THE YEAR 1890
This was the most active and important year of our work for the
Empire, and we began to see the result of the efforts we had made. The
Commercial Union movement was as active and dangerous as ever, and the
contest was carried on with great vigour all the year.
On the 6th February, 1890, I wrote to Sir John Macdonald telling
him that the next election would be fought on the straight issue of
loyalty. At that time he hardly agreed with me, but before the year was
out my forecast was verified.
On the 13th January, 1890, I addressed a dinner of the Sons of England.
On the 25th of the same month I had a letter in the _Globe_ pointing
out the dangers of the belief obtaining ground that we were divided.
I knew that Mr. Mulock proposed moving a resolution in the House of
Commons to show how united our people were on the question of loyalty
to the Empire, and, to aid him, went on to say:
These conspirators are working now every day to pave the way for
trouble. The public mind of the United States is being educated, and
those in Canada working for them and with them, some consciously,
some unconsciously, are sowing seed of which we will reap the bitter
harvest. The Canadians advocating Independence are of two classes, one
a class loyal to Canada above all, the other using Independence as a
cloak, knowing that Independence just now, while making us no freer,
would deprive us of the backing of the Empire, and change our present
practical independence, either to an absolute dependence on the United
States or to the necessity of a desperate struggle with them.
Mr. Mulock will do good service if he succeeds, as I suppose he
will, in getting a unanimous vote of our Parliament in favour of
the existing constitution of our country. It will show that we are
not a downtrodden people, waiting for our neighbours to aid us in
throwing off a galling yoke, and will tend to counteract the plots of
those conspirators who are intriguing for our conquest and national
extinction.
We must show them that we are a united people on national questions.
It is our only safeguard. If we are to be weakened by internal
dissensions in the face of foreign aggression, God help our country.
On the 29th January, 1890, Mr. Mulock moved an address to her Majesty
in the following terms:
MOST GRACIOUS MAJESTY,
We, Your Majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Commons of
Canada in Parliament assembled, desire most earnestly in our own name,
and on behalf of the people whom we represent, to renew the expression
of our unswerving loyalty and devotion to Your Majesty's person and
Government.
We have learned with feelings of entire disapproval that various
public statements have been made, calling in question the loyalty
of the people of Canada to the political union now happily existing
between this Dominion and the British Empire, and representing it as
the desire of the people of Canada to sever such connection.
We desire, therefore, to assure Your Majesty that such statements are
wholly incorrect representations of the sentiments and aspirations
of the people of Canada, who are among Your Majesty's most loyal
subjects, devotedly attached to the political union existing between
Canada and the Mother Country, and earnestly desire its continuance.
We feel assured that Your Majesty will not allow any such statement,
emanating from any source whatever, to lessen Your Majesty's
confidence in the loyalty of your Canadian subjects to Your Majesty's
person and Government, and will accept our assurances of the
contentment of Your Majesty's Canadian subjects with the political
connection between Canada and the rest of the British Empire, and of
their fixed resolve to aid in maintaining the same.
We pray that the blessings of Your Majesty's reign may, for your
people's sake, be long continued.
Mr. Mulock's speech clearly explains the reasons for his action. He
said:
We are all observers of current events, we are all readers of the
literature of the day, and we have had the opportunity of observing
the trend of the American Press during the last few months. In that
Press you find a doctrine set forth as if it were the expression of
one mind, but appearing in the whole of the Press of the United States
and being in that way spread far and wide. You find it asserted there
that the political institutions in Canada are broken down; that we
are a people divided against ourselves or amongst ourselves; that
we are torn apart by internal dissensions; that race is set against
race, creed against creed, Province against Province, and the Dominion
against the Empire; and that this has created a feeling in favour of
independence or annexation which is now only awaiting the opportunity
to take practical form and shape. These statements have, no doubt,
already done injury to our country. A surplus population does not
seek countries which are supposed to be bordering on revolution.
Capital does not seek investment in countries which are supposed not
to be blessed with stable government. Therefore, for the information
of the outside world, for the information of those who have not had
the advantage of being born or becoming Canadian citizens, for their
advantage and for our own advantage ultimately, I have asked the House
to adopt this resolution. To give further colour to these statements,
we find that the United States Congress appointed a Committee of the
Senate, ostensibly to inquire into the relations of Canada with the
United States; but if anyone investigated the proceedings of that
Committee, he would find that apparently the principal anxiety of the
Commission is to discover satisfactory evidence that this country is
in a frame of mind to be annexed to the United States. I know of no
better way of meeting their curiosity on that subject, and at the
same time of settling this question, than for the people of Canada,
through their representatives here assembled, to make an authoritative
deliverance upon the subject. Such a deliverance will go far, I
believe, to settle the question in the minds of the people of the old
lands, those of England and of continental Europe, and then I hope
it will result in setting once more flowing towards our shores the
surplus capital and the surplus population of those old lands which
are so much wanted for the development of the resources of this vast
Dominion. I make this statement in no feeling of unfriendliness to the
United States. We cannot blame them for casting longing eyes towards
this favoured land, but we can only attribute that to Canada's worth,
and, therefore, to that extent we can appreciate their advances. But
that the American people seriously believe that Canada, a land so full
of promise, is now prepared, in her very infancy, to commit political
suicide, I cannot for a moment believe. Do the American people
believe that this young country, with her illimitable resources,
with a population representing the finest strains of human blood,
with political institutions based upon a model that has stood the
strain for ages, and has ever become stronger--do they believe that
this country, possessing within her own limits all the essentials
for enduring national greatness, is now prepared to abandon the work
of the Confederation fathers, and pull out from the Confederation
edifice the cement of British connection which holds the various parts
of the edifice together? Do they, I say, believe that the people of
Canada are prepared in that way to disappear from the nations of the
earth, amidst the universal contempt of the world? No, Mr. Speaker,
the American people are too intelligent to believe any such a thing.
They have been trying to make themselves believe it, but they cannot
do it. But whether they believe it or not--no matter who believes it
outside of Canada--I venture to say the Canadian people do not believe
it; and whatever be the destiny of Canada, I trust that such as I have
indicated is not to be her destiny.
The motion was carried by a vote of 161 yeas and no nays.
This action of the House of Commons was of the greatest possible good,
and gave great encouragement to our League.
By this time the meetings of the Executive Committee of the Imperial
Federation League were generally held in my office, at the old Police
Court. I often occupied the chair in the absence of Mr. D'Alton
McCarthy, and later of Sir Leonard Tilley, who succeeded him as
President. At a meeting held on the 17th February, 1890, Mr. Henry J.
Wickham read a letter which he had received from a friend in the United
States, mentioning the custom of flying the Stars and Stripes over
the schools in that country, and suggesting that a like custom might
be advantageous in Canada. The idea was seized on at once, and it was
decided to organise a representative deputation with a view to waiting
on the Minister of Education, and getting him to make such a regulation
that the national flag would be used in all public schools in Ontario,
and hoisted on certain days of the year to commemorate events of
national importance. The details of the matter were left in the hands
of Mr. H. J. Wickham and myself. Mr. Wickham acted as secretary, and
very soon we had organised a very influential and powerful deputation
of representative men to wait upon the Hon. G. W. Ross and to ask for
Government recognition and authority for the movement.
On the 21st February, 1890, our deputation was received by the Minister
of Education, and the objects we desired were explained to the Minister
by Mr. Wickham, Mr. Somers (Chairman of the Public School Board), by
myself as chairman of the deputation, and we were supported by Mayor
Clarke, J. M. Clark and others.
Mr. Ross said that "it was needless to say that he sympathised deeply
with the deputation in their request." He said also that "he considered
the display of the national emblem would be a fitting exhibition
representing externally what was being done inside the schools. He
would have no objection to make such a regulation, if it was not easy
enough now, and legal if it was not so now, to display the national
emblem in some such way as to impress upon the children the fact that
we are a country and have a flag and a place in it."
This was most satisfactory to us, and the movement soon became
general, and now in several Provinces the practice of displaying the
flag is followed.
On the same night, the 21st February, I attended the annual dinner
of the Sergeants' Mess of the Queen's Own Rifles, all of whom were
Imperial Federationists. I found there, for the first time at a public
dinner to my knowledge, as one of the principal toasts, "Imperial
Federation," to which I responded. Since then, at almost all public
dinners in Canada, some patriotic toast of that kind has appeared on
the programme--"The United Empire," "Canada," "Canada and the Empire"
"Our Country," and many variations of the idea.
On the 4th March, J. M. Clark and I went to Barrie and addressed a
large meeting in the interests of Imperial Federation, and received a
hearty support.
Our Committee about this time thought it would be well to issue a
kind of manifesto that would explain our objects, and put forth the
arguments in favour of our views and could be used as a kind of
campaign literature to be distributed freely throughout the country. It
was therefore arranged that a meeting should be held for the purpose
of organising a branch of the League at Guelph, and that I should make
a speech there that could be printed in separate form for general
circulation. Mr. Creighton, of the _Empire_, agreed to send a reporter
to take a shorthand report which was to be published in that paper. Mr.
Alexander McNeill went to the meeting with me and made an excellent
speech, one of many great efforts made by him for the cause.
The meeting was held on the 28th March, 1890, and afterwards fully
reported in the _Empire_. The meeting was large, the hall being filled,
and was as unanimous and enthusiastic as the warmest advocate of
Imperial Federation could have wished. The report of this meeting was
reprinted and circulated in great numbers throughout the country.
The following day Dr. W. George Beers delivered an eloquent and
powerful lecture in Toronto in the interests of our cause, which was
well received.