THE O'BRIEN EPISODE
In the early part of 1887 the Irish party in Ireland had been
endeavouring to secure sympathy and assistance in the United States
and Canada, in favour of their demand for Home Rule. There was a very
large Irish population in Canada, and through their representatives in
our House of Commons and in the local legislatures they pressed for
resolutions in favour of the policy of Home Rule. The people of Canada
were not generally favourable to the movement, but the politicians on
both sides, who were anxious to obtain the Irish vote, did not hesitate
to support the Home Rule resolutions; little caring for the interests
of the Mother Country or the Empire, so long as their political
opponents did not obtain any advantage in the matter. The resolutions
were carried with remarkable unanimity. I was much annoyed, and wrote
to Lord Salisbury telling him to pay no attention to the addresses of
our politicians. I assured him that the silent masses of the Canadian
people were on his side on that subject, but unfortunately there was no
way in which the silent masses could make their views known.
The apparent unanimity of feeling in Canada, as shown by the action of
Governments and Parliaments, deceived the Irish Nationalists, and to
emphasise their power in Canada, Mr. Wm. O'Brien, M.P., announced that
he was going to Canada to drive Lord Lansdowne, our Governor-General,
out of Canada, amid the hoots and execrations of the Canadian people.
This was because he was an Irish landlord and had evicted some of his
tenants.
This was cabled across, and a day or two after I met Colonel Gzowski
(afterwards Sir Casimir Gzowski) on the street, and he told me that
Lord Lansdowne was coming to Toronto in a few days, and as O'Brien was
coming out, he thought we in Toronto should see that Lord Lansdowne
got a friendly reception. I saw the opportunity at once. I felt the
silent masses might have a chance to speak out, and said, "Leave that
to me: we will give him a great reception." Among other things it was
feared that the few disaffected might resort to violence against the
Governor-General.
A few days later, on the 26th April, 1887, I attended the St. George's
Society Annual Banquet, where I responded to the toast of the Army,
Navy, and Volunteers. The presidents of most of the benevolent and
patriotic societies of the city were guests at the dinner. The Premier,
Sir Oliver Mowat, sat next to me; the Mayor was present also, and a
very large number of prominent citizens. I saw what an opening there
was to start a movement in favour of the Governor-General, and spoke
in short as follows: I was speaking on behalf of the Army, Navy and
Volunteers, and drew attention to the fact that a great deal depended
upon the Volunteers--that only a few years before we had to turn
out, and go to the Niagara frontier to defend our country against an
invasion of Fenians from the United States. I said that the Irish of
that country had subscribed large sums of money, Irish servant girls
giving liberally out of their savings, to provide funds to organise
armed forces, to buy rifles and bayonets and swords and ammunition,
to be used in attacking a peaceful and inoffensive country in order
to devastate our fields, to shoot down our people, and rob us of
our property. I pointed out that I and my command had been sent to
Fort Erie, and that some of my comrades in the Queen's Own and other
Volunteer corps had been shot down, and many wounded, before we drove
the enemy out of the country. I thanked them for proposing the toast
of the "Volunteers," but went on to say, there was one thing, however,
that was very annoying and humiliating to us. The Fenians, having
failed to defeat us, were still carrying on their campaign against our
Empire. Money was being collected as usual in the United States in
large quantities, but instead of being used in the purchase of arms and
munitions of war, it was being expended in sending traitors into the
British House of Commons, and in maintaining them there to destroy the
Union, and make the first rift in our Empire. "Fancy, gentlemen, the
feelings of those of us who went to the front, who risked our lives,
who had our comrades killed in opposing these men, when we see our
politicians in our Houses of Parliament, for wretched party purposes,
clasping hands with the enemies of our Empire, and passing resolutions
of sympathy and support to them in their efforts to injure our nation.
These resolutions are an insult to our Volunteers, and a shame and
disgrace to our country," and I sat down.
This was received with uproarious applause. The people jumped to their
feet and cheered and waved their table napkins, many even got upon
their chairs, and shouted themselves hoarse. Sir Oliver Mowat (then
Mr. Mowat), who had supported one of these resolutions in the local
House shortly before, and was Premier, said to me when the cheering
subsided and I could hear him, "That was a very powerful speech you
made." I replied, "Do you think so?" He said, "It was a very strong
speech." I answered, "Was it? I tried so hard to be moderate." He
laughed and said, "You did, did you?" He never had any more such
resolutions in his House.
When the dinner was over and the guests were leaving, I stood near the
door and was surrounded by men approving of my speech. I picked out
the men I wanted--the Mayor, the presidents of societies, colonels of
regiments, &c.--and asked them to wait as I wished to speak to them.
When the group had gathered I said to them, "I did not speak as I did
for nothing. Lord Lansdowne is coming here very soon. Wm. O'Brien is
coming from Ireland to drive him out of Canada. We must arrange for
such a reception to Lord Lansdowne as no Governor-General ever had
in Toronto, and I want you all to agree to serve on a committee to
organise it; and I hope the Mayor will take the chair, and send out
notices for the meeting." All at once agreed heartily.
When the meeting was held to arrange the plan for the reception, a
number of those present wished a great procession to be organised of
societies and the city regiments in uniform, &c. I knew that the object
of the Irish Nationalists was to create the belief that the people of
Canada, with the exception of the official classes, &c., were not on
the side of the Governor-General, and that he would have to be guarded
by police and soldiers, and insisted that not one man in uniform should
be seen--that the people, as the people, should take the matter
into their own hands, and escort the Governor-General. It was a most
difficult task to carry the committee with me, but I was determinedly
persistent and at last carried my point.
A small committee was appointed to arrange details, and the reception
was organised with the greatest care. The Volunteer regiments were
pledged to turn out in plain clothes, with walking-sticks; the
societies also agreed to be out, the Orangemen did their part, the
lawyers were canvassed to be in the streets, and all were asked to act
as private detectives, and watch carefully any attempt to throw stones
by any disaffected parties if there were any. The citizens illuminated
their houses and shops on the route from North Toronto Station through
Yonge and King Streets to Government House. Members of the Toronto
Hunt Club, mounted and in plain clothes, formed an escort; but, what
was not known to the public, twenty-five picked men of my corps, the
Governor-General's Body Guard, in plain clothes, with Lieut.-Colonel
Merritt, my adjutant, in charge, rode as members of the Hunt Club,
along with them, and guarded the carriage of his Excellency. About
four hundred men of the Queen's Own, all in plain clothes, marched
along the street alongside the carriage. The Orange body arranged for
a torchlight procession with about a thousand torches, and the police
were entirely withdrawn from the streets on which the procession
marched. I do not believe anyone was ever more carefully guarded, for
the people as a mass took it in hand themselves.
On the morning of the day on which his Excellency was to arrive, I
learned that the General commanding had ordered a guard of honour to
meet him at the station. I went at once to the Mayor, and we went
together to see the Governor's military secretary, and urged him to ask
his Excellency to countermand the order and dispense with the guard.
This was done, and no man in uniform was to be seen. The reception was
a remarkable success. The streets were filled with most enthusiastic
crowds, and no Governor-General ever made such an entry into Toronto.
The people took him to Government House, and the whole neighbourhood
and the carriage drive were packed with cheering crowds. Lord Lansdowne
stood up in his carriage at the door, and made a speech thanking the
people, and he must have felt that he was among friends.
A few days later a great meeting was held in the Queen's Park, when a
number of prominent citizens made speeches condemning Mr. O'Brien's
proposed visit to Toronto and resolutions were passed in that sense.
The Mayor, on behalf of the citizens, sent a telegram to O'Brien
requesting him not to come to Toronto.
O'Brien and his people persisted, however, and called a public meeting
in the Queen's Park for the 17th May. There was a very large gathering,
probably ten or twelve thousand people, and O'Brien and his companion,
Mr. Kilbride (one of Lord Lansdowne's evicted tenants), were carefully
guarded by the police. The Irish party, who comprised probably
one-tenth of the crowd, organised the meeting, and Mr. O'Brien, with
several Yankee reporters around him, began to speak. The University
students had planned to start singing, and the moment he began, the
crowd broke out with "God Save the Queen." Cheers were then called
for Lord Lansdowne, Lord Salisbury, Lord Hartington, and Joseph
Chamberlain. Then the singing began again; "Rule, Britannia" was sung
by the great masses. Again cheers for the four statesmen already
mentioned, then alternately "God Save the Queen," cheers, and "Rule,
Britannia." No one could hear a word of O'Brien's speech. This went on
until he ceased to attempt to speak. Mr. Kilbride then stood up. The
students led the crowd in a refrain, "Pay your rint, pay your rint, pay
your rint, you thief," and the people shouted this over and over again,
and he, unable to be heard, had to cease, and the meeting ended by some
local man trying to say a few words.
While moving through the crowd studying the temper of the people, I saw
two or three incidents which showed me that there was a very dangerous
and ugly spirit among the loyalists, and I become anxious lest the mob
should get beyond all control. I went to the Chief of Police, who had
a large force of policemen and an escort of mounted police, to guard
the carriage of the visitors, and told him he would have a difficulty
in getting O'Brien away without injury. Being a Police Commissioner, I
advised him to get those in charge of the meeting to put up someone to
speak as soon as Kilbride finished, and to take O'Brien and Kilbride
quietly off the platform to the back, hurry them into the carriage, and
drive off before the crowd should discover it. This was done, and they
had barely got clear when the crowd, seeing they were going, chased
them and endeavoured to stone them. Fortunately they had a start, and
driving rapidly escaped without injury.
I had told the Chief of Police not to allow O'Brien to go anywhere on
the streets without a strong police guard, for, as I told him, "I do
not want him hurt for one thing, and, on the other hand, I should
be very sorry that the idea should get abroad that he could walk the
streets of Toronto (under the circumstances) without protection." The
following evening, O'Brien and his party of three or four friends,
including one Yankee reporter, started from the hotel in the dusk to
walk round a block, and would not wait for the police escort for which
the police sergeant was sending. The party had not gone two hundred
yards when the crowds began to gather and follow them. They were pelted
with stones and eggs, the New York reporter being badly cut by a stone.
They escaped with difficulty back to the hotel. In Hamilton, Kingston,
and other places O'Brien was also mobbed and chased and was obliged to
hide. He then left the country, while Lord Lansdowne, who remained,
received a few days later a remarkable ovation on his return to Ottawa.
I left for England the day after O'Brien's meeting (on my vacation)
and a day or two after my arrival in London I was dining at Lord
Salisbury's, where I met Mr. Balfour, then Chief Secretary for Ireland.
They were interested in hearing the particulars. I told Lord Salisbury
that the "silent masses" had spoken out, and with no uncertain sound.
Both he and Mr. Balfour said that O'Brien's reception in Canada had
helped the passage of the Coercion Bill through the House of Commons,
for it proved that the statement of the Nationalists that every country
in the world was on their side was not quite accurate.