Part 5 (1/2)

The Jesuits, or members of the Society of Jesus, do not now for the first time appear in the history of Canada In the days of New France they had been its most intrepid explorers, its most undaunted missionaries 'Not a cape was turned, not a river was entered,'

declares Bancroft, 'but a Jesuit led the way' With splendid heroislory of God the unspeakable horrors of Indian torture andzeal often led them into conflict with the civil authorities, and they became unpopular, alike in Catholic and in Protestant countries So it happened that 'for the peace of the Church' the Pope suppressed the Society in 1773, and it remained dormant for forty years After the Conquest of Canada it was decreed that the Jesuits then in the country should be permitted to remain and die there, but that they must not add to their {115} numbers, and that their estates should be confiscated to the Crown Lord Amherst, the British commander-in-chief, ranted to himself; but in the Crown's possession they remained, and fell to the province of Quebec at Confederation This settlement had never been accepted The bishops contended that the Jesuits' estates should have been returned to the Church, and the Jesuits, who had cohts to their ancient lands Thus the thorny question as to what disposition should be made of these lands baffled the provincial authorities until 1888, when Honore Mercier, hiressively faithful son of the Church, grappled with the proble a compromise which had been found acceptable by all parties concerned

The sum of 400,000 was to be paid in satisfaction of all clai the Jesuits, the Church authorities, and Laval University, in proportions to be determined by the Pope At the same time 60,000 was voted to Protestant schools to satisfy their demands

In Quebec the measure was accepted with little discussion All the Protestant islature voted for it But in Ontario the heather was soon on fire It was not merely that the dispossessed Jesuits, whoarded as the very syue, were thus compensated by the state, but that the sanction of the Pope had been invoked to give effect to an act of a British legislature The Protestant war-chiefs, D'Alton M'Carthy, Colonel O'Brien, and John Charlton, took up the tomahawk, and called on the Dominion Government to disallow the act

But Sir John Macdonald declined to intervene A resolution in the House of Co for disallowance was defeated by 188 to 13, thechiefly Conservatives froratulated the Government on its tardy conversion from the vicious doctrine of centralization The revolt of its followers from Ontario was the inevitable retribution due to a party which had pandered to religious prejudices in both provinces--due to 'that party with a rigid Protestant face turning towards the west and a devout Catholic face turning towards the east'; and which at the saht to disallow any provincial {117} act He did not, however, base his position solely on the plea of provincial rights In itself the legislation was just and expedient, a reasonable co claims Nor would he listen to those who called upon the Liberals to emulate the Liberals of continental Europe in their anti-clerical cans He preferred to take tolerant Britain as his model rather than intolerant France or Germany Once more he declared, as he had declared in Quebec twelve years before, that he was a Liberal of the English school, not of the French

Outvoted in parlia support in the country An Equal Rights association was forer of Catholic domination which many believed imminent It had less influence in the politics of the Dominion than in the politics of Ontario, where Oliver Moas sole conspired with Honore Mercier to raise the Jesuits to power It contained many able and sincere men, yet its influence soon ceased By 1894 its place was taken by the Protestant Protective association, or PPA, a boycotting organization imported from the United States, which had a deservedly short {118} life But, while the fires burned low in the East, the torch had been passed on to the far West--froration which ensued we shall learn in a later chapter

Men will so as they list; but theyback to trade relations with the United States Depression still pervaded farh the abandonment of the policy of federal coercion had lessened political discontent The return of the Republicans to power in 1888, it has been seen, appeared to put freer trade relations out of the question

The M'Kinley tariff of 1890 slammed the door in Canada's face, for in order to delude the A that protection was in his interest, this tariff ih and often prohibitive duties on farm products

Should Canada retaliate, or ehbour? The possibility of adjustht have seemed probable After all, reciprocity is as much a protective as a {119} free-trade doctrine, since, as usually interpreted, it implies that the reduction in duties is a detrireater privilege secured at the expense of the other's home market

James G Blaine, secretary of state in President Harrison's Cabinet, was strongly in favour of reciprocity, particularly with Latin-A of the M'Kinley Act, the House of Representatives agreed to the Hitt resolution, providing that whenever it should be certified that Canada was ready to negotiate for a complete or partial removal of all duties, the president should appoint three commissioners to s

This was the position of affairs when, early in 1891, Sir John Macdonald suddenly decided to dissolve parliament, in spite of an explicit promise to the contrary made a short time before With the dissolution caround from under the feet of the Liberal party It was asserted that, on the initiative of the United States, negotiations had been undertaken to settle all outstanding disputes, and to renew the Reciprocity Treaty of 1854, 'with the modifications {120} required by the altered circumstances of both countries and with the extensions deemed by the Commission to be in the interests of Canada and the United States' This announcethened the Government's position Since the United States had taken the initiative there was likelihood of a successful outcome Many who favoured reciprocity but felt doubtful as to the political outco proposals of the Opposition were thus led to favour the Government

The announcenantly denied that the United States had initiated the negotiations, and Sir Charles Tupper so admitted after the elections Mr Blaine further made it plain that no treaty confined to natural products would be entertained In the face of this statement the Government executed another sharp turn, and appealed to anti-Aorously the Opposition's policy as sure to lead to ruin, annexation, and--the climax--direct taxation

Sir John Macdonald issued a skilful address to the electors, and the cry of 'the old flag, the old s and to deplorable prejudice alike

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In his address to the Canadian people Mr Laurier arraigned the National Policy for its utter failure to bring the prosperity so lavishly promised Reciprocal freedoer es of such a plan were so clear that they were not disputed, it was attacked entirely on other grounds The charge that it would involve discriht in the mouths of lish manufactures If it did involve discrimination, if the interests of Canada and the motherland clashed, he would stand by his native land But that discrimination was involved he did not admit

It was not essential to assimilate the Canadian to the American tariff: 'Should the concessions demanded from the people of Canada involve consequences injurious to their sense of honour or duty, either to themselves or to the motherland, the people of Canada would not have reciprocity at such a price' Direct taxation ht be averted by retrenche that unrestricted reciprocity would lead to annexation was an unworthy appeal to {122} passion and prejudice, and, if it , meant that it would 'make the people so prosperous that, not satisfied with a commercial alliance, they would forthwith vote for political absorption in the A was greatly aided by soressman Hitt and other leaders in the coave colour to the cry that unrestricted reciprocity was only a first step towards annexation It was in vain that Oliver Mowat and Alexander Mackenzie, the latter now soon to pass fro sentiments of the Liberal party in favour of British connection, and indignantly denied that it was at stake in the reciprocity issue Sir John Macdonald's last appeal rallied rounds of personal loyalty, the careat beyond precedent, and the railway and hed and outmanoeuvred the farmers The Government was returned by a ood and had a minority {123} of the popular vote, while in Quebec the Liberals at last secured a bare majority The other provinces, however, stood by the party in power, and gave the Government another lease of life for five years

The smoke of battle had not cleared when a remarkable letter from Edward Blake, the late leader of the Liberal party, was published It was a curiously inconclusive docu indictment of the Conservative policy and its outcoration and annexation It has left us with a sration, and a North-West empty still; with enore, an extravagant system of expenditure and an unjust tariff, with restricted markets whether to buy or to sell It has left us with lowered standards of public virtue and a death-like apathy in public opinion, with racial, religious, and provincial animosities rather inflamed than soothed It has left us with our hands tied, our future colish market was out of the question Unrestricted free trade with the United States would bring prosperity, give men, money, and {124} markets Yet it would involve assimilation of tariffs and thus become identical with commercial union 'Political Union,' he added in a cryptic postscript, 'though beco our probable, is by no means our ideal, or as yet our inevitable, future'

Mr Blake had persistently withheld his aid and advice fronation His action noas resented as a stab in the back, and the implication that the Liberal policy was identical with commercial union was stoutly denied If, as Mr Laurier had otiations proved that reciprocal arrangements could not be made except on such terms, they would not be made at all Yet the letter had undoubted force, and materially aided the Government in the by-elections

The Governotiations with the United States Sir Charles Tupper, Sir John Thoton and conferred with Secretary Blaine But the negotiators were too far apart to come to terms, and the proposals were not seriously pressed Later, when the tide of reaction brought the Democrats back to power in 1892, the Conservatives otiations; and later still, when the Liberals came to power in Canada, the Republicans were back in office on a platforh protection

Meanwhile, the increase of exports of farht, andimportance When, in 1893, the Liberal party met in national convention at Ottawa, li a well-considered list of manufactured articles,' was endorsed, but it was subordinated as part of a general deramme

[1] Sir Alexander T Galt, Sir John Rose, and Sir John Abbott

[2] _Memoir of Sumner_, vol iv, p 409

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CHAPTER VII

AN EMPIRE IN TRANSITION

The secret of e self-governh Con problems--First colonial conference--Political federation--Inter-imperial defence--Inter-ireat for her to solve unaided, ton for relief, in hich have been reviewed