Part 6 (2/2)

CHAPTER VIII

THE END OF A ReGIME

Abbott and Thompson--Tariff reform--Manitoba school question

The strain of a winter careat for Sir John Macdonald's weakened frauided the destinies of Canada All Canada felt the loss No one else voiced the coenerosity as did the leader of the Opposition Speaking in parliament a few days later, Mr Laurier declared:

Sir John Macdonald now belongs to the ages, and it can be said with certainty that the career which has just been closed is one of the most remarkable careers of this century I think it can be asserted that, for the supreifted as few hest of all qualities, qualities which would have made him famous wherever exercised, and which would have shone all the er the theatre The fact that he could congregate together eleeneous and blend them into {154} one compact party, and to the end of his life keep theether 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 besides those higher qualities of statesmanshi+p to which ere daily witnesses, he was also endoith those inner, subtle, undefinable graces of soul which win and keep the hearts of men

As to his statesmanshi+p, it is written in the history of Canada

Although ment his actions were not always the best that could have been taken in the interests of Canada, although my conscience compels me to say that of late he has imputed to his opponents motives which I lad here to sink these differences, and to rereat services he has performed for our country--to reinality of view, unbounded fertility of resource, a high level of intellectual conception, and, above all, a far-reaching vision beyond the event of the day, and still higher, per the whole, a broad patriotism--a devotion to Canada's welfare, Canada's advancelory

Sir John Macdonald had been prime minister of the Dominion for twenty of its twenty-four years In the next five years the Conservative party had four different leaders {155} and the Dominion four prime ministers The first was Sir John Abbott, who had lived down the memory of his early views in favour of Annexation and had become 'the confidential family lawyer of his party' A little over a year later, ill-health con in favour of Sir John Thorew in breadth of vieith experience and responsibility

All Abbott's astuteness and Thohtness were soon required to deal with the revelations of rotten politics which presently clai been believed that the departevin, was a source of widespread corruption, but it was not until Israel Tarte, a member of the House of Coes to that effect during the session of 1891, that the full ations and trials which followed it was e sums had been extracted from contractors in the service of the Government and used in wholesale bribery These revelations, as a London newspaper renation at these proofs {156} of the sinister side of the Governes brought and proved against the Liberal Governovernor suainst his ministry, which it had erstwhile approved, and the people of the province voted him out of power (1892) The effect on the public mind of this corruption at Ottawa and Quebec was an apathy, a lowered standard of politicalthat 'one set of politicians is as bad as another,' by which good men excuse their unpatriotic indifference to public affairs

The Conservative party, and the whole Dominion, suffered a further loss in 1894, when Sir John Thompson died suddenly at Windsor Castle Sir Mackenzie Boas chosen as his successor

Meanwhile the fortunes and the spirit of the Liberal party rose steadily Mr Laurier's position as leader strengthened as each year gave proof of his steadfast character, his courage, and his political sagacity He gave his ti these years he addressed {157} hundreds of s in Quebec and Ontario, and h the West to the Pacific

The convention of Liberals froiven fresh vigour to the party At that convention, as has already been noted, e the tariff It was urged that the tariff should be htly as possible upon the necessaries of life, and that freer trade should be sought with all the world, and particularly with Great Britain and the United States

It was about this tiiousmore radical on other issues, voiced a demand for a reduction of customs burdens and for the adoption of iven Great Britain and British colonies and foreign countries which offered equivalent terms, and the maximum rates to be applied to countries like the United States which ainst Canadian products The Patrons of Industry, an organization of farmers which for a few years had much power {158} in Ontario, also demanded tariff reform Even the Government went a little with public opinion and lopped away a few ' branches' in 1894 Thus the tariff re the last five years of the Conservative regi question, however, was the revival of the old contest over provincial rights and denohts agitation, which had spread to Manitoba

In August 1889 Joseph Martin, aD'Alton M'Carthy at a public overnment would establish a non-sectarian system of education A few months later this was done

When Manitoba entered Confederation, in 1870, there had been no state-supported systelicans, and Presbyterians maintained denorants The settlers were about equally divided between Catholics and Protestants The Manitoba Act, Manitoba's constitutional charter, gave the new province in most respects the saiven control of {159} education, subject, first, to the provision that no law should be passed prejudicially affecting any right or privilege, with respect to denominational schools, which any class of persons had by law or practice at the union, and subject, secondly, to an appeal to the federal authorities frohts of any minority, Protestant or Catholic In 1871 a school system much like that of Quebec was set up Protestant schools and Catholic schools were established, and each was granted half the provincial appropriation Later, as the Protestant population grew relatively larger, the a to the number of pupils in each class of schools Now, in 1890, this systele system of state-supported schools At first it had been the intention to make them entirely secular, but in the end provision wasAny Catholic who did not wish to send his children to such a school would be compelled to pay for the support of a school of his own, besides paying taxes for the general school system

The Catholics, first under Archbishop {160} Tache's firevin's crusading leadershi+p, dee their policy It was thought that the constitution provided ahts The provision was three-fold First, the Do act But the Doht, preferring to leave the matter to the courts, if possible

Secondly, there was the provision of the Manitoba Act forbidding the province to take away any rights as to denominational schools possessed by any class of persons at the union Test cases were brought and elaborately argued in the courts The Supre only for one's own denoed The Privy Council reversed this judg that Catholics were still free to support schools of their own, and that this was the only privilege which they had before possessed

There was still a third string to the bow--the appeal to the governor-general in council, the Doislation Here again the Supreme Court and the Privy Council differed The Supreht of federal intervention existed; but the Privy Council maintained, as the last word in the case, that the Dominion had power to intervene

This decision put the question squarely before the Bowell Government

It was a difficult situation An adth froeman, was called upon by the Catholic authorities to use its powers to coe its policy or, in default, to pass a federal law restoring the ues soon made their decision Early in 1895 the province was ordered in uncohts and privileges The legislature declined, on the ground that the old systeed the federal authorities to investigate school conditions in Manitoba, past and present, before taking the fatal step of coercion But, after a commission had failed to induce the province to yield, the Bowell Government announced that at the next parliamentary {162} session (1896) a Remedial Bill would be introduced and passed

On the eve of theof parlia news that seven of thetheainst their leader The revolters urged the supreest possible adnation of the prime minister

Bowell bitterly denounced the 'nest of traitors,' and sought to form a Cabinet without their aid, but the strikers picketed every possible candidate Finally a compromise was reached by which the bolters were to return under Bowell's leadershi+p for the session and Sir Charles Tupper was to take command at its close