intruded on any congregation contrary to the will of the people”

In 1838 reverses in business led the father and son to seek their fortunes in A in New York, Peter Brown turned to journalis employment as a contributor to the _Albion_, a weekly newspaper published for British residents of the United States The Browns formed an unfavourable opinion of American institutions as represented by New York in that day To the power, seeking to extend its territory in order to enlarge the area of slavery, and hostile to Great Britain as a citadel of freedo element in the United States as that which kept up the tradition of enland An Aland_, aroused Peter Brown's indignation, and he published a reply in a little voluland Vindicated_ Here he paid tribute to British freedom, contrasted it with the domination of the slave holders, and instanced the fact that in Connecticut a woirls to read Further light is thrown upon the American experience of the Browns by an article in the _Banner_, their first Canadian venture in journalis an accusation of disloyalty and Yankee syainst Reformers in that day He said: ”We have stood in the very heart of a republic, and fearlessly issued our weekly sheet, expressing our fervent adh surrounded by Des, Democratic Republicans, Irish Repealers, slave-holders, and every class which breathes the most inveterate hostility to British institutions And we are not to be turned froenuine principles of the constitution because some of our contemporaries are taken with a fit of sycophancy, and would sacrifice all at the shrine of power”

In December, 1842, the Browns established in New York the _British Chronicle_, a paper sined more especially for Scottish and Presbyterian readers in the United States and Canada In an effort to proe Brown caround on the popular side of the gle atched with peculiar interest in Canada, where the relations between Church and State were burning questions Young Brown alsopower under Governor Metcalfe, and the ministers became impressed with the idea that he would be a powerful ally in the struggle then i pen picture of George Brown as he appeared at this time The writer is Samuel Thompson, editor of the _Colonist_ ”It was, I think, somewhere about the month of May, 1843, that there walked intoman of twenty-five years, tall, broad-shouldered, somewhat lantern-jawed and emphatically Scottish, who introduced hient of the New York _British Chronicle_, published by his father

This was George Brown, afterwards editor and publisher of the _Globe_ newspaper He was a very pleasant- fellow, and impressed me favourably His father, he said, found the political at British, and that it was as ive expression to any British predilections whatsoever (which I knew to be true)